What do you order, or augment your order at restaurants?

(Skip Cody) #1

I would like to hear about what you order at different types of restaurants (include type) or how you change your order to make it keto.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #2

Basically I usually ask them to hold breads or rice.

I don’t order anything with pasta now. A good Italian restaurant will have grilled meats with nice olive or butter based sauces.

At my Mexican restaurant, yea I found one that beats the rest so I go there often. I tell them to hold the tortilla, rice, and beans, ask them to add more of the lettuce and tomato that is usually just a granish, they know me so well now they pile it up for me now. I use the salsa as dressing and I have some guacamole with it. Oh yeah, don’t forget some Mexican places have Mexican salad, a coleslaw that is vinegar based, just ask if they add sugar to it, because they shouldn’t but a few will. It will be a tiny amount per serve so if you can afford it, knock yourself out.

I don’t eat out Chinese, I do stir fries a lot at home, I go out to get something different. But I’d do a lettuce pork or chicken wrap if I did.

Mongolian BBQ places are super easy, you pick what you want in your bowl and the guys grill it up for you. Just watch the sauces, they can be sugar ladened, I just toss some rice wine vinegar on mine. I love vinegar and it is good for you.

Breakfast out is pretty easy, just stay away from the bread. I order eggs benedict at one of our regular places, I ask them to not use the English muffin or if I forget, I just remove it. I can get sliced tomato instead of potatoes with that. They also offer in season fruit, if it is berry season, I’ll get that instead of tomato and eat a few of those.

Greek salad and kebabs are good choices if your doing Mediterranean places.

I do my own Indian cooking but if I did go out for it, I’d go with tandorri chicken with lime pickles, lady fingers (okra in spicy tomato sauce), and saag panir.

Steak and seafood places should be simple, stay away from battered items and just get grilled items.

Here is a short tutorial in ordering what you want at restaurants, just don’t order what she is having:

(Chris Pazdernik) #3

Well I used to be a big pasta guy. Since starting Keto I’m down to steak or burgers. If it’s the time of day where I think I could use a steak I order a steak with veggies and a side salad. I went to lunch with the wife yesterday and ordered a Bicycle burger. Two patties with different cheeses. I ordered without the bun and extra lettuce instead and had a side salad instead of the fries it comes with.

(Allan Misner) #5

I’ve brought my own butter and salad dressing (embarrassing my wife in the process).

#6

Ask for a bowl of melted butter. Then pour it all over your food.

(Karen Fricke) #7

Avoid chain restaurants—Applebee’s, Olive Garden—that get their sauces and some entrees premade. Steak or burger, no bun are pretty safe. Be careful with salad dressing or soup, they often have added sugar or starch. If they have steamed veggies, ask for butter.

(What The Fast?!) #8

I eat out a lot for a variety of reasons. I almost always order either a wedge or a Caesar salad plus a steak or burger.

My b/f travels every week and eats in restaurants most days. He eats a lot of bacon cheeseburgers (no bun, of course), steaks, and salads.

(Skip Cody) #9

I do that too, especially bitter to the dives. There are a lot of restaurants that still use ,gasp, nasty fake butter.

(Skip Cody) #10

Great tips collaroygal!

I will bring cheese chips to the Mexican restaurant so I can eat a little salsa, Chinese is the hardest that I have found, of your Japanese restaurant has real crab they will sub for rice in hand rolls, Indian is pretty easy just ask what they put in their dishes. Fast food is pretty easy, hold the bun and sauce! A Cobb salad is always good.

Always ask, I find sometimes the chef is in the know and will do something special.

(Sheri Knauer) #11

I usually ask for extra butter to put on my food and of course no bread or french fries. Most are fine with substituting vegetables for potatoes or fries, etc. I personally prefer to eat at home now though so I know exactly what is going into my food,

(Skip Cody) #12

Eating out can be a crapshoot but it is nice to see what others are doing when the must.

(Jessika Nilsson) #13

I always ask them to replace the carby side with a side salad instead :slight_smile: and I scan the menu for the fattiest sauce, usually a bearnaise. I’ve sometimes even composed my own dish from several dishes, meat from one, salad from one and sauce from one :joy:

And I’m known to hog the butter if we’re served a bread basket :joy:, especially when we’re at good restaurants which have delicious butter, typically french ones :heart_eyes:

(Skip Cody) #14

I am a big butter hog myself, always sub the side for a salad, I can’t get enough of blue cheese dressing.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #15

Had this at a local steakhouse, that does daily lunch specials. I didn’t want waffle fries, so they doubled my green beans, and yes, that is bacon bits glistening on the beans the sauce is red wine, made with butter. Gotta love a chef that does that :slight_smile:

Lunch from Hideaway.JPG1828×1371 132 KB

(Jenn Monaghan) #16

I like going to Red Lobster and getting the shrimp scampi with a side of broccoli loaded with butter and sour cream and salad with ranch dressing, no croutons, no biscuits.

#17

I really struggle with that. I’ve avoided going to restaurants with generous free bread because I figure it’s built into the price of the food, so I feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth. And most places don’t really offer a good alternative to carby sides, especially at breakfast. I’ve hardly eaten out since I started low-carbing this time.