Texas Roadhouse And Red Robin Serve This Nearly Identical Appetizer

The crispy, cheesy pull of a great basket of mozzarella sticks has drawn many hungry eyes on appetizer menus. Many restaurants, however, seem to pick from the same assortment of food service vendors selling pre-made frozen mozzarella sticks, making those that bring some variety to the table all the more special — but not necessarily equal to each other.

Mozzarella twists are exactly what they sound like. They're essentially a cross between curly fries and traditional mozzarella sticks. They didn't win the top spot in our ranking of chain restaurant mozzarella sticks — that actually went to Outback Steakhouse's boomerang-shaped sticks. But as far as mozzarella twists are concerned, Texas Roadhouse blew Red Robin out of the water.

At first glance, these two chains' twisted mozzarella sticks look quite similar; even identical. But the differences in quality between each basket of mozzarella twists are so considerable that they cannot be fully explained by differences between individual restaurants. Texas Roadhouse is simply the better of the two, even if neither has the best mozzarella sticks overall.

For the best version of mozzarella twists, look to the popular steakhouse chain Texas Roadhouse, where they're listed on the menu as Twisted Mozzarella. Each order comes with seven or eight twists, and though prices vary by location, customers can expect to pay around $9 per plate.

The breading skews thin compared to most traditional mozzarella sticks, the twists may come out unusually pale in color, and there's little of the expected fried cheese smell. But these are all minor complaints for a dish that's still deliciously seasoned (likely with an Italian herb blend) and appropriately crunchy. The breading is a pleasant flavor and textural contrast to the gooey, stringy cheese inside — to say nothing of the thick and savory marinara sauce.

It's easy to see why Twisted Mozzarella finished second in our ranking of Texas Roadhouse appetizers. It may not be as much of a showstopper as Texas Roadhouse's tasty Bloomin' Onion knockoff, but all the flavors of these twisted mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce work together as expected, for a cohesive start to a meal.

If Texas Roadhouse's mozzarella twists could be said to defy the expectations of their perhaps underwhelming appearance, Red Robin's take on the appetizer largely lives up to them. While they were similarly pale and odorless, two things you typically don't want from deep-fried food, Red Robin's Cheesy Mozzarella Twists failed the most important test: taste.

Unlike the predictable but satisfying flavors at Texas Roadhouse, Red Robin's mozzarella twists didn't have much of a taste at all, in either the breading or the cheese. Panko breadcrumbs are a great choice for a good crunch on this dish, but it's not worth much if the breading tastes unseasoned. And the blandness of the cheese suggests a low-quality product in general. The marinara sauce is serviceable, but not enough to save this disappointing plate.

These underwhelming mozzarella twists will cost about $11, depending on your location — a lot more than Texas Roadhouse's identical but better product. Cheesy Mozzarella Twists are the type of dish that a mozzarella stick fan might idly graze on if they were at the table, but as far as spending your own money goes, you're better off avoiding these mozzarella sticks at all costs.