12 Dishes to Skip at Texas Roadhouse for a Healthier Choice

Maybe it’s the giant, fresh-never-frozen steaks done up with that signature blend of salt, pepper, sugar, and paprika; maybe it’s the rolls with cinnamon butter. Whatever the siren song of Texas Roadhouse, the chain makes a good, fast, and relatively well-priced meal that seems to be a solid standby for many hungry diners. Founded in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993, Texas Roadhouse prides itself on “from scratch” dishes — from steaks cut in-house to prepared-to-order sides and rolls baked every five minutes.

However, like all restaurants — especially chains — Texas Roadhouse has several menu items that are really unhealthy. From soaring sodium to off-the-charts fat content, there are quite a few meals ranging from salads to drinks to desserts that should be firmly placed on the no-no list if you’re feeling health-conscious. Here are 12 of the unhealthiest dishes at Texas Roadhouse you should avoid ordering, along with some suggestions for what to order instead.

It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise that Cheese Fries make it onto the list of unhealthy items at Texas Roadhouse. Potatoes smothered in cheese, bacon, and whatever else you can dream up seems like a violently American concept, so who can argue about cheese fries’ place on the menu here? No one. The Cheese Fries at Texas Roadhouse are described as a large amount of crispy steak fries covered in melted cheddar cheese and bacon bits, with the option to add chili. Now, if you forego the chili, you’re looking at 1,240 calories, 580 of which are from fat. You’re also looking at a truly staggering 5,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium. The recommended daily intake for an average adult is less than 2,300 mg.

For reference, 2,300 mg of sodium is about a teaspoon of table salt. You’re likely getting additional sodium in all of the other stuff you’re eating throughout the day. So, if you do choose to indulge in these fries, you’re more than doubling your recommendation of salt. Not to mention, you’re also inhaling quite a few calories — and this is an appetizer, y’all. Maybe you’ll be sharing, but surely there are other options?

Country-fried steak is a southern dish that might be hard to comprehend for people who haven’t grown up with it. Why would you deep-fry a perfectly good steak? Wouldn’t it render said steak greasy and overdone? If done correctly, no, but the invention of this dish remains perplexing for some. That said, of course Texas Roadhouse has a Country Fried Sirloin. And, as it’s literally red meat coated in batter and then thrown into a hot oil bath, naturally, this isn’t going to be too figure-friendly.

The Country Fried Sirloin — which comes topped with a cream-based gravy — is 1,170 calories, with 680 calories from fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, and 2,220 mg of sodium. It’s probably pretty tasty, but if you’re looking for something deep-fried, opt for the basic Country Fried Chicken, which only has 770 calories and 1,460 mg of sodium. It’s practically a salad in comparison!

Outback Steakhouse has the Bloomin’ Onion — a notoriously bad-for-you appetizer featuring a whole onion, cut into a blossom, battered, and deep-fried. Served with dipping sauce, it’s frequently listed as one of the worst things you can order health-wise at a fast-casual establishment. Texas Roadhouse likely saw the appeal of a giant, deep-fried onion and added it to its own menu. Onions are pretty cheap, and deep-frying one and serving it up as an appetizer is, arguably, brilliant. That said, the Cactus Blossom on Texas Roadhouse’s appetizer menu is the most unhealthy choice calorie-wise on the list by almost 1,000 calories.

Described as a shareable appetizer served with Cajun sauce, the Cactus Blossom has 2,250 calories — 1,200 of which are from fat — plus an incredible 5,000 mg of sodium and 135 grams of total fat. Shockingly, too, are the 36 grams of sugar. The NHS recommends average adults not exceed 30 grams of sugar for the entire day, so, just with this appetizer, you’d be over your entire allotment. Goodbye, dessert.

If a meal is referred to as “big ol'” it’s probably not a stretch to assume it’s not good for you or healthy in any capacity. And when it comes to dessert, it’s not much of a surprise that items on the end-of-the-meal menu aren’t exactly getting a thumbs-up. Brownie sundaes aren’t anything ground-breaking when it comes to fast-casual dessert menus, so the Big Ol’ feels like a safe mainstay. The issue here is that the combination breaks the bank in terms of calories and sugar.

Consisting of a chocolate brownie served with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, there’s nothing too out of the ordinary here. However, the tall, hockey-puck sized brownie is already laden with sugar and calories. Adding on a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzling over chocolate sauce (arguably just straight sugar and artificial flavorings) takes it over the top. The calories for this behemoth come in at 1,200 with 340 of those from fat alone. The sugar content, though, is the highest of all of Texas Roadhouse’s sweet treats — clocking in at 151 grams. That’s about ¾ of a cup of granulated white sugar.

Ah, a salad — the answer to all your eating-out worries. Surely, a bowl full of vegetables, greens, and protein-rich steak will be a good, filling, and healthy meal, right? At a place like Texas Roadhouse, a salad may feel like one of the better options when held up in comparison with items like chicken-fried steaks and smothered, well, anything. The Steakhouse Filet Salad consists of salad greens with Italian dressing, served with filet strips, blue cheese crumbles, bacon bits, red onions, tomatoes, and croutons, along with extra creamy blue cheese on the side. That doesn’t sound too awful, right?

Oh, but it is. Unfortunately, the Steakhouse Filet Salad goes wrong in several spots — first by adding both bacon and blue cheese crumbles, then by serving additional blue cheese. On top of that, there’s the Italian dressing drizzled over the entire dish, adding an olive oil-based dressing and lots of fat. This salad has 1,340 calories with everything included, plus 2,870 mg of sodium and 103 grams of fat. If you remove the Italian dressing, you’ll shave off about 410 calories, but the cheese, bacon, and steak remaining certainly don’t help. If you do want a salad, opt for the Shrimp Caesar Salad or even the Chicken Critter Salad — both of which have significantly fewer calories, even with dressing and accoutrements.

If you’re going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, chances are you’re a carnivore or dining with carnivorous folks, and looking for a meaty, beefy, filling entree. The fast-casual chain has plenty of options catering to those craving meat, from singular steaks to combinations of ribs, seafood, and more. One such combo — a 12-ounce Ribeye & Grilled Shrimp — brings together surf and turf for a Texas-sized dinner that’s sure to fill up even the hungriest diner.

Described as a juicy, marbled steak served with seasoned, grilled shrimp and a drizzling of garlic lemon pepper butter, this combo isn’t for the timid. The caloric information for this dish includes the ribeye, the grilled shrimp, and bread — it does not account for the two sides you’ll be asked to choose. That said, you’re already looking at 1,370 calories, with 860 calories from fat and a whopping 38 grams of saturated fat for this dish. The American Heart Association recommends less than 13 grams of saturated fat for the day. You’re also eyeballing 3,050 mg of sodium, a lot of that likely owing to the garlic butter on the shrimp. Skip this behemoth, and opt for a more manageable meal, like the 8 ounce Sirloin & Grilled Shrimp, which has 750 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.

Like any fast-casual chain, certain entrees are only available at certain locations. Such is the case with Texas Roadhouse’s San Antonio Chicken Entree, which you’ll only find in specific areas (Delaware being one). The dish consists of Cajun chicken breast coated with melted jack and cheddar cheeses and jalapeño relish, served with seasoned rice. It sounds like a typical cheese plus chicken dinner that tends to dot most fast-casual menus.

Despite its clear mass appeal, the San Antonio Chicken Entree isn’t the best choice if you’re searching the steakhouse menu for something healthy and delicious. At 1,030 calories — with 410 of those from fat — and an incredible 3,610 mg of sodium, this dish breaks the proverbial bank. A chicken dinner can be filling, flavorful, delicious and relatively easy on the waistline — but skip this one if you’re looking to check all those boxes. Opt for something like the Smothered Chicken with Jack Cheese, which still gives you that chicken plus cheese taste sensation with only 430 calories total. The lack of rice helps keep things in balance, and frees you up to choose a healthier side, like steamed broccoli or a salad.

A darling of dieters and those on low-carb bandwagons is the humble shrimp. With not-too-many calories and lots of protein, shrimp is a go-to when you’re looking to fill up without filling out. The shellfish is also high in selenium, phosphorus, B12, and iodine. So, Texas Roadhouse’s Grilled Shrimp Dinner, described as grilled and seasoned shrimp served with garlic lemon pepper butter and seasoned rice seems like a decent choice. It even comes with two additional sides.

Alas, this menu item may not be as healthy as it seems. Although the calorie count is only 670, the sodium is out of bounds at 4,090 mg. That’s almost double your recommended daily intake of salt. It’s likely the combination of the seasoning on the rice plus the butter sauce and seasoning on the shrimp take this over the edge. Keep in mind, too, that those numbers do not include the two additional sides you’ll be asked to choose. Yikes.

The ultimate use it or lose it dessert, bread pudding originated in the 13th century as a way for peasants to use up stale, old bread. Like its cousin French toast, bread pudding soaks up a custard of eggs, milk, sugar, and flavorings before baking. Instead of individual slices of bread, though, bread pudding goes the casserole route, with torn or chopped cubes of bread soaked together in a large dish then baked.

Texas Roadhouse’s version — available only at select locations — makes use of the famous rolls, which already have a hint of sweetness thanks to the addition of cinnamon. It also incorporates the chain’s honey cinnamon butter that comes to your table with each order of said rolls. Naturally, though delicious, the bread pudding isn’t exactly good for you. An order will set you back 1,390 calories, 830 mg of sodium, and 135 grams of sugar. The one saving grace here is that Texas Roadhouse advertises its Bread Pudding as serving up to four people.

Much to our chagrin, big, delicious margaritas are not calorie-free. It’s often an afterthought to take into consideration the calories, sugar, and sodium hidden in a glass as opposed to on a plate. An average, traditional margarita, made with Triple Sec, tequila, and lime juice, has about 250 to 300 calories and 15 to 30 grams of sugar for a 4- to 6-ounce serving. Sadly, that’s not quite the case with Texas Roadhouse’s frozen Strawberry Margarita.

The first strike is size. The average margarita is about 4 ounces, whereas the Texas Roadhouse version is four and a half times that, at 18 ounces. So the 520 calories aren’t exactly a surprise here, nor are the 77 grams of sugar. If you are on the hunt for a drink, namely, a margarita, go for the Jamaican Cowboy Margarita on the rocks. It’s only 150 calories for 10 ounces and has 13 grams of sugar.

Toppings, sides, add-ons, and extras are on-brand for a fast-casual restaurant. Although not exactly a short-order kitchen, a place like Texas Roadhouse thrives on mixing and matching dressings, sides, and accoutrements with mains from steaks to salads. That’s the power of customization, y’all. In that same vein, there are a variety of sauces and dressings available for everything from desserts to sides. The Honey Cinnamon Caramel Sauce topping is listed under toppings for baked sweet potatoes, although the same sauce also appears drizzled over Granny’s Apple Classic dessert — a thick slice of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and said sauce.

The sauce in question is basically the equivalent of pouring straight sugar into your mouth. The 2-ounce portion has 290 calories and boasts 31 grams of sugar. If this was a real caramel, made with real honey and real cinnamon — and that’s it — you could almost excuse it. But the ingredients listed for this doozy of a topping are brown sugar and a butter blend, consisting of components like artificial butter flavor, beta carotene, butter, buttermilk, mono and diglycerides, palm oil, salt, sodium benzoate, soybean lecithin, soybean oil, vitamin A, vitamin D3, water, honey, and cinnamon. Hard pass.

Beloved across the nation, or, wherever the chain blooms along the highways, are the famous Texas Roadhouse rolls. Served up as soon as you sit down, the deliciously buttery, sweet, and airy rolls have somewhat of a cult following, with lovers frequently searching for ways to replicate the appetizers at home. Ranked as some of the best restaurant bread around, Texas Roadhouse rolls are baked fresh every five minutes, arrive warm to your table, and are flanked by the chain’s delicious honey butter.

But — as with chips and salsa at Mexican eateries — filling up on these delicious rolls before dinner has its downsides. Just one of these rolls — sans butter — clocks in at 200 calories with about 8 grams of fat. That, in and of itself, isn’t terrible, but since the rolls are never-ending and will continue flying out of the kitchen if you ask, it’s unlikely you’ll only have one.