What Is The Best Affordable Steak At Texas Roadhouse?

Steak isn't generally the cheapest restaurant meal, so if you're headed to steakhouse chain Texas Roadhouse, you might be hoping to save a few bucks by ordering one of its cheaper steaks. Of course, there's probably a link between the price tag and quality. Indeed, when Chowhound ranked Texas Roadhouse's steaks, the number one place went to the most expensive one on the menu (the porterhouse T-bone).

But among the less-expensive cuts on Texas Roadhouse's menu, there's probably an option that strikes the right balance of affordability and quality. The menu features two steaks with notably cheaper prices than the others: the hand-cut sirloin, starting at $13.49 for 6 ounces, and the New York strip, starting at $15.99 for 8 ounces. We'll exclude two other cheap options here. One, the Road Kill, is a "chop steak", meaning it's actually more like a hamburger patty than an actual steak. The other is the steak kabob, which uses actual steak meat, but it's skewered and in pieces, so in terms of form, it's also not really a steak.

Of the cheap options, Chowhound ranked the New York strip higher, noting that while this is usually a leaner cut (and less fat normally means a steak is less flavorful), it actually outdid the typically fattier (and more expensive) ribeye, although it wasn't quite as juicy. The sirloin, while still getting positive comments, was a bit tougher and lighter on flavor, due to its lack of marbling.

Other rankings also place the New York strip above the sirloin, noting that it's juicy enough but a little light on flavor. That said, the sirloin still gets decent reviews, commenting that it's tender and beefy in flavor. While these are the cheapest steaks by price, there are some other steaks that are a good deal if you consider price relative to the steak's weight.

At $33.99, the porterhouse T-bone is the most expensive, but as a hunky 23-ounce steak, it only costs $1.48 per ounce. That's cheaper than both the sirloin ($13.49 for 6 ounces, or $2.25 per ounce) and the New York strip ($15.99 for 8 ounces, or $2 per ounce). The same applies to the bone-in ribeye, which is $29.99 for 20 ounces, or $1.50 per ounce. (Bear in mind that these both have bones factoring into the weight.)

Of these two, the porterhouse is better ranked. Chowhound gave it the top spot for its tenderness and marbling, suggesting that it's good for sharing, while the ribeye was a little too fatty, although still tender. Other sources have been a bit warmer towards the ribeye for its tenderness and flavor. In any case, if you're splitting a steak, one of these options, particularly the porterhouse, might be a better deal. Otherwise, if you're not sharing the bill and just want to keep it as cheap as possible, consider the New York strip.