Julia G.
Yelp
My sister and I wanted to go out for a lunch that was not too decadent and not too expensive, where we could sit and have a nice visit. The Olive Garden made this possible for us. We each ordered endless soup and salad. She had unsweetened iced tea, and I had hot coffee. We ended up staying and visiting for an hour and a half, and the entire experience was excellent, thanks mostly to the great service we received from our waiter, Sekou. He was at the same time extremely professional and extremely fun. He was elegant and charming. You could tell he enjoys his job. The manager, Kelly, was wonderful, too. You could tell she cared deeply about the service everyone was receiving. The service was beyond what you'd expect at a mid-chain restaurant; it was more like what you would receive at a fine-dining restaurant. He timed everything perfectly (showed up with piping hot soup just as we were finishing the salad). He brought the food out the second it was ready (the breadsticks were still steaming when he brought them to us). He kept drink refills coming right on time.
The food at Olive Garden is consistently decent. I've been going there for more than 20 years. It's not gourmet fare, but it's also not fast food. The prices are reasonable and the portions are generous. Everything is pretty salty, so that's something to keep in mind if you need to limit your salt intake. Our salad was fresh and crisp--a whole lot of iceberg with a few shavings of carrot and red cabbage, topped with a few olives, tomato slices, pepperoncini, and croutons--and bathed in the famous Olive Garden salad dressing. We asked for ranch dressing on the side for dipping the breadsticks. The breadsticks are white bread topped with a little bit of oil and parmesan cheese. I had the pasta & fagioli (pasta and bean) soup. It's got a tomato-broth base and lots of vegetables. It was very good. I also had the chicken and gnocchi soup, which had a creamy base. It was also good, but the chicken and gnocchi were a little scarce. My sister has the zuppa tuscana, which she said was very good, and the chicken and gnocchi. She could not find any gnocchi in her soup, so the waiter immediately brought her a bowl that had quite a few of them. The dessert offerings were tempting (especially the black-tie mousse cake and pumpkin cheesecake), but we decided to quit before we were completely stuffed. The desserts were a bit on the pricey side (in the $8+ and $9+ range).
It would be nice if Olive Garden would offer some soups that do not have potato or pasta (lower carb).
Whatever restaurant you go to, it's not just the food that makes a difference, it's the service and ambiance that can make or break the experience. We had a very pleasant visit, and I would recommend going to this Olive Garden, especially for a weekday lunch.