7 Best Olive Garden Dishes, Ranked by Flavor
Olive Garden is one of the most popular Italian-American-style restaurant chains in the U.S., famous for hearty, rich entrées, endless breadsticks, and huge portions. The family-friendly eaterie offers very impressive value for money, with many fans getting more than one meal out of their favorite menu item. I analyzed social media threads and restaurant feedback online to see which dishes customers were raving about and recommending to each other, and ranked them from least to most delicious. Here are seven of the best Olive Garden dishes you can order today.
Breadsticks and Salad
Olive Garden fans can’t stop talking about the breadsticks and salad—it was even a storyline on Netflix hit Cobra Kai. “I get a to-go salad dressing cup and dunk my breadsticks in that, it’s simple yet soo good,” one Redditor shared. “Always dip bread sticks in the olive garden dressing for many years 😋,” another said.
Zuppa Toscana
Customers love the comforting, hearty Zuppa Toscana soup. “I did love the Zuppa Toscana soup 10/10, Olive Garden always makes it perfectly and it’s gluten free/safe for me,” one guest said. “I will say the zuppa Toscana (soup) is the only thing that I actually feel that ranks in terms of above standard food,” another Redditor said.
Lasagna Classico
Olive Garden’s Lasagna Classico (prepared daily with layers of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, pecorino romano and our homemade meat sauce (pan-seared beef and Italian sausage) is a must-have menu item. “The last part of the main course was the Lasagna Classico. Can you end on a better note?” one Yelp reviewer said.
Shrimp Scampi
The Shrimp Scampi is a light, flavorful alternative to some of Olive Garden’s more hearty dishes. “The scampi is the way to go if you don’t want to feel heavy,” one customer said. “This is what I always get! It’s SO GOOD, I honestly don’t even feel like I’m eating something low calorie when I get it,” another raved.
Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara
The Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara comes in at number 3, one of Olive Garden’s most indulgent and fan-favorite menu items. “My dish was the chicken and shrimp carbonara. It was delicious nice and cheesy, shrimp and chicken grilled just right, the sauce and pastas were perfectly seasoned and blended well. I will definitely return,” one happy customer said.
Tour of Italy
The Tour of Italy (Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, and Fettuccine Alfredo) is a tasty option for those who want a little of everything with plenty of leftovers. “I can’t go to Olive Garden and not order that Tour of Italy dish, one customer said. “Food for at least another two days!” another commented.
Fettuccine Alfredo and Chicken Alfredo
And the winner is… Fettuccine Alfredo and Chicken Alfredo. These rich, delicious dishes are frequently mentioned as the most flavorful and tasty menu items at Olive Garden. “Fettuccine Alfredo with salad and bread sticks,” one customer said. “Either chicken fettuccine alfredo or the asiago tortellinis with chicken,” another commented.
