A “house salad” is the regular salad of an American restaurant. It’s not a salad that’s “on the house” (free). House wine is an inexpensive drinking wine served in restaurants, and this is also not “on the house” (free). Some people get mistaken, however, and are surprised to find a charge (thought to be “on the house”) on their restaurant bill.
     
“I ordered a house salad…does that mean its on the house?” was posted on Twitter by Magen Fearnley on July 11, 2009. “Is a house salad on the house?” was posted on Twitter by 🤴🏾 Solo on February 14, 2012. “Why they call it a House Salad if it’s not on the house?” was posted on Twitter by Keir’s Mom on June 11, 2013. “Why is it called a house salad but its not on the house 🤦🏻‍♀️” was posted on Twitter by imperceptible on June 16, 2017. “WHY isnt THE HOUSE SALAD *ON THE HOUSE* !” was posted on Twitter by Otis Feelgüd on June 20, 2020.
   
“Did I just say yes to a ‘wine on the house’ or a ‘house wine’?” was posted on Twitter by Mikhail Smilovic on November 14, 2012. “House wine should be on the house. #wino” was posted on Twitter by April Marie on September 25, 2015. “The best house wine is on the house! 🍷😍” was posted on Twitter by Carluccio’s on October 8, 2018. “house wine should always be on the house” was posted on Twitter by the homie depot on June 9, 2019.
   
   
Wiktionary: on the house   
Prepositional phrase
on the house
1. (of goods or services) free, complimentary
This voucher entitles you to a free drink on the house.
         
Merriam-Wesbter Dictionary
house salad
noun
US
: the regular salad in a U.S. restaurant
 
Wikipedia: House wine
House wine generally refers to an inexpensive drinking wine served in restaurants. Restaurant menus often omit detailed descriptions of a house wine’s country of origin, winery or grape varietal, listing it simply as “house red” or “house white”, depending on the wine’s style. Some restaurants offer more specific categories of house wines, such as a “house chardonnay”, or a “house merlot”.
         
Google Groups: suii_generis
idioms for the day
nagendra pratap
Jun 7, 2007, 2:39:59 AM
to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
House
(...)
be on the house = be free (in a restaurant): “Can I get you a drink on the house?”
(...)
house wine = the restaurant’s own unlabelled wine: “Would you like the house red or the house white?”
 
Google Groups: alt.usage.english
slap..
Richard Fontana
Aug 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM
to
(...)     
> 2. What is “House Salad” like?
> I;ve searched the web, but there are lot’s of them.
> So I’m afraid I don’t know how to define it.
 
It’s a type of salad offered by a restaurant or similar public
sort of establishment (the “house”) that is presented as being
that restaurant’s particular version of the general salad concept. You
can’t generalize much further, but I think a house salad is likely to be
relatively simple, conventional and traditional as far as salads go. Cf.
terms like “house wine”, “specialty of the house”, also not uncommon in
restaurantic usage; “on the house” = ‘customer won’t be charged’.
 
Twitter     
Magen Fearnley
@magenfearnley
I ordered a house salad…does that mean its on the house?
4:52 PM · Jul 11, 2009
 
Twitter
Buddy Oakes
@PredsOnTheGlass
@newpowersoul I’d always go for Demo’s for lunch. Tell them you want the house salad on the house.
12:34 PM · Jun 16, 2010
   
Twitter
Matthew Lopez
@ML0pez13
Told the waiter I want a salad n he said house or Cesar? N I said is the house salad on the house n he said no n (cont) http://tl.gd/394oqc
8:50 PM · Aug 21, 2010
 
Twitter   
Stephanie Wallace
@venicequeen_
“I thought the house salad was on the house?” Of all the things I wanted to say to the man who said that, all I said was “no”
8:29 PM · May 6, 2011
 
Twitter
🤴🏾 Solo
@likethe_redcup
@Maria_EnFuego asks ” Is a house salad on the house?” -____-
@Spee_De
9:58 PM · Feb 14, 2012
 
Twitter     
Brooke Adams
@Brookie_N
House Salad on the house #winning
8:12 PM · Jul 24, 2012
 
Twitter
miss chanandler bong
@missalipeanut
“Do I have to pay for this? I thought it was an ‘on the house salad.’” @SwansonKari
11:53 PM · Nov 10, 2012
   
Twitter
Mikhail Smilovic
@mikhailsmilovic
Did I just say yes to a “wine on the house” or a “house wine”?
6:47 PM · Nov 14, 2012
 
Twitter       
Keir’s Mom
@NeedNoMakeUp
No fr tho… Why they call it a House Salad if it’s not on the house? O___o
2:09 AM · Jun 11, 2013 from Portage, IN
 
Twitter
Amber vandiver
@amber_vandiver
House salad on the house 😂😭 @K_Will13
11:28 PM · Jun 20, 2013
 
Twitter
Gaven Brooks
@thegavenbrooks
As the smell of lettuce filled the air .. Mason thought is the house salad really on the house ????
8:47 PM · Sep 28, 2013
 
Twitter
Josh Bradshaw
@joshjbradshaw
When @B_TuckTweets orders a house salad, he gets a salad on the house.
2:09 PM · Dec 8, 2013
 
Twitter       
Freeman™
@Freeeemont
House salad on the house
1:33 PM · Sep 20, 2014
 
Twitter
⚡️ Aye-Gee-Yus ⚡️
@AgiusLives
One day, I wanna make my customer a house salad and say “it’s on the house”.
1:40 AM · Aug 7, 2015
   
Twitter
April Marie
@aprilmarieart
House wine should be on the house. #wino
10:52 PM · Sep 25, 2015
 
Twitter 
⚡️ Aye-Gee-Yus ⚡️
@AgiusLives
@shea_babee *I give customer a house salad* *I say “it’s on the house”*
1:33 AM · Oct 2, 2015
 
Twitter 
Faramir
@FaramirLoL
you mean “house salad” doesn’t mean on the house?.... :o my life is a lie
1:26 AM · Oct 9, 2016
 
Twitter 
Chrome
@Chromacyy
I know right.. “What’s in this house salad” Oh you know on the house stuff :^)
10:37 PM · Oct 9, 2016
 
Twitter
Meg Nog
@meganjoh16
“It’s a house salad so does that mean it’s on the house?”
@bflores972 😂😂😂
10:18 PM · Dec 14, 2016
 
Twitter
imperceptible
@aleehsun
Why is it called a house salad but its not on the house 🤦🏻‍♀️
8:25 PM · Jun 16, 2017
           
Twitter   
Carluccio’s
@Carluccios
The best house wine is on the house! 🍷😍 So glad you enjoyed!
6:10 AM · Oct 8, 2018
 
Twitter
Jennifer Kim 🍙
@Jenks325
Also, the dickhead waiter mixed up wine on the house and house wine. So he gave me shitty wine and then charged me for it. What a waste of time and money
3:57 PM · Apr 10, 2019
 
Twitter
the homie depot
@itsmeminwoo
Nah house wine should always be on the house
5:35 PM · Jun 9, 2019
 
Twitter
Jamie
@JWMeatballs
“House salad,” I shouted walking into Sweet Tomatoes, “on the house!”
9:10 AM · Oct 8, 2019
 
Twitter
Otis Feelgüd
@digitalburp
WHY isnt THE HOUSE SALAD *ON THE HOUSE* !
9:23 PM · Jun 20, 2020
   
Twitter
Lizette
@Lizettemerazzz
When I was in Italy with @katalinaxgomez the server told us the wine was on the house…. so we ordered a few glasses. It wasn’t until we got our bill back that we realized he really meant it was THE house wine 💀
7:51 PM · Jun 29, 2020
   
Twitter
Esther
@EstherM___
I love when restaurants offer on the house wine
2:29 PM · Aug 27, 2020
 
Twitter
『a』『d』『r』『i』
@phwdis
A house salad is not on the house nor in one. Smh
7:53 PM · Mar 25, 2021
 
Twitter
Michael Johnson
@chariotchoogle
I had a situation where a couple mistook house wine for wine on the house, so obviously they guzzled as much as they could. At the end of the meal they said nice of the restaurant to give us free wine, I said they didn’t you owe another £30.  True story
3:56 PM · Dec 2, 2021