Extremely disappointing My family and I came to the Olive Garden at 700 N Central Expressway to celebrate my 20th birthday. I've been celebrating my birthdays at Olive Garden since I was 14, and it has always been a nostalgic favorite of mine, which is why my family continues to take me here. Unfortunately, what should have been a special night turned into one of the worst Olive Garden experiences we've ever had. Everyone in our party purchased their own entrée, including their sides. When ordering, we were very clear that we would be sharing our soups and salads with each other, and the waiter heard us discussing this beforehand. After we had already eaten, we were suddenly told that we would be charged extra for sharing because of a "policy" that, according to the waiter, is apparently written in tiny letters at the bottom. What made this even more frustrating was being told that if someone ordered something, that specific person had to eat it themselves. My father is older and does not want or need an entire meal to himself. He mainly agrees to come to Olive Garden because he knows it's a favorite of mine, so I gave him my soup and half of my pasta. Everyone had already purchased their own entrée and sides--we were not trying to avoid paying for food. We were simply sharing our own food with family. We've been to other Olive Garden locations, including Frisco and Allen, and have never had an issue with this. We were also told that taking our unlimited soup to go was against their policy, despite this being something other Olive Garden locations have allowed us to do. After going back and forth with the waiter and manager, we were already extremely disappointed. Then, as a refill was being given to us, we were randomly given lemonade instead of what we had originally been drinking. We never asked for lemonade, but at that point we simply shrugged it off and continued with our night. That is, until we took a sip and discovered a spider floating in the lemonade. The photo attached is what we found. What made the situation even worse was the response afterward. Neither the waiter nor the manager apologized or took any sort of accountability. Instead, it felt like they simply wanted to sweep the situation under the rug as quickly as possible. As an "apology," we were offered a gift card, but there was never a genuine apology or acknowledgment of how unacceptable the situation was. I quickly decided that accepting a gift card to come back to the same restaurant would be pointless. After finding a spider in my drink, why would I want to return? For a birthday tradition my family has continued for years, who has spent their weekend dates and lunches with friends at Olive Garden. this was honestly heartbreaking and disgusting. The inconsistent policies, the way the sharing situation was handled, the argument with management, and ultimately finding a spider in a drink completely ruined what should have been a special birthday dinner. I genuinely hope management takes this seriously. This was not just a disappointing dining experience--it was an experience that made my family question whether we should ever return to this location. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Spider in lemonade - Italian Near Me - Plano, Texas

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Olive Garden is probably best described as Italian-inspired American comfort food. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it's best not to compare it directly to an authentic Italian restaurant. In many ways, dining here feels like stepping into a time machine back to the 1990s, and for many people, that's part of the appeal. One of my favorite features is the Create Your Own Pasta option, along with the endless salad and breadsticks. The portions are generous, and it's easy to leave feeling full. The famous house salad has a sweet flavor profile, and it sometimes seems like a little sugar finds its way into just about everything on the menu. The drink selection is very American as well. You won't find many beers or wines imported directly from Italy, but you'll have no trouble finding sweet tea and familiar sodas. Overall, we had a flavorful and enjoyable meal. If you're looking for authentic Italian cuisine, this may not be the place. However, if you're craving hearty pasta, unlimited breadsticks, and a nostalgic casual dining experience, Olive Garden continues to deliver exactly what its fans expect. read more

I have been to this location a handful of times to dine in. It is very comparable to other Olive Garden's I've been to. Given that it's a chain, I will say the food is consistent. I have, however, ordered catering at least twice a month for the last handful of months for work. It is always so easy! The app makes ordering easy, and the staff always makes sure that everything requested is provided. I had a last minute change in a meeting that was pushed out a day and they were so nice to accommodate that change. I never have to worry when I place an order here. Staff is always friendly and prompt with pick up orders. read more

I had came in to this restaurant and when I first walked in, it smelled awful. Then we were served dirty drinks, I had to ask for a clean cup of water. Then when ordered the ravioli, it was wet and cold in the center, not to mention I had ordered a soup and salad that was never brought. Thank god they at least have a personal kiosk to pay for your check to get the hell out of there. The worst Olive Garden hands down. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Dirty dishes - Italian Near Me - Plano, Texas

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We had the very best experience at Olive Garden. Our waitress Angela was absolutely amazing. She was attentive, so sweet, and never let us get low on anything. So impressed. The food was fresh and hot. The restaurant was clean. The manager was present and making sure everyone was taken care of. I would definitely be back to this location! read more

Picked up the Calabrian steak and shrimp and the spicy peppers and sausage. Both were delicious. I've been waiting for them to bring back the spicy sauce. Salad was fresh and crisp as usual and good breadsticks. I love these new entrees. I'll be having them again. Try them if you like spicy food. They are yummy. read more

We love their chicken & gnocchi soup. The chicken parmigiana and the lasagna are our favorites. Our server was friendly and quick. There were lots of people in restaurant in mid-afternoon. read more

Isa was our server on Father's Day. She was so nice, very fast, clean, organized, efficient, and patient! All the good words. She was truly so nice to have her as our waitress! :) read more

10/10 no notes at all. got seated quickly and service was great. the five cheese ziti was divine and peach tea was cute.

Wife and I had a nice early dinner. First time there in years. Large portions. Loved the salad, breadsticks and soup too! Not the most exciting Italian food in the world, but still love the comfort of knowing what to expect. read more

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I'm a frequent pasta eater and this is my second time giving them the chance to improve the chicken & shrimp carbonara. It lacked flavor. Red peppers not chopped completely & everything was BLAND! Made me really sad. read more

Picture this, 4 women, friends since 1966, turned 75, and taking a road trip to Branson, Missouri. We were in good spirits, and it turned out all of our food servers were in good spirits as well. They treated us royally. The food was great, they treated us to birthday desserts, and then four of them sang happy birthday to us using each of our names. What a lovely dining experience! Thank you, Olive Garden! read more

Call me out if you must, but I love a good Olive Garden meal. Disclaimer: Not exactly "true" Italian American food, but if there ever was comfort food, this is it. For the price, value, and service, it cannot be beat. I almost always get the soup and salad combo here. Unlimited salad, unlimited soup, and breadsticks. I understand some people love the breadsticks but minus 1/2 star for me since they taste pretty mechanically mixed. My husband has an allergy so he's getting gluten free pasta. Their menu is notated, and there are options. I appreciate that we don't have to play the guessing game. Service points: 1. I can get as much cheese as I want. 2. Salad is served on a cold plate. Like at a steakhouse! 3. They almost always ask if you want soup or salad to go. 4. Wine grande pour was a full 10-11 ounces. Long story short, put on your stretchy pants and come enjoy this American standard for what it is. read more

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Ordered the $20.49 grilled chicken alfredo and was extremely disappointed because the pasta had about one tablespoon of alfredo sauce whie the grilled chicken was plumped up with what tasted like salt and water. The grilled chicken had a texture like jello within it. read more

Well...my 8 year old loves Olive Garden, so we took her for her birthday. But the service was terrible and the food was what you expect at Olive Garden...meh. I was fine with the food as I didn't expect to be blown away by the food but the salad and bread sticks which was my favorite part of Olive Garden took so so so long to come. And by the time our salad came bread sticks were empty and no server to be found. our server also never filled our drinks and forgot to put in three of our 8 people's orders. We were almost finished by the time they got their food and we tried to wait for them as long as possible. They finally begged us to eat as our plates were getting cold. They made up for it a little bit with the delicious free chocolate cake for my daughter but we will never be back. read more

Sat there for 15 minutes before we decided just to leave. Vibes were off the second we walked into the door. I said hi upon entry and the server sitting up there looked at me and just walked away. We were sat at a table but were never served or even asked what we wanted to drink. read more

I've been coming here with my best friend for years and we usually have a good experience, but our lunch today was the best customer service we've had! Jolee/Lee was so incredibly personable, kind, and friendly. They took such good care of us and were super helpful. Thank you!! :) read more

I ordered the create your own pasta, my meal was delicious. My server was fantastic she was so nice.

ordered my favorite soup. It was not as creamy as usual. Not sure if it's the location or a change they have made. Hope it's not a change. The salad was good as were the breadsticks. My friend had the lasagna and she commented that it was ok. read more

What great service what great food unbelievable service from our waiter Daniel thank you Daniel for your service!

There was not a wait in line at this location. There were lots of specials at the restaurant. The customer service was very attentive and friendly. The soup, bread sticks, and salad were fresh and tasted very good. I sampled the Tour of Italy and Chicken and shrimp carbonara...both tasted good and the portions were a nice size. I ended up taking food home as I couldn't eat all the food while at the restaurant. read more

The portions and taste of the entrees were all good but a bit salty. Temperature foe carry out also was decent but a bit better packaging might help the entrees stay a bit warmer longer. (Cold fettuccine Alfredo is not nearly as enjoyable as warm). The chicken (chicken marsala) was tender and not over cooked but again use of salt was excessive and left a constant need to drink in order to eat the food. The Alfredo sauce was exceptional flavor wise. Shame the entree was close to stone cold. Only brought about 5 min from pickup. Eggplant parmigiana was properly breaded and flavorful but was light on sauce and again use of salt was overly generous. The spaghetti was properly cooked but not anything special. Half of the breadsticks were much fresher and warmer than the others in the same bag! That was quite odd. The salad was fairly fresh but the lettuce did appear to be losing crispness which if made fresh, would have probably not been an issue. Overall, we had a flavorful meal with excessive use of salt which really was unnecessary and not anything special. Did not feel the value was a good match for the price so probably would not return for a while. If we do, certainly will ask for light sauce but suspect that the sauces and primary ingredients are preseason so might not make a significant difference. Disappointed. Should be able to do much better for the money and fresher. read more

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Have been going to this location for as long as I can remember, probably 15-20+ years? Didn't go much the last couple of years but recently went twice and everything was great! The service was awesome both times, I wish I remembered their names. Food was good as always! read more

This Olive Garden is the closest one by our hotel. We came here on a Saturday night for dinner. Parking was pretty busy. Olive Garden shares the same parking lot as Hooters. We nabbed a decent parking spot and walked in. There were plenty of folks standing around, waiting to be seated. In my head, I thought that our wait time would be an hour. Nope, it was just half an hour. I gave the host my name, got a pager, and was advised that beer and wine were half-off while we wait. Nice! I got a Blue Moon. He got a Diet Coke. We sat at the bar and chatted. Our pager went off almost thirty minutes later. We headed back to the front and got seated at a booth. Our server, Ethan, was great. He was offering wine, but didn't know whether it was good himself because he was 19 years old and underaged. I appreciated his honesty. We didn't feel like wine, so it was fine. We both ordered the lobster shrimp mac and cheese. I got zuppa Toscana as my starter. He went with salad. I also ordered a raspberry lemonade. The soup was delicious. I love this soup so much that I make my own and it comes pretty close to the original. My boyfriend ate the entire bowl of salad, which impressed me and meant that he loved it. We also got breadsticks. Our lobster shrimp mac and cheese came next. We both loved it. You got decent chunks of shrimp and lobster. The sauce was amazing. The portion was perfect. For dessert, I ordered the chocolate brownie lasagna to bring back to the hotel. It looked yummy. It was decadent and delicious. So good! Ethan made sure that we were well taken care of while we were there. He brought our bill out promptly, gave us Andes mints, and was great serving us. I'd come back here again. We had yummy food and great service. (36) read more

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Yes I still go to Olive Garden. Use to be my "place to go" weekly but it seem that the food is now "ok" and still eatable but the service needs big improvements. Went on Veterans Day (5pm not really busy yet)order was simple and easy to prepare. Salad came with food (ok but typically should come first) server was short and to the point not once did he come back to see if we needed anything (would've been nice to get refill on water) after about 10 minutes he can by and ask if that was it and we asked if we could get some water (no response just brought us water ) no smile no thanks for coming nothing. I understand that it sometimes could be difficult to get servers to do a good job but once you take the job please be courteous and smile. "We" the people still enjoy a smile from people who serve us. Makes it seem that you the server has some pride on what you do. Oh BTW yes I tipped him generously just hoping he smile after we left. Will I come back; absolutely but what I really want is a person who enjoys their job. To all the servers who are trying their best to give us a pleasant experience, thank you for helping us read more

Nice food and service at this Olive Gardens .... Tried. Grilled salmon and Recommend certainly ......................... read more

Extremely slow service even though there were plenty of servers around. The waitress made us wait 3-4 minutes before seating us even though they weren't really busy at 11:20 am on a Tuesday. Server finally took our order and it was about 10 minutes before our drinks, salad and breadsticks were brought to the table. I only have an hour for lunch. I ended taking almost my whole order to go and was still 15 minutes late back to work. Definitely not a place to ever go to for lunch read more

Good was soooo good . Our server Sarah was amazing . We loved it all. Got the soup and salad and yummy. Hit the spot . Ask for Sarah . She was great! read more

We went there today the waiter treat us really bad the worse experience of olive garden ever, we ask for manager but they didnt call for manager , so sad read more

Olive Garden is a solid place to grab a quick lunch. I tend to do the lunch duos where you can pair either unlimited soup or unlimited salad with a 2nd lunch-sized dish. And, starting at $6.99, it's a pretty good deal. Was pleased that I was able to switch out the pasta type (angel hair vs fettuccine) and sauce (Asiago Garlic Alfredo vs regular Alfredo) from one of the duo choices to, in essence, get the meal I wanted. They have these AMAZING new drinks added for this summer (July 2017)! You MUST try the Green Apple Moscato Sangria - deliciously cool and refreshing! There is a Peach option too, as well as the Black Cherry Moscato cocktail. All delicious, not too sweet! Was too full for dessert today, but whenever I can I get the zeppolis with chocolate sauce. Basically Italian style donuts(?) And that chocolate sauce is smooth and yummy! I can drink the sauce on its own. To note: these usually come out hot and are best eaten right away. read more

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We were a group of 25 people and the waitress who attended us was so nice and I worked with her the entire time, with the separate tickets and orders. She was fast very friendly and over all patient with all of us. We were so happy, and we Loved that the food came out fast. She was amazing, we don't even get that kinda service in Houston. Million thanks to her.!!! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Mikaela - Italian Near Me - Plano, Texas

Had curbside pickup. Staff was courteous. Food was prepared promptly and it was delicious. Portions are ample and prices are good.

My partner and I had the pleasure of having Russel as our server for the first time today. Russel was quick with all the tables, including us, and still made the time to chat with us and make us feel at home. The food was brought out hot and fresh which we are so pleased with. Everything from the food, lighting and service was just down to perfection. We will definitely be coming back soon and asking for Russel. read more

This place only has cheap food you can make yourself. Why are people paying these enormous prices for spaghetti, lettuce and inferior salad? You can't pick a salad dressing. They give you oil & vinegar with some spices thrown on it. The only meat they have is cheap chicken in Everything. Oh, they have an overly priced steak that tastes like it's from a pasta restaurant. When I was a child we never ate chicken, chicken was for poor people who lived in the ghetto. Why is it acceptable now to pay such high prices for it? That's why Olive Garden has no other meat anymore like Beef and Veal. You should go to a real Italian restaurant and get your moneys worth. read more

We don't get out ALOT and when we do we try to enjoy ourselves.didnt happen tonite at the new olive garden on Eastgate Dr and 635 in Garland TX .the waiter took for ever to wait on us and we were one of two tables in the bar area.when he finally came around we ordered an appetizer and our meals..15 min went by and no drinks and no salad but we had bread sticks and the appetizer.when we finally got our meals my wife had hair on her bowl with the mgr argued was cheese.unless your serving black parmesaion I don't think so..our salad was old and wilted to the point that the purple cabbage was discolored and brown.mgr went and fixed another salad and brought the same salad back ...gezzzz really.the soup was good and that's about it.just sucks out evening was ruined like this .this location needs some education.the public is not as stupid as they think. read more

Had a great visit here with my mom. Everything was delicious. I had the blue Hawaiian, the chicken and gnocchi soup and the stuffed pasta shells. My mom had the healthy chicken Mediterranean pasta. She was impressed. We then had a very delicious slice of lemon cake. read more

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I had a great time eating at this establishment because of the incredible service. Very pleased! Thank you Noah.

We got there 20min before closing and they refuse to provide service. It's was just a table for 5 people!!! Bad service!!!

I stopped in here for lunch with my family, advised the waitress that I was on a time crunch and would like my food when the appetizers came out, everyone else wasn't on one. I ordered a lunch size chicken Alfredo. The waitress brought out the appetizers and not my meal so I just asked her if she could just pack it to go and she said ok. Thirty-six minutes and nothing, so I had to leave to head back to work. My cousin had to remind the waitress about my order because she had forgot. The waitress told them "oh yea, I forgot " . No lunch for me. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Lasagna Fritta - Italian Near Me - Plano, Texas

Decided to try this location, we were never served next door after waiting 20 minutes. A friendly Host greeted us, told us lt would be 10-15 minutes wait. We decided to wait in the bar area. Daniel came to check on us, we told him we were waiting for a table, he informed us he could serve us now. Daniel was very fast on taking our drink order and returning. He gave us a couple suggestions. We both had Chicken Giardino a salad with bread sticks. Salad was brought out first, typical cold salad, but nice presentation. Our meals arrived, they were very well prepared and seasoned. The addition of cheese was perfect. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Plano, Texas