Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

My friends and I were really looking forward to a trip to Olive Garden as we don’t have one in the UK. We arrived shortly after 5pm and were seated virtually straight away after being told to take the escalators upstairs. Once we were upstairs there were a number of staff around all chatting and had taken little notice of us. It was unclear if we should be wait to be seated or if we were supposed to help ourselves. We were seated relatively quickly following this. We were told when we sat down we could order some drinks and appetisers on the tablet provided, otherwise a waitress would be over shortly. We ordered drinks and an appetiser on the tablet and still waited around 15-20 minutes for the waitress to come over and ask if we were ready to order (after us asking another server if we could order) We explained we hadn’t had drinks yet so she left without taking our order to get our drinks (I think our appetiser actually came before the drinks). She then returned and took our order, all fine. My friend had ordered broccoli with his pasta as an extra and when the food finally arrived (it was nearly an hour after arriving) it didn’t have the broccoli included. We mentioned it to the waitress when she came by some time later and she said we needed to order it as it was extra, we explained we knew it was extra and it was asked for at the time of the order. We asked her to make sure it wasn’t on the bill but she returned 10 minutes later with a bowl of broccoli. We explained we didn’t want the broccoli as my friend had already eaten half of his food by this point. We were then offered the dessert menu which we declined as we had to leave and asked for the bill. The bill came and we were good to pay straight away and asked to split the bill. You would think we asked for something unheard of… it seemed to be such an issue that we wanted to each pay for what we had. Not quite sure what the problem was but she kept mentioning needing the manger to split the bill? Then a tablet appeared and we tried to pay with that but that wouldn’t work. We then ended up splitting the bill evenly because she seemed so confused by the ordeal. My two friends paid by card and I wanted to pay cash and we explained we would leave a cash tip (after being asked about it several times). I paid with a fifty and had to wait for change, which was subsequently incorrect, and again was told she needed the manger. We’re unsure why but by this point it was nearly 7pm and my friend became frustrated and explained we needed to leave. She also appeared frustrated and said she can’t give us change without the manger?It had taken nearly half an hour to pay the bill after receiving it. I don’t usually mind leaving a tip for good service when it’s customary but this was just an awful experience and we felt hassled to leave a tip regardless.

We arrived at a quiet enough time. Seated quickly, however, that’s where ‘quick’ ended. We waited 15 mins for our drinks, the host had to get them as our waitress was no where to be seen. Breadsticks and dips were nice, however we got the food (I understand this is fast Italian food) and it was not edible. The pasta was hard and the meat dry. When we complained we were told by the waitress that she’ll get ‘the nice manager’ who would be better to resolve our issues, I don’t understand what she was implying here. Very disappointed overall. The manager did take one of the meals off the bill but not the other, none of which was really touched.

I’ve always loved the Lasagna Fritta and the Chicken Alfredo here—never disappoints! The food quality and portion sizes were solid on my last visit, though service was a bit slow around dinner rush. Still a great experience overall. If you’re planning a visit soon, I found olivegardenmenus.net helpful for 2025 Olive Garden Menu with all prices and deals online — which made it easier to decide what to try before I got there.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

We went to the restaurant three times. We frequent the network in the USA. The NY, by far, is the one that offers the worst service. Today, April 2. We went to dinner after watching a basketball game. The waiter stacked the menu on the table, filled the glass with wine like it was water, did not bring the entrance salad and, even without finishing, was already taking everything off the table. At the time of TIP, I gave less than suggested and still had to hear that I am “CHEAP”. Run to the standard of the network.

I celebrated my birthday on March 15th. The food was great and the waiter was very polite! The starters are always nice, we had the sala and the bread. I even got a free dessert for my birthday.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pãozinho Amanteigado

The worst service ever!
The food completely tasteless.
Same the money and skip this place

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

You can easily eat abroad in New York

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The waiter in the store are very nice and really respectful

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

friendly staff and delicious food; one of our fav restaurants.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Definitely the worst meal I had during my New York trip. Almost everything we had just tasted like it was drenched in salt. We were excited to try their unlimited bread sticks, soups, and salads, but we didn't end up ever ordering extra of anything. I didn't finish about half of my main, didn't bother for takeout either. I really liked their salad though.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Salad of the House Side Salad, Breadsticks

BREAD

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always smells sooooooo good in here. I work near by and i come in cuz I have to people that work here always real nice. . The portions to the food look real good and nice nice size. Place is big and real nice and smells good

Parking: Parking garages are expensive it's in the middle of the heart of times sqare

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes , wheel chair accessable. There's an elevator in here

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

So, basically I would only give the food two stars, but it is also very cheap by Manhattan standards.

Drinks are refilled for free and there is as much salad as you want with the main course. The dressing isn't particularly good now, which is why repeat orders are certainly limited here.

The waiter was very friendly and attentive.

The restaurant itself wasn't nice, but it wasn't shabby either.

Conclusion: Nice service, food okay, very cheap

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5

It is delicious, know that it is a restaurant like that, don't expect more, but the staff is very friendly

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 4

Excellent location. Delicious food. I have to highlight the excellent attention of the person who waited on our table, José "El Grande". He helped us with the menu, gave us very good recommendations and above all highlighted his warmth and excellent willingness and patience. He honestly made us feel at home. A truly personalized service. I recommend that if you go to Olive Garden you ask for it. I must say that so far José (the big one) is the one who served us best in a restaurant in Manhattan so far.

Excellent location. Delicious food. I have to highlight the excellent service of the person who served our table, José "El Grande". He helped us with the menu, gave us very good recommendations and above all I would like to highlight his warmth and his excellent predisposition and patience. He sincerely made us feel at home. A truly personalized service. I recommend that if you go to Olive Garden you ask for him. I must say that so far, José (El Grande), is the one who has served us best in a restaurant in Manhattan so far.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5