Texas Roadhouse seems like a safe bet when you’re starving and want a decent steak without breaking the bank. The place is packed almost every night, there are free peanuts everywhere, and those warm rolls with cinnamon butter are pretty hard to resist. But here’s something most people don’t know: not everything on that menu is worth ordering. Some dishes fall so flat that you’d be better off hitting a drive-through on the way home. Before you sit down and start circling items on that giant menu, you need to know which ones to skip completely.
The country-fried sirloin tastes like pure salt
Walking into a restaurant that claims to serve Southern food, you expect certain things to be done right. Fried steak should be one of them. But the country-fried sirloin at Texas Roadhouse misses the mark in almost every way possible. First off, they can’t even get the name right—what they’re calling country fried is actually more like chicken fried with its extra crispy coating and white gravy. That might not seem like a big deal, but it hints at the confusion that continues once the plate arrives at your table.
The real problem starts when you take your first bite. Everything on this plate is aggressively salty. The thick breading, which is the same batter they use for their Cactus Blossom appetizer, hits you with sodium first. Then the gravy piles on even more salt, along with a weird smoky taste that doesn’t belong there. Under all that mess, the actual sirloin is thin and chewy, without much taste of its own. It’s like they’re trying to hide bad meat under mountains of breading and gravy.
Mac and cheese might come from a box
When you pay restaurant prices, you expect restaurant food. That’s a pretty reasonable assumption, right? Apparently not at Texas Roadhouse, where the mac and cheese has been a source of embarrassment for years. For a long time, customers were being served actual Kraft mac and cheese straight from the blue box. People caught on when they recognized that distinct orange color and the taste they’d been eating since childhood. Some locations were charging up to four dollars for a small cup of what you can buy at the grocery store for a buck.
Recently, many Texas Roadhouse locations switched to what they call homemade mac and cheese. Sounds better, but don’t get excited yet. The new version has way too much gloppy cheese sauce and not enough noodles to balance it out. They use a super mild cheddar that barely has any taste, and seasonings seem to be an afterthought. There’s no crispy topping, no breadcrumbs, nothing to add texture or interest. You can pay an extra twenty-nine to add cheddar and bacon on top, but that’s just throwing good money after bad.
The All-American cheeseburger needs serious help
A steakhouse should be able to nail a burger. They’ve got access to good beef, they know how to work a grill, and burgers are practically the cousin of steak anyway. Yet somehow, Texas Roadhouse serves up one of the most disappointing burgers you’ll find at a chain restaurant. The All-American cheeseburger looks pretty good when it arrives—nice and tall with a thick patty, fresh vegetables, and a toothpick holding everything together. That toothpick should’ve been a warning sign.
Once you pull out that wooden stick and take a bite, everything falls apart. The meat is often overcooked and chewy instead of juicy and tender. But the worst part is that the burger comes completely naked—no mayo, no ketchup, no mustard, nothing. They expect you to dress your own burger like you’re at a backyard cookout. The whole thing tastes bland and forgettable, like something you could make at home but wouldn’t because you’d do a better job. Their other burger options might be worth trying, but this one definitely isn’t.
The porterhouse T-bone costs too much for what you get
Steak makes up almost half the menu at Texas Roadhouse, and most of their cuts are actually pretty decent. The ribeye is their bestseller for good reason, and the Dallas filet has its fans. But there’s one steak that consistently disappoints despite being the most expensive thing on the menu. The porterhouse T-bone weighs in at twenty-three ounces and costs more than any other cut they serve. It sounds impressive—a combo of both filet and strip in one massive piece of meat.
The problem with bone-in steaks this huge is that they’re really hard to cook evenly. You’ll often get dried-out edges while the meat near the bone is still practically raw, no matter what temperature you ordered. It makes for an unpleasant eating experience where every bite is a gamble. According to a former employee on Reddit, there’s actually a reason this steak is so inconsistent—it’s the only one that doesn’t get hand-cut in the restaurant. Instead, it arrives frozen and pre-cut, which is a huge difference when it comes to quality and explains why it doesn’t measure up to their other steaks.
Green beans swim in weird liquid
Side dishes at a steakhouse shouldn’t be complicated. You want something simple and tasty that complements your main course without stealing the show. Green beans fit that bill perfectly at most restaurants—they’re straightforward, healthy enough, and easy to get right. Texas Roadhouse somehow manages to mess them up anyway. Out of sixteen different sides you can order, these green beans rank dead last. They’re trying to go for a homestyle version with bacon bits and diced onions mixed in, but the execution is terrible.
The beans themselves are cooked way too long and practically dissolve when you try to pick them up with a fork. Meanwhile, the bacon and onions seem undercooked and crunchy. Everything sits in a pool of watery, greasy liquid that makes the whole dish look like soup. You might actually need a spoon to eat it. Taste-wise, there’s a strange combination of smokiness and sweetness that doesn’t work, and mostly the whole thing is just bland mush. If you want vegetables with your steak, stick with the steamed broccoli or grab one of their salads instead.
Pulled pork dinner looks and tastes sad
Here’s an interesting fact: despite the name, Texas Roadhouse actually started in Indiana and is headquartered in Kentucky. They have zero original connection to Texas at all. That might not matter much for most of their food, but it probably explains why their barbecue dishes don’t quite hit the mark. Texas is known for some of the best barbecue in the country, with cities like Austin and Houston serving up legendary smoked meats. The pulled pork dinner at Texas Roadhouse is not legendary.
The presentation alone should make you nervous. The pork comes dumped on the plate in a messy pile of shreds and bits that looks pretty unappetizing. If they haven’t already added the barbecue sauce—which is honestly the only decent part of this dish—it looks even worse. Once you start eating, about half the meat is full of gristle and fat that you can’t chew through. The other half is dried out and tough like jerky. To make matters worse, it comes with crusty, often burnt bread instead of those famous soft rolls they serve at the beginning of the meal. The two legendary sides you get with it might be the only edible part of the whole dinner.
Steak fries arrive cold and limp
French fries seem impossible to screw up. You cut potatoes, fry them until they’re hot and crispy, add salt, and serve them immediately. Even fast food places manage to get this right most of the time. Yet the steak fries at Texas Roadhouse fail at the most basic level. These thick-cut fries should be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, hot enough that you have to blow on them before taking a bite. Instead, they show up lukewarm and limp, without any of the crunch you expect from a good fry.
The reason for this sad performance is simple—the fries arrive at the restaurant frozen. There’s nothing wrong with frozen fries in theory; plenty of restaurants use them and turn out great results. But something in how Texas Roadhouse prepares them leaves you with rectangular potato slabs that lack both warmth and crispness. They’re not terrible enough to send back, but they’re definitely not good enough to enjoy. When you’re paying steakhouse prices, even for a casual place like this, the fries should at least be hot and crunchy.
Early dining comes with limited options
Trying to avoid the dinner rush by showing up early seems like a smart move. Most Texas Roadhouse locations get packed by six or seven in the evening, with wait times stretching to an hour or more on weekends. But if you’re planning to arrive for an early dinner, you need to know that most locations don’t open until three or four in the afternoon during the week. They save lunch service for weekends only, opening at eleven or noon on Saturdays and Sundays.
Even when they are open, some menu items might not be available right away. Dishes that take a long time to cook, like prime rib, often aren’t ready until later in the afternoon. On the flip side, showing up early does have one big advantage—the Early Dine-In special menu. Most locations offer a select menu where everything costs twelve ninety-nine, though prices can vary by location. You can get a six-ounce sirloin with two sides for under thirteen bucks, which is hard to beat. This special usually runs from opening until six PM on weekdays, and from opening until three PM on weekends.
Skip these and order the proven favorites instead
Now that you know which dishes to avoid, what should you order instead? The rolls with cinnamon butter are obviously a must—they’re free, they’re amazing, and there’s unlimited refills. For your main course, stick with their hand-cut steaks like the ribeye, which is their most popular option for good reason. The Dallas filet is another solid choice that rarely disappoints. If you’re not in the mood for steak, their ribs get consistently good reviews from customers.
For sides, the baked potato is always a safe bet and comes loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon if you want it. The sweet potato is another good option, and their house salad with that tangy dressing hits the spot. If you’re going with the Early Dine-In special to save money, the six-ounce sirloin might not be their best steak, but it’s perfectly acceptable for the price. The chicken dishes on that menu also tend to be better than their pork options. Whatever you do, just remember to check what time they open and which items might not be ready if you’re arriving early in the day.
Texas Roadhouse isn’t trying to be fancy, and that’s part of its charm. But knowing which menu items actually deliver and which ones fall flat can make the difference between a satisfying meal and a disappointing waste of money. Stick with their proven winners, take advantage of that Early Dine-In special if you can get there at the right time, and definitely load up on those rolls. Your wallet and your stomach will thank you for doing a little homework before you order.
