WaBa Grill is a fast-food restaurant serving rice bowls. If you are looking for a healthy and energy-giving meal, WaBa Grill is a wonderful choice. While there are high-calorie and fat options, it also has other light and healthy choices. WaBa Grill also has alternatives for those who want to eat gluten-free, low-carb and vegan.
Navigating the Menu
The WaBa Grill menu is uncomplicated and straightforward. WaBa Grill is a go-to spot for quick, healthy meals since the ingredients are frequently straightforward and little processed.
| What to Order & Avoid at WaBa Grill | |
|---|---|
| Most Nutritious Options | Least Nutritious Options |
| Organic Tofu Bowl (Rice Bowls) | Waba Chicken & Steak Bowl (Rice Bowls) |
| Wild Caught Salmon Veggie Bowl (Veggie Rice Bowls) | Chicken Veggie Bowl (Veggie Rice Bowls) |
| Loaded Miso Soup with Tofu (Healthy Value Menu) | Sweet & Spicy Chicken Mini Bowl (Healthy Value Menu) |
| Organic Tofu Plate (Plates) | Rib-Eye Steak Plate (Plates) |
| Signature House Salad (Salad Entrees) | Spicy Asian Salad (Salad Entrees) |
| Half-Ocado (Sides) | Pork Veggie Dumplings 10-Piece (Sides) |
| WaBa Sesame Dressing (Sauces and Dressings) | WaBa Sauce (Sauces and Dressings) |
| Water or Pure Leaf Tea Unsweetened (Beverages) | Pepsi (Beverages) |
Most Nutritious Option
The organic tofu bowl has the best nutritional profile if you’re looking for the healthiest dish at WaBa Grill.
Veggie Rice Bowls
The veggie rice bowls are similar to the regular rice bowls (a base of rice with your choice of protein), but they also contain veggies, including broccoli, cabbage, and carrots. If you are looking for a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, and veggies, this is a popular option.
✓ Wild Caught Salmon Veggie Rice Bowl
Salmon from wild fish is one of the protein choices at WaBa Grill. If you prefer protein that has less cholesterol, this is a good choice. This bowl has 600 calories, 5g of fat, 1g of saturated fat, 106g of carbohydrates, 30g of protein, and 2,120mg of sodium. It also contains 64mg cholesterol, which is more than the tofu bowl (0mg) but less than the chicken bowl (155mg).
✗ Chicken Veggie Rice Bowl
Even though the chicken, rice, vegetables, and sauce in the chicken veggie rice bowl are simple ingredients, it is high in sugar, sodium, and cholesterol. It contains 710 calories, 11g fat, 3g saturated fat, 113g carbohydrates, 39g protein, and 2,505mg sodium. Along with that, it has 40g of sugar and 155mg of cholesterol. The organic tofu veggie rice bowl may be a better option for those seeking a low-cholesterol and low-sugar meal.
Rice Bowls
The rice bowls at WaBa Grill are well-known. Simply a bowl of white rice or brown rice with your preferred protein on top. The majority of the protein options at WaBa Grill are meat-based, including chicken, beef, and fish. For vegans and vegetarians, there is a tofu option that has been grilled.
✓ Organic Tofu Rice Bowl
The least sodium, cholesterol, carbohydrate, and sugar-containing option in this group is the organic tofu rice bowl. This bowl has 670 calories, 11g of fat, 2g of it is saturated, 109g of carbs, 23g of protein, and 1,593mg of sodium.
✗ WaBa Chicken and Steak Rice Bowl
The WaBa chicken and steak rice bowl comes with two servings of meat, making it higher in calories, fat, and sodium than other offerings in this category. The bowl has 800 calories, 16g of fat (6g of it is saturated), 122g of carbohydrates, 37g of protein, and 2,212mg of sodium. It is also high in cholesterol with 125mg per serving. With only 1g of fiber per serving, this meal is also lacking in fiber.
Consider getting one of the two seafood rice bowls with wild caught salmon or jumbo shrimp to keep your intake of calories and carbohydrates in check. These provide 620 and 540 calories as well as 109 grams of carbohydrates each.
Plates
The plates from WaBa Grill have the biggest portions for those who prefer bigger servings. Each plate includes your choice of protein, fresh greens, and citrus along with your choice of rice. The rice bowls and veggie rice bowls both come with the same options for protein and rice. Due to the larger portion sizes, the plates tend to be higher in calories and other nutrients than the bowls made with the same ingredients.
✓ Organic Tofu Plate
The organic tofu plate is one of the healthiest options in this group, along with the rice bowls. It comes with tofu, sauce, greens, and rice. The plate contains 830 calories, 14g fat, 3g saturated fat, 132g carbohydrates, 30g protein, and 2,002mg sodium. It is also free of cholesterol and lower in sugar than other options in this category.
✗ Rib-Eye Steak Plate
The rib-eye steak is the dish that contains the most calories, saturated fat, and carbs. It contains 1,070 calories, 28g fat, 12g saturated fat, 153g carbohydrates, 44g protein, and 2,761mg sodium. 107mg of cholesterol per serving can be found on the rib-eye steak plate. But among the available proteins, it doesn’t have the most cholesterol.
224 mg of cholesterol are in the chicken plate. Those looking to reduce their consumption of cholesterol should opt for the organic tofu plate, which is free of cholesterol since it does not contain any animal products.
If you’re in the mood for steak but would prefer a smaller portion, you might want to order the mini rib-eye steak bowl or share the rib-eye steak plate with a friend.
Healthy Value Menu
The Healthy Value Menu is a combination that WaBa Grill offers. The combo comes with one mini bowl, one value side, and one value drink. The value menu essentially offers the same selections as the regular menu, just in smaller portions. Because the portions are smaller, customers can enjoy a menu that is affordable and possibly lower in calories, sodium, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and sugar.
✓ Loaded Miso Soup With Tofu
The most nutrient-dense side in this section of the menu is loaded miso soup with tofu. It has 160 calories, 4g of fat (1g saturated), 19g of carbohydrates, 9g of protein, and 651mg of sodium. With only 3g of sugar, it is also cholesterol-free. Although these proteins add more sodium and cholesterol to the miso soup, it can also be ordered with chicken or white meat chicken.
✗ Sweet & Spicy Chicken Mini Bowl
Customers can pick from a variety of mini bowls when placing an order from the healthy value menu. Rice bowls in this size are smaller than usual.
Although the sweet and spicy chicken mini bowl is a favorite, it is not the healthiest choice from this group because it packs a lot of cholesterol—86 mg per bowl—into a tiny serving size. Each serving has 320 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 47 grams of carbohydrate, 21 grams of protein, and 454 milligrams of sodium.
Choose the white meat chicken veggie mini bowl for a lower-calorie, lower-fat (but higher sodium) option. It contains 850 mg of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, and 2 grams of saturated fat.
Sides
A wide variety of sides and extras are available at WaBa Grill. These can be ordered separately or added to your WaBa Grill entree. When compared to processed sides like soup and dumplings, unprocessed sides like avocado, steamed vegetables, and brown rice are typically more nutrient-dense. Although they frequently contain high levels of calories, cholesterol, and sodium, animal products like chicken, steak, salmon, and shrimp provide additional protein.
✓ Half-Ocado
The Half-Ocado is a great option if you want to add weight to your salad, plate, or veggie rice bowl. A half an avocado counts as one serving, and it has 150 calories, 14 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, and 5 milligrams of sodium. Brown rice, salad, and steamed vegetables are some additional nutrient-dense sides.
✗ 10-Piece Pork Veggie Dumplings
Pork and vegetable dumplings are available at WaBa Grill in quantities of 5 and 10. Despite having a very high sodium content, these are some of the chain’s most well-liked appetizers. Pork veggie dumplings come in 10-piece orders, and each one has 420 calories, 15g of fat, 4g of it being saturated, 76g of carbs, 14g of protein, and 2,310mg of sodium. Order the five-piece selection or divide the larger order with your dining companions if you want to enjoy dumplings in moderation.
Salad Entrees
The salad entrees at WaBa Grill provide a generous amount of food without the white rice or brown rice’s associated carbohydrates. There are two salad entree options: the signature house salad and the fiery Asian salad. Both come with chicken.
✓ Signature House Salad
White meat chicken is served with the house’s signature salad, which has 470 calories, 24g of fat, 4g of saturated fat, 20g of carbs, 45g of protein, and 608mg of sodium. It is also low in sugar with just 5g sugar per serving, though it contains 123mg cholesterol. Although salads are typically vegan-friendly, vegans should be aware that this salad contains dairy, eggs, and chicken.
✗ Spicy Asian Salad
Another calorie-efficient salad option at WaBa Grill is the spicy Asian salad with white meat. However, it contains a lot of sodium. It contains 530 calories, 20g fat, 3g saturated fat, 43g carbohydrates, 49g protein, and 1,558mg sodium. Make sure to ask for the dressing on the side and use a smaller portion if you want to lower the sodium content of this dish. With 330mg of sodium per serving, the WaBa sesame dressing has the least amount of sodium.
Sauces and Dressings
Although WaBa Grill is best known for its teriyaki bowls, it also offers four sauces and three dressings: ranch dressing, WaBa sesame dressing, spicy sesame dressing, and garlic serrano sauce.
Several menu items come with WaBa sauce by default, but you can ask for a different sauce or dressing when you place your order. WaBa Grill’s condiments are no exception to the rule that condiments like sauces and dressings typically have higher sodium and calorie contents.
✓ WaBa Sesame Dressing
The WaBa sesame dressing offers a salty, Asian-inspired flavor that is similar to the classic teriyaki WaBa Sauce, but with less sodium. WaBa sesame dressing has the least amount of sodium (330mg) per 1-ounce serving of any sauce or dressing, with only 110 calories, 10g fat, 2g saturated fat, 8g carbohydrates, and 0g protein. The spicy sesame dressing comes in second place with 550mg sodium per 1-ounce serving.
When ordering a salad, select this dressing to reduce the sodium content. If you’re looking for a sauce vs. a dressing, the spicy The least amount of sodium is found in WaBa sauce, with 610mg per 1-ounce serving.
✗ WaBa Sauce
The sweet chili sauce and the original WaBa sauce have the highest sodium content in this group. Per one-ounce serving, each one has 780 mg of sodium. WaBa sauce has 60 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g protein, 14g carbohydrates, and 780mg sodium per 1-ounce serving.
Though it is higher in sodium, WaBa Sauce is fat-free and low in calories, which may make it appealing to people following low-fat and low-calorie diets. Use a smaller amount of WaBa sauce if you choose to do so to cut back on sodium intake.
Beverages
WaBa Grill, like many fast-casual eateries, offers a selection of fountain drinks, including sodas like Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. There are additional beverages available at WaBa Grill, including apple juice, Gatorade Cool Blue, Dole Lemonade, and Bubly Lime.
✓ Pure Leaf Tea Unsweetened
Water is always a great option when looking for the healthiest beverage at any restaurant. Consider plain iced tea if you want a little flavor without any calories.
Pure Leaf Tea Unsweetened contains 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0g protein, and 0mg sodium in an 18.5-ounce serving. If you prefer to limit caffeine in your diet, be aware that the black tea in this beverage is also a source of caffeine.
✗ Pepsi
Pepsi has 150 calories per 12-ounce serving, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 41g carbs, 0g protein, and 30mg sodium. It also contains 41g added sugars.1 Nutrition experts generally recommend avoiding sodas to help with weight loss and encourage overall health.2
If you are looking for a carbonated beverage, WaBa Grill has a limited selection of Bubly sparkling water. Each 16-ounce serving of Bubly Lime sparkling water has 0 calories, 0g of fat, 0g of saturated fat, 0g of carbohydrates, 0g of protein, 0mg of sodium, and 0g of sugar.
Diet-Specific Options
WaBa Grill has options for low-carb, vegetarian, vegan, low-FODMAP, and low-fat diets, but it doesn’t have a lot of low-sodium, gluten-free, or diabetes-friendly menu items.
Gluten-Free
Although rice is gluten-free, the original WaBa sauce is not. Use a different sauce like sweet chili sauce or WaBa sesame dressing since they don’t contain wheat (though WaBa sesame dressing does contain soy). The sweet & spicy chicken bowl, which has 38g of protein, is a wholesome choice.
- Sweet and spicy chicken bowl
- Sweet and spicy mini bowl
- Sweet and spicy chicken veggie bowl
- Sweet and spicy chicken plate
- Signature house salad with WaBa sesame dressing
Low-Carb
White rice or brown rice is frequently used as the base for menu items at WaBa Grill, so there is a dearth of low-carb options there. The sweet & spicy chicken veggie mini bowl is a healthy go-to, but the salads and mini bowls have fewer carbohydrates. By requesting a side of protein, vegetables, miso soup, and avocado, you can also assemble a low-carb meal.
- Signature house salad
- Sweet and spicy chicken veggie mini bowl
- Half-Ocado
- Steamed veggies
- Loaded miso soup with tofu
Vegan
Almost everything that is vegetarian at WaBa Grill is also vegan. Except for ranch dressing, all the sauces and dressings are vegan. As a result, vegans are able to eat salads, veggie rice bowls, and plates. With 600 calories, 22 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fiber, the organic tofu veggie rice bowl is a great vegan option.
- Organic tofu rice bowl
- Organic tofu veggie rice bowl
- Organic tofu plate
- Loaded miso soup with tofu
- Spicy Asian salad (replace white meat chicken with tofu)
Low-FODMAP
Anyone following this diet should order brown rice instead of white rice since it is low in FODMAPs. Animal products and tofu are just two of the protein options available at WaBa Grill that are low-FODMAP. Since cabbage and carrots are high-FODMAP vegetables, avoid the steamed veggies and veggie rice plates.
However, because they can be high in sugar, the sauces and condiments at WaBa Grill might not be suitable for a low-FODMAP diet. If you want a smaller serving size, think about skipping the sauce or getting it on the side.
For a healthy low-FODMAP meal, order the tofu rice bowl, and make sure to specify brown rice, not white rice.
- Brown rice
- Organic tofu rice bowl (replace white rice with brown rice)
- Wild caught salmon bowl (replace white rice with brown rice)
- Organic tofu plate (replace white rice with brown rice)
Diabetes-Friendly
Diabetes-friendly diets typically keep an eye on your carbohydrate intake. Steamed vegetables, brown rice, and white rice serve as the foundation for the menu items at WaBa Grill and all are sources of carbohydrates. However, brown rice and steamed veggies are a good source of fiber since they are complex carbohydrates
There are also many good protein options at WaBa Grill, though they frequently have high cholesterol levels. The wild caught salmon veggie rice bowl with brown rice is the best choice because a diabetes-friendly diet favors lean proteins like chicken and salmon.
- Steamed veggies
- Signature house salad
- Brown rice
- Wild caught salmon veggie rice bowl
- White meat chicken veggie rice bowl
Low-Fat
The restaurant is a good choice for people who follow low-fat diets because a lot of the menu items at WaBa Grill are low in fat and saturated fat. Enjoy the rich miso soup with tofu for a hearty and filling meal. It has only 4g of fat.
- Organic tofu rice bowl
- Wild caught salmon rice bowl
- Loaded miso soup with tofu
- Rice
- Steamed veggies
Low-Sodium
The original WaBa sauce, which is high in sodium, is used to marinate a lot of the food at WaBa Grill. The sauce contains 780mg sodium per 1-ounce serving. This indicates that WaBa Grill has a small variety of low-sodium foods. To reduce the sodium, order sauces and dressings on the side and use a smaller amount. You could also stick to the side dishes; smaller portions mean less sodium.
- Signature house salad
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Steamed veggies
- Organic tofu
Food Allergies and Safety
The nutrition information for WaBa Grill’s menu items makes it clear which dishes contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Many menu items contain soy and wheat, so people with those food allergies should proceed with caution when eating at WaBa Grill.
It is generally safe for people with allergies to milk, peanuts, and tree nuts to eat at Waba Grill. The WaBa Grill kitchen may, however, cross-contaminate, so people with allergies to eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat should be aware of this.
Conclusion
WaBa Grill offers you many alternatives, you can choose the item that suits you best to create your own healthy and delicious meal.
Related Reading
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15+ Options to Eat Gluten-Free in Chick-fil-A
FAQs
What Kind of Meat Does WaBa Grill Use?
They use only the highest quality ingredients like fresh, never frozen chicken, marinated ribeye steak, wild-caught salmon, organic tofu, and jumbo shrimp, all grilled to perfection over an open fire.
Is WaBa Grill High in Sodium?
Many items at WaBa Grill are marinated in original WaBa sauce, which is high in sodium. The sauce contains 780mg sodium per 1-ounce serving. This means that there is a limited selection of low-sodium items at WaBa Grill. To reduce the sodium, order sauces and dressings on the side and use a smaller amount.
What Oil Does Waba Grill Use?
Waba Grill is a chain of quick service teriyaki grill restaurants. They offer grilled chicken, beef, salmon and vegetable bowls and plates which are made to order and don’t use any oil in the cooking process.
