I ordered the cheapest steak meal at Outback, Texas Roadhouse, and LongHorn Steakhouse — there was one clear winner

I ordered the 6-ounce sirloin — the Renegade Sirloin — at LongHorn Steakhouse and, as I would at all three locations, I asked for mashed potatoes and broccoli as the included sides.

My complimentary bread was a single medium-sized loaf of honey wheat that seemed a bit dry. I wondered if I may have just gotten a stale loaf.

The butter served beside it was fresh-from-the-fridge cold, which was not ideal for spreading onto bread.

As for the sides, my broccoli felt very overcooked and too mushy for my liking.

The mashed potatoes were quite good. They were creamy with enough melted butter atop to suffuse flavor but not to overwhelm the texture or taste of the side.

At first, I was a bit put off by the irregular kidney-bean shape of the steak.

Upon slicing into the sirloin, it seemed to me like it had been cooked a bit beyond medium-well. However, I appreciated that the cut had minimal fat and gristle.

The texture was a bit tough — I attribute that to the cooking, not the quality of the meat — but LongHorn's simple seasoning was tasty with notes of pepper.

My sirloin meal cost $18, and my check came to just over $23 after tax and a 20% tip. That price felt fair to me.

All in all, I was neither impressed nor unimpressed with my meal.

Ah, starting with the complimentary bread — those of you who frequent Texas Roadhouse are nodding, right?

Per the chain's site, its famous rolls are "baked fresh every five minutes and served with honey cinnamon butter."

Truth be told, I think the butter tastes too sweet, but who cares? The bread is so fresh, warm, and flavorful that it alone makes the visit to the restaurant worth it.

I find the rolls are best enjoyed as they are — they don't need butter of any kind to be incredible.

In terms of sides, my mashed potatoes seemed a tad overmixed, leading to a glut of starch release and that gummy texture most people, myself included, don't love.

The broccoli wasn't as soft as what I had at LongHorn, but it was still too overcooked for my personal preference.

The 6-ounce sirloin steak I got at Texas Roadhouse appeared to be cooked properly to medium-well based on its color, yet it was still a bit tough to cut through and chew.

The mildly salty and peppery flavor profile of the meat was excellent, though. That said, I was perhaps most impressed by the price of my steak.

I was impressed that my lunch special 6-ounce sirloin was just $14, and my bill came out to just $19.20 after a 20% tip and taxes.

This felt like an outright steal, given the meal came with two sides and rolls. (I'd have welcomed a special lunch price at the other chains, but none was available.)

Even at the full dinner price, the steak meal costs just $16, still making it the most affordable sirloin steak of the bunch. These exceptional prices alone would probably be enough to entice me to return to Texas Roadhouse.

That classic brown loaf of Outback Steakhouse honey-wheat bread was soft and had a mild flavor, but it had nothing on Texas Roadhouse rolls. The latter's offering feels more memorable and fresh.

That said, Outback's creamy butter was more to my taste

When my 6-ounce Outback Center-Cut Sirloin meal arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice shape and appearance of the steak, the fresh herbs scattered across it, the scoop of mashed potatoes, and the generous portion of broccoli.

At Outback, I finally received broccoli that I can say felt just barely overcooked. And for the record, I like my steamed broccoli to have a hint of crunch left, so for many folks, this side would've been perfect.

The mashed potatoes at Outback were close to perfect. Their texture was thick and rich with occasional lumps and bits of potato skin mixed throughout.

The potatoes were much like what I prepare at home, and that's high praise.

Slicing into the steak revealed the most tender cut of meat of all three restaurants.

Here, I found a steak that looked like it had been cooked perfectly to medium-well with almost no hint of gristle through and through.

It was tender, well-seasoned, and very much worth its $18 price — the high quality of the two sides only supported my opinion.

The meal came to $23.54 with tax and a 20% tip, making it the most expensive of the three meals, but not by much.

Each of the chains I visited is worth visiting for a decent, cheap steak meal, but Outback Steakhouse surprised me by setting a high bar.

Complimentary bread aside, the chain was my top pick across the board.

Still, I'd recommend a steak meal at Texas Roadhouse, which impressed me with its wonderfully low prices and delicious rolls. Although I'm not completely sold on LongHorn Steakhouse, I'm open to giving it another shot, especially given the fair price of the meal.

Speaking of prices — to put these meals into perspective, I did some research. On average, a 6-ounce portion of sirloin steak from grocery stores near me would cost just over $5, a potato $1, a head of broccoli $2, and a loaf of bread another $2.

Based on those numbers, I'd spend about $10 just for the core ingredients of the above meals.

After factoring in other necessary ingredients, like butter and seasonings, plus the time and effort required to prep and cook everything, all of these steak meals seemed like an even better deal.