These Hal’s New York Potato Chips Deserve More Attention

Feature Photo and design by Brian Kachejian

If you live in New York, chances are you’ve seen Hal’s Potato Chips everywhere. Walk into almost any deli, convenience store, drug store, or supermarket and you’ll probably find a display of those familiar colorful bags staring back at you. Over the last several years, Hal’s has become one of those snack brands that seems to have quietly taken over the New York market. I see them everywhere, and because I love potato chips, I finally decided it was time to find out which flavor was the best.

What I like about Hal’s is that they feel like a New York potato chip company. They’re not one of the giant national brands that dominate entire aisles at the supermarket. Yet somehow they’ve managed to become one of the most recognizable chip brands in the Northeast. Whether I’m stopping at a deli for lunch, grabbing a drink at a convenience store, or walking through Walgreens, there they are. The more I see them, the more I wonder just how far this brand can go. If they’ve become this popular in New York, perhaps the rest of the country will eventually discover what many New Yorkers already know.

That’s what inspired this taste test. I picked up six flavors, Original, Sour Cream and Onion, Sweet Chili, Barbecue, Jalapeño, and Sea Salt and Vinegar, and put them head to head to find out which Hal’s Potato Chip flavor deserved the crown.

The History of Hal’s Potato Chips

Hal’s traces its roots back to New York, where the company built its reputation on kettle cooked potato chips that focused on simple ingredients and bold flavors. While many chip companies chased larger national markets through massive advertising campaigns, Hal’s developed a loyal following by becoming a familiar sight throughout New York and the surrounding region.

The brand became known for producing crunchy kettle cooked chips with a texture that stood apart from traditional potato chips. Kettle cooking creates a thicker, crunchier chip that many snack fans prefer because of its hearty texture and stronger potato flavor. Over time, Hal’s expanded its flavor lineup while maintaining the kettle cooked style that helped establish the brand’s identity.

Today, Hal’s chips can be found throughout much of the Northeast, and their growing presence suggests that the company has ambitions that extend far beyond New York.

Why Kettle Chips Have Become So Popular

For years, traditional potato chips dominated the snack aisle. Then kettle cooked chips started gaining popularity because they offered something different. They were thicker, crunchier, and often carried seasonings more effectively than standard chips.

The extra crunch creates a completely different eating experience. You don’t just eat a kettle chip. You hear it. You feel it. The texture becomes part of the flavor. That’s one of the reasons kettle cooked chips have developed such a loyal following among potato chip lovers.

Hal’s has done a great job embracing that style, and it was obvious from the very first bag I opened that freshness and crunch were going to play a major role in this competition.

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Ranking the Hal’s Potato Chip Flavors

#6 Jalapeño

This was the only flavor that simply wasn’t for me.

Now, if you’re someone who loves intense heat, you may feel completely different. But I’ve always believed that food should be enjoyable, not painful. The Jalapeño chips delivered exactly what the name promised. Plenty of heat.

The problem was that the spice overwhelmed everything else. I found myself reaching for my drink more than enjoying the chips. By the time I finished tasting them, I knew they would land at the bottom of my rankings.

Score: 5 out of 10

#5 Original

It’s always dangerous to underestimate an Original flavor.

These chips reminded me why simple often works best. The potato flavor was fresh, the seasoning was balanced, and the crunch was outstanding. There was nothing flashy here, just a really good potato chip.

Many companies use Original flavors as a starting point before introducing more adventurous varieties. Hal’s Original chips proved they can stand on their own.

Score: 9 out of 10

#4 Barbecue

Barbecue chips can be difficult to get right. Some brands go too sweet. Others go too smoky.

Hal’s found a pretty good balance.

The flavor reminded me of a backyard barbecue, with enough smokiness to be interesting without becoming overpowering. It was a chip that kept me reaching back into the bag.

While it couldn’t quite catch the leaders, it was still one of the strongest flavors in the lineup.

Score: 10 out of 10

#3 Sour Cream and Onion

This flavor absolutely blew me away.

I’ve eaten plenty of sour cream and onion chips over the years, and these were among the best I’ve ever tasted. The seasoning was perfectly balanced, allowing both the sour cream and onion flavors to come through clearly.

Everything about this chip felt fresh. The flavor, the crunch, and the overall quality all stood out immediately.

Had the competition not been so strong, this could easily have won.

Score: 10 out of 10

#2 Sea Salt and Vinegar

Sea Salt and Vinegar has become one of the most popular kettle chip flavors on the market, and after tasting Hal’s version, it’s easy to understand why.

The vinegar flavor was bold without becoming overwhelming. The seasoning worked perfectly with the kettle cooked texture, creating a chip that was both sharp and satisfying.

I kept going back and forth between this flavor and the eventual winner because the competition was incredibly close.

Score: 10.5 out of 10

#1 Sweet Chili

This was the winner, and honestly, it wasn’t particularly close.

The Sweet Chili chips somehow managed to balance sweetness and spice perfectly. The sweetness arrived first, followed by just enough heat to keep things interesting.

What impressed me most was how addictive they were. Every chip made me want another one. That’s usually the sign that you’ve found something special.

In a competition filled with excellent flavors, Sweet Chili separated itself from the pack and became the clear champion.

Score: 11 out of 10

Final Rankings

1. Sweet Chili, 11/10
2. Sea Salt and Vinegar, 10.5/10
3. Sour Cream and Onion, 10/10
4. Barbecue, 10/10
5. Original, 9/10
6. Jalapeño, 5/10

Comparison Table

Which Hal’s Flavor Is Best?

Sweet Chili was the easy winner for me. It delivered the best combination of sweetness, spice, crunch, and overall enjoyment. Sea Salt and Vinegar finished a close second, while Sour Cream and Onion and Barbecue both proved that Hal’s has developed a lineup filled with genuinely strong flavors.

What surprised me most was how consistently good these chips were. Outside of the Jalapeño flavor, which simply wasn’t my personal preference, every bag delivered quality, freshness, and that signature kettle cooked crunch.

If you’ve never tried Hal’s Potato Chips before, they’re worth seeking out. New Yorkers have already embraced them, and after this taste test, I can understand why. These chips deserve more attention than they get, and if the company continues making products this good, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them become even more popular in the years ahead.

If you enjoyed this Hal’s Potato Chip flavor ranking, be sure to check out some of our other potato chip taste tests on RockinFoodie. We’ve also ranked the best plain potato chips, compared the best sour cream and onion potato chips, and put together a complete barbecue potato chip taste test. If you’re a fan of kettle cooked chips, don’t miss our ranking of the best Cape Cod potato chip flavors. Looking beyond traditional potato chips, we’ve also ranked Sun Chips flavors and the best Doritos flavors to help snack lovers discover their next favorite bag of chips.