Waste of time despite our desire to have Italian dinner. we arrived at Olive Garden in Alcoa last evening around 7:00. the restaurant was not busy and we were immediately seated. off to a good start - right? Wrong!!! we waited about 5 minutes for our server to arrive and greet us. finally the hostess came to our table and said our server was working on a situation and said she would go ahead and get our drink order. Drinks arrived but after another 20 minutes still no server. I went up to the hostess and asked if we needed to be moved to another table. She said our server had just arrived at our table. We ordered our food and shortly afterwards our salad was delivered to the table. Mistakenly, we thought the lapse of service and attention had been correlated. Twenty minutes later, no food. No server. People seated long after us had received, siding and finishing their meals but not us. My husband went yo to the hostess desk and asked for the manager to come to our table. Another 5 minutes later, still no food, no server, no manager. So now, 45 minutes had been wasted waiting for our meal. We got up to leave stopping by the hostess desk where the hostess and manager now stood. We questioned what happened and the manager said our food was delivered to the wrong table - but they would be happy to prepare us another meal! Really??? To prepare ANOTHER meal, we would have to receive a first meal! There was/is NO excuse for the lack of service, sloppy attention to orders and delivery NOR did they offer any apologies for this inept delivery of care or attention to simple details and service. Wasre of time. Next time we crave an Italian meal we will actually seek out a restaurant that serves food instead of consuming our time! read more

Family friendly Italian style restaurant that grandkids love , my favorite is the soup and salad combo with the pasta del fregola soup , the kids like the shrimp Alfredo , read more

Our waitress was amazing! She was the most hospitable waitress I've experienced at this level of restaurant. Our food was fast and hot. This location exemplifies southern hospitality and quality. read more

For food that is heated up before it is served it came out good. For a party of 6 we only had to wait 5 minutes to be seated for our dinner. The service we received was outstanding. read more

The food was on point and the waiter was pleasant. We did not have to wait a long time to be seated, which is always a plus. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Chicken & Shrimp Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

Unknowingly they charged me to use the tablet on the table. We tried using it to look at the menu. This is a complete scam. Furthermore the food was terrible as was the service. read more

We visited Olive Garden yesterday and couldn't be happier. The food was very good and our server, Morgan, was excellent! She was very attentive and did a great job. read more

My food was soooooooooooo good! Was seated quickly & food came out hot. I orders chicken Alfredo & my friend orders shrimp scampi. She so saddity & have not been here in years she didnt want to come but she loves her food too! I just had this meal 3 weeks ago in Atlanta & it was dry as hell but here Marysville is good!!!! Thanks read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Chicken Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

Great service! Had my usual Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken...yummy...drink menu is vast and I have never been disappointed! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Chicken Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

The reason I waited so long to write this review is because I was so upset that I took a week to reflect. Last Saturday, my husband and I decided to go out to dinner before mass, and decided the Olive Garden would be the place to go since we have never had a bad experience or food there. We arrived at 3:40 p.m., went to the bar area and waited. We are patient people so waiting was not the issue here. There was not one person at the bar, however there were three other families in the bar area. The bar had crumbs in front of each seat, so there was not a "clean" place to sit. Typically, I'll ask for the bar to be wiped down before ordering if there are food remnants and never, not one time in my years of dining out, have I ever been met with such disrespect from a bartender or server. When I asked him to wipe the bar in front of us, he rolled his eyes, turned to the bartender behind him, then stated we were high maintenance. I was so taken aback that we decided to leave and go to another establishment. He told us good riddance. He then went to the booth behind us and told the folks there, who happen to be our friends, that we were ridiculous for asking for the bar to be wiped. I'm not saying I'll never go back, but if this particular person is serving, I will not stay. Olive Garden, train your people better. This was a huge disappointment. read more

We visited this Olive Garden on Monday March 31st at approximately 1230 pm. My family and I have been to this location 3 times and every time getting relatively worse. We always order the same thing so we know what to expect when it comes out. My wife ordered the chicken scampi, my daughter had the kids chicken Alfredo , and I also had the chicken Alfredo with broccoli. Our server was great no issues there but when she brought out the salad my goodness it was drowned in dressing. And when I say drowned it was pooling at the bottom. So that was inedible. Breadsticks were warmed and evenly seasoned so good there. So at this time our food comes out and right on top of a huge piece of raw chicken. I'm not one to risk pulling that aside and eating the rest so I called the server and she was happy enough to take it back and tell the manager. She did offer me another plate to be remade but that takes awhile and I was pretty hungry so I just asked for some soup which came out good and hot. Now onto my wife's meal. Again we always get the same food so she knows if it's good or not. Her sauce had a very weird taste I just couldn't describe, her peppers burnt, and her chicken was so rubbery you could put it in a vending machine and sell it as a bouncy ball. I give it up to my wife she powered through it and ate most of it. It was cold and raining outside so we were kinda wet due to the rain and it was freezing inside the restaurant. After we got done eating i half expected to see the manager but no one came to the table. I've ran a couple of restaurants back in the day and any time there's was a complaint I always showed up to say sorry or something to that effect. Side notes there was a server there that' looked so messy shirt untucked, buttons on collar all undone, hair that looked like she had a rough night the night before and just rolled outta bed. She had a jacket on with it half hanging off her shoulder Just completely unprofessional look. And for a manager to allow it. read more

Trinity was amazing and the only reason I really want to dine there. The other servers I have are okay but I honestly really only want Trinity to be my server. She is attentive, kind, always willing to help and so friendly! She's a way better server than any other server I had at this establishment and I hope she has an amazing day. read more

Went out to eat here a few days ago. We stopped coming for a while because it always disappoints. This time was no different. Hard breadsticks, salad looked gross, very little sauce on everything, etc. The server was as very rude, I believe her name was Sarah. Anyways, we're officially done coming back to this place! read more

Good food and okay service. from when we sat down it took the server 10 mins to greet me and my friends at the table. even more to get our order. Our server took our drinks and food order at the same time. I am a server and i get that it can be busy but 20 minutes to get our drinks. The parking lot was half full and it wasn't busy at all for a Saturday night. It wasn't that loud inside the restaurant. Overall an okay experience. read more

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My husband and I got seated and sit for 25 minutes without anyone noticing we were there to take our drink order or food order. Across from us sit a party of 8 people that got their drinks, appetizers, and food in that time. We waited a few more minutes thinking that that was our server and was just busy , ,guess it was not our server. We just ended up just leaving. read more

Sadly, most restaurants don't care that we work hard for our money and want a nice experience, especially given recent inflation pressures. We were seated at a table in the bar area (plenty of seats in the main room). It was nice and cozy until a family of 5, with three young kids, were seated next to us... Seriously, why isn't there an area for "noisy" parties? Yes, families need to eat too, however if you know your with kids ask for a section away from others! Plus, get a baby sitter or just don't go out. I know I'll get blow back, but everyone knows kids make noise, it's not the kid's fault, it's the parents for not thinking about other people. Kids are not a surprise... My mother and father kept us out of restaurants until we were of the age to not scream unexpectedly, but that's called being responsible, something few do today. Plus my wife had a very stressful day and I wanted to take her out. We waisted $75, plus to add insult to injury, both my wife and I has diarrhea the next day. My wife has gut issues from her father's side of family and it left her debilitated for the entire day. It must have been the red sauce as that was the only common item we ate (or the salad?). Just overall horrible experience. read more

When in was told 25 minutes waited 45 minutes never got seated ask why they said the reason was because we had a child in a highchair will never go back and make sure I tell all my friends. read more

The Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno was superb, as was the Pasta Fagioli Soup! Great service and nice ambiance.

My husband picked up some food I ordered on the way home today and it was all so good! I ordered for 6pm and they came out right as scheduled. Ordering from my computer was very easy to do and pay. We both ordered pasta and felt the serving size was very good considering you also get soup or salad with it. We couldn't finish both. I got the chicken Alfredo with salad He got the shrimp Alfredo with salad This also comes with breadsticks. I had to get some chicken & gnocchi soup too for tomorrow because it's soooo good. We recommend it all. It seems expensive when you're checking out but really if you break it down, I could split the Alfredo and salads in half for separate meals it was so much food. I think it was totally reasonable. read more

Slow service but run of the mill food. Decent for a change of pace, but not worth the money. Every restaurant since Covid has gone downhill, food and service read more

I took my kids and mother in law here last night. Our waiter Alex was a great guy. They were very busy but he was very attentive to our needs and we had a great time. Our food was hot and delicious! We will definitely be back here for sure with that kind of amazing service! Ask for Lez!!!! read more

Olive Garden seemed to be a natural fit, given that I was traveling to run a footrace the next morning here I'd imagine a bunch of people were here to carb up for the same running event I was going to do. Pasta and running seem to go hand in hand together, at least that's what I tend to believe. With that said, 3 of us decided to crash the Olive Garden at around 5:45pm since we knew that there was going to be a crazy wave of hungry runners heading here and others who wanted Olive Garden for dinner. We were seated after a 10 minute wait, which wasn't that bad actually. I think we got in just before everyone showed up, which was around 6:15pm. Just got lucky with the timing, I suppose. Olive Garden is known for their Italian cuisine, their advertising, and the classic breadsticks is amazing. I managed to take down around 6 of them over the course of my experience here at this Olive Garden. Lol, The highlight of the evening happened when the server asked whether or not we were celebrating anything tonight. And as the story goes, one of my friends was attempting the hundred miler at the aforementioned footrace the next morning. My other friend chimed in and said she was going for the 100km distance. As for me, just the 50km thanks. The reaction from the server was priceless. It was nice. The overall experience here at Olive Garden here in Alcoa Tennessee was good, pleasant, positive, and fun with friends. We ordered alcohol, of course, but truth be told, I probably could have done without it. We had 2 rounds of breadsticks, which came out warm and delicious. I try to remember Olive Garden when I travel, but often it slips my mind. I was glad that we got in before the dinner rush, so we could get out at a good enough time to get to bed before the next day's run festivities. We were out after an hour of dinner. We didn't really order dessert, due to the fact that our dinners were extra good and the side of breadsticks and salad helped complete the meal, along with the alcohol and water served with it. The restaurant itself was full of hungry diners at the time and thankful we found this one so close to where we were staying in Alcoa. For the most part though, it was a nice dinner with friends that will be memorable for years to come. This Olive Garden is located at 244 Hamilton Crossing Drive in Alcoa, Tennessee. They accept major credit cards, which is always a good thing. As well as cash, they accept everyone like family here - as their slogan says on television. The service was good and professional. It was pretty cool to come here on the eve of a run event nearby - even though there is another event in town as well. Olive Garden Italian restaurant is apart of a larger shopping center, so good centralized parking is plentiful here. Best bet is to come here before the lunch or dinner rush, so you can secure the best parking spot possible. Not sure about public transportation options here, but best bet is to rent a car during your stay here in the Knoxville area or ride around with Uber or Lyft. For me though, I ended up buying a 20 oz brew moon beer, which really hit the spot after spending a nice day in Alcoa. For my entrée, I think I ordered some sort of steak and pasta combo. The steak was cooked and ordered rare. Pretty sure the pasta was probably fetachinni alfredo. All tasted well and delicious. My friends and I left with full stomachs and happy memories. While the prices here are on par with other restaurants I've been to, $10-$15 for pasta entrees seem to be the going rate these days. $10-$13 for premium burgers. I must say that I enjoyed my time here at this Olive Garden Italian restaurant in Alcoa Tennessee. If you are in the area and enjoy Olive Garden, feel free to come here and enjoy. While it is a chain restaurant, you can find something delicious to have. The breadsticks are amazing. I recommend coming just for that and staying for everything else. 4.0 stars for the overall experience. 4.0 stars for the food and the service. 3.5 stars for the ambiance and prices. Support local! B read more

Food was good overall but since it's a place specialized in pastas they couldn't ever bring an overcooked pasta to a customer and that's what happened to me. Alfredo was okay "7/10", chicken the same and surprisingly the broccoli got a 10/10 lol still a good place to eat whenever you're craving for pasta. read more

It's Olive Garden so if you are looking for great Italian maybe think twice. If you are looking for consistent chain Italian, then this place is a good option. Service was great! Food was good. Margarita was terrible (covered in a think ring of salt, drink tasted like a shaker of salt had fallen in, and just bleck. If not for the service would likely be two stars, but have to give them credit for the way we were treated. read more

Horrible people and staff run this place. Waited almost an hour when told 20-25 minutes. Didn't make it past the front door. We were a family of 5 and needed a high chair for my one year old. We saw numerous other families fly right past us and we were given the excuse that a high chair would be an issue blocking the walkway. Unbelievable. Went to Cheddar's next door and was given immediate seating and service! And guess what?! We were not given some lame excuse over a high chair. We weren't treated like family at all. Corporate has been notified of this blatant discrimination. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS AND TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO A BETTER LOCATION THAT TREATS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY RESPECTFULLY. read more

I have always had great experiences at this restaurant, but today was a disappointment. Our waiter had inch-long fingernails and would disappear for 15-20 minutes at a time, and my dish had a hair on the rim. He seemed averse to my friend's request to see if the kitchen would make a fresh pot of coffee, which took 15 minutes to arrive. If I have a server there again with such long fingernails, I will not return. I would think that is a health code violation. read more

I feel sorry to have to write this review as this location used to be amazing--great management, friendly servers, prompt service. Unfortunately, since the ridiculous COVID-19 lockdowns, this location has *really* suffered. There are several issues that are probably beyond repair. I completely understand and commiserate about service industry staffing issues that are plaguing the entire country; however, that doesn't make the dining experience any better. Feel free to apply your own level of sympathy to the situation. Food quality has fallen drastically. The dishes I normally order--soup, salad, and breadsticks, and various lunch pasta dishes for my kids--are simply gross. The salad makings are often brown or limp. Soup is often devoid of actual meat or beans--the protein I need on my calorie-restricted diet. Breadsticks have been reheated and not fresh the last four or five times I've visited. Pasta portions are tiny. I completely avoid the real entrees as they are *way* overpriced for the amount and quality of food--we're talking $16+ for basic chicken dishes. Kitchen times are abysmal. Sometimes it's taken 15+ minutes just to get the first round of salad and drinks. I'm not a picky orderer; I have my food and drink orders completely ready by the first visit from the server. Silverware and napkins are often dirty and I have to request new ones. The inside of the building itself is in dire need of a refurbishing. For someone like me who likes to eat in a clean environment, it's simply too much. The paint is covered in years-old food stains. The seat upholstery is completely threadbare. The carpeting is also worn down to the rubber/vinyl subsurface in many high-traffic areas. All wood surfaces need a good sanding and refinishing. The LED lighting has electrical issues and noticeably constantly dims and brightens. There is often food and trash shoved between seat backs and cushions in the booths, which is *particularly* nasty. And it *smells bad* in the building. Again, I commiserate with people's situations during this tough time, but some of the people this location has hired should not be working service jobs. Bus people in particular are slow as molasses; I've observed them on several occasions and nearly jumped out of my chair to run over and say "Get out of the way. THIS is how it's done!" and do their job for them. They are often scowling, unhappy, and loud. I've personally observed managers having to stare them down to get them to do their jobs. Look, my mother taught me how to clean up after myself, and *I didn't get paid to do it*. I guess that classic American work ethic is long gone. I also observed people showing up to work that look like they should work in gas stations instead of a "fancy" Italian restaurant. To the general manager and managers: if you aren't already, get in here and bust your ass to show these people how to do a good day's work. Your location depends on it. To Tanya, the amazing bartender: you are exempt from everything mentioned in this review. You're amazing, kind, and sweet, and honestly too good for this location. The wait staff is trying their hardest. That said, I notice new faces every time I go in. The attrition must be horrible. I've personally spoken to some of the wait staff about this and they've told me what's up--in hushed voices, of course. read more

Every once in awhile I will enjoy a chain restaurant from the moment I walk in until the moment I leave. Tonight was one of those nights. A half off glass of wine while waiting is brilliant, all you can eat stuffed pasta with a protein brilliant! And a happy, positive server "Heather" who is on her A game made for a perfect night! Heather is one of the best servers I have had at any Olive Garden anywhere in the country. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Great experience! Heather our server was fantastic! - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

My husband and our two friends came out to eat and the wait was not bad. We were quotes 20 minutes, but by time we had ran to the bathroom -which was in decent shape for a Saturday night- we were being called to a table. The booths are very small and my husband and I struggled to fit comfortably, but we didn't complain. Our waitress seemed to not notice us, but once she greeted us, we put in our drink orders. She seemed to want to rush us with our order, so we asked for another minute to look. She came back to take our order before bringing our drinks. Once we put our order in, we waited a few more minutes for drinks and breadsticks. I ordered a simple chicken Parmesean and was extremely disappointed. How do you mess up a breaded chicken breast and sauce? I would have rather eaten a brick. The chicken was so hard and flavorless and by time I was able to cut through it, it was cold. I normally don't complain, but I would have...if our waitress ever came back. We tracked her down once and asked for refills on our drinks and more breadsticks and to see a manager. We didn't receive anything. By time we were ready to pay, she came back with breadsticks. I work at another restaurant under the same company as Olive Garden, and I explained this to our waitress so I could have the company discount and she responded with 'oh, ew' and that was my last straw. I received the discount, we paid, no tip, and we left. This broke my trust in olive garden. read more

This is a picture of the window ledge in a booth that we sat in. Totally disgusting. They definitely need to clean up this place. Filthy. We had no problems with the service but was disgusting thinking about how filthy the kitchen must be. Clean up the place!!!! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

We came to celebrate mother's day and instead felt like we were at home. The teamwork the communication as far as our table being ready. The service was phenomenal we had not one or two but multiple people making sure all our needs were met. The Manager stopped by to make sure it was executed properly. Our server LaTwon was superb he met the individual needs of 11 very picky people and made the mom's feel like it was all about us. I give Olive Garden Alcoa a 100% satisfaction rating. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

To go! Ordered by hotel s phone. Waitress knew fingerspelling to communicate!! It d be nice to add more than 2 breadsticks. Real good!!! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Alcoa, Tennessee

they sold me overnight chicken, my mushrooms were old and cold. very terrible service at this location

Even considering Olive Garden's generally acknowledged mediocrity, this place is heads and shoulders below the rest. There was 8 of us and we were seated at a large dirty table. We didn't immediately notice how filthy it was but there was food smeared around the items that are typically left on the table between customers. Under the table, pushed to the center were straws, cutlery, food. My brother had a large piece of plastic inside his pasta sauce. Servers and bussers didn't seem too concerned. The manager was very apologetic. We'll never return. read more

Not an extraordinary date night at our local Olive Garden. Soup, salad, and breadsticks was what I was craving. Always mostly good food, wine, and dessert. The only thing that really makes or breaks a visit to a cookie cutter chain is the service from visit to visit, and tonight our Abigail was delightful. We didn't have to track her down for anything because she forgot about us, but she didn't hover either. Sweet, and helpful throughout our dinner. All in all great date night in Alcoa. Thank you Olive Garden, and bless your heart Abigail. read more

Tonya was serving every table in our area and she treated EVERYBODY like we were family!! She was incredibly attentive, personal, and accomodating. She had a smile that was real and a personality to match. This was our Best Blount County dining experience since RJ's Courtyard closed. The food was delicious and the service was EPIC!! Thank you Tonya!! We will see you again soon!! read more

Our dinner was delicious. We enjoyed a glass of their house red wine which I have always liked even though I usually order a Sauvignon Blanc. The salad was fresh and seasoned just right. Our friend and I ordered shrimp scampi and my husband had chicken parmigiana. We ordered tiramisu for dessert. The hostesses were welcoming and the waitress was very nice. We had a lovely time. Mrs. DF read more

Takeout orders are getting worse and worse. There is always stuff missing. Last night it was the extra salad dressing I asked for,the coutoms for the salad...the pieces of chocolate. The platic silverware....this is getting old. If i could take my tip back i would. Every time i takeout there is something missing read more

Rotten lettuce in salad and no kale in soup. soup tasted awful. Also served with uncooked breadsticks. server smiled, but did not do a good job. read more

I know lots of people who absolutely love the Olive Garden. The salad and breadsticks are unlimited, the food is relatively cheaper, the atmosphere is lively. I just don't get all the hype. Yes the salad is good, especially when they sprinkle that freshly grated cheese on top, but it's just a basic salad. Usually the lettuce is not very green, so I feel like I'm chewing on crunchy water with salad dressing. The breadsticks are over salted and often come out hard, not soft. With that being said, the service at this location is almost always really quick and friendly. Even though the wine selection is terrible, they bring that wine out fast and with a smile. The breadsticks really are unlimited, too bad I don't really want them in the first place. The entrees are just okay. A lot of the entrees give the option of adding chicken or shrimp. The chicken tastes like a ready made pre-cut meat and the shrimp are microscopic. I would recommend getting an entree where the meat is the main course because it just tastes fresher. I do enjoy their mini desserts that they serve in a small glass. They are the perfect size and I wish every restaurant had options that are similar. I usually get the chocolate mousse, but I like them all. read more