The Absolute Best Steak Order At 9 Different Chain Restaurants

When you're craving a big slab of red meat, making a steak at home may sound like a good idea. But when the craving hits and you want to get out of the house, especially if it's a celebratory meal, a date night, or just because, restaurants are the only solution. Of course, there are probably plenty of delicious local steakhouses you can check out, but sometimes, you just want to stop by your local chain you already know is good. But once you open the menu, you may find yourself wondering which steak you should order. After all, if you're at a place that specializes in steaks, the number of options you can choose might feel overwhelming.

That's why we've done some digging to give you a better idea of what you should order at your favorite chain steak joint. We took a closer look at what our writers mentioned in review roundups, along with online reviews and our own personal experience, to determine which steaks deserve to be on this list. These are our absolute favorite steak orders from popular chains, ranging from ribeye steaks to porterhouses and beyond. Hopefully, by getting a better sense of what each chain does well, you can guarantee a better chain steakhouse experience, no matter which restaurant on this list you decide to visit.

Out of a long list of popular dishes at Outback Steakhouse, Victoria's Filet Mignon has to be one of our all-time favorites — and it's definitely our fave when it comes to the chain's steak offerings. Although there are some options on the menu that may be richer and fattier than this cut of meat, we've found that Outback's Victoria's Filet Mignon is incredibly tender, especially when you order it rare to medium rare.

The seasoning on this steak is quite flavorful, with a distinct saltiness and each bite will leave you wanting more. Even though this steak is smaller than many others that Outback Steakhouse offers, we think it's more than enough to keep you full, especially considering that it's served with two sides. Its lean but smooth texture will have you wondering why you don't order a filet more often. Give it a try the next time you visit Outback Steakhouse.

We conducted a taste test of every single steak available at Texas Roadhouse, and we came to the conclusion that the best thing the restaurant has to offer is the Bone-In Ribeye. Be warned: This huge steak is not for the faint of heart. The large slab of meat comes attached to the bone, giving the steak even more flavor than it otherwise would have. It's also quite fatty, with nice marbling, which means that you get that rich, juicy quality in every single bite.

The salt blend that this steak is seasoned with gives it the signature umami quality, really allowing you to savor every single bite. Sure, it may be one of the pricier options you'll find at Texas Roadhouse, but we think spending a bit of extra cash for a steak of this quality is totally worth it, especially if you're at the restaurant for a special celebration.

LongHorn Steakhouse has a long list of steaks to choose from, which can make selecting a single one a challenge. But you don't have to taste your way through the chain restaurant's best steaks because we've already done it for you. After tasting five different LongHorn Steakhouse steaks, the answer is clear: Flo's Filet is absolutely the way to go. Are you worried that since filet is such a lean cut of meat that it's going to be lacking in flavor and juiciness? Think again. This steak was both juicy and quite flavorful, partially due to the seasoning that the chain adorns its steaks with before searing them on a flat-top grill.

And because you're working with a filet, you can expect this steak to be really, really tender. We found that this steak could almost be cut with a fork when cooked medium rare. Although it's on the smaller side — you can choose to get a 6-ounce or 9-ounce filet — and a bit pricier than other steaks on the menu, you're getting a great product by choosing Flo's Filet.

Heading to Ruth's Chris Steak House for the first time? Compared to a lot of other steakhouse chains, Ruth's Chris is on the nicer, more elevated end of the spectrum, so you can be fairly certain you're going to get a solid steak no matter what you order. But if you truly want to experience the best that this iconic chain has to offer, then you should consider ordering the New York Strip. The best New York strip steaks are cooked at a very high temperature. Luckily, all of Ruth's Chris steaks are seared at a fiery hot 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, which helps seal in all of those delicious juices. Just be careful: The chain is known for serving its steaks on extremely hot plates, so you might want to hold off on cutting into your steak immediately.

Of course, you can order your steak any way you want, but we think that Ruth's Chris New York Strip is best served medium rare. This will lend itself to a juicier, more tender steak that's easy to cut and chew. Plus, you'll be able to savor those rich, umami flavors how they're meant to be enjoyed.

There are a lot of steakhouse chains that offer a more laid-back, casual vibe, but if you want to go to a chain that's a bit more upscale — perhaps for a special occasion — then The Capital Grille might just be up your alley. There's a lot to choose from on this menu, ranging from seafood to steak, but we think there's one order you absolutely have to try: the Bone-In Ribeye steak.

This steak is downright decadent, and it just happens to be our favorite ribeye steak out of 11 different popular steakhouse chains, so you know you're getting something good. Perhaps it tastes so flavorful because of its aging process, which ranges from 18 to 24 days and really maximizes the steak's flavor. Or maybe the chefs handling the steaks at The Capital Grille are just especially talented when it comes to preparing this kind of meat. It's probably a combination of the two, but regardless, despite the fact that this steak is on the pricier side, it's absolutely worth a try.

When you're super hungry and craving a huge cut of meat, there's arguably no better option than a porterhouse steak. That's because it technically contains two steaks in one: You'll get both the tenderloin and the top loin, which are connected in the middle to the T-bone. Most steakhouse chains will offer a porterhouse, but when you're at Smith & Wollensky, you know you'll be getting the absolute best.

Reviews for this steak are overwhelmingly positive, which isn't a rule for every chain restaurant steak out there. The dry-aging process this restaurant is known for yields a complex flavor profile that you're probably not going to get from your homemade grocery store steak. Just be prepared to dish out a decent amount of cash if you choose to indulge in this famous porterhouse. At the time of writing, the 42 ounce Prime Dry-aged Porterhouse steak for two at Smith & Wollensky came in at $200. But it's totally worth it if you're sharing, right?

When you have a craving for high-quality steaks (and a variety of other meats), one of the absolute best chains to visit is Fogo de Chao. This Brazilian-style steakhouse offers cuts of meat you're not going to find at a typical American steakhouse, and because it's all you can eat, you can really get a taste of basically everything on the menu. While we do encourage you to try many different cuts of meat while you're at Fogo, if there's one steak that you absolutely have to order when you're there, it's the picanha.

This cut of meat is especially fatty, which yields richness and flavor intensity that you're not going to get from leaner cuts. Because of the way this steak is cooked, it almost tastes deep-fried, with a slight crunchiness to it that makes it quite interesting on a textural level. It also has an intense saltiness to it, which we think is essential for any cut of steak, but especially one that's as fatty as this picanha.

You can go to a lot of steakhouses and find a slew of minimally seasoned cuts of beef. This doesn't mean that they taste bad or they aren't salty enough — it just means that the seasoning is kept relatively simple. But if you're in the mood for something a bit more flavorful, you may want to make your way to Texas de Brazil. Here, the best steak order on the entire menu is the Spicy Sirloin.

It's a similar cut of meat the chain uses for its Garlic Picanha. Though it's quite fatty and flavorful all on its own, what really makes this steak shine is the spicy marinade that it's seasoned with. Although it's not wildly spicy, it has a decently intense heat to it that many eaters will find quite pronounced. Plus, there's a lovely smokiness to this steak, which only adds to its already impressive complexity. Although there are so, so many different cuts of meat to choose from at this well-known Brazilian steakhouse chain, this is the one we think you absolutely have to try.

You'll have to head to the west coast of the United States if you want to get a taste of what Black Angus, a relatively affordable steakhouse chain has to offer. If you're only going to try a single steak from this chain, though, you should definitely opt for the ribeye. It's one of the chain's most beloved dishes, and for good reason. It's tender and juicy with good marbling, which means that the fat is well-distributed throughout the steak, and customers often say that the ribeye is cooked especially well at this particular chain.

The bone-in ribeye offers a generous portion of meat, weighing 18 ounces. If that's too much meat for you, don't worry — you can also opt for a 12- or 16-ounce ribeye for a smaller and cheaper (but still quite hearty) portion. Either way, you're in for a serious treat.

These steaks were chosen based on the opinion provided by our staff in restaurant-focused roundups and on online reviews. However, in the case of Outback's Victoria Filet Mignon and Black Angus' Ribeye, we also took personal experience into account. We chose steaks that offer tenderness and juiciness and that are well-seasoned, with a firm, substantial texture when cooked rare to medium rare. Although value was not the determining factor for these selections, we also considered price to quality ratio to determine the best order at these various steakhouses.