> Mort’s Waffle Fries – The Shack

The Shack is always chintzy with their waffle fries. Eight fries, really? I may not count calories, but I do count my fries. But since McDonald’s was cruelly kicked off campus, beggars can’t be choosers.

The few fries you get? Worth it for the taste and the crispiness. A fellow taste-tester described the flavor as “Cajun barbecue,” but that might be because she’s a Texan. Beware: The seasoning can be sporadic, as is the salt. Put your own on.

My biggest complaint, though, is that orders always gets messed up here. As a reformed vegetarian, I’ve had very few cheeseburgers in my life, but at least I know that burgers need buns. And that take-out orders are put in bags. -SK

Flavor: 4
Crispiness: 4
Saltiness: 2
Grease Factor: 2

> Late Night Rollins Fries

I’m going to miss Late Night when I go without the meal plan next year. (Staying on it? Bring cheese sticks to my apartment, please!) The fries are the best thing to order because it doesn’t take 20 minutes to get them. Don’t come here expecting rosemary fries from Food Network’s Michael Symon, though. These are greasy, soggy things. And I have no problem with that. This is what you eat when you need a study break or get hungry late at night. They’re equal to fast food fries, and the grease overload is probably going to kill you, but I keep ordering them. -SK

Flavor: 2.5
Crispiness: 2
Saltiness: 3
Grease Factor: 4.5

> Five Guys Burgers and Fries – Five Guys Style

These are go-to fries. When I say I want French fries, I mean Five Guys fries. They’re crispy, even when being left out for two hours (not that anyone recommends eating them then). Although the fries don’t always look pretty, Five Guys knows fries. And how to add ridiculous amounts of grease on to everything. Each bag is a ticking time bomb toward a heart attack, especially with the amount of tasty fries put in each bag.

The fries taste like the potatoes were just dropped off that morning in Columbia, even though the ones I tasted were _allegedly_ from Brad Reed Farms in Idaho Falls, Idaho, a good 20 hours away. -CK, SK

Flavor: 4-4.5, but Cajun Style is even better, despite its tongue-numbing abilities
Crispiness: 3
Saltiness: 3.5
Grease Factor: 5

> Ingredient – Sweet Potato Fries

I decided to mix it up with sweet potato fries. The first fry was a little bizarre, but good-bizarre. The aforementioned Texan noted the “big flavor,” because you can taste both saltiness and sweetness in one little fry. The pile of fries may look greasy, but they’re “steamed” instead. It’s like they’re sweating, something I should be doing after eating all of these fries.

What’s also interesting about the fries here is that they don’t have a consistent shape, like a sweet potato. Don’t expect bright orange fries, like the ones from Trader Joe’s. These ones are darker. Perhaps that makes them healthier? Ingredient’s are easily the best sweet potato fries in CoMo. -CK

Flavor: 3.5
Crispiness: 1
Saltiness: 3.5
Grease Factor: 1

> Addison’s – Mojito Fries

Addison’s has spectacular fries with a great zest and variation that every customer would like. The highlight is definitely the Mojito fries, which have the perfect combination of flavor, crunchiness and saltiness. It blends together perfectly to create a symphony of good flavor and left a lasting impression for this reviewer. The fries are salted well and do not taste overdone — they add just enough salt to give the fries a good flavor while still letting the potato taste come through. The flavor is zesty and bold with a little spice, which could come from pepper or really good salt. Who knows? All you need to know is that with an affordable price along with great variety, the fries from Addison’s are tough to beat. -AC

Flavor: 4.5
Crispiness: 4.5
Saltiness: 3
Grease Factor: 2

> The Heidelberg French Fries

On the other hand, the fries from Heidelberg haven’t changed since the Reagan administration, sad to say. The fries are good at times but come off too hard and flavorless. It feels like I’m tasting a warm sock at times because of the lack of zest or pop in each bite. Yes, I know, fries are supposed to be crisp, but they were very overboard with it. I can taste some salt but not nearly enough to keep me invested in eating the fries — they just come off as unimaginative and old. Fries are only as good as the salt that is put on them. Since there isn’t much salt to speak of, there’s not much to say about these underwhelming, bland fries. -AC

Flavor: 2.5
Crispiness: 2.5
Saltiness: 1.5
Grease Factor: 1