Olive Garden - Sarasota

I was very impressed with the excellent service at this Olive Garden location. Cindi was a fantastic server and her recommendation of red wine was spot on. I can't wait to return for another dinner!

Chicken Alfredo was hot till the end. Lots of sauce and nice size portion. Just needed a little salt: for my taste. Huge salad too.

The Olive Garden is a great choice for a neighborhood restaurant with a cozy atmosphere. Despite being located in a strip mall, it is on the smaller side, which adds to its charm. I often visit in the evenings with friends after work, and one of our groups even holds monthly meetings here. The wait staff is friendly and some even know us by name because we are regulars. I frequently use their curbside pickup service, which is convenient. Recently, I ordered a group lunch and everything was well-packaged and hot when I brought it to our church. We also had an office meeting there and enjoyed soup and salad all around. It's a nice change from the impersonal, larger chain restaurants in the area. While there are some minor issues like long wait times and occasional inattentive staff, I still recommend this spot and give it four stars for consistently meeting my expectations. Overall, it's a lovely place to dine.

The restaurant has ample seating, but there appears to be a shortage of waitstaff, resulting in a longer wait time. However, my favorite dishes - shrimp/chicken carbonara, Zuppa Toscana, and choco brownie lasagna - are still as delicious as ever.

Excellent dining experience with thorough COVID-19 prevention measures in place.