I ordered the same meal at The Capital Grille and LongHorn Steakhouse. The bigger chain definitely offered the better value.

Amena AhmedJul 9, 2024, 23:03 IST

I ordered French onion soup, steak, and cheesecake at both The Capital Grille and LongHorn.Amena Ahmed

I ordered the same meal at The Capital Grille and LongHorn to see which chain offered the best food.
The Capital Grille offered a top-notch dining experience with amazing French onion soup.

Many popular chains are owned and operated by the same parent company, but that doesn't mean they're all created equally.

Darden Restaurants owns and operates over 1,900 restaurants, including popular chains like Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, and more.

I decided to try two of Darden's popular steak-house chains — LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille — to see which one offered the best value.

To keep things fair, I ordered the same meal from both restaurants — French onion soup, a medium-well filet, and cheesecake. Here's how my experiences at both restaurants compared.

I started at LongHorn, a casual-dining chain restaurant.

LongHorn (location I visited not pictured) has over 500 locations in the US, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador.Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The restaurant had cool decor and felt clean and cozy.

LongHorn featured country-inspired decor. Amena Ahmed

I ordered French onion soup as an appetizer.

The cheese on top of LongHorn's French onion soup was crusted perfectly.Amena Ahmed

I ordered a 9-ounce filet cooked medium-well with a side of mac and cheese.

I ordered the mac and cheese as a side, which came with a small upcharge.Amena Ahmed

The steak was buttery and melted in my mouth.

The steak was a little overcooked, but I still enjoyed it.Amena Ahmed

I made sure to leave room for dessert and ordered cheesecake.

LongHorn's cheesecake was topped with a caramel drizzle, whipped cream, and pecans.Amena Ahmed

For $46, my meal at LongHorn was nearly perfect.

In total, I spent $46 at LongHorn before tax and tip.Amena Ahmed

Next up was The Capital Grille, an upscale chain restaurant.

The Capital Grille has 72 locations in the US, Costa Rica, and Mexico.The Image Party/Shutterstock

The interior was dark, sleek, and chic.

The Capital Grille was dimly lit with mosaic-like chandeliersAmena Ahmed

For a fair comparison, I ordered the same meal, starting with a French onion soup.

I was impressed by how big the soup was at The Capital Grille.Amena Ahmed

I ordered a 10-ounce filet mignon, which didn't come with a side.

The 10-ounce filet mignon didn't come with a side.Amena Ahmed

My meal came out quickly, but I thought the exterior was a bit overcooked.

The butter had a nice umami flavor.Amena Ahmed

Although I was super full, I ordered the cheesecake with berries.

In total, my meal at The Capital Grille cost $82 before tax and tip.Amena Ahmed

Overall, I felt like I got a better value at LongHorn.

I had a great experience at both chains.Amena Ahmed

I ate at the world's biggest Starbucks. The meal was tasty, and the setting was super cool, but it wasn't worth the $43 I spent.

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