The Olive Garden Calgary
• 333 - 36 St NE | Calgary, AB | T2A 7R4
Average User Rating:
8.17/10
8.17/10
Recommended by:
84%
84%
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"Yum!"
Tony
December 2012 — "Ah The Olive Garden....I love, love, love coming here! I wish we could come more often. But the truth is we live in the south so it is quite a hike and the wait is usually SO long with a young child it is just not worth it!
We came here on "date" night for my wife's birthday. We lucked out and because there was only the two of us we got in and seated with in 20 mins.
Our server was outstanding! He was super quick on the refills of pop, salad and bread...yes...and there is my favorite thing about the O.G. - the breadsticks! Yum!
I ordered my standby heart-attack in a bowl, Fettuccine Alfredo. It was so creamy and good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Our date night was cut short when an emergency arose with our babysitter...our waiter was super good and had our food packed and the bill ready before we could blink an eye.
Excellent! "
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10/10
10/10
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"Great Breadsticks and Soup"
Jason
April 2012 — "Every time we come to the Olive Garden, it is packed with people. The line up is usually out the front door on Fri and Sat nights. I actually quite enjoy the Olive Garden, but it seems to be the place that everyone loves to make fun of, yet the lines up are always huge. Knowing that this would be a busy place, we came fairly early for dinner. We showed up at 5:30 PM and were seated within 15 minutes. As usual, the unlimited soup and salad/breadsticks were great. The soup was a little salty this time around, but not too bad. I made the mistake I normally do, and ate too much soup and breadsticks that by the time my main entrée came, I was nearly too full to eat it. My entrée was the Spaghetti Carbonara for 19.99. A tad pricier than I remembered it to be, but still cheaper than other Italian restaurants. The sauce was perfect and it came with prawns and chicken that were cooked very nicely. The chicken was juicy and tender. I was not able to finish the entire dish, so I took it home for lunch the next day. Even though it was pretty busy, our server was still efficient and polite, and we had a good time here. After dinner we sat around after getting our bill and did not feel rushed to leave at all. "
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
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"Slow service and disappointing food"
Mary
February 2012 — "There was five of us and we needed a table of six. The seating time was quoted incorrectly and we ended up waiting extra 10 minutes. Luckily, there was a lounge / bar in the entrance area next to the doors. We sat at the bar and ordered a few drinks, where the tab can be transferred to our table.
Olive Garden is known for their unlimited supply of soup, salad and breadsticks. However, the breadsticks were not as good as I remembered. It did not have any garlic taste as it did three years ago. It did not have any crunch to it or flavour. It was just a piece of plain bread really. There was two soup selections from what I remember: Minestrone and chicken & gnocchi. The minestrone soup tasted a lot better than the chicken and gnocchi soup. I had seconds and third of the minestrone soup.
Service was not very efficient. Our server kept on disappearing on us. We could never find her for refills and extra napkins.
Go on a weeknight, perhaps it would be less busy and better customer service. "
User Rating
6.17/10
6.17/10
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"Sacrificed Quality in Service "
Mary
November 2011 — "With only one restaurant in all of Calgary, it is no wonder that at 330 in the afternoon on a Saturday, the restaurant is still buzzing of people. And with our party of over 15 people, they still refused to take reservations, so be warned. When we were finally seated, after waiting about 35 minutes, we were finally seated. I know it was chaotic and busy, but truth be told, I find it hard to believe as the night unfolded to see how our server just couldn't get their act together. The bread sticks and salad came un-mixed and after about 20 minutes of actually sitting down. We didn't order until everyone was there, mainly because of our party, but my orders of mussels for appetizers and chicken scampi were actually not very good. The mussels are described to be of white wine and cream sauce. But what I got was a plate of mussels that were floating in just oil. You could taste the white wine but for the most part, it was just butter on butter. My mussels were definitely killed before they even reached their prime. Each one was probably less than a cm big and I had some that were not cooked right through. What a rip! Aside from that, I was disappointed by my chicken scampi. The dish lacked seasoning for me. It was a lot more oily than I remember and left me questioning what was it about Olive Garden that made it so busy. Sorry, I would give it a second thought the next time it is suggested again. "
User Rating
6.33/10
6.33/10
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"Awesome Pasta and Lunch Specials!!!"
Ken
November 2011 — "The Olive garden is a great place to go for great food, wine, and fun times!
They have a wide range of dishes from pastas to lamb!
Always a sure to be a great time, the service excellent. The prices are very reasonable, with delicious and appetizing menu items. The large portions highly satisfactory.
I especially love their stuffed seafood cannelloni.
During the week if you stop in for lunch you can order their "All you can eat" Soup, Salad and bread sticks which is always a huge hit.
It can be ordered alone or with a meal, as there are 5 different soups in which you can chose from each time, and unlimited as well!
The salad is fresh, with a light Italian dressing, and served with grape tomatoes, fresh purple onion and lettuce.
There is only one location in Calgary, and it can get quite busy on the weekends.
For dinner, or lunch it is worth the drive into the Northeast of Calgary!
With different dinner specials daily!
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User Rating
7.67/10
7.67/10
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"Long waits, but good food"Mary
August 2011 — "My husband and I joined a few friends here after one of his friends had received a new job offer and wanted to go out eat. By no means is this place a fancy restaurant, but the food itself is good enough reason to go. This place is busy, busy, busy. It was packed when we showed up. We waited a good while (over half an hour) but it was okay because we were able to get seats and just chat while we waited. As everyone knows, this place is known for its unlimited bread and soup and salads. When we were finally seated, we were brought with warm breadsticks which were really good. I also had some soup, which was okay. I ordered the lasagna which I was pleased with. Between myself and the husband, it came to around $35 which was decent considering how full we were after we left. We will definitely be back, when we can muster up the patience to sit and wait for the table!"
User Rating
8.17/10
8.17/10
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"Best Lunch Special!"Carlee
March 2011 — "There is only one Olive Garden in all of Calgary and it is very hard to believe they haven't expanded beyond after all these years. I still love to go whenever I get a chance for their amazing all you can eat Lunch Special.
It is $6.95 Per Person and includes all you Can eat Soup, and Salad. IT really is all you need for lunch as there are 2 salads and 4 different soups to choose from. I would recommend sharing an appetizer as well if you do want even more variety.
My favorite soup is the Sausage and Kale in cream Served hot. And The "Italian" Salad with Fresh olives, onions, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes.
When ordering off the Dinner menu I would recommend the Stuffed Canoloni. There are 3 different stuffings to choose from for a Reasonable $9.95 for the dish and comes with Garlic bread and Salad.
The food is always fresh, good and satisfying as good Italian and greek food should be. The wine selection is to die for! The service has never let me down. Try the Lunch Special its fantastic!!
"
User Rating
9.50/10
9.50/10
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"Filling and Good!"
Mary
December 2010 — "Everyone always talks about the Olive Garden as a good place to go for lunch - fast, inexpensive for the lunch deal, and filling. Since we were in the area, my lunch partner and I decided to give it a try. First, I just want to say the service was very friendly - every person we encountered was helpful, smiling and seemed happy to be there - a nice change for sure. The ambience was good, the music not too loud...a great start. Smart move on the part of the restaurant - the first thing the server offers is a complimentary sample of their pinot grigio, which was quite fruity. I decided on the lunch special - all you can eat soup, salad and breadsticks. I chose the very tasty chicken gnocchi with traditional dumplings to go with the salad. The salad is tossed in a simple oil vinagrette and the breadsticks had a garlicy bite to them. I really enjoyed my meal and would have had more if I could have but the first helping was plenty. The total cost was 7.99 not including tax. The only complaint I will make is about the washrooms - they were not clean. It looked like a herd of elephants had stampeded through - hand towels everywhere, toilet paper on the floor - not good. I mentioned it to the server who was also in the washroom and she looked a little surprised and looked around...I don't think she had even noticed. The food was good, the service good so I would recommend this restaurant. Hopefully the washroom situation was unusual."
User Rating
7.67/10
7.67/10
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"Great Lasagna"gary
December 2010 — "We were told there was a long wait to get into the Olive Garden but was pleasantly surprised it was only 5 minutes! I wandered around and looked at the photos on the walls - everyone was eating food but none really looked as though they were enjoying themselves - more like they were trying to decide whether they liked the food! I ended up ordering the Pronto Feast for $15.25 (lunch) and I chose the Lasagna Classico and the Penne Arrabbita (a spicy penne which wasn't actually all that spicy). The lasagna was terrific - I really enjoyed the creaminess and made up for the lack of excitement for the other choice. Oh yes, and the server gave us a taste test for Bolla pinot grigio at the outset, hopeful we'd buy a glass - it was a great idea but I wasn't really into wine with lunch. It was kind of amusing - the place was actually very attractive with fun photos and great big windows and an Italian flare but our seats were lumpy and uncomfortable! I also had a bean and meat soup - there was some kind of herb that I didn't appreciate much although it was hearty. An interesting place worth trying again a second time as this was a bit hit and miss for me."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
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"Great Family Atmosphere"Karl
March 2010 — "I took my family to Olive Garden in Calgary for dinner. We arrived at around 5:15. At that time, we were immediately seated and did not have to wait. I have heard from others that this restaurant usually has a line up (as they don't take reservations) and is also the only one in Calgary. My kids were provided crayons and a paper menu in which they could do some activities. The restaurant was clean and lively and the server was friendly and prompt. I settled on some kind of ravioli stuffed with portobello mushrooms. With my dinner, I had the choice of unlimited soup or their salad. I chose the salad to go with it. They also provided a basket of breadsticks for us to enjoy. This too was unlimited and kept our stomachs satisfied until our main courses came. The salad was excellent and I had to limit myself to ensure I had enough room for my raviolli. When my raviolli arrived, I noticed that it had been sitting under a heatlamp for a bit. I could tell by the way the sauce had "dried" on the top layer. Nonetheless, after mixing up the food, I found it to be quite good. I really enjoyed our meal at the Olive Garden and would definitely come back with the family."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
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"Delicious!"
Denny
January 2010 — "On a Monday at 11am or so, we were driving around doing errands on a rare day off together and were starving. We happened to drive by the Olive Garden and decided to head in for lunch. This is definitely the time to go! There was no wait! We were seated very quickly and our server was extremely attentive. Every time my iced tea was getting close to empty she'd bring another one. We both ordered off the lunch menu, which is an excellent deal. I chose the spaghetti and meatballs and I think it was around $11. With this you get all you can eat salad or soup and endless bread. I had the salad. It was very fresh and tasty. My spaghetti was a huge portion and I devoured it. My wife had the special where you get to pick two or three pasta entrees. It was huge and of course she didn't finish it, so I tried it later on in the day as a snack. The lasagna was really good! I have had some poor experiences at Olive Garden, but this particular occasion was great! I guess I just can't go to work during weekdays to get a seat right away. "
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
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"Consistently Decent "Jenny
October 2009 — "My boyfriend and I eat at the Olive Garden rather frequently, usually just getting take-out. He always gets the spaghetti and meatballs, so he must really like it. I tend to go for the seafood pastas. The last time we ate there, I had the Seafood Portofino and I was very impressed. The dish was loaded with mussels, shrimp and scallops and the sauce was delicious. The salad is always outstanding, as are the breadsticks. The only downside to take-out is that you don't get the unlimited salad and breadsticks!
I have found the service to be mediocre. The restaurant is always packed, with a ton of people waiting for tables (which is why take-out often seems like a better deal). The service tends to be slow and on my last visit I waited for about 20 minutes for my take-out even though it was ready when I got there, so the food wasn't very warm by the time we got it home.
It's not exactly amazing Italian food, but it's inexpensive and consistent."
User Rating
8.17/10
8.17/10
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"Tasty Bread Sticks"Chloe
June 2009 — "We arrived at the Olive Garden in the peak of lunch hour, so I was expecting a long wait. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the line moved. In 15 minutes we had a table and were browsing through the menu. I decided on the soup, salad and breadsticks deal for $7.95. The soup was okay. I really would have loved the Chicken and Gnocchi soup, but unfortunately they were out so I settled for the Pasta e Fagioli soup, which tasted like chilli. The garlic bread sticks were warm and were delicious dipped in the hot soup. The salad was delivered in a large bowl for the whole table to share, which was nice because you could take as much salad as you wanted. All in all I thought the Olive Garden was a great place to go for lunch. The menu was diverse and the meals were delivered quickly. They know how to handle the lunchtime rush. "
User Rating
7.50/10
7.50/10
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"Come here if you're hungry"Jeffrey
June 2009 — "It's a shame there is only one Olive Garden in the city, but maybe that's what makes it a gem. I live in the deep SW and this place is worth the drive.
Upon arrival, you are whisked away into a mediterranean setting and of all the Italian restaurants I've been to, this one has the most "Italy" feel to it. The wait seemed long at first with crowds of people gathered in the foyer, but it didn't take us very long to be seated, maybe only a 5-10min wait.
I feel that the best way to gauge how good an italian restaurant is, is to order the usual, spaghetti and meatballs. My girlfriend ordered the lasagna, another italian staple and great way to see how good this place was.
But before we could start, we were bombarded with all you can eat breadsticks, salad, and soup! You get a choice of soup or salad, so just get someone else to get the other starter and you can share both, that's what we did. Warning though, the starters are pretty tasty so you have to be careful here as you might not have enough room to enjoy the main course.
The spaghetti and meatballs were great, the meatballs were huge! And the lasagna was fantastic. I stole a few bites from the girlfriend, and wow, that has to be one of the best lasagnas in the city. We ended off the meal sharing the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. What a delicious way to end off the meal.
I've lived in Calgary all my life and I can't believe I've never been to Olive Garden until now. No matter where in the city you live, it's definitely worth trying at least once!"
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
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"Italian eating on a budget"Pamela
June 2009 — "It's seldom that my friends and I get together for lunch so we decided to try out the new menu at the Olive Garden. They specialize in pasta and there are some delicious combination's on the menu now.
I tried out the new Chicken Rollatini which was tender chicken over lasagna filled noodles. The plate was heaping with food and combined with salad and garlic bread I had more than enough to fill myself up and also bring an ample portion home with me. This was a great dish and I would definitely recommend it. My friends both had the Pronto feast which was a combination of chicken parmegiana and cheese ravioli with meat sauce - another fine meal.
We were impressed with the food, the service, the cleanliness and also the prices at the Olive Garden. The most expensive meal was $16.95 and well worth it. They cater to the lunch time trade and will have you in and out in no time."
User Rating
10/10
10/10
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"Always Impressed!"Andrea
March 2007 — "I always go to the Olive Garden with the goal to leave room for dessert. But I have yet to accomplish this because with the yummy unlimited soups, salads, and breadsticks, I’m usually full by the time my entrée gets to the table. And, while I’m not one for appetizers, I suggest you try the fried zucchini, it’s delicious!
Olive Garden never fails to impress me; it’s a great restaurant that usually sees people waiting a long, long time for a table (I once waited for an hour and 45 mins!). And even though it’s always busy, the tables, floors and washrooms are always very clean. This has definitely become one of my favourite places to eat. "
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
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"Almost a Fine Dining Experience!"Sarah
December 2006 — "I just visited the Olive Garden for the first time in the last 15 years. I don't know why I hadn't been there in so long, probably because I thought it was just okay the last time I went. I definitely feel differently after this visit. When did the Olive Garden become close to fine dining? I remember it as a cheap family restaurant, and although it still is a family restaurant, it had an upper scale feel that kind of surprised me.
Although there was a wait at 3:30pm on a Friday, I didn't mind. When we were seated about 10 to 15 minutes later, our server was extremely friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and efficient. He suggested dishes, answered questions and gave an overall great impression on us. I have worked in the food and beverage for years and could not believe that the best service I have received in ages was at the Olive Garden.
We started with the Garden Salad and breadsticks (yummy) and then had some Bruschetta. For our main courses I got the Chicken Breast stuffed with 4 types of cheeses and covered with a mushroom Marsala sauce and accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes. My husband got the Steak Gargonzola Fettucine Alfredo. Both dishes were surprisingly delicious. In fact, since we were there a few days ago we have already planned our next outing to the Olive Garden!"
User Rating
9.17/10
9.17/10
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"Good food but hate the wait"Martha
April 2006 — "Only attempt going here if you have an hour or two to wait around for a table. Or go in a non-peak time (such as 2:30pm on a tuesday). This is the only Olive Garden restaurant in Calgary and it is super busy pretty much all the time. But when you actually do get served, those breakdsticks and salad almost make the wait worth it. Fill up on them (they're unlimited) and then take your meal home with you - it's just as good the next day. The wait staff are pretty quick and courteous - all in an attempt to get you out as soon as possible, I assume. The atmosphere is pretty good, although I once saw a guy CLIPPING HIS FINGER NAILS in the lounge area. Gross! Anyone who has the audacity to do that in a restaurant should not be allowed out in public. "
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9.50/10
9.50/10
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"Burnt, Frozen, Super market pasta"Sharon
January 2006 — "Unlike everyone else, I feel the food (at least in the Marlbrough location) is disgusting. Me and my husband don't have much time to go out to restraunts now so I remember my experience at the olive garden well as I felt completely jipped. I ordered a platter with about four small portions of different types of pasta. It was ALL burnt, very dry, tasteless, mush. Maybe I just went on the wrong day and any other day I could have gone the food would have been great, but in my opinion a very good restraunt wont have "wrong days" to go and any day you go the food will be well cooked. However the drink I had was very good..."
User Rating
5.33/10
5.33/10
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DescriptionA variety of contemporary Italian cuisine is featured at The Olive Garden. It has a friendly, family atmosphere, and a variety of pastas, seafoods, and more on the menu. The hours are Sunday to Thursday, 11 am to 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm.
Location Information333 - 36 St NE
Calgary
AB
T2A 7R4
