Texas Roadhouse House Salad

texas roadhouse house salad is a chilled side salad of mixed greens, tomato, red onion, shredded cheddar and croutons with your choice of dressing. It counts as one of the two sides included with an entree, or runs about $2.99 a la carte.

What the house salad is (spec table)

The house salad is Texas Roadhouse’s standard cold side: a bowl of chopped lettuce blend topped with diced tomato, red onion, shredded cheddar and croutons, dressed to order. It is a side portion, not a meal, and arrives before your entree.

It is one of the choices on the two-sides list that comes with steaks, chicken plates and most dinner entrees, which is why plenty of people never see a separate charge for it.

House salad price and how it is billed

Ordered on its own, a house salad is priced like any other side, which is about $2.99 at most locations. Ordered with an entree it costs nothing extra, because it slots into the two sides already built into the entree price.

That trips people up on the bill. Order a steak and pick house salad plus a baked potato, and you pay nothing extra. Order the salad as a starter and still take two hot sides, and the salad becomes a third item that gets charged.

Regional pricing is real here. Coastal stores run higher than Midwest and Southern ones, and some franchise restaurants set their own side price. Check your store in the Texas Roadhouse app or call ahead if the exact number matters.

Calories and nutrition

Texas Roadhouse does not print a calorie count for the house salad on every menu, and the number depends almost entirely on dressing. Undressed greens with tomato, onion, cheddar and croutons is a light item; a full ladle of ranch or blue cheese adds far more than the salad itself.

Rough shape of it: the vegetables and cheese are modest, the croutons add a bit, and a standard restaurant dressing portion often lands between 100 and 300 calories on its own. If you are counting, the best move is asking for dressing on the side and using half.

For an exact figure, use the nutrition sheet on the official Texas Roadhouse site or the in-app view for your location. Menu boards in states with posting laws show it too. Do not trust a generic number copied from another chain’s salad.

Dressings and what goes on top

Standard dressings across most locations are ranch, blue cheese, honey mustard, Italian, thousand island, Caesar and an oil and vinegar option. Availability of the lighter or fat-free versions varies by store, so ask rather than assume.

The toppings are fixed but flexible. Servers will hold the onion, hold the cheese or hold the croutons without a fuss, and most kitchens will swap in extra tomato. Extra cheese or extra croutons are usually granted, though a few stores will ring up an upcharge for a heavy add.

Two things worth knowing. The croutons are the main texture in the bowl, so removing them leaves a plainer salad than you expect. And dressing is ladled generously by default, which is why on-the-side is the most common request servers hear on this item.

How to order it well

Say “house salad, ranch on the side” and you have solved most of the problems with this item in one sentence. Beyond that, timing and pairing are what separate a good order from a soggy one.

• Ask for it with the meal, not before. By default it comes out early. If you want it alongside your steak, say so, or it lands with the rolls and gets forgotten.
• Dressing on the side. Controls both calories and sogginess, and costs nothing.
• Pair it against a heavy second side. Salad plus a loaded baked potato balances better than salad plus steak fries.
• Remember the rolls. Dine-in rolls with cinnamon butter are unlimited and free, so salad plus rolls is a cheap, filling opener.
• Skip the croutons for a gluten concern and confirm dressing ingredients with your server. Shared prep areas mean this is not an allergen-safe item.

House salad vs Caesar vs an entree salad

The Caesar side salad is the direct sibling: romaine, parmesan, croutons, Caesar dressing, same side pricing, same slot on the two-sides list. House salad wins on variety of texture; Caesar wins if you want something sharper next to a plain grilled item.

Entree salads are a different purchase. A grilled chicken or steak salad uses a larger bowl with protein on top at entree pricing, usually mid-teens or higher. If you want a salad as your meal, that is the order, not a doubled-up house salad.

Is it worth it? As a free pick from the two-sides list, easily yes, especially against fried options. Paying $2.99 standalone is fair but unexciting; this is a competent chain side salad, not a signature dish. People drive across town here for the rolls and the steaks.

Ordering it to go

House salad travels better than most items here as long as the dressing is packed separately, which is the takeout default at most stores. Croutons still soften in a closed container, so eat it soon after pickup.

What does not travel is the rolls policy. Unlimited refills apply to dine-in; takeout orders get a set count, and some locations charge for extras. Ask what the roll rules are at your restaurant before building a cheap to-go meal around them.

Where this page can be wrong

This is an independent guide, not the restaurant. We are not affiliated with Texas Roadhouse and we do not receive their price files.

Side pricing, dressing selection and topping upcharges are set at the location level and change without notice. Franchise-operated and non-US stores differ more than company stores. The a la carte figure here reflects the common US side price in mid-2026 and can run 10-15% higher in expensive markets.

We do not publish a calorie number for this item because dressing choice moves it too much for an estimate to be useful. For anything affecting a medical, allergy or dietary decision, confirm with the restaurant or the official nutrition information.

FAQ

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• to-go ordering and prices