Romano’s Macaroni Grill

This place is hit or miss.
Take out is truly a mixed bag.
Be sure to review your order before you leave… Management doesn’t care if you come back.

Tried the 9 $ dinner beef brisket ravioli with meatball appetizer. Good portion and value. Really like the taste and received an excellent service from the team. Also ordered the blackened chicken with linguine, very yummy and highly recommended. Will definitely go back and try some other dishes. I have always like the ambiance of the place, great for a party or celebration with your family and friends.

Been here twice. I would say that it’s comparable to Carrabba’s Italian Grill, but in my opinion, Macaroni Grill is better.
Went for lunch one time and dinner the other. Both times the service was fast, helpful, and on point. The food is always delicious. Had the Pork Shank and OMG it was falling off the bone. I believe that it might be a seasonal dish but if you get the chance, get it. You won’t regret it. They service a ridiculously large loaf of oiled bread for starters which is yummy but a distraction from the food to come. Their meatball app was gone in seconds… definitely recommend that. All and all this place is a staple in my book. Take your family, friends, date here and have a lovely meal. Cheers!

I really don’t get the terrible reviews for this place. We came her to grab a bite and a bottle of wine on Valentine’s day after watching the first AM showing of KingsMen at the cinema next door.
The wine we got was the most expensive (44 a bottle) but tasted excellent. And because they messed up our order (rectified quickly) they took 12 $ off our bottle and gave us a $ 5 coupon.
I’d recommend trying the goat cheese stuffed pepadews. Also, their fresh baked bread with oil and vinegar is pretty darn good.

Good for and service. It’s a chain restaurant but the food is fresh. Hot bread and oil before the meal.

To me, Mac Grill is a great place for wine & apps… And maybe the occasional lunch. I absolutely adore their honor system wine as its so nice to not have to wait for a server to bring another glass. The wine is nothing special, but is certainly ok for the occasional happy hour. The 2 for $ 9 apps are nothing amazing, but are decent to hold you over during the happy hour. I like the meatballs and the peppadews. As for dinner… I personally feel there are much better options in town. It’s generic and not very flavorful. I have had many different entrees there and nothing has impressed me. I will be back, but only during lunch or happy hour.

Came tonight on a date night and I just have to say that the service is GREAT here. I’ve been here a ton of times and the food is always good, but tonight my boyfriend ordered Pork Shank and it took longer than expected but the waitress told us and kept us in the know about the situation AND Scott the manager offered to buy us an appetizer and dessert! Overall, I will definitely be back. Attentiveness, willing to correct issues before they become issues– that is good management.
Highly recommended!

There was a time years ago when Macaroni Grill was a joy to visit. But no more. In my recent disappointing visit, this time in the Ft. Collins location, the fun started immediately. I almost put my hand on a broken glass sitting on our table. This was a glass that had shattered and was placed on our table and left there. I would have easily have received severe lacerations if I didn’t see it in time.
The food was so average it was laughable considering the price. Our bill for 5 was $ 100 for lunch. I had the salmon for $ 18 and it was awful. Thin, overcooked, and over-​seasoned. They used to make a great salmon dish, but no more. The best thing we ordered was their coffee, but it was a whopping $ 2.75, just for coffee.
Unless someone takes me to a Macaroni Grill, I will never dine at one again. The price-​to-​quality ratio is a joke.

My husband and I will usually try a new place even when the reviews are low. But this time, we should have listened to the reviews already posted. We went for lunch on Valentine’s Day and the restaurant wasn’t too busy. The food was mediocre at best. I ordered the chicken and mushroom cannelloni and the husband ordered the sausage flat bread. I also ordered a caesar salad and lettuce did not look appetizing. I ended up only eating a couple bites and giving up on that salad. When our meals came out, James’ flat bread was burned and the sausage was large enough he had to cut it with a knife just to eat it. As for my meal, the chicken to mushroom ratio was off and I couldn’t tell the chicken from the mushrooms and the noodles were almost too al-​dente. The bright side to the meal was the tiramisu we had for dessert. James really wanted to have the amaretto apple crumble that was advertised, but they were out and he was bummed.

The food is exactly what I thought it would be. Salty and made from a frozen lump of generic same tasting nothingness. We all tried different things but it all tastes the same. Loaded with salt and oil. Nothing Italian about it. Why these chain restaraunts still exist is beyond me. Does anyone have taste buds anymore?

So the only reason I didn’t give one star is the warm Rosemary bread they serve with fresh cracked pepper and olive oil, and the blackberry mint tea. However it is literally the only good thing left. By that I mean, this chain is a prime example of restaurants doing anything and everything to cut corners on food costs, and in my opinion have really compromised their food. The portions are small, and there are many items that are no longer available including my favorite «build your own pasta dish.» While its still on the menu they have limited the choices so much it’s not even worth it. The last time I looked there were about 3 options for the pasta, veggies, and sauces when there used to be several different options. The other negative thing that frankly I don’t understand which is the cost. It’s downright expensive and not wort it. Some of the sauces taste like a tin can or possibly even previously frozen. The service is ok, typical ditzy college kids texting at the host stand and commonly forgetful. If you HAD to go to this restaurant it’s not the worst place in the world and it would do In a pinch, however I would certainly drive the extra few miles and go to Caninnos!

I’m not even sure where to start, just bad. Service was lacking and the food was bad, ended up sending 2 of our 5 meals to the trash.

Shortly after writing this review I got a call from the local management. They apologized again and offered me a free dinner. Not totally made up for but I appreciate the customer service.

Went with a group of coworkers. They were out of numerous items. The manager comped us $ 100 and I respect that but the food was mixed with regard to flavor, preparation, and quality. The steak was good. The lobster was cardboard. The service was good and poor Joe really did try. Other than that I would have given it a 1 star.

3 strikes and see ya! Whether it was a birthday celebration, or a random meal, I’ve had terrible service three times in a row. I had to wait 40 minutes for water, WATER, on a slow night. 6 other groups in the restaurant. There’s no excuse for that, especially when there were three waiters, and ours had only one other table. The other two the service was slow and rude as well. The portion sizes are small, especially for the price. The food is usually bland. The only nice thing is the atmosphere, except in the winter when it’s cold. I would opt out and go across the parking lot to Noodles and Co instead, if you’re in the mood for pasta. Terrible, simply terrible.

I have a gluten (wheat) allergy, so eating pasta can be a harrowing experience. I did a lot of research online about Italian restaurants in our area and Macaroni Grill seemed to have the best menu.
When we arrived, the manager on duty offered to seat us, but when I told him I needed a gluten-​free menu, he was a bit nervous and had to go to the back to print a gluten-​free menu as they had none at the hostess station. We waited almost 5 minutes for him to come back and seat us.
We also had to wait 8 minutes for our server to come to our table to take our drink orders. She was very knowledgeable about the gluten-​free menu and was able to suggest things for me to try based on what I like. She was much more informed about the allergy menu than the manager was.
When we finally received our food, it was very good. The gluten-​free menu was pretty good and aside from not being able to eat their delicious bread, I left satisfied.

Although the service was good, the food was very bad. There were four in our party and we did not like one of our dishes. I have been to the Macaroni Grill in Dallas and it was very good so our experience in Fort Collins was very surprising and disappointing. Further, there was a hair on our bread and a hair in the lasagna. Not going back for a second try, that’s for sure. If you like hairy food, this is the restaurant for you. They should learn to wear hair nets.

Not as good as Olive Garden, and I don’t like Olive Garden. This was my first Mac-​Grill meal, but two (of 7) in my group had been here before and recommended it. Much of what I don’t like about this restaurant is mostly a management problem. The wait help is poorly trained. Our waitress poured EVOO into dipping plates, peppered one, and then left for a while. I was assured by my meal mates that there would be bread brought to dip in the oil, and eventually it appeared, as four large loaves of unsliced crusty bread on two plates. The bread is pretty good, although it’s difficult to slice without smashing it into wads of dough, and they don’t provide a knife. They unceremoniously set both plates of bread on the table in front of one guest, instead of splitting it between our tables. Was more coming for the other table? Obviously not, but it was a portent of things to come as the wait-​help attitude repeated itself with each course, that is, the wait help is only here to deliver the food in a way that doesn’t make too much work for them. I had a calamari appetizer which was very good ($ 8.99). It was lightly breaded and deep fried and served with enough marinara dipping sauce for 10 servings of squid. When the appetizer was delivered, instead of setting it in front of me, our waitress sort of slid the plate into an open space nearby, expecting me to figure out what glasses and plates to remove to make room. Same thing when my entrée’ showed up with my appetizer plate still sitting in front of me. Now it was my job to move my empty plate and find a spot for it, so she wouldn’t have to pick up a plate before setting down another.
The biggest wait staff faux pas was the wine service. Rather than making the effort to show me the wine (I ordered it), the waitress showed it to my 83 year old father, who shrugged and said it looked good to him. When the bill came I saw that the $ 26 bottle I ordered was actually a $ 52 bottle of wine that the waitress brought by mistake. All she offered in return was an apology, and acted like it was my fault.
The food for 7 of us showed up on two large trays which were set along side apparently to cool while the waitress asked each guest if additional parm cheese should be grated onto the plate, before putting the plate down on the table. By the time my steak was put in front of me (no I don’t want parm on a steak), it was sort of cool. The waitress thoughtfully asked me to cut the steak to ensure it was cooked to order, and then she disappeared before I had a chance to say it was undercooked and cold. Other than those who had ordered spaghetti with meat balls, everyone said their food was two star. The Alfredo was not creamy, but sort of buttery and runny.
Most everyone decided to take their entrée’ home and eat it properly warmed, or maybe after adding actual creamy Alfredo sauce. As one last effortless service, the waitress dropped a few take out boxes on the end of the table for us to pass out as needed, except one was missing a lid.

I often take one for the team when going out for a review, knowing that most restaurant meals are going to be loaded with excessive calories and outrageous sodium content. I can deal with that because I’ve got my sweet 2 hour daily schedule at the gym. But, Macaroni Grill goes way beyond manageable to the point of horribly terrible for your health, not to mention the fact that it just doesn’t taste that great, either.
The peasant bread served while deciding on our appetizer did indeed have a salty herb-​infused glaze/​crust covering the top (4,070 mg of sodium!). A few bites and that was good enough for me.
6,540 mg of sodium later — almost 3 times your recommended daily allowance (and that’s just for my part of the meal), I’d be glad that we never have to go to the Macaroni Grill again and risk our health to that extent. Fort Collins may be a small city where you run into people you know all the time, but it’s not small enough where we have to suffer through crappy dining experiences like this at terrible restaurants. And, I’m glad for that!

OK, I know this is a big chain but I really like this place. Always great service. The food is fresh and tasty. This is one of my favorite chain restaurants. I like the wine by the glass… and the wine by the glass like me.