C M

Best part was the good service. I feel like so many places now the people serving the food meet your questions with disdain, and no one there made me feel that way. Also, can never make complaints about the never ending pasta bowl!

Greg Ellis

The service was good. I had zuppa toscano and ravioli carbonara. It was very good. I always enjoy my meals here. The bread sticks are nothing like they used to be, but they're free so... Not a huge fan of the atmosphere at this location. Seems too modern. I think they did fine remodeling the old Hometown Buffet but it lacks the character of an Olive Garden that was built to be one. Regardless, I'll be back

Diana ochoa

We received amazing service from our waiter Juan I believe was his name. It was my brother in law and nephew’s first time there, and he did such an amazing job with recommendations and checking in on us, that I could tell my brother in law had a great time and will be going back. They even let us pick our choice of free dessert for the birthday girl. Overall we had a great experience.

Tishia Atwood

Love everything! Service was top notch, food was delicious, and the atmosphere was relaxing. For a Friday, it wasn't so overly crowded. They may have been busy, but you can tell how they slowly rotated guest in and out made it delightful. Waitress; Kelly, was on point. Took orders quickly, food was delivered fast, I made a special bar request, Kelly went and double-checked to make sure they could make my drink, and that was a go!!. Bartender Camilla made my drink on point. 100% perfect. I didn't feel rushed, was able to enjoy my food and drink without pressure for my table. Will be going again. Thank you for the great service.

Lucky Lady

The food and services overall is good. My husband had Margherita Chicken and I had Grilled Salmon. The foods came with bottomless salad. One thing I didn’t like, I got the old broccoli in my dish.

Karan Xiong

The food was delicious! By far, customer service was ok. Went there the first time after my son game. We ended up going back the next following week for 2nd. I will be visiting soon for 3rd. I want to try all the pasta there.

Ol Norse (Vik)

Came in expecting some frozen dinner type food. However to my surprise I was shocked at how well my shrimp carbonara was cooked. Even my son's steak was perfectly cooked. To top it off, our waitress Brina Z. was amazing. Never let my drink get empty & was so polite and definitely on point. It's been over 10 years since I been to an olive garden & I will be back. 🍻

Jay- Wai

I don't travel much, so my opinion as usual is subjective. My experience while eating here was a European styled/San Francisco vibe. That something I haven't experienced in Merced before. The food was great, tasted different, and the customer service was good as well. Oh and the bread is good too. It's part of the experience.

I went for my birthday last Monday with a friend and we had Stephanie as a waitress. She was one of the most fast paced and experienced waitresses that I've seen. Too the point. That I asked her how long was she in this field because I was impressed. The other waiters and waitresses were very polite and experienced as well. The food was delicious too. They sung me Happy Birthday too. Which, was nice. We'll be dining here again.

Excellent experience. The food was delicious and the service exceptional. Madelyn was our server and she kept great attention to all her guests and offered refills at the appropriate time. We had soup& salad and the grilled salmon. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Our experience here was good!! Our server was the best she was very kind, considerate and friendly!! The food was amazing, and the unlimited breadsticks were delicious. We got seated right away with no wait!! I highly recommend eating here!!

Happy to see the steak gorgonzola Alfredo back! Clean pleasant resturaunt. Hostess, waitress, and server were all very pleasant and nice. One of the nicest olive gardens I've ever been to.

We were shown swiftly to a table. The restaurant is pleasantly designed. Staff are quick to bring drinks, menus, take orders, bring salad and breadsticks. The salad was very fresh with enough dressing but not too much. A very nice selection of dishes. The dishes we tried: chicken parmigiana and the grilled salmon were wonderful. Both the salmon and the broccoli that accompanied it were tender and flavorful, perfectly seasoned. I would happily go here again! And we did just that. We've gone back twice more, each time for a very satisfactory meal that met my every expectation. Wait staff have been unfailingly courteous and patient. Update. Several months after opening and there has been no decline in the quality of the food or the service. Wait staff are attentive, and are inclined to facilitate unconventional orders rather than fuss over inconsiquentials. Result: happy customers who enjoyed the meal they wanted.

The service was great and we had some good food, short wait, but it was worth it

Kamarlea was so amazing! Fast service and she was so kind! She deserves a raise!

Brianna was an awesome addition to our visit. Earned her tip and was extremely helpful.

If I could rate the service higher than 5 stars, I would. Lina was a fantastic server and very kind. And even though there was a wait and they were short staffed the night I went, my server Lina was still incredibly attentive and very kind. I would definitely recommend people give this one a shot. The food as always was delicious too.

I so pleased with my experience this afternoon. My wait time wasn't too long being that it just opened. The staff was super friendly. Shout out to my server John. He was amazing and attentive. I'm definitely coming back!

Got the never ending pasta and I was pleasantly surprised! Ethan was so kind and the atmosphere felt amazing. A clean bathroom too.

Been to this olive garden twice. I order thru the app and do curbside pickup. More than once, the employee would come out and asked me about my order and let me know that it will come out in a bit. Wait can be about 5 to 10 mins but I don't really mind. My food always comes out warm even after 8mims driving back home. The service is great too. The employees that I've interacted with for a brief time have been all very friendly and proactive 👍 5/5 service. My recommendation is the salmon with broccoli. It melts in your mouth like butter. Not only is it healthy, but also tasty!

We came here for a dinner, we were served an amazing meal we all enjoyed it. Taylor made us feel so special, main manager Brent is doing an awesome work here Everything is delicious, so happy for sun-dried tomato is back on their menu. Great team. Super professional!

I forget if it’s Pamela or Pomela but she was the sweetest waitress ever! She checked on us and made conversation. She was such a joy and the food was great. My water was always filled, and was just so polite. My friends and I will definitely be coming back. Thank for for the beautiful service. It was a lovely night. ❤️

We normally get take out from here,but it was my wife's birthday and she wanted to dine in. Got a friendly greeting and we were seated right away. The restaurant and our booth were clean. Our server was friendly and knowlegeable. We ordered apps and drinks as well as our entrees. We were served fairly quickly, and the food was great as always. We finished and took some leftovers home. Our bill was reasonable, but some might consider it pricey. I feel that it was worth it. We got great service, food and had leftovers for the next day. So I actually got two meals out of it. My only issue, and it's minor, is the to go boxes are a little small. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and plan on returning.

I often order the half gallon ziti Toscana soup I think it's ridiculous that I have to ask every time for them to actually put potatoes and sausage and not just give me a half a gallon of juice four $21

I’ve eaten here enough to say I always get great service. My calamari is always cooked good and the restaurant is always clean. Definitely one of my go to restaurants. Yes sometimes there’s a wait but don’t forget you can check in on the app!

Very nice service, everything in order, clean and good attendances. Love sorprende, but all the food are amazing.

First time ever eating at an Olive Garden when it came to Merced. I really enjoy it.

+1

The service was great we loved. It has a great atmosphere. The food was okay we tried stuff that we hadn't tried before.

We went in with 11 people, 6 of which are kids under 10. Great food, great service. Our waitress Charisma was amazing, she was very on top of things and constantly checked in on us ensuring our time was wonderful. Drinks, soups, breads - we wanted for nothing. Absolutely would come again, the kids all enjoyed the food and the family enjoyed a night out together.

I've been to other Olive Gardens but this was my best experience. We went during the week in the middle of the afternoon after helping to move our college kids. There were other diners there but it wasn't full. The server was very nice and the food was delicious!!!! The salad was crisp and cold as a salad should be with the right amount of dressing. The salad plate was chilled as is proper. The best salad I've had in a while. The entrees were piping hot and the dinner plate was warmed too, as is proper. Can't wait to visit again, I highly recommend.

We waited until just this last weekend to go to the new Olive Garden which just opened in Merced. Glad we did because we had a wonderful dining experience. The food was delicious and the service was great. Thumbs up! All the kinks that go with a new place seem to have been worked out. I recommend you try it. February 14, 2024, we went for dinner. Even though the wait was long, they were so well organized it didn't seem long. My husband, daughter and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with a glass of wine each. Had a great time and celebrated a Happy Valentine's Day 💘. Still highly recommend.

Our server was a wonderful woman named Noi. She was an absolute sweetheart, very attentive and friendly to our every need 😍 thank you Noi for the wonderful experience

Absolutely amazing service and food Atmosphere was so welcoming.

Stephanie did an amazing job serving and keeping the atmosphere alive. I been to this location has been great but Stephanie has earned my 5⭐️ rating

Great experience overall. Was opening night so the wait was longer then usual bit was to be expected 😁

Mónica Hernández best server she was very helpful, friendly and respectful. Great job

Had lunch here with my girls ❤️ Food was excellent! Hot and delicious 😋 service was good. Our waitress was very attentive and nice. Will definitely be back!

+3

Excellent service for a grand opening, friendly staff, and a great atmosphere. One of my mother's chicken parmesan was too salty and the manager came and brought us an entirely new and perfect one. Hope to continue visiting this place in the near future

Literally it's exactly what you would expect from olive garden. Good food, good service, you just gotta get there early because there are lines. Thankful to have one in merced now. 💯🙏🏾

+4

I don't travel much, so my opinion as usual is subjective. My experience while eating here was a European styled/San Francisco vibe. That something I haven't experienced in Merced before. The food was great, tasted different, and the customer service was good as well. Oh and the bread is good too. It's part of the experience.

We love olive garden and no ots NOT Italian or Sicilian though they try. The food is still great and the service is amazing. Clean friendly fast professional service. And they have a Togo pickup area

Great food and Great services... We had a birthday & they sang & 1 free dessert.. We all really enjoyed the day...

It was my first time going to Olive Garden to eat and it was great! Am here to celebrate a wonderful friend of mine's bday. Everything was good and the service was awesome. Would come here again 😁

“We should just go home,” my partner says when I arrive. He’d put our name on the waiting list 20 minutes before. “They said it would be a two-hour wait.” Not one to be dissuaded, I encourage us to wait in the car for a while. Then when we return, we ask if there is possibly a seat at the bar, and there is! We are in. The atmosphere is lively and festive. Everyone seems in a good mood. As well they should be: it is opening night for Olive Garden here in Merced! The date has been marked in our calendar for over a month. Some friends have teased us; they thought we were joking when we said we’d be there opening night. But it was no joke. We take Italian—and Italian American—food seriously. Some background: I’m Italian American (from Calabria on my mom’s side). My partner and I met in Italy over a decade ago. We both speak Italian and lived in Italy for four years. We’ve seen our platefuls of gourmand Italian cuisine. And let me just say we’re a little suspicious of folks who scoff at the Olive Garden. It’s comforting, it’s tasty, and it’s a good value. In the background, Sinatra-esque songs alternate with classic Italian lyrics like “Blu dipinto de blu.” My partner gets a Peroni beer (the same served on the Sicilian farm where we worked this past summer) and I try an Italian rum punch. Never heard of it, but at first taste, I’m transported to a sparkling lungomare somewhere along the Riviera. It’s sweet and tangy, with the “punch” coming either from the Bacardi or the passionfruit. Next come the appetizers: two bowls of minestrone for him and a big salad for me. We each try each other’s dishes. Salad is crisp with a refreshing tart dressing and generous olives and exactly two pepperoncini. Minestrone is hearty and authentic with beans and various veggies. Breadsticks are deliciously warm, greasy, and salty. The waitstaff is friendly and accommodating. Bless them, they’re working so hard but manage to still look like they’re having fun. It’s opening night after all! We’ve all been waiting for this, the big day. They don’t seem to mind when we ask questions about the menu, and they preemptively ask if we need refills on soup, salad, drinks, or breadsticks before we ponder it ourselves. For our main meal, I get the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno (after confirming with the waitstaff that they can make it vegetarian) and my partner gets the Lasagna Classico. My ziti have a cheesy crunch on top that cracks when you break into it like a good crème brûlée. The pasta is not overdone and the tomato and cheese flavors blend deliciously. My partner has only good things to say about his lasagna as well. We order a tiramisu to go, and I have an espresso. It’s served with a tiny biscotto and is pulled ristretto-style. The flavor is deep and chocolately and definitely not burned like it sometimes can be at a café. After paying, we leave, arm and arm, with bellies full and hearts happy. Olive Garden has finally arrived in Merced, and it’s amore.

The word on the dark web is that this Olive Garden franchise location is just a front for a UAP Task Force that is monitoring the glowing orbs that have been seen in the proximity of the former Castle Air Force Base. I don't know if there is any truth to that, but I did pick up some electromagnetic interference while sitting at the bar. The Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara is FANTASTIC! It's bacon flavored Shrimp and Chicken in pasta. Strongly recommend. Our waitress was Elizabeth. She denied knowing anything about the UAPs

Good food when you're craving for Italian food. Service can be slow when busy but depends on time of day some days are quick service. Unlimited soup was the best

Our waitress Asul was amazing!!! The food was amazing!! We enjoyed our dinner date 🖤

+1

So umm...we were already full off the salad and breadsticks 😆, but the food was delicious and still tasted delicious the next day (since we boxed most of it up). My son ordered Chicken Alfredo with crispy chicken and broccoli, and I ordered the baked Five Cheese Ziti al Forno. Try it with their iced teas for some sweetness; we had Bellini Peach & Raspberry tea and a Mango Strawberry tea. (If you're like us and get full off of just the salad and breadsticks, there's a M-F weekday deal where you can get salad, soup and breadsticks for $9.99.) Buon appetito!

12/16/23 : Veronica at the bar is a 10 , always prompt helping you and once again , the food is awesome, had the Eggplant Parmigiana, eggplant was thick and delicious ! 10/5/23 Food cooked to perfection, service top notch . 5 Stars from the Bar all the way to the Waitress/ Waiter

A month after opening, we finally ate here. It's great to have a nice restaurant in Merced. The food was great and the staff was attentive. To avoid waiting forever to get a table, get in line in the virtual queue online before you head over.

Went for Soup and salad. Had the chicken gnocchi. Tasted kike clam chowder. AWESOME! Their mango strawberry tea. Tasted like Boba tea lol pretty good. Friend had minestrone. Said tasted like grandma's. Servers were very polite and on it. Will say if you order different dressing, ask for it on the side. They drowned it in dressing once and killed it. But overall great dining <3

We were treated almost like royalty from the second we walked in the door. The hostess Nachelle greeted us warmly and graciously accommodated our seating request. Our server Stacey was a rock star and we lacked for nothing. Very positive dining experience.

The food was great and so was the service. Our server, Monica, was super nice and took her time with us despite us being a party of 8 with three kids. She was very attentive and helpful.

The server was very hard working. Very polite and respectful. The food was great. As today was very cold the chicken and gnocchi soup was very welcome.love this place

I ordered take out from their website. It was only a 15-20 min wait so I used that amount of time to arrive at the restaurant. When I got there at one of the designated pickup spots, they quickly handed me my food. I didn’t had to wait at all. Shoutout to the young lady that did her job right!

Jonathan Perez

I ordered take out from their website. It was only a 15-20 min wait so I used that amount of time to arrive at the restaurant. When I got there at one of the designated pickup spots, they quickly handed me my food. I didn’t had to wait at all. Shoutout to the young lady that did her job right!

Juan Mendoza

The server was very hard working. Very polite and respectful. The food was great. As today was very cold the chicken and gnocchi soup was very welcome.love this place

Citlaly Garcia Morales

The food was great and so was the service. Our server, Monica, was super nice and took her time with us despite us being a party of 8 with three kids. She was very attentive and helpful.

Great service. Pasta was ok. We we’re seated right away which is good. Shrimp was boiled. Broccoli heavy butter and salt. But it was still good. The only thing that bothered me, was the fact that they didn’t clean up after people were done eating. The bar area had plates of dirty dishes left from the previous people. From the moment I sat down until the bill arrived, they weren’t interested in cleaning up the bar. When I mentioned this to our server, I was simply told “the bar area is slower towards the end of the night. We Won’t have to clean it until later” which was strange. There were two ladies sitting right besides the dirty dishes. I know if I’m going to eat somewhere, I expect the table to be clean and ready for my experience. It’s almost as if they don’t care about our experience, similar to what one would expect from inside of a McDonalds. However, that is a fast food business, this is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. When you are spending good money, you expect good everything. That’s all. With that said, I won’t be back anytime soon. Good service though.

First off, the service was top-notch. Our waitress was super friendly and very attentive taking care of us during our dining experience. Since I was visiting an Italian restaurant, it's only customary for me to order the lasagna which I did. It came with the option of soup or salad, so I chose the salad option and was quickly bummed out to hear Olive Garden doesn't offer a Ceasar salad... seriously, they don't. The house salad was good so I can't complain there. On to the main course... the lasagna. I was excited to know our order came out in a very timely manner, but the feeling quickly subsided when the lasagna was placed in front of me. It was dry lacking sauce, as though the restaurant is on a strict sauce budget so I kindly asked the waitress if she can bring me a bowl of sauce to pour on top my dish and without hesitation, she delivered. We proceeded to cover the entire lasagna in freshly grated parmesan and then topped it with the lukewarm sauce. At first bite, the noodles were stiff as though not fully cooked or better yet, the taste of noodles being reheated in a microwave. The whole outer layer of the lasagna was hard, and the inside was coldish. In conclusion, there's a few better options in Merced if you're seeking Italian food. The staff here at Olive Garden is awesome, as well as the atmosphere. It was a shame that the food was not matching the same level of awesomeness.

Jonathan Shade

Great service. Pasta was ok. We we’re seated right away which is good. Shrimp was boiled. Broccoli heavy butter and salt. But it was still good. The only thing that bothered me, was the fact that they didn’t clean up after people were done eating. The bar area had plates of dirty dishes left from the previous people. From the moment I sat down until the bill arrived, they weren’t interested in cleaning up the bar. When I mentioned this to our server, I was simply told “the bar area is slower towards the end of the night. We Won’t have to clean it until later” which was strange. There were two ladies sitting right besides the dirty dishes. I know if I’m going to eat somewhere, I expect the table to be clean and ready for my experience. It’s almost as if they don’t care about our experience, similar to what one would expect from inside of a McDonalds. However, that is a fast food business, this is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. When you are spending good money, you expect good everything. That’s all. With that said, I won’t be back anytime soon. Good service though.

Frank “Break Alchemy”

First off, the service was top-notch. Our waitress was super friendly and very attentive taking care of us during our dining experience. Since I was visiting an Italian restaurant, it's only customary for me to order the lasagna which I did. It came with the option of soup or salad, so I chose the salad option and was quickly bummed out to hear Olive Garden doesn't offer a Ceasar salad... seriously, they don't. The house salad was good so I can't complain there. On to the main course... the lasagna. I was excited to know our order came out in a very timely manner, but the feeling quickly subsided when the lasagna was placed in front of me. It was dry lacking sauce, as though the restaurant is on a strict sauce budget so I kindly asked the waitress if she can bring me a bowl of sauce to pour on top my dish and without hesitation, she delivered. We proceeded to cover the entire lasagna in freshly grated parmesan and then topped it with the lukewarm sauce. At first bite, the noodles were stiff as though not fully cooked or better yet, the taste of noodles being reheated in a microwave. The whole outer layer of the lasagna was hard, and the inside was coldish. In conclusion, there's a few better options in Merced if you're seeking Italian food. The staff here at Olive Garden is awesome, as well as the atmosphere. It was a shame that the food was not matching the same level of awesomeness.

We had a great server, His name is Eduardo and he did an AMAZING JOB! We had a really large party and he handled us soo well with great service he was attentive and remembered so much! He made our night great.

Our waitress was very nice and the food was good.

Spaghetti just wasn't as good as usual or as good as Modesto/Turlock location, and my sister's meal was very dry, service was top notch tho.

I always enjoy going to Olive Garden. It is a known quantity and rarely suffers from their standard. Staff are usually very helpful and friendly. Food is usually quite good. It is a pleasant place to have a meal with a comfortable atmosphere. I will say that this last visit was a little less than best, because our server either was a little too pushy or had a hearing problem. We stated we were only ordering a limited set of items and nothing more (because we'd eaten something elsewhere not that long before), but the server repeatedly asked if we wanted other items. She wasn't rude and maybe it was just out of reflex/habit, but it felt a little off. Also, the salad is never awesome. It's much better than many other places (e.g. you never have to worry about black gunk/rotting leaves) but it is basically a fancy iceberg lettuce salad...and the onions are always sliced too large (due to using a machine slicer I presume and not paying attention). Really, my critiques aren't because they made for a bad experience, just that doing a little bit more, while probably going unnoticed, would avoid the small areas that people might notice.

Waitress was working with more tables than other Waitresses that were working with less tables. So she had taken longer with us bringing out bread sticks for our soup. By the time we got the bread we had eaten the soup! A different waitress had more time to check on us more than our own waitress did. Although our waitress was nice it didn't fix our soup and bread sticks situation. Food was amazing and will go back. But hopefully with a better result. Definitely worth eating here if Italian food is what your in the mood for.

You can get a plate of pasta that you will most likely not finish for only $24.78!!! The bread sticks were fresh out of the oven! Plate info: Calories with broccoli added: 1,720 calories Price: $24.78 Description in menu: Our signature Alfredo over fettuccine. topped with your choice of grilled chicken or crispy chicken fritta. Normal amount of calories: 1,570

Merced has no shortage of restaurants. So when we drove past Olive Garden after mass I was surprised at the amount of cars and people waiting outside to be seated. My family and I decided to join. The wait was about 30 minutes or so, not bad, we waited over an hour at Applebee's a few weeks before. I have learned to take my own utensils to establishments like this. Unfortunately O.G. is no different and the utensils brought to me still had food stuck to the forks. I ordered the shrimp and chicken carbonara today. I was disappointed with the flavor. I was almost done with my food before somebody came to check up on us. I needed a refill of my drink and it came way late. I understand it's a new restaurant most employees looked like it was there first job. Men's restroom needed clean up and why only one urinal? We will go back again, but not any time soon.

Olive Garden is a great place for family dining the service was great everytime. The food is ok only the portion was a bit small my complaint is the pasta. The pasta taste very boring & mostly flavorless. I enjoy the endless soup & salad which I think taste better than all the other stuff we ordered. The reason why I kept it 4 stars is because of the steak! The steak was exceptional, I thought it was delicious which sucks because it had to make up for the sad pasta.

Typical Olive Garden chain restaurants. By typical I don’t mean subpar. Olive Garden has great food with lots of wine selections. I took some friends after work and were seated promptly. The person that waited on us was very attentive to our requests. The Sauvignon and Shrimp Scampi were delicious.

Usual Olive Garden food, great as always! The service.... They're new and working out the kinks, very confused but that's okay because they're very nice! I'll be adding this to our choices for lunch or dinner! Definitely recommend, and a great boost to the choices for dining in Merced!

I cant imagine the salt in these soups but there delicious and good with the bread. The new stuffed.chicken was 😋

We visited on the 9th of March. We had good food, but the salad had too many onions. The waiter named Raul was great. He knows how to make you feel important. He did his job so well. I loved being there. Thanks to Raul and Brent, who is the general manager.

The soup was hot, the bread sticks were hard and my pasta was flavorless and just above cold. Over all, it was one of the worst Olive Gardens I have been to. The server was nice but the hostess was rude.

Came to have dinner with my family and everything was great! I got the salad with my entree and it was very refreshing, their tomato slices are always amazing. The breadsticks were hot and always delicious. Our server was super sweet and funny and definitely made it a great experience. I am taking off a star because I tried the ravioli carbonara for the first time and the sauce was pretty broken up. Very very oily but tasted pretty good when I was able to mix it all together. Nothing detrimental but I don’t think I would get it again.

We enjoyed a lovely, filling dinner. We had to wait a bit for fresh, hot breadsticks. But who wouldn't mind waiting for those yummy breadsticks! I enjoyed 2 soups: minestrone & the zuppa. Yummm! And the salad is always good. Service was friendly, good, but a little unintentive (we had water & didn't get refilled). The place was pretty busy though.

Heather Umiker

The soup was hot, the bread sticks were hard and my pasta was flavorless and just above cold. Over all, it was one of the worst Olive Gardens I have been to. The server was nice but the hostess was rude.

Marisol Herrera

Came to have dinner with my family and everything was great! I got the salad with my entree and it was very refreshing, their tomato slices are always amazing. The breadsticks were hot and always delicious. Our server was super sweet and funny and definitely made it a great experience. I am taking off a star because I tried the ravioli carbonara for the first time and the sauce was pretty broken up. Very very oily but tasted pretty good when I was able to mix it all together. Nothing detrimental but I don’t think I would get it again.

Anne Catrina

We enjoyed a lovely, filling dinner. We had to wait a bit for fresh, hot breadsticks. But who wouldn't mind waiting for those yummy breadsticks! I enjoyed 2 soups: minestrone & the zuppa. Yummm! And the salad is always good. Service was friendly, good, but a little unintentive (we had water & didn't get refilled). The place was pretty busy though.

Visited Olive Garden with old friends for lunch. The main courses like Seafood Alfredo, Spaghetti Meatball, and Sirloin Steak were quite good. However, the appetizers and salad were a letdown. The lettuce in the salad appeared old, the shrimp fritto misto was overly salty, and the bread for the spinach dip was hard. Service was a bit slow; we had to repeatedly ask for basic items like plates, butter, utensils, and water refills. Overall, while the main dishes were enjoyable, the starters and service could use improvement.

Negatives: I've attempted to eat here 2x before this time and the wait was literally 1hour and 30 min long! It was that long today as well.. and it was just 2 of us. The parking lot was small and you should give yourself ample time to find parking. I was not offered water & I ordered alcoholic beverages 1st thing. The middle restroom had urine all over the seat. My food was not offered to be boxed up for me or given bread bags for my left over bread like the 2 tables on both sides of me were. I had the 2 plastic boxes and bag lasted on the table for us like any other restaurant. I polietly asked the waitress why the shrimp scampi my friend ordered had such fewer shrimp than the shrimp Alfredo I ordered. She went to ask the cook she said he said the scampi gets 9 shrimp and the Alfredo gets 16. Ok there's a consistency. I also asked why I did not get water line all the other tables and we were not offered to have our left overs boxed up she said she just was so busy with all the tables and forgot. Positives: Dawn our waitress was nice! She was just forgetful although she did not forget the table next to us. Maybe it's cause my friend said he didn't like restaurant ice? I will never know. The food was really good. We had a appetizer the Stuffed Ziti Fritta, 2 drinks each, a Italian Margarita and a Blue Almafi that comes with the shot on the side. My bidirectional had the Italian Margarita as well and a Spiked strawberry lemonade. I had opted for the Salad that was delicious and he got the soup Chicken Gnocchi which was a delicious chicken dumpling soup. For the entree I had Shrimp Alfredo and he had Shrimp scampi. Although it was very good I was expecting the shrimp to be a little bit more seared than pale. But it was cooked alright. For dessert we shared Sicilian cheesecake with strawberry topping that was pretty good. Jenn who served the salad had a awesome attitude and was very friendly. Eduardo who served the table next to us was really on top of his game! He gave them water and offered them to box up their food was friendly and checked on them often. My bill came to $103.66 I did leave a tip but I was also friendly and understood she seemed under pressure. Nothing was offered to us as a gesture of apology for the missed opportunities in our dining. We were given a chocolate mint each at the end of our meal. The atmosphere was lovely and overall the dining area was clean. I really wanted to give this place 5 stars but I want to be truthful to our first experience. Hopefully I'll come back and the service will be better.

Jeff Thungc

Visited Olive Garden with old friends for lunch. The main courses like Seafood Alfredo, Spaghetti Meatball, and Sirloin Steak were quite good. However, the appetizers and salad were a letdown. The lettuce in the salad appeared old, the shrimp fritto misto was overly salty, and the bread for the spinach dip was hard. Service was a bit slow; we had to repeatedly ask for basic items like plates, butter, utensils, and water refills. Overall, while the main dishes were enjoyable, the starters and service could use improvement.

Mireya Rodriguez

Negatives: I've attempted to eat here 2x before this time and the wait was literally 1hour and 30 min long! It was that long today as well.. and it was just 2 of us. The parking lot was small and you should give yourself ample time to find parking. I was not offered water & I ordered alcoholic beverages 1st thing. The middle restroom had urine all over the seat. My food was not offered to be boxed up for me or given bread bags for my left over bread like the 2 tables on both sides of me were. I had the 2 plastic boxes and bag lasted on the table for us like any other restaurant. I polietly asked the waitress why the shrimp scampi my friend ordered had such fewer shrimp than the shrimp Alfredo I ordered. She went to ask the cook she said he said the scampi gets 9 shrimp and the Alfredo gets 16. Ok there's a consistency. I also asked why I did not get water line all the other tables and we were not offered to have our left overs boxed up she said she just was so busy with all the tables and forgot. Positives: Dawn our waitress was nice! She was just forgetful although she did not forget the table next to us. Maybe it's cause my friend said he didn't like restaurant ice? I will never know. The food was really good. We had a appetizer the Stuffed Ziti Fritta, 2 drinks each, a Italian Margarita and a Blue Almafi that comes with the shot on the side. My bidirectional had the Italian Margarita as well and a Spiked strawberry lemonade. I had opted for the Salad that was delicious and he got the soup Chicken Gnocchi which was a delicious chicken dumpling soup. For the entree I had Shrimp Alfredo and he had Shrimp scampi. Although it was very good I was expecting the shrimp to be a little bit more seared than pale. But it was cooked alright. For dessert we shared Sicilian cheesecake with strawberry topping that was pretty good. Jenn who served the salad had a awesome attitude and was very friendly. Eduardo who served the table next to us was really on top of his game! He gave them water and offered them to box up their food was friendly and checked on them often. My bill came to $103.66 I did leave a tip but I was also friendly and understood she seemed under pressure. Nothing was offered to us as a gesture of apology for the missed opportunities in our dining. We were given a chocolate mint each at the end of our meal. The atmosphere was lovely and overall the dining area was clean. I really wanted to give this place 5 stars but I want to be truthful to our first experience. Hopefully I'll come back and the service will be better.

My last rating was 5⭐ Nothing went right. People who came in more than 30min after us was served before us. The seniors at the table where almost done with their 2nd bowl soup, and teasing their grand child that he really didn't want to eat, did he? As he still hasn't received his meal. My take away from this this is; DONT GO HERE ON MONDAYS. Worst experience ever here.

Walked in, the place was packed and not in a good way. People were bumping into each other and rubbing shoulders going in and out of the restaurant. I don't mind being close to people but I certainly don't want to be bumped every time someone passes by. They have people packed like sardines but will accommodate. YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOREVER THOUGH. For a group of 6 we had to wait an hour or so to be seated and NO THEY DO NOT DO RESERVATIONS. So waiting is you're only choice. I am sure we were forgotten about and people were seated before us. It was quite rude. I ordered the side of meatballs due to dietary restrictions which I'm happy they offered BUT our food sat so long they were COLD!!!!!!! The person who makes bread sticks apparently quit or just walked out, we were never served bread sticks before or while our food was served. After everyone pretty much finished their food then here came the fresh bread sticks. My company still ate them or took them home but still.... All in all I would go to another restaurant for a better experience. Between the no reservations, endless waiting and cold meatballs, I really can't say this was a good experience. I'll pass next time.

The food was good but the coffee was cold and our server kept forgetting to bring us what we asked for. My mom was very unhappy she felt we got bad service.

I think this place was great since it opened, except today was different. Different in the sense that it was not attentive as usual. It was not a busy day, walked-in to celebrate my sisters birthday. Got sat down right away, but no server or anyone talked to us to take our drinks or appetizers. Waited 10 minutes before using their tablet, but couldn’t order the alcoholic drinks through their. So we ended up using the tablets “Call Server” button, but no one came. We waited 20 minutes before leaving. I hope it’s an isolated case and for this situation I leave a three stars considering other times were great.

It's saf the quality of food is not the same as it was . I have eaten in alot of olive garden and I guest it's depends on how the work environment is.

I ordered a chicken a gnocchi soup, this is probably the 3rd time they did this to me. They never add any gnocchi it’s all chicken. I’m very disappointed, I was really craving a good soup and didn’t complete my satisfaction . Don’t recommend this Olive Garden

Javier

I ordered a chicken a gnocchi soup, this is probably the 3rd time they did this to me. They never add any gnocchi it’s all chicken. I’m very disappointed, I was really craving a good soup and didn’t complete my satisfaction . Don’t recommend this Olive Garden

Immediately no. I ordered the pasta with five cheese marinara & I was mistakenly given the traditional marinara sauce, which was fine, it was a mistake, I just informed the waitress and she took the plate back to get “remade”. She comes back with the SAME plate, with the five cheese sauce poured over the marinara. I was totally confused and it was immediately noticeable because the plate was full of sauce - you couldn’t see any noodles like they usually plate their pasta, and it looked sooo sloppy. Honestly, the waitress acted like she didn’t know but I have a feeling she did. I ended up sending the plate back and saying it’s fine I won’t have anything, but I was mostly in shock that the cook and (possibly) the waitress were perfectly ok with making a sloppy/mess of a plate just to not spend 2 extra minutes remaking. Please do better!

I had an extremely disappointing experience at this Olive Garden(Merced). Despite the restaurant being nearly empty as it was close to closing time, we were told to wait 15 minutes for a table, which seemed more like a judgment based on our casual attire than actual necessity. After we were finally seated, our simple order of soup and bread turned problematic; they brought out the bread but then informed us that both types of soup we ordered were unavailable. To make matters worse, when I requested a coffee liquor, the bartender confessed she didn't know how to make it. We felt judged and unwelcomed, ultimately leaving with a bitter taste that had nothing to do with food. Such demeaning treatment based on how we were dressed is unacceptable.

Service was terrible and let me not rant about the waiter randomly telling us we couldn’t share our meals when everyone was ordering their own meals. No one mentioned anything about sharing so that was weird and off putting. We ordered 3 salads and she brought out ONE for the table after stating we couldn’t share? Where were the other two salads???

Horrible service from Virginia. As multiple couples were waiting for a table. She sat a big party who just checked in. After she seated us, she then quickly started gossiping about other guests to employees. Very unprofessional. Our server was very pleasant. Thank you Fabiola!

What an awful experience. Waited around 30 minutes for a BOOTH. Was not seated in a booth or a table. Was seated at a long bench seat with people literally sitting right next to me. I asked to be moved to a booth for a little privacy , and was told we had to go back and wait in the lobby and that our drinks would be cancelled. There were available booths. Lady was very rude to us. We will never go back to that location!

Extremely Disappointed – This Was the Last Time I don't usually leave reviews, but after this experience, I feel obligated to speak up. I visited the Olive Garden in Merced with my wife and children for what was supposed to be a nice family dinner. Everyone at the table received their meals — except me. We waited over 40 minutes, and my food still hadn’t even been brought out. To make matters worse, this is the second time this exact thing has happened to me at this location. No explanation, no urgency, and barely an apology from the staff. Watching my wife and kids eat while I sat there waiting (again) was incredibly frustrating and embarrassing. We gave them another chance after the first time, but clearly, this is a pattern — and a sign of poor management and disorganized service. I won’t be coming back, and I wouldn’t recommend this location to anyone expecting basic respect or competence.

Went to Olive Garden in Merced because of my father's Birthday, the ladies at the entrance helped us to out table but after that nobody came to our table to help us. We waited there for 20 minutes after that got up and left, we told the receptionist but seemed they did not care either. Hope they fix this issue in a future because it's a good franchise. Hope no one goes through the same experience my family and I went through.

It was our first time being to Olive garden at this location. As soon as we walked we noticed that it smelled dirty 😞 the food was okay the soup we had didn't taste fresh it tasted like canned soup 😞 the spinach & artichoke dip we got you could tell it was put in the microwave for a bit too long😞 over all not happy. First and last time dining there.

Went here with my girlfriend and give my name and number they say the wait is going to be 15mins so we go walk around a newer by store for a bit don’t get a text we come back in and find they took us off the wait list then when we get sat at the table our our waitresss was snearing at us the entire time and then after we got another pasta to go because we choose the infinite pasta my girlfriend and I get home and find a hair in her pasta this place is unprofessional and the service is utter trash.

came here for my first time and i can say i will never be coming back. turlock olive garden has better service and workers. they take way too damn long, i’ve been here since 8:15 and it’s 8:50 as i type this. so where’s my food at, it’s probably all cold now. fyi i came for pick up and they said it would be ready, this is so very unprofessional maybe hire new workers.

This is the worst Olive garden I have ever been in, I have problems with food in general and frequent Olive gardens all around the state of California. I got sick

We walked in and was seated in about 5 minutes. The waitress took over 15 minutes to Even acknowledge us. When she finally did she told us we would have to wait a while because she was trying to round up employees to sing Happy Birthday to the table next to us. I ordered a Shirley Temple and it came very little grenadine and without cherries. The waitress brought us our salad after about another 10 minutes and it was very old with lettuce leaves that were slimy and brown. The manager came over and asked if we had a question and we said no. Manager was very rude when we showed her the salad as if we were inconveniencing her. There was food on the wall and the place was not well kept. It was my boyfriend's first time ever going to Olive garden. We decided if it was this bad before we even got our meal that the food probably wasn't any better. We asked for our tab and we left. Definitely not be back there again.

Worst experience of my life hands down! June 25th around 10pm after enjoying our meal we ordered deserts after realizing my wallet was in the car I stepped out to grab it leaving my wife and children inside ( they were still eating) when I went to re enter i noticed the door was locked I was soon greeted by a man named Marcus who was very eager to tell me I could not re enter due to restaurant policy! I mentioned to him my wife and children were inside and I needed to pay for our meal ( we were still eating) rather than letting me re enter the building mr Marcus decided to use his small bit of authority he possessed to decline me entry and basically trap my family inside and lock me out. I cant go into detail of the words exchanged with this lovely human named Marcus because I don’t want this review to be removed for inappropriate language. But I will say this, Not sure if you were having a bad day or if that’s your usual behavior but it’s no way to conduct business. I am a local business owner and I would have any of my employees heads on a silver platter if any thing even remotely close to this took place! Merced is small I cannot wait for our next interaction I hope it it’s more fulfilling :) 0 of 5 stars if I could Typical Merced smh

I'm very disappointed in food. We only had soup and salad and bread sticks. The chicken gnocchi soup was ok, but the gnocchi was like a gummy ball of dough. My wife had the minestrone soup and couldn't eat it. The flavor was horrible. The service was terrible. Had to ask another waitress to get our server as we waited to just order drinks. After 10 min she just walked up and said what can I get you to drink very bad table manners. Won't be going back to that place again

My family and I was at this establishment yesterday. A few hours after returning home I started feeling extremely nauseous. I’m currently pregnant so I didn’t think much of it at first. Come to find out I have food poisoning. I ordered the shrimp & scallop fettuccine. I’m currently still recovering & absolutely do not recommend this restaurant.

My food was cold. My pasta tasted of old oil. My lasagna had no flavor. Frozen tastes better than this. I will never go back to this restaurant again. We were not asked what dressing we would like for our salad so we got none. We w were never even offered more salad.

Brought my family in to celebrate my sisters birthday and was told there was an hour wait. We waited the whole hour and still they didn’t seat us. Asked the employee at the front desk and was told they were going to seat us soon. After 15 more minutes we decided to leave. 30 minutes later we got a text message stating that our table was ready. 1 hr and 45 min later. At least 6 groups that came after us were seated before us. They could’ve put together a few tables to accommodate our group. Very disappointing. I understand it was busy, but for a group to wait for that long and nothing being done to try and get us seated is unacceptable

Did a to go order. Waited 25 extra minutes after I was texted the order was ready. Was told they "packing" the food. 10 minutes later still no food had to go in and grab the food from pick up door. With a bunch of servers standing there just talking. Pathetic!

Today's visit to this place ended in such a way that after 15-20 minutes of being ignored by the staff after we sat down at the table, we left. Even their system (menu screen), from which it was not possible to order, but we tried it at least to call the staff, obviously did not help. We even waited so long that even the light to call the staff stopped flashing and the system reset. Unfortunately, I wanted to taste the local cuisine, but the staff disappointed me.