Feh. Martini was a glass of olive juice, zucchini had zero taste and the margherita flatbread was oily and soggy. I cannot imagine ever coming back here for dinner.
(1)
Larry H.
Food was "decent" but not spectacular. However, despite the restaurant being at roughly 1/4 capacity, both food & service were VERY SLOW! Also, the table we were at was too close to the kitchen so we had the "wonderful" odor of their sanitizing solution from the moment we sat down.
(2)
Kathy M.
So disappointed! What a lousy experience! Went for dinner with my husband and granddaughter. We ordered fried ravioli for appetizer Italian bread? Only rosemary bread?
(1)
Mike G.
Saturday night at 6pm waited 30 minutes for a table. Sat us and took drink order, ordered our meal. It was another 30 minutes just for them to bring the salads. Then another 40 minute wait for entree. It was only my wife, 10 year old and, myself.we told the manager we were leaving so he packed the meals up so we could take it home. The service was unacceptable. I'll never go again.
(1)
Tyler M.
Seriously, check the reviews before you go. The service was poor and the food was cold. After they warmed the food up, it came out burnt and dry. There is no winning here... Good luck if you go! PS. I only give them one star because we were laughing about how bad it was the whole time.
(1)
Karen F.
They still serve the most awful, bitter tasting olive oil to dip the bread in. Don't do it!!!! Our server was sub par - and dod not get us items like napkins/cultery, sweetener (for my $3.75 teeny-tiny cappucino) until asked. Food was OK - but so SALTY - seriously, people - tone it down (the meatball "small plate" and pasta sauce are over salted.)! Not a fan - and not rushing back here.
(2)
Katie B.
Don't get me wrong- I love Macaroni Grill as far as Italian chain restaurants go. This location, however, is by far the worst I've ever visited! Last time I ate here my chicken was uncooked and very pink in the middle, and service was extremely slow even though it wasn't that crowded. And I get the email newsletters which advertise special promotions like the express lunch and dinners, which I think are really cool but the last two times I've tried to come in for one of their promotions, the people that work at this location treat me like I'm the biggest idiot who's ever walked the earth, and like I'm ruining their life by asking them about anything out of the ordinary. Other locations are great, but the people who work here are rude and should maybe read their own website for once! I probably won't come back here again since it's out of the way for me.
(1)
Stephen B.
I remember when customer service counted. We'll it definitely doesn't exist a Romanos macaroni grill. The waitress lied right to our faces about the bread not being some yet. In the meantime we watched the other severs taking bread to our table. The food... Ugh. I used to really enjoy eating here but that will probably never happen again. My lasagna. Was over cooked so much that the noodles were rock hard yet super chewy. Will I ever eat there again? Not if I have any say in the matter
(1)
Jan F.
Very disappointed with my meal this evening. I must first say that the "Cappellini Pompadoro" was excellent as usual and the bread delicious....however.... the rest of the meal was tasteless. I ordered the" Pollo Caprese". Horrible! The chicken dish consisted of a one very thin chicken breast that was browned...... and that's it. No herbs, no garlic, no glaze of any kind, and believe me, NO Flavor. The Arrugula that was with the dish was equally flavorless. I am Italian and normally italians are very skilled with the use of herbs and are usually masters with giving any kind of food flavor. Now this is the second time I had a chicken dish that was inferior. The "Chicken under a Brick" was great the first time I had ordered it, so, I ordered it again at a later date. Couldn't even eat it. The chicken was so stringy, it was impossible to chew. And again, flavorless. Years ago, this restaurant had really good food and was consistant in serving guality food. I can't for the life of me understand why a restaurant would change the way they prepare food. I can only think that the Management is not controlling the prepartion of the dishes served. Or only order their pasta dishes. (The only ones that seem to have any consistancy). They need to get their act together. It's no wonder the place has plenty of seating when all the others on the Pike are packed. Sunday night and the place was pretty empty. I doubt we will be trying them any time soon.
(1)
Anne R.
Yeah, I know it's a chain. "Boo! Where's your sense of adventure?" Blah, blah, blah. Well, sometimes you find youself in the suburbs and there aren't any "good" restaurants around, and in my opinion Macaroni Grill is the lesser of all the evils. Most evil? Applebee's. But I digress. We've all been to a Macaroni Grill. So instead of a writing a real review I will take this opportunity to tout the create your own pasta dish I created last night. It was pretty awesome. Penne. Vodka Sauce Chicken. Sundried Tomatoes Mushrooms Broccoli. Yum.
(4)
Craig D.
Used to be better, not sure what happened? Seems like the ingredients are cheaper???
(3)
Phil J.
Excellent service, very good food, definetely would recommend.
(5)
Don S.
I don't usually write reviews and I have never written a bad one. I have been to Macaroni Grill on 202 about 20 times. They have been great till tonight. As I type this I am still here waiting for the meal. Arrived around 6:30 on Sunday night. No hostess at the counter for five minutes. Took my name with a half hour wait. No problem. They seated us at a table for two. Took 8 minutes for the waiter to come with dirty plates in his hand and tell us he would be right back. 5 more minutes and he asked for our drinks. He was very rushed. There was no introduction with the name in crayon. Or asking if we had been here before. He delivered our ice teas with no lemon and he only had one straw. The table had no silverware, bread plates or napkins. We asked for these items as well as the bread they give you. He came back with the silverware loose. No napkins. He then came back with the lemon. Still no bread. We asked again and he came back shortly with a very small portion of bread. He did not explain the olive oil or offer to pour it and put pepper on the olive oil. Just put the bread down and left. Came back to take our order. We ordered our meals and I ordered a ceaser salad. The salad did come right away. However it was a house salad. Looked good so I ate it. At this time we heard screaming from the kitchen. Someone appeared to get burned. When they seated us after a 1/2 hour there were a lot of open tables. The restaurant was not filled to capacity. Also the other tables did not have silverware or napkins. My wife went to another table to get our stuff. The food just arrived at 8 pm by a runner. No grated cheese offered. The waiter did show up shortly after and when asked he accommodated. The food itself was excellent as usual. In summary the issues here appear to be management. I think they ran our of items and low staffing led to a partially filled restaurant with wait times around a 1/2 hour. Macaroni grill is a national chain and I am sure they have processes in place to streamline the meal experience. I believe these are not being followed here. I will return and chalk this up to a bad night. I have it three stars for the food. No complaints there
(3)
Lesley G.
My best friend and I have been coming here on and off for girls night for years now. The service and the food are pretty hit or miss, and really just mediocre at best, but the wine is cheap, and the bread is addictive, so we deal with it. However, the service we got Saturday night has turned us into enthusiastic regulars. When we got there, it was pretty crowded, and so we ended up sitting in the bar, which we were less than thrilled about. Joey, the bartender was absolutely slammed. Somehow, the service was still nothing shy of perfect. He sped around the bar with a smile on his face, and every time he came to our table, he was so friendly, we felt like we were the only customers in the whole place. Saturday night girls night at Macaroni Grill is about to become a weekly event.
(5)
Ma-e M.
Nicer decor than the Columbia location in Maryland, and I think the Chef is better here. I ordered Shrimp Portofino, dinner entree; it was mucho gusto deliciouso. Even at 1150 calories, I can't resist finishing it up. Our other order was the classic Italian Eggplant Parmesan. It was fine and looks neat and lite. The grape tomatoes were sweet and not overcooked. It came with four medium round of eggplant with mozzarela and basil leave on top. I had some of it and I finished my portion. RMG is my favorite Italian restaurant.
(4)
Mary M.
Today was my second visit here, the first one was for dinner over a year ago, and today for lunch. This location is good for three of us to meet up but too far for me to go normally. I wish there were one closer to me 'cause I love it here. Today one of my friends and I shared the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad and the Pesto Primavera Fatbread. They were both delicious and the there was even a little of each one left. The dipping sauce for the fatbread had a real kick, which I liked. The chicken salad was a little overdressed, so I'd just order the dressing on the side next time. Everything is made to order and so fresh. I really love this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was a less than helpful hostess - when I said that I was joining two women who had just been seated within the last two minutes, she told me to have a look around for them! It's a big place! I asked if she really didn't remember seating two women within the last two minutes (it wasn't packed) and she reluctantly led me to them. The food was great, service (Mark) was great and the food was great.
(4)
Morton F.
This Macaroni Grill is in a strip mall off US-202 northbound. Access from the soundbound side is via left turn at a traffic light. Parking seemed more than adequate. Generally, I'm not a fan of Italian food but I think Macaroni Grill is okay for a chain restaurant. Because I couldn't decide what to get from the menu, I got a "create your own pasta" dish, which compounded the problem by presenting yet more choices. So I got spaghetti with meat sauce and a few more items, and it turned out pretty well. Service was good too.
(4)
Siddhi P.
We had a reservation there at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Had to wait around 15 minutes to get a table, which was absolutely fine with us. Sat us and took the drink order, we also ordered a kid's meal and an appetizer. We got the drinks after 20 minutes. We then ordered our meal. . It took us about an hour to get our meal, even the kid's meal with we had ordered much earlier was delayed. We very politely asked our server that it took a while for us to get the meal. The server very rudely replied "the food has to be cooked before serving". I wouldn't be much bothered if he had simply apologized for the delay. This was very unpleasant experience. We are never going back there again. Food was average, not very great.
(1)
Jk O.
Service was excellent up until the end. Waited forever for boxes for leftovers as well as our check . Food was not up to par tonight unfortunately. Usually pretty good but tonight not so much. Chicken parm portion was different from last time we visited. And my shrimp was way overcooked and chewy. Gross. Half priced wine was pretty awesome however! We'll be back but if the experience is like tonight, we won't be back again. Hoping tonight was a fluke!
(3)
Hank S.
Very poor service, meal took almost 1.75 hrs to get after sitting down. It was under cooked and cold when it finally arrived. Horrible service. Go to Pescatorie's in Glen Mills if you want a nice Italian meal.
(1)
Ron Z.
Every now and then I come to Macaroni Grill to get some Italian food. It seems though, however that everytime I come in it feels like there is new management running the place, or things are constantly changing. Everything from the food (which is fine, switching the selection up every now and then is good), but the way things are presented and plates that the food is served on is never consistent. This time around I ordered the Fresh Pasta - Carbonara. It was OK, but I did not like the texture of the pasta, and also the portion was so little. What they did, and most restaurants do this now-a-days is that they put in into some odd shaped, wide top bowl that gives off the feel and look that it's a large portion.....well, it didn't work. It was bad enough that I did not enjoy the entree that much, but to try and trick me into thinking the portion was bigger then what it really was....not good, not satisfied.
(2)
Eric K.
Awesome Italian food.
(5)
Jimmy L.
under cooked pasta.. they said they have remade a 2nd one for me, but i don't know.. looks the same.. glad i had ordered way too much appetizer...
(2)
Ruth Y.
Several friends and I recently ordered delivery from here. All of our food was delicious! I had Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Lemon Passion for dessert. The Rigatoni was addictive! I think this was due to the wonderful sauce which was slightly sweet. The onions were done perfectly and the chicken flavorful and tender. I found a few bones in the chicken, however, so beware. The pasta was al dente despite it being a delivery order. The Lemon Passion was a perfect dessert. The cake was light, fluffy and lemony. The cream was homemade and is light as the wind. The Caramel sauce added more sweetness. At first I was doubtful that Caramel sauce would work with the lemon, but it did. My friends ordered the Honey Balsamic Chicken (looked delicious) and the Lobster Ravioli. They both said it was delicious, but the portion of the Lobster Ravioli was sadly very, very small. The bread that came with the meal deserved special mention. It was rosemary infused, soft, warm and delicious. Some pieces were a bit on the salty side, but the texture was out of this world.
(4)
Will D.
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I have eaten at this location very many times for lunch, and my worst service experiences were still reasonably good: Generally, service is fast and friendly. The food is rich and tasty. Personal favorites: any of the penne dishes, and the eggplant parmigiana. One minor annoyance: When the server asks if you "like olives", they are asking if you want to buy a plate of seasoned olives as an appetizer. The olive dish is tasty, just be aware that this not complimentary.
(5)
Ann V.
Two stars for atmosphere and service. We LOVE Italian food and this restaurant was very disappointing. Several friends told us that the fish dishes were excellent. We weren't in the mood for fish, but wanted Italian comfort food. I had eggplant parm which was totally overcooked, mushy and charred. If it wasn't for the burnt taste, it would have had no flavor at all. The husband had spaghetti & meatballs. He, too, thought they had no flavor and the meatballs were mushy and tasteless. We won't be going back.
(2)
Leah S.
Let me preface this by saying I'm a chef, and I hate chain restaurants. However, my boyfriend has an absurd amount of allergies and he loves going here because they are very accommodating. He always orders some pasta & sausage dish that isn't even on the menu anymore but they still make it for him, which is nice, though it's pretty much him just doing "make your own" pasta. This is why they get 2 stars-- many chain restaurants do the whole "no substitutions" deal and have no idea what to do in the face of some allergies. As for this location, the service is usually good. We always sit at the bar for dinner because there always seems to be a wait. One time the bartender was great-- attentive, friendly, gave us wines to try, totally what you'd expect from a bartender. The other time she carded me before I had even sat down and taken my coat off, and she didn't card my boyfriend, which I found incredibly rude. If there are two people in a party that appear around the same age I think you should card them both, especially when it's obviously a "date." She also ignored us for long periods of time. I understand it was busy, but there were 2 other bartenders back there... As for the food, portions are usually correct here. No 2lb pasta dishes and no "where's the rest of it?" feeling. However, you can still only eat 1/4 of it if you don't want to eat your day's total in calories. If you've looked on the "Eat this, not that!" website, you'll find that Macaroni Grill has some of the worst foods in America. So I suggest only going if you order as sensibly as possible (I've never tried their lighter, lower-cal options because they just don't sound good) and be prepared not to eat for the next 3 days.
(2)
Michael S.
Decent chain food, healthy portions. However, the tables are way too close to each other in the rear of the restaurant that makes for an uncomfortable meal with wait staff and other customers always bumping up against the back of your chair when eating.
(3)
Tim B.
For a chain, it's ok. I seriously eyeroll at the thought that this could be anybody's favorite anything, but it's reliable, the service is efficient, it's pleasant enough looking inside, and you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloth. On the other hand, it's almost always so crowded that you'll have to wait a while, which kind of defeats the purpose.
(3)
Robert J.
One of my favorite places to eat. I just like the food and the service has always been good. With any place you can have a hit or miss, but so far this has been a hit. With one or a group I have had a great time here. I would say if I have a first choice this is it!
(5)
Jesse A.
The food was good and so was the service. The Rosemary bread is great with Olive Oil! I aways stayed away thinking it was expensive but it isn't too bad. I would go again.
(4)
Shadyside T.
Everytime I have gone with my family the food has been terrific. The waiters have been very attentive and nice. The atmosphere is well lighted and cheerful. Wine list very good. Prices excellent.
(5)
Nicole B.
Came here on a sunday since had a gift card. service was just ok. bf ordered iced tea and I ordered a soda. He only brought an iced tea and then only brought the tea and asked me if I had ordered a drink. Then we gave him an appetizer order which he also had to come back to ask us if we ordered it or not?? wt?? It was like he smoked something before work! all of the wait staff looked miserable. I agree with the person that said a step up from olive garden and also agree with salty. but i like salt! we had the procuitto wrapped motz which was pretty good. the red sauce they came in was really good. tasted homemade. also had the meatballs. they were okay. Ceasar salad was just okay too. Bf had the mushroom rav's. they were really good. rich sauce but his entree was the winner. i had mama's trio which was lasagna, chick parm and a chicken mushroom cannaloni. the cannaloni was my favorite. all salty. and the lasagna had sausage in it. i prefer beef. we will go back since i have another gift certificate.
(3)
Vivz C.
When visiting my old haunting grounds (Wilmington), my mother and I took my adopted grandmother & aunt out to lunch here. Grandma's choice because she had the Chicken Toscana soup there once and really liked it. Following her recommendation, I ordered myself a bowl. WOW. One of the best soups I've had in a long time. It was so flavorful with the spinach, tomatoes, and onions. And some soups tend to be a bit creamy - you know, the kind where you stick your spoon into the soup and when you remove it, it's not soup. Just a thick layer of SOMETHING on your spoon! This creamy was just right. Not too much where you're going to worry about how many miles you have to jog to run off all the calories, but not too light that you're still craving more once your bowl is empty. And who doesn't like pasta that half the world's population can't pronounce - Gnocchi. =) I would also recommend the Margherita pizza for all you pizza lovers. Usually, I'm not the type that goes to a restaurant like MG and get pizza, but I wanted to get something that could easily be shared at the table. It was delish! So good that many many hours later and a drive home to Jersey later, it was still really good COLD! A word of caution for all you Blue Cheese lovers out there - they don't have Blue Cheese dressing so don't ask. Grandma ordered Blue Cheese dressing to go with her salad and what did they bring her? Shredded Blue Cheese. Obviously it's not a dressing, so why wouldn't they clarify that when the order was placed? But she was a good sport, she tried sprinkling the cheese on her salad and eating it, but it must've been too bland because our waitress had to grab her olive oil (which didn't help the "dressing"), and then brought her good ol' Italian dressing. Grandma was a little disappointed to say the least as was Aunt Kris. But the waitress was extremely accommodating to the needs of our table and the service was very prompt & courteous.
(4)
Nick J.
My kids like to come here - the food is good, portions are adequate, prices aren't too bad, and the atmosphere is semi-nice (especially if you like Italian crooning in the background) but still very informal. My main complaint is that it often takes a long time to get seated (much longer than they estimate it will). That keeps us from visiting more often. Kind of like Yogi Berra supposedly said about someplace: nobody goes there any more because it's too crowded.
(3)
Alicia K.
Very nice! A special occasion place for me
(4)
Paul L.
I would consider myself as a frequent patron here at the grill. Why you ask? Because it's the best value going. For all the naysayer reviewers, I would suggest coming back during the week, or grab a seat at the bar to eat on the weekend. Where can you find a $5.00 Makers Mark cocktail or a $23.00 veal chop with good service anywhere aroud? Maybe I should write negative reviews to keep everyone away?
(5)
Julie A.
They're skimpy on anything under $13. I got the Pollo Caprese and the side salad was literally the size of my fist if not smaller. Also the chicken was over tenderized(basically flat af). It's my first time here and the service was ok. If you want bigger portions and a friendlier atmosphere Olive Garden is the way to go.
(2)
Alison K.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out the MG for dinner this past friday. We'd never been to one and didn't know what to expect. There were lots of tables available when we got there, and we were able to get a booth. The table is covered in white paper and you're apparently encouraged to draw on it while you wait, which I suppose makes it family friendly. I don't know; it seems a little wasteful. Maybe they should offer to put down the paper when you're seated but have a regular cloth if you're not into that. Or maybe I'm just no fun. The food was not that memorable, as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember what I ordered 48 hours later. I ordered off their (pretty limited) less than 650 calorie menu, some sort of grilled chicken with spaghetti. My boyfriend got chicken parm. The food was similar to Olive Garden but with a smaller menu. Overall, everything was good but not stellar. For dessert, we shared the chocolate cake which was quite yummy. The service was friendly and attentive enough, and the prices were reasonable. We may come back, but again, it was just a solidly good experience.
(3)
Anastasia L.
Have to give it a one star this time. I usually love the food and atmosphere but today I came in around 5 and the restaurant was not full at all. The hostess directed another employee to take our party of 3 to a table when I asked if it could please be a booth. Rudely the hostess went "ugh, take them to 41". When we get to table 41, it's a half booth, two seats are regular chairs when the restaurant is full of booths. I asked the employee can we sit at that booth right next to our table and she calls to the hostess who completely ignores her. Unbelievable.
(1)
Christopher B.
Everything we ordered was over salted!! I had to go on blood pressure meds the next day. But seriously I can't imagine I will over go back. I have heard good things from others but I had the worse meal I've ever had at a restaurant.
They still serve the most awful, bitter tasting olive oil to dip the bread in. Don't do it!!!! Our server was sub par - and dod not get us items like napkins/cultery, sweetener (for my $3.75 teeny-tiny cappucino) until asked. Food was OK - but so SALTY - seriously, people - tone it down (the meatball "small plate" and pasta sauce are over salted.)! Not a fan - and not rushing back here.
(2)
Tyler M.
Seriously, check the reviews before you go. The service was poor and the food was cold. After they warmed the food up, it came out burnt and dry. There is no winning here... Good luck if you go! PS. I only give them one star because we were laughing about how bad it was the whole time.
(1)
Katie B.
Don't get me wrong- I love Macaroni Grill as far as Italian chain restaurants go. This location, however, is by far the worst I've ever visited! Last time I ate here my chicken was uncooked and very pink in the middle, and service was extremely slow even though it wasn't that crowded. And I get the email newsletters which advertise special promotions like the express lunch and dinners, which I think are really cool but the last two times I've tried to come in for one of their promotions, the people that work at this location treat me like I'm the biggest idiot who's ever walked the earth, and like I'm ruining their life by asking them about anything out of the ordinary. Other locations are great, but the people who work here are rude and should maybe read their own website for once! I probably won't come back here again since it's out of the way for me.
(1)
Andrew R.
Feh. Martini was a glass of olive juice, zucchini had zero taste and the margherita flatbread was oily and soggy. I cannot imagine ever coming back here for dinner.
(1)
Larry H.
Food was "decent" but not spectacular. However, despite the restaurant being at roughly 1/4 capacity, both food & service were VERY SLOW! Also, the table we were at was too close to the kitchen so we had the "wonderful" odor of their sanitizing solution from the moment we sat down.
(2)
Kathy M.
So disappointed! What a lousy experience! Went for dinner with my husband and granddaughter. We ordered fried ravioli for appetizer Italian bread? Only rosemary bread?
(1)
Stephen B.
I remember when customer service counted. We'll it definitely doesn't exist a Romanos macaroni grill. The waitress lied right to our faces about the bread not being some yet. In the meantime we watched the other severs taking bread to our table. The food... Ugh. I used to really enjoy eating here but that will probably never happen again. My lasagna. Was over cooked so much that the noodles were rock hard yet super chewy. Will I ever eat there again? Not if I have any say in the matter
(1)
Jan F.
Very disappointed with my meal this evening. I must first say that the "Cappellini Pompadoro" was excellent as usual and the bread delicious....however.... the rest of the meal was tasteless. I ordered the" Pollo Caprese". Horrible! The chicken dish consisted of a one very thin chicken breast that was browned...... and that's it. No herbs, no garlic, no glaze of any kind, and believe me, NO Flavor. The Arrugula that was with the dish was equally flavorless. I am Italian and normally italians are very skilled with the use of herbs and are usually masters with giving any kind of food flavor. Now this is the second time I had a chicken dish that was inferior. The "Chicken under a Brick" was great the first time I had ordered it, so, I ordered it again at a later date. Couldn't even eat it. The chicken was so stringy, it was impossible to chew. And again, flavorless. Years ago, this restaurant had really good food and was consistant in serving guality food. I can't for the life of me understand why a restaurant would change the way they prepare food. I can only think that the Management is not controlling the prepartion of the dishes served. Or only order their pasta dishes. (The only ones that seem to have any consistancy). They need to get their act together. It's no wonder the place has plenty of seating when all the others on the Pike are packed. Sunday night and the place was pretty empty. I doubt we will be trying them any time soon.
(1)
Don S.
I don't usually write reviews and I have never written a bad one. I have been to Macaroni Grill on 202 about 20 times. They have been great till tonight. As I type this I am still here waiting for the meal. Arrived around 6:30 on Sunday night. No hostess at the counter for five minutes. Took my name with a half hour wait. No problem. They seated us at a table for two. Took 8 minutes for the waiter to come with dirty plates in his hand and tell us he would be right back. 5 more minutes and he asked for our drinks. He was very rushed. There was no introduction with the name in crayon. Or asking if we had been here before. He delivered our ice teas with no lemon and he only had one straw. The table had no silverware, bread plates or napkins. We asked for these items as well as the bread they give you. He came back with the silverware loose. No napkins. He then came back with the lemon. Still no bread. We asked again and he came back shortly with a very small portion of bread. He did not explain the olive oil or offer to pour it and put pepper on the olive oil. Just put the bread down and left. Came back to take our order. We ordered our meals and I ordered a ceaser salad. The salad did come right away. However it was a house salad. Looked good so I ate it. At this time we heard screaming from the kitchen. Someone appeared to get burned. When they seated us after a 1/2 hour there were a lot of open tables. The restaurant was not filled to capacity. Also the other tables did not have silverware or napkins. My wife went to another table to get our stuff. The food just arrived at 8 pm by a runner. No grated cheese offered. The waiter did show up shortly after and when asked he accommodated. The food itself was excellent as usual. In summary the issues here appear to be management. I think they ran our of items and low staffing led to a partially filled restaurant with wait times around a 1/2 hour. Macaroni grill is a national chain and I am sure they have processes in place to streamline the meal experience. I believe these are not being followed here. I will return and chalk this up to a bad night. I have it three stars for the food. No complaints there
(3)
Lesley G.
My best friend and I have been coming here on and off for girls night for years now. The service and the food are pretty hit or miss, and really just mediocre at best, but the wine is cheap, and the bread is addictive, so we deal with it. However, the service we got Saturday night has turned us into enthusiastic regulars. When we got there, it was pretty crowded, and so we ended up sitting in the bar, which we were less than thrilled about. Joey, the bartender was absolutely slammed. Somehow, the service was still nothing shy of perfect. He sped around the bar with a smile on his face, and every time he came to our table, he was so friendly, we felt like we were the only customers in the whole place. Saturday night girls night at Macaroni Grill is about to become a weekly event.
(5)
Ma-e M.
Nicer decor than the Columbia location in Maryland, and I think the Chef is better here. I ordered Shrimp Portofino, dinner entree; it was mucho gusto deliciouso. Even at 1150 calories, I can't resist finishing it up. Our other order was the classic Italian Eggplant Parmesan. It was fine and looks neat and lite. The grape tomatoes were sweet and not overcooked. It came with four medium round of eggplant with mozzarela and basil leave on top. I had some of it and I finished my portion. RMG is my favorite Italian restaurant.
(4)
Mike G.
Saturday night at 6pm waited 30 minutes for a table. Sat us and took drink order, ordered our meal. It was another 30 minutes just for them to bring the salads. Then another 40 minute wait for entree. It was only my wife, 10 year old and, myself.we told the manager we were leaving so he packed the meals up so we could take it home. The service was unacceptable. I'll never go again.
(1)
Mary M.
Today was my second visit here, the first one was for dinner over a year ago, and today for lunch. This location is good for three of us to meet up but too far for me to go normally. I wish there were one closer to me 'cause I love it here. Today one of my friends and I shared the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad and the Pesto Primavera Fatbread. They were both delicious and the there was even a little of each one left. The dipping sauce for the fatbread had a real kick, which I liked. The chicken salad was a little overdressed, so I'd just order the dressing on the side next time. Everything is made to order and so fresh. I really love this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was a less than helpful hostess - when I said that I was joining two women who had just been seated within the last two minutes, she told me to have a look around for them! It's a big place! I asked if she really didn't remember seating two women within the last two minutes (it wasn't packed) and she reluctantly led me to them. The food was great, service (Mark) was great and the food was great.
(4)
Morton F.
This Macaroni Grill is in a strip mall off US-202 northbound. Access from the soundbound side is via left turn at a traffic light. Parking seemed more than adequate. Generally, I'm not a fan of Italian food but I think Macaroni Grill is okay for a chain restaurant. Because I couldn't decide what to get from the menu, I got a "create your own pasta" dish, which compounded the problem by presenting yet more choices. So I got spaghetti with meat sauce and a few more items, and it turned out pretty well. Service was good too.
(4)
Siddhi P.
We had a reservation there at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Had to wait around 15 minutes to get a table, which was absolutely fine with us. Sat us and took the drink order, we also ordered a kid's meal and an appetizer. We got the drinks after 20 minutes. We then ordered our meal. . It took us about an hour to get our meal, even the kid's meal with we had ordered much earlier was delayed. We very politely asked our server that it took a while for us to get the meal. The server very rudely replied "the food has to be cooked before serving". I wouldn't be much bothered if he had simply apologized for the delay. This was very unpleasant experience. We are never going back there again. Food was average, not very great.
(1)
Jk O.
Service was excellent up until the end. Waited forever for boxes for leftovers as well as our check . Food was not up to par tonight unfortunately. Usually pretty good but tonight not so much. Chicken parm portion was different from last time we visited. And my shrimp was way overcooked and chewy. Gross. Half priced wine was pretty awesome however! We'll be back but if the experience is like tonight, we won't be back again. Hoping tonight was a fluke!
(3)
Hank S.
Very poor service, meal took almost 1.75 hrs to get after sitting down. It was under cooked and cold when it finally arrived. Horrible service. Go to Pescatorie's in Glen Mills if you want a nice Italian meal.
(1)
Ron Z.
Every now and then I come to Macaroni Grill to get some Italian food. It seems though, however that everytime I come in it feels like there is new management running the place, or things are constantly changing. Everything from the food (which is fine, switching the selection up every now and then is good), but the way things are presented and plates that the food is served on is never consistent. This time around I ordered the Fresh Pasta - Carbonara. It was OK, but I did not like the texture of the pasta, and also the portion was so little. What they did, and most restaurants do this now-a-days is that they put in into some odd shaped, wide top bowl that gives off the feel and look that it's a large portion.....well, it didn't work. It was bad enough that I did not enjoy the entree that much, but to try and trick me into thinking the portion was bigger then what it really was....not good, not satisfied.
(2)
Eric K.
Awesome Italian food.
(5)
Jimmy L.
under cooked pasta.. they said they have remade a 2nd one for me, but i don't know.. looks the same.. glad i had ordered way too much appetizer...
(2)
Phil J.
Excellent service, very good food, definetely would recommend.
(5)
Ruth Y.
Several friends and I recently ordered delivery from here. All of our food was delicious! I had Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Lemon Passion for dessert. The Rigatoni was addictive! I think this was due to the wonderful sauce which was slightly sweet. The onions were done perfectly and the chicken flavorful and tender. I found a few bones in the chicken, however, so beware. The pasta was al dente despite it being a delivery order. The Lemon Passion was a perfect dessert. The cake was light, fluffy and lemony. The cream was homemade and is light as the wind. The Caramel sauce added more sweetness. At first I was doubtful that Caramel sauce would work with the lemon, but it did. My friends ordered the Honey Balsamic Chicken (looked delicious) and the Lobster Ravioli. They both said it was delicious, but the portion of the Lobster Ravioli was sadly very, very small. The bread that came with the meal deserved special mention. It was rosemary infused, soft, warm and delicious. Some pieces were a bit on the salty side, but the texture was out of this world.
(4)
Will D.
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I have eaten at this location very many times for lunch, and my worst service experiences were still reasonably good: Generally, service is fast and friendly. The food is rich and tasty. Personal favorites: any of the penne dishes, and the eggplant parmigiana. One minor annoyance: When the server asks if you "like olives", they are asking if you want to buy a plate of seasoned olives as an appetizer. The olive dish is tasty, just be aware that this not complimentary.
(5)
Ann V.
Two stars for atmosphere and service. We LOVE Italian food and this restaurant was very disappointing. Several friends told us that the fish dishes were excellent. We weren't in the mood for fish, but wanted Italian comfort food. I had eggplant parm which was totally overcooked, mushy and charred. If it wasn't for the burnt taste, it would have had no flavor at all. The husband had spaghetti & meatballs. He, too, thought they had no flavor and the meatballs were mushy and tasteless. We won't be going back.
(2)
Anne R.
Yeah, I know it's a chain. "Boo! Where's your sense of adventure?" Blah, blah, blah. Well, sometimes you find youself in the suburbs and there aren't any "good" restaurants around, and in my opinion Macaroni Grill is the lesser of all the evils. Most evil? Applebee's. But I digress. We've all been to a Macaroni Grill. So instead of a writing a real review I will take this opportunity to tout the create your own pasta dish I created last night. It was pretty awesome. Penne. Vodka Sauce Chicken. Sundried Tomatoes Mushrooms Broccoli. Yum.
(4)
Craig D.
Used to be better, not sure what happened? Seems like the ingredients are cheaper???
(3)
Leah S.
Let me preface this by saying I'm a chef, and I hate chain restaurants. However, my boyfriend has an absurd amount of allergies and he loves going here because they are very accommodating. He always orders some pasta & sausage dish that isn't even on the menu anymore but they still make it for him, which is nice, though it's pretty much him just doing "make your own" pasta. This is why they get 2 stars-- many chain restaurants do the whole "no substitutions" deal and have no idea what to do in the face of some allergies. As for this location, the service is usually good. We always sit at the bar for dinner because there always seems to be a wait. One time the bartender was great-- attentive, friendly, gave us wines to try, totally what you'd expect from a bartender. The other time she carded me before I had even sat down and taken my coat off, and she didn't card my boyfriend, which I found incredibly rude. If there are two people in a party that appear around the same age I think you should card them both, especially when it's obviously a "date." She also ignored us for long periods of time. I understand it was busy, but there were 2 other bartenders back there... As for the food, portions are usually correct here. No 2lb pasta dishes and no "where's the rest of it?" feeling. However, you can still only eat 1/4 of it if you don't want to eat your day's total in calories. If you've looked on the "Eat this, not that!" website, you'll find that Macaroni Grill has some of the worst foods in America. So I suggest only going if you order as sensibly as possible (I've never tried their lighter, lower-cal options because they just don't sound good) and be prepared not to eat for the next 3 days.
(2)
Michael S.
Decent chain food, healthy portions. However, the tables are way too close to each other in the rear of the restaurant that makes for an uncomfortable meal with wait staff and other customers always bumping up against the back of your chair when eating.
(3)
Tim B.
For a chain, it's ok. I seriously eyeroll at the thought that this could be anybody's favorite anything, but it's reliable, the service is efficient, it's pleasant enough looking inside, and you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloth. On the other hand, it's almost always so crowded that you'll have to wait a while, which kind of defeats the purpose.
(3)
Robert J.
One of my favorite places to eat. I just like the food and the service has always been good. With any place you can have a hit or miss, but so far this has been a hit. With one or a group I have had a great time here. I would say if I have a first choice this is it!
(5)
Jesse A.
The food was good and so was the service. The Rosemary bread is great with Olive Oil! I aways stayed away thinking it was expensive but it isn't too bad. I would go again.
(4)
Shadyside T.
Everytime I have gone with my family the food has been terrific. The waiters have been very attentive and nice. The atmosphere is well lighted and cheerful. Wine list very good. Prices excellent.
(5)
Nicole B.
Came here on a sunday since had a gift card. service was just ok. bf ordered iced tea and I ordered a soda. He only brought an iced tea and then only brought the tea and asked me if I had ordered a drink. Then we gave him an appetizer order which he also had to come back to ask us if we ordered it or not?? wt?? It was like he smoked something before work! all of the wait staff looked miserable. I agree with the person that said a step up from olive garden and also agree with salty. but i like salt! we had the procuitto wrapped motz which was pretty good. the red sauce they came in was really good. tasted homemade. also had the meatballs. they were okay. Ceasar salad was just okay too. Bf had the mushroom rav's. they were really good. rich sauce but his entree was the winner. i had mama's trio which was lasagna, chick parm and a chicken mushroom cannaloni. the cannaloni was my favorite. all salty. and the lasagna had sausage in it. i prefer beef. we will go back since i have another gift certificate.
(3)
Vivz C.
When visiting my old haunting grounds (Wilmington), my mother and I took my adopted grandmother & aunt out to lunch here. Grandma's choice because she had the Chicken Toscana soup there once and really liked it. Following her recommendation, I ordered myself a bowl. WOW. One of the best soups I've had in a long time. It was so flavorful with the spinach, tomatoes, and onions. And some soups tend to be a bit creamy - you know, the kind where you stick your spoon into the soup and when you remove it, it's not soup. Just a thick layer of SOMETHING on your spoon! This creamy was just right. Not too much where you're going to worry about how many miles you have to jog to run off all the calories, but not too light that you're still craving more once your bowl is empty. And who doesn't like pasta that half the world's population can't pronounce - Gnocchi. =) I would also recommend the Margherita pizza for all you pizza lovers. Usually, I'm not the type that goes to a restaurant like MG and get pizza, but I wanted to get something that could easily be shared at the table. It was delish! So good that many many hours later and a drive home to Jersey later, it was still really good COLD! A word of caution for all you Blue Cheese lovers out there - they don't have Blue Cheese dressing so don't ask. Grandma ordered Blue Cheese dressing to go with her salad and what did they bring her? Shredded Blue Cheese. Obviously it's not a dressing, so why wouldn't they clarify that when the order was placed? But she was a good sport, she tried sprinkling the cheese on her salad and eating it, but it must've been too bland because our waitress had to grab her olive oil (which didn't help the "dressing"), and then brought her good ol' Italian dressing. Grandma was a little disappointed to say the least as was Aunt Kris. But the waitress was extremely accommodating to the needs of our table and the service was very prompt & courteous.
(4)
Nick J.
My kids like to come here - the food is good, portions are adequate, prices aren't too bad, and the atmosphere is semi-nice (especially if you like Italian crooning in the background) but still very informal. My main complaint is that it often takes a long time to get seated (much longer than they estimate it will). That keeps us from visiting more often. Kind of like Yogi Berra supposedly said about someplace: nobody goes there any more because it's too crowded.
(3)
Alicia K.
Very nice! A special occasion place for me
(4)
Paul L.
I would consider myself as a frequent patron here at the grill. Why you ask? Because it's the best value going. For all the naysayer reviewers, I would suggest coming back during the week, or grab a seat at the bar to eat on the weekend. Where can you find a $5.00 Makers Mark cocktail or a $23.00 veal chop with good service anywhere aroud? Maybe I should write negative reviews to keep everyone away?
(5)
Julie A.
They're skimpy on anything under $13. I got the Pollo Caprese and the side salad was literally the size of my fist if not smaller. Also the chicken was over tenderized(basically flat af). It's my first time here and the service was ok. If you want bigger portions and a friendlier atmosphere Olive Garden is the way to go.
(2)
Alison K.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out the MG for dinner this past friday. We'd never been to one and didn't know what to expect. There were lots of tables available when we got there, and we were able to get a booth. The table is covered in white paper and you're apparently encouraged to draw on it while you wait, which I suppose makes it family friendly. I don't know; it seems a little wasteful. Maybe they should offer to put down the paper when you're seated but have a regular cloth if you're not into that. Or maybe I'm just no fun. The food was not that memorable, as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember what I ordered 48 hours later. I ordered off their (pretty limited) less than 650 calorie menu, some sort of grilled chicken with spaghetti. My boyfriend got chicken parm. The food was similar to Olive Garden but with a smaller menu. Overall, everything was good but not stellar. For dessert, we shared the chocolate cake which was quite yummy. The service was friendly and attentive enough, and the prices were reasonable. We may come back, but again, it was just a solidly good experience.
(3)
Anastasia L.
Have to give it a one star this time. I usually love the food and atmosphere but today I came in around 5 and the restaurant was not full at all. The hostess directed another employee to take our party of 3 to a table when I asked if it could please be a booth. Rudely the hostess went "ugh, take them to 41". When we get to table 41, it's a half booth, two seats are regular chairs when the restaurant is full of booths. I asked the employee can we sit at that booth right next to our table and she calls to the hostess who completely ignores her. Unbelievable.
(1)
Christopher B.
Everything we ordered was over salted!! I had to go on blood pressure meds the next day. But seriously I can't imagine I will over go back. I have heard good things from others but I had the worse meal I've ever had at a restaurant.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes 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.
Andrew R.
Feh. Martini was a glass of olive juice, zucchini had zero taste and the margherita flatbread was oily and soggy. I cannot imagine ever coming back here for dinner.
(1)Larry H.
Food was "decent" but not spectacular. However, despite the restaurant being at roughly 1/4 capacity, both food & service were VERY SLOW! Also, the table we were at was too close to the kitchen so we had the "wonderful" odor of their sanitizing solution from the moment we sat down.
(2)Kathy M.
So disappointed! What a lousy experience! Went for dinner with my husband and granddaughter. We ordered fried ravioli for appetizer Italian bread? Only rosemary bread?
(1)Mike G.
Saturday night at 6pm waited 30 minutes for a table. Sat us and took drink order, ordered our meal. It was another 30 minutes just for them to bring the salads. Then another 40 minute wait for entree. It was only my wife, 10 year old and, myself.we told the manager we were leaving so he packed the meals up so we could take it home. The service was unacceptable. I'll never go again.
(1)Tyler M.
Seriously, check the reviews before you go. The service was poor and the food was cold. After they warmed the food up, it came out burnt and dry. There is no winning here... Good luck if you go! PS. I only give them one star because we were laughing about how bad it was the whole time.
(1)Karen F.
They still serve the most awful, bitter tasting olive oil to dip the bread in. Don't do it!!!! Our server was sub par - and dod not get us items like napkins/cultery, sweetener (for my $3.75 teeny-tiny cappucino) until asked. Food was OK - but so SALTY - seriously, people - tone it down (the meatball "small plate" and pasta sauce are over salted.)! Not a fan - and not rushing back here.
(2)Katie B.
Don't get me wrong- I love Macaroni Grill as far as Italian chain restaurants go. This location, however, is by far the worst I've ever visited! Last time I ate here my chicken was uncooked and very pink in the middle, and service was extremely slow even though it wasn't that crowded. And I get the email newsletters which advertise special promotions like the express lunch and dinners, which I think are really cool but the last two times I've tried to come in for one of their promotions, the people that work at this location treat me like I'm the biggest idiot who's ever walked the earth, and like I'm ruining their life by asking them about anything out of the ordinary. Other locations are great, but the people who work here are rude and should maybe read their own website for once! I probably won't come back here again since it's out of the way for me.
(1)Stephen B.
I remember when customer service counted. We'll it definitely doesn't exist a Romanos macaroni grill. The waitress lied right to our faces about the bread not being some yet. In the meantime we watched the other severs taking bread to our table. The food... Ugh. I used to really enjoy eating here but that will probably never happen again. My lasagna. Was over cooked so much that the noodles were rock hard yet super chewy. Will I ever eat there again? Not if I have any say in the matter
(1)Jan F.
Very disappointed with my meal this evening. I must first say that the "Cappellini Pompadoro" was excellent as usual and the bread delicious....however.... the rest of the meal was tasteless. I ordered the" Pollo Caprese". Horrible! The chicken dish consisted of a one very thin chicken breast that was browned...... and that's it. No herbs, no garlic, no glaze of any kind, and believe me, NO Flavor. The Arrugula that was with the dish was equally flavorless. I am Italian and normally italians are very skilled with the use of herbs and are usually masters with giving any kind of food flavor. Now this is the second time I had a chicken dish that was inferior. The "Chicken under a Brick" was great the first time I had ordered it, so, I ordered it again at a later date. Couldn't even eat it. The chicken was so stringy, it was impossible to chew. And again, flavorless. Years ago, this restaurant had really good food and was consistant in serving guality food. I can't for the life of me understand why a restaurant would change the way they prepare food. I can only think that the Management is not controlling the prepartion of the dishes served. Or only order their pasta dishes. (The only ones that seem to have any consistancy). They need to get their act together. It's no wonder the place has plenty of seating when all the others on the Pike are packed. Sunday night and the place was pretty empty. I doubt we will be trying them any time soon.
(1)Anne R.
Yeah, I know it's a chain. "Boo! Where's your sense of adventure?" Blah, blah, blah. Well, sometimes you find youself in the suburbs and there aren't any "good" restaurants around, and in my opinion Macaroni Grill is the lesser of all the evils. Most evil? Applebee's. But I digress. We've all been to a Macaroni Grill. So instead of a writing a real review I will take this opportunity to tout the create your own pasta dish I created last night. It was pretty awesome. Penne. Vodka Sauce Chicken. Sundried Tomatoes Mushrooms Broccoli. Yum.
(4)Craig D.
Used to be better, not sure what happened? Seems like the ingredients are cheaper???
(3)Phil J.
Excellent service, very good food, definetely would recommend.
(5)Don S.
I don't usually write reviews and I have never written a bad one. I have been to Macaroni Grill on 202 about 20 times. They have been great till tonight. As I type this I am still here waiting for the meal. Arrived around 6:30 on Sunday night. No hostess at the counter for five minutes. Took my name with a half hour wait. No problem. They seated us at a table for two. Took 8 minutes for the waiter to come with dirty plates in his hand and tell us he would be right back. 5 more minutes and he asked for our drinks. He was very rushed. There was no introduction with the name in crayon. Or asking if we had been here before. He delivered our ice teas with no lemon and he only had one straw. The table had no silverware, bread plates or napkins. We asked for these items as well as the bread they give you. He came back with the silverware loose. No napkins. He then came back with the lemon. Still no bread. We asked again and he came back shortly with a very small portion of bread. He did not explain the olive oil or offer to pour it and put pepper on the olive oil. Just put the bread down and left. Came back to take our order. We ordered our meals and I ordered a ceaser salad. The salad did come right away. However it was a house salad. Looked good so I ate it. At this time we heard screaming from the kitchen. Someone appeared to get burned. When they seated us after a 1/2 hour there were a lot of open tables. The restaurant was not filled to capacity. Also the other tables did not have silverware or napkins. My wife went to another table to get our stuff. The food just arrived at 8 pm by a runner. No grated cheese offered. The waiter did show up shortly after and when asked he accommodated. The food itself was excellent as usual. In summary the issues here appear to be management. I think they ran our of items and low staffing led to a partially filled restaurant with wait times around a 1/2 hour. Macaroni grill is a national chain and I am sure they have processes in place to streamline the meal experience. I believe these are not being followed here. I will return and chalk this up to a bad night. I have it three stars for the food. No complaints there
(3)Lesley G.
My best friend and I have been coming here on and off for girls night for years now. The service and the food are pretty hit or miss, and really just mediocre at best, but the wine is cheap, and the bread is addictive, so we deal with it. However, the service we got Saturday night has turned us into enthusiastic regulars. When we got there, it was pretty crowded, and so we ended up sitting in the bar, which we were less than thrilled about. Joey, the bartender was absolutely slammed. Somehow, the service was still nothing shy of perfect. He sped around the bar with a smile on his face, and every time he came to our table, he was so friendly, we felt like we were the only customers in the whole place. Saturday night girls night at Macaroni Grill is about to become a weekly event.
(5)Ma-e M.
Nicer decor than the Columbia location in Maryland, and I think the Chef is better here. I ordered Shrimp Portofino, dinner entree; it was mucho gusto deliciouso. Even at 1150 calories, I can't resist finishing it up. Our other order was the classic Italian Eggplant Parmesan. It was fine and looks neat and lite. The grape tomatoes were sweet and not overcooked. It came with four medium round of eggplant with mozzarela and basil leave on top. I had some of it and I finished my portion. RMG is my favorite Italian restaurant.
(4)Mary M.
Today was my second visit here, the first one was for dinner over a year ago, and today for lunch. This location is good for three of us to meet up but too far for me to go normally. I wish there were one closer to me 'cause I love it here. Today one of my friends and I shared the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad and the Pesto Primavera Fatbread. They were both delicious and the there was even a little of each one left. The dipping sauce for the fatbread had a real kick, which I liked. The chicken salad was a little overdressed, so I'd just order the dressing on the side next time. Everything is made to order and so fresh. I really love this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was a less than helpful hostess - when I said that I was joining two women who had just been seated within the last two minutes, she told me to have a look around for them! It's a big place! I asked if she really didn't remember seating two women within the last two minutes (it wasn't packed) and she reluctantly led me to them. The food was great, service (Mark) was great and the food was great.
(4)Morton F.
This Macaroni Grill is in a strip mall off US-202 northbound. Access from the soundbound side is via left turn at a traffic light. Parking seemed more than adequate. Generally, I'm not a fan of Italian food but I think Macaroni Grill is okay for a chain restaurant. Because I couldn't decide what to get from the menu, I got a "create your own pasta" dish, which compounded the problem by presenting yet more choices. So I got spaghetti with meat sauce and a few more items, and it turned out pretty well. Service was good too.
(4)Siddhi P.
We had a reservation there at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Had to wait around 15 minutes to get a table, which was absolutely fine with us. Sat us and took the drink order, we also ordered a kid's meal and an appetizer. We got the drinks after 20 minutes. We then ordered our meal. . It took us about an hour to get our meal, even the kid's meal with we had ordered much earlier was delayed. We very politely asked our server that it took a while for us to get the meal. The server very rudely replied "the food has to be cooked before serving". I wouldn't be much bothered if he had simply apologized for the delay. This was very unpleasant experience. We are never going back there again. Food was average, not very great.
(1)Jk O.
Service was excellent up until the end. Waited forever for boxes for leftovers as well as our check . Food was not up to par tonight unfortunately. Usually pretty good but tonight not so much. Chicken parm portion was different from last time we visited. And my shrimp was way overcooked and chewy. Gross. Half priced wine was pretty awesome however! We'll be back but if the experience is like tonight, we won't be back again. Hoping tonight was a fluke!
(3)Hank S.
Very poor service, meal took almost 1.75 hrs to get after sitting down. It was under cooked and cold when it finally arrived. Horrible service. Go to Pescatorie's in Glen Mills if you want a nice Italian meal.
(1)Ron Z.
Every now and then I come to Macaroni Grill to get some Italian food. It seems though, however that everytime I come in it feels like there is new management running the place, or things are constantly changing. Everything from the food (which is fine, switching the selection up every now and then is good), but the way things are presented and plates that the food is served on is never consistent. This time around I ordered the Fresh Pasta - Carbonara. It was OK, but I did not like the texture of the pasta, and also the portion was so little. What they did, and most restaurants do this now-a-days is that they put in into some odd shaped, wide top bowl that gives off the feel and look that it's a large portion.....well, it didn't work. It was bad enough that I did not enjoy the entree that much, but to try and trick me into thinking the portion was bigger then what it really was....not good, not satisfied.
(2)Eric K.
Awesome Italian food.
(5)Jimmy L.
under cooked pasta.. they said they have remade a 2nd one for me, but i don't know.. looks the same.. glad i had ordered way too much appetizer...
(2)Ruth Y.
Several friends and I recently ordered delivery from here. All of our food was delicious! I had Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Lemon Passion for dessert. The Rigatoni was addictive! I think this was due to the wonderful sauce which was slightly sweet. The onions were done perfectly and the chicken flavorful and tender. I found a few bones in the chicken, however, so beware. The pasta was al dente despite it being a delivery order. The Lemon Passion was a perfect dessert. The cake was light, fluffy and lemony. The cream was homemade and is light as the wind. The Caramel sauce added more sweetness. At first I was doubtful that Caramel sauce would work with the lemon, but it did. My friends ordered the Honey Balsamic Chicken (looked delicious) and the Lobster Ravioli. They both said it was delicious, but the portion of the Lobster Ravioli was sadly very, very small. The bread that came with the meal deserved special mention. It was rosemary infused, soft, warm and delicious. Some pieces were a bit on the salty side, but the texture was out of this world.
(4)Will D.
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I have eaten at this location very many times for lunch, and my worst service experiences were still reasonably good: Generally, service is fast and friendly. The food is rich and tasty. Personal favorites: any of the penne dishes, and the eggplant parmigiana. One minor annoyance: When the server asks if you "like olives", they are asking if you want to buy a plate of seasoned olives as an appetizer. The olive dish is tasty, just be aware that this not complimentary.
(5)Ann V.
Two stars for atmosphere and service. We LOVE Italian food and this restaurant was very disappointing. Several friends told us that the fish dishes were excellent. We weren't in the mood for fish, but wanted Italian comfort food. I had eggplant parm which was totally overcooked, mushy and charred. If it wasn't for the burnt taste, it would have had no flavor at all. The husband had spaghetti & meatballs. He, too, thought they had no flavor and the meatballs were mushy and tasteless. We won't be going back.
(2)Leah S.
Let me preface this by saying I'm a chef, and I hate chain restaurants. However, my boyfriend has an absurd amount of allergies and he loves going here because they are very accommodating. He always orders some pasta & sausage dish that isn't even on the menu anymore but they still make it for him, which is nice, though it's pretty much him just doing "make your own" pasta. This is why they get 2 stars-- many chain restaurants do the whole "no substitutions" deal and have no idea what to do in the face of some allergies. As for this location, the service is usually good. We always sit at the bar for dinner because there always seems to be a wait. One time the bartender was great-- attentive, friendly, gave us wines to try, totally what you'd expect from a bartender. The other time she carded me before I had even sat down and taken my coat off, and she didn't card my boyfriend, which I found incredibly rude. If there are two people in a party that appear around the same age I think you should card them both, especially when it's obviously a "date." She also ignored us for long periods of time. I understand it was busy, but there were 2 other bartenders back there... As for the food, portions are usually correct here. No 2lb pasta dishes and no "where's the rest of it?" feeling. However, you can still only eat 1/4 of it if you don't want to eat your day's total in calories. If you've looked on the "Eat this, not that!" website, you'll find that Macaroni Grill has some of the worst foods in America. So I suggest only going if you order as sensibly as possible (I've never tried their lighter, lower-cal options because they just don't sound good) and be prepared not to eat for the next 3 days.
(2)Michael S.
Decent chain food, healthy portions. However, the tables are way too close to each other in the rear of the restaurant that makes for an uncomfortable meal with wait staff and other customers always bumping up against the back of your chair when eating.
(3)Tim B.
For a chain, it's ok. I seriously eyeroll at the thought that this could be anybody's favorite anything, but it's reliable, the service is efficient, it's pleasant enough looking inside, and you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloth. On the other hand, it's almost always so crowded that you'll have to wait a while, which kind of defeats the purpose.
(3)Robert J.
One of my favorite places to eat. I just like the food and the service has always been good. With any place you can have a hit or miss, but so far this has been a hit. With one or a group I have had a great time here. I would say if I have a first choice this is it!
(5)Jesse A.
The food was good and so was the service. The Rosemary bread is great with Olive Oil! I aways stayed away thinking it was expensive but it isn't too bad. I would go again.
(4)Shadyside T.
Everytime I have gone with my family the food has been terrific. The waiters have been very attentive and nice. The atmosphere is well lighted and cheerful. Wine list very good. Prices excellent.
(5)Nicole B.
Came here on a sunday since had a gift card. service was just ok. bf ordered iced tea and I ordered a soda. He only brought an iced tea and then only brought the tea and asked me if I had ordered a drink. Then we gave him an appetizer order which he also had to come back to ask us if we ordered it or not?? wt?? It was like he smoked something before work! all of the wait staff looked miserable. I agree with the person that said a step up from olive garden and also agree with salty. but i like salt! we had the procuitto wrapped motz which was pretty good. the red sauce they came in was really good. tasted homemade. also had the meatballs. they were okay. Ceasar salad was just okay too. Bf had the mushroom rav's. they were really good. rich sauce but his entree was the winner. i had mama's trio which was lasagna, chick parm and a chicken mushroom cannaloni. the cannaloni was my favorite. all salty. and the lasagna had sausage in it. i prefer beef. we will go back since i have another gift certificate.
(3)Vivz C.
When visiting my old haunting grounds (Wilmington), my mother and I took my adopted grandmother & aunt out to lunch here. Grandma's choice because she had the Chicken Toscana soup there once and really liked it. Following her recommendation, I ordered myself a bowl. WOW. One of the best soups I've had in a long time. It was so flavorful with the spinach, tomatoes, and onions. And some soups tend to be a bit creamy - you know, the kind where you stick your spoon into the soup and when you remove it, it's not soup. Just a thick layer of SOMETHING on your spoon! This creamy was just right. Not too much where you're going to worry about how many miles you have to jog to run off all the calories, but not too light that you're still craving more once your bowl is empty. And who doesn't like pasta that half the world's population can't pronounce - Gnocchi. =) I would also recommend the Margherita pizza for all you pizza lovers. Usually, I'm not the type that goes to a restaurant like MG and get pizza, but I wanted to get something that could easily be shared at the table. It was delish! So good that many many hours later and a drive home to Jersey later, it was still really good COLD! A word of caution for all you Blue Cheese lovers out there - they don't have Blue Cheese dressing so don't ask. Grandma ordered Blue Cheese dressing to go with her salad and what did they bring her? Shredded Blue Cheese. Obviously it's not a dressing, so why wouldn't they clarify that when the order was placed? But she was a good sport, she tried sprinkling the cheese on her salad and eating it, but it must've been too bland because our waitress had to grab her olive oil (which didn't help the "dressing"), and then brought her good ol' Italian dressing. Grandma was a little disappointed to say the least as was Aunt Kris. But the waitress was extremely accommodating to the needs of our table and the service was very prompt & courteous.
(4)Nick J.
My kids like to come here - the food is good, portions are adequate, prices aren't too bad, and the atmosphere is semi-nice (especially if you like Italian crooning in the background) but still very informal. My main complaint is that it often takes a long time to get seated (much longer than they estimate it will). That keeps us from visiting more often. Kind of like Yogi Berra supposedly said about someplace: nobody goes there any more because it's too crowded.
(3)Alicia K.
Very nice! A special occasion place for me
(4)Paul L.
I would consider myself as a frequent patron here at the grill. Why you ask? Because it's the best value going. For all the naysayer reviewers, I would suggest coming back during the week, or grab a seat at the bar to eat on the weekend. Where can you find a $5.00 Makers Mark cocktail or a $23.00 veal chop with good service anywhere aroud? Maybe I should write negative reviews to keep everyone away?
(5)Julie A.
They're skimpy on anything under $13. I got the Pollo Caprese and the side salad was literally the size of my fist if not smaller. Also the chicken was over tenderized(basically flat af). It's my first time here and the service was ok. If you want bigger portions and a friendlier atmosphere Olive Garden is the way to go.
(2)Alison K.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out the MG for dinner this past friday. We'd never been to one and didn't know what to expect. There were lots of tables available when we got there, and we were able to get a booth. The table is covered in white paper and you're apparently encouraged to draw on it while you wait, which I suppose makes it family friendly. I don't know; it seems a little wasteful. Maybe they should offer to put down the paper when you're seated but have a regular cloth if you're not into that. Or maybe I'm just no fun. The food was not that memorable, as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember what I ordered 48 hours later. I ordered off their (pretty limited) less than 650 calorie menu, some sort of grilled chicken with spaghetti. My boyfriend got chicken parm. The food was similar to Olive Garden but with a smaller menu. Overall, everything was good but not stellar. For dessert, we shared the chocolate cake which was quite yummy. The service was friendly and attentive enough, and the prices were reasonable. We may come back, but again, it was just a solidly good experience.
(3)Anastasia L.
Have to give it a one star this time. I usually love the food and atmosphere but today I came in around 5 and the restaurant was not full at all. The hostess directed another employee to take our party of 3 to a table when I asked if it could please be a booth. Rudely the hostess went "ugh, take them to 41". When we get to table 41, it's a half booth, two seats are regular chairs when the restaurant is full of booths. I asked the employee can we sit at that booth right next to our table and she calls to the hostess who completely ignores her. Unbelievable.
(1)Christopher B.
Everything we ordered was over salted!! I had to go on blood pressure meds the next day. But seriously I can't imagine I will over go back. I have heard good things from others but I had the worse meal I've ever had at a restaurant.
(1)Lisa S.
On the way home from a road trip, my mom was craving pasta and suggested we stop at the Macaroni Grill. I had been there before, but it had been a pretty long time and I didn't really remember anything about the place. It was a Friday night, but we got there pretty early (about 5:30pm). We had a 5 minute wait for a table, but then got a nice booth. I liked the décor in the restaurant and that the cooking area was open. Our waiter came over to introduce himself (he was pretty awesome) and wrote his name down in crayon on the table's paper cover. The fine dining person inside me wants to protest the use of these paper covers, but the kid inside me loves drawing on them while I'm waiting for my food. Plus it meant that we remembered our waiter's name, which I never do. We both ordered a glass of the house wine- my mom ordered red, and I ordered white. We agreed to do "the honor system", where our waiter opened a brand new jug, left the jugs on the table, and we marked down (in crayon, obviously) every time we poured ourselves a new glass. That was pretty exciting and the bottle of wine on the table provided me with some eye candy while eating. I think the house wine ran $5/glass- steal. We were really hungry so we ordered tons of food. We started with 2 of the small plates- fried white truffle macaroni and cheese balls (don't judge, we wanted to see what they tasted like) and bruschetta (2 small plates for $9). For entrees, I ordered a sausage pizza ($10) and my mom ordered the lobster ravioli ($18). We also both got side salads ($3 each) with it- me Caesar salad with dressing on the side, and my mom the house salad. They also brought out warm bread with olive oil which I found incredibly tasty. The bruschetta was awesome, but the macaroni cheese balls tasted exactly like what you'd expect- very cheesy macaroni and cheese with breading and some very rich creamy truffle sauce over it. We couldn't eat it, but the idea was interesting. My pizza was pretty good- the crust was quite thin. It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, but it wasn't bad. My mother's lobster ravioli was very fishy and neither of us liked it much. However, our side salads were delicious. Overall: service was great, food was mediocre with some standouts, portions were big, wine was cheap, and we left very full. By the time we left, the place was packed and there was a long wait for a table. If I was in the area and craving a large amount of Italian food, I'd probably be back.
(3)Karen F.
They still serve the most awful, bitter tasting olive oil to dip the bread in. Don't do it!!!! Our server was sub par - and dod not get us items like napkins/cultery, sweetener (for my $3.75 teeny-tiny cappucino) until asked. Food was OK - but so SALTY - seriously, people - tone it down (the meatball "small plate" and pasta sauce are over salted.)! Not a fan - and not rushing back here.
(2)Tyler M.
Seriously, check the reviews before you go. The service was poor and the food was cold. After they warmed the food up, it came out burnt and dry. There is no winning here... Good luck if you go! PS. I only give them one star because we were laughing about how bad it was the whole time.
(1)Katie B.
Don't get me wrong- I love Macaroni Grill as far as Italian chain restaurants go. This location, however, is by far the worst I've ever visited! Last time I ate here my chicken was uncooked and very pink in the middle, and service was extremely slow even though it wasn't that crowded. And I get the email newsletters which advertise special promotions like the express lunch and dinners, which I think are really cool but the last two times I've tried to come in for one of their promotions, the people that work at this location treat me like I'm the biggest idiot who's ever walked the earth, and like I'm ruining their life by asking them about anything out of the ordinary. Other locations are great, but the people who work here are rude and should maybe read their own website for once! I probably won't come back here again since it's out of the way for me.
(1)Andrew R.
Feh. Martini was a glass of olive juice, zucchini had zero taste and the margherita flatbread was oily and soggy. I cannot imagine ever coming back here for dinner.
(1)Larry H.
Food was "decent" but not spectacular. However, despite the restaurant being at roughly 1/4 capacity, both food & service were VERY SLOW! Also, the table we were at was too close to the kitchen so we had the "wonderful" odor of their sanitizing solution from the moment we sat down.
(2)Kathy M.
So disappointed! What a lousy experience! Went for dinner with my husband and granddaughter. We ordered fried ravioli for appetizer Italian bread? Only rosemary bread?
(1)Stephen B.
I remember when customer service counted. We'll it definitely doesn't exist a Romanos macaroni grill. The waitress lied right to our faces about the bread not being some yet. In the meantime we watched the other severs taking bread to our table. The food... Ugh. I used to really enjoy eating here but that will probably never happen again. My lasagna. Was over cooked so much that the noodles were rock hard yet super chewy. Will I ever eat there again? Not if I have any say in the matter
(1)Jan F.
Very disappointed with my meal this evening. I must first say that the "Cappellini Pompadoro" was excellent as usual and the bread delicious....however.... the rest of the meal was tasteless. I ordered the" Pollo Caprese". Horrible! The chicken dish consisted of a one very thin chicken breast that was browned...... and that's it. No herbs, no garlic, no glaze of any kind, and believe me, NO Flavor. The Arrugula that was with the dish was equally flavorless. I am Italian and normally italians are very skilled with the use of herbs and are usually masters with giving any kind of food flavor. Now this is the second time I had a chicken dish that was inferior. The "Chicken under a Brick" was great the first time I had ordered it, so, I ordered it again at a later date. Couldn't even eat it. The chicken was so stringy, it was impossible to chew. And again, flavorless. Years ago, this restaurant had really good food and was consistant in serving guality food. I can't for the life of me understand why a restaurant would change the way they prepare food. I can only think that the Management is not controlling the prepartion of the dishes served. Or only order their pasta dishes. (The only ones that seem to have any consistancy). They need to get their act together. It's no wonder the place has plenty of seating when all the others on the Pike are packed. Sunday night and the place was pretty empty. I doubt we will be trying them any time soon.
(1)Don S.
I don't usually write reviews and I have never written a bad one. I have been to Macaroni Grill on 202 about 20 times. They have been great till tonight. As I type this I am still here waiting for the meal. Arrived around 6:30 on Sunday night. No hostess at the counter for five minutes. Took my name with a half hour wait. No problem. They seated us at a table for two. Took 8 minutes for the waiter to come with dirty plates in his hand and tell us he would be right back. 5 more minutes and he asked for our drinks. He was very rushed. There was no introduction with the name in crayon. Or asking if we had been here before. He delivered our ice teas with no lemon and he only had one straw. The table had no silverware, bread plates or napkins. We asked for these items as well as the bread they give you. He came back with the silverware loose. No napkins. He then came back with the lemon. Still no bread. We asked again and he came back shortly with a very small portion of bread. He did not explain the olive oil or offer to pour it and put pepper on the olive oil. Just put the bread down and left. Came back to take our order. We ordered our meals and I ordered a ceaser salad. The salad did come right away. However it was a house salad. Looked good so I ate it. At this time we heard screaming from the kitchen. Someone appeared to get burned. When they seated us after a 1/2 hour there were a lot of open tables. The restaurant was not filled to capacity. Also the other tables did not have silverware or napkins. My wife went to another table to get our stuff. The food just arrived at 8 pm by a runner. No grated cheese offered. The waiter did show up shortly after and when asked he accommodated. The food itself was excellent as usual. In summary the issues here appear to be management. I think they ran our of items and low staffing led to a partially filled restaurant with wait times around a 1/2 hour. Macaroni grill is a national chain and I am sure they have processes in place to streamline the meal experience. I believe these are not being followed here. I will return and chalk this up to a bad night. I have it three stars for the food. No complaints there
(3)Lesley G.
My best friend and I have been coming here on and off for girls night for years now. The service and the food are pretty hit or miss, and really just mediocre at best, but the wine is cheap, and the bread is addictive, so we deal with it. However, the service we got Saturday night has turned us into enthusiastic regulars. When we got there, it was pretty crowded, and so we ended up sitting in the bar, which we were less than thrilled about. Joey, the bartender was absolutely slammed. Somehow, the service was still nothing shy of perfect. He sped around the bar with a smile on his face, and every time he came to our table, he was so friendly, we felt like we were the only customers in the whole place. Saturday night girls night at Macaroni Grill is about to become a weekly event.
(5)Ma-e M.
Nicer decor than the Columbia location in Maryland, and I think the Chef is better here. I ordered Shrimp Portofino, dinner entree; it was mucho gusto deliciouso. Even at 1150 calories, I can't resist finishing it up. Our other order was the classic Italian Eggplant Parmesan. It was fine and looks neat and lite. The grape tomatoes were sweet and not overcooked. It came with four medium round of eggplant with mozzarela and basil leave on top. I had some of it and I finished my portion. RMG is my favorite Italian restaurant.
(4)Mike G.
Saturday night at 6pm waited 30 minutes for a table. Sat us and took drink order, ordered our meal. It was another 30 minutes just for them to bring the salads. Then another 40 minute wait for entree. It was only my wife, 10 year old and, myself.we told the manager we were leaving so he packed the meals up so we could take it home. The service was unacceptable. I'll never go again.
(1)Mary M.
Today was my second visit here, the first one was for dinner over a year ago, and today for lunch. This location is good for three of us to meet up but too far for me to go normally. I wish there were one closer to me 'cause I love it here. Today one of my friends and I shared the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad and the Pesto Primavera Fatbread. They were both delicious and the there was even a little of each one left. The dipping sauce for the fatbread had a real kick, which I liked. The chicken salad was a little overdressed, so I'd just order the dressing on the side next time. Everything is made to order and so fresh. I really love this place. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was a less than helpful hostess - when I said that I was joining two women who had just been seated within the last two minutes, she told me to have a look around for them! It's a big place! I asked if she really didn't remember seating two women within the last two minutes (it wasn't packed) and she reluctantly led me to them. The food was great, service (Mark) was great and the food was great.
(4)Morton F.
This Macaroni Grill is in a strip mall off US-202 northbound. Access from the soundbound side is via left turn at a traffic light. Parking seemed more than adequate. Generally, I'm not a fan of Italian food but I think Macaroni Grill is okay for a chain restaurant. Because I couldn't decide what to get from the menu, I got a "create your own pasta" dish, which compounded the problem by presenting yet more choices. So I got spaghetti with meat sauce and a few more items, and it turned out pretty well. Service was good too.
(4)Siddhi P.
We had a reservation there at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Had to wait around 15 minutes to get a table, which was absolutely fine with us. Sat us and took the drink order, we also ordered a kid's meal and an appetizer. We got the drinks after 20 minutes. We then ordered our meal. . It took us about an hour to get our meal, even the kid's meal with we had ordered much earlier was delayed. We very politely asked our server that it took a while for us to get the meal. The server very rudely replied "the food has to be cooked before serving". I wouldn't be much bothered if he had simply apologized for the delay. This was very unpleasant experience. We are never going back there again. Food was average, not very great.
(1)Jk O.
Service was excellent up until the end. Waited forever for boxes for leftovers as well as our check . Food was not up to par tonight unfortunately. Usually pretty good but tonight not so much. Chicken parm portion was different from last time we visited. And my shrimp was way overcooked and chewy. Gross. Half priced wine was pretty awesome however! We'll be back but if the experience is like tonight, we won't be back again. Hoping tonight was a fluke!
(3)Hank S.
Very poor service, meal took almost 1.75 hrs to get after sitting down. It was under cooked and cold when it finally arrived. Horrible service. Go to Pescatorie's in Glen Mills if you want a nice Italian meal.
(1)Ron Z.
Every now and then I come to Macaroni Grill to get some Italian food. It seems though, however that everytime I come in it feels like there is new management running the place, or things are constantly changing. Everything from the food (which is fine, switching the selection up every now and then is good), but the way things are presented and plates that the food is served on is never consistent. This time around I ordered the Fresh Pasta - Carbonara. It was OK, but I did not like the texture of the pasta, and also the portion was so little. What they did, and most restaurants do this now-a-days is that they put in into some odd shaped, wide top bowl that gives off the feel and look that it's a large portion.....well, it didn't work. It was bad enough that I did not enjoy the entree that much, but to try and trick me into thinking the portion was bigger then what it really was....not good, not satisfied.
(2)Eric K.
Awesome Italian food.
(5)Jimmy L.
under cooked pasta.. they said they have remade a 2nd one for me, but i don't know.. looks the same.. glad i had ordered way too much appetizer...
(2)Phil J.
Excellent service, very good food, definetely would recommend.
(5)Ruth Y.
Several friends and I recently ordered delivery from here. All of our food was delicious! I had Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Lemon Passion for dessert. The Rigatoni was addictive! I think this was due to the wonderful sauce which was slightly sweet. The onions were done perfectly and the chicken flavorful and tender. I found a few bones in the chicken, however, so beware. The pasta was al dente despite it being a delivery order. The Lemon Passion was a perfect dessert. The cake was light, fluffy and lemony. The cream was homemade and is light as the wind. The Caramel sauce added more sweetness. At first I was doubtful that Caramel sauce would work with the lemon, but it did. My friends ordered the Honey Balsamic Chicken (looked delicious) and the Lobster Ravioli. They both said it was delicious, but the portion of the Lobster Ravioli was sadly very, very small. The bread that came with the meal deserved special mention. It was rosemary infused, soft, warm and delicious. Some pieces were a bit on the salty side, but the texture was out of this world.
(4)Will D.
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I have eaten at this location very many times for lunch, and my worst service experiences were still reasonably good: Generally, service is fast and friendly. The food is rich and tasty. Personal favorites: any of the penne dishes, and the eggplant parmigiana. One minor annoyance: When the server asks if you "like olives", they are asking if you want to buy a plate of seasoned olives as an appetizer. The olive dish is tasty, just be aware that this not complimentary.
(5)Ann V.
Two stars for atmosphere and service. We LOVE Italian food and this restaurant was very disappointing. Several friends told us that the fish dishes were excellent. We weren't in the mood for fish, but wanted Italian comfort food. I had eggplant parm which was totally overcooked, mushy and charred. If it wasn't for the burnt taste, it would have had no flavor at all. The husband had spaghetti & meatballs. He, too, thought they had no flavor and the meatballs were mushy and tasteless. We won't be going back.
(2)Anne R.
Yeah, I know it's a chain. "Boo! Where's your sense of adventure?" Blah, blah, blah. Well, sometimes you find youself in the suburbs and there aren't any "good" restaurants around, and in my opinion Macaroni Grill is the lesser of all the evils. Most evil? Applebee's. But I digress. We've all been to a Macaroni Grill. So instead of a writing a real review I will take this opportunity to tout the create your own pasta dish I created last night. It was pretty awesome. Penne. Vodka Sauce Chicken. Sundried Tomatoes Mushrooms Broccoli. Yum.
(4)Craig D.
Used to be better, not sure what happened? Seems like the ingredients are cheaper???
(3)Leah S.
Let me preface this by saying I'm a chef, and I hate chain restaurants. However, my boyfriend has an absurd amount of allergies and he loves going here because they are very accommodating. He always orders some pasta & sausage dish that isn't even on the menu anymore but they still make it for him, which is nice, though it's pretty much him just doing "make your own" pasta. This is why they get 2 stars-- many chain restaurants do the whole "no substitutions" deal and have no idea what to do in the face of some allergies. As for this location, the service is usually good. We always sit at the bar for dinner because there always seems to be a wait. One time the bartender was great-- attentive, friendly, gave us wines to try, totally what you'd expect from a bartender. The other time she carded me before I had even sat down and taken my coat off, and she didn't card my boyfriend, which I found incredibly rude. If there are two people in a party that appear around the same age I think you should card them both, especially when it's obviously a "date." She also ignored us for long periods of time. I understand it was busy, but there were 2 other bartenders back there... As for the food, portions are usually correct here. No 2lb pasta dishes and no "where's the rest of it?" feeling. However, you can still only eat 1/4 of it if you don't want to eat your day's total in calories. If you've looked on the "Eat this, not that!" website, you'll find that Macaroni Grill has some of the worst foods in America. So I suggest only going if you order as sensibly as possible (I've never tried their lighter, lower-cal options because they just don't sound good) and be prepared not to eat for the next 3 days.
(2)Michael S.
Decent chain food, healthy portions. However, the tables are way too close to each other in the rear of the restaurant that makes for an uncomfortable meal with wait staff and other customers always bumping up against the back of your chair when eating.
(3)Tim B.
For a chain, it's ok. I seriously eyeroll at the thought that this could be anybody's favorite anything, but it's reliable, the service is efficient, it's pleasant enough looking inside, and you can draw on the butcher-paper tablecloth. On the other hand, it's almost always so crowded that you'll have to wait a while, which kind of defeats the purpose.
(3)Robert J.
One of my favorite places to eat. I just like the food and the service has always been good. With any place you can have a hit or miss, but so far this has been a hit. With one or a group I have had a great time here. I would say if I have a first choice this is it!
(5)Jesse A.
The food was good and so was the service. The Rosemary bread is great with Olive Oil! I aways stayed away thinking it was expensive but it isn't too bad. I would go again.
(4)Shadyside T.
Everytime I have gone with my family the food has been terrific. The waiters have been very attentive and nice. The atmosphere is well lighted and cheerful. Wine list very good. Prices excellent.
(5)Nicole B.
Came here on a sunday since had a gift card. service was just ok. bf ordered iced tea and I ordered a soda. He only brought an iced tea and then only brought the tea and asked me if I had ordered a drink. Then we gave him an appetizer order which he also had to come back to ask us if we ordered it or not?? wt?? It was like he smoked something before work! all of the wait staff looked miserable. I agree with the person that said a step up from olive garden and also agree with salty. but i like salt! we had the procuitto wrapped motz which was pretty good. the red sauce they came in was really good. tasted homemade. also had the meatballs. they were okay. Ceasar salad was just okay too. Bf had the mushroom rav's. they were really good. rich sauce but his entree was the winner. i had mama's trio which was lasagna, chick parm and a chicken mushroom cannaloni. the cannaloni was my favorite. all salty. and the lasagna had sausage in it. i prefer beef. we will go back since i have another gift certificate.
(3)Vivz C.
When visiting my old haunting grounds (Wilmington), my mother and I took my adopted grandmother & aunt out to lunch here. Grandma's choice because she had the Chicken Toscana soup there once and really liked it. Following her recommendation, I ordered myself a bowl. WOW. One of the best soups I've had in a long time. It was so flavorful with the spinach, tomatoes, and onions. And some soups tend to be a bit creamy - you know, the kind where you stick your spoon into the soup and when you remove it, it's not soup. Just a thick layer of SOMETHING on your spoon! This creamy was just right. Not too much where you're going to worry about how many miles you have to jog to run off all the calories, but not too light that you're still craving more once your bowl is empty. And who doesn't like pasta that half the world's population can't pronounce - Gnocchi. =) I would also recommend the Margherita pizza for all you pizza lovers. Usually, I'm not the type that goes to a restaurant like MG and get pizza, but I wanted to get something that could easily be shared at the table. It was delish! So good that many many hours later and a drive home to Jersey later, it was still really good COLD! A word of caution for all you Blue Cheese lovers out there - they don't have Blue Cheese dressing so don't ask. Grandma ordered Blue Cheese dressing to go with her salad and what did they bring her? Shredded Blue Cheese. Obviously it's not a dressing, so why wouldn't they clarify that when the order was placed? But she was a good sport, she tried sprinkling the cheese on her salad and eating it, but it must've been too bland because our waitress had to grab her olive oil (which didn't help the "dressing"), and then brought her good ol' Italian dressing. Grandma was a little disappointed to say the least as was Aunt Kris. But the waitress was extremely accommodating to the needs of our table and the service was very prompt & courteous.
(4)Nick J.
My kids like to come here - the food is good, portions are adequate, prices aren't too bad, and the atmosphere is semi-nice (especially if you like Italian crooning in the background) but still very informal. My main complaint is that it often takes a long time to get seated (much longer than they estimate it will). That keeps us from visiting more often. Kind of like Yogi Berra supposedly said about someplace: nobody goes there any more because it's too crowded.
(3)Alicia K.
Very nice! A special occasion place for me
(4)Paul L.
I would consider myself as a frequent patron here at the grill. Why you ask? Because it's the best value going. For all the naysayer reviewers, I would suggest coming back during the week, or grab a seat at the bar to eat on the weekend. Where can you find a $5.00 Makers Mark cocktail or a $23.00 veal chop with good service anywhere aroud? Maybe I should write negative reviews to keep everyone away?
(5)Julie A.
They're skimpy on anything under $13. I got the Pollo Caprese and the side salad was literally the size of my fist if not smaller. Also the chicken was over tenderized(basically flat af). It's my first time here and the service was ok. If you want bigger portions and a friendlier atmosphere Olive Garden is the way to go.
(2)Alison K.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out the MG for dinner this past friday. We'd never been to one and didn't know what to expect. There were lots of tables available when we got there, and we were able to get a booth. The table is covered in white paper and you're apparently encouraged to draw on it while you wait, which I suppose makes it family friendly. I don't know; it seems a little wasteful. Maybe they should offer to put down the paper when you're seated but have a regular cloth if you're not into that. Or maybe I'm just no fun. The food was not that memorable, as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember what I ordered 48 hours later. I ordered off their (pretty limited) less than 650 calorie menu, some sort of grilled chicken with spaghetti. My boyfriend got chicken parm. The food was similar to Olive Garden but with a smaller menu. Overall, everything was good but not stellar. For dessert, we shared the chocolate cake which was quite yummy. The service was friendly and attentive enough, and the prices were reasonable. We may come back, but again, it was just a solidly good experience.
(3)Anastasia L.
Have to give it a one star this time. I usually love the food and atmosphere but today I came in around 5 and the restaurant was not full at all. The hostess directed another employee to take our party of 3 to a table when I asked if it could please be a booth. Rudely the hostess went "ugh, take them to 41". When we get to table 41, it's a half booth, two seats are regular chairs when the restaurant is full of booths. I asked the employee can we sit at that booth right next to our table and she calls to the hostess who completely ignores her. Unbelievable.
(1)Christopher B.
Everything we ordered was over salted!! I had to go on blood pressure meds the next day. But seriously I can't imagine I will over go back. I have heard good things from others but I had the worse meal I've ever had at a restaurant.
(1)Lisa S.
On the way home from a road trip, my mom was craving pasta and suggested we stop at the Macaroni Grill. I had been there before, but it had been a pretty long time and I didn't really remember anything about the place. It was a Friday night, but we got there pretty early (about 5:30pm). We had a 5 minute wait for a table, but then got a nice booth. I liked the décor in the restaurant and that the cooking area was open. Our waiter came over to introduce himself (he was pretty awesome) and wrote his name down in crayon on the table's paper cover. The fine dining person inside me wants to protest the use of these paper covers, but the kid inside me loves drawing on them while I'm waiting for my food. Plus it meant that we remembered our waiter's name, which I never do. We both ordered a glass of the house wine- my mom ordered red, and I ordered white. We agreed to do "the honor system", where our waiter opened a brand new jug, left the jugs on the table, and we marked down (in crayon, obviously) every time we poured ourselves a new glass. That was pretty exciting and the bottle of wine on the table provided me with some eye candy while eating. I think the house wine ran $5/glass- steal. We were really hungry so we ordered tons of food. We started with 2 of the small plates- fried white truffle macaroni and cheese balls (don't judge, we wanted to see what they tasted like) and bruschetta (2 small plates for $9). For entrees, I ordered a sausage pizza ($10) and my mom ordered the lobster ravioli ($18). We also both got side salads ($3 each) with it- me Caesar salad with dressing on the side, and my mom the house salad. They also brought out warm bread with olive oil which I found incredibly tasty. The bruschetta was awesome, but the macaroni cheese balls tasted exactly like what you'd expect- very cheesy macaroni and cheese with breading and some very rich creamy truffle sauce over it. We couldn't eat it, but the idea was interesting. My pizza was pretty good- the crust was quite thin. It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, but it wasn't bad. My mother's lobster ravioli was very fishy and neither of us liked it much. However, our side salads were delicious. Overall: service was great, food was mediocre with some standouts, portions were big, wine was cheap, and we left very full. By the time we left, the place was packed and there was a long wait for a table. If I was in the area and craving a large amount of Italian food, I'd probably be back.
(3)