Austin, Texas, a city known for its vibrant culinary scene, offers a plethora of keto-friendly dining options. For those following a ketogenic diet, which involves consuming high amounts of fats, a moderate amount of protein, and very limited carbohydrates to induce ketosis, eating out can be a challenge. However, Austin's diverse restaurant landscape makes it easier than you might think to stick to your meal plan while enjoying the city's offerings. This article explores some of the best keto restaurants in Austin, as well as tips for navigating menus and making smart choices.
Understanding the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet aims to shift the body's primary fuel source from glucose to fat. This metabolic state, called ketosis, occurs when carbohydrate intake is severely restricted, forcing the body to break down fat into ketones for energy. While the keto diet is popular for weight loss, it also has potential benefits for managing blood sugar, improving cholesterol levels, and enhancing brain function.
One of the biggest challenges of keto is finding enough fat in your diet, and avoiding carbs.
Keto-Friendly Restaurants in Austin
BBQ Joints
Texas and BBQ are synonymous, and Austin is no exception. BBQ restaurants are a great option for keto dieters, offering a variety of smoked meats that are naturally low in carbs and high in fat.
La Barbecue: This popular spot is known for its delicious brisket, ribs, and sausage. Their coleslaw is made without sugar, and their rubs are salty rather than sweet, making them a keto-friendly choice.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Franklin BBQ: While waiting in line, you can anticipate enjoying brisket, a staple in Texas BBQ, which aligns perfectly with the keto diet's emphasis on high-fat, low-carb foods.
When indulging in BBQ, be mindful of added sugars in sauces and opt for unsweetened options. Green beans, dill pickles, and red onions make excellent low-carb sides.
Burger Joints
Austin knows how to do a burger right, and has a ton of really great burger joints. Burgers are easily "keto-fied" by skipping the bun and loading up on extra meat, cheese, and mayo.
P. Terry's Burger Stand: This local favorite offers lettuce wraps as a bun substitute, allowing you to enjoy a classic burger without the carbs. Add extra cheese and pile on the meat for a satisfying keto meal.
Wholly Cow: This burger joint serves organic, grass-fed burgers, including the Fit Cross Burger, which uses portobello mushroom caps instead of a bun. The Fit Cross Burger consists of a beef patty sandwiched between two portabella mushrooms in place of bread with bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes pickles, and mustard. Add extra cheese to balance out your macros.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Order your favorite burger as a bowl, and you'll get their house greens tossed and topped with your favorite burger patty and toppings. If you're not a salad fan, opt for their lettuce bun.
Mediterranean Restaurants
This fast-casual Mediterranean spot has tons of flavorful protein and fresh veggie options to create your custom keto meal.
Salad Places
Salad restaurants offer a customizable option for keto dieters.
- Vinaigrette: This modern restaurant + wine bar tucked just off of South Congress. You can order a premade salad or create your own to make it even more, keto friendly. Be sure to ask for a creamy dressing, like their blue cheese vinaigrette. Pair your salad with grilled flank steak, and just be careful to avoid too many of the high-carb toppings like croutons or crispy noodles.
Diners
Counter Cafe: This cozy diner is the perfect place to grab a keto-friendly breakfast or lunch in Austin. This little neighborhood eatery has tons of Keto breakfast food options, but our favorite is the Pork Chop and Eggs combo. Pro tip: sub out the breakfast potatoes and biscuit for sauteed spinach with collard greens and bacon. They use locally-sourced protein and organic ingredients and offer all the classics that you expect to see at a diner. The Pork Chop & Eggs is a good keto-friendly option. Just be sure to swap out the biscuit and potatoes with a keto-friendly side, like nitrate-free bacon or sautéed spinach.
24 Diner: This iconic Austin restaurant offers elevated diner classics, with several keto-friendly options. For breakfast, the frittata or bacon breakfast platter are easy choices. For lunch or dinner, try a salad (hold the croutons) or a ribeye steak (no fries). Burgers can be made keto by holding the bun and high-carb toppings and piling on keto-friendly toppings like grilled onions, bacon, and avocado.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Poke Restaurants
- Malibu Poke: This beautiful poke restaurant in downtown Austin has a touch screen ordering system where you can a create-your-own poke bowl. For a base, they offer cauliflower rice and massaged kale for low-carb options. Pick a fatty tuna or salmon protein and then pile on the sauces, crunchy toppings, and oil drizzles. They clearly list which ones are keto-friendly, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally choosing the wrong sauce. Pile on some extra avocado for more fatty goodness.
Tex-Mex Restaurants
Chi'lantro: This restaurant is best known for those delicious kimchi fries and tacos… You’ll have to avoid those on the keto diet. But eating keto at Chi’Lantro is actually pretty easy if you know the right things to order. Try a “create your own bowl” and choose a green base (they offer spinach or green leaf lettuce.) Get meat and lots of veggies, and pick a few high-fat toppings like avocado and cheese.
Torchy's Tacos: At Torchy’s, skip the tortilla and just eat the good stuff - the filling! Faith’s meal: The Crossroads and The Democrat! Your Keto Queens always share food.
Manuel's: Mexican restaurant Manuel's does a particularly nice take on Pescado con Espinacas (fish with spinach).
Pizza Places
- Austin's Pizza: Craving keto pizza in Austin? Austin’s Pizza now has a cauliflower crust. Select the “build your own pizza” option, and start with this low-carb crust. Then pile on some keto-friendly toppings like mozzarella cheese, bacon, ground beef, Roma tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts.
Upscale Restaurants
Maie Day: When you want to dine out at a fancy restaurant on keto, a steakhouse might be your best bet! You can order a steak and a keto-friendly wine or no-sugar cocktail and then get a side of greens. It's from executive chef Michael Fojtasek (also known for his James Beard Award-finalist restaurant Olamaie) decided to take preconceptions about a steak house and create something new. The result is a bright and lively restaurant with shareable sides, locally-sourced cuts of meat, and a festive, friendly feel. It's a great place to eat if you're on a keto diet because they have plenty of high-fat cuts of meat available, but your friends who aren't dining keto will be able to find menu items for their lifestyle, too.
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro: Steak (as well as most meats) is most definitely Keto. Chef Tim Love offers more than 20 different animals on the menu at Lonesome Dove, including rattlesnake and wild boar, but one of their most consistently popular dishes is the Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin, seared to perfection and served atop western hash and grilled asparagus. Further down the menu, you'll find other hand-cut steaks including Wagyu, New York Strip, Buffalo Ribeye, and more.
Restaurants with Keto-Specific Menus
Picnik: Picnik Austin was started as an allergen-free dining spot (everything on the menu is refined, sugar-free, peanut-free, and gluten-free.) There’s even an entire section of the menu with low-carb options - perfect for people who are doing keto! The brick-and-mortars on Burnet and South First are both a bright, lively places to dine. They're modern, beautifully decorated, and the menu is absolutely full of keto-friendly things to eat at a restaurant. Bacon Taco Bowls at Picnik are essential.
True Food Kitchen: True Food Kitchen was designed for foodies who want a delicious taste and healthy food. The menu caters to any type of diet, so if you’re looking for a keto-friendly menu in Austin, you’ll find lots of options here. Both Austin locations (downtown and Domain) are modern and bright, with high ceilings and white marble tables. When dining at True Food Kitchen with friends who have a certain diet or lifestyle, the servers are able to help them find something on the menu. This often involves asking the kitchen for simple swaps (like changing the base of a bowl or switching a burger bun for a lettuce wrap.)
Flower Child: It’s so easy to eat keto at Flower Child because they offer clean foods and lots of veggies and proteins. There are two locations in Austin (a Domain restaurant and a downtown location), and they’re both absolutely beautiful places to grab lunch with a friend. Try a salad with a creamy dressing and protein, or go with the “entree + protein” option for some absolutely delicious meat and veggies.
Other Restaurants
Swift's Attic: Swift’s Attic happy hour menu is full of keto-friendly fare, such as Nuoc Cham Brussels Sprouts (ask them to hold the golden raisins, or just don’t eat them), Blistered Shitshito Peppers, and Thai Lettuce Wraps. We recommend the Blistered Shitshio Peppers, mostly because they’re crazy fun to eat! If you’re not familiar with them, supposedly about 1 out of every 10 shishito pepper is ridiculously hot, and the rest are mild. It’s like playing Russian roulette with your food.
Almost all pho restaurants have a veggie option, and if not, they should be able to at least provide the soup sans-noodles.
Tips for Eating Keto at Restaurants
- Plan ahead: Before heading out, check the restaurant's menu online to identify potential keto-friendly options.
- Ask questions: Don't hesitate to ask your server about ingredients and preparation methods. Request modifications to dishes, such as omitting sugary sauces or substituting sides.
- Focus on protein and fat: Choose dishes that are rich in protein and healthy fats, such as steak, grilled chicken, fish, or avocado.
- Limit carbs: Be mindful of hidden carbs in sauces, dressings, and sides. Opt for low-carb vegetables like spinach, broccoli, or cauliflower.
- Make substitutions: Swap out high-carb items like bread, rice, and potatoes for keto-friendly alternatives like lettuce wraps, cauliflower rice, or extra vegetables.
- Bring your own: If you're concerned about the availability of keto-friendly options, consider bringing your own dressings, sauces, or snacks.
Shopping for Keto Products in Austin
In addition to dining out, Austin offers several stores where you can stock up on keto-friendly groceries and supplements.
The Vitamin Shoppe: Conveniently located next to a Sprouts grocery within the Great Hills Station in North Austin as well as other locations, The Vitamin Shoppe provides shoppers with the opportunity to pick up low-carb pizza and enchiladas from Keto-specific brands like Real Good, as well as Keto strips (for testing Ketones), Keto drinks, and Keto bombs for coffee.
Trader Joe's: This popular grocery store has a substantial cache of Keto products for the picking, including cauliflower crust pizzas, almond and coconut flour, low-carb wines, and more. They also have a great selection of premade meat dishes that are low on carbs and high on protein/fat.
Whole Foods Market: Austin's own Whole Foods Market is a great place to stock up on Keto-approved goods. Almond flour, MCT oil, bone broth, and of course, all the fresh produce you could ever want or imagine.
People's RX: People's RX has been a source of healthfulness in Austin for over 30 years, and they've made great strides in providing products that fit within the Ketogenic diet. Their friendly and knowledgeable staff are more than happy to answer any questions you have, as well as point you in the right direction of products to purchase within the store.
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