The Most Unhealthy Dishes At 12 National Steakhouse Chains

We can all agree that going out to a nice steakhouse should be an enjoyable experience. Adulting is hard, after all, and enjoying a great meal on a Friday night that doesn't require prep work, cooking, or doing dishes afterward is exactly the sort of thing that makes the end of the week pass just a little bit easier. Unfortunately, it's easy for that steak dinner to end poorly thanks to some uber-unhealthy meal choices.

You know the feeling, the one of walking out of a restaurant, knowing that you ate way too much food, that you're so thirsty that no amount of water can help alleviate that thirst ... and in fact, it's just going to make you feel worse. That's no way to end a delicious meal you've been looking forward to, and it's entirely possible that you feel so bad because you made some poor decisions.

And it's easy to do, especially at a steakhouse. We did a deep dive into the nutritional information listed by 12 national steakhouse chains to see what the unhealthiest options on their menus are. We looked at not only calories but other factors like fat and sodium. What we found was pretty shocking, especially considering some of these options might seem like the better choices. Let's talk about what you should avoid to make more health-conscious choices at your next steakhouse dinner.

First thing to address: Who's ordering just a plate of ribs and nothing else? Ribs are best enjoyed with sides — whether that is cornbread or coleslaw — and even if you're getting a full rack, it is unlikely that will be all you're eating. As you might expect, Logan's Roadhouse ribs are bad enough on their own, and that's without taking any sides into consideration. 

That full rack of ribs comes with 1,800 calories and 99 grams of fat, with 35 grams of saturated fat. Now, let's talk sodium, as it includes a mind-numbing 7,040 mg. As a reminder, the American Heart Association says that you should ideally be aiming for no more than 1,500 milligrams per day, and warns against, what they say, is a dangerous average of 3,500 milligrams per day. Not bad enough, you say? Let's move on to sugar, because we all know those delicious barbeque sauces are full of it. Logan's is no different, and that rack of ribs also comes with 103 grams of sugar. That's more than three times the recommended daily intake. 

There's an honorable (or perhaps that should be dishonorable) mention here as well. As tempting as it might be to pick up a six-pack of cinnamon rolls for breakfast from Logan's, keep in mind that it contains almost 5,000 calories and 370 grams of sugar. Maybe give them a miss and try this easy cinnamon roll recipe instead — they aren't nearly as guilty, but they are just as good.

Sure, the Cactus Blossom is an appetizer that's supposed to be shared between a table full of people, but let's be honest here: We've all had those weeks that are only going to be made a little less awful by going to Texas Roadhouse, ordering a Cactus Blossom and a beer, and then not sharing either one. That's a really bad idea, however, and it only starts with the fact that it has more calories than most people should be eating in a day, with 2,250. Add in the 135 grams of fat (with 26 grams of saturated fat) and 5,000 milligrams of salt, and the nutritional information for this one reads like a cardiologist's worst nightmare.

As if all that isn't bad enough, there's also a sneaky amount of sugar in here, too: 36 grams, which is about what most people should be getting in their entire day. 

Texas Roadhouse gets an honorable mention here, too, and that's for the 12-ounce Ft. Worth Ribeye & Ribs. With 1,510 calories, 111 grams of fat (46 grams of saturated fat), and a whopping 2,040 milligrams of salt. Now, imagine even splitting that Cactus Blossom across a table of four people, and then finishing this off as a main? It's no wonder you might walk out feeling much worse than when you walked in.

Look, we all know how this one's going to play out, but here's the thing: It's much worse than you might expect. Much like Texas Roadhouse's Cactus Blossom, Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion is so unhealthy that it should probably be on your no-go list ... at least, without about six or seven friends to share it with. Of the 1,620 calories in this fried behemoth, 1,130 of them come from fat. There's also 126 grams of fat in the entire thing — with 44 grams of saturated fat — and twice the daily recommended intake of sodium. 

Just thinking about that is enough to make your arteries clog, and it gets worse. Outback famously offers alternatives to the Bloomin' Onion, including the Loaded Bloomin' Onion, and the 3-Point Bloomin' Onion. It's like someone saw the nutritional information on the original and thought, "We can top that. Hold my beer."

The first comes with cheese-and-bacon fries as well as two sauces, and it has 2,960 calories and 221 grams of fat. The latter, meanwhile, comes topped with chunks of sirloin steak as well as cheese fries, and it's a shocking 3,080 calories. It's easy to see why that monstrosity was a limited-time offer, as consuming that much on a regular basis certainly isn't advisable. 

There are some pretty great ways to eat healthy at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, from appetizers like the 130-calorie Seared Ahi Tuna to the 340-calorie Petite Filet, or the 380-calorie Salmon Fillet. There are ways to go wrong here, too, and some of them are pretty unexpected. The Brussels sprouts veg dish, for example, clocks in with more calories than the tuna and salmon combined. It does, however, come with bacon and honey butter, which is one of the many recipes that will turn Brussels sprouts into something everyone loves.

Still, the worst menu items by far are the ribeye steaks. The 22-ounce. Cowboy Ribeye comes with a helping of 1,690 calories, and that's made worse when you factor in the inevitable sides and veg. Can you do worse? Unfortunately, yes, and if you go armed with an appetite you can take on the 40-ounce Porterhouse for 2,260 calories, or the equally hefty Tomahawk Ribeye for a whopping 3,160 calories. While it makes sense that a piece of steak that big is going to come with some serious calories, it's easy to overlook just how many there really are.

Steak and fries? A natural combination, right? Head out to Ponderosa or Bonanza, and you might want to give the fries a miss ... or at least, skip the chili cheese fries if you're trying to make a more health-conscious decision. Exact numbers depend on the topping, but even going for the "healthier" sour cream means 2,400 calories, 137 grams of fat, and 5,040 milligrams of sodium.

You can order them with ranch instead, however, those numbers then rise to 2,490 calories, 146 grams of fat, and 5,480 milligrams of sodium. And seriously ... they're just fries.

Let's talk about an honorable mention here, too. If there's a restaurant and there's nachos, we're at least going to give them a try. Unless that's Ponderosa or Bonanza (who use the same nutritional information for their restaurants). Their nachos come with a whopping 2,400 calories, 140 grams of fat, and 2,030 milligrams of sodium. No one expects nachos to be super healthy, they're a pile of crunchy goodness on a platter. But still, these take the cake when it comes to unhealthy, especially considering most people assume they're just the appetizer.

There's always someone at the table who goes to a steakhouse, yet prefers a burger. While that's a legitimate life choice, it's also one that should probably get a second thought at Hoss's Family Steak & Sea, as their House Burger is one of the worst things on their menu. This burger will add 1,320 calories, 95 grams of fat, and 3,180 milligrams of sodium to your daily intake, and if you're going to be putting that much on a plate for one meal, it better be something that Zeus himself would order ... not just a burger. 

Honestly, this one was hard to judge, because there are a number of sandwiches that hover right around those same numbers. The Mushroom Swiss Burger with fries has fewer calories and lower sodium but more fat, and also up there is the Fried Whitefish Sandwich and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich — which, despite having "crispy" in the name, is a little healthier all-around. It turns out that sometimes when you go to a steakhouse, it really is worth just getting the steak. 

Wondering what you should order? We have you covered: Check out what you should always order when you see it on a steakhouse menu.