I Ordered A Side Caesar Salad From 6 Popular Chain Restaurants And Found Out Which One Is The Tastiest (And Most Worth The Upcharge)

"The moment I had my first bite of this Caesar salad, I knew the others simply couldn't compete..."

Whenever I go out to eat with the girlies, I get hit with a nonnegotiable craving for a Caesar salad the very moment I scooch into the booth. Even though I peruse the other "non-premium" side options, I always end up ordering myself a cute little side salad. They can upcharge me all they want and I won't mind because as far as I'm concerned, crunchy romaine tossed in zesty dressing and sprinkled with fresh parmesan is the height of luxury when you're out on a Tuesday night.

Kelsie Hammond

Here's what I'm hyped for when my Caesar side salad arrives:

🧀 Lots of fresh cheese

🍞 A handful of crunchy croutons

🥬 Bright and crisp lettuce

🧄🍋🎣 Dressing that punches through with garlic/lemon/anchovy flavor

But of course — not all Caesar salads are created equal. Sometimes they absolutely hit and even outshine the meal, but other times...they just aren't it. I'm not always 100% sure of how tasty it will be. Honestly? It just depends on the restaurant.

I decided it was my life's mission to uncover which restaurants are running the Caesar salad game and which ones are chillin' on the bench.

To accomplish this, I set off on a noble quest and ventured to six common chain restaurants specifically to try one from each of them.

Here are the restaurants mentioned in this post, and the cost for each:

Red Lobster: $2.49 to add a side salad

Applebee’s: $3.49 to add a side salad

Carrabba’s: All entrees come with a choice of side salad or soup automatically

Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse: No upcharge

After my journey, I'm confident that I've found out once and for all which restaurants have a fresh Caesar side salad that serves up the crunch and flavor we’re looking for, which ones may have some tasty elements but miss the mark on other toppings, and which ones are just wet lettuce complete with runny dressing haphazardly spurted on top. I'll be starting with my least favorite and building up to the bangin' salads that you'll be craving by the end of this list! Keep scrolling to watch the action unfold.

6. Outback Steakhouse: one crouton to rule them all.

Kelsie Hammond

Outback really said "ʟᴇᴛᴛᴜᴄᴇ, cheese, ᶜʳᵒᵘᵗᵒⁿ" with this one. I'm not gonna lie though, the singular crouton daintily placed directly on top is sort of a power move. It's not as empty as it looks though, so I'll give it some credit for the two, (count 'em, two) lil' crouts hiding under a cloak of lettuce. I did appreciate that they were tossed into the mix of some very garlic-forward dressing instead of thrown on top because that wasn't the case for all salads on this list. When they're tossed, the croutons absorb a bit of dressing and it makes for a more succulent bite. That being said — there's gotta be points off for quantity. The missing crispy boys aren't the only reason Outback landed so low on this list.

The real culprit? The cheese. Shredded bits of flavorless white.

Kelsie Hammond

I usually love all cheese always, but this parmesan didn't taste like anything. It wasn't moist or rich, but instead dry and kind of...crunchy? The crunch should come from the lettuce, but not the cheese. Ironically, the cheese was hard and the lettuce leaves were floppy. Also, (and this might totally be a preference thing for me!) I don't really love the super dark leaves (the very end bits of romaine) because it ends up tasting much earthier than the brighter parts, and I feel like I'm chomping rogue leaves from a tree, giraffe-style.

Kelsie Hammond

5. Applebee's — yep, that's a salad 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Kelsie Hammond

I would like to start by saying I have nothing but love for my girl Applebee's — aka the most popping karaoke spot in town. This wasn't horrible but it wasn't a bop either. The parts that were appetizing were reallyyy solid — like, just take a look at that stunning presentation and gorgeous shaved parm. Exquisite. The bold flavor of the cheese cut right through and stole the show, which was welcome, especially considering I was expecting low-quality and powdery cheese.

However, I did find a powdery element in the mix where I was definitely not looking for it — the croutons.

Kelsie Hammond

The croutons were somehow spongey and powdery at the same time and this phenomenon challenged my understanding of physics. They were squishy at first, but once you bit down, it would burst into a cloud of dry dust. Don't ask me how. I'm not a scientist. I wish I could say the crouton flop was saved by the dressing because it could have given it some moisture, but sadly the dressing was watery garlicky mayonnaise. The flavor was almost in the aioli domain much more than Caesar salad territory.

Kelsie Hammond

4. Longhorn Steakhouse: Caesar? I hardly know her.

Kelsie Hammond

Longhorn, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Let me start with the positive. I did enjoy the rich flavor of the cheese and the flaky crunch of the croutons that tasted similar to breadcrumbs — very comforting and homey.

Although the cheese and croutons were pretty good, they weren't good enough to keep me from noticing how the salad only had but a whisper of dressing, and how unreasonably gargantuan the lettuce leaves were.

Kelsie Hammond

I know, I know — I can very easily get an extra side of Caesar dressing and cut the leaves up into fork-friendly bits myself (like a peasant) and that's totally not the end of the world. But isn't there just something so satisfying and convenient about a salad that's ready to dig into without having to do a little mixy mix and choppy chop first?

Kelsie Hammond

I do want to say that after I asked nicely for an extra side of dressing, I really liked it! It was super creamy and had bits of parmesan mixed in which added a fun textural element of cheesy grittiness. I globbed it right on top and just kind of swirled it around the dish which wasn't as ✨cohesive✨ as a traditionally tossed Caesar salad, so for that reason, she didn't make the top 3 on this list. Let me say though, it does have the potential to be great.

Kelsie Hammond

3. Texas Roadhouse — well, howdy! 🤠

Kelsie Hammond

What do I have to say about the Texas Roadhouse Caesar salad? Yee. Freakin'. Haw. This was SO bomb. As you can see, she was glistening in the light with the creamiest dressing on this list, tossed in freshly chopped lettuce, and served on a chilled bowl (which I didn't know I needed, but that cold base amped this wayyy up).

Kelsie Hammond

I didn't know this one would have me doin' the boot-scootin'-boogie in my booth to the Country music that was blasting through the restaurant, but I couldn't help it. In terms of freshness and flavor? I have no notes. It was packed full of toasty croutons. Thick garlic and parmesan-infused dressing coated crispy romaine like a blanket of zest. If I have to get picky, I will say it was lacking in shredded cheese on top. It is in the dressing, so since it still has cheese somewhere you're not totally missing out on pungent parmesan flavor.

Kelsie Hammond

2. Red Lobster — the big salad.

Kelsie Hammond

My first impression of the Red Lobster Caesar salad was "Whoa, big mama." Yeah, I said this out loud in my booth by myself. It warranted that reaction because it was STACKED. Like, piled high to the sky.

Kelsie Hammond

See what I mean? The girth?? On top of that, the rest of the salad honestly delivered everything that you could ask for. Plenty of sharp cheese and crispy croutons. The dressing was perfectly balanced with a kick of garlic, a pinch of cracked black pepper, a hint of sugary sweetness, and rounded out with a distinct savory umami flavor from the anchovy. The only thing it was missing was some lemon juice for acidity, but honestly, nothing a quick squeeze of a lemon wedge couldn't fix. 

Kelsie Hammond

1. 🏆 Carrabba's — the shining star of the Caesars.

Kelsie Hammond

The moment I had my first bite of Carrabba's Caesar salad I knew the others simply couldn't compete. This is what I've been waiting for my entire overly salad-enthused life. You can see from the picture that it was the smallest portion on this list, but it made the biggest impact on my taste buds.

Kelsie Hammond

The cheese? Rich. Moist. Luxurious. The croutons? Freshly baked. Toasty. Lightly tossed and soaked in dressing. Speaking of dressing — it won by a landslide for best dressed. This is the only dressing that comes out swinging with the lemon tang that I've been missing alongside the anchovy and garlic tastes. Now that's what I call Caesar dressing, my friends. All these flavors are joined together, but no one, in particular, is taking up too much space. Every flavor is working harmoniously with the others. The lettuce is as fresh as can be and serves as a perfect foundation so the brightness from the other toppings can shine. Every element in this salad shows up equally, and for that reason — Carrabba's is the winner!

Kelsie Hammond

Thanks for going on this salad quest with me! I took this way too seriously and I don't regret it. Let me know in the comments if you have a restaurant with a Caesar salad that can (try to) outrank my faves and I'll certainly check it out. Somehow, even after six of these, I'm still going to order a Caesar salad the next time I'm out to eat.