Longhorn Steakhouse is part of the casual dining resurgence, and a visit to the chain shows why

Business is booming at Longhorn Steakhouse, a beneficiary of casual dining bouncing back. I visited the restaurant chain to see why it’s seeing such huge success right now.

Before even walking inside, I noticed a row of about six or seven parking spots dedicated to customers picking up to-go orders, which have been a major area of growth since 2020.

Source: Insider

The parking lot was packed, but I was able to walk in and be seated right away.

Immediately inside was the pickup area for takeout orders, more evidence that they’ve becoming important to the bottom lines of restaurant chains.

The entryway was built to accommodate a large number of waiting customers in wood-paneled seats and benches.

The front of the restaurant has a sports bar feel to it, with TVs playing sports and high-top tables.

A Texas Longhorn head, horns and all, was mounted right above the bar in an extremely on-brand decor choice.

It didn’t take me long to realize that this chain takes the theme extremely seriously, from these framed belt buckles…

…to some kind of harnesses mounted on the wall above our table…

…to even more uses of horns, in this case adorning a mirror.

Even the chandeliers look like they’re made of some kind of antlers.

The hostess sat us at a corner table, right beneath a painting of yet another longhorn.

With my fiance Joe for scale, this is how the harnesses, wood paneling, and cow paintings all came together to create the vibe.

We were seated in the dining room area, which looked much more formal than the tables around the bar, almost to the point of looking like a different restaurant.

The dining room interior felt cozy, with dark woods and warm lighting.

Every piece of decor hammered home the theme, with cowboy accessories and images alongside pretty pastoral paintings.

The ceilings have dark wood beams, almost reminiscent of a farm.

Most of the menu consists of different steaks, just as you’d expect. Of course that was the section my eyes went to first.

Cooking steaks that make customers happy is key to a place like Longhorn, so the menu has specific descriptions of ways to order to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

We started with the Texas Tonion appetizer, which our server described as “like a Bloomin’ Onion.”

They were fried onion slices with a slightly zesty dipping sauce.

They were hot and crunchy and salty. In other words, they were perfect.

We finished the whole dish, which was clearly meant for a larger group than the two of us.

Next, the waitress brought us a loaf of bread and a little dish of butter.

It was good, but nothing special. After all the onion, I didn’t want to fill up on bread.

We also ordered an Old Fashioned to sip on alongside the steak.

Each entree came with two sides, and I chose a Caesar salad. I enjoyed it, but it was possibly the most heavily dressed salad I’ve ever had, and could’ve used a slightly lighter hand.

Next came our entrees. I got a sirloin and grilled shrimp over rice, with loaded mashed potatoes as my other side.

The mashed potatoes were excellent, with a smooth whipped texture topped with bacon, green onions, cheese, and a garlic butter.

The shrimp was also delicious, grilled and covered in tomato butter.

My steak was exactly medium rare, just as I’d ordered. I’m not the biggest steak eater, but I enjoyed it.

Joe bravely took on the biggest steak on the menu, the 22-ounce porterhouse for $30.

He’s a much bigger steak fan than me, so his expertise was required to really judge this steakhouse.

He said it was perfect, and we happily brought home leftovers.

He got Brussels sprouts for one of his sides, which were nice and crispy. They were a a good break from the other salty, heavy dishes.

He also ordered mac and cheese, which had a delicious topping of breadcrumbs baked on.

The cheese pull shows just how decadent and loaded it was.

For two steak entrees, a drink, and an appetizer, our check came to about $100 with tip.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Longhorn Steakhouse, but it definitely blew me away.

I’d worried that steaks would be the main focus, to the detriment of other dishes, but the opposite was actually true.

In the midst of yet another pandemic winter, I completely get the appeal of a cozy, familiar restaurant where you can get hearty, comforting food.