Applebee's Vs Chili's: Who Has The Better Steak?

A chain restaurant isn't often the first place that springs to mind when you're craving a steak. Sure, spots like Texas Roadhouse and Outback Steakhouse specialize in unique cuts of beef, but fast-casual behemoths like Chili's and Applebee's are hardly known for their steaks. Still, if a sirloin or ribeye is what you need, the latter two restaurants have you covered with their menus.

To find out who has the better steak, I visited both Chili's and Applebee's and ordered two steaks at each establishment: a 6-ounce sirloin and the ribeye. From the sides to the prices, these steaks were pretty similar, so determining which offered the best steak at the greatest value wasn't easy. But in the end, one chain stood above the other. Read on to find out if you should be following your Triple Dipper with a well-seared sirloin or pairing a ribeye with bottomless margaritas the next time you dine out. Prices are accurate as of December 2024 and dependent on location.

In general, sirloin will be the most affordable steak on any menu. Sirloin is lower in fat and often a tougher, less tender cut of meat than others, which doesn't make it a bad cut by any means, but it requires proper preparation to ensure the steak isn't dry or overly chewy. Applebee's offers two cuts of sirloin: an 8-ounce for $17.99 or a 6-ounce for $15.49, which is what I sampled. Chili's similarly offers multiple options of sirloin, with a 10-ounce starting at $22.99 and a 6-ounce option for $16.29.

The other steak offered at both chains is a ribeye. Fattier than a sirloin, ribeye is a close cousin to prime rib and comes from the same area of the cow. Applebee's serves up a 12-ounce ribeye for $23.99, while Chili's doesn't specify the size of its cut on the menu, instead labeling it as the "Classic Ribeye" for $24.49.

With less than a dollar separating the costs of similar steaks, it would be reasonable to think that perhaps Chili's and Applebee's would try to set their offerings apart with unique sides, but you'd be wrong. Both serve their steaks with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, though other veggie and potato options are available upon request.

As mentioned, the preparation of a sirloin is extremely important. I ordered every steak medium and, in the case of Chili's sirloin, it was cooked properly. The inside showed some pink, while the outside of the steak had a nice char on some areas. Chili's tops its steaks with plenty of garlic butter, though there is also the "Guiltless" option, which ditches the garlic butter in favor of a chipotle-pesto drizzle, cilantro, and pico de gallo garnish.

There's nothing wrong with Chili's sirloin, but it's not an exciting order. The cut itself was a bit tough, and while the meat had decent flavor, the garlic butter was doing some serious lifting. The savory, salty butter helps give this steak personality, but there can be too much of a good thing. In the case of Chili's steak plate, salt is the offending seasoning.

While the garlic butter is helpful to the sirloin, it becomes a bit much when paired with the overly-salted vegetables. I tried one of the steaks with broccoli and the other with asparagus, and in both instances, the veggies could have used a few more minutes of cook time and a lighter hand with the salt shaker.

Some foods are all about function over form; they taste great but aren't quite Instagram-worthy. Then there's the sirloin at Applebee's. This steak is fresh off the cover of meat-Vogue. The perfectly patterned grill marks are a testament to how important appearance can be in judging a meal.

Still, aesthetics aside, this remains merely a mid-tier steak. Cooked just past medium, the Applebee's sirloin is much like it's Chili's counterpart: a tougher cut of meat in need of something extra. Unfortunately, Applebee's doesn't offer garlic butter with its traditional sirloin, leaving the meat to carry the taste torch alone. If you're looking to enhance your steak, look instead to the Bourbon Street Steak, which is an 8-ounce sirloin covered in Cajun spices, topped with parsley garlic butter, and served with grilled onions and mushrooms.

While the omission of garlic butter from the steak was a disappointment, the upside is that it didn't interfere with the vegetables. Both the broccoli and green beans from Applebee's were cooked more thoroughly and better — more lightly — seasoned than Chili's versions.

If you're going to order a steak from any fast-casual dining establishment, go for the ribeye. Fat gets a bad rap, but when utilized properly, fat equals flavor. Chili's ribeye offers a good combination of tender, meaty bites and soft, melt-in-your-mouth fat globules. Once again, this is a well-seared steak, and the charred edges are the highlight, thanks to the extra pop of flavor they provide. Even though it was cooked past medium, the meat itself never seemed dry or chewy.

While the garlic butter is still present, it feels less necessary on the ribeye than the sirloin. Of course, with fat comes gristle, and there were a few portions of this cut that needed to be tossed to the side. Nevertheless, it's a worthy price to pay for a more tender, flavorful steak.

Like the steaks, there's a clear winner when it comes to sides at Chili's, and that title belongs to the loaded mashed potatoes. Where the vegetables are underwhelming, the potatoes are bursting with cheese, bacon, and fluffy potato goodness.

Like its sirloin brethren, the ribeye at Applebee's proudly sports a checkerboard of perfect grill marks. Beyond the aesthetic appeal, these sear lines help boost the flavor of a pretty decent steak. Cooked closer to medium-well, the ribeye was well-marbled and tender. Where I missed the garlic butter on the sirloin, I hardly noticed the omission here, because the ribeye offers plenty of charred exterior to sufficiently boost the savory, beefy flavors of the meat and fat.

This was the best steak of the four I tried. Between the tenderness of the meat, the flavor offered by both the fat and the char, and the fact that it could so easily stand bare on the plate, I would easily recommend this ribeye to anyone looking to order a steak from Applebee's or Chili's.

Still, the steak isn't served alone, but with mashed potatoes as the star side. Applebee's opts for a more understated approach than Chili's. With no toppings, the mashed potatoes are very fluffy and airy, but could use a little extra something to boost them into the same category as their rival.

In a tight race between two restaurants that only dabble in steak, Applebee's narrowly came out on top. If you're dead set on a sirloin, make sure it's topped with some garlic butter, an option only available at Chili's. However, if ribeye is what you desire, Applebee's executes its offering just slightly better. 

Ultimately, neither of these restaurants should be your preferred destination for steak. Sure, the prices are reasonable, but these chains don't specialize in steak, and it shows in the solid but hardly memorable offerings.

That said, no one is looking to eat a steak alone, and sides may come into play when making your final decision. Chili's has some work to do on its vegetable sides, but the loaded mashed potatoes are peerless. On the other hand, Applebee's serves up broccoli and green beans you'll be happy to eat, with a side of mashed potatoes that's good, but not great.

I visited Chili's and Applebee's on separate days to try the steaks. I ordered the 6-ounce sirloin and ribeye from each establishment, with mashed potatoes accompanying everything and broccoli, asparagus, and green beans to round out the plates. I photographed each steak at the table before cutting into the meat to assess the doneness. To determine my preferred steak, I focused on texture, the flavor of the meat itself, the ratio of fat-to-meat, and the overall experience. Neither Chili's nor Applebee's was aware of this review when preparing my food.