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Grilled steak at APL
Grilled steak at APL
Wonho Frank Lee

14 Fantastic Keto-Friendly Restaurants in Los Angeles

Don’t be a carb-avoider — be a healthy fat and protein dominator

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Grilled steak at APL
| Wonho Frank Lee

Everybody knows someone: The ketogenic diet craze is sweeping the nation, and a tsunami of “before-and-after” Instagram posts, avocado and coconut-based oil products and finicky menu changes threaten to crash down on dinner plans nationwide.

For the uninitiated, the ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that seeks to change the body’s source of energy from carbohydrates to fats. This is done by eliminating carbohydrate intake and entering “ketosis,” a metabolic state by which the body is burning fat as energy due to the absence of carbohydrates. The purported health benefits of ketosis are many, but the most remarkable is weight loss.

Due to the sheer availability of specialty health products at retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, keeping a ketogenic diet at home has never been easier.

As for eating out? It’s actually still pretty difficult. Many of the city’s restaurants use low-cost carbohydrate fillers like potatoes, bread or pastas to “fill out” a proper meal. However, there are both affordable and upscale dining options that can provide a fully keto-friendly meal. Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling on eating out while on the ketogenic diet in Los Angeles.

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Sevan Chicken Rotisserie

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Sevan Chicken snatches the crown for best quick-service Mediterranean-style rotisserie chicken from Zankou Chicken by offering a crispier skin and consistently juicier white meat. A smear of that addictive garlic sauce and it’s a keto-friendly meal on the cheap. Just be sure to skip any hummus and opt for the moutabal, an eggplant dip.

Sevan Chicken
Sevan Chicken
Ko M./Yelp

Soh Grill House

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As Korean barbecues go for keto, most of them are A-OK; between the steamed egg, various cuts of beef and pork (without marinade, of course), any Korean barbecue experience is generally keto safe. With that said, Soh Grill House makes the list for a couple reasons: The unmarinated meats are some of the best in the city, and their mostly-vegetable banchan spread (especially their spinach) is exceptionally keto-friendly.

Soh Grill House
Soh Grill House
Uracha Chaiyapinunt

Tam O'Shanter

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The Tam consistently puts out one of the city’s best prime ribs (the Lawry’s recipe), and what is there better to eat on a keto diet than a giant cut of beef rib with a healthy smear of horseradish? Nothing, that’s what. Carb watchers, beware: Lawry’s recipe for creamed spinach contains a small amount of all-purpose flour, so go easy on the sides in general and just double down on the meat with a bone-in Prince Charlie cut.

APL Restaurant

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Adam Perry Lang’s eponymous steakhouse is a ketogenic heaven, replete with a killer Bearnaise sauce, fish options and dry-aged steaks hot off the broiler. The tightly focused program also a surprising amount of keto-friendly sides, including creamed spinach, steamed asparagus and cauliflower steak.

APL
Steak at APL
Wonho Frank Lee

In-N-Out Burger

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The Protein-Style/Lettuce Wrap In-N-Out Burger (hold the spread!) is an enduring staple of every Angeleno’s low carb diet. Extra-conscious folks might want to avoid the tomatoes and onions, as well.

A nondescript In-N-Out location, complete with drive thru.

Chengdu Taste

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The San Gabriel Valley institution boasts a prodigious number of keto-friendly options, including chicken and mixed vegetable skewer, couple’s sliced beef in chili sauce and boiled sliced fish in hot sauce — just to name a couple.

Chengdu Taste
Toothpick lamb at Chengdu Taste
Elaine H./Yelp

Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio

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Avra earns the distinction of being one of the most keto-friendly restaurants in the city; fresh fish are deboned and prepared by the pound on the restaurant’s charcoal grill. Just be careful with the sides — Avra favors a lot of legumes, consumption of which should be minimal on ketogenic diets.

Avra Beverly Hills
Avra, Beverly Hills
Wonho Frank Lee

Feng Mao Lamb Kebab

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Pretty sure bull penis is keto friendly, but in case it isn’t, there’s also the great charcoal-grilled lamb, prawn, squid and chicken kebabs at this Chinese-Korean hole-in-the-wall off Western.

The Boiling Crab

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For all five people in Los Angeles who haven’t heard of The Boiling Crab, this Cajun seafood boil restaurant takes various shelled seafood (crawfish, shrimp, various types of crab) and tosses them in a sauce of the diner’s choosing. Lines at the Koreatown location get a bit out of control on the weekends, but fans of the garlicky crawfish eagerly brave the wait.

Shrimp at Boiling Crab
Shrimp at Boiling Crab
Yelp

Hwal Uh Kwang Jang

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Korean-style sashimi is the name of the game at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang, and from slivered raw halibut, to thick-sliced tuna, to the house specialty lobster sashimi, it’s all keto-friendly and it’s probably one of the most delicious ways to get those all-important Omega-3 fatty acids.

Sliced raw fish at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang
Sliced raw fish at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang
Matthew Kang

Pollo A La Brasa Western

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This Peruvian chicken shack is a bona fide Koreatown institution, and between the smokey marinated pollo a la brasa and that bitey, peppery green aji sauce, it puts up a very strong keto-friendly option. Just make sure to order salad on the side.

Pollo A La Brasa

Shabuya Los Angeles

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Shabu shabu is an often overlooked and underrated low-carb choice, owing in part to its small portions. That concern is mitigated at Shabuya; the restaurants uses an all-you-can-eat model and the shrimp, ribeye and pork options are all included so that ketogenic eaters can order to their hearts’ content.

Shabuya
Shabuya
Cliff C./Yelp

Fogo de Chão

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Brazilian BBQ is a no-brainer for keto diets, and Fogo de Chao has a salad bar with an even bigger spread of keto-friendly options to boot. The vast majority of Fogo’s meats are seasoned only with salt prior to grilling, making them ideal candidates for All-You-Can-Eat consumption.

Fogo de Chao, Downtown LA
Fogo de Chao, Downtown LA

TikiFish

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The mixed greens poke bowl is a staple of many a ketogenic diet, but few poké bowl spots get the job done like Tiki Fish. In addition to a solid lineup of fish options, the ability to add avocado and uni make it as affordable and keto-friendly an option as there is in this part of town.

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Sevan Chicken Rotisserie

Sevan Chicken snatches the crown for best quick-service Mediterranean-style rotisserie chicken from Zankou Chicken by offering a crispier skin and consistently juicier white meat. A smear of that addictive garlic sauce and it’s a keto-friendly meal on the cheap. Just be sure to skip any hummus and opt for the moutabal, an eggplant dip.

Sevan Chicken
Sevan Chicken
Ko M./Yelp

Soh Grill House

As Korean barbecues go for keto, most of them are A-OK; between the steamed egg, various cuts of beef and pork (without marinade, of course), any Korean barbecue experience is generally keto safe. With that said, Soh Grill House makes the list for a couple reasons: The unmarinated meats are some of the best in the city, and their mostly-vegetable banchan spread (especially their spinach) is exceptionally keto-friendly.

Soh Grill House
Soh Grill House
Uracha Chaiyapinunt

Tam O'Shanter

The Tam consistently puts out one of the city’s best prime ribs (the Lawry’s recipe), and what is there better to eat on a keto diet than a giant cut of beef rib with a healthy smear of horseradish? Nothing, that’s what. Carb watchers, beware: Lawry’s recipe for creamed spinach contains a small amount of all-purpose flour, so go easy on the sides in general and just double down on the meat with a bone-in Prince Charlie cut.

APL Restaurant

Adam Perry Lang’s eponymous steakhouse is a ketogenic heaven, replete with a killer Bearnaise sauce, fish options and dry-aged steaks hot off the broiler. The tightly focused program also a surprising amount of keto-friendly sides, including creamed spinach, steamed asparagus and cauliflower steak.

APL
Steak at APL
Wonho Frank Lee

In-N-Out Burger

The Protein-Style/Lettuce Wrap In-N-Out Burger (hold the spread!) is an enduring staple of every Angeleno’s low carb diet. Extra-conscious folks might want to avoid the tomatoes and onions, as well.

A nondescript In-N-Out location, complete with drive thru.

Chengdu Taste

The San Gabriel Valley institution boasts a prodigious number of keto-friendly options, including chicken and mixed vegetable skewer, couple’s sliced beef in chili sauce and boiled sliced fish in hot sauce — just to name a couple.

Chengdu Taste
Toothpick lamb at Chengdu Taste
Elaine H./Yelp

Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio

Avra earns the distinction of being one of the most keto-friendly restaurants in the city; fresh fish are deboned and prepared by the pound on the restaurant’s charcoal grill. Just be careful with the sides — Avra favors a lot of legumes, consumption of which should be minimal on ketogenic diets.

Avra Beverly Hills
Avra, Beverly Hills
Wonho Frank Lee

Feng Mao Lamb Kebab

Pretty sure bull penis is keto friendly, but in case it isn’t, there’s also the great charcoal-grilled lamb, prawn, squid and chicken kebabs at this Chinese-Korean hole-in-the-wall off Western.

The Boiling Crab

For all five people in Los Angeles who haven’t heard of The Boiling Crab, this Cajun seafood boil restaurant takes various shelled seafood (crawfish, shrimp, various types of crab) and tosses them in a sauce of the diner’s choosing. Lines at the Koreatown location get a bit out of control on the weekends, but fans of the garlicky crawfish eagerly brave the wait.

Shrimp at Boiling Crab
Shrimp at Boiling Crab
Yelp

Hwal Uh Kwang Jang

Korean-style sashimi is the name of the game at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang, and from slivered raw halibut, to thick-sliced tuna, to the house specialty lobster sashimi, it’s all keto-friendly and it’s probably one of the most delicious ways to get those all-important Omega-3 fatty acids.

Sliced raw fish at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang
Sliced raw fish at Hwal Uh Kwang Jang
Matthew Kang

Pollo A La Brasa Western

This Peruvian chicken shack is a bona fide Koreatown institution, and between the smokey marinated pollo a la brasa and that bitey, peppery green aji sauce, it puts up a very strong keto-friendly option. Just make sure to order salad on the side.

Pollo A La Brasa

Shabuya Los Angeles

Shabu shabu is an often overlooked and underrated low-carb choice, owing in part to its small portions. That concern is mitigated at Shabuya; the restaurants uses an all-you-can-eat model and the shrimp, ribeye and pork options are all included so that ketogenic eaters can order to their hearts’ content.

Shabuya
Shabuya
Cliff C./Yelp

Fogo de Chão

Brazilian BBQ is a no-brainer for keto diets, and Fogo de Chao has a salad bar with an even bigger spread of keto-friendly options to boot. The vast majority of Fogo’s meats are seasoned only with salt prior to grilling, making them ideal candidates for All-You-Can-Eat consumption.

Fogo de Chao, Downtown LA
Fogo de Chao, Downtown LA

TikiFish

The mixed greens poke bowl is a staple of many a ketogenic diet, but few poké bowl spots get the job done like Tiki Fish. In addition to a solid lineup of fish options, the ability to add avocado and uni make it as affordable and keto-friendly an option as there is in this part of town.

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