If you frequent Texas Roadhouse, you probably have your go-to combo meal, appetizer, and drink that you always order. For the rest of us, the menu might seem overwhelming (because, well, it is). There’s both fried and grilled options for nearly everything on the menu, plus all the cuts of steak you can imagine to choose from. And while it may not be for the health conscious, there are some seriously delicious options, from fried appetizers to burgers to chicken to steak. The best part? You start off every meal with those cloud-like, buttery rolls and cinnamon butter. To help you decide what to order, take a look at the 11 best Texas Roadhouse items to order in 2020.
Cinnamon Butter
Okay, let’s start there. It’s not something you even have to pay for, but everyone knows about Texas Roadhouse’s cinnamon butter. It comes on the side of your dinner rolls, and you’ll fill up on it before you even think about what you want to order. We love it so much we even published a recipe you can use to make it at home.
Pro tip: If you have leftover rolls at the end of your meal, ask for a side of butter to take home. Your late-night cravings will thank you.
Combo Appetizer
Let’s face it, looking at a list of delicious fried foods brings out the indecisive side in all of us. Do I choose fried pickles? Or maybe boneless wings? With the Combo Appetizer, you can try a little bit of everything, and there’s plenty to share (but only if you want to). This starter comes with Boneless Buffalo Wings (either Mild or Hot sauce), Rattlesnake Bites, and Tater Skins. Feel free to swap any of those with Fried Pickles.
All-American Cheeseburger
Sometimes (and by that, we mean most times), chain restaurants overdo their specialty burgers. They pile them sky high with random ingredients like onion rings and tater tots, but why? A perfectly good burger only needs a few necessary ingredients. Take the Roadhouse All-American Cheeseburger, for example. It starts off with a 1/2 lb ground chuck patty and is topped with melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a big toasted bun. To complete this class dish, you’ll get thick-cut steak fries and a crispy pickle on the side.
Could there be anything better?
New York Strip
The New York Strip is by far one of the most-ordered steaks on the Texas Roadhouse menu, and we can see why. It’s the perfect size – 12 juicy ounces of thick, marinated steak. And according to Roadhouse, this cut is “aged longer for extra tenderness and flavor.” If you’re in the mood for a classic steak dinner, the New York Strip is the way to go. And as always, choose your favorite two sides to go along with it.
Side note: If you really want to eat, try the Porterhouse T-Bone. It’s a combination of the New York Strip and filet, and yes – it’s one massive piece of meat (23 ounces to be exact).
Country Fried Chicken
The Country Fried Chicken dish is the epitome of comfort food, but that’s what Roadhouse is all about, right? This hefty meal comes complete with two battered and fried chicken breasts, smothered in homemade cream gravy. If you have any room left, you can pick at your two sides, but trust us – this one’s as filling as it gets.
USDA Choice Sirloin & Shrimp Combo
Sometimes, you just can’t choose between a hearty steak and a seafood dish. And that’s okay. Texas Roadhouse is famous for both, so if you’re in the mood for a little surf and turf, go for the Sirloin and Shrimp combo. You can order either a six or eight ounce steak, along with a skewer of grilled, seasoned shrimp and two sides. You’ll leave stuffed, but isn’t that the point?
They are a few other combos we recommend if steak and shrimp isn’t your thing:
- Chicken Critters® with 6 oz. Sirloin
- Grilled BBQ Chicken with 6 oz. Sirloin
- Chicken Critters® with Ribs
Chicken Critter Salad
Texas Roadhouse has a pretty solid salad menu, including all the classics from their Caesar Salad to the Grilled Chicken to the Steakhouse Filet Salad. And while they’re all great options, our loyalties lie with the Chicken Critter – not the healthiest option, but it surely is the most delicious.
No, there are no critters in this dish – just a giant pile of crispy chicken, shredded cheese, egg, tomato, and bacon. Take your pick from any of Roadhouse’s creamy, southern dressings like ranch, honey mustard, thousand island, or bleu cheese.
Granny’s Apple Classic
It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving for you to enjoy a giant slice of pie. And when we say giant, we mean a quarter of the pie. That’s right – Texas Roadhouse’s Granny’s Apple Classic comes with a massive piece of warm apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. If you can’t finish it yourself, it’s certainly big enough for two.
Smothered Chicken
Chicken is notoriously dry and flavorless at chain restaurants (someone had to say it.) But Roadhouse’s Smothered Chicken is surprisingly full of flavor, thanks to the sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, and cream gravy that sit atop the marinated chicken breast. Think a southern version of chicken marsala. Yum, right?
Country Veg Plate
If you’re a vegetarian, Texas Roadhouse is most definitely not your first choice when it comes to eating out. The meatless options are few and far between on the menu, but they’ve attempted to whip something together for anyone who doesn’t feel like ordering a big ole steak. The Country Veg platter creatively combines four side items of your choice into one big entree. You can choose from buttered corn, seasoned rice, apple sauce, fresh veggies, sautéed onions, sautéed mushrooms, house salad, caesar salad, steak fries, mashed potatoes, baked potato, sweet potato, or green beans.
Depending on what you order, you could come up with some seriously interesting combinations.
Fried Catfish
If you’re not into seafood, you’ll surely gloss right over this bold option. But for those of you who aren’t scared to try something new, the Fried Catfish is a surprisingly delicious option. It comes with a creole mustard sauce that perfectly complements the southern cornmeal breading. You can choose any two sides, but we recommend pairing these bad boys with steak fries and buttered corn.
For more on what we think about this dish, check out our Fried Catfish review.
