Gondola Restaurant

After being disappointed previously, I thought I would give this place another try. Nothing has changed much since that last time. The menus and the environment need drastic updating. The food is overpriced as well. For the amount that is charged for steaks, there are so many other restaurants in this area with better steaks that are less than what they charge, The raisins in the salad bar were all one clump together in the bowl and 85% of all of their crackers were cracked up in the packages. Not what I would have expected for a restaurant in such a busy part of town.

Arguably my favorite pizza in town… and favorite salad bar… Gondola is a Lebanon landmark although the restaurant used to be down the road a bit… they moved several years ago but the food is still excellent… try the lasagna or ravioli too

Wanted to try this restaurant again because after first time my wife and I went we remembered it was just ok!
We were right, only this time it was even more disappointing. No hostess! Waited 5 minutes before the cashier even looked at or acknowledged us, though there were people paying she could have easily at least said something. We were only 2 feet away from her.
When she went to seat us, every table she took us to had not been cleared yet so we had to wait a little longer.
Our waitress was very pleasant and great one she finally got to us. Both my wife and I ordered the chopped steak. It came right out of a frozen box and while it was cooked fine it was still even a little soggy. The bait potato was at least good, but the butter that they told us they were bringing was a chemical filled spread, made by Wholesome Foods — that is ironic.
Now I know why we haven’t been back there for over five years. And we won’t be ever going back.

Great salad bar. The Italian dishes are good, not great. We usually order the baked lasagna, and we are always satisfied with our meal. I agree with a few other posts that the service could be a little better, but I feel that what we order is priced competitively with other restaurants of the same caliber. We enjoy eating here (mostly for the salad bar).

My husband and I ate here tonight as we were out and the parking lot was full with the sign stating «homemade fresh»! Great! We love pasta and seeing as though the parking lot was full, we expected a great meal. Boy were we in for a surprise.
We were promptly seated by the hostess who sat us at a table we prefer boot seating and when I asked to switch it seemed like it was a bother to her.
Once seated our waitress was quick to greet us and offer to take our drinks.
My husband ordered the chicken Parmigiana with spaghetti and I the chicken fettuccine, my meal also came with the salad bar.
The salad bar was nothing but lettuce carrots in water and the egg looked grey… I avoided that quick snap.
Our meal came quickly and when we started eating we knew why. Everything tastes microwaved. My husbands chicken parmigiana was nothing more than a chicken nugett you find in the frozen food section microwaved with some meat sauce and a slice of cheese slapped on top. The side of spaghetti was not even the portion you’d feed your child. There was nothing that would fill a person up.
My chicken fettuccine was so watery and it didn’t give me the «homemade fresh» feeling. Gross.
We’ve had bad meals but this tops the cake as we couldn’t even finish. Once we had paid and left driving home I began to instantly feel nauseated.
I would not recommend this place to anyone unless you like wasting money.

Excellent salad bar; very fresh.
Pizzas good; fast, friendly service.
Good clean atmosphere.

This restaurant 20 years ago was top notch. Unfortunately now it is less than par. Nothing fresh and everything store bought it seems. Look some were else for pizza and lasagna.

Salad bar was excellent. Fresh and plenty of choices. Entrees left a lot to be desired. 3 out of our 4 meals were similar to frozen dinners, lacking in flavor. The 10″ cheese pizza was about the only thing worth eating.

My family and I headed out for a super casual dinner, hoping for a good meal. Our first choice was the Sunset Restaurant, due to the reviews. However they’re closed on Wednesdays (?) so we opted for Gondola. Driving in, we were skeptical. The hotel next door seemed shady, not that it is but it seemed to be. We saw enough cars in the parking lot of Gondola to think it must be popular. So we entered and ordered.
Service was prompt. Food ordered:
1. 8 oz ribeye and baked potato
2. 10″ cheese pizza
3. Beef Ravioli
4. Chicken Parmesan
Results:
SALAD BAR — good enough. Iceberg lettuce and the typical fare. Nothing to write home about.
1. 8 oz ribeye and baked potato — If you’ve ever had steak at Waffle House, then you’ll know what to expect. Seriously, the ribeye was on par with Waffle House. The ribeye was sad: resembled NY Strip in apperance. No taste at all. The cooking process was a) take it out of the package and b) cook it. I ordered MWell but it came out looking like only one side had seen the grill. The more I cut into it, the redder it got. I stopped eating it about ¼ of the way through.
2. 10″ cheese pizza — I’m not being facetious when I say their pizza is extremely similar to pizza you find in gas stations and truck stops. Bland. Just… no. This was for our 6 year old. She was fine with it. She’s six.
3. Beef Ravioli — this was my daughters so I didn’t try it. She didn’t even make it halfway through before stopping.
4. Chicken Parmesan — My wife’s. The portion of noodles was child-​size. The chicken? Just a breaded patty with cheese laid over it. She didn’t finish.
The wait staff is indifferent. As she came to take away the food items that weren’t eaten, she simply said «Anything else? Ok bye». Our check was soon brought.
How, as a server, can you not notice that people aren’t eating their food? You have to inquire. Amazingly bad.
I wanted to point out our displeasure, as I would do at any other well-​meaning place. However I couldn’t get beyond the fact that the quality of food at this place is all they know. If they’ve been exposed to better tasting, better prepared food, they aren’t incorporating it into their own menu. And with food of this quality being all they know, what does it accomplish to point it out? As you’re point it out, locals are like «Man I eat here all the time.» Then the pitchforks come out and you’re running out the door ;) Again, if speaking up, which I’ll do in a heartbeat if it will affect change, would accomplish anything, I would have. My wife was like let’s just get out of here.
If you enjoy quality food (and by quality I don’t mean snobish), you will be best served by not visiting the Gondola Restaurant.
You’ve had better and you expect to have a meal where you don’t feel like you’ve just wasted $ 50.
The T/​A Truck Stop would’ve been a better choice than the Gondola House.

This place is one of the best in town. No doubt the best salad bar in town. The service is always top notch and the prices are very reasonable. Love the lasagna!

Gondola is one of those classic diners that’s been around as long as you have. Just quietly doing business. I expect they have quite a long list of local regulars who rely on the place to keep them fed.
No, you aren’t going to find anything fancy or memorable here. Just a solid, workmanlike, experience.
There are many chains nearby and despite that, Gondola remains. If you are looking for a good meal and a good price stop in.

Nothin fancy but good food for a decent price. Steak burger is great!

This is a very nice restaurant with excellent prices for the food you get. They use fresh ingredients and you can tell with the quality of the food brought to your table. The Pizza served there is incredible. It is probably the best Pizza I have had in a long time. I had a medium with ground beef and it was superb. The items on the menu are very affordable and the staff is very friendly and helpful. I try to stop there every time I go through Tennessee. Give the Pizza a try!!!

Quiet little dining place. Good prices. Had the salad bar with an entrée. Salad bar was great. This place is good for a decent lunch but not anything to «write home about». Also the lighting was very dim.