We Ranked The 10 Best Texas Roadhouse Sides

Texas Roadhouse is America's favorite casual restaurant chain, so chances are high you've been there at least once. When you visit, you might treat yourself to a mouthwatering Texas Roadhouse steak, or maybe you opt for one of their burgers and sandwiches instead, just to switch things up. But, no matter which entree you choose, you'll receive two sides with your meal. Knowing which of those sides are most worth ordering can really elevate your overall meal.

I'm one of those people who frequents Texas Roadhouse and I may even go so far as to say this steakhouse is my favorite in my family's dining out rotation. But, like many people, I tend to be a creature of habit. There are two sides I generally get with every steak order because I know I enjoy them. But, I began to wonder if these were really the best choices. Are there sides that taste better or provide more bang for my buck? Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to answer this question by tasting ten Texas Roadhouse sides and then ranking them from worst to best.

I ranked each Texas Roadhouse side dish according to taste and portion size versus cost. To do this, I primarily relied on my fifteen years experience in the food industry. You can find a full explanation of my methodology at the end of this article. Now, ready to discover the best (and worst) Texas Roadhouse sides you can order? Let's get into it.

The seasoned rice is an orange-colored, somewhat sticky rice featuring small bits of onion and what I believe to be fresh parsley. Truthfully, I was excited to try this side dish because I'm a huge fan of rice. From fried rice to rice pudding, I love it all. Unfortunately, Texas Roadhouse's seasoned rice left me feeling disappointed.

When I took my first bite, the first thing I noticed was a weird grainy texture that I wasn't expecting. This was somewhat off-putting, and I didn't understand what could possibly be making the rice feel as if it had been sprinkled with sand. The second issue was the flavor profile. It was overwhelmingly garlicky — and, as much as I love garlic, you can have too much of a good thing. For me, no other flavor notes shined through, making this a very one-dimensional dish. If we were basing it on portion size alone, I'd say the seasoned rice is a good value as it's a standard side with no additional cost. But, because of how bad it is, I just can't say it's worth it.

I wouldn't purchase this again, either with my meal or as a standalone. I highly suggest you skip this option and choose a higher ranking Texas Roadhouse side instead.

Here's another dish that I had really high hopes for when I first began, only to have those hopes dashed against the rocks of mediocrity. The loaded baked potato comes topped with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon at the additional cost of $1.29. I don't believe this is a good value based on my taste test, and honestly wouldn't even choose this baked potato plain at no additional cost.

This could have been a great baked potato. It was cooked well, with a crisp skin and soft, almost flaky inside. The loaded toppings were generous, so you certainly get your money's worth for the small extra cost. However, the salt on the skin was way overdone — to the point it dehydrated my mouth and overwhelmed all the other flavors. Truthfully, I worried my blood pressure might rise just looking at the thick coating of large salt crystals. I suppose this might be a fine side if you skipped eating the potato skin altogether, but judging it as a whole, it's just not a great value.

I wouldn't purchase this again because I don't think my health can take that much salt, and I can't recommend this. But I especially don't recommend this to anyone following a low-sodium diet. Either make baked potatoes at home (if you have a craving) or choose a higher-ranking side on your next Texas Roadhouse visit.

There isn't much you can do wrong to a salad if you choose fresh produce. But, this Texas Roadhouse Caesar Salad perfectly illustrates how it's equally as easy to do nothing particularly noteworthy. The dish wasn't terrible, but it was very mediocre, with one specific issue that I just couldn't get around.

So, I'll start off by saying that the lettuce tasted very fresh and it was cut into nice sized pieces that weren't too large for my mouth. I could have used a little more parmesan, but that's honestly just a personal preference and most people will probably approve of the amount they sprinkled on top. The dressing was fine and had a nice taste that perfectly represented what I expect of Caesar dressing. But, this leads us to the one specific issue I just can't get over: The croutons were soft. They may as well have just been lightly toasted bread for all the texture they had. Croutons should be crispy and crunchy, and because these weren't, they quickly got soggy in the bowl. In turn, this created a textural nightmare. It may have been better than the salt overload of the baked potato, but it just couldn't compete with better-ranking side dishes.

I won't be choosing the Caesar Salad again and can't recommend it in good faith. Because of the textural nightmare I endured, I can't say that this standard side is a good value and recommend you choose something else.

Finally, we get to the part of the list where the side dishes go from bad to okay. The steak fries are a standard side with no additional cost attached, and I will say that you get quite a large portion compared to the other options. Best of all, potatoes are filling and these steak fries are a heartier, denser option than what's served at many other chain restaurants. Overall, I'd say it's not a bad value for the cost, but it doesn't offer the best available value either.

As I took my first bite, I immediately noticed that these steak fries were seasoned well. This is a pain point for me because I find that a lot of fries from restaurants aren't seasoned at all. So, we were off to a good start. However, the reason they ranked so low is because I found that they were kind of dry and left me reaching for my drink. One option available (that I didn't take here) is to top these fries with some chili for an extra 99 cents. I think these would rank much higher if you chose to spend the extra money because the chili should, in theory, negate the dryness — which is my only real complaint.

I probably wouldn't order these plain again due to personal preference, but I might try them topped with chili in the future to test my theory. As it stands, I don't recommend these overall.

These mashed potatoes can be summarized using one word: mediocre. They aren't the best I've ever eaten, but they aren't the worst, either. As a standard side at no extra cost, they aren't a bad value, although the serving size is just a little small.

I struggle to find much to say about these mashed potatoes, which is a rarity for me. There's no huge defining flavor, and overall, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about these, whether for good or bad. I guess I would have liked a bolder flavor profile, but Texas Roadhouse does offer some add-on options that could bring more flavor to the dish if you were willing to splurge on the extra costs. For example, you could choose to have these "loaded" with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon, which would create a more complex taste profile. Or, you could opt for either a cream gravy or brown gravy, which is what I would likely do if I ordered these again because I know the Texas Roadhouse brown gravy is quite good.

I might order these again, topped with brown gravy, but I wouldn't order them plain again as I believe other Texas Roadhouse sides offer more bang for your buck. But, if you're a big mashed potato fan, you'll probably like these just fine.

Green beans are one of my two usual go-tos, so I already knew I enjoyed them. However, I'm honestly shocked that they didn't make the top three for this ranking — proof that it pays to try new options when dining out. Based on this specific experience, I think the green beans are an overall good value as a standard side option that comes with your meal.

Texas Roadhouse's green beans have a deep savory profile that overwhelms the earthiness of the produce, but in a good way. They're also nicely seasoned without being too salty, which is a boon because I find a lot of restaurants struggle to hit that seasoning balance. Honestly, these green beans vaguely remind me of Leather Britches, which are an Appalachian food I think everyone should try. The one thing I think this dish could do better is serving the green beans without the additional liquid. I understand the need for it during cooking, but it can make the beans a little soggy by the end of your meal.

Despite liking other options more, I'd probably order these again in the future when I wanted to switch things up. If you're a big fan of green beans or Leather Britches, I think you'll like these. But, if you're looking for a standard vegetable to pair with your meal, there's a better ranked option.

Here we have the part of this list that goes from "okay" to good. The Texas Red Chili (which does not include beans) is a standard side option at no additional cost. However, you can choose to increase your portion size for an additional 99 cents, which I think is well worth it if you're exceptionally hungry. Even at a standard portion, though, I wholeheartedly believe this chili is a great value.

From the first bite, I found this to be an excellent chili overall. There's hearty chunks of meat throughout, sitting inside a delicious savory sauce with a small kick of spice to it. Despite not having beans, the chili feels thick and not runny. As a whole, the dish has a complex, multi-layered flavor profile that kept me eating until the bowl was empty. I have no real complaints about this chili and the only reason it ranked a little lower is that I personally prefer chili with beans more.

Despite my preference for beans, I'd definitely order this chili again. I can recommend it in good faith to anyone who loves a slightly spicy chili.

If you're looking for a simple, standard vegetable dish to enjoy with your meal, the buttered corn is what I'd most recommend. I think it's an excellent value as an included standard side — especially since it's just so good.

When I think of the perfect buttered corn, I think of a dish that's mildly sweet, coated with ample butter and just the tiniest bit of salt. And, that is exactly what Texas Roadhouse delivered. Not only was the taste perfect, but the texture was, too. The corn was perfectly cooked to be soft enough to easily bite into without being soggy or mushy. Truthfully, this is the best rendition of buttered corn I've ever had in a casual dining restaurant and the only reason it didn't rank higher was because the top two choices are slightly more memorable for their complex taste profiles. But, you'd do well to choose any of the top three sides for your meal as they're all very close in value and taste.

Since I like choosing one standard vegetable dish with my Texas Roadhouse meals, corn will henceforth be replacing my previous go-to of green beans. I highly recommend trying this dish for yourself, especially if you're a big fan of corn.

If you're looking for a rich, hearty dish to enjoy with your steak, chicken, seafood, or burger, the mac and cheese is your best choice. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this dish for two reasons. First, I'm not usually a big fan of restaurant mac and cheese because I prefer my homemade version more. Second, the cheese sauce here was quite runny, which isn't my preference. But, nonetheless, I found this to be a great value as a standard included side. You have the choice to "load" your mac and cheese with cheddar and bacon for $1.29 more, but I don't think it's necessary as the dish stands well on its own.

I hesitated on my first bite, worried about the runny consistency of the cheese sauce. But, I was glad I pushed forward because my taste buds were greeted with a rich, cheesy goodness that had me eager to take a second bite. The seasoning profile was perfectly done — not too little and not too much. Best of all, the macaroni was cooked to perfection and offered a starchiness that nicely balanced the richness of the sauce. Everything about this mac and cheese dish came together wonderfully to create something that I would order again in a heartbeat.

The sweet potato has always been one of my go-tos, and not just at Texas Roadhouse, but any restaurant that offers it. And, as a connoisseur of sweet potatoes, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the Texas Roadhouse option is the best among them. As it is, I ordered mine with the free toppings of honey cinnamon butter and brown sugar, and I found that to be a great value. There is an option to have the sweet potato loaded with honey cinnamon caramel sauce and toasted marshmallow, which sounds delicious but I don't think it's necessary to spend the extra money unless you truly want to.

What makes one sweet potato better than others? Well, I'll tell you. This offering from Texas Roadhouse is cooked to soft perfection and amply sized so you feel very full once finished. The toppings compliment the dish perfectly, and that honey cinnamon butter is just unrivaled — it's one of the best things about Texas Roadhouse, in my humble opinion. The sweet potato is almost like a dessert because it's so sweet, but it's nicely balanced with a distinct earthiness so as to not be overwhelming.

I will continue ordering the sweet potato as my top go-to side at Texas Roadhouse, and highly recommend you try it for yourself. Once you do, you'll have zero doubts as to why it's the top ranked Texas Roadhouse side.

I chose Texas Roadhouse sides based on their availability to me at my local venue in Vineland, New Jersey. I chose 10 out of the restaurant's 18 sides, using my personal discretion and a brief look online at customer reviews to make my decision. All sides were eaten exactly as-is with zero alterations to ensure the fairest, most accurate results. They were then ranked according to taste and portion size versus cost. My goal was to answer two questions: Does the side taste good, and do you receive a fair value?

To make my determinations, I predominately relied on my more than 15 years experience in the food industry. My personal experience dining at Texas Roadhouse and creating previous Daily Meal rankings also contributed — this includes previous Daily Meal rankings featuring this specific steakhouse, like this one where I ranked every Texas Roadhouse appetizer. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about dish quality as possible.