I Tried Every Appetizer From Longhorn Steakhouse And Ranked Them Worst To Best

It's advertised right there in the name, so naturally, it's no surprise that Longhorn Steakhouse is known for its variety of steaks. Take, for example, its classic, bestselling ribeye or New York strip — delicious every time. But whetting one's appetite before the main course is always a great way to get your taste buds ready for what's to come, and of course, it'd only be right to ensure your starter is just as good to set yourself up for an overall positive and enjoyable dining experience.

If you're wondering what might be the best appetizer at Longhorn Steakhouse to do so, that's exactly the answer I set out to answer for everyone. True, the establishment's bread is popular for a reason, but I also sampled every other starter the chain restaurant had to offer to decide what else was the best (though more on how I conducted this ranking can be found at the end), so the next time you go, you know just what to order.

Contrary to their name, there is absolutely nothing wild about the Wild West Shrimp. They're actually just about the tamest appetizer Longhorn Steakhouse offers, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

While the presentation of this starter looked promising, containing a generously loaded dish of tiny, hand-breaded shrimp that were adorned with colorful red and green peppers, they were surprisingly very boring in every other aspect. There was almost zero taste to them, save for the singular lemon slice on the side. Once I squeezed a bit of juice onto a few pieces of shrimp, it thankfully helped liven up the taste and brighten things up, but truly good seafood shouldn't need copious amounts of citrus added to every bite.

Perhaps even worse, not only did the shrimp itself lack flavor, but so did the breading. It was completely limp and soggy, containing no hint of crunch in any bite. This essentially wiped out the usual lure and purpose of breaded food, earning the Wild West Shrimp the unfortunate spot of last place.

Coming in second-to-last is the Texas Tonion. Think of this appetizer as something like a deconstructed Blooming Onion. The pieces are shaped like flower petals, with the perfect curve to scoop up ketchup or the zesty orange dip they come along with.

So while I must admit I love a good fast food onion ring, Longhorn Steakhouse's chip-like variation of them is very much welcomed. The breading they come encrusted in is delightfully crispy. And according to the restaurant chain's website, it's seasoned with its signature Prairie Dust, which is likely a combination of spices like paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, turmeric, coriander, and more (if those copycat recipes floating around online are correct). Regardless, thanks to that seasoning, these onion chips are flavorful enough on their own that they can be enjoyed even without the included dipping sauce. They're also more convenient and less frustrating than the typical onion ring, as one bite of the latter tends to leave you pulling out the entire onion with all the batter left behind. Aside from being a bit too salty, I mostly have nothing negative to say about the Texas Tonion except that some tastier items can be found on the menu.

Fun fact: Large cheese fries are nowhere to be found on the list of appetizers, but you can still order them. According to my waitress, this starchy starter used to be officially part of the menu before the pandemic happened. But even once things started to return to normal in society, the same could not be said of these Longhorn Steakhouse fries. They were never written back into the restaurant's lineup, though they're very much still available upon request.

It's a very straightforward order and gets you pretty much exactly what it sounds like — a big plate of fries loaded with cheese and bacon crumbles on top, as well as a cup of ranch on the side. The cheese atop the dish is salty, sharp, and pretty clumped together. I don't love that last quality, as I like when cheese offers a nice stretchy and melty pull rather than having to be torn apart (though that's honestly typical of most restaurants' loaded cheese fries). I got over that pretty quickly, however, especially upon tasting how savory and smoky the fries were. Even the plain pieces that weren't touched by cheese or bacon bits still carried a very strong, almost charred essence that pleasantly fills your mouth. It was wonderful to keep coming back to in order to break up the taste fatigue as I kept bouncing between appetizers. So, there's almost nothing wrong with these fries; they're just basic and therefore fall toward the end of the ranking. I'd still certainly give them a try if your location will make them for you.

Spinach and artichoke dip is a fan favorite dish you'll find at many chain restaurants. At Longhorn Steakhouse, you'll find a highly similar version with the establishment's Parmesan Crusted Spinach Dip. This iteration of the classic dish manages to provide a much more elevated eating experience compared to other places (if you ask me and those who joined in on the taste test).

We'll look at Applebee's appetizers as a comparison. When you read my review of the Spinach and Artichoke Dip there, you'll see that Applebee's uses standard tortilla chips, as is common in most other restaurants. Longhorn Steakhouse, on the other hand, uses flatbread chips! And yes, the exclamation point is absolutely necessary — because what other chain is doing that? None that I've frequented. That is, until now.

These flatbread chips are mostly crispy and structurally sound, and firm enough that they can easily hold the weight of however much dip you decide to load them up with. They're a bit chewier on the inside than I'd like, requiring a moment of tugging each bite, but it's an upgrade nonetheless. As far as the dip itself goes, it's far chunkier and less liquidy than I'm used to. This is likely on account of there being much more of a thick cheese layer than anything else. Whether or not you like this difference is fully up to your own preferences, but I personally didn't mind it too much. There's also a delightfully crunchy browning on top of it all, thanks to the Parmesan and garlic crust. Overall, this appetizer is very much a unique textural experience for your taste buds rather than one that's rooted in stellar flavor, and thus, is in the middle of the list.

Next up, we have the Spicy Chicken Bites. This order takes hand-breaded fried chicken and coats it in a chili-ginger sauce, offering customers what Longhorn Steakhouse says should be a "sweet and spicy" flavor. Did I think it fit this description? Not exactly. The reddish-orange hue and scattered chili bits definitely clued me in that there should be some sort of heat going on here, but I just couldn't find it. Maybe my spice tolerance is just too high after all the Buldak ramen I've been eating over the years, but for a dish that literally has "spicy" in its name, I wouldn't say this lived up to its moniker. Any true spice-lover ordering this (as I'd assume people who dislike spice would steer clear of it) would likely say the same. That being said, it was still delicious.

Each piece of chicken had a soft center with wonderfully crispy edges, and as you've learned from my review of the Parmesan Crusted Spinach Dip, a good texture can make a world of difference. The sauce itself was also very creamy and further contributed to the nice balance of mouthfeel. Taste-wise, it was sweet all around, with the bites containing scallion there to break up any monotony. Still, even with this appetizer being a very solid, flavorful choice, we can't allow it to breach the top three solely because it didn't provide the kick its name indicated it should.

Coming in at No. 3 is the White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms. This is a fan favorite among much of my family, and though I can't say I loved these as much as they do, I know it's largely on account of the fact that I'm just not the biggest fan of the cheese and greens duo. But I can't be too biased here, as I'm aware of the great universal appeal this starter has.

A dish of this offers six roasted mushrooms that are filled with the same signature Parmesan and garlic cheese crust that was used as a dip for the previously mentioned flatbread chips. And again, though I'm not a die-hard lover of the spinach and cheese combo, I very much admit the texture is part of what makes both the Parmesan Crusted Spinach Dip and White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms shine so much. But this one has even more of an edge, given there was more of a cheese pull here for some reason. Moreover, the mushrooms were soft and helped cut through the rich, thick creaminess of the four cheese sauce.

I must note, though, that the biggest pitfall I'd give to these mushrooms is that they're on the smaller side, with each one being less than half the size of my palm. Six of these simply isn't enough if you're sitting with four or more people, and this is your sole appetizer to share. It might not even be enough for three people, honestly, which is something to consider if you're out with a group.

Deciding between the Seasoned Steakhouse Wings and what ended up taking first place was so, so difficult for me. As you can see, this fell below, but I want everyone to know that it was only by the slightest margin and that you cannot go wrong ordering this.

Longhorn Steakhouse technically only has one chicken wing flavor. That's very much unlike the appetizers at places like T.G.I.F., which boast a much wider variety of options, but it doesn't matter when the restaurant nails its one offering the way Longhorn has. The Seasoned Steakhouse Wings come with a side of both blue cheese and buffalo sauce, with the latter being absolutely delicious — and that's coming from someone that doesn't even usually like buffalo wings (or buffalo sauce on anything, really). But Longhorn does it right, offering a condiment that has the perfect amount of heat. And because it comes in a little dish on its own, you have complete control over how much of it to use, which I appreciated very much.

As good as that buffalo sauce was, though, it wasn't even necessary. These wings were almost at a 10 out of 10 for me, even without any sauce (which was how I consumed most of them). According to the Longhorn Steakhouse website, they're baked, fried, and finished off with the establishment's Char Seasoning. It made for a wonderfully crispy outside that was smoky and addictive both in texture and flavor. I will knock it one point simply for the inside being a tad bit drier than I and my fellow taste-testers like our wings. But otherwise, 10s across the board, and I'd order this as my main meal.

Exactly as I expected when I saw the server plop the beautiful plate down in front of me, the Firecracker Chicken Wraps came out on top. Even just in terms of presentation, this starter was the best bet. It came with eight stuffed, fried flour tortillas atop a bright layer of green lettuce, red diced tomatoes sprinkled around it, and a small cup of avocado lime dip on the side.

The vibrant mix of colors alone is enough to reel you in, but the taste and flavor of this is what'll keep you wanting more. These rolls were crispy and flaky, and when you bite into them, you're greeted by a pleasant textural contrast created by the very soft, ooey-gooey cheese and small pieces of grilled chicken within. The cheese was pretty sharp and rather salty, but that's easy to get over when it all comes together as nicely as it does. I'd say this is a great option, especially for the price of $11.99, as I think it would do a great job at satisfying both your taste buds and stomach.

I ordered each of the appetizers available at Longhorn Steakhouse and asked for them to be served all at once so I could take turns tasting them, preventing any serious taste fatigue, and so that all the food remained hot as I sampled everything. My main criteria that I kept in mind were their flavor and texture. I also took note of some of their portion sizes, analyzing whether the amount provided was suitable for sharing and if it seemed reasonable for how much it was priced at, though this was a second consideration in determining their placements on the list.