Super service. Everything you'd expect in Olive Garden. Excellent salad and breadsticks. All of our meals were loaded with flavor and pleasing to the palate. The calamari was probably the best I've ever tasted. Fried just right, not chewy. The chicken margarita was my favorite. Chicken was juicy and full of flavor. A great place to bring a crowd. read more

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WOW!! Best food DELIVERY service I've experienced!! First time ordering delivery service from Olive Garden, and it was amazing! Everything was in containers that were 'clean' and organized. The food was delicious and hot. I would definitely recommend it if you don't feel like cooking! Win! Win! read more

Very good service and good food, the city of Madison is too far left too actually know how good it is.Commies please leave

You'd think after being in business after 43 years that mediocracy wouldn't be the norm at such an important restaurant. This is unfortunately the case at this Olive Garden. When I took my lovely wife here for our 32nd anniversary, we were met by incompetent servers, and chefs whom I think had the same brain capacity as a crayon. Do not waste your time here. read more

Worst service ever! Would not give any stars if I was able. Multiple servers and not one introduced themselves. Couldn't get unlimited soup and salad because no servers were anywhere to be found. The female supervisor there has no people or hospitality skills. If you can't provide a pleasant dining experience with quality food or well trained servers, you shouldn't be in business. We paid over $28 for 1 bowl of soup, a bread stick and bad salad. This used to be my favorite restaurant but we will not be back. This place has zero atmosphere - still playing the same stereotype playlist from the 199as. Don't expect post pandemic customers to come back for this sub par service and food. read more

Totally outstanding service! Vanessa gave us some of the best and most genuine service I've ever received. Good environment, breadsticks and salad are always great. I ordered crispy chicken Alfredo and it was perfect. They even gave me a full refill of my strawberry lemonade in a to go cup. Really awesome experience! read more

The food is not as good as it had been. Smaller portions. Pricey. I wish you would bring back the original dipping sauce for the calamari.

Came here spontaneously for a quick meal with my daughter. Normally not my go to but I craved soup and they have great soup options. The food was exactly what we had in mind and was delivered like so. Flavors were on point and all food was hot and ready to eat. Staff was friendly and accommodating, super eager to please. Olive Garden decor is cookie cutter so it's going to look the same as the other locations, plain and simple. Very clean and organized just no glitz or extra elements in the decor to discuss. read more

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Great service, but that's where it ends. The restaurant smells really bad, like musty, old laundry & dirty carpet. What was that smell??!! I don't know what happened to the famous OG salad! Now they just rip open a bag of Dole lettuce, throw in two olives & a few tomatoes, a small container of dressing you can buy in the grocery store, and served it. It used to be fresh, crispy, chilled, flavorful and amazing - the best part of the meal!! I ordered the salad as my meal with shrimp added. I expected grilled, or at least seasoned shrimp. Not the case. They were small, I'm guessing frozen shrimp that they thawed & threw on the lettuce. The gnocchi soup was flavorless. The lasagna was good, the only tasty thing we ordered. The desserts also tasted dry & frozen, out of a box. Won't be back. How sad, it used to be a great place back in the day! Times have changed, I guess. read more

I'm not speaking currently but a few years ago I went to the restaurant and one of the waitresses wasn't very pleasant. I stopped going because I was scared I'd be sat in her section. Dominique was her name and she wasn't very nice. If you get any other wait staff you're safe but again I haven't been there in years read more

Great service, good food. Waitress was great. Highly Recommend. Free dessert if it's your bday or near your bday. read more

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My bf and I were stuck here during a tornado on his birthday and they were so kind! Christina, the manager, and waiter (Quamme) were incredible to us! We hid in the back kitchen during the 85mph winds and were just fine thank you Olive Garden! read more

Are they ever going to do anything about the nasty tasting water at this west side Olive Garden? The water at other restaurants around there isn't bad, so their water lines need a good flushing, or thorough cleaning, or better filters, or complete replacing. Their water makes their sodas appalling, while their soups seem ok, but would they be better if the water in that place wasn't so foul? Does the Coca-Cola rep not test their products there? Do the owners & management not eat & drink there? Don't get me wrong, I like their food for the most part, but the portions are definitely a sign of shrinkflation, as it appears they're using sparrow breast meat in their chicken parmesan now. Disappointing visit. read more

We've never had a bad experience here. We usually come when we have a gift card or when we want to eat like kings -- today was both! Our server, Melissa, was outstanding, super cool and overall a great customer-focused person. She recommended the Moscato-Rita and it was exactly what I wanted. The husband and I both had stuffed pastas which were excellent. The food is always delicious even if we know it's not super healthy. This is a great OG and we recommend Melissa and the staff here! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Stuffed Asiago tortellini with five cheese marinara - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Ordered Shrimp Scampi and it was delicious. My waitress was Lexi B. and this was on 10/9/2024. She was very pleasant, efficient, answered all my questions, was prompt with the hot food and over all a nice relaxing experience. Thank you, Olive Garden, for such great food and service! Mrs. H. Madison, WI. read more

First: air conditioning abuse: dining room temp 65 degrees. Second: every employee we saw was so splattered with food, menus were hardly needed. Since we arrived not long after they opened for the day, it was clear their aprons hadn't been washed in several days. Third: my wife observed a female employee in the restroom as she "popped" a zit on her face and then left without washing her hands. If we had not already ordered we would have fled. Fourth: read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - This charred well done bit of sirloin had been ordered rare. "We treat you like family.....if it's the Manson family" - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

It's been a couple years since I've been to the westside Olive Garden. On my last visit my friend and I grabbed a late lunch/early dinner and took advantage of their unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks option. While tasty, there was a bit of a snafu when we were seated with the lunch menu and charged the dinner price. Not a huge deal, but it was about a $3 jump in price we weren't expecting. I recently had food from this location again while visiting my parents. They were heading home from around the mall and my dad hadn't had OG in a long time so he suggested it. A-OK by me. I went with my old standby, chicken fettucine alfredo with salad. The to-go salad portion is huge and comes with the dressing, croutons, and cheese packaged separately so nothing gets soggy. As you would expect with their salad, it comes with a ton of iceberg lettuce, one tomato slice, two black olives, two pepperoncini, and a pile of red onion slices. It held up well as packaged to the next day for lunch. My fettucine was a little disappointing. The chicken was different than I remembered it; I don't know if they've changed suppliers or the preparation in the kitchen has changed, but the quality felt lesser than previous visits to the chain. The noodles and sauce were fine and a large portion - enough for two meals. On to-go orders, each meal comes with two breadsticks. My dad and boyfriend got soup as their side, and it's definitely the way to go on takeout. The bowls were huge - we guessed at least double of what you get when you dine in. They got an appetizer of calamari and that didn't fare well as takeout; not surprising in hindsight, but disappointing nonetheless. The pasta also benefits from dining in, but wasn't bad once it got home. When we want pasta we usually hit up a small spot on the north side, but OG will always have a soft spot for those of us who grew up in the suburbs. They're generally consistent, offer some good deals, and have a huge menu that holds something for everyone. read more

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I haven't been in an Olive Garden in forever, but it was very reminiscent of all the other Olive Gardens. :) The wait at 9pm took about 30 min so I this place is busy even at night? Or maybe understaffed... Tables didn't look completely full... Warm bread sticks are always the winner. Unlimited soup and salad is a nice, too. We were pretty full before our meal came. It was pretty much what is to be expected. Shrimp with Angel pasta wasn't quite tasty... But my husband's chicken dish with mashed potatoes was packed with buttery flavor. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Shrimp with angel hair - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Tonight was my mothers birthday and we made reservations for 8 here. We arrived late due to some inconveniences and when we sat down we had asked if we could order since the rest of our group had already ordered. The staff attending us (Mauricio) had told me specifically, "don't you see I'm busy, arriving late and on top of that you want to exceed my service?" Instantly I knew I wasn't going to tip, and announced it. The rest of the night he didn't change his demeanor he kept making smart remarks and even going as far as not asking us for anything through the night and not wanting to give my mom her birthday cake at the end of our meal (due to the bill being payed too soon) even though he never mentioned he had to add a cake to any open bill and knew we wanted one in advance. Thus withholding the information about needing to add the free birthday cake to our check prior to giving us the cake. read more

I'm sorry but this Olive Garden is abysmal. It smells horrible and every surface looks and feels dirty. And the food is just an Olive Garden so it's not like it's anything special. My biggest complaint though is the staff, particularly the hosts. They simply act as though they hate their jobs, which is an awful first impression. I actually felt like I was a burden to them. And if someone could explain how you're on a 10-15 minute wait for a party of 2 at 11:30 on a Wednesday that would be great. read more

Food to go! Huge portions and timing was perfect. Ordering online was easy to do. Thanks

The food was great as always! Every time we come here the portions are huge and we get our meals quickly. This visit we had Mauricio as our server and he was amazing. He was kind and attentive and made it a great experience for us! The ambiance was good. The restaurant was clean and well decorated, and maybe the only thing I would change is to turn up the music a little to drown out the noisy kids next to us lol. Very good overall!! read more

Satisfied!! We try to go to Olive Garden as often as we can and this spot hasn't failed us. Best location for fresh salad and warm food.

We've been dipping into the Olive Garden well for many years now. They are reliably consistent with their experience - food, service and atmosphere. It's our go-to italian place. Are they the most authentic Italian food in town. No. Is it the "best ever"? Nah. But it's tasty and consistent without fail. I keep their number in my phone so I can order carry-out when the need arises. I do enjoy the appetizers - Rizotto Bites, Lasagna Fritta and Fried Ravioli (not sure they have that anymore) are among my favorites. For dinners, the family likes the old standby of Fettuccine Alfredo. I like to try various things and, so far, nothing has disappointed. If I've done something special that deserves rewarding, I'll get the Tour of Italy. :) Of course, it wouldn't be the same without the breadsticks (we get Alfredo to dip them in). The soups are great, but I do enjoy the salad as well. When you're ready for a dinner out, and you need to ensure it will be a great experience without taking a big risk, Olive Garden is a great choice. They're a safe bet, and never disappoint. read more

Overall the experience wasn't bad. I get pretty much the same thing every time i come so I know what to expect. The zuppa was amazing as always. Along with the breadsticks. The salad had to much dressing on it. We got the spicy calamari, the jalapeños were good but there was no flavor to the calamari. Also one of the kids got the wrong sauce on their pasta. We asked for meat sauce and she got alfredo. The server was nice however his English wasn't the greatest so it was difficult to understand him. read more

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This location usually has great service, and the food is your standard Olive Garden fare. I've eaten here hundreds of times, and whether it is for a birthday, weekend lunch with friends, or quick lunch in the bar area on a weekday, I usually come away satisfied. Today, as I sit here typing, is a different story. I have yet to be greeted at the table - wait just got noticed and placed an order at the 50 minute mark. I was just curious how long I could take up space and not turn a table over. They beat the worst example of that - 1:15 wait for a server at Pedro's East a few years ago with the entire section turned over at least once before I was greeted. Let's see if the rest of the service can partially redeem the visit. Update: The manager ran my credit card and then asked me how my visit was. I gave her an honest reply, and she offered me a $15 gift card, which was a few dollars more than my bill for the meal. So all in all, some of my time was wasted but I was fairly compensated for the disappointing service. The food was good as usual. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - 40 minutes waiting and counting for service in the bar. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I have always loved the Olive Garden--as one of the best chain-type restaurants. They have the best bread sticks and all you can eat salad. The salad is my favorite! It's always so fresh & tasty! Tonight we're in Madison WI and decided to dine at the Olive Garden. When we arrived we were told the wait would be 10 minutes--not bad for a Friday. We were seated in less than 7 minutes! Our waiter was great & the salad and breadsticks are always awesome! I ordered the shrimp primavera. It was a large portion, tasty--but the shrimp were a bit fishy tasting. I ate what I could and boxed up the rest--about 1/2, leaving the rest of the shrimp there. My son had the capellini pomodoro, my husband--the chicken Parmesan. Both enjoyed their meals as well. I'll avoid the shrimp dishes here, from now on! But--still like Olive Garden restaurants!! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Shrimp Primavera at the Olive Garden - Madison WI - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I had the worse server ever, awful service, forgot to bring food, didn't know his own menu, other server help faster because he took a long time to show and at the end tried to be funny and arrogant. read more

We had a part of 12 and we seated on a Friday night in 15min! They had our food out quickly and the service was great! Usually when you with a group of this size the service suffers but this was absolutely not the case. Food- typical Olive Garden they are all similar in quality of food and there were no problems. read more

Between the completely unwanted pushing of drinks (and the otherwise pleasant server's undisguisable discomfort at being forced to push drinks) and fighting with the stupid tabletop computer (that wants to sell me games?? Seriously??), this was the most unpleasant dinner I've had in a long time. The Noodles and Co across the street puts Olive Garden to shame. What a hole. read more

deliziosa italiano stasera!! We usually don't do chain -restaurant Italian but we were in a rush and it sounded great!! We were greeted at the door and sat immediately in a cute little BOOTH!( one other reason we avoid OG is they never used to have booths) Our waitress, I wish I'd written down her name, was prompt, polite, knowledgeable and super friendly!! We tried the wine of the night and it was a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc and also the House moscato red. Both were delish. I ordered theChicken Marsala with garlic mashed potatoes and my daughter had some type of chicken with roasted peppers and angel hair pasta!! Excellente' !! The house salad was perfectly dressed and the warm fresh soft breadsticks were on point tonight! Just the perfect amount of Parmesan cheese was freshly grated and even though we may have wanted it heavy, our waitress obliged with a smile! Can't wait for the holidays; might just go back again! read more

Oversalted everything. The only reasonable item to order is the lunch menu deal with unlimited salad (skip the canned soup). Have your salad with breadsticks and pack your oversalted item for dinner. For $10 it is a reasonable price for two meals. read more

I'm a huge fan of Olive Garden. Pasta. Need I say more? I always order the same exact thing. Fettucine Alfredo with chicken and pasta e fagioli soup. The soup has a bit of pasta, beans, and Italian sausage; it is great. Their fettucine alfredo is always satisfying, their chicken is so-so. It isn't my favorite but I feel like it has to be there so I can at least say I am "trying" to be healthy, right? Their kid's menu is fantastic! Search and finds, stickers, coloring crayons. It truly is the little things like this that matter when trying to decide where to go eat when you have kids. Plus they have their tabletop tablet which does cost $1.99 for unlimited games (we have never done it it but may when she gets older). She also loves that she can choose whatever shape pasta she wants with whatever sauce she wants. Plus the breadsticks! Breadsticks and pasta go together like peanut butter and jelly. You truly cannot have one without the other. Olive Garden is always my first choice when deciding when to eat if we have our daughter with us. I know we will all walk away happy with full bellies (plus leftovers!). read more

We like this Olive Garden but had a poor customer service experience today. The server was likely overworked with too many tables. But she could not spend more than few seconds with us and when she made comments like "Oh my God, can you ask for everything at once", that spoiled our group experience. I wish I did not take the family this Saturday afternoon there. read more

I ordered a to go order yesterday and they forgot my breadsticks. I called back to mention it to them and was put on hold for about 5 minutes. I ended up just hanging up and not trying back. Check your to go bags! read more

Had a great experience at this Olive Garden tonight. I'm in town for work and went there for dinner. Our server, Stephanie, was super nice and helpful. She kept us stocked in salad and breadsticks and brought our food as quickly as she could. Was very friendly as she boxed our leftovers and definitely gave us a great experience! read more

This is not a good place to eat if you only have an hour for lunch. We had to wait 15 minutes for a table even though the restaurant was not busy. We all just ordered the soup, salad, and breadsticks and everything took so long to be served. The salad and breadsticks were fine but very stingy amounts were served. The soups were quite bland. We do not plan on returning since lunch took too long and was nothing special. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Empty waiting room - fifteen minute wait. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I wish I could give Olive Garden five stars, as the food is always amazing but the service sucks every time we visit. If this could change it would make our experience better. Last time I visited I got the cheese ravioli and it was to die for! read more

Since I can occasionally manage to ruin boiling pasta (hey, I'm not a chef and I multi-task) sometimes we go out to fill up the kids on breadsticks (always a favorite) and salad that I adore. Some things are always good, (ahem soup salad and breadsticks). Kids meals are only $6.00. Although both my girls had chicken tenders with spaghetti somehow my one daughter had a few French fries stuck in her pasta, which she didn't seem to mind even though she generally hates her food to touch. I had stuffed ravioli which was good and the dinner portions are huge. I cannot imagine leaving here hungry or being able to eat dessert. Our service was impeccable and our waitress earned a good tip for checking on us frequently and even refilling a kid's cup before it was empty. The restrooms were clean, I appreciate the full rack of paper towels and garbage can near the door. They are automatic flush toilets, so if you have kids afraid of being sucked down the toilet be sure to cover the motion sensor like I have done for the past 11 years:D read more

I was looking for a quick place to have a dinner before a movie with a friend. It was between this and the other restaurants in the West Towne Mall area. My main motivation was dessert so that is why we picked the Olive Garden. The server gives you a taste of wine as you seat down...to tempt you into buying a full or fuller glass of it. Okay Olive Garden, you sold me on the sweet red wine. Ordered the calamari, it's serviceable. Ordered the Pasta e Fagioli. It's a good soup. Breadsticks, you bet I will have one or two. For the entrée, I had the Tuscan steak with the lobster ravioli. The steak was cooked and seasoned well. I was not a fan of the Lobster ravioli. It really had the taste of imitation seafood. I would not order that again but my friend enjoyed it. So you can skip it or try it as two people had two different experiences with it. Ordered the Tiramisu, just plain delicious! The real reason to come to the Olive Garden. Our server was good and attentive. The food came fast so we were to the movie theater with lots of time. Left with a doggie bag of steak and calamari so I had lunch for the next day. It was a nice stop for dinner. read more