The Cheesecake Factory Sister Chain To Try For Upscale Italian Pasta

The casual dining universe is replete with Italian restaurants. They vary in quality and price, of course — from Fazoli's on the more affordable end to the widely popular Olive Garden all the way up to more upscale chains like Maggiano's. North Italia is another Italian restaurant chain on the more upscale side of things — and rightfully so, as it boasts fresh pasta and house-made ricotta on its menu.

It's these small touches that help North Italia stand out among the sea of Italian chains. The menu includes 10 types of fresh pasta. You'll find the fairly standard shapes, like bucatini, pappardelle, and lasagna. But North Italia stretches its pasta options beyond the usual with dishes featuring strozzapreti, tonnarelli, and lumache — an indication of the chain's willingness to really go the extra mile with its pasta selections.

It's not just the pasta that gets the upscale treatment. There's that house-made ricotta, but North Italia also makes its tonnarelli with squid ink and adds prized ingredients like tiger shrimp and fennel pollen. Grana Padano, a cheese that can retail for $29 per pound, is sprinkled throughout many of the dishes. Among the entrees, the Prime New York strip tagliata — a sliced hunk of beef served with arugula, shaved Grana Padano, olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, and sea salt — speaks to the kitchen's refined, traditional Italian cooking.

Ratings can vary, but some locations receive 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor, 4.5 stars on OpenTable, and 4.1 stars on Yelp. A Facebook user called their experience "absolutely wonderful" and praised their pappardelle noodles: "My friend had the Bolognese and was so happy she didn't want to talk!" One diner on Tripadvisor had a lot of good things to say about the restaurant, including that the short rib lumache "was excellent with the short rib meat, the texture of the pasta, and the sauce."

Outside of pasta, the restaurant's chicken parmesan is a standout — a classic preparation of breaded and fried chicken topped with crushed tomatoes, aged provolone, and mozzarella, with Parmesan rigatoni on the side. At $26, it's a fair price point for the portion size and quality. One TikToker even claimed, "No joke, this chicken Parm changed my life last night." Overall, most customers praise the food and service, as well as the bright atmosphere and welcoming ambiance. Based on overall reviews, it certainly seems like North Italia is one of the best Italian chains in the country.

With so much competition, some Italian chain restaurants might rely on frozen pasta with unremarkable sauces. Thankfully, North Italia is not in that group. If you live near one of the restaurant chain's nearly 50 locations, it might be worth a visit to sample the fresh pasta, chicken parmesan, and range of tasty small plates — including that house-made ricotta (served with white truffle garlic bread).