Hunter Adams
Google
I don’t know how this place stays so busy—Marina’s in Murfreesboro left me underwhelmed. First off, they don’t serve cocktails, so I guess they don’t have their liquor license, and their drink menu is limited to just wine and beer. The bread they serve is nothing special—just a mini loaf of white bread that tastes like something you’d get at Walmart, served with butter packets. It was bland, and honestly, I was surprised they thought that was okay.
The Caesar salad was disappointing too. It was just large pieces of iceberg lettuce with a couple of croutons from a bag, and the Caesar dressing was fine, but I’m used to my Caesar salads already tossed in the dressing. The chunky bits in the dressing looked like powdered Parmesan from a shaker, not freshly grated cheese, which was a letdown.
On the plus side, the Dante’s Inferno was flavorful and had a good balance of spice and meat, so that was enjoyable. The eggplant parm was surprisingly better than it looked—while it didn’t have much visual appeal, the taste was decent. However, the side of pasta and sauce was a no-go. It had an odd, off-putting flavor that was hard to enjoy.
Overall, I don’t understand why this place is so popular. It’s not bad, but nothing special. For the price, you’re better off trying other Italian restaurants in the area—honestly, even Olive Garden is a better option. The quality of ingredients also seems questionable, with everything feeling prepackaged and reheated rather than fresh. I’d recommend looking elsewhere for a more authentic Italian experience.