Eating out / French Bistro

What I'd Order at a French Bistro to Lose Weight

French bistros are built around great protein. Just watch the butter.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

Type your goal weight and every order below shows how much of your calories and protein it covers. Same math I use with clients: goal weight x 12 for calories, goal weight x 0.7 for protein.

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

What I order

Roast chicken

Lunch style

Vegetables, sauce on the side

700calories55gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 39% of your calories and 52% of your protein for the day.

Moules frites

Carb meal

Your carb meal, eat the mussels first

900calories45gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 50% of your calories and 43% of your protein for the day.

Steak frites without the frites

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 60 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The move: Bread and butter at a bistro is its own meal. Have a piece, then ask them to take it.

Skip these

Croque madame900 cal
Gratin dauphinois500 cal
Bread and butter400 cal

Drinks: Champagne is about 90 calories a glass.

Estimates for a typical restaurant portion in the US. Treat them as a close guide.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including every french bistro spot. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the healthiest thing to order at a French Bistro?

Roast chicken: Vegetables, sauce on the side. Around 700 calories and 55g of protein.

What should I skip at a French Bistro when I'm losing weight?

Croque madame (900 calories), Gratin dauphinois (500 calories), Bread and butter (400 calories).

What about drinks?

Champagne is about 90 calories a glass.