15 Fast Food Coffees, Ranked Worst To Best

Good coffee doesn't only come from a bespoke cafe, local and low-key hidden. In fact, a quality cup of coffee can come from unexpected places — yes, even fast food chains.  While most fast-service chains aren't exactly known for their baristas and blends, you'd be surprised at how many spots can get you a solid cup of joe. On the other hand, there are plenty of fast food joints where the word coffee shouldn't be uttered.

It's important to know what you're getting yourself into when pulling up to a drive-through window. If your entire car is ordering dinner and you have a hankering for coffee, it's best to know whether that caffeine is worth shelling out a few bucks for, or if you're better off getting a caffeinated tea or soda to tide you over. These are some of the best (and, sadly, worst) fast food coffees. For consistency purposes with comparing each place, the rankings below will be talking about basic iced and hot coffee here, not any specialty beverages.

We'd like to note that we give major props to every fast food place that does offer coffee. They don't have to, especially if it's not a main selling point for the brand, but at least they're trying. That's about all the praise we're going to give the coffee at Subway. The brand's website provides no information about what kind of coffee is used, which shouldn't be a difficult thing to convey, and the company didn't even bother to give it a fun or inspired name. The coffee is quite literally just titled "Regular Coffee." But you know what? That's accurate. This is just regular coffee, with nothing to write home about.

It's not as foul as Taco Bell's cup, but it's still pretty bad. It's only offered in a 12-ounce cup, too, so if you're really tired and need an extra pick-me-up, you may have to order two cups of it. It costs $1.69, and we'd rather it cost $4 if that meant a bit more effort was put into it.

Though we can't say we've ever gone out of our way to frequent a Carl's Jr restaurant, a bit more respect might be due for the brand in terms of its coffee. While the previous fast food spots put in the bare minimum effort, Carl's Jr. at least offers a decaf option. That's right; if you want a pretty similar quality cup of coffee to every other spot in the bottom half of this list, but if you want it to not be caffeinated for some reason, well, you can swing on over to the burger place Carl's Jr.

Be aware, however, that this is a dark roast blend (as is most mediocre coffee at bottom-ranked fast food restaurants), so if you're expecting a lighter offering with things like notes of fruit and cinnamon, you're simply not getting that. But if you crave decaf, here's an option.

Wendy's deserves a huge pat on the pack for its approach to coffee. It has an espresso machine, and wow does that make a difference in a world where Starbucks and its competitors rule the roost. There's no disappointing coffee at Wendy's, which is refreshing; you have a world of options (kind of), from a standard latte to a cappuccino, a flat white, Americano, an espresso shot, and mocha. All the drinks are hot, and though you could probably ask for any of them iced, it isn't recommended, as it'll most certainly dilute the drink.

The espresso employed in all of the drinks is decent, but it's more the variety, an overall leap in quality from competitors, and commitment to the bit that is appreciated. You're much less likely to be dissatisfied here, and though it's definitely not the best coffee you've ever had, it's legions ahead of the others.

If you never realized that Baskin-Robbins had its own coffee, separate from the co-owned Dunkin' brand with which it often shares store space, you probably wouldn't be alone. But Baskin-Robbins delivers with both ice cream and iced coffee — and if you're a fan of iced-and-iced snacks, the tastes go well together.

As far as standard coffee goes (and not any cappuccino shakes or specialty drinks), Baskin-Robbins offers a high-quality cold brew, which is amusingly dubbed "Iced Cold Brew." This is seemingly to explain that the drink comes with ice (not to be confused with nitro cold brew, which typically does not), a bit different than the norm. Kudos are due for the coffee being a medium roast, resulting in more flavor and notes than a less dynamic dark roast at competing chains. It also helps that you can the beverage as-is or "Sweet & Creamy," with added milk and simple syrup.

Coffee lovers probably already know that Chick-fil-A has decent coffee, as it can be a welcomed discovery among fast food dining. The care that Chick-fil-A has for its coffee is obvious, on-par with the standard it maintains for other menu items, and it's frankly refreshing to see any coffee appreciated as a menu item rather than an afterthought. It feels like the coffee belongs and takes up space on the menu, which ultimately translates in how it tastes.

Chick-fil-A's coffee offers a nice cold brew, which you can get plain or with 2% milk. If you're not in the mood for an iced drink, there's also standard hot coffee as a possibility. Though the menu isn't as extensive as others, quality always rules over quantity, and that's what Chick-fil-A's coffee strives to achieve. In the future, perhaps the brand will further harness this slavish devotion to the dark bean, expanding its coffee line beyond the basics.

After launching in Australia in the '90s and working out its kinks overseas, McDonald's McCafe landed in the US about a decade later, spreading quickly while offering a cheaper alternative to Starbucks. In the years since, it has been a key element in making a smooth transition from the chain being a quick burger joint to one of the best large-scale cafes in the game. 

Honestly, there isn't another traditional fast-food burger spot that comes close to touching McDonald's McCafe; with an espresso machine, you can do anything, and McDonald's seems to have taken that to heart. Today, lots of people go to McDonald's in the morning for their daily cup of joe, and it's easy to see why.

Though the menu isn't as extensive as Starbucks, Dunkin' and the like, the McCafe coffee blends are smooth, easy to drink, and enjoyable. The dark roast espresso serves as a pick-me-up in a good way rather than an abrasive one, and if you want to skip the espresso-based drinks and go for a classic one, the Premium Roast Coffee is distinctly brewed every 30 minutes. That means it hasn't been sitting there all day, and you get a fresh batch every time.

Yes, Dunkin' is fast food — and with each passing year, it seems to be expanding its coffee options belong the beloved basic brew that made it a household name. 

Though Dunkin' and Starbucks have a leg up in this competition, being that the (seemingly) primary focus for both of them is coffee, they didn't automatically earn these top two spots without reason. Yes, you can customize virtually any coffee you want at Dunkin' to your heart's content, but the standard roast is still the standard-bearer.

There's a reason people swing by Dunkin' every morning before work and get a simple coffee; it's quality, it's quick, and it's reliable. While regional variations on beverages may vary, that's part of the fun of the experience. That rarely happens, however, when ordering a simple coffee rather than an elaborate latte situation. Dunkin' earned its second-place ranking, as did the top contender.