Olive Garden

Doesn't Recommend

LVfoodie

Joined 2 years ago

Review of Olive Garden Whitehall, PA. In April, 2011, I took my family to Olive Garden (Whitehall, PA) on a Sunday night to spend some gift cards we received.

It had been a number of years since my last visit to the Olive Garden, primarily because independent Italian restaurants, in my opinion, offer better product.

The TV commercials we had seen showing Olive Garden chefs going to cooking school in Italy gave us much excitement - especially for an extremely rare Sunday family night out. We were looking forward to this visit.

As we approached the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to see a considerable crowd waiting outside on a Sunday night. I have always believed good food is worth the wait and had no problem with the time it took us to get seated.

It was after we were seated the trouble began. Our table wasn't cleaned properly. Our salad plates were served wet with water. The breadsticks were dry - likely from being slightly overbaked.

I ordered the Chicken Parm, primarily b/c it is a safe dish that is hard to screw up. It was overcooked like it was left in the fryer too long.

The food was edible, but bland and uninspiring. If you are the kind of person that likes cafeteria-like institutional cooking, this might very well be the place for you.

Otherwise, there are too many good Italian restaurants in the area to waste your time here. I would definitely look elsewhere.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Traditional dishes and all -you-can-eat salad, soup and bread sticks are the draw at this upscale-casual Italian restaurant.. In Short
Established in 1982, this chain gained a following for its laid-back atmosphere and generous portions. Patrons settle into comfortable booths and tables in dining rooms with plants, artwork and décor reminiscient of the villas in the Tuscan countryside. Starters include scampi, sausage or pepperoni pizza, and several soup choices, as well as a signature seafood dip (crab, shrimp, cheese and marinara). Entrees include classics like lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo and chicken parmigiana. There are also "Garden Fare" options, which promise 30 percent fewer calories.

Doesn't Recommend

brookal2

Joined 8 years ago

Soup and salad for lunch -- that's all you should order here. Soup and salad for lunch -- all you can eat, and good. Everything else on the menu is tasteless unless you add a gallon of salt.