A&w Restaurant Grandville

The A&W is high volume enough that these onion rings are hot and fresh, the grease already starting to pour through the branded paper bag that they arrive in. Though these are undoubtedly mass-produced and frozen off-site, they actually look moderately appealing. The bits of onion showing past the breading feel more like a sneak-preview than a massive failure in execution. They’re far from perfect, however, and before I can even take my first bite, the breading is already starting to chip and shed onto the napkin below. The color is dark enough that I’m worried about overcooking, and the quantity doesn’t look particularly generous. Fast food onion rings are increasingly rare, but they basically come in three styles. The first, like Whataburger, mix a liquid batter with thin-cut slices of onion. The second, like Burger King, is some sort of vaguely post-apocalyptic onion paste that comes congealed into an artificial oval.. The third, like the since-discontinued Arby’s variety, is generally thicker and coated with breadcrumbs, which A&W mirrors. The breading is shockingly good, with all the density and crunchiness one would expect without overpowering the onion. Likewise, the onions are surprisingly thick and juicy, well salted and adequately greased. There’s not a lot of depth of flavor, and most of it is concentrated in the salt and grease of the breading, but the onion far from vanishes. For the most part, they aren’t too dry, but a handful of pieces were more like desiccated husks of breadcrumbs that proper onion rings. Bits of the breading chipped off with every bite, and shedding was as rampant as I predicted. Likewise, the close-textured onion rings had more than a few instances of slippage, which wasn’t helped by the frequency of fused together onion rings. I think these onion rings conceptually go all-in on the sensation of crunch and, for the most part, they deliver, with enough thickness in the underlying onion to keep it interesting. I haven’t eaten at an A&W since 2010 or so, so my prior knowledge of their pricing isn’t particularly high. $3.89 gets you a hefty snack-sized portion of onion rings, which is a little steep for the size and quantity, but I’ve paid a lot more for a lot less. Though they were my only item, I think these would work best as a complementary pairing to something else on offer, without enough depth or substance to stand up on their own. That said, they more than hold their own.

Their food is so good! I love the fries from there! Also, the customer service is great, there are two guys who always provide the perfect customer services and always remember you. It can get busy but it’s very good.