35 Best Cheesecake Factory Dishes Ranked in 2025

Narrowing down the best Cheesecake Factory dishes is basically an impossible task. Don’t believe us? Just go looking for a restaurant with a bigger menu, and you’ll realize that the range of over 250 dishes at Cheesecake Factory is unmatched.

Name any cuisine and any genre of dish, and you’ll likely find it somewhere on this popular chain’s massive menu. But if you have to choose just one or two dishes, what are the best plates at the Cheesecake Factory? 

It’s an important question. And we’re here to answer it with this list of 35 of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, from pasta to salad, globally-inspired favorites to American classics. Was it easy? Not in the slightest. But it was worth it knowing that you would get to sample only the best meals at the Cheesecake Factory.

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The 35 Best Dishes at Cheesecake Factory Ranked

35. Factory Turkey Burger

The Cheesecake Factory’s world-famous brown bread didn’t quite merit an inclusion on this list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes because…well, it’s not really a dish. But there’s very good news for anybody who patronizes this restaurant just for the table bread: it’s used as the bun in this juicy, unbelievably flavorful turkey burger. 

Turkey burgers can be a little dry, but not so here. This one is use-four-napkins level juicy, and with white cheddar and avocado to top it off, it would be up there with the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, even if it weren’t crowned with a brown bread bun. 

That bun might just be the best idea this restaurant has ever had. So don’t think for a second that a turkey burger is a boring diet alternative; this sandwich more than holds its own with the Factor’s extensive lineup of traditional burgers. 

34. Spicy Rigatoni Vodka Pasta 

If the best Cheesecake Factory dishes have one thing in common, it’s a staggering number of calories. No bones about it: this is a place to indulge, not a place to be prudent and health-conscious. 

But if the truly enormous amount of cream used in most of the Factory’s pasta options doesn’t agree with your stomach, here’s a dinner food idea — a light, tomato-infused pasta with a delightful kick. When you don’t fancy half a cup of cream with your pasta dinner, this is the way to go. 

33. Chicken Parm Pizza Style 

The Cheesecake Factory’s take on chicken Parmesan has all the trappings of a proper rendition. It’s thin, crispy, and coated in a perfect tomato sauce and broiled cheese. It is also, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear to anyone, perfectly round. 

Rather than serving up their chicken Parm in the natural shape of a cutlet, the Cheesecake Factory has produced a round disk of thin-pounded chicken breast meant to resemble a pizza. 

It’s truly a bizarre concept, and you might not know quite how to feel about it. But it’s one of the more delicious chicken options here, so we think it merits inclusion on a list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes anyway. 

32. Parmesan-Herb Crusted Chicken

If you fancy a spot of chicken Parm but you really don’t know how to feel about that pizza-shaped disc we ranked above, this alternative cuts out the sauce, the broiled cheese, and, yes, the bizarre circular shape. 

It is also, naturally, much lighter, but still tastes more indulgent than your average chicken breast dish. A happy medium that’s easily worthy of a billing among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. 

31. Asian Cucumber Salad 

Cucumber salad marinated in soy, garlic, chiles, sesame and vinegar is a classic at Asian restaurants, especially dim sum and sushi restaurants, known for cutting the heavier dishes with its heat and acidic kick.

And you might not think that the Cheesecake Factory would nail something so far outside of its “typical American excess” wheelhouse, but it actually does. 

Asian Cucumber Salad is as layered and flavorful as you would hope it would be. It hits all the right notes and has just enough of a kick to keep you on your toes, perfect as a complement to the notoriously fatty dishes that make up most of the Factory’s menu. This is one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes to start your meal with. 

30. Vegan Cobb Salad

Not many of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes are suitable for those who avoid animal products, yet a few can be enjoyed, like the vegan Cobb salad. In fact, this is a great dish for anyone who wants something somewhat healthy and packed with flavor.

It sees crisp lettuce paired with various healthy toppings, including roasted beets, avocado, green beans, tomato and cucumber. For protein, white beans, quinoa and farro are added to the mix. It’s all finished with pepitas, almonds and a house vinaigrette. 

Those who enjoy animal protein with their salad or prefer a classic Cobb salad likely won’t want to go for this. We also find the array of toppings a little overwhelming, especially the combination of beets and avocado. Yet, if you love all veggies and lots of healthy plant-based proteins, the vegan Cobb salad will get your backing for the title of best Cheesecake Factory dish. 

29. Santa Fe Salad

No one goes somewhere like the Cheesecake Factory expecting to order a salad, but you’d be remiss to dismiss the option out of hand. A Mexican-inspired salad with an addictive peanut dressing, this is one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes to order if you want something a little less overwhelmingly heavy that nevertheless still brings the flavor. 

Chicken, corn, black beans, tortilla strips and peanut dressing are a winning combination here. We’d even go as far as saying this is one of the best fast food salads, assuming you could refer to Cheesecake Factory as fast food.

28. Steak Diane 

This dish scores a fairly low rating on our list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes because it seems to be remarkably polarizing. Steak is a hard dish to truly hate if you eat meat, but there seem to be two camps in regards to Steak Diane: those who adore it, and those who think it tastes like an airplane dinner. 

Those who claim it’s one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes cite its peppery wine sauce and well-cooked texture as reasons to love it. And while it has a decidedly senior-citizen vibe, it’s the Werther’s Original kind of old-coded, not the digestive-biscuit kind: just because grandparents love it doesn’t mean it’s not great sometimes. 

27. Thai Stir-Fried Noodles

Dyed-in-the-wool spicy food believers aren’t going to be on board with this decidedly Cheesecake Factory-ified take on a Thai takeout favorite. But for everybody else, the sweetness and milder spice of this pad see ew taste-alike are actually a bonus. 

Because this otherwise excellent imitation isn’t quite so hot as a classic version, it’s able to appeal to a much larger audience. And that’s ultimately what it takes to be one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. 

26. Roadside Sliders

Appetizers can be some of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, and this is a perfect example. Could you get a full-sized Glamburger and get the same juicy smashburger patty? Yes, of course you could.

But if you order the identical-but-smaller Roadside Sliders, you can get your burger fix and order a non-burger-related entrée. These are a fantastic pick for multi-course purists who fully believe in the power of appetizers to diversify a meal. 

25. Skinnylicious Turkey and Avocado Sandwich

The Cheesecake Factory’s lighter Skinnylicious menu doesn’t feature much on this list, but we have to throw our hats in the ring for this deceptively simple sandwich. Sure, it’s just a basic turkey BLT. But does that mean it can’t be one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes? Not as far as we’re concerned. 

Featuring some of the tenderest turkey cuts we’ve ever had, along with tomato, avocado and bacon on a brioche bun, this one is amazingly tasty for something so simple. It’s a great lunch food idea if you don’t love the idea of devouring a huge plate of cream-drenched pasta at your lunch meeting before you head back into the office. 

24. Housemade Meatballs

For a restaurant that isn’t billed as Italian, the Cheesecake Factory sure does serve up a lot of Italian specialties. And while this may look like one of the less interesting choices on their menu, don’t be fooled: what you’re getting here is half your body weight in glorious meat. 

It’s hard to describe exactly what makes this one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, but it’s truly a remarkable achievement. No spaghetti needed to make this one sing.  

23. Spicy Tuna

Spicy ahi tuna served on a bed of crispy rice with ginger and green onions is hardly the kind of dish you’d find at a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, but you’re not going to the Cheesecake Factory for authentic Japanese cuisine. What you are going for is the creativity and decadence that define the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. And if that’s what you’re in it for, Spicy Tuna offers both in spades.

Plus, as you’re probably beginning to notice, many of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes involve fish. And that’s not a coincidence. For reasons entirely unknown to but much appreciated by their customers, the Cheesecake Factory is just really good at seafood. When you have a fish option, you’re usually well-advised to take it. 

22. Buffalo Blasts

There might not be any place more American than the Cheesecake Factory: where there can be excess, there will be excess. And to that end, none of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes could possibly be more American than this celebration of gluttony.

Take a chicken tender, slice it, fill it with cheese and Buffalo sauce, and you’ve got, well...a heart attack waiting to happen, but boy, is it a delicious one.

There might not be anything subtle, healthy or refined about this dish, but you cannot possibly deny that it deserves its place among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. Because of all of that, the thing is delicious. And isn’t that all you really need? 

21. Pasta da Vinci 

The type of pasta dishes at the Cheesecake Factory range from classics to much more creative, and this is one of the latter dishes. Chicken, mushrooms, onions and penne are lightly coated in a wine-based sauce that ties it all together, and the finished product is filling and hearty without being as rough on the stomach as some other pasta options you might consider. 

Many of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes are pasta-based. If you’re trying to narrow it down, this one makes one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes to order for diners who are feeling like pasta but prefer a happy medium between the plain and the indulgent. 

20. Veggie Burger Melt 

Whether you’re a vegetarian or just watching your cholesterol, there might come a time when all you want is a burger. On those occasions, get some of the same mileage out of what is unquestionably one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes for anyone avoiding meat. Loaded with toppings and grilled to perfection, this surprisingly hefty plant-based burger alternative always satisfies.

19. Macaroni and Cheese Burger 

Fried Mac and Cheese is one of the absolute best Cheesecake Factory dishes and will unquestionably be making an appearance further down the line. But if mere spheres of fried cheese and pasta aren’t enough for you, you can tap a burger with ‘em. 

What more could a person possibly want out of life? We called Buffalo Blasts the most indulgent of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, but we may have spoken too hastily. But what an indulgence this thing is. 

18. Crusted Chicken Romano 

There are about a million options at the Cheesecake Factory that seem like variations on a theme of chicken Parm, and many of them are among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. Case in point: Crusted Chicken Romano, a dish best described as a plate of naked chicken Parm served with pasta. 

While the chicken element is practically identical, this dish has one major advantage over a traditional chicken Parm: it’s not nearly as heavy. Since this one doesn’t come drenched in what feels like a pound of sauce and cheese, it’s a lot easier on the stomach than the real deal. 

That’s ultimately what makes it one of our picks for this list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. 

17. Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Breakfast food doesn’t feature heavily on this list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, but we did think this sweet morning option deserved a shout-out. Disassemble a cinnamon roll and put it back together on a griddle, and you’ll get something like these fluffy, almost-too-sweet pancakes. It’s one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes for breakfast, if one of the likeliest to give you a sugar rush. 

16. Ahi Tuna and Shrimp Ceviche 

Anything with ahi tuna is pretty much bound to be one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. Case in point: this raw fish salad that leans into the natural fattiness of tuna and acidic vegetable flavors for the shockingly delicious raw fish salad of your dreams. 

It’s one of those things that the Cheesecake Factory really shouldn’t be able to make half as well as they do, and for that, it’s instantly worthy of a place among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. Best for diners who want something a little more sophisticated than your typical cream-heavy Cheesecake Factory fare. 

15. Mortadella Panino 

You might question whether a sandwich could really be counted among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes when it’s not offering anything new or particularly elaborate.

But ciabatta bread topped with lemon ricotta and fontina cheese, quality mortadella — how could you not recognize the subtle and unsung greatness of this stellar sandwich? 

If you’re looking for proof that the best Cheesecake Factory dishes don’t have to be obscenely heavy or elaborate, look no further than the Mortadella Panino. It’s definitely one of the best handhelds on the whole menu. 

14. Thai Lettuce Wraps 

Like many of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes with a global spin, Thai Lettuce Wraps can hardly be called authentic Thai food. But they incorporate all the best parts of the Thai street food original: the sweet and savory contrasts, the variety of textures and the addictive peanut sauce. 

You might get more authentic fare at your local Thai place — come on, one variant of the Cheesecake Factory lettuce wraps has chicken strips inside, even if they do have a satay marinade — but all the variations are delicious, and that’s what counts when it comes to the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. 

13. Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich 

Everyone has their choice of the best fast food chicken sandwich, but one of the most popular Cheesecake Factory dishes blows them all soundly out of the water. You’ve got a perfect batter, an impossibly juicy and tender chicken breast and the option to order one of two spicy sauces — in other words, every element that a good crispy chicken sandwich really needs.

You might think there’s no topping your go-to Popeye’s or Chick-fil-A order or that a fried chicken sandwich is a dish best served through a drive-through window. Just you wait, though: the Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich is not only one of the best Cheesecake Factory sandwiches, but a real paradigm-shifter.

12. Bee Sting Flatbread Pizza

Most of the Cheesecake Factory’s flatbreads are solid and crowd-pleasing, but you won’t see them making any lists of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, except this one.

It’s like a Meat Lover’s Pizza with Calabrian chilis for extra heat, and if, for some reason, you wind up craving pizza at the Cheesecake Factory (an odd choice, but we’ll go with it), this is by far the tastiest variant. Ideal for people who don’t think a meal is complete without a little kick. 

11. Chicken Bellagio

Hello, thin-sliced fried chicken cutlet, my old friend. This is…what, variation four by now? It’s hard to imagine how many more ways a chef could turn the same base into another of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, but here we are. 

If you’re wondering what makes this one special, your questions are valid — but we promise this is a worthy top pick. First, you’ve got the pasta. These cutlets are served over basil pasta in a cream sauce that’s as much of an attraction as the chicken itself. 

Then, you have the toppings: basil and prosciutto, as if this dish needed to be any more decadent. What you get is one of the richest options among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. Stellar — we have no notes. 

10. Miso Salmon 

We mentioned earlier that a disproportionate number of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes involve fish, and you’re about to start seeing that even more clearly as we approach the top 10. 

Crispy on the outside but buttery on the inside with a hint of umami from the miso paste, this Japanese-inspired rendition of the classic restaurant grilled salmon entrée is an unquestionable winner for anyone who likes seafood. And of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, it’s also one of the healthiest. 

9. Seared Tuna Tataki Salad

Tataki — a Japanese cooking method involving searing the skin of a piece of raw fish and leaving the inside raw, rare or sometimes, medium rare — is a little bit unusual to find in a major American chain restaurant. But as is the Cheesecake Factory’s custom when it comes to seafood, Seared Tuna Tataki Salad uses it to masterful effect. 

Though it’s not what many would consider a “proper” salad as the components are not mixed together, it’s an incredibly well-prepared dish of zesty, melt-in-your-mouth ahi tuna that deeply rewards anyone tasteful enough to order it. 

8. Grilled Branzino 

Surprise, surprise: another of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes that’s all about fish. In this rendition, one of the most tender white fish on the market is cooked to fall-apart perfection and served with mashed potatoes and green beans for a little extra filling-up. For a restaurant with so many outlets located hundreds of miles from the ocean, it really is astonishingly good. 

7. Ahi Poke Nachos 

We have to give the Cheesecake Factory one thing: using fried wonton wrappers as nacho chips was an inspired idea. Actually, so was just about every element of what we’re confident is one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, whether you share it with the table or keep it all to yourself. 

Crispy wonton chips blend beautifully with chiles, avocado, marinated ahi tuna, edamame and spicy aioli. The overall effect is something akin to “where have you been all my life?”

Once again, the Cheesecake Factory does seafood better than it really has any right to. This incredibly moreish appetizer is one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, full-stop, and we wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to share your “for the table” plate. 

6.  BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

If your idea of a good salad has more corn, beans, chicken and avocado than salad greens, and if it comes topped with massive onion rings — boy, have we got some news for you. 

It takes a lot for a salad to be deemed one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, but with a roster of ingredients like that, is it really that surprising? 

Seriously, this thing is topped with full-sized onion rings. Not those little crispy bits — full-sized, gloriously thick and crispy onion rings. Even the most dedicated of saladphobes can’t possibly find fault with that. 

5. Egg Roll Sampler

Appetizers are almost always an excuse to go hog-wild: after all, you’re giving yourself explicit permission to fill up before your entrée arrives. And there’s no better example of this than the Egg Role Sampler, a paean to the proud American tradition of deep-frying everything (it really does make things better) and also one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes out there. 

You’ll get avocado, cheeseburger, Tex Mex and Chicken Taquito fillings in your deliciously golden-fried egg rolls, and do they ever hit the spot. Little fried packets of delicious surprises — what could possibly be more fun? 

If the brown bread hasn’t filled you up enough, this is the elite table order at the Cheesecake Factory. 

4. Fried Mac and Cheese

You knew it was coming, but the point stands: this appetizer that sounds vaguely like it was dreamt up by an elementary schooler is one of the all-time best Cheesecake Factory dishes. So maybe you don’t have a child’s taste for cheese in excess — so what? 

Frying a ball of macaroni and cheese adds an extra layer of texture whose impact absolutely cannot be overstated. So it may be tempting to write this appetizer off — how could something so fundamentally ridiculous be one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes out of over 250 options? — but don’t. Let your inner child order for you and you won’t be disappointed.

3. Chicken Shawarma

Can the Cheesecake Factory do Mediterranean? Before the introduction of this new handheld menu item, we didn’t have a whole lot of non-Italian options with which to investigate that. 

Now we do, and the answer is a resounding “yes”: the stuff of kebab stand dreams is also one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes…somehow. We credit the uber-thick, fluffy pita pocket for much of its smashing success.  

Plus, it’s a far sight more nutritious than many of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. This may not be the healthiest fast food chain, but those who know where to look on the menu can do pretty well for themselves if trying to eat somewhat healthily.

2. Chicken Madeira 

What’s better than thin-slicing and frying chicken? Serving it on a bed of mushrooms simmered in wine sauce and coated with a generous blanket of mozzarella cheese, of course. 

Although it sounds like a meal they might try to replicate and serve on an airplane (not a first among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes, if we’re honest), Chicken Madeira is a perennial hit with fans and easily one of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes.

1. Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

And for our number-one pick, here’s a classic: you’d be hard-pressed to find a diner who’s tried it and won’t list this among the best Cheesecake Factory dishes. You’ve got all kinds of vegetables, a spicy chipotle sauce, tortilla strips — try naming something that isn’t featured here — and yet it really, truly works. 

Does it make sense on paper? Not in the least. But is it the kind of incredible Frankenstein’s Pasta that only the Cheesecake Factory could make? You already know it. 

What Is the Best Dish at Cheesecake Factory?

There are several dishes on this list of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes that are repeatedly cited as its most popular and rewarding. 

But if you must start with just one or two, almost everybody who tries Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta or Chicken Madeira has glowing things to say. These two very different entrées suit different tastes, but both rarely miss the mark. 

If you’re also going for appetizers, adding fried mac and cheese and an egg roll sampler to your order won’t disappoint. 

Best Cheesecake Factory Dishes for Pescatarians

As we’ve covered, most of the fish and seafood dishes at Cheesecake Factory are surprisingly good, making any of them a top pick for pescatarians or those who just love seafood. The most popular options include the Ahi Poke Nachos, miso salmon, seared tuna tataki salad and grilled branzino.

Best Cheesecake Factory Dishes for Vegetarians

While there isn’t that much for meat-free eaters, the best Cheesecake Factory dishes for vegetarians include the avocado egg rolls, the Veggie Burger Melt and the fried mac and cheese.

Best Cheesecake Factory Dishes for Vegans

Vegans have even fewer options than vegetarians, but the Asian cucumber salad, orange cauliflower bowl and vegan Cobb salad and Impossible burger are all animal product-free options to indulge in.

How We Ranked The Best Dishes in Cheesecake Factory

35 of the best Cheesecake Factory dishes sounds like a lot, but even that staggering number represents but a fraction of what the restaurant offers. To narrow things down, we needed airtight criteria. But here at Cozymeal, culinary content is our Cheesecake Factory brown bread and butter (side note: seriously, what do they put in that stuff to make it so irresistible?).

So, allow us to explain how our decade-plus of culinary experience has helped us figure out the best research methods to answer this impossible question. First and foremost, our own experiences at the Cheesecake Factory informed many of these selections. 

There’s no substitute for firsthand experience, and ours has left us with plenty of opinions to share. But no one can try every dish on the menu, so to fill in the gaps, we turned to customers like you who have tastes and opinions of their own when it comes to the best Cheesecake Factory dishes.

From online reviews to culinary blogs and message boards, the internet is full of people making their nominations for the Cheesecake Factory’s best dishes — and we dig deep to figure out which ones are the biggest hits across the broadest range of customers. We even turn to firsthand experience, adding our own favorite Cheesecake Factory dishes and including opinions about those we have tried that others often rank highly. 

Then, just to make things a little more specific, we used a few additional guidelines to ensure we came out with a well-rounded list.

• Taste: Obviously, every selection has to have a great reputation for its overall deliciousness. 
• Popularity: The more often a dish was mentioned by fans as one of the best meals at Cheesecake Factory, the likelier it was to merit a spot. 
• Variety: We wanted to represent the best of all corners of the Cheesecake Factory’s menu, so if there were already too many mentions of a certain type of dish (say, pasta), we’d choose something different. 

We can’t claim that our list objectively represents the best plates at the Cheesecake Factory, but these criteria should give you a pretty good start.

Perhaps the craziest thing about this article is that there’s a legitimately high chance we missed your favorite Cheesecake Factory dish. With hundreds of options, it’s hard to even scratch the surface of the best dishes at Cheesecake Factory.

But with excellent customer reviews and staying power on an ever-changing menu, these 35 options are more dependable than most. So if you’re looking to branch out next time to head to Cheesecake Factory, look no further — these are the dishes that hold up every time. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.