The Classic Appetizer You Should Avoid At Texas Roadhouse

If you fancy a casual steak dinner, Texas Roadhouse is the go-to restaurant. However, this all-American chophouse also boasts an array of yummy appetizers — like rattle snake bites and Texas red chili — that are worth giving a whirl. To save you the trouble of trying them all, we did a taste test and found a classic Texas Roadhouse appetizer you should avoid: The boneless Buffalo wings.

Coming in second to last in our list of 12 popular Texas Roadhouse menu items, ranked worst to best, we found these wings to be dry and stingy on the Buffalo sauce. While described as "boneless wings" on the menu, this dish is closer to a plate of breaded chicken strips made with white meat rather than real wings minus the bone, which may explain why we found them to be dry. White meat isn't as tender and juicy as dark meat because it has less fat. Moreover, chicken that's cooked on the bone tends to be more succulent because the structure of the bone keeps the internal temperature on an even keel as it cooks. 

The Buffalo sauce the wings were tossed in was also lacking in volume and spice. We'd have preferred it if they were kissed with more sauce to combat the dryness of the meat and had a punchier kick (you can ask for the chicken to be tossed in either mild or hot sauce). 

Having said all that, the coating on the boneless Buffalo wings was well seasoned and crispy, unlike the dish that ranked the worst in our taste test — the Cactus Blossom. This onion bloom was the designated loser in our list because the breading was lacking in flavor and sodden with oil. If you'd still like to order it, we'd recommend that you give your Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom a hearty upgrade with pulled pork and turn it into a main.

The best appetizer in our list? The free rolls that come with a tub of honey cinnamon butter and are served with every meal. Made fresh daily, these rolls are pillowy with a soft crust and moist crumb. Plus their exterior is brushed with butter, lending them extra flavor. The honey butter served alongside the bread is sweet with warming spice and perfect for slathering over their tender texture, which is aromatic with that yeasty, fermented fragrance that's typical of homemade bakes. However, if you'd like to select an appetizer from the menu, we'd advise ordering the grilled shrimp. They're succulent and smoky with heaps of personality from the spice rub coating the moist surface of each crustacean. Our only complaint is that the garlic bread served under the skewered shrimp is too sweet for our liking.