Forget Outback And Longhorn: If You're Feeding Kids, Head Here Instead

For a Bloomin' Onion, you head to Outback Steakhouse, while LongHorn is the casual steakhouse for a flame-grilled T-bone. But if you're bringing the whole family along for steak night, head to Texas Roadhouse for the best kids' menu. All three of the steakhouses' children's-only sections offer smaller steaks for less money, as well as common selections for delicate young palates. But when your kids grow bored with the same macaroni & cheese, chicken tenders, and tiny steaks, look to Texas Roadhouse for a wider variety of child-friendly dishes.

The Lil' Dillo steak bites are Texas Roadhouse's unique offering for steak-loving little ones who have a few years to go before they can carve up a whole sirloin. Bigger kids can look to the Ranger Meals for barbecue ribs just their size. And some children just want to dig into an all-beef hotdog and leave the rest for the grown-ups. But it's not just the more expansive kids' menu that sets Texas Roadhouse apart. It's but one of 13 ways Texas Roadhouse outshines Outback and Longhorn.

Texas Roadhouse offers a wider variety of meals for young diners, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have the best. Tasting Table's ranking of every Texas Roadhouse kids' meal placed the mini cheeseburgers and Jr. chicken tenders at the bottom of the list. Our reviewer said, "the Texas Roadhouse mini cheeseburgers don't look like much," with the cheese and bun "rendering it tasteless." They also found the Jr. chicken tenders to be inconsistently sized with dry breading.

Even with their kids' menus' smaller range of selections, LongHorn and Outback steakhouses have a few things Texas Roadhouse doesn't. For example, Outback Steakhouse serves their kid-sized Spotted Dog sundae with chocolate sauce. They also have Aussie Fries, which picky eaters may prefer to Texas Roadhouse's thicker steak fries. And for the child most in need of familiarity and comfort, Longhorn's macaroni & cheese comes straight from Kraft, just like at home. For more options on where to take your children for a meal on the town, look to these 12 chain restaurant kids' menus, ranked worst to best.