We recently were given a gift card for $50.0 at Olive Garden.
Had Calamari appetizer and it wasn't bad. Had the "Tour of Italy" which consisted of their "Famous" lasagna, Linguini W/ Alfredo and chicken caccitori? Lasagna was much like Chef Boyardy
Alfredo was runny and one bite of the chicken was enough- dry and their sauce sucks. Salad was good though.

Salad and Breadsticks are about the only thing worth eating there.

they do have a good dressing... I like chicken/veal parm..

I actually like their spaghetti and meatballs, and the breadsticks are really good.

The soup, salad and breadsticks lunch is very good, but I think Friday's does it better. We did the all you can eat pasta thing once and it wasn't bad, but not worth the wait for a table.

First off, the Zuppe Tuscana is perhaps one of the best soups out there in ANY chain restaurant -- and as SB said, the all-you-can-eat lunch special is the best thing you can eat for less than $8 anywhere.

In NJ, a hop away from NYC, I'm blessed to have (too) MANY great options for Italian food. But I don't get why ppl feel the need to knock Olive Garden just because it's a chain. It's decent.

(Though I did knock a certain ex-member here who traveled to NYC from out of the tri-state and ended up at Olive Garden in Times Square -- WTF?!)

While I think their Zuppe is the best (I have the recipe and can make it at home, so...), I think Carrabba's is a better chain (the food is good, but perhaps the foodie-wanna-be in me likes to sit at the kitchen bar to watch them cook, adding to the enjoyment ;))

Breadsticks... please... I like the idea of them, but rarely are they fresh. When they're stale, they suck big time.

Salad is good (hence, the soup/salad/sticks lunch deal).

I rate Italian places by their meatballs. Olive Garden barely passes. There are so many places that obviously do NOT make their own meatballs. At least there's a question here lol. But their sausage is really good!

Some entrees are actually exceptional. Most are just average. But there's nothing bad there....

Never ate there, never will.

I'm with Geoff and SB. One of the drawbacks of my hometown is the paucity of good ethnic restaurants, starting with Italian. And, coming from NJ, which probably has more Italian restaurants than Italy, it really sucks. Olive Garden is considered "Italian" here, which tells you something. No veal (but then again, there's no veal anywhere here). BUT: I lunch at Olive Garden every so often with a friend. The soup/salad/breadsticks lunch is ok. The soup that Geoff and SB cited is tasty (albeit very salty) and you can have as much as you want. The salad is ok if you don't mind iceberg lettuce.

I am Italian and I ate at Olive Garden twice,both times as someone's guest.The food was OK,but I would not go there on my own,nor would I invite someone to dinner there. The food was alright,but calling it an "Italian Restaurant" takes a pretty big pair. I am in the Pittsburgh area,and we're lucky to have a veritable plethora of Italian eateries.Olive garden might be OK for lunch if you work in the area and want a bump up from fast food,but I feel that the dinner menu is fairly ordinary. Considering that a basic lunch at any of the fast food joints can set you back 7 or 8 bucks,the prices at OG aren't too bad.

Lol, yep. There always seems to be a wait for a table there.

Having never been there I can't say but I'd bet the pasta is halfway pre cooked, which is never a good thing. Plus their touted bottomless pasta dish sounds like a nightmare. I bet a lot of fat 30 year olds who you see riding those scooters in the super markets dine at the Olive Garded (aka Diabetes II).

I've eaten there and sometimes is good, sometimes not so good. But I have also eaten at some Italian restaurants that I can say the same thing about!

I only eat the bread sticks with the Alfredo sauce

I've been twice and have no desire to return.

I think it's better than most chain restaurants, but worse than most real Italian restaurants. It's not that expensive and the one in Bloomington/Normal is clean and comfortable with beer on tapand the meat isn't rancid... and sometimes that's enough

One of my students runs a local Italian restaurant that's one of the best at which I've ever eaten. He's Albanian, but speaks some Italian. His bread is out of this world and he's bringing me some for tomorrow night's class. Now that'll get him at least a C.

Does anyone else frequent Maggiano's? Much smaller chain. The food doesn't rise to genius, but it's all competent. And their catering is awesome!

More like Olive Garbage. I'll never eat from that place again

We ate their once their is a restraunt right near the theather district.

Place was crowded I hate crowds. I wanted to leave but my wife was hungry.

They gave us this thing it looked like a toy flying saucer

Their was a very fast tourn over the restraunt had three floors to it as I recal. Then all of a sudden the flying saucer started to light up.

Then we were told to go to the third floor and hand the flying sauer to some one on the third floor.

I really don't remember the food at all just that flying sauer thing. I thought the waitress was nice. She ended up happy becaus I tip big. I never went back, but I have thought about stealing the flying saucer thing.

This is what I found out in my long life. Italian food is like art it's all in the taste buds in the eater.

We all think at least most of us think that our mothers and or wife's food is the best tasting food ever.

But another person thinks the same thing about his mothers and or wife's food.

Then you go over the other persons house and you try their food. Then you think they have no clue what good Italian food really is

I go out with my brother no matter where we go in any kind of restraunt he bitches about the food. He lives in the sticks nothing there but fucking trees and white bread people. The place is fucking boring.

He thinks he knows all about food. He never pays I always pay he has no fucking money.

I love my nephue his son in my own way, but he is just like my brother in a lot of ways.

Would you happen to have that recipe handy?

Wow, I do... and I thought I posted it here at some point, but maybe not, cuz I can't find it...

I'll have to gather my notes first......

Thank you

Went to Olive Garden last night, the food and service were very good, nice evening.

So while your waiting for a table did they give you the thing that looks like a flying saucer. Then when it lights up you know You have a table.

I rather grease a pretty hostess and she calls you when a table is ready cfirst before any one else.

I've never eaten there. But I have eaten at the Macaroni Grill down in Boca. I'm told they're similar but I have no frame of reference.

Anyway, it wasn't too bad for a chain restaurant. They have this gimmick where they put bottles of house red and house white on the table (typical, decent California wines), and you're supposed to drink on the "honor system" (tell your server how many you had). Yeah, right .

Haven't been there in a while but I usually get The Tour of Italy.
Lasagna, Fettucini Alfredo and Chicken Parmigiana. I do like their salad & breadsticks.

Their lunch is pretty good. The food is OK, but I just don't think it's worth the wait.

There is an Olive Garden in Homestead, Florida that is terrific. I highly recommend it. The only other one I ever ate at was in New Jersey , and was it was awful.

Someone mentioned chicken parm.

That is a realitively new thing.

It was always veal parm. Then the price of veal went up. So sales dropped. Then some people decided lets put chicken parm on the menu. Chicken is cheaper then veal and that started to sell after awhile.

We used to have Olive Garden in Canada, but they probably had all closed by the end of the 1990's. The breadsticks are the menu item I particularly remember. There is one on Powerline Road not too far from my parents condo in Deerfield Beach, but we haven't been there. Usually eat Rotelli's or Maggianos in South Florida for corporate Italian food (for lack of a better term)



Is that the one on Military Trail near Glades?

Olive Garden is horrible. I have to hold myself back from laughing when people talk about how great it is. I ate there once in high school and would never go back. Too much salt and it's probably all frozen shit anyway.

If I lived or visits down south I might go there after a round of golf and the group was headin there,, but I would never admit that since I could be stoned to death here in NY by my own Family.

If given a choice I'd go with Carabbas over OG.

When in Myrtle beach I would refuse both these choices and go to Rossies.

I think Carabbas is in Staten Island. I went there once it was in the back of a shopping mall in Staten Island.

My oldest sons first wife had a party for him there. I parked my car could not even find the place in that mall.

I don't remember the food at all. One of my sons best friends was there. He was the guy who I invested in his first movie because the screen play made me laugh out loud.

I never see that kid any more.

If you have a Trader Joe's handy, they have a pretty darned good pre-cooked (not frozen) chicken parmesan entree.

When I was a kid they never served that.

Have you ever seen a live chicken fucking ugly and they stunk.

There was a chicken market right next to my grammer school St. Ann's prison

Chicken parm sandwiches started in local pizzerias. As I said they went to that because the cost of veal rose.

There were live chicken markets in some of my old neighborhoods in Brooklyn when I was growing up. The stink from the chickens and the singed feathers was beyond terrible.

Carabba's is a better chain.

Buca de Beppo is a better chain (IF you stick to the baked dishes).

OG will do in a pinch but I would never seek it out.

I wouldn't take a dump at olive garden

Ah, you subscribe to the Doug Wilson theory of Olive Garden as well!

You guys are making think of the flying saucer thing they give you at the olive garden.

So next time I go to see something on broadway. I am going to go into the place garden get a flying saucer and steal it.

Best character on that show

Mother of God, he really is alive.

Great to see you, DC. You have been missed and I'm glad to see back in the neighborhood - even if it's just for a bit.

First drink is on me!

I was in Olive Garden yesterday for lunch with a friend. The soup and salad lunch is tolerable. But, I noticed that portions for both shrank since the last time we went there several months ago.

Today I saw a commercial from Olive Garden and it showed Lobster Ravioli and I am DYING to try it.. It looked so good. has anyone tried it yet? I am gonna go this weekend, hopefully I wont be disappointed!

They used to have a commercial, where cousin Giorgio came from Italy and they wanted him to feel at home so they brought him to olive garden.

"And then he shot us" my mother would deadpan every time it came on.

I only have ravioli with cheese in it.

My wife and I enjoy the Olive Garden. Their Zuppa Toscana is pretty amazing, and I like their stuffed chicken marsala.