Which sit-down restaurant gives the most protein under 800 calories?

A sit-down dish comes with its sides, so a meal here is the plate as it is served — the dish with a pick for each choice it comes with — and at most one drink. This table ranks 21 restaurants by the most protein in that meal under 800 calories, with the same measure at 600 and 1,000. Cracker Barrel leads with 107 g under 800 (A Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with turnip greens and steamed broccoli, no bread, and a Coca-Cola Zero); Captain D's is last at 30 g. Outback Steakhouse is not ranked until the MinMax app builds its meals.

22 sit-down restaurants · every dish counted with its sides · each chain's nutrition guide or a labelled copy · Data refreshed October 24, 2026

21 restaurants ranked
17 reach 60 g under 800
107g best full meal
19 have a meal under 600

This ranking covers the 22 sit-down restaurants. The 123 fast-food chains, where a meal is an entrée, up to two sides and a drink, have a ranking of their own.

As of October 2026, 17 of the 22 sit-down restaurants we track can serve a meal with 60 g or more of protein under 800 calories; under 600, 19 of the 21 ranked can serve a meal at all.

Most protein in a sit-down meal under 800 calories, by restaurant

One plate — a dish with a valid pick for each choice it comes with, never the same row twice — and at most one drink: the MinMax app's meal and the best under the cap, drink included. Protein figures link to that restaurant's under-cap page when it has one; the last column links its high-protein plates.

Most protein in a sit-down meal, by restaurant and calorie cap
#	Restaurant	Best order under 800	Under 800	Under 600	Under 1,000	More
1	Cracker Barrel	A Steak & Chicken Combo (smokehouse grilled chicken) with turnip greens and steamed broccoli, no bread, and a Coca-Cola Zero	107g	76g	126g	high-protein
2	Texas Roadhouse	An 11 oz USDA Choice Sirloin with a house side salad (no dressing) and green beans, and a Diet Coke	104g	71g	142g	high-protein
3	LongHorn Steakhouse	A 12 oz Lemon Garlic Chicken with steamed asparagus and steamed broccoli, and a Milk	92g	67g	104g	high-protein
4	The Cheesecake Factory	A Tuscan Chicken, plus sliced tomatoes, and a Cafe Latte	92g	81g	102g	high-protein
5	Carrabba's Italian Grill	A Chicken Trio	89g	69g	89g	high-protein
6	Ruby Tuesday	A T-Bone Steak with a baked potato and whipped butter	81g	50g	81g	high-protein
7	First Watch	A Healthy Turkey, plus a smoked ham, and a small Reduced-Fat Milk	77g	57g	84g	–
8	TGI Fridays	12 Traditional wings tossed in Dragon-Glaze, and a 12-ounce Coca-Cola Zero Sugar	76g	53g	101g	–
9	Olive Garden	A Grilled Chicken Margherita, no soup or salad, and a Cappuccino	74g	34g	82g	high-protein
10	Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen	Grilled Pork Chops with buttered off-the-cob corn and sweet baby carrots, and a Coffee	73g	52g	82g	high-protein
11	P.F. Chang's	A Chicken with Broccoli, plus a Thai Peanut Salad for one	72g	64g	100g	high-protein
12	Logan's Roadhouse	A Shrimp Stacked Salmon with corn and green beans, and a 20-ounce Diet Coke	72g	64g	80g	high-protein
13	BJ's Brewhouse	An Enlightened Strawberry Fields Salad and a Milk	65g	47g	74g	high-protein
14	Red Lobster	A 7 oz Sirloin Steak with lobster-topped mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus, and a Coffee	65g	58g	72g	–
15	IHOP	A 10 oz T-Bone Steak with two buttermilk pancakes and steamed fresh broccoli	61g	46g	63g	–
16	Applebee's	A Crispy Chicken Tender Salad with Grilled Chicken, and a Bottled Water	60g	53g	76g	high-protein
17	Beef 'O' Brady's	6 Plain Traditional Wings with Celery, nothing else	60g	48g	70g	high-protein
18	Denny's	A BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich with broccoli, and a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar	58g	–	72g	–
19	Red Robin	A Santa Fe Salmon with bottomless garlic fries, and a Coke Zero	54g	50g	54g	high-protein
20	California Pizza Kitchen	A Cedar Plank Salmon and a Pacific Thyme	53g	36g	60g	high-protein
21	Captain D's	A 2-piece Batter Dipped Fish with mac & cheese and broccoli, plus 2 hush puppies, and a large Diet Pepsi	30g	–	37g	–

Eat out without blowing your cap

MinMax finds the best meal under your calorie goal at the restaurants nearest you — sit-down or fast food — and lets you swap a side to hit your protein. Free on iPhone.

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Every figure is from the restaurant's published nutrition guide or a cited copy of it; sources are linked on each restaurant's page and on the sources page. Read how the data is gathered and checked.