Maggiano's Little Italy — Restaurant in Springfield

I went to Maggiano’s July 15, 2025 for a birthday. We selected this place because we went to an engagement wedding party in March 2025 and was impressed by the ambience and the delicious food & appetizers especially the crab cakes. We always said we would come back and eat dinner here to experience the food again.

July 15 was a different experience with some differences. We got a booth seat for comfort instead of sitting in regular table & chairs. The restaurant is very stylish and busy for a week day night. I loved the Italian restaurant dark wood and posh ambiance. It was busy & crowded yet we were able to have a private conversation despite the many people eating around us. We ordered crab cake appetizers. Despite the crab cakes being $20 for two appetizers, they are the most delicious & succulent crab cakes I ever tasted and they came with a serving of sauce & an arugula cherry tomato salad. I ordered and tasted branzino for the first time, a fish entree I always wanted to eat after hearing about it many times. The Branzino Crab Imperial has Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Lobster Cream Sauce, and Branzino Fish, a Mediterranean fish, also known as European sea bass. My husband ordered the cheese ravioli entree. The crab cakes with lobster sauce & arugula salad were the tastiest and better than the crab cakes we had in March at Maggiano. The addition of the lobster sauce and arugula salad made it more perfect than the ones we had in the past. The cheese ravioli was not as delicious as the last cheese ravioli we had at the party yet it was still good. The branzino was so so. The extra lobster sauce I requested to add to the lobster sauce it came with made it more delicious though. It was good yet not as stunning as the crab cakes. I prefer fish entrees made at home over fish entrees in restaurants. Restaurant fish never tastes as fresh and succulent as fish cooked at home.

Tina was our server and was very friendly, professional, & efficient. Food, drinks, & service were expedited quickly & pleasantly. Tina also produced a surprise birthday treat and honored our military discount. It was a very unique dessert with cookies with whipped creme & a white chocolate candy. There was a candle in a strawberry to blow for a birthday wish. Very beautiful and unforgettable birthday dessert.

Maggiano’s is the perfect place for a fancy date night and special party events. Yet, it is not a place I would frequently visit or order for takeout due to the different experiences I had with food there and economical reasons. The food is well displayed, delicious, and very satisfactory yet expensive. Entrees are $25 or more. Service is always excellent. Ambiance is spectacular.

Overall, I was highly satisfied with food, ambiance, & service at...

Update: Someone from Maggianos responded and said I should contact Door Dash. This order was a customer pickup done on the Maggiano's website. I don't even have a Door Dash account.

Even if it was a third party, how on earth would the quality of my meal have anything to do with a delivery service? I've amended my review from two stars to one.

Original review: This was our first order from Maggiano's since before the pandemic. It was our wedding anniversary and we decided to stay in, splurge a bit and order out from one of our favorite places.

Firstly, after my husband arrived and checked in, he was acknowledged and then ignored for ages. I called the restaurant to remind them he was outside, and they responded in such a manner that I can only assume he'd been forgotten.

Okay, no big whoop. Maybe they were super busy.

Then I opened the food. The fettucine portion was not very large for two people. It was dry and hard and the sauce had seeped down to the bottom of the container in a sad sticky puddle. I sighed, but tried to make the best of it. I stirred as best I could, cut the lump in half with a spatula and flipped it upside down so my husband wouldn't see how bad it looked.

Then I opened the salad. What.the.fudge. The avocado I paid extra for was so old it had turned black. Not just brown from being cut and sitting for awhile, black and rotten. (see photos) One of the three cherry tomatoes had a black rotten spot. The croutons no longer had an iota of crunch - they kind of sadly dissolved when eaten.

One of the loaves of bread was burned. (I think some people like it that way, but it should be an option, not a default.) Had to throw it out it was so hard inside and out.

The cheesecake - pretty darn good. Large portion, fresh strawberries, sauce and whipped cream. And my husband liked his chicken parmesan. Two stars.

Overall, it was $80 worth of mostly garbage. So much food thrown away! I didn't feel well at all for two days - likely from the salad I tried to salvage since my husband was fine. I should've just tossed all of it.

Come on,...

I just got back in my car from retrieving up my food. I am beyond heated! The girl behind the carry out counter has zero customer service etiquette. She asked me my name. I gave it to her. She asked how did I want to pay? I was attempting to retrieve my credit card, once I had it out. She snatched my card from my hand. I was flummoxed and angered. My voice pitched and I asked her if she just snatched my card from my hand? She didn't respond to me. I asked her once again. She then stated that she hadn't. She wanted to explain her behavior. I said yes you did. She wanted to get into a disputation w/me. I asked her to call her manager. She called for him (Moe) on their walkie talkie device. She proceeded to inform me that my card didn't work. She handed me back my card. I told her the way that she's behaving is inappropriate. She asked for my card again. I replied, do you honestly think I want to continue doing business with you? I said that's why I asked for your manager. Once her manager arrives he tries to evaluate what happened and this girl wants to lament about the situation. However I'm trying to discuss with him the particulars on this debacle. He then excuses her, so I can talk. I demonstrated what happened. He took the same credit card and swiped it. It worked!!! I told him that the way she snatched and swiped, is the reason it didn't go through the first time. He apologized. He asked me if this was my first time ordering there. I said no and that I had ordered recently (like a week ago and w/a very pleasant lady). I really don't know what that question had to do with the current situation. He asked me to check my bag to see if it was correct. I did and it was, I thanked him and left. He said absolutely "nothing". I now see why tonight's incident occurred because between the management and your staff..... they're all uncouth!!! Your performance tonight actually is quite deserving...