I tried all of Chili's appetizers and the best made me want to order a bottomless supply

In my experience, Chili's understands that a great appetizer can make or break a dining-out experience. The casual family restaurant, which has over 1,200 locations in the US, serves a mix of Tex-Mex-inspired and classic American cuisine.

I grew up eating at the chain but recently, I went to my local Chili's in Sacramento with my roommate to see exactly what appetizers it was offering these days.

I tried all of the chain's appetizers, which could be ordered as an a la carte snack or as part of the restaurant's Triple Dipper deal, a small sampling of three picks.

In the end, I spent $83 trying 13 appetizers and ranked them from worst to best.

I'm not from Texas, but I know it well enough to know white spinach queso probably won't be found at a proper Tex-Mex joint. I wasn't quite impressed by the ultra-runny concoction.

VERDICT: To me, the white spinach queso tasted like a watered-down white-cheddar dip that could use a bit more salt. It definitely contained spinach, per the description, and though I couldn't find anything green in the mixture, I did get some bitterness.

Instead of standard mozzarella sticks, Chili's take on the classic appetizer was a plate of three breaded and deep-fried cheese blocks about the size of a smartphone, which made a knife and fork absolutely necessary.

In terms of flavor, I didn't think they were anything to write home about.

VERDICT: The fried mozzarella was too thick to be comfortably dippable, I thought the cheese was dry, and the dipping-sauce accompaniment seemed to be in need of extra seasoning. Overall, I wouldn't order the appetizer again.

Judging by the chunks of fruit I saw, I appreciated that the guac seemed to be hand-mashed — but it still left something to be desired.

I love avocados as much as the next Millennial but when I take a chip to guacamole, I expect it to have that familiar brightness that tastes like a good standalone dip, not the stuff I spread on sourdough bread.

I didn't taste salt or citrus even though they're key guacamole elements. To me, the dip tasted like mashed avocado chunks.

VERDICT: It's very possible that I just got a not-so-great batch. But based on this experience, I have to rank the guacamole toward the bottom. Thankfully, I ordered this as a trio with the other queso dips and not as a standalone dish so it wasn't too much of a waste.

Next time, I'll stick to getting my guacamole at Chipotle.

Of the quesos, I thought the skillet version was the better one.

The flavors reminded me of ballpark nachos if you blended the beef and cheese together because it was sort of savory, meaty, and beany. Unlike the spinach queso, its texture was thick, like melted nacho cheese.

Still, there was something about it that tasted a bit too processed to me and after two bites, I found myself reaching for a glass of water.

VERDICT: Though I liked it a little more than the other quesos, I wouldn't order this again. 

A combination of cheese, jalapeños, bacon, green onions, and potato seemed like it would make for an indulgent appetizer. Unfortunately, I thought the fries in my order tasted a little rubbery.

But, notwithstanding the specific texture problems I experienced, I'm still not certain this is something I'd ever order even if I liked it. Maybe I'd enjoy it if it had pico de gallo but as is, I just found it to be salty and greasy. That said, the jalapeños were the highlight and the ranch definitely upgraded the whole dish.

VERDICT: Overall, the Texas fries had potential. But based on my experience, I wasn't impressed.

I'm the pickle friend in my group so I was eager to try the fried version at Chili's. When my order came, the pickles were piping hot and had a textured breading that gave them a nice savory crunch. The ratio of breading to pickle was just right.

But overall, I thought it was only OK. I get that some people believe everything is better deep-fried but I wasn't super impressed. The breading seemed to eliminate a lot of the pickles' acidic notes and brought out the sweetness, which many people will love. But I prefer a sharp, vinegary taste.

VERDICT: Maybe I'd order the fried pickles as part of an appetizer trio with other stuff to mix it up, but I probably wouldn't purchase them a la carte again.

Chicken tenders are pretty reliable at most chains, and the ones from Chili's fall into that camp of places you can trust. I thought the crispy chicken crispers were a little heavy on the breading but I loved the extra crunch paired with the decently juicy meat.

Oddly enough, the crispy chicken crispers weren't available as a standalone app, but only as part of the Triple Dipper, which comes with your choice of two other, smaller appetizers.

However, it works out to be a good deal because you can get chicken with your choice of two other apps for less than $15. The downside is that ordering this way means you only get three hunks of fried chicken pieces instead of smaller tenders.

VERDICT: Compared to Chili's other appetizers, I thought the crispy chicken crispers were a boring yet safe choice.

Featuring black beans, red peppers, corn, spinach, seasoned chicken, and melted cheese all tightly wrapped in a crispy, double-layered tortilla, the handheld Southwestern egg rolls were by far the most interesting-sounding offering on the appetizer menu.

As for the taste, they had a lot going for them, including a satisfyingly flaky, crispy exterior visibly stuffed to the brim with filling. I thought the avocado ranch that came with them was simply to die for as it was creamy and cool and had a bright, slightly herbaceous flavor.

But without the avocado ranch, the egg rolls were just fine. The black-bean flavor dominated the appetizer and were it not for the corn adding some texture and a pop of sweetness, I think they'd be comparable to something I could get in the frozen-food section of a grocery store.

I get wanting to add something green to the mix but I found that the spinach really played up the bitterness in the black beans, too. I also couldn't taste a red-pepper flavor at all.

VERDICT: In theory, the Southwestern egg rolls had a lot going for them. But when it came to the combination of flavors, I just couldn't get on board. 

Moving onto more chicken, I got the boneless wings, which came available in three flavors: honey-chipotle, house BBQ, and Buffalo. To keep things simple, I ordered them as part of a trio so I could get a sample of each.

Of the three, the Buffalo was my least favorite. I thought the sauce was a little heavy on the vinegar flavor, which would have been fine if it also offered me some of that familiar, peppery heat. However, I didn't get much spice.

In fact, I thought I had ordered the wrong flavor until the server clarified they were indeed Chili's Buffalo wings. Also, for whatever reason, it seemed the sauce refused to cling to the wings themselves and left behind a puddle on the tray instead of making it into my mouth.

VERDICT: I wish the Buffalo wings would've had more heat.

Coming in just above the Buffalo wings are their honey-chipotle counterpart, which, to me tasted like wings dipped and rolled around in peppery hot honey, with a slightly smoky edge. 

I really enjoyed these, but again, as with the Buffalo, they could've used more heat. They were also really sticky so I appreciated that Chili's gave us some wing sticks to pick them up with.

VERDICT: Though they were yummy, I think the honey-chipotle wings could've used more heat.

You can never go wrong with a classic barbecue and chicken combo, and these wings were proof. Each house BBQ wing was well-coated with a glossy, mahogany-colored sauce, ensuring plenty of bold flavor in each bite.

It had the signature sweetness of a typical barbecue sauce, but with some depth, almost as if it were made with more molasses than honey, with a lip-smacking mix of tangy, slightly peppery flavors. I also detected notes of citrus or vinegar that gave the wings an acidic edge, unlike the barbecue sauces I'm used to. No ranch was required.

VERDICT: If I were going to order wings at Chili's again, I'd pick the house BBQ version. Chili's may not be known for its wings, but this sauce was pretty tasty and I was impressed.

At a glance, the chicken nachos seemed like ordinary chain-restaurant chips, shredded cheese, chopped chicken, and black beans arranged in a circular pattern around a pile of lettuce, sour cream, and pico de gallo.

I appreciated that the chips came arranged in a circle around the lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream because it made them less messy to eat.

I had to give it to Chili's for creativity because the chicken nachos were fantastic. Instead of giving me a haphazard pile of cheese and chips, the nachos consisted of individual pieces of fried tortillas stacked on top of each other with seasoned black beans and chicken in between, ensuring that I always got a little bit of each ingredient with every bite. It was honestly genius.

VERDICT: I was really impressed with the flavor and plating of the chicken nachos.

I can't say how many times I've ordered chips and salsa from Chili's but what I can tell you is that after trying everything else on the menu, there's a reason this is one of its evergreen appetizers.

The tortilla chips — served hot — were lightweight and crispy with just enough salt to keep me reaching for more. The salsa was mild enough that I think quite literally anyone can enjoy it, though it wasn't bland. It had a yummy, fire-roasted-tomato flavor reminiscent of the freshly made stuff at a solid mom-and-pop, with bits of pepper (likely jalapeño) and onion for a slight kick.

The salsa also had a sweetness that toned everything down. The semi-chunky texture made it ideal for scooping but not so chunky that folks who dislike tomatoes will be put off.

VERDICT: I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, Chili's chips and salsa are the ideal pre-dinner fare as they're slightly salty, easy to share, and not too heavy.

Where some other appetizers left me feeling like I wouldn't have room for an entrée, the chips and salsa were nice and light, perfect for eating right before a large meal of ribs, fajitas, or whatever else. If I could, I'd order a bottomless supply.