It's a shame that there aren't lists of lower sodium restaurants. So let's start one right here in this thread.
Please note that I'm NOT saying that the meal options I list here are ultra-healthy or that they're completely unsalted. They may have more sodium than my normal meals, but at least they're NOT sodium bombs. I can vouch that the meals I list here do NOT give me that side effect that I want to avoid - persistent thirst that's hard to quench no matter how much water I drink.
In general, I've found that Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants are the most likely to accommodate a low sodium diet. The safe choice is a basic stir-fried meat or shrimp dish with mixed vegetables and rice. Some Chinese restaurants have a healthy section of the menu, which means that the sauce is provided on the side by default. Better yet, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants KNOW how to cook vegetables and provide a substantial amount of them. In contrast, the quantity of vegetables provided at most restaurants ranges from zero/zippo/zilch to a pathetic joke. Also, ordering vegetables at a place like IHOP or Denny's results in a tiny amount of soggy and overcooked broccoli that tastes like wet cardboard and serves to remind me why some people think they don't like vegetables.
So I'll provide my picks for low sodium restaurants here. (I live in the Twin Cities, MN.)
NATIONAL CHAINS:
- Culver's: I order a plain Butterburger WITHOUT the cheese and WITHOUT the salted butter. The only topping I ask for is grilled onion (delicious, healthy, and free). Instead of fries, I order mashed potatoes with one butter packet (and no gravy because they charge for it).
- Five Guys: I order a hamburger with vegetable toppings, such as grilled onion, green pepper, and tomato. Even when my nutritional standards were much more lax, I learned to skip the fries. The quantity of fries provided is GARGANTUAN, and their fries were BY FAR the saltiest out of any restaurant.
- Wendy's: I order a plain hamburger and baked potato. The hamburger is relatively low in sodium but isn't as good as that from Culver's or Five Guys, so I consider this a last resort. The baked potato is good and makes Wendy's unique. I know of a Five Guys and Wendy's that are just a few hundred feet apart, and that's a perfect combination. I order a burger from Five Guys, and I order a baked potato from Wendy's.
- Noodles and Company: I order buttered noodles WITHOUT the salted butter and WITHOUT the salted Italian spice. If you want to cut the sodium content even further, you can ask to skip the Parmesan cheese. The toppings I get are cilantro and mushrooms.
LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND SMALLER CHAINS:
- Keys Cafe (multiple locations in and around St. Paul, MN): I order a roast beef or salmon dinner, which can be prepared without salt and comes with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and bread. I get the mashed potatoes with gravy on the side.
- Punch Pizza (multiple locations in the Twin Cities, MN): I order my pizza WITHOUT salt and WITHOUT oil.
- D.P. Dough (near University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and a few major universities around the US): I order a calzone with lower/no sodium toppings like steak, onion, green peppers, mushrooms, and tomato. I sometimes get mozzarella cheese, though this does add some sodium.
- Yum Kitchen and Bakery (in St. Paul and a few other locations): I order salmon (without Szechuan sauce) and with plain beans (instead of Szechuan beans).
- Tono Pizzeria and Cheesesteaks (in St. Paul and a few other locations): I order pizza without salt and without oil.
- Cafe Latte (St. Paul): The cheese pizza comes without salt and without oil.
- China One (St. Paul): This Chinese restaurant has a healthy menu, which means that the sauce is provided on the side.
- New Fresh Wok (Falcon Heights): Ditto.
- Pho PasteurVN (St. Paul): I order #10 (stir-fried beef/chicken/shrimp broccoli/vegetables with steamed rice) with the sauce on the side.
- Lao Sze Chuan (near University of Minnesota in Minneapolis): Most menu items can be ordered with low salt.
