The 2 Olive Garden Desserts You Should Never Order To-Go

Olive Garden restaurants, which have built its foundation on its pasta offerings, Italian-inspired appetizers, and iconic soup, salad, and breadsticks combo, are a source of nostalgia for many. While many people are still patronizing Olive Garden, more are ordering takeout instead of dining in. Although shamelessly eating massive bowls of pasta with chicken and gnocchi soup within the comfort of our own home sounds great, the reality is that not all of Olive Garden's dishes are good for takeout. This is especially true when it comes to two desserts: the tiramisu and the Italian doughnuts.

One of the best Olive Garden ordering tips Tasting Table can offer you is to always order the tiramisu and the warm Italian doughnuts in-restaurant. These desserts, which are some of the best desserts at Olive Garden, don't keep as well. The doughnuts are intended to be served warm, making the plushness of the exterior and molten dipping sauce all the more pleasant to eat. You can't reheat them and get the same effect you would if you ordered them in the restaurant. The tiramisu (specifically the ladyfingers) also gets soggy, resulting in a less-than-optimal dessert experience.

As far as desserts go, any of the cakes (like the chocolatey black tie mousse cake) would be much better off than the Italian doughnuts or the tiramisu because slices of those desserts won't get mushy. Similarly, you'll want to make some strategic decisions when ordering the rest of your meal. Olive Garden's soups are usually a good choice, as you can incrementally reheat them in the microwave. If you order salad with them, be sure to ask for the dressing on the side to prevent the lettuce from getting soggy.

You may want to think twice about ordering the fettuccine Alfredo as takeout, too. Cream-sauced pastas, as a whole, need to be kept at a consistent heat to prevent them from splitting. Once the sauced noodles are left to sit — or heated up too quickly in the microwave — the sauce can split, leading to an unpleasant texture. It's also worth skipping fried ones, which can steam in a takeout container and lose the crispy breading.