Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Zanesville

I had the pleasure of dining at the Olive Garden on Howard Street in Zanesville, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better experience. From start to finish, everything felt smooth, warm, and welcoming-exactly what I want from a casual Italian night out.

I was seated fairly quickly in a clean, cozy booth with a nice view of the softly lit dining area. The atmosphere was lively without being overwhelming-perfect for winding down after a long day.

My server was friendly and attentive right away. He greeted me with a smile, answered a couple of questions about the menu, and brought my drink-a simple glass of water with lemon-within minutes. Sometimes, it's the little things like quick service and cold water that set the tone.

For my entrée, I chose the Chicken Parmesan, and it absolutely hit the spot. The chicken was perfectly breaded, crispy on the outside, and juicy inside. It came topped with just the right amount of marinara and melted cheese, served over a generous portion of spaghetti. The flavors were bold, comforting, and felt homemade in the best way. It's one of those dishes that's hearty and satisfying without being too heavy.

And of course, the endless salad and breadsticks lived up to the hype. The salad was fresh and crisp with a tangy Italian dressing, and the breadsticks were warm, soft, and addictively good. I definitely had a few before my meal even arrived.

I also appreciated that they offer vegetarian options, which is helpful when dining with friends who have dietary preferences. Even though they don't accept reservations, the staff managed the flow of guests well, and I never felt rushed or overlooked.

The prices are very reasonable-about $10-$20 per person-especially considering the portion sizes and overall quality. I left full, satisfied, and even had some leftovers to enjoy the next day.

All in all, this Olive Garden offers exactly what you'd expect and more: delicious, consistent Italian-American comfort food, great service, and a relaxed, family-friendly environment. I'll...

The hostess staff were very friendly as soon as we entered and we did not have to wait for long. But, unfortunately that was the best part of our Experience. As soon as we were seated, I asked the hostess if the air conditioning could be raised as it was freezing cold in our back corner. The AC was on full blast, so much that the blinds were blowing away from the windows And there was a significant temperature difference between our section and other sections of the restaurant. Heck, it was only 75ﾟ out today! The hostess said she would discuss it with the manager. So a few minutes later the waitress took our drink orders and I also asked her to modify the AC. Both the waitress and the hostess mentioned how cold it was. When the waitress came back with our salad I asked again and she said she had mentioned it to the manager . At this point I was little frustrated as I had asked 3 times over a 20 minute. And we had resorted to using our napkins to Keep warm . I went to the front in voiced my frustration with the hostess staff. The manager Finally increased the temperature in the room about 10 minutes later. As far as our waitress, she was OK, bordering on curt And rushed. There were 4 of us and only one got a refill of their drinks. Her nails were over an inch long and when she brought our drinks initially, her fingernail was in the drink as she handed it to us. The food was also OK, But definitely overpriced for a bowl of pasta with a couple of strips of chicken in it. Will definitely not be back to Olive Garden...

Today was the 1st time since all the Covid happenings we actually went out and sat down in a restaurant. We chose one of our favorites but unfortunately this was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!! Understandably there was a long wait and I didn’t expect to get right in so we sat in the car for an hour , finally got in the restaurant to find out there was a limited menu, again whatever but honestly it was the service that was THE WORST !!! Our waiter Ben was absolutely positively AWFUL!! We sat there for along time before we received any kind of greeting he finally comes to the table and asks us for our drink order and food order ( along with the table down from ours , which mind u had been there longer than us with no attention either) After another long wait we finally get drinks , and our soup . Then meals came out he never once came back and said how is the food do you need anything?? I realize things have completely changed but you would think that service would be outstanding as it always had been but unfortunately not with this waiter 🤷🏻‍♀️ Oh and by the way their menu is limited like I stated above but I hope they would at least tell you before you wait an hour then get in there to find that out . Unfortunately our waiter Ben definitely needs some better skills and going past the bar and seeing 3 servers sitting on the floor on their cell phones probably isn’t a...