At Convenient Keto we are all about convenience (surprise, surprise). And honestly, we really didn’t cook very often prior to going keto/low carb, either. So it probably wouldn’t have worked out for us if we had to restrict what we were eating and also prepare every single meal. I imagine that’s a huge barrier to entry for many people.

Or at the very least, it makes a long-term ketogenic diet less sustainable (well, at least for us). Because of this, we’ve been on a quest to find as many keto friendly restaurants as possible. Having convenient keto and low carb options at restaurants has been a key part of our formula for success.

In this series of posts, we guide you through the best keto and low carb restaurant options at the most popular restaurant chains in the U.S. And the good news? There are a lot of options at most restaurants, even fast food.

General Tips and Tricks for Making any Restaurant a Keto Friendly Restaurant

  • Most sides that come with entrees are designed to make you full and are usually loaded with tons of carbs. Swap high carb sides like mashed potatoes and fries for steamed vegetables. Most places will allow you to sub a side salad. Just be sure to choose a blue cheese or ranch dressing!
  • Beware of sauces! If your meat comes slathered in sauce, it usually contains sugars in copious amounts.
  • Beware of fried food. Not necessarily because they are fried (usually in something high in PUFAs) but because they are usually heavily breaded. And don’t be fooled, breading, no matter how light, has more carbs than you would think!
  • When in doubt, always check the nutrition information. Restaurants like to sneak in carbs in places you wouldn’t think. Case in point? Buffalo Wild Wings has a standard-looking Caesar salad, which is safe almost everywhere you go (as long as you hold the croutons). However, BWW inextricably only offers a “light Caesar dressing”– and it’s loaded with sugar. When in doubt, check the nutrition out!

Our Guides to Keto Friendly Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

Buffalo Wild Wings

Olive Garden

Red Lobster

PF Chang’s

FAST FOOD

Starbucks

Chick-Fil-A

Taco Bell

Chipotle

Five Guys

Jimmy John’s

Burger King

McDonald’s

McDonald’s (Breakfast)

Subway

Arby’s

Panda Express

Pizza Hut

Wendy’s

Del Taco

Panera Bread

eating out the keto restaurant guide