Why Tourists Should Never Try To Order Olive Garden-Style Food While In Italy

For American visitors to Italy, the excitement of indulging in authentic Italian cuisine — fresh from the land that gave the world pasta, gelato, and robust espresso — is often the highlight of any trip. Yet, American travelers clutching menus in Roman trattorias, confidently ordering "fettuccine Alfredo" or requesting extra breadsticks, have become an increasingly common sight — and a source of bewilderment for Italian servers.

Few things illustrate this disconnect more vividly than the idea of ordering dishes inspired by Olive Garden, while dining on Italian soil. The popular U.S.-based Italian-American restaurant chain helped popularize Italian-American cuisine, creating its own version of "Italian" food that bears little resemblance to traditional Italian cooking. In comes social media to amplify these cultural misunderstandings like the proverbial virus.

@gabbydonahuee

@Olive Garden 's biggest fan 😭😭😭😭 #italy #cultureshock #chickenparm #olivegarden

♬ original sound – Gabby Donahue

A recent TikTok video captures this cultural clash perfectly. In the video, which has racked up millions of views, Gabby's Bostonian father tries to order an Olive Garden staple — chicken parmigiana — at an Italian restaurant by showing the waiter a photo on his smartphone. The waiter's reaction is priceless: a mix of confusion and horror as he looks at the image of a breaded chicken breast smothered in sauce and melted cheese atop spaghetti as if he were looking at a coiled cobra. While remaining friendly and professional, he mutters a dismayed "horrible" and explains that there is no such dish on the menu. These scenarios frustrate both tourists and restaurant staff, and add to the things tourists do that drive locals up the wall.

Italian online chef Pasquale Sciarappa, who has worked in Italy and America, said in a Facebook post that he gets the same pushback any time he shares a dish that is not authentically Italian. He explains that, for example, chicken parmigiana is "not something you'd traditionally find in Italy."

Similarly, bloggers explain that the soft, fluffy breadsticks found in Olive Garden bear no resemblance to their closest Italian cousins, the thin and crunchy "grissini". The same goes for the so-called "Italian" dishes you shouldn't try to order in Italy, such as fettuccine Alfredo or spaghetti and meatballs — they will simply not be on the menu. If you order pasta carbonara, there will not be a drop of heavy cream involved. By all means, enjoy these dishes back home, but never try to order them while in Italy.

So, what can tourists expect their meals to be like in Italy? For starters, there is no such thing as "Italian" food. Regional variation means a dish served in Sicily may be completely unknown in Milan. Dishes showcase simple, regional ingredients rather than standardized recipes replicated nationwide. As the saying goes, "while in Rome," rather than seeking familiar chain restaurant favorites, consider approaching Italian dining with curiosity rather than expectations. Order cacio e pepe in Rome, carbonara without cream, or regional specialties, and ask servers for recommendations rather than falling for one of the big mistakes tourists should avoid when eating in Italy by requesting off-menu Americanized dishes. Buon appetito!