Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Williamsburg

In kitchen mythology, no archetype is more potent than the grandmother, and most powerful of all is the nonna. Even if you’re not Italian, you probably have an idea how the archetypal Italian grandmother looks and, more to the point, how she cooks.

It was a sweltering afternoon in July when I first came to Olive Garden, and I was wishing I’d visited several months earlier. Chicken and pasta are the restaurant’s specialty, and while summers in the east coast are not kind to anybody, they are especially harsh if you happen to love chicken OR pasta. When the city seethes under temperatures in the 90s, thinking about a scalding plate of pasta sets off an internal battle of anticipation and fear that can make you feel like Alex in “A Clockwork Orange” after his reconditioning.

Of course, summers in Italy are no picnic, either. The country has an ingeniously simple solution to the hot-food-in-July problem: Keeping up with refreshing drinks before it’s halfway, and occasionally quarter way; which allows you to enjoy the refreshment without letting the ice take it over overwhelmingly. This style in where the customer is the number one priority allowed me to envelop the menu which I was afraid would put me in an uncomfortable temperament. It figures heavily on the menu at Olive Garden.

Every other table seems to have garlic bread on it. Make sure yours scores some, too. House-baked focaccia, cloaked in Parmesan and pungent with the stinking garlic, is a loaf to love. Dunk a slice in the accompanying tomato sauce, and you have a springy pizza. The chef’s gather tempura-crisped shrimp, lemon slivers and fresh basil in a heap that’s by turns supple, tangy and bright, depending on what your fingers fish from the sea of appetizers. The chef’s fluffy and fiery pork meatballs might reignite your interest in the idea of appetizers as common on menus these days; as most go straight for their favorite menu item.

The particular chicken and pasta I ate was a variation on the chicken Alfredo. Sour and deeply aromatic, with crispy, crunchy shrimp on the side is a takeout staple that’s fairly uniform across the United States. Italy though, offers dozens of variations on the theme, including one from the central province of Venice that incorporates salty pink commas of dried shrimp. This is Olive Gardens version.

“Many restaurants that call themselves Italian — they do not create real Italian food,” said Mr. Gary, a businessman and head manager who coaches the cooks “If somebody doesn’t know the difference between good and not good, he thinks it is the real Italian cuisine. That’s where we intervene. We protect against the imitations. Focus on Italian cuisine as an essential part of our culture. It’s not just a colorful part of our life, but a part of our tradition, our history, our economy.”

Olive Garden leaves me conflicted. As much as I’d like to keep it my secret for longer, the right thing to do is to write up the place, for more people to enjoy. As an Italian myself, it tastes like nonnas cooking; it tastes like home. It leaves me excited to come back and meet family, the amazing staff and cooks. Gary, make way for the rest of...

Me and my husband came tonight to have a nice dinner . But suddenly it’s turn bad experience . We are a regular customer here in Olive Garden. I bring friends and family here . Cause we love the food and that I always recommend here. But tonight it’s just bad experience to us the server we have is just rude!!! And ignore people. I understand if she had a bad day but we came in the restaurant to eat and have a good night food. We pay our food and the service here but her rude attitude, do you think she deserves to have a good feedback. We order a meal entrees with a tea that not even served. We start eating our meals that’s it’s come a salad and soup. So while eating my husband asking where is our drinks . And I said to him maybe she forgot but no she didn’t forgot, cause she come 3times and the next table n right to us and that’s only customer they have just 2tables in the restaurant.Not busy at all. So I decided to go in the front asked if they can give a water on our table the manager duty was there and other stuff , So I asked that with a PLEASE. So later they give the water atleast 5mins with the entree’s food and the manager was there take NOTE they don’t even say sorry atleast for inconvenience. Like what !!! I manage also the restaurant but atleast you guys need to know how to treat a customer , also one of there stuff also singing loud that” if you want a tea go get in Arizona”. Like wow !!!! very unprofessional!!!! and this the restaurant I been recommended to my people and my customers to my work but just can’t believe. So me and my husband we still remain just calm and not being rude like the way they do to us. So we just not finished our food and get to go and pay our bills that they are tryna charge me to the tea that not even serve. So I asked to take that off and get the bills.But I just wanna say this is the reason that’s why a lot of restaurants here in Williamsburg closed because of this...

The place is tight to maneuver around if you're not petite or a child. Myself and my family were kind and moved out of the way or to the side when a family or elderly person was headed our way. Most of the staff do not do that. Honestly, most people just don't put others' needs ahead of their own. The place is tight and windy with multiple dining areas for a more homey feel. Our server was forgetful and neglectful. She was definitely in the zone, but not the service mode. Take an order, check my phone. Get something for the table, check my phone. Go to the new table, forget my first, check my phone. We had to ask another server to get straws and other items. The Neal was as to be expected. Their heat up when ordered entrees are consistent no matter the location. It was the first time I had had their lasagna in all these years. It will be the last. I don't like sausage in my lasagna. It overtook the entire flavor of the dish. I had a tour of Italy. Everything was ok. There is plenty of sodium and the same flavor as usual. The chicken Parmigian was a teeny tiny portion and cooked well done. There was no meat to the overly piunded over cooked dry chicken fried with marinara and parmesan cheese on top. All in all, the food was ok but not great. The salad and breadsticks were the best part of the meal besides the company. My husband's shrimp scampi wasn't great. It had diced tomatoes and asparagus, which was a total flavor game changer. The take-home entrees for six bucks $6 and breadstick were better than the meal in...