11 Best Chain Steakhouses In America

More so than any other type of meat, beef is regularly purchased and consumed in America. 

While you can always light the grill and cook your filet at home, there are many steakhouses all around the country where you can receive superior meat, mouthwatering sides, and a really opulent experience. 

There is therefore a good chance that there is a steakhouse close by that meets your needs, if you’re searching for a chain restaurant that offers creative takes on traditional favorites or an old-school premium establishment that allows you to relish a glass (or bottle!) of wine and a huge, perfectly seared piece of meat.

We’ve grown to rely on these restaurants for satisfying meals like a juicy steak and a cool beer that are enjoyed in a welcoming and boisterous-enough setting. 

We set out to identify the nation’s top chain steakhouses because we have a right to unfettered access to them from coast to coast.

For our purposes today, we’re simply listing one of the two very distinct sorts of chain steakhouses: the casual ones. 

Although Ruth’s Chris and Outback both specialize on steak, comparing the two would be like comparing apples and oranges because they couldn’t be more dissimilar in every other way. 

On the other hand, contrasting Outback to LongHorn is a topic worth investigating.So what comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “chain steakhouse”? 

It’s probably a macho, rustic-looking edifice made of wood that is decorated with an arresting, highly lighted emblem. 

There is a bar inside with a few TVs, lots of comfortable seats, possibly some cow memorabilia on the wall (and boomerangs, in the context of Outback), fluorescent beer signs, and clearly a steak-heavy menu. 

But there are many minute variations, and each chain is identical to any other. In order to compile our list of the top chain steakhouses in America (see also ‘Ranking The Top 18 Pizza Chains In America‘), we looked at 11 different establishments.

We listed them based on the range of steaks offered, the quality of meat, the overarching dining experience and ambiance, the quantity and selection of side dishes as well as other menu items, and extras like lunch specials, charitable endeavors, promotions, and extra efforts like making clear when particular menu items are available.

What Makes A Great Steakhouse?

We expect to have a fantastic experience when we enter a steakhouse.

But there are other things that go into making an experience fantastic, like exceptional customer service, high-quality meat, a welcoming environment, how your dish is prepared, and reasonable rates. 

Unfortunately, not every steakhouse can offer you everything you need in a single bundle. Let’s take a look at some of the most important things that make an amazing steakhouse experience.

1. Excellent Service

Being treated with the decency and patience you deserve is what is meant by providing quality customer service.  In addition, they ought to be pleasant and amiable while still acting professionally. 

When describing the available options, they ought to be audible enough. The wait staff should be prompt to wipe the table after you finish your meal and should not pressure you to leave early.

2. Great Atmosphere

The steakhouse needs to be as spotless as possible, with air conditioners that are in good working order to eliminate cooking aromas – it should have traditional and interesting decor and nice lighting. 

You should be able to talk to each other without yelling at one another if the noise levels are low enough. Additionally, it should have enough seating, but not with tables crammed together because this will make its customers feel crowded. 

3. Top-Notch Cuts

When it concerns the quality of beef a restaurant serves, they should never skimp. Prime cuts of beef should be USDA-approved. 

When restaurants follow these guidelines, you can be sure that the meat you consume comes from young animals who were fed grass rather than corn. This is because animals raised on corn have increased fat levels, which are bad for your body. 

If a steakhouse complies with these rules, you may be sure that the meat you are eating was raised using the best, most hygienic practices. They also taste the best, too, which is arguably the most important thing! 

4. Skilled Staff

A superb steakhouse should have wait staff and cooks who are highly trained and experienced. This is primarily due to the fact that, if you frequently dine at that specific steakhouse, they should already be aware of your preferred steak. 

Additionally, they want to be able to understand how their most loyal customers prefer their cuts prepared. Additionally, the personnel should be knowledgeable enough to advise customers on the best steaks based on their requirements.

Now we’ve gone through the 4 major things that make a steakhouse the best, let’s have a look at 11 restaurants that take these 4 factors (and more!) to a whole new level.

The 11 Best Chain Steakhouses In America

1. LongHorn Steakhouse

The best chain steakhouse, LongHorn Steakhouse, has more than 435 sites across over 40 states. 

The rooms are comfy and not tacky, the steaks are aged, there is a great variety of foods and a lower-calorie menu, a decent bar with 9 different margaritas, restaurants are energy-efficient, and contribute to the community.

Specials are centered on local produce (made clear on the menu), and there even is a hotline they have set up that will give you tips for grilling steaks.

The extensive selection of steaks includes a 30-ounce porterhouse for 2 with tableside steak sauce, which you won’t be finding in any other chain steakhouse. 

Starters include Parmesan-crusted asparagus and shrimp and lobster dip. Along with the normal selection of steaks in a variety of sizes, there is also a filet packed with cheese and bacon and a grilled sirloin with bacon, egg, and bordelaise. 

Longhorn is ultimately the best informal chain steakhouse across America.

2. Texas Roadhouse

If you like the honky-tonk feel, Texas Roadhouse has pretty much everything you’d want from a bar plus chain steakhouse. 

The Indiana-based franchise, which operates in almost every state, offers not just a good time (and free peanuts! ), but also a great menu, great margaritas, and a few of the best chain-restaurant steaks around. 

With the exception of the 23-ounce porterhouse, which you’re on your own for, hand-cut USDA-Choice steaks come in an average of three sizes and are visible to the entire restaurant through a display case before they’re cooked. 

Almost every item on the menu is freshly made at each location, including the prime rib, which is prepared throughout the day.

The ribs and chili are world-class, the steaks are beautifully prepared, and specialty beverages such as the Jamaican Cowboy possibly go down a bit easily. 

Texas Roadhouse fulfills the promise of a good time in addition to serving steaks that are far superior than they ought to be.

3. Black Angus Steakhouse

There are 44 sites of Black Angus, a West Coast franchise, throughout the states. All steaks here are Black Angus cows, matured for a three-week minimum period, seared over an open fire, and slathered with seasoned butter. 

The chain has been around since 1964. The many sides include loaded baked potatoes, green beans and bacon and more, and the steaks include filet, NY Strips, rib-eyes, top sirloins, flat iron, as well as prime rib. 

The focus is on the steak here compared to the voluminous menus at many other franchises, and their feast for two includes steaks, appetizers, and dessert.

Additionally, there is a specific menu for large groups, and some locations offer an additional Bull’s Eye Bar sports bar.

4. Outback

Outback, the biggest chain on our list, with more than 1,000 outlets nationwide and a few hundred more worldwide.

Despite being based in Tampa, where it was formed in 1988, it has perhaps done more to popularize faux-Australian customs than Crocodile Dundee.

Like many larger restaurants, there are frequently numerous specials and regional cuisines, but you can always rely on the dependability of the steaks. 

There are several cuts available, including sirloins, filets, strips, rib-eyes, and porterhouses, and you can specify whether you want it “wood fire grilled,” which is prepared more delicately, or “classic seasoned and seared,” which involves being rubbed with a mixture of 17 seasonings and grilled on a flattop with beef tallow and butter.

Prime ribs and sirloins topped with Bloomin’ Onion petals, mushroom sauce, as well as chile pepper cream sauce are other beef alternatives. 

At Outback, you know that you’re in for a genuine chain steakhouse affair, for better or worse.

Its famous Bloomin’ Onion and Cheese fries are among the unhealthiest items you could eat at a restaurant, and there’s no clue whether or not the meat is aged at all.

5. Jeff Ruby’s Precinct

This restaurant is a premium steakhouse chain in the Southern United States that has sites in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. It has been around for more than 40 years and serves well-known dishes and exceptional steaks. 

When it comes to upscale steakhouses, there are a few factors that put Jeff Ruby’s Precinct at the top of the list.

They place a lot of emphasis on their appetizers, serving up traditional salads like the Freddie with copious amounts of delicious bacon and rich ranch dressing. 

Their wedge salad is also terrific, featuring chunks of blue cheese, a lot of fresh dill, and thinly sliced red onion. These both would make excellent light meals on their own.

6. Guard And Grace

Guard & Grace provides a high-end steakhouse service with sites in Colorado, Denver, and Houston, Texas, with a focus on your satisfaction from the moment you enter. 

At this amazing steakhouse, innovation reigns supreme, as the cooks skillfully upgrade classic meals and steaks while preserving the look, texture, and flavor of the classic dish. 

Guard and Grace provides a wide selection of handcrafted cocktails to complement its steaks, sides, and delectable desserts.

7. Saltgrass Steakhouse

Saltgrass serves amazing steaks that are flavored with a combination of 7 spices and served with garlic butter at the majority of its Texas locations and a few elsewhere. 

The steaks include top sirloins, prime ribs, rib-eyes, NY strips, porterhouses, filets, as well as a 24-ounce cowboy, along with Oscar topping, a classic steakhouse combination of crab, lemon-flavored butter, and asparagus, Gulf shrimp, mushrooms, and onions. 

Private parties can use the banquet rooms, and there are special appetizers like shrimp or chicken enbrochette,  seafood fondeaux , and jumbo crab piled with pico de gallo and avocado. Happy hour offers $2.50 draught beers.

8. Urban Farmer

The family of Urban Farmer restaurants includes locations in Denver, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Portland. 

If you live in or are exploring Portland, Oregon, you must try Urban Farmer. Urban Farmer is a proponent of combining natural ingredients in fresh ways. 

Their Portland, Oregon restaurant combines a high-end steakhouse with a farmhouse ambiance to create a welcoming, sophisticated atmosphere.

Then there is the steak, a wonderful local cattle that has been fed grass and corn, paired with local wine and a variety of mouthwatering sides like mac and cheese.

9. The Palm

Although it’s practically impossible to leave this restaurant without paying at least a few hundred dollars, spoiling yourself at The Palm won’t make you regret it in the slightest. In fact, the meal is so wonderful that it will seem like a terrific deal.

The meat’s quality is what truly differentiates dishes at The Palm. Their beef is matured for at least 35 days and is fed only corn. 

It is also hand-selected by a specialist to ensure that only the very best is served in the establishment. A steak that surpasses all other steaks is the end result of that laborious effort.

10. Ruth Chris Steakhouse

The superb food at Ruth’s Chris has a reputation, and that notoriety is wholly merited. It has mastered the art of delivering exquisitely tasty steaks. This restaurant always does the trick if you’re trying to impress.

Because of Ruth’s Chris’s great reputation, you can be certain to enjoy anything on the menu. 

The franchised Ruth’s Chris restaurant in New Orleans has a proven formula for success, using only the top 2% of USDA prime beef, which is cooked to 1800 degrees and presented on scorching 500-degree plates. 

Ruth’s Chris does have a lot to prove to given its reputation and cost – and it always delivers. Their complimentary valet service will get your evening off to a great start. 

Meat from cows that begin their meals on a grass-fed diet before moving to a corn-fed diet is used to produce filets, bone-in rib eyes, T-bones, and porterhouses, all while abiding by USDA standards for grades, quality, testing, and ethical sourcing. 

Ruth Fertel, the company’s creator, would be pleased with this quality. Ruth, the chain’s creator, only selected the finest cuts served with friendly service and great moments, and they proudly keep up that tradition today, according to a representative.

11. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

The Fleming’s menu is so extensive that it could be daunting. But as long as you are confident that you can’t fail, you may relish considering each and every suggestion.

Even though Fleming’s has a smaller selection of steaks than other steakhouses, every steak there is excellent.

They could cost more than steakhouses with a more relaxed atmosphere, but because of the high caliber of their steaks, you’re really getting a fair price.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is an excellent choice for date night, a meal with colleagues, or simply a delicious evening with family and friends.

It’s got all the ambience of a traditional American steakhouse, with amazingly high-quality steaks to boot.

Final Thoughts

Steakhouses are settings for opulence and extravagance; they host elegant business dinners, gilded anniversaries, opulent parties, and dressed-up soirées.

Naturally, they may also be more relaxed occasions where friends and family congregate around hefty plates of meat.

Steakhouse chains, whether they have dozens of outlets or just a handful in big regions, are as synonymous with American cuisine as apple pie, hot dogs, and local barbecues. 

Apart from having different menus and cuisines, a steakhouse can be distinguished from another by the quality of the meat it serves as well as how it is procured, aged, and prepared. 

These factors can create the difference between an excellent meal and a fantastic one. It can be difficult to choose the best chain steakhouses in America seen as there are so many to choose from.

So we hope this list has helped you narrow it down so that you can enjoy a delicious evening of the trademark high-quality meat and ambience that comes with a top American steakhouse.