What to Eat and What to Avoid at the Mall Food Court

Shopping while hungry has its hazards. First of all, if you’re at the mall, you’ll come home with more stuff. Researchers from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota analyzed the purchases of 81 department store shoppers and found that those who were hungry bought more items and spent about 64 percent more money than those who weren’t famished.

But you’ll also likely end up picking up extra calories. That’s because the scent of cinnamon rolls or char-broiled burgers can lead you by the nose directly to the mall food court, where you can easily pack half a day’s worth—not to mention loads of fat, sodium, and sugars—into a single meal or snack.

Your best defense against shopping on an empty stomach is to have something healthy and satisfying before you leave the house (or stuff a snack into your backpack). But if you’re stranded and starving, there are ways to avoid dietary disaster at the mall food court.

You’re not doomed to salads sans dressing either. To help you make smarter choices when hunger strikes, Consumer Reports’ dietitians scanned the menus at several popular mall food-court chain restaurants and found better alternatives to some dietary don’ts on the menus.

Au Bon Pain

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Chicken Caesar Asiago Salad With Caesar Dressing	520	35	8.5	6	1,350
Pick	Chicken Caesar Asiago Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette	380	19	5.5	9	1,010
Skip	2 Eggs, Ham & Cheddar on a Plain Bagel	490	17	8	5	1,040
Pick	2 Eggs & Ham on a Skinny Wheat Bagel	270	12	4.5	2	740
Skip	Double Chocolate Chunk Muffin	580	24	7	49	500
Pick	Double Chocolate Cupcake	320	13	6	34	250

Small swaps at this mall food court eatery can make a big dietary difference. A simple change in salad dressing on the Chicken Caesar Asiago Salad results in a savings of 140 calories and 16 grams of fat.

Leaving off the cheddar cheese on the plain bagel sandwich saves 50 calories (and 5 grams of fat). But skip the cheese and choose the smaller Skinny Bagel, and you'll cut almost half the calories.

Craving something sweet? Don't be tricked into thinking muffins are healthy options; most of the time they're essentially cake. In fact, you can have a Double Chocolate Cupcake in place of the Double Chocolate Chunk Muffin for 260 fewer calories and 15 fewer grams (about 4 teaspoons) of sugars.

Auntie Anne’s

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Original Pretzel with Cheese Dip	440	13	5.5	10	1,460
Pick	Original Pretzel (no butter, no salt, with Marinara Dip)	355	2	0	14	640
Skip	Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel	470	12	7	29	400
Pick	Sweet Almond Pretzel (no butter)	350	2	1	17	400

Pretzels have a reputation for being a low-fat snack, but that's only if you're talking about the ones that come in bags. At Auntie Anne’s, these chewy temptations are slathered in butter and rolled in salt—a double-header of nutrition no-nos. 

Fortunately, the chain gives you the option of holding the butter and salt, which cuts calories, fat, and sodium. If only dip'll do ya, go for the marinara. The other dips cram extra calories, fat, sodium, or sugars into these twisters.

California Pizza Kitchen

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat  (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad (half order)	750	50	5	40	690
Pick	Roasted Veggie Salad with Grilled Chicken Breast (half order)	550	31	3.5	13	620
Skip	Margherita Thin Crust Pizza (half pie)	665	31	14	4	1,325
Pick	California Veggie Original Hand-Tossed Pizza (half pie)	535	15.5	7.5	8.5	1,145

The Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad sounds healthy especially when you consider that it’s packed with nutritious foods such as avocado, butternut squash, and beets.

But even the half order has too many calories for a single meal and is too high in sugars. Choose the Roasted Veggie Salad with Chicken (half order) and you'll still get a hefty dose of vegetables—artichoke hearts, asparagus, and eggplant, to name a few—with substantially fewer calories and less fat and sugars, along with a little less sodium. To cut calories, fat, and sodium even more, get the dressing on the side and use just a little bit on your salad.

But it’s likely that when you go to a restaurant with “pizza” in its name, you want pizza. Unfortunately, not a one of the Original Hand-Tossed Pizzas has less than 1,000 calories, and some have more sodium and almost all the saturated fat you should have in a day. Changing the crust won't help. The thin crust saves only 10 calories per pie, and the whole-wheat crust actually adds 140 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugars to any pizza. Our advice: split a pie with a friend (or two) and choose the California Veggie. It's one of the options lowest in calories and sodium, and highest in fiber, so having a smaller portion will satisfy your appetite.

Cinnabon

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Cinnabon Classic Roll	880	37	17	58	820
Pick	Churro	280	11	2	8	375
Skip	Cinnabon Stix (5)	400	21	9	16	440
Pick	CinnaSweeties (5)	260	13	7	13	220

The siren song of the Cinnabon scent makes it nearly impossible to walk by without stopping, and we can swear that the aroma alone must be fattening. So if you find yourself tempted, choose the Churro over the Classic Roll, or the CinnaSweeties instead of the Stix.  

Be sure to say no thanks to the frosting cup: it adds 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 21 grams of sugars, and 120 mg of sodium.  

Five Guys

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Cheeseburger	840	55	26.5	9	1,050
Pick	Little Cheeseburger	550	32	15	8.5	690
Skip	Hamburger	700	43	19.5	8	430
Pick	Little Hamburger	480	26	11.5	8	380

Portion control is the secret to having the burger you crave without going overboard. The “little” options are still a satisfying 6 to 7 ounces, compared with 9 to 11 ounces for the regular-sized burgers.

Forgo the fries, though: A regular order here will set you back 953 calories, 41 grams of fat, and 962 mg of sodium. 

Panda Express

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Beijing Beef1	470	26	5	24	660
Pick	Broccoli Beef1	150	7	1.5	7	520
Skip	Veggie Spring Roll (2)	190	8	1.5	3	520
Pick	Chicken Potsticker (3)	160	6	1.5	2	250

You wouldn’t expect a beef dish to have the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugars (24 grams). Some of the sugars in the Beijing Beef at this mall food-court Chinese restaurant come from the onions and red bell peppers, but it's likely that a fair amount is found in the “sweet-tangy” sauce everything is tossed in. Avoid this beef bomber and choose the Broccoli Beef instead.

The Veggie Spring Rolls are a respectable choice, but the Chicken Potstickers actually edge them out as a better nutritional pick, proving that just because "veggie" is in the name, it doesn't always win the game.

Starbucks

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Turkey Pesto Panini	560	23	6	2	1,230
Pick	Smoked Turkey and Swiss Sandwich Bistro Box (with apples and baby carrots)	370	12	6	15	940
Skip	Caffé Mocha	360	15	9	35	150
Pick	Skinny Mocha	160	1.5	1	15	140

Though turkey breast is a low-calorie, low-fat deli meat, you can't assume all turkey sandwiches are the same nutritionally. We suggest the Smoked Turkey and Swiss Sandwich (Bistro Box) over the Turkey Pesto Panini. The ingredients are similar—turkey, cheese, peppers, bread—but there's a big difference in the calories and fat. Plus it comes with apple slices and baby carrots, which are factored into the nutrition numbers.

But how much diet damage can you do if you pop in just for a coffee? It depends.The Caffè Mocha is made with 2 percent milk and comes topped with sweetened whipped cream. Skip the whip and the calories drop to 290, the fat to 8 grams, and the saturated fat to 5 grams. The Skinny is made with nonfat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no whipped cream. These nutritional values are for the 16-ounce Grande; order a Short (8 ounces) and you’ll slash the numbers in half. 

Subway

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item (6-inch subs)	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Steak & Cheese with Light Mayo	430	15	5.5	9	1,130
Pick	Roast Beef With Yellow Mustard	325	5	1.5	7	775
Skip	Carved Turkey With Honey Mustard	360	5	0.5	14	1,010
Pick	Rotisserie-Style Chicken With Honey Mustard	380	6	1.5	13	660

Although the Carved Turkey sandwich is a little lower in fat and calories, the Rotisserie-Style Chicken sandwich is far lower in sodium, and it is made with chicken that’s been raised without antibiotics.

In a recent survey from Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization arm of Consumer Reports, and other consumer organizations, Subway was one of just nine fast-food chains out of 25 that have made at least some commitment to serving meat raised without antibiotics.

Roast beef is one of the leanest cold cut options. Adding cheddar cheese increases the calories by 55 and the sodium by 95 milligrams.

No matter which sandwich you choose, skip condiments if you can—they add lots of sodium and sometimes calories. For example, yellow mustard is practically calorie-free, but it contributes 115 milligrams of sodium to the roast beef sandwich. Add extra veggies for flavor and moisture instead. 

Taco Bell

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Fiesta Taco Salad, Chicken	710	33	7	6	1,280
Pick	Fresco Soft Taco, Shredded Chicken (2)	270	7	2	4	950
Skip	XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito, Beef	860	41	14	6	2,170
Pick	Beefy Nacho Loaded Griller	370	15	4	3	810

The Fresco Soft Tacos are on the small side, but you can eat two, and still be way better off nutritionally than if you picked—surprisingly—the Fiesta Taco Salad. And the sodium count of the Grilled Stuft Burrito—just 100 mg shy of your maximum daily allotment—is a good example of why it’s best to stay away from food with XXL in its name. We found a hearty alternative—the Beefy Nacho Loaded Griller—that has less sodium, far fewer calories and much less saturated fat.

TCBY

Skip or Pick?	Menu Item (4 oz.)	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Sugars (g)	Sodium (mg)
Skip	Sorbet Fizz	340	0	0	68	55
Pick	Orange Sorbet	100	0	0	19	15
Skip	Cookies & Cream Yogurt with Hot Fudge	231	7	1.6	30	105
Pick	Dutch Chocolate Yogurt with Strawberries	108	0	0	17.5	66

Sorbet Fizz sounds so light, doesn’t it? When you look at the numbers you see it’s anything but. The drink is made with sorbet and Sprite. Nutritional information depends on the flavor of sorbet and the serving size; what we used here is the best possible scenario. The counts can rise far higher—up to 610 calories and a whopping 111 grams of sugars. That’s 28 teaspoons. Plain sorbet is a far better pick, or if you want something creamy, frozen yogurt is okay—just watch what you top it with.

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