Keto diet restaurant: 10 Best Keto Restaurants to Make Eating Out on Keto Easy (with Meals!)

23.06.202321.06.2023 by alexxlab

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10 Best Keto Restaurants to Make Eating Out on Keto Easy (with Meals!)

When you’re on the keto diet, it’s challenging to find keto-friendly restaurants with meals that fit your low carb, high fat macros. So we’ve done the hard work for you! Below, you’ll find a list of the 10 best keto restaurants and fast food joints, along with the exact dish to order at each, so you can eat out on keto with confidence and ease!

We’re going to show you the best keto meals at:

Five Guys
Panera Bread
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Cheesecake Factory
Olive Garden
Chinese Food
Applebee’s
Starbucks
Outback Steakhouse
Red Lobster

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

As long as you ditch the hamburger bun and fries, Five Guys is a safe bet for keto dieters. With a menu centered around hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, and hot dogs, your low carb options are plentiful!

Here’s what to order:

Bacon Cheeseburger with a Double Lettuce Wrap

Order it “All The Way minus ketchup” (includes mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, and mustard)
Total Macros: Calories 791, Fat 64g, Net Carbs <5g, Protein 44g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at Five Guys here!)

Panera Bread

Though Panera Bread isn’t an obvious choice for keto dieters, this fast-casual chain has a few delicious low carb menu items that make hitting your keto macros a breeze. The salads are your best bet, however, when ordered breadless, a number of the sandwiches make for a convenient, keto-friendly meal!

Here’s what to order:

Green Goddess Cobb with Chicken – Half

Optional: Add extra avocado, bacon, or chicken
Total Macros: Calories 280, Fat 16g, Net Carbs 8g, Protein 21g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at Panera here!)

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle is widely-renowned as a go-to restaurant for a fast and affordable low carb dish. Skip the high carb items like tortillas, rice, and beans, and opt for the low carb items like protein, vegetables, and guacamole (of course!) and you’re sure to enjoy a mouth-watering meal.

Here’s what to order:

Keto Salad Bowl

Total Macros: Calories 570, Fat 42g, Net Carbs 7g, Protein 31g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at Chipotle here!)

Cheesecake Factory

Even though cheesecake has the word “cheese” in it, we’re sorry to say, it’s not keto. However, with over 200 menu items to choose from at The Cheesecake Factory, low carb eaters are sure to find a dish that will not only fit the keto macros, but leave them so full and satisfied, they won’t even crave cheesecake!

Here’s what to order:

Pan-Seared Branzino with Lemon Butter

Total Macros: Calories 880, Fat 71g, Net Carbs 10g, Protein 47g

Olive Garden

The Olive Garden is another seemingly carb-heavy restaurant that might have you scratching your head, but when you skip the pasta and instead, opt for the several protein and veggie-based meals on their menu, this restaurant can be a delicious and keto-friendly choice. For an added boost of fat, ask your server for butter, olive oil, or a liberal sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Here’s what to order:

Chicken Margherita (dinner portion)

Total Macros: Calories 590, Fat 32g, Net Carbs 6g, Protein 69g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at Olive Garden here!)

Chinese Food

Keeping Chinese food keto can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. Beware of hidden carb-heavy ingredients like cornstarch and sugar, which are commonly found in thick sauces and soups. When in doubt, choose sauceless dishes like steamed shrimp or chicken and vegetables.

Here’s what to order:

Steamed Shrimp & Vegetables

Total Macros: Calories 225, Fat 3g, Net Carbs 2g, Protein 38g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at any Chinese restaurant here!)

Applebee’s

With a wide selection of American-based cuisine, getting a low carb dish at Applebee’s is fairly easy. Your best bet is to choose a protein-based dish like steak, chicken, or a bunless burger and pair it with low carb sides like steamed broccoli or fire-grilled veggies. If you’re looking to add more fat to your meal, simply order a side of guacamole!

Here’s what to order:

8 oz. USDA Select Sirloin with a side of Fire-Grilled Veggies

Total Macros: Calories 430, Fat 24g, Net Carbs 6g, Protein 45g

Starbucks

Though Starbucks isn’t technically a restaurant, it’s a staple for drinks and snacks on the go. For a low carb pick-me-up, avoid the sugar-filled frappucinos and flavored coffees, and instead, stick to the basics like coffee, espresso, and cold brew with a shot or two of heavy cream.

Starbucks also has several keto-friendly snack choices like sous vide egg bites, beef jerky, and guacamole.

Here’s what to order:

Americano (Grande, no syrup) + two “shots” (2 fl oz) heavy cream

Total Macros: Calories 221, Fat 22g, Net Carbs 6. 6g, Protein 1.2g

(Check out our full guide to eating keto at Starbucks here!)

Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is a prime pick for keto dieters (pun intended). Though the steaks are an easy choice for a low carb meal, the sides can be a bit trickier. In place of a high carb side like potatoes or mac and cheese, opt for a low carb side like broccoli and cheese or asparagus.

Here’s what to order:

Outback Center-Cut Sirloin (6 oz) with a side of Broccoli & Cheese

Total Macros: Calories 600, Fat 38g, Net Carbs 11g, Protein 54g

Red Lobster

Our final keto-friendly restaurant recommnedation is Red Lobster. To keep your meal low carb at this national chain, avoid any breaded seafood and instead choose simple grilled or steamed protein like crab legs, shrimp, or salmon. Plus, the great thing about Red Lobster is that you can always order a cup of melted butter for extra fat and no one will bat an eye!

Here’s what to order:

Salmon New Orleans (Full) with Asparagus and Seasoned Broccoli

Total Macros: Calories 1010, Fat 67g, Net Carbs 12g, Protein 80g

UP NEXT: Eating Out On Keto: 9 Hacks for a Keto Meal Anywhere

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30 of the Best Keto-Friendly Restaurants

If you go on the low carb, high fat keto diet, you may think you need to give up eating out. Indeed, it can be tricky to find keto-friendly options other than bunless burgers and grilled chicken salads.

Most people on this diet try to limit total daily carb intake to 50 grams or fewer, or 25 grams or fewer of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber).

Surprisingly, numerous restaurants now offer a wider range of healthy keto options.

To make it easier, we’ve assembled this list of U.S. restaurants based on the following criteria:

Nationwide availability. Although thousands of independent restaurants likely offer keto-friendly options, we stuck with U.S.-based national or regional chains. Still, you can use the menu options in this guide to make keto-friendly choices at other restaurants, too.
Variety of keto options. We searched for restaurants that offered a bit more variety than bunless burgers — unless, like In-N-Out, they’re known for doing bunless burgers exceptionally well.
Restaurant type. To make this guide as useful as possible, we included several types of restaurants, including fast food, fast casual, buffets, pizza places, steakhouses, and diners.

Here are the best keto-friendly restaurants of 2022.

1. Jimmy John’s

Jimmy John’s is a popular sandwich shop offering a variety of sub sandwiches and wraps, plus chips, pickles, and cookies.

You can make any one of their subs an “Unwich,” replacing the bread with a lettuce wrap to shave off most of the carbs and a significant number of calories. According to the Jimmy John’s website, all of their Unwiches contain 10 grams of net carbs or less.

Try this: Big John Unwich

Ingredients: roast beef, lettuce, tomato, and mayo

Nutrients (1):

Calories: 270
Fat: 20 grams
Total carbs: 4 grams
Net carbs: 2 grams
Protein: 17 grams

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2.

Chipotle

Chipotle offers a build-your-own Tex Mex experience featuring fresh, high quality ingredients. You can make salads, bowls, tacos, or burritos featuring a variety of meats, veggies, and other toppings.

To keep your meal keto, choose a bowl or salad and load it up with low carb ingredients like meat, veggies, cheese, guacamole, and salsa. Alternatively, order a Keto Salad Bowl — which contains either chicken or steak with lettuce, salsa, cheese, and guac.

Try this: Keto Salad Bowl

Ingredients: chicken or steak, plus lettuce, salsa, cheese, and guacamole

Nutrients (2):

Calories: 560
Fat: 37 grams
Total carbs: 16 grams
Net carbs: 7 grams
Protein: 41 grams

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3. Wendy’s

Wendy’s is a nationwide fast food restaurant offering burgers, chicken, salads, and chili.

Although this chain doesn’t have a dedicated keto menu, you can modify any of their burgers or salads to be keto-friendly.

Ask to modify your order along these lines:

Burgers: no bun, ketchup, onions, or barbecue sauce
Salads: with grilled chicken and a creamy salad dressing like ranch — and be sure to skip the croutons

If you get a burger, you can also choose a side salad instead of fries.

Try this: Parmesan Caesar Salad

Ingredients: grilled chicken, Caesar dressing

Nutrients (3):

Calories: 440
Fat: 28 grams
Total carbs: 7 grams
Net carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 42 grams

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4. El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco is a Tex Mex fast food restaurant specializing in flame-grilled chicken tacos, burritos, salads, and burrito bowls.

The Pollo Fit Menu features three keto-friendly menu items:

the Double Chicken Avocado Salad
the Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl
the World’s First Keto Burrito

Try this: World’s First Keto Burrito

Ingredients: high fiber tortilla, chicken, avocado, cheese, salsa, cabbage, salad greens, and cilantro dressing

Nutrients (4):

Calories: 430
Fat: 26 grams
Total carbs: 32 grams
Net carbs: 11 grams
Protein: 35 grams

Note: Keep in mind that this item may comprise about half of your daily net carb allotment — and more than half of your total carb count.

If you’re counting total carbs, opt for the Double Chicken Avocado Salad (12 grams total, 7 grams net) or the Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl (15 grams total, 9 grams net) (4).

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5. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is a popular chicken restaurant known for its chicken sandwiches, nuggets, strips, and waffle fries. It also offers wraps and salads featuring fried or grilled chicken.

Chick-fil-A offers a surprising selection of keto items, including grilled nuggets, which you can make a combo with a Side Salad or a Kale Crunch Side. With a few modifications — like choosing grilled chicken and asking for no corn — its Cobb Salad is keto-friendly as well.

Try this: Grilled Nugget meal (8-count) with Zesty Buffalo sauce, plus a Kale Crunch Side

Nutrients (5):

Calories: 275
Fat: 15 grams
Total carbs: 10 grams
Net carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 28 grams

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6.

In-N-Out

In N Out is a popular West Coast chain offering burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

The company’s “Not So Secret Menu” includes an easy way to make any burger keto-friendly by ordering it “Protein Style” — meaning it comes wrapped in lettuce instead of on a bun.

Try this: Double-Double Protein Style

Ingredients: double cheeseburger with onion, lettuce, burger sauce, and tomato

Nutrients (6):

Calories: 250 calories
Fat: 39 grams
Total carbs: 11 grams
Net carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 33 grams

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7. Popeye’s

Popeye’s is a Louisiana-based fried chicken spot that makes fried chicken, seafood, and sides with a Cajun twist.

Although most menu items aren’t keto-friendly, it’s possible to make a low carb meal of their Blackened Tenders (which aren’t breaded) and green beans.

Try this: Blackened Tenders (3-piece) with Blackened Ranch sauce and green beans

Nutrients (7):

Calories: 343
Fat: 17 grams
Total carbs: 11 grams
Net carbs: 9 grams
Protein: 31 grams

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8. Slim Chickens

Slim Chickens is a fast food chicken restaurant featuring chicken strips, wings, sandwiches, and a variety of Southern-style sides like coleslaw and fried mushrooms.

The vast majority of its menu items are high in carbs, but its side salads, grilled chicken strips, and chicken wings are low carb.

Try this: Grilled Chicken Tender Combo (4-piece) with Cayenne Ranch dipping sauce and a side salad with Lite Italian dressing

Nutrients (8):

Calories: 429
Fat: 29 grams
Total carbs: 13 grams
Net carbs: 12 grams
Protein: 49 grams

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9.

Qdoba

Qdoba is a fast food chain that, much like Chipotle, offers Mexican-style burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads with a variety of fresh ingredients.

Its Smoked Brisket Keto Bowl is a great option, but you can also make your own keto-friendly bowl or salad using any available meats, cheese, salsas, and veggies. Plus, Qdoba offers low carb Mexican Cauliflower Mash as a substitute for rice.

Try this: Smoked Brisket Keto Bowl

Ingredients: brisket, guacamole, cheese, pico de gallo, salsa, and lettuce

Nutrients (9):

Calories: 620
Fat: 45 grams
Total carbs: 18 grams
Net carbs: 18 grams
Protein: 36 grams

Important note: Skip the pico de gallo to shave an extra 3 grams of carbs off the total carb count.

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10. Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company serves a variety of pasta and noodle dishes from around the world, from homestyle macaroni and cheese to shrimp scampi to udon noodles.

The company offers zucchini noodles, too, so several of its dishes can be customized for keto. In fact, the nutrition calculator on its website allows you to filter by dietary preference, including keto, to show you exactly which menu items are keto-friendly and how to order them.

Try this: Zucchini Pesto Cream with Grilled Chicken

Nutrients (10):

Calories: 330
Fat: 18 grams
Total carbs: 11 grams
Net carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 32 grams

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11. Olive Garden

Olive Garden is a popular Italian American chain.

While its dishes are often carb-heavy, you can always ask to replace the pasta with a large portion of broccoli beneath the sauce and protein.

Olive Garden’s salad with no croutons is also keto-friendly, as are a few other dishes.

Try this: Herb Grilled Salmon with Steamed Broccoli

Nutrients (11):

Calories: 460
Fat: 29 grams
Total carbs: 8 grams
Net carbs: 3 grams
Protein: 45 grams

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12.

BurgerFi

BurgerFi offers burgers and fries, but it’s a bit more upscale than your everyday fast food experience. The company uses high quality grass fed, corn finished beef and makes its own sauces in house.

You can order any BurgerFi burger “green style,” which replaces the bun with a lettuce bun — significantly shaving down on the carb count.

However, the company doesn’t provide nutrition information for green style burgers on its website.

13. BD’s Mongolian Grill

BD’s Mongolian Grill is a chain of Asian restaurants based on the Mongolian BBQ concept in which you choose the ingredients you want and the cooks prepare a custom stir-fry for you. This process makes it super easy to skip the carbs.

BD’s offers a variety of meats, seafood, and veggies for your stir-fry. Just skip the noodles, rice, corn, beans, meatballs, and brown sugar pork.

Try this: BD’s custom order

Ingredients: egg, steak, shrimp, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, and zucchini with chili garlic sauce

Nutrients (12):

Calories: 415
Fat: 19 grams
Total carbs: 9 grams
Protein: 53 grams

Note that BD’s doesn’t share fiber information on its website, so net carbs can’t be calculated.

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14. The Cheesecake Factory

While the Cheesecake Factory is known for its massive selection of cheesecakes, it also boasts a huge menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner selections.

The best keto choices at the Cheesecake Factory require some customization, such as a Glamburger with no bun or a build-your-own omelet with all keto-friendly fillings like cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and spinach.

However, you can also order its SkinnyLicious Grilled Salmon entrée as is.

Try this: SkinnyLicious Grilled Salmon

Nutrients (13):

Calories: 590
Fat: 36 grams
Total carbs: 22 grams
Net carbs: 15 grams
Protein: 45 grams

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15. Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings is a casual sports bar chain that serves up wings, burgers, appetizers, sandwiches, and wraps.

The best keto option is the traditional wings, which are carb-free when plain. The dry seasonings contain just 1 carb each for a 6-piece wing order.

Try this: Traditional wings (6-piece) with dry lemon pepper sauce

Nutrients (14):

Calories: 435
Fat: 24 grams
Total carbs: 1 gram
Net carbs: 1 gram
Protein: 53 grams

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16. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is a sit-down restaurant with an attached bar that serves pizzas, burgers, salads, and other classic American entrées. Its menu features a variety of veggies and proteins, making it easy to customize a keto-friendly meal.

For example, its Tri-Tip Wedge salad features lettuce, sliced sirloin, BBQ sauce, bacon, blue cheese, onions, tomatoes, blue cheese dressing, and chimichurri sauce. Remove the BBQ sauce, tomatoes, and onions, and it’s perfectly keto-friendly.

BJ’s only provides calorie information on its website. As is, the Tri-Tip Wedge contains 1,300 calories, so it’s perfect for sharing — or saving half for leftovers (15).

17. Joe’s Crab Shack

Joe’s Crab Shack is a casual seafood restaurant specializing in shrimp and crab.

As long as you avoid fried items, you can enjoy nearly any of this chain’s seafood options. For instance, Joe’s Classic Steampot comes with Dungeness crab, sweet snow crab, shrimp, and smoked sausage. Skip the corn and potatoes to make it keto-friendly.

Additionally, Joe’s offers more traditional options like broiled fish, steaks, grilled chicken, and side salads. However, the company doesn’t provide nutrition info on its website.

18. On the Border

On the Border is a popular Tex Mex restaurant offering a variety of Mexican-style entrées.

Its fajitas are a solid option for people on keto. You can choose from several meats and meat combinations — just skip the tortillas, beans, and rice, and instead eat the fajita mix and salad as the entrée itself.

Try this: Carnitas Fajitas (full order)

Modifications: no beans, rice, or tortillas

Nutrients (16):

Calories: 760
Fat: 65 grams
Total carbs: 12 grams
Net carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 34 grams

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19. Chili’s

Chili’s is a casual restaurant offering a mix of Tex Mex and American appetizers and entrées. Several of its menu items are keto-friendly with few modifications needed.

You can choose bunless burgers, steak, grilled chicken, grilled fish, entrée salads made with grilled meat and no croutons, or fajitas with no tortillas or sides.

For a simple order with no modifications necessary, see the dish in the box below.

Try this: 10-ounce Sirloin with Grilled Avocado with a side of asparagus

Nutrients (17):

Calories: 490
Fat: 24 grams
Total carbs: 13 grams
Net carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 59 grams

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20.

Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is an Australian-themed steakhouse with franchises across the United States.

It’s very easy to go keto at Outback if you stick to a grilled entrée with non-starchy sides. Just make sure that no sugary glazes or sauces come with your dish.

Outback also offers entrée salads that can be made keto-friendly with some modifications.

Try this: 8-ounce Sirloin Steak with green beans and broccoli

Nutrients (18):

Calories: 560
Fat: 30 grams
Total carbs: 24 grams
Net carbs: 15 grams
Protein: 59 grams

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21. LongHorn Steakhouse

LongHorn Steakhouse is another well-known U.S. steakhouse chain.

It offers several keto options like steaks, grilled salmon, pork chops, and salads. Make sure your entrée doesn’t have any sugary glazes, barbecue sauce, or breading.

Keto-friendly sides include Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli.

Try this: Farm Fresh Field Green Salad with Salmon

Nutrients (19):

Calories: 530
Fat: 29 grams
Total carbs: 23 grams
Net carbs: 18 grams
Protein: 43 grams

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22. Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse is a Texas-themed chain with traditional steakhouse fare.

To stay keto at Texas Roadhouse, stick to steak, chicken, salmon, bunless burgers, and salads. Its keto-friendly sides include sautéed mushrooms, house salads, and green beans.

Try this: 6-ounce Dallas Filet with sautéed mushrooms

Nutrients (20):

Calories: 390
Fat: 21 grams
Total carbs: 11 grams
Net carbs: 7 grams
Protein: 48 grams

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23.

Colton’s Steakhouse

Colton’s Steakhouse is a chain steakhouse operating in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Like most steakhouses, it offers steaks, chicken, burgers, ribs, and appetizers.

My favorite dish at Colton’s — Colton’s Loaded Chicken — is very keto-friendly. This grilled chicken breast is topped with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, green onions, and cheese.

You can get a side of house or Caesar salad with no croutons, steamed vegetables, green beans, grilled asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms to keep the carbs low.

Colton’s Loaded Chicken with no sides or extra dipping sauce is 620 calories, but other nutrition information isn’t available (21).

24. Saltgrass Steakhouse

Saltgrass Steakhouse is a high end steakhouse with locations in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. It offers a wide variety of steaks, seafood, salads, and other traditional steakhouse meals.

As is the case with most steakhouses, it’s easy to stay keto here. In fact, you can order the Bacon Wrap Filet & Grilled Shrimp for an extremely low carb and protein-rich entrée, then add asparagus or broccoli as a side — plus a salad without croutons.

Unfortunately, nutrition information isn’t available on its website.

25. IHOP

IHOP is a popular diner with locations all across the United States. It serves pancakes, crepes, and other breakfast foods alongside a small lunch and dinner menu.

Although known for its pancakes, IHOP makes excellent low carb omelets that are ideal for keto.

Try this: Spinach & Mushroom Omelette

Tip: Split it into two meals.

Nutrients (22):

Calories: 890
Fat: 71 grams
Total carbs: 19 grams
Net carbs: 17 grams
Protein: 46 grams

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26. Denny’s

Denny’s is another nationwide diner chain. It offers burgers, sandwiches, traditional American entrées, and a large menu of breakfast foods.

Keto options are available, but you’ll have to make modifications. Try an All-American Slam (scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage) with no hash browns or bread, or a FitFare Wild Alaska Salmon with an extra serving of broccoli instead of mashed potatoes.

Nutrition information for these modified meals isn’t available on the Denny’s website.

27. Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza is a popular chain offering custom pizzas with high end ingredients and unique flavors.

Its Keto Pizza comes on a gluten-free, keto-friendly crust with spicy red sauce, mozzarella, bacon, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Alternatively, you can choose any sauces, cheeses, or toppings you want on the keto crust.

Try this: Keto Pizza (one slice)

Note: one slice is 1/6 of the whole pizza

Nutrients (23):

Calories: 150
Fat: 8 grams
Total carbs: 4 grams
Net carbs: 2 grams
Protein: 14 grams

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28.

Marco’s Pizza

Marco’s Pizza is a nationwide pizza delivery chain that offers a wide selection of specialty pizzas, subs, and salads.

It also offers Pizza Bowls, which feature all of the sauce, cheese, and toppings you like on your pizza — but without the crust.

Try this: Pizza Bowl (half serving)

What to order: cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni, spinach, and mushrooms

Nutrients (24):

Calories: 330
Fat: 22 grams
Total carbs: 10 grams
Net carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 20 grams

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29. Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil is a popular Brazilian steakhouse. Brazilian steakhouses offer a unique dining experience in which you can enjoy a salad bar, several side dishes, and unlimited amounts of meat carved right at your table.

Some of the keto-friendly items on the Texas de Brazil menu include herb-marinated pork loin, filet mignon, chicken breast wrapped in bacon, and a variety of cheeses and vegetables.

Many of its meats, cheeses, and salad dressings contain 0 carbs, so it should be easy to stay keto at Texas de Brazil (25).

30. Golden Corral

Golden Corral is a traditional buffet offering stations with several rotating menu items.

As such, this chain features numerous keto-friendly options, including salad, sirloin steak, roasted turkey, baked fish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

If you’d like to plan your meal before dining, Golden Corral offers an easy-to-use nutrition information page on its website (26).

Eating keto doesn’t mean you’re doomed to cook all your meals at home — it just means you’ll need to do a little more planning when dining out.

These 30 restaurants offer great keto-friendly options that make it easier to enjoy a dinner out without overdoing it on carbs.

Additionally, you can take advantage of a few tips for keto-friendly fast food.

Just one thing

Try this today: If you’re at a restaurant not listed above and stumped about what to order, here’s an easy guide:

Choose a protein that’s not fried — such as steak, broiled fish, grilled chicken, or a bunless burger — with a side of non-starchy veggies, like a side salad or broccoli.
Alternatively, choose an entrée salad with no croutons, a low sugar dressing like ranch or Italian, and a protein that’s not fried.

Most restaurants offer at least one of these options so that you can dine keto with ease.

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Keto menu: what to order in a restaurant if you are on a diet

Surely you have noticed that in some places veto drinks have already appeared in coffee shops – broncofe (a drink made with butter) and bronmatcha. But, as a general rule, most restaurants don’t label “keto” on their menus. So what should a ketogenic addict do to avoid being hungry? Catch some tips from Olena Islamkina, a keto diet specialist and creator of the cilantro.ru blog.

Let’s say right away that people on a keto diet do not experience an acute feeling of hunger (when it gets dark in the eyes and it is difficult to control oneself). The effect of saturation from fats lasts a long time, sometimes after a breakfast of scrambled eggs with spinach and lightly salted salmon and a cup of armored coffee, the appetite returns only by seven or nine in the evening. So, if suddenly you find yourself in a cafe with a “ban”, just drink some water!

Restaurants for ketogenic

Choose restaurants with Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Uzbek cuisine. In any Caucasian restaurants, a ketogenic expanse. Fatty lamb and greens fit perfectly into the keto diet menu!

In steakhouses, order a piece of steak with butter or an egg tartare – what could be better?

Similarly with burgers, even if there is no “naked” (with leaves instead of buns) option on the menu, no one bothers you to eat only a cutlet, leaves and cheese.

In Mexican restaurants, instead of a burrito, you can take a burrito bowl, if this is not possible, unwrap the pita bread and eat the filling with a fork. By the way, this also works with shawarma.

In Italian establishments, we scroll through the section of pasta, risotto and pizza, but we look closely at appetizers – cold cuts, eggplant alla parmigiana, mussels in a creamy sauce. A piece of meat in mushroom sauce – as a main dish. And cheese for dessert. By the way, fatty cheeses instead of sweet ones can be ordered at almost any restaurant if it’s difficult for you to sit with an empty plate while your friends are eating desserts.

In French, take foie gras, a glass of wine, meat in a creamy sauce, cheese – here you are full for the day ahead. By the way, on keto it is not forbidden to drink dry drinks and strong alcohol without sugar. It’s just worth remembering that a couple of glasses of red can prevent you from reaching your desired numbers on the scale and health level (although it all depends on your initial data).

Asian restaurants will require you to be smart. You won’t be full of sashimi alone, or rather, you will, but every day you are unlikely to order a whole set of raw fish. Therefore, open the “Rolls” section, find variations on the “Philadelphia” theme there – fish, cheese, nori sheet. If you are for the purity of the diet, give up soy sauce – it contains gluten. But Philadelphia is good without everything.

Asian soups are often mixed, so ask for no ramen noodles (but with an extra egg), pho bo, tom yum – only if the waiter swore there was no sugar in it.

The apparently safest section of meat and fish in Asian restaurants for ketogenics is a minefield – they are usually “doused” with sweets before serving. Warn the waiter about your “carbohydrate intolerance” and take hearts and liver on skewers – it would be good to include offal in the keto menu at least a couple of times a week (the maximum is not limited).

Restaurants serving Russian and Ukrainian cuisine are heaven for ketogenics. Salo, jelly, tongue with creamy horseradish, sauerkraut and pickled apples, mushrooms, caviar, saltwort, egg broth, fish soup and mushroom soups, duck legs and baked sterlet.

Perhaps there are only a couple of places where a ketogenic addict has nothing to do – a pizzeria and a patty shop. Theoretically, you can pick out the fillings there, but this is stupid.

Don’t go to extremes

The classic ketogenic diet allows you to eat any food, even Napoleon cake, as long as it fits in 20 g of shown carbohydrates per day. But modern ketogenics still try to avoid certain foods in order to get the maximum benefit from the diet. They not only do not eat sugar and flour, but they do not use all oils. Alas, there is little chance that at your request they will fry the fish on ghee, and not on sunflower or corn. Therefore, it is still better to remain within the framework of common sense and choose the most “right products”, but not to reach insanity. A drop of sesame oil in a sauce won’t kill you.

Play with the menu

In a cafe or restaurant, you can always ask to modify any dish. Serve the sauce separately. Replace milk with cream. Bring soup without noodles. For example, the famous Vietnamese beef soup, pho bo, is a bone broth into which noodles, meat and herbs are tossed before serving. Half a liter of peppered slurry with boiled meat – why not keto?

No waiter will be surprised by the request to bring olive oil to the salad. In a steakhouse, ordering butter for meat is an absolute norm (look in the sauces section for different options with herbs). The egg trick is not always successful, but, as a rule, if there are some scrambled eggs and poached eggs on the menu, you can talk to the kitchen to add the egg to the salad.

Stop! You can’t eat this on keto!

In any restaurant, the first thing to do is ask the waiter not to bring a bread basket and carbohydrate “compliments from the chef”, not to offer desserts, specify what goes with the dish as a default side dish, and if there is a “forbidden” one, refuse! Still, few people can resist french fries, a spoonful of tiramisu and a sweet cocktail.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and pay attention to details. So, for example, sauces are often thickened and sweetened: starch or flour is added to cream sauces, and sugar is added to tomato sauces. By the way, if you order a creamy sauce, at the same time specify that the base is butter or margarine. Decent chefs, of course, cook with butter, but in public catering they can quite save on a key ingredient.

Puree soups are often not suitable for those on a keto diet – they are also thickened with starch or bread. However, a surprise can also await in liquid soups. Sugar is added to both borscht and tom yamf.

Cool ketogenic snacks like fried cheese or shrimp like to roll in batter, but restaurateurs forget to mention it on the menu.

Delicious teas (sea buckthorn, ginger, Moroccan) are another trap. Moreover, waiters do not consider honey and syrups to be sugar. Ask directly: “Is it sweet?” And, having received an answer, order a raf without sugar. Just do not forget to specify what it is cooked on. Classic raff coffee is made with cream, but it’s expensive, so it’s usually mixed with milk. And plant-based milk often contains sweeteners, soy and oats. In general, do not complicate, drink water.

What to order from keto dishes in a restaurant? What is on the keto diet?

A restaurant is like a theater. Our task is to dazzle, amaze, entertain you… without betraying what Hiroshima is going on behind the scenes.
Jack Bourdain

Contents

Introduction.
Not recommended.
Can be ordered.
What to order from drinks.
Conclusion or if I got to holiday

Introduction

The keto diet is not a hunger strike or a reason to stop having fun. Moreover, this is not a reason for refusing to go to a restaurant or cafe. But what if you don’t want to be out of ketosis, even for a day? You just need to clearly know what you can order in catering establishments, and what you should refrain from.

This is all relevant for beginners of keto nutrition, especially for you a complete guide to keto life from my experience in a series of articles on our website:

How I lost 30 kg.
Keto adaptation.
Essential Foods and Recommended Supplements on a Keto Diet.
How to get into Ketosis.
Keto menu. Principles. Products.
What happens after keto?
How to get back into ketosis after a breakdown.
Have you stopped losing weight? Gaining weight on keto? The answers are here.
Side effects of the keto diet. Reasons and solutions.
Keto recipes are here.
Personal keto menu store.

Video What to eat on a keto diet in a cafe and restaurant? My keto experience.

Updated the article in 2021, added a video that expands on the topic of keto and holidays, cafes and restaurants. Here you can watch the full video on the topic, for your convenience I publish the timing:

00:00 What is this video about
01:03 What to exclude on a keto diet. List.
02:00 Basic principle of choosing food on a ketogenic diet in a restaurant
02:34 What dishes hide carbohydrates
04:28 What to order if I’m on keto?
05:57 What to drink on a ketogenic diet?
07:28 My experience of the holidays on a low-carb (keto) diet.

Next comes a text article on the topic of keto cafes and restaurants.

What not to order in cafes and restaurants on a keto diet

First, let’s decide. If you are not on medical keto and if you have no doubts about your willpower, then going off keto for a day is not a problem. Provided that you have already completed the keto adaptation! You can return back the next day. You can read more in article 9.0062 « How to get back into ketosis after a breakdown. “.

Let’s go further. You still don’t want to quit keto. So you should give up a whole series of products and dishes.

You should avoid all dishes that contain non-recommended foods:

Sugar
Starches of any kind (used in gravies and sauces)
Flour, except allowed, but you are unlikely to find low-carb flour in a restaurant.
Potatoes, cereals, etc.
Of course all bakery products and confectionery delights.
Juices, smoothies, shakes, anything but tea and water. Tea without additives!

And much more. If you don’t know if the dish you ordered contains carbohydrates, you need to take it apart and look at the Internet or the application on your phone, each product. Yes, it’s long. I use the FatSecret phone app.

It’s great if there are indicators of BJU in the menu. Focus on them, but look at the composition. If the dish contains more than 5-10 gr. carbohydrates per 100 gr. it is better to refuse it. If it contains non-recommended food categories, but shows few carbohydrates, the compilers may have made a mistake.

Summing up this list of products, we can trace a clear analogy with store-bought ready meals. If the dish is complex and even more so mixed until smooth, then most likely it will not suit you.

Examples of dishes that are not allowed in a keto cafe:

Cream soup. If you cook it in the keto version, then everything is fine, but in a restaurant potatoes, flour, starch and even sugar are often added to it.
Gravy for meat, fish, salad and more. Basically they are with flour, starch and sugar.
All minced meat dishes. Same song. In minced meat, flour, bread and so on.
Pasta, pizza, lasagna, and so much more!

So I started listing it all and realized that it’s too much to list dishes that you shouldn’t eat on keto. I would rather briefly describe the dishes that you can eat.

What can be ordered for keto at Cafe and Restaurant

There is one important principle at work here. Everything you order must be distinguishable! No ground and homogenized products. Looking for molecular cuisine? Ask the chef what it’s made of. You need to understand every food in your dish and it’s better if there are not 100+ of them.

So, we give preference to on keto:

Steaks and barbecue options for dishes. But no sauces. (meat, fish)
Vegetable salads with oil dressing.
Grilled vegetables.
Cold meat and fish snacks.
Warm and cold salads based on the listed products.
Seafood, but be careful with sauces.

Even these dishes, in any restaurant, you can find several types. When ordering, specify what sauce and dressing the dish is served with. Just ask for oil. Just feel free to replace the potatoes / pasta that comes with the kit with vegetables! A good establishment will always go forward.

But even partially non-recommended dishes can be eaten on keto. For example, Caesar salad. Ask him to serve without crackers and get a great keto dish! Or just don’t eat those crackers.

What to order from drinks on a keto diet?

We read if you are 18+ 😉

On keto, in a restaurant, it is better to drink water, tea and coffee. But if you decide to support the company with alcohol, then remember – alcohol on keto is 3 times stronger! It is important to realize this before, not after.

From alcoholic drinks, if you are in ketosis, you should refuse:

All types of malt and bread drinks if you drink more than 0. 3 liters.
Sweet – cocktails, martinis, sweet and semi-sweet wine.
Unknown. If you don’t know what the drink is from and whether it contains sugar and carbohydrates, it’s better not to drink it 🙂

What you can conditionally drink on keto:

Dry wine. Bakal – two.
Strong alcohol without sugar without mixing. Whiskey, vodka, cognac, and others. But be very careful! Help about strengthening its properties.

By the way, the keto diet has an interesting feature – you don’t want alcohol at all. I don’t know why, but I heard this from many people and I myself confirm it too!

Conclusion or if I got to a holiday while on keto

It so happened that you were invited to the party. Everyone around you eats normal food, and you are in ketosis and do not want to get out of it. What to do? Here are some simple tips for you:

Don’t sweat it. If you have such celebrations less than once a month, then one evening of carbohydrate loading is not scary. DO NOT eat sugar with spoons and do not wash it down with cola. Just follow the principles of the LCHF. Try to eat fewer carbohydrates and more fatty foods. Don’t overeat. And tomorrow you will be back on keto.
Do not eat carbohydrates at all, except for vegetables. In any restaurant there will be salads with vegetables. Each dish contains different foods, and you can very well quietly eat what you want and not eat the rest.
And the third most important piece of advice. Don’t impose your nutritional principles on others unless they ask you to. It’s a shared holiday, and it’s entirely possible for you to celebrate with everyone without having to convert everyone to your eating style.

What do you like to eat at restaurants when you’re in ketosis? Share your favorite dishes with us in the comments!

Indulge in rest, but always remember why you started to change your eating style. You will succeed!

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