Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Olive Garden, what can I say? You’re there for me in ways I never knew I needed. Not emotionally—let’s not get crazy—but pasta-wise, you’re my rock. It’s like you’ve mastered the art of showing up just when I need a bottomless bowl of carbs to get through life’s ups and downs. And when you bring back that “All You Can Eat” pasta and salad deal once a year, well, it’s practically a national holiday in my house. Forget Thanksgiving—I’m giving thanks to Alfredo, marinara, and whatever magic you put in those breadsticks.

My wife and I went to Olive Garden recently for a little midday lunch date, you know, before the chaos of picking up the kids. It’s the kind of date where you’re still wearing your “I’ve given up” sweatpants, but it’s romantic because…pasta. I went for the angel hair pasta with creamy mushroom sauce, because nothing says “I’m sophisticated” like pretending I know the difference between angel hair and spaghetti. She went for the rigatoni with red sauce, classic choice—although I secretly suspect she ordered it just so she wouldn’t have to share. Pro move.

And then, of course, there’s the all-you-can-eat salad. I mean, is it really a trip to Olive Garden without the salad? But I have to ask: what’s with the “all you can eat” part? It feels a bit like a challenge. Like, how much lettuce can one human consume before it stops being fun and starts being a cry for help? I got mine tossed with ranch, because if I’m going to load up on carbs, I might as well go all in with the calories. My wife, though? She’s more sophisticated—chose the chicken gnocchi soup. Which, by the way, is basically the culinary equivalent of a warm hug.

Now, usually the service at Olive Garden is like a well-oiled pasta machine. The servers are attentive, checking in just enough so you never feel forgotten, but not so much that you start wondering if they’re secretly living under the table. This time? Eh, our server was a little less attentive. Not terrible, but just enough for me to wonder if maybe they were trapped in the back, knee-deep in a spaghetti incident. I mean, if you don’t check on me every 10 minutes, how else will I show off my highly impressive ability to devour bowl after bowl of pasta? Exactly.

Despite that minor hiccup, I’ve gotta say, I still love this Olive Garden. The one on Corbin in Northridge, California, is my go-to spot for a reliable, pasta-filled experience. Whether you’re a couple on a midday date like us, or a family of 10 with a toddler throwing breadsticks across the room like it’s a sport, there’s something here for everyone. Just be sure to wear your stretchy pants and pace yourself with the salad—you’ll want to save room for that second (or third) plate of...

I really don’t post reviews but I had a pretty rough experience yesterday. We took my mom out for dinner for her birthday and we were seated and the waitress took our drink orders right away. The first issue was they made a mistake and forgot to bring my sisters food out (no biggie) she had to wait for her food way after we all got ours. My husband was eating his plate and he was enjoying it but he mentioned he was chewing on something hard and he took the object out of his mouth and it was a thick piece of glass. We were all shocked and I tried to get the attention of a server for about 15 minutes at this point I told him not to continue eating just in case there was more glass to course. We finally go someone’s attention and I explained what happened they apologized and took the plate. What bothered me was the manager coming over and stating that they don’t cook with glass and it has never happened before and there was no way that glass could have gotten in the plate. I also mentioned that there was no way we would have brought a piece of glass and put it in our food or it wasn’t our fault and he stated he wasn’t blaming us but it was the first time this ever happened to them and I told him same here I’ve never eaten at a place where glass has been served in our plate. They took a pretty long time to bring a new plate out and my husband and I just ended up sharing a plate. No one really showed concern and we felt like they thought we were making the story up. Anyways pretty rough experience at the end they were more concerned about a tip then the experience itself. Just be careful if you come here and expect issues to arise it was a pretty slow night and all the servers were standing around talking. Anyways that was our experience hopefully it doesn’t happen to...

After 21 years of resisting my friends and family to eat at OG (bad eating experience), I succumbed and was pleasantly surprised by the decor, the staff and the food (more on the food later).

It was pleasant to have a nice meal that was satisfying and reasonably priced. We ordered $5 cocktails to start which were not unpleasantly sweet or watered down. Commendations to our server Valerie who was very pretty even more so because it complimented her very pleasant and patient manner. She advised and explained to us, old fogeys, how the deal was dealt at OG. She humored us with relevant, intelligent, and personal conversation that is missing in so much of today's young people.

We ordered the shrimp and carbonara chicken which was healthy in size so it was fine for sharing. However, one slightly critical note --the pasta was too well done and it was smothered in an Alfredo sauce. I would suggest to management to serve pastas closer to al dente and watch the smothering factor in all dishes. In hindsight the salad and bread sticks alone would have sufficed to vanquish our hunger, that along with our drinks. But shrimp pasta was too enticing to ignore.

All in all a very pleasant experience. We will return to keep exploring the menu that I am sure has evolved in the last 21 years and to experience that pleasant and welcoming staff. Special word to Darren who was also very pleasant and engaging. Combined, Valerie and Darren, we hope, are a good representation of the vibrant, young and courteous people working at OG. After all pasta is pasta at any joint, but add good people and pleasant service, a pasta joint then becomes something else--a place to enjoy and feel at home....