Opinion: Lay’s Chips RANKED

Vivien Grable

Rangeview Junior Kai Jesus eats a bag of the most delicious Limon Lay’s chips in the halls of RHS.

     While walking down the chip aisle in a local Walmart there is one brand that dominates the rest: Lay’s. The chip brand has an incredible assortment of  different flavors and spice levels. This brings the question—which Lay’s flavor is truly the best? Here I offer you my top 15, increasing in satisfaction.

15. All Lay’s Wavy – At the bottom of the list I would have to put Lay’s Wavy. Now, it’s not that they are bad or anything. They are just way too basic and are exactly like Ruffles but WORSE. If I wanted a wavy chip, I would go with Ruffles, not Lay’s. They are the OG after all. To add on, Wavy’s have no new flavors; they are the exact same flavors as the originals. The only thing that makes them different is the texture. That is why Wavy’s are in the bottom spot, #15.

14. Dill Pickle Lay’s – When it comes to the pickle chip I’ll admit I have never actually tried one.  This ranking doesn’t mean I don’t like pickles and I don’t like chips. I do. Just separately. The fact they are together is just wrong. I would say if I tried these chips I would go through the five stages of grief. It is just wrong.

13. Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice Lay’s –  Now I may have not tried these chips and I may be just a little biased. But what exactly is crab spice!?! I mean I know spices, I know crab and I know you could add spices to crab but what exactly is considered the main spices in said crab dish? Again I am biased as I don’t like seafood, but this just doesn’t sound good. Who knows, I might like it if I give it a chance, but until then it stays at #13.

12. Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Lay’s – The only reason why this flavor of Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle  made it as high as it did on this list is because it has spice to it. I

11. Salt & Vinegar Lay’s – Personally, I quite enjoy salt and vinegar chips every now and then. Whether or not that makes me old is debatable. But to buy them frequently is rare, because who really picks salt and vinegar compared to the better options farther down this list. Since they are good but nowhere near the best, they shall reside at #11.

10. Cheddar Jalapeño / Cheddar & Sour Cream – Since we are now hitting the top 10, I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. For cheddar jalapeño, I rarely ever see it on the shelves. Therefore, I don’t see how it should really go higher on the list. It might taste good but I’ll never know since it’s never in stock. But for the cheddar and sour cream it just reminds me of the Ruffles chip of the same name, seems like a pretty calm and basic flavor to me, therefore it resides in #10 with cheddar jalapeño.

9. Honey BBQ – Regarding honey BBQ, there is already a barbeque flavored Lay’s, so I imagine it tastes really good. But I don’t really know what big of a difference there is other than being sweeter, so I’m placing it at #9.

8. Sour Cream & Onion – Personally, I can really throw down with sour cream and onion. It maybe isn’t the best, but it is a household classic when having summer BBQ’s. As soon as you get your hamburger you can almost guarantee to see a big box of random Lay’s chips which always has these. This flavor definitely deserves to be in top 10, settling in at #8.

7. Sweet Southern Heat BBQ – The only reason why these are lower is because Lay’s already has so many other BBQ flavors that it just ends up being repetitive. Nonetheless, they are really good being both sweet and spicy, two flavors that complement each other well.

6. Adobadas Lay’s – These chips look so good and flavorful that I would sell my left kidney to try them. And they are made by SABRITAS so you know they have to be high quality. Thus, I think they need to be at #6.

5. Classic Lay’s – As we move to the top 5, it just feels right to start it off with classic. The reason this flavor isn’t higher is because although it is amazing, I get bored of it after a while. As such, we breach the top 5 with the most generic Lay’s flavor.

4. Limón Lay’s – I have no explanation for why these are so good.. After a few bites you just get addicted to the flavor. I truly believe that the contrast from the crunch of the chip and sourness from the flavor is what truly makes it so good. Therefore it belongs in #4

3. BBQ Lay’s – The flavor of these chips are just immaculate. Like classic Lay’s, it is one of the OG’s, which means it truly deserves its place in #3.

2. Flamin’ Hot Lay’s – Like all the others, these are basic but so good. I mean, can you really help but buy them where they are sitting there in all their glory? No. So boom, #2.

In the first place we have (drum roll please)…

1. Chile Limón Lay’s – The flavor, the taste, the bag. I mean everything about this chip is just on top and I can catch myself eating a whole bag of these. This flavor is truly the best and it proves it just by existing. Therefore, it belongs nowhere else but #1.