Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

Last Saturday, approximately one week ago, my wife and I made a brief stop at the Ankeny Olive Garden restaurant before attending my hearing aid fitting appointment. It was 1:00 PM when we arrived, and fortunately, we managed to secure a parking space. Given my upcoming appointment, I was slightly apprehensive about securing a seat and having our order taken and still make my appointment. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the efficient service we received. We were seated promptly and had our orders taken without any delay. The speed at which our food arrived was remarkable. Our server, Phillip, provided exceptional care and attentiveness throughout our visit, addressing our menu inquiries and ensuring our comfort. The garlic bread was piping hot and exceptionally tender. Initially,

- Seated instantly - Server was a little timid but still very kind and quick - I love lasagna ❤️ - I always forget that the menu is so large but you can definitely find a food item for every palette!

Extremely Disappointing To-Go Order from Olive Garden We ordered Olive Garden to-go, and honestly, it was a huge letdown. We paid about $40 for two bowls, and what we got looked more like kid-sized portions. For $16–$19 per bowl, the serving sizes were tiny — nowhere near what you’d expect for the price. It’s frustrating to spend that much and still feel like you didn’t get a full meal. If takeout portions are going to be this small, it really makes us rethink ordering to-go from Olive Garden again.

One of my wife's favorite places. She has Alpha-gal, and I am probably spelling that wrong. (It's that tick bite disease that radically messes up your diet.) She once owned a restaurant herself. She is impressed with Olive Gardens' attention to detail with the freshness and temperature (cold) of the salad.

Wife and I have been going to this location for 3 years and tonight we learned that if you want soup and salad they are charging $5.79 for a bowl of soup that I had 6 spoon fulls of soup with 1 small piece of chicken in the gnocchi soup. You don't get soup, salad, and breadsticks anymore. It's soup or salad. So for the first time in 15 years of going to Olive Garden we got charged for this. Server didn't even mention this change to us. Had to ask for refills of drinks/bread and it was no where close to being busy. Had a good personality and was friendly but doesn't communicate well.