7 Overpriced Menu Items At Texas Roadhouse Worth Skipping

As the most popular casual food chain in America, Texas Roadhouse is a household name you're likely already familiar with. While you may know them best for their iconic steaks, their menu provides something for everyone — from chicken dinners and seafood specials to burgers, salads, and much more. Of course, one of the reasons Texas Roadhouse is so popular is because it's highly affordable when compared to similar restaurants like Longhorn Steakhouse and Outback Steakhouse. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean everything on the chain's vast menu is an amazing deal.

Although there are ample delicious items on the Texas Roadhouse menu that are well worth your money, there are a few overpriced items that are better off skipped. Sometimes the items are overpriced based on costs alone, while other times the price versus quality just doesn't make for a good deal. Keep in mind that prices in this article are based on the Texas Roadhouse location in Vineland, New Jersey, and exact costs may vary based on location. However, the following seven items are things you'll want to avoid if you're looking to eat at Texas Roadhouse on a budget (or just don't feel like overpaying for your food).

Starting off strong with the top item you should skip, the porterhouse T-bone is the most expensive single item on the menu at $34.99. While the massive 23 ounce serving size may seem to justify the price point, the quality is also lower than other steaks on the menu. According to a former Texas Roadhouse employee on Reddit, "The only steak NOT hand cut in-house is the porterhouse T-bone. They do not have a bone saw and so these are not usually the most fresh." Obviously, you don't want to go to a place known for fresh hand cut steaks and get served something that's instead been shipped in potentially frozen.

If you're a fan of the porterhouse T-bone, you should know that this cut simply includes both a filet and New York strip. So, you could opt instead for either of these cuts, which are significantly less expensive than the porterhouse — you can get a 16 ounce New York strip for $28.99, or a six ounce Dallas filet for $24.49. Not sure which you like best? Opt for the strip steak if you're looking for a cut with a nice fat cap. If you prefer leaner cuts with unrivaled tenderness, choose the filet.

A full slab of ribs at Texas Roadhouse costs $25.99, and they do have an option to choose a half slab of ribs for $19.99. Truthfully, if the ribs were good, you might not mind paying this much money for them. Unfortunately, the ribs aren't only expensive, but people frequently complain about their quality. For example, an article on The Takeout lists the ribs as one of the worst items on the Texas Roadhouse menu. But, that's far from where the complaints stop — and in fact, it's only the beginning in a long string of listed problems.

A Trip Advisor reviewer stated that the ribs they ordered from Texas Roadhouse were so overcooked that they were inedible. Over on Yelp, one person stated, "My ribs were dry and burned on the bottom." Yet another Yelp user went more in depth on what was wrong. After claiming the ribs were the saddest part of their meal, they continued, "Too dry, not even extra sauce could save them." Long story short? It's not worth paying that much money for something that isn't even good.

Before you get too worried, there's nothing actually wrong with the Dallas Filet in terms of quality. Like most of the other steaks on the menu, this one is fantastic and has plenty of rave reviews to prove it. And, it would be worth the $28.49 that it costs for an eight ounce serving, if not for the fact that there's a significantly better deal on the menu that provides exactly what you're looking for.

If you look at the menu, you'll find another filet option, the filet medallions. This meal consists of three small filets weighing in at three ounces each (for nine ounces total) and still comes with two sides. A bed of seasoned rice is one of the standard sides, but you can swap it out for a different one if you prefer. You also get to choose from either a peppercorn or portobello mushroom sauce to top your meat and rice with. But the best part? This meal only costs $24.49. So, you receive one more ounce of meat for $4 less, meaning it's a waste of your money to order the Dallas Filet on its own.

Hoping to order seafood on your next trip to Texas Roadhouse? Be aware that the eight ounce grilled salmon isn't just expensive, but it's another poorly rated item that previous customers report a lot of negative experiences with. When the dish costs $20.99 (or approximately $2.62 per ounce), you'd expect quality fish — unfortunately, that's just not what you receive.

One person on Yelp said, "My salmon was dry like sandpaper." Another Yelp reviewer concurred with that statement, also stating that it was really hard, which we're sure made it challenging to eat. On the other side of the spectrum, someone on Yelp said, "My salmon came out raw... it flaked a little on the ends and it was completely raw and not even warm in the middle." That's not just gross, but it's also a food safety issue!

Skip the salmon entirely and opt for a well-ranked burger or sandwich instead so you don't waste your money on something subpar and overpriced for the quality. Or, if you're really set on having seafood, choose the higher-quality shrimp instead, which costs only $17.99 for a nine piece.

While sirloin is generally an affordable steak, it's also one of the lowest quality cuts on the Texas Roadhouse menu — and it ranked as such on a Texas Roadhouse steak ranking by Daily Meal. The smaller cuts may be worthwhile if you're trying to save some money on your dining out costs, especially since a six ounce serving is only $14.99. However, the 16 ounce portion is $25.99, and it just doesn't make sense to spend so much money on a subpar steak that doesn't justify those costs.

Instead of shelling out your hard earned money on this overpriced portion, choose a smaller serving of a better quality steak for the same price. Smaller portions of the New York Strip, Dallas Fillet, and Fort Worth Ribeye all cost around the same price you'd spend on the larger sirloin. In turn, you'll receive a better dining experience. If you want to ensure your meal is filling, consider Texas Roadhouse sides that are bulkier like the seasoned rice, macaroni and cheese, loaded sweet potato, or loaded baked potato.

A "Sidekick of Ribs" can be purchased either as an add-on to almost any meal you purchase at Texas Roadhouse or ordered as a side. It also happens to be the most expensive side dish on the whole menu and you pay $9.99 for what most people would consider a meager portion of ribs. Even adding the ribs to an existing meal turns out to be quite expensive for what you get. Plus, as mentioned earlier, the ribs receive a lot of negative reviews and should probably just be avoided entirely.

If you're really set on giving the ribs a try regardless of the negative reviews, a better alternative to the sidekick is to order a Texas Size Combo featuring ribs. You'll generally pay $20 to $25 for these enormous combo meals, depending on the exact one you get — although some (like the ribeye combo) are more expensive. You'll have the choice to pair your ribs with grilled barbecue chicken, a sirloin, chicken tenders, a ribeye, or a filet.

The Rattlesnake Bites are similar to hush puppies in that they're small balls of cornmeal that are stuffed with jalapenos and cheese. They're served with a dipping sauce of either Cajun horseradish or ranch. The idea might sound good, but the execution doesn't live up to the hype. For starters, the serving size is incredibly small for the price. For $8.99, you receive only five little balls, despite the promotional imagery suggesting otherwise, which isn't enough for anyone. And, if you wanted to share (which many people do with appetizers), it would be totally out of the question.

Although definitively overpriced, overlooking the high cost versus serving size would be possible if the taste warranted it. But, like a few other menu items on this list, these just aren't very good. In fact, they received a very negative review on Daily Meal's ranking of every Texas Roadhouse appetizer. The review said, "...These Rattlesnake Bites taste very plain, and the seasoning profile is lacking a bit, too. It just tastes like spicy batter, and without the distinct flavor of the peppers." If you want to get your money's worth, choose one of the better ranked appetizers, like the Cactus Blossom, Twisted Mozzarella, or Grilled Shrimp Appetizer.