my server, Brenda, was genuinely the best server i've ever had in my entire life. she was so sweet and kind and i'd literally do anything for her. also such a delight to talk to. i hope she wins the lottery and gets whatever she wants in life. i'm dead serious read more

I recently went to the Olive Garden and I got the chicken broccoli Alfredo. The food was amazing. The sauce itself was thick and creamy plenty of noodles robust chicken, ample amount of chicken and broccoli. The service was impeccable. Had a great server and sat at the bar. enjoyed the food and was great. The restaurant itself was really nice clean very really organized and everyone was so polite from the time I got there till the time I left. I love this place and everyone there. read more

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It's been awhile since we have been here, and I don't know why! The hostess, Teresa, was very friendly and chatted like my best friend! Lisa, our server, was also friendly and very helpful on our orders Food was so fresh and such a large serving,! Never ending soup and salad and those breadsticks! If you have ever eaten there, you will know!. We ordered make your own pasta dish, and definitely brought home leftovers See you soon! Be back soon read more

The food was exactly what you want from Olive Garden: comforting, filling, and low-stress delicious. Everything came out hot, fresh, and ready to ruin any plans of eating light. But honestly? The real star was Frank, our server. He was on it the entire time--refills before we even realized our glasses were empty, checking in, and genuinely funny. He cracked jokes, kept the vibe relaxed, and made the whole experience feel way more personal than your average chain restaurant visit. You could tell he actually cared about us having a good time, not just flipping tables. Between the endless breadsticks, solid food, and Frank absolutely crushing it as a server, this was one of those meals that's way more memorable than expected. If you're going to Olive Garden, do yourself a favor and hope you get Frank. read more

Service from Alex was very attentive and friendly. She was very personable and was able to accommodate all our requests while being professional and lively! She's a paragon of what a server can be made our experience as guests extremely enjoyable. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

I got olive garden to go. I ordered stuffed chicken marsala, mashed potatoes and a chicken gnocchi soup. When I got the order home, it looked like the portion size of mashed pot's is much smaller than when you eat in the restaurant. The stuffed chicken marsala was very tasty but there didn't seem to be enough of the marsala sauce. The chicken gnocchi soup was delicious as always. I'm not sure if I would order a to go order again from there, but I would go eat inside. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Stuffed Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

Back again. We did our Valentines dinner tonight on the 15th to try and avoid the crowds. I miscalculated that big time because tomorrow is President's day. Our location in Santee was rockin. Good news? The service was just as great as it always is. Quick, friendly, accurate. Our server Jordan C was never without a brilliant smile. The food was delicious. We got our usual- sausage n rigatoni and mushroom ravioli in creamy sun dried tomato sauce. We DID get desert this time because they brought back my beloved CREAM CAKE!!! My dinner date raved about his choc mouse cream pie. The new mango passionfruit iced tea is so good I really wanted a third refill. We'll be back for sure. read more

Nonexistent service. After our order was taken and drinks delivered, it was hard to get our server's attention. I understand it was busy but she barely came to check on our table. We were missing utensils and serving plates for the longest time because we couldn't flag her down. We haven't had Olive Garden in so long but the flavors were the same as I can remember. Unfortunately, we ended up with a bad stomachache after our meal. We didn't know which dish caused it but after eating the leftovers the next day, we suspected the shrimp and scallops fettuccine. Not a so great experience overall. read more

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I ordered a chicken dish that cost me over $70 and they couldn't even put breadsticks or dipping sauce. They just put spiced up chicken in a pan for 70 freaking dollars service sucks the amount of chicken that was there was for one person you should be ashamed of yourself. read more

I've always had a soft spot for Olive Garden, and this visit didn't disappoint. I came with a friend visiting from out of town and we went with some tried-and-true favorites. I had the soup and salad combo (still a classic!) along with the fried shrimp appetizer, crispy and satisfying. My friend got the shrimp Alfredo pasta, and honestly, it looked and smelled amazing. We also took advantage of the two take-home entrées for $6 each great value and perfect for the next day's lunch. That said, we each had a cocktail, and while they were decent, they didn't really add much to the experience. With the drinks, appetizers, dinner, and tip, the bill came to around $120 for the two of us, which felt a little steep for what started as a casual dinner. Next time I'll probably skip the drinks and keep it simple. read more

This Olive Garden is always clean and with superb customer service from receptionist to the waiter. The food is really good. I ordered Ravioli Carbonara... omg, the cheese and the taste of bacon is perfect! Paired it with zuppa toscana and their bread dip in their alfredo sauce... drop the mic! I will never get tired of Olive Garden. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Ravioli Carbonara... delish!!! - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

Chicken Alfredo , Some chicken pieces were burned , and the noodles were cold ! Wilted brown Salad ! read more

The olive garden is hearty americano-italy eats. wish their lasagna was beef. their spaghetti is good but depends on the sauce. the bread stick dips work well as sauces too, the cheesy marinara dip is delicious! take out some trays for a big group and a party! read more

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

Out of all the olive gardens I have been to this is my favorite location. The service is always amazing. The atmosphere feels like an old cottage in Italy. The food is always on point and comes in a timely matter. I have been to the one in chula vista and I'm going to be honest location does matter with this franchise. Now if you're expecting authentic Italian food , you will not find it here. But let's be honest this is a pretty good and well known chain restaurant that sells americanized Italian food. They are known for their endless breadsticks with unlimited soup and salads. I like their chicken gnocchi soup, it's not too watered down. I ordered the shrimp Alfredo and the shrimp tasted fresh ! The Alfredo sauce also tasted amazing ! The cheese ravioli is another big hit ! It is very cheesy and great. The best olive garden in San Diego you will not be disappointed ! read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Shrimp Alfredo & Cheese Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

The food was really good . I got the steak and Alfredo and it was perfectly cooked to my liking. My kids got the shrimp already and they seemed to enjoy it . Wish we asked for extra sauce on the side but that's our fault. Overall great experience randomly coming here on our way back home from viejas outlets read more

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

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McKenzie was very customer friendly and very helpful and knowledgeable and professional and the food was delicious and the price was great keep up the great service and thank you! read more

The server, Victor was so kind and it was my birthday so he got everyone's attention and sang to me and it was nice. The food was delicious, I loved the strawberry smoothie and the Italian doughnuts... chefs kiss! -Lucy The bread sticks were amazing. The Italian doughnuts with whip cream is to die for. And our waiter Viktor was really nice. And sang my sister happy birthday. read more

Sometimes I get a craving for pasta. The OG gives me what I need. And I love that I can choose between baked or friend chicken on my pasta!! By the way. I love it fried (frita). Grossmont location has impressed me with the taste, flavor and quality of the food! And I went more than once just to make sure and they didn't disappoint. read more

I hadn't been here in years, so it's definitely been remodeled since then. Friendly and attentive staff, clean restaurant, not a long wait at all. And food still tastes the same! Highly recommend the chicken gnocchi soup read more

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Decent for group gatherings, but not a place I'd seek out solo or for a date. We arrived extra early to snag a table for our party of eight and were promptly greeted by the hostess. While waiting in the bar area, we noticed a server folding napkins in the last remaining booth, her cart completely blocking the walkway. Not exactly the most customer-considerate setup. Once seated, service was slow. Drinks took a while, and the salad and breadsticks even longer. The salad itself was disappointingly dry, missing their usual vinaigrette kick. To top it off, our entrees showed up before we'd made much progress on the salad. I had the lasagna, hoping for a classic comfort dish, but it was dry and flavorless. On the bright side, others in our group enjoyed their meals--shoutout for the shrimp Alfredo, steak Gorgonzola Alfredo, and chicken Parmesan. I'll return for family celebrations when convenience is key, but this isn't a spot I'd go out of my way for. read more

If you're going to go to an Olive Garden, the Santee location is where it's at. They don't disappoint! I've gone to multiple Olive Gardens in different locations and they are not worth it. In Santee the food is always great the soup is always hot and the bread sticks are consistent. Their service is always great too! read more

This location seems to always have an upbeat feel! It reminds me of a case study I did on Benihana where they have everything perfectly timed to get the people in and out quickly while still having them enjoy the meal. I noticed they have cut back on the breadsticks and salad you get while waiting for your meal, which is fine as it would up being the perfect amount for us. They were kind enough to split me parents meal for them before bringing it out which was perfect as it was as though the each had their own meal. Do portions are generous. My eggplant parm. was the perfect mix of tender/ juicy yet crispy due to the fry (or is it baked ?). My folks split the chicken parm and were very happy! I don't love their spaghetti as it seems a bit hard for me and marinara is not that exciting but mom and dad enjoy it. So, overall a nice meal and great staff. read more

Olive Garden Italian Restaurant - Lasagna Classico - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

Noah was amazing. He was the perfect amount of attentive, gave general excellent service! Thank you Olive Garden for a great evening.

I was enjoying my lunch at Olive Garden when a man entered with, I assume, his wife and two children. From the moment they arrived, he began causing a disturbance. They had a stroller for their baby, and I clearly heard both the hostess and the server politely explain that the stroller could not remain in the middle of the walkway where staff carry hot food and heavy trays. The man glared at the server and arrogantly replied, "I'm a business owner, and I don't care." It was obvious that following basic safety policy was a major inconvenience for them. The manager even offered to move their party to a table that would better accommodate the stroller. Rather than accept the reasonable solution, the man escalated the situation further. He suddenly shouted at the young server in our section, yelling, "F*** you!" The server stood her ground and calmly, but firmly, responded, "You will not speak to me that way." The manager then stepped in and told the family to have a nice day, to which the man spat back, "You're a b****!" as they stormed out. I felt compelled to write this because the staff the hostess, the server, and the manager handled an aggressive and disrespectful customer with remarkable professionalism. They refused to be intimidated, upheld restaurant safety policy, and ensured the rest of us could continue enjoying our meals without further disruption. Their composure and commitment to doing their jobs the right way deserve recognition and appreciation. James D. I hope your day got better. read more

I went out of my way to visit this location because of a great past experience, and somehow they exceeded it. Our server, Brenda, was incredibly friendly, professional, and attentive. Drinks and breadsticks were refilled quickly, the food was delicious, and multiple staff members checked in to make sure everything was perfect. After years of going to Olive Garden, this was easily my best visit. Truly a 10/10 experience -- highly recommend. read more

My family and I have always gone to the Olive Garden in La Mesa because it's closer than this Santee one. However, the reviews were slightly better for this one so we decided to come here. We came a little before 6 on a Saturday night and only had to wait 10 minutes. Our waitress, Haley, came within less than 5 minutes after being seated. My brother and I got the never ending pasta bowl for $15.99. I added crispy chicken for $4.99 extra. We started with soup, salad, and breadsticks. Our hostess forget silverware so we had to ask our waitress after we got our first course- no big deal though. Pasta came shortly after. Our waitress was awesome and came every few minutes so we could order more pasta. She was very friendly and approachable. Highly recommend coming here over the La Mesa one as that one seems way busier and has worse service. If you come to the Santee one, Haley is awesome! read more

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

Christina, our server, was amazing in every way possible. From being really attentive, down to her personal skills, we want to say thank you for making a casual dinner, a fabulous memorable one. Meme & Paul (Leila was a great host for the time we spent with her! Helped us clean up a wet spot on the seats) read more

I've been to a few olive gardens in my life, and for the most part they're all the same. We were in the area and thinking of dinner. Wife said pasta? I said sounds great I think there's an olive garden here let's just do that. Well turns out it was a good call. This is a remodeled olive garden if I am correct. Looks nothing like the other from the inside. It is bright and vibrant inside and doesn't looks worn in anywhere. Usually others look worn in and dark inside. The service was exceptional!! Every staff was welcoming and with smiles on their faces. Our waitress was the best, wish I remembered her name. She was on top of everything. Never once did we have to ask for refills and was always checking to see if we needed anything. Food. Well it's just like every other olive garden. But just being here did make it taste better haha. We got the salad with bread sticks. I got shrimp Alfredo and my wife got the carbonara. Every was delicious. As far as an olive garden can be. All in all at the end we were happy, with the location and food. We felt like family...he. We've decided to make this our go to olive garden when we are feeling olive garden. read more

I ordered car side. They brought me the wrong order in a bag with my name on it. The manager, upon calling, eventually rudely hung up on me. I'm a regular customer and I will not be back to this trash location. read more

Great experience. Our server, Faith, was constantly checking in and making sure we were accommodated. The endless salad and soup is pretty genius. The spaghetti and meatballs were great. The meat sauce wasn't overwhelming in tomato and was just right. Breadsticks were buttery and delicious. I've never been much of an OG customer but I can see the appeal. Probably be back for more. read more

We wanted for nothing in Brenda's section tonight!!! she is the best! and the food is bombbbb. they were on fire tonight. we love you Brenda!!! read more

Noah was great, very helpful, very kind. Quick service, great food. Great music. Really good guy.

We absolutely loved our experience at the Santee Olive Garden! First off, our server Skala was one of the sweetest, most personable, and witty servers we have ever had. She made an already good experience even better. Big shoutout to her and the smiles she brings to her patrons. It's literally the next day and we are still talking about her, so she left quite the impression. Now onto the other good things about our experience and why I am taking the time to write this review. We got a couple of Olive Garden gift cards over the holidays and after using one at a different location, we were left very unsatisfied with the quality of food and the overall experience. We hadn't been to an Olive Garden in years until then, so with such a disappointing experience, we were reluctant for months to use the second gift card. We finally decided that if we were going to use it, it would have to be at a different location for a final verdict on whether we would ever go to the Olive Garden again. We landed on the Santee location to see if it was any better and I am so happy that we did. The look of this location is sooooo much nicer. Not only did the bar and dining area look much more inviting and of a higher quality but the food was significantly better. From the moment I bit into a breadstick, I started to feel the nostalgia of eating at the Olive Garden when I was younger. My zuppa toscana was super fresh with the kale still being somewhat crisp instead of soggy. It was piping hot and delicious! And compared to our previous experience, the salad actually tasted how I always remembered their salads tasting back in the day. Our main entrees were cooked to perfection and I must say that I love that they have options of smaller portioned entrees so that we could indulge in the breadsticks, soup, and salad, as well as our main meal. We are now officially fans and this experience single-handedly changed our viewpoint. read more

Horrible service, we got major attitude from the hostess because we did not want to sit at the bar because we had a child with us. It took forever to be seen even though it wasn't crowded. When we finally got our drink orders the water served to us was apparently sitting out so long all the ice had melted. Everything was so bad we changed our mind and left and went to Ottavio's. As an Italian American I really should have known better than to get Italian food at Olive Garden. read more

Awful service, September 8, 2025 11:57am My mother and I wanted to share a plate which the server Sydney said was okay, when she brought the salad she brought one plate even though their was two of us I asked for an extra plate she said no because we cant share which makes no since if we told her we were sharing the meal and she was okay with that, we've been coming here for years and never had ONE EXTRA PLATE issue. The server Sydney had such a negative attitude like if it wasn't her day, i've been a server for 10 years and anytime I had a personal issue I never brought it to work so i don't know why i always have an issue at this specific location. DISAPPOINTING. read more

The food was tasty and our server Alejandro was awesome. Good vibes and better service!

I was at Olive Garden today and this very aggressive man was yelling at a very nice young waitress. I was just listening in on the commotion about how he couldn't have his stroller in the way of passersby. The staff was handling the issue very well and trying to defuse the situation. Eventually the aggressive man gestured over to my table and said that if we had a baby then would we have to move the stroller which was a strange thing to point out because we were seated near a fire exit so we would definitely have to. Eventually the staff got him to leave while being very professional and as he was walking out the man yells "F*ck you and you are a B*tch" to the waitress and manager. I just want to congratulate the staff on how they dealt with the situation and apologize that they have to deal with horrible people like this. read more

Nice restaurant. Polite and helpful staff, beginning with the hostess and our waitress. The food was delicious and the ambience was quiet and enjoyable. read more

I'm not poor. I don't go to Applebees or Olive Garden. I do however have kids, and wife who went to Patrick Henry. She's got a soft spot for the garden so we went. What a freaking fantastic spot. The service is A+, the food is a B, and the vibe is an A. I'll come back here for the quick service and the AMAZING food prices. A $12 pasta dish here will cost $28 in little Italy. I will say the quality is still sub standard. The pasta is so over cooked. The flavors however are present. The Marsala sauce was so creamy, and the chicken was so soft and well cooked. The biggest bonus is they freshly grate cheese on EVERYTHING. Only downside really is the restaurant is constantly packed, but it's with large families, everyone is friendly. Bathrooms... they stanky. Wait till you get home. read more

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

Excellent service .. good tasting and plentiful food mom. The prices were reasonable . This is a big well run and beautiful restaurant. The service was quick. The hostess who opened the door for us was welcoming. The manager( Senior Casas ) was alert and very friendly. . Hot tasty bread was served with the meal along with all you can eat chilled Italian salad.- The 2 Chicken Parmesan cutlets were tasty, tender and filling. Tyler was an excellent server! 5 He was at ours table frequently asking us if we needed anything more. This is a well managed restaurant by Mr Casas, The building is very clean inside and outside with plenty of parking . The bathrooms were impeccably clean and the seating atmosphere roomy, airy.and enjoyable. We weren't rushed. We'll be back. 5 lunch yesterday. read more