Eating Out Friday: Mexican Restaurants

Photo from:  houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/04-15-10-tex-mex-to-your-office-picos-introduces-fajitadeliverycom/

There are actually plenty of options at Mexican restaurants for us low carbers.  You just need to be a bit creative.  Most restaurants are very accommodating to side dish change requests and I have yet to run into a place that would not accept my order.  If you really think about it, the only things you can't have at Mexican restaurants are rice, beans and tortillas.  There's tons of other stuff, good stuff to order.  Oh and tell them NO when they bring you chips and salsa.  You don't need the temptation!

Guacamole You can order guacamole to replace the chips and salsa they normally put in front of you the second you sit down.  Ask if they can give you bell pepper strips or cucumber slices to dip into the guacamole.  There's also nothing wrong with just grabbing a spoon and going to town!

Ceviche Oh how I love ceviche!  It's seafood (I prefer shrimp ceviche) marinated in lime juice and chopped onions, avocado, bell pepper, etc.  Just dig in with a spoon.


Fajitas This is one of the easiest for low carbers to order.  We can pretty much have everything they serve with it except the tortillas.  Slather on the guacamole, sour cream, etc and dig in with a fork!


Any non-breaded meat My favorite is carnitas (shredded pork) but there's carne asada (steak), pollo (chicken), etc.  Just ask for no rice, beans or tortillas and if they can replace them with either a side salad or fajita vegetables.

Chili Verde This is chunks of pork in a green tomatillo salsa.  Just ask for no rice, beans or tortillas and if they can replace them with either a side salad or fajita vegetables.


Grilled Seafood Fish and shellfish are pretty common in Mexican cuisine.  Usually if there is a sauce, it's a salsa type which is low carb.  Just ask for no rice, beans or tortillas and if they can replace them with either a side salad or fajita vegetables.

Tostada Salad Just don't eat the shell at the bottom.  Check the ingredients and if they serve with beans, ask for it without.

Grilled Meat Salads Most salads are fine but make sure to tell them not to put tortilla strips on.  Also, be careful with the salad dressing.  You are probably better off ordering ranch or blue cheese than whatever specialty dressing the restaurant serves.

Alcohol If you'd like a drink with your meal order a Corona Light, Skinny Margarita or an unflavored alcohol (meaning NOT raspberry vodka, etc) with diet soda, like vodka and diet coke, rum and diet coke, etc.  Don't get off course because of liquids!  Unflavored alcohols do not have carbs but your body will burn alcohol before anything else so it will slow you down.