Texas Roadhouse Secret Menu Items You'll Wish You Knew About Sooner

The Texas Roadhouse menu doesn't change very often, so ordering off the secret menu can open up a world of possibilities. One of the rules Texas Roadhouse employees are forced to follow is to push customers to get upgrades. So, with servers better able to meet their goals when you order upgrades to your dishes, you can bet they won't mind when you ask for a secret menu item. Just keep in mind that while some hidden menu items are fairly inexpensive, others add extra ingredients that can add to your final tab.

The secret menu at Texas Roadhouse goes much deeper than simply ordering your food "loaded" and "smothered." Any ingredient from the menu is ripe for mixing and matching, resulting in some fairly interesting secret menu items you're welcome to order. We've found secret menu items lurking completely off the menu and others hiding in plain sight as ordinary menu items waiting to be transformed into something extraordinary. So, next time you're at Texas Roadhouse and can't quite find what you're looking for on the regular menu, you might want to consider ordering off the secret menu instead.

Read more: Steakhouse Chains Where The Sides Outshine The Steaks

Pulled Pork Cactus Blossom

When you look at the Texas Roadhouse Just for Starters menu, you'll find a gorgeous golden Cactus Blossom, which mimics the Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse. Ordinarily, it just comes with Cajun dipping sauce. However, you can ask for other ingredient upgrades. Adding pulled pork turns your Cactus Blossom into a Pulled Pork Cactus Blossom. With the chain pushing servers to sell upgrades, there's nothing odd about asking for extra ingredients on your appetizers. Every extra layer of deliciousness you add is profitable for the restaurant (since they charge more). However, it's also profitable for your taste buds.

TikTok user @pimpvanillaslim gave the world a sneak peek at the screen that allows servers to add upgrades to meals. Most people know they can "smother" their food with sauteed mushrooms and onions. However, she said, "You can also add other stuff: shrimp, veggie kabob, pork (which is pulled pork), kebab skewer, grilled chicken breast, catfish, salmon, mushrooms ... to anything." With that logic, she said it's possible to order a pulled pork Cactus Blossom. The meat comes from the Pulled Pork Sandwich, but you can get it without BBQ sauce if you'd like.

The pulled pork upgrade is about $8 extra, but it turns it into an entree, which is cheaper than any entree on the menu. Just keep in mind that the Cactus Blossom starts at 2250 calories, so pulled pork adds about 550 calories to the tally (with BBQ sauce).

Grilled Cheese

When you look at the Kids & Ranger Mealsmenu at Texas Roadhouse, there are a lot of options. However, the only one that doesn't feature meat is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. While that might be okay for some people, sometimes a kid or a vegetarian stuck in a restaurant full of meat entrees just wants a grilled cheese. Luckily, it's possible to order Grilled Cheese in most Texas Roadhouse restaurants, even if you don't see it on the menu.

According to TikTokker and Texas Roadhouse employee @pimpvanillaslim, Grilled Cheese is among the "secret menu items" you can order at Texas Roadhouse. It's available on the kids' menu screen employees use to send your order to the kitchen. It's only about $5.50, but it only comes with one side item. So, you'll have to pay extra if you want an additional side.

There's no reason you have to keep your Grilled Cheese boring, either. Some extras available on the screen for the Grilled Cheese include mushroom and chili, so you could even ask for a Chili Grilled Cheese or a Mushroom Grilled Cheese if you'd like. Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches are within the realm of possibility if only you ask.

Ice Cream

Anything you see on the menu at Texas Roadhouse is likely available separately. So, you can get a bit creative with ordering. The only place you'll see ice cream on the menu is on top of Granny's Apple Classic pie or the Big Ol' Brownie. After consuming appetizers, a steak, and sides, sometimes your dessert just isn't as big as you'd like. So, if you don't think you have room for a whole slice of pie or a brownie or want a dessert that only has 280 calories instead of 1,100 to 1,200 calories like those do, you can ask for Ice Cream all by itself. At only about $3, it's also $4 cheaper than either of those desserts.

Ice Cream is another item available through the kids' menu. It's on the same screen as side items for kids' meals. So, you don't have to feel shy about asking for Ice Cream alone as a dessert. You may even try asking for it covered in one of the sauces you see on the dessert menu. For example, you could ask for it with the honey cinnamon caramel sauce from Granny's Apple Classic pie, strawberry topping from the Strawberry Cheesecake, or Hershey's chocolate syrup from the Big Ol' Brownie. So, then, you'd end up with a sundae instead of a plain bowl of ice cream. Keep in mind that adding sauce will also add an extra 80 calories for strawberry, 150 for chocolate, and 290 for cinnamon caramel.

Chili Cheese Dog And Southwest Smother Dog

A Chili Cheese Dog is another Texas Roadhouse secret menu item you probably didn't know about. One of the items available on the "Kids & Ranger Meals menu is the All-beef Hot Dog. The hotdog looks a little lonely, sitting all alone in its bun with no toppings. However, you don't have to order it plain. You can add upgrades, with one possibility being to turn it into a chili cheese dog. Even if you're eating in a steakhouse, sometimes nothing but a chili cheese dog will do.

The total for a hotdog and a single side only comes to about $5.50. However, there is an upgrade available for just an extra $0.50 that will turn it into a chili cheese dog. If you're picky about what's in your chili, you may want to specify whether you get the chili with or without beans since the restaurant chain has both varieties.

There's another type of hotdog you can get called the Southwest Smother. Like anything else on the menu, you could also order your hotdog smothered with sauteed onions and mushrooms. Asking for Jack cheese and green chiles turns it into a Southwest Smother. Doing so will turn your boring little hotdog into a more filling masterpiece with just a few little upgrades. Of course, every upgrade costs a little more, but the end results are worth it.

Smothered Cactus Blossom With Jack Cheese

There's more than one way to gussy up your Cactus Blossom at Texas Roadhouse. Another secret menu item you've likely never heard of is the Smothered Cactus Blossom with Jack Cheese. This menu item is another example of finding ingredients elsewhere on the menu to upgrade an existing item. A Smothered Cactus Blossom with Jack Cheese comes with sauteed onions and mushroom and a layer of melted Jack cheese.

You can find Jack cheese on menu items like the Smokehouse Burger. Jack cheese has a mild flavor profile that works nicely melted over all those fried onion petals. If you'd rather go with a different cheese, you could opt instead for another cheese you find on the burger and salad menu, like American cheese, Parmesan, or cheddar. Some people like to go a step further and add sliced jalapeño peppers (an ingredient in Rattlesnake Bites) or bacon (an ingredient from the Tater Skins appetizer).

Tiktokker @prestonstewart13 says, "Loaded Blossom was something we pushed at my store when I was SM!" Instead of coming with grilled onions, mushrooms, and Jack cheese, a loaded blossom would come with cheese and bacon. So, it just depends on what flavor combos appeal to you most as to how you want to order it.

Small Salads

When you order a salad from Texas Roadhouse, they're gigantic and full of veggies and meat. Salad leftovers are rarely good, so if you don't have the appetite for a huge salad or want to save room for appetizers and dessert, there's an option to order a Small Salad instead. This secret menu item can still be ordered even though you won't find it on the main entree menu.

There are a couple of non-meat salads along with meat-topped salads. The meat salads are a House Salad or a Caesar Salad topped with grilled chicken, grilled salmon, Chicken Critters (chicken tenders), or steak filets. Thinking about the type of meat you want can help you create the small salad you want.

TikTokker and Texas Roadhouse employee @pimpvanillaslim says, "If you want a smaller salad and a cheaper salad, ... then order the kid's meal protein that you want, ... and then tell your server you want to order a salad but have it come on top of it." You might notice that it's about $0.80 extra to add a salad to a kid's meal, but it's still way cheaper than ordering a big salad you can't eat in its entirety. For example, ordering a Jr. Chicken Tenders meal from the kid's menu with a house salad would only cost around $6.80, while ordering an entree-sized Chicken Critter Salad would cost around $12.50. So, you're saving money while getting a more manageable food portion.

Pulled Pork Cheese Fries

Just like you can order the Cactus Blossom with pulled pork, the Cheese Fries are great with pulled pork, too. The Cheese Fries already come with bacon crumbles and have cheddar cheese melted on top of them. But adding pulled pork adds another layer of pork and deliciousness.

The pulled pork originally comes on the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. However, it tastes pretty amazing as a topping for cheese fries, whether with or without the BBQ sauce. If you're unsure whether you really want BBQ sauce with it, you can always ask for the BBQ sauce on the side instead of drizzled on top of the pork and fries.

The nice thing about Pulled Pork Cheese Fries is that the fries that Texas Roadhouse uses are steak fries, so they're strong and hefty enough to be able to support the pulled pork on the journey from plate to mouth. However, you might still need to use a fork if you ordered it drizzled in BBQ sauce since it could get messy.

Pulled Pork Tater Skins

While thinking about things to add to your appetizers, don't forget about the Tater Skins. We've always found that Tater Skins go too quickly, especially if you're sharing with them around the table. However, adding ingredients can make them go even further, especially if dividing them up with multiple people. Texas Roadhouse's Tater Skins are covered in melted cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles. However, if you want to zhuzh them up a bit and make them even more delectable, Pulled Pork Tater Skins are a great option. Is there an appetizer at Texas Roadhouse that doesn't taste good with pulled pork? We doubt it.

Tiktokker @haybug120203 is enamored with the combination of "skins with pork kick add jack+jalapeño. Chef's kiss." If you need a little translation, it's an order of Tater Skins with pulled pork, Jack cheese, and jalapeños on top. The pulled pork typically comes with BBQ sauce, so you'll want to decide if you want to keep it or just go with the sour cream that comes with the tater skins. Either way, you'll end up with a tasty appetizer.

Texas Poutine

Tiktokker @nexcheets says, "My sister works for Texas and she makes something called Texas poutine for us. Soooooo good." While it's not exactly like the Canadian version of poutine with cheese curds, it does get the fries and brown gravy part right. The "Texas" part of the dish comes from melting Jack cheese over the top instead of adding cheese curds, so it's more of a fusion dish. It may not have the right mouth feel without squeaky cheese curds, but it may be your best chance for poutine if you've been craving it. After all, it's not an easy menu item to find in most places in the U.S.

There are a couple of ways you could order Texas Poutine if your server doesn't know it by name. You could order a Cheese Fries appetizer with Jack cheese instead of cheddar cheese, minus bacon, plus brown gravy. Alternatively, you could order Steak Fries as an appetizer with melted Jack cheese and brown gravy on top. So, you just need to decide if you want an appetizer-size or a side-item-size serving of Texas Poutine.

Parmesan Garlic Rolls

One of the draws of Texas Roadhouse is its complimentary rolls and cinnamon butter. They're so good that people order them by the dozen. However, if you're craving a more savory than sweet version, you'll want to ask your server for Parmesan Garlic Rolls. A former Texas Road House employee and Tiktokker @rileybaert3 says to "ask for garlic lemon butter for the rolls. Tastes. Like garlic bread." Asking for Parmesan gives you Parmesan Garlic Rolls instead of just plain Garlic Rolls.

You should be able to get Parmesan Garlic Rolls as long as you see Grilled Shrimp on the menu since it's the source of the garlic lemon butter. Parmesan cheese comes from the Caesar Salads, so it's freshly grated Parmesan, not the sprinkle kind. And you never have to worry about if rolls will be on the menu since the craving for those rolls gets so many people through the door in the first place.

Sweet Loaded Chocolate Cheesecake

When it comes to savory items at Texas Roadhouse, ordering them loaded would score dairy products like butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese (depending on what you order). Plus, it comes with satisfying bacon crumbles. However, there's also a sweet version of "loaded" at Texas Roadhouse, where the server adds melted honey cinnamon caramel sauce and toasted marshmallows. While this combo is most popular on Sweet Potatoes, it can carry over to other sweet menu items as well. Toasted marshmallows on top of cheesecake? Yum.

Tiktokker @Last.woman says, "Roadie here. Do a cheesecake. No strawberries. Add a sweet load and chocolate sauce." Et voila: sweet, loaded chocolate cheesecake. The resulting cheesecake is a chocolate one instead of a strawberry one and has honey cinnamon caramel sauce and toasted marshmallows on top. You're in for a flavor and textural treat with this one, so don't forget Sweet Loaded Chocolate Cheesecake is a possibility next time you're thinking about dessert at Texas Roadhouse.

Sweet Loaded Applesauce

One of the most unexpected Texas Roadhouse's secret menu items is Sweet Loaded Applesauce. Sweet Potatoes and cheesecake aren't the only sweet menu items you can sweet load. When @pimpvanillaslim was giving her TikTok tip about pulled pork Texas Blossoms, @frenchyfry02 said, "I work at a Roadhouse in Iowa so I know all this but you're forgetting about a sweet loaded Applesauce." He says it's "marshmallows and caramel on top of an apple sauce."

So, if you want something sweet but don't want to get a huge dessert, you can always opt for Applesauce as a side item and ask for it "sweet loaded." Your server will know exactly what you mean. It's about $1.30 extra and can make your ordinary Applesauce extraordinary. However, you'll probably want to note that the caramel sauce and marshmallows add 390 calories to a 110-calorie side, making it much more indulgent.

Sweet loaded Applesauce is kind of like getting a caramel apple that's easier to eat, with a bonus of toasted marshmallows on top. It's likely something you didn't know you wanted, but once you try it, you'll be hooked.

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