Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Winnipeg

I'm not sure why the hosts decided a table for 6, in a corner trapped behind a large, loud family celebrating a birthday was a good place on a quieter evening for a couple out on a dinner date... Felt packed in like sardines, with kids dancing and bouncing in the free space between us and freedom. Even the second large party at the round table wasn't as boisterous as the birthday.. at least their table also had a baby so they were likely not turned off dining by the aroma of soiled diaper that came during the dancing directly next to our table for a few minutes.... Why the table for six for two people.. trapped in the corner with two large family get-togethers?

Anyway, I had the Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno... And partner had the Tour of Italy... Mine appeared huge, not sure if new plating, it just felt like a lot... Partners was, by appearance, decidedly smaller. He also felt that way, the Lasagna piece wasn't as robust as usual, the Chicken must have been the smallest one around and even the smattering of fettuccine noodles didn't seem to make up for the small sized portions on their plate. Taste matters most with us regardless and there were no complaints on entrees in that regard. I managed to finish mine and was ridiculously full by the time dinner ended and that is what counted. Partner felt the same.

Partners salad came with extra peppers and I was able to steal one without argument. As always well-made and dressed. My chicken and gnocchi soup had one gnocchi and several large, odd shaped pieces of chicken, I wondered if I should get a knife as they didn't exactly fit on the spoon.. but the soup was delicious... And odd shapes tell me someone made it and not pre-packaged nonsense.

Breadsticks were awesome, it's hard to mess these up.. this time someone must have taken extra care in their baking because wow.. Nom. Nom. Super soft and just baked feel.

Dessert was the chocolate brownie lasagna.. always a favourite and it was easy to tell why, delicious.

The bar made my fruity, sweet cocktails with their usual level of delicious and I found two to be my limit... No complaints there.

Staff was great, has a server named Luke(Lucas?) he went unmasked while others were a bit more cautious. While I didn't quite like the lack of mask for someone visiting multiple tables, I did find him helpful and friendly, even if it took him almost until the end to bring a new straw after I mangled the first one trying to open it. Heh. Food was served promptly, delicious, almost everything went well...

Just why the huge table for only two in a corner behind large family parties on a quieter night? I wondered if we had somehow offended the hosts? Or... Was it just a coincidence that the plan ended up putting us directly behind these large families in the corner, trapping us with kids using the small space between the tables as a dance floor? Was it to ensure we got our server?

Anyway, the table choice for a couple out to a later dinner (after 730pm.. almost 8pm) was why the 5th star was withheld... Table in the corner, tucked behind large family gatherings, that seats 6... Is a terrible choice for two adults with no...

New update: life is good again, we now have figured out our solid team of servers. Arvind has taken the best care of us the last while. Great times are to be had at OG with fam and friends. Definitely makes the experience great when you have great staff to take care of you. Thanks OG team, and a huge props to the allstars: Arvind, Daniel B and wife as well as Daniel V . All great people !!

Update: I loved it so much the first time coming back from years of not eating here. I had amazing service the first time but now realize the extra great experience came from the server I had. Ive been back 4 or 5 times since then and was not as impressed. The one night they were training and the service was still not bad but not the best, waiting for drinks, refills and food. We kept giving it a chance and keep coming because the food is pretty good. The next few experiences were definitely sub par from the service we have been getting since our first visit. I guess daniel just really set the bar too high. This last visit though was really unimpressive, we were not asked for drink orders til we asked after ordering our food. And then were hassled and told that it was going to annoy the manager if two baskets of breadsticks were brought to the table. Like really? Each entree comes with the option and at a table with 4 entree's ordered if I want 4 baskets it would be ridiculous to question it. So unfortunately I will not be going near as often unless I can figure out when the server we had (daniel) is working because I go for the food and the atmosphere. At 150$-200$ for a family of 4 to eat here I dont mind the cost but I have expectations of the experience I have. Ontop of that the ravioli had a texture like eating a bandaid and the soups were very inconsistent, some had no nochi and some had no chicken . Felt like a very cheap experience and was not pleasing. I dont want to lose faith in this place so I hope to get the experience back the next time I go so I dont have to feel like im eating at bp or tanas or any of the other places going downhill these days. I want the fine dining experience I expect

I have to say it was the best dining experience i have had in a long time. Daniel was a huge part of that, best service ive had from anywhere I have eaten before. The food was really good but the experience put everything in place for us. Thank you Daniel and Olive garden for the wonderful fining experience. I would highly recommend the all you eat past , that way you get a great variety of pastas and sauces to choose from. Simply...

What is up with the all-you-can-eat soup or, salad, and breadsticks these days?

Here's a ridiculously long 'last review' for you.

First of all, I've been coming to Olive Garden since I was a little kid, but nostalgia and fond memories or not, after our Thursday's dine-in lunch, I'm done.

For clarity's sake, I ordered the SoS&B and my date ordered an entrée, both choosing the soup options.

We enter the restaurant and are seated: •4-5 mins later the waitress takes the drink order. •7-mins later - I get the waitress's attention and tell her we are ready to order, and she takes the food order. • 4 minutes later - our drinks arrive. Sans soup and breadsticks. •10-minutes after we got our drinks two bowls of soup were brought out with exactly 3 breadsticks and my date's entrée.

Now with the context thoroughly painted...

When I asked for more soup and breadsticks after I finished my first bowl, we each had one breadstick and shared the third. When more were finally brought out. Only two breadsticks were brought. I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous, especially if the entrée meal comes with unlimited soup and breadsticks anyway as a courtesy. In addition to my ordering it as my meal. If you're that busy in the restaurant, don't be so cheap to make people sit and ask and beg for two sticks of bread. It ruins the atmosphere and it should just go back to anyone who gets unlimited without any charge, but since you're charging me I want to at least be given quick service so I don't feel like an incontinent slob.

The last thing I'll mention in this already novel-sized monologuing is the broccoli. My date selected to add broccoli for $3.75 to their fettuccine entrée. However, the broccoli was visibly brown and appeared rotten in its cores. When this was raised to the waitress. No comp was offered, she just said that they were grill marks. We didn't think it was grill marks though, and even if it were, we already had an off-putting feeling.

In the end, we left after being served: 5 breadsticks, (but only eating 3.) 3 bowls of soup, (only 2 were consumed.) 2 drinks (1/2 of which we drank.) and exactly 2-bites of the entrée.

$57.00 later aaaand ~ That is the last time I'll ever sit and eat...