Ten appetizers, ranging from $2.50 to $7.50, covering everything from a simple slice of garlic bread to a full plate of breaded chicken fingers. Here’s what’s actually in each one and how to build a starter order that works.
Think of this list less as nine separate decisions and more as three groups: bread-based sides, breaded-and-fried classics, and fried vegetables. Once you know which group you’re in the mood for, picking gets a lot easier.
Unlike our cheesesteaks or hoagies, appetizers on this menu aren’t meant to replace a main dish — they’re built to come alongside one, whether that’s a pizza, a sandwich, or a salad. Keeping that in mind while you order tends to produce a better meal than treating any single appetizer as the main event.
The Full Appetizer Lineup
| Appetizer | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic Bread | $2.50 | Toasted garlic bread |
| Garlic Bread with Cheese | $3.50 | Toasted garlic bread topped with melted cheese |
| Onion Rings | $4.50 | Made from scratch, served with chips |
| Fried Mushrooms | $4.75 | Breaded, fried mushrooms |
| Broccoli Bites | $5.00 | Fried broccoli bites |
| Cheese Fries | $6.00 | French fries topped with melted cheese |
| Chicken Nuggets | $6.00 | 10pcs, plain |
| Mozzarella Sticks | $6.00 | 5pcs with marinara sauce on the side |
| Jalapeño Poppers | $6.50 | 6pc with marinara sauce on the side |
| Chicken Fingers | $7.50 | 4pcs with honey mustard on the side |
If You Want a Simple Bread Side
Two options are built around bread rather than a fried protein or vegetable: Garlic Bread and Garlic Bread with Cheese. Both are the cheapest items on the list, and both work well as a shared table starter rather than an individual portion.
The only difference between the two is the melted cheese on top — a small $1.00 difference in price for a genuinely different bite. If you’re ordering pizza or a cheesesteak alongside it, plain Garlic Bread avoids doubling up on cheese across your whole order.
Garlic bread’s real job on any table is soaking up sauce — whether that’s marinara from a pasta dish, cheese drippings from a pizza, or the juices from a loaded cheesesteak. If you’re ordering something saucy as your main, plain Garlic Bread often makes more practical sense than the cheese version, since you won’t be missing extra cheese once it’s next to a cheese-heavy main dish anyway.
If You Want Something Fried and Vegetable-Based
Onion Rings, Fried Mushrooms, and Broccoli Bites are the three vegetable-forward options — all breaded or battered and fried, all priced under $5.00.
Onion Rings stand apart from the other two because they’re made from scratch rather than a pre-breaded frozen product — the difference shows up in the batter, which tends to cling tighter to the onion and fry up with a more irregular, homemade crunch than the uniform coating on most fast-food versions.
These are worth ordering alongside something heavier from the rest of the menu, since none of the three is filling enough to work as a standalone snack the way the chicken-based items are. Think of them as a way to add vegetables to an otherwise meat-heavy order, not as a replacement for one.
Between the three, Onion Rings bring the most texture contrast thanks to that scratch-made batter, Fried Mushrooms lean more savory and earthy, and Broccoli Bites bring more of a green, slightly bitter contrast — useful to know if you’re trying to balance out a rich, cheese-heavy main course rather than add to it.
If You Want Loaded Fries
Cheese Fries takes our regular french fries and adds melted cheese on top — the simplest way to turn a side into something more substantial without ordering a full second dish.
It’s also the one appetizer on this list that works equally well as a side dish or as a shareable snack on its own, which makes it a safe default order if you’re not sure what else to get. At $6.00, it sits right in the middle of the price range too, so it’s not a budget compromise either way.
If You Want Breaded, Fried Classics
Four items follow the same basic format — breaded, fried, and served with a dip: Chicken Nuggets, Mozzarella Sticks, Jalapeño Poppers, and Chicken Fingers.
Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Fingers are both plain, breaded chicken, just in different cut sizes — nuggets come 10 pieces for $6.00, fingers come 4 larger pieces for $7.50 with honey mustard included. Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeño Poppers both come with marinara on the side, and both trade chicken for a cheese-and-pepper filling instead.
If you’re deciding between the two chicken options, it really comes down to bite size: nuggets for smaller, shareable pieces, fingers for a larger portion per piece with a dip already included.
Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeño Poppers make for a good side-by-side comparison too, since they’re both breaded and both come with the same marinara dip — the real difference is what’s inside. Mozzarella Sticks are straightforward melted cheese, while Jalapeño Poppers add real heat along with the cheese filling. If you want the format without the spice, Mozzarella Sticks is the safer order; if you want both cheese and heat in one bite, go with the poppers.
All four of these breaded options share a similar texture profile — crisp exterior, soft or melted interior — so ordering more than one of them together tends to feel repetitive. If you’re building a mixed appetizer order, it’s usually more interesting to pair one breaded item with a bread-based side or a vegetable option rather than doubling up within this group.
Building a Shared Appetizer Order
Since most of these are priced under $7.00 and designed to be shared, a common approach is picking two or three from different groups rather than one large order of a single item. A Garlic Bread with Cheese, one breaded-and-fried option like Mozzarella Sticks, and one vegetable option like Broccoli Bites covers three different textures and flavors without overlapping.
If you’re feeding a bigger group, scale that same principle up rather than just ordering more of the same thing — two bread items, two breaded options, and two vegetable options will feel far more varied at the table than six of any single appetizer, even though the total cost works out similarly. See our how many appetizers to order for a group or party breakdown for the real per-person math.
It’s also worth pairing your appetizer choices against what you’re ordering as a main. If your main dish is already rich and cheese-heavy — a loaded cheesesteak or a cheese-forward pizza — leaning toward Fried Mushrooms, Broccoli Bites, or plain Garlic Bread balances that out better than adding a second round of melted cheese with Cheese Fries or Garlic Bread with Cheese.
If you want a fried, shareable format after the meal instead of during it, our Cinnamon Sticks follow the same fried-and-shareable logic as these appetizers, just sweet instead of savory. See our complete desserts guide for the rest of the dessert lineup.
That same build-a-shared-order approach works for breakfast too — our The Sunrise Celebration platter is built the same way, combining several smaller items into one order instead of picking just one. See our complete breakfast guide for the full lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Fingers?
- Nuggets are smaller, plain pieces (10pcs for $6.00). Fingers are larger strips (4pcs for $7.50) served with honey mustard included.
- Do Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeño Poppers come with a dip?
- Yes, both come with marinara sauce on the side.
- Which appetizer is the cheapest?
- Garlic Bread at $2.50, followed by Garlic Bread with Cheese at $3.50.
- Are there any vegetable-based appetizers?
- Yes — Onion Rings, Fried Mushrooms, and Broccoli Bites are all breaded or battered, fried vegetable options, priced under $5.00 each.
- What makes the Onion Rings different from other fried onion rings?
- They’re made from scratch rather than a pre-breaded frozen product, which gives the batter a more irregular, homemade crunch. They’re served with chips.
- What’s a good combination for sharing at a table?
- One bread item, one breaded-and-fried classic, and one vegetable option covers three different textures without repeating flavors — for example, Garlic Bread with Cheese, Mozzarella Sticks, and Broccoli Bites.
- What’s the difference between Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeño Poppers?
- Both are breaded and fried with marinara on the side, but Mozzarella Sticks are straight melted cheese, while Jalapeño Poppers add real heat from the pepper filling.
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