5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Baked Ziti Dinners, According to Diners
Baked ziti is an Italian comfort food, a warm and delicious pasta dish that adds the extra step of baking the pasta, sauce, and cheese until it is bubbling and the cheese is perfectly melted. You can order the dish at most Italian restaurants, but it’s not always great. Where can you get the best? Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best baked ziti dinners, according to diners.
Olive Garden
Over at Olive Garden, diners are obsessed with the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, a blend of five Italian cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and fontina) and a mix of marinara and Alfredo sauces. It is a popular order for vegetarians, beloved for its cheesy, baked, bubbly goodness. However, you can add a delicious protein. “I add the crispy chicken and it is so delicious!” one says.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Diners love Maggiano’s Little Italy for its nice mix of comfort, celebration, and big portions of Italian-American favorites in a slightly elevated, welcoming setting. The Baked Ziti at Maggiano’s has a hearty meat sauce made with Italian sausage and careful baking. “The pasta holds its shape and absorbs flavor, which is essential for a great baked pasta,” Dennis Littley, Chef and Culinary Expert at Ask Chef Dennis, once told us. Another diner adds that it is “awesome… with plenty of Italian sausage in a delicious tomato tangy sauce,” says a Yelper.
Buca di Beppo
At Buca di Beppo, the baked ziti is a must-try because it’s “bold and comforting,” Chef Dennis said. “The rosa sauce, cheese blends, and pasta come together beautifully, creating a cohesive dish that delivers consistent flavor throughout.” Diners also love that one pasta is huge and serves 3 people. Diners maintain it is “loaded with melted cheese and sauce, and the spaghetti with large and tasty meatballs. The family-style portions were so generous that we had leftovers for three days!” one Yelper says. “No complaints about the food, as everything was hot, fresh, and seasoned well. I didn’t think anything was too salty, which is the usual complaint wherever I go,” another adds.
Fazoli’s
Fazoli’s has three different ziti classic on the menu: baked ziti with meat sauce, spicy baked ziti with chicken and spicy baked ziti with Italian sausage. “Fazoli’s baked pasta offerings reflect solid fundamentals,” says Chef Dennis. “Their baked ziti delivers creamy cheese, properly cooked pasta, and a satisfying baked finish, and they even have multiple menu items to cater to each guest. Diners dig it. “The sausage is not spicy. it’s alfredo sauce mixed with marinara and they add red pepper flakes and parmesan to it. then when it comes out of the oven more red pepper flakes are added,” a Redditor says.
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano has the most unique ziti, which is a must-try for seafood lovers. “The baked ziti has a unique and delicious spin,” he says. “It’s served with shrimp, grilled chicken, caramelized onions, crispy pancetta, Italian cheese blend in a lobster cream sauce, which is a wow factor element to the dish,” explains Chef Dennis. “The pasta is cooked to the proper texture before being baked, allowing the creamy sauce and cheese to meld together beautifully, while the lobster adds a subtle sweetness that elevates the entire dish into something truly special and memorable.” A Yelper agrees. “The penne was cooked perfectly not too soft and not too hard, just the right amount of chew. The pancetta topped off every bite that makes your taste buds tear up in joy. The lobster sauce was rich and when used as bread dip was amazing. Just writing this now makes my mouth water. We will definitely be back for more of the great food,” they write.