Reviews for Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

05/31/2023 - Not the Olive Garden I once knew
I remember when going to Olive Garden meant something really special. It was a restaurant of great atmosphere; filled with smiles and laughter and lots of full stomachs! There was such selection on the menu, and in the end, it didn't matter what you chose, you knew it was going to be good. Prices were reasonable, so one did not feel it would cost a paycheck to feed a few people.

Unfortunately, that was NOT the experience we had. It's been a little while since I've been to an Olive Garden "¦ probably a couple of years. But we were just so disappointed when we left.

Service was mixed. The server was friendly enough, and she had been there a few years, so she kind of knew the menu. But, all-in-all, service was slow. Server actually forgot if I had ordered soup or salad. She did not know how to pour wine, although she claimed she was trained (didn't show). There was grated cheese all over the food and all over the table. Empty plates and bowls were not picked up until the very end. So, we had a table full of dirty place settings.

Food was boring. Those great selections were gone and the menu seemed very limited "¦ like back when places were slowly opening from COVID. The pasta dishes were just mediocre at best, and mine actually was a little closer to the greasy side. Speaking of greasy, I used to love those bread sticks "¦ but ours were just greasy and loaded with garlic salt on top like someone was trying to cover something up. And since we're in an Italian restaurant, we used to enjoy trying to figure out what wine to get. At this location, there simply wasn't really anything good to choose from. And prices nowadays for what you get "¦ it's not affordable "Italian" dining anymore.

Atmosphere was okay. It was definitely not as festive at it once was. But, there wasn't the crowds either "¦ good thing / bad thing. Good because it meant less waiting and less noise. Bad because we could not understand why it took so long to get our food. Even just the salad took forever to come out. And in the end, "¦ the Olive Garden of yesterday always had those little Andes candies mints as you left. It was the true icing on the cake, so to speak. But, no Andes candies from our visit here, and not even a bag to help carry out the leftovers.

We are surely not in a hurry to return. And if this is the Olive Garden of today, then competition will blow them away. Because, we will surely be looking for another option for affordable "Italian" dining!