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Crunchy, light, and savory, lettuce wraps are a great way to enjoy a meal or snack without dozing off from a white bread-induced blood sugar crash later in the day.
Using leafy greens as a vessel for meat or other fillings is a longstanding tradition in many Asian cultures, and it’s catching on in the United States, especially as more consumers try to cut-out starchy carbs. Right now, many restaurant chains offer lettuce wrap options for customers looking to ditch the bread.
From Asian restaurants that serve build-it-yourself lettuce wraps you can share with the table to fast-food joints that serve leafy wrappers ideal for holding a burger together, there are many lettuce wrap options for customers.
Whether you’re craving Asian-style lettuce wraps with savory dipping sauce or just in a pinch and trying to cut carbs, here are some restaurant chains that serve the best lettuce wraps.
P.F. Chang’s
P.F. Chang’s
PER SERVING (2 wraps): 330 calories, 13 g fat (3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 920 mg sodium, 33 g carbs (4 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 19 g protein
When you think of chain restaurant lettuce wraps, P.F. Chang’s famous chicken lettuce wraps may spring to mind. As its website proudly proclaims, it is “a secret family recipe and our signature dish.” Large leaves of lettuce are the perfect crunchy wrap for savory, simmered chicken breast and crispy rice noodles. Dip your wrap in the chain’s signature sauce for a pleasant balance of sweet and savory. You can order a vegetarian version of the lettuce wraps with tofu, and the dish can be made gluten-free upon request.
Shake Shack
LETTUCE WRAP (PER SERVING): 5 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 15 mg sodium, 1 g carbs (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 0 g protein
The East Coast-born chain known for its “never frozen, 100% Angus beef” and handcrafted milkshakes offers the option of putting your burger on a lettuce wrap. Though the chain has had a Veggie Shack menu for lettuce-wrapped burgers since 2018 as a gluten-free option, Shake Shack’s lettuce wraps went viral recently on TikTok when TikToker @catchingupwithcaitlin posted a video of her surprise at the lettuce-y offering. Though somewhat consternated, she clearly enjoyed the wrap, and she added in the comment section that “it was actually really good, just a lot.” As many of the TikTok comments point out, Shake Shack lettuce wraps use good quality lettuce that appears crisp and juicy.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
In-N-Out Burger
Double-Double Protein Style (Bun Replaced With Lettuce): 450 calories, 32 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 1380 mg sodium, 12 g carbs (2 g fiber, 6 g sugar), 30 g protein
Whether you prefer Shake Shack or its California-born rival, In-N-Out Burger, may largely depend on the coast where you grew up, but even diehard In-N-Out fans may be surprised to know that In-N-Out was one of the pioneers of swapping lettuce for a bun. The chain has had the option of lettuce-wrapped burgers (ask for any burger “protein style”) since the inception of its not-so-secret secret menu in 1955, when founder Harry Snyder began eating burgers on lettuce and put it on the secret menu. One popular secret menu hack is the “Flying Dutchman,” which consists of two beef patties sandwiched around two cheese slices. To avoid getting your fingers dirty by directly holding the patties, get the Flying Dutchman protein-style!
Cheesecake Factory
Cheesecake Factory
LETTUCE WRAPS (Per Order): 850 calories, 27 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,990 mg sodium, 105 g carbs (9 g fiber, 69 g sugar), 51 g protein
The Cheesecake Factory is like the Trader Joe’s of restaurant chains. Its enormous menu draws from a huge range of cuisines, from Mexican street corn and avocado egg rolls to shrimp scampi and Thai chicken lettuce wraps. These build-your-own Thai lettuce wraps come with satay chicken strips, coconut curry noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, and lettuce leaves. You can replace the chicken with avocado for a vegetarian option, and the dish come with three spicy Thai sauces for dipping: sweet red chili, peanut, and tamarind-cashew. With multiple Reddit forums full of dedicated fans, many of whom attempt (to varying degrees of success) to replicate the dipping sauces, The Cheesecake Factory has a hit on its hands.
HAMBURGER PATTY (no bun): 302 calories, 17 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 50 mg sodium, 0 g carbs (0 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 16 g protein
Five Guys is another burger joint where bun replacement is no problem. Redditors love its lettuce wrap option, and at the chain, a whole host of extra toppings (from jalapenos to grilled mushrooms) are free. That’s great news, as one blogger who lauded the lettuce wraps also recommends getting grilled onions: “The grilled onions are perfectly cooked and in my opinion what sets Five Guys apart from all the other burger joints.” Five Guys uses a crunchier, thicker iceberg lettuce for its wraps. They might not be as large as those used by Shake Shack, but iceberg adds the crunch factor. “Even when I’m not doing keto, I love the lettuce wrap. So much crunch!” says one Redditor.
Hardee’s
Fast-food chain Hardee’s is known for its biscuit sandwiches, onion rings, and burgers, and for the more carb-conscious, it offers lettuce wraps in lieu of burger buns—ask for your burger to be “low carb.” The North Carolina-born chain began offering a lettuce wrap option for all of their burgers in 2020, with popular choices being the guacamole bacon Thickburger lettuce wrap laden with plenty of guac and bacon, as well as the mushroom and Swiss burger with a quarter-pound 100% Angus beef patty topped with melted Swiss and mushroom sauce. “I love Hardee’s Mushroom Swiss burger as a low-carb lettuce wrap,” raves one Redditor.
PER SERVING: 850 calories, 47 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 3,190 mg sodium, 75 g carbs (8 g fiber, 31 g sugar), 34 g protein
Pei Wei Asian Kitchen touts itself as a fast-service alternative to less healthy strip-mall Pan-Asian fare, specializing in made-to-order dishes that “use only the freshest, house-chopped vegetables and whole cuts of white-meat chicken and flank steak.” Its signature chicken lettuce wraps are designed to be shared with the table and combine Chinese-inspired flavors with the freshness of lettuce cups. The lettuce wraps consist of chicken ground in-house with scallions, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and water chestnuts, all wok-tossed in a savory sauce and served over lettuce cups and crispy rice sticks. Yelp reviews say things like “I highly recommend the lettuce wraps” and “The lettuce wraps were OMGGG!!”
Mooyah
Mooyah
THE PALEO BURGER (PER ORDER): 625 calories, 40 g fat (14 g saturated fat, 1.5 g trans fat), 1760 mg sodium, 12 g carbs (3 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 49 g protein
Texas-born burger chain Mooyah serves up southern hospitality and high-quality burgers at more than 80 locations around the U.S. Since the chain has always been a build-your-own burger concept (with plenty of decadent recommendations from the Burger Hall of Dang for those who suffer from indecision), it’s no surprise that it offers the Iceburger option of building your burger on a lettuce wrap. Unlike some lettuce-wrap burgers that skimp on the lettuce and can disintegrate into a salad, Mooyah’s Iceburgers come on thick, crunchy wedges of iceberg lettuce that hold the wrap together well. Extra hungry? Try the Paleo Iceburger with double certified Angus beef, applewood smoked bacon, avocado, pickles, onions, and tomatoes. “If you can ever find Mooyah try an Iceburger. Thickest best burger lettuce wrap ever,” raves one Redditor.
Sonic
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If you’re on a road trip and craving the crunch of a lettuce wrap or looking for low-carb alternatives without having to get out of your car, drive-through fast food chain Sonic offers the option of getting your burger wrapped in lettuce (though it’d be hard to pass up those onion rings). You can’t beat the convenience of a drive-through, and the chain also offers a large selection of sugar-free soft drink options. Healthy eating blog The Diet Doctor gave the bun-less double cheeseburger a solid review: “The burger itself tastes clean and good and the condiments do too. This is a quick, smaller lunch that will keep you going for a couple of hours.”
Panera Bread
JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock
Though casual-dining chain Panera Bread references bread in its name, those in the know can order steak and veggie lettuce wraps—tell them you want to order from the secret menu and ask for Power Steak Lettuce Wraps. The do-it-yourself wraps feature seared top sirloin, diced red onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers, all topped with basil pesto and fresh-squeezed lemon juice and served with leaf lettuce for wrapping. The sirloin is juicy and tender, and the order comes with plenty of lettuce, so you won’t get your hands dirty if you eat it wrap-style. Panera technically discontinued its secret menu, but according to Tasting Table, most restaurants will still serve secret menu items such as the lettuce wraps, as long as they’re not out of ingredients.
