When you have a go-to order, you end up comparing your meals much more than the average restaurant-goer.   What I usually get is a cheeseburger with fries and a Mountain Dew, so I chose to rank the pros and cons of three popular local restaurants: Applebee’s, The Green Turtle, and Main Street Tower on North Main in Bel Air. I’m ranking which of the three is better overall to put an end to this hotly-debated topic.

Here are the results!

The Rankings

Mountain Dew Fountain Soda:

Greene Turtle= 8/10 medium sized cups and lasts long

Applebee’s= 7/10- smaller cups

The Tower= 6/10- smaller cups 

There’s nothing like a fresh fountain soda. Winner here is The Green Turtle, with the largest cup that lasts the longest.

Burger:

Greene Turtle= 9/10

the patty is usually well cooked, and the buns are nice and crisp.

Applebee’s= 7/10

The burger is good, but usually falls apart and is sometimes dry.

The Tower= 8/10.

The patty is always good, but the buns are under par. 

Again, winner here is The Green Turtle. I think there’s a trend…

Fries:

Greene Turtle= 9/10

fries are usually soft, which is my preference and have good taste.

Applebee’s= 7/10

Fries are usually crispy, and good.

Tower= 5/10

And the winner is…

The Greene Turtle!

Others’ Opinions 

Since I’m no expert, I decided to ask around to see if my rankings were representative of more people than just myself.  “Greene Turtle is the best of those 3,” agrees Mr. Dean, another avid restaurant customer. “My order is a bacon cheeseburger from Applebee’s, Buffalo Chicken sandwich from GT [Greene Turtle], and boneless BBQ wings from the Tower.”

Dean also mentioned that staff performance adds to a restaurant experience. “Applebee’s staff are friendly and responsive. [Greene Turtle] staff are friendly but do not check the table often enough. Tower staff are nice, but sometimes disappear when you want them.” A certain ambience also affects enjoyment, although all three local choices have something to entertain everyone. “Applebee’s is unique for the decor which includes items from local schools; Greene Turtle is unique because of the number of tv screens, and Tower is unique because of the rooftop deck.” 

The Greene Turtle is the best out of the three, and my sources agree. You can check out The Green Turtle yourself at various locations, including our most local franchise in Harford Mall.