My old roommates ended up having one of our weekly get together gatherings at Olive Garden for dinner the other night, and it was a prime time delicious experience! Truly do think the pasta dish that I received with creamy, flavorful, and just hit the spot for me (I ordered the chicken Alfredo dish, in case that wasn't already apparent!) The staff was respectful and never failed to check up on us and our opinions towards our dishes, which was appreciated and showed that they cared about our dining experience. Overall, would implore you check out and chow down at this Olive Garden location if you are ever in its vicinity! read more

Service was excellent. Thank you David. Ordered endless soup Salad breadsticks. $14.99 Had one salad and two servings of soup / water. The soup chicken & gnocchi was watery and lacked flavor. I was expecting a creamy thickened soupy texture. My first bowl included one gnocchi. About a table spoon of finely shredded chicken and about a teaspoon of spinach floating in the watered soup. My next serving I asked for more gnocchi and chicken in hopes it to be more flavorful but it only included more gnocchi in the watered down soup. The salad was excellent. The bread sticks were served cold but it's ok It saved me from asking for butter. The manager did visit our table but it was before we began our meal or we would have mentioned the weakness of the gnocchi water and cold bread. We arrived before the dinner rush because when we walked out it was packed with people. read more

Food: breadsticks need to be hotter Meat was good, noodles need better selection. service: good ambiance: noisy menu item: steak alfredo existed might want put on website sold out. liked drinks helped because alfredo was dry 4 me, Dr. pepper needed Lemon taste good, made cherry fresh. Slice was very rich, it was beneficial 4 my dad. please work on onion free foods. next time I have to bring dressing, I am not fan of parm cheese & rosemary, Other person we have bring his dressing when we go out. read more

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Aaron G was out server this afternoon. My daughter and I came in for lunch. Restaurant was not crowded, as it had just opened. Aaron went beyond in hospitality. He was kind, attentive, and beyond polite. A consistent smile, and always checking in to see if we needed anything. Aaron made the afternoon experience very enjoyable. Thank you! read more

While visiting family, we decided to come here for lunch on a Saturday & had a nice experience. We were one of the first to arrive. It's not as ornate with the Italian theme as other locations, but it felt clean, spacious, & mellow with music in the background. We were warmly welcomed, & I must say that the hospitality of the staff stood out. We were nicely acknowledged by everyone, even just in passing. The servers were friendly, smiley, & pleasant! The food-- Taste of Tuscany (got 2 Chicken Parmesan & Lasagna)--tasty Seafood Alfredo--lots of seafood Chicken Alfredo with Crispy Chicken--chicken was well seasoned & had great texture Kids Pepperoni Pizza with Fries--nicely made with a good cheese pull Salad for 2 at the table--came with 2 bowls of ample dressing with spoons Soup--Zuppa Toscana was delicious & had lots of ingredients Bread--warm & satisfying Complimentary mints were chilled We were celebrating 2 birthdays, so received 2 complimentary desserts! The birthday celebrants chose Strawberry Cream Cake & Warm Italian Donuts with Chocolate Sauce. Both were delicious & not overly sweet. A few staff members made it festive with their singing. We requested some tweaks with no issue. The food came out hot & fast. We passed on more servings of soup & salad, but our entrees arrived while we were still eating them. It would have been a bigger issue with poor timing had we wanted more. Our server packed our leftovers for us in front of us. The device at the end of the table makes paying when ready so convenient. read more

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Came in this Friday at about 9 o'clock we were little worried about how late it was, but when we arrived, there was a full restaurant and even a small five minute wait. We got seated and shortly after our server came to greet us. He was a younger gentleman With a nice smile and friendly. I definitely thought he was new there. The service wasn't spectacular from him, but I chopped it up to him being new. Funny thing is my hubby ask him how long he had been working there and he said over two years lol Our appetizers were pretty cold, which was a little disappointing. The soup and salad was amazing as per usual and the entrée was pretty good. I did notice that they now roll out a cart to collect all of the plates and forks. It is a huge janitorial looking cart I remember when the bussers would just come grab everything And take it to the back. I think that's a better option than rolling that big giant cart around the dining room floor. Like I said, our server was nice but not very attentive half the food was really good. Half the food was cold. I would've loved to give this trip four stars if our appetizers weren't so lukewarm read more

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Our server, Samuel G, did a great job. It was really busy -- he had a big party of 10+ with kids, two other large family tables, and then us (just a couple). He kept apologizing for the wait, which I appreciated, even though honestly it just felt like a normal Olive Garden wait when it's busy. He was also very accommodating. I asked for my blue cheese on the side, and my boyfriend and I went through a lot of breadsticks, and he kept up with it all without any issue. For how hectic it was, he stayed kind, attentive, and made the experience easy for us. My hat goes off to him and the team with all they have to juggle on a busy night honestly. read more

The food was alright they are getting more scarce w the amount of food they give you Other than that the service was amazing the awesome bartender Eric was very detailed very on point w his service he made my time here worth it forsures read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Food and drinks 20$ - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Good place and nice workers. The food is pretty decent could definitely have some improvements but the ambiance and service are great.

This is the first time Olive Garden has let my family down and here is how it all started. My mom decided to order Olive Garden for my family's dinner and we had to wait a long time for our food. When it finally arrived everything was cold and resulting in us having to microwave everything. Then my mom noticed that her ravioli looked weird and Olive Garden seems to have changed the portion of ravioli and I cannot understand why they are doing this? Then when my father ate his lasagna he noticed that the lasagna sizes have shrunk and I think Olive Garden is starting to make the lasagna small. And the final thing was that some of the Italian donuts had very little powdered sugar and I think Olive Garden has been going south on their food. And not to mention the food containers have also become a giant pain to open and what I see is that people will get their fingers injured trying to open them. But the only bright thing was that our dinner was good but in my eyes Olive Garden should really think about improving their food and make bigger portions of pasta and lasagna and ravioli because to me I think Olive Garden wants to appeal to more customers by focusing more on developing new food deals rather than improving their food read more

The service and food are dependably good. The ambience could be considered as approaching tacky, but stops just before reaching that level.

This is NOT Italian food. It's Italian American. PROS: Very good service Menu with many options Simple and comfortable dining room Fairly priced Alcohol and desert menu to please almost all (I don't drink, but it's a nice option for those who do) CONS: Some of the food is poor, some NOT (you need to know exactly what you want and what's good so your whole experience is pleasant) I have been to this location several times before, but have NOT gone in a while and decided tonight was a good night for it. My party of 8 were seated immediately right away on a Friday evening. Service was prompt and attentive. In fact, we had several visits from our waitress Alondra A. She constantly asked us if we needed anything. We did NOT wait long for our food. Received our soups shortly after ordering. I ordered the Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo. When my food arrived it was hot, fresh, and delicious. Bottom line: I do recommend this place for occasional family dinner and friends' parties, but NOT as a place you can eat regularly. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo...Soooo Good! - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Came by here the other day to grab some lunch. Ordered the cheese ravioli and Shrimp scampi. Service was great and food was good too read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

The service is ALWAYS slow which is not excusable with how much everyone stands around and gossips. Manger are all rude and in a bad mood. Service sucks no one has basic customer service skill. Kitchen is ALWAYS backed up. The Food is always cold and they don't make it right when they mess up your order. I honestly walk in hungry and happy always leaving Hungry and angry. It takes a lot to turn a customer from happy to angry and for them to still be hungry. read more

I went there on a busy night and a wait was told was around 45 minutes after we got seated we told the waitress we were in a hurry and that she said she'll do her best to get our food as quickly as possible. And the food actually came out very fast and Service was good. They had a lot of waitress walking around so when we want a super refill, we could just wave our hand and they come right away and they bring a refill very fast and then when we need a check, we just wave by hand come and pack the leftover for us. The service was good. The food was good. It was a very satisfying experience. read more

My family and I came to Salinas from out of town and we were craving Olive Garden because haven't had it for such a long time. We decided to try Olive Garden here in Salinas and we were so thrilled that we did! We not only got great food but we got exceptional service! The store is spacious a large with multiple dining rooms. Decor is homey and beautiful. There are lovely abstract painting of Venice, Italy on the walls in the dining room we were in. As for the service, I would say it was one of the most exceptional services I've ever had at an Olive Garden or at most restaurants in general! Our server Luis was extremely caring and friendly and thoughtful. He provided us with everything we needed and more! There were a few other servers that came by too who were amazing as well. They apologized a few times for the long wait for the soups but we hadn't notice at all. They offered us fresh breadsticks and soup to go if we wanted which was amazing and didn't even think of it. When we accidentally dropped our chocolates mints in the way out, another staff offered to replace it and give us new ones. Overall the staff was just amazing and made us feel so special and cared for. For the food, we ordered the soup/salad/bread stick never ending combo which was soo good!! The salad was a large bowl and their house dressing was delicious! The breadsticks had perfect seasoning and was so soft and fresh as if it just came out of the oven. Soups were just delightful too. They had four to choose from including Pasta e Fagioli, Zuppa Toscana. Minestrone and Chicken Gnochi. The Pasta e Fagioli was so tasty and was perfectly flavored and was my favorite. I loved the zuppa toscana as well with the spicy italian sausages and kale mixture. Both were so good. If i had room for 2nds i wouldn't gotten more! We also got the Tour of Italy which included a combo of Lasagna, fettucine alfredo, and chicken parmesan. This was tasty too but a bit heavy for me. I was only able to eat a few bite before i got full but it could be that i just got too full from the soups and salad. Overall I was highly impressed especially with the wonderful service. I would definitely recommend thi Olive Garden store to anyone in town looking for a nice hearty meal! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Tour of Italy and Zuppa Toscana - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Great food, nice portions, accommodating staff. We love the Olive Garden and enjoy dining there. We've been there for lunch and dinner and it's always great. read more

Haven't been to Olive Garden in years. Decided to stop in and have dinner. Server was great, very attentive. Husband ordered steak and Fettuccine Alfredo. I ordered Chicken Parmigiana. The steak is listed as a 6 ounce but looked like 3 ounce, very thin and small. Back in the day that steak filled the plate. Chicken Parmigiana was tasty enough but dry and the pasta with sauce was watered down. Zuppa Toscana soup was good. Salad with ranch was good. Spent $91 not including tip, probably won't go back. Quiet with music in the background. read more

The last time we went, the server we had was beyond amazing. He was kind and attentive, even when he was swamped with other tables. Obviously it's Olive Garden so you shouldn't expect the type of quality you'd get from a 5 star restaurant but for what it is, it's great. The only reason why I'm giving it only 4 stars is because one of the female that covered for our server while he was tending to other tables was just straight disrespectful. read more

I love it the food was amazing I had a wonderful time at Olive Garden the service was amazing

Jenny was amazing!!! She took our order as soon as we were ready, got us our drinks right away, super attentive with refills and always checking in. Truly excellent service! Sweet girl!! read more

I've been Eatting at Olive Garden for years dine in and pick up order and was disappointed this time around . My daughter and I always get soup and salad . Chicken Gnocchi and she literally had one piece of Gnocchi and chicken bones in her soup . I ordered Fagioli and I had no noodles and lots of carrot and celery to top it off the bread was hard like it was sitting. Not sure if I will return anytime soon or at all. read more

Haven't been to Olive Garden in over 10 years so decided to give it a try again. Bad idea. The entree dishes were all cold. The plate was hot and didn't match the temperature of the food. The apple sangria, breadsticks and chicken gnocchi soup was good. Manager was kind enough to comp an entree. Overall, don't think I'll be going back. read more

I came here to this olive garden and the waitress IVETTE, WAS VERY RUDE. I asked her for a clean plate to share my food with my child and she didn't want to bring me another one,she told me to use the same one where I ate the salad. I thought this was serious, but it was. She acted in a HORRIBLE WAY.. read more

Poor service, called in advance for reservations, had a party of 25. Hostess told us no reservations needed, just show up and we can accommodate. We show up to be told that servers weren't available and were due for work at 4pm, mind you it was 2:30pm. Did they really refuse service and expected us to wait for an hour and a half for lunch. Pathetic. We took our $ somewhere else. Will be sharing our poor experience with family, friends in our church community. Unheard of from a chain restaurant. Right? read more

if you want to be greeted with no eye contact or hospitality, wait 30 minutes for two people, get skipped over by other parties on Wednesday afternoon then this is the place to be. read more

We were on a long drive from Santa María to the Napa Valley. I was grumpy,or should I say...."hangry" . We decided to stop at Olive Garden in Salinas. All the servers seemed friendly and hatd-workng but we were fortunate to get "Marcus", an excellent server who made us smile. He was competent, polite and charismatic. The food was fresh and delicious. At the end of our meal we asked to talk to the Manager. Her name is Sierra. I congratulated her on running a nice establishment and training her servers so well. We definitely recommend Olive Garden in Salinas, California, the staff made our day, in addition to tasty, well-prepared food. Thanks again Marcus and Sierra, you're the best! read more

Very attentive and helpful server (Sebastian). Lots of good food! Really appreciated listing the calories so I could be-sort of!-careful about over eating. Very family-friendly read more

The NSHS reunion.class of 1962 had there luncheon here today. I brought balloons to decorate. The room was very nice but they got 5 stars because the entire staff that I talked to was very helpful, knowledgeable & polite. I did not get the managers name but she was so nice. She was very accommodating & went over & beyond. I was a banquet server for years & I would definitely recommend booking your next event there. read more

Food: The three of us ordered these entrees: Shrimp alfredo (was excellent), Spaghetti and Meatballs (also excellent) and the "All you can eat soup and salad", all excellent. Will definitely come again, but only this location. All Olive Gardens are not the same. Service: excellent Ambiance: we can do without the cheesy canned Italian music in the sound system. read more

I am usually not one to leave reviews on restaurants but today I decided to order Olive Garden for my kid so he can eat something quick before I had to head into work so I ordered Olive Garden at 1 PM and notified Me. My order was supposed to be ready at 1:26. I got there around 1:20 I put that I had arrived . It hit 1:50 and I still haven't received my order. I'm supposed to go into work at 2:30. My son still had to eat when I saw I hit 1:50 I got off my car and I went inside. The restaurant probably had around three people as in customers and the girl in charge of takeout was talking to someone chitchatting. I usually don't come here often but when I do, I usually get good service but this time it was very disappointing that I had to wait over 30 minutes for a kids meal. read more

I've been going to this specific Olive Garden my whole life haha...In my experience, I've always gotten excellent service - friendly waiters/waitresses, get food quickly. P.S. Roxanne Benedetti (General Manager) is the best! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Strawberry Mango Margaritas - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

I'm officially over this location. It wasn't great to start with, but I thought that the new renovations and staff would provide me with a better experience... I hate to say it... But, overall, I'm still inherently disappointed. The last 3 visits I've​ had to this location have been ridiculously awful. Each of these times, my mother and I experienced inexplicable issues with food preparations that just seem so odd and off-putting. The soups have gotten saltier, and they now pose an​ issue for folks with the dietary need of low sodium dishes. No to mention the other dishes have continuously​ been presented to the table luke-warm at best. Now don't even get me started about the service. I understand that some of these servers are young and this may be their first job... but if you expect a decent tip, I should see you as my server more than twice. (once to take the order and then the second time to provide the bill.) Additionally, when I make a request to remove or add something to a dish I order, I sincerely expect to receive it in that way. Based on my interactions with site management, I can tell you that yes, they do everything in their powers to fix the situation and have us leave as happy customers... but I can't simply justify the lack of attentiveness, poor quality of food and blatant disregard for general customer service practices​. I will not be returning now or in the forseeable future. read more

So I went to go eat at Olive Garden and got a glass of wine and when I was about to take the last sip I notice the glass was dirty with pink lipstick stain on the rim of the glass. Clearly anyone at the table who took a sip didn't have pink lipstick. My sister suggested a discount and the server misunderstood us and thought we were asking for a discount on the wine, he stated that he couldn't because of a California law. Blah blah blah whatever, I totally understood that but he had the audacity to tell me that I should of notice the stain before I drank the amount of wine that I did. First of all it's YOUR responsibility to check or let YOUR employees understand how important it is to properly clean and sanitize your dishes and if you all don't then clearly you need to train or refresh your members. This is a health concern. This is how people get sick. He also claimed that the "bar tender always wipes the rim of the glass before they serve the beverage" clearly not. This encounter was unprofessional and childish clearly you don't know how to read a situation because the amount of sass that came out of your mouth was uncalled for. Just do your job. This is nasty and rude. read more

I gotta say, this location of Olive Garden was top notch customer service and our food was delicious. All the greeters, waitress, and full Manager presence was there. There was even a greeter that open doors for guests. What a lovely gesture. This place got packed, and I can see why. No one was left waiting for help. The kids of the group suggested it before the movies and I was pleasantly surprised! We are won over! Thank you for a great birthday celebration for the lil' guy! A sweet thank you to Miranda (if I remember correctly) who was our waitress and she was old school service (although a young lady), which was So refreshing to see. After covid so many places slipped in these little things. This place did not. Thank you to all the moving parts at this restaurant- keep it up. read more

The steak at medium rare was very juicy and tasty. My kids loved it! The breadsticks were perfect with butter and salt. We ordered Alfredo dipping sauce for the sticks and my family enjoyed them! read more

Customer and hostess service is awful. Website states "add your name on the wait list from the comfort of your home" ... since we were coming from out of town, we thought ... perfect! They did not honor this when we called right before leaving the house and stated "you have to come in to add your name" ... wouldn't this be a complete opposite of trying to minimize traffic during Covid???? If you're going to advertise something ... Honor It! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Wait list option - Salinas, CA - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Me, my sisters and my daughter went to OG for a late birthday dinner and Marcus was our server. We had the best service that night bc of him. He was super kind and very attentive. We never had to ask him for refills bc he would be quick to get our refills. He was also very handsome so he was nice to look at lol. Overall, food was bomb, service was top tier, and good vibes! 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! read more

I love Olive Garden as much as the next girl but this location is not it. The server we had was really sweet, she was awesome. The food legitimately made us sick. Either they are selling expired food or they are buying cheap stock. Either way, we won't be back, but it's not our servers fault. read more

Had a great experience named Selena that was a great server for me and my family. She made sure we had enough soup and salad, the bread was always full, our drinks were full and our entree's came out fast. She even came back and told us she found a bottle of white zinfandel for my mother after she said they were out. I come from out of town to see my mother and we always go to Olive Garden for dinner. Our experience has always been good but this time it was the great. read more