The Unpopular Dessert To Steer Clear Of At Olive Garden

When it comes to desserts at most chain restaurants, we can safely say that many of them should be avoided. Most of these desserts are made off-site — perhaps at the commercial kitchen — so they're not going to be fresh. While that's not a definite menu killer, it certainly doesn't set up the diner for the best eating experience.

Olive Garden might not be the first chain you think of when it comes to desserts, but the restaurant does offer up some appetizing options. While opinions may vary based on who you talk to and which online review you read, the chain's Sicilian Cheesecake stands out as the least popular of its six dessert offerings. It's also one of the dishes we recommend avoiding at Olive Garden.

Allegedly, all of Olive Garden's desserts arrive frozen and are presumably microwaved — which, again, doesn't make them irredeemable — but $9 for one slice of unimpressive cheesecake seems a bit much. That's especially the case when you consider that many grocery stores, like Kroger, offer a "wedge" (which is a quarter of a cheesecake) of the frozen Cheesecake Factory dessert for around $13. All that said, what exactly makes Olive Garden's Sicilian Cheesecake so unmemorable?

It may come as a shock, but some reviews say that the Olive Garden cheesecake tastes frozen. The texture is dense, not airy like you would expect from a homemade cheesecake. Reviews also say that the shortbread crust isn't crunchy, the strawberries don't taste fresh, and the sauce topping makes the cheesecake soggy.

However, there is good news on the dessert front at Olive Garden. Besides the fact that you can get a free dessert at Olive Garden on your birthday, the chain also manages to make a few of these dessert options tasty, despite the fact that they arrive frozen. For starters, the Warm Italian Doughnuts seems to strike the right sweet notes for many patrons. The fried doughnuts are tossed in sugar and can be dipped in raspberry or chocolate sauce — both of which are delicious options. The restaurant's Black Tie Mousse Cake and the Strawberry Cream Cake also receive high praise, while the Tiramisu and Chocolate Lasagna have mixed reviews. Regardless, we'd advise you to skip the Sicilian Cheesecake and roll with one of their other options. Those doughnuts are calling your name.