Texas Roadhouse New York Strip Has A Secret Advantage Over Longhorn Steakhouse's

The New York strip is a tasty piece of beef that legendary chef Jacque Pépin once famously called his favorite steak cut due to its ideal fat ratio. It's got a great balance of flavor, juiciness, and tenderness, and because it isn't as expensive as premium cuts, such as a filet mignon or porterhouse, it's also pretty good value for money. That last point is probably why it's a popular order at affordable steak spots, including Texas Roadhouse and Longhorn Steakhouse.

As for which does it better between the two, Texas Roadhouse gets the edge for its New York strip in our head-to-head comparisons of Texas Roadhouse and Longhorn Steakhouse steaks. In terms of quality, we got what we expected from both restaurants: A flavorful, well-seasoned steak that doesn't have as much marbling as pricier cuts, but was nonetheless satisfyingly tender. Texas Roadhouse won us over for the slightest of reasons — it offers a size that was a little bit thicker and just a tad less expensive.

It's something we should've seen coming. The New York strip was firmly middle-of-the-pack in our Texas Roadhouse steak rankings, but it was good enough to be the best affordable steak on its menu. On the other hand, the cut ranked sixth out of seven in our Longhorn Steakhouse steak rankings. Given how close the overall ratings were in our head-to-head, however, it's easy to understand why the small differences between each restaurant's New York strips mattered so much.

At Texas Roadhouse, you can get a New York strip at either 8 ounces or 12 ounces, whereas Longhorn offers it only at 12 ounces. It's the 8-ounce portion that gave Texas Roadhouse the win, in large part because it's a thicker cut despite being 4 ounces lighter. That thickness makes a world of difference when it comes to slightly leaner steaks, including the New York strip.

Conventional wisdom says you should always choose the thicker steak, and for good reason: The thicker a steak is, the better it can handle heat. This means the interior of a thicker steak can stay juicier and more tender. Some cuts, such as ribeyes, can get away with being thinner because their marbling keeps them tender, but New York strips aren't like ribeyes — they don't have as much intramuscular fat, so a little extra thickness helps. The added girth of the 8-ounce cut at Texas Roadhouse made it a lot more tender than we were expecting.

Not only do you get a better steak at Texas Roadhouse, but it costs you a lot less, too. The 8-ounce New York strip can go for as low as $20 at Texas Roadhouse, while the larger Longhorn Steakhouse New York strip can set you back more than $27. If you're worried the Texas Roadhouse steak might be too small, just do what everyone else does and fill up on its amazing free dinner rolls.