Cracker Barrel Dinner Menu Prices 2026
Dinner at Cracker Barrel isn’t about fireworks. It’s about a plate of Chicken n’ Dumplins, a basket of warm biscuits, and enough sides to make you loosen your belt a notch. If you’ve ever pulled off the highway and followed that rocking chair sign, you already know what you’re walking into: a country store up front and a full Southern dinner waiting in the back.
This guide covers the complete Cracker Barrel dinner menu, current prices, calorie ranges, and the details competitors leave out. Like how dinner actually differs from lunch, what today’s specials usually look like, and how to find hours for a Cracker Barrel near me search that actually helps.
Prices below reflect typical nationwide averages. Cracker Barrel sets menu prices by region, so your local store may run a little higher or lower. Always check the menu at your specific location or the Cracker Barrel app before you order.
Cracker Barrel Dinner Menu With Prices
Here’s the core dinner lineup, with the price ranges you’ll typically see across US locations.
| Dinner Entrée | Calories (approx.) | Price (approx.) |
| Chicken n’ Dumplins | 450–600 | $11.99–$13.99 |
| Country Fried Steak | 650–750 | $12.99–$14.99 |
| Meatloaf | 550–650 | $12.49–$13.99 |
| Sunday Homestyle Chicken | 900–1,100 | $13.99–$14.99 |
| Chicken Fried Chicken | 800–900 | $13.49–$14.49 |
| Southern Fried Chicken (4-piece) | 900–950 | $13.49–$14.99 |
| Grilled Chicken Tenderloins | 300–560 | $11.49–$14.49 |
| Turkey n’ Dressing | 650–800 | $13.49–$14.99 |
| Roast Beef | 500–650 | $13.99–$14.99 |
| Grilled Sirloin Steak | 700–750 | $15.49–$17.99 |
| Bone-In Pork Chops | 600–750 | $14.49–$15.99 |
| Barrel-Cut Sugar Ham | 850–900 | $12.49–$13.99 |
| Country Ham | 650–700 | $12.49–$13.49 |
| Fried Catfish | 650–700 | $12.49–$13.99 |
| Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout | 470–550 | $11.99–$13.99 |
| Country Fried Shrimp | 700–750 | $12.49–$13.99 |
| Country Vegetable Plate | 400–600 | $9.99–$10.99 |
Most dinner entrées come with your choice of two or three country sides, plus a basket of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins. That’s part of why regular guests say the value here beats most casual dining chains — you’re not paying extra for bread, and the sides aren’t an afterthought.
What to Order: Cracker Barrel Dinner Menu Favorites
If you’re staring at the menu trying to decide, here’s how the categories break down.
Chicken n’ Dumplins: The Signature Dish
This is the dish most people associate with Cracker Barrel, and it’s been on the menu since the very first store opened. Thick, hand-rolled dumplings simmered in chicken broth. It’s simple, it’s filling, and it’s the dish new guests are almost always told to try first.
Country Fried Steak
A hand-breaded, pan-fried steak smothered in peppery sawmill gravy. Pair it with mashed potatoes and you’ve basically doubled down on gravy, which is exactly the point.
Meatloaf
A slow-baked, old-fashioned meatloaf that tastes like it came out of someone’s home kitchen rather than a restaurant line. It’s one of the more consistent dishes across locations.
Sunday Homestyle Chicken
Hand-battered fried chicken breast, topped with sawmill gravy. It’s heavier than the standard fried chicken plate, so it’s a good pick if you’re planning to skip lunch beforehand.
Grilled Chicken Tenderloins
The lighter option on the dinner menu. Marinated, grilled, and noticeably lower in calories than most of the fried entrées. A solid choice if you want the Cracker Barrel experience without the heaviest plate on the table.
Turkey n’ Dressing
Slow-roasted turkey breast over cornbread dressing, finished with gravy. It tastes like a holiday plate, which is why it’s a favorite with older guests who grew up on Sunday dinners like this.
Seafood Options
The seafood lineup is smaller than the chicken and beef sections, but Fried Catfish and Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout both show up on the “underrated” list from longtime guests. The trout, in particular, is one of the lighter dinner choices on the menu.
Cracker Barrel Sides
The sides are arguably the reason people keep coming back. Most dinner entrées let you pick two or three from this list, and each side is also available on its own.
| Side | Calories (approx.) | Price (approx., à la carte) |
| Hashbrown Casserole | 220–260 | $3.29–$3.99 |
| Mashed Potatoes with Gravy | 190–220 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Macaroni n’ Cheese | 300–340 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Fried Apples | 180–220 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Green Beans | 60–90 | $2.99–$3.49 |
| Turnip Greens | 100–130 | $2.99–$3.49 |
| Coleslaw | 170–200 | $2.99–$3.49 |
| Pinto Beans | 130–160 | $2.99–$3.49 |
| Fried Okra | 270–300 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Baked Sweet Potato | 200–230 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Dumplins (side portion) | 200–230 | $3.29–$3.79 |
| Corn Muffins / Biscuits | — | Included with entrée |
If you want to build a lighter plate, stick to green beans, turnip greens, and coleslaw. If you’re going all in, hashbrown casserole and mac n’ cheese are the two sides regulars order together most often.
Cracker Barrel Dinner Menu With Prices and Pictures
Cracker Barrel’s official menu, both online and printed in-store, shows full photos next to every dinner plate, so you can see portion sizes and plating before you order. If you’re deciding between two entrées, checking the pictures on the official site alongside the price and calorie count is the easiest way to compare without guessing.
Cracker Barrel Lunch and Dinner Menu: What’s the Difference
Here’s something a lot of menu guides gloss over: at Cracker Barrel, lunch and dinner menus overlap almost completely. Classic entrées like Chicken n’ Dumplins, Meatloaf, and Country Fried Steak appear on both.
The real differences are:
- Weekday lunch specials. Some locations offer a lower-priced version of Chicken n’ Dumplins and a few other dishes Monday through Friday during lunch hours only.
- Portion and side count. Lunch plates sometimes come with fewer included sides than the same dish ordered at dinner.
- Sandwiches and lighter plates. The lunch menu leans more heavily on sandwiches, salads, and smaller plates, while dinner pushes the full entrée-plus-sides format.
So if you’re comparing the Cracker Barrel lunch and dinner menu side by side, the honest answer is: order the same comfort-food favorites either way, but expect a slightly better deal earlier in the day.
Cracker Barrel Breakfast Menu (Served All Day)
One thing that sets Cracker Barrel apart from almost every other sit-down chain: the full breakfast menu runs from open to close, every day. That means you can order a stack of buttermilk pancakes or Grandpa’s Country Fried Breakfast at 7 p.m. and nobody will blink.
Popular all-day breakfast picks include:
- Old Timer’s Breakfast: Two eggs, breakfast meat, hashbrown casserole or grits, biscuits, and gravy
- Momma’s Pancake Breakfast: Buttermilk pancakes with a side of breakfast meat
- Uncle Herschel’s Favorite: Eggs, hashbrown casserole, biscuits, and a choice of meat
- Sausage, Bacon, or Steak & Egg Hashbrown Casserole Bowls
If you’re torn between breakfast and dinner, that’s genuinely one of Cracker Barrel’s biggest advantages over competitors, you don’t have to choose.
Cracker Barrel Menu for Today’s Specials
Daily and weekly specials rotate by location and season, but a few patterns hold true nationwide:
- Weekday lunch specials typically run Monday through Friday and discount a handful of core entrées.
- Seasonal limited-time dishes appear around fall and the winter holidays, often built around turkey, dressing, and pie.
- Family Meal deals bundle a full entrée, sides, and bread for a fixed price that feeds three to five people, and these are usually the best value on the entire menu if you’re ordering for a group.
- App-exclusive offers and rewards points show up periodically for guests who order through the Cracker Barrel app.
Because these specials change by store and by season, the most reliable way to check what’s running today is your local restaurant’s page or the app, a generic online menu often lags behind what’s actually being offered in-store.
Family Meals and To-Go Dinner Options
If you’re feeding a group, Cracker Barrel’s Family Meals are worth a look before you order individual entrées. These bundles typically include a whole entrée (like a full Chicken n’ Dumplins or Meatloaf), multiple large sides, and a stack of biscuits or corn muffins, all packaged for pickup. It’s a common choice for weeknight dinners, holidays, and potlucks, since it usually works out cheaper per person than ordering separate plates.
Cracker Barrel Near Me: Finding Hours and Locations
Cracker Barrel operates more than 650 locations across the United States, most of them positioned near major highways and interstate exits — a deliberate strategy dating back to the chain’s roadside roots. Hours vary by location, but most stores open early for breakfast and stay open through dinner, often past 9 p.m.
If you’re searching “Cracker Barrel near me,” the fastest way to confirm today’s hours, dinner specials, and whether a location takes reservations is through the store locator on Cracker Barrel’s official site or app, since third-party listings aren’t always current.
Allergen and Dietary Notes
Cracker Barrel’s dinner menu isn’t built around dietary restrictions, but there are workable options:
- Vegetarian: The Country Vegetable Plate lets you choose four sides, and several individual sides (green beans, turnip greens, fried apples, coleslaw) are vegetarian-friendly.
- Gluten-conscious: Grilled Chicken Tenderloins and most non-breaded sides avoid gluten-containing breading, though shared fryers mean cross-contact is possible.
- Lower-calorie: Grilled options — chicken tenderloins, sirloin steak, and rainbow trout — run noticeably lighter than the fried entrées.
If you have a specific allergy, ask your server for the allergen guide rather than guessing from an online menu, since recipes and suppliers can change by region.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does Cracker Barrel serve dinner?
Most locations serve dinner from late afternoon through closing, which is typically between 9 and 10 p.m. Since breakfast runs all day too, you can technically order a breakfast plate at dinner time if that’s what you’re craving.
How much does dinner cost at Cracker Barrel?
Most dinner entrées fall between $11.99 and $17.99, and each one comes with two or three included sides plus bread. A full dinner for one person typically runs $13 to $19 depending on the entrée and any drinks or dessert added.
What is the most popular item on the Cracker Barrel dinner menu?
Chicken n’ Dumplins is consistently the top pick, followed closely by Country Fried Steak and Meatloaf. All three have been staples on the menu for decades.
Is the Cracker Barrel dinner menu the same as lunch?
Mostly, yes. The core entrées overlap, but lunch sometimes includes discounted weekday specials and a heavier focus on sandwiches, while dinner leans into full entrée-and-sides plates.
Does Cracker Barrel have healthy or lighter dinner options?
Yes. Grilled Chicken Tenderloins, Grilled Sirloin Steak, and Lemon Pepper Grilled Rainbow Trout are the lightest entrées, and pairing them with green beans or turnip greens keeps the plate under 600 calories in most cases.
Can I order Cracker Barrel dinner for takeout or delivery?
Yes. Most locations offer takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery through the Cracker Barrel app or third-party delivery services, including full Family Meal bundles for groups.
Does Cracker Barrel have vegetarian dinner options?
The Country Vegetable Plate is the main vegetarian entrée, letting guests pick four sides. Several individual sides are also vegetarian-friendly, though not all are vegan due to butter and dairy.
Final Thoughts
The Cracker Barrel dinner menu works because it doesn’t overcomplicate things. A handful of Southern staples, a long list of scratch-made sides, and bread that shows up warm every time. Whether you’re ordering Chicken n’ Dumplins for the tenth time or finally trying the trout, the menu is built to feel familiar, and that’s exactly what keeps people coming back off the highway.
