Cheesecake Factory Nutrition Information: Best And Worse Choices
The restaurant’s name itself implies that there are plenty calories to be found on a Cheesecake Factory menu, which in addition to rich desserts features a wide range of salads, soups, pastas, sandwiches, and beef offerings. Some of these are just as unhealthy as they are decadent. But there are some relatively healthy choices, too. The following Cheesecake Factory nutrition information guides you through the smartest (and most indulgent) choices for entrees and desserts, as well as addressing specific dietary needs.
Worst Choice Entrees
Several of the worst-for-you entrees at Cheesecake Factory should come as little surprise. Few diners would be shocked that dishes like “Beef Ribs,” “Beer-Battered Fish and Chips,” or “Chicken and Biscuits” contain well over 2,000 calories each. But there are also a few surprises on the not-so-healthy list. The “Bistro Shrimp Pasta” is one of the highest-calorie meals on the menu with 2290 calories, and the “Pasta Carbonara with Chicken” contains the same.
Best Choice Entrees
Cheesecake Factory chefs have designed four different menu items for their “Weight Management” group of meals, and true to promise, these are some of the lowest-calorie foods on the menu. These include the “Weight Management Grilled Chicken” sandwich, “Weight Management Asian Chicken Salad,” “Weight Management Pear and Endive Salad,” and “Weight Management Spicy Chicken Salad,” each of which has under 600 calories. Interestingly enough, the lowest calorie salad of all (“Seared Tuna Tataki Salad,” with 440 calories) is not part of the Weight Management labeling system.
Other relatively healthy choices among entrees come in under 1000 calories, so they’re still good alternatives to the 2000+ calorie options mentioned above. Some of these are fairly predictable, such as grilled fish (which range 470-830 calories, with grilled mahi being the lowest), “Shrimp with Angel Hair,” (at 850 calories), and “White Chicken Chili” (with 880 calories). And surprisingly, two hamburgers come in under 100 calories: “The Factory Burger” (740) and the “Old Fashioned Hamburger” (960).
How to Handle Dessert
Technically, the healthiest item on the dessert menu is “Goblet of Fresh Strawberries,” but presuming most diners are looking for something a bit more decadent, here’s the best and worst you can do, health-wise.
Good choices include the “Original Cheesecake,” “Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake,” and “Cherry Cheesecake,” and with 710, 730, and 860 calories, respectively. The “Low Carb Original Cheesecake” made with Splenda is the lowest of all with 530 calories. And if you’re not into cheesecake, try the “Fresh Strawberry Shortcake” (880 calories) from the Specialty Desserts menu.
That Specialty Desserts menu, believe it or not, is the culprit for some of the least healthy desserts on the menu. While the most calorie-dense cheesecakes come in at 1270 and 1330 (that’d be “Brownie Sundae Cheesecake” and “Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake”), almost all of the Specialty Desserts menu (mostly cakes, and tortes) are 1200 or 1300 calories and above.
And the king of unhealthy desserts is the “Carrot Cake,” with a crowning 1550 calories, more than two “Factory Burgers” combined.
Special Dietary Needs
Cheesecake Factory includes several vegetarian options on their menu (which changes periodically) and can make any salad (and many sandwiches and pastas) without meat. Since all of the restaurant’s food is cooked from fresh ingredients, most dietary needs can be accommodated on the spot by simply asking your server. Of course, if you change a menu item, the Cheesecake Factory nutrition information listed here may not apply, but in most cases, you’ll probably be altering the recipe for the better (such as less sodium, etc.), so your calorie count may go down with a specialized diet request.
References
(Web) The Cheesecake Factory : Menu – www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu
(Web) Cheesecake Factory Nutrition – www.cheesecakefactorynutrition.com/restaurant-nutrition-chart.php
