Romano’s Macaroni Grill

Food was good. We sat at the bar and were largely ignored. Service was lacking. Bartenders seemed stressed and unable to handle a Saturday evening crowd. We were handed our bill after as soon as our plates were cleared. We will not be going to this establishment again. Female bartender made us feel like we were bothering her.

Arrived just before 1PM on Saturday, January 23, 2016. The entrance was dirty with trash, cigarette butts, etc. on the stairs and landing. The trashcan next to the bench on the exterior was overflowing. It appeared to have been left from the night before.
We were greeted and seated immediately, but as we sat down, we noticed that the water glasses on the table were dirty, with water spots and food particles. It was obvious the dish water had not been changed for several hours prior to washing these glasses. Our server greeted us, and we asked for new water glasses. She obliged. Then we ordered 2 glasses of wine. My wine glass was dirty. The stem was sticky, and there were particles on the outside of the glass and floating in the wine. We pointed this out to our server and she apologized and brought another glass of wine, this time in a clean glass. One would think that if the guest had complained about dirty dishes already, the server would have made sure that any other dishes would have been spotless. This is evidence of the server’s lack of experience or training.
We ordered appetizers and a shared entrée. The appetizers (spicy meatballs and goat-​cheese stuffed peppers) tasted wonderful, although both could have been a little warmer.
When the entrée arrived, it was delivered on one plate, with one steak knife. This was disappointing, as we told our server we would be sharing. When we asked for another plate, our server brought 2 bread plates, but no additional steak knife. We expected another full size plate and a steak knife to use on our Fig Marsala Pork Chop. Again, the Pork Chop had an excellent flavor, but should have been warmer.
When we finished and moved our plates aside, our server removed them and brought our check. We were not offered dessert.
All in all, this was a disappointing visit. While the food tasted great and the server was nice enough, her lack of experience and/​or training left a bit to be desired. The main concern was the lack of cleanliness. I feel our money ($ 60+, including tip) was wasted on this trip. Based on this visit, we hesitate to return to this location.

Worst service I’ve ever experienced. We came in during lunch and told the staff we only had an hour — figured it would be ok since there was barely anyone in the restaurant. Almost an hour and 45 minutes later we finally got the bill.

Oh my! The quality of this particular restaurant has gone down dramatically.
I was wondering why the ratings are low. The poor reviews are perhaps purely due to a lack of attention to details by the management that probably overlooks poor customer service.
The first thing they should do is to fire the school kids that have been hired as hosts. What an abomination for a decent joint to have these little kids being the first line of customer experience.
When more than half the main dining area was empty the hosts decided to seat the four of us in a small cramped table by the bar! And the burly bartender who also doubled as a part time waiter had no time for the diners. We had to wait for everything. And helplessly request things from every waiter/​host that walked by.
He did not offer anything or announce the specials. Just a curt hi what would you like? Like anything to eat?!
Food and came drinks were sliding over the table. Obviously the bar side table with no table cloth is no fine dining experience.
The food is still good. But the terrible customer service and the long wait for food in a nearly empty restaurant is a big drag.
Hope the chain takes notice of this poor customer service and quality.

My kids love this place and when all my kids can eat at one place and not complain, I am a fan. We have been going here for years and it is a solid experience. We love the mac and cheese balls, the pepperdaws stuffed with goat cheese and a balsamic drizzle, and the caprese salad … did I mention the bread is da bomb too.
My favorite go to dish is the bolognese. While it is a simple dish, it can be made very poorly — not so here. Always, consistently delicious with the meat sauce and pasta combining perfectly together.
I have not found a dessert that I like to get but my kids love the gelato and thinks they have good flavors here (and they are kind of picky about their gelato).
This is a good place to meet casually or we have even had my father-​in-​laws birthday party here.

Used to be great! Has been bad lately with the pasta having vegetables that have no salt or pepper and bland. I have been a fan of this place earlier; hope they improve the quality.

I’ve actually never eaten at Romano’s Macaroni Grill before but I received a great email deal for lunch. The special was 2 lunches for $ 10.00 from their Romano’s kitchen counter menu. It’s a different approached to a seated lunch. You arrive, look at the menu, order and pay then sit. When the food is ready, it’s brought out to your table. There is still a server that gets water and sets the table.
The kitchen menu consists of 2 salads, a variety of sandwiches served on fresh ciabatta bread, calzones and a handful of pasta entrees. Since the price is so cheap, they charge a buck for their delicious «Rosemary Peasant Bread» (which is HUGE) and you can also get cookies, chips, side salads and tiramisu at an additional small cost.
The best part… everything on the menu takes less than 7 minutes to arrive at your table or IT’S FREE! You know I had my stopwatch ready!
My friend and I split the bill and it came out to $ 11.00 total for the both of us for 2 entrees and a side of peasant bread (using the coupon and drinking tap water.) Obviously since everything is so cheap and our server did a lot, we threw in a few extra bucks instead of the standard tip.
The food was very good! I’d definitely be back. I think it’s also a great place to have lunch with groups if everyone wants to pay for their own meal. There’s no awkward moment at the end splitting the bill and collecting payment forms,

I’d never even heard of this restaurant brand but it’s right next to the hotel I’m staying at so it was pretty convenient at the time. I did go after 5pm on Sunday and it was very (!) empty so there was no wait issue. I guess all the cars in the parking lot belonged to the staff lol. I asked to be away from the bar as I have a severe alcohol allergy and I was granted this, actually seated in a far corner of the restaurant at a table. The tablecloth on top was paper and apparently for coloring etc, as there was a random drawing on it from whomever before, so this tablecloth wasn’t replaced since then lol, and had clean dishes put on top of it anyway for the next diners (me). I thought this was a bit tacky and not very ‘clean’ as whomever’s germs etc could easily be on this tablecloth but whatever. I didn’t see the big deal at the time and I cared more about just eating. The staff here in general at the time were doing a lot of standing around, socializing. When I walked in, a group of 4 – 5 were doing just that on the entrance ramp inside so it did set up an interesting first impression for me of this restaurant. Apparently, they’re overstaffed at empty-​restaurant times and no one has anything better to do so they’re basically paid to stand around and socialize. I guess cleaning the tables better isn’t something worth taking the time to do.
Regardless, I much prefer Olive Garden honestly simply because their menu is much more to my liking. Oh well. Anyway, Romano’s was ok but nothing stellar or worth returning to unless I’m deeply hungry and no other options. I thought it was odd that I have to slice my own bread loaf that’s covered in oil lol but ok. I managed but wasn’t a fan of the extra oil for the bread. I’d much rather have butter/​margarine. But the bread was decent and I could’ve eaten more. It was soft and warm which is always a good thing for fresh bread.
I took a risk and ordered Fettuccine Alfredo w/​Chicken (extra $ 3). See, I have a cheese intolerance/​allergy so since I always loved Fettuccine Alfredo and missed it, I decided to take the risk and deal w/​the consequences later lol. Anyway, this time around, I surprisingly was ok for a long time after eating it so that was a nice surprise in my case. However, the flavor and portion size was pretty lacking IMO. I’d have gotten better at Olive Garden. There was just chicken scrap pieces (seriously) and it was more like a child size portion in a big plate, a lot more sauce than pasta. The chef clearly doesn’t care much about quality/​quantity at 5pm on Sundays I guess. In fact, the table right next to me even had some kind of issue with one of their dishes that had to be comped. Seriously, it’s an nearly empty restaurant at the time and 2 tables get poor quality entrees?! Very pathetic IMO.
I was obviously still hungry and decided to take another risk and have some dessert. I LOVE tiramisu but have been avoiding it because of my heart condition and caffeine aggravates it. So anyway, I was deciding between the tiramisu and the chocolate cake. I asked the server who was a decently nice guy, and he suggested the tiramisu. For the most part, he was right. It was good tiramisu that did hit the spot. Heart consequences be darned lol. The ladyfingers were separate and had some powdered sugar on top. The powder on top of the tiramisu was a bit much though and made things messy.
Overall, I very much prefer my Olive Garden lol. With OG, there’s a lot more menu options I’d love to eat anytime with each course. Despite it being pretty empty, I did feel a bit rushed to hurry up out of there. I don’t see the big deal. I was alone, playing a game on my phone (on silent) and not bothering anyone, but maybe I’m too casual and low key for them in their ritzy environment restaurant that likes to have wine glasses on top of a paper tablecloth for drawing, go figure.

It’s been forever since I’ve dined at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. A small private hosted event brought me back one evening.
A few tables were pushed together for us in the small room that is located off to the side of the main dining space. We were offered a pre-​printed 2-​course menu offering us a choice of two salads, and nine entrees.
Bread was delivered as a small square loaf, which we sliced ourselves and consumed warm with olive oil and grated cheese. It was good bread, and over time, we each consumed nearly an entire loaf as we awaited other foods with which to satisfy our stomachs — we weren’t sure if it was a kitchen thing or if our host had decided to wait for our party to be complete.
Appetizers of calamari and stuffed mushrooms were tasty, though the portion of the calamari seemed a bit small. Oddly, the Caesar salad arrived at the table first and was completely consumed by those who selected it before the Fresh Greens salads showed up. The timing seemed off.
Entrees were characteristically large for Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I consumed but half of my Shrimp Portofino (jumbo shrimp, capellini, spinach, mushrooms, pine nuts, lemon butter) though I found it well flavored and al dente. The shrimp count was perhaps 4. Their salmon was fine, though I preferred my shrimp. The sun-​dried tomato orzo that accompanied the fish was quite good however.
Take-​out containers were wisely brought out, but our water glasses grew empty and we had to inquire after water pitcher refills.

This is one Italian chain that I frequent whenever I’m out of town. I’ve never had a bad meal at any of them, and this one in Burlington was no exception. I had the rigatoni bolanganese and my wife had the chicken milanese. Both dishes came out fast and hot. They were delicious. My wife discovered that they diced tomatoes that came with her dishes enhanced the flavor of the chicken when she put them on it.
The chicken Milanese was recommended by our waiter, Charlie. He was punctual, friendly, and attentive.
Overall, this was another great experience.

My husband and I had not been to a Macaroni Grill in over one year. We are staying at a nearby hotel so we decided to eat here for dinner. We were sadly disappointed with our experience and will never return to this Burlington location.
We were greeted by a young hostess who sat us at a table that was dirty (coloring on table, water stains on paper tablecloth, etc). She moved us to another table. She did not clean the table though until after another couple was seated there and also complained of the mess too.
Our server was mediocre. She did not introduce herself or share the specials/​soup of the day. She did bring bread and drinks promptly. We placed our order and our food arrived in a decent time.
While we were eating, we observed how the restaurant was run by the one manager. I did not get her name because no one was wearing name tags. Every five minutes or so she yelled out, «Runners,» to get any available body to serve plates. Since when do hostesses serve food, especially when other servers are standing around? The manager seemed to be micro-​managing. At one point, she and one of the chefs appeared to be having an argument. Everyone looked very stressed.
Watching and hearing this manager during our meal was very upsetting. The environment was tense and not relaxing. Current owner, please take note of this review. You may want to observe how the female manager on Sunday evening, 6÷28÷2015, runs your business. Sadly, I will never go to this restaurant again.

It’s like a slightly better Olive Garden, but I’d rather just go to Olive Garden anyway.
I go there occasionally because my colleagues like to do a big meet-​up there. On one of my recent visits, we were seated near the bathrooms, and it smelled like raw sewage.

Does the job. Not anything high end but also not short order — middle of the road. But that’s what they are going for price wise and menu options. Some things are done pretty well — Goat Cheese Papperdew Peppers, most pasta dishes — and some things could be better — Cannelloni Bolognese, salads. Pizzas looked but (we haven’t tried any yet). Drinks were decent, ok sized bar. Service was good (server this past time was newish but was polite so that makes up for most deficiencies). Open kitchen is a nice concept in theory but in this case is loud (just normal kitchen notice nothing «bad») and makes it VERY difficult to talk or hear anything. We’ve been before and will be back when we want a quick affordable decent Italian meal.

After reading recent reviews I was really really hoping for better… Should have listened… Maybe 6 people in the place… More employees than customers… I sat in the bar … Only me and one other guy and guess who got more attention… The guy teaching the bar tender how to make drinks… Or the guy who ordered the most expensive thing on the menu… And that was fair at best… Next time I’ll listen to the helpers!!!

Looks like other recent reviews are similar:
Understated wait-​times (waited an hour, was quoted 20 minutes))
Smells kind of like… sewage?
Harried /​clueless hostess staff
Decent food, but over cooked /​fishy fish
There’s a changing table in the men’s room! Hooray! But it’s in the big stall! Which is invariably where weird dudes go who flush six times while I wait outside holding my infant.
I hope never to return

We learned that Macaroni Grill is eventually going to be replaced by another steakhouse, but there was no reason that management couldn’t freshen up the space and make sure the bar area didn’t smell like the open sewer system. Blaming the sewerage problem on the town doesn’t help the case, especially when the restrooms are directly behind the bar. Believe me, inhaling toxic methane fumes for an hour was exactly how I wanted to relax before our movie! (/​end sarcasm)
Oh, and bartenders blatantly ignoring our existence after we sat down at a spot that hadn’t yet been cleaned because they’re taking their sweet time pouring drinks to a nearly empty restaurant adds to the slap to the face. Fifteen minutes after we sat down, one of the bartenders finally approached us, half-​heartedly wiped down the placemats at our spots, and tiredly asked us what we wanted. I’m sorry, are you not in the service industry? It’s only 8PM and you’re unable to put a smile on just to take my simple drink order?!
What a waste of time and money. I’m glad that a replacement is coming in.

I took my family here to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. We were promptly greeted and seated. The place wasn’t busy, a few people dining as I expected for a Sunday night. Judging by our seating, I didn’t think it would be long for us to be greeted by our waiter or waitress. We waited patiently and it was a bit before our waitress showed and we ordered.
Our waitress didn’t pay much attention to us, got some of our appetizers and bread, but did little to clear out our table for out entrees. Then the wait was long, we saw the manager stand around and joke around with the staff. Our waitress was nowhere to be found. We waited long for our food… the theme for the night.
Disappointed.

Half cooked frozen pasta, a 45 min wait even when you could see empty tables, inattentive staff — if that’s what you’re looking for, this is your place.

So, I have THREE gift cards to use at this chain of sister restaurants, and I chose Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I went last night, with all intentions to use as much of the gift cards as possible. drinks, apps, dinner, dessert… anything. It was a night out, for FREE!
Our waitress Jillian, started out ok. She seemed rushed, and seemed like she had a lot going on, even though the place wasn’t terribly busy. In fact, everyone seemed rushed, and frantic, and looked like they were stretched thin.
We walked in and there was a 15 minute wait, even though there were A LOT of tables open, and no one waiting. We started at the bar, and after waiting a good amount of time, FINALLY ordered a glass of wine, and a beer, while waiting for our table. We got our drinks, by the bartender literally dumping them on the counter, and running. Not 4 min later, we were to be seated. The bartender (who but he way, was the only guy manning the ENTIRE bar, surrounding tables, and all the drinks coming in for the restaurant), pretty much threw my receipt at me to run to another customer. Fine, I paid.
I will jump through dinner, because it was mediocre. kind of a step up from Olive Garden at this point, if you will. Got bread, that looked warm, but wasn’t. Got an appetizer, which was OK. Received our dinners, which were meh. my plate looked like the food had slipped all over while the waitress hurried to dump it at our table. In between time, there was a forgotten glass of beer, forgotten lime for seltzer, forgotten glasses for the carafe of water that was sitting on the table, and a forgotten dessert menu, in the end.
Jillian was so busy fixing the plates, and cups on the center organizer buffet, that she lost an opportunity for more money by bringing us more drinks, and a dessert menu to order something there, as well.
I paid, and now I have TWO gift cards left. Guess I’ll go to one of their sister restaurants.

Gluten free items available **menu items/​ingredients/​allergen list NOT up to date, check with your server and the kitchen manager** that turned out safe, remarkable given how everything went …
Food C… Incredibly high calorie (almost every dinner meal is 1000Calories) And not particularly tasty, chicken was inedible
Ambiance B… Big booths, good ish music in the background, not too loud/​not too quiet
Service C… Incredibly unbelievably painfully slow
Good for groups, but don’t expect to split the check on multiple cards, totally unable to accomplish this step in under 30minutes. Scary!