Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

This was my first time at an Olive Garden after being in this country for 5 years, and now I'm obsessed! The unlimited breadsticks and soup/salad can be so addictive. They can essentially be a meal of their own!

I went here for lunch with 2 friends and we were all very extremely pleased with the entire experience. There was a 20 minute wait since it was lunch on a Sunday and they don't take reservations over the weekend, but we went for the open bar seating and got a booth there! People probably didn't know it was an option.

For my side I chose the salad, since I wanted to cut down on the calories from the soup, and didn't want to fill myself up on the sides either. I got the light dressing for the salad (asked for it on the side), and the combination was really good! The pepperoncinis gave it a nice kick. That salad can be filling too! The breadsticks were of course delicious. So warm and buttery. I also asked for some minced garlic on the side, sliced the breadsticks and put some in. It was absolutely amazing, would 10/10 recommend. I ordered the Cheese Ravioli with no sauce (since I'm not a fan of any tomato-based sauce), and even asked to drop the mozzarella on the top. Instead, I smeared it with a little bit of butter and topped it with crushed red pepper flakes. This was the best meal I'd had out in a while! The filling inside the ravioli was heavenly and just the entire combination was perfection.

Both my friends got the Chicken Gnocci Soup for their side, and one of them just filled herself up on the soup and breadsticks; and ended up taking her entire entrée to-go. She had ordered the Creamy Mushroom Ravioli, which she later said was delicious. The other friend got the Tour of Italy which had a Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna, and Fettuccine Alfredo all in one plate. The chicken was cooked well and everything tasted great. Unfortunately he could only finish half of it. Turns out that soup really was filling!

A shoutout to the server we had who was so accommodating to all my requests. I had actually forgotten to request for the salad dressing on the side, so she even took it back and brought me a new one when I asked for it, without seeming at all upset. Service was also really quick. We were barely done with our sides when the entrées rolled in. They also gave us to-go bags for the breadsticks we had left on the table, which I was surprised by, since not a lot of places let you take home the complementary items.

Great experience overall, can't wait...

I went out of my way to go to this location (the La Mesa restaurant is closer to me) in celebration of my birthday. I was excited to go as I do every birthday.

Our host led us to a table and when we asked for a booth, we were refused as "there aren't enough servers to sit you in a booth." That didn't really make sense to me as there was another couple already sitting in a booth directly adjacent to us. And a bit later, another guest was also sat in a booth. But I dismissed that because I've never worked in a restaurant and don't know the intricacies of seating. But I do know that it was all in the same section, and the same waitress initially served us all.

Then, as our waitress (presumably new due to her lack of knowledge) took our drink orders, we were informed that their espresso machine was down, so I couldn't get the cappuccino I'd wanted. Fine. She also misinformed my mother that they didn't carry hot tea even though 1) it's offered on the menu, and 2) we've ordered it from there plenty of times. Later on, our second server confirmed that they did indeed offer hot tea.

The two redeeming qualities of our experience were our second waiter (Brian E, according to my receipt, at least) and the piping hot freshness of all the food served. Brian made up for the aforementioned slights with his constant attention and desire to provide exceptional and helpful (providing insights to the menu and answering questions) service. He even got the team to write a sweet "Happy Birthday" message for me on my dessert plate, which we thought was a sweet touch.

Outside, we were accosted by a vagrant begging us for our leftover food, which was pretty disturbing and unusual to see just outside a restaurant (the benches where patrons wait during busier times, I'm sure). I'm sure that can't be helped completely, since as I mentioned, the store seemed to be short-handed on staff at the time we were there, anyway (11 am-1 pm).

All in all, I was a little disappointed by various factors, but maybe my expectations fell short due to the limited staff available at the time we...

A Complete Turnaround at Olive Garden (Sports Arena Location)

I’ll be honest—I was hesitant to come back to the Olive Garden at Sports Arena. Our last visit wasn’t great. The food came out at different times, my mom (who is lactose intolerant) had issues with her meal, and the whole experience felt off. I had simply asked for pasta with butter and grilled veggies for her, but the server unexpectedly called the manager over, which felt awkward. The dish came with olive oil instead of butter, the veggies and chicken arrived late, and the pasta itself was completely bland.

But this time? Total 180.

From the moment we were greeted by Daisy, our server, everything felt different. Her warm smile and energy set the tone right away. She took our drink orders quickly and went the extra mile to help us find a dairy-free meal that would actually excite my mom—not just accommodate her.

We ended up with a dish of fettuccine tossed in butter, topped with grilled bell peppers, red onions, broccoli, and perfectly cooked chicken. It was flavorful and satisfying—everything the last visit wasn’t. Daisy even got the salad just right: one with house dressing for us, and one for my mom with extra olives and croutons (a small detail, but it meant a lot).

And let me not forget the Zuppa Toscana. This time, it was rich and hearty, loaded with potatoes, sausage, and kale—not the watered-down version we were served before.

Everything came out hot and on time, all together. It was a completely smooth experience.

Huge shoutout to Daisy for her excellent service—attentive, kind, and truly above and beyond. She turned what could’ve been another disappointing visit into one of our best Olive Garden experiences. We’ll...