I have loved Italian Gardens since I was a little girl. I remember going there instead of the Olive Garden across the street as a child and my mother explaining to me the meaning of authenticity.
As an adult, my boyfriend and I have been here a hand full of times. We recently ate here after their reopening and have to say, it wasn't too shabby.
There are a few things missing from the menu that I was a bit upset about (Shrimp and broccoli alfredo). They also serve basic garlic bread now instead of the delicious knotty bread we couldn't get enough of in the past. My bf got the chicken alfredo and said it wasn't like it used to be, but wasn't bad. I got the chicken parmesean and thought it was pretty good. The oil and vinegar dressing on my salad, however, was unbelievable! It was so simple, but absolutely delicious.
Not exactly as I remember, but not bad either. I'm hoping some kinks get worked out in this reopening and hopefully a few favorites get brought back. Even if they don't, this place still reigns over Olive Garden any day.
Italian Gardens has changed owners, and is apparently back in the hands of the original family that owned it when it was 'Pizza Pete's'. There are noticeable good and bad things about the change in ownership.
Good: The inside has been totally remodeled. The floors are new, there's a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and the booths and tables have been updated. All the 'stuff' has been taken off the walls, which makes it feel a little bare at first, but generally gives it a cleaner, more open feel. The manager was clearly visible all evening, which was nice. The salads that come with the entrees have a bit more 'stuff' on them now as well.
Bad: They have done away with a lot of the things we liked. The menu has been pared down a lot. I'd say that over half the items on the old menu are gone. My husband noticed that the tortellini is no longer on the menu, and when we ordered the bruschetta it's nothing like it used to be. It's now essentially tomatoes and cheese on bland garlic bread, served with heated up (likely canned) marinara sauce. The bruschetta was so good before...this was such a disappointment. They have reverted back to the sad slices of Texas Toast style garlic bread, and the wonderful garlic rolls are gone. This might have been the disappointment of the evening. My family had been really looking forward to the rolls. The pasta fagioli soup is no longer on the menu either, which was a favorite of my husband. And my favorite, the cannoli, is gone as well. They also have cut back to a single, tiny bathroom, which was barely big enough for my daughter and I to be in at the same time.
Some things haven't changed though, namely the service. Our waitress was nice, but probably should have been shadowing someone. She didn't know what soft drinks they have, or what salad dressings they offered (it turns out they only have three, which you would think she would be able to remember), and completely forgot to put our appetizer order in to the kitchen until we asked where it was. I didn't realize the children's meals came with a salad, and she didn't offer that information when I neglected to order one for my daughter. Which isn't a huge deal, but if it's part of the meal and I'm paying for it I would like to know that. Â
Additionally the restaurant was practically empty, but it took a very long time for her to attend to us. Ordering drinks, refilling drinks, bringing the check...
The food is what kept my husband and I coming back here for almost 14 years, and now that it's not what it used to be... I'm sad to say but I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon. It makes me sad. We went on so many of our first dates here, even had our wedding rehearsal dinner here. I'm sad it's only changed for the better cosmetically.
Looks like this is the first review since they reopened after remodeling. In short, we were SO disappointed/grossed out.
I got the famed fettuccine alfredo. The sauce was very very thin, not much flavor, very oily, etc. The fettuccine was among some of the thinnest I've ever seen--really borderline spaghetti. It came with Italian wedding soup, which was not very flavorful. My boyfriend got spaghetti and meatballs on the recommendation of the waitress and he was really unimpressed. He said the sauce tasted like it was straight out of the can and that the meatballs were not very good. His meal came with a salad (pretty basic) and he chose house dressing, which he said tasted like a mixture of just olive oil and salt. The bread that came to the table very seriously looked like it came from a storebought loaf of (Wonder-ish) bread that was toasted/semi-burnt with some garlic power and butter on top. We both brought home leftovers but are considering just throwing them away.
We were all about trying it since it's a local restaurant, and we were told that it was even better now that it's reopened. Suffice it to say that we will never be back :(
The staff was very personable and accomodating when our moderate size party shrunk at the last minute.
I only winced a little when I looked at the menu prices. I think I paid $16-18 for baked ziti. But, with that baked ziit, I did get a yummy little salad, and we got all the bread we could eat. And the portion size was pretty large. The two big dudes I was there with had left overs. I ended up eating all of my meal, although I probably should have stopped just  before I reached halfway. It was just really good!
This is just one of those places where you can go to support a local east side business. Olive Garden? Yeah, that's across the street. Who cares. Forget about that. I'd rather go to Italian Gardens.
Delicious, huge-portioned Italian goodness. Great marinara sauce (aka mafia style = "gravy"). Heavenly, creamy Alfredo. For double cheese delight, get the cheese tortelini with cramy Alfredo. Buttery, yeasty, garlicy dinner rolls & rich creamy garden salads. Â The visit is more fun when you pretend you're in a seedy mobster movie. A little shady, pretty seedy, but great food.
Review Source:I had heard many good things about this place before going. After going I don't get it. It was well, terrible, is the fist word that comes to mind. I give it 2 stars only for atmosphere. Â On the inside it looks like an Italian restaurant found in NYC's little Italy, which is cool but...
As for the food: Whenever I go to an Italian joint, I almost always get the Veal Marsala. 1. The veal was a frozen breaded patty having no difference of taste from a frozen pork tenderloin served at your local DQ 2. They served this "stellar" cut of beef with INSTANT mashed potatoes, THE #1 cardinal sin of any restaurant.
If I go out to eat anyplace other than KFC I better at least get REAL mashed potatoes or I will never again darken your restaurants door!
Depressing. Very. We used to come here a lot before we had kids and the food was good. Much better than the overcrowded Italian chain across the street. We decided to stop in with the kids for dinner and were very disappointed. My husband's salad "didn't taste right" and had a lot of wilted lettuce. My cup of pasta fagioli was not the amazing soup I craved during my first pregnancy. This was very salty, mushy, and nearly inedible. My kids' orders came with a side of applesauce that tasted downright rotten. Once we finally received our entrees (it took nearly an hour!) we were underwhelmed. My husband's shrimp pesto wasn't exactly pesto.. it was more olive oil with mint than anything near pesto and shrimp tasted like freezer-burnt flash frozen shrimp, definitely NOT fresh. My manicotti was rubbery and the marinara was VERY salty. The knotty rolls that came with dinner were so salty we couldn't eat them. The ONLY saving grace was our waitress. She was an absolute doll. All in all I doubt we'll come back again, which is upsetting. I don't know what happened but it's not good. We definitely want the old Italian Gardens back.. not this disgusting version.
Review Source:I think if you look in the dictionary under "a hole in the wall", you will find a picture of this place! Its been there for years and years and has been able to stay open even after the Olive Garden opened across-ed the street! Its not the loud crowded place you find all over the place! Its a hole in the wall and if their more then 10 people are eating at lunch it would be a surprise! The food is OK, fresh and hot when it comes to the table, what more can you ask? This is not a fancy date place its a family joint with the charm of someones grandma's (must Italians have a kitchen in their basement) basement! Go try some belly filling food!
Remember to eat well and to live well, and please no chains!
'Tis ok. Â I had the ziti which I thought was pretty good but the rolls/bread that were brought out were definitely a bit too sweet for my tasting. Â I wasn't a fan. Â The calamari breading was a bit thick which left me with another 'tis ok feeling. Â The atmosphere is cozy but a bit crowded. Â The last thing I do want to note is that there are ashtrays and benches directly outside of the entrance. Â I am sure these are for the waits (since restaurant is smaller) but it only encourages smokers to use that space. Â For those who are offended by smoke I think that would be a deal breaker in itself. Â Try it, maybe you'll like it but don't make a special trip.
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