10 Terrible Items To Stop Ordering At Cheesecake Factory & 10 To Order Every Time
What’s Worth Ordering
The Cheesecake Factory menu is huge, which makes ordering exciting but also a little risky. Because some dishes sound amazing, but then they don’t quite deliver once they hit the table. Knowing what to skip can make the rest of your meal way more enjoyable. Before getting to the must-order favorites, let’s start with the items that tend to disappoint and are better left off your order.
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1. Factory Nachos
This oversized platter stacks chips with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and meats, creating a calorie‑dense starter. Designed for sharing, it quickly overwhelms with grease and heaviness. The lack of balance, oversized portion, and repetitive flavors make it one of the Cheesecake Factory’s least worthwhile appetizers.
2. Roadside Sliders
These mini burgers show up loaded with grilled onions and cheese. The grease factor runs high, and since they come in multiples, it's easy to eat more than intended. You'd think a smaller size means fewer calories, but these match a full burger nutritionally.
3. Buffalo Blasts
Chicken, cheese, and buffalo sauce get stuffed into deep-fried pockets here. All that cheese and oil makes this appetizer extremely heavy going down. Your server will offer ranch or blue cheese for dipping, adding another rich element.
4. Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
Pan-frying gives these cakes their crispy exterior before sour cream and salsa go on top. The carb load runs high with minimal protein to balance things out. Their sweetness pushes them closer to dessert territory than savory meal status.
5. Evelyn's Favorite Pasta
Vegetables pile high in this pasta dish, but olive oil drenches everything underneath. Without any protein included, you won't feel as full despite the generous serving size. All that oil pushes the calorie count surprisingly high.
6. Tomato Basil Pasta
Oil forms the sauce base here instead of following traditional tomato basil recipes. The oversized portions make even this straightforward dish feel excessive. It doesn't bring much variety when stacked against other pasta choices available. Many people unknowingly pile on extra carbs by pairing it with the bread basket.
7. Shrimp And Chicken Gumbo
This gumbo runs creamier than authentic Cajun versions you'd find down south. Mixing seafood with poultry creates a heavy, complex flavor profile. It stands as one of the rare Louisiana-inspired dishes they've added to the menu.
8. Macaroni And Cheese Burger
Fried macaroni and cheese patties sit right on top of this burger. Two comfort food heavyweights collide in one overwhelming creation. The richness level makes finishing the whole thing in one go pretty challenging. Novelty drives most orders here rather than a genuine craving for the taste combination.
9. Louisiana Chicken Pasta
This pasta dish may sound appealing with its crispy chicken and creamy sauce, but it’s one of the highest‑calorie entrées on the Cheesecake Factory menu. The fried chicken pieces add heaviness on top of the already rich cream sauce, making it far from a balanced choice.
10. Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
Fried wrappers encase ground beef mixed with cheese and onions. The combination of beef fat and deep frying creates a seriously high-fat situation. Flavor-wise, they feel repetitive and weighty next to fresher starter options.
1. Egg Roll Sampler
Four different egg rolls arrive on this platter: cheeseburger, avocado, Tex-Mex, and chicken. Everything comes fried with various dipping sauces on the side. This appetizer consistently ranks as one of the most ordered starters. The avocado version became so beloved that it eventually earned its own standalone spot as a signature item.
2. Housemade Meatballs
The kitchen crafts these meatballs from scratch using beef, Italian spices, and Parmesan mixed into the blend. They’re topped with a marinara-style tomato sauce and fresh basil, whether you order the appetizer or entrée portion. Many diners mix things up by adding pasta on the side.
3. Fried Macaroni And Cheese
Macaroni and cheese gets formed into balls, then fried until golden. Creamy marinara sauce pools underneath as the serving base. This ranks among the most decadent starters you can choose. Groups celebrating special occasions frequently order it to share around the table.
4. Bacon-Bacon Burger
Both bacon jam and crispy bacon strips make this burger live up to its name. A brioche bun holds everything together, along with melted cheese. Your plate arrives with fries included as the classic pairing, making this whole meal even better.
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5. Steak Diane
Tender beef medallions are served in a savory mushroom‑wine sauce, paired with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Inspired by French cuisine, this enduring Cheesecake Factory entrée balances richness and tradition, remaining a favorite among steak lovers.
Jason Hutchens from Sydney, Australia on Wikimedia
6. Miso Salmon
White rice serves as the base for the miso-glazed salmon while snow peas and asparagus arrive alongside your vegetable sides. The miso glaze creates a balanced sweet-savory taste across the fish, making for a truly delectable meal. Servers frequently suggest this entrée when diners want something on the lighter side.
7. Chicken Madeira
Asparagus, mushrooms, and Madeira wine sauce crown the chicken fillet here while mashed potatoes come standard with this signature chicken dish. Since its debut, this entrée has maintained its spot among the most frequently ordered items. The restaurant considers it their standout chicken offering that defines their style.
8. Korean Fried Cauliflower
Fried cauliflower florets get tossed in a sweet-spicy Korean sauce. Sesame seeds and green onions add the finishing garnish on top. The kitchen designed this as a vegetarian-friendly starter option. Guests often compare the taste and texture to wings, calling it a solid plant-based alternative.
9. BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
Grilled chicken mingles with corn, black beans, and crispy onion strings here. To make things even tastier, barbecue sauce and ranch dressing coat everything for bold flavor. The portion runs large enough to count as a complete meal on its own; unlike typical salads, this one delivers serious heartiness that feels like a full entrée.
10. Carrot Cake
Cream cheese frosting layers between each tier of this towering cake. Walnuts and shredded carrots mix throughout the batter for texture and flavor, turning this standard cake into something seriously next level. This stands as one of the rare non-cheesecake desserts that competes with cheesecake in popularity. That says a lot given the name of this establishment!
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