Tommy’s Diner is a critically acclaimed diner on Broad Street, just west of the Downtown area. The place was absolutely packed on a Sunday morning, to the point where I had to push my way through the crowd of people trying to get a seat so I could pay after my meal. The place had equal parts old and new aesthetic, and everything looked really awesome. So how were their fries? Very good, solidly made. Straight cut, with about a 5/10 thickness. Extremely hot and very fresh fries. No salt or seasoning, and moderately crispy, probably about a 4.5/10. The only downside to these fries is that despite being really good and solid all around, there was nothing to separate them from any other fries, everything about these fries was middle of the road in terms of their spectrum. Just one of the qualities being somewhere other than the middle of the road would have helped these fries a lot. But beyond that, these are quality fries and are exactly what you’d expect from a place that has such good reviews.

Price: $2.50

Salt: None

Seasoning: None

Cut: Straight, 5/10 thickness

Marino’s Seafood is a little walk in food place in Grandview, on 5th Avenue. They call their fries “chips” because they just have to be different, but how are they? Really good, in fact. The first thing is that they’re steak fry cut (at least in basic style) but have ridges on them. The thickness is about 7.5/10, but they’re kind of flat for that basic thickness. The fries were very fresh, but not piping hot, only pretty warm. The insides were thick but well-cooked, and that’s far harder to do than it seems. Also, exceedingly filling. Overall, absolutely delicious fries, and one of the top 5 fries in Columbus I’ve reviewed yet. No seasoning/salt, but honestly these fries don’t need it.

Seasoning: None

Salt: None

Cut: Steak, 7.5/10

Price: $2.00

Dan’s Drive In is a diner style restaurant on South High Street. Consciously trying to look old-fashioned, they largely succeed in this ambition. It’s been a while since I went here, but I have good notes on the quality of their fries, so here we go! The fries were standard cut, about a 4.5/10 thickness, and are warm, though maybe not the freshest fries possible. A fair amount of the fries were really crispy on the outside, but kind of hollow on the inside. This tends to indicate the fries weren’t fried at the proper temperature (likely too hot). Aside from this, the fries were actually not very crispy, and occasionally even were a bit soggy. Odd dichotomy, indeed. It should be noted that while the fries were okay, the whole place had a feel of economy food, not exactly what you’re looking for when going out to eat anywhere. I’d recommend the fries if you’re passing by and want some, and don’t mind a sit-down restaurant, but just about everything else was subpar. But… that’s not what I’m here to review. Just keep it in mind.