The Healthiest Things You Can Order
Lowest-calorie and healthiest are not the same question. A 250-calorie steak with two vegetable sides is a better meal than a 300-calorie plate of fried food, even though the numbers say otherwise.
Here is what stands up on protein density, portion control and overall balance rather than on calorie count alone.
The best plates on protein density
Grilled BBQ Chicken is a marinated half-pound breast at 300 calories. That is an unusually high protein-to-calorie ratio for a restaurant entrée and the strongest single option on the menu by this measure.
Herb Crusted Chicken at 260 is comparable. The 6oz Hand-Cut Sirloin at 250 gives you roughly 42 calories per ounce of beef, which is excellent.
Grilled Salmon at 410 for 5oz is higher in calories but is the only entrée on the menu carrying meaningful omega-3s, which is a genuine nutritional point rather than a calorie one.
The choices that matter more than the entrée
Sides. Two vegetable sides against two starch sides is a swing of several hundred calories and a meaningful difference in fibre. Green beans at 100 and fresh vegetables at 190 are the two strongest picks.
Sauces and gravies. Country Fried Chicken carries much of its 780 calories in the cream gravy, and Chicken Critters swing 80 to 320 calories on the dip alone. On the side puts you in control.
Starters. A shared Cactus Blossom at 2,250 calories contributes more than any entrée on the menu. Grilled Shrimp at 360 is the only starter that does not reshape the meal.
- Best entrée — Grilled BBQ Chicken, 300 cal, high protein
- Best for omega-3 — Grilled Salmon, 5oz at 410 cal
- Best sides — green beans (100), fresh vegetables (190)
- Only sensible starter — Grilled Shrimp, 360 cal
- Biggest avoidable cost — sauces and dressings on the plate rather than beside it
What to be realistic about
This is a steakhouse and portions are large. The single most effective health decision available is not which item you order but how much of it you eat — splitting a larger plate is more effective than optimising a smaller one.
The free bread is real food. Rolls with cinnamon butter arrive before you order, are refilled, and appear on no price list, which is why they escape most people's accounting entirely.
And salads are not the answer here, however counterintuitive that is. The Chicken Caesar at 1,100 calories is nearly four times the Herb Crusted Chicken.
Frequently asked
Is steak a healthy option here?
A lean sirloin genuinely is — 250 calories for 6oz with high protein and no added fat. Ribeye at roughly 80 calories per ounce is a different proposition.
What should I avoid if I am eating carefully?
The salads, all the fried starters, loaded sides, and the desserts, which run 800 to 1,200 calories each.
Are there vegetarian options?
The Country Veg Plate at $10.99 lets you choose four sides and is the only genuinely vegetarian-friendly entrée. Its calorie range of 400 to 1,580 depends entirely on which four you pick.
Keep reading
The Lowest-Calorie Meals on the Menu
A complete steakhouse dinner around 450 calories is genuinely available. It just is not where most people look for it.
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Eating Gluten-Free: What Works and What to Ask
Plenty works here, but the distinction between "gluten-friendly" and "gluten-free" matters enormously if you are coeliac.
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All 12 Sides Ranked by Calories
Twelve sides, one price, and a 640-calorie spread. Price carries no information here, so calories are the only thing left to choose on.
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