The Best Dishes To Order At An Italian Restaurant If You're Not Feeling Pasta

Italian food is a beloved staple when eating out — according to IBISWorld, American Italian restaurants were expected to do $112.4 billion in business by the end of 2025. And, yet, perusing the menu at your local Italian joint, whether mom-and-pop or chain eatery (hello, fresh-baked Olive Garden breadsticks!), can feel like swimming in a sea of pasta. One of the mistakes people make when ordering Italian food is limiting themselves to pasta, even though there are dozens of strong options out there with nary a noodle in sight. 

In terms of essential words and phrases to know at an Italian restaurant, the names for dishes sans pasta are an excellent addition to your lexicon. From piccata and Marsala to osso bucco and cioppino, some names may be more familiar than others, but the flavors are uniformly big and fabulous. If you aren't in the mood to twirl spaghetti or stuff yourself on lasagna, you have plenty of alternatives available. Of course, not every Italian restaurant will offer all of these dishes, but at least you will have some knowledge in your back pocket the next time you dine out. 

There are some Italian dishes you should avoid ordering at a diner, but a good piccata (which probably won't be on the menu anyway) isn't one of them. Technically, any meat can get the piccata treatment after being dredged in breadcrumbs and fried then garnished with capers and a lemon-butter sauce, but we think that a flaky whitefish is particularly delightful. Lemon and fish are a match made in heaven, after all. A side of roasted veggies is a very Italian choice. 

Chicken Marsala lands on the list of foods that aren't actually Italian, but that doesn't stop Italian restaurants from serving it. This dish, the brainchild of Italian-American immigrants, smothers chicken cutlets in mushrooms and a Marsala wine sauce. One of its finest attributes is how nicely it heats up the next day, given the fact that many Italian outfits serve generous portions. With a side of roasted or mashed potatoes, it's a pasta-free delight. 

Risotto, the classic, adored Italian rice dish, came to Italy via rice carried on the Silk Road. Cooking risotto at home can be a pain — maybe a bit less of one if you adopt an easy and quick restaurant technique in your kitchen – which is why we love to order it when we're out. Italian food can lean towards the meaty, so risotto is a welcome respite for vegetarian friends. Is there anything more satisfying than a steaming bowl of arborio rice cooked in wine with tons of mushrooms? We think not. 

The name "osso bucco" in Milanese refers to the hole in the bone of the beef shank. This bone is critical to the dish, as long simmering liquifies the unctuous bone marrow and releases it into the tender meat which is braised in wine and stock. Knowing how to cook different parts of a cow is a foodie necessity, but, when you order osso bucco, you can sit back and have the work done for you. This meal is often served with a side of creamy polenta. 

Like our four-ingredient fall chicken and rice meal, Chicken Vesuvio is a one-pot wonder. Chicken pieces and chunks of peeled potato are roasted until crispy in a lemony, garlicky wine sauce. Throwing in peas just before serving adds color and vegetal freshness. Its name evokes images of Pompeii, but this dish actually hails from Chicago, where it was first dished up at the Vesuvio Restaurant. Its hearty, comforting vibes prove that pasta doesn't hold the trademark on feel-good Italian food. 

Pork – which is actually red and not white meat – becomes a holiday-worthy delight when rolled with a deliciously-scented spice mixture that's heavy on fennel. Made with either the pork loin or the succulent pork belly, the star feature of porchetta is its blistered, crackling skin that surrounds it on all sides. The key to perfect pork skin is dehydrating it with salt before cooking, but that won't concern you when you order it for dinner. One thing is for certain ... the luscious scent will have every head turning in the dining room. 

Caesar salad doesn't have its origins in Italy or America, but that doesn't stop it from being an underrated star of Italian restaurant fare. If you eat at a restaurant that's known for its Caesar, you'd do yourself a disservice by not trying it. The lettuce should be sturdy and vibrantly green, the sauce should be piquant with anchovy and black pepper, and the Parmesan should be shreds of fresh, real stuff ... nothing from a shaker bottle. Add a protein, and you have an entrée that can square up against any pasta dish. 

Another rolled meat dish shouldn't be missed at Italian restaurants, this one consisting of beef filet pounded into roulades with breadcrumbs and Parmesan and seared off, then braised in a savory tomato sauce. You heard Carmela and Tony talk about this one on "The Sopranos," and you'll fall for it, too. It may be Italian-American, but this is no discontinued McDonald's pizza disaster. Some chefs will get creative with the fillings, adding prosciutto, hard-boiled eggs, or even raisins. 

If you like homemade chicken nuggets and appreciate seafood, you'll go gaga for fritto misto, or "fried mix," an Italian dish that consists of deep-fried seafood. You can't throw a stone in coastal Italy without hitting a seafood shanty serving their take on fritto misto, and it's always especially delightful when the restaurant has access to fresh catches. Expect shrimp, squid, and fish – briny sardines and anchovies are typical in Amalfi. Even if your restaurant takes liberties with the contents, fried seafood with salt and lemon is always a winner in our book. 

There are some mistakes everyone makes when cooking pork chops, but shying away from trying them Milanese-style would be classified as an ordering mistake. The pork chops are pounded thin and fried in a simple mixture of bread crumbs, parmesan, and herbs, but the end result, fresh from the pan, is greater than the sum of its parts. Eating pork chops Milanese with cut lemon and a plain arugula salad is traditional and turns what could be a weighty, dense meal into something perfectly-balanced. 

How could we discuss non-pasta Italian restaurant fare and not bring up pizza? We aren't talking about Little Caesar's Hot and Ready, either. A real Italian pizza strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and artfulness, using high-quality ingredients and loving preparation. When you have to consider the best wine pairings for your pizza, you know you're in the right place. While takeout pies can leave you feeling greasy and bloated, a great Italian restaurant pizza is light, yet satisfying. There are tons of distinct pizza styles native to different parts of Italy; don't hesitate to try them all! 

Eggplant is a vegetable we love to grill, but a baked, stuffed eggplant is a wholly unique and special pleasure. Stuffed eggplant may or may not contain meat, so don't be fooled by its veggie-forward presentation ... vegetarians should ask their server if the menu isn't clear. Eating stuffed eggplant is like digging into a baked potato laden with all the toppings, only earthier. You wouldn't expect a (possibly) plant-based dish to eat this hearty, but that's what makes it a stellar pasta-free option.

Like San Francisco sourdough, cioppino is a product of that same California city, and celebrates the abundant catches of Italian-American fishermen who worked the docks. Today, cioppino has a decidedly luxurious air, given the cost to assemble the various seafoods in this tomato-and-fennel-based stew. Typically, cioppino contains crab, mussels, clams, fish, and shrimp, making it a celebration of the fruits of the sea. It will likely cost a little bit more than a pasta dish, but, when you want to treat yourself, nothing else can compare.