The Popular Appetizer You Might Want To Avoid Ordering At Texas Roadhouse

Anyone who has been to Texas Roadhouse knows that it's not exactly a peddler of health food, and we're not about to discourage you from treating yourself to honey butter bread, juicy steaks, and deep-fried appetizers. However, some menu items are worth reconsidering if you'd like to avoid a sodium headache after dinner. One appetizer you might want to pass up are the cheese fries.

While the Roadhouse's cheese- and bacon-smothered steak fries look tempting, the nutritional facts are more alarming than you would expect. A single plate delivers a shocking 5,400 milligrams of sodium, which is over twice the maximum amount of salt most adults should consume in a day, that being 2,300 milligrams. Factor in other salty entrees, apps, and sides, and you're on the fast track to unpleasant side effects like bloating and dehydration.

Sharing this appetizer might mitigate the salt overload, but even when split between a party of four, each person will consume 1,350 milligrams of sodium, which is a lot just for a handful of fries. Cheese fries from other popular chains are lower in salt than Texas Roadhouse's version, but not ideal, either. Applebee's Brew Pub Loaded waffle fries contain 3,990 milligrams, while Chili's Texas Cheese Fries have 4,130 milligrams. If you're sensitive to salt, you're better off just building a 2-Ingredient cheese sauce at home and pouring it over frozen or homemade fries.

The salt content isn't the only concern with Texas Roadhouse's fries. Often served soggy with an overpowering seasoning, they're at the top of the list of items you should avoid ordering from Texas Roadhouse. There are tastier options to be had, like a cup of chili, which is the lowest-sodium appetizer on the menu. This dish comes in at 640 to 800 milligrams of sodium, presumably depending on whether or not you get the cheddar cheese topping.

The runner-up is a basket of fried pickles at 1,190 grams of sodium. That's a big gap compared to the chili. However, so long as you share it with a few dining partners, it's not a salt bomb of epic proportions — though the Cactus Blossom appetizer definitely is. At 5,000 grams of sodium, this giant flower of fried onions nearly rivals the cheese fries. You won't miss out by skipping it, anyway, as it's a dish that Outback Steakhouse just does better than Texas Roadhouse.

While eating salty foods on occasion is okay for most folks, constantly overdoing it on sodium can have serious consequences, including heart and kidney failure, high blood pressure, strokes, and even stomach cancer. According to the American Heart Association, 70% of sodium consumed by Americans comes from processed or restaurant foods, so it may be wise to look up the salt content of menu items before you order at any chain eatery.