We recently celebrated my daughter’s 7th birthday, and for her birthday lunch she choose Longhorn Steakhouse, or as she calls it, Redhorn. Aside from Happy Meals, this is her favorite place to eat. Today, I’m sharing my Longhorn Steakhouse review.
Background On Longhorn Steakhouse
Longhorn Steakhouse was established in 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia by George McKerrow Jr, George Sr., Bill Norman, and Bill Dukes. The franchise now boasts over 500 locations. It became a part of the Darden restaurant family in 2007.
Though originally based in the South, Longhorn has spread across the country. It even opened its first location outside the United States earlier this year. You can now enjoy Longhorn in the Phillipines.
Longhorn originally had a more Saloon/Roadhouse theme, but has transformed in the past two decades into a more Western/Texas theme. The restaurant remains a casual dining destination to this day despite the changes.
Atmosphere and Decor
As mentioned above, Longhorn Steakhouse is a casual dining restaurant. We visited the Airport Blvd location in Mobile. The restaurant was very clean, with an upscale casual fine dining feel.
You definitely feel the Western atmosphere when you step into the building. Well, pop culture Western at least. Think rustic ranch. It has a very different vibe than Texas Roadhouse. You definitely wouldn’t think to throw peanut shells on the floor here. However, its not so nice that you would feel the need to wear a suit here.
Overall, I think they hit the mark for what they were going for. The decor was subtitle, but nice. Not too in your face. It was well taken care of, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.
Menu and Food Review
The Longhorn Steakhouse menu doesn’t stray from your typical steakhouse chain menu. All of the classics are there: ribeyes, sirloin, porterhouse, T-bone, fillet, etc. Options for those that don’t want steak include salmon, shrimp, lobster tail, and chicken.
They offered a nice selection of appetizers, including spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, and a fried onion dish called the Texas Tonion. There were also typical options such as shrimp and chicken wings.
Side options included mac and cheese, baked potato, asparagus, corn on the cobb, sweet potato, french fries, and more. There were soups and salads to choose from, none of which we sampled on this trip. There is a kids menu as well, with a kids sirloin available.
Food Review
Before your entrees come out the server brought out a loaf of bread with some butter. While it was a good quality bread, I prefer the sweet yeast rolls offered at most other steakhouses. That is just my personal preference though. The bread offered at Longhorn is likely a fresher option, as most of the yeast rolls at other steakhouses come in frozen off a truck.
My wife and I opted for the sirloin off the lunch menu. We typically try to go out to eat early into lunch to avoid the lunch rush. Years of working in a restaurant will program this habit into you! She choose a baked potato as her side and a medium cook on her steak. I opted for the mac and cheese and a medium rare cook on my steak.
My son picked the chicken tenders and fries, while my daughter got the kids sirloin with a baked potato. This was her first time getting her own steak, as she usually got chicken tenders and sampled from my wife’s order.
Both steaks came out cooked exactly as ordered. We’ve eaten at Longhorn quite a few times over the past couple of years, and we’ve never had trouble with the cook on our steaks. Their sirloin has tremendous flavor, and its always tender. No steak I’ve had from here has ever needed a sauce to complement it.
The mac and cheese had a parmesan crust that was to die for! The dished boasted a four cheese blend and the top was completely covered with parmesan bread crumbs and bacon. I usually get the fries, but I’m glad I changed it up this time!
The baked potatoes were baked potatoes. Nothing special, but good nonetheless. The fries were great as usual. They were seasoned perfectly. The chicken tenders were a good quality as well. Hard to mess those up.
Longhorn Steakhouse Prices
The prices are in line with all of the other chains. A 12 oz ribeye will run you around $27, which unfortunately is around the standard these days. You can get an 8 oz sirloin for a more affordable $16.50. Both choices came with one side and salad.
A fillet can be had for $26, while a porterhouse will run you $36. The chicken tender kids meal was $8.50, while the kids sirloin was $10. Drinks clocked in at $3.40, which while astronomically high, unfortunately is par for the course at any restaurant other than a fast food joint. This is a big money maker for restaurants, as each drink literally costs cents.
I thought the prices were fair for the experience we enjoyed. The steak prices were comparable to Texas Roadhouse, which had a location right across the streak. And while the prices were similar, the quality was not. I thought the Longhorn sirloin were far superior to those at Texas Roadhouse.
One huge plus for Longhorn is that they give their prices on their website. A lot of restaurants don’t, or they make you start a pickup order before seeing them. For those working on a budget, getting to see the prices before heading out is helpful.
Service
As I mentioned earlier, we like to arrive early when we go out to eat for lunch. This is a good restaurant hack for getting great service. We had no wait time for a table, and our server attended us almost immediately after sitting at the table to get our drink order.
The food came out very quickly for having three steaks on the order. It definitely helped that none of our steaks were cooked beyond medium. Always remember that if you order a medium well or well done steak, its going to take quite a bit longer to cook.
Our server checked on us frequently and was very pleasant. No drinks ran out and we didn’t have to wait long to get the check once we were done eating. Those are my main measuring sticks when it comes to service.
This wasn’t our first trip to Longhorn, and we have never had bad service at this location. At least in the early hours, they batting a thousand when it comes to service.
Final Verdict On Longhorn Steakhouse
With good food, good prices, and good service, I highly recommend Longhorn Steakhouse if you are looking for a casual steakhouse experience. As I hinted earlier in the review, I prefer Longhorn to its chief competitor, Texas Roadhouse. You will often find these establishments near each other, and I think Longhorn is the better bet for your dining needs.
