Eating out with IBS
Low-FODMAP eating out, one restaurant at a time
You’re allowed to ask questions at a counter. That’s the whole idea behind these guides: for each place, exactly what to order, what to ask the kitchen to change, and what to leave off — plus the precise words to say, so you never have to explain your medical history to a server. Where a menu is genuinely unknowable, we say so, and you can point Phase at the menu instead of guessing.
Every guide includes a printable order card. Chain menus drift, so each page shows when it was last checked.
Popular chains
Fast-food and fast-casual, decoded — including the hidden garlic and onion in sauces, the sourdough and lettuce-wrap workarounds, and the single best order at each.
Chipotle
Build-your-own is genuinely on your side here — you can see every component and skip what you want. The honest catch is that nearly every protein and salsa carries garlic or onion, so the trick is building on the plain foundations and keeping the portion sensible.
Chipotle ordering guide →Starbucks
Coffee itself is fine — it's the milk and the add-ins that decide the drink. The one rule that catches people out: oat milk is high-FODMAP, so the 'gentle' choice is actually the trap. Almond milk is your reliable swap.
Starbucks ordering guide →McDonald's
A plain beef patty and fries is one of the most reliable fast-food fallbacks anywhere. The garlic and onion live almost entirely in the special sauces and the reconstituted onions — dodge those and the core menu is manageable.
McDonald's ordering guide →Subway
The move at Subway is simple: turn the sub into a chopped salad and skip the wheat entirely. From there it's a build-your-own you fully control — plain proteins, low-FODMAP veg, and oil and vinegar.
Subway ordering guide →Chick-fil-A
Grilled beats fried here for one clear reason: the famous fried fillet is wheat-breaded. Go grilled, skip the bun, and steer clear of the signature sauces (honey, garlic, and HFCS live in those) and it's an easy stop.
Chick-fil-A ordering guide →Panera
Panera's standout is genuine sourdough — slow fermentation lowers the fructan load versus regular bread, so it's the one bread you can lean on. The weak spot is the soups: nearly all of them start with onion and garlic.
Panera ordering guide →Domino's
Pizza is hard on a FODMAP gut — wheat crust, a garlicky tomato sauce, and a lactose hit from the cheese. But two levers cut most of the risk: the gluten-free crust and light cheese. Keep the size small and steer the toppings.
Domino's ordering guide →Olive Garden
Almost everything default here runs through garlic and onion, so you have to steer around it deliberately. The reliable plate is a grilled protein plus the gluten-free pasta tossed in olive oil — simple, and genuinely safe.
Olive Garden ordering guide →Five Guys
Everything is made to order, so a plain, onion-free burger is easy to get. The fresh-cut fries are naturally low-FODMAP — the only catch is the enormous portion. The spread and steak sauces are where the garlic and onion hide.
Five Guys ordering guide →Panda Express
This is a tough stop, and worth being honest about: wheat-based soy sauce, garlic, and onion are in almost every sauce. Steamed rice plus a grilled protein with the sauce on the side is the safest plate you can build — and this is exactly the menu to scan before you commit.
Panda Express ordering guide →Taco Bell
Beans are the clearest 'no' here — refried and black beans are high-FODMAP. Keep it simple with corn shells over flour, drop the beans and creamy sauces, and it's a workable build; the seasoned meat carries the same garlic and onion as any taco spice.
Taco Bell ordering guide →Wendy's
Wendy's plain baked potato is one of the best fast-food low-FODMAP options anywhere — a genuine whole food. Add fries (just potato and salt) and a plain patty, skip the chili and Frosty, and you're in good shape.
Wendy's ordering guide →Dunkin'
Same rule as any coffee shop: almond milk yes, oat milk no. Most of the food is wheat, but the hash browns are a rare low-FODMAP hot bite. Black or almond-milk coffee is your reliable order.
Dunkin' ordering guide →Sweetgreen
The build-your-own format is ideal — you control every FODMAP. The one place the hidden garlic and honey live is the dressing, so olive oil and lemon is the safe default. Skip the beans, apple, and caramelized onion and everything else is easy to make safe.
Sweetgreen ordering guide →In-N-Out
The simple menu makes this an easy one. 'Protein Style' is the built-in lettuce wrap, the fries are just potato and oil, and the only real FODMAP trap on a burger is the spread — which contains relish and onion. Say 'no spread, no onion' and you're set.
In-N-Out ordering guide →By cuisine
The structural stuff that stays true wherever you eat: which dishes are built on onion-garlic bases, where rice keeps you safe, and the fish-sauce-versus-oyster-sauce nuances worth knowing.
Thai
Rice and rice noodles give Thai food a safe foundation — the risk is the aromatic base of garlic, shallot, and onion in almost every sauce. Fish sauce and a splash of coconut milk are fine; curry pastes and oyster sauce are not. The most controllable order is plain grilled meat and steamed rice with sauces on the side.
Thai ordering guide →Mexican
Corn tortillas plus grilled meat and cheese is a naturally low-FODMAP taco once you drop the beans. The two big triggers are beans and onion-laden salsa — skip both and Mexican gets easy. Fresh lime and cilantro give you all the brightness without the onion.
Mexican ordering guide →Italian
The Italian soffritto — onion, garlic, and celery — is the base of nearly every sauce, so steer to grilled and olive-oil dishes. Parmesan and pecorino are low-lactose; it's the cream sauces and wheat pasta that bite. If they have gluten-free pasta, an aglio-e-olio-style dish minus the garlic is a safe ask.
Italian ordering guide →Japanese
Sashimi and simple nigiri are among the safest restaurant foods there are — pure fish and rice. The wheat is hidden in soy sauce, tempura, and noodles; tamari solves the soy-sauce part. Skip edamame (a bean) and the sweet teriyaki and eel sauces (garlic and onion).
Japanese ordering guide →Indian
Indian cooking is built on an onion-garlic-ginger base, so this is one to ask about directly rather than guess. Plain basmati rice plus tandoori-grilled meat is the most controllable plate; skip the dal and naan. Some kitchens will happily cook a plain dish to order — it never hurts to ask.
Indian ordering guide →Chinese
Steamed dishes are your friend — a steamed protein and greens with ginger, sauce on the side, sidesteps most triggers. Oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and hoisin all carry garlic and onion; plain soy and ginger are the safer flavors. Rice yes, wheat noodles and dumpling wrappers no.
Chinese ordering guide →Greek
Greek is one of the friendlier cuisines: grilled meat, olive oil, lemon, oregano, feta, and olives are all naturally low-FODMAP. The two traps are garlicky tzatziki and bean dips (hummus, fava) — swap in olive oil and lemon. Ask for no red onion in salads and you're most of the way there.
Greek ordering guide →Vietnamese
Rice and rice noodles make Vietnamese promising, but pho's broth is built on onion and charred garlic — the one dish to be wary of. A bún (vermicelli) bowl with the dressing on the side is the controllable order. Fish sauce and lime are low-FODMAP; hoisin and peanut sauces are the garlic-onion ones.
Vietnamese ordering guide →Korean
Korean BBQ actually gives you control: order unmarinated cuts and grill them yourself with just salt and sesame oil. The garlic and onion live in the sauces (gochujang, ssamjang) and kimchi — dip in sesame-oil-and-salt instead. Plain rice, grilled meat, and lettuce wraps (minus the ssamjang) is a safe, satisfying plate.
Korean ordering guide →Spanish tapas
Spanish tapas has a great low-FODMAP core: jamón, Manchego, olives, and plancha-grilled seafood are all naturally safe. Garlic is the theme of the cooked dishes (ajillo, aioli, bravas) — ask for things grilled plain with olive oil and salt. Skip the bread, croquetas, and bean stews and graze the cured-meat-and-cheese side.
Spanish tapas ordering guide →These guides are for general information only and are not medical advice. Menus, recipes, and kitchen practices change and vary by location, so always check with staff and go by your own tolerance. Flared anyway? Read why restaurants flare IBS and how to recover.