If you follow a low‑carb, high‑fat ketogenic diet, you might assume dining out is off the table. It can be challenging to find keto-friendly choices beyond bunless burgers and grilled chicken salads.
Most people on keto aim to limit total daily carbs to 50 grams or less, or 25 grams or fewer of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber).
Fortunately, many restaurants now provide a broader selection of keto-appropriate meals.
To simplify your choices, we put together this list of U.S. restaurants using the following standards:
- National reach. While countless independent eateries likely have keto options, we focused on U.S.-based national or regional chains. You can still apply the menu tips here at other restaurants.
- Range of keto choices. We looked for restaurants offering more than just bunless burgers — unless a place, like In‑N‑Out, excels at bunless options.
- Restaurant variety. To be as practical as possible, the list includes different formats: fast food, fast casual, buffets, pizzerias, steakhouses, and diners.
Below are the best keto-friendly restaurants for 2022.
1–9. Fast food
1. Jimmy John’s
Jimmy John’s is a well-known sandwich chain withsubs, wraps, chips, pickles, and cookies on the menu.
Any sub can be turned into an “Unwich,” which swaps the bread for a lettuce wrap to cut most of the carbs and a large chunk of calories. According to Jimmy John’s, all Unwiches contain 10 grams of net carbs or less.
2. Chipotle
Chipotle provides a build-your-own Tex‑Mex experience with fresh, quality ingredients. You can assemble salads, bowls, tacos, or burritos with various proteins, vegetables, and toppings.
To stay keto, pick a bowl or salad and pile on low‑carb items like meat, vegetables, cheese, guacamole, and salsa. They also offer a Keto Salad Bowl — with chicken or steak, lettuce, salsa, cheese, and guac.
3. Wendy’s
Wendy’s is a nationwide fast food chain serving burgers, chicken, salads, and chili.
Although there’s no specific keto menu, you can adapt many burgers and salads to fit keto.
Ask for these changes:
- Burgers: no bun, ketchup, onions, or barbecue sauce
- Salads: with grilled chicken and a creamy dressing such as ranch — skip the croutons
If you order a burger, swap fries for a side salad.
4. El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco is a Tex‑Mex fast food chain specializing in flame‑grilled chicken tacos, burritos, salads, and bowls.
The Pollo Fit Menu includes three keto-friendly choices:
- Double Chicken Avocado Salad
- Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl
- The World’s First Keto Burrito
5. Chick‑fil‑A
Chick‑fil‑A is famous for chicken sandwiches, nuggets, strips, and waffle fries, plus wraps and salads with fried or grilled chicken.
Chick‑fil‑A has several keto-friendly options, such as grilled nuggets that can be paired with a Side Salad or Kale Crunch Side. With small tweaks — like opting for grilled chicken and no corn — the Cobb Salad can also be keto-compatible.
6. In‑N‑Out
In‑N‑Out is a beloved West Coast burger chain serving burgers, fries, and shakes.
Its “Not So Secret Menu” makes it simple to go keto by ordering any burger “Protein Style,” meaning it’s wrapped in lettuce rather than served on a bun.
7. Popeye’s
Popeye’s is a Louisiana‑style fried chicken chain offering fried chicken, seafood, and Cajun‑inspired sides.
Most menu options are high in carbs, but you can create a low‑carb meal from their Blackened Tenders (not breaded) paired with green beans.
8. Slim Chickens
Slim Chickens is a fast food chicken spot featuring strips, wings, sandwiches, and Southern sides like coleslaw and fried mushrooms.
Although much of the menu is carb-rich, side salads, grilled chicken strips, and wings are low in carbs.
9. Qdoba
Qdoba is a fast food chain similar to Chipotle, offering burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads with fresh ingredients.
The Smoked Brisket Keto Bowl is an excellent choice, or you can build your own keto bowl or salad with meats, cheese, salsas, and veggies. Qdoba also offers low‑carb Mexican Cauliflower Mash as a rice substitute.
10–19. Casual and fast casual
10. Noodles & Company
Noodles & Company serves noodle and pasta dishes from many cuisines, from mac and cheese to shrimp scampi and udon.
The restaurant offers zucchini noodles, so several dishes can be keto-adapted. Its nutrition calculator on the website lets you filter by dietary preference, including keto, to see which items fit and how to order them.
11. Olive Garden
Olive Garden is an Italian‑American chain.
Although many entrées are carb-heavy, you can request to swap pasta for a large serving of broccoli under the sauce and protein. The salad without croutons is also keto-friendly, along with a few other options.
12. BurgerFi
BurgerFi offers burgers and fries with a slightly more upscale approach than typical fast food, using higher-quality beef and house-made sauces.
You can order any BurgerFi burger “green style,” which uses a lettuce wrap instead of a bun to cut carbs considerably.
Note that BurgerFi doesn’t list nutrition facts for green style burgers on its site.
13. BD’s Mongolian Grill
BD’s Mongolian Grill is an Asian chain based on the Mongolian BBQ concept where you pick ingredients and the chef stir-fries them — making it easy to omit carbs.
Choose from numerous meats, seafood, and vegetables; avoid noodles, rice, corn, beans, meatballs, and brown sugar pork to keep it low carb.
14. The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory is famous for its extensive cheesecake selection and equally large menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items.
The best keto picks require customization, such as ordering a Glamburger without a bun or building an omelet with keto-friendly fillings like cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and spinach. The SkinnyLicious Grilled Salmon is another keto-ready choice as served.
15. Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings is a sports bar chain serving wings, burgers, appetizers, sandwiches, and wraps.
The keto-friendly pick is classic wings, which are carb-free when plain. Dry rub seasonings add just about 1 carb per 6-piece order.
16. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
BJ’s is a sit‑down restaurant and bar offering pizzas, burgers, salads, and American entrees. Its menu includes many vegetables and proteins, so it’s easy to customize a keto meal.
For example, the Tri‑Tip Wedge salad contains lettuce, sliced sirloin, BBQ sauce, bacon, blue cheese, onions, tomatoes, blue cheese dressing, and chimichurri. Remove the BBQ sauce, tomatoes, and onions to make it keto-friendly.
BJ’s only lists calorie counts on its website; the Tri‑Tip Wedge, as served, has 1,300 calories, making it ideal for sharing or saving half (15).
17. Joe’s Crab Shack
Joe’s Crab Shack is a casual seafood restaurant focused on shrimp and crab.
As long as you steer clear of fried dishes, most seafood items are fine. For example, the Joe’s Classic Steampot includes Dungeness crab, snow crab, shrimp, and smoked sausage — skip the corn and potatoes to make it keto.
They also offer broiled fish, steaks, grilled chicken, and side salads, though nutrition info isn’t provided online.
18. On the Border
On the Border is a popular Tex‑Mex chain with a wide array of Mexican-style dishes.
Fajitas are a solid keto choice — select your meat, skip tortillas, beans, and rice, and eat the fajita mix with salad as your entrée.
19. Chili’s
Chili’s serves a blend of Tex‑Mex and American starters and entrees. Several items can be made keto-friendly with minimal changes.
Options include bunless burgers, steak, grilled chicken or fish, entrée salads with grilled protein and no croutons, or fajitas without tortillas or sides.
See the boxed dish below for a straightforward order requiring no changes.
20–24. Steakhouse
20. Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an Australian-themed steakhouse found across the U.S.
It’s simple to stay keto here by choosing a grilled entrée with non‑starchy sides. Just verify there are no sweet glazes or sugary sauces on your dish.
Outback also has entrée salads that can be adjusted to be keto-friendly.
21. LongHorn Steakhouse
LongHorn Steakhouse is another familiar U.S. steakhouse chain.
They offer keto-friendly items like steaks, grilled salmon, pork chops, and salads. Ensure your entrée isn’t coated in sugary glazes, BBQ sauce, or breading.
Good keto sides include Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli.
22. Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse is a Texas-themed chain serving classic steakhouse fare.
To remain keto, choose steak, chicken, salmon, bunless burgers, or salads. Suitable sides include sautéed mushrooms, house salads, and green beans.
23. Colton’s Steakhouse
Colton’s Steakhouse is a regional chain in the Southeast and Midwest offering steaks, chicken, burgers, ribs, and starters.
A favorite keto pick at Colton’s is Colton’s Loaded Chicken — a grilled chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, green onions, and cheese.
Pair it with a house or Caesar salad without croutons, steamed vegetables, green beans, grilled asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms to keep carbs low.
Colton’s Loaded Chicken without sides or extra sauces is 620 calories; further nutrition details aren’t available (21).
24. Saltgrass Steakhouse
Saltgrass Steakhouse is an upscale steakhouse with locations in the Southeast and Midwest, offering steaks, seafood, salads, and other steakhouse classics.
Like most steakhouses, it’s easy to eat keto here. For example, order the Bacon Wrap Filet & Grilled Shrimp for a very low‑carb, protein-rich entrée, and add asparagus or broccoli plus a salad without croutons.
Nutrition information isn’t listed on the Saltgrass website.
25–26. Diner
25. IHOP
IHOP is a nationwide diner known for pancakes, crepes, and breakfast offerings, along with a smaller lunch and dinner menu.
Despite the pancake reputation, IHOP makes excellent low‑carb omelets that suit keto well.
26. Denny’s
Denny’s is another nationwide diner chain serving burgers, sandwiches, classic American entrees, and extensive breakfast choices.
Keto-friendly options exist but typically require modifications. Consider an All‑American Slam (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage) without hash browns or bread, or a FitFare Wild Alaska Salmon with extra broccoli in place of mashed potatoes.
Nutrition details for these modified orders aren’t available on Denny’s website.
27–28. Pizza
27. Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is a popular chain offering custom pizzas with premium ingredients and inventive combinations.
The Keto Pizza is built on a gluten‑free, keto‑friendly crust with spicy red sauce, mozzarella, bacon, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. You can also choose any sauces, cheeses, or toppings you prefer on the keto crust.
28. Marco’s Pizza
Marco’s Pizza is a national pizza delivery chain with specialty pies, subs, and salads.
They offer Pizza Bowls, which contain your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings without the crust.
29–30. Buffet
29. Texas de Brazil
Texas de Brazil is a Brazilian steakhouse where you can enjoy a salad bar, several sides, and unlimited carved meats brought to your table.
Keto-friendly items include herb‑marinated pork loin, filet mignon, bacon‑wrapped chicken breast, and a selection of cheeses and vegetables.
Many meats, cheeses, and dressings contain zero carbs, making it straightforward to stay keto at Texas de Brazil (25).
30. Golden Corral
Golden Corral is a traditional buffet with several rotating stations.
This setup provides numerous keto options such as salad, sirloin steak, roasted turkey, baked fish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
If you want to plan ahead, Golden Corral has a user-friendly nutrition page on its website (26).
The bottom line
Following keto doesn’t force you to prepare every meal at home — it just requires a bit more thought when eating out.
These 30 chains offer solid keto-friendly choices that make dining out manageable without going overboard on carbs.
Also, consider following a few simple tips for ordering keto-friendly fast food.
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