Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

Still going, still doing great! I've been doing food pickup and dine-in, and have yet to experience anything other than excellent service and excellent food.

Ate there for lunch today - they were the busiest I've seen so far (good for them), and the service was top-notch. Immediate seating, fast delivery of drinks, appetizers, and then main courses. Attentive, immediate refills on drinks and soup. Food is - as always - excellent.

And...reasonably affordable. Dining out seems so ridiculously expensive anymore - even cheap fast food is not 'cheap' by any stretch of the imagination anymore.

I just don't 'get' the DMV area, where it seems the hipsters around here expect absolute perfection or a place gets zero stars. And there seems to be open hostility towards any chain establishment. Not everyone can afford to eat at the ridiculously expensive, pretentious eateries in the D.C. and outlying area. Plus, I prefer to eat off a plate, not a shingle or shoe insert, or some other hipster gadget platform.

Olive Garden suits me just fine, thankyouverymuch!

2/5.

Expected more from Olive Garden, as I've always had a good time at this chain. But this location takes the cake for the most disappointing dining experience at an Olive Garden.

The Food: Went with the "Build Your Own Pasta" option. And as always, it did the job and lived up to my expectations for a chain Italian restaurant. Pasta was cooked good and the sauce was warm and creamy. The proteins itself was a little overcooked (Crispy Chicken Fritta), but overall a good email.

The Service: Service is what makes this review a 2-star. Upon arriving, we didn't wait long for a table on a weekday night. Sat at our table by the host and wasn't greeted by our waitress for about 30 minutes. We sat there thinking they forgot about us, until they finally came. Once putting in our orders, it was about another 35/40 minutes to wait for a small group of 3 to have the entrees brought out. Water refills were non-existent and no check-ups in general were done.

The Atmosphere: Atmosphere was nice. Nicely decorated with the homey "Italian" theme. Clean and well spaced out for both tables and booths. Parking is also big, so no worries on trying to find a parking spot.

Overall, a 2/5. Food was as expected from an Olive Garden. However, the service itself really brought down the whole meal. Definitely do not recommend this location, unless you're looking for a night of frustration.

I am a huge fan of Olive Garden. The food is good, the never ending salad and breadsticks are just made for big gatherings, and everybody gets something they want (especially since they added pizza to the kids' menu). The Sterling location is a newer Olive Garden, and it met all the expectations. We got the usual salad and breadsticks and various pasta dishes, including the HUGE chicken parmesan. All cooked well, tasty and filling. The best part is the little digital console that lets you pay the bill and leave whenever you're ready. Definitely another option when hunger pangs hit in Loudon County!

Tony and I had dinner at Olive Garden in the McLean Sterling area of Virginia after spending all day running around Washington DC.

We had stopped next door for drinks. Pasta at Olive Garden is one of Tony's favorite meals. This was the first time I had ordered steak at Olive Garden. It came with a side of Alfredo Pasta.

I had a tea with Lemon and Lime unsweetened and he had a budweiser beer. The meal was ready good.
Definitely love Olive Garden and this location was really nice, highly recommend

We all know that Olive Garden motto
"when you're here, you're family" decades ago; I can say that motto on the surface has slightly improved (compared to the past few years), but still is below average to decades ago; quality is still below average.

The breadsticks were dry and did not feel fresh, and their salad literally had one olive and two tomatoes (veggie-portions should be better). The service was average and the prices, average, too. I suggest having some sort of happy hour or something simplify for those that merely want the salad.

Above all, what surprised me was seeing a handful of fruit flies around.

Surprisingly, Olive Garden, is slightly better than the past 2-3 years, but I'm not sure if it's saying much as it has taken a significant dip in the two past decades. 3/5

I recently dined at Olive Garden and had a pleasant experience. The Spanish-speaking staff provided attentive customer service. The warm and flavorful deep-fried shrimp and green peppers made for a great appetizer. The spinach artichoke with toasted chips was a delightful blend of flavors. The chicken Alfredo was warm and generously portioned, perfect for sharing. The side salad added a refreshing touch. The raspberry lemonade was a perfect match with the food it wasn't too sweet it was a great drink choice. Overall, I'd rate my visit a 7.5/10 and would recommend it for a satisfying meal. P.S. don't forget your complimentary chocolate on your way out!

Very Soggy salad.
Waiter no where to be found after delivering the food.
Iced tea Was never refilled after the initial glass.
Food was mediocre, mostly on the dry side.

Lastly, the bathroom was utterly disgusting with smell and toilet paper everywhere on the floor. The urinals were very close to overflowing, ready to dribble over on your shoes. Clearly, it wasn't serviced for hours, perhaps the entire day.


Can't wait to return and experience that all over - NOT !!!

I came here mostly out of nostalgia for my family and it was pretty mid experience.

The food quality is pretty low though the quantity is very high. You can easily get your value if you goal is to eat a lot.

The breadsticks were disappointing. The soup and salad were OK. The entrees were also whatever. I did enjoy the modern interior and the Christmas decorations. The space was nice for family gatherings. I just wish the food tasted better.

I am rounding the rating up because this is a chain restaurant and so expectations are set approximately.

My wife, daughter and I had dinner there on 3/10/2023. The server was great. The salad and breadsticks good as always. My had had the tour of Italy. The chicken parm was slightly overcooked. The afredo and the lasagna were decent. My daughter had the chicken alfredo. It was very tasty, sauce was delicious. I had the shrimp scampi. The shrimp was cooked perfectly but under seasoned. The asparagus was cooked perfectly. Overall the dish lacked seasoning, it needed more sauce, some acid. Overall a decent meal for a reasonable price. I wouldn't say it's the best Italian food I've but not the worst either.

HB was an excellent and attentive server ! he was constantly checking in on my table, and made sure everything was good, which is a complete 180 from the service I received during my last visit to this location. I would definitely recommend this location just for HB !