Diners name the five olive garden dishes they order instead of bread sticks.
I have a small bone to pick with Olive Garden after removing the portobello ravioli from the menu, but diners still say there are strong choices on the menu. Breadsticks are truly legendary, often paired with unlimited soups and salads. That said, there are plenty of delicious dishes on the menu to indulge in beyond breadsticks. Here are five Olive Garden menu items that diners say are worth ordering.
They are filled Fritta
The Stuffed Ziti Fritta app is stuffed with ziti stuffed with 5 cheeses and fried until delicious with alfredo and marinara on the side for dipping. Customers love it! “The ziti stuffed fritta and shrimp misto is the best!!! The stuffed ziti is crispy and stuffed with cheese if you like, and the shrimp misto has fried onions and bell peppers and is DELICIOUS with the spicy ranch that comes with it,” said a Reddit user. Another one followed, saying “stuffed ziti fritta. Extra Alfredo. I swear it’s my favorite thing there.”
Grilled Chicken Margherita
The Grilled Chicken Margherita is topped with plump tomatoes, basil pesto, mozzarella, and lemon garlic sauce, and is a favorite among fans of the chain. “Chicken margarita is my favorite and it is not taken lightly [in my opinion],” said a Reddit user. “Too limited! I used to recommend it all the time.”
Chicken Marsala
Stuffed Chicken Marsala is loaded with Italian cheese and other flavorful ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes before being topped with a rich mushroom sauce. I also tried their chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes and their Marsala sauce blew me away! [it] made my tongue want more,” said a Yelp reviewer. “The mushrooms were thinly sliced and easy to eat! I liked it so much that I will make sure to get this plate the next time I come back.”
Homemade Soups
Whether you’re craving Pasta e Fagioli with red and white, tomatoes, roast beef, and tubetti pasta, Zuppa Toscana with spicy Italian sausage, kale and potatoes, Minestrone with beans, pasta, and fresh vegetables, or Chicken & Gnocchi made with fried chicken, Italian dumplings, and spinach that’s wrong in the soup. “They have a great selection of soups. My favorite soup is the chicken soup, followed by the Pasta e fagioli,” said a Yelp reviewer. “However, today, I’m trying to eat a little more, so I went with the minestrone. It was very good. It tasted like a traditional minestrone, and then, to finish, I put my server a little bit of grated Parmesan.”
Tour of Italy
The Tour of Italy is a great way to taste 3 famous dishes at the same time. The dish includes chicken parmigiana, lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo topped with homemade sauce. “I got the “Tour of Italy” which was an amazing piece de resistance with linguine alfredo, lasagna, and chicken parm. The chicken parm itself was super crispy! We also enjoyed the fried mozz sticks, and unlimited soup and salad,” said a Yelp reviewer.
Jess Kelly
Jess Kelly is a freelance writer and journalist with nearly ten years of experience contributing to well-known media outlets, including Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, AAA, Elite Traveler, Eater, Food52, Insider, Wine Enthusiast, Kitchn, AAA World Magazine, Thrillist, Conde Nast Traveler, Lomiss Traveler, Lomiss Planet Read more about Jess
