I love a good trip to Culver's. The chain, which started in Wisconsin, is a Midwest staple that's expanded to over 1,000 locations across 26 states since 1984.

During this visit, I ordered a ButterBurger with cheese, which cost me $5.46.

I liked how the Culver's burger was wrapped in waxy paper. Although I waited to eat my burger at home, I could easily peel the paper back and eat it on the go.

My deluxe single cheeseburger came with one flat patty, tomato, American cheese, lettuce, sweet red onion, pickles, and the brand's signature mayo.

The bun was buttered and nicely toasted, and the produce was crisp. It tasted fresh and flavorful. I had no complaints.

For those who aren't as familiar with the fast-food chain, Sonic has only drive-in and drive-thru options — customers don't go inside.

Founded in Oklahoma, Sonic is by far the largest chain in this taste test, with more than 3,000 locations in 47 states.

Sonic locations have stalls where you can pull in, push a button, and order your meal. Carhops then walk or skate the food to your car, giving it a nostalgic, 1950s-style vibe.

However, you can also use the more modern drive-thru if you don't want the production.

I was quickly in and out of there with my $5.96 burger.

Sonic's cheeseburger came wrapped in foil and paper, and it did get slightly smashed on the side after riding in its bag to my final destination.

The patty was thick and juicy and stacked with crinkle-cut pickles, American cheese, onions, ketchup, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes.

In my opinion, Sonic's burger patties were the juiciest and packed the most flavor. The burger had a lot of condiments, however, so the toasted bun was soggy by the time I sat down to eat it.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 2002. These days, Freddy's has more than 500 locations across 36 states.

Inside, Freddy's has a bit of a '50s diner aesthetic, with bright white and red decor and fun signs pointing to the pickup stations.

My original cheeseburger cost $7.52 and came in a square, insulated sleeve. Since it wasn't wrapped as tightly, I had to rearrange the bun and toppings a little when I got home.

Freddy's regular burgers come with two patties, which are flat with crispy edges. Those are layered with two slices of cheese, crinkle-cut pickles, ketchup, mustard, onions — all between a toasted bun.

In the past, I've really enjoyed the crispy edges of Freddy's burger patties. This time, though, the edges of my burger were more chewy and dry than crispy. I don't know whether it was the packaging, the commute, or just some unfortunate luck.

If the Freddy's patties had been as crispy as I've had them before, I would've liked them more.

Still, the burger was delicious and filling — and I enjoyed the mix of condiments, cheese, and pickles — but I also missed the tomatoes and lettuce that came on the other two.

For this taste test, I ordered the default iteration of each burger, but next time, I'd add lettuce and tomatoes to this one (for no extra charge).

For me, the winner of the three-burger showdown was Culver's.

The fresh crispness of the produce and thicker tomato slices added texture and flavor. The patty felt like a decent size, and the buttery, toasted bun was a nice touch.

Culver's burger also ended up being the cheapest of the three, which is a huge plus.

I'd definitely eat at the other two chains again, but the Culver's burger was just too good to beat.

This story was originally published on October 29, 2024, and most recently updated on May 26, 2026.

With "extra-loaded" in the name, I was expecting to be impressed.

The thin-crust pie is topped with bell peppers, Italian sausage, red onion, pepperoni, and mushrooms.

When I removed this pizza from the box, though, it looked like it was only topped with cheese. Upon closer inspection, I saw a smattering of toppings buried beneath the shreds. I was curious to see how it'd cook.

This pizza cost me $5.49, and serves five.

The photo on the box didn't look anything like my final pizza.

Once cooked, the toppings were nearly invisible aside from a few peppers and pepperoni pieces sticking out on the edges.

The cheese got wonderfully golden, but the peppers and meat pieces below it didn't crisp up much. All in all, this pizza had a decent flavor, but not enough toppings.

This was still better than frozen pizzas I've tried from many other brands, but it was my least favorite of the group.

The Mama Cozzi's French-bread pepperoni pizza is made with mozzarella and topped with pepperoni.

I paid only $2.79 for a box with two pieces; each is one serving.

This felt more like a toasted, open-faced pepperoni sandwich than a pizza. The bread was crunchy, but I found myself missing a more typical crust.

Plus, this seemed to have far less cheese than any other pizzas I tried. I could see way too much of the sauce peeking through the layer of shredded mozzarella.

Still, I enjoyed eating this and thought the pepperoni (made with pork, beef, and chicken) tasted exceptionally good.

For what it's worth, I lived on the Mama Cozzi's original thin-crust pizzas throughout the pandemic. These cost a little more now than in 2021, but they're still a great value at $3.19 for a pie that serves three.

For this taste test, I tried the supreme variety, which comes with sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, and onion.

This pizza was pretty impressive as it seemed loaded with all of the aforementioned toppings. Each bite seemed to have pepperoni or sausage.

The cracker-like crust wasn't anything to write home about in terms of flavor, but it was the perfect crunchy conduit for the toppings.

Flatbread pizzas can be hit or miss. Sometimes their crusts get soggy or too crisp, but they can be delicious when done well.

This rectangular flatbread pizza from Mama Cozzi's that I tried is made with both sliced and diced pepperoni, plus fresh mozzarella.

It cost me $4.79 and comes with two servings.

I was pleasantly surprised by my very first bite. The crust was buttery and flaky in a light, airy, beautiful way.

The ratio of cheese to meat seemed well-balanced, and the different pepperoni cuts helped the toppings feel more evenly distributed.

The rectangular shape made the pizza fairly easy to eat, which I also liked. All in all, this pizza was delicious.

The most indulgent pizza of them all seemed to be the Mama Cozzi's four-cheese pizza with a rising crust described as "fluffy" and "full."

Toppings include Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella, and in terms of ounces, this pizza was the heaviest.

It cost me $4.19 and has six servings.

As essentially promised by the box, the crust was the softest and most pillowy of the pies on this list.

I tasted notes of each individual cheese atop a slightly sweet red sauce. Parmesan and Asiago added a nice variety of salty flavors to the pie.

Plus, I found it incredibly filling — after two slices, I was satisfied.

It was fantastic, even eaten cold and leftover, the next day. This would've been my favorite if not for one dark horse.

The Mama Cozzi's stone-baked veggie pizza with an Italian crust seemed loaded with red onion, spinach, grilled peppers, and grilled zucchini.

I wasn't super excited to try it since I really enjoy meat and was a bit turned off by how little mozzarella appeared to be on the pie based on the photo on the box.

I paid $3.99 for the pizza, which contains four servings.

I was skeptical at first, but this pizza blew me away.

There was so little sauce that I barely noticed it, but I didn't find I actually needed or wanted more. The pizza wasn't dry, and I liked that the vegetables on top were spread to the edge of the crust.

The crust tasted buttery — though not as buttery as the flatbread's — and was very flavorful with Italian herbs and a crunchy yet fluffy texture.

This pizza's toppings were the tastiest and most colorful. With so many textures and flavors, the slight lack of cheese didn't bother me after all.

All in all, this pizza was my top pick.

This story was originally published on June 3, 2025, and most recently updated on April 24, 2026.