Texas Roadhouse's Best Appetizer Rivals A Famous Dish From Outback Steakhouse

When foodies think of Texas Roadhouse, chances are their mind goes straight to steak, but this spot is also a great place for grabbing some drinks and apps. In Tasting Table's ranking of every Texas Roadhouse appetizer, the Cactus Blossom (which is comparable to Outback's iconic Bloomin' Onion) won first-place by a landslide — which isn't to say that the other appetizers we taste-tested were lacking in any way. It's just that the cactus blossom is such a standout offering. There's a reason why the internet is filled with fan-created copycat recipes.

Texas Roadhouse's cactus blossom is a large, aesthetically-pleasing bouquet of crispy fried onion glory, served with a side of Cajun horseradish sauce for dipping. There isn't any actual cactus here — just a carved onion that's battered and fried until it transforms into a flower-like fixture that's pull-apart tender and designed for sharing. Guests at all angles of the table can easily reach this round-shaped dish, which displays 360-degrees of texturally-diverse bites. As our taste-tester notes, "I like that the pieces are all different sizes. Some are more individual onion pieces, and then some are several layers of onion stuck together," making for a dish that's as tasty as it is "interactive" and "captivating."

Foodies far and wide are singing the praises of this crowd-pleasing app. A Reddit thread in r/snacking is dedicated to the majesty of the cactus blossom, garnering comments like "A thing of beauty," "One of the greatest apps of all time," and "Just had that this past Saturday so worth [it]." Elsewhere online, multiple Yelp reviews for a Texas Roadhouse location in Las Vegas specifically mention the cactus blossom, raving, "The cactus blossom was fantastic," and "I chose the Cactus Blossom. DELICIOUS. The Cajun sauce that came with it packed a punch."

Even though Outback Steakhouse trumped Texas Roadhouse in our ranking of 13 popular U.S. steakhouse chains, TR's Cactus Blossom holds up as a solid rival to Outback's Bloomin' Onion, especially when it comes to the price point. At a Texas Roadhouse location in Ohio, the Cactus Blossom appetizer costs $8.99, while at an Ohio Outback Steakhouse, the Bloomin' Onion runs for $10.99. Beyond price, their main difference is that Outback's version is served with spicy signature bloom sauce instead of TR's Cajun horseradish.

If your Texas Roadhouse table is ordering an appetizer-centric spread, we also highly ranked the chain's shareable tater skins and killer ribs. Got your heart set on a steak entree? Pro tip: For diehard cactus blossom fans, there's a clever ordering hack to make your Texas Roadhouse steak taste just like the appetizer (you can thank us later).