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20 Restaurant Salads With More Than 1,000 Calories

You may be better off ordering a cheeseburger and a side of fries.

If you're at a restaurant ordering the grilled chicken salad in lieu of the cheesy cheddar burger to keep your weight in check, you may want to rethink your options. Many of your favorite chains' salad offerings aren't any better than the entrees you actually crave. In fact, a striking amount of restaurant salads hide more than 1,000 calories in between the leafy greens, grilled proteins, and creamy dressings.

Next time you're eating out, make sure to avoid the bowls here—they all pack in over a grand of calories!—and opt for the #1 healthiest menu option at 40 popular restaurants instead.

California Pizza Kitchen The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

California Pizza Kitchen bbq salad
California Pizza Kitchen

Per full size with Herb ranch dressing: 1,180 calories, 74 g fat (18 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,630 mg sodium, 77 g carbs (13 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 54 g protein

We can't justify noshing on 10 small packets of McDonald's fries—the sodium equivalent of this salad!—so why order this CPK calorie bomb?

The Cheesecake Factory Cobb Salad

cheesecake factory cobb salad
Akemi W./Yelp

1,540 calories, 124 g fat (24 g saturated fat, 1.5 g trans fat), 2,280 mg sodium, 35 g carbs (11 g fiber, 19 g sugar), 74 g protein

Leave it to The Cheesecake Factory to sneak in more than a gram of artery-clogging trans fat into its healthy-sounding salad.

The Cheesecake Factory Santa Fe Salad

The Cheesecake Factory santa fe salad
The Cheesecake Factory

1,730 calories, 114 g fat (26 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 2,200 mg sodium, 106 g carbs (19 g fiber, 39 g sugar), 76 g protein

This mashup of lime-marinated chicken, corn, black beans, cheese, tortilla strips, tomato, mixed greens, and a spicy peanut-cilantro vinaigrette packs in about double the fat than the joint's Old Fashioned Burger.

The Cheesecake Factory Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad

Cheesecake Factory Barbeque ranch chicken salad
The Cheesecake Factory

2,150 calories, 137 g fat (25 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,870 mg sodium, 161 g carbs (23 g fiber, 67 g sugar), 66 g protein

The salad starts off healthily with avocado, tomato, grilled corn, black beans, cucumber, and romaine until the calorie bombs hit the plate. Never order a salad that's "topped with lots of crispy fried onion strings" and a generous dousing of barbecue ranch.

California Pizza Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad

California Pizza Kitchen

Per full size with Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing: 1,320 calories, 94 g fat (22 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,020 mg sodium, 75 g carbs (10 g fiber, 55 g sugar), 54 g protein

Two days' worth of sugar sneaks into this salad via grapes, green apples, candied walnuts, and a sweet vinaigrette. Stick with the full Caesar salad instead.

California Pizza Kitchen Grilled Steak Salad

california pizza kitchen steak salad
California Pizza Kitchen

Per full size with bleu cheese dressing: 1,270 calories, 101 g fat (31 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,060 mg sodium, 30 g carbs (10 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 63 g protein

CPK grills its steak to medium doneness and tops it over greens, Nueske's applewood smoked bacon, jicama, red cabbage, charred red onion petals, tomatoes, and Gorgonzola tossed in bleu cheese dressing. However, the calorie content is absurd, and you'll get just 240 milligrams short of your entire day's worth of sodium.

150+ recipe ideas that get you lean for life.

California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad

california pizza kitchen thai crunch salad
California Pizza Kitchen
Per Full size with Lime Cilantro Dressing: 1,180 calories, 73 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,710 mg sodium, 88 g carbs (14 g fiber, 51 g sugar), 55 g protein

Forget the slew of wontons and rice sticks and go for the half serving of the Italian Chopped Salad instead.

Buffalo Wild Wings Santa Fe Salad With Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing & Soft Tortillas

Buffalo Wild Wings santa fe salad
Buffalo Wild Wings

1,080 calories, 63 g fat (15 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 2,570 mg sodium, 76 g carbs (14 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 53 g protein

If you're already at Buffalo Wild Wings, you might as well stick with ordering the wings instead of a caloric salad. Nosh on the small size of traditional wings, and you'll save 430 calories, 26 grams of fat, and a staggering 2,330 milligrams of sodium.

Romano's Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad

romano's grill parmesan crusted salad
Cindy B./Yelp

1,080 calories, 48 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 910 mg sodium, 100 g carbs (7 g fiber, 16 g sugar), 64 g protein

Consider Romano's cheesy chicken salad one of the lesser evils on this list. While it's got over 1,000 calories, it also packs in under 1,000 milligrams of sodium and not too much heart-harming saturated fat.

The Cheesecake Factory Chinese Chicken Salad

The Cheesecake Factory chinese salad
The Cheesecake Factory

1,740 calories, 106 g fat (15 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 2,840 mg sodium, 141 g carbs (11 g fiber, 62 g sugar), 59 g protein

The dinner-sized Chinese Chicken Salad comes packed with more than a day's worth of blood-pressure-spiking sodium and two-and-a-half days' worth of sugar. Opt for the lunch-sized salad, and your meal will still clock in at over 1,000 calories.

Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ Chicken Salad With Honey BBQ Ranch Dressing

Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ Chicken Salad With Honey BBQ Ranch Dressing
Buffalo Wild Wings

1,040 calories, 59 g fat (16 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 3,570 mg sodium, 71 g carbs (6 g fiber, 38 g sugar), 53 g protein

BBW's honey BBQ chicken salad boasts 386 Rold Gold pretzel sticks worth of sodium!

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chicken Salad With Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dressing

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Salad
Buffalo Wild Wings

1,010 calories, 61 g fat (18 g saturated fat, 1.5 g trans fat), 3,060 mg sodium, 80 g carbs (9 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 33 g protein

While this buffalo chicken salad boasts a calorie count that's not as inflated as some of the other bowls of greens on this list, it still manages to pack in 230 more calories than McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

IHOP Chicken & Spinach Salad With Grilled Chicken

IHOP chicken spinach salad
Yelp/ Ceeny M.

1,110 calories, 74 g fat (25 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,850 mg sodium, 45 g carbs (5 g fiber, 29 g sugar), 69 g protein

You'd think a spinach salad with grilled chicken wouldn't do much damage—however, IHOP's rendition is an exception. The joint packs in over a full day's worth of sodium and sugar into its leafy meal.

Applebee's Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad

Applebees oriental salad
Courtesy of Applebee's

1,310 calories, 83 g fat (13 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,140 mg sodium, 94 g carbs (10 g fiber, 47 g sugar), 52 g protein

If you wouldn't order a mini Oreo Cookie Blizzard from Dairy Queen for dinner, why bother forking into this salad? Applebee's manages to pack in five more grams of sugar than the cookies 'n cream treat.

The Cheesecake Factory Caesar Salad

Cheesecake factory caesar salad
Yelp/ Elizabeth R.

1,290 calories, 112 g fat (24 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 1,630 mg sodium, 41 g carbs (9 g fiber, 13 g sugar), 21 g protein

This Caesar salad packs in almost two-and-a-half times more fat than a Big Mac.

Applebee's Southwestern Salad With Grilled Chicken

Applebees southwest salad
Applebee's

1,030 calories, 65 g fat (16 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 2,460 mg sodium, 58 g carbs (10 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 57 g protein

Chalk this disastrous nutrition panel to the salad's chimichurri sauce, blend of cheddar cheeses, crunchy tortilla strips, and house-made cilantro ranch dressing.

The Cheesecake Factory Sheila's Chicken and Avocado Salad

Cheesecake Factory sheilas chicken salad
Yelp/ Jenni T.

Per full size: 1,830 calories, 122 g fat (16 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 2,030 mg sodium, 132 g carbs (21 g fiber, 56 g sugar), 64 g protein

Who would've ever thought that a chicken and avocado salad would have more calories than an order of The Cheesecake Factory's infamous fried avocado eggrolls?

IHOP Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad With Grilled Chicken

IHOP chicken cobb salad
IHOP

1,070 calories, 81 g fat (25 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,550 mg sodium, 18 g carbs (5 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 69 g protein

A grilled chicken salad seems like a safe bet—especially when you're dining at the house of pancakes—but this low-carb bowl is anything but sound for your waistline. You'll find the salt equivalent of 16 small orders of McDonald's fries in this salad.

The Cheesecake Factory Chicken, Mango, and Avocado Salad

The Cheesecake Factory mango salad
The Cheesecake Factory

1,560 calories, 103 g fat (12 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 2,080 mg sodium, 102 g carbs (13 g fiber, 53 g sugar), 66 g protein

This fruity salad packs in 2.2 Snickers bars' worth of button-busting sugar. You can do without it.

California Pizza Kitchen Italian Chopped Salad

California Pizza Kitchen italian salad
California Pizza Kitchen

1,010 calories, 82 g fat (17 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,940 mg sodium, 24 g carbs (5 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 48 g protein

Julienned salami lends CPK's Italian-inspired salad a slew of sodium in addition to the mozzarella, which also endows a hefty dosage of saturated fat.

April Benshosan, MS
April is a born-and-raised Brooklynite who has a passion for all things health, wellness, and tastebud-related. Read more about April