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A practical guide to protein when eating out

Built from official dataLast verified 2026-08-17
Grilled chicken and vegetables

Which chains offer the most items with 20 g+ of protein under 600 kcal — worked backwards from the data.

Okazaemon
Okazaemon (runs tabecal)

Lost 18 kg over three years while still eating out, by sticking to one rule: 20 g+ protein and 10 g or less fat per meal. Checks every chain’s official data daily.

The benchmark: 20 g+ protein under 600 kcal

Counting items that clear both bars, the leaders are nosh (171, meal delivery), Seven-Eleven (60), Sukiya (49), Denny’s (41), Ringer Hut and Starbucks (29 each). Beef-bowl chains rank high because meat-and-egg bowls at regular size or below stay protein-rich without extreme calories.

Steak on a sizzling plate

Three practical rules

  • Grilled beats fried for the same protein.
  • “Okazu-only” (no rice) options cut 200+ kcal with protein unchanged.
  • Egg, tonjiru soup or salad chicken adds 10–25 g protein for 100–200 kcal.

Figures in this article are aggregated from the 31,836 items across 191 chains we publish (as of 2026-11-06). Reference values follow Japan’s Dietary Reference Intakes (2025).

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