Guide · Guzman y Gomez · Updated 11 September 2026
GYG on a cut, the lowest calorie and highest protein orders
If you're cutting at Guzman y Gomez, order tacos or a quesadilla, not a burrito or a bowl. Two grilled chicken soft tacos are about 192 calories each with 15.8 grams of protein, so the pair is under 400 calories with over 30 grams. The grilled chicken quesadilla is 458 calories with 29.8 grams and it feels like a proper meal. Those are the two orders I'd give anyone on a deficit.
The burrito and the bowl are where GYG gets big. A grilled chicken burrito is 773 calories. That's a lot of protein at 48.3 grams, and it's a great bulking order, but it's most of a small person's dinner allowance in one tortilla.
The bowl isn't the light option
This is the mistake everyone makes, me included, before I had the numbers. The grilled chicken bowl is 659 calories. That's only 114 fewer than the burrito. You lose the tortilla and keep the rice, the beans, the cheese and the sour cream, and those are most of the calories. Same with sodium. The bowl carries 1,700 mg, the burrito 1,950 mg. Neither is light.
If you want the bowl, the move is to skip the rice. GYG's own numbers put a serve of rice at 321 calories, so a bowl without rice is around 340 calories with the same protein, and that's a good order.
Everything under 500 calories, ranked
This is the GYG menu filtered to food under 500 calories with at least 15 grams of protein, sorted by protein per 100 calories. Higher is better.
| Item | kcal | Protein g | Per 100 kcal | Fat g | Carbs g | Sugars g | Sodium mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Grilled Chicken Soft Taco | 192 | 15.8 | S8.2 | 7.1 | 15.6 | 1.9 | 472 |
| 2Shredded Beef Brisket Soft Taco | 205 | 15.9 | A7.8 | 8.6 | 15.4 | 1.8 | 463 |
| 3Bacon Brekkie Bowl | 427 | 30.8 | A7.2 | 29.1 | 10.5 | 1.7 | 1,130 |
| 4Grilled Chicken Quesadilla | 458 | 29.8 | A6.5 | 22.4 | 33.7 | 2.3 | 824 |
| 5Free Range Chicken Chorizo Brekkie Bowl | 411 | 26.4 | A6.4 | 29.7 | 9.7 | 1.4 | 894 |
| 6Shredded Beef Brisket Quesadilla | 474 | 29.9 | A6.3 | 24.3 | 33.5 | 2.1 | 814 |
| 7Three Crispy Chicken Tenders with Ketchup | 386 | 24.3 | A6.3 | 17.5 | 31.1 | 9.4 | 1,530 |
| 8Grilled Chicken Little G's Burrito | 414 | 24.8 | B6.0 | 14.1 | 46.1 | 2.1 | 775 |
| 9Three Crispy Chicken Tenders with BBQ Sauce | 415 | 24.7 | B6.0 | 17.6 | 38.1 | 17.5 | 1,430 |
| 10Two Crispy Chicken Tenders with Ketchup | 273 | 16.2 | B5.9 | 11.7 | 24.5 | 9.1 | 1,170 |
| 11Pulled Pork Quesadilla | 450 | 26.7 | B5.9 | 23.1 | 33.4 | 2.0 | 862 |
| 12Shredded Beef Brisket Little G's Burrito | 431 | 24.9 | B5.8 | 16.0 | 45.9 | 1.9 | 764 |
The tacos sit at the top of that list because they're the smallest thing GYG sells with meat in them. A grilled chicken hard taco is 186 calories but carries 987 mg of sodium, more than the soft, so I'd pick soft over hard every time.
Two orders that work
Two grilled chicken soft tacos and a small guac. Under 550 calories, over 30 grams of protein, and the guac is real food not a garnish.
Or the grilled chicken quesadilla on its own, which is what I get most of the time. 458 calories, 29.8 grams of protein, 824 mg of sodium. It's the best single item on the menu for a cut.
The extra chicken trick
GYG sells extra grilled chicken as an add on for 144 calories and 27.2 grams of protein. That's 18.9 grams of protein per 100 calories, which is about the same as a plain chicken breast you'd cook at home. If you want a bowl with over 60 grams of protein, get a bowl without rice and add extra chicken. You'll land around 500 calories, and nothing else at GYG gets you there. Extra brisket is 177 calories for 27.4 grams if you'd rather beef.
What not to order on a cut
The Cali burrito is 966 calories, because it's a burrito with chips inside it. The enchiladas are worse. The grilled chicken enchilada is 1,150 calories with 3,160 mg of sodium, which is more salt than most people should have in a day, in one meal.
Corn chips on the side are 519 calories. Chips and guac medium is 756, more than the grilled chicken bowl. If you're going to have chips at GYG it's the chipotle fries at 358 for the regular, and even then I'd share them.
The three tenders with ketchup are 386 calories, which looks fine, until you see 1,530 mg of sodium. That's the saltiest main per calorie on the whole menu.
FAQ
What's the lowest calorie meal at GYG?
Two grilled chicken soft tacos, at about 192 calories each. If you want one thing, the grilled chicken quesadilla at 458 calories with 29.8 grams of protein.
How many calories in a GYG grilled chicken burrito?
773 calories, or 3,234 kJ, with 48.3 grams of protein, 23.5 grams of fat and 91.0 grams of carbs. Those are GYG's own published figures.
Is a GYG bowl healthier than a burrito?
Not by much. The grilled chicken bowl is 659 calories against 773 for the burrito. Skip the rice in the bowl and it becomes a good order. Keep the rice and you've saved yourself a tortilla and not much else.