Why The French Onion Soup From This Steakhouse Chain Levels Up Cheesy Decadence

When a restaurant puts a dish on its menu, it's reasonable to hope that the kitchen has perfected it. Sadly, though, in the process of conception to execution, things don't always work out that way. For example, many classic soups we enjoy today have been around for hundreds of years. The recipes are everywhere. The execution should be easy. But, for whatever reason, that's just not always the case. One example is the classic French onion soup.

When we ranked seven chain restaurant French onion soups, we were surprised that none other than Longhorn Steakhouse delivered one of the best bowls. Yes, you read that right. This chain steakhouse makes a seriously cheesy French onion soup. While some restaurant brands are clueless in this soup's execution (we see you, Applebee's), others have it down to a science. So let's give Longhorn its flowers here.

While the soup base itself is excellent, it's the preponderance of cheese that stands out. Combined with the rich, oniony flavor, it's a nicely balanced bowl, the creamy cheese countering the crispy crostini on top. It's the perfect appetizer to set the stage for the hearty steaks grilling in Longhorn's kitchen. 

Visually speaking, Longhorn Steakhouse's French onion soup doesn't necessarily impress at first glance. It doesn't have that charred, golden-brown, cheesy layer on top. But, in terms of flavor, it's still a winner. We found that the bread crumbs add a nice contrasting crunch, and the cheese triumvirate of provolone, Parmesan, and Swiss just melts in your mouth. The cheese disperses into the flavorful broth rather than hardening and becoming tacky, resulting in that Instagram-worthy cheese pull you love to see. It's the perfect amount of cheese to complement the soup without going overboard.

The soup features a fair amount of bread, and, while we wouldn't complain if Longhorn added more onions, the rich broth tastes long-simmered. This bowl was ranked No. 2 behind only Boucherie, a much smaller chain with locations in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C. But in terms of larger chain restaurants, you really can't go wrong with Longhorn Steakhouse's version of this classic soup. And for just $6, it's a nice portion. It would even work as a standalone dish alongside a nice glass of wine. Longhorn Steakhouse is, of course, well known for its quality steaks and legendary chocoolate dessert, but don't sleep on this delicious soup, either.