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Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany, located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy in a restored 11th century village, is where Olive Garden’s chefs learn the secrets of great Italian cooking - like how to combine fresh ingredients - to create authentic Italian dishes that you’ll enjoy sharing with your family and friends.
There is a romantic feel from the moment you walk in, with strings of little lights and a Tuscan decor. Absolutely outstanding service, offered a wine tasting as soon as you sit down, and unlimited bread sticks/soup/salad with every entree!
A couple of times we have ordered the trio appetizer platter, which we have stopped getting because nearly all of the options are deep fried and come out a little dry. The ziti four-cheese pasta is delicious! Italian sodas are a nice treat to have in lieu of dessert. Also very nice to see the managers walking around and interacting with the tables. They charm us every time. I am sure we will be back many more times.
My gf and I had joked in the past about coming here and recently it turned into reality when she was craving pasta and I was willing to deal with the lineups.
They portray a family oriented position, along the lines of The Pantry and White Spot and very much like what you'd like in the US. The space feels like a large suburban home divided up into different sections and you are surrounded by families and children making for a pretty lively and G rated atmosphere.
Knowing that it came with unlimited salad and breaksticks we passed on starters. The salad was decidely better than you would expect for limitless sides and was much more than just iceberg lettuce with croutons, red onion, olives and even a decent house vinagrette dressing. The breadsticks were fresh and brushed with a little oil, salt and I think garlic powder but I thought they were mediocre at best and wouldn't fill up on it given the menu choices. My gf's braised beef tortelloni was a full on dish. The beef shortribs were tender and was quite good for flavour while the tortelloni had an unexciting asiago filling. The supposed marsala that was used was pretty timid among the cheese, portobello and beef. I ordered the chicken and shrimp carbonara with perfectly cooked plump shrimps and breast meat that was still fork tender. The pancetta, although not cooked to a bacon crisp livened up the parmesan cream sauce making it the best pasta dish of the two. Portions aren't as daunting as I thought but these you really leave packed. We finished off the meal with a couple of mini desserts, a tiramisu and a strawberry shortcake which ended a rather satisfying meal.
Given the reviews I figured the service could be on and off depending on who you got. Luckily for us it was fantastic all round. They gave introductions, ran through the menu, and prompted us ahead of time when another server would take care of us. This along with timely checkups and some small banter without going over the top was a welcomed and somewhat unusual find these days. Looking at the other tables around us the service looked to be much of the same as well.
We weren't expecting to be wowed with the food but I can see why it's such a popular place. It really is that family friendly restaurant.
My boyfriend and I are expecting a baby, so instead of going out partying on NYE he asked me where I would like to eat, and I chose Olive Garden. We expected upwards of an hour to wait, but when we arrived we were pleased to hear that it would only be about 20 minutes. They gave us a pager and offered us seats at the bar. My boyfriend ordered a double Caesar, and I watched the bartender put more than two shots in it, and he garnished it beautifully with olives, spicy pepperoni, and onions. Best looking Caesar I ever saw!!
Promptly 20 minutes later we were seated, and our server at once seemed very friendly and up beat. We chatted with him a bit as we looked over our menus, and he offered me a taste of red wine they had on special. My boyfriend ordered the stuffed mushrooms as an appy, and I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip. When they arrived, my boyfriend was less than impressed with the mushrooms and felt he had made the wrong choice. He wasn't too shy to tell the waiter either, who comped that appetizer and offered to bring him a new one. My appetizer was excellent. For dinner, we ordered the Italian Feast which is three different small portions of the pasta dishes off of their Classic Recipes menu. I had the fettuccine, cheese ravioli, and chicken parm and bf had the same except marinated grilled chicken instead of chicken parm. All was good except the chicken parm, which I didn't end up eating. I found it a bit rubbery (I am pregnant though and wary about eating anything that might make me feel sick).
Oh I should also mention that the breadsticks and salad were both excellent, and bf had the minestrone soup which he said was excellent. No complaints.
Near the end of our meal, while trying to remove a few of the many plates that had piled up over the course of an hour on our table, our server accidentally knocked over the last half of bf's Caesar. He offered to bring him a new one, but he declined as he still had to drive us home. The waiter said he would comp us, but unfortunately we had already paid for the drink at the bar, so this never happened. Not a big deal.
The manager came by to talk to us about the appetizer bf had ordered that he had sent back, and said it wasn't a problem and that it would be removed from our bill. He then offered us both $5.00 gift certificates for our next visit. He was a very personable and pleasant man.
Our leftovers were packed up neatly by our server on a tray at our table, and hung neatly on the back of my chair. We left a very nice tip and told the manager we would be back again. I may order something different next time, but my overall experience was very good and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is sick of the usual White Spot/Red Robin/Earls atmosphere.
Been here on several occasions for lunch. I'm a sucker for their unlimited salad/breadsticks concept as other reviewers have commented. I find the pasta dishes to be quite tasty, but the best deal is the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks for $8.50. They let you try all four types of their soups if you want - perfect on a wet winter day. The service is usually good, but this last time takes the cake. Our server seemed somewhat forgetful, having forgotten the cheese one time and messing up our soup orders, but she apologized a couple times and was very personable so the mistakes weren't a big deal.
The only bad thing is that the food is a bit on the salty side. Oh, and if you order the refillable drinks be sure to get a refill. Paying $3 for one glass of iced tea was a bit of a rip off.
If you don't mind waiting a lot and you enjoy flavourless food where kids roll in the aisles, this is the place for you! The service and food were awful. I'll never go to a Olive Garden again. I went after having not been to one in a few years. They should never have changed it- their attempt to be classier has just led to extraordinarily poor quality food and disorganized service. It wasn't even busy!
OK I'll say I'm mostly just a sucker for the non-stop salad (and bread sticks to a lesser degree). I find the salad very tasty, I like how it's all chilled and there is a Jalapeno in there. The pop is refillable which is a big plus for me.
The entrees themselves are not all so hot. Some are fairly tasty while some of their plain pasta is just not very good at all. It's nothing close to Anton's.
They seem to take their service fairly serious here. No real complaints here.
I like the building this place is in.
It's too bad there is only one and it's all the way out in Langley or we would go more often. Before the Langley location, we used to actually cross the border and drive to Bellingham the odd time to get our fix. Looking back that just seems retarded as the place isn't THAT good.
Olive Garden has always been a hit with me. I've dined there several times but wanted to have a more recent experience before reviewing it.
Food: I have to admit, the quality has gone down a bit, especially with their sign. Zuppa Toscana soup, but it's still pretty good. The best thing about this place is that you get unlimited breadsticks and soup/salad with your meal. An average entree costs about $15-18, but if you load up on the unlimited sides and pack up your unfinished entree, it's like dining 2 meals for the price of 1. My sister got the soup and salad lunch deal. All you can stuff for only $8.95 at lunch time. You also get yummy Andes mint chocolate with your bill at the end of your meal.
Service: A little bit lacking in service from our Lindsay Lohan look-a-like server, but we still got minimal attitude. Service could be improved.
Ambiance: The restaurant is like you're inside an Italian villa. I think the decor is awesome.
A fantastic restaurant. The service was top-notch. The waitress (blonde and long) was incredibly knowledgeable and was a wealth of information when questioned. She was attentive to our every need and ended up making for what has got to be a world-class experience. I was paying $40 for two and still having greatest time and so was my girl. The food was fantastic and full of taste in both pasta and the waitress even shared a complimentary soup with our table... again, it was fantastic! Thanks for your attention to detail and for the great ambience!
Everytime we drive past Langley, my wife insists on dining at Olive Garden.
I am no fan of the place (I prefer Montana's across the parking lot), especially when the average wait time is 30 minutes for both lunch and dinner. Once, we called ahead to reserve a table, but we still had to wait for about 15 minutes when we arrived.
The bottomless bread and soup/salad are marvelous. The entrees are generally good. Dessert? Frankly, we have never tried it because after the entree, we are always stuffed!!!
Service is always good, friendly and efficient.
Ambience - well it is ..... comfortable (???). I think they try to make you feel like you are in a small Tuscany village.
Return? Definitely - but it will be because my wife wants to. The food and service are all pretty good, but the queue for table ...
Myself and some friends came in for lunch the other day.We really enjoyed our lunch.We felt very comfortable and content with everything. The service we recieved was outstanding. I believe service is sooooo important. So many other places don't. The prices are fairly reasonable. I will be back when I get a chance.........
One of my least favourite places to eat! The chefs must bee soaking poweder in the back, is so stale about the food that you can't help but feel the same. They not only makes a mockery of Italian food, but also charge prices like it is an actual genuine Italian restaurant. I was there because | was meeting someone, other than that wouldnt go to this restaurant. Friday night was Lover's Night for us, and even Olive Garden couldn't ruib it with their unappealing waitstaff and lack of quality food.
We've gone to the Olive Garden in Seattle and wasn't impressed, but we received a gift card so decided to give it a shot.
I really don't see why there's always a line up. First of all, the people there seem fakely friendly, from the host to the bartender to the staff. If they aren't happy, that really says something about the restaurant! The host informed us our wait would be 65 minutes, so we grabbed a seat at the bar but it was actually more like 30 minutes. I've never seen timing that off before. I'm a total garlic lover, so I ordered my pasta with extra garlic and inquired to what kind of garlic they use (roasted or raw). The server just replied "i don't know" and didn't bother to find out, even though I asked twice. No refills on breadsticks or soup, and holy crap they really need a lesson in marketting their product.
Food: Good for a family, but pasta wasn't as al dente as I like and food has SOME flavour but i've definitely had better (Marchello's on Commercial!!)
Ambience: We were seated near the fireplace so that was nice
Service: What fakeness, no one seemed genuinely to give a damn, just to do the minimal and get the day / service over with.
Maybe i'm harsh, I love cooking and I used to serve so I have some sort of expectation with both, but definitely NOT worth my money and not coming back again if I have any say in it!!!
I eat here regularly and have never had a bad experience. The line-ups, however, are insane, so it's best to go in the afternoon. The first time I took my husband he couldn't understand why we had to go at 3:00, but he soon found out as we still had to wait about 15-20 minutes, LOL. The staff is organized, so the waiting is not too painful though. I was reluctant to take my husband there as he is really nitpicky about his pasta, but he thoroughly enjoyed his meal, as well as the complimentary salad and bread. He actually had to have part of his meal packed up he was so full, and he is usually a bottomless pit! Our server was also really friendly and attentive (without being annoying).
We made a reservation at Olive Garden Langley, were told the table would be available at 7pm, as we had out of town family coming in we wanted to make sure a table would be available for our party. We still waited over 40 minutes (past our 7pm reservation time.) The salad and breadsticks were great as usual, food was decent, I wouldn't say great, but decent. I have definatly had better Italian. Our server was okay, not the most attentive, but ok. Not sure the chaos, noise and wait times are worth the visit. An average experience.
Food:
- The salad and soup along with the breadsticks are great.
- The salad is really some things thrown together; the ice berg lettuce sometimes isnt even broken up properly but it is always fresh.
- All 3 choice of soups are great and the breadsticks are amazing with or without the dipping sauces.
- The Chicken Marsala is amazing - must have!
Service:
- We went on a Tuesday night so it wasnt busy - no complaints.
- I guess we need to go back on a Saturday to see what its all about.
Ambiance:
- This place looks amazing. Rustic kind of look.
- Super clean and great standards.
Everything in perspective this place is a little over-priced. I guess the free appy food makes up for that...?
Stopped in for an early dinner - we were seated right away.
The meal was delicious. The salads were huge, crisp and fresh I agree with another reviewer to have the hot peppers removed, no one eats them. We shared an appetizer - scampi on toast with a really nice sauce. Then we each had a pasta dish, the servings were huge with lots of seafood. Not the quickest wait staff, but polite and helpful. I'm looking forward to another visit.
Saw the commercials, tried it in Seattle, loved it and found one location back in BC. Granted the drive is far (from Surrey) but it sure is worth it.
True, there is a lengthy wait time to be seated (30-60mins), but they do provide a beeper, comfortable seats and a strip mall to keep you entertained. You should go to the restaurant with this in mind. I find going at lunch time is a better bet. The staff is friendly and when you are seated, service and food is prompt. The manager came by twice to see how we were doing.
This location has tables, booths, and different seating sections. You are surrounded by wine bottles and the atmosphere is very family italian friendly. As well the place always looks very tidy and so does their staff.
The food is amazing; quality and quantity wise. Most entrees are about $20 but this is accompanied by unlimited salad (which has the best salad dressing), array of delicious soups, and breadsticks (a mild version of Crazy Bread). The entreees are excellent and large in quantity that you will have leftovers. At the end you recieve a mint chocolate instead of the cheap white mint.
Will be coming here for years to come and I recommend it to everyone!
Great food but what an absolute joke for service and how they run things. These guys have no clue. "Tables are left empty because servers aren't working those tables".....quoted right from one of the employees! Unreal! Somebody needs a lesson in scheduling and managment. Sad sad set up.
The food is very good as are the quantities but this won't keep people coming back. I've seriously started looking at other alternatives around the area. The problem for this restaurant is that many of my friends who eat out as often as I do have started doing the same.
Word to the Olive Garden......Read your reviews and react now before it's too late.
My boyfriend took me there on our anniversary. It was a 45min drive but well worth it! I'm a pasta fan and they are one of the top restaurants that I'd go for some good Italian pastas! My boyfriend got the seafood pasta and I think i got the chicken one, it was soooo goood~ the waitress was also really nice, i had a great time!
Decided to have dinner with my wife. Been to this Olive Garden a number of times before and had good service. This time the food was good but very disapointing service. Tried to order some wine with dinner but by the time the waitness got around to asking we could only drink hafl the bottle. When dinner came we were still eating our appetizer and we had to move our own dishes to make way. Finally after waiting around (and having the manager look at us a few times wondering why we were just sitting yet doing nothing) we got our waitress' attention and managed to get a cup of coffee. Even though we wanted desert we didn't get a chance. All this for a $90 dinner?
We were very disapointed by the service and very disapointed by the management that did nothing.
| 1. | NE 36th Street (653.9 km) | |
| 2. | 171st (796.4 km) | |
| 3. | Gateway (799.3 km) |
| 1. | Triple O's (28 m) | |
| 2. | Starbucks (28 m) | |
| 3. | Quiznos (29 m) | |
| 4. | Coza! Tuscan Grill (36 m) |  |
| 5. | Milestones Grill & Bar (47 m) | |
| 6. | Milestone's Grill and Bar (47 m) | |
| 7. | Montana's Cookhouse (48 m) |  |
| 8. | Starbucks (123 m) | |
| 9. | Red Robin (225 m) | |
| 10. | Starbucks (236 m) |
