This place is a hidden gem, and I'm sad our kiddo is graduating in a month, because if we'd known about Italian Garden, we'd have eaten here every time we visited! The food is AMAZING. I started off with the Italian salad, and then had the eggplant rollatini, which is hard to get right, but they definitely did. The delicious rolls they bring out before the meal are so soft and good, too. My daughters both had the chicken carciofi. So good! It's BYOB - you can bring your wine or beer in. Be prepared for a bit of a wait to dine - it's small inside but oh so worth it! read more

Italian Garden - Chicken Carciofi - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Ehh... maybe I set the bar a bit too high comparing it to the italian kitchen I frequented in Frisco, Roma's. The complimentary bread rolls did not come with marinara, which was incredibly strange to me. Mozzarella sticks tasted like they were microwave defrosted from being frozen. Calamari was quite nice, but the pizza was not very savoury. Way too much tomato sauce, and the cheese was strange, I don't know how to describe it except strange. Server was kind, I can't exactly remember how often she came around to refill our drinks or check on us but it definitely wasn't a long wait or else I'd remember. Yeah, I wouldn't go back here on my own time. read more

As always food was great. Shrimp Alfredo. Baked ravioli. Salads. Breads. The usual. Great service as always. The problem which we had not seen before was some foul mouthed guy (manager I'm guessing) using awful language in the dining rooms and loudly in the kitchen. We were surprised that was going on. Went table to table talking and just cursing up a storm. The worst was in the kitchen with a rant of several "f***, f***, f***". It was unreal. So loud. Who is this guy and what's he thinking? Doubt we return. Too bad, because good Italian food in SM is hard to find. But there's no call to act like this. Too bad. read more

Linguine carbonara was very good. Even though there was only one waiter on duty, he was very polite and attentive! Small dining area, but very cozy. Bread was very good. read more

Ordered a tour of Italy, this is how the Alfredo was served.. very souplike.. possibly the worst rendition of a creamy pasta I've ever paid for. read more

Italian Garden - Takeout "Fettuccine Alfredo" if you could consider this a pasta instead of a soup... ridiculous. - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

I used Italian Garden for catering. For 25 people I ordered two big pans of salad. The dressing comes on the side. One pan would have worked, and we were eating salad for days! I also ordered two pans of lasagna and two Pans of chicken picatta. What I didn't think of was that I had enough food with these two Entrees for 50 people. Wow! One pan of each would have fed 25 people, portion controlled. The entrees came with two big pans of free garlic knots. It was worth the purchase and I recommend them for catering. JAY took my order and was very helpful planning and loading it up. They were so nice to deal with. read more

Italian Garden - Catered meal - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Wow - just when I thought Italian garden couldn't get more petty - here we are. My son ordered delivery dinner tonight, included should have been 3 cannolis at 9 bucks a piece. Of course there were only two upon delivery. When I called Italian garden the "manager" (read very smug owner) told me it wasn't his problem and he couldn't do anything about it. I'm sorry sir, does the door dash guy need to be responsible for whoever bagged 6 items instead of 7? What garbage. I wonder how many people they do this to each evening. read more

My last review here was 5 yrs ago. That was a five star review and once again the food is five stars! My favorite dish is the seafood medley in a wine sauce (also offered in a red sauce). It's served over Angel hair. As usual, it is BYOB, something that everyone seems to know seeing how many wine bottles are on tables. read more

Italian Garden - A seafood medley over Angel hair - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Watching carbs so the shrimp primavera was just right. Friendly and efficient service was a bonus.

$10 and 20 minutes at heb will buy you a more authentic Italian meal. The lasagna was a bowl of sauce with ricotta and 2 noodles. Also it's BYOB... I guess this place would make a nice mortuary based on the ramp outside. read more

First of all it was freezing in there, we got here around 8:30pm. We received 4 rolls (this was probably the best thing they had ). Ordered the calamari which I could tell once it got to the table that it was bland. They had no color or seasoning on them. My lasagna had little to no pasta, I bit into two maybe three bites with pasta. My husband had this pizza and said it was "trash". He had a sweet tea, did not receive a refill because they ran out at 9Pm also ran out of rolls. I heard the waitress tell the table beside us when she brought them (1 roll out to a table of 5 mind you) that the cook said they were out and they weren't going to make more.. they close at 10 Pm. Lastly we got our cheesecake, I could have gotten one from Jack in the box to be honest. The service was ok, she was sweet. The food was just not it. read more

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It was okay, it all tastes a lil store bought. The bring your own bottle and the prices are what would bring me back here, not the food lol. The lasagna was mushy and tasted like sharp cheese....but the Alfredo was good. The sausage + meatball spaghetti was almost good? And the eggplant parm was okay, but the sauce and noodles get a lil watery at the end. read more

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I love italian garden. Ive had their crab cakes and shrimp alfredo and it was so so delicious! I always loved this place and the vibes inside read more

When I went to Italian Garden, we were debating between this or a fancier place, but we ultimately decided on here. You're given bread for free, and they're garlic knots. They are so good, and fluffy, and flavorful! We also tried the calamari, which had a wondeful seasoning and perfect amount of breading. Service was fast, and something that stood out, was that we interacted with EVERYONE! All the employees talked to us, which was great. We really had a great experience, and we didn't expect it to go so well! I would say the food was an 8.5/10, very good! And it is obviously a home owned business, owned by an Italian family, as they were speaking Italian in the back! Loved it. Would recommend to anyone!! read more

It's really hot in here for starters. Silverware on the floor. My friend Ben has zero friends? Dokes is everywhere all at once. The people at the table next to me admitted she was a coke addict. Anywho my friend, Mimi, ordered kids menu with a very small portion (seen below). IT. DIDN'T. SNOW. Friend has an itchy ear and asked for water without ice. I am apparently the woman of the table. Ben could not be -bread was cold after sitting out too long-friends because he doesn't have Zelle. Waitress, possibly named Mimi, was really nice read more

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Did lunch at Italian Garden and we really enjoyed it. Fresh bread, fresh oil and herb for dipping in bread. Large portion sizes. I got the trio cannonouli with pink sauce. Loved the manicotti portion. My husband got the sausage alfredo. Both were delicious. Christian was a great waiter. Cozy atmosphere that worked for lunch. Will go again. read more

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Italian Garden is still the best place for Italian food in San be Marcos! We truly enjoyed our meal. Our server Kevin, made it more than a meal and turned it into an experience! Kudos to the chef for perfectly understanding our special requests. The Chicken Portofino and the Chicken Parmigiana were served with excellence. We loved the ambient music reminiscent of the 40's and 50's. I actually felt as if we were in an Italian restaurant in New York City years ago. There is outside seating for those that like that type of experience. Enjoy a quiet romantic dinner in San Marcos. read more

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I ate my spaghetti and meatballs today my dad's birthday dinner was so delicious and it made my day so much easier! read more

Italian Garden - Spaghetti with Marinara - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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This place is so mid. Calamari is god awful. Service isn't good either which sucks because this is the only Italian food near downtown read more

Italian Garden - Calamari - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

We frequent Italian Garden often. I have always enjoyed their rich marinara sauce. Not only is their food consistently good, but the service tends to be pretty consistent. I definitely recommend it. read more

Server was first rate. Lasagna had no pasta Lump of cheese and sauce. One small fold of a corner of pasta. read more

the BEST italian food in san marcos, hands down. I'm not a big fan of alfredo sauce, but I decided to try their fettuccine alfredo and it was absolutely incredible. I've never had anything from here that I didn't like! the service is amazing, and the food is always spectacular. read more

Italian Garden in San Marcos, TX, was a delightful find recommended by my hotel staff. From the moment I arrived, it had the vibe of a cozy, family-run Italian spot--red and white checkered tablecloths, and fresh oil for dipping your bread, really set the scene. They started me off with an order of garlic bread knots that were light, airy, and delicious. I followed that with a huge house salad, but it was so large I could only manage half. For the main course, I chose the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, which arrived creamy, packed with tender chicken, and piping hot. The flavor was excellent, and the pasta was cooked perfectly, though I could only eat half because of the generous portion. Sadly, I missed out on the last serving of tiramisu, but the Black Forest cheesecake I had instead was just as good as the rest of the meal. The real highlight, though, was the waitress, who made the experience even better with her fun and conversational service. With the salad, main meal, dessert, and drink, the total came to just $26 before tip--very reasonable for the quality and portion sizes. If you're in San Marcos, TX, I'd highly recommend checking out this local gem. read more

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I've ordered from here many times and eaten in-house many times. I haven't been this disappointed in a menu item until last night. I ordered penne with meat sauce but received spaghetti with meat sauce. There was something metallic in the meat sauce. What!???! It's sloppy to not provide the requested pasta when the menu item gave the customer a choice of spaghetti, penne or angel hair, and absolutely non-hygienic to find something metallic in the food. Beware. read more

Best Italian food and can't beat the prices! Large portions and cozy atmosphere! Would recommend try it. read more

Very nasty food. Sub par all around. Really too bad. I mean how can you f*** up pasta?? It's hard to swallow.. both figuratively and literally. read more

I always drive by this little building, but have never tried it until recently! This restaurant is quiet and is cold! Make sure to bring a jacket, we were sat near the air vent. Our waitress was so kind and letting us know what she recommended as it was our first time there. She came by frequently to refill our waters and give us more bread (which is so yummy) and olive oil. I ultimately got the baked lasagna. However, when I got it there was barely any meat. It was okay for a bit, but you get a bit tired of just mainly eating the cheese and pasta. I would still go back to try their other dishes of course! I just got unlucky with my first choice. read more

Italian Garden - Baked Lasagna - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

This is the third time in the last 5 years I have visited and I have finally decided to leave a review despite the food always being terrible. If you are looking for poor quality food that tastes like dishwater, you found your place! Anyone who says that the food here is good is uncultured and would think a paper plate tastes good. I didn't even try eating past the two bites I could stomach and threw the rest out. The previous two times I ate here I also didn't finish my food, but since it had been over a year since I last tried I figured I would give it a chance. Save your money, butter noodles at home taste better than anything they serve here. read more

Italian Garden - Chicken Piccata - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

It was ok. Some of the dishes had way too much sauce. Noodles were drowning in sauce. Lasagna and some of the cannelloni dishes seemed to be small portions. Prices were reasonable though. read more

We've been coming here for a few years and have never had a bad meal. While my husband's go to is the chicken piccata and spaghetti, mine is the pasta carbonara. The food is very well priced and I always have enough leftover for lunch the next day. read more

This place was great! The food quality was great for a mom and pop spot. We order a few different dishes the lasagna was noddle are made in house for that dish and you can tell. My lady ordered the tour of Italy and 10 times better then Olive garden. This place is like a freshly made Olive Garden! Instead of everything coming from bag and pre made like Olive Garden they're making their food fresh and in house. Also the pricing is way better! Service was not bad we had a little incident and they accidentally packed out food to go but they fixed it quickly and got our food out still hot. It's not huge but not too small either it definitely gives you that small mom and pop feel. If you are in San Marcos a you want some fresh Italian food with good prices I would definitely recommend this spot! read more

This is a small mom and pop shop in San Marcos! Have been coming here for awhile. The food is great food and affordable price. The service was also fast and friendly. read more

Italian Garden - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Absolutely horrible cannolis! Shell was delicious so you would have high hopes, but the filling tastes like pillsbury frosting, insanely sweet. Super sweet hospitality in front, but good lord I thought Italians took pride in their food. (No ricotta in their powdered sugar nonsense) Also online says cannoli for $5 but in person menu they are $9, eyeroll. read more

Food is exceptional, service is always so friendly and prompt. The restaurant inside is very cozy. All the food we have ordered was so good. read more

Italian Garden - Calamari appetizer, Fettuccine with Sausage, Garlic, and Onions and Fettuccine in meat sauce with extra meatballs. - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Nothing like getting burnt food and not even cooking it with all it says on the menu, barely any sauce on the spaghetti, said I wouldn't go back after the last time but now I really will never go back! What a terrible experience read more

Great food very reasonably priced and great staff. I'm an Uber and LYFT driver and I've recommended this place to many people unabashedly. I've never been wrong. read more

Great food at a great price. Local restaurants are becoming rare and I thoroughly enjoy patronizing this one.

never even got the chance to eat there because we sat there for 40 minutes and no one came to serve us. One lady came in for delivery and the servers were talking behind her back after she left, very rude. read more

A great experience! Food was really good for "textalian". The vibe in the restaurant was great. The service was absolutely amazing, Taylor B did an amazing job and made us laugh every time she came over. We will definitely be returning! If you're looking for a nice chill spot to eat lunch or dinner, this is it! read more

I'm a fan of small red checkered table cloth Italian restaurants. These are the kind of places that serve bread when you sit down and offer big well priced portions. Italian Garden is such a place. Even though it's not a family style restaurant, we ordered three items for the table of three and shared them: chicken Parm, fettuccine Alfredo and a pizza. All were good. Exceptional? Not really. But good? Yup, and sometimes that is good enough. One reminder - this spot is BYOB so bring your own vino. read more