Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Bellingham

We were so disappointed with our experience at Olive Garden. We were given an approximate wait time, but it was actually 15-20 mins later than quoted which I realize happens because you're relying on other people to finish and leave, so no real complaints there.

When we got seated, our drink orders were taken and both servers seemed nice, though inexperienced. However, the drinks took about 20 mins to arrive and we could not for the life of us find our servers (we had two) to order our food. Another 20 mins later, we were able to find our servers and order our soup/salad and mains. 30 mins after that, we had our soup and salad. Soup was okay, except that they were lukewarm, not hot, as if they had been sat out for a while. No one came to check on us, and the kids were getting hangry. Our soup bowls were stacked, salad plates stacked, just waiting for our mains. When we finally flagged someone down to ask about the status of our meal, we asked if the kids meals could come out as soon as possible. They said yes and/or they would try. By this point, we had been waiting for our food for about an hour and a half. We kept asking if any of our mains for adults or kids were almost ready, as the kids in our group were getting so tired. The kids actually wanted to leave and just not eat as they wanted to go to bed. The server finally admitted that they were very backed up in the kitchen. At this point, we are at hour 2 of our dining experience and the kids still didn't have any food. The GM came to help clear our soup and salad plates away which we had already put together to help the service go quicker.

We then actually looked around and saw that the restaurant had completely cleared out and that people we had met waiting to be seated had eaten and left already while we still hadn't had our mains. In the end, half the adult meals were out before the kids meals were even out. Not only that, some of the kids meals came out about 15 mins after everyone else had been served. Most of our adult meals were okay (some tasted good but ALL were cold), but my mom's steak was completely overcooked (she had asked for medium rare) and it was well done and rock hard. She was just going to put up with it but she gave up after a few bites after we told her to just ask them to redo it since the restaurant was empty by that point. The servers knew it was overcooked as soon as we got their attention (they immediately asked if the steak was overcooked without us even saying much). They said they would give her a new steak, and oddly enough, it came out in less than 5 mins. We later learned it was because they just seared the outsides quickly so the meat aside from the edges were completely raw. It was not worth it to bring it up again, as the kids were going insane and we had been there for 2.5 hours already.

Overall, it was such a negative dining experience especially when we were celebrating two birthdays. We didn't even stay for dessert.

No discounts were given for the overcooked, and then completely rare steak or the fact that our dining experience at Olive Garden took almost 3 hours (had we been warned ahead of time that food was going to take longer than usual, we would have just gone somewhere else - no problem) :( No apology from the manager who we saw once help clear plates and never again. We are incredibly disappointed in this experience as this was a family favourite of our kids who would always choose to eat there! I don't think the kids will ever choose to go back...

To some, Olive Garden is their average restaurant, merely a simplistic Italian dining experience, but not to me. Olive Garden is more than just a casual dining location, Olive Garden is my life. The graces they gift us include but are not limited to their heavenly, buttery breadsticks, capable of reviving somebody out of a coma, or curing cancer. I would visit this humble abode on a daily basis simply for their salt encrusted breadsticks, but that’s merely a cherry on top. I am something of a healthy individual, so when I found out we were blessed with not only unlimited breadsticks, but unlimited salad, it felt as though I’d just pulled the winning lottery ticket. There is something in that salad that gives you a temporary euphoric high, whether it’s the strong flavourful dressing or the bread crumbs or the blend of vegetables, it’s proven impossible to just have one serving. I would like to comment my appreciation on the range of the main dish sizes, because unfortunately I do not have the stomach of a mammoth, so to find out that they have lunch-sized portions, perfect for a semi-hungry woman such as myself, I was overjoyed, bouncing off the walls. Despite being a lactose-intolerant individual, I ordered the 5 cheese ziti al forno, and although the pasta is not magical enough to cure my condition, let’s just say every bite was worth the pain spent later in the latrine. I’d like the thank the kind waitress who offered us cheese for both our salad and our pasta as what really matters is the detail, and having the opportunity to expand our flavour palette is something to note. The environment itself is breathtaking, making me feel as though I’m cruising on an Italian canal, being serenaded by a beautiful man. Between the music, and the rustic sort of wall decals, the overall environment accomplishes exactly what it is that it intends, which I should assume is making one feel welcomed, and hungry. The chairs were comfortable, as was the height of the table, and the iPad on top with multiple dynamic features was charming, making ones surroundings feel quite relaxed. Though we did not venture through the games on the iPad, knowing there is not only food and comfort, but entertainment expands the entire experience of Olive Garden itself. Though I did not see any gardens, I believe there was an Olive in my salad. Thank you Olive Garden, for giving me something to look forward to every off occasion when I venture out of my way to visit your nearby area. Thank you Olive Garden for always knowing what I need before I need it. Thank you Olive Garden for...

This was my first time visiting this location. We drove down here from Vancouver and we were very, very pleased with the service at this particular location. The manager of the restaurant (didn't get a chance to get her name) was very welcoming and had such an outgoing and friendly presence when she notified us our table was ready. She is definitely the perfect person to be working in customer service! The manager even checked in with us at our table towards the end of our meal and let us know that with our never-ending pasta dish we can order another plate to-go and pack it for home. This was very kind and nice of the manager to let us know this, as we did not know we could order a supplementary dish to-go with our entree. Our server (again, did not get the chance to get her name) was very kind and patient with us. We were asking her a lot of questions about the menu and were both uncertain of what to order, yet our server was very helpful and patient. She checked in with us many times throughout our meal and constantly offered us more salad and breadsticks when she saw we were almost finished. When it was near the end of our meal, she came by with several take-out boxes and a bag without us even asking for them.. what great service! Overall, a very very positive and excellent experience at this Olive Garden thanks to our server and the restaurant manager. Thank you both for making our experience at Olive Garden a memorable one! I will definitely be coming back here soon!

Edit: I visited this location again on Tuesday March 18th, 2025 for a late dinner around 9pm. I was served by Max and he treated me and my boyfriend so so incredible!! Max was very polite and great to have conversation with. Max noticed right away when my water needed refill and make kind suggestions as we were trying different appetizers. Max checked in with us multiple times throughout our dinner and he gave us refills on our appies very promptly. Max is very kind and genuine, he truly knows how to treat his customers right! I hope Max sees this review as I told him I would be writing a very positive review about him (Max told us this would be his first Google review ever, so a big congrats to Max!). I will for sure visit this location again as I have always had extremely great customer service from the staff....