12 Florida Chain Restaurants Where The Onion Rings Are The Real Star Of The Menu
Onion rings have this magical ability to turn a regular meal into something memorable.
They’re crispy, golden, and somehow always taste better when you’re sharing them with friends or sneaking a few before your main course arrives.
In Florida, where chains compete for tourist dollars and local loyalty, some spots have figured out how to make onion rings so good they overshadow everything else on the menu.
I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit hunting down the crunchiest, most flavorful rings across the state, and I’m convinced that a great onion ring can tell you everything you need to know about a kitchen.
These twelve chains have perfected the art of the ring, turning what should be a simple side into the reason people keep coming back.
Forget the burgers and the seafood for a minute, and let’s talk about the real MVPs of the Florida restaurant scene.
1. Culver’s – Lake Nona, Orlando
Culver’s might be famous for ButterBurgers and frozen custard, but the Lake Nona location has a quiet cult built around its onion rings.
The chain describes them as thick-cut rings made from whole white onions, breaded and fried to a deep, even crunch – exactly what shows up in the red basket at this Orlando store.
Families swing through after ball games, order combo meals, and almost automatically upgrade the fries to rings.
They’re perfect dashboard food: crisp enough to survive the drive, sturdy enough to dip one-handed.
With the dining room humming, burgers unwrapping, and custard whirring in the background, those onion rings end up stealing the spotlight from everything else on the tray.
2. BurgerFi – Pompano Beach Pier, Pompano Beach
At BurgerFi’s Pompano Beach Pier location, it’s easy to get distracted by the ocean views and craft burgers… right up until a tower of jumbo onion rings hits the table.
These rings are beer-battered, cut thick, and proudly listed on the chain’s national menu as a house specialty, even sharing their own section alongside fries.
Here, they arrive shatter-crisp, sweet inside, and big enough to share – in theory, anyway.
Locals treat them like their own appetizer event: order a basket, snag a patio table, and work your way through the stack while watching fishermen and pelicans down on the pier.
Burgers are excellent, but plenty of regulars will tell you the real reason they come back is that golden, crunchy side.
3. Whataburger – Pensacola Blvd, Pensacola
On the Panhandle, this 24-hour Whataburger feels like a second home for night-shift workers, beach-bound families, and road-trippers coasting down U.S. 29.
The burgers are the headliners, but the supporting act is pure onion-ring comfort.
Whataburger’s national menu includes classic, battered onion rings as a staple side, and the Pensacola Blvd store is no exception.
They arrive blistering hot in a paper sleeve, with just enough seasoning to make them addictive even without sauce.
Pair them with a patty melt, and suddenly the bright orange-and-white dining room feels like the only place you want to be at 1 a.m. in Pensacola.
4. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers – Vineland Ave, Orlando
At this Freddy’s just off the attractions corridor, families wander in talking about sundaes and leave raving about… onion rings.
Freddy’s menu calls them batter-dipped rings fried to a golden crisp, and the Orlando Vineland location serves them exactly that way.
They’re the kind of rings that clink lightly against the tray, stay crunchy even after a few minutes of conversation, and somehow disappear before your steakburger is half gone.
Theme-park hotel guests drift over on foot, order a mix of custard concretes and combo meals, and pass baskets of onion rings down the table like they’re sharing popcorn at a movie.
5. Ford’s Garage – University Town Center, Sarasota
Ford’s Garage in Sarasota looks like a 1920s service station crossed with a museum, but the most photographed thing here isn’t the decor – it’s the onion rings.
The chain is known for a towering stack of jumbo rings, often served on a metal piston stand, turning a simple side into a centerpiece.
Order a burger, and the rings roll out in a golden column that makes nearby tables stare.
The batter is light, the onions stay sweet and tender, and the whole setup begs for a photo before anyone dares to pull off the top ring.
In a dining room full of car parts and nostalgia, this is the accessory everyone remembers.
6. Hooters – Original Clearwater Location, Clearwater
At the original Hooters in Clearwater – the one that started the entire brand back in 1983 – onion rings are part of the lore.
The menu leans into it with beer-battered rings and even playful copy about not proposing with them, and they’re a staple starter alongside wings at this Gulf-to-Bay address.
Regulars know the move: order a platter of wings for the table, but make sure at least one basket of rings is in the middle.
They show up hot, crisp, and just greasy enough to feel indulgent, perfect while highlights run on the TVs.
Through menu changes and corporate drama, this Clearwater spot – and its onion rings – just keeps going.
7. Hurricane Grill & Wings – Tradition, Port St. Lucie
In the Tradition neighborhood of Port St. Lucie, Hurricane Grill & Wings feels like a beach bar that wandered inland and decided to stay.
Wings are the obvious draw, but onion rings quietly dominate the side game.
The chain’s menus list rings as a premium side or upgrade, and you’ll see them crowning burgers and filling baskets all over the patio.
They’re oversized and crunchy, ideal for dipping between bites while a game plays on the TV above the bar.
Whether you’re here after errands or waiting on a weekend concert in the square, it’s hard not to order just one more round of rings for the table.
8. Duffy’s Sports Grill – St. Andrews Blvd, Boca Raton
Walk into this Boca Raton Duffy’s on game day and you’ll be greeted by a wall of TVs, jerseys, and at least one table negotiating how many onion rings they’re willing to share.
Duffy’s menus and directory listings both note onion rings as a regular side, right next to fries and mushrooms.
In practice, they’re more like edible souvenirs of the night – thick rings that arrive piled high, perfect with a burger or alongside one of Duffy’s famous half-pound patties.
You can dress them up with extra sauces, or keep it simple and let the sweet onion and salty crunch do the talking while the whole bar erupts over a touchdown.
9. Miller’s Ale House – I-Drive, Orlando
On busy International Drive, Miller’s Ale House feels like a relief valve: big screens and shareable plates that can feed a whole convention group.
The sleeper hit is shareable onion rings – a menu staple across the chain, sold in a generous basket that’s practically built for a crowd.
Here, the rings are thick, deeply golden, and sturdy enough to stand up to whatever dipping sauce the table agrees on.
They land next to Zingers, nachos, and burgers, yet somehow disappear first.
Tourists wander in for a late-night bite after the parks and end up talking about the onion rings on the flight home.
10. Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill – Surfside
Flanigan’s in Surfside is the kind of South Florida institution where families celebrate birthdays, locals watch playoff games, and snowbirds nurse icy drinks after a beach day.
The chain is famous for ribs and seafood, but the Surfside crew knows the onion rings deserve just as much attention.
This location, listed on Flanigan’s own site and local tourism pages, anchors Harding Avenue with late-night hours and a lively bar.
Order a burger or fish sandwich with rings instead of fries, and you’ll get a platter of crisp, golden circles that hold their crunch even under a drizzle of house sauce.
They’re ideal fuel for a long chat in a green-and-wood booth while the bar hums a few feet away.
11. Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar – Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral
At Port Canaveral, Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar is where people linger before cruises, after rocket launches, or just because the live music sounds good.
The menu backs up the fun with a lineup of tiki-style plates and a surprisingly craveable basket of onion rings listed among the sides.
They come out hot and ruggedly crisp, perfect alongside grilled fish, kabobs, or while ships glide past in the channel.
Regulars know that if you’re snagging a rail-side table for sunset, you start with rings – they give you something to munch while the sky goes pink and the band warms up.
12. Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill – Fashion Square, Orlando
Smokey Bones is built around smoke and fire – ribs, wings, and big plates of barbecue – but the Orlando Fashion Square location proves the kitchen takes its onion rings just as seriously.
Delivery menus list them specifically as beer-battered rings served with a creamy, zesty sauce, and they’re exactly the kind of starter that vanishes before the platter of brisket lands.
They arrive in a tall, golden heap, lightly seasoned, with enough crunch to hold up under generous dunking.
Sit at the bar, order a half-rack, and you’ll find yourself absent-mindedly polishing off the entire basket of rings while chatting with the bartender – the very definition of a side dish stealing the show.