The food you should NEVER order at an Italian restaurant: Top chefs reveal the dishes to avoid - from pasta with chicken to garlic bread

It's a firm favourite up and down the country, but if you're about to enjoy a meal at your local Italian restaurant, there are a few dishes you should be wary of, according to top chefs.

For those looking for a fresh and authentic experience, the likes of chicken in pasta, carbonara made with cream and even a much-loved side of garlic bread should be avoided.

Head chef at The Franklin in Knightsbridge, Roberto Roncolato, who grew up near Verona and trained in Michelin-starred kitchens, insisted Italian food is all about 'great ingredients treated simply'.

Sharing the shortcuts to watch out for, he told The Daily Mail: 'There's nothing wrong with a chef putting a creative twist on a dish, but there's a big difference between reinventing a classic and faking one.'

From pizzas overloaded with ingredients to quick risottos, these are the tasty-sounding dishes some of the top Italian chefs in the UK believe could actually make you regret your menu choice and leave you dissatisfied... 

It's a firm favourite up and down the country, but if you're about to enjoy a meal at your local Italian restaurant, there's a few dishes you should be wary of, according to top chefs

Chicken on pasta

'Italians never put chicken with pasta. Chicken is a course of its own,' said Roberto who is also head chef at The Pelham in South Kensington, both part of the Italian-owned Starhotels Collezione.

'Seeing it in a creamy penne usually means the menu is built around what's cheap and easy, not tradition.'

Spaghetti bolognese

'You won't find it in Bologna. There, ragù is slow-cooked for hours and served with fresh egg tagliatelle, which holds the sauce. 

'If spaghetti alla bolognese is on the menu, the kitchen, most likely, is cooking for tourists, not Italians,' insisted Roberto.

Carbonara made with cream

'A real carbonara is egg yolk, guanciale, pecorino and black pepper. The creaminess comes from technique, not cream. 

'Cream is often a shortcut, or a sign the sauce was made in a batch earlier, and we don't use shortcuts,' explained the chef.

Garlic bread

It's a side dish you can't go wrong with when serving up homemade Italian for your loved ones - and yet, you shouldn't find it on the menu at a good Italian restaurant, insisted Roberto.

He said: 'It isn't really Italian and is very often frozen. Look for bruschetta or focaccia made in-house instead.'

Risotto that arrives in five minutes

It's a family favourite, but if your risotto is arriving within five or ten minutes, there's a problem. The chef explained: 'A proper risotto takes around 18 minutes, stirred to order. 

'If it's on your table almost instantly, it was pre-cooked earlier and finished off. If the menu warns you it will take a while, that's a good sign.'

An enormous menu

Roberto warned: 'If there are 60 dishes, they can't all be fresh. A short, seasonal menu is the sign of a kitchen cooking from scratch. Less is more.'

Diego Reali, owner and head chef at Stefania, in London, who grew up in Rome, agreed. He said: 'If a small restaurant offers dozens of pasta dishes, pizzas, meat, fish and every Italian specialty imaginable, I would ask how everything is prepared and stored.

'A focused menu with seasonal changes often suggests greater attention to ingredients and consistency.'

Pizza

'Toppings Italians would never recognise - like BBQ chicken - usually hide poor dough and poor ingredients,' explained Roberto.

'A Margherita – tomato, mozzarella, basil – is the real test. If that's excellent, the pizza is good.'

Diego also warned against pizzas with too many toppings, explaining: 'A pizza overloaded with ingredients can hide the quality of the dough and the balance of flavours.'

Seafood pasta

'Be careful with seafood pasta that is overcooked or swimming in sauce,' insisted Diego.

'Seafood should taste of the sea, not be overwhelmed by garlic, cream or heavy sauces. 

'Look for dishes where the fish or shellfish is cooked properly and the ingredients complement one another.'

WHAT TO ORDER INSTEAD 

Cacio e pepe

'Just pecorino, pepper and pasta water. There's nowhere to hide, so if it's silky and not clumpy, the chef knows what they're doing,' explained Roberto.

Diego added: 'If the sauce is smooth, balanced and clings to the pasta, it shows an understanding of technique.'

Fresh handmade pasta

'Ask if it's made in-house. Filled pastas like agnolotti are a real labour of love,' revealed Roberto.

'At The Franklin London we have fresh made agnolotti filled with braised and slow cooked duck, fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, overnight cooking in sous vide to preserve all the taste… just sublime.'

Seasonal vegetables 

'When a restaurant changes its menu according to the season, it can be a good sign that the kitchen cares about ingredients,' said Diego.

'In Rome, artichokes prepared alla romana or alla giudia are wonderful examples of how a few ingredients and the right technique can create something memorable.'

Homemade desserts

'Plenty of restaurants buy in tiramisu and panna cotta. If they make their own savoiardi biscuits, order it,' suggested Roberto.