THE HUNT: FINDING THE BEST LOADED TOTS IN TOWN

Words by Ambar Ramirez & Carmen Macri

You know them, and you love them. We’ve said it once, and we will say it again: The potato is the most versatile food. It could be a group of its own on the food pyramid. You have mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, hash browns, over 20 different styles of fries and for this month’s hunt, tater tots (Ambar’s favorite version). This isn’t child’s play, though, we aren’t finding the best plain Jane tater tot, no, we found the best loaded tater tots… and boy, was it satisfying.

So, without further ado …

4/5

GRAFFITI BURGER

If you live at the beach, you know all about Graffiti Burger and their buffalo chicken tater tots. It was a no-brainer to include them on the list. Always sporting a golden brown crunchy exterior with a warm fluffy inside — the loaded tots were no different.

Topped with crispy chicken tossed in a mild buffalo sauce, bacon bits and house-made queso, it felt like fireworks were going off in our mouths in the very best way. The gooey-rich queso was battling the heat from the buffalo sauce for full control with the tots riding along in the passenger seat. Despite the many combating flavors, the bowl was well-balanced and satisfied both our spicy and savory cravings.

TOTS: 4/5

TOPPINGS: 4/5

OVERALL: 4/5

Perfect for people who enjoy getting their fingers dirty

5/5

CLARKE BRO’S SUBS

Unassuming from the outside, this Riverside sub and sandwich shop knows how to pack a flavorful punch, especially when it comes to their homemade stuffed tater tots. That’s right. Stuffed. With their golden, crisp exterior and a gooey cheese and bacon center, they are one of those ingenious creations you wish you’d thought of first.

These taters are exactly what you would imagine a savory gusher to taste like. Actually, it was better than anything our puny brains could ever conjure. With all the perks of a loaded tater tot bowl without all the mess, there’s no going back. With a crunchy bite that will have any ASMR lover swooning and a filling that melted in our mouths, we fear that we will never be the same.

TOTS: 5/5

TOPPINGS: It’s what’s on the inside that counts

OVERALL: 5/5

Perfect for people who prefer Twinkies over toaster strudels.

2/5

TAVERNA OCEANA 2/5

Looks may be deceiving and taste may also be deceiving. We were recommended to check out this spot because of its unique take on a loaded tater tot. That being said, we will tell you what makes them so … loaded. Topped with sour cream, chives and salmon roe. Yep. You heard that right. Salmon eggs. Caviar if you want to get fancy with it. We were hesitant, as many would be, because who in their right mind would think of putting salmon eggs on top of a pile of crispy crunchy drops of heaven… Taverna Oceana would.

At first, we hated them. It made no sense in our brains. The two flavors should not be together, point blank. But after a few bites, we still hated them. We are assuming this is an acquired taste that we just did not have. The tater tots were the perfect golden brown and of course, the sour cream and chive did exactly what it was supposed to, but we could not get past the salmon roe, and maybe that is on us, our palates should be more refined. But unfortunately, they’re not.

TOTS: 4/5

TOPPINGS: 2/5

OVERALL: 2/5

Perfect for pretentious people who are too ashamed to swing through a Sonic for a basket of tater tots.