A few weeks ago, I took a group of 50 here after the Florida DrupalCamp event yelp.com/events/altamont… At first we we told them it would only be 25 and when it completely doubled - day of - they were very accommodating to our needs. Jesse (one of the managers) had everything ready for us when we got there - multiple servers, and it was a really great experience. As for the food. I didn't know what to get - as I never really do so I asked our lovely waitress what I should get. Our waitress suggested the Aged Beef Tenderloin Spiedini - um wow. It was Angus Beef seasoned perfectly - grilled on skewers with fresh rosemary and served with roasted vegetables. It was flavorful, seemed some-what healthy, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Would recommend this place for large parties and would recommend the Aged Beef Tenderloin! Yum :)
(4)
Joshua B.
Most reviews will comment on the food but we couldn't make it that long. I was placed at a table quickly enough as my visit was not during peak hours. As the place wasn't busy I was perplexed as to why the table I was placed at wasn't cleared. It had a tray and dirty glasses and a very used paper cover. The hostess took the serving tray but that was it. After sitting for 10 or more minutes without a bus boy coming to take the stained paper "table cloth" or a server to take a drink order I just left. I can tolerate mass produced, fake-named Italian fare as much as the next guy but people should be able to expect a clean table and a drink order in less than 10 minutes.
(1)
Lenny S.
Went for dinner with wife and daughter. No obvious manager or hostess on duty for seating. Waitress was polite but 'new' menu is really bad with confusing combination of limited offerings. Was not told until my wife tried to order a pizza that those items were not available due to oven issue. Food was mediocre at best. My wife found the women's restroom dirty. It's no wonder the parking lot was nearly empty.
(1)
Dan J.
Had an OK meal today. Mared by bad service. There were a group of 7 of us. We had the pull the tables together our selves. We also had to get our silverware from an empty table nearby. Our meals did not come out together. Some as much as 5 minutes late. They even brought another dish out that they thought we had ordered after everyone was almost finished. Someone said oh I guess that is my bow-tie pasta. Our waiter just disappeared for long stretches of time. The restaurant was not busy. We arrived at 1:20 PM. Several dishes were dropped in he kitchen maybe that's why our service was so slow. Someone had pizza it was disgusting the dough was not done and it had too much sauce. I have said this to myself before but this time I mean it I will not be returning!
(1)
Jennifer H.
Best Italian chain restaurant. My favorite is the Chicken Scaloppine (Sauted chicken breast with mushrooms, artichokes, tangy capers and smoked prosciutto in a lemon butter sauce. Served over capellini pasta). Over the years they've made the prosciutto pieces much larger, and the sauce is still wonderful, but a bit salty. I like the atmosphere of Romano's - the strung up lights, the high ceilings, and the concrete floors. Usually there is enough of a din from people talking that you can't pick out exact conversations. You can express your creativity while you wait for your order - paper table cloths & crayons are provided for your enjoyment. Their fresh bread loaves are always wonderful. They are packed with spices, herbs and has a crispy crust without ever being a brick. Entirely edible, you'll finish one and want to ask for another, but your dinner hasn't even arrived yet!
(4)
A P.
Very poor service even though the restaurant was fairly empty - more importantly, it was very visible that the kitchen staff didn't seem in any great hurry to fill the orders. The wait staff was not attentive at all once the order was taken. Very disappointing - I'm sure it will close soon. That would probably be in the best interest of the customers.
(1)
MITCH S.
It kills me to give this chain high marks. I always prefer the family owned joint, but Macaroni Grille is good. I have been here on 3 different occasions,only because the friend who I visiting suffered a terrible stroke and he loves this place. I have always gone with a negative attitude and today it dawned on me that the food is good and the service is excellent. They always make my friend Don feel normal. Today I had the spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta was perfect, the sauce tasty and the meatballs were delicious. My wife had a huge piece of perfectly prepared salmon and Don had a pasta dish that brought a smile to his face. All in all it was a really good experience.
(4)
Christopher J.
Great place to eat. Our server was fast and very nice. I. Think if you want pasta this is the place to go.
(5)
Michele N.
We had booked a large family High School Graduation dinner for my niece's graduation at Macaroni Grille. We were seated in a private dining area in the back of the restaurant. It was a nice room, but it was so hot. We asked repeatedly for the temperature to be adjusted to make it more bearable, but it never really got comfortable. There was a preset menu for our group, with a few choices of appetizers and entrees, which made it easy for the group. Our service was not very good as it took forever just to get our first round of drinks. They had us circle our dinner choices on the preprinted menus, which I thought was a bit impersonal. The food service continued to be slow and unpredictable. The food quality and portions were very good. We enjoyed stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and bruschetta for appetizers. A nice Caesar salad was served. I had the shrimp pasta, which was very good. Overall the food was very good, but the service and the uncomfortable room temperature made it an experience that did not meet the expectations of the group.
(2)
Walt M.
This was my first time to a Macaroni Grill. I went here on a weeknight with 3 others. Although the impression I had from others was that this was an "upscale" chain, the staff seemed all young and were a bit unprofessional. For example, as we were greeting the hostess, one of the waitresses came over and interrupted for a minute to joke about something personal while we stood there. Otherwise the service was decent for us. The food was stunningly bad. I had checked out their menu before arriving and was shocked that a restaurant that specializes in Italian food (invoking all the classic names and descriptors) could taste like this. The sauce tasted exactly like what comes out of a can of "Crushed Tomatoes" or "Tomato Sauce", with perhaps a bit of added salt, and since nearly everything we ordered had some kind of this sauce it was all rendered basically unsavory. Extremely bland and out of a can. I had the Pollo Caprese, which was marked as Low Cal, yet was bathed in an actual pool of olive oil, with a heap of pasta with mozarella chunks. There is no way that what was on that plate was any less than 800 calories. I sampled all of the other food brought to the table as well, and it all has similar issues. The person with me that ordered Chicken Parm commented that it tasted like Spaghettios. It seems like this is the kind of place that tries to present some kind of refined atmosphere but invests nothing on the actual food. If you want a real dining experience and decent food go somewhere else.
(1)
Samantha V.
I pulled into this parking lot of this restaurant and haven't ever been to a macaroni grill before so I checked the reviews. The reviews aren't the best so I was seconds away from turning around but decided to go because we were pretty hungry. The inside is nice and made me feel underdressed for wearing jeans and a tshirt. The waiter was honestly the best waiter that I've had in a long time. She was very personable and friendly. We ordered goat cheese peppers and they were fabulous! We had a Cesar salad which was nothing special but not bad. We got the farmhouse flatbread which was pretty good. The total was less than expected and was an overall enjoyable experience. Definitely will be coming here again.
(4)
David H.
I dined here for lunch today and had one of the most pleasant restaurant experiences of my life. Meighan was my server and very friendly and professional. :) Even the manager Brian came over to check on me and make sure everything was better than good and it was. I thought that was a really nice way to be treated and he made me feel like my business was appreciated. The food was out quickly and very good. I had the chicken marsala and it was magnificent! Every part of my experience was enjoyable and I will be back very soon. I recommend the Altamonte Springs location to anyone looking for a very pleasant dining experience and you will leave feeling greatly appreciated for your visit!!!
(5)
Alina C.
Seems like a poor man's Olive Garden but for the same price. I've been to other Macaroni Grills before but not for a long while. If this is how they are now they definitely have gone downhill. The service was fine. No complaints but food wasn't very good. It's a lot of work to eat because you have to mix this, spoon this, cut this, the taste was ordinary. Wasn't worth the price I paid. Skip the disappointment.
(1)
Digital B.
I have been to this establishment over two dozen times but never reviewed it or checked in, my loss. However opening Yelp I see it had a poor rating? I can't believe it! I will start with my favorite drink which is a blackberry lemonade. Next the stuff mushrooms. Then the chicken masala. But there are plenty of other items I really enjoy such as the mozzarella and ham. Also I like the Caesar salad. Tonight I am trying the pork shank with potatoes with a Caesar's salad. The server has been attentive and the kitchen has been quick. It is a little chilly inside even though the outside temperature is dropping in to the 40s tonight. I think you can't go wrong here even if the look and feel of the decor isn't as cozy as Carrabba's
(4)
Erin Y.
My pasta dish didn't really have sauce but was rather drowning in oil. I felt pretty unhealthy after finishing that dish. However, I do like the bread they give you at the start, it's hot and the olive oil and cheese on the table is yummy. It's definitely a nice place to sit down and have a meal, but be wary of the pastas with cream sauces or cheese sauces, as they are likely to be swimming in oil.
(2)
Brian J.
Great food and service with their own unique twist. Opera singers as well is a plus. Mistakes can happen but they always make sure you leave happy. Honor system wine is great as well as half price on Thursdays. You can take the unfinished bottle home which most places you cant
(5)
D C.
Chicken parm was good. Server good. Restaurant almost empty on a Saturday night. No soap in ladies restroom and a hole in the restroom wall. Really? Why? We were not greeted for 2 to 3 minutes after entering restaurant. Greeter was very very rude.
(3)
Joseph P.
The district manager contacted me several months ago never heard back from him after he claimed to make things right. I have since moved to Massachusetts.
(1)
Matt P.
Absolute Crap! Came here late night for a dinner. Ordered a deal they had that came with appetizer, salad and entree. My appetizer was something called Pepperoni flat-bread. It was a flat-bread with sauce and pepperoni's then covered with another flat-bread. The 2 pieces I received were burnt to a crisp, and tasted like rubber. Ate one bite and threw it away. Then I had a Caesar Salad, which was fine. Nothing spectacular, but all in all a nice salad. For my entree, i ordered veal and fettuccine. The pasta was definitely cooked earlier and dry as a bone, then most likely thrown in hot water for 2 minutes. Tasted worse than the flat-bread, and wouldn't let a pig eat it. The veal were 2 cutlets that were frozen and tasted like stale dog biscuits. My wife had some steak which she enjoyed, but was bland with the vegetables that accompanied it. We didn't order any drinks, and our meals came out to $70. Should receive zero stars but that's not an option. WILL NEVER COME TO THIS TRUCK STOP AGAIN!!!!
(1)
Andrea M.
I am not sure what happened on the days that the negative reviews were written, but I do know that my experience was fantastic. At 6:30 on a Friday night, we were promptly and enthusiastically greeted by one of the hosts at the front. We were told there was a 15-20 minute wait, but that didn't bother us because we were immensely entertained by the 4 men in the kitchen. As a server, I can say I was amazed with the efficiency and communication between the chefs. When we were sat, promptly 20 minutes later, we were quickly greeted by Madeline, who earned this review its 5 stars. She was friendly without being fake, funny without being annoying, and above all, efficient! We started with the stuffed mushroom, which were delicious and then I had the pasta di mare while my dad had the Carmello's chicken. Both were also very good. We are visiting Florida from Lancaster, PA and because of this visit, we will definitely look for another Macaroni Grill up our way. Hopefully, it will measure up!
(5)
John M.
We had a 25- macaroni grille gift card that was not honored because the macaroni grille changed their gift card system, and could not process the old card anymore. We had to wait for a manager to come and negotiate to get the proper credit. It turned into a much bigger deal than it needed to be and wasted more than a half hour to get it corrected. The service was slow even though the restaurant was not real busy. They made it right, but it was a frustrating experience to get there.
(2)
Angel Q.
don't listen to all these negative reviews!!!! this place is magnificent and worth the money. every restaurant has its bad days but the food, service, and environment is so wonderful here. jessica was our server who was so incredibly sweet and brian, the manager, is just as sweet. my grandmother didn't like her dinner so they brought a different one for her free of charge and offered us free dessert around the table as well :) they probably have lost a lot of business from removing their bar that they had but i hope they never close! this place has amazing fresh food and such sweet service. im coming here more often for sure.
(5)
Albert P.
I have eat at this place a handful times and the food and service is always great.
(3)
J Matt S.
My wife and I dined here this past Saturday. The service got off to a really rocky start initially and I thought ''oh boy, here we go'' because I had read some really bad reviews for this location on multiple websites prior. We had a received a gift card though, and had a rare date-night opportunity, so we were bound and determined to have a fun night out regardless. Midway into our meal, the manager noticed the service issues we were having (received some of our food yet still didn't have silverware!) and went out of his way to make our meal enjoyable. A couple appetizers we tried were the Spicy Ricotta Meatballs and the Baked Prosciutto & Mozzarella. While these meatballs were definitely different in flavor to any I have had, I'd probably take a pass on these in the future, personally. The prosciutto dish however, was delicious. My wife loved her Cesar salad, but said her Chicken Alfredo was only decent. We were happy to be seated in a quiet area per our request, and enjoyed the meal overall.
(4)
Michelle M.
I have only been to this restaurant once, and it was great! Went on a Sunday evening and it wasn't packed at all. There is lots of seating and lots of space so it seemed almost like private dining because all the guests were spaced out enough. Having been to Italy and being engaged to an Italian and his very Italian family, I have become pickier with Italian food. I think the food here was good. The service was good too! Maybe they saw some of the reviews and have been working on things, but I enjoyed my experience.
(4)
Kathy Y.
We don't come here often, despite its popular location on 436/434, but since we had a $12 coupon we went to see if anything had changed since our last visit about six months ago. The food here is typical of other Macaroni Grills, but the service is always incredibly SLOW, even though the place is usually empty, including weekends. This time around I noticed the hostess and waiters now wear faded jeans, which doesn't really match with the rich Italian decor of rustic stone walls and romantic string lights. We will go again? Sure. There's rarely a wait and plenty of parking, but don't expect a loud, party atmosphere with operatic waiters here.
(3)
Alexander N.
This place is a crap carrabas took. The waiter was awkward, she stood way to close the table, she also knocked stuff over trying to write her name on the table. The food was horrible! My chicken parm was burned bland, and the Raman noodles it came with tasted like dish water. My girl friends chicken Alfredo was also bland and seasoned with dish water, The chicken was fake and green. I would have rather thrown 30 dollars straight in the trash.
(1)
Lisa W.
Ate here with a friend, as we were trying to avoid the mall area and Altamonte Restaurant row for the Christmas holidays. This Macaroni Grill location has been here forever...I can remember eating here in 1993/94 and it being a fun time with my office co workers for dinner. On this visit the service was not great, lunch service was very slow and inattentive. While they were open at 11:30, I had to wait to be seated because no one was at the host stand. Kitchen was busy with catering orders and after almost 10 minutes I was seated. Don't come here if you are in a rush to get back to the office, it took us more than 20 minutes to get the rosemary bread at the table after ordering. Food was OK, but menu descriptions were lacking for their combo specials. We asked the server for clarification, as I am a non meat eater. Descriptions were given and I ordered appropriately....and then was delivered a pasta with Chicken on it. No Chicken was mentioned in the write up, or his description, so not sure what happened. He blamed it on the kitchen and I got new pasta 10 minutes later. While I'm not a MG regular, 4 months ago the Oviedo location had much better service and friendlier atmosphere.
(2)
Eddie A.
My family and I had dinner here a few months back. The service was fantastic and the meal was even better. My two year old loved the fact that she can write all over the table. Its kid friendly and that's why I love eating here. My wife didn't like the bread because it was too cold so they warmed it up. The cool thing is they didn't even make a face or an attitude. The location isn't anything to talk about but that won't matter when you go inside. Its a good place to take your family and a good place to just eat.
(3)
Brandon B.
Went out for date night and luckily my wife is understanding because the service was terrible. I also got a terrible case of food poisoning the next day. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Food is mediocre for the price and on top of that food prep is dirty and will give you food poisoning which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
(1)
Jenny B.
We loved our food & service. We have enough food leftover for 2 more meals. The price for 2 meals, drinks (non alcoholic) and tip was under $40. Great deal, we will be back.
(4)
Jessica J.
This was my worst Macaroni Grill experience ever! First of all, there were only two people in my party, including myself. So why does the host seat us at a big 'ole round table with 5 chairs in the middle of the dining room when there are perfectly good booths and intimate two seaters available? The restaurant isn't full or busy at all. So we asked to sit at a cozier booth. After being seated, it took ten to fifteen minutes to be acknowledged and offered drinks. Also, we received the "new spring menu" which was confusing, extremely limited, and void of some of their best dishes. We probably should have just left at that point but foolishly, we didn't. So I ordered the soup of the day which was supposed to be a roasted mushroom soup. It turned out to be a very thick brown, gloppy gravy that you would put over mashed potatoes. My serving had very unbalanced flavors. One spoonful had tons of spicy pepper in it while the next spoonful did not. So, I began stirring. The "gravy" also had those crispy oniony things that people put in green bean casseroles. It was simply not good. I just felt like asking for a bowl of mashed potatoes to go with it. I couldn't finish it. Service was very inconsistent as we were not checked on for a while. Our drinks were not topped off. I had to ask questions about certain dishes on the menu due to vague descriptions. I ended up having a very oily pasta with pesto. The pasta included the woody stems of the basil that I had to pick out with my fork. It was just very disappointing. The hubby's dish was way better. It will be a long time before I return.
(1)
Jason E.
I just wanted to reach out and thank the macaroni grill in altamonte springs fl for completely ruining my Father's Day dinner with my family this evening. It started off fine but took a massive turn for the worse when we noticed my son sitting in someone else's used chewing gum. Basically the lack of refills and poor service paled in comparison to the fact that the server somehow "forgot" to order two of out 6 entrees. So the kids and half our family were completely done before our food arrived. It was nice that the manager offered to comp the two late meals, but $24 really did not make the sting of having to eat my dinner without my wife and kids any better. The server was clearly more interested in singing than serving. The icing on the cake was being charged $3 for the salad that never showed up. At least I will be able to remember this evening every time I see the bright blue gum stain on my son's pants. I don't think I will ever return to this location! At least the food was good!
(1)
Charles V.
Service is great but really that's about it. I've gone here several times over the past 10 years and this was the worst food experience ever. Menu has changed yet again and the quality of the items seems to have slipped even further. For years this was the best one around, but now its just as bad as the others around town. Next time you are thinking of italian food, drive right by this place.
(1)
Kari O.
Not sure if the restaurant was short-staffed, or if they simply didn't care, but it seemed to go beyond the servers. Macaroni Grill obviously isn't a 5 star restaurant, and it's pretty predictable. However, there are certain standards in service that should be pretty predictable, too. Not tonight.... We noticed our server never wrote his name on the paper table "cloth"....as they do...and we joked that we'd all write "Hi, my name is....." at our individual place settings instead. We didn't, but.... And when he poured the olive oil and ground the pepper onto the plate, he took off soon after. I actually had to ask him for the bread as he came back to the table once or twice without even mentioning if it was coming out soon. I asked for balsamic vinegar, too, but he had to track that down and it took a while. The food was what you'd expect, but it was the lack of service that bugged me the entire time. Our server did the bare minimum (sometimes less), and was never around to see if we needed anything else (a refill, condiments, etc.). We weren't even asked if we'd like any leftovers boxed up or if we'd like to order dessert & coffee. The guy could have earned a better tip with just the usual, but clearly he didn't care. And, I'd rather spend my money where the staff actually cares that you're there.
(2)
Jenny R.
Not that we had really high expectations, but what a terrible dining experience my husband and I just had here! From the beginning, we were off to a bad start. Our water glasses were absolutely filthy; in fact, there was pink lipstick on my husband's glass--gross! The second batch weren't much better either. Maybe their dishwasher is on the fritz? Overall, the service was incredibly slow and inattentive. We each ordered a pasta dish and a side salad, which we thought would be pretty simple and easy. After 30 minutes of waiting, a different server brought out food, except he brought the completely wrong dish for me. (By the way, we never did get the salads we ordered...) Finally, my dish was brought to the table, but it was stone cold. I sent it back to the kitchen and waited another 20 minutes for it to be re-heated. I told my husband not to wait to eat his food; no sense in both dishes being ruined (his dish was also unimpressive). After my re-heated dish came back, I took a few bites and was completely underwhelmed and ready to leave. Between the dirty glasses, missing salads, cold food, and slow service, we've vowed never to go back. On top of all that, in the hour we were seated, no one bothered to ask if we'd like more water. (And what is up with the pretentious, albeit dirty, glass bottle of semi-cool water they bring to your table to share?) I guess it's a good thing we weren't moderately thirsty! All in all, we will most certainly add Macaroni Grill to our list of restaurants to avoid in the future.
(1)
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Address :884 W. State Road 436
Altamonte Spr., FL, 32714
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Elizabeth F.
A few weeks ago, I took a group of 50 here after the Florida DrupalCamp event yelp.com/events/altamont… At first we we told them it would only be 25 and when it completely doubled - day of - they were very accommodating to our needs. Jesse (one of the managers) had everything ready for us when we got there - multiple servers, and it was a really great experience. As for the food. I didn't know what to get - as I never really do so I asked our lovely waitress what I should get. Our waitress suggested the Aged Beef Tenderloin Spiedini - um wow. It was Angus Beef seasoned perfectly - grilled on skewers with fresh rosemary and served with roasted vegetables. It was flavorful, seemed some-what healthy, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Would recommend this place for large parties and would recommend the Aged Beef Tenderloin! Yum :)
(4)Joshua B.
Most reviews will comment on the food but we couldn't make it that long. I was placed at a table quickly enough as my visit was not during peak hours. As the place wasn't busy I was perplexed as to why the table I was placed at wasn't cleared. It had a tray and dirty glasses and a very used paper cover. The hostess took the serving tray but that was it. After sitting for 10 or more minutes without a bus boy coming to take the stained paper "table cloth" or a server to take a drink order I just left. I can tolerate mass produced, fake-named Italian fare as much as the next guy but people should be able to expect a clean table and a drink order in less than 10 minutes.
(1)Lenny S.
Went for dinner with wife and daughter. No obvious manager or hostess on duty for seating. Waitress was polite but 'new' menu is really bad with confusing combination of limited offerings. Was not told until my wife tried to order a pizza that those items were not available due to oven issue. Food was mediocre at best. My wife found the women's restroom dirty. It's no wonder the parking lot was nearly empty.
(1)Dan J.
Had an OK meal today. Mared by bad service. There were a group of 7 of us. We had the pull the tables together our selves. We also had to get our silverware from an empty table nearby. Our meals did not come out together. Some as much as 5 minutes late. They even brought another dish out that they thought we had ordered after everyone was almost finished. Someone said oh I guess that is my bow-tie pasta. Our waiter just disappeared for long stretches of time. The restaurant was not busy. We arrived at 1:20 PM. Several dishes were dropped in he kitchen maybe that's why our service was so slow. Someone had pizza it was disgusting the dough was not done and it had too much sauce. I have said this to myself before but this time I mean it I will not be returning!
(1)Jennifer H.
Best Italian chain restaurant. My favorite is the Chicken Scaloppine (Sauted chicken breast with mushrooms, artichokes, tangy capers and smoked prosciutto in a lemon butter sauce. Served over capellini pasta). Over the years they've made the prosciutto pieces much larger, and the sauce is still wonderful, but a bit salty. I like the atmosphere of Romano's - the strung up lights, the high ceilings, and the concrete floors. Usually there is enough of a din from people talking that you can't pick out exact conversations. You can express your creativity while you wait for your order - paper table cloths & crayons are provided for your enjoyment. Their fresh bread loaves are always wonderful. They are packed with spices, herbs and has a crispy crust without ever being a brick. Entirely edible, you'll finish one and want to ask for another, but your dinner hasn't even arrived yet!
(4)A P.
Very poor service even though the restaurant was fairly empty - more importantly, it was very visible that the kitchen staff didn't seem in any great hurry to fill the orders. The wait staff was not attentive at all once the order was taken. Very disappointing - I'm sure it will close soon. That would probably be in the best interest of the customers.
(1)MITCH S.
It kills me to give this chain high marks. I always prefer the family owned joint, but Macaroni Grille is good. I have been here on 3 different occasions,only because the friend who I visiting suffered a terrible stroke and he loves this place. I have always gone with a negative attitude and today it dawned on me that the food is good and the service is excellent. They always make my friend Don feel normal. Today I had the spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta was perfect, the sauce tasty and the meatballs were delicious. My wife had a huge piece of perfectly prepared salmon and Don had a pasta dish that brought a smile to his face. All in all it was a really good experience.
(4)Christopher J.
Great place to eat. Our server was fast and very nice. I. Think if you want pasta this is the place to go.
(5)Michele N.
We had booked a large family High School Graduation dinner for my niece's graduation at Macaroni Grille. We were seated in a private dining area in the back of the restaurant. It was a nice room, but it was so hot. We asked repeatedly for the temperature to be adjusted to make it more bearable, but it never really got comfortable. There was a preset menu for our group, with a few choices of appetizers and entrees, which made it easy for the group. Our service was not very good as it took forever just to get our first round of drinks. They had us circle our dinner choices on the preprinted menus, which I thought was a bit impersonal. The food service continued to be slow and unpredictable. The food quality and portions were very good. We enjoyed stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and bruschetta for appetizers. A nice Caesar salad was served. I had the shrimp pasta, which was very good. Overall the food was very good, but the service and the uncomfortable room temperature made it an experience that did not meet the expectations of the group.
(2)Walt M.
This was my first time to a Macaroni Grill. I went here on a weeknight with 3 others. Although the impression I had from others was that this was an "upscale" chain, the staff seemed all young and were a bit unprofessional. For example, as we were greeting the hostess, one of the waitresses came over and interrupted for a minute to joke about something personal while we stood there. Otherwise the service was decent for us. The food was stunningly bad. I had checked out their menu before arriving and was shocked that a restaurant that specializes in Italian food (invoking all the classic names and descriptors) could taste like this. The sauce tasted exactly like what comes out of a can of "Crushed Tomatoes" or "Tomato Sauce", with perhaps a bit of added salt, and since nearly everything we ordered had some kind of this sauce it was all rendered basically unsavory. Extremely bland and out of a can. I had the Pollo Caprese, which was marked as Low Cal, yet was bathed in an actual pool of olive oil, with a heap of pasta with mozarella chunks. There is no way that what was on that plate was any less than 800 calories. I sampled all of the other food brought to the table as well, and it all has similar issues. The person with me that ordered Chicken Parm commented that it tasted like Spaghettios. It seems like this is the kind of place that tries to present some kind of refined atmosphere but invests nothing on the actual food. If you want a real dining experience and decent food go somewhere else.
(1)Samantha V.
I pulled into this parking lot of this restaurant and haven't ever been to a macaroni grill before so I checked the reviews. The reviews aren't the best so I was seconds away from turning around but decided to go because we were pretty hungry. The inside is nice and made me feel underdressed for wearing jeans and a tshirt. The waiter was honestly the best waiter that I've had in a long time. She was very personable and friendly. We ordered goat cheese peppers and they were fabulous! We had a Cesar salad which was nothing special but not bad. We got the farmhouse flatbread which was pretty good. The total was less than expected and was an overall enjoyable experience. Definitely will be coming here again.
(4)David H.
I dined here for lunch today and had one of the most pleasant restaurant experiences of my life. Meighan was my server and very friendly and professional. :) Even the manager Brian came over to check on me and make sure everything was better than good and it was. I thought that was a really nice way to be treated and he made me feel like my business was appreciated. The food was out quickly and very good. I had the chicken marsala and it was magnificent! Every part of my experience was enjoyable and I will be back very soon. I recommend the Altamonte Springs location to anyone looking for a very pleasant dining experience and you will leave feeling greatly appreciated for your visit!!!
(5)Alina C.
Seems like a poor man's Olive Garden but for the same price. I've been to other Macaroni Grills before but not for a long while. If this is how they are now they definitely have gone downhill. The service was fine. No complaints but food wasn't very good. It's a lot of work to eat because you have to mix this, spoon this, cut this, the taste was ordinary. Wasn't worth the price I paid. Skip the disappointment.
(1)Digital B.
I have been to this establishment over two dozen times but never reviewed it or checked in, my loss. However opening Yelp I see it had a poor rating? I can't believe it! I will start with my favorite drink which is a blackberry lemonade. Next the stuff mushrooms. Then the chicken masala. But there are plenty of other items I really enjoy such as the mozzarella and ham. Also I like the Caesar salad. Tonight I am trying the pork shank with potatoes with a Caesar's salad. The server has been attentive and the kitchen has been quick. It is a little chilly inside even though the outside temperature is dropping in to the 40s tonight. I think you can't go wrong here even if the look and feel of the decor isn't as cozy as Carrabba's
(4)Erin Y.
My pasta dish didn't really have sauce but was rather drowning in oil. I felt pretty unhealthy after finishing that dish. However, I do like the bread they give you at the start, it's hot and the olive oil and cheese on the table is yummy. It's definitely a nice place to sit down and have a meal, but be wary of the pastas with cream sauces or cheese sauces, as they are likely to be swimming in oil.
(2)Brian J.
Great food and service with their own unique twist. Opera singers as well is a plus. Mistakes can happen but they always make sure you leave happy. Honor system wine is great as well as half price on Thursdays. You can take the unfinished bottle home which most places you cant
(5)D C.
Chicken parm was good. Server good. Restaurant almost empty on a Saturday night. No soap in ladies restroom and a hole in the restroom wall. Really? Why? We were not greeted for 2 to 3 minutes after entering restaurant. Greeter was very very rude.
(3)Joseph P.
The district manager contacted me several months ago never heard back from him after he claimed to make things right. I have since moved to Massachusetts.
(1)Matt P.
Absolute Crap! Came here late night for a dinner. Ordered a deal they had that came with appetizer, salad and entree. My appetizer was something called Pepperoni flat-bread. It was a flat-bread with sauce and pepperoni's then covered with another flat-bread. The 2 pieces I received were burnt to a crisp, and tasted like rubber. Ate one bite and threw it away. Then I had a Caesar Salad, which was fine. Nothing spectacular, but all in all a nice salad. For my entree, i ordered veal and fettuccine. The pasta was definitely cooked earlier and dry as a bone, then most likely thrown in hot water for 2 minutes. Tasted worse than the flat-bread, and wouldn't let a pig eat it. The veal were 2 cutlets that were frozen and tasted like stale dog biscuits. My wife had some steak which she enjoyed, but was bland with the vegetables that accompanied it. We didn't order any drinks, and our meals came out to $70. Should receive zero stars but that's not an option. WILL NEVER COME TO THIS TRUCK STOP AGAIN!!!!
(1)Andrea M.
I am not sure what happened on the days that the negative reviews were written, but I do know that my experience was fantastic. At 6:30 on a Friday night, we were promptly and enthusiastically greeted by one of the hosts at the front. We were told there was a 15-20 minute wait, but that didn't bother us because we were immensely entertained by the 4 men in the kitchen. As a server, I can say I was amazed with the efficiency and communication between the chefs. When we were sat, promptly 20 minutes later, we were quickly greeted by Madeline, who earned this review its 5 stars. She was friendly without being fake, funny without being annoying, and above all, efficient! We started with the stuffed mushroom, which were delicious and then I had the pasta di mare while my dad had the Carmello's chicken. Both were also very good. We are visiting Florida from Lancaster, PA and because of this visit, we will definitely look for another Macaroni Grill up our way. Hopefully, it will measure up!
(5)John M.
We had a 25- macaroni grille gift card that was not honored because the macaroni grille changed their gift card system, and could not process the old card anymore. We had to wait for a manager to come and negotiate to get the proper credit. It turned into a much bigger deal than it needed to be and wasted more than a half hour to get it corrected. The service was slow even though the restaurant was not real busy. They made it right, but it was a frustrating experience to get there.
(2)Angel Q.
don't listen to all these negative reviews!!!! this place is magnificent and worth the money. every restaurant has its bad days but the food, service, and environment is so wonderful here. jessica was our server who was so incredibly sweet and brian, the manager, is just as sweet. my grandmother didn't like her dinner so they brought a different one for her free of charge and offered us free dessert around the table as well :) they probably have lost a lot of business from removing their bar that they had but i hope they never close! this place has amazing fresh food and such sweet service. im coming here more often for sure.
(5)Albert P.
I have eat at this place a handful times and the food and service is always great.
(3)J Matt S.
My wife and I dined here this past Saturday. The service got off to a really rocky start initially and I thought ''oh boy, here we go'' because I had read some really bad reviews for this location on multiple websites prior. We had a received a gift card though, and had a rare date-night opportunity, so we were bound and determined to have a fun night out regardless. Midway into our meal, the manager noticed the service issues we were having (received some of our food yet still didn't have silverware!) and went out of his way to make our meal enjoyable. A couple appetizers we tried were the Spicy Ricotta Meatballs and the Baked Prosciutto & Mozzarella. While these meatballs were definitely different in flavor to any I have had, I'd probably take a pass on these in the future, personally. The prosciutto dish however, was delicious. My wife loved her Cesar salad, but said her Chicken Alfredo was only decent. We were happy to be seated in a quiet area per our request, and enjoyed the meal overall.
(4)Michelle M.
I have only been to this restaurant once, and it was great! Went on a Sunday evening and it wasn't packed at all. There is lots of seating and lots of space so it seemed almost like private dining because all the guests were spaced out enough. Having been to Italy and being engaged to an Italian and his very Italian family, I have become pickier with Italian food. I think the food here was good. The service was good too! Maybe they saw some of the reviews and have been working on things, but I enjoyed my experience.
(4)Kathy Y.
We don't come here often, despite its popular location on 436/434, but since we had a $12 coupon we went to see if anything had changed since our last visit about six months ago. The food here is typical of other Macaroni Grills, but the service is always incredibly SLOW, even though the place is usually empty, including weekends. This time around I noticed the hostess and waiters now wear faded jeans, which doesn't really match with the rich Italian decor of rustic stone walls and romantic string lights. We will go again? Sure. There's rarely a wait and plenty of parking, but don't expect a loud, party atmosphere with operatic waiters here.
(3)Alexander N.
This place is a crap carrabas took. The waiter was awkward, she stood way to close the table, she also knocked stuff over trying to write her name on the table. The food was horrible! My chicken parm was burned bland, and the Raman noodles it came with tasted like dish water. My girl friends chicken Alfredo was also bland and seasoned with dish water, The chicken was fake and green. I would have rather thrown 30 dollars straight in the trash.
(1)Lisa W.
Ate here with a friend, as we were trying to avoid the mall area and Altamonte Restaurant row for the Christmas holidays. This Macaroni Grill location has been here forever...I can remember eating here in 1993/94 and it being a fun time with my office co workers for dinner. On this visit the service was not great, lunch service was very slow and inattentive. While they were open at 11:30, I had to wait to be seated because no one was at the host stand. Kitchen was busy with catering orders and after almost 10 minutes I was seated. Don't come here if you are in a rush to get back to the office, it took us more than 20 minutes to get the rosemary bread at the table after ordering. Food was OK, but menu descriptions were lacking for their combo specials. We asked the server for clarification, as I am a non meat eater. Descriptions were given and I ordered appropriately....and then was delivered a pasta with Chicken on it. No Chicken was mentioned in the write up, or his description, so not sure what happened. He blamed it on the kitchen and I got new pasta 10 minutes later. While I'm not a MG regular, 4 months ago the Oviedo location had much better service and friendlier atmosphere.
(2)Eddie A.
My family and I had dinner here a few months back. The service was fantastic and the meal was even better. My two year old loved the fact that she can write all over the table. Its kid friendly and that's why I love eating here. My wife didn't like the bread because it was too cold so they warmed it up. The cool thing is they didn't even make a face or an attitude. The location isn't anything to talk about but that won't matter when you go inside. Its a good place to take your family and a good place to just eat.
(3)Brandon B.
Went out for date night and luckily my wife is understanding because the service was terrible. I also got a terrible case of food poisoning the next day. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Food is mediocre for the price and on top of that food prep is dirty and will give you food poisoning which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
(1)Jenny B.
We loved our food & service. We have enough food leftover for 2 more meals. The price for 2 meals, drinks (non alcoholic) and tip was under $40. Great deal, we will be back.
(4)Jessica J.
This was my worst Macaroni Grill experience ever! First of all, there were only two people in my party, including myself. So why does the host seat us at a big 'ole round table with 5 chairs in the middle of the dining room when there are perfectly good booths and intimate two seaters available? The restaurant isn't full or busy at all. So we asked to sit at a cozier booth. After being seated, it took ten to fifteen minutes to be acknowledged and offered drinks. Also, we received the "new spring menu" which was confusing, extremely limited, and void of some of their best dishes. We probably should have just left at that point but foolishly, we didn't. So I ordered the soup of the day which was supposed to be a roasted mushroom soup. It turned out to be a very thick brown, gloppy gravy that you would put over mashed potatoes. My serving had very unbalanced flavors. One spoonful had tons of spicy pepper in it while the next spoonful did not. So, I began stirring. The "gravy" also had those crispy oniony things that people put in green bean casseroles. It was simply not good. I just felt like asking for a bowl of mashed potatoes to go with it. I couldn't finish it. Service was very inconsistent as we were not checked on for a while. Our drinks were not topped off. I had to ask questions about certain dishes on the menu due to vague descriptions. I ended up having a very oily pasta with pesto. The pasta included the woody stems of the basil that I had to pick out with my fork. It was just very disappointing. The hubby's dish was way better. It will be a long time before I return.
(1)Jason E.
I just wanted to reach out and thank the macaroni grill in altamonte springs fl for completely ruining my Father's Day dinner with my family this evening. It started off fine but took a massive turn for the worse when we noticed my son sitting in someone else's used chewing gum. Basically the lack of refills and poor service paled in comparison to the fact that the server somehow "forgot" to order two of out 6 entrees. So the kids and half our family were completely done before our food arrived. It was nice that the manager offered to comp the two late meals, but $24 really did not make the sting of having to eat my dinner without my wife and kids any better. The server was clearly more interested in singing than serving. The icing on the cake was being charged $3 for the salad that never showed up. At least I will be able to remember this evening every time I see the bright blue gum stain on my son's pants. I don't think I will ever return to this location! At least the food was good!
(1)Charles V.
Service is great but really that's about it. I've gone here several times over the past 10 years and this was the worst food experience ever. Menu has changed yet again and the quality of the items seems to have slipped even further. For years this was the best one around, but now its just as bad as the others around town. Next time you are thinking of italian food, drive right by this place.
(1)Kari O.
Not sure if the restaurant was short-staffed, or if they simply didn't care, but it seemed to go beyond the servers. Macaroni Grill obviously isn't a 5 star restaurant, and it's pretty predictable. However, there are certain standards in service that should be pretty predictable, too. Not tonight.... We noticed our server never wrote his name on the paper table "cloth"....as they do...and we joked that we'd all write "Hi, my name is....." at our individual place settings instead. We didn't, but.... And when he poured the olive oil and ground the pepper onto the plate, he took off soon after. I actually had to ask him for the bread as he came back to the table once or twice without even mentioning if it was coming out soon. I asked for balsamic vinegar, too, but he had to track that down and it took a while. The food was what you'd expect, but it was the lack of service that bugged me the entire time. Our server did the bare minimum (sometimes less), and was never around to see if we needed anything else (a refill, condiments, etc.). We weren't even asked if we'd like any leftovers boxed up or if we'd like to order dessert & coffee. The guy could have earned a better tip with just the usual, but clearly he didn't care. And, I'd rather spend my money where the staff actually cares that you're there.
(2)Jenny R.
Not that we had really high expectations, but what a terrible dining experience my husband and I just had here! From the beginning, we were off to a bad start. Our water glasses were absolutely filthy; in fact, there was pink lipstick on my husband's glass--gross! The second batch weren't much better either. Maybe their dishwasher is on the fritz? Overall, the service was incredibly slow and inattentive. We each ordered a pasta dish and a side salad, which we thought would be pretty simple and easy. After 30 minutes of waiting, a different server brought out food, except he brought the completely wrong dish for me. (By the way, we never did get the salads we ordered...) Finally, my dish was brought to the table, but it was stone cold. I sent it back to the kitchen and waited another 20 minutes for it to be re-heated. I told my husband not to wait to eat his food; no sense in both dishes being ruined (his dish was also unimpressive). After my re-heated dish came back, I took a few bites and was completely underwhelmed and ready to leave. Between the dirty glasses, missing salads, cold food, and slow service, we've vowed never to go back. On top of all that, in the hour we were seated, no one bothered to ask if we'd like more water. (And what is up with the pretentious, albeit dirty, glass bottle of semi-cool water they bring to your table to share?) I guess it's a good thing we weren't moderately thirsty! All in all, we will most certainly add Macaroni Grill to our list of restaurants to avoid in the future.
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