10 Best Steakhouse Chain Potato Side Dishes, According To Customers

When you dine at a steakhouse, you know exactly what you're going to get: standard steak cuts, starch-filled sides, and seafood, with the occasional curveball. Steakhouse chains rarely deviate from these offerings, which is understandable when you learn that there's an actual scientific reason why steak goes so well with potatoes. But, even without diving into the science of it all, who can deny their incredible taste when enjoyed together? Whether the potatoes are baked and loaded, mashed and buttered, or puréed and topped with nutty crumbles, you'd be hard-pressed to name a better side dish for juicy sirloin. 

Popular steakhouse chains like Texas Roadhouse, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Morton's, and others, may all offer many of the same potato dishes, but not all potato dishes are created equal. So to find out which steakhouse chains make the best potato side dishes, we sourced customer reviews from Facebook, Reddit, Yelp, TripAdvisor, TikTok, and other sites. If you love potatoes like we do, this list will lead you to the tastiest side dishes around.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse offers standard potato side dishes, like loaded potatoes and a mashed option. There are, however, a couple potato dishes on the menu that you won't find at the other steakhouse chains listed here, like sweet potato casserole. Ruth's Chris's take on the Southern classic is buttery, brown-sugary, and crusted with pecan crumbles. It's not only one of the best sides at Ruth's Chris, it's a departure from the usual baked sweet potato that always holds real estate on steakhouse menus.

On a Facebook review of Ruth's Chris, someone commented, "I've never had sweet potato soufflé that good. I think I [should] pace myself so I don't spend 250, but it's really good. Lol." Another customer recounted the time a manager gave them a cup of free vanilla ice cream to dollop over the casserole. That's hospitality. 

Meanwhile, on TripAdvisor, a satisfied customer left a positive review, saying, "Make certain one of your sides is the sweet potato casserole — the best side dish I have ever ordered, period!" Interestingly, the review is from 2012, which proves that the casserole has been a menu staple for quite awhile. Ruth's Chris even shares the official recipe on its website.

Fogo de Chão puts a Brazilian twist on mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, drawn butter, cracked pepper, and fresh chives, delivering a bolder punch. It's the only potato dish the chain offers aside from a seasonal apple potato salad, probably because its starchy cousin, yucca, features prominently on the menu, as it does in Brazilian cuisine. "The garlic mashed potatoes were pillowy perfection —hands down some of the best I've ever had," read part of a lengthy review left by a customer on Facebook. 

Meanwhile on Yelp, people are free with words like "irresistible," "delicious," and "incredibly light," to describe the flavor and consistency. What's more, the dish received a 5-bubble review from someone on TripAdvisor, who called it "Spectacular. Perfectly cooked," and loaded with butter. Customer reviews like this show why the garlic mashed potatoes are one of the best items at Fogo de Chão.

Hand-cut steaks will always be the main reason customers flock to Texas Roadhouse. But, without massive loaded baked potatoes, the experience just wouldn't be the same. Melty cheddar cheese, butter, and sour cream rolling over the sides, with bacon sprinkled on top — it may sound simple, but if you've had your fair share of baked potatoes from steakhouse chains, you know how hit-or-miss they can be. Thankfully, according to customers, the loaded baked potato at Texas Roadhouse hits the mark.

What makes the piled spud at TXRH so special, though? It's probably because it checks off all the right boxes, from its nicely salted skin and moist, pillowy inside, to the delicious toppings that cascade to the plate. "I still think about the baked potato I had there. Pretty sure they rubbed the outside in kosher salt and copious amounts of butter. Quite nice," someone commented on a Reddit review of Texas Roadhouse.

Another person who asked the Reddit-sphere for recommendations, got quite a few people suggesting the loaded baked potato. "Ribeye with Ceasar salad and loaded baked potato and a bloomin onion for the table," one of the comments read. And even on TikTok, liv.your.best created not one, but two videos shouting out the popular potato side.

If savory potatoes are more your style, Ruth's Chris has another highly-recommended side dish: potatoes au gratin. Made with Idaho potatoes and a three cheese sauce, it's so good that, like many fans, we were inspired to create a copycat Ruth's Chris potatoes au gratin recipe, and in our humble opinion, it's mostly indistinguishable from the real deal. To be clear, however, there is only one Ruth's Chris au gratin, and according to customers, it's one of the chain's best side potato dishes.

"I'm a sucker for potatoes au gratin and these did not disappoint," said a Yelper, basically summarizing the review section's overall sentiment. Another person even hailed it as their top recommendation. To be fair, though, some customers did report being served undercooked or bland au gratin. But, considering the ratio of positive-to-negative reviews, that could easily just have been a bad day. 

Reddit users have a lot of positive things to say, too, like someone who commented, "The broccoli au gratin and potatoes au gratin (well done) are both exceptional." While a Facebook user fawned over it in their detailed recount of the taste, saying, "These were creamy, cheesy, and just the right amount of indulgent."

If it isn't apparent by now, Texas Roadhouse is a destination for really good potato side dishes. Mashed potatoes round out the chain's full lineup, bringing the total to four potato menu items. TXRH keeps it traditional for the most part, letting you load your mash with buttery spread, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and bacon, or the option of picking and choosing three ingredients. What makes these mashed potatoes different from others is that they still contain pieces of potato peel, which gives them a slightly chunky consistency.

"Tried the mashed potatoes from Texas Roadhouse. I love how they left the peels on. Peppery with a little bit of chunks. Very satisfying to chew," said someone in a Facebook review of the menu item. Another person cheekily pointed out that leaving the skin in adds to the nutritional value, which justifies eating so much butter and cream. 

On a Reddit thread about the best mashed potatoes in Huntsville, Alabama, a life-long lover of mash commented, "My favorite mashed potatoes are from Texas Roadhouse — they're soft and fluffy and they have the potato skins in them," adding that they remind them of the homemade style they ate growing up.

If traditional baked potatoes are more your speed, you're in luck, because the pillowy spuds at Outback Steakhouse are just as tasty. The chain refers to it as dressed baked potato instead of loaded, and it features the exact same toppings used for the aforementioned soup. While this could be viewed as a missed opportunity, in truth, you can never go wrong with the time-tested combination of cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, and butter, or at least, you can't according to customer reviews.

"The baked potatoes are always fluffy and good," read one Facebook review, which was co-signed by the comments section, where another reviewer highlighted its massive portion size, saying, "The baked potato was the size of a small football and delicious with the butter and sour cream." On Reddit, a traveler from a foreign country made a point to spotlight the superiority of the American version of Outback's baked potato, compared to how its advertised. "It was loaded up and all garlic salty," they said.

This fan-favorite menu item comes loaded with toasted marshmallows and drizzled with honey cinnamon caramel sauce. For an extra indulgent forkful, Texas Roadhouse gives you the option to add honey-cinnamon butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and even more butter. "Wife got the sweet potato with everything and I swear it tasted like it came out the good lord above's garden," said someone on Facebook, who typically refrains from sharing reviews about restaurants.

Apparently, the experience not only made them emotional, it inspired comments like "If I'm at roadhouse I'm getting that sweet potato, loaded, mouth watering every time!!" and "After reading this, I feel I need to Run (not walk) and get this sweet potato," from other TXRH customers.

Someone teased Reddit users with a mouthwatering picture of their sweet potato bursting at the seams with sweetness. "It was sooo good it had caramel sauce and marshmallows!!!" they exclaimed. While on TripAdvisor, a guy compared the marshmallows and caramel on his sweet potato to Christmas, giving his meal a 5-bubble review. Fortunately, with a shortcut for Texas Roadhouse-style loaded sweet potatoes, you can join in on the fun without having to leave the comfort of your home kitchen.

There are only three potato side dishes at LongHorn Steakhouse; a regular baked potato, a baked sweet potato option, and mashed potatoes. Sticking to a traditional lineup might make LongHorn seem boring next to other steakhouse chains, but it aligns with its goal of "doing things the right way." Which is to say, if it isn't broken and is done well, why fix it? The baked sweet potato, for example, is pretty simple but done well. LongHorn's sweet potatoes come sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and with a side of butter, and if customer reviews are any metric, that's all they need to be super tasty. 

"The sweet potato was baked to a warm smooth consistency and I added more butter and cinnamon sugar for my sweet tooth," said one person in a Facebook review. Another reviewer echoed that sentiment, exclaiming, "I don't not know what Longhorn does to its sweet potatoes but they are the best sweet potatoes I have ever eat and God knows I've eating plenty!" And those are just two of several positive customer reviews on Facebook. 

On Reddit, one customer suggested an entirely different way to experience the sweet potato, saying, "Try a plain sweet potato with the 7 pepper blend (from the 7-pepper salad)." It's apparently a healthier alternative to the sugar-drenched original.

Outback Steakhouse subverts expectations with loaded baked potato soup, a popular customer go-to that offers everything you love about regular baked potatoes, except you can eat it with a spoon. Served in either a cup or a larger crock, it's made with stewed potatoes, bacon bits, melted cheese, and green onions. 

While reviewing one of the chain's limited-time offers, TikTok user lukefoods got to try the soup, saying, "I'm not the kind of guy who goes to Outback and orders potato soup, but since it came with it, this is pretty great man." The most exciting part of the video, however, is the potato-y cheese pull he scoops out. Another TikTok user did a taste comparison of three potato soups, ranking Outback's version at number 2, under Chili's and above Bob Evans. YouTube reviewer, Penny's Two Cents, was pleasantly surprised by the taste, saying, "The potatoes have a slight chew to them. They're not super mushy, I like that. That's really good soup." 

Meanwhile, word of the menu item's deliciousness even reached Facebook, where in a review someone claimed that the two container sizes were basically the same, saying, "The soup is amazing. It's so good but the moral of the story is always choose the cup. It's cheaper and it's the same exact size." If there's any comforting steakhouse chain soup worth ordering, it's the baked potato soup at Outback.

Potatoes au gratin is elevated to new heights at Morton's Steakhouse, where it's made with sliced potatoes baked with smoked gouda, bacon, and a creamy béchamel. For many diners, Morton's take on this delicious potato side dish is the best potato au gratin in America. The cheesy starch-fest is hearty enough to "be dinner alone!" according to someone who commented on a Facebook post about it, and the reviews on Yelp are all positive for the most part, with one pointing out that the flavor is better than you expect for the price.

"These are the kind of potatoes you'll find yourself craving in the middle of the night. They were cheesy and creamy and a party on the tongue," said another's Yelp review. While on TripAdvisor, someone removed any doubt that the smoked gouda and bacon au gratin is one of the chain's best dishes, saying, "Twice baked Au Gratin Potatoes side. Didn't look like much but very tasty!" while in the same breath, admitting that the overall experience was disappointing and overpriced.