While I love to cook at home, the start to great dishes at home often starts from eating out and new and diverse places.
I try to vary our food experiences with other cultural dishes to bring to our homemade dishes. And, it’s important to me to learn how to choose healthier options when eating out which can be challenging.
These are the types of places we choose when eating out:
- Mexican Food – my #1 pick!
- Chinese food
- Indian
- Greek
- Italian Restaurants
- Pizza places
- Pho & Sushi
Yes, there are a ton of places to eat beyond the ones I mention, but these are MY favorites….. and I’d love to hear yours!
Please share with me in the comments where you love to eat out and what your favorite dishes are to order so I can try them too!
What To Eat When Eating Out
Below is a list of food choices I love to order when eating out that includes the best taste, my favorites and alternate healthy choices (such as vegetarian and vegan).
Mexican Food
This is one of my top choices if eating out – and I usually want to do a taco truck, but they have a limited menu. This is why we usually opt to go to an actual sit-down Mexican restaurant because they most always serve chips & salsa to snack on.
When eating Mexican, I love to order one of these dishes:
- Street tacos – soft corn shells with pork, cilantro and a light sauce, don’t forget the limes to add a great flavor
- Enchiladas – a smaller burrito with cheese and red or green sauce on the top
- Birria soft tacos – made of meat stew and tortillas dips or cooked in a red sauce, very flavorful, no veggie option
- Veggie option – Bean tostada or bean burrito
- Veggie option – Cheese enchilada
- Taco Bell – Doritos locos taco supreme
- Taco Bell – Mexican pizza (I choose veggie style with only refried beans inside)
- Taco Bell – Veggie bowl (don’t knock it til you try it, it has an avocado ranch sauce and is FULL OF FLAVOR)
- Taco truck – birria or shredded pork tacos with everything on them
Don’t forget to add/ask for lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa. I love all these on my food so it’s a must-have addition for me.
Chinese Food near me
As for Chinese restaurants near me, they are all quite the same up here in the midwest. Quality and quickness is really deciding factor, not necessarily choices.
What I order at a Chinese restaurant:
- Curry shrimp or chicken – has a darker sauce and is very seasoned
- General Tso’s Chicken – has a crunchy outer layer under a sticky sweet sauce
- Veggie option – Vegetable sub gum – has chunks of celery and veggies in a white sauce
- Veggie option – Egg foo young which is a patty-like egg with veggies in it, side of rice and side of gravy to pour over (skip the gravy for a healthier option)
- Fried dumplings
- Donuts
- Fried rice with extra egg
Indian Food
While eating at an Indian restaurant may not be as common to you, if you find yourself there and want to look like you know how to order, check out my favorite Indian dishes below.
What I order at Indian restaurants:
- Naan bread (thick tortilla) and their Sanaa dipping sauces – YUM!
- Popadums – a crispy corn chip with sides of chutneys (mint cilantro, tamarind, and garlic)
- Paratha – a thinner version of naan
- Tikka Masala – a curry Tumeric red cream sauce over chicken and rice (try my veggie tikka masala)
- Butter Chicken – Chicken in a creamy sauce (less tomatoey but creamier than Tikka masala)
- Korma – Braised meat (chicken or beef) and vegetables in a thick mild curry sauce
- Veggie option – saag paneer is greens, spices and paneer cheese cubes mixed together
- Dessert – gulab jamun – doughy balls in a syrup
At home, I make a vegetarian cauliflower Tikka Masala if you’d like to take a try! It’s actually very easy to make and so incredibly delicious. Great for leftovers too!
Greek Fast Food
We have a few Greek fast food-type places around us that all serve a similar menu, including pitas and euro dishes. So I get the same thing at anyone that I go to.
- Chicken Shish Kabob dinner plate – chicken, pita, onions & tomato slices (I order extra Tzatziki sauce)
- Greek salad
Italian Restaurant
Eating Italian out at any restaurant or fast food (like Fazoli’s,
- Fettucini alfredo with added broccoli
- Lasagna – if I can order a veggie version, I will
- Breadsticks, always!
Pizza Places
I love pizza, but, lately it feels so heavy and over filling that I don’t often get anymore. This is something more of my husband loves to order, but I will definitely get something from there on occasion.
These are the things I love to get from pizza places:
- Dominos – Thin crust with alfredo, onion, mushrooms, spinach (and chicken if you eat meat)
- Dominos – Twisted garlic bites with side of marinara sauces
- Pizza Hut – Hawaiian cheese crust stuffed – yes, I love pineapple on a pizza, i love the sweetness it adds
- Pizza Hut – Create our own, crispy alfredo with onions, mushrooms, black olives and tomatoes
- Pizza Hut – Cheese sticks with marinara dipping sauce
- Papa Johns – Create Your Own Papadia veggie style
Pho & Sushi
If you like Ramen, I highly suggest you go and try a PHO place TONIGHT! This soup-ramen with toppings is a household favorite because it is so filling yet light – I know, a bit of an oxymoron, but it really is both.
What I love to order for Pho & Sushi:
- Pho – no meat, extra veggies (but do note that the soup broth IS MEAT BASED)
- Sushi – California rolls – Imitation crab, cucumber, and avocado
- Sushi – Rainbow Roll – Imitation crab, cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna, shrimp, yellowtail
- Hibachi/Japanese restaurant – Sashimi tuna (fresh tuna) with ginger
- Hibachi – Extra eggs in rice, veggies, shrimp or filet
Related recipes:
Indian Onion Chutney (for poppadoms)
