I've been to this Olive Garden a couple of times, mostly while I'm getting my oil changed down the street. They usually get you seated pretty quickly. The interior is similar to any other Olive Garden. Once you've been to one, you kinda feel like you've been to them all. The servers have always been great. My downside is the pasta can be inconsistent. Sometimes my pasta feels a bit undercooked, even as a fan of al dente pasta. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

I came here with my mom for lunch on Friday to take advantage of their $13 soup, salad, and breadsticks offer. We came in and it seemed really busy because the waiting room was full, but it was just a large group. They seated us promptly. We were served by Rebekah. She was great -- quick service and a great attitude. She also offered refills on our lunch items consistently. The food was good. Not much to say here -- it's Olive Garden! But it was consistent and delicious. Would recommend! read more

See all

I have to be honest, I hate marinara sauce, so ordering at Olive Garden is a bit of a challenge for a weirdo like me. However, I managed. I got the Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites (with the sauce on the side for good measure) as well as a side of Crispy Chicken Fritta. The Crispy Chicken Fritta was delicious and I would certainly get it again. The Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites were good as well, but a bit on the dry side (which is admittedly probably my own fault for getting the sauce on the side). The sauce was good, a bit spicy but not too spicy. Their ranch wasn't my favorite but it was alright. The breadsticks were delicious of course, but a bit saltier than I expected. Our server Deja was very kind and helpful. The restaurant was also very spacious which made it easy for my relative with mobility issues to enter and move about. read more

See all

We came for early access to the "Buy One Take One" promotion, which is our favorite OG event of the year. It's such a good value ( around $15/person) to eat one entree with unlimited salad and breadsticks, and then take another full size entree home for another meal (or two). The take home entree is like a "take and bake", and comes with reheating instructions. We got the Spaghetti and Meat Sauce and Lasagna. The spaghetti was perfect, and didn't skimp on the sauce. The lasagna was a plate of cheesy comfort, and the portion size was large enough to split into two. My only criticism of the meal was the lettuce in the salad was cut into gigantic pieces. I don't like having to eat a salad with a knife, which was necessary to get bite sized pieces. Our server was very pleasant and attentive. The restaurant space was bright, clean, and attractive. read more

See all

To begin, our server was Cindy and she was delightful, some of the best service at a restaurant I've ever had. She was funny, communicative, and quick. Ambience wise, standard Olive Garden affair, nice Italian music with Italian themed decor. Food I had was simple, the Zuppa Toscana soup, no entre. However, it was delicious! read more

If you've got teens with large appetites, this is the place for you! Unlimited bread sticks and soup! You can even try all their soups! Portions are generous and the food was delicious! We haven't been back to this place since our kids graduated high school and now the place even looks better! Contemporary decoration, good wine ... yes they have a full bar! Carley was our awesome server! All smiles and very attentive to what we need. This just made our experience all the better! Definitely coming back! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Are server was absolutely amazing! Didn't catch her name but she was great! Probably out served any one else we have had in a long time! The food was good it is what is it Olive Garden standard. read more

I'm not the biggest fan of pasta or Olive Garden in general. My mom loves it though. This location keeps a decent crowd but generally no wait time whenever we go. I don't like the pasta here because it's a bit bland and the chicken just doesn't taste good to me, I did see they had a crispy chicken option so I tried that but still lacks flavor. Sometimes when I know I'm going I'll bring a seasoning or two to help. The breadsticks and salad are good though. The drinks are pretty good as well. You can get a pitcher on sangria which is the best deal if you plan on having more than one drink and have multiple people. The staff are usually nice. read more

See all

Roberto was super friendly and efficient! Love their bottomless salad bowl. We ordered Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, 3 Meat Manicotti, and Chicken Alfredo. What a feast. Clean and up to date and always crowded with happy people! read more

See all

We had the soup and salad last night. It was delicious as always. But our server was below par. Considering the number of times we've eaten there and had outstanding service this was unexpected. Before she approached our table I heard another server tell her we had pushed the "call server" button. She said I know! That's why I came over!!! She walked over and said Hi. How are you today. I responded we are doing well thank you. She said what did you say?? She was obviously pissed off. (We had been waiting for a server for 10-15 minutes. It wasn't busy at 4 pm) I repeated my response and then she took our order and stomped off. She was so aggressive with her cheese grinder cheese flew all over including on my booth seat. Again this was unusual and not the norm at the Bloomington location so we will return. But if she is our server we'll switch tables!!! read more

Today, 1/16, at 1:30pm Service was fine The food was mediocre at best...salad, breadsticks, soup, and pasta--all of it. Salad was limp and watery...pasta was dry and not hot. Not sure what's happening there -- this has been a favorite restaurant of ours for many years, but we won't be going back any time soon. read more

This location is a no for me. We arrived hungry and ready to do the never ending past bowl. I didn't feel like soup or salad so I passed, and that's when things went wrong because the waitress told me I was not able to pass. I needed to pick one of the two because I was paying for soup/salad breadsticks and pasta. I went back and forth it her and finally asked for a soup....that I didn't eat. When we ordered our pasta the waitress made a point of asking us if we were sure we wanted what we ordered, when we said yes she told us our order was "weird" I don't really understand as it's on the menu so clearly someone likes it? Our pasta came but no drink refills came, eventually we flagged down another server and asked if we could get a refill. When our waitress came back she seemed annoyed that we asked someone else and told us that she was very busy. Hey, I'm totally find with waiting but we got super hot pasta and had no drinks. We ate almost all of the first bowl before getting another drink. We ordered our second bowl of pasta and things seemed fine. She asked how many we planned to order and we said one more and asked for more breadsticks. She told us she could bring us two more breadsticks but that anymore and she would charge us for 6...I'm so confused. One minute you push soup and the next you gate keep breadsticks? We decided to ask for a box and left, it wasn't worth dealing with the server. I wont be back to this location. read more

Food is salty, not much flavor. The server seemed careless & not friendly. I used to like this restaurant @ Bloomington location many years ago. But after last Tuesday lunch i don't think i want to come back any more. read more

We had a party of six planning to have a light lunch before hiking, but ended up with a seventh person who had already eaten. Each of us ordered one dish, except for the 7th person. When we were paying the bill, we noticed an additional charge of $8.99 for a garden salad. We asked the waitress about this charge, and she responded, "Well, he ate the salad, right?" I was speechless, not only by how she added the charge but also by her attitude. First of all, when the 7th person arrived, she didn't offer any assistance. We had to grab a chair from the table next to us ourselves. No water was served to him. Three of us have small appetites and couldn't finish our food, so we shared it with him. I didn't even notice if he ate the salad, but she said she saw him eat it. It would have been perfectly fine, and we would have understood if the waitress had given us a heads-up about the charge. However, the fact that she provided no service to the 7th person and then added the charge without notifying us felt very unprofessional. read more

Although I was in Burnsville and had been to the Olive Garden there a month ago, I had my heart set visiting this Olive Garden in Bloomington for sentimental reasons. I'm glad that I did because my experience was excellent. The first Olive Garden restaurant that I ever visited stateside was this one. When I lived in Rochester, the city did not have one. My officemate (also Canadian) and I would drive an hour up to this restaurant to get our fix, including getting dessert as takeout, and driving back home. Naturally, I leave the city and an Olive Garden now exists in Rochester. Figures! I drove over to this restaurant. It felt the same. There was plenty of parking. I parked my car and walked in. A woman said hi when I walked in. I asked for a table and was immediately seated. Nice! My server was Abby and she was awesome. So nice. So professional. She was competent and delightful. I got my usual drink, which is a raspberry lemonade. I then deviated from my usual and went with the lunch special. I asked Abby whether I got the usual soup or salad with any lunch special. Yes. Yay! I got the lunch portion of spaghetti with meatballs with meat sauce. Yep, I doubled-down on the protein. I got my usual zuppa toscana to start. The zuppa toscana was comforting and yummy. It hit the spot on a nippy day. My meal came with breadsticks. They were perfect. I ended up dipping them in my soup. I love how they sop up all that soup goodness. My spaghetti with meatballs and meat sauce came out next. I got cheese on top. I loved the smaller portion. It was a strategic move for me, so I could have dessert for a change! The spaghetti was al dente. The meatballs were hearty and yummy. The meat sauce is always yummy. This dish used to be my go-to until chicken scampi took over. I got my favourite dessert, tiramisu, after I was done with my main course. Yum! Oh, how I have missed it. It was perfect and satisfied my sweet tooth. I got a mint at the end. I never got one at the Burnsville location. Hmm... I paid at the table using that kiosk machine. I slid my credit card in, tipped, and all was great. The washrooms are not by the main entrance. Instead, you have to weave into the left side of the restaurant when you first walk into the place to find it. It was clean. I had a nice chat with an older woman who was experiencing some issue locating the garbage canister to throw out her paper towel after drying her hands. She was sweet. It was so great finally coming back here after all these years. It felt the same. The food was yummy. The service was excellent. Abby needs a raise! (11) read more

See all

Saturday night this place is hopping. Lots of young and full grown families. I'm impressed by the new remodel. It's made up of much smaller rooms instead of one large room. It feels cozier and just a little more private. We were told we have about a ten-minute wait so we sat at the bar for our weight we put in our order for our drinks and were taken right away. The drinks we ordered were the watermelon mascato sangria which I thought was very fruity (which I like) but still very light and I got my usual fettuccini alfredo.My husband got the Cabernet and was served a complementary sample in add-on. He loves loves loves the zupa soup it is his favorite but he decided to try something new this time and ordered the chicken shrimp carbonara that he enjoyed. Our server was so kind and attentive. I don't think I've ever had bad service here ever. The staff are always attentive and always helpful. I understand the actual food quality when it comes to freshness and nutrition it doesn't rank well but it does taste good. And even if it's microwaved it's always consistent. read more

See all

I recently visited on my husband's birthday. This place has great food. I really enjoyed the calm and peaceful ambiance. The drinks which is ordered was watermelon and pineapple sangria's they were absolutely amazing, with fettuccine chicken Alfredo pasta and shrimp appetizer it was delicious. I am very much impressed with thier service as well. Great place to go for a good food as a family, friends and to spend me time. I love it. 10/10 read more

See all

We have been there a few times. Good parking; specials; ability to sign up for wait list on line but they only hold spot a short time. Reasonably priced, love specialty cocktails. Variety of tables and small and large booths. We had Scampi well seasoned. Fresh tender shrimp and cocktails. $62. Great service and price. Soups are delicious as well as large signature salad bowl with meals that is refillable. Wide variety of pasta, sauces, signature dishes and build your own pasta. Right now take home additional select entree $6. Nice. Bar seating and large restaurant. Remodels have taken away the rustic garden look. Pay at the table kiosk which I love. A comfortable place we will go back to. read more

I actually didn't know Olive Garden had been completely rebuilt until I arrived. The new building has a nice layout. Some nice new options: Stuffed pasta......yes pleeeeease!! Unlimited, uhhhhhh yeahhh read more

See all

It is my daughter's birthday today and our family tradition is to let the birthday boy or girl make the dinner choice. Since my daughter is really growing in her tastes, not just burgers and fries anymore, she decided on Olive Garden, since she really like pasta. Olive Garden has a pretty standard layout, so this one is similar to other Olive Gardens I've been to. It was clean and most importantly didn't have crazy loud music, so we could actually talk to each other. Our server, Liddy, was the highlight, as she was super friendly and helpful. Since my daughter and I have Celiac's disease, we are pretty limited in what we can eat sometimes and was a bit concerned since Olive Garden is pasta intensive to say the least. They did have a couple of options, but Liddy guided us to a couple more options that didn't include gluten. She also had perfect timing to replenish our drinks and pass along more breadsticks. Was definitely awesome! One quick note on the gluten-free options, however. While there are a few things that are gluten-free (my daughter had the GF rotini with traditional marinara and I had the herb-grilled salmon with steamed broccoli), the kitchen itself is not gluten-free, as they prepare all the dishes in the same kitchen. We seem to be okay so far, but for those who have more extreme cases of Celiac's, I want you to be aware. If you're looking for a good Italian themed dish in the Bloomington area, I would recommend this Olive Garden, especially if you get a chance to have Liddy as your server! read more

I am a programs coordinator at a senior, living community. We brought a group of about 15 elderly ladies for lunch. We had called ahead of time. They had a very nice table set up for us, and our server Maria was extremely pleasant and helpful. The breadsticks were very hot and fresh, and the soup and salad was ample and delicious. The entrées came out all at the same time, and everyone raved about how flavorful they were. I bring a group hear about once a year, and the service is always impeccable. I would highly recommend visiting this Olive Garden location. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

See all

Outstanding experience. Booked on line arrived to get seated within 5 minutes! Exquisite shrimp scampi; loved our charming waiter who had beautiful tattoos. We were enchanted and ask about them. We love tattoos that tell a story! Fast service; great cocktails and dinner. Great follow up to our meal and. Well deserved tip. Thank you for a great experience with ambiance! read more

Went here anticipating eating hearty. Arrived at 755pm. It was typical slow busy at the OG. I made eye contact with 4 servers. 3 of them who were standing across the room and all looking at my husband and my table. Nobody came to greet us. No water, no offer of drinks. Yup I probably could have stopped someone but when the same servers keep passing you by in the small section you're in over the next half an hour it probably shouldn't be up to me to flag them down. I understand the short staff everyone is working with, but probably don't stand in plain sight where I can see 3 of you leaning on a wall/table and gawking at me and my husband. Needless to say we left. I did catch the manager who I'm not sure if she was overwhelmed or just gave "0" F's but no interest was taken. And we left. I recommend saving your time and just goto outback 1.5 miles away. We were seated, given water and our drinks, welcome bread within 2 minutes. Our apps were placed and speedy delivered to our table. Just stand up now and goto outback. This OG location is not worth your time. read more

My favorite restaurant and where ever I go across America I look for an Olive Garden. The food is great and service is too. You will not go wrong going there read more

This is one chain restaurant I really enjoy. The quality is there and they change up the menu to stay fresh. My daughter and I were waiting for the paperwork to be processed on her new car, and she was craving OG salad and breadsticks, so on to the closest OG. The parking lot was torn up because the restaurant is moving ... about 500 feet into the parking lot. Okay... We were seated right away although I desperately hoped the host would notice I was in an awkward boot cast making walking difficult and seat us close to the front, but alas ... after limping along for several twists and turns through the restaurant we finally were parked in a booth. Our server was prompt, taking drink orders and ready to go when we said "unlimited soup and salad." That's such a joke as I age because one bowl of soup, one plate of salad, and one breadstick fills me up; however Daughter Youngest laid siege to the salad, breadsticks, and soup. We both ordered the Creamy Chicken Gnocchi soup, which was crazily like my grandmother's chicken and dumplings. So creamy. Such tender gnocchi like pillowy dumplings. I will be back just for that taste of Tennessee in Minnesota. read more

Went in with my family, i have a 3 year old son. When they sat us at a table, i asked for a booth. The hostess had an attitude and said they didnt have staff for it. Then the proceeded to seat people in the booth behind us. My wife also heard her talking with her coworkers how we asked for a booth. Now the waiter was alright. But he was lousy about service. Now im not someone to write reviews. But was very dissappointed. read more

It was a snowy evening and we were nearby. Service was a bit slow, but friendly. The hot chocolate was very tepid. We had the cheese ravioli with meat sauce, chicken and shrimp carbonara and spaghetti with meatballs. All were average. The Zuppa Toscana soup is always the highlight. Dessert prices are escalating. The Black Tie Mousse cake was $8.49 and the Tiramisu was $7.79. read more

I'm extremely upset. I ordered take out. Made sure I asked for silverware and plates for a family of 4 And of course I didn't get any silverware. I also got soup with my entree. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to eat any of this but thanks for the plates. I paid the to go order over the phone and gave a tip. I don't even know what's the point of giving a tip if your not going to make sure the order is right. I was thinking of giving more but thank god I didn't. I would've been even more upset. I work in restaurants/hospitality before. If someone tips you, it's not hard to take a extra sec to make sure they're taken care of. Also my kids loves the bread sticks there. So I made sure I got enough and confirm with the person of how many Im suppose to get with my entree and they even messed that one up. Just super disappointed and hangry. If you going to do take out Make sure there's silverware even if you asked for it. Cause that was my mistake. Oh and also tipping doesn't really help you out. So tip if you won't get upset if/when they mess up your order. But hey I asked for some mints when I got there and they got that one right. read more

The food is typically delicious and way more than I can eat usually. I will say that my favorite is the salad and bread sticks. Great food, excellent prices and service read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

Stopped in for a late lunch and just wanted to give a shoutout to our server Jessica D. She was very friendly, attentive, and all around made the experience awesome! We will definitely be back soon! read more

We stopped in tonight and sadly our experience worsened as the night went on... We had a large party of 18 and to our waitresses credit, she took all of us by herself with a smile. Sadly, the food was lackluster. Some people enjoyed their meals while others, like myself, didn't. My Tour of Italy was so dry I couldn't cut through the chicken let alone bite through the pasta noodles. They did though accommodate food allergies very well. Nonetheless we were having a good time. Unfortunately everything worsened when it came time to pay. Again, we had 18 people so I fully expected a mistake here or there, no problem. What's a problem is, is to wait *an hour* after our receipts were taken back, with no update nor contact from anyone. We eventually had to literally start searching the restaurant for our waitress. When we did find her, we learned that the POS systems were bugging out and messing up our receipts. So, not her fault, but why didn't anybody reach out or say anything for the past hour? Not even management stepped in! It got to the point where we would see other employees gesturing to us from afar, likely as confused as we were. What made matters worse, was that our waitress revived no help from her manager. We saw the manager for a split second tap a few buttons on the screen (after we had to line up outside the kitchen to pay) before she ignored us and slipped away. We eventually had to list out our orders to get new receipts to finally leave. So all in all, our birthday dinner came to a frustrating conclusion with our waitress trying her best no communication, and nobody to back her up. read more

Sat for at least 30 minutes and nobody came to even give us a water. I had a better chance to celebrate two birthdays while sitting at this slow serviced restaurant. If you have no place to go this is the place to be they leave the lights on all night. We could've stayed all night and not paid for a hotel room as slow as the Service is here would recommend bringing a snack so you have something to eat while you're waiting. read more

We (party of three) ate lunch at Olive Garden on American Boulevard yesterday and I ordered the Lasagna which was expensive. It was not the same as it once was. There was not much meat if any nor sauce-rather dry tasting and kind of watery tasting as if the noodles had not been drained properly. I didn't complain but I was not happy with it all. Had it not been for the salad and bread sticks I would have rated it a minus, seriously, the Lasagna was just that bad this round. I might add our server was excellent. read more

If I could give zero stars I would! But maybe 1 start is sufficient just for the eye pleasing remodeling at this OG. Came for dinner with my partner last night around 7:30pm, the first contact was okay nothing to really complain about. Our server was the issue.. rushed us into ordering a drink as we were still deciding we sat down and waited at least 10 minutes for you to show up and you're immediately rushing us to order?? Interesting. He didn't know which tequilas they actually had to offer at one point he started naming random brands and when we decided he came back and said actually they don't serve that brand.. ok.. probably should have a drink menu on the table so we are not playing guessing games. Although that was annoying we still put forth a friendly face as we're not mean people, but when ordering the food he rushed again. took nearly 20 minutes to come. It was busy so maybe that's normal at this OG. Soups were half filled and was given 3 bread sticks. I guess I think it should be 4 at least ? like 3 is an odd number for 2 guest are we supposed to split the last breadstick? especially given the fact that he didn't come to do refills I had to reach out and request it.. I just found myself getting annoyed in that moment, but the topper was when the food came out we ordered chicken fettuccine Alfredo, and I got a shrimp fettuccine Alfredo The noodles were hard and stuck together in the pasta itself was dry rubbery and had settled like it had been sitting there for a while. had to flag down my server to try to complain in a nice Ofcourse since he's not to cook. I politely said that my pasta was dry. He offered to bring extra sauce by the time I got the sauce my food was cold and I was no longer had an appetite I was just over it and ready to go . We also got appetizers, shrimp frita and spinach dip that was good really can mess those up but all our food was kind of brought out at one time so we had all these plates all over the place and we just felt very crowded by plates.. distasteful. food here in general is also pretty bland but that's just standard OG. I will say really enjoy the chicken gnocchi Soup its really the only reason I like to go to OG but they were very stingy. Not sure why they advertise unlimited, but make it very hard for you to even eat unlimited soup and salad. .Smh! This is the first time I've actually have written a review. I've had issues at this OG location previously and I typically always avoid this location but since I've moved back to Bloomington and had the taste for it, I thought I'd spin back, but it goes to show that I was right the first time, when I told myself to never come back here. Side note I've been to other OG's , never stingy and stay true to unlimited soup/salad , and I was satisfied enough to not feel the need to leave a bad review to warn others. read more

First time at this location and we were very well taken care of. Jonathan was our server and he was very friendly, funny, and kind. Will definitely be coming back. Cheers! read more

Came for a quick lunch today. Salad, breadsticks and pasta. ...with meat sauce on the side. Just fine. Sydney our server was very pleasant and professional. Very put together and never missed a thing. I do need to say that a few other workers I noticed ...such as the hostess and a few others could groom a bit better before coming to work- maybe just a hairbrush/comb and pull your hair back when working in a food service establishment. Thank you. I do appreciate your service. read more

Decided to check out this italian restaurant with my father. I've heard good things about olive garden especially because it is a national chain. I will say the service was impeccable and probably the fastest i've received in a long time. We asked lots of questions to the server and he still was very cheerful and cheery. To be completely honest, the food was meh. This place will satisfy hunger, but won't leave you wanting lots more. I can't say I won't be going back any time soon, but I think you would be better finding a more authentic italian restaurant if you are more of a foodie. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Spaghetti with Marinara and Garden Veggies - Italian Near Me - Bloomington, Minnesota

JOHN E IS AMAZING!!! My friends and I went to Olive Garden for NYE and he made our night so so special. fantastic hospitality, great attitude, brought a joyful environment to our taste of Italy. We love you John E. We love you. read more

My heart breaks a little writing this but our night was just so terrible. We loooove exploring the fun restaurants in Minneapolis but sometimes you need good ole Olive Garden. However, I think this will be the last time we go. Walking in there was a weird smell to the restaurant that never goes away. It is kinda musty and old, just not what you expect when walking into OG. The restaurant was not busy but our server was no where in sight all night. We had to ask her to order and she did not offer us more breadsticks or soup refills. We had to track her down to get more. Once she brought us more soup she decided pre bringing the bowls out that she would put cheese on. Great, I wanted cheese but also the perk of OG is deciding how much cheese you want on your dish. The whole night she had a cold feel and really never smiled. I have been a server and I get it, some nights just suck but also you are there to make the best experience for the customer. Even a quick, "so busy in another section so flag me down if I don't get back here!" would have gone a loooong way. Hoping it was just an off night but she seemed to be treating the tables around us the same way. Now to the food. It was so bland and just loaded with butter, cream and cheese with no flavor. My chicken pram was just chicken with bread crumbs, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese - that's all! No spices or herbs to give it flavor, nothing at all. The Alfredo tasted like heavy whipping cream and parmesan cheese, that might have been all it was with no pepper or salt in it. I wasn't expecting a five star meal but what we got was less then expected. However, in a last ditch attempt she did give us a cup of chocolate mints. But, just too little too late. read more

The appeal of OG fades as I grow older. It seems like a place that attracts the suburban population for gatherings like birthdays, proms and other celebratory events. My experiences at this location have generally been met with good service. When it comes to food, the quality is subpar for the price. There are many other options in the Twin Cities that provide better pasta. However, I do like the breadsticks and salad that accompany entrées at OG. I split the chicken parmigiana with someone and was pleased that they divided the dish onto two plates before bringing it to the table. If you go to OG expecting the typical chain restaurant experience, then you will probably be fine. If you're anticipating really dyanamic, tasty Italian food, look elsewhere. read more

See all