Red Robin Vs Texas Roadhouse: Which Burger Is Better?

It's hard to visit an American restaurant and not find a burger somewhere on the menu. From steakhouses to seafood joints, the cheeseburger can be anything from a fallback item for picky eaters to a gourmet signature dish. There are plenty of restaurant chains that specialize in this special sandwich, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a burger-first joint always has the better option.

One such burger-based establishment is Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. Most commonly billed as just Red Robin, the chain has been filling buns with beef and a bevy of toppings since 1969. With over 500 locations across the US and Canada, it is an international burger bastion.

On the flip side is Texas Roadhouse, a steakhouse offering just a few token burgers. So which is better? Does Red Robin have the edge because burgers are at the center of what they do, or can Texas Roadhouse compete? I tried two burgers from both places to find out who really has the better burger.

Burgers appear to be an afterthought for Texas Roadhouse, at least based on their menu. The steak chain has more than double the number of salad offerings than burgers, but there are still three distinct options.

First is the All-American Cheeseburger. This one is exactly what it sounds like: a classic burger featuring American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. For bacon lovers, there's the Bacon Cheeseburger, which features the same toppings as the All-American plus the titular breakfast meat. And finally, the Smokehouse Burger is piled high with sautéed mushrooms and onions, barbecue sauce, onions, lettuce, tomato, and both American and jack cheeses.

Like the burgers themselves, the pricing is pretty straightforward. The All-American starts at $11.99, the Bacon Cheeseburger is $12.99, and the Smokehouse can be yours for $13.99. All burgers are served with steak fries and a pickle spear.

If order indecision is an issue for you, Red Robin's burger selection might present something of a challenge. Including a few new and limited-time offerings, there are 19 burger options on the menu. Quite frankly, there's something for everyone.

Heat freaks can enjoy the Scorpion, Burnin' Love, or Jalapeño Heatwave burgers, all featuring an unmistakable kick. If you want a burger that will turn some heads, Red Robin offers a Lava Queso burger doused in melted queso cheese. There's also the fan-favorite Banzi burger, where grilled pineapple is the centerpiece. All in all, there's a burger for just about every taste bud on the Red Robin Menu.

In the interest of a fair comparison, I kept things simple, opting for the Gourmet Cheeseburger and the Bacon Cheeseburger to match up against the Texas Roadhouse offerings. The Gourmet Cheeseburger features pickle relish, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and your choice of cheese for $14.99. Red Robin's Bacon Cheeseburger is topped with hardwood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and your choice of cheese for $15.99. Both burgers come with a side of steak fries.

These days, the art of simplicity is often overlooked in burgers. I'm as guilty as anyone of wanting to pile as many toppings as gravity will allow on a ground beef patty. Still, bigger doesn't always mean better—case in point: the All-American Cheeseburger.

Texas Roadhouse sticks to the basics for this sandwich. The beef patty is thick and juicy, with a bit of char around the edges to add some flavor. It could benefit from some additional seasoning, but the beef can confidently hold its own. The bun is also solid. Round and fluffy, it's soft but sturdy. There's nothing worse than a bun that gets soggy at the first sign of sauce or juice from meat or veggies, and this bun holds up.

I ordered my burgers to-go, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the lettuce, tomato, and onion packaged separately so I could finish building my burger at home. No one wants wilted lettuce, and this attention to detail was key. Once everything was put together, I was faced with a surprisingly large burger. The taste matched the appearance, too. There was plenty of cheese, and the veggies were crisp and fresh. I added some ketchup and eventually barbecue sauce because without any sauces the overall product was a bit dry, but what burger isn't? All in all, the All-American Cheeseburger is a steady, solid burger option.

Where Texas Roadhouse went for a streamlined burger, Red Robin opted to pack in plenty of toppings. Pickle relish, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and American cheese all appear on this sandwich, and they all work. The mayo gives the burger a creamy element to pair with the cheese, while the pickle relish helps to distribute a vinegary kick to every bite.

The beef patty was good, but Texas Roadhouse had the edge here, thanks to thickness. However, Red Robin has perfected their buns. Like the competition, they're sturdy, but a bit fluffier, which I enjoyed.

Onion can be a divisive topping on burgers. Red Robin utilizes raw white onions, while Texas Roadhouse goes for red. Raw onions, regardless of the color, can bring an overwhelming flavor, and in the case of the Gourmet Cheeseburger, I had to remove about half the onions to taste anything else. This is, of course, on an onion-by-onion basis, but in general, I'll take red over white any day.

While plenty different from the All-American Cheeseburger, the Gourmet Cheeseburger is solid in its own right. This feels more like a fast-food sandwich, but that's hardly a knock. Deciding who has the better burger from two unique offerings was tough, so I turned to the ultimate burger topping to break the tie: bacon.

For those keeping track at home, here's where we stand. Texas Roadhouse has the edge in the beef and onion category. Their stripped-down burger allows the crispy leaf lettuce and fresh tomato to shine, but a lack of sauce and a good but not great bun left me wanting more. On the other side, Red Robin perfected the burger bun, and a bevy of toppings creates a moist burger with a more complex flavor profile. Still, shredded lettuce and an underwhelming beef patty prevent Red Robin's burger from reaching new heights.

It all comes down to bacon. I believe a bacon cheeseburger should make bacon the star of the show, which is precisely what Texas Roadhouse has done. Thick, crispy bacon spills over the edges of the burger and permeates every bite. The bonus meat isn't overly salty and adds both a crunch and plenty of flavor to an already solid cheeseburger.

Unfortunately, Red Robin's attempt is a cheeseburger with bacon, not a bacon burger. To put it simply, the bacon is an afterthought. It's thinner and not nearly as crispy. Tuck in any overhanging breakfast meat, and one could be forgiven for not realizing this burger even contains bacon until a few bites in. If bacon is in the name, it should be front and center, but Red Robin makes it just another topping.

Texas Roadhouse and Red Robin have very different burgers. The steakhouse offers a very simple, minimalist take on the American classic, while the burger joint embraces the power of toppings to put a unique spin on its sandwiches. Ultimately, it was the toppings where Red Robin fell just short. More isn't always better if you sacrifice quality for quantity. When it boils down to bacon, Texas Roadhouse comes out on top.

Still, this is all about personal preference. I can honestly say that if I set out to have a burger, I'm probably going to Red Robin, because burgers are what they do. However, if I find myself at a Texas Roadhouse while craving a burger, I won't hesitate to order one. It may not be what Texas Roadhouse specializes in, but at the end of the day, the steakhouse knows how to build a bacon cheeseburger.

I ordered both Texas Roadhouse and Red Robin online and picked them up for my taste test. The restaurants were only a few blocks apart, so both were the same level of freshness when I got them home, where I photographed the food and got down to sampling.

I took bites of each burger to get a sense of their overall cohesiveness before partially deconstructing everything so I could hone in on specific elements like buns, patties, and toppings. Once I sufficiently parsed out the individual pieces, I enjoyed all four burgers — along with some help from my wife because that's a lot of food — the way I usually do: slathered in ketchup and some barbecue sauce.

My final evaluation was a combination of taste, texture, and appearance. Neither Red Robin nor Texas Roadhouse was aware of this review when preparing the food.