What to order · Updated July 2026
What to Order at Olive Garden: Every Item, Judged
Treat Olive Garden as an Italian restaurant and you'll be disappointed. Treat it as an unlimited-carbohydrate delivery system with an Italian accent and it's a strong value play, provided you order like you understand the game. Prices are national averages.
The game: the free breadsticks and the soup-or-salad that comes with every entrée are the value engine. Entrées that cost extra on top of that engine need to earn it. Most don't.
Every item, judgedThe verdicts
Soup, Salad & Breadsticks (unlimited)
Order itBest order in the building, and one of the better values in casual dining. Zuppa Toscana, salad and breadsticks, everything the chain does well, bottomless, for the price of a fast-food combo.
Zuppa Toscana
Order itSausage, kale, potato, cream. The one thing the kitchen nails, and the whole unlimited-soup deal is built around it. Order any entrée that doesn't come with soup and you've made an error.
Breadsticks
Order itFree, unlimited, 140 calories each, and engineered to be eaten warm by the basket. Most tables are here for these and the soup, whatever they end up ordering. Asking for a fresh basket right before the entrées land is standard practice, not greed.
Chicken Parmigiana
Order itTwo breaded cutlets over a pile of spaghetti, and a portion that guarantees lunch tomorrow. The reliable pick if you want an actual entrée instead of the soup game.
Tour of Italy
DecentChicken parm, lasagna and fettuccine alfredo on one plate for $21.99. None of the three is better than the version you'd get ordering it alone, and at 1,520 calories this is the heaviest thing listed here. Get it your first time. Then order the chicken parm forever, and save $2.50 doing it.
Fettuccine Alfredo
DecentThe famous one. It's a bowl of hot cream and it knows what it is, but $17 for the cheapest ingredients in the kitchen is how Olive Garden pays for your breadsticks. Add chicken and you're near $22.
Lasagna Classico
DecentSolid, dense, tastes like a good frozen lasagna executed professionally. You won't regret it; you also won't remember it. The chicken parm is the better play at the same price tier.
Shrimp Scampi
Skip it$21.99 for 480 calories of shrimp, at a restaurant whose entire pitch is abundance. Only the salmon costs more, and at least the salmon doesn't pretend the portion is the point.
Herb-Grilled Salmon
Skip itIt's fine salmon. It's also $23 at a breadstick emporium. If you're eating healthy at Olive Garden, get the unlimited salad and soup and save twelve dollars.
Black Tie Mousse Cake
Order itFour layers, properly rich, big enough to split four ways. The dessert menu's one legitimate star.
Take-Home Entrée deal
Order itWhen offered: add a take-home pasta (usually alfredo or five-cheese ziti) to any entrée for about $6. It's the cheapest 'second meal' in casual dining. Always say yes.
Frequently askedFAQ
Is Olive Garden's unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks still available?
Yes — it's a lunch staple at most locations, typically $10–14 depending on location, and the unlimited refills apply while you dine in. With every full-price entrée you also choose unlimited soup or salad, so factor that in before adding appetizers.
What is the best soup at Olive Garden?
Zuppa Toscana is the consensus pick — sausage, kale and potato in a creamy broth. Chicken & Gnocchi is a solid second. Pasta e Fagioli and Minestrone are the value-menu filler of the soup world.
How do I get the most food for my money at Olive Garden?
Order an entrée that comes with soup or salad, eat the free courses aggressively, box half the entrée, and take the ~$6 take-home entrée deal when it's running. One visit becomes three meals.