Chili's Vs Texas Roadhouse: Which Chain Has The Best Margaritas?

Margaritas are probably not the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking of chain restaurants. However, some chains take great pride in their margarita offerings. Two of which include Chili's and Texas Roadhouse — each boasting an impressive selection of margaritas that have become staples on both restaurants' drink menus. But not all margaritas are created equally, and one restaurant has to come out on top.

As a margarita lover, this is usually the drink I go for when I'm out, so I've had my fair share of good and bad ones. To determine who really serves the best, I tried three of the more popular margaritas at each restaurant — classic, strawberry, and mango — all on the rocks. By comparing side-by-side factors like sweetness level and how they compared to a high-quality craft cocktail, I was able to determine which restaurant should be your next stop for this beloved drink.

Both companies have restaurants in every state except for one each: Oregon doesn't have a Chili's and Hawaii doesn't have a Texas Roadhouse. Considering both Chili's and Texas Roadhouse are national chains, you're likely to have a location somewhat close to you. When it comes to drinks, the margaritas at each chain are very comparable in price and size. Texas Roadhouse's classic margaritas currently run less than a dollar more than Chili's classic margaritas, and each restaurant has a nominal charge on top of that for flavored margaritas.

One interesting thing to note is that Chili's serves its margaritas differently than other restaurants. Instead of coming in one large glass, Chili's brings out a smaller glass filled with ice alongside a plastic cocktail shaker filled with the margarita of your choosing. This allows you to pour yourself a few drinks from the shaker, approximately three glasses worth, according to my pours. This took up precious real estate on my already small two-person table, but it wasn't necessarily a pro or a con. It's an interesting concept, but it felt a little unnecessary and cumbersome. 

Texas Roadhouse has the option to add a "kicker" of tequila served on top of what's already in your margarita for an extra fee. It's served in a plastic tube that floats inside your drink, but for some reason, when I ordered my margarita, my tequila was served this way instead of being automatically mixed into my drink. It doesn't seem to be the typical practice and was likely due to whoever was tending to the bar that evening.

Referred to as the Presidente Margarita on the menu, Chili's classic margarita has been around since 1994 and is made with reposado tequila, orange liqueur, brandy, and house-made sour mix. I was initially more impressed than I expected to be with my first sip, but after a few more, my confidence started to wane. It was saltier than a traditional margarita should be, even without the salted rim, which took me by surprise and left my taste buds a little confused. I also found that the margaritas in the plastic shaker had more time to get watered down from the ice melting as it sat between pours, impacting the overall flavor. This was unfortunately an issue for all of the margaritas I tried at Chili's, not just the classic margarita.

However, I did appreciate that the flavor of the tequila was noticeable without being too overpowering or harsh. The tequila even had a smoother quality to it that was similar to higher-end tequilas that I've tried. Overall, Chili's classic margarita had a relatively good counterbalance between the sharpness of the alcohol and sweetness from the sour mix, giving it the most similar taste to a margarita you'd get at a craft cocktail bar.

Texas Roadhouse's house margarita was my personal favorite out of all the margaritas I tried at both restaurants. It's made with your choice of Dorado Gold Tequila (the default option) or Patrón (which I chose), and Texas Roadhouse's signature sour mix (a blend of lime juice, cane sugar, and organic agave syrup). The tequila didn't overpower sweet and sour flavors, giving it a balanced flavor more akin to a margarita from a craft cocktail bar.

Even the small details of how Texas Roadhouse presented its margarita made a big difference in my drinking experience. The larger schooner-style glass and straw was easier and more enjoyable to drink out of and was way less messy than pouring the drink myself (the Chili's glass tended to get sticky). Texas Roadhouse used chunkier flakes of salt on the rim of the glass as well, whereas the salt Chili's used looked and tasted more like table salt vs. sea salt.

The strawberry margarita was my second favorite out of all the margaritas I tried at Chili's. Unlike the classic margarita, which had a salt rim, the strawberry margarita had a sugar rim; this was much more preferable considering the fruity nature of the margarita and the so-so type of salt used on the classic margarita.

While this margarita wasn't saccharine sweet, it was still too sweet for my liking. The flavor itself was good and tasted distinctly like strawberries, but it didn't highlight the tequila enough. In fact, it masked it a bit too much. If I concentrated enough, I could taste the tequila, but it didn't stand out in my first (or second or third) sip. If you aren't a fan of alcohol forward drinks, then this would definitely be the drink for you. It is a nice introduction to the world of alcoholic beverages if you want something on the sweeter side that doesn't taste like just plain juice.

When it comes to flavored margaritas, the strawberry margarita at Texas Roadhouse was what I was initially expecting and wanting from all of the flavored margaritas I tried at both restaurants. Not only was the Texas Roadhouse fruity margarita spot on flavor-wise (it tasted like fresh strawberry juice — slightly tart yet still sweet), but the flavor didn't take away from the alcohol. Instead, it complemented it perfectly and allowed me to still taste the tequila in every sip. Plus, there were fresh strawberries and a lime wedge, which was a nice little bonus.

The strawberry margarita at Texas Roadhouse had a salt rim compared to the strawberry margarita at Chili's that had a sugar rim. I prefer salt rims over sugar rims on my margaritas — even the flavored ones — and this paired extremely well, considering I could actually taste the tequila in this margarita, unlike the one at Chili's. I am sure you could ask for a sugar rim if that's your preference, but it seems like salt is the default rim option at Texas Roadhouse.

As a huge fan of mangos and mango-flavored things, I was disappointed at how much I disliked Chili's mango margarita. It was my least favorite margarita between the two restaurants. But the reason why I didn't like it had little to do with the flavor itself. In fact, the mango flavor was almost too good. Instead of drinking a margarita, I felt like I was drinking straight mango juice. And again, while I love mango juice (it was delicious and didn't taste artificially flavored), it's not what I am looking for in a good margarita. It was disappointing as I typically like how mango pairs with tequila and amplifies the tropical, beachy vibes of a margarita.

If you are just dipping your toes into alcoholic drinks, or want to enjoy an alcoholic buzz without having to taste any alcohol, this is a better option for you. This margarita also had a sugar rim, which paired better than salt with the sweetness level of this drink.

If you're looking to be transported to somewhere tropical, the mango margarita at Texas Roadhouse will help take you there. Again, as a mango lover, I had high hopes for the mango margaritas at both restaurants, but the one at Texas Roadhouse definitely lived up to my expectations. Similar to the strawberry margarita, the flavor was well balanced between the sweetness of the mango and the tequila. I was able to distinguish between both in every sip, and the mango flavor just further highlighted the vacation vibes that a margarita already gives off. 

The mango flavor wasn't artificial at all and was more similar to fresh mango juice than not. The salt rim was again present for this margarita, but unfortunately not in the form of the smoky Tajín rim that was advertised. This blend of sea salt, peppers, and lime would have paired perfectly with the mango margarita (one of the best ways to use Tajín, in my opinion). But as a bonus, it did have a handful of fresh mango chunks that were ripe and juicy. This small addition took the presentation and taste of the drink to a whole other level.

Ultimately, I'd say the Texas Roadhouse margaritas win by a landslide. Between the better presentation (quality over gimmicks) and the well-balanced flavors, Texas Roadhouse offers restaurant-quality margaritas that are more in line with a cocktail bar or boutique-style restaurant than a chain. The little additions of fresh fruit and specialty salt rims are something you wouldn't necessarily expect to see at a national chain, which made the experience that much better. Even visually, the margaritas at Texas Roadhouse were better, with the vibrant colors of the flavored margaritas evoking an extra sense of freshness.

While the Chili's margaritas don't taste bad, this isn't the place to go if you appreciate a craft margarita and are specifically wanting to drink one. Whether you prefer to stick to a classic margarita or want to shake things up with a flavor — Texas Roadhouse offers raspberry, Hurricane, and sangria margarita varieties in addition to strawberry and mango — or want to get your margarita frozen instead of on the rocks, you won't be disappointed.