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15 Beloved Restaurant Dishes That Are Terrible for You

Sorry, but these staple dishes are just a no-go.

Sometimes, you just get a craving for a very specific dish, and then you can't stop thinking about it until you it's sitting in front of you. We all have those comfort foods! So when you head to a restaurant with a certain meal in mind, you might not be thinking about just how bad of a choice these beloved restaurant meals really are.

Sorry to put it out there, but there are plenty of beloved restaurant meals that are simply, well, not great for you healthwise.

We might break your heart with these revelations, but we rounded up classically beloved dishes—including appetizers, main courses, and desserts—from some of your favorite restaurants that you're much better off refraining from ordering.

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion

blooming onion appetizer from outback
Courtesy of Outback Steakhouse
1,950 calories, 155 g fat (56 g saturated fat, 7 g trans fat), 3,840 mg sodium, 123 g carbs (14 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 18 g protein

It's no secret that this appetizer is one of the most iconic dishes on Outback's menu, but that doesn't mean you should be feasting on it. It has a startlingly high amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and carbs. Basically, there is nothing redeeming about this option.

Red Lobster Admiral Feast

admirals feast red lobster fish shrimp broccoli sides
Photo: Courtesy of Red Lobster
1,650 calories, 98 g fat (10 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 5,000 mg sodium, 129 g carbs (9 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 64 g protein

In this Red Lobster dish, you're served up shrimp, bay scallops, clam strips, and wild-caught whitefish, which sounds like a hearty mix of seafood. Except it all happens to be fried, and you're now consuming 5,000 milligrams of sodium in one meal when The American Heart Association recommends having no more than 2,300 milligrams a day.

P.F. Chang's Great Wall of Chocolate

pf changs slice of great wall of chocolate cake with berries
Courtesy of P.F. Chang's
1,700 calories, 71 g fat (30 g saturated fat), 1,410 mg sodium, 259 g carbs (14 g fiber, 190 g sugar), 17 g protein

Just one slice of this truly decadent cake from P.F. Chang's and you're in for 190 grams of sugar—that's more sugar than you'll get in an entire pint of Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream. Yikes! If everyone at the table is going to split this sweet treat, go ahead and have a bite or two but just be sure you're not eating it all by yourself.

Your ultimate restaurant and supermarket survival guide is here!

Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo

olive garden alfredo
Courtesy of Olive Garden
1,620 calories, 100 g fat (57 g saturated fat, 2 g trans fat), 1,680 mg sodium, 96 g carbs (5 g fiber, 6 g sugar), 84 g protein

It's no secret that Alfredo sauce is creamy and delicious, but it's also filled with fat, and Olive Garden's version that is mixed with chicken and topped over noodles is no exception, clocking in at 100 grams.

TGI Fridays Loaded Potato Skins with Ranch Sour Cream

tgi fridays potato skins
Courtesy of TGI Fridays
1,510 calories, 73 g fat (23 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,950 mg sodium, 179 g carbs (31 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 33 g protein

This appetizer seems harmless enough by the looks of it, and it's easy to eat as it's all bite-size. So it makes sense this is a popular menu choice. But the amount of calories, fat, sodium, and carbs you're getting before your main course is just way too much.

The Cheesecake Factory Pasta Napoletana

pasta napoletana at the cheesecake factory
The Cheesecake Factory/Facebook.com
2,470 calories, 177 g fat (82 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 5,020 mg sodium, 153 g carbs (11 g fiber, 19 g sugar), 65 g protein

This is one pasta dish that is just scary! The Cheesecake Factory whips up Italian sausage, pepperoni, meatball, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a rich tomato sauce, all over Parmesan cream pasta. Together, these ingredients create the worst dish you'll find on the entire CF menu, and you know that menu is a big one. There's more sodium here than you'll get in 33 bags of Lay's potato chips. Hard pass.

Panera Bread Mac & Cheese in Bread Bowl

Panera mac and cheese bread bowl
Lincy H./Yelp
1,180 calories, 38 g fat (19 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 2,270 mg sodium, 164 g carbs (5 g fiber, 10 g sugar), 43 g protein

Mac and cheese is forever a comfort dish and Panera Bread's spin on the meal is oh so creamy and delicious. Getting it served to you in a bread bowl you can eat too just takes it up a whole level. Well, this makes for one highly caloric, sodium and carb-filled meal. Sorry, but it's a no for this dish.

Cracker Barrel Pecan Pancakes

cracker barrel pecan pancakes
Courtesy of Cracker Barrel
1,130 calories, 70 g fat (14 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,720 mg sodium, 119 g carbs (8 g fiber, 12 g sugar), 15 g protein

A trip to Cracker Barrel means there's a good chance you're going to go for a breakfast option and what's better than pancakes? Well, these pecan pancakes might be shockingly low in sugar, the dish is packing in sodium and fat.

Maggiano's Little Italy Mom's Lasagna

maggianos little italy lasagna
Maggiano's Little Italy/ Yelp
1,040 calories, 66 g fat (33 g saturated fat, 2 g trans fat), 3,370 mg sodium, 55 g carbs (4 g fiber, 21 g sugar), 61 g protein

Just seeing the name of Maggiano Little Italy's beloved dish Mom's Lasagna is enough to bring on a wave of nostalgia and comfort. But unless your mom is making this meal for you herself, skip ordering this dish as it has more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium. And the 21 grams of sugar is high for a pasta dish, too.

Applebee's Brew Pub Pretzels & Beer Cheese Dip

applebees brew pub pretzels beer cheese dip
Courtesy of Applebee's
1,190 calories, 47 g fat (15 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 4,470 mg sodium, 153 g carbs (7 g fiber, 19 g sugar), 38 g protein

Again, this seems like a safe appetizer choice but the sodium is through the roof for a small plate like this! Decide to get something else when you're dining at Applebee's.

Uno Pizzeria & Grill Deep Dish Individual Chicago Meat Market Pizza

uno chicago deep dish meat market pizza
Michael C./Yelp
2,280 calories, 144 g fat (36 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 4,980 mg sodium, 120 g carbs (6 g fiber, 12 g sugar), 90 g protein

This individual pie packs a ton of calories, fats, and sodium. Keep in mind this is meant to be eaten by just one person…

Red Robin Monster Burger

red robin monster burger
Red Robin Burgers/Twitter
1,210 calories, 77 g fat (31 g saturated fat, 3 g trans fat), 2,410 mg sodium, 59 g carbs (3 g fiber, 20 g sugar), 72 g protein

If you're going to Red Robin, a burger is a must, right? Well, the Monster Burger lives up to its name, that's for sure. It features two patties, bacon, cheese, and sauce, and is high in just about everything it shouldn't be, like fat, sodium, and sugar.

Chili's Dry Rub Ribs, Full Rack

Dry rubbed ribs
Courtesy of Chili's
1,480 calories, 107 g fat (41 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 5,120 mg sodium, 30 g carbs (3 g fiber, 24 g sugar), 99 g protein

A trip to Chili's means ribs are in order, but you might want to rethink that idea. A full rack of dry rub ribs has nearly two days' worth of sodium, plus it's super high in fat, too.

IHOP Cinn-a-Stack Pancakes

ihop cinnastack pancakes
Courtesy of IHOP
850 calories, 28 g fat (11 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 2,090 mg sodium, 134 g carbs (6 g fiber, 67 g sugar), 17 g protein

A trip to IHOP means pancakes are a must, and this Cinn-a-Stack flavor is an IHOP staple. But with 67 grams of sugar, it's just excessive, to say the least. Plus, it's high in sodium too, so you're just going over your daily allotment of both in one meal. Skip!

Ruby Tuesday Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet

ruby tuesday chocolate chip cookie skillet
Ruby Tuesday/Facebook
1,350 calories, 69 g fat (37 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,141 mg sodium, 172 g carbs (5 g fiber, 110 g sugar), 19 g protein

In the mood for a little dessert after your meal at Ruby Tuesday? Well, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet seems like the perfect sweet treat, as it's a freshly baked cookie served warm in a skillet with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauces. It's small enough for one person to indulge, but packing more than 100 grams of sugar is just not OK. It's higher in calories than some of the meal options on the menu and well, every aspect of its nutritional breakdown is just problematic.

Jennifer Maldonado
Jennifer Maldonado is a senior editor at Eat This, Not That!, specializing in food and health content. Read more about Jennifer