We tried loaded fries from major fast-food chains to see who does it best — and the winner is shocking

• Many fast-food chains have some form of loaded fries on the menu. 
• We ranked loaded fries from the major chains that offer them.
• Amazingly, Taco Bell was found to have the best loaded fries, despite only just launching french fries in January.

Loaded fries are the very definition of decadence.

Strips of fried potato topped with copious unhealthy, yet delicious, additions like cheese, bacon, chili, beef, or gravy — the breadth of options is limited only by the scope of the imagination. 

But as with any fast-food item, there's a fine line to walk between decadence and disgusting. Too much cheese, and they can become a soggy morass; too many toppings, and a gilded lily can become a gilded mess.

Most fast-food chains have offered some form of loaded fries over the years as a limited item, and a handful have them on the menu permanently. Of the six fries we tried from four chains — Arby's, Shake Shack, Taco Bell, and Wendy's — only one was a limited item. 

Six cheese-slathered, bacon-filled orders of loaded fries later, we managed to rank them from worst to best — and the results were pretty surprising.

SEE ALSO: Every item on Taco Bell's new $1 menu, ranked from worst to best

6. Wendy's Baconator Fries

With the Baconator fries, a fork is 85% necessary. The topping coverage is lackluster, and lots of bare fries are unearthed just below the surface. Wendy's fries are typically on the floppy side anyway, so the heat and moisture of cheese and condensation building in their little fries greenhouse play only a partial factor in their sogginess.

On the plus side, they do manage to retain heat for a fair amount of time. But they do not live up to the storied Baconator name, for all its grease and glory. There's nothing to temper the extreme richness of cheese and bacon — at least a Baconator has ketchup. 

5. Shake Shack Cheese Fries

Shake Shack's cheese fries are decadent at best and wanton at worst. The cheese tastes like a fancy version of that nacho cheese that comes out of a pump — that's a good thing in this instance. It's velvety smooth, rich, and kind of buttery.