What's the best low-FODMAP order at Olive Garden?

A safe order builds on grilled chicken, salmon or plain steak and gluten-free rotini with olive oil, plus anything from the "ask for a change" list once you've checked with staff. The scripts above give you the exact words to use.

What should you avoid at Olive Garden with IBS?

With IBS, the main things to skip at Olive Garden are breadsticks, alfredo and most cream and tomato sauces, and minestrone and zuppa soups — usually because of garlic, onion, wheat, lactose, or beans. See the full "skip" list and the exact reasons above.

Checked July 2026Chain guide

Low-FODMAP at Olive Garden

Q: Can you eat at Olive Garden on a low-FODMAP diet?

Yes. The most reliable low-FODMAP picks at Olive Garden are grilled chicken, salmon or plain steak and gluten-free rotini with olive oil. Almost everything default here runs through garlic and onion, so you have to steer around it deliberately. The reliable plate is a grilled protein plus the gluten-free pasta tossed in olive oil — simple, and genuinely safe.

Almost everything default here runs through garlic and onion, so you have to steer around it deliberately. The reliable plate is a grilled protein plus the gluten-free pasta tossed in olive oil — simple, and genuinely safe.

You’re allowed to ask questions at a counter. A short, specific request — “is there onion or garlic in that?” — is normal, reasonable, and needs no medical backstory. The scripts below give you the exact words.

Pocket-sized: order, ask-for, and skip on one page.

Olive Garden order card

phasediet.com/eating-out/olive-garden

✓ Order

Grilled chicken, salmon or plain steak
Gluten-free rotini with olive oil

~ Ask for a change

The pasta
The sauce
Grilled dishes

✗ Skip

Breadsticks
Alfredo and most cream and tomato sauces
Minestrone and zuppa soups
Unlimited pasta bowls

Say this

“Do you have gluten-free pasta? I'd like it with olive oil, no garlic — and grilled chicken plain.”
“No breadstick for me, thanks.”

Checked July 2026 — menus and recipes change, so confirm with staff. From phasediet.com/eating-out/olive-garden

What to order

These are the dependable low-FODMAP picks — and why each one is a safe bet.

Grilled chicken, salmon or plain steak

The grill items are the most controllable — ask for them plain.

Gluten-free rotini with olive oil

Swaps the wheat pasta and the garlic sauce for a safe base.

What to ask the kitchen to change

These can work — with one question or one small adjustment. Here’s exactly what to ask.

The pasta

Order the gluten-free rotini instead of wheat pasta.

The sauce

Marinara and alfredo both carry garlic and onion (and alfredo is high-lactose). Ask for olive oil, or plain butter, with your GF pasta instead.

Grilled dishes

Ask for grilled chicken or salmon plain — no seasoning blend — with a plain side.

What to skip

Not forever — most of these come back during reintroduction. During elimination, they’re the reliable triggers to leave off.

Breadsticks

Wheat and garlic butter.

Alfredo and most cream and tomato sauces

Garlic, onion, and lactose.

Minestrone and zuppa soups

Onion, garlic, and beans.

Unlimited pasta bowls

Wheat and garlic, stacked.

The exact words to say

Specific beats vague every time. Most staff won’t know what “low FODMAP” means, but they can absolutely answer “is there onion or garlic in that?”

“Do you have gluten-free pasta? I'd like it with olive oil, no garlic — and grilled chicken plain.”

“No breadstick for me, thanks.”

Good to know

→The reliable order is grilled protein plus gluten-free rotini in olive oil.
→Everything default runs through garlic and onion, so you steer around it on purpose.
→Skip the 'famous' breadsticks and soup-salad combo — that's wheat, garlic, and beans in one sitting.

More chain guides

Chipotle→Starbucks→McDonald's→Subway→Chick-fil-A→Panera→

Or browse all eating-out guides.

Flared anyway?Sometimes you do everything right and your gut still reacts — that’s IBS being unpredictable, not a personal failure. Here’s why restaurants flare IBS and how to recover.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical advice. Menus, recipes, and kitchen practices change and vary by location, and FODMAP tolerances differ from person to person — always confirm with staff and go by your own experience. New to the diet? Start with our guide to the low-FODMAP diet.