How to Eat Keto at Restaurants: A Cheat Sheet for 10 Cuisines

Eating out is where most low-carb plans get tested. The menu is full of sauces you cannot see, the bread basket arrives before you have opened the menu, and everyone else is ordering pasta. A few simple rules and a quick scan of the cuisine will keep you on track.

The five rules that work almost everywhere

1. Pick a protein. Steak, chicken, fish, seafood, pork or lamb is the anchor of your meal.
2. Swap the starch. Ask for extra vegetables or a side salad in place of rice, potatoes, pasta or bread.
3. Sauces on the side. This is where the hidden sugar and flour live. You can taste a little and decide.
4. Skip the bread basket. Politely ask the server to leave it off or take it away.
5. Watch the drinks. Order water, sparkling water, black coffee or a dry spirit with soda. See our drink guide.

Cuisine by cuisine

Steakhouse

Order: any steak with butter or béarnaise, grilled fish or lobster, a wedge or Caesar salad (no croutons), asparagus, broccoli, creamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms. Skip: potatoes, onion rings, sweet glazes, flour-thickened sauces. See our steakhouse guide.

Italian

Order: antipasto (cured meats, olives, cheese), grilled fish or chicken, steak or veal with vegetables, caprese, a green salad. Many places will sauté your protein with vegetables instead of pasta. Skip: pasta, risotto, bread, pizza, breaded cutlets (parmigiana, milanese) and sweet balsamic glazes.

Mexican

Order: fajitas (no tortillas, rice or beans), carne asada, grilled shrimp, a taco salad bowl without the shell, guacamole with veggies for dipping. Skip: chips, tortillas, rice, beans, sweet sauces and anything described as “crispy.”

Sushi and Japanese

Order: sashimi, a seaweed or cucumber wrap in place of rice, miso soup, edamame in moderation, grilled fish or yakitori (ask for salt rather than the sweet tare glaze). Skip: rice, tempura, sweet sauces, imitation crab and eel sauce.

French

Order: steak with béarnaise or butter, roast chicken, duck confit, moules (mussels), salade niçoise, a cheese course. Swap the frites for haricots verts. Skip: bread, crêpes, flour-thickened sauces and desserts.

Indian

Order: tandoori chicken or lamb, seekh kebabs, saag (spinach) dishes, palak paneer and curries made with cream or coconut milk. Skip: naan, rice, samosas, pakoras, and sweet or tomato-heavy sauces (ask about onion-and-tomato-based gravies, which add carbs).

Chinese

Order: steamed fish or chicken with vegetables and the sauce on the side, egg drop soup (small portion), stir-fried meat and green vegetables with garlic. Skip: rice, noodles, fried and battered dishes, and sweet sauces such as sweet-and-sour, orange, General Tso’s and hoisin. Many sauces are thickened with cornstarch.

Thai

Order: larb, grilled meat satay (skip the peanut sauce or use a little), coconut-milk curries without rice, tom kha soup, grilled fish. Skip: pad thai, rice, noodles and the sweet chili sauces.

Mediterranean and Greek

Order: grilled kebabs, lamb chops, grilled fish, Greek salad, tzatziki with vegetables, olives, dolmades without the rice if you can find them. Skip: pita, hummus with bread (veggies are fine), couscous, rice and baklava.

American diner

Order: omelettes, bacon and eggs, a burger with no bun and a side salad, grilled chicken, steak and eggs, wings without breading or sweet sauces. Skip: pancakes, toast, hash browns, fries and the milkshake.

What to say

Keep it short, friendly and specific:

• “Could I get that without the rice, with extra vegetables instead?”
• “Can I get the sauce on the side?”
• “Is the chicken breaded or thickened with flour?”

When things go sideways

If a dish arrives with something you did not expect, scrape off the sauce, move the starch to the side and eat what you can. One meal does not undo your progress.

Menus and ingredients vary by restaurant, so ask if you are unsure. This guide is general information, not medical advice; see our health disclaimer.