This trips up a surprising number of first-time guests: every dinner entrée comes with your choice of one — soup or salad, not both — plus unlimited breadsticks, all included in the entrée price. You’re not ordering these separately unless you want extra portions or want to add a cup as a starter on top of what’s included.

• Soup choice typically includes Zuppa Toscana, Chicken & Gnocchi, Minestrone, or Pasta e Fagioli, and you can ask to switch flavors mid-meal if you want to try more than one.
• Salad is the house salad with Olive Garden’s signature Italian dressing, also refillable.
• Breadsticks are unlimited regardless of which side you choose.

A Naming Mix-Up Worth Knowing: Chocolate Lasagna vs. Chocolate Brownie Lasagna

If you’re comparing dessert calories across different Olive Garden menu pages and the numbers don’t match, this is likely why: some pages list “Chocolate Lasagna” at roughly 980 calories, while others list “Chocolate Brownie Lasagna” at around 580 calories, as if they’re two different desserts. In practice, these names have been used inconsistently across menu sources for what is largely the same layered chocolate dessert, so don’t assume you’re comparing two distinct items — the calorie gap likely reflects a data inconsistency between sources rather than two separate desserts on the current menu.

Gluten-Conscious Picks at Dinner

Herb-Grilled Salmon is naturally free of wheat, milk, egg, and soy, making it one of the safer dinner picks if you’re managing a gluten sensitivity, since it doesn’t rely on breading or a wheat-based sauce the way Chicken or Eggplant Parmigiana do. Pairing it with a side salad (dressing on the side, if needed) instead of soup keeps the meal lower-risk for cross-contact from shared soup pots.

Early Dinner and Value Options

Some locations run Early Dinner specials between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM, offering select entrées at reduced pricing for guests who eat before the standard dinner rush. This isn’t guaranteed at every location, so it’s worth asking or checking the app if you’re planning an early evening visit specifically to take advantage of it.