love the breadsticks

I love their salad, especially the black olives and the atmosphere has the great Italian feel. Good food too.

Just like all the Darden Resturants, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Smokey Bones, ect. They are always hit, or miss on the service, and the food. I don't consider it authentic Italian. I think of it as sit down fast food. VERY run of the mill.

You should go to the salad bar. The salad bar should not come to you.

At good restaurants, the waitstaff does not crayon their names on the table linens.

I swear to God, there was a concotion on the menu called "Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo." I really do not believe that the executive chef scoured the Tuscan and Umbrian hillsides to find the recipe, no matter what they say on the tentcard.

"The Olive Garden: When you're here, you're sorry."

Too expensive to say all you get is a bunch of bread, salad, and pasta with hardly anything on it. Besides, everytime I eat there I wake up dehydrated the next morning. I guess I need to start ordering a gallon of water with the meals to drown the garlic. I prefer Carrabbas anyday.

THE BEST ITALIAN MARGARITAS THAT i HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED THE RECIPE .............NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Too expensive, better to go to a privately owned type of Italian restaurant.

They took my beloved baked Ziti off the menu a few years back..The salad and breadsticks are decent. I would not go there and expect authentic Italian food, but it's an ok place to stop in a pinch.

The Olive Garden has a fair menu selection. I think their food is good, but, they actually have a site where you can look up their recipes and make them at home. I don't know why, but for some reason, they taste different,(even better), when I make them myself. Not bragging...maybe it's just because they make so many of the same items at once? This link will send you to their recipe page if you're interested... http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes/ Incidentally, I don't believe much of our ethnic food here in the states is truly authentic. We can only do the best we can at copy-catting.

Not my choice for "Italian" food.

FIRST LET ME SAY THAT THE ONLY REASON I RATED "OLIVE GARDEN" A 1 & NOT A "0" IS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ALLOW 0 STARS... OLIVE GARDEN SAYS THAT THEY'RE ITALIAN...ARE THEY F***IN CRAZY!!! THE ONLY GOOD THING THEY HAVE IS THE SALAD. THE BREADSTICKS ARE CRAP...THE PASTA IS CRAP, THE SAUCES TASTE & LOOK LIKE MILK. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE IS & WAS HORRIBLE. THE WAITERS TAKE ABOUT 1/2HR OR MORE TO BRING OUT FOOD, AND DRINKS TAKE ANOTHER 10-15MINS. I KNOW WHAT ITALIAN FOOD IS SUPPOSE TO TASTE LIKE...AND OLIVE GARDEN IS AS FAR FROM ITALIAN AS EAST IS FROM THE WEST... Disgusting

I highly recommend this place. The old Olive Garden of the 90's used to be very dull and drab. The redesign of the 21st century, I believe and theorize, has to be credited to the success of the Sopranos TV show. Just comparing Arte Bucco's restaurant on the show to the Olive Garden interior, and listening to the Sinatra music, it was quite evident which direction this restaurant has taken. Despite the negative connotations, I actually say it suits the place quite nicely. They just stopped short of changing the name for obvious reasons...The food is excellent too, it's a great value for what you get.

Olive Garden is not comparable to a place like Carrabas, much less a true family-run Italian restaurant. The food tastes like something you would get out of a frozen foods aisle at the supermarket. However, the service is decent and the prices are not inexpensive for a sit down dining chain.

the service it hit or miss but its hard not to love olive garden. good for most any occasion, its awesome

The worst resturant ever. The thing that I hate the most about this place is that even when there is absolutely no on seated at the resturant, they still make you wait! I live in Az but grew up in NY. I cannot beleive that an Olive Garden could survive here with its awful service and terrible food but it also thrives in NY!!!!!! The sign of the apocolypse is upon us-- Olvie Garden rates a 3.33! Arrrrrrghhhhhhh....!

Food was okay, but it was a kinda of the bland side. Soups and salads are good however. I'd go to Macaroni Grill over Olive Garden any day.

Very delicious!!!

the wait for the food was long and boring my friend started falling asleep they had a small menu and the 1 thing we wanted they didnt have. I ordered pasta even though i didnt want it cuz all the other stuff on the menu was clams in cheese sauce or something expensive and fatty. I went to the olive garden in the first place for the soup salad and breadsticks special but they said it was only for dinnertime. The waitress looked like she brushed her teeth with a chainsaw and the chef took 20 minutes to cook pasta. the pasta was flavorless and the sauce was the same stuff u get at the supermarket. except the supermarket has more variety than the olive garden and at a cheaper price. the pasta i made yesterday tasted better. in the same time i waited at the olive garden i coulda gone to mcdonalds and eaten what i wanted at a lower price without the wait.

As I understand it very little food is actually prepare at the location. It is my understanding that every thing is re-heated. The LAST time I was there I order Minestrone soup and what I got was hot water with a bunch of beans. I really do not understand why this place is so popular. Find a local Italian restaurant you will be much happier.

There was a long wait for a table on a Tuesday evening at the Massapequa,NY location. The restaurant was very clean and our waiter was gracious and attentive.The main entree looked small but after an appetizer and salad we couldn't finish our meal. Of course we wanted to save room for the desserts also. There were no long intervals between courses. Although on the pricey side for a chain restaurant we were very pleased with the service and the food. We will definetly return to this restaurant.

My absolute favorite restaurant..esp at lunch and go for soup and salad...YUM YUM Their tiramisu is to die for! I had a great margarita there also.I think they have the best alfredo sauce on earth!

Everything about the Olive Garden sucks!

Well I had never eaten at a OG until today and personally I thought it was way over rated. The service was lousy and there was not enough food on the plate to fill up a baby. I paid 14.00 for a salad and a glass of tea. I would not recommend this Restaurant to any one. We had a party of 9 and our wait for our food was 1 1/2 hours. Way too long for a lunch especially when you arrive when the doors open. I would rather spend my money at Harvey's Rest. or Peppers any day. Much better food, service and the price is much more in line with the food that you order. Waste your time and money if you need but you have been informed about the Tupelo, Ms. store.

Commercial Italian, like commercial Mexican, just doesn't do it for me.

i've been to one too many a good italian restaurant in Pittsburgh in NYC to ever consider this place. i suppose if i was forced into going to the mall and had a hankerin' for some Italian food whilst lost in the burbs this place might do it. nah, i'd rather take the drive back into the city.

it may not be authentic but what i get is great.

Olive Garden is by far one of my favorite americanized italian restaurants around. I say americanized, because my grandmother was full italian, and I know what real italian food is, and even though Olive Garden doesn't quite make it, it is still far superior than most other chains I've been to. Their salad and breadsticks alone are worth it to me.

I hate the commercials where the Italian-American family takes their mom or dad to Olive Garden right after they just came to visit from Italy...like that's where they would want to go after eating all that great authentic Italian food back home. The food is ok but you're really paying for the decor and unlimited breadsticks. The sauce is definitely from a can and the food never tastes fresh from the oven. There is another place in my hometown called Johnnie Carinos, much better Italian food and it is fresh. You know because their kitchen is in the back of the dinning area for everyone to see.

The rating by Munchie makes me laugh. Just because OG is a restaurnt is why it should be better than your mom's cooking. One thing I find very funny these days is that people expect mediocre food and service ina restaurant - why? Because most people eat out way too often. When I was growing up, going out was a treat, which is why restaurants were usually good and a bad meal at a restaurant (not including fast food) was a rare thing. Olive Garden is one of the chains I despise the most. They do not cook anything at your local OG; it is all prepared in a central factory and then reheated at your local OG. If I want factory food, I can always go eat in a cantine. OG is the worst of the bunch and makes its living by offering mediocre pseedo-Italian food for gluttons at low, low prices. I nearly died laughing when they started that ad campaign about a cooking school with Mamma So-and-so in charge in Tuscany! Hahaha! Their food comes from laboratories, and like some cheap wines have never seen a grape, their food has never seen a chef, just guys in lab coats!

I have never had a bad experience at OG. The food is great and the service is wonderful. I cannot imagine anyone not liking OG. It is a restaurant not you Mom's cooking. Rate is for what it is.

Pretty good,but I hat to pay alot for pasta,as it is cheap & easy to make at home.

I cannot believe I'm giving this restaurant a high rating. I ordinarily am disappointed in these pseudo-ethnic franchise places. I was invited with a friend and had a wonderful meal. The service was first rate, and the entree I had was delicious. Excellent salad, though the breadsticks resembled something from Fazoli's or Pizza Hut. I would maybe lose them and go more with a home-cooked roll or bread served with olive oil like some other similar places. I definately will go back again though.

Bang for the buck ain't all that bad! Good service. Food is okay. Free refills on sodas. Good salads and apps.

From my experinces, I have noticed that when restaurants try to imitate ethnic cusine, they almost always fail to attract the culture they've based their restuarant around. Now of course this really only applies to large franchises such as Olive Garden. I've had fair times here, but some of the menu items are pretty nasty. But the waiters are pretty nice (in regards to personality).

Calling this place an Italian resturant is a disservice to the Italian mom-pop places. This is the most disguesting so-called Italian I have ever had. The sauce has no flavor and the pasta tastes like it was taken off a shelf at the family dollar.

I like OG, always a good meal there, I find it is the entire combination of the food that makes it great, the salad, the yummy salad dresssing (which they sell by the bottle), the breadsticks, and the main course..all good, well prepared food. Maybe I am not a gourmand, but I like the food here, nice atmosphere and usually friendly staff.

I have enjoyed OG over the years, but they don't add enough new vegetarian menu items, and pasta tends to be a bit overcooked on occasion. But, you can't go wrong here if you are trying to please a big group of people with widely varying tastes and dietary needs. Also, OG tiramisu is great. I doubt they make it themselves, though.

I enjoy the unlimited supply of soup, salad, and breadsticks that they have. The atmosphere is wonderful. Very low key, quite, and soft music. They have big comfortable chairs with nice size tables. I have never walked away from the Olive Garden neither unhappy nor hungry.

McPasta!!! MAD TV did an incredibly hilarious spoof about them.

Olive Garden is good, I enjoy the Chicken Alfredo.

Food is great!

when you go they you're family- except my family never charged me for dinner

The breadsticks are not terrible, but all the rest are nasty.

This restaurant is becoming too pricey for the hit and miss service and sometimes cafetaria style tasting food. Either it needs to expand its menu and get some new chefs or lower the prices.

I am sorry I wanted to put one star but since Chili's is the absolute worst food I have tasted in my life other than from my grandmothers house I had to give it two stars for just plain BAD! This stuff tastes like a classier version of Chef Boyardee. Yuck. I make pasta 10 times better than this and I'm not even an italian. Pretty pathetic. Who gives a crap about their breadsticks? If I wanted to be filled up w/breadsticks I would have went to a bakery. Not even worth my time or money.

About a 3.5. I have tried some of their dishes and they are pretty good. I like that you get lots of breadsticks with your meal. It is a bit more costly than I like. Their meals are okay but I have been to Italian Restaurants that are better. Okay but not great restaurant.

For a mangia cake, this place is great. I always left that place feeling like a poisoned pup. I don't think there are any left in Canada sadly

Coming from an Italian family, I know good pasta when I taste it. And the pasta at the Olive Garden is hand-made, never frozen. I love the breadsticks and the salad, with a tangy Italian dressing that is perfectly mouth-watering. The environment is relaxing and maybe even a little romantic, the food is excellent.

Very good food ! I always get full on the bread sticks. I always leave full and satisfied with enough to eat. Service is great, nothing to complain about.

While I've only dined at the Olive Garden a few times, I must admit that I have not been impressed. As other comments have noted, one does get their fill of breadsticks, but a restaurant is measured by its entrees. The menu does offer a decent selection, but the quality just isn't as good as its competitors that have a shorter menu (eg the Macaroni Grill). I can't complain about the service, but I have seen roaches climbing on the walls near my table. The bottom line is that while one can't expect real ethnic food at a chain restaurant, the Olive Garden falls short on two many fronts.