10 LongHorn Steakhouse Menu Items To Steer Clear Of, According To Customer Reviews

With over 500 locations in the United States and 15 consecutive quarters of positive sales growth, LongHorn Steakhouse is on a winning streak. Post-pandemic saw an upsurge in people wanting to eat out but not having the means to splurge on big-budget restaurants. Here's where LongHorn and its ilk swooped right in and claimed a spot in the sun. The Steakhouse positions itself as the place to go to for quality steak at the best value. With beef prices being ever-volatile, the chain has the upper hand as it negotiates food rates in advance. The generous portions, satisfying comfort food-heavy menu, and well-prepared dishes make LongHorn a repeat customer haven, especially for those wanting hearty meals with leftovers to spare.

However, the adage, "you get what you pay for," is the takeaway for some customers. Now, we are not saying that LongHorn does not deliver on its promise. What we have noticed, though, is that the dining experience is not always consistent. There are a substantial number of customer reviews that feature incidents like shoddy service and attitude, overcooked or underseasoned dishes, and stodgy sides. For many, these are reasons enough to warn others and reduce the ranking of the steakhouse chain. 

This mix of hits and misses means that while some customers remain die-hard fans, others are vocal about their disappointment. In such situations, one has to ask: Is LongHorn Steakhouse worth the visit? And if yes, are there are some dishes one should avoid ordering to ensure the best experience?

You can't compare a meal at LongHorn Steakhouse or similar to a top-tier restaurant. While the beef cuts served are usually USDA Choice, these are not the very best in the market (and cannot be expected to be). For the budget prices you pay at LongHorns, there understandably can't and won't be a focus on gourmet ingredients, dry aging, or sophisticated cooking techniques. 

However, and this is a significant caveat, affordability can't excuse poor execution. LongHorn Steakhouse's Renegade Sirloin is billed as a lean, flavorful cut, but it demands a certain amount of finesse when handling — restaurants tend to snub sirloin as it's less inherently tender than, say, a ribeye or filet mignon. Longhorn's comes seasoned with a signature Prairie Dust blend of spices and priced affordably. But for many customers, this budget-friendly steak delivers more disappointment than delight.

The most common complaint is inconsistency. While the sirloin occasionally arrives well-seasoned and juicy, far more often it's overcooked, chewy, gristly, and aggressively salted. One review complained about how the Renegade sirloin order came out "burnt to a crisp, far beyond well done," and had to be left half-eaten. Another customer lamented about almost a ¼-inch deep puddle of oily butter around the steak that he was served. And that seasoning? It's divisive. While LongHorn's Prairie Dust, made from paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and other spices, adds bold flavor, diners report it's either overpowering or completely absent. 

One could question the reasoning behind visiting a steakhouse and ordering seafood. While LongHorn is known for its affordable steaks, its seafood menu is not exactly making waves. The LongHorn salmon is viewed as a lighter alternative to the plethora of red meat options available. And on paper, this dish promises a simple, flavorful marinade to showcase the salmon's soft, flaky texture. 

However, customers report otherwise. Feedback ranges from dry and flavorless fish to tough and tasteless chunks of seafood that don't seem fresh. This type of feedback isn't uncommon, and while some diners do receive a well-cooked version, the inconsistency is troubling. LongHorn's kitchen is perhaps more at home with beef than seafood.

Even the basics fall short, like the reviews that call out the poor seasoning or the lack of butter, and the questionable quality of fries. LongHorn is owned by Darden, the same group behind  Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, and Eddie V's, where the varied menus are routinely praised. That makes the contrast all the more frustrating. Despite operating under the same successful umbrella, LongHorn's salmon feels like an underwhelming afterthought.

A buttery, tender, juicy filet mignon is a thing of beauty. It's considered one of the most sought-after cuts of meat for a reason, and usually is the highlight of a steakhouse menu as well as being one of the easiest steaks to cook at home. At LongHorn, Flo's Filet is a dish that creates the same anticipation, that of melt-in-the-mouth luxury. Unfortunately, according to customer responses, some are left wondering whether they were even served a filet at all.

"The Flo's Filet was nothing but gristle," moaned one reviewer on TripAdvisor. "I left ⅓ of it on my plate because it was impossible to chew." When a restaurant charges nearly $30 for a filet, expectations are understandably high. And while there are enough instances when the LongHorn's filet arrives with a good sear and tender interior, there are also a worrying number of times when it does not. 

This inconsistency can be considered its biggest flaw. Some cuts are reported to be overcooked and dry, while others arrive underdone and unpleasantly raw in the center. Diners too often find themselves sawing through tough meat. Though reviewers admit Flo's Filet is more tender than LongHorn's sirloin, the difference doesn't justify the cost when quality is so hit-or-miss. That's a red flag at any steakhouse, especially one charging premium prices for certain cuts. 

Every good steakhouse has to have an appetizer menu that keeps people coming back for more. From healthy salads to everything fried, these dishes can be enjoyed on their own or as sides to the main beefy attraction. The Texas Tonion is LongHorn Steakhouse's version of the classic onion ring, but instead of the expected deep-fried rounds, this one consists of battered onion petals seasoned with the chain's signature Prairie Dust. Sounds good? Yeah, we think so, too. But what should be a flavorful, crowd-pleasing bite often leaves diners disappointed.

"The Texas Tonion came out and was crispy, but the onion pieces were extremely thick and extremely salty," said one Yelper. And that's one of the more generous reviews — others are far more critical. The batter is frequently described as too thick, with an unwieldy crunch and a greasy aftertaste. According to another Yelp review, "When something is fried and battered, making it into small petals just gives you too much grease. They paired it with a creamy sauce... Why pair heavy with heavy?" Other Yelpers complain that the dipping sauce offered is too small a portion  and "not nearly enough for the amount of onion petals." 

In the end, you've got an appetizer that feels unbalanced and ultimately unsatisfying. When fried food lacks flavor, freshness, and finesse, it's hard to justify ordering it, especially with better appetizers on the menu.

Lamb chops can be a standout dish when prepared with care. Their strong flavor and distinctive taste and texture require the proper marination and cooking technique to get delicious results, and you especially never want to overcook lamb chops. Unfortunately, many a time, LongHorn Steakhouse's grilled lamb chops fail to meet even the most basic expectations, leaving many customers frustrated and disappointed.

One Yelp review described the meat as "Horrible, don't waste your money on those lamb chops unless you like bland, tasteless, over- or undercooked meat." Several reviews echo this sentiment, describing the chops as dry and lacking any noticeable seasoning. "They were marinated and you could not even taste that they were lamb," one TripAdvisor reviewer complained. 

The chops themselves are also criticized for being unusually thin, leading customers to argue about the pricing and corresponding value for money. Texturally, the lamb seems to lack tenderness and moisture, turning what should be a delicious main course into a chewy, disappointing option. Overall, the discrepancy among reviews and the feeling of being cheated of a great meal are major reasons why many customers avoid this dish altogether. As one diner bluntly put it on Facebook, "They need a new chef... cook... seasoning... something, because it was not worth the money."

Choosing a 22-ounce steak takes some determination and dedication. You either love your meat, or you plan to share these beefy mains to maximise returns. At LongHorn, the porterhouse steak claims to be the biggest steak in the game. But does the large size translate into more flavor and bite? The truth of the matter is, in fact, rather disappointing.

"The porterhouse was only ¼" thick, overcooked and dry... I will not order a porterhouse again," proclaimed one TripAdvisor rating. That sentiment is echoed across reviews, with diners frequently disappointed by uneven cooking, unpredictable quality, and poor cuts. Many believe that the mushy, unappealing texture may be a result of freezing and refreezing the meat. When a lush cut like porterhouse starts tasting like mushy burger meat, you know that something somewhere has gone wrong. Not what you expect from one of the most expensive dishes on the menu. 

While its size might make it tempting to share, the Porterhouse too often delivers quantity over quality. Inconsistent preparation, questionable meat handling, and poor execution could make this LongHorn signature a risky gamble.

Should a steakhouse serve up a burger just because it can? That's a good question, and one that Longhorn perhaps needs to consider. The chain's attempt at a classic American burger falls sadly flat on multiple levels. While not pretending to be a gourmet offering, the LH Burger nonetheless does not seem to make any attempt to even get the basics right. A simple but great burger should have a fresh meaty patty, soft buns, crisp bacon, melty cheese, tomato, pickles, onion, lettuce, and a trademark burger sauce. The namesake at Longhorns, however, tastes anything but fresh and well-made.

"When I get a burger, I like to feel like they made it fresh," one customer complained. "This one is a little too uniform around the edges, and that makes me think it was a pre-made patty." This suspicion of pre-packaged food is a recurring theme. Diners describe the patty as bland, buried under excess salt and onions, undercooked, or overcooked and crispy instead of juicy, with little to no real flavor from the meat itself. Even customers with low expectations for a steakhouse burger can seem underwhelmed. 

Beyond the uninspired basic ingredients, there is not much that makes this a worthwhile order. That said, if it's a filling, cheap meal you are after, we say go for it, but perhaps alter your expectations to more supermarket bites rather than steakhouse chain burgers, and you won't be disappointed. 

The Chop Steak at LongHorn Steakhouse is marketed as a hearty, comfort-food option. You can expect a seasoned mound of ground beef topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, and finished with a garlic herb sauce. However, according to many customers, the result is more burger with an identity crisis rather than a satisfying steakhouse meal.

"This is not a steak, it's a hamburger that's served as if it were a steak, and I think it came out of the freezer," said one reviewer. "I felt a little dirty after I ate this, need to detox." This is the core of most complaints. While people expect a hearty, beefy main, what they receive instead is a crumbly beef patty that feels soft and mushy and like it's been popped in the microwave and served up without any real care. It can be underseasoned or overwhelmed by salty gravy. Even the toppings don't always redeem the dish. Some reviewers found the mushrooms pleasantly tender, but others complained that onions were missing or that the sauce lacked any real garlic herb flavor. 

The inconsistency makes this dish feel like a gratuitous add-on to the menu rather than a well-thought-out inclusion. And if the food weren't underwhelming enough? "Absolute horrible customer service," said one TripAdvisor review, "we waited over an hour to get chopped steak and salad." This kind of experience of bland food paired with frustrating service is a sure way to turn customers away.

When you order a Caesar salad, it's fresh greens, crisp croutons, tender chicken with a light touch of cheese, and a creamy salad dressing that you expect. Even if one of these elements fails to deliver, it can ruin the entire dish. A Caesar salad, by its simplicity, should usually be a safe bet on any menu. However, customer feedback indicates that at Longhorns, it's often a gamble. At Longhorns, unfortunately, it's the lettuce that lets it down. Complaints range from lack of crunch to lifeless leaves that imply poor storage or, even worse, old produce. 

Another recurring problem is the heavy-handedness of the dressing. According to one review, "The Caesar Salad had way too much dressing, like they poured a cup of dressing in it." Rather than being lightly coated for flavor, the greens often drown in Caesar dressing, creating an unappetizing, soggy mess. 

With salads, there is no cooking technique to hide behind. Rather, the freshness of the ingredients and the lightness of handling them speak for themselves. And with no premium toppings or elevated interpretation to make up for the flaws, what you're left with is a disappointing bowl of soggy salad that's overpowered by a dressing.

Who doesn't love a good mac and cheese? At Longhorns, the buildup for this favorite comfort dish sounds very promising. The description includes cavatappi noodles, four cheeses, applewood-smoked bacon, and a crispy Parmesan breadcrumb topping. So far — so good! However, what arrives at the table can often be a massive letdown.

With complaints ranging from a lack of flavor, unappealing texture, and no balance of ingredients, this home-style dish does not deliver. Others find it downright disappointing, citing issues ranging from missing breadcrumbs to bacon that's soft and chewy instead of crispy. 

Even when freshly served, this Longhorn staple can feel overworked. The combination of multiple cheeses doesn't always harmonize with all the different flavor profiles working against each other. Other problems include the smoky taste of the bacon used, which totally overwhelms the muted cheese blend. The result is a side dish that can be too cheesy, too salty, and too muddled to enjoy. For diners sensitive to sodium, the mac and cheese may even leave you feeling unwell, and that's not the kind of comfort food experience most are looking for.

There's a method to the madness that went into compiling this public service article. We believe that no one should leave a restaurant feeling shortchanged on a good meal — no matter whether you are into spending big bucks or need to count your pennies. To ensure unbiased results and a fair verdict, we reviewed customer reviews from major platforms including TripAdvisor, Google, Yelp, Reddit, and Quora. The goal? A well-rounded perspective from diners across the board.  

With LongHorn's menu in particular, we aimed to identify recurring themes, patterns, and (most importantly) complaints. By analyzing reviews across multiple locations, we separated the one-off flukes from the dishes that consistently fell short. A closer look at customer narratives provided added intel along with ratings and rankings. This approach allowed us to distinguish one-off negative experiences from widespread issues. 

We also compared feedback across different locations across the country to ensure consistency of the ranking. The final list of "avoidables" includes dishes that customers consistently reported as underwhelming, unappealing, or just not worth the money. While overall reviews of LongHorn are generally good, like any restaurant, there are always weaker links on the menu. Having this information before a visit helps ensure maximum bang for your buck and optimum satisfaction, which we feel is an ideal win/win situation.