Cheesecake Factory's Most Delicious Appetizer Is Also Perfect For Sharing

There are few restaurant menus as massive as the Cheesecake Factory's, and the highly varied appetizer selection can be particularly tough to choose from. Luckily for indecisive diners, we've tasted and ranked Cheesecake Factory appetizers from worst to best and sussed out the gems from the duds. For our money, we think that the chain's Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip is the absolute best small bite you can order.

While we also enjoyed dishes like the Fried Calamari and Avocado Egg Rolls, the Cheesecake Factory's spinach dip wins for its combination of tastiness and shareable appeal. The texture is the highlight, featuring a perfectly creamy base chock full of fresh spinach and artichokes for contrast. The veggies aren't mushy or dull-tasting like you might expect, and the addition of shallots, garlic, and a blend of cheeses rack up the flavor. Even those who are used to homemade spinach and artichoke dip should be satisfied with this version.

The Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip comes with crispy tortilla chips and a small cup of salsa on the side, which further ensures that everyone at the table will enjoy it. The fairly restrained portion size is also a plus. Getting too full too quickly is a common Cheesecake Factory pitfall, but share this dip with your dining partners, and you should have room for a main dish and slice of cheesecake. If you need further convincing, tons of restaurant-goers besides ourselves also love this crowd-pleasing dish.

While it may not be as attention-grabbing as items like the Ahi Poke Nachos or Fried Macaroni and Cheese, Cheesecake Factory customers online love the Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip. Other reviews of the restaurant's menu besides our own name this appetizer as one of the absolute best dishes you can order. That's a huge compliment, given how many options the Factory offers.

In a thread about must-try dishes at the restaurant, one Reddit user wrote, "You have to try the spinach dip appetizer, thank me later." A TikTok creator and self-professed spinach artichoke dip connoisseur called the Cheesecake Factory's version "super savory" with a "phenomenal" texture. You can also find tons of copycat recipes for this dip online, which further shows how beloved it is.

While you now know which appetizer is a must-try, you'd also do well to know which dishes you should avoid ordering from the Cheesecake Factory. On the app side, we're not fans of the chain's Buffalo Blasts, which are sort of like fried buffalo chicken wontons. We thought this dish had too much breading and not enough filling. We also don't really dig the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls or Chicken Pot Stickers, which perhaps means that the Factory isn't great at Asian-inspired dough-and-filling dishes. Good thing there are tons of alternatives available at your nearest location — whatever you do, just don't skip the spinach dip.