On the Border Nutrition
On the Border is a casual Mexican-style grill. You can have a seat in this family-friendly eat-in restaurant and enjoy tasty Mexican fare. American-style Mexican food is often high in calories, fat and sodium. On the Border nutrition facts indicate that, as expected, this restaurant chain offers high-fat, high-calorie choices as well as some healthy, diet-friendly picks.
Appetizers, Soups and Salads
Chips and salsa is one of the lowest-calorie appetizers at 430 calories and 22 g fat. Some of the dips, such as the guacamole, are fine as long as you don’t pair them with chips! Skip the fajitas, empanadas, flautas, Border sampler® and stuffed jalapeños as they provide 1,200 to 1,900 calories and an average of 80 g fat. The best choice is the Citrus Chipotle Chicken Salad with Mango Vinaigrette® for a mere 290 calories and 4 g fat. That beats out the house salad, which, without dressing, offers 200 calories and 12 g fat. A small cup of the tortilla soup will set you back 300 calories and 16 g fat before digging into your main course.
On the Border Nutrition: Combo Platters® & Fajita Grill
The nutrition information listed for the On the Border® combination platters and fajitas does not include the beans and rice (starchy sides) that come with each order. Add Mexican rice and re-fried beans for a total of 500 calories and 14 g fat. That said, there are a few calorie-controlled ‘create your own combo’ options. Either skip the sides, eat 1/2 or request substitutions. Some better choices include the green chile chicken enchilada for 190 calories and 9 g fat; a chicken soft taco for 270 calories and 11 g fat; or a chicken, ground beef or guacamole tostada for 130, 170 and 180 calories and 5, 9 and 13 g fat for each, respectively. Even a crispy chicken taco is okay at 260 calories and 12 g fat. For sides, black beans and grilled veggies are good choices providing 180 and 80 calories and less than 3 g fat for each, respectively. Be careful with the cilantro lime rice since one order packs 390 calories.
You can mix and match to create your own fajita. The nutrition information is listed without the tortillas, sides or condiments. Skip the sour cream, Mexican cheese and rice and the re-fried beans. Go with the grilled veggie or mesquite grilled chicken fajitas for 230 and 300 calories and 15 g fat each. An order of 3 tortillas provides 360 calories and 11 g fat. Skip the high-calorie Baja veggie blend and choose healthier condiments, such as the guacamole, pico de gallo and/or black beans. This will keep your calories at 800 or fewer and less than 30 g fat.
Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos, etc.
With the rice (not the beans) included, all of the featured tacos, enchiladas, ready-made fajitas, burritos and ‘chims’ provide an average of 1,000+ calories and 50 g fat. The only exception is the Achiote Chicken Tacos® for 650 calories and 12 g fat. The ‘Fresh Grill’ section is sandwiched in the middle of the menu. Choose the Fresh Grill chicken salsa fresca for 520 calories and 9 g fat or jalapeño BBQ salmon for 590 calories and 21 g fat. If you are lunching at On the Border®, you can order the Border’s Best Lunch Chicken Fajitas® which provides 440 calories and 15 g fat, (without tortillas and condiments).