The Unexpected Menu Category Where Outback Steakhouse Beats Texas Roadhouse

Outback Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse are chain restaurants with similar menu styles, though Texas Roadhouse has Outback beat in Chowhound's U.S. Steakhouse chain ranking. Both serve steak and seafood options, but from a sales and popularity standpoint, Texas Roadhouse is the winner. In early 2025, Texas Roadhouse was named the largest casual dining chain in the United States, with annual U.S. sales landing at $5.5 billion. Still, there's one category where Outback beats out the Texas-inspired chain: seafood options.

Outback's seafood menu has greater variety than Texas Roadhouse's options when it comes to its different proteins and menu items. Outback offers five total seafood dishes with four different proteins: ahi tuna, shrimp, salmon, and steamed lobster tails. Texas Roadhouse offers only four entrées that are exclusively seafood; the rest are shrimp and steak combination platters. Plus, Texas Roadhouse only has three proteins: salmon, catfish, and shrimp. Outback offers more choice variety, too, with two salmon options to choose from compared to Outback's one salmon dish.

Although Outback Steakhouse has more seafood options, if cost is a factor, consider the overall prices at both restaurants before committing to one. Outback's ahi tuna dish costs $22 and is the chain's cheapest seafood option; it comes with vegetables and crispy noodles, plus soy ginger sauce and wasabi. The salmon dishes range from $28 for the Perfectly Grilled Salmon to almost $31 for the Toowoomba Salmon, which comes with shrimp and a creamy Creole sauce. The shrimp entrée is $26 and features seasoned, flame-grilled shrimp paired with Outback's remoulade sauce. Outback's most expensive seafood item is its lobster tails, which cost $39 for two steamed tails. Customers generally love the lobster tails, with one Yelp review saying it's "tender" and "cooked perfectly." Diners also say the coconut shrimp appetizer is a can't-miss dish, with Yelp reviews referring to it as one of the best menu items.

While Texas Roadhouse lacks options, the prices are better. There are two salmon sizes offered: 5 ounces and 8 ounces. The 5-ounce choice costs just $17, while the 8-ounce portion is $21. Both are cheaper than any of the Outback options, and although Outback doesn't list the portion size of its grilled salmon, it's rumored to be 7 ounces. Texas Roadhouse offers a nine-piece shrimp dish for $18 or a 12-piece shrimp dish for $21, which is still $5 less than a similar shrimp dish at Outback. Plus, this grilled shrimp meal is one of the Outback dishes we tend to avoid.