Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
“I'm just going to take one star off for the wait time which can be 20-40 mins on a Saturday night.”
“Crispy lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, hot peppers, croutons and onions with their signature creamy Italian dressing and their yummy cheese that they grate tables idea plus unlimited breadsticks.”
“They offer a nice assortment of dishes along with the basics (ravioli, lasagna) love their unlimited salad bowl and the bread sticks …”
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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My boyfriend, his mom, and I ended up here for lunch on a Saturday or Sunday (I don't clearly remember) because we didn't seem to know where else to eat and plus the boyfriend loves their unlimited bread sticks and salad.
I've been to two Olive Gardens before and we don't typically eat at restaurants like Olive Garden, so I wasn't expecting outstanding service or experience, but the service here was on point. The decor felt very Italian-like, homey, and family friendly. We were seated at a booth and I was surprised to see a tablet where you can place certain orders from, pay for your bill, play games, and much more. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful.
The bread sticks were baked just right and didn't have an overwhelming garlic taste which I liked. The house salad was okay and has a bit of tartness. My boyfriend also had a soup: chicken and gnocchi soup which was very creamy and delicious.
We also ordered a sampler as an appetizer (mistake, since we were super full from the salad, bread sticks, and entrees). We got the fried calamari and fried mozzarella and they both came with a marinara sauce and tartar sauce, for $9.99. The fried calamari was good, but I wasn't a fan of the fried mozzarella – smelled and tasted extremely cheesy which I didn't like too much.
My boyfriend decided on this special where you can order three dishes for one price so he ordered: Rigatoni with five cheese marinara sauce, stuffed chicken Marsala with mushrooms ravioli, and chicken parmigiana. His dish definitely looked very filling and tasty. The stuffed chicken Marsala with mushrooms was okay, a little dry and definitely needed more sauce.
I ordered the Shrimp Alfredo and it looked really good, super filling and creamy. Unfortunately I wasn't too happy with the shrimp because they used the mini shrimps you would find in a fried rice and this dish was: $16.79, not really worth it. I can definitely make the dish at home a lot cheaper and nicer.
My boyfriend's mom ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana which came with a side of spaghetti and tomato sauce. It was a filling dish for her and the eggplant Parmigiana was well made.
Overall, the experience here was definitely a lot better than the other two Olive Gardens I've been to in the city. Service is definitely 5 times better. It's nice to see they are also getting more technologically advanced with the tablets. Food can use just a tiny it of work. I would return though if we need a quick and basic fix to fill up our tummies.
it's olive garden, don't get your hopes up. food was ok, standard olive garden fare. portions were on the smaller side. food wasn't bad, but no one said anything positive either. service was friendly, but slow. we had a larger party (9 people) but it was a slow monday night and while the food didn't take that long, our waitress did. she also mixed up the orders on the receipt and eventually we didn't want to wait any longer so we just paid the bill at the front. if it wasn't for never ending pasta bowl, we would not have come at all.
Very good food for a chain restaurant They offer a nice assortment of dishes along with the basics (ravioli, lasagna) We love the unlimited Salad Bowl. Crispy lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, hot peppers, croutons and onions with their signature creamy Italian dressing and their yummy cheese that they grate tables idea plus unlimited breadsticks. The menu changes alot and is varied and interesting. I got the Chicken Picatta with capers and lemon and Parmasan crusted zucchini. The chicken was perfectly done, tender and delicious and the zucchini was equally good and a nice addition. Hubby enjoyed his Shrimp Scampi over linguini. Fresh shrimp and well prepared pasta. We also love the little Dolce desserts. I get the Limoncello mousse with a graham crust topped with white chocolate shavings garnished with a little lemon gummy. Hubby gets the chocolate mousse, creamy mousse also with a graham crust and dark chocolate shavings. These are small little cups just perfect for a dessert that won't overwhelm you or make you feel stuffed. The service is always friendly and attentive. I like that manager stopped by our table to ask how we are doing. Beware that new little tabletop game player. Even if you don't enter your credit card they will charge you $1.99 on your bill. Also be I n the lookout for coupons. We got $5 off our two dinners.
I went to Olive Garden for lunch today with my husband because of their $5 unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks promotion. We were seated immediately and directed to a 2-person booth in the main dining area. Our server was Jaime, and he introduced us to a woman whom he was training (can't remember her name unfortunately). Jaime was polite, attentive and offered us very good service! He set an excellent example to the woman he was helping to train.
However, my compliments to the service we experienced pretty much ends there. The manager came to our table twice to check in on us. The first time, she commented on the artichoke fritti appetizer and told us that that was her favorite app on menu. The second time she came by, she pointed out that my husband left two pieces of tortellini on his plate. She went on to say that she was Hispanic but never explained the connection. She also pointed out that I left the best part of the soup behind – the gnocchi. We felt like we were with our mothers who were criticizing us for wasting food. It was just strange and very unwelcome!
Then, during our entire meal, we couldn't help but notice the server who was handling the tables next to us. She was friendly and attentive but she insisted on calling everyone "baby" or "my love." It seemed overly familiar and very inappropriate to us. She threw these terms of endearment into every other sentence like, "Do you need anything else my love? A refill? Sure, I'll get that for you baby." I wouldn't have minded if she was my 80 year-old grandmother, but if she was my server, I would have asked her to stop.
As mentioned, I ordered the soup, salad and breadsticks. The salad was delicious. Slightly overdressed for my liking but nothing terrible. We received two batches of breadsticks, but both were on the saltier side. Not unedible, but definitely salty. Also, the first basket of bread sticks was maybe a minute or two under cooked, and the second basket was just right.
I ordered 2 different kinds of soup – pasta e fagioli and chicken and gnocchi. The pasta e fagioli was delicious! However, the chicken and gnocchi was so-so. I left the gnocchi behind because they were terrible. They're supposed to be pillows of potato that virtually melt in your mouth. These were just glue-y chewy dumplings. Along with this, I ordered the artichoke fritti which came with a creamy lemon dip. The sauce was ok but I honestly think if they squeezed a little fresh lemon on top, it would have been absolutely delicious on it's own. The dip was overpowering.
My husband ordered the tour of Northern Italy, which came with cheese tortellini and meat sauce, chicken Lombardi, and fettuccine with mushrooms in a cream sauce. Again, everything was salty but not to the point where it was unedible. Also, the chicken Lombardi was not undercooked but it could have used another two minutes to get it browned a little bit more. Overall, everything was fine but just not truly satisfying.
The restaurant is well-maintained, clean, and airy. We received our food in a prompt manner and everything was hot and looked well-prepared. However, there are so many options for good Italian food in Northern NJ. There's almost no reason to go to Olive Garden unless there's some sort of special promotion going on. Even then, there's one or two other Italian chain restaurants in the nearby vicinity that offers much better Italian food for similar prices with better service. We had not been to an Olive Garden in quite some time and now we remember why.
Needed lunch while on the road and this Olive Garden conveniently located on Route 3 fit the bill. Staff seemed spread a bit thinner as the lunch hour got busier, but they were consistently friendly. Perhaps not coincidentally this was the first time in our many meals at a dozen different outlets of this chain that someone who was apparently a manager (although she didn't introduce herself) not only circulated around the dining room, but actually stopped by each table to check-in on how the meal was going. Right now (March 2016) they're again running their "buy one take one" (home) special, so for the price of one bowl of pasta you get two (of your choice), one of which is prepackaged to go. With their usual unlimited soup and salad thrown in that's a tough deal to beat. We'll keep this location on our rotation next time we're in the area at meal time!
After a little over a decade of having my first experience at Olive Garden, I was coerced into going back, hesitantly I obliged. Why God why? I seriously, can't believe they call this Italian cuisine. The food is microwaved garbage. The safest bet when ordering drinks is beer or wine. I don't do mixed drinks or cocktails at franchise restaurants. The waitress was cool; attentive and nice. But this is my last visit EVER.
Came here to grab some lunch with my wife. Your typical olive garden decor. Busy because located in a mall
We started by ordering some drinks. My wife had the peach rasberry iced tea and I had the orange cranberry limonata. The iced tea tasted a little off and different from what my wife can remember and my limonata had a bug in it. Took forever to flag down my server and when I did she was unapologetic about it. We had their new artichoke fritti to start. Looked oily and tasted oily. The sauce didn't really pair too well with it. The appetizer was actually unappetizing. We also tried their northern tour of italy. The breaded chicken was way too salty. The fettuccine was good, as was the tortelloni.
Don't really like this location because of the service and quality of the food. Everything just seemed a little off.
I really really like Olive Garden!There..I have said it.I can imagine the smirks on people's faces when they read that. In the tristate area where there are so many authentic Italian places,how can I possibly like Olive Garden?
Well,honestly we don't go to Olive Garden for the authentic(not!)Italian food,we go there for the indulgence,those soft,salty breadsticks and thick creamy soups.I could really have that chicken and gnocchi soup everyday for the rest of my life!The entrees are tasty but usually by the time I start on my entrees I am pretty full so I don't pay as much attention to them.My regular orders are the Chicken marsala or the garlic rosemary chicken.
Now talking about this particular location, its always crowded with at least a 20 min wait time.That is not quite so off putting though because we usually wait at the bar and waiting with a drink in hand is not so bad. The service has consistently been great whenever we come here. Sometimes the noise levels are slightly too high but that kinda adds to the homely atmosphere,(that feeling of digging into good food at grandma's house with loud opinionated relatives making a ruckus in the background.)Anyway, a good place to have a good time!