'Olive Garden's Best Work' — This Is The Chain's Shrimp Dish That Diners Consider Divine

Olive Garden may be best known for its soup, salad, and breadsticks combo, but there's a hearty shrimp appetizer that fans think doesn't get enough praise. Even with the chain's extensive pasta menu, some diners feel like this appetizer is "Olive Garden's best work." If you're craving something crispy and fried, the Shrimp Fritto Misto should be part of your order. It's a half pound of hand-breaded, fried shrimp with red onions and bell peppers, served with marinara and spicy ranch. Sounds tasty, right?

It works as a quick lunch or something more filling mixed in with your favorite pasta, like the fettuccine Alfredo or the chicken tortelloni Alfredo, which we ranked as the best of Olive Garden's popular pastas. It also goes well on top of any salad. You get that extra crunchy, savory component with your favorite dish and some additional protein. "The portion was huge, and I had plenty to take home," states one fan on Yelp after ordering the fritto misto. Since you get 15 shrimp per order, it's enough to nibble on before your main course arrives and heat up later on when you're feeling snacky. 

While this shrimp appetizer may be an underrated item for many, for others, it's the exact opposite. In fact, one of our taste testers included this item in their list of 11 dishes you should avoid ordering at Olive Garden. In a traditional fritto misto, a variety of seafood items are included, such as anchovies, squid, and shrimp. In Olive Garden's version, the "shrimp is hardly a substitute" for the classic seafood variety, declares our taste tester. If you don't mind the single protein option, this may not be a deal breaker. However, beyond the one-note protein, "the breading that the chain uses is overly greasy and salty, thus masking any flavor from the shrimp or vegetables," states our reviewer.

We saw this same complaint across customer reviews. "Decent value, but the breading was rather overly salty when I had it," states one Redditor. This makes sense considering the appetizer has an alarmingly high 5,010 mg of sodium, almost double the recommended daily value of sodium in a single serving. And because the salt is part of the breading itself, there's no way to modify the order to get it with less sodium. No other item on the menu comes close to those high levels. So, if you like things salty, this appetizer may be right up your alley. But if you don't want to be overwhelmed with the seasoning, you're better off ordering something else.