24/7 Insights

• • Texas Roadhouse is a popular steakhouse with 665 locations. 
  • The restaurant is publicly traded on the NASDAQ. 
  • Popular for its steaks, there are some menu items to avoid. 
  • Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever

As one of the best-known steakhouses specializing in Texas style, the appropriately named Texas Roadhouse has won over legions of fans. With around 665 locations as of June 2024, the restaurants serve customers in the United States, South Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and China, among others. 

With an American food-style menu, the chain is most famous for its slogan, “Legendary Food, Legendary Service.” While this may be true for the most part, this isn’t to say that all of Texas Roadhouse’s menu is worth having. With this in mind, we’re looking at items from the Texas Roadhouse nutrition calculator for the menu items you should avoid in no particular order. 

Why Is This Important? 

Texas Roadhouse is one of the biggest steak chains in the country. As a publicly traded company, its performance is closely watched in the restaurant world. Perhaps more importantly, the restaurant employs close to 65,000 people, which makes it one of the largest employers in the restaurant business. As Americans eating out is also a strong indicator of disposable income, it’s good to watch how well companies like Texas Roadhouse perform. 

14. Green Beans

• Calories: 100
• Fat: 3.5 grams
• Sodium: 1,070 mg

It’s often hard to go wrong with green beans, but they are rarely a recommendation from anyone who eats at Texas Roadhouse. The green beans don’t stand out over the range of other side dishes you can choose from. 

13. Porterhouse T-Bone

• Calories: 1,040
• Fat: 54 grams
• Sodium: 1,440 mg

Mashed said Texas Roadhouse employees advise patrons to avoid the Porterhouse T-bone steak. At 23 ounces, this steak is massive and unhealthy as it includes over 54 grams of fat. One concern is that while most steaks served at Texas Roadhouse are cut in-house, the T-bone is cut elsewhere and brought into each restaurant. 

12. Fall-Off-the-Bone Ribs 

• Calories: 1,450
• Fat: 102 grams
• Sodium: 2,260 mg

Many people want to venture to a Texas Roadhouse for barbecue and ribs, but you might want to try elsewhere. On top of the massive 1,450 calories you will consume with a full slab of ribs, most reviews online say there’s a good chance you get them overcooked and have to re-order. Many restaurants focus on ribs, so consider other locations if that’s what you crave. 

11. Mac and Cheese 

• Calories: 380
• Fat: 18 grams
• Sodium: 450 mg

While Mac and Cheese might be one of the best comfort foods, this isn’t necessarily true at Texas Roadhouse. Simply said, you can find better mac and cheese elsewhere. This isn’t to say you won’t satisfy a craving, but it’s still just Kraft mac and cheese for the most part. Some Texas Roadhouse restaurants now claim they make a “homemade” version, but we’ll believe it when we see it. 

10. Steakhouse Filet Salad

• Calories: 1,340
• Fat: 103 grams
• Sodium: 2,870 mg

If you believe a salad is a healthier alternative to the meat and chicken Texas Roadhouse is known for, think again. The steakhouse filet salad is a visually pretty item that looks healthy at first glance. However, the reality is that it’s less healthy than other popular menu items thanks to 103 grams of fat and a whopping 1,340 calories. 

9. Country Fried Sirloin Steak

• Calories: 1,170
• Fat: 75 grams
• Sodium: 2,220 mg

If you’re looking for something country at Texas Roadhouse, you’ll unsurprisingly find quite a few options. The Country-Fried Sirloin Steak is the top choice among these choices, as many patrons find this meal quite tasty. It’s an acquired taste, especially if you are not from the South, but regardless of where you are from, the unhealthy factor is worth considering before ordering. 

8. Tater Skins

• Calories: 1,320
• Fat: 88 grams
• Sodium: 2,470 mg

When it comes to the Texas Roadhouse tater skin, it’s very much a love-it-or-hate experience as far as the taste. Some people go to the restaurant for this appetizer, while others know how unhealthy it is before you even have a meal. At 135% of your daily value for fat and 103% for sodium, this is one unhealthy appetizer in no uncertain terms. 

7. Bacon Cheeseburger

• Calories: 980
• Fat: 62 grams
• Sodium: 2,410 mg

So here’s the thing about Texas Roadhouses’ bacon cheeseburger: the meat is already unhealthy, and the taste is, at best, so-so. At 980 calories, it’s half your daily caloric intake and 100% of your daily sodium needs. While you can cut out some condiments to make it healthier, the burger and the bun are still the most unhealthy. 

6. Prime Rib 

• Calories: 1,110
• Fat: 84 grams
• Sodium: 1,810 mg

There’s no working around the idea that most people go to a steakhouse to order steak. This isn’t to discourage you from ordering the prime rib, but the 14 and 16-ounce options are just super unhealthy. It’s an okay piece of meat, according to online reviews, but there’s no beating around the bush that the amount of calories, fat, and sodium is just plain unhealthy, even for someone fit. 

5. Bread Pudding

• Calories: 1,940
• Fat: 60 grams
• Sodium: 1,030 mg

A beloved Texas Roadhouse desert is the ultimate way to destroy your diet with a single dessert. Coming in at a whopping 1940 calories, there is little chance you will want to step on a scale the next day after dining at Texas Roadhouse. This menu item looks like a real treat, only to give you a week’s worth of guilty pleasure in one dining experience. 

4. Chicken Caesar Salad

• Calories: 1,100
• Fat: 89 grams
• Sodium: 1070 mg

It’s hard to say that a chicken caesar salad is worth avoiding anywhere simply because it’s an integral part of many restaurants. However, at 1,100 calories, even the idea that the salad has 60 grams of protein isn’t enough to outweigh the unhealthy negatives. 

3. Steak Fries

• Calories: 360
• Fat: 14 grams
• Sodium: 1,970 mg

There’s no easy way to say it, but steak fries are unhealthy. It may not be the unhealthiest dish you can find at Texas Roadhouse, but with 53 grams of total carbs and 14 grams of fat, it’s worth skipping. There’s an argument to be made for just having the steak fries for a meal, but who wants to go out to dinner and just order fries? 

2. Big Ol’ Brownie

• Calories: 1,200
• Fat: 40 grams
• Sodium: 740 mg

There’s nothing like having the Big Ol’ Brownie right after you finish a steak, but you shouldn’t. This 1,200-calorie monstrosity is worth every bite but makes you feel guilty the next day. Adding toppings like vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup makes it both tastier and unhealthier all at the same time. 

1. Cactus Blossom

• Calories: 2,250
• Fat: 145 grams
• Sodium: 5,000 mg

The best way to describe the Cactus Blossom at Texas Roadhouse is as a menu item that tastes great and is an entire meal on a plate. At 2,250 calories for a single plate, it’s more than most people need to eat in a day, and it’s unhealthy. There’s too much fat and sodium with 208% of your daily total fat intake and 130% of your daily need for saturated fat. 

 

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