Pasta At Cheesecake Factory Vs Olive Garden: 8 Major Differences

There are so many quick pasta dishes you can easily make at home, even if you don't have advanced cooking skills. But let's face it: Sometimes, going out to eat for pasta is the way to go. Whether you want to try flavors you don't normally work with in your own kitchen or you're just in the mood for the ambiance of a restaurant, going out may be your best bet. Although you're probably better off going to a local Italian restaurant, some chain restaurants offer decent pasta options too.

Heading to Olive Garden or The Cheesecake Factory are two common options. While Olive Garden mainly offers popular pasta dishes, The Cheesecake Factory has an expansive menu with a pasta section, although it's not necessarily the restaurant's focus. We've decided to compare the dishes at both restaurants so you can get a better idea of what you're getting into the next time you go there. Whichever spot you prefer, you might just learn something new about their offerings.

Before you decide which restaurant you want to get your pasta from, you first have to think about what kind of dish you're craving. This is because the two chains offer slightly different options. If you go to Olive Garden, you'll notice mostly Italian American pasta dishes on the menu. You can order chicken fettuccine Alfredo, for example, or go for some classic spaghetti and meatballs. However, you're not really going to find many dishes beyond the realm of this very expected Italian American cuisine.

The Cheesecake Factory, on the other hand, offers a wider range of pasta styles. Yes, you can get classics like carbonara or spaghetti and meatballs. However, there are also two versions of Thai stir-fried rice noodles for an Asian-inspired take. If you're looking for a kick, the chain offers Louisiana chicken, Cajun jambalaya, and spicy chicken chipotle pastas. Olive Garden's offerings are solid if you're craving Italian American specifically, but we like the fact that there are more varied options at The Cheesecake Factory.

Craving seafood in a pasta dish format? We get it — it's the perfect combo. If so, Olive Garden may be a better option, since it boasts more seafood-focused pasta dishes than The Cheesecake Factory does. From delicious shrimp pastas like carbonara to the fresh-tasting scampi, you can find a variety of seafood-y dishes there. There's also a seafood Alfredo if you want to enjoy scallops in addition to shrimp. You can even build your own dish with a variety of sauces and add shrimp as a topping. 

The few pasta dishes on The Cheesecake Factory menu that feature seafood all contain shrimp. Although there are fewer seafood pasta dishes at this restaurant, they're a bit more varied than they are at Olive Garden. There are Thai-inspired, Cajun-inspired, and Italian American options to choose from. Although both restaurants are somewhat lacking on the seafood pasta front, Olive Garden should be your go-to when you want a few more options.

If you'd never been to either of these restaurants before and you had to guess which one had the higher-quality dishes, you'd probably assume Olive Garden. After all, the chain specializes in pasta, while it's just a small part of the menu at The Cheesecake Factory. But ultimately, that's not really the case. Overall, if you ask us, The Cheesecake Factory's pasta tends to be of a slightly better quality than Olive Garden's, even if it doesn't play a starring role on the menu.

The Cheesecake Factory is often considered to offer better food than Olive Garden overall, and we've found that the pasta is no exception. Keep in mind that these are both chain restaurants, so you're not likely to get the best-quality or most authentic ingredients at either restaurant. However, if we had to choose between the two for general pasta enjoyment, we'd have to opt for The Cheesecake Factory.

If you're a somewhat picky eater, then you know that going out to eat can be tricky. You either have to find a dish on the menu that appeals to you or find ways to modify existing ones to make them work for your palate. But at Olive Garden, that process is much easier than it is at most restaurants, thanks to the chain's create your own pasta option. It's just what it sounds like: You get to select the pasta shape you want, then choose your sauce, and finally finish it off with toppings, including meat and vegetables. It's the ideal way to order exactly what you're craving.

But you're not going to find the same option at The Cheesecake Factory. Sure, you may be able to get them to change up a certain dish to fit your preferences, but you probably won't get to choose every aspect of it. So, picky eaters, Olive Garden may just be a better choice for you to live out your pasta dreams.

Rich, creamy, and ultra-decadent, an Alfredo-style pasta can feel like a warm, comforting hug when you're looking for a hearty dish. If you go to any U.S. restaurant with a pasta menu, chances are that you'll run into some sort of Alfredo dish, since it's such a popular Italian American classic. Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory are no exception: You can get Alfredo sauce-based dishes at both restaurants.

That being said, you can choose from a wider selection of Alfredo pasta dishes at Olive Garden. There are several different iterations of this classic dish on the menu, ranging from plain fettuccine Alfredo without meat to the chicken tortelloni Alfredo, which has the added decadence of stuffed pasta. There's also a steak alfredo dish with gorgonzola, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes for those looking for big flavors. At The Cheesecake Factory, you'll only find three varieties, all made with fettuccine: plain, chicken, and shrimp. The Cheesecake Factory's Alfredo dishes will get the job done, but Olive Garden really delivers on variety for the true Alfredo lovers.

When you're ordering a pasta dish from a chain restaurant, healthiness probably isn't the main factor you're considering. After all, it's a chance to indulge, and not every meal has to optimize your health. That being said, if you crave color and freshness in most of your dishes, then you'd probably like there to be some veggies included in your pasta, even if they aren't the stars of the show. At The Cheesecake Factory, you'll find more pasta dishes that are loaded with vegetables than you will at Olive Garden.

The Cheesecake Factory's Evelyn's favorite pasta is, in fact, a completely veggie-focused dish, complete with asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, peppers, fresh herbs, and more. But even if you opt for one of the more protein-heavy options on the menu, like the Louisiana chicken pasta or the Thai stir-fried noodles, you'll still find that they're packed with vegetables for a more balanced meal. On the other hand, many of Olive Garden's dishes are essentially vegetable-free (unless you're counting the tomato sauce, of course). There are still veggie-packed pasta dishes on the menu at Olive Garden, but they're considerably fewer and farther between than they are at The Cheesecake Factory.

For a lot of pasta lovers, carbonara is at the height of carb-based deliciousness. The creamy sauce, the pancetta (or guanciale, if you're at a restaurant that really knows what's up), the al dente noodles that bring everything together ... it really is one of the most glorious pasta dishes of all time. Perhaps that's why so many chain restaurants attempt their own version of the dish. 

But according to a ranking of chain restaurant carbonara dishes, Olive Garden's carbonara is significantly more well-regarded than The Cheesecake Factory's. Some say that The Cheesecake Factory's carbonara isn't cheesy enough, with some claiming that the dish's sauce is starchy and globby — probably not what you're looking for in this dish. On the other hand, Olive Garden's carbonara is generally well-regarded. It's also available with ravioli, chicken and shrimp, or just shrimp. So, if you're craving chain restaurant carbonara, now you know where to go.

Several years ago, you could barely find gluten-free pasta at any chain restaurants. These days, though, that has changed, and those who avoid gluten have a much wider selection to choose from at most restaurants — even those focused on typically wheat-based pasta. Both The Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden offer gluten-free options, but honestly, if you want a better selection, you're better off going to the latter.

There, you can get a variety of pasta dishes that boast different ingredients and flavors. For example, you can get the beloved Evelyn's favorite pasta in a GF version, or you can opt for a carbonara dish or four cheese pasta. If you want to veer a bit from Italian flavors, you can also order a spicy chicken chipotle pasta sans gluten. At Olive Garden, though, you're pretty much stuck with various versions of rotini with red sauce. It's nice to have a few options, but if you want anything a little more interesting than a pasta dish that you can basically just make at home, OG's gluten-free menu feels like a disappointment.