If You're On A Budget, These Chain Steakhouses Are For You

Budget-friendly steak: those aren't exactly words that stir excitement most of the time, right? Of all the meat options out there, steak is one of those things that you really do want to make sure you're not cutting corners on, for the express reason that the cheaper it gets, the worse it usually is. It's fair to say that the steakhouse industry, in all of its luxurious, expensive splendor, has built itself and its often-lofty prices around this very fact. The logic goes that steak is pricey, and so the experience of eating it should be, too — and believe us when we say that chain restaurants like Ruth's Chris, Del Frisco's Double Eagle, and The Capital Grille really milk this, sometimes charging hundreds of dollars a pop for their beef.

However, it doesn't have to be this way, folks. The truth is that you can get a reasonable meal at plenty of steakhouses, and while it may not be a Michelin-star-worthy affair, you probably won't leave most of them feeling unhappy. Chains like Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, and Saltgrass Steakhouse make brisk business of offering mid-range meals to the masses, with mid-range pricing that doesn't hurt the wallet too much. Even cheaper choices like Logan's Roadhouse and Western Sizzlin keep things astonishingly affordable, with some steaks costing the price of a fast-food burger. Let's check out our favorite budget-friendly steakhouses.

Nowhere is doing it like Logan's Roadhouse as far as price is concerned. The famously affordable steakhouse chain, which has recently been stealing the spotlight from Texas Roadhouse, has made its name on keeping things cheap and cheerful. Its quality might not stand up to pricier restaurants, but it's hard to deny how much you get for your money. Logan's Roadhouse steaks generally cost between $15 to $35, depending on the quality of the cut and its size, and its other meals are also very reasonable. Its All-American Cheeseburger, for example, costs around $15 and comes complete with fries.

Logan's Roadhouse's flagship offer, though, is where it truly shines: the Real-Deal Meal, which is perhaps the best money-saver you can find in a restaurant today. For $11.99, you get a drink, salad, entrée, and bottomless rolls, with the option to upgrade to a fancier main dish for just a few dollars more. It's no wonder that customers are delighted with this deal and the value it represents. Throw in the restaurant's Logan's Rewards program, which gives you access to free appetizers and entrées and money off your bill, and this place is a virtual buffet of savings.

A chain doesn't become as big as Outback Steakhouse without doing something right. Well, this Australian-themed steak restaurant is certainly on point with its pricing. Outback Steakhouse's steaks are a relative steal, with massive cuts like its 20-ounce ribeye costing just over $35 and easily serving two people. For that price, you also get two sides (same as all its other steaks), and if you want to order additional ones, they'll hardly cost you anything: fries, baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes are all just $4 each.

Outback Steakhouse is also generous with its deals. Its famous Aussie 3-Course Meal is just $14.99 for several plates of food, while on the drinks side, you can take advantage of $8 cocktails, all day, every day. Now, none of this would mean anything if its food wasn't good, but we're happy to report that Outback Steakhouse has a delightful price-to-quality ratio, with customers highlighting the consistency of its meals and their overall flavor. Yeah, it might not be as elegant as some other steakhouse chains, but when the cost's this good, do you need it to be?

Sizzler has, over the years, built a reputation for being an affordable place to get a decent steak. Although its fortunes have been on the decline in recent times (watch out, because this restaurant may well be on the comeback trail), it hasn't jacked up its prices in a bid to cover any shortfall in its business. Sizzler's food is still very much on the budget-friendly end of the spectrum, with options like its tri-tip sirloin coming in at around $20, and bougier options like steak and lobster not costing that much more. It's no wonder that customers are still big fans of this chain, despite its slightly retro vibe.

A meal at Sizzler also has a few nifty add-ons that make dining there even more affordable and appealing. Each order gets a free side of cheese toast, while a little extra cash will give you access to its unlimited salad bar, an excellent value proposition that's great for kids and adults alike. You've also got the dessert bar, where you can self-pour soft-serve ice cream to your heart's content. Little touches like this give you just that bit more bang for your buck.

Want a reasonably priced steak that actually tastes good? You could do far worse than going to LongHorn Steakhouse. This chain has built a reputation on having a solid ratio of cost to quality, with chefs who don't just do their own thing on the understanding that you're paying a lower price, but who make great steaks to order. It comes in marginally cheaper than competitors like Texas Roadhouse but is no worse for this fact. Instead, customers rave about its food, which is consistently good at both lunchtime and dinner.

How much does it all cost, though? Relatively, not a lot. At LongHorn Steakhouse, you can get a sirloin for around $17, and its massive 22-ounce porterhouse costs around $36.99 (although this may change depending on location). Sides are especially affordable, with dishes like fries and mashed potatoes costing just $2.99, and slightly more upmarket choices like steakhouse mac and cheese setting you back a few more dollars. Its draft beers are cheap, cold, and plentiful, and its free eClub gives you access to even more savings.

Texas Roadhouse is perhaps the best example of an affordable, accessible steakhouse out there today, and its prices are definitely built for the masses. Options like its hand-cut sirloin start at around $17.99, and its other steaks, meals, and all those Texas Roadhouse sides are all comparable to other mainstream chains like Outback Steakhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse. Plus, Texas Roadhouse's happy hour, if your local restaurant is lucky enough to have one, is a great way to save a couple of dollars on drinks. It usually runs early on Friday evenings, although it's best to check with your chosen eatery before heading over.

Texas Roadhouse manages to keep its steaks cheap, not because they're poor quality, but because its mammoth size allows it to do so. It operates at such a scale that it's able to strike a great balance of affordability and quality. As a result, the general feeling from steakhouse fans is that Texas Roadhouse nails its quality-to-price ratio, and while it may not be the fanciest place to grab dinner, you can do far worse than eating there.

Western Sizzlin may not have the scale or the name recognition of steakhouse chains like Texas Roadhouse or Sizzler, but one thing it does have going for it is affordability. This restaurant, which operates primarily in Southern and Southeastern states, is one of the cheapest places to grab a piece of beef, and its Flamekist steaks are almost wildly inexpensive. Its most expensive cut, the 14-ounce ribeye, costs just $22.49 at its Florence, South Carolina, location. Elsewhere, it's got a host of budget-proof dining options, including its weekend dinner buffet for $15.99, its $10.99 hamburgers (served with a side), and its $5.19 cold bar add-on for any meal. These are the kinds of prices that we love to see.

Now, it should be said that Western Sizzlin's food isn't exactly gourmet fare, and you do largely get what you pay for at a place like this. However, as one customer pointed out on Yelp, "The value is hard to beat." It's also an excellent choice if you're dining with kids, thanks to its large variety of dishes and its buffet option, which gives them full control over what they choose (well, as long as it's approved by you, of course). Don't sleep on Western Sizzlin.

As far as steakhouse chains go, Black Angus Steakhouse is one of the best middle grounds out there. It's not only one of the most popular steakhouses around, but this restaurant does well at being just expensive enough to convince you that you're paying for quality food, but not so expensive that you'll leave feeling the burn in your wallet. At Black Angus Steakhouse, an eight-ounce top sirloin comes in at around $24.99 (dependent on location), while a 22-ounce bone-in porterhouse costs roughly $42. It also runs a nice deal through its Campfire Feast, which costs just under $70 for two people, giving them three courses each, plus sides.

Although it's a touch more expensive than other chains, Black Angus Steakhouse makes up for it with a few extra ways to save cash. If you download its app, you get $10 off your first meal, an immediate saving that might make it cheaper than dining at other restaurants. Meanwhile, its Happy Hour, which runs until 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, has cocktails for just $6 and an $8 bites menu. Perhaps most important, though, is the fact that customers generally feel that they've got good value for money from eating here.

Ponderosa & Bonanza Steakhouses are a bit of a dying breed these days. Indeed, there are only a handful of each left in the country, and it's hard to say how much longer they will last. However, despite its waning reputation, the fact remains that these steakhouses are a good place to get a cheap meal. At Bonanza, the average steak will set you back around $20, which is also the case at Ponderosa. The chains also have a good selection of chicken and seafood options, as well as burgers and sandwiches, all of which are very reasonably priced.

Now, we should address the elephant in the room here: the food at Ponderosa & Bonanza Steakhouses isn't anything to shout from the rooftops about, and the experience of dining there is incredibly old-school. They're real, no-frills kind of places. That said, the quality of the steak at both restaurants might just surprise you. Customers here are in the market for affordable yet flavorful meat, and Ponderosa & Bonanza deliver. If you want a steakhouse chain that does the job when you're feeling a little thrifty, you could do far worse than here.

If you're in the market for a steakhouse chain that remains affordable while pumping out steak that feels suspiciously high-quality, Saltgrass is for you. This restaurant is one of the pricier options on our list (its 10-ounce bone-in ribeye is around $28.99), but it's the sort of place that can stand toe-to-toe with more expensive chains and come out swinging. It's clear that it's got customers on board with its quality-to-price ratio. "Saltgrass is usually less than $50 per person, it's one of my favorite casual steakhouses," said a reviewer on Reddit, with another on Yelp saying that it's "by far the best affordable steakhouse." High praise indeed.

We're also big fans of Saltgrass Steakhouse's extended Happy Hour, which gives access to a load of super little savings. Normally running from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, you can grab apps from $7.50 and upmarket cocktails like old fashioneds for a mere $8. Bottles of beer, meanwhile, are just a few bucks a pop. It's a great way to save money on a few pre-meal drinks, at a time that actually feels like dinner.

When considering the best budget chain steakhouses, there's obviously one thing that matters more than anything else — price. So, that's where we started. We primarily selected steakhouses based on the average cost of their steaks, particularly when compared to more expensive steakhouse chains like Capital Grille and Ruth's Chris. Generally speaking, any restaurant that had quality steak cuts for less than $30 each felt affordable and reasonable, and earned its consideration for our list. We also looked at the prices of other meals, menu items, and sides in comparison to pricier restaurants, as well as drinks, and considered where restaurants had good deals or Happy Hour offers.

That said, price doesn't really matter if the food itself wasn't up to scratch. So, once we had a good amount of affordable steakhouses, we then looked at what customers were saying. We specifically sought out customer reviews (all left within the last year) that mentioned affordability to confirm that these restaurants' price-to-quality ratio was on point. When restaurants had multiple reviews or social media comments confirming that it was good value for money, we knew we were onto a winner.