In most restaurants, fries are a side dish. But at Get Fried, they’re the whole meal. This fry-themed restaurant opened its first Californian location to Santa Clara at Great America Parkway on March 5.

My first impression of Get Fried was positive. The employees were friendly, and though the restaurant was small, the atmosphere was pleasant.

Get Fried is best known for its Topped Fries: a basket of fries that can be topped with sauce, meat, cheese and vegetables, along with many other options. They offer standard menu baskets and customizable baskets. They were also serving sliders: small sandwiches with two waffle fries instead of buns. I ordered two of the premade baskets, the West Coast Offense and the Sweet Tooth, along with a slider basket, the Slider Trifecta.

The best thing that I ate there was, without a doubt, the West Coast Offense. The hand-cut fries were topped with bacon, cheese, avocado, onion and cilantro. It was savory, and every element mixed together without being too overpowering. The ingredients were fresh, and it definitely exceeded all of my expectations.

The second course of my meal was the Slider Trifecta, which consisted of a hamburger, a pulled pork sandwich and a buffalo chicken sandwich. The latter two were alright, but the hamburger was the same overcooked patty and plastic-y cheese that would be found at any other fast-food joint. I must admit that the waffle fries worked well as buns, but the insides were lacking.

Last was dessert, and even that was fry-based. The Sweet Tooth was a basket of sweet potato fries topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Frankly, sweet fries were a bit too weird for me to get past. While the basket was not overly sweet, dessert and fries are not meant to mix, in my opinion. Next time, I would stick with main course fries.

Overall, Get Fried is worth considering if you’re looking for a unique place to eat out. With six kinds of fries, 15 sauces and over 25 toppings to choose from, most everyone can find something they’d enjoy, and leave feeling satis-fried.