Popular Italian Food Restaurants

Italian cuisine is one of the most widely eaten cuisines in the world. It has been a favourite with American citizens for many years and it continues to develop throughout the world. There are a great number of Italian restaurants found in the US, many of which are very highly rated.  Traditional Italian food was first seen when the Italian migrants moved to the US. However, like many other cuisines, the large Italian food franchises are quickly becoming the perception of what ‘real’ Italian food actually is.

One of the best known Italian restaurant franchises in the US is Olive Garden. The food which is served up every day is very heavily spiced and the pasta is always served with rich, creamy sauces. This food appeals to the American palette and that is why the franchise has become so popular. The salads here are dressed in an Italian dressing and always served with bread sticks. The most popular dishes on the menu include lasagna, ravioli and minestrone soup. It is very popular with people of all ages and is a great introduction to Italian style cooking, but it is actually far from traditional meals. For starters, the Italian salad dressing and breadsticks would never be served to you in a restaurant in Italy; you would instead get fresh bread with olive oil and salad topped with oil. Also, the menu is the same all year round which is another reason why it is not authentic. No fresh ingredients are used and instead, more spice is used to gain taste. The spices actually hide the fact that many of the ingredients are actually tasteless. Unfortunately, many people relate Italian food to the food they eat here and in restaurants like it. They would have a shock if they actually tasted anything authentic.  

This being said however, other restaurant chains such as Macaroni Grill, Carino's, Buca di Beppo, and Carrabba's offer much more realistic cuisine which can actually be seen straight away. It still won’t be anything like the quality you will find in Italy but they certainly aren’t a bad compromise. The ingredients used in these restaurants are much fresher and therefore have much more taste. They use similar spices and methods of cooking as are used in Italy and offer more realistic dishes. If you are looking for a casual restaurant with good prices, Carino's is your best bet whereas if you are looking for something a little bit more upmarket, Macaroni Grill and Carrabba's fit the bill.

There is no relying on heavily seasoned sauces to mask the flavorless ingredients here. A much larger range of ingredients is used and fresher vegetables and pasta as well. If you like the idea of eating in a restaurant perfect for all of the family, consider Buca di Beppo. This is a great family restaurant which makes you feel like you are actually sitting in somebody’s lounge. The portions are quite large however so be careful of how much you order.

At the end of the day, large restaurant chains are not the best places to try any authentic cuisine. But the Italian ones are certainly getting better. People are now expecting fresher ingredients and authentic cooking methods. If these are not offered, people will try places where they are. They are a good alternative to flying all the way to Italy for a meal and are certainly good value for money. It is more and more common for the chefs at these places to try more and more complicated dishes which are proving to be great hits.  For value for money, you can’t beat these kind of chains.

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