10 Olive Garden Hidden Gems You Should Order

Stepping into an Olive Garden can feel like entering a bygone era, an age when casual dining was all the rage and dinner for a family of four could run you a whopping $20, not including tax and tip. While times, and prices, may have changed, the enduring appeal of a restaurant that claims, "When you're here you're family" hasn't; as competitors like Bennigans and other Italian chains like Maccaroni Grill have declined or closed altogether, Olive Garden remains one of the most popular chains in the country.

But just because it's a crowd favorite with a name that conjures Pavlovian images of soft, pillowy breadsticks by the dozen doesn't mean there aren't still hidden gems left to uncover. While chicken parmesan, the Tour of Italy, and carbonara remain some of the restaurant's most-ordered dishes, and are so popular they're often featured on the cover of the menu, it's worth going down the rabbit hole to learn some of the best-kept secrets that this budget-friendly Italian chain has to offer. Some of these substitutions and additions may add a surcharge to your bill, but that's a small price to pay (literally) to have it exactly how you want it.

If you've been too caught up in Alfredos and all-you-can-eat Zuppa Toscana to give Olive Garden's stuffed chicken marsala a try, you might have thought you missed your chance when it became conspicuously absent from menus across the nation. Luckily, after disappearing briefly during the pandemic, this underrated but well-adored item was one of two luxurious dishes to return in 2024, giving diners a chance to savor the warm, rich flavors.

Okay, so it's not technically stuffed. It's not technically Italian, either, but we're not ones to get pedantic when dinner is on the line. Instead, it's more of a breaded cheese-herb-and-sundried tomato burger with chicken as the buns, topped with Olive Garden's creamy mushroom sauce. The lack of a traditional stuffing style does nothing to detract from the decadent experience, especially when paired with a fruity pinot noir or Malbec, which are some of the best drinks to pair with chicken marsala. Reviewers say that the cheese can burn quickly, so it may be better to order during a slower period than a weekend dinner rush, but it's worth a little risk for what is one of the most underrated items on the menu.

For every menu item that Olive Garden ends up discontinuing, such as the once-popular Venetian apricot chicken, there are others still waiting to be discovered. Given the restaurant's willingness to mix and match sauces, proteins, and accompaniments, there's something of a "if you can dream it, you can do it" vibe to the options available to you.

For those who have been wooed by the aforementioned stuffed chicken marsala but want to elevate things even further, you can create your very own steak marsala if you know what to ask for. Order a six-ounce sirloin steak and add Olive Garden's creamy mushroom sauce to create a borderline steakhouse-worthy dish. The sauce is the perfect flavor complement to the meat, with the mushrooms imparting an umami boost that heightens the entire dish while the creamy base creates a velvety flavor for both the meat and the pasta. Make sure to clarify that you want the sauce on the meat itself, otherwise it may only be substituted for the Alfredo sauce on the side of fettuccini that comes with the steak.

The best part of a group trip to Olive Garden is getting to try a bit of everything, but we all know that family meals can also mean family squabbles, especially when matters of the taste buds are concerned. What do you do when you want chicken parmesan but grandma wants shrimp scampi?

While yelling at that sweet old lady who helped raise you is certainly an option, perhaps a better one is turning to Olive Garden's famed Tour of Italy plate, which is advertised to come with chicken parm, classic lasagna, and fettuccine Alfredo. But wait, what if no one wants lasagna that night? Fear not, because the little-known truth is that those three items are more suggestions than hard and fast rules. If carbonara, five-cheese ziti, or swapping out Alfredo for pesto are more the vibe, this is a perfect testing ground for them. The portions are smaller than Olive Garden's usual massive servings, but that's not necessarily a bad thing — think of this as the food equivalent of a tasting flight, making it perfect for one person's entrée or the family's appetizer.

Look, there's a reason that Olive Garden is synonymous with breadsticks, and it's not just because they help the cooks get on top of the dinner rush while preventing customers from getting hangry. Light, fluffy, and brushed with just the right amount of butter and garlic salt to impart flavor while not blowing out the palette ahead of the entrée's arrival, this app might not be made in house — Turano Baking Company is the brand behind the breadsticks – but it still brings the house down.

While the breadsticks themselves are not what you might call a hidden gem, there's a humble condiment that can take them from simple comfort food to star of the show. To maximize the flavor and enjoyment, dip your breadsticks in Italian dressing and roll them in grated cheese. The wait staff is always armed with Romano cheese and a grater, so collect a plateful and get ready for your tastebuds to explode. The dressing adds a tangy, peppery lightness while the cheese adds a salty nuttiness and acts as a flavor enhancer; after all, Romano cheese is a natural source of MSG. If that gives you pause, just remember that the safety concerns with MSG are largely a myth.

There are no substitutions or gimmicks for this one, just a simple menu item that deserves more love. While the soups might not get the shine of some of the other classic items at Olive Garden, the chicken gnocchi soup is a true under-appreciated gem, despite occasionally getting outshined by the (also delicious) Zuppa Toscana.

This hearty soup, which, like all Olive Garden soups, is made in-house, though not necessarily to-order, may not be the most authentically Italian, but it is authentically delicious and fully comforting. Loaded with spinach, carrots, and celery, it's a deceptively light complement to the heavier meals you're likely to find here. It's like if someone was making chicken and dumplings and pivoted halfway through to a grandma-style soup. And trust us when we say: that's always a compliment. It's all-you-can-eat while you're seated, but if that's not enough to satisfy your cravings, you can also order the soup by the half-gallon to take home.

Did you know you can combine sauces on your pasta dishes? Olive Garden's sauces are always on point, but there's such a thing as being on point... er. While the restaurant's ability to fulfill your most creative requests comes down in some part to how busy they are, you can try your luck with some outside-the-box combinations to really elevate the meal to something special.

One favorite of many diners is creating a "pink sauce" by combining Alfredo sauce with marinara to create a rich, creamy sauce akin to vodka sauce, though it turns out that you may just be ordering five-cheese marinara with a few extra steps. One item that's surely not already on the menu, though, is a spicy, creamy pesto, which you can get by combining Alfredo sauce and pesto and adding a generous heaping of chili flakes. Adding this novel combination to the chicken Alfredo tortellini or the Tour of Italy can yield major results.

The chicken tortellini Alfredo is a classic go-to for Olive Garden diners, but there's a simple request that can take this dish from classic to legendary. If there's one problem with grilled chicken, it's that it's not fried chicken — luckily, there's an easy, menu-approved way to make that switch on this plate.

To make this change, ask to substitute chicken fritta for grilled chicken. The best part? Olive Garden doesn't even charge you for this upgrade — we mean swap. While this certainly won't make the dish any lighter, it adds a much-needed crunch to the texture profile while the salty breading of the thin, cutlet-style poultry, which in some ways resembles the Italian answer to Japan's katsu cutlet. For those who can't get enough of that salty, savory chicken, you can take a page from TikTok's Olive Garden hack by ordering a to-go kid's Alfredo sauce with choice of pasta from the kid's menu and adding chicken fritta for $1.99. The portion won't be as big, but it's more than enough for a delicious lunch the next day.

One of the more tragic losses from previous eras of Olive Garden menus is the disappearance of the once-popular Italian cream soda. The vanilla version of this delightfully rich, yet effervescent drink was a draw for kids and adults alike, but if you haven't stepped foot inside an Olive Garden since the 2000s, you might be disappointed by its conspicuous absence on the menu.

Fear not, though! If you're in the mood for something non-alcoholic but still want a drink as customizable as at your favorite cocktail bar, you can utilize Olive Garden's secret menu to create a bespoke Italian soda. The first step is to inquire about the available flavored syrups, which could include mango-passionfruit, grenadine, or others. Choose your favorite option and ask for it to be combined with club soda and ice. If you want to take it from Italian soda to Italian cream soda, ask for cream or half and half as well, and voilà! Your very own drink from the past, made to fit your exact taste preferences. If you want an extra bit of lemon-lime pep, feel free to experiment with swapping the club soda out for Sprite.

Now we know the best way to expand Olive Garden's non-alcoholic beverage menu to fit your needs, but what if you want to go the other route and expand it all the way to the realm of the boozy and delicious? Once again, this chain takes a lesson from Burger King's book by answering, you can have it your way.

Whether it's Italian sodas, Bellini peach-raspberry iced tea, or your fountain drink of choice, Olive Garden has a number of delicious booze-free drinks –- but that doesn't mean they have to stay that way. If the menu's cocktail selection isn't wetting your whistle, you can add a shot of your liquor of choice to turn any drink into a readymade cocktail. A hit of tequila can turn a desert pear limonata into a summery margarita-inspired drink, while a shot of vodka can take a raspberry lemonade over the top.

If there's one thing we can all (hopefully) agree on, it's that a little fried dough is good for the soul. Whether its beignets from New Orleans, Loukamades from Greece, funnel cake from United States state fares, or jalebis from India, every culture has their version of a fried dough dessert. So, too, do quasi-Italian American chain restaurants, which is where Olive Garden's warm Italian donuts, also sometimes referred to as zeppole, come in.

These little parcels of sugar-coated perfection are an ideal after-dinner dessert, complete with the dipping sauce, which for most people means chocolate. But for those looking to branch out and add a tangy freshness to the after-dinner treat, Olive Garden carries a raspberry sauce that, dare we say, is actually superior to the chocolate? If you want to get really adventurous, you can also try adding the raspberry dipping sauce and a side order of whipped cream to the bread sticks for a savory and sweet all-purpose treat. Don't worry if the server looks at you funny — they'll soon understand the genius at work.