The Ultimate Ranking Of Restaurant Bread

Bringing up the rear we have Bravo! Cucina Italian bread. Each meal at Bravo! comes with focaccia bread and dipping sauce. The bread comes in little brick-shaped pieces that, while connected, easily pull apart from each other. This design makes it easy to parcel out pieces and share them among people. However, the elongated shape was also clearly chosen to make the bread good for dipping in their oil. This wouldn't be a problem, except that the bread itself really doesn't hold up on its own. Even though one of the hallmarks of focaccia is the use of olive oil, Bravo's comes out dry and without much initial flavor. The dipping oil definitely provides some much-needed flavor, but as one reviewer on Trip Advisor commented, it's too thick and reminiscent of dressing. Others on Reddit opined that the oil was "run of the mill" and that it seemed different from other free bread. Overall, while we would never turn down free bread, this would not be our first choice.

There are three biscuits on this list, two are cheddar-based, and these are not the fan favorite. That's not to say they are bad. But with so many delicious bead options, the bar was set high. Ruby Tuesday's biscuits are made using a drop biscuit, meaning the dough is scooped onto trays and not cut. This creates their domed appearance and helps keep all that delicious garlic and cheddar flavor inside. And one thing these biscuits do right is the flavor; they are packed full of it. This also means the biscuits stand on their own and don't require a dip or sauce to make them enjoyable. However, according to one Mashed poll, consumers ranked it as their least favorite free bread. Not a good start.

To make matters worse, Ruby Tuesday has made some questionable choices with the biscuits that leave their customers unsatisfied. One reviewer on Zomato commented that the biscuits were too small, and they never got enough. This sentiment was echoed in a Facebook thread after Ruby Tuesday briefly discontinued offering their biscuits. This led to angry customers, who complained that prior to discontinuing them together, they were always too small and stingy with the servings. In fact, they frequently ran out altogether. The biscuits have now been brought back, but customers will always harbor trust issues with them.

Panera, come on. Of all the restaurant bread on this list, Panera provides the smallest amount. For each meal that someone purchases from Panera, you get one single chunk of French baguette. If you received a whole baguette with each order, that would be one thing, but you don't. One sliced piece isn't cutting it. You can purchase more, of course, but here we're looking for free restaurant bread, and we don't think that is too much to ask. To make matters worse, as this Redditor points out, sometimes you get an incredibly small piece of baguette. Someone responded that if you point out the piece you received is too small, sometimes Panera will give you more — but not always. Additionally, as another Redditor pointed out, the quality can vary. This is partly because the baguettes are baked fresh and don't use heavy preservatives. That means they are subject to human error and the simple passage of time. So sometimes, they are dry or baked a little differently. The generally crusty outside and soft inside, though, makes this plain bread excellent for dipping in soup or slathering in butter.

The dubiously Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse offers a loaf of honey wheat brown bread for the table when meals are ordered. Two loaves of warm and lightly sweet bread are served on a board with a large steak knife for cutting and a side of butter in a little cup. The bread is fine but is entirely nondescript. Additionally, being served in soft loaves makes it hard to cut. Sure, you can use different slicing techniques like turning the bread upside down, as a Redditor pointed out. But would it be so hard for them to pre-slice it to avoid smushing? Finally, according to one Reddit poster who worked for the company, the bread comes in pre-made and is not made on location.

This isn't to say that people hate it, but they don't love it either. According to a Mashed poll, Outback's bread came in last for worst free restaurant bread. This means that of the bad options, it was actually the least bad, which is almost a compliment. But still, if that is the best that can be said for it, it is a pass.

Cracker Barrel is an old-timey restaurant known for its fun, homey store that sells expensive rocking chairs, and of course, their free biscuits and corn muffins. They're really excelling in hospitality by offering two choices. Cracker Barrel's biscuits are light and fluffy and cut to beautiful perfection, making them perfect for opening and slathering in toppings. The corn muffins are also delicious and are made in muffin tins. They are both perfect for individual servings, but did we mention they come served with apple butter? Not only is Cracker Barrel serving up quality biscuits, but they're also serving up quality condiments, too.

With two solid options, it is impossible to pick a favorite. When Cracker Barrel asked their customers which one they'd choose, some people refused to pick at all and said both. The main problem is consistency. As one Trip Advisor reviewer noted, it isn't uncommon for either the biscuits or the cornbread to come out below standards. Both can be exceptional, but the lack of consistency keeps them from being top picks.

Between their huge serving sizes and over-the-top decor, Cheesecake Factory's motto may as well be "more is more." We are glad they bring that same energy and enthusiasm to the free bread that precedes each meal. Cheesecake Factory offers two different kinds of bread — one is a crusty baguette loaf, and the other is their distinctive brown bread. On a nuts-and-bolts level, Cheesecake Factory knows what they are doing. They slice the bread part of the way through so that pieces simply pull off, but it still holds together as a loaf. They also provide plentiful packets of butter. And importantly, they give you bread with takeout orders. All of this would be for naught, though, if the bread weren't delicious. The baguette is good, but it is the brown bread that shines. No one seems entirely sure why the brown bread is so good, or what it is entirely. Some, such as those on Reddit, say it likely has some cocoa in it to give color. There are tons of recipes online to recreate this bread at home, and even entire Reddit threads are dedicated to figuring it out. If you don't have the time or inclination to make it yourself, though, don't worry. Cheesecake Factory has your back and sells whole loaves of it for your home enjoyment.

Finally, we come to Texas Roadhouse's rolls. Texas Roadhouse might not have the prominence of its free bread competitors, but that doesn't stop them from achieving baked greatness. In a Mashed poll of best free breads, they came in second despite being a smaller chain. And when a similar informal poll was conducted on Reddit, Texas Roadhouse rolls came out on top. The rolls are light and fluffy and come in generously sized rectangles. They're basically buttery pillows. The rolls work on their own, but also come with butter, and not just any butter, but cinnamon butter. That kind of addition kicks the Texas Roadhouse roll up a notch.

Texas Roadhouse rolls have now taken on an almost cult-like following, inspiring things such as the viral Texas Roadhouse challenge on TikTok, where consumers try to eat as many rolls as possible. Texas Roadhouse thoughtfully does not cut people off; they just keep bringing them. We are indeed lucky to live in a world with Texas Roadhouse rolls.