Romano's Macaroni Grill Menu Items Ranked Worst To Best

Salmon on its own without any type of sauce or seasoning is still pretty darn tasty. The fish is super flaky and tender and, when cooked correctly, melts right onto your tongue. Romano's Macaroni Grill offers a Grilled Salmon dish to all those seeking something delicate from the ocean. It comes coated in a Calabrian honey-pepper glaze and served over pasta with spinach and sundried tomatoes. Sounds like it should be a home run, right? But the truth is, it just ends up being an inside-the-park hit.

The disappointing thing about this dish is that the glaze on the salmon is so darn tasty, but it would be even better if the filet of salmon it covered wasn't so dry. Instead of a soft texture you can cut with the edge of a fork, the filet nearly requires a knife to cut a smooth piece. However, even though the texture is rather unappealing, the sauce does lend a bit of moisture to it so you are left with a bite that has a punch of the glaze flavor.

When it comes to truly enjoying food, you just gotta sit back and ride the wave of flavors a dish sends your way. Well, at Romano's Macaroni Grill, there's no better way to ride the flavor of a dessert than with the Key Lime Wave. This sweet and tart after-dinner treat comes with a tangy key lime curd inside a classic graham cracker-baked crust, along with fresh strawberries drizzled with a strawberry sauce. If you like a dessert that kicks you with a one-two punch of tart and sweet, then the Key Lime Wave is a good option.

Sometimes the flavor of key lime can be a bit overwhelming when served in huge portions, but not here. The nice thing about this dessert is that it's not a super thick slice of pie, so it's never too much to handle. This place gives you the optimal size. Plus, that also means you're not devouring a ton of calories, either. The sweetness of the strawberries complement the lime perfectly, making for a great dessert that really hits the mark — after you've finished devouring a delicious dinner option off the menu. 

If you're trying to lead a lifestyle chock-full of healthy decisions, then you just gotta get your greens on when it comes to food. Munching down a plate full of veggies may not scratch that itch for something rich and hearty, but your body will certainly thank you for the rush of vitamins and nutrients it offers. Luckily for all those in search of a high-fiber feast when sitting at a table in Romano's Macaroni Grill's dining room, they offer several options. And one you just have to try is the Bibb and Bleu salad.

The Bibb and Bleu salad comes with bibb lettuce, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, bits of crispy prosciutto, pickled red onions, and crispy onions, all covered in a rich buttermilk ranch dressing. Everything here works like a well-oiled machine. The gorgonzola cheese has amazing sharpness that complements the vinegar of the pickled onion perfectly. The prosciutto is crisped up and bursts with salty goodness in every bite, and the walnuts add a wonderful crunch so each forkful is a textural pleasure.  

Calamari in itself isn't an unusual appetizer at all. Tons of restaurants offer it as a meal starter since it's easy to make and is totally shareable. When done correctly, fried calamari has a lightly crunchy texture that never overwhelms the flavor of the squid, and each piece should be soft as opposed to chewy and rubbery. Most of the time calamari is served with marinara sauce, and the zesty tomato based dipping accompaniment pairs great with the seafood. However, it's the sauces served alongside the Calamari Fritti at Romano's Macaroni Grill that take this standard starter to the next dimension of flavor.

So, what exactly could the two sauces possibly be that makes this appetizer a must-get to anyone who likes calamari? Well, the first one is Calabrian pepper pesto, and the second is citrus black pepper aioli. The Calabrian pepper pesto offers an amazingly hot but tangy sensation, and the citrus black pepper aioli is cool and creamy, with the earthy quality of black pepper and a unique zest of citrus. Each sauce is an absolute flavor bomb of unique aromas and tastes that'll likely have you ordering a second round of calamari just to experience these sauces again.

Decadence is the sister of dessert, and rightly so. When you're looking for something richly sugar-laden after a meal, you want a treat that's going to coat your mouth in sweetness. So, if decadence is the craving doing cartwheels across your palate after a meal at Romano's Macaroni Grill, there's only one option for dessert that stands out — the Decadent Chocolate Cake. The word is literally in the name, so you know exactly what to expect when this thing hits the table.

Just how rich is this dessert? Listen up, folks. You get a tower of, according to the menu, "intensely rich" chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and chocolate buttercream, and then it's garnished with fresh whipped cream and toffee crumbles. You really can't get much more indulgent than that. Chocolate fiends will fall into a celestial daze after each bite, and anyone who just loves dessert in general will leave with a smiling stomach brimming with dessert delight.

No one makes meatballs quite like mama does. Lots of people have memories of their mother's or grandmother's pasta and meatballs growing up. It was a meal when the family sat around and enjoyed each other's company while filling their bellies with delicious food. Well, Romano's Macaroni Grill wants to help bring back that experience with Mom's Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti, and this is nostalgia well worth indulging in.

Although this dish isn't stuffed with a variety of ingredients, the ones that are used are top notch. On the bottom of the bowl lies a bed of spaghetti tossed in your choice of tomato sauce. Nestled on top is a squadron of house-made meatballs made from beef, veal, pork, and ricotta ready to fly a delectable reconnaissance mission into your mouth. All of the different meats come together for a trio of rich flavors, and the ricotta cheese is what binds it all with creaminess. Sprinkle a little Romano cheese on top of it all and you have yourself a bowl of pasta that mama would be proud to eat herself.

Let's be honest: Anytime you see the word truffle in the name of a menu item, you know you're entering into fancy territory. Truffles themselves are super expensive, as it takes tons of legwork to acquire them, and they lend a uniquely earthy flavor that foodies swear by. This makes each dish that incorporates truffles a unique experience. And when it comes to dining out, you might as well have yourself a unique experience, right? In that case, order up the Signature Truffle Mac and Cheese at Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's macaroni and cheese, so you can't go wrong. And it has truffles, so you definitely are in for a treat.

Heavy on the cheese is always the name of the game when it comes to mac and cheese, and this dish doesn't hold back one bit. Penne pasta is tossed with asiago, fontina, smoked mozzarella, cheddar, and pecorino, which means every bite is an absolute eruption of cheesy flavors coming from every angle. Then, you add the essence of truffle oil into the whole mix to give this already amazing bowl of gooey goodness an elegant and savory blast. This is mac and cheese on steroids, and it's an amazing thing.

So you're sitting down at Romano's Macaroni Grill perusing the pasta section of the menu when you come across the term tortellacci. You have no idea what it means, so you think, "I'll just play it safe and order something else instead." Do yourself a favor, friend, and absolutely order the Butternut Tortellacci. As it turns out, tortellacci is just a large version of a tortellini, and tortellini is awesome. This dish, however, puts awesome to shame.

The tortellacci pasta in this dish is filled with a rich four-cheese blend, tossed with sweet roasted butternut squash and crispy prosciutto, coated with an incredibly rich asiago cream sauce, and finished with fresh grated Parmesan. This dish has every single flavor bursting at the seams, and your palate will feel like a fireworks show just erupted on it. You have the subtle sweetness from the butternut squash, sharp saltines from the cheese, rich creaminess from the asiago sauce, and salty strips of crunchy textural perfection from the prosciutto. Do not let this dish go undiscovered. This is the reason you go out to dinner.