Maggiano’s Little Italy

Is it super authentic Italian food? No. Does it still taste good? Yes! The service is great and although the dining room can get loud, they do a pretty good job all in all. Plus, with some pasta dishes you can get a free one to take home for the next day?! Everything tastes better when it’s free, no?! We had the large sized Italian salad which was HUGE and one of the pasta specials for the night. Everything we had was good and got some lasagna to take home the next day. Also, the family style selections may be a draw for larger parties. A win in my book.

No stars for this restaurant today. I went for lunch and asked the server for a recommendation for me since I have a dietary restriction and the menu says «just ask» if that is the case. Usually when I do this I am pointed to two or three items on the menu which fit the bill. This time there was only one and when it was served, ten minutes after my dining companions meal, it had been stripped of all the sauces and spices and tasted like a piece of grilled shoe leather. Hey, guys. Austinites have higher standards for our food issues! I had to leave my companion and find a nearby restaurant because I was starving.

I absolutely love Maggiano’s the food is delicious! The steak is mouth watering, it’s always cooked to perfection!!! The wine selection is great and the dessert is delicious. The service is great!

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to ever come to or return to this restaurant. Located in the domain, they have a huge venue with what appears to be lots of space, lots of people, lots of ambience… staffed by young twentysomething, never worked in a restaurant, don’t care about service, I have my first job, type of waiters. Our booth, covered in vinyl, smell like stinky rags that no one ever bothered to sanitize or disinfect. Our waiter was very hard to understand, our drinks took no less then 10 minutes to arrive the table followed by entrées that took at least 25 minutes. All in all, terrible service, subpar food, joke of an Italian restaurant, I will never go back. This is equivalent to the Applebee’s of Italian food.
And as a sidenote, our service was actually terrible. It started with a flyby «will be right with you» and then a five minute wait till return and then 10 mins until drinks and then no follow up until meal was over.

Very good family style Italian food, we had Marco’s special, Mamas Lasagna and Mushroom Al Forno and two great side spinach salads. We shared an ok Apple Crostada. Loved the friendly atmosphere and professional service

Maggiano’s has been a favorite spot of mine for four years I’m just now getting around to reviewing. For the atmosphere and the high quality of food you’re getting, the price is rather fair, especially if you go with a classic dish where you get a take home pasta with it. That’s two meals for $ 13 – 15. Granted their sodas are overpriced at $ 2.99 but I think you’re supposed to get cocktails not sodas there.
While I can only afford to go here about 5 – 6 times a year, it’s always a treat. A definite place to check out if you haven’t yet.

I have been her twice for a company Christmas party and once with my fiancé. Italian foo is hands down my favorite food so I do love coming here. The staff goes above and beyond to make sure you are taken care off. The only criticism I have is their Alfredo sauce, this is my favorite sauce but when I had it last night it was kind of sour like it was from a can. But otherwise the food is amazing, staff is the best around.

Despite being a chain I thought this place was adorable, the checkered (cloth, mind you) table cloths are a nice touch and the Christmas decorations were on point.
My bf and I snagged up the 2 for $ 40 dinner deal, how can you beat that? An appetizer, two entrees, dessert, and then two more entrees to take home? What?
The calamari was very good, nice and crispy. My eggplant parm and my bf’s bakes ziti were fine, nothing crazy to swoon over but it was definitely the perfect comfort meal for the cold and drizzly weather outside. Dessert was this apple crisp thing, I rather enjoyed it because it’s a lot of warm and crunchy dough, which I prefer over the apple stuffing itself. I had the mushroom ravioli to-​go for lunch at work the next day. It was definitely on the heavy side and I stomach wasn’t feeling too great after… I’ll probably skip that on the menu.
All in all, we’ll definitely be back. It’s nothing fancy by any means, but it’s definitely no Olive Garden so that’s a huge win.

Love Maggianos!
I know it’s a chain, and it’s pasta, something I can easily make at home. But for the days I stroll around the Domain, hungry and feeling like I may pass out from hunger, and sushi can’t suffice, I stroll myself over to Maggianos and order the 2 Pasta dish, where you can take one home for another meal.
Love their lunch selection as I was able to dine there this weekend and was completely amazed at their soup/​salad/​sandwich pick 2 combos and the pasta selection. Their openness to also keeping things with low-​calorie alternatives doesn’t hurt either as I’ve been a bit more conscious closer to the holiday season timeframe.
Waiter hooked us up with the free bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic. I could fill up on that alone. Never have room for dessert but they have tons of meeting rooms for small gatherings and events. The bar isn’t so bad either as it’s a beautiful sight to see as you stroll down.
As for the suggested happy hour, I have yet to try them but it is on my to-​do list sometime in the near future!

Good Italian Food place for the North area. A great place for the Domain, too bad it’s in the new section, where al the stores suck. But this is worth the trip to the new section. I love this place, there is always a good wait on the weekends but it’s worth it or just try to make a reservation to alleviate the weight time. The menu is amazing now that they add your nutritional facts, but Italian food is always a splurge so it’s worth it. The bread is so warm and yummy. The pasta dishes are so good and there are so many choices. The take one home deal is pretty stellar because the dishes are all too good. The best part is the dessert. Nonna’s Pound Cake is a must have!

Atmosphere is very old school Italian which I loved. Our waitress took quite a while to get to our table with literally only 2 other tables in the entire room at 5pm. The food was excellent from the appetizer to dessert. The calamari frites is honestly the most tender I’ve ever had. They are not over cooked, rubbery, or fishy at all. The plating is nice as well. Getting the waitress back to the table was impossible. She didn’t even bring out our food. I had to actually ask her to clear the pile of dirty dishes piled at the edge of the table. There’s an excellent deal for $ 40 that includes an appetizer, 2 entrees, dessert, and 2 entrees to go! How awesome is that?! My son’s spaghetti & meatballs was really kid-​friendly with giant meatballs. He was delighted. Kids meals also come with a drink and dessert! When we finally got the check, it was wrong. We finally had to go find someone because our waitress was nowhere to be found. The manager not only took care of the issue but also took off our bottle. I will definitely be back for the food and just make sure it’s a different waitress.

Dining alone, in town on business. After being seated 20 minutes passed & I hadn’t been approached by a waitress & the manager noticed. He addressed me; offered a free appetizer for the delay & took my order.
Service was amazing after that & the food was supurb.
App: Spinach Artichoke Dip
Entrée: Chicken Caprese with asparagus
Dessert: Chocolate Zuccutto Bites & Nutty Irish Coffee
The restaurant moved like a well oiled machine & was very efficient & friendly. Ambiance is on point!

Heyyyyyyyyyyy 100 reviews! A milestone that should and could have been eclipsed long ago. I grew up around Italian and German families. I had a lot of good food from both of them growing up. Maggiano’s is a solid performer when you look at the scope of «restaurant quality» food. I can name you two places immediately that are better but this place isn’t bad.
I wanted to impress the Wife back in 2013 so I made reservations online. We get to the domain and were greeted and seated immediately. I like the décor, it puts me on the mind of what Hollywood paints as «authentic Italian» restaurants. I like white cloth dining it’s got a certain air about it. I’ve never been there and encountered a dirty table or bathrooms. I did have a waitress in 2014 I remember seeming a bit aloof. I don’t charge that to the place but rather to her.
The food is your standard restaurant commercial Italian cuisine. There is one caveat that you don’t get at most places. Two people can eat there, main course and desert plus take something home. I mean the portion sizes are ridiculous to say the least. If you’re on a carbless diet… be afraid and I mean very.
In May of 2014 I took my Wife, Mother and middle sister out to eat. It was a very good experience and the wait staff seemed to share in making sure we were comfortable, almost a home experience. I recall my Mother and sister being new to Maggiano’s and not knowing what to order. I believe they settled on lasagna for both. I had a good laugh looking at all three ladies near exhaustion trying to hang in there and not «waste» the food. The truth is like most of us when it’s good… we tend to not want to leave any to throw out. We all laughed when my Mom and sister realized they had another entrée to take home. I keep that one close to heart it was a real good night as I stated.
They also have this cheesecake that… it’s an experience you must try for yourself trust me.
Look if you want food that’s good to eat and of good quality, a nice atmosphere to boot then check out Maggiano’s.
Maggiano’s di è bene per me.

Sure, it’s a chain. Let’s get over that. I’m sure all the employees, who spend their paychecks locally, are glad we go there.
I haven’t quite figured out if they do the more upscale things well. That’s because they have that «buy one now, take one for later» deal that’s like $ 13 – 15. It’s hard for me to justify getting a more upscale-​y entrée like veal marsala (at almost 30 bucks) when I can have my «mushroom ravioli al forno» now and «mom’s lasagna» later for half that. Maybe they do them awesomely. But I may never know…
And even in reheating the «for later» dinner, the gluten-​free pasta (the sauces are GF, and they pair any of them with a GF penne) is a hit with the wife. She usually prefers it with the straight up meat sauce. We find the alfredo to be a bit bland, but it’s nothing a bit of parmesan can’t fix.
It’s in the Domain. I’m guessing much of the clientele are folks having a «meeting», or staying at the nearby Westin who will submit an expense report for their meals. Sunday is popular with the after-​church crowd, and I bet it’s busy during prom season. And any day, there’s the constant barrage of folks clearly celebrating a birthday or anniversary. We did the «happy birthday» staff-​singing thing once for a friend.
But, it’s a pretty solid place. Those comparing it to the Olive Garden are just being drama queens. And, it’s on Open Table, so you can pretty easily avoid worrying about a wait.
We only recently started coming here, but it seems to be working its way into the rotation.
3.8 stars

My husband and I generally do not frequent «chain» restaurants, but this is actually one of our favs. I’ve been to Maggiano’s in multiple cities/​states and I’ve never had a bad experience. I’m giving this location a four instead of a five because sometimes the service can be on the slower side.
The food is amazing and the prices are on par. The best deal in town — order off their «classic pastas» menu and get a huge portion of pasta, PLUS another one to take home with you. Most of the pastas on the menu are around $ 15 — for easily two meals. Don’t forget to ask your server to include some of the house bread for you to take home too!
They also have some family style and dinner for 2 options which are very reasonably priced.

Sorry to sound like an ass, but I’ve had Italian in both Italy and New York. This isn’t the most authentic Italian, but it’s not even close to Olive Garden.
Not everything on the menu is great (I hated the Linguine di Mare), which is why we love Family Style. Since there were only 2 of us, we did the Marco’s Meal for Two. I don’t know why we’ve never heard of this before, it’s an excellent deal!
One appetizer, 2 pastas, 1 dessert, plus two pastas to take home for $ 40. The selection isn’t nearly as extensive as the Family Style, but it’s well worth it.
The homemade bread is really delicious. It’s so warm and fluffy! Nothing like oil and vinegar with warm bread.
We got the Calamari as usual, which is delicious. For pastas, we split the Eggplant Parmesan and Mushroom Ravioli. The ravioli is incredibly rich, way too rich on its own, I highly recommend splitting it. We got fettuccine noodles with the eggplant instead of spaghetti and it’s much better. For dessert we had a very yummy tiramisu.
We ended up taking home more Eggplant Parmesan and Mushroom Ravioli since nothing else sounded as good. $ 40 for 2 day’s worth of food is a screaming deal.

This visit…
Food again was spectacular. Love the lobster cabonara!
Pretty much the best desert ever… Nona’s toasted Pound Cake! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I understand we had a table of 8 but man oh man was the service the slowest I have had! Which stinks because it brings the place down. :(

I don’t go out seeking Italian very often; especially when the restaurant in question is a national chain. That said prior to my visit a coworker was telling me about a terrible experience he recently had at another Domain restaurant. Looking for a romantic place to take the wife for lunch; we ventured into Maggiano’s on a Friday afternoon.
The place is charming and romantic. Peroni on tap? Yes please! Decent bread with I’m sure a quality olive oil. Thing is, years ago I was spoiled by a local now closed Italian joint on South First that had the perfect bread and herbed olive oil combination. So, not so many points there. Spaghetti Western, you left Austin too soon.
Calamari is a must for me when dining Italian. A good balance of mixed pieces perfectly fried with a quality marinara. For me the portion size was something to be shared; but my wife hates calamari. How do you get your wife to eat something she doesn’t like? Her first bite of carbs in a month… yeah that will do the trick. Why not have a glass of red too if you’ve decided to cheat for the day.
For her the regular chopped salad adding grilled shrimp. For myself the lighter take shrimp fra diavolo. My dish ordered «actually spicy» as the waitress recommended was really good. I can’t say I was overly impressed with the pasta; but overall a good dish. So, if I ordered it without asking it wouldn’t be spicy at all? I thought that was the point of the dish.
The wife described her dish having an overly sweet dressing. Lettuce that had chopped consistency of cole slaw. Minimal procuitto and avocado which is a new thing in Italian dining for us. It wasn’t bad according to her. In other words it was’t a gnocci filled with extra potato topped with a potato pancake, topped with parmesan fries then smothered in Italian queso.
Service was provided from a sweet bird from Manchester. We skipped dessert and headed home to pick up our Rooster from school back in the Hill Country. You know, for a chain I was quite the dining experience. Sinatra playing, why the heck not.

Our late night Valentine date was perfect at Maggianos. We had a 10:30 reservation and were surprised to see the restaurant was still hustle and bustle. Our waitress was very sweet and accommodating and introduced us to everything since it was our first time. Everything is made in the mornings and can be modified to meet any dietary or specialty needs. Classic dishes come with a take home dish when ordered. What the what?
We started with a yummy brunello wine which was served in perfectly monogrammed «M» wine glasses. We snacked on fried cheese and calamari. Both were awesome. For dinner, my husband had the spaghetti and meatball — obviously made with love. I enjoyed the chicken and spinach manicotti which was made with the most delicious asiago cream sauce I’ve ever had. I purposefully stopped short so that I could enjoy some more the next day!
Cheers Maggianos! You rocked our V-​Day!

I love the atmosphere at Maggiano’s. Soft candlelight, crooning Sinatra in the background, warm crusty bread, wine, and good pasta. What’s not to like?! Make sure to come before 7 if you plan on eating dinner here Monday-​Friday so that you can enjoy the happy hour specials.
I had the $ 5 glass of Coppola Rosso wine and hubs got a Newcastle. When we lived in Chicago, I got used to most Italian restaurants serving olive oil with parmesan to dip the bread in and was pleased to see they do so here too. I know it’s hard, but resist the urge to destroy the bread basket because the portions here are HUGE.
They have a Lighter Takes menu now where they took some of their most popular dishes and remade them to be more healthy and lower calorie. I tried the lighter baked ziti tonight and it was really good. It had chicken sausage, a lot of fresh parsley, big dollops of ricotta cheese, and a rich tomato sauce. I ate nearly the entire plate, but hey it’s light right? No harm, no foul!
The best part was that their classic pasta dishes right now are two for the price of one. So for $ 12.95 I got the baked ziti and a second dish (I picked the lighter chicken fettuccini) to take home for free. Not too shabby! I couldn’t leave without dessert and was ecstatic to see they now offer a miniature serving of my favorite, tiramisu. Did you know in Italian tiramisu translates to ‘pick me up’? It has coffee, sugar, and chocolate which makes perfect sense. And there was nothing miniature about the portion but I was happy to pay the smaller price!
When I got home I took out my second pasta dish to put in the fridge and saw they created a section on their webpage with reheating instructions. How cool is that? Dinner tonight was great and now I have lunch to look forward to tomorrow as well