12 Texas Roadhouse Secret Menu Hacks You'll Want To Order

Texas Roadhouse has gained a loyal following for its hand-cut steaks, piping hot rolls smothered with cinnamon butter, and hearty comfort foods. The menu prices are pretty agreeable, too, and, even though the chain might not be perfect in every single way (you're going to have to turn a blind eye to a lot of the menu items' nutrient content), it's easy to see why the brand has earned a national presence.

However, if you're a frequent Texas Roadhouse patron, then you may find yourself hankering for something a little new. You've eaten every menu item, sampled every special, and you know your local roadhouse inside and out. So what's next?

It may just be time that you dipped into the Texas Roadhouse secret menu. While there is no "official" Texas Roadhouse secret menu, per se, fans and employees alike have frequently spilled their secrets for ordering off-menu items or creating brand-new dishes on social media. These are the Texas Roadhouse menu hacks you're going to want to try next.

Texas Roadhouse? For a hot dog? You betcha. If you don't dine out with kids on the regular, you may've never even glimpsed at the Texas Roadhouse kids meals, but while hot dogs may not be on the adults menu, they're right there in the kids section, alongside mini cheeseburgers, steak bites, and chicken tenders.

The Southwest smother dog is not your average chili dog. Instead, the Southwest smother dog swaps the chili for green chiles. Meanwhile, your typical shredded cheddar is swapped out for gooey jack. Texas Roadhouse will sometimes advertise this meal in select storefronts, but it's not a widely known or even nationwide option so it's definitely more of a secret menu hack.  

Now, it is worth noting that some servers will raise an eyebrow at adults ordering off the kids menu. To get around that, all you have to do is order this item to-go.

It's time to upgrade Texas Roadhouse's cactus blossom with a tasty addition. You already know the cactus blossom. You (probably) love the cactus blossom. Who couldn't love a big ol' fried onion? But, what if you could make that fried delight even bigger and better? According to TikTok user and Texas Roadhouse employee @pimpvanillaslim, while it's not (or at least it wasn't) widely talked about, you can add a topping of pulled pork to your cactus blossom, for more greasy, barbecue-y, sauce-y, savory goodness. 

As is the case with many secret menu hacks that go viral, the head honchos in charge jumped on the bandwagon, too, and Texas Roadhouse quickly made this secret less of one. This tip was published in August of 2023 and, by November, Texas Roadhouse locations were giving social media followers their own advice to order the pulled pork atop the cactus blossom. Still, super-secret or not, it's a menu hack that you've got to try at least once.

A grilled cheese sandwich is a staple kids menu item. It's simple, cheap, and satisfying to even the pickiest of eaters. You won't, though, find a grilled cheese on the Texas Roadhouse kids menu. So if that's really what you (or your child) would like to eat tonight, how can you order it?

Turns out, this is a secret Texas Roadhouse comfort food no one realized we could order. We turn again to a post brought to us by TikTok user and Texas Roadhouse employee @pimpvanillaslim, who in a follow up to her 2023 video regarding the pulled pork cactus blossom, said that, while the pulled pork and cactus blossom are both on the menu, though separately, the grilled cheese is an item you're not going to be able to find on the menu in any form. Still, it exists in the chain's point of sale and is technically considered a potential kids menu item. In 2023, it cost $5.49 and came with one side.

You want a salad. You want some protein. You don't, though, really want a massive, high-calorie, and more expensive salad like the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse filet salad, which, while high in protein (71 grams), is also quite high in calories (1,340), fat (103 grams), and sodium (2,870 milligrams). Even the salmon Caesar salad, which you might expect to be on the healthy side, contains 152% of your daily value of fat and 48% DV of sodium.

Luckily, there's a menu hack for this, too. For a smaller, more affordable, and potentially healthier dinner, TikTok user and Texas Roadhouse employee @pimpvanillaslim recommended ordering a protein-based kids meal and then a salad as your side. Add the protein to the top of the salad and voilà. (Just note that ordering a salad as a kids meal side does come with a minimal upcharge.) 

Let's say you get the Lil' Dillo steak bites from the kids menu. The bites are only 170 calories and 370 milligrams of sodium, but you still get 31 grams of protein. Then, if you add some bleu cheese dressing to the house side salad you get, you'll add on just 510 calories and 690 milligrams of sodium, though another 14 grams of protein. All in all, it works out to a less-filling, but still delicious (and cheaper) meal.

Again, this is Texas Roadhouse secret menu hack that utilizes one of the chain's existing, already great menu items and really takes it up to the next level. Certainly no one is complaining about Texas Roadhouse's rolls, but if you're craving something more savory than sweet, forgo the cinnamon butter and use a hack suggested by TikTok user @sarahmargareteats. Order a side of parmesan cheese and garlic lemon butter (like what the chain normally serves over its shrimp) to go with your rolls. Dip the rolls into the melted butter first, then the parmesan cheese (so the cheese sticks — or as one commenter on the TikTok suggests, cut the roll open and put the cheese inside before dipping it in the butter), and you have an ultra-savory, pre-dinner snack, albeit a somewhat messy one.

Want to try out this hack but all you have are leftover rolls from your prior trip to the roadhouse? Reheat Texas Roadhouse's iconic rolls to first-day fluffy perfection by wrapping the rolls in foil and heating them in the oven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Fries, gravy, cheese. They're all on the Texas Roadhouse menu, but most of us don't think to combine them. When you do, though, you get something that's at least somewhat adjacent to poutine. Sure, it doesn't have that authenticity factor, but if you're just looking for cheesy, gravy-smothered goodness — well, then this Texas Roadhouse menu hack will get you there.

Here's what you're going to do. Order up a side of steak fries, a side of shredded cheese, and a side of brown gravy. Top the fries with the cheese and then add on the gravy. Let the mixture sit for a bit, until the hot gravy can turn the cheese melty, and then dig in.

It's definitely not the real deal, and you might be able to get closer when you make cheater poutine at Culver's, because at least Culver's has cheese curds, but it's definitely not the worst restaurant poutine you could have either.

In addition to topping your cactus blossom with pulled pork, you can also upgrade your cactus blossom by making it "smothered," as is illustrated by a TikTok posted by Kirkwood Texas Roadhouse. That's right. This is a menu hack that's been given a Texas Roadhouse a stamp of approval — or, at least, one location's approval. The "smothering" is actually pretty simple. All it means is that your cactus blossom will be covered with melted jack cheese.

The only downside? Unfortunately, when you're ranking the healthiest and unhealthiest items on the Texas Roadhouse menu, the cactus blossom is at the very bottom of the pack in terms of nutrition. Before adding anything else, it comes with 2,250 calories, 36 grams of sugar, and 5,000 milligrams of sodium — and that extra cheese certainly isn't going to make things any better. Still, sometimes a few sacrifices are worth it if it means you're going to be chowing down on a truly epic secret menu item.

While sliders aren't on the menu at Texas Roadhouse (the closest you'll find are the mini burgers on the kids menu), you can use a little trick to build your own sliders. As one TikTok user, @danosdumpsters, suggests, all you have to do is order a steak, cut it into slider-size portions, and then cut into some of those free rolls before putting together a series of the small sandwiches. While he somewhat jokingly suggests it as a way to save money and feed an entire family with one steak, it's also a great opportunity for creativity — because it's not just steak sliders that you can make.

You can utilize a wide range of menu items at Texas Roadhouse to cobble together some sliders right at your table. For example, use any boneless chicken on the menu to create chicken sliders, or make pseudo-sloppy Joe sliders with some chili. If you need any additional condiments or toppings, simply ask for them on the side, or specifically look for a meaty item that already comes with some toppings, like the Road Kill chop steak topped with onions, mushrooms, and cheese.

Perhaps you like the idea of upgrading your Texas Roadhouse rolls with a savory addition, but the thought of dipping your roll into a bunch of melted butter and shredded cheese gives you the ick. You can already feel that butter dripping down your arm and chin, and the cheese falling into your lap, and that's just a mess you don't want to deal with. Well, no worries, because you have options.

For example, you could make sirloin seasoning rolls at Texas Roadhouse. All you have to do, according to a former employee on Reddit, is ask for a side of the sirloin seasoning and dip your bread in it before devouring. The steak seasoning at Texas Roadhouse is a big deal, so it makes sense why this would be a favorite combo. There are even myriad copycat recipes for the seasoning, which combine ingredients such as salt, sugar, garlic and onion powder, pepper, paprika, and turmeric.

If you're craving a buffalo chicken salad and yet find yourself at Texas Roadhouse anyway, there's good news: You can make your own by ordering two menu items. According to TikTok user and Texas Roadhouse employee @alx8177, you want to order the boneless buffalo wings and a large Caesar salad with extra dressing. Add the dressing to the salad and give it a mix, then slice the buffalo chicken wings into bite-sized portions, and add them (and all the sauce) to the top of your salad.

You can also, according to TikTok user @emilyanngonzalez, order the chicken critter salad and ask them to toss the chicken in the buffalo sauce. This produces slightly different results, as the critter salad is a bit different from the Caesar — with lettuce, shredded cheese, hard-boiled egg, tomato, and bacon — but the chicken critters are already in bite-sized pieces, so you don't have to worry about wrangling the boneless wings at your table.

Eating at Texas Roadhouse on a diet — just about any diet — can admittedly be difficult. However, those with certain dietary needs are known to be an inventive bunch and they can often cobble together a meal at many a dining establishment by, more or less, employing a few menu hacks. Luckily, sometimes they'll share these menu hacks with the rest of us, so everyone can enjoy the results.

Take, for example, the loaded broccoli menu hack, which comes courtesy of keto customers. When on the keto diet, you have to avoid a lot of Texas Roadhouses' star menu items, such as those delicious rolls and the loaded baked potatoes. You can, though, order up some loaded broccoli. As explained by a Reddit user on the Keto Food subreddit. Literally all you have to do is order your broccoli, but ask for it to be topped with everything that might normally go on the loaded baked potato: Butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon.

This secret menu item may just give Texas Roadhouse's Road Kill a run for its money, as far as names go. So what is it? Hillbilly hibachi, as explained by TikTok user @mrsstealyostew, is a mixture of chicken, broccoli, and rice — all ingredients that you would normally find at your favorite hibachi spot, but all menu items available at Texas Roadhouse as well.

To mix up a batch of your own, you'll want to order the herb chicken as your entrée, and then broccoli and rice as your sides. You will have to do a bit of chopping, dicing, and mixing to get that hibachi-style blend of all the ingredients. Then, you can choose to pour on some ranch dressing, if you're so inclined. Elsewhere on TikTok, other users have been discovering this hack as well, with commenters giving their own spins on things, saying that you can do the same with the 8-ounce salmon entrée plus rice and broccoli, or the steak kebab with mixed veggies and rice. So long as you have a protein, veg, and rice, you can make hillbilly hibachi.