TGI Friday's is well-known for its casual food and full bar. The restaurant is a popular destination for appetizers and alcoholic beverages because of its cheerful environment.

TGI Friday's was founded in 1965 in New York on the concepts of traditional American cuisine, bar food, and, of course, booze. In fact, the founder Alan Stillman created TGIF's to make it easier to meet women. He intended to create a cocktail-party ambiance where younger people might organically meet without feeling as if they were in a boys' club. While it may no longer be a go-to for scouting potential dates, TGI Friday's remains popular for its numerous fried meals, burgers, appetizers, and pasta entrees.

Despite being popular for burgers and finger foods such as Buffalo wings, nachos, and mozzarella sticks, it also serves plant-based proteins, salads, soups, and other healthier menu options.

TGI Fridays is a terrific restaurant to visit on special occasions or weekends, even if it is unlikely to be the first place you think of when looking for food that is suitable for someone living with diabetes.

Here is what you can enjoy at TGI Fridays if you are watching your carbs and sugar intake.

Appetizers

TGI Fridays is famous for its appetizers, so it's no surprise that it boasts a large selection of them. The iconic loaded potato skins, wings, and mozzarella sticks are among its most popular appetizers.

This category comprises foods that are generally heavy in carbs, fats and calories, so read the nutrition facts carefully. Because appetizers are meant to be shared, you can still enjoy them by splitting the serving with friends and family.

One of the few low-calorie and low-carbohydrate options is the chips and salsa. This appetizer has 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 29 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and 1,310 milligrams of sodium.

Wings

The restaurant's wings menu offers everything from standard to boneless, as well as a roulette platter where you may sample three different wing types. Because these dishes are high in calories and fat, they should be served as a meal rather than as an appetizer with another dish.

TGI Fridays' famous bone-in wings with chili-lime taste are the best low-carb option. They have 700 calories, 7 grams of carbs, 61 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 35 grams of protein, and 1,300 milligrams of sodium.

Seafood

TGI Fridays has a variety of salmon meals, including simply grilled salmon. It's accompanied by mashed potatoes and lemon-butter broccoli. The total calorie count is 530, with 33 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 29 grams of carbs, 34 grams of protein, and 1,740 milligrams of salt. Because it has a balanced source of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, this is most likely the healthiest dish on the menu.

Burgers

If you want a juicy burger but are concerned about carbs, the Beyond Meat cheeseburger green style is probably the best option. It has 580 calories, 40 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 16 grams of carbs, 37 grams of protein, and 2,340 milligrams of sodium.

Sandwiches & Salads

Sandwiches and salads can be rich in calories, fat, carbs, and sodium due to the salad dressing and bun, even if they appear to be healthier selections because they are likely to be a good supply of vegetables and other proteins.

There are only a few salad and sandwich options at TGI Fridays. The side house salad, which has 90 calories, 4 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 11 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and 190 milligrams of sodium, is a menu item you can enjoy.

Sides

TGI Fridays offers a variety of low-calorie sides, however, they are often high in sodium. A side of lemon-butter broccoli is always an excellent choice, with only 90 calories, 15 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 11 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein, and 800 milligrams of salt.

Drinks

TGI Fridays has a large assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Most of them are too high in carbs for someone with diabetes, but you can still enjoy a drink with your meal. If you prefer something more flavourful than water, try the freshly brewed Gold Peak black iced tea, which is caffeine-free and low in calories. It has 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of carbs, 0 grams of protein, and 35 milligrams of sodium.

Bottom line

It's not impossible to enjoy a low-carb meal at TGI Fridays, but you need to read the nutritional information provided on the menu carefully. That's the only way to make sure you don't go over the recommended intake of carbs and sugar.