These 11 Texas Roadhouse Side Dishes And Appetizers Outshine The Main Courses

Line-dancing servers, diners hooting and hollering birthday wishes, tables chowing down on heaping baskets of dinner rolls, and the smell of sizzling meats — it's a familiar scene for regular diners at Texas Roadhouse. Under one wooden-beamed ceiling, the restaurant churns out an experience inspired by the American West, from the menu offerings to the employee shenanigans (birthday saddle included). But despite its sizable food lineup and broad regional identity, everyone seems to associate Texas Roadhouse with a single thing: steak. While this dish is tasty for red meat die-hards, there's a lot more to the restaurant's menu.

I'd argue that there are side dishes and appetizers that outshine main courses like the steak. Think piled-high bowls of ultra-fresh salads, perfectly baked tubers stuffed with your favorite accoutrements, and succulent seafood treats. In fact, the sides and appetizers at Texas Roadhouse are so good that the restaurant serves an entree dedicated to them — the Country Vegetable Plate, as the dish is called, consists solely of side plates. Customers pick four menu items from the category, and the kitchen prepares them as a single course, bringing them out all together.

It's clear that the item doesn't need to be a main course to be a star at the restaurant. Even small plates are worthy of being meals. So, from loaded potato dishes to a beloved fried onion concoction, let's get into how 11 Texas Roadhouse side dishes and appetizers outshine the entrees by giving off major main character energy.

We've ranked popular Texas Roadhouse items, and the baked sweet potato was one of our favorite side dishes. No matter how you take yours, it's sweet, ultra-hearty, customizable, and oh-so wholesome. The skin is crispy and earthy, and the tuber inside is always smooth, packed with flavor, and creamy. And if you get it loaded, it feels like the main event of the meal.

You can order a baked potato at Texas Roadhouse sweet or salty, and I love it either way. If you want it to be on the more savory side, ask for it with butter. And while there aren't customization buttons online for sour cream, cheese, Texas red chili, or bacon bits, they are topping options for a loaded plain baked potato — in the restaurant, you ask your server for them on your sweet potato instead. To make a whole meal of it, I think the sautéed mushrooms and onions are also really great on it, and offer plenty of umami and saltiness for a well-rounded entree made entirely out of sides at Texas Roadhouse.

Now the sugary version is arguably much more popular (it does serve as the standard menu photo of the sweet potato, after all). Diners rave about the browned marshmallow-topped creations, but you can also order it with honey cinnamon caramel, honey cinnamon butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, or butter. The sweet potato served with some combination of these sugary toppings is a highlight for many customers, and we think the Texas Roadhouse side dish doubles as dessert.

Given the love that customers and employees have for the stuff, I'd argue that it's all about the rolls at Texas Roadhouse. I think they outshine every main course. So it seems that Texas Roadhouse agrees with me on some level, having decided to put the rolls, not the steak or other entrees, in the spotlight.

The bread at Texas Roadhouse is famously fantastic. And so much so that some of us come primarily because of it (and may or may not refer to the restaurant as "Texas Rollhouse"). It's baked fresh every day, and I can tell — the warm, pillowy rolls are almost perfect, and my one complaint is that they aren't bigger. Increasing the size of the rolls was actually one of my many ideas for my list of changes Texas Roadhouse should make. But regardless of heft, they're unlimited, so you can just eat more of them. They're salty, a little sweet, and gleaming with a light sheen. And that's before you add the butter.

As for the spread, it's delightfully infused with cinnamon and honey for an autumnal bite. It's sugary, but not too sweet. And while I think offering customers the chance to customize their butter would be a major upgrade to the Texas Roadhouse rolls, I can't imagine being able to top the default spread — there's a reason most of us can eat at least a few baskets of the bread before our meal even comes. And I say keep them coming.

The fries at Texas Roadhouse are great — they're steak-cut, so they're thick enough to drag through steak drippings, gravy, and anything else you order them with. But, being a soft potato inside, they're able to soak up all of those juices (rather than just coating the crispy outside). They're fabulous no matter how you order them, but as the cheese fries appetizer, they're golden in more ways than one.

This starter comes with your choice of melted cheddar cheese, bacon bits, ranch, or, for a slight upcharge, Texas chili. If you get them all, you're in for a salty, savory, and slightly smoky dish that seems to hit on every note. And it could be an entree in itself if you don't share. This is particularly true if you take advantage of the other ingredients offered at Texas Roadhouse — for example, I love asking for my cheese fries to come with sautéed mushrooms for all the meatiness of the bacon, but without the meat itself. The sautéed onion side is equally tasty, and I love the complexity it brings.

Since the fries at Texas Roadhouse are so thick, they can be piled with your favorite goodies without getting soggy or lost in the mix. So if you're not getting the cheese fries as an appetizer, we recommend bulking up Texas Roadhouse sides like the steak fries by asking for them to be loaded. Get them with all of the toppings I mentioned above, or pick your favorites.

Texas Roadhouse is one of the best restaurant chains for mashed potatoes. I think they taste like they were made in my own home kitchen, in the best way — they're creamy, smooth, and I really appreciate that the skins aren't excluded. It's a must-order according to most, including us.

The mashed potatoes at Texas Roadhouse are made from scratch, so it makes sense that they taste so nostalgic and fresh. They're delicious served the classic way, with just brown gravy pooling in the middle. It makes for a really satisfying mix of salty and savory sauce with velvety and luscious potatoes. And I love to drag my Texas Roadhouse rolls through the drippings once I'm almost out of the mashed potatoes. It feels like a quintessential piece of mealtime here.

But, like any good potato-based dish, this side item at Texas Roadhouse is super customizable. The free toppings include the aforementioned brown gravy, creamy white gravy, butter, and sour cream. But for a bit of an upcharge, you can ask for bacon bits, cheddar cheese, or a combination of them alongside some of the free toppings. It's like a deconstructed baked potato. And, similar to the cheese fries, I've found that you also ask your server for things like the sautéed mushrooms and onions, steamed vegetables, seasoned corn, chili, or green beans. I recommend ordering the mashed potatoes with cheese and vegetables or mushrooms and butter — the former offers a well-rounded dinner, while the latter feels like an autumnal tavern supper.

The house salad at Texas Roadhouse is something I love, and I dare you to find a fresher salad at a steak restaurant. It always seems to come ice-cold and absolutely packed with toppings. This is a go-to side order for employees in the know, and we've deemed it one of the best hidden gems at Texas Roadhouse. It's just a must-order if you even remotely enjoy salads (and if you don't, this will convert you).

The house salad comes with a medley of produce and proteins, and a few other things. The lettuce is crisp and paired with diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, hard-boiled eggs, shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, and crunchy croutons. The result is a mix of textures and flavors that don't leave anything out. And that's without dressing or extras — you can add bacon bits or blue cheese crumbles for a bit of a charge if you want more protein. And as for dressing, there is quite the selection to pick from, including  Caesar, honey mustard, Thousand Island, and others. With the cooling ranch, it feels like a whole meal between the vegetables and the proteins, with the added creaminess of the dressing. But for something brighter, go with the oil and vinegar.

Many try to recreate this classic at home, but it just isn't the same. So while this Texas Roadhouse side is overlooked, you should definitely order it next time you're in.

The baked potato here is one of the many reasons that Texas Roadhouse outshines Outback and Longhorn. It's much bigger than your run-of-the-mill, microwave-baked potato. Instead, expect a massive, salt-crusted tuber overflowing with your favorite toppings.

Butter and sour cream are free add-ons to this savory treat, but cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and Texas red chili only come with slight price increases. And, like the other potato-based sides and appetizers, I've found that Texas Roadhouse servers are happy to add other toppings from the menu. For something simple that's still packed with umami, get it with sautéed onions (I think they're a great meatless alternative to the bacon bits). For something super comforting, get it with steamed broccoli and cheese. But perhaps my favorite way is to get it with a grilled shrimp sidekick (more on that in a second), sour cream, and plenty of lemon wedges for a Scandinavian twist on a Texas Roadhouse classic. It's a whole meal.

The baked potato is made perfectly, in my experience, and it's become a go-to order for many regulars and employees. I just can't believe it's a side when it's what many of us enjoy ordering as my main course instead of the traditional entrees — this Texas Roadhouse loaded side dish outshines steak every time.

The Caesar is another fantastic salad at Texas Roadhouse, and it offers a fresh and bright bite, as the other side salad does. It's really great by chain restaurant standards, and while it's simple, it makes for an extremely satisfying dish that could compete with any of the meat-focused entree items and can be the best part of the meal. And it goes so well with pretty much every other menu offering, from the heavy main courses to the succulent vegetable accompaniments. For this reason, it's a regular order for frequent customers.

The Caesar salad at Texas Roadhouse comes with Caesar dressing, of course, as well as big croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and super crisp lettuce. It's a little nutty, tangy, and craveable. For a bit of a price increase, you can also add bacon if you'd like some more protein. But I love getting it with a grilled shrimp sidekick for a seafood version of a classic chicken Caesar — it's savory, and just the right amount of salty. Ask for extra lemon wedges on the side for that extra punch of tang that goes so well with the salad's default flavors.

One of my favorite hacks is to order this salad with the steak fries. When you're done with the vegetables, you can drag the fries through the leftover dressing and soak it all up. The dressing is perhaps the best part of the salad, so this is a great way to avoid waste.

Now we come to the Grilled Shrimp Sidekick, a side that goes perfectly on so many of the aforementioned dishes. We've explained what Texas Roadhouse Sidekicks are before, and while they're listed alongside side dishes on the menu, we'd describe them more as somewhere between a side and a main course. In the case of the grilled shrimp, which I think is by far the best of the "Sidekick" options, it's a pretty great portion.

Two mini skewers of shrimp (about six total) sit atop buttery toast, which soaks up all of that deliciously savory flavor. Lemon wedges and pops of green from parsley bring on some freshness, but there's also a little cup of garlic lemon pepper sauce for dipping. As-is, this dish is perfection if you even remotely like seafood, and the bread adds oomph when soaked in the juices. But since it's not as large as a main course, it's a perfect accompaniment that can add more protein and flavor to some of the other dishes (hence the name, "Sidekick"). But be warned: If you get it on the steak or other main courses, the succulent shrimp will definitely outshine any of them. This is always a Texas Roadhouse add-on worth ordering and one of the many menu items that prove the seafood is extremely underrated at this steak restaurant.

The Cactus Blossom is perhaps my favorite thing on the menu. This appetizer is essentially just a deep-fried onion, but the details make this easily the best starter at Texas Roadhouse.

For one thing, the onion is cut like a flower (as the name might have hinted at). This means there are individual petals of sorts, so it gives the onion more surface area to be coated in that delicious batter and seasonings. For another, it's cooked so that the dish is airy and crispy on the outside and succulent within. When comparing the Cactus Blossom to Outback's Bloomin Onion, we've found that the batter at Texas Roadhouse made for a way less greasy experience. And the breading tends to stick rather than fall off as it does at Outback Steakhouse. It's just a way better experience, and the onion inside is always so sweet.

The Cactus Blossom comes with Cajun horseradish sauce by default, but for those of us who detest horseradish, ranch is also available. I actually think this alternative condiment is much better, because it brings on a cooling and herbaceous element to a super savory and salty appetizer. Sour cream is also fantastic for similar reasons. And, not that it needs it, but you can order your Cactus Blossom with cheese and bacon for a loaded starter if you really want to go all out.

The fried pickles at Texas Roadhouse are so good that I would come here specifically for this appetizer. They're salty and crispy on the outside, and tangy and soft inside. I appreciate that these come thinly sliced, so that they won't be limp or packed with too much moisture. Instead, they tend to offer a nice snap. They're something many regulars think about often, and that brings them back again and again — in between, many of us try to make copycat versions of the fried pickles at Texas Roadhouse, but they just aren't the same.

Like the Cactus Blossom, this appetizer comes with either horseradish sauce or ranch dressing for dipping. I love the latter for the same reasons I enjoy it with the onion starter, but it also pairs so well with the sour notes the pickles bring. The combination is completely craveable, and even though it's meant for sharing, I have a hard time not eating the whole basket by myself.

Some customers get theirs fully loaded, with all of the toppings that you'd find on the potato dishes. And while I think the cheese and bacon bring on too much salt to this already salty treat, the sour cream is definitely a perfect addition that balances everything out nicely.

Texas Roadhouse makes so many side dishes and appetizers that outshine the main courses, but the Rattlesnake Bites are special. Made with jack cheese and diced jalapeños, they're rolled up in breading and fried into golden orbs of crispy goodness. They're spicy, salty, savory, and spectacular dipped into ranch (the ranch dressing at Texas Roadhouse is just really good with the fried goodies). But you can also get them with the Cajun horseradish sauce if you enjoy the flavors.

I consider these an upgrade to the typical mozzarella sticks that you'll find at chain restaurants and appetizer menus around the United States. And sure, those can be good. But Texas Roadhouse's Rattlesnake Bites have all the melty and cheesy goodness of that dish, with added heat and much better breading — it's like a jalapeño popper married a mozzarella stick.

Many customers try to make them at home when they can't make it to a restaurant location. And we've discussed how to do it in our explainer on what Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites are. Be warned that it can take some time and energy to make, regardless of how you go about it. So if that's not your speed and you want to enjoy them sooner rather than later, make the trek to your nearest Texas Roadhouse. The starter easily blows the main courses out of the water.