Order the protein, refuse the carrier. Nearly every hard item on a menu is a protein the kitchen has wrapped in something starchy: a bun, a breading, a tortilla, a glaze. Those come off on request. What does not come off is a dish where the starch is the dish, which is why pizza and pasta stay hard and steak and eggs stay easy.
Say it as a normal order rather than a special request. "Sausage McMuffin, no muffin, in a tray please" gets a shrug. Explaining your diagnosis at the counter gets a confused manager.
The most searched version of this question, so here it is with the modification attached to every number. These figures only hold if you order it the way the last column says.
| Order | Net carbs | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Hotcakes and Sausage | 1g | Hotcakes and Sausage, but I only want the sausage, no hotcakes and no syrup, please. |
| Sausage McGriddles Meal | 1g | Sausage McGriddles Meal, no McGriddles cakes, no hash browns, and black coffee please. |
| Sausage McGriddles | 1g | Sausage McGriddles, no McGriddles cakes, just the sausage in a tray please. |
| Sausage McMuffin | 2g | Sausage McMuffin, no muffin, in a tray please. |
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles Meal | 3g | Bacon, Egg and Cheese McGriddles Meal, no McGriddles cakes, no hash browns, and black coffee please. |
See all 36 McDonald's orders counted.
Steakhouse style menus are the easiest place to eat low carb, because the protein shows up on the plate without a starch attached.
| Order | Net carbs | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Ribeye | 2g | I'll have the Classic Ribeye, please, with no fries, potatoes, rice, pasta, or other starchy side. Please sub a side house salad or non-starchy vegetable. |
| Classic Sirloin - 6oz | 2g | I'll have the 6 ounce Classic Sirloin with no fries, potatoes, rice, pasta, or other starchy side. Please sub a side house salad or non-starchy vegetable. |
| Classic Sirloin - 10oz | 2g | I'll have the 10 ounce Classic Sirloin with no fries, potatoes, rice, pasta, or other starchy side. Please sub a side house salad or non-starchy vegetable. |
| Bone-In Wings | 3g | I'll have the Bone-In Wings, naked or with Buffalo, lemon pepper, or garlic parmesan. Please no sweet sauces like BBQ, honey, or teriyaki. |
| Party Platter Bone-In Wings | 3g | For the Party Platter Bone-In Wings, please make them naked, Buffalo, lemon pepper, or garlic parmesan only. No sweet sauces. |
See all 39 Chili's orders counted.
Skip the rice, the noodles, and anything battered or finished in a sweet glaze. What is left is usually grilled or steamed protein and vegetables.
| Order | Net carbs | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled Teriyaki Chicken | 3g | Can I get the Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with no teriyaki sauce, and Super Greens as the side instead of rice or chow mein? |
| Teriyaki Chicken with Honey Glaze | 3g | Can I get the Teriyaki Chicken with no honey glaze and no teriyaki sauce, with Super Greens instead of rice or chow mein? |
| Mushroom Chicken | 9g | Can I get Mushroom Chicken with light sauce, with Super Greens as the side instead of rice or noodles? |
| String Bean Chicken Breast | 9g | Can I get String Bean Chicken Breast with light sauce, and Super Greens instead of rice or chow mein? |
Panda Express, counted · P.F. Chang's, counted.
Most of the time you cannot hack a pizza. The crust is the dish, so removing toppings does not change the number that matters. At the pizza chains we have counted, the workable orders are bone-in wings, salads with a full fat dressing, and bowl versions where the chain offers one. Where a chain has nothing that works, our guide says so rather than inventing an option.
This page covers four restaurants. We counted 101. Every guide lists the orders that work, the net carbs as modified, and the exact wording to use.
Browse All 101 Restaurant Guides Try Keto Contractor Free For 3 DaysMore than most people expect. Across 101 restaurant menus we counted, 2,148 of the 3,510 items that can be ordered low carb come in at 5g net carbs or under once the bread, breading or sweet sauce is removed. The limit is almost never the protein. It is the starch wrapped around it.
Order the protein and refuse the carrier. A burger without the bun, grilled chicken without the breading, eggs and sausage without the biscuit. Ask for it in a tray or a bowl so the kitchen has somewhere to put it. Skip anything where the starch is the dish itself, which mostly means pizza, pasta and sandwiches built on the bread.
The egg and meat items work once the bread is dropped. An Egg McMuffin ordered with no muffin comes to about 3g net carbs, and a Sausage McMuffin with no muffin about 2g. Even Hotcakes and Sausage works if you order only the sausage and skip the hotcakes and syrup, which brings it to roughly 1g. The number only holds with the modification.
Usually you cannot, and it is worth being straight about that. At most pizza chains the crust is the dish, so removing toppings does not help. What does work is ordering around the pizza: bone-in wings in a plain or hot sauce, a salad with a full fat dressing, or a bowl version where the chain offers one. If a chain has no such item, our guide for it says so instead of inventing something.
Steakhouses, breakfast places and wing restaurants are the easiest, because the protein arrives without a starch attached. Pizza and sandwich chains are the hardest. We publish a free guide for 101 restaurants that lists every item that can be ordered low carb, the net carbs as modified, and the exact sentence to say at the counter.
Steamed or grilled proteins and vegetables, skipping rice, noodles, and anything battered or in a sweet glaze. At Panda Express the grilled teriyaki chicken lands around 3g net carbs when you skip the sauce and the rice. At P.F. Chang's several dishes sit around 6g to 7g net once ordered without rice and sugary sauces.
Chili's is one of the easier sit down chains because the steaks arrive without a starch. A classic sirloin comes in around 2g net carbs and bone-in wings around 3g, both before you add a side. Swap the fries for steamed broccoli or a side salad and the plate stays low.
Educational, not medical advice. Net carb figures are estimates based on published nutrition information plus the stated modification, and they are not the restaurant's own figure for the modified item. Menus change, so verify with the restaurant when it matters. Talk to your doctor before changing anything that affects your management plan.
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