Olive Garden

The Bistro Group is well loved by the public for their great value for money membership program that includes a whole array of restaurants such Modern Shanghai, TGI Friday’s, Watami, and many more. The latest addition to their roster is Olive Garden. Here’s a quick run down with what you can expect from this Italian restaurant.

If you are up to date with pop culture you’ll know that Olive Garden is known for their breadsticks, so of course we had to try them. A little salty, slightly buttery, and always served warm, the breadsticks were in fact a crowd favorite. It’s a good thing it’s unlimited, so you may order to your heart’s content! They are tasty on their own but they do have some dips available if you’d like a condiment to go with the breadsticks.

If the breadsticks don’t satisfy you there are other appetizers you may choose from such as a Spinach Artichoke Dip, Truffle Baked Eggplant, and a classic favorite, Calamari. Looking through the rest of the menu, you’ll instantly realize that most of the dishes on offer are pasta dishes, or items served with pasta on the side. However, if you aren’t feeling the pasta dishes and are looking for something lighter, or maybe you’re on a diet. They also have an unlimited soup and salad option. The salad is a standard green salad with some dressing and there are a few soup options to choose from. This option is great value for money and you can really control how much you eat and make sure you don’t over-order or create much waste since they serve it in small portions. If you want another serving just let the staff know and they will happily refill your soup or salad or both!

When it comes to the main dishes, there’s quite a bit to choose from. Whether you are a creamy pasta sauce kind of person or you prefer a red sauce, they have it all. From a Chicken Scampi, Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno, to Chicken Parmigiana, and Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, you really can’t go wrong with any of the choices. If you can’t decide on one kind of pasta, they do have a dish called Tour Of Italy which has three different pastas on one platter and is good for sharing. There are also other options that come with rice or mashed potatoes such as the Herb-Grilled Salmon, Chicken Tuscany, and the Italian Braised Short Ribs. There are also a lot of seafood options if you are not craving meat. The Shrimp and Scallops Aglio Olio, Seafood Diavolo, and Steamed Halibut sound tasty and should definitely be considered. 

They also have a Create Your Own Pasta section in the menu wherein you can customize your pasta. This is great if you are a bit of a picky eater or are particular about ingredients. You get to choose between spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, and ziti. Then you can choose a sauce from the list which includes Traditional Marinara, Five Cheese Marinara, Creamy Mushroom, and Meat Sauce. And lastly, you can add a topping such as grilled chicken, shrimp, and more. 

Some may say that if you order pasta, you must also order a pizza. They are a match made in Italian heaven and who doesn’t love pizza? They’ve got a few classic options such as Margherita and Four Cheese, as well as some not so common flavors such as Anchovy Olive and Truffle and Honey Mushroom. 

When it comes to dessert, they have some tasty options such as Mango Cheesecake, Tiramisu, and Ube Custard. However, during our dining experience, we really enjoyed the Warm Italian Doughnuts that were served with a chocolate sauce on the side. It was warm, soft, lightly powdered, and just really hit the spot!

For beverages, they also have bottomless options with their Classic Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Peach-Raspberry Iced Tea, and Mango-Strawberry Iced Tea. These are very affordable options and taste very refreshing. They also have other options for refreshing beverages like a Strawberry Passionfruit Limonata and Hibiscus Butterfly Pea Tea. If you are celebrating a special occasion or are having dinner, you might want to look at some of their cocktail options. They have some fruity sangrias that sound delicious such as the Green Apple Moscato Sangria and Watermelon Moscato Sangria. If wine-based cocktails are not your thing they also have other options such as a Strawberry Bellini, Amaretto Sour, Italian Rum Punch, Rosemary Blueberry Collins, and many more. 

In terms of portions and prices, Olive Garden is pretty competitive with other family-favorite restaurants. They have dishes that are good for groups and the portion sizes are very much filling. You won’t regret accidentally ordering too much, and you can always take it home with you if that’s the case. The staff are attentive and although they may be a bit slow when it’s a full house, that’s quite understandable. The ambience is always clean and decorated in a homely way which makes it a comfortable spot to meet up with friends and spend brunch or dinner together for easily a couple of hours. 

With a fairly extensive menu and many great options, if you haven't been to Olive Garden yet, I highly suggest you call up some friends or family and check it out! They have branches all over the metro from the Mall of Asia in Pasay, to Glorietta 3, and even BGC Taguig.