Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

I haven’t been to Olive Garden in quite some time. Not usually a Chain frequent patron. OG had and event for some elite members and I can tell you, they really rolled out the family love that night.
We tried 15 or so dishes so I’ll highlight.
Bread and salad is still a great part of the meal. I know in years past I have dined on just that. Breadsticks are warm and good.
Guess what they did with them? Created a chicken parm sandwich kinda like a slider version. Wow. So, so good. I deemed it hangover food and I mean that in the most loving way. It was cheesy, crispy goodness that I definitely want after a rough night.
They have a pot pie (two versions) one with red sauce pasta and one with chicken/​broccoli Alfredo. I liked the chicken one better. If ordering this, I would definitely split it as it’s quite a generous portion.
On the lighter side the had a chicken piccata that was really nice with a healthier version of friend zucchini that was delish!
End the meal with cheesecake. Very light with a nice strawberry sauce.
Go hungry as their portions do not disappoint.

I was greeted warmly at the front door and was told that we would be seated soon and I could go to the bar to wait. Um… Yes! I met up with some people at the bar and we ordered some drinks and started talking while we waited.
Drink:
Long Island Limoncello: Caravella Limoncello adds an Italian twist to a classic — with New Amsterdam Vodka, rum and triple sec.
Um.This was great. It was not too sweet and had a nice punch of lemon that really made it something unique. I did not find it to be that usual, «omg this is a long island I am going to be drunk» type of drink. It was refreshing and not overbearing.
Italian Margarita: Jimador Silver 100% blue agave tequila, triple sec and imported Italian amaretto. (ordered during dinner)
YUM! I liked this one better than the first! I do not even like tequila but this was superb. The little sidecar of amaretto also made the drink. I even went out and bought some amaretto to try to make this at home!
Appetizers:
Fried Mozzarella:
While fried mozzarella is not a new thing the alfredo drizzle on the top was. I thought it was a nice touch. The mozzarella sticks had a light breading on them. I liked that but when you lifted them up to eat they sometimes fell apart. While gooey cheese dripping from your fork is never a bad thing, I wished that they held their shape a bit more to make it easier to eat. I also think that they always need to bring out more marinara sauce. Or make the sauce cup a different shape so it is easier to dip, dunk, and re-​dip.
Shrimp Fresco:
This dish had a spicy kick at the end for sure! I was not really feeling it because of the coldness of the shrimp. I like shrimp cocktail but this shrimp was just not doing it for me. The rest of my table loved it so that was good! And the sauce that was on the side was really good too!
Mediterranean Flatbread: Basil pesto and olive oil, topped with a blend of four Italian cheeses, artichoke hearts, olives, capers, roasted red peppers and garlic.
I thought that this was really good. If you do not like olives do not order this dish!!! The bread was nice and crusty so it did not droop and with the amount of toppings it should have! This dish was loaded with goodness. I enjoyed it.
Grilled Chicken and Cheese Piadina:
Eh. Not that much of a fan.
Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Piadina: Tangy roasted red peppers, mushrooms, fresh spinach and a savory Italian cheese sauce seasoned with garlic, basil and sun-​dried tomatoes. Served with a side of marinara.
This was a lot better than the chicken version. The vegetables were crisp and the basil and sun-​dried tomatoes were great. Very yummy for sure. Again just a quesadilla and not that amazing but a lot better than the chicken.
Dinner Dishes:
Pot Pie Italiano Nonna’s Kitchen Sink:
Nope.
Pot Pie Italiano Chicken and Broccoli: Comforting layers of baked cavatappi (corkscrew pasta), made-​from-​scratch Alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, broccoli and a blend of Italian cheeses baked inside a golden flaky pie crust.
This is the good stuff for sure. I liked this one 100 times better than the other pot pie. Yum. Yum. Yum. I called this as mine for the leftover since I enjoyed it so much! I think it was the alfredo sauce instead of the red that made it better.
Chicken Parmigiana Breadstick Sandwich: Parmesan-​breaded chicken breast, fried and topped with Italian cheeses and marinara.
I love chicken parm so this was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The chicken was fried to perfection and the breadstick as the sandwich!!! PERFECTION. The only suggestion I had was having a side dipper of sauce so you could dip the sandwich in it. I like to dip so that the bread doesn’t get really soggy from the sauce sitting on the bread. But that is just me. I made that suggestion for sure that night. More sauce please!
Shrimp Scampi: Shrimp sautéed in a garlic sauce, tossed with asparagus, tomatoes, and angel hair pasta.
I also called this for left overs. The asparagus and tomatoes with the light sauce, perfection. Just enough shrimp to make the dish feel full but not overwhelming. I would get this again, and again, and again…
Chicken Piccata: Grilled chicken topped with a lemon garlic butter sauce, sundried tomatoes and capers. Served with parmesan-​crusted zucchini.
I would also get this again! I also took it for leftovers and ate it the next day and enjoyed it just as much. The sauce! Dang, that lemon garlic butter sauce was good! I don’t even like capers and thought I would hate this dish, boy was I wrong!
Northern Tour of Italy:
Did not like this.
Dessert:
Sicilian Cheesecake: Our ricotta cheesecake features a shortbread cookie crust and is topped with seasonal strawberry sauce.
GET THIS AGAIN! I took it home with me and ate it the next day. OMG. Ricotta cheesecake for the win. It was great. I wished there were more berry sauce on it, but it was still good.
Coffee:
Almond Cappuccino
Drank this the next day cold, damn, it was good!
Awesome night!

First things first, I LOVE Olive Garden. I’ve been told that’s sacreligious because I’m half Italian, but good food is good food. Lucky for me, I got to try twelve rounds of Olive Garden delicacies in this newly remodeled McIntyre Square location as part of a Unilocal Elite event. I am SO glad I wore stretchy pants. I’m surprised I didn’t have to ask my fellow Unilocalers to roll me to my car when we were finished!
This was my first time dining at this particular location, so I can’t speak for what it looked like previously… but I can tell you that the new renovations are wonderful. It’s bright and airy but still has that authentic rustic Italian feel to it.
Now for the food: we started off by sampling the new appetizers — I think my favorite was the fried mozzarella! The breading is very light and didn’t overshadow the oozy and delicious mozzarella inside like some fried mozzarella apps do. I also enjoyed the shrimp fresca, which is served with a dipping sauce that had a lovely little kick to it, and the chicken piadina app, which was like an Italian quesadilla. My favorite dish overall was the chicken and broccoli pot pie entrée. A pot pie at an Italian restaurant you say? Yep! The delicious golden crust blanketed the cavatappi, crisp broccoli, tender chicken, and that aaaamaaazing OG alfredo sauce. I would definitely consider ordering this as an entrée. It’s a bit difficult to share just because it’s hard to transfer a spoonful from the serving plate to your own, but who said I was gonna share it? :)
We also got to sample the new Northern Tour of Italy, though by this point in the meal I was rather stuffed and only able to pick a few bites from the trifecta. Needless to say, when they placed the grand finale in front of me, the Sicilian cheesecake with strawberry sauce, I miraculously found room for a few more bites. Definitely do yourself a favor and order a slice of this ricotta goodness.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the new menu items are amazing and Olive Garden continues to be one of my favorite restaurants. The staff at this location are nothing short of rockstars: from the managers and corporate representatives that were on hand to the wait staff and kitchen staff that we had the honor of thanking at the end of the night. Five stars all around!

You will be pleasantly surprised by this Olive Garden location — make sure to stop in and see the recently remodeled dining area and sample the new menu offerings! You are guaranteed great service by a very dedicated and friendly waitstaff — I felt like I was at a friends house while dining here, the servers really make you feel welcome and well taken care of!
Olive Garden is one of those places where almost everyone has been at some point in their life. Their breadsticks, salad, soup and pasta are traditional standbys that make a hearty, comforting meal any day of the week. Kudos to the OG for keeping their approach to family style Italian food fresh and up to date!
Some of the new offerings that are a must try: the friend mozzarella appetizer — light, Cheesey and delicious. I would describe this app as «moreish», because I’m left wanting more!
The Chicken Picatta is a flavorful chicken and zucchini dish that is filling but not too heavy. A must try!
To add even more to your dinner, give the Italian Margarita a try. It comes with a sidecar of Amaretto and is sweet, fruity and deliciously tangy. Another great drink choice is the new Head to Head Red wine that will pair well with just about any choice on the menu.
For dessert, don’t forget to try the dense, rich and heavenly Sicilian cheesecake. You won’t regret it!
Thank you, Olive Garden, for a memorable dining experience! I’ll be back for more!

My boo and I stopped in for a late dinner Friday night. I called before hand and was told there was no wait yet we waited for 10 mins when we got there… But it seemed we were just waiting for the staff to like … Figure out where to put us. We sat real close to other people when the restaurant was clearly half empty (I realize they do this for a reason but it wasn’t that late and it just bothers me). The waitress greeted us and immediately took away our wine glasses which rubbed me the wrong way… Good thing I didn’t want a glass considering that could’ve added at least $ 8 to the check… Anyway. The whole time I could just tell our server was trying to get us outta there so she could go home which to me is unacceptable but I never cop an attitude back or anything because I’m a decent human being. Our food came SUPER fast which always makes me wary… And also the server was super pushy to suggest what she would get (I asked for angel hair instead of spaghetti with my carbonara, she adamantly disagreed with my noodle choice …) and I also overheard her do the same to other tables. My food was very good, no complaints but my boo got the shrimp Alfredo and it had those baby shrimp with no tails on them. Mine had tails. Always wondered what that was about. Anyway we ended up just casually asking her why she took the wine glasses away and she said we both «look like we’re 18». … We’re 26. Quit Lyin. Lol. Also she had me use the little electronic doo-​hickey to pay with my card then awkwardly stood there as she showed me how to tip on it and how to adjust the tip to «make it less than 20% if I wanted to». It was just super weird and it made me feel like I was a 16 yr old out to eat without my parents for the first time. It’ll probably be awhile before I go back to the OG

Sadly, I can’t give this place a higher rating despite the good service. Two stars for the service.
The food… Oh the food… Mind you, I’ve been to numerous olive gardens in my lifetime so I feel this review is justified.
We went at approx 530pm on a weeknight.
It wasn’t very busy and we were seated quickly. We got the chicken parm, build your own pasta and a fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp for the kiddo.
The soup, salad and breadsticks were standard you get at any Olive Garden. Never disappoints.
However. However. The main dishes… All three dishes were pretty much inedible. The pasta was shriveled and dried up like it has been sitting under the heat lamp. The sauce was horribly thick and salty like it had been condensed. My kids who pretty much eat anything were not having any of it which is a good measure of how good/​bad the meal is.
The food was a bust in my opinion. I looked at the other patrons meals and couldn’t quite tell if they were enjoying theirs. Oh well, it could’ve just been our table I can’t say. I definitely won’t be back to find out.

I’ve only been to Olive Garden a handful of times, and it’s been all positive experiences! We were greeted and seated quickly and politely. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, which is exactly what we were hoping for.
I come for the wedding soup and salmon. As I sat there drowning my soup in pepper, the boyfriend looks at me like I’m nuts.
Jennie, however, does not judge me! She’s a most phenomenal server, by the way. You should ask for her!

Second visit in a month. Last time the chicken gnocchi soup was watered down, the wedding soup was the worst (and most unlike real wedding soup) I ever had in an Italian restaurant and the portions were either too small or the plate too big. This time I tried the new 4 course promotion. Salad and appetizer were delivered together and entrée was delivered less than 10 minutes later. Hard choice to eat the salad and then a cold appetizer and entrée or eat hot food first and salad afterward. The lady at the next table got a piece o paper in her pasta. The chef explained that the fresh pasta is laid on parchment paper and when they cut it they must have got a piece stuck to it (and it didn’t come off in the boiling water??) WHAT REALLY GOT ME THOUGH, at the bottom of my receipt it says Thanks for visiting us today in English and then in SPANISH… What the heck, this is an Italian restaurant… your menu isn’t in Spanish why are you thanking me in Spanish. When I go to a Chinese restaurant they don’t thank me in German or Polish. Pay more attention to your Italian food! I hope none of my friends give me any more gift cards for Olive Garden.

This place needs new seats, the bar booth seats have no cushion left. You sit down on wood.
The food when prepared properly is quite good but the soups and apps are very inconsistent.
I hear cooks don’t last long and I know servers don’t last
Service can be horrible here .
We had to ask for a menu, utensils, to order and to get our check tonight. Bad service. We told the manager too. Menus weren’t picked up and a grater was left on our table. The manager took over our table but not for long.
We left no tip. The service was that bad.
When we came in, dishes were piled up and booths and tables were unclean. We asked for one to be clean and the girl left us with a wet table. Yuk
I’m sure the wiping towel was filthy too
This place needs a makeover and a scrub. Bar lighting is harsh.
They are busy so they won’t make any changes. Corporate must just have thrown their hands up in this one.
They have let it go
UPDATED
March 17 9:45
I sat on a booth that capsized. They need to replace seats. The staff tries to group everybody together and I want a more private seat. For 2 years we have had to summon the manager to ask for less congested seating and then are we accommodated

Rotating Italian specials of all kinds, unlimited breadsticks, and unlimited soup make this a quite nice place to go eat. Breadsticks are quite yummy and addicting … careful that you don’t go overcow on them cuz you still have a meal to eat.

I have had only good experiences here! Love their soup, salad, and bread sticks! Their peach tea is also very good! The waitresses have had great personalities. It gets super busy at meal times so plan for a wait.

I am enjoying a super relaxing afternoon… Here at Olive Garden… I am mind blown about there seasonal Toasted Marshmallow Martini … It is simply amazing !!! It is a must try… Also i am eating their unlimited Soup and Salad… My favorite items on the menu when i want something quick and easy.

No complaints, except the parking lot is too small! Guess that’s never a bad sign haha

Much has been written about Olive Garden and how it’s not «authentic» Italian food. Hey, it’s a chain restaurant, no better and no worse than any other chain restaurant.
I stopped in here for lunch after doing a site visit for work. I tried the Venetian Apricot Chicken, which was a chicken breast glazed in an apricot citrus sauce with a side of veggies. The chicken was good and juicy and my veggies weren’t overcooked. Oh, but my blackberry blood orange ice tea was really good.
Yes, Pittsburgh has many good locally owned Italian restaurants, and please patronize them when you can. But places like Olive Garden, Applebee’s, & Chili’s fill a need to, particularly hwen you need a decent, wuick lunch.

I am typically a fan of the calamari, cheese fonduta, and mussels and their tirimisu, but, I think this is the last time I am ever going to this Olive Garden. The server did not bring out our appetizer (though we were not charged for it). She definitely heard us, because she repeated it. We didn’t want to say anything because she was training someone and we didn’t want her to lose face. Our server WAS nice though.
Definitely not a place to go for authentic Italian. I can’t stand their lasagna. It’s a block of salt and marina. Whole Foods hot foods section has better lasagna. Tuscan steak always comes overcooked (as in overly well done).
SECONDLY and MOST IMPORTANTLY, when I was in a bathroom stall, another staff comes in and uses the stall next to me. She takes off her apron, and throws it on the bathroom floor, as opposed to hanging it on the bathroom door. And after I saw that, I couldn’t even finish my meal. I wrapped it up and just broiled the life out of it. I am not saying it was my server, but it was somebody who worked there.
I would have given it three stars, but that apron/​hygiene fiasco really freaked me out.

Had a good meal there on Saturday with my family. My sons love their fettuccini alfredo, the breadsticks were fresh & hot, the salad was pretty good. My wife had the mussels and while they were a bit over cooked, she still finished them. I had the spaghetti with marinara with the sausage. 3 big sausage links for $ 2? Great deal… 5 of us ate for under $ 60… We all left happy.

They lost my debit card, then the manager became rude with us. I’ll never eat here again…

They got rid of my favorite dish, Tuscan Garlic Chicken. Just buy the dressing at the store. It’s the only good thing from this place. I won’t go back

That was the worse food I ever had Eeewwww Booooooooo! !!

My family and I have been to this particular Olive Garden on numerous occasions… no complaints from us regarding this restaurant. We are always greeted by some «smiling» young buck… very welcoming and inviting… we enjoy sitting in the little cul de sac they have available versus the vast open area because its much more quite, not as populated with foot traffic, and not chilly. One time we sat at the bar area… which was neat because my brother can watch football and eat at the same time but the draft from the front door was making us chilly… thus we prefer not to sit there. Waiter and Waitresses are customer friendly.
We had the Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta as our appetizer today… which was mouth watering goodness… basically…a bowl of melted cheese served with some tuscana bread… tip: eat this first… when the cheese cools it gets clumpy… but still tasty… My family usually gets the all you can eat soup and salad… very healthy option for those watching your weight… the soups are not watered down by no means… tons of substance to them… I got me a ceasar salad which was delicious… and the linguini marinara… both yummy.
And my favorite part of our visit is when the waiter or waitress gives us our mint-​chocolate treat… and their (waiter or waitress) favorite part when they get tipped :)