I gotta say it's better than what I expected. The service was good and the food was quick....much better than the one I went in Southern California lol.... I had the Mahi Mahi was delish....not too heavy and tasty. even thou I was full but I can't resist the quest for tiramisu.....It was okay....but eased my craving after one bite...lol
(3)
Annie W.
Let's get down to the important stuff first. Happy hour is from 4-7, at the bar which features an awesome fire place seating area. There are comfortable booth seating that will also grant HH prices. On Wednesdays, there is 25% off bottle purchases of wine. You have to agree, that these are great deals! The bruschetta is to live for! The fresh bread, sliced cheese and of course the seasoned, chopped tomatoes to pair it all together with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar to make this appetizer salivating worthy dish. I've had plenty of bruschetta before, but to be serve with sliced cheese was heavenly. I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine~ sauteed chicken with artichokes, mushrooms, aged prosciutto (pieces of salty deliciousness) and lemon butter with capellini (super thin~my fav) pasta. This dish is cooked with lots of butter, delicious but definitely not for the health conscious. They serve free bread and dipped in olive oil and recommended with vinegar will fill you up before your entree. It's good for groups and allows everyone to share if you want to try a bit of everything. If you're indecisive check out their trio sampler dish. A little bit of lasagna, bit of chicken and some other pasta dish. I must say that I had a bite of the lasagna and I was not impressed. Either way this doesn't deter me from coming back to try some more pasta on the menu. Speaking of chain restaurants, I would rather come here than Buca di Beppo.
(4)
R R.
Pola was our server and she was AWESOME.. Food was good and service was good... The Loaded Fries is to die for with that GARLIC AIOLI....
(5)
Elizabeth N.
This place is smack dab, middle America, chain food fair. It ain't great, and it ain't awful either. The all you can eat, fresh, hot bread is a very nice touch and I think is the buffer of why you'd pay $12.00 for a $5.00 stouffers-tasting-lasagna dish. That and the nice decorations....peep they have Italian lessons playing on the speakers in the ladies room! Tight. Honestly tho, if I didn't have a gift card to eat here, I'd spend my money on a local Italian restaurant, at least you'd know majority of your food didn't come from a can...or at least you'd hope so. My recap: Pros: -The Sun-Thur Happy Hour is pretty good. 1/2 all appetizers and $3 Stella on Draft and house wines??? Woohoo for getting tipsy alone! And if the bar is full (or you a kid in tow) they'll give you happy hour prices at your table. Nice! -Very kid friendly -So far, very nice service, except for the one hostess in the front who just didn't seem like she wanted to be at work the night we walked in... -Free, hot , unlimited bread with all the proper italian fixin's of olive oil and balsamic vinegar -Quick service, clean and nice ambiance Cons: -Mediocre food -Kinda pricey for mediocre food
(3)
Tracie F.
Eh the experience was very mediocre. The wait was reasonable. It was really crowded. Our waiter Tony was great! loved the paper table cloths for drawing. The bread was out of this world but honestly that is where the praise about the food stops. We had the sampler appetizer plate. The tomato bruchetta was gross. The fried mozzarella was ok...a little on the greasy side. I did like that it was fresh mozzarella. The calamari was salty. Entrees were bland. The pasta with the chicken scallopini was a pile of flavorless noodles. Did they forget the sauce?? Chicken was bland. The lasagna was good but also on the salty side. Now I am dessert queen and just about anything with sugar pleases me. The apple crisp thing was ok. The six pieces of apple we got had about 2 crumbles of the almond crisp on it. Save your money and get a scoop of ice cream instead. Overall a pretty so-so experience. Go to Mariposa instead. It does beat the food court though...well basically ANYTHING beats that!
(3)
Veteran B.
Macaroni Grill is a solid "American" italian dinner option. I've been to several of them and the Hawaii franchise was no different. Good food, good service, and okay price. I think local italian (where ever you live) is funner but Macaroni Grill is a win win.
(4)
Rupert L.
Haven't been here for over a year now. I need to come back and draw on the tables. The food was great.
(3)
Chloe M.
Aw man... I used to LOVE Macaroni Grill. My grandpa used to take me here a lot so I wanted to take my bf here for our weekly date night. Food: I'm 99% sure that they changed the way they make the food. I always ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and the last time I came here with my grandpa (a month ago) it didn't taste the same. This time I decided to try something new, so I ordered the Carbonara ($17), and my bf ordered the Pasta Di Mare ($20). I never tried carbonara before my last visit to the Macaroni Grill and they pretty much ruined it for me. I thought it was cool that they offer "fresh pasta" but my "fresh" pasta was hard and undercooked. My bfs pasta was okay, but nothing really special. Tomato sauce with mussels (two of which were inedible), shrimp, and scallops. For the same price, we could've gotten delicious pasta at Assagios instead. Boo. They also changed their menu, and they no longer have the sorbet/strawberry cup. Instead they have white peach sorbet (double boo). Ambiance: Yeah yeah, you can write on the table, but where was the opera singer?? I was looking forward to listening to the live opera singing with my bf instead of my grandpa this time, but I guess they don't do that anymore? Overall: Please save your money for delicious food instead. There's not that many good pasta places in Hawaii, and I'm still looking for the perfect place.
(2)
Rochelle S.
While working in customer service, I remember having to watch video on the customer experience and how they only really remember customer service that was extremely exceptional, or extremely horrible. Unfortunately, for this review, it is the latter of the two. My girlfriends and I came here yesterday because one of them had a gift card. We probably wouldn't have come here otherwise. When we got to the restaurant, our section was completely empty except 1 other table. We were promptly greeted by our server. I'm not going to mention any names because she was a really very nice person, just not a top-notch server. In any case, after a long morning of bridesmaid dress shopping, I though a mojito was in order. After a pretty lengthy discussion of whether they could do it in strawberry, the order was placed, along w/ our entrees and appetizer. Our appetizer, which was calamari, came out pretty quick. It was pretty good. But then again, I'm not really a good judge in calamari. As long as it's fried and served with condiments, it as an A-rating in my book. My girlfriend who ordered a caesar salad as an appetizer also received it pretty quickly. Mojito still M.I.A 30 minutes later, appetizers had long since been devoured and still no mojito, The more vocal of my girlfriends inquired about the mojito and our server kind of mumbled under her breath, "oh yeah". Said server ran to get it and came back. Syrup was sunk to the bottom and the cup was sweating like a hooker in hell. I know that thing had been sitting at the bar for the entire time we had been there. 15 minutes AFTER the mojito debacle, our entrees still had not arrived, our section was completely packed and tables that had been sat after us had already received their entrees. Entrees finally received, all I can say is: sub-par. The best part of the meal was that our check arrived 2 minutes after the entrees were served. The fasted thing that came out of that kitchen!!!! Word to the wise, endure the wait for CPK, at least you know the food will be good.
(2)
Kalani S.
They recently removed the fire pit from the bar which I'm glad they did. Now the bar can service everyone sitting here. No more waiting for the waiter.
(4)
Margaret D.
This is a nice relatively quiet place to have lunch and talk to someone. Food is all right. My gripe is the two times I've had the pasta with shrimp or scallops, there have only been a few. They don't take the legs off the shrimp which means you have to messily remove them yourself. The easiest way is with your fingers, but who wants to get cream sauce on the fingers? It's not a cookout, it's pasta. Service has been just fine each time. The servers write their names on the table cloth, then you can draw. I always make a big drawing and imagine the busboys discovering it and thinking, Wow, that's too nice to throw out! but they probably never look at it. LOL.
(3)
raechelle v.
It's been years since I came here. Went here for lunch for my birthday with some friends and had a good time. I always liked the bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. We came in around 11:30 or so and didn't have to wait long. I remember having to wait hours to get in back in the day, hence why I haven't been here in years. Our server was friendly. They changed the menu. I like their lunch combination specials. You can choose from soup, salad, and a dish. You can get 2 choices for $11 or 3 choices for $13. I got 1 order of Caesar salad and 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken. The 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken comes out to being almost the same size as the full size order which is listed for $16. Best bet is to get the combination specials. It was good as I remembered it to be minus the hassle of a long wait. Service was quick and friendly. Only downside is knowing that you just consumed a 1,000 calories in one sitting. Oh well, you only live once. I ended up going for a swim at Ala Moana to burn off some of that pasta after lunch.
(4)
Karin H.
Had a small baby shower at Romano's here yesterday and it was better than I thought it would be! Our server, Eva, was GREAT! She has extremely good customer service skills. All you crappy servers out there need to shadow her for a few days or weeks (depending how crappy your service is.) Anyway, we had a party of 12 and booked the private room for lunch. The room was very nicely decorated with props and wine bottles and glasses but it was stuffy in there. There's no air con in the room so we couldn't shut the door, especially because we had two divas and a pregnant one in our party. My co-worker ordered a chicken dish and it had rosemary in it (she hates rosemary...the herb) and without hesitation Eva offered to make her a new dish with alfredo sauce instead! UGH, that's what I'm talkin bout! DAMN good service! The food was good. We ordered: (1) Calamari Fritti: 3/5, it was good, nothing special (2) Stuffed Mushrooms: 3/5, it was okay to me. Button mushrooms stuffed with cheese and sausage. (3) Clam Chowder: 3.7/5 the chowder was really good, nice big chunks of clam in it but it was so salty and I personally like thicker chowder. (4) Eggplant Quadratini: 4/5 it had roasted eggplant chunks, cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese with a tomato sauce. Very good. Btw, Quadratini is a pasta shaped like Veggie Straws. It was my first time trying it and I liked it better than spaghetti. (5) New York Style Cheesecake: 4.5/5. For a chain restaurant it was pretty good. They don't make it fresh in house but it didn't taste like a cheap Costco cake either (no offense Costco fans). They order it from a private distributor that specially makes it for Romano's. It's a lighter cheesecake (compared to Cheesecake Factory) made with what tasted like mascarpone cheese (which, i absolutely LOVE) with a shortbread crust and diced strawberries on the side. Yum. My co-worker had a small problem making reservations with the manager. I'm sure it was a communication error but just double check your reservation is saved in the book! We had to re-schedule our date because it magically disappeared...or someone just didn't pencil it in. Idk idk either way just double check. The hostess was not the most welcoming/friendly person but she wasn't a total B. She's serious. That's the only way I could describe her...serious. I guess we were just really happy with our server. I'd go back. The end.
(3)
Stephanie K.
Quite busy on a Saturday night (one hour wait), but I'm not one to complain about that. Food came out in a timely manner and since it was birthday season up in here, there was a ton of singing! Our waiter knew how to belt it!
(4)
Amy Y.
Today is the first day I come back home. My frineds and I planned what to do today. We wanted to have lunch and hang out. So one of my friend suggested Romano's Macaroni Grill. We were served quickly. The waiter was pretty nice because he provided us with crayons to draw on the table. At first I thought it was weird he'd let us draw on the table. But I realize there was a white paper on top of the table. So, we could draw on the table with crayons. Later, we looked at the menu and my friend got a appetizer called something sampler with calamari and my other friend and I shared a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was good even if the crust was thin. I liked it. They also had a loaf of bread given to us for free in the beginning. It was meant to dip olive oil. I thought it wasn't that good so I just ate the bread as it is. I never tried the appetizer my friend order because she ate that as a meal instead.
(4)
Matthew S.
Come here often due to close living proximity. Service in the main restaurant area is usually slow, however, today was the first time I sat in the lounge area & service was excellent! Our server was Roger & his service was impeccable! Always checking up on us in a timely fashion & he is very personable. He didn't see rushed at any time during our dinner. Food was good & if you come in for a bite at night, ask for Roger. Thanks man!
(4)
Kallen A.
Went here since our original dinner plans didn't work out. Started off with the mac and cheese bites and oven-fired artichoke hearts. These both were so awesome. They had a special of 2 appetizers for $14. For my entree I got the penne rustica. It consisted of penne with prosciutto, shrimp, grilled chicken, parmesan cream sauce, and sundried tomatoes. Shout out to our server Peter who was very attentive and was a good sport when my friend kept teasing him and making him think he got our orders wrong. We tried to write our names upside down and backwards on the paper table-covering like him, but we failed miserably. I give them 5 stars on this visit for the good food, and quick and attentive service,
(5)
Doris D.
Just your average franchise with overpriced, mediocre food. I had a regular salad with goat cheese which was $12, no meat! Ouch. We dropped about $80-90 for four people at lunch - 4 entrees and 1 beer (no appetizers or dessert). The food was really average. There's no effort behind the food, just entrees that are obviously tried and true and just "good enough" for the masses. While I have no problem spending money on a good meal, it's the value that gets me; I'd rather take my money to a local Italian place. I'm from New York and I've tasted some really great Italian food - I guess this Italian food at Romano's would be good if you didn't know any better. Sorry! This restaurant doesn't get my vote.
(2)
Remy Z.
Great environment Quality singing, food, fare Hangman with dinner!
(4)
Vanessa B.
Wine served in a water cup and a horrible lobster ravioli dish. Maybe i'll try this place again when I get another gift card as a present.
(1)
Sheena A.
First time here and I had a wonderful experience. The Lemon Passion is to die for!! Chase our waiter was so attentive and very prompt and efficient!! Will return soon!! Ok, I had lunch here months ago with my friend and didn't realize I had not posted this review!!!! Sorry!!!
(5)
Paul C.
Hey good place to eat. Contrary to what trip advisor said lol. Portions decent (except for the artichoke appetizer) definitely go again. I was all about the mini loaf of bread and olive oil.....
(4)
Jason C.
I've been there several times only because for special occasions we let our 6 year old pick the place to eat and this is in his rotation. I've never been thrilled by their pasta dishes so I thought I'd go with a Neapolitan pizza, and they had something that seemed promising, Prosciutto e Arugula - Imported Italian prosciutto, fresh arugula, Italian tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. When it arrived it looked and smelled good, and also had halved grape tomatoes. Overall it tasted pretty good, I would have liked more arugula, but two things really brought it down. The prosciutto should be sliced so thin you can read through it, but it was very thick, maybe 5x what it should be, and the crust was bad. I was expecting a thin crispy crust like at CPK or Bucca, but this was not good, it was tough and soggy in the middle. To be honest I've heard the description of a tough crust but never understood what it meant - until now. Lastly, what really surprised me was that the gelato and sorbet was $7! I thought that it was pretty steep. Both my kids wanted gelato, so I proposed to instead go to Nordstom for gelato or go to Bubbies. Both jumped at the chance for Bubbies. We were all happy.
(2)
April Y.
Went with the family on Mother's Day, and had a nice brunch. We had a party of 14, and they set up a long table for our party. Kind of a really tight squeeze in there - bad for a wheelchair or handicapped person, and very difficult to navigate between seated tables. Our server was very on top of things, polite and kept us in the know on when the food would be comming out. Everyone was pleased with their food, and we had no problems with the food sensitive people's dishes. Seasoning was appropriate, nothing too salty or bland. Food came out perfectly done, not over or under cooked. Good times, we will visit again.
(3)
Beth I.
Loving the happy hour action at the bar! 4pm, $3 domestic, $4 drafts (stella and peroni), $4 imported. Also 50% off certain appetizers and free slices of pizza. My bf and I got there a little before 4 and there was no one there, but it quickly filled up. The bartender didn't put our orders in until 4 so we could get the happy hour deals! awesome! My bf's friend Jonelle works there as well, so it's always a plus! She's friendly and has great service!
(4)
Troy L.
I'm not sure when the other reviews were made for macaroni grille, but our experience was outstanding (request Brad). Our drinks were served immediately, salad was fresh and delicious, and the entrees were large, hot, and delectable. Truly awesome.
(5)
Steve D.
Food is not bad but I will never go to this location ever again, first the wait is no less than 30 minutes but it's not because they are busy. I worked in restaurant biz for 25 years, they stack their tables which means there are open tables available but they either want you at the bar or can't handle the rush. That's not the worst part, servers hate working with the public which doesn't make sense, go work in a cubicle then. If you still want to eat there or have a gift card someone gave you, if long wait ask to sit in bar, they have tables just like sitting in main dining room but don't wait for them to tell you because they really don't care about their customers
(1)
Raych D.
WORST SERVICE IN MY LIFE FROM THE SERVER AND MANAGER!!!!!! Came here tonight for dinner with a friend because I loved this place..well "used" too until tonight. After being seated before 7pm, our waitress greeted herself then after 15 minutes without having no bread or water we kept looking around for her but she was not to be found. When she finally did come, we couldn't decide on which appetizer to get from the moz. cheese or the crab stuffed mushroom and we asked our server for her input and she just said "well I don't know", and "If you guys came 3 minutes before 7pm you could have ordered both during happy hour and got both for the price of one" which was no help to us, because she took forever in asking us for our orders! After deciding on getting our Moz. sticks our waitress took forever again to check up on us if we were ready to order. After she finally did come back and we did order and got our food I was really upset because I asked for my steak to be cooked "medium rare" but it was cooked more on the medium well side but I didn't complain because I didn't want to wait any longer to eat another made steak. When our dessert finally arrived and we wanted our check, she then again was no were to be found for 10 minutes until we kept staring across the room she finally returned. I had to ask her 3x for a to go container for my Tiramisu that I did not finish and she even called the to-go container "what ever it's called". Me and my friend was so upset at our service that we had to complain to the manager that was on duty...and let it be known we both are easy going customers who have never complained before in our lives. When we spoke to the manager my friend explained the type of service we had and he told us that our server was one of his best server and that when he passed our table we should have said something to him so it was our fault because we didn't speak up. The only reason why we didn't is because we didn't want anything to happen to our food and did not want to cause a scene. The manager David Bonilla made us feel so unwelcome and as if we were lying about the whole thing stating that the reason why our waitress may have not checked up on us more frequently is because "we were to busy talking". All I have to say is the manager gave us the most unfriendly, rude and very unsatisfied customer service we have ever seen that we needed to voice our concerns and complain on here.
(1)
Wayne S.
YUM FOOD!! Such talented wait staff to write upside down!! My mind wobbles. Once we sat towards the inside of the restaurant and was quite bothered by the atmosphere of the kitchen area. Made me feed rushed and not relaxed. Now I always ask for the front end of the restaurant which makes the dining experience so much better. Service is slow so don't be in a rush to eat food, do however stuff your face on the great bread.
(4)
Jessica d.
So I wasn't too impressed the first time, but thought I would give it another go. N.A.S.T.Y. I had the brick chicken. It was so over charred on the outside it tasted burnt, though still moist inside so that's good, on a plate GLOBBED with so much oil all I could taste was char and cheap olive oil. The potatoes and asparagus were good, but WAY greasy from massive amounts of cheap olive oil. So I didn't eat it, but they still charged me. Great. I also wish they would ask before they put pepper on the olive oil.
(1)
Keoni E.
Not what it used to be.... I used to love this place! Great food, service, and the table is covered with a blank canvas with crayons to draw on it:) Awesome for keeping kids entertained, and I ain't gonna lie some of us adults too! Lol. I have been here several times over the years and have seen the menu change along with the portions. Portions are smaller and the food doesn't taste the same. I like the ambience. I really liked the Alfredo Pasta along with the baked pasta that has shrimp, chicken and prosciutto, it's done right here. (Both has changed, still good but not like before) The pork chops with the risotto was excellent. I liked it a lot when it used to be honey glazed and they would give us 2 Chops instead of one. Before a peanut recall... Of all things, hahaha! There was hands down, one thing you would have to go here for..... The Desert Ravioli! It's a deep fried ravioli with melted chocolate and "peanuts" inside served hot with vanilla bean ice cream. To die for. Hate to float your boat then take my shotgun and shoot a hole in it but they no longer have it and I'm still waiting (a few years now) for them to bring it back... sadly I don't think they ever will :( I know many can still enjoy it here, but for me, this restaurant went from a close friend to an acquaintance.... Your casual, hey haven't seen you in a while. How you been?! Used to be an above 4 Star rating now a 3. Give my love to Romano and the Fam! Lol. Write a review and save me the hardship my fellow Yelpers!! Hahaha!
(3)
R T.
Hungry and tired and looking for a nice late lunch Macaroni Grill did not disappoint. The tomato basil soup, Cesar's salad and the pasta were very good. The bread seemed a bit dry but our waiter was very efficient and brought us more. I would definitely go back!
(3)
Alyssa M.
There's usually a wait...so i would call ahead & make a reservation. Their customer service is good, they're pretty unique on how they introduce themselves to you :) Quite interesting way to do it. My fave is the mushroom raviolli...ITS A MUST TRY!!!
(3)
angela a.
I remember going to a few Macaroni Grills throughout the mainland and liking them. My experience here wasn't bad, but not great either. My husband and I went here for lunch one Saturday. We were seated right away and it wasn't too busy. Our waitress was good, she took our orders and provided us with waters quickly. We ordered the parmesan fries and a chicken alfredo to split. The parmesan fries were barely warm and covered with too much grated parmeasean. It was like having some sort of cheese powder on your fries. I guess I was just expecting something a little more refined than sprinkling kraft parmesan cheese on them. They also served it with a "4 cheese sauce" which I found completely unappealing. It didn't taste good, either. It wasn't my thing. The chicken alfredo was okay, but it did remind me of eating a Marie Calendar's chicken alfredo for 5x the price. I wont be coming back here again.
(3)
Josie L.
Wouldn't go again, the food was only so/so and they were so understaffed our waiter was sprinting from table to table...the only thing he got quickly was the bill when we'd signed off on it.... Disappointing! The only nice thing I can say about the experience was that the calamari was great!
(1)
Veronica S.
I came here on two occasions on my last visit to Hawaii because it was in the Ala Moana Mall and we went there often to shop. I have to say that out of all the chain restaurants on this floor, Macaroni is a good choice. The prices are right, and the food is decent. Their calamari appetizer was smaller than I was used to, but the complimentary, warm rosemary bread they give you makes up for it I guess. It's definitely American-Italian food but I still like some of the stuff :-) Prices are $10-$15 an entree, with the steak being about $25..
(4)
Les Is More M.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?!?! writing a negative review is not enjoyable, especially after enjoying good service at this place several times previously. romano's had been a dependable dinner destination, but after the original GM resigned things have really gone downhill. I've known a couple of people that worked at romano's, so I did get some inside scoop. at any rate, this last visit was less than satisfactory primarily because our waiter kinda sucked. I didn't get his name, but he looked like barry kripke - from "big bang theory". from simple things like making sure we had enough silverware, to enough drinking (water) glasses... things weren't getting off to a good start. each time he'd check back to see if everything was OK, it wasn't. I asked for balsamic vinegar to add to the olive oil they pour for your bread, and it took a long time for him to return with it. he claimed there was only one bottle (c'mon. really?) and that's pretty much how the entire night went. the best service we got was from the food runners, who delivered our meals. he had a hard time discerning between menu items, and describing specials of the evening so that kinda sucked too. at one time, i remember ALWAYS having to wait for a table, because lines were omni-present. The good news is that now the lines are relatively short - probably due to the service. The bad news is that the food quality did seem to take a dip as well; my chicken marsala was underseasoned and my pasta was a bit cold. the wait between ordering and having our orders delivered was really long too, surprising since the dining room was far from packed. Overall I just got the impression that this waiter should be out selling used cars somewhere (no offense to used car salespeople out there!), because his personality just seemed better suited for something other than dining. It's a shame that this place has gone downhill so much since my last visit, or the one before that also. disappointing to say the least!! If this place doesn't turn things around - and quickly - they'll be closed and out of business within a year.
(2)
Alicia H.
Yay! My pick for dinner, bad idea... Pros: Mint iced tea= free refills Free bread Waitstaff, especially friendly Cons: Undercooked shrimp & pasta No taste I didn't even bother to take home leftovers, which is RARE! Lol Overall the food was alright, but I've been here many times before and never had any problems, maybe because I did the whole "build my own pasta" whoops But thanks Charmaine for awesome service!
(3)
Chastity M.
My husband and I ate at Macaroni Grill to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary and were very pleased! It was our first visit and we had a very pleasant experience. Our reservations were on a Friday at 430 so I think we kind of beat any rush there may have been because we were seated before our reservation time. Our waiter Lucien (I believe that was his name... Receipt said so! Lol) was nice! He checked on us often and gave us the BEST meal suggestion for our taste! If you visit the Macaroni Grill be sure to try Carmela's Chicken.. BOMB. At the time of our reservation they asked if we were celebrating anything so I had told them we were; our anniversary. Upon being seated, they clipped a red heart balloon that said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to our table and we enjoyed that because now everyone knew we were celebrating something special! On top of that we got some of the best chocolate cake on the house & a song sung to us in Italian. Being my husband has Italian roots, he thought this was amazing. Overall... We had a blast and really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. Definitely will be back!
(5)
Lukela B.
Wow tried the Stuff Mushroom that was good and Main course had a Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo. Wow. Also thanks to a good friend chef Fred and The waitress Marilyn for hooking us up and give such good service and advice on tonight's dinner.
(5)
Christopher-desiree G.
We got seated within 20 mins., but once we ordered, we didn't get our food until 45 mins. later. Our waitress said they got busy all of a sudden. We've gone there. Before and never had to wait so long for our food. The stuffed mushrooms were good. The mushroom soup was a little spicy. My brother always gets the chicken parmasian so it must be delicious...
(3)
Auntie M.
Though our waiter was friendly he forgot about our appetizer & water & hardly came to the table to check on us. The food selection isnt great and the table next to us complained about the lasagna. Since we heard that my fiance changed his mind and tried something different which wasnt great either. My choice, chicken parmegana, was dry & tasteless. My pasta lacked sauce & taste too. Even dessert, chocolate cake, was dry! Only thing I did like was the bread. We dont eat here often but its not like I'll be wanting to come back.
(1)
Sean H.
I go here occasionally since it's right in Ala Moana and the vibe in the restaurant is very cool. I feel like that the restaurant is clean, has a nice darker ambiance, etc. I also really like that paper is used to cover the tables and that crayons are provided. I always doodle over the entire table during dinner time! I don't care for any of the food here. I do like rich foods, but everything is a bit too rich. I had the fettucine alfredo once, and I really want to warn everyone NOT to get this! It is literally noodles covered in butter and salt. Too much salt! It was disgusting and I did not finish it. The other dishes (and I have tried really everything) are only okay. The spinach artichoke dish is yummy but not the greatest I've had. And for the mediocre quality, the prices I think are a bit steep. The one thing here that I do REALLLY recommend is the blackberry mint iced tea. Really, if you go here that is the one thing you MUST try. And I believe it's unlimited refills. I admit to cruising in here for unnecessarily long periods of time just to drink as much of this magical drink as possible.
(3)
Robin W.
I frequently eat herre b/c it is close to work, home, and has easy mall parking. The booths are VERY comfortable and they have lots of seating. I especially enjoy the blackberry mint iced tea....nice and sweet. The entrees are almost always delicious, and if you can't decide what to order, try Mama'sTrio, with lasagna, chicken parmesean, and cannoli (?--rolled pasta stuffed with cheese). I LOVE Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Chicken Marsala. The steaks and fish are good too. I guess I like this place a lot! I'm usually too full to try dessert, but they look good! It's not gourmet Italian, but definitely great food, especially for a chain. The staff are friendly and they have a kid's menu too.
(4)
Chanelle A.
Had to see what everyone else was raving about. The food was good, although i wasn't too impressed. I would probably eat there again, but if given a choice, I'd choose Buca.
(3)
Debbie R.
Consistently good food here. You can always count on the food being the same everytime. Tasty, good portions. We always leave happy and full. Prices are midrange, not too expensive, not cheap though. I enjoy their lunch specials at 11.25 each . . . Chicken Parmigian is very good and fills you up, especially with their award winning bread . . its to die for!!
(4)
Dylan Y.
Had the same experience of not getting bread while waiting for our food.I think you should be offered it because if you don't know it's available, how you know it's available right? Is this Macaroni's version of don't ask don't tell? Saw other patrons getting bread though, I guess it depends who your server is.Food arrived without bread and I remember when this place first opened everyone told how big the portions were, not this time though. Maybe you have to order the over $20 meals but the chicken (pollo) entrees looked like mini plate lunches spread out on oversize dishes.Only good thing was the kids could draw and scribble on the paper table cloths with crayons provided while we waited patiently for the food.Go to Bella Mia or La Pizzarina instead.
(2)
Jnl E.
FIRST AND LAST TIME EVER EATING HERE. Word of advice: Don't ever go to eat here.. Service was horrible! We were seated at 6, didn't get to order until 6:45 and our food didn't come until 8!! And the place wasn't even packed.. It was so-so packed. I mean c'mon, 1 whole hour to wait for food is unacceptable! I ordered the pepperoni pizza because I figured, how can you mess up simple pepperoni pizza.. but to my surprise, not good. They even had the nerve to include gratuity in our bill! HA! Unless they get more cooks on board to serve..i wouldn't ever come back to this place.
(1)
Lisa M F.
This is not the typical chain restaurant. It has the moderate prices (~$20 per person), covers all the courses, and doesn't scream local eatery. What sets it apart from chain restaurants is that it has a comfort feel to it. The first time that I went, the service seemed off, but last night our waiter was really friendly! - Complimentary Herb Bread w/ Olive Oil & Freshly Crack Pepper: Good bread makes a good place and this good place makes a good bread. I eat white bread for this place (normally I only eat whole wheat or bread from GHBC). - Kids Mac & Cheese (1st visit) $8.59: The penne was al dente and cheese tasted standard. The bad thing is that I found out that it has trans fat!! D: - Jumbo Shrimp Spiedini $15.99: 6 shrimp on sticks with rosemary over roasted veggies with a side of lemon. Some of the shrimp were stuck on the stick, but they tasted sooo good. The lemon makes a difference! The veggies were okay, but some of their natural flavors were muted. - Complimentary Smothered Chocolate Cake (+1 candle): They give you a HUGE BLOCK of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache, nuts, and whipped cream for your birthday! The cake was so rich, so good, but taught me that there can be such a thing as too much cake. :( I finished it though, with little help from my table people. They were "too full" from tiramisu and sorbet. In addition to the cake, there was a candle and the waiter joined in with singing Happy Birthday. I like waiters who care :) Macaroni Grill is overally awesome. The atmosphere, food, and service are all done right. Small details are the only things to fix, but that's only to get to perfection. Comfort without cheesiness is the way to go. That's why I choose to go here.
(4)
Kamesuke Y.
A few times having the pleasure to eat here but always forgetting to write my review is not an excuse... sorry. Our most recent visit was slightly after the lunch hour rush. Service was extremely prompt, friendly and better than most. I wanted to eat soemthing that wasn't on the menu and our waiter said he'll check with the chef/cooking staff and see what they can do. WOW.. to our amazement.. and especially mine.. they actually accepted my order and outdid themselves. Really... the food was awesome... on top of that... their Tiramisu is out of this world. Melt in your mouth.. sent down from heaven.... Oops.. with the thought of their wodnerful Tiramisu.. I have completely forgotten what the wifey had ordered and eaten. So.. to avoid a long wait and the crowds.. a later than usual lunch (after 2:00pm) is a perfect time to enjoy. Out of the many places we have eaten.. the service we had was outstanding. Where can you find a place that will cook something off menu just to please a hungry couple? Our hats off to their staff. Don't know if they treat all their customers like we were treated that day but it will always be a fond memory we will always cherish.
(5)
Kanani W.
Came here for lunch & ordered the fried mac & cheese as an appetizer & it was delicious! I had the chicken parmesan & the pasta was tasty but I think the chicken was fried for just a little too long. The cheese on top saved that though. The boyfriend ordered the bib & blue & added shrimp for $6 more. If he had known $6 would only get you 4 shrimp, he wouldn't have added it. Atmosphere was great & we didn't have to wait to be seated. Pretty decent Labor Day lunch :)
(4)
Yummy P.
I'd give this place "no stars" if it were possible. I remember trying this place when it first opened in Hawaii. I was very impressed with the decor and open kitchen. I liked how family friendly it was and how friendly the staff were. Sitting at the table with my family, we were immediately greeted by our server who wrote his name on the table covered with paper, allowing you to draw on it as you wait for your food or to entertain the kids. After taking our orders we waited about 45 minutes for our food to arrive. It was a busy night, so we took that into consideration. When the food did arrive - Bleh! The dishes were bland and boring. I sampled everyone's dished - 6 out of 6 - Fail! All of the dished were awful. No flavor and just boring. It was like your first time cooking pasta with prego sauce. A couple of months later, I decided to give it another try. Again, the service was excellent, sadly the food was the same as well. Bland and boring. Ugh. I was very disappointed. Years later, I've moved to Seattle and got invited to a dinner party...where you ask? Romano's Macaroni Grill. I thought, ok - we're not in Hawaii, so the food may be better here. Looking at the menu, entrees have changed a little - so I was a little relieved. Service was excellent as usual and now to order. I was with a party of 10 and everyone tried to order something different. After sampling everything...BLEH! Sad! Everything still Bland and Boring! Mozzarella Alla Caprese: Bland and Tomatoes Mushy. Spinach Artichoke Dip: Bland Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms: Too oily Calamari Fritti: Bland and Overcooked Scallops & Spinach Salad: Over cooked Scallops Entrees: Margherita Pizza, Amalfi Chicken, Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp Portofino, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Scaloppine, Mama's Trio, Center-Cut Filet and Grilled Salmon Spiedini. Not one person was impressed with their dish. We even sampled each others dishes and agreed. Bland and Boring. I can't believe how after trying this restaurant 3 times, both in Hawaii and Seattle - the food still fails to impress me. Definitely NOT RECOMMENDED!
(1)
Charles L.
What happen to this place? Granted, I haven't ate there in years but still shouldn't be such a drop off in terms of quality. (In other words, suck that bad!) Dinner was on a Saturday, party of four. I made reservation around 7pm. We ordered the grilled lamb, lasagna, warm spinach salad w/ scallop. It took almost 45 minutes for our food to arrive. We were all starving by then. The lamb was super dry and zero flavor. We had it returned for a seafood pasta which was, again, zero flavor. The portions were small and they were definitely overpriced. The only acceptable dish was the lasagna. The food and establishment get one star from me and the other star was for our server.
(2)
Clay K.
They sure have improved the quality of their food. The menu is pared down but so far everything is really good. The make your own pasta combo is my favorite with whole wheat fettuccine,fresh spinach,broccolini and grilled chix with basil pesto. Prices are reasonable too.
(4)
Abbey Y.
Wow they have these opera sounding singers that sing on your birthday! Haha it's pretty amazing as you never hear that normally, so it was most definitely entertaining to hear a small asian lady belching out those notes in this restaurant. I've come here numerous times and I've never been disappointed. The service is always excellent so is their food (with the exception of their hostesses for some reason they're not as nice as I thought they should be, but nonetheless the waiters/waitresses are 300 times better). I'm a huge fan of their Eggplant Parmesan. It's delicious! Everyone I've eaten with has always tried it and they love it as well. The free bread that they serve is always hot and fresh out of the oven yummm who doesn't love free yummy bread? The atmosphere is definitely soothing and the restaurant is dimly lit, with a light hanging above each table. The place gets packed as it's in Ala Moana so be prepared to wait if you're here during the busy hours. If you're not happy with any of their entrees you can make your own pasta :) how awesome is that? But it does get a little pricey if you get a little too happy while checking off ingredients for your pasta.
(4)
Elijah-Phil K.
I love Romano's! Especially the Lemon Passion Cake and Tiramisu. Yeah, the entrees are lovely but I always save room for dessert. Since my first time at Romano's, the Lemon Passion Cake as been taken off the menu but has been brought back but is now notably smaller... Still delicious, though! The atmosphere is alright and I once went with a party of eight and it took three hours to get us in and out of there. Our food took super long but thank goodness for the crayons and the paper table coverings.
(4)
Nicole C.
This is absolutely the WORST Macaroni Grill I've been to in the entire country. I've been to the other ones in different states, and you would think the one in Hawaii would be top notch. The first time I came here, the food was cold and I had to send it back. The service was also lacking. I gave it another try, but it just isn't worth the wait and the service was still slow. They should seriously turn it into Olive Garden, which I think Hawaii would benefit from even more.
(1)
Zue K.
THIS PLACE IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES! Previous visits have been okay, but my last visit here wasn't amazing. I highly recommend not being seated near the kitchen area. There is a lot of noise and inappropriate conversation taking place amongst the workers. Our server,Ed, could've been a million times better. He screwed up on two out of four of our tables orders. The first one that came to our table incorrectly was a marsala dish with extra mushrooms. When we notified him of the mistake he told us, "I'll do you a favor and take the extra mushrooms off your bill," not that he would bring us more or take the plate back to have it corrected. And really, do 'us' a favor?! My goodness...if you hate your job that much, quit and give someone else a chance. By the time he dropped our salad it was after our entrees came and we asked for dressing on the side. Dressing was not on the side. Our server never came back with another salad, bread, or beer. We also had to flag another waiter down for more water. Perhaps it was us politely letting him know some orders were wrong that upset him, but I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone that wants to have an enjoyable dinner.
(1)
Jermy D.
Wine Wednesdays! 25% bottles of wine! In a nutshell, delicious food and good service. The booze: They also have a promotion where you get 25% off bottles of wine. We asked the waiter for wine suggestions for our meal. He was actually quite knowledgeable. We were torn between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Reisling. The waiter offered a tasting of the two before we made our final decision. The Reisling was the definite winner. The food: Delicious! The portions are a little smaller than you would expect, but it ended up being a perfect size for an entree. We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms and fell in love. I had the Chicken Rigatoni with the Marsala wine, and it was delicious! The prices are actually pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food. The service: They waiter we had was friendly and attentive without being too overbearing. Overall, great place to chill and unwind with a bottle of wine and great company.
(4)
Cherie T.
I really enjoyed my dinning experience here. I have two food allergies and my server Ryan was EXCELLENT!! Please please let him know that he made the experience great. He understood my concerns and worked with me to order the Salmon with out sauce and asparagus. He checked with the chef to make sure that there were no ingredients that I couldn't have in my food. It's always a challenge to find a place to eat when you have a Gluten and Soy allergy but Mac Grill is one of my favs now. Ryan did not make me feel uncomfortable about my allergy like other servers and places do. I really appreciated the way he took care of our table. He was a great server and was very attentive. Even during the busy times. Thank you RYAN for a great gluten and soy free dining experience!
(4)
Stephanie H.
Came here on Friday night before heading to the movies. The service was quick and friendly, if not too friendly, and the food was good. I do remember a time when Macaroni Grill first opened and they served the most mouth watering bread and entrees. Those days are long gone and replaced by a restaurant with the same name but in no way serves the same quality food. In it's place is Italian food more resembling that of The Olive Garden. You know the food tastes good not because they use the best ingredients but because they add copious amounts of butter, salt, and whatever else makes pasta taste good. I like it 'cus it's quick, tasty, and you can order wine by the cup-full.
(3)
Nicki R.
I LOVE this restaurant! My husband and I came here for dinner on the night we got engaged. The abiance is dimly lit and romantic and our server, Kat, was incredibly friendly. I ordered the terriyaki glazed salmon and mashed potatoes and it was delicious. My husband loved his steak as well. After Kat cleared our plates and we were waiting for the check, she came out with a chocolate cake. She congratulated us on our engagement and told us she was going to sing a song for us (it turns out she is one of the opera singers). I don't know what the song was but she was fantastic and almost had me in tears. Not only is this a restaurant I know I can count on having a great meal at, I know their staff will go above and beyond to help us have an amazing evening.
(5)
Nicole K.
hands down i love the table "cloths" aka the paper and crayons they give. it makes the wait go by faster, and it's a good way to have fun with friends. i'm a huge fan of italian food, and i absolutely love any kind of seafood scampi that they have. it's a nice sit down restaurant. if you go when it's busy, the wait might be a while though. the servers are always friendly, and i love it when they sing birthday songs.
(4)
Gene R.
Service was SLOW. Food was just edible, wish I never came here. I ordered a italian pizza it was soggy and Luke warm. In
(1)
Mel G.
Have only been once before, and on the mainland years ago, so thought we'd give it another go. Great location in Ala Moana (give you some space to walk off the huge meal) so there is ample parking. Wait wasn't too bad, considering it was a Sat night. Inside is nice and well laid out, a bit on the cold side or we just happened to be right near an AC vent. The break was delicious, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have balsamic vinegar for it like I remember. Sad. Butter would have been better with it considering the just oil and pepper alternative. They did give us another round as we had a bit of a wait due to the busy Sat night crowd. Server was ok, he had a lot of other tables so maybe that was it, he just seemed to be rushed and didn't check back on us very often. Food was good but not amazing. Hubby ordered the Mama's Trio, he said the cannelloni and chicken parmigiana was good, but the lasagna had a weird flavor to it and he left it. I ordered the chicken scallopini and it was delicious, but then it became extremely salty in the bottom of the plate. Generous portions! Gave only 3 stars as I think something was a little weird in the food and have been semi-sick all day, but it could have been all the sodium in the dish I have (and I'm not used to salty foods). Would try again, at least one more time, for a second chance with a lighter dish.
(2)
K K.
I give this place three stars only because our server was really bad. we had to ask for refills on water, he didn't really seem to want to be there. took away the dessert menu before asking if we wanted anything. But other that our server, food was awesome. The Parmesan-Crusted chicken is awesome & I'd eat it again. Chicken Florentine was okay, it has a different taste that's not so much to my liking. Overall I'd come again & request that we not have the same server we had today.
(3)
Tahnee K.
I have always loved Macaroni Grill, I didn't go there for a while but when I did go to eat there last week things were so different. They close the doors now for the AC, they have new uniforms, new menu and the water is in this really pretty bottle they leave on your table. I had the Fried Macaroni and Cheese balls with this truffle oil and something sauce it was amazing, i want to order that for take out all the time now
(4)
Tiani B.
the happy hour experience was.....weird. we walked in on a saturday, about 3-3:30....the host was not very "warm and welcoming" the restraunt was pretty much empty on the dining side but was told it would be a 15-20min wait...as I looked around at all the empty seating I was a little puzzled. Then the host said that if we could find a table on the bar side of the restraunt then we wouldnt have to wait...gee, thanks guy! There was two empty tables so we took one. We waited a little longer then expected to get some waithelp. Seems there was only one waiter working the entire bar area....so with that said, we waited for drinks, asked for drinks a second time after some of them never made it to the table. We ordered pizza, pasta, and chicken on a brick. The pizza was heavenly! It was just a plain ol' cheese pizza but our table enjoyed it very much. The pasta was good, and the chicken on a brick....Im honestly not sure if it was under cooked or the seasoning was just "off" but it did not excite my pallet. the serving of chicken was over the top! I was expecting a cute little filet NO, it was almost as big as my plate and just a terrible cut! I ate around it...the asaparagus and potatoes were delicious! Overall, I guess I would come back and have pizza? As far as being on my all time favorite places to eat, this will not make it!
(3)
Victoria A.
After reading mixed reviews... I thought I should try this place out myself. And so, my 4 stars "Yay! I'm a fan" review begins. My boyfriend & I dine out for every month anniversary. For our 47-month celebration, I chose Macaroni Grill, since it was less than 5 minutes away from Ward Stadium theaters (where we watched '21 Jump Street' *hilarious, by the way). Because it was a Friday, being the experienced diner that I am, I called in a reservation. The hostess was polite and calm (although it sounded like there were a hundred people talking in the background). She asked if we were celebrating anything and I responded with a "Yes, thank you for asking". Anyway... fast forward. We arrived 10 minutes late. Because I called to inform them that we were stuck in traffic; they were able to hold a table. It was crazy busy. We normally never dine out on a weekend because of the chaos; so I was very nervous about what the service would be like. Thankfully, we only waited a little less than 10 minutes for our table. The hostess acknowledged our anniversary and wished us an enjoyable evening. The server greeted us promptly and wrote her name on the table (I thought was the most awesome thing ever!). Despite the craziness of the restaurant, the timing of our courses was perfect! Only one thing I was a bit disappointed about: Why would the hostesses ask about our celebration if we don't receive any type of acknowledgement from our server? Not that my boyfriend & I dine out especially on our anniversary to receive FREE stuff; we're not that kind of customers. Anyways.... Here's what we ate: 1st course: Spicy Ricotta Meatballs & Fire Roasted Artichokes 2nd course: Eggplant Parmesan Florentine Steak & Frites 3rd course: Csnnoli & some type of Lemon heaven. haha Overall, I will definitely make sure I come back. Maybe it'll be for a girls' night. :D
(4)
T. L.
The food here is extemely fattening and unhealthy but oh it tastes so good :-) love it !!!!
(4)
josh v.
Question: Do they have to go to an on the job training to learn how to write upside down? The table cloth is covered with with paper and the wait help writes their name and the specials of the day, upside down. Crazy fast. Like that's how they learned to write in kindergarden. And the penmanship was really good too! I can say its probably better than mines.... smh.... I went to Macaroni Grill for really late dinner with my sister, who was craving for pasta. Our wait for a table wasn't that long, maybe 5 minutes. We got our table and noticed how cold it was instantly. I looked around to see if any booths were open so we could opt out of current frigid condition. No luck... Its ok, I rather be cold then hot. The lighting was a little on the dark side compared to other restaurants with dim lighting. Its not that bad, I like it because its relaxing and easy on my eyes but it was darker than the norm. And I did want to see what I was eating. For Yelp's sake.... For starters, we got some antipastis. One of them being my ussual at all restaurants, spinach artichoke dip. The other, a sampler, that consisted of calamari frita, mozzarella frita, tomato bruschetta and focaccia bread. For the Entrees, my sister ordered shrimp portofino and for me, chicken cannelloni. As we waited for our food, my sister and I would try our hand at the art of upside down writing. Fail. Our waitress brought over some bread as we showed off our skills. She gave us a hint, "S" are written the same. I tried couple times more until I ultimately decided that I can't do this. So I drew. A Wu-Tang logo and a maze. And a couple more doodles that I don't remember. Here comes our antipastis! The spinach artichoke dip was ok, if it was warmer, it would have been a little better. It had a healthy amount of artichoke hearts in it which I liked. The sampler was actually really good. Calamari was the best thing I had there. Lightly floured. The bruschetta was nice. I like that it was chunky while being juicy. It can cover the foccacia bread great as well as have the soak in all that juices. The mozzarella fritas was..... ummmmm... like fried breaded string cheese? It didn't impress me much. As soon as we knew it, we was full. No mas. And our entrees didn't come yet! So, we decided to get those to go, after we tried a couple of bites. Just so we can see how it is, fresh. I took a scoop of my chicken cannelloni. I like ricotta cheese, but it over powered the whole dish. There was more ricotta then chicken! They should rename it to Ricotta Cheese Cannelloni. If there was more chicken, it would have been a great number. The asiago cheese sauce was really good, though. Sharp and creamy. We asked our waitress for containers to get the rest of our food boxed up. She definitely made a good first impression of Macoroni Grill a good one. She was really attentive. A return visit sounds good to me. whenever anybody has a craving for cocina italiano, I'm down!
(3)
Dixie R.
My review is based on what happened last night at Macaroni Grill regarding manager David Bonilla. I contemplated even reviewing at all and instead write to corporate but you know that takes a lot of time and effort and I have better things to do with my life.. and not to mention I did call him an asshole to his face so I don't know if my case would stick up anyway. Oh let me advise you in advance that there's already been a similar review regarding the same manager on here.. Ok so my family and I sit at the bar area where it said 4-7pm Happy Hour 50% off Appetizers and were greeted by our server Damon who was charming and very attentive. We ordered some stuffed mushrooms off the appetizer menu and since it was good, we ended up ordering 2 hey why not it's 50% off? So blah blah blah long story short the bill comes out and we see that we were charged full price for the mushrooms so we asked Damon if the mushrooms weren't on happy hour price and he said it was a mistake so he'll get his manager to take it off. Then Damon comes back very rattled saying that his manager was not going to take off anything because he should have known to communicate to us that everything except for the mushrooms were half off. At this point I'm thinking then why the f doesn't the board have a disclaimer saying DISREGARDING THE MUSHROOMS or subject to price etc. Anyway, I felt bad for Damon and it seemed as if he was going to have to pay for it so I asked nicely if we can talk to the manager. He comes to our table with a "Hey folks" and I asked "So we were just told the mushrooms were not on happy hour is that right?" and he just starts spurting out diarrhea out of his mouth and this is what he had to say in a really snarky sassy manner, "No they are not and you know what Damon should have known and failed to communicate that so yeah the restaurant is not paying for it and I'm not paying for it so it's fine he will just pay for that himself. " So trying to defend our waiter who was just thrown under the bus I told him "Well I don't think it's his fault especially when the sign saids 50% off Appetizers and it's a little deceiving.." so we go back and forth me trying to tell him it's just the principal...I feel bad for the waiter he shouldn't have to pay for it... "Well he is and that's that we are not paying for it you are not but when somebody keeps making the same mistake over and over then he needs to pay for it." And I could tell he was just not letting me win at all so I said to his face that I would yelp about this in which he replied with a finger in my face "YOU DO THAT! I'll adjust the bill you have a good evening ." (Meaning Damon would pay) And you know I just could not help myself and said " You too asshole." and this is the best part.. ARE YOU READY ARE YOU READY?!?!? He comes back around makes the widest angle turn almost like a kick ball change he was soooo taken back and comes back to my face furious and said, "REALLY?!?!??! Really right now?! Is that what your gonna say to me?!" Whoa. when did this become a street fight..last time I remember, I was at a corporate fucking american family restaurant. Oh that's right, I called him an asshole. But I did apologize and I did say "Well I'm sorry about that but you're very unprofessional..I don't think you should run an establishment if you can't handle guests complaints and you treat your employees this way." Hello??! Don't be a manager in the first place if you can't handle heat from complaining guests..That's basically what a manager is, a shit taker but obviously he can't take it (maybe he takes it up his ass too much) and ends up dishing himself and forgets that he works for a corporate chain restaurant and you're just supposed to nod and give the sympathy sandwich. He walked away saying "I don't appreciate you calling me foul language infront of children." Which yeah ok I did have my 1 year old son there but trust me he hears worse things outside of Macaroni Grill and to be completely honest, I could not find a more suitable moment than to introduce that word to him in his life. Well I guess I won't be coming back to Macaroni Grill ever again and that is totally fine with me..It's not like the food there tastes like an angel's ass anyway.
(1)
Crystal B.
My boyfriend and I went to Romano's for one reason and one reason only: I said that Romano's is gross, mass-produced B-rated Italian food, and he insisted that from what he remembered it was actually good. Naturally, we had to settle the matter. I started with a Bellini, which was very sweet but good other than that. I ordered Calamari and my boyfriend ordered the appetizer sampler platter, which also came with calamari. The server pointed out the double order, but we said it was okay because calamari is always good. Or so we thought. The appetizers were just okay overall, but the calamari was pretty inedible. It was rubbery and not served hot, just lukewarm. The breading was thin, not crispy, and barely covered the calamari. Flavorless, really like eating leather. Gross. We left a lot uneaten. Next came salads, which were fine. Nothing special, but acceptable. Then our entrees arrived. I had the eggplant parmesan, I think my boyfriend just had penne with meat sauce, if I remember correctly. My eggplant parmesan was frozen. The middle of the eggplant was cold, tough, and had that weird chalky raw-eggplant texture. I tried to eat it but decided to send it back. The server was gracious, and when it came back out it was cooked fully. But frozen veggies? Yuck. Both of the entrees followed the "just okay" trend set by the rest of the meal. We didn't really feel inspired to get dessert. To their credit, the service was good. He was there when we needed him, and he got the problem with my entree fixed effectively. But the food was so blahhh, I would much rather spend an extra $5-$10 and get food that is much better quality. In other words, I won the bet. We won't be back.
(2)
tetsuzan R.
Coming from the Mediterranean region, I am always ready to dip my piece of warm bread in the mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and papper, and enjoy washing it down with some cold beer. The appetizers are great and fresh and make my mouth and soul happy. The tiramisu is a must if you know to appreciate italian food, and it goes well with espresso or macchiato. Easy to find room, especially if I call and reserve a table :) In case I just drop by and find no more room I can always enjoy the wonderful attention of the bartenders and have my meal by an open fireplace. Take my advice and make sure to reserve a table during the weekends!!! Oh, and if you like romantic setting you can ask for a booth otherwise there plenty tables and chairs. The amazing waiters of Romoano's Macaroni Grill can: 1) sing Happy Birthday in Italian like opera singers. 2) write their names and the specials upside down real fast on the table and some can do it with more than one crayon at once. Importent to know - 5:30 to 7:00 PM - Happy Hour - drinks and appetizers are half the price. Go for it :)
(4)
Megan M.
We have come here a handful of times and I was never really impressed until last night. Our server Shawn was great, drinks were ALWAYS full, he was there when we needed him and not when we wanted our space. The food was great and hot, I normally order something different until I find something I really like, I got the Shrimp Alfredo and my husband got the Chicken Alfredo. The sauce could have used a bit more seasoning, but it was good. The extra cost for the shrimp wasn't worth it, $5 for 4 shrimp, sure they were on the larger size but if it had mentioned on the menu it was just four I would have gone for the chicken which was much more obvious in my husbands meal. The kids menu is a bit pricey but the food was excellent, the pizza and mac and cheese were both homemade and fantastic. It also comes with ice cream and a drink, if you are nice sometimes they will let you substitute fresh strawberries instead of ice cream (our children aren't allowed to have ice cream) for no charge. The appetizers are great, the crab stuffed mushrooms have to have been hands down the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. Not too soggy and TONS of crab. The Mozzarella Fritta was good as well, the tomato sauce that comes with it is amazing. We will be going back again and again!
(5)
Nicole L.
I used to frequent Macaroni Grill for Sunday lunch with my family a while back and it is definitely not the same. Everything has gotten smaller it seems. I think I remember there being a lot more items on the menu and the portions are a lot less than before. I always order the chicken marsala and always have to get a to-go box, but this time there were only 3 litte pieces of chicken and not too much pasta. Even the piece of lasagna my friend ordered looked a lot smaller. Not what I'm used to when eating hearty Italian. Italians can eat! But I'm pretty sure the prices are higher if not the same. The service was awesome, I still get so amazed when the servers write their names on the table paper upside down. Lol.
(3)
Jocelyn S.
i've eaten at Macaroni Grill several times before and my experience was fine, but my recent experience was quite different... i've gotten a Mac Grill gift card for Christmas from one of my friends, so the BF and i decided to have dinner there so that we could use it. we entered the restaurant and the hostess at the counter was unwelcoming. no greeting at all. there was no "hello" or "welcome to Macaroni Grill" or not even a smile. my BF told her "table for 2" and she told us waiting time was gonna be 50 minutes. so ok fine, we waited outside then moved our way inside to sit. i sat nearby where the hostess was. i observed that she kept on changing waiting times. first couple people, she had told them it was an hour wait... and not even 5 mintues later, she'd say 30 or 15 minute wait to another set of people. i knew she was trying to get rid of potential customers that was told it was gonna be an hour wait... not sure why since there were some empty tables around. finally, it was our turn to be called. our waiter seemed pleasant. he does the standard procedure of the olive oil and pepper onto the small plate to dip the bread in. unfortunately, he didn't even bring us bread, so it wasn't used at all... in the meantime, we were just entertaining ourselves with scribbling stuff on the paper table cloth, which is a nice distraction as we wait for our food. the dish i usually order and enjoy is their 2 pork chops with risotto and broccoli. when we got our food, i noticed my pork chop order looked completely different from what i remembered it used to be. now it was just one single pork chop and a small portion of the risotto. honestly, it was not worth the price. but i did like the presentation of the dish. looked liked it came from those fine dining places. unfortunately, the risotto didn't seem to be cooked properly. *sigh* i was kinda disappointed but i was hungry so whatever, i ate it. *hehe* i noticed that our waiter didn't check up on us as much as how he waited on the other tables. we were done with our food and decided to order dessert. another server brought out our dessert, but didn't even include utensils for us. it was a good thing our waiter came walking by. i called him back to let him know that we needed utensils. we ordered the Ricotta Cheesecake. BF and i enjoyed it because it wasn't too sweet and it had this lemon taste that enhanced the flavor to it. overall, i do like the ambiance of this restaurant. it has that Italiano flare to it. just wished that they haven't changed the pork chop dish. other than that, this place ain't that bad. i'm not gonna say that i won't be coming here again, cuz i probably will come back. it's just that the recent experience i had this time wasn't the greatest. they just need to do some improvements.
(3)
Milton K.
Just went there tonite - Found out that there is some "Corporate" changes, and so the menu HAS changed with it! Had the Cesar's Salad AND the Chicken Marsala... Cesar Salad was decent in portion but seemed a little bit "pricey" for what it is. Romain with large croutons and of course, the cheese. Came in a "bowl" but quantity of portion did not "fill" it - Was enough, but the "appearance" seemed "short". Maybe a smaller/different bowl (or a PLATE!) would make it "look" better. The Chicken Marsala was OUTRAGEOUS! Portion was VERY satisfying (THREE LARGE pieces of chicken!), flavor was good, and a MOUND of pasta. BUT I felt the pasta was a BIT (note I said a BIT) overcooked, so it was a little "soft". The IDEAL part of this "experience" was the SERVICE - Dannon (name?) .did a FANTASTIC job of making sure we were well taken care of! Actually, maybe a little TOO MUCH! (IS there TOO MUCH?) I started by ordering a Corona, ("Happy Hour") and it showed up ASAP with a CHILLED, FROSTED Glass! Also - they serve WATER in a chilled pour bottle now! (Like having your own WINE or Champagne!) But all in all, an enjoyable experience! AND - getting out of all the CROWD / PEOPLE sure made it a "Get-A-Way" up there on the 4th floor of Ala Moana! I think the next time I am going to try the "revisited" Pizzas... Or maybe try the new stuff - They also have now FLAT BREADS!
(4)
Kat A.
Lobster Ravioli baby.. Thats what I always order. Although my friends like to think opposite. The setting here is somewhat romantic, dim-light, a great place for family to dine also.
(4)
Loreene A.
Romano's Marcaroni Grill is a great place to eat!The waiter was very courteous,friendly and helpful.He explained very thourghly about the food,whether it's spicy or not,allowing me to sample the two types of soup they had for the evening which was lentil soup or tomato soup.Both tasted great so I opted for lentil soup.It had vegetables in it and some beans.It was a little spicy but delicious. If you're not used to spicy food you may want to stay away from the lentil soup. The soup menu changes daily.The bread was delicious and so was the Italian Soda with White Peach and cream.I ordered the Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and it was delicious as well.Food serving size is good for the price and food comes quickly.I'd defiantly recommend this place
(4)
Jaime K.
My last review I said food took "abnormally long". This visit was also very long wait too. I guess this is becoming a normal occurrence now. Our waitress Lisann was great. The problem was with the kitchen. It didn't seem busier than normal, but we were told that eggplant parmigiana was sold out and when we ordered chicken parmigiana Lisann said she had to "fight" for the 2 we ordered since it was they ran out of that too. WoW, I'm glad "we won". Lisann was very attentive and kept us updated on the status of our food. She informed us about the Happy hour and asked us if we wanted to take advantage of half off. House wine was only $3 and appetizers 1/2. good deal! As for pricing, we ordered: 2 chicken parms (last time was great! this time not so. It was not warm by the time we got it) 1 lamp chop 1 spag + meatballs 3 glasses of wine 1 budlight 1 calamari 1 artichoke dip Our bill was about $110 without tip. I'll definitely go back for HH, but not sure if I want to go back for dinner anymore :(
(3)
Marianette K.
1. Ordered 2 dirty martinis. Only one arrived dirty, both did not have olives. We could live without it being dirty, but no olives? 2. Waitress thought Chardonnay was a red wine. 3. We were well into our entrees, with no red wine that we ordered. My husband went to bar to get it himself. No recognition or apology from waitress. 4. No detailed receipt. We wanted to deduct the liquor portion in determining the tip. 5. We had to stand and wait quite a while for the manager (Keoki??) who was engaged in a conversation at a table. From their smiles, it wasn't a complaint conversation. After fifteen minutes, still no manager - we left without letting management know our dismay. 6. I enjoyed the prociutto appetizer and meatball spaghetti.
(1)
J B.
The calamari was awesome! The best I've had on the island. Our server Zoli was knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant overall. The entire staff made our experience amazing. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan for my meal. The dish came with 3 large round battered slices of eggplant and delicate pasta covered in a chunky marinara and parmesan cheese. My husband ordered the Margherita pizza which was also delicious. The toppings were fresh, and there was a nice balance of cheese and sauce. Typically I am dissatisfied with "chain style" restaurants price, service, and food but this is our 5th visit to the Macaroni grill where we have had excellent food and service.
(4)
Beyonce H.
Definitely our favorite place! We have made friends with bartender Dave and from the first time we walked in, we have have received nothing but EXCELLENT SERVICE. Anytime our dishes were not perfect, he always makes sure it get's taken care of. Honestly when you go to other upscale restaurants, haven't you settled and tipped for subpar service, just because you don't want to make a fuss? My husband loves the ribeye steak, because Dave will make sure it is cooked to perfection. Chicken under a Brick is our fav, Grilled King Salmon, and really if you are a soup/salad person, the price are so reasonable during happy hour. Also thank you Jeff, Ryan and Corey make our visits so much fun! P.S. they got rid of the fireplace, so the bar is much roomier!
(5)
Isis B.
This place used to be one of my faves...but for some reason, maybe because the restaurant has fallen on hard times - I'm only giving it two stars. The food is, really, its still very tasty. And they keep on changing the menu, which is great. Actually, they tell you that they're trying a new menu, but the fact seems to be that they're going back and forth between an old menu and a new one. Anyways, the food is really tasty...the problem is that they give less of it!! I swear!! Before, I could only finish half of an entree. Now, I can lick the damn bowl clean AND still have room for dessert - which I must add, the Lemon Passion Cake is awesome!! But getting back to my gripe - seriously, they need to add more food back onto each entree. Then I'll update my review to three...hmm...maybe four stars!!
(2)
M A X.
Went to Romano's Macaroni Grill to redeem a gift card I got for Christmas. I've been there a few times (my memory was they weren't very good). But, It's been a while, and I was willing to take another chance (I mean what the hey, they're still in business right?) Time: Monday 3:30pm Water: good (no chlorine taste) Bread: Gimmiky. The olive-oil looks like it came from Costco (the uber-gourmet section of course) and sat on the table all day. I'd rather have some garlic butter. Spagetti w/Meatballs: reviewers note: I decided to order the most basic item on the menu to get a real taste of their quality (without all the fanfare of the signature dishes). - Da Spagetti: A bit larger in diameter than I'm used to but not overcooked. It was obviously prepared ahead of time then stored. You can taste the refrigerator. - Da Meatballs: Good but nothing to write home about. Standard restaurant fare (meat + fillers + spices) - Da Sauce: This was low point of the dish (and did I mention the refrigerator flavored noodles?). It was only one degree higher than Chef Boyardee!! Like, if you get the Chef Boyardee recipie and try it at home. What a disappointment! :( Service: The overall experience wasn't bad. You can tell no one makes a career of working at Romano's Macaroni Grill, so I'm not going to knock them. Conclusion: Romano's Macaroni Grill ranks as one of those places you go once every few years after you forget how bad it was the last time. Seriously tho, if you can't even pull off a good Spagetti & Meatballs, then you shouldn't be in the italian restaurant business. too bad. :( Maybe I'll try again in 2012 (or buy a can of Chef Boyardee)
(1)
Jay C.
I went here for many date nights, and the service got progressively worse. I received one waiter and I could not believe how rude and intrusive his service was, which ruined my night. I will not be going there again. The menu has gotten smaller due to management change, and the food has decreased in quality. You have to ask for bread now. I would not recommend even my worst enemy to go here.
(1)
Jason F.
the service was top notch! the food was excellent! the bread is bomb with oil n vinegar! i get the mix plate combo of the 3 dishes, chicken canoli, chicken parm, and lasagna! with cesar salad. i mean it's not the greatest but its better then your girlfriends baked zitta with mf prego ya know what I mean! coo coo coo
(4)
Jessica K.
The atmosphere was totally different from the locations I have visited in mainland in the past. Anyhow It was great until I found a hair in the salad, one of the mix and match lunch menu, We were almost done eating and since it was my vacation, trying to spend a good time with my sister, I did not complain as much. Turns out another party was having the same problem. They gave me 10% discount on the bill which is around $3. Did not get a sincere apology. Now I think back, they didn't deserve that much money I paid. Overall quality of food and service was a disappointment. 2 star. The Cheesecake factory is much better.
(2)
R C.
I have been here on several occasions for lunch, dinner and pau hana drink specials. The food isn't anything outstanding , it's simple and comforting. This is a chain, I have been to several Romano's in Texas and Arizona. The staff is very friendly, attentive and helpful. It's cool to watch them write their names backward :) It's a huge restaurant , always fully staffed. The bar drinks are reasonable. Dessert tray is onolicious, something to share always. The food: my usual: Caesar Salad, Pepperoni pizza , or lasanga, and Spinach and Artichoke Dip... I have tasted pastas and sandwiches here but I stick to my favorite mostly. Drinks: beer at the bar , bartenders are very cool and fun to chit chat with. The women bar tenders are very nice. I like to share my food, it's family style.
(3)
Jesse C.
Macaroni Grill seems like another franchise chain. Your meal might be awesome or bland. It just depends on your cook and server. Sadly, that's the problem with chain restaurants. They lack consistency. Whenever I've been here the staff has been friendly. So point for them. Their gimmick is drawing their name upside down on the table(paper)cloth. This is obviously great for kids; free-for-all drawing war. Makes it a great place for families with young children or lewd teenagers. Ha! Now you cant get your mind out of the gutter. Shame on you! :P
(3)
Min K.
Maybe it's because I know people who work here, I consistently get amazing service. But regardless had I not known anyone, the service is still good. My favorite, always will be the mushroom ravioli, but it's slowly been shifting it's focus to the spaghetti. Call me a loser, yes, the spaghetti. I love the meatballs, I love the sauce, I love everything about it. The price is reasonable, good wine, and with good company, a good night. :)
(4)
Kaileen Y.
It was Girl's Night Out. A few girlfriends and I decided to have dinner here at the Macaroni Grill. It was a great night. The service was quick. The servers & waiters were so nice. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact that we were a bunch of college girls wearing pretty dresses. But, whatever! I enjoyed being able to draw on our own table. Haha. That's right. Each table is covered with a huge sheet of white paper & are given a few crayons. It makes the experience sort of fun! The food was good too. Loved the Artichoke dip...probably the best I've tasted. I had the Chicken Parmigiana. It was good. But, it wasn't GREAT; I've tasted better...which explains the 4 stars.
(4)
Shay F.
I think the only thing I like on the entire menu is the grilled mahi mahi. Service wasn't so great. He kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. I'd give it two stars, but I just love the tables. I kept drawing and drawing and drawing...LoL.
(3)
Mike H.
Saavy Server & Suggestive Selling sold us on a night and dinner to savor! Thought the lessons in Latin, while in the lua were entertaining as well! Chicken Marsala was awesome, will be back soon.
(5)
Brian A.
Let me tell you a short story. The first time I went to RMG it was in Beaverton, OR. Me, my cousin and our friend (all dudes) went to try it out cause it was a new franchise just moving in. We had an "okay" dinner, nothing to write home (or Yelp) about. Then the singer comes over and gives us a "O solo mio." The three of us were kind of feeling awkward that the dude is singing to the three of us in a restaurant full of couples and families. Yeah, that was weird. Anyway, nothing too memorable here. Had the steak once and it was alright, as is the calamari. The marsala was okay as well. The ambiance is nice though, very classy. Sometimes can get a bit loud depending on where they seat you. The bread with balsamic vinegar and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, yeah too much Food Channel) is winners though. I just like to take the crayons, after everyone is done trying to write their names upside-down, and put an "X" right in front of me and write "Bread goes here." Hey, just so the waiter knows, right? See, I'm always there to help. At this location, during peak hours, the wait can be horrendous. Parking is right outside the Pearl Lounge on the top level on the Nordstom's side of Ala Moana. They have a elevator and escalator in the mall near by for people who need the help.
(2)
Yon S.
Been here twice when they first opened. Kids like the drawing crayons on the tablecloth gimmick. They supposed to be singing talent waiters somewhere. Can't even recall what I ate. Not the worst. Not the best.
(2)
Steven B.
We just recently tried their happy hour menu and were sorely disappointed with the food and service. Since we are not drinkers, we ordered just appetizers which were half off. Our waiter was not attentive nor friendly. It took at least 25 minutes to get our food and when it came out, they got our order wrong. Bread was not served until the food arrived. Mind you, we were famished, and all we had was a tiny plate of olive oil in front of us. There was no apology from the server or the waiter. In fact, we did not see our waiter until the end of the meal to fill our empty glasses. The mozzarella caprese was lacking. The mozzarella on the tomato was small and rubbery. We won't go back there again.
(1)
Jennifer C.
I've been here quite a few times, I usually get the fettucine Alfredo - I really like it. My favorite part of the restaurant experience, is the drawing table cloth lol. Pretty neat how the waiters write their name upside down when they first greet you at the table. It took awhile for the food to come, and we asked for a refill of water but it took awhile for it to come also. Service was slow, but at least I liked my dish.
(3)
Sandy D.
Ate lunch with my 8 yr. old and hadn't gone here for about 6 years since they way undercooked my fish (icy cold) in the middle. Well, we were taken to our table right away by Brian who was also our server. He was very attentive and refilled our drinks checked on us just enough. Had the calamari as an appetizer. It was fine. Nothing super good or bad. Daughter had spaghetti with meat sauce and I had the salad sampler. Brian also brought us warm bread from the very beginning. Daughter enjoyed her spaghetti. My salad sampler was fine. The caesar tasted the best. There was one salad that had a little too much dressing, which was a bit overpowering for me, but food was okay. Nothing you have to have, but nothing terrible. Was definitely made better by our server. Also helped that I used a gift card to defray the cost of lunch.
(3)
bucca d.
This place is hit or miss - not consistent enough. I don't like to give 2 stars, but here's my justification. I had the tomato bisque soup which was Dlicious! Slightly chunky/clumpy viscous and not extremely smooth. The dark balsmaic vinegar streaks in the soup added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the tomato bisque and the shredded basil strips added good bite to the flavor. Overall excellent. Four Stars! The caesar salad was really good according to my wife, but she claims they did not give enough portion wise. Four stars! The spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce was disappointing. They changed their recipe! It use to be served in a bowl with lots of spaghetti and flavored with acquired tasting goat cheese. Now its just like any ol spaghetti with meat ball pasta. ONE star! The mushroom ravioli is usually their signature, but for some reason the didn't cook off the wine. It tasted like they just poured fresh wine into the already cooked dish. It tasted bitter because of this. As usual this dish was also sodium rich. Dipped the bread in the sauce which is pretty decent and the wild mushrooms were very good. One star for ruining the dish with uncooked wine!
(2)
Kanoe P.
The last few visits I've had at Macaroni Grill have been HORRIBLE, but this past time was AMAZING. Especially compared to how disappointed I was the past 5 times. But this time the hostess was really friendly, the server was even better, and the food... YUMMMM! Thank goodness because when they first opened I was a huge fan, but when I went back, I was not. This past visit made me a fan again, and I'm happy to say that I'll be back soon!
(4)
Desiree M.
I came here most recently with my cousin and Kyle. The place was pretty busy, which was expected considering we came here on Saturday night. There was a wait but it wasn't too bad; it was just unfortunate that there was no place to sit. Whenever I come here I usually get pasta, which is the usual italian pasta with the american twist. Sometimes I just wish that I could get a good creamy and salty carbonara or a garlic and red pepper angel hair. We started off with the spinach-artichoke dip. It had this distinctive taste that I couldn't put my finger on but I wasn't really a fan of it. Other than that though it was pretty good. Our food took a while, which is understandable considering they were packed, but they kept us going with bread. This time I ordered the lamb spiedini, which was kind of a bad choice. I'm usually a fan of lamb but I don't know there was something about the way they cooked it and so it had too much of a meaty flavor for me. I could only eat one spiedino (they're like kebabs) and I didn't really enjoy it. I think next time I'll stick to the pasta.
(3)
Rach L.
Oh my worddddd. 2 years ago, I ate Fettuccine Alfredo from here, and I had the runs for a day. As a result of those most unpleasant moments on the toilet, I have not been back since. And this is from somebody who enjoys using the loo. But good on ya to all you waiters that know how to write your names upside down on our coloring mats. I'm still learning how to do that.
(2)
Rochelle J.
I like Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana. They have happy hour from 4:30 to 8pm. $3 house wines, they have draft beers too but I don't remember the cost since I don't drink beer myself. I do recall seeing them on the happy hour list though. I suspect they are also $3. You could combine two appetizers for $12. There was also three good sized pizzas for $5 each! That was the best deal! Will go again. The pizza wasn't half bad for the price. Check it out yourself with a friend or two.
(4)
Tom S.
a bit pricey. service was good. there is even a lady that walks around singing opera(she was my middle school VP). there is crayon and white paper you can draw on as you wait for your food.
(4)
Jen A.
All I gotta say is: Mushroom Ravioli! Yum-mers. Service was on it and managed our big party well. But it is a bit pricey for Italian. I can think of a few other places that are more authentic with a more intimate atmosphere that I'd pay these kinds of prices for (Sabrina's, Assagios).
(3)
Jessie R.
In all honesty, the food is average. Nothing special really. I would eat it, but I wouldn't go there JUST to eat that. Atmosphere is nice, though some of the seating areas are really cramped. Sorry guys, we broke some of the crayons. I hope you get fresh ones.
(3)
Joshua C.
Why pay so much when you could just get a bertolli dinner out of the freezer section or cook your own pasta w/ heavy cream??? For some better "Italian" food check out the top of this list yelp.com/list_details?li…
(1)
Jay C.
YOU'RE BETTER OFF AT CPK...macaroni grill is a mainland chain that appeared here in the islands in the past few years. if you have been to a location on the mainland, you will be SEVERLY DISAPPOINTED with the ala moana locale. the ingredients are fresher, portions are larger and prices are lower on the mainland. i understand the prices being a bit more here in paradise, but certainly NOT at the expense of quality. our group ended up here after mariposa was too exclusive to take in our party of 8. we know realize that we should've headed to CPK. the service was good, but the food SUCKED! the complimentary bread was smaller than it's mainland counter-parts; it lacked the crisp skin and soft center. the appetizer sampler seemed as though someone removed half of what was supposed to be on the plate. it was sad and pathetic. the penne rustica that my friend order lacked taste. she had to pour salt all over it but that didn't do much. in the end, the manager let her replace it with the more simple marinara. my sausage salentino was recommended by the waiter and i enjoyed it. however, my auntie ordered the shrimp portofino and a couple of the shrimp were under-cooked. she dealt with it because she was too embarassed to return it. finally, another friend ordered the pizza margherita. it was about 7" wide and lacked flavor. all in all, the food SUCKED and there is no necessity to return, despite the decent service. this ain't amore!
(1)
Norman T.
The saving grace for this place is the staff. It took 45 minutes to get our food. The bread was excellent; finish that, then go because the rest of the meal was very forgettable.
(2)
Googleone G.
Ok food here. Good mushrooms lasgna. Price is expensive for the quality of the food. Desent place for a last minute date if you can't one of the better restaurants in Honolulu.
(3)
Trish P.
i'm updating b/c i've actually recently eaten here again. like i said before, i would only eat here again if it were against my will........ and it was. anyway - along with 2 friends, i dined there a few days ago. the service was still the same. our waiter was not the nicest guy ever, he checked on us only once, unless you count when he came back to fill our water, but i can hardly count that. he seemed more interested/concerned/distracted by the larger (bigger tip) table next to us. the food however was an improvement, but not a big one. i tried a seafood linguine which included shrimp, scallops, and some vegetables all in a buttery garlic sauce. the food was not cold this time. the waiter informed me that now, the scallops they serve are larger - great! but when i got my dish.... only 2 measly (larger, but not huge) scallops were in my pasta, along with 3 jumbo shrimp. i belive this dish was over $17..... not really worth it if you ask me. the dish itself was good - but not worth what it cost..... an extra star for flavor - its just too bad that yelp doenst let you give 1/2 stars......
(2)
Kit T.
Hearty atmosphere, friendly staff, ridiculously tiny portions. About 3 oz. of perfectly cooked swordfich and a scant quarter cup of delicious orzo on a long oblong nouvelle cuisine type plate was $17- holy snap. The decor and ambiance is fun, feels warm, homey, lots of wood and a fireplace bar...nice! But eat before you get here or go home hungry! For the cost to value ratio, it is more like a $$$ scenario than the $$ rating.
(2)
Lindsay C.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill this past week for dinner - Arrived around 7:30-8pm-ish and the place was packed, although we were seated right away. I always love a restaurant that gives you a table covered in paper to draw on!! Our waiter - Reily - was very friendly and attentive! Quick with drinks and service. We started with the Calamari - which comes with two, zesty pizzaiola and basil pine nut pesto. I surprisingly liked the basil pesto - but really enjoyed combining the two sauces. I ordered the Seafood Linguine - "Shrimp, scallops and clams sauteed with oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula and imported linguine pasta in a white wine olive oil sauce" - but had the white wine olive oil sauce switched out with Arrabiata sauce. MMMMmmm This was really good! Not usually a fan of scallops in pasta (big fan of scallops wrapped in bacon) but all of the seafood was really good, and the shrimp were a pretty good size! The portion was a decent size, I had some leftover - which I ate for lunch the next day! Tony ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo "Imported fettuccine pasta sauteed with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese." and added Grilled Chicken. He really enjoyed it - although he said it was a little watery. He had leftovers as well. When they wrap up your leftovers they put them in a aluminum foil pan with directions on how to reheat - rather than giving you the styrofoam containers that melt when you microwave! I am not a big fan of leftovers, but as I mentioned, I reheated my leftovers the next day for lunch, and they were just as good as the night before!
(4)
James V.
Good food. Not too pricy. They were out of a couple of items and had to wait until after the dinner was served for the bread. That was the only issue.
(4)
Christine B.
Squee, what can i say, i love that we get to draw on the tables with everyone with the crayons while we wait for our food to be served to us. The waiters/waitresses are all very talented and friendly here. I came here a month ago with my friends and this waiter impressed us with his writing and drawing/people skills. The portions here are pretty good, i ordered the Afredo pasta and love the creamyness of it. Gosh italian tastes so good on such occasions, esp since i don't eat it often.
(4)
Brian N.
Great Italian & Mediterranean restaurant. I eat at this place occasionally and what can I say, it's onolicious! They serve many different pasta entrees including lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and other classic entrees, along with several entrees created by the restaurant. They also serve pizzas and Mediterranean food.
(5)
n p.
The lines are usually long but if you call early enough in the day you can make a reservation before they reach their quota for the day. Been here quite a few times but I can't say I was satisfied each time. Some nights the bread is really good and toasty while other times it's stale and tastes about a day old. The portions are HUGE! They could be split between two people easily. The create your own option is pretty nice since some nights their standard menu just doesn't do it for me. The deserts are also enormous but their strawberry zabaglione is pretty good though. Service isn't always great but I guess that's why they have those paper tableclothes... to let customers kill time.
(3)
barry n.
Had a so-so experience at Romano's in Ala Moana. Went on Saturday night at about 8:30 and there still was a 15 minute wait. After being seated, our waiter came and did the name written on the table thing, but didn't leave any crayons for us! Boo hoo! Our order was taken pretty quickly and our food didn't take long. My wife had the salmon, which she liked because it wasn't dry. I had the seafood linguine and was disappointed with the seafood. There was not a lot of clams and shrimp and I didn't realize how small scallops could be! I'm talking about as big as a half of a peanut! Despite the lack of seafood, it still was pretty tasty. Pretty disappointed with the service because I didn't get ONE refill of water! I don't know if our waiter was that busy, but other than that, it was a pretty good experience. I think the best part of the night was the waitress who sang. For a petite girl, she could really belt out a song! She was very good, but I wonder if she gets tired of singing "Happy Birthday" because she must've done it about 5 times during the hour and a half that we were there. I always enjoy going here and will probably continue to do so.
(3)
Trace B.
Waiter didn't bring bread, brought the wrong salad and gave me the wrong meal. Waited 15 minutes until I could get his attention to get the correct entree. Terrible service on what appeared to be a quiet night. Do not recommend!
(1)
Sherman R.
SERVICE NOT GREAT!! Girlfriend and I went to Romano's at Ala Moana. We were greeted at the front by a female (unknown). She sat us at a table where there was a lot of traffic. I requested to be seated somewhere else (thinking that she'll sit us somewhere decent), low and behold, she sits us right at the next table. She was not very customer friendly. Anyhow, the waiter came with the wine and I told him, "that's ok....we requested for another table with less traffic and your front end sits us at the very next table". He was nice enough to apologize and he stated that he would sit us somewhere else. But, the damage was already done. So we stood up and left and told the waiter that it wasn't his fault. We ended up at RUBY TUESDAYS (next door). My god, even though they weren't as fancy as Romano's, hell, the service was excellent and the steak was outstanding. (im a big tipper for excellent service). SERVICE FOR THOUGHT!!!
(1)
deborah h.
Hi, Just received an e-mail from Romano's - if you join their Facebook fan page this weekend you'll receive a free dessert! Yum.
(5)
Ed K.
a friend gave us a $80 gift card to go try this place out and so we went to go check it out. across of tsukiji, above pearl, same escalator. hookipa terrace. the service was unique.. wait staff wrote his name on the table with crayons. *clap *clap *clap. the stuffed mushroom appetizer was tasty, but didn't have crab in it like the yelp pictures denotes. entrees are $15ish. honestly.. to sum it up was major rip off.. my bro had chicken parmigiana. it looked like cafeteria pasta. i had mama's spaghetti and instantly noticed they added dairy to it because it was sour. tip: go with corn starch to make the sauce thick. yacked it all out right after dinner. however, the loaf of bread on which they serve as appetizer was fresh, crispy, and soft. olive garden is way better if they had one in 808. straight up.
(1)
Al D.
This place was a huge disappointment. The service is bad. The waitstaff hardly checked up on us and took forever to bring us our pizza. They were very unapologetic and so we just canceled our order. We did get to try some appetizers though. The mushrooms and the spinach dip. I really don't get why people are posting pictures of the mushrooms as if they good or something. They're not. They're tiny and the stuffing is 90% bread crumbs, 10% canned crab. The spinach dip came in a tiny dish and was super bland. It was labled spinach artichoke dip on the menu but there was no artichoke in it so I'll just call it spinach dip. I don't know why people wait in line to eat here. The best thing I had was my beer and that's because the restaurant didn't make it.
(2)
Courtney T.
i'm surprised to see so many people with negative reviews. Maybe i've just been lucky, but i've eaten here at least 4 times, and i've always had a stellar experience. Well, the first time I ate here was when it first opened and a busboy dropped a bunch of glasses while cleaning up, but since then, i think they've really improved. I've only ordered pastas, as they're pretty much my favorite food, and have been happy with all of them. I can't remember the names of them, but i've never gotten something i wasn't happy with here. It's cute how they have paper over the tablecloths so you can draw. It also helps how the waiter writes his name on it so you can remember what his name is. It can get pretty busy at times, so you should make a reservation if possible. Also a side note, if you order their house white wine, it is a HUGE bottle, but they wrap it up for you to take home. The singing hostesses are the best! it really makes you feel like you're in an italian place. Cat is so awesome!
(5)
Consuela P.
I admit my boss is da best! Last November, he treated all of us at the office to lunch at the newly (not so new now) at a new Italian restaurant at Ala Moana SC called Romano's Macaroni Grill. I simply love Italian food! We started off with the Romano's Sampler ~ a platter of Tomato Bruschetta, Mozzarella Fritta and Calamari; served with a zesty sauce. I ordered the Shrimp Portofino ~ it was good and garlicky! And to complete my meal, I simply had to have the tiramisu for dessert. The ambiance is really nice as all of its tables were draped in white linen; that's covered with butcher paper and crayons to allow guests to creatively express themselves. We went crazy doodling away! Everyone said good things about their food and our server was always attentive and friendly. In my opinion, it's a fun and casual place to gather for a great meal with friends and family. Before leaving we took a group photo by their decorated Christmas tree.
(4)
John A.
Portions got smaller : (
(3)
Glenn N.
Been here 6x. Don't really care for their rustic mediterranean meals. Their "Lobster Ravioli" was tasty but it seems they skimp on the lobster fillings. Can anyone suggest the ultimate Italian restaurant?
(3)
Brooke M.
So this is where Mom picked for her birthday dinner. Yay. For the amount of money they extorted from us, we could've gone to Sabrina's and had a wonderful dinner of authentic, non-greasy Italian food. So, they seat you at a table covered in paper (ooh, classy) and then the server writes her name on the paper upside down with a crayon (wow, impressive). They tell you about their house "Chianti" which is made in California (never mind that "Chianti" is name protected by Italian law and must come from Chianti). Then they give you some crappy hard rosemary flavored bread without butter, expecting you to use that economy size bottle of the most flavorless olive oil ever made that's sitting there on the table. Then the food comes out- wrong in my mom's case, pools of oil in mine, and nothing for my dad! I was done eating by the time they brought his! Crap crap crap! Oh, and the "Learn to speak Italian" cd that's playing in the bathroom is a little disconcerting... CRAP!
(1)
Juli P.
I have always loved this reastraunt but this evening while our server was wonderful our food was not. We were dismayed by the new menu, and when our carbonara was undercooked not even al dente the manager brought it back and told us that is how it is supposed to be. I am said it was as close to olive garden as we could get. Next time I will go to Ricados in Pearl City!
(1)
Nikki N.
I am a fan because when I went last time a waiter Kat sang happy birthday to a party and I liked it so our waiter had her come over and sing something. It was so beautiful! I like the food there because it is always so tasty. The portions are big and I always have left overs to take home. The bread and crayons keep you occupied while you wait for your food which is great for groups and family dinners.
(4)
Scott H.
Quality has really declined. I used to love getting the baked herb bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar...but even the bread they serve is horrible. No texture, bland, almost mealy in your mouth. My wife and I did not even finish one loaf. Highlights: 1) Our server was great. Kept the glass wet all night, was really on top of things. 2) The fettuccine alfredo was much improved. More like Bucca Di Peppo now, if that's the kind of fettuccine alfredo you like (and I do). The Bad: Wife's Pasta Milano was horrible. I've the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes over powered everything. Bow tie pasta was under-cooked. Could not taste anything else in the meal, very imbalanced. The Smothered Chocolate cake. HUGE disappointment. We had the three course meal, which we both ordered this desert. Horrible./ Tasted like it was missing egg, nothing holding the ingredients together. No texture! Did not have any flavor, and the sauce, which was good, we definitely NOT smothering the cake. Not enough sauce to hide the horrible platter of a cake it was served on.
(1)
Serenie S.
I've been here a few times. I recently got the Eggplant Marinara? It was good. I had a guy named Aaron as a waiter. He was nice. It's an moderate pricing. I think around $20 a person. Not really worth waiting 45-60 minutes to get seated but if it's not busy I'd go.
(4)
Chaplain Andrew W.
I'm a seasoned veteran of Macaroni Grill elsewhere. Pensacola, Providence and Riverside all do a GREAT job. I've been to the Honolulu grill twice now -- really not on par with the chain overall. Service is OK -- kind of lax. Wine tastes watered down. All the other grills let you pour your own and it's not in a juice glass. Last night my meal wasn't even warm. Maybe it was somebody's leftovers? Did I complain? Well, somebody other than our server delivered the food and then our server never came to check on us again. Another kind-hearted waiter finally came over and gave my wife more water. Thanks Romano's for great food and service elsewhere, but we won't come back to this one any more.
(2)
David C.
I came here for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Our waiter was super cool and friendly. He used the crayons to write his name and make it into a smiley face. The food was really good as well. I got a chicken thing with a small pasta with cherry tomatoes. It was really good at offered at a reasonable price. Their sherbert is also really good. The flavors may be a little different, coconut and guava, but still good.
(4)
Liane F.
Love this place for a franchise! The veggie pizza is awesome.
(4)
Alyssa K.
Service is A+ I must say. My favorite dish so far is the Parmesan crusted artichoke appetizer.
(4)
Cheryl K.
Typical mainland chain but not so bad. The food is decent and the prices are average. I always order the Sangria to drink and keep forgetting not to order it because its not that good. I recently ate the lasagna and my fiance had the chicken parmesan. The food is okay but not spectacular or memorable. It always seems to be busy when we go there. The service is good and I love drawing with crayons on our paper table cloths. Except one time I got a paper cut from it. Ouch! Overall good experience!
(4)
Shannon C.
I really like the bruschetta and their house bread. Oh and the blackberry iced tea. Not much of a fan for the entrees here. The pizzas aren't that great either.
(3)
Tracy L.
As part of a vegan/social experiment, I quickly found that Hawai'i doesn't offer too many places for someone to eat. Oddly enough, I was at Romano's Macaroni Grill recently and while sitting at the bar and staring at the basket of bread, was told by the waiter that they did offer up some great items. They have a "build your own pasta" menu which is a piece of paper with pre-printed categories on it. You choose your type of pasta (all their pasta is egg-free!), the veggies, and sauce. They also offer up dishes for those folks who are wheat/gluten sensitive too!
(3)
Anita L.
Funny how this chain pops up everywhere. I didn't think Ala Moana Center needed one with its many food establishments, but I guess someone felt one was needed. It just opened recently and serves up the same stuff as all its other locations. Good if you're with kids and it's a solid menu which isn't too expensive. The funny thing is that the food, though the same is about $2 more than its locations within the mainland of the US. The stuff tastes a little different too. I ordered the chicken caesar salad which I've ordered on so many occasions at other Macaroni Grills and it arrived with different salad leaves and also, shredded chicken instead of chunks of chicken. Naturally there was less of the chicken because shredded makes it look like there is more when in fact there is less. The portions are also slightly smaller here than on the mainland. What's going on here????
(2)
L K.
First time I went there I didn't care for the dish I got, but kept going anyway. And by the fifth time, I like it. The atmosphere is cool, and the little kid in me loved the crayons to write on the paper table cloths. It's always pretty busy when I pass by, and when I go in too. The prices are decent. I had this cheesy filled pasta, it was good. And the house bread they bring is actually quite tasty and soft. Tried their pomegranate martini, that was yummy. And the sorbet is good too, unless you are hoping for sweet, it isn't sweet. My friend who had some with me made the most hilarious faces as he ate it. Wish I took a picture of that.
(4)
Ryan O.
A Mainland chain, sure, but one certainly welcome in a town that hungers for more (if not better) Italian options. We went during their soft-opening, and again last week, and loved it. Family friendly (a plus for us and our three kids), decent portions for a reasonable price. The kitchen speed has been a bit uneven - main courses sometimes beat the salad or appetizers to your table - but the servers are sharp and friendly and no dishes were lacking in richness or flavor (I always end up taking almost half of my order home). As with the opening of other major chains (notably the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki), right now the line to get in can be long -- show up at 6 p.m. on a Friday, and you'll have to wait an hour or more. But, at least with its location within Honolulu's retail Mecca, there's no shortage of things to browse to pass the time. Presumably, in a few months, the lines will subside (especially as other new dining options open in Hookipa Terrace).
(4)
Kai C.
i love their bread, it's worth going just for the bread. The entree's are good too for affordable prices.
(4)
Bina D.
My husband and I had dinner at the restaurant a few days ago. The first thing I noticed was the crayons and the paper to draw on. So very classy. I ordered the lasagna and it was so bland, a very boring taste. My husband had the Chicken Cannelloni and it was flavorless as well. I don't understand why people come back to this place. A frozen lasagna from he grocery store is much better. I will not be coming back. The service was good though, we got a very attentive waiter.
(2)
Zoe B.
We like their pizza and also the pasta there. We think the pasta was great and we like the 'create your own' option too. The chocolate cake was tasty as well. We like to eat there once in a while (due to price). The taste was good for sure.
(4)
Tammie C.
We go to this restaurant a lot, one for it's convenience if you've been shopping like a mad woman...and two because the food is pretty good! However, do not go if you are already hungry and want to eat within the next 10-15 minutes. Because the wait alone is at least 20 minutes, and more if it's a weekend. I personally love the build your own pastas...it's quite a heaping of food and I always have left overs for the next day. Out of the many times we've eaten there, we only received bad service once...and that was from a waitress "Melia"....she was very talented at writing her name upside down with crayons...kudos for that....but she sucked @$$ at service. Melia if you happen to read this....Sorry to "out" you...but I was shocked at your zombie like attitude, the fact that you never came to check up on us after our food was slowly delivered, and the fact that we had to wait 10 minutes to find you to get our check. Instead of practicing on writing your name beautifully upside down, maybe you should practice a little more on your service. All in all, food is pretty good and moderately priced. The waiters singing Italian opera to birthday people are always entertaining.
(3)
John O.
Very crowded, at least when I went there... Food was just o-kay, and the portions were really big, not sure why? I ordered lasagna and it must of weighed like ten pounds. Not sure why people think bigger is better??? I ordered a martini that was too strong and took them like 40 minutes to deliver. So strong I had to add ice too it and still was bad. All in all, too much - too much!!! Will never come here again!
(2)
Erika R.
Last Saturday me and my auntie and three of my children went for lunch at Macaroni Grill. Our waiter was nice enough and we enjoyed bruschetta while we waited for our meal. We had ordered spinach salad with scallops, mushroom ravioli, and chicken scallopini along with the kids dishes. The server brought the kids food and we continued to snack on the bread and olive oil and our bruschetta. 50 minutes later the kids were getting tired, having finished their food ages ago, and our food still hadn't arrived. When we finally located our waiter he said he'd check on our order and put a rush on it. Ten minutes later he still hadn't returned and me and my auntie were done waiting. Tired and hungry we stood up to pay for what we had eaten when out came our waiter with our food! But it was too late after the one hour delay. We were ready to go. Luckily the general manager noticed what was going on and asked me what had happened. After hearing the story he comped all the food and gave it to us to go. They also gave us gift certificates and his business card and told us to call him before our next visit so he could make sure everything went smoothly. I gave one star because I love the food but everything else was terrible!!!
(1)
Jean P.
I've been here more than a few times and have never eaten anything that I wasn't satisfied with. The food is very tasty though it's very filling. Come hungry because the portions are large. The only downside is that it's pretty much always busy but I think the fact that it's busy is a testament to how good the food is.
(4)
Brian P.
No way, not going here again. Not unless someone else is offering to pay, and even then I'll only go if I can't get them to eat someplace else. I've given this place way too many chances and it always seems to disappoint. Although the bread is warm it does not taste good, filled with so many herbs it starts tasting like a spice rack. The pasta sauces are bland and you can tell that their lasagna comes from a freezer because the middle is still cold. And their pizzas taste weird. The sauce is too sweet and their cheese comes off all together like a sheet in one bite. Coming from Wisconsin where using good cheese on a pizza is a no-brainer, this is really unacceptable. I've given this place many many chances to redeem itself, tried something different each time, and it is just plain bad everytime. Sorry to be so negative but it had to be said.
(1)
Jesse W.
7/23/10: Last minute dinner, wife and I had a cooperative baby and decided to hang around Ala Moana mall to find a restaurant. We went up to the fourth level food court area and, frankly, weren't thrilled with all the dining options. Anyways, we've been to this chain restaurant - back in our ex-home in California, we went to the San Mateo location and this experience was very similar. I ordered their tomato leek soup which came out almost the opposite that I expected. It wasn't a creamy soup but rather almost a minestrone type soup with LOTS of lima beans. My entree was the blue cheese salad, very OK and mediocre, it was served with some iceberg lettuce that was a bit tired. Anyways, service was great, responsive and very helpful (they are very kid friendly).
(3)
Jeff S.
Got to love the bread!!!!!! The Ala Moana location has very fast service. They also have this opera-like singer that sings happy birthday to people. I could really do without it. Other than that it is your standard corporate italian restaurant so what could be bad?
(4)
Al V.
Wow this place has gone DOWNHILL,, #1 menu got smaller,#2 No such thing as bread az soon as you get seated(had to ask for it) , this place really looks GLOOMY now.. kind of BORING now days,, As for food not anything to go back for anymore, ANd I really liked this place , Service, staff , food were all good a year ago.. Needless to say I wont be going back here anytime soon, I have read the reviews on Yelp wihich were mostly negative, But figgured just check it out annyways,, And THE REVIEWS WERE RIGHT!! Daam this place neds NEW MANAGEMENT,, What Happened to the CLOTH NAPKINS,, Although our waiter Darrel tried his best,, FOOD JUST WASNT HAPPENING, Fact I didnt even eat half,, Its in my refridgerator now and dont think i will eat it. ,
(1)
Julia P.
the food was pretty good! i enjoy the pizza and almost ate it all and they appetizers was pretty good overall had great time !
(4)
Sara H.
this place is awesome! i'm fairly easy to please i suppose - the free bread is delicious and the crayons/paper table cloths are so fun! :) i could go on and on, blah blah about how the food is good, service is decent, yada yada but i think the best selling point is the HAPPY HOUR. $3 beer and wine and 1/2 off appetizers from like 5 to 7 PM DAILY. disclaimer though - they just changed the menu so i'm not positive on the happy hour deals. check it out!
(4)
Jenni S.
Love the lemon cello dessert! Sometimes we go there just for that.
(5)
Mindy K.
Just had to say, this meal was bad from the moment we stepped inside. It wasn't only the slightly pukey, smell of unwashed floors, the bad service, the messed up orders, or the unaccountably smoky and overly winy flavor of my mushroom ravioli, which I did eat, but which wasn't worth $15. It wasn't just that they put hot salami (which I know sounds vaguely pornographic but forutunately was not) rather than pepperoni on the kids' $5 pepperoni pizzas. The worst of it is I wasted the gift certificates that I could have used at Chili's. (Isn't that sad?) I won't be coming back.
(2)
Anjelika J.
ate here for lunch today... gross. my pasta was so salty, i had to down 2 cokes in 5 minutes. my food was inedible. i never cared for the flavor of the food here, but i have to say that the "quality" of the food has gone down. the bread is smaller, the glasses (i swear) are smaller. on the plus side, the servers are still nice! 2 stars for the servers.
(2)
Jana M.
So four days before we went for dinner I called in for a reservation. When we got there we were seated right in the entry area closest to the hostess podium under a large ac vent where my 3 year old daughter and her two year old friend shivered through dinner. Because of the ac vent our food got cold as soon as we got it. Service was awful, my friend asked for a children's water to which we never received. They also seem to be cutting back, our waiter only poured us olive oil for our bread and no balsamic vinegar, so we asked for some and he said "sure!" and again never returned with it. Dinner was at 6:30 and we didn't get out until 8:30, with two kids 3 and under it was too long for a "family" chain restaurant. Food wasn't too bad, I had the shrimp spiedini and it was yummy, mom had the pasta Milano and it was ok, my daughter had the grilled chicken with broccoli and that was what it was. This wasn't my first time going there but I've decided that this will now be my last.
(3)
Jeff I.
Every time I ask someone about this place, half of them say it was great, and the other half says that it was disappointing. Personal experience give me a middle of the road feeling. I had a chicken pesto pizza that was ok. I would have ordered pasta, but since I was paying, I had to keep the cost down. Oh yeah, and the tables are covered with paper and you are provided with crayons to go crazy with.
(4)
Danielle M.
Dined at this place a couple times, and i gotta say even though this place is always crowded, but is definitely worth the wait!! Recommend: Prosciutto e Arugula Pizza, Scallops & Spinach Salad, Mushroom Ravioli, Lobster Ravioli, Sausage Salentino, Grilled Pork Chop with mushroom risotto (the best)
(4)
Shirley Mina Y.
On my way to work yesterday, I remembered to redeem my free chocolate cake coupon, since it was about to expire. I had gotten it since I was on their email list. I only wish it wasn't for a chocolate dessert, since I haven't been able to eat any chocolate since August 2010. It was okay since I gave it away.
(5)
Yu T.
We came here because everywhere was so busy and long wait. We were seated right away, no wait. We were 3 of us. We all had bad meal. We felt so bad coming here. Our server was overly friendly. It wasn't comfortable. There was a piece of plastic in one of my dishes.
(1)
KT R.
Went here for dinner last night. Food was ok (kind of bland in my opinion, though the other people I was with didn't have any complaints) but I was honestly impressed with the service. Our waiter took our order by memory (always a risky thing to do) and forgot about the appetizer we ordered for the table. Since it was a little late in the meal to backtrack and bring it out, he gave us a free dessert (chocolate cake - probably the same one they use for birthdays :P) big enough to share instead. I was really surprised by this since it's a chain restaurant and we didn't give him a hard time or anything about having forgotten the app. Definitely made a good impression...
(3)
Norm G.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the food here. Being a chain restaurant, I thought "no way!" But, my wife and I were tired from shopping, so we walked in a bit after 5 pm. The waiter was funny and friendly, I had a nice glass of merlot, and the entree was flavorful. I'm glad we came early, because the line was out the door when we left the place. I will definitely come here again.
(4)
Rekinhsuf Z.
After being seated, did not even get water for nearly 20 minutes, at which point my wife and I took our hungry infant daughter to someplace where we could at least be served. Hostess and onlooking workers did not even apologize. Shame.
(1)
Linda K.
Enjoyed a late friday night dinner with my husband, his first time here. This was maybe my third time and I have to say, each dish was quite delish. The first time I ordered a chicken breast w/portabella mushroom dish (no longer on the menu). The second was a shrimp angel haired pasta and last night was the Rib eye steak, asparagus w/potato side. Our server was "Nelli", I was very pleased that she double checked that I requested my steak "medium well" instead of "medium rare". Rarely do waiters double check and end up bringing me the rare deal. This dish was very satisfying! My hubby ordered the same and thought this was the best steak dish; although, I had to remind him of the juicy melt in your mouth steaks from Ruths Chris. It's been years since we ate there though. Anyway, we shared the tiramisu, a winner for moi. Anyway, the cut potato made with tomato's was seasoned well with olive oil was the bomb. I enjoyed it more than the steak itself. Oh, and to mention, the calamari appetizer was perfecto! Two thumbs up to Chef Fred who just made our date night!
(4)
Stacey K.
what happened to this place??? I went here today and was sooo disappointed. the bread SUCKS now, it used to be so good I had to stop myself from eating over 1 table's serving.. I always got the chicken marsala with broccoli instead of noodles which was yummy but now it was pretty gross. really went down the poo hole. don't bother. go cpk instead or the food court would have even been better..
(1)
K. I. S.
Went with a group of 9 and were seated in the bar..... a good thing since there was a football game on that could be watched if you thought ahead to sit on THAT side of the table. Since we do not usually eat in bars, we were a little unaware of this upside. As for the food, there are some changes in the menu so what you see if not what you can get..... do menu changes occur so quickly that new menus can't be printed in time or ??? Anyway, it was very confusing for me to hear the waiter recite the "what we used to have but don't have anymore"--- why tell me about it if it isn't available? Anyway, to make a long story short, I took his advice and ended up with Lemon Chicken with Rigatoni and spinach in a cream sauce and my husband ordered the "double-thick pork chop with risotto" which is on the new but not yet printed menu. My husband's comment later was that the pork chop was nothing to write home about and my taste of the mushroom/green pea risotto was el dente (which is not as it should be). My lemon chicken with rigatoni had the thinnest cream sauce I have ever had.... it was more like "no-fat milk rather than cream" sauce. My strawberry Italian soda came in a tall VERY THIN glass with LOTS of ice and very little Italian soda for $3.50. Very $$$ considering the glass and ice. We had the artichoke dip as an appetizer and that was OK but not impressive either. I can make better stuff at home, I think. We passed on desserts which were pretty pricy and, after the meal, I could not be enticed to even share one with my husband to even get a taste of the tiramisu. Maybe we should eat at my house next time??? The best part of the meal was that we were there for the happy our so the other 8 people could get cheap drinks and SOME of the appetizers were half-price also. But for me, not so great food even at half-price is still not a good meal. I'd pass on this place unless I really wanted spaghetti and meat balls or something that I don't have high hopes for..... just basic pasta and bread. Big plus is all the free parking at Ala Moana Center :)
(3)
Happy M.
I've visted Macaroni Grill many times, and I've never had a bad dining experience yet. I prefer eating their bread with a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the olive oil dip. I like their calamari fritti, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and shrimp, pasta milano, grilled pork chops, and eggplant parmesean. Their twice baked lasagna with meatballs and lobster ravioli had a weird taste, and the sausage and pepper classico tasted better the day after. If it's your birthday, you get a free smothered chocolate cake (yummy!), and they sing to you in Italian.
(4)
Clintonn M.
ate hear after work on monday dec 5th, yes on a monday.. walked up to the hostess stand and was quoted a 25 minute wait... So that was okay, being that we were not the only walk-ins and they have reservations to tend too. but waiting 45 minutes to be seated with open tables available was very alarming.. then 10 minutes to get a drink order, which was only sodas and we ordered our entrees at the same time.. 40 f***ing minutes later our chicken marsala and chicken parmesan finally came out.. That is over 6 refills of soda later. by that time, so filled up on soda, that I didn't care to eat.. WONT GO BACK, Why pay for overpriced food if you will be let down...
(1)
Eric M.
Went @ 630pm but still had a 15 min wait for a table. Popular place combined with happy hour winding down. Food is decent and not too expensive. Service was good. Noise level high as this joint was jumpin when all tables filled.
(3)
Susan F.
It was my bf's grandma's birthday yesterday and his family wanted to take her to dinner at Macaroni Grill. I've eaten here once before, but wasn't impressed with what I ate. So prior to dinner, I went to their website to check out their menu so I would know what to order prior to going in. It seemed like most of their pasta dishes were chicken dishes (which I'm not a big chicken fan). So I decided to get the spinach and scallop salad... but of course when we sit down and open the menus the salad isn't on the menu. After sitting there staring at the menu thinking to myself, "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken". I decided to order the "create your own pasta". I wasn't too happy about this because I didn't care for the noodle selections : Spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or bowtie. I got the spaghetti with arrabbiata (spicy red sauce), with spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. When our food arrived, my pasta didn't have the roasted garlic in it, which in the end I was happy because the garlic that was in my bf's pasta tasted like it was moldy or spoiled (it was so bad that he removed them from his dish). Jeff, our server wasn't very attentive either, because I had to request several times for our water to be refilled and for bread. Overall, I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill, but it isn't terribly bad.
(3)
Keane L.
PISS-poor service. Waitress barely looked at us, as if she were afraid: when she wrote her name on the table, when she filled our drinks.. Not a single glance or comment. I blame the newness factor of this restaurant. When Chili's was first opened in Kapolei, the waiters sat around talking to each other. Time will improve this restaurant. Food was good, but a bit on the pricier side. I'm not fond of the view from that side. Looking into the mountains was always boring to me compared to looking out at the sea and sun. I would gladly go to a Macaroni Grill again (it beats Olive Garden in the category of faux-Italian), but I'll stick to the ones in California until this one "grows up..."
(2)
Dave T.
Went to celebrate our daughter's birthday. They had a "happy birthday" seat ready for her, which made her happy. Our server, Cat, was friendly and cordial. She explained the menu to us and answered our questions. Our food was delicious, with the right amount of seasoning (last visit a couple of years ago, I remembered that everything was on the salty side). Our daughter had her complimentary birthday cake and ice cream, but the highlight was having our server, Cat, sing happy birthday in Italian (she's an opera singer). Thank you for the wonderful evening.
(4)
Mari T.
just went here b/c i had a free dessert coupon. terrible service. dessert was skimpy, but pretty good. strawberries and cream w/ an almond biscotti. definitely wouldn't pay $7 for that tho. with the fat-filled dishes and short-tempered help, i don't think i'll be going back any time soon.
(2)
Winnie C L.
12 of us went to Macaroni Grill, we made a reservation for 10, but they are willing to accommodate to 12 of us. Don't get me wrong food was good (Okay, not super good), all food came out fast, but our waiter disappear most of her time, it seems like to me they are under staff, they were not able to handle big party and large volume. Every time we need something we have to wait for a while, we did not get immediate attention, no one came up ask how was the food. I think their service was terrible. We were there to celebrate our friend bday, they drop off the cake with an unlighted candle, not surprise at all to our friend AND we have to wait for over 20 minutes to have someone sang "Happy Birthday". I am sorry they really don't deserve 18% tips, but we did give them. And we will NEVER come back any more. There are many other restaurant better than this. It was an awful experience to celebrate bday. You got to wait.
(2)
Jo H.
i went there for the first time for a friend's birthday, and i'm never going back there again! we had a private room and our server was NOT attentive. the only time she actually came around was when she was waiting for us to pay. and the food was not good. i would definitely rather go to assaggios or something. i had the veal parmesan and the veal was soggy tasting and just odd. the marinara sauce was watery and weak tasting. then my friend and i got an order of the kids mac and cheese to share and it was awful. it wasn't creamy at all nor was it delicious and cheesy. it was just a messy clump. all in all, it was not a pleasant experience and i will not be back.
(1)
Jasen N.
came here for the happy hour. with half off appetizers, i was excited. we ordered the sampler, roasted vegetables, and crab stuffed mushrooms. the food was okay, nothing really special. calamari was kinda cold and wasn't crispy, big disappointment. they need more waiters on the lounge side as i had to wait a long time just to get a water refill. we got all that for $18 plus tip, not bad at all. btw, happy hour is only on the lounge side!
(3)
Gayle N.
A year or so ago, I would rate this place five stars. Now, not even this one is low enough. Their service has gone way downhill. Waithelp are uncaring, loud and obnoxious. I ordered a martini and got half a glass, told him that I wanted it filled up and he said that the bartender refused saying that I had ordered a "shot" (in a martini glass???). The food on the "new and improved" menu ... only one word describes it...horrific. I used to order the seafood linguine and this time got something that was warned to me that woud be spicy, just completely limp and tasteless. We wanted more cocktails but wait help no where to be found. I'm with Bucca D. Hit or miss! and lately, it's been MISS!!! What happened to you guys?????
(1)
Lynne W.
I hadn't been here for a while (a year) and so I was supremely disappointed in the food quality. It was noticeably different, like they had changed vendors or something. Really marginal food. Marginal Italian is the worst. I would skip this place until they raise their standards.
(2)
Jessie L.
So the first time I went to this place I was with my boyfriend and a friend on her birthday, and we were using some giftcards we got for xmas. We sat down and had fun playing with the crayons and paper table cloth. Our server was friendly and prompt, the prices were a little pricy so we each just ordered an entree. I ordered the chicken scaloppine. The dish was a decent sized portion, but tasted a little plain. After a few bites I was throughly disappointed at the lack of flavor. My boyfriend ordered some sort of a trio with pasta, lasagna, and a ravioli, after the waiter recommended it was huge and worth the extra price. When his came out, it definetly did not stand up to the exagerations the waiter made, and he was also not satisfied with the taste of the dish. All in all, the food and price was a two thumbs down, however they did give us a big piece of chocolate cake for my friends birthday and sang a solo tune at our table. That by far was the highlight of the meal, turned out our waiter could really bust a tune. The chocolate cake although a nice thought, had no icecream with it and was extremly chocolatety so after about one bite each became unbearable to finish. Now heres the kicker, remember how I said we were using giftcards? Well we get the bill, and the waiter took quite awhile getting back to us, so we used our two gift cards equaling thirty dollars and left the rest in cash and left. As we are getting into our car in the parking lot, all of a sudden out server comes running out of the restaurant yelling at us that we didnt pay our bill!!! He finally makes it across the lot to us, huffing and puffing saying we shorted him and need to pay up. We explain that part of the money was left in giftcards and the rest in cash including a tip! He continued to argue and made me go back into the restaurant. At this point I demanded a manager, who after hearing what happened and seeing what we left apologized for the server who apparently didnt even bother to check the giftcards balances. So UNPROFESSIONAL, never in all my years dining out and working in restaurants would anybody do such a thing without even making sure they were right or not first. Plus, due to the fiasco we ended up missing the movie we had planned for after dinner. To rectify it the manager offered us some giftcards and refused to just give back our money for the meal..! What good our the gift cards when we will never be coming back here again!!!
(1)
Dan R.
Since there are a ton of reviews, I'll keep this short and hopefully helpful. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. and stand around the whole time listening because they don't have the buzzers. No huge deal-if the food is good. The inside is pretty atmospheric, but we got seated in a section surrounded by kids, and it felt like a school lunchroom. Not a great date spot. But maybe you'll get lucky, we saw some booths that looked a lot more private. The waitress said she'd bring bread right away. We were starving after the 45 minute vigil. 15 minutes and 3 reminders from us later we finally got one small loaf to share between three (after other table seated after us). The food-we had the trio and a pasta with chicken and lemon cream sauce- were fine. Except the burned lasagna sucked. But super heavy on the butter and cream. So the first bites are great, but towards the end no one wanted to finish their food. The old saying :"put enough butter and cream in and anything tastes good" seems to be the motto. If you want a big ol' slug of cheese and butter, this place is for you. If you like a few more seasonings, and your arteries, keep looking.
(2)
Ro R.
i've been to the ala moana macaroni grill about four times now and they were all OK, but my last visit had to be the worst. we went there to have a nice little birthday dinner for our friend. and i remember they sing the 'birthday song' in italian. our party of four waited for over an hour to get seated. the hostess asked if we could be placed over to the far left side and i said 'fine', thinking that we'd be seated faster. but no, everyone else that came after us--parties of four or more--were seated before us. then we ordered a specific wine on the menu, they didn't have it. i ordered the ravioli, they didn't have that as well. of course that's not their fault, right? whatever. we ordered an appetizer, but our waiter seemed to have forgotten about it because our entrees came out. and those entrees took a while. we weren't happy. we did request for the birthday-ditty and we were done. i've been to the macaroni grills in the mainland and their service is faaar better than the service here. And for some reason, the food tastes better there than it does here too. i hope to never eat at the ala moana restaurant ever again!
(2)
Twotones W.
Comedian Ray Romano's macaroni grill.. Lets start off by saying if u "Lie" italian food or in the demographic reigon of Ala moana shopping center. You have to check this place out. Conviently hidden across the "Mai Tai Bar" with really hot waitresses! This place gets real busy around dinner time, waiting time is approximately 20-30 minotes... Once seated we noticed the table which we were seated at was kinda uncomfortable idk probably it was jus me "Hot date" wink wink. We ordered spagehtti/Chicken parmesan and a few heinekens to down the great tasting much fufilling food. Portions were more than i ever expected, Btw dig the kraoyla Krayons to graffiti the table cloth. Feel bad for the person doin the laundry whole lotta bleach!! Service was quite outstanding i should reckon. Every worker that passed our table would stop and ask if we needed anything wow.. I will definetly eat here again!
(3)
Christine C.
I was pleasantly surprised- great food and service! It wasn't like my first experience in Iowa, in the 90's. Much better here!
(4)
surprise m.
I just ate dinner here tonight and if you're an olive garden fan ( i am) then you'll appreciate this place. no bellini iced tea here but i did order the blackberry mint tea ( sweet already so no sugar added) and I liked it enough for a total of... 6 refills( yup free refills rock!) I really liked the kid friendly tables to doodle on because that kept us busy. waiter was attentive and our drinks were getting refilled so quickly it was impressive. kids food came out first ( phew! drama free visit). they ate the spaghetti w/meatballs and mac and cheese ( no complaints). we ordered the artichoke and shrimp dip (enjoyed it), grilled pork chops (2 huge tender chops served w/ risotto), mama's trio (hubby liked the chicken parmesan and lasagna only) and pasta milano ( if you're a rosemary fan you might enjoy this). we ended our feast w/the dessert dessert dessert.it was tiramisu (moist, enjoyed it), lemon passion (surprise! i liked this one), smothered choc. cake (really rich and topped w/warm syrup and nuts).dinner for a party of 5 was $110. we must've been there on a well staffed night and everyone left satisfied. we'll be back :)
(4)
alexis l.
I'm hoping that once the other restaurants that are under construction at ala moana are completed, it'll lessen the wait a little at this and other nearby restaurants. ala moana is a popular place for people to eat and could use quite a few more restaurants to make it more convenient. even though I'm used to macaroni grill from the mainland, i love coming to this particular site. we never wait for a table--instead we're addicted to eating our meals at the bar, where you can seat yourselves if there's space available and order from the regular menu. the bartenders are so friendly and enthusiastic, and will do their best to accomodate special requests. the food is unsurprisingly yummy for a casual everyday meal and the prices are very low for waikiki standards.
(5)
Brian L.
Another great meal. My grandma had the mushroom ravioli (you can get 4 or 6 raviolis) and I had the lobster ravioli (5 raviolis). They were both very tasty. I also had a side salad which was great. Our server was nice and the place is always very clean. $46 for three.
(4)
Javier C.
This place sucks, food sucks, drinks sucks too. Please dont waste your time or money. BTW My girlfriend went there and her purse was stolen while she went to the bathroom. (Ladies grab on to your purses and dont let them go). The staff was very rude too. Not sure why people are so obssessed with this nasty and tacky place.
(1)
DENNIS K.
As with all new restaurants it takes time to mature. Romano's Macaroni Grill is still in that stage. Besides that, I had the Seafood Scampi special when I was there. I'm a hard critic when it comes to seafood especially scallops. Well these were cooked perfectly. The wine we chose complimented the food. The salad was fresh and crisp and the balsamic vingar dressing was excellent. Give this restaurant more time, it will blossom into a culinary oasis among many restaurants there in Ala Moana Center. I like the pager beepers they give you to tell you that your table is ready.
(4)
Tim H.
This place sucks.... I mean sucks..... I went last night because friends from the outer island were here and wanted to treat us to dinner. They had a gift certificate. If they didn't have a gift certificate, I would have talked them out of it in a heart beat. I've been there twice before. The first time was OK. They had just opened. My wife and I had dinner at the bar. The bar tender guy was loud mouthed and talked too much. The food was OK. The second time was just bad. I ordered Mama's Trio and it came out still frozen in the center. It was a frozen mass with cold melted cheese on top. Last night I had veal. It was edible, but that's about it. It was soooo salty, and one of the pieces of veal was still raw. I don't understand why they serve undercooked/cold food. Not once did I ever have food come out of their kitchen that I had to blow on it to cool it off. Not once. any dish. never.They say be very careful, the plate is very hot. I think they take the raw food and put it on a hot plate and think it'll be cooked by the time it gets to your table. Don't waste your money. Go to Assagio's or Auntie Pasto's. Or Bacci in Kailua. That is the best Italian on Oahu.
(1)
Michael B.
We went to celebrate a birthday and it turned into a nightmare. We had a 6:30 reservation and the food did not arrive until 8 pm. Had we not had guests, we would have walked out. We repeatedly questioned where our food was and why the tables around us, who arrived after us, had already been served and were leaving. I finally spoke with the manager and he was very professional. He offered free deserts and I told him nothing short of comping the entire meal would be acceptable. The meal arrived and we ate a few bites. The meals were salty and cold. What happened in the kitchen, I do not know. As we were leaving, the manager again apologized, as all the staff had done. He offered us coupons to return but I will never. They did waive the entire bill other than $6, what that was for I have no idea and it was worth it to be able to leave. My only regret is that the staff who were not responsible did not get any pay. It was awful, it ruined what should have been a celebration. I encourage you to dine anywhere but here. This seems to be a trend based on the review before mine. Unfortunately I had not read it.
(1)
Bethanie C.
not bad :-)
(4)
Jo Ann V.
Lucky number 13 of us agreed to meet there for lunch last Sunday without making reservations and much to our delight, the staff was very accomodating. Our short wait was due to the 4 or 5 tables that needed to be positioned for all of us to fit (and expand). Maybe we got there at a good time--11:30AM, because when we left two hours later, there were many clusters of hungry looking folks surrounding the entrance. On the previous 2 or 3 visits to this place, it was just hubby and me and we were happy with the pasta, chianti and overall Tuscan ambience. I love the crispy white paper draped over the tables and the accompanying crayons for the kids (right!). I also love the "How to Speak Italian" tape that entertains the restroom patrons. This recent visit was different but still satisfying, mainly due to our attentive waiter and the speed of getting our food. I ordered the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab in a tomato-cheese sauce, soooo good! Hubby ordered his usual seafood pasta which unfortunately arrived in a white sauce instead of the tomato sauce that he wanted, but our trusty waiter brought it back to the kitchen pronto and returned with the corrected meal in less than 5 minutes. Yes, the servings are humongous and we all took leftovers home. The one thing I found lacking was the absence of the roaming singing hostess--there were 2 of them when we last ate here. I found her charming and she was opera-quality good. Maybe she has Sundays off.
(4)
C K.
it's a crowded resturant and the food is ok. Service was great. I like the tomato cream sauce. it wasn't over powering.
(3)
J R.
ive had really good and really bad here. not sure why so inconsistent.
(3)
Anna K.
I haven't been to the Macaroni Grill in years.. so why did I stop by? My best friend got me a gift card for my birthday and told me to take my bf out to dinner. Instead of dinner, I took him there for happy hour. (Happy hour is from 4-6? in the lounge area.) We went there yesterday after work and were happy to see the lounge area 1/4 full and as a result, we found a table easily. For happy hour, there's 4 dollar drafts (Stella, Peroni, and Heineken), some tapas, and $7 dollar pizza. My bf LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES pizza. Honestly, his cute cuddly self is probably comprised of beer, dough, cheese, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and pepperoni. With pizza on the menu, my bf and I ordered the Italian sausage pizza and several beers. The pizza was super delish and my bf agreed. Since I have $30 bucks left on my gift card, my bf wants to go back and order not one but two pizzas... probably to eat one by himself. UGHHHHHHHHHHH how do I control my little pizza monster?!.. Definitely by not having a gift card to Macaroni Grill.
(4)
Dustin V.
Happy hours 3 to 6 pm daily with half off draft beers, house wines, and select pizza. BUT, the beer selection is limited to a few lagers (not a fan). If they would upgrade their beer, I would rate them higher. The fourth star is for the food and staff, not the beer selection.
(4)
Thomas O.
For a chain restaurant (owned by same company as chili's) this place does pretty good. Ma famille arrived at the restaurant at around 11/1130 on Sunday and this place was EMPTY but that usually means one thing: EXCELLENT SERVICE. As you can see, it wasn't 5-star-status but it was pretty good. Our server, John, was gracious enough to let us know that they were releasing new pizzas on their menu within the coming weeks...go John! (Papa John?? no.) Anways, as soon as we got to our table we got some bread. Now this isn't normal table bread...well maybe it is, but they do one thing a lot of eyetalian restaurants don't do: EVOO and Cracked Pepper. QT: Ask for Balsamic Vinegar because they do have them bottles hiding (IDK why, I doubt they use $500/mL BV). Back to the bread, it's crusty, warm (most of the time), bread-y, and darn good with the vinaigrette. Entrees: I ordered the Mama's Trio which consists of A Parmesan Chicken breast, a stack of Lasagna, and roll of Chicken Cannelloni (i think). This is seriously a lot of food for one sitting so I naturally took the Lasagna home. The PC was crispy on the outside with melted cheese on top and moist on the inside..perfecto! The CC wasn't memorable but it didn't taste bad. However, when I cooked the Lasagna at home in my oven, wow that thing was good. It was filling too for such a compact piece. My sister ordered a Pepperoni Pizza which is always cooked to perfection. I think they have a wood burning oven, but I am not completely sure. My mom ordered her regular Chicken Marsala which was strikingly infiltrated with garlic cloves. It looked pretty good and she ate most of it so it must've been delicious. My dad ordered the Chicken Spedini (SP?)..It was served with roasted vegetables and HAD to be the most healthiest thing on the table besides our water glasses. Overall the experience was not Italian but what do you expect? (They do have some good singers though!)
(4)
John K.
I came here because I received a gift card from a close friend. I read the reviews and it was mostly bad but I needed to use the gift card. Although it took us 50 minutes which I think it could have been prevented only if they would stop calling out reservations for people who clearly weren't coming and give that spot to people that were currently waiting. But I understand, and they did tell us that the wait is 45 minutes. Whatever... Service was pretty good. our waiter was really kind and helpful. He wrote his name backwards with the crayon they had and the specials of the night also which was really cool. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms for starters and I was shocked at how small they were. I couldn't believe they charged us almost 12 bucks for tiny little mushrooms. It was really good though but small and definitely not worth the amount I paid. The entrees were rather good. I really like my pasta and so did my friends. We all got the blackberry iced tea which wasn't the best honestly. This place is pretty overrated. I wouldn't come back here due to the high prices and not so happy portions. Only way I would come back is if I had a gift card. Final say... Eat somewhere else!
(2)
Brent K.
Nothing special. Middle of the road kind of place. Food is ok. Service is ok. Nothing exciting here. I would rather spend a little more and get a great meal at Assagio's. Right down stairs.
(3)
Hollie-Anne T.
I've been to Macaroni Grill couple of times before, and i've loved it. Took my husband here for the first time and he enjoyed the food. We decided to go a second time last week, but it was hella crappy. I had the flatbread pizza since they didn't have the pasta i ordered the last time. OMG that flatbread was BURNT.... i started eating it and i was wondering why it had no taste to it. It was bland and all i could taste was burnt bread. I looked on the bottom of my flatbread and realized that the whole thing was burnt. My husband had the martini and kept complaining that it was dry. He also had the steak and didn't finish it since that was also lacking. My husband and I are food lovers we eat till we are content. But when i feel like going to mcdonalds to eat or yogurtland that means that the food was DUH-GUS-TING. Never coming back until they change their food.
(2)
Jamie R.
We had a great time. They took great care of us and the kids. The food was perfect. Great flavor and fast. Drinks were even better. Lots of left overs. We ordered too much.
(5)
Michelle S.
My husband and I decided to eat here because we were craving Italian food one night and tried to hit up Asaggios which was closed. Glad it was closed! Some highlights of this restaurant: The service is amazing!!!! The Chianti that I ordered with my shrimp alfredo was in a traditional glass, not a fancy wine glass. Loved that! The bread that they serve before your entree was fresh baked, warm and came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper to dip it in. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms for appetizers and they were delicious with spicy Italian sausage and cheese. I also had the caesar which did not disappoint! Now my husband is Italian so I am spoiled when it comes to alfredo sauce since I get to have it made from scratch, but this place really impressed me with their sauce! We will definately be back!!!
(5)
Claudia M.
I came here for my friend's birthday dinner for a party of about 20 people. They seated us down with our reservations and the waiter was nice towards us. He got our orders once all of our party was present. We told him that some of us wanted separate checks but apparently he forgot at the end....it took him 30 mins to split the checks for our party...horrible service, they were friendly but that doesnt cut it. The food was so so, nothing special. I just had the chicken pasta. Won't come here again.
(2)
Andrew S.
Amazing service and delicious food
(5)
Rob D.
Went to Macaroni Grill and had a new dish, Island Fresh Catch; it was Ahi tonight and it was very delicious. I have been here many times and this was by far the best meal that I have had there thus far. Very surprised. It was quite crowded and the restaurant was humming.
(5)
LaVonne V.
It is 5:45pm and I called to make a reservation for 7 people at 7pm. The person on the line asked if 8pm would work. "No", I said. "8pm will be too late. Do you not have a table available at 7?" "Yes, we do, but our policy requires a 2-hour advance." OK, how dumb is that?!?
(1)
Darrell D.
Typical corporate food chain. I hated coming here in such a great food area of honolulu. But we didn't want to risk another local bad exp. Good service. Friendly staff. Nice for kids. Accommodates for families. Food is corporate...blah.
(3)
Chad Y.
Now I have been to a few Romano's around the country and I have to say I was sorely disappointed with this particular location. I know, Italian food purists will tell you its not "authentic" but let's face facts...I am going to a chain restaurant for dinner. I am not exactly expecting authentic, but rather a good meal. Now onto the Ala Moana location, stopped by for lunch and while they offer a good selection, the food arrived cold. While I appreciate an ice-cold salad, cold pizza and pasta? Not exactly the best if you ask me... The service was lackluster...our server was ok but didn't pay much attention to her section. Another server and her were fighting over our table within earshot, which started things off on the wrong foot. They came by a few times but were slow to refill water and were not very attentive and seemed pretentious. Not a bad place to go...but at the same time, not what I have come to expect from Romano's
(3)
Cody Z.
ate here at 6pm June 20, 2012 I sat at the bar beneath the giant TV they have these giant size bar seats with comfortble square cushions lots of seat space to move around I ordered an iced tea with no lemon Iced tea came with lemon took it out Iced tea tasted good bartender gave me the menu alot smaller than I remember I ordered shrimp fettucine alfredo noticed alot of people had bread thought it came automatically turns out you have ask for it that's okay no bread my pasta arrived good portion, excellent succulent good size shrimp pasta was tasty but missing something It dawned on me SALT added salt, then wham, suddenly everything tasted better ate the whole thing I left happy
(3)
Jas L.
Five-ish years ago, I used to come here a lot with my friends, and it was a decent experience every time. Within these past few years, I've noticed the quality of service has declined. For example, several weeks ago, I went to Mac Grill for my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant dinner for him. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there even though there were hardly any tables to wait on. She treated us like we were a couple of teenagers who wouldn't give her tip. The only time she was truly nice is when she gave us our bill. There are some waiters/hosts (the guy waiters) that are very polite. In my opinion, they should be the main waiters! The entrees have great taste, but it isn't the best--it isn't worth the money. The appetizers are definitely not worth the money either. For the amount you pay, you get half of what you would expect.
(2)
Faye M.
The food here is deeeeelish! I always have a good time here, it's really relaxed and spacious. The best part is when you go to the bathroom! LOL First, they have Rosetta Stone for Italian on (IDK what brand it really is!) and second, when you leave the women's bathroom, it says "Gentlemen", or maybe it's the Italian word for "Men", but it totally makes you do a double take when you're leaving! The second best part is when you're there for a special occasion like a birthday - if one of the singing servers are there, they'll sing a few lines from an Italian Opera and totally make your meal even more special!
(3)
Dan L.
Stopped here for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago mid week after work. Place is convenient for parking or shoppers at Ala Moana. We were promptly seated and had forgot about the crayons for drawing on the tables ( great way to keep Kids entertained) love it. We ordered simple dishes spaghetti w/meat sauce but were surprised to the lack of flavor Salt? garlic? fresh spices? didn't taste like they were used. :( On the up side and saving grace the waiter was spot on attentive friendly but not standing over our shoulder. This may have been a new cook or just overlooked that day so willing to come back.
(3)
Janice H.
HOW TO GET 10% OFF OF YOUR BILL 1) "Like" their Facebook page here: facebook.com/MacaroniGri… (search for "Romano's Macaroni Grill Hawaii") 2) Do a Facebook check-in to the restaurant from your account 3) Show to server before requesting your bill 4) Sum exclusions apply (see photo below) Otherwise, it's mediocre, chain restaurant Italian food. I've dined here several times since it opened and my experiences have ranged to complete crap (mushroom risotto came out cold and hard like 3-day-old white rice left in the rice pot) to mediocre (oven was broken, so no bread was available; made a simple request for more toppings for a fries pupu and chef told the server they'd charge me for it). REVIEW #242
(3)
Victoria A.
Imagine you're shopping, tired, hungry and just really need to chill at a nice place where you can hang your feet for a bit and to eat something semi-decent and non-fast food. This isn't such a bad place. The wait time at peak hours for lunch and dinner may be a little long. Go at non-peak hours if you must. Food is just ok - nothing spectacular to write columns about. Sad to say, the whole experience was just ok, not terrible but not spectacularly outstanding either. I ordered the lobster ravioli and our waiter delivers mushroom ravioli. I could've fussed but we had already waited long enough to be seated and a little bit more to get our food. I didn't mind the mushroom but I had my heart set on lobster - hunger is hunger and this was food. My cousin had the roasted chicken dish and my daughter had the penne. Both were decent but again, nothing so notably spectacular. It was just ok. But then again, how much can we expect from a chain restaurant? It might as well have been Chilis or Ruby Tuesdays. The ambiance is another thing this place has got going for itself. It's cozy and lit just right - almost comforting. Speaking of comfort, the booth I sat in had cracked bench covering which made it quite irritating to have my thigh pinched every time I moved. Easily resolved, I put a napkin under my leg. Meh...I was too tired to fuss and I really didn't want to wait until another table opened up. In my opinion, the best thing about this place is their wine and their paper covered tables with available crayons. Both very therapeutic in nature and both served me well to help heal me of my retail therapy. The wait staff is talented as well, I mean do you realize how difficult it is to write your name upside down with two colored crayons? Talent is hard to come by nowadays and to be able to be skilled with food service skills and art - it's a win-win for the customers.
(3)
Sabrina B.
Was greeted right away by the hostess, didn't wait more than 1 min (it was around 3pm) for a seat to be ready, our server always followed up to see how we are doing, food was great! Left happy!
(5)
Breanna M.
Good service, not so good food. I was disappointed with the Alfredo I ordered. How can you make bland Alfredo at a Italian restaurant? We had to return the calamari we ordered because it tasted like breaded rubber. Very disappointed with this location. Definitely won't be going back.
(2)
Patrick B.
Food good wait staff excellent Bread tastes like medicine UGH check in at front desk rude waiter Matt superb Aloha Nui loa from the fairest islands ever nestled upon our planet earth.
(3)
Liesyl M.
Great Italian food!! :) This is my third time here and we came to celebrate my birthday!! The restaurant is located in Ala Moana Shopping center so parking shouldn't be a problem. The decor is very Italian like. When you are seated there are crayons for you to draw on the paper table! :) It's fun for everyone. If you plan on having a party of more than 4, make sure to call in advance to reserve a table as you may have to wait awhile if you don't reserve in advance. We had a party of 11 so making a reservation was a must. They seated us comfortably and right on time. Their complimentary bread is fresh and tastes great. It's a bit hard to cut through but the taste is delicious. It has a rosemary taste and dipping it in the olive oil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar makes it even better!! For our entrees we ordered the Eggplant Parmesan with a Caesar Salad and the Lobster Ravioli with a Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Caesar Salad wasn't too dressed which made the salad a little tasteless, if you decide to get it you should ask for more dressing with it. The Eggplant Parmesan was delicious and I would definitely get it again. The Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad was interesting but delicious!! It has pickled red onions, walnuts, and buttermilk dressing!! This salad is definitely a must try!! As for the Lobster Ravioli, I was surprised of the size as it wasn't that big. My bf ordered it and did not fill him up. So be aware that you may wanna get some appetizers or eat a lot of bread if you decide to order it. It tasted great but not fulfilling. If you plan on coming for your birthday, they give a free birthday chocolate cake. I was expecting the singer of the restaurant to sing to me but they said that she already left. So I was bummed. But glad that my friends sang for me. :) As for the service, it wasn't that great. Our server was nice and all as he was able to split our check five ways. There were times when we needed water refills but didn't get it right away. It also seemed that he took long to get to our table to take orders and see if we needed anything else. One of my friends ordered a drink but never got it and the server remembered when were already done eating. Overall, we would definitely come back for the bread, the fun of drawing on the table, and the Italian food. :)
(4)
Wendy S.
Executive Chef Nawai Kekoolani and his crew fire up awesome dishes! Everthing is great from appetizers to salads, entrees and dessert. Service is fantastic!
(5)
Po'u L.
4 stars for the food, 5 stars for the server TAYLOR. She was really attentive and polite, I was thoroughly impressed by the way she could write her name upside down. I tried to do it... Not so easy. Lobster ravioli was the best ravioli I ever ate.
(5)
Angelo A.
Convenient . . . check Ample parking . . . check Good for big parties . . . check Americanized, chain restaurant, Italian food . . . check
(3)
Hayley K.
This last visit was around my fourth time dining here, but it's been years since I've been here. I must say my opinion on this place has changed dramatically. I mean they have always had a great staff, but I guess I was never really into Italian food. After five years my taste buds must be changing because I LOVE the food. Anyway, my bf and I came on Sunday to watch the USA vs Portugal game and we sat at the bar. We had the most AMAZING lady help us and gosh I would go back just to see her again! She was real pleasant and very personable. I could tell everyone there loved her. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, I had the Margherita flat bread, and bf had the mushroom ravioli and beer. All superb dishes that you should try! Our bill came out to $50 and luckily I had a gift card from many years ago for $25.
(5)
Kayla B.
Food was awesome I had the wild mushroom and goat cheese flat bread not a big fan of goat cheese but it was good... Super amazed by our server TAYLOR very sweet super attentive and all around happy person you can tell she loves her job.... Can't wait to come back and most definitely asking for her section :)
(5)
Mrs. Yogurdisher A.
We arrived after the lunch rush, around 2pm, and was told by the hostess that our wait would be 5 - 10 mins. I noticed that there were empty tables but shrugged it off as not enough wait-help since it was off peak hours. Our server, Josie, very energetic and enthusiastic, took a crayon and wrote her name on the paper tablecloth. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested two entrees that we were very happy with. She served their loaf of bread and proceeded to pour a generous amount of EVOO onto a small plate. There was no balsamic vinegar on the table so I asked for some. I rated this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because although the food was excellent and prices good, their portions are a tad on the small size (compared to Assagios regular portions). I would visit this establishment again.
(4)
Corinne E.
Really enjoyed my meal here. Love the bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar! I had the chicken marsala! So delicious! I am strange, but I loved their water bottles! Got a free dessert with my Hawaii Perks card. Whooo hooo! Good sized tiramisu. Enjoyed the waiters enthusiastically singing "Happy Birthday" to a table nearby. Fun place to dine.
(4)
Leigh A.
PRICE: $$ AMBIANCE: casual, dim lighting MEALS: good (Parmesan Chicken Caesar Salad & Penne Rustica) SERVICE: friendly
(4)
Napua K.
Last time there 4 yrs ago. Due to Kamehameha Day holiday, lunch specials not available, wat a big disappointment. I really wanted the pork sandwich, & ended up w/chicken Parmesan which was fine. I do want to commend Chase for his excellent service.
(3)
Chris L.
I can happily give Romano's 5 stars on Yelp! after our 4 or 5 visits there. Romano's is a pretty nice place atmosphere wise, clean and organised. The restaurant only failed the dust check near the front entrance which is understandable due to the fact that when the doors open the wind comes in with you. The wait staff here are very professional, we've enjoyed talking to our server every trip we made, they talk story and do that cool upside down name thing. Food now, the food is great, at least what we have tried. My group tried to order one of each food but we were down two crew members this night. Flat Bread Pizza: Great, we got the Pizza Margarita, the crust was crunchy and the pizza was cheesy and tasted delightful. Mac and Cheese Balls: This is an appetizer, we don't usually mention appetizers on our reviews but I felt I should mention this one. . .the sauce that comes with it is nice and thick, flavorful. The Mac and cheese balls themselves are out of this world good. Mama's Trio: It's not healthy to try and eat all of this in one sitting. . .but try and stop me from doing so. . .5 star dish for sure. Chicken Parmigiana: Breading is great and the sauce is seasoned, no complaints here. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: Chicken was moist, correctly cooked and the Alfredo sauce was among some of the best I've had locally, Pasta was great as well. In House Wine: Its really good if you like a dry wine. Water: Water? WATER!? Why are you reviewing the WATER!?. . .because they do something to it that makes it amazing. . .I don't know what it is but the water is so pure, its like. . .God Water. . .the water of nature . . . Bathroom Test: Passed with flying colors, there was some water on the floor but the floor isn't a super slick surface so its fine. This has been Chris L. In my first review for the 808 Review Crew on Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)
Waiza D.
Our first time coming here ! The wait is not that long which is good, definitely 5 stars! The food was delish !!
(5)
Ariel A.
Went to dine at Macaroni grill and it clearly didnt look busy but we still had to wait for 20 minutes as workers were still arriving for their 5:00 shift im guessing. The happy hour is only for those that sit in the bar section (bummers). Pasta dishes are Ok, a little on the pricy side. The bread is delicious and I like the fact that they ask if you want more bread before running out. We had a great server that was very attentive. Great for the kids since they are kept busy with the crayons provided. My favorite is the mushroom ravioli!
(3)
Miss L.
It's like roulette here, sometimes it's awesome and sometimes it's so horrible I don't know why I keep coming back! The last time I came they weren't serving the lunch menu because they ran out of a lot of items. Thank goodness they are serving it today! The food for the most part is delicious all around but the service is what is a gamble.
(4)
Mona C.
Went into Romano's today with a hungry family who was appreciative for no wait time. The kids ordered their usuals (spaghetti and meat balls with meat sauce/mac n cheese, $1 gelato afterwards) so they're always happy. The adults opted to try something different... 2 for $13 tapas menu (mac & cheese bites and artichoke hearts) - I was disappointed and immediately regretted not ordering our usual calamari. Before I forget.. the house bread. The bread is always good (hot n fresh) and served up with pepper and olive oil for dipping. We ordered the Mama's Trio as our entree (to share, upon recommendation by another *yelper), and added a caesar salad. The salad was good, wish it had been larger. Mama's Trio is lasagna, canolli and chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta. The hubby devoured the chicken parm so im sure it was up to par. The canolli was not bad, but the lasagna tasted a little off. Service was great, Taylor took great care of us, but another waitress clipped me twice on the shoulder as she passed my seat. I'm not big, and my seat was not sticking out in the aisle. Since Romano's is in the mall, is convenient to stop at, and the kids love the food, I'm sure we'll be back, but will stick to our usual choices and request a booth.
(3)
Rachael O.
This is by far my favorite of the big Italian chain restaurants. My first visit to this location was on July 4, 2013. I was hot and tired from navigating the crush of folks gathered at Ala Moana. I opted for one of their lighter dishes that I've eaten at the Chicago airport location a few times--grilled chicken with a modest portion of angel hair pasta and a light tomato sauce. It always hits the spot, staying with me, but not causing "carb coma." Only this time the chicken was simply inedible. To make sure it was not my imagination, I asked my daughter to taste a bite and she spit hers out, as well. Whether it was burned or a bad piece of chicken to start, I sent it back (and I never send food back, trust me). The server, the manager, and even the chef could not have been nicer in fixing the problem, so it turned the situation around completely. Fast forward to a friend's recent visit and we went back, at his request. I was so ecstatic to see that the chicken Florentine salad is back on the menu! Imagine grilled chicken, shaved parmesan, baby spinach, olives, capers, onions, and purple cabbage tossed with a fresh, tangy lemon and olive oil dressing. Divine! The only downside was the stuffed mushrooms which did not spend enough time in the broiler, so their filling was a little cool (didn't stop my friend from crushing them, though). We split the lemon dessert which was heaven on a plate. I think we each ended up with bruised knuckles, trying to get a fair share of the dessert. It's a layer of lemon cake, soaked in some delicious syrup and topped with a tart and sweet lemon mousse. Don't mess around with the other desserts. Get this one! The ambience is warmer and more sophisticated than Olive Garden or Carraba's. And they have some lunch duos ($11) and trios ($13) that let you choose your own combo of soup, half-sandwich, salad, or pasta, from a limited menu of favorites. It's a good value for Waikiki. Would I fight traffic in town to get here? Probably not. Would I stop by if I'm already in town? Definitely!
(4)
Brian M.
Our server Matt was excellent for service. The food is always great. Looking forward to coming back.
(5)
Charmaine N.
This is my third visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill. I can't remember much of the first or second time, except that the food was pretty delicious. On this recent visit, we were seated within 5 minutes. Our waiter gave us water right away and didn't rush us to order. He brought us some bread to start. To be honest, RMG doesn't have the best bread. In the end, the bf ordered the Chicken Marsala and a glass of Pinot Grigio and I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine and a glass of Moscato. We didn't have to wait long for our food to come out but my Moscato did take a bit longer. Our waiter seemed to be pretty busy but I didn't mind..I wasn't in any rush. The Chicken Scaloppine was delicious! It has mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, capers and a pieces of chicken breast in a buttery, lemon, white wine sauce. I'm not much of an artichoke fan so I gave them to my bf. He also seemed to enjoy his meal. For desert, we ordered a Biscotti Toddy and a Cafe Romano. It was like a...alcoholic splash to your morning coffee. Warm, chocolatey and sweet with a kick of Baileys. I would recommend these to anyone 21+.
(3)
Brittaney T.
Food: very tasty. I could taste the flavor in every thing we tried. However, at the prices I expected the plate sizes to be larger. Maybe it's because I'm used to Cheesecake Factory charging a high price for a large portion. I felt like this place could have increase their portions, especially the appetizers. The bread wasn't over the top great. It was very average. Service: very friendly and energetic. Our server was Peter. He was an extraordinary server and I would love to come back if he was our server again. Wait Time: it was about 25 minutes on a Sunday night. We waited a little longer for a booth. Ambience: appropriately lit. Not too loud. I could hear the dishes clanking though. It's very casual inside. I would come back.
(4)
Reina L.
We always enjoy coming here. Tonight we sat in a section we never sat in before...talk about a tight fit. No pomodorino soup for Jake, he was disappointed since this wasn't the first time we came here and they were out. Kawika was great and kept our drinks filled. I got bread to take home with our left over meals, since we had so much food.
(4)
Dirty V.
We like to go here for lunch. I get the mushroom ravioli, bib and blue salad with Mac and cheese bites appetizer. Peach ice tea is a must.
(4)
Gemma R.
Cam and I joined Monica H. (and family) for lunch yesterday to celebrate new business ventures. They tried getting reservations at Mariposa but with a 2.5 hour wait, we opted for Macaroni Grill instead. I was surprised we were able to get seated right away, (6 adults, 1 tween and 2 babies). Just a note to anyone with a baby, they do not allow strollers into the restaurant - instead, they allow you to leave it at the front receptionist stand (kind of like Disneyland). We were able to keep ours because Logan passed out and there was no way we were taking him out of that seat. Our server was Jesse and we honestly couldn't have asked for a better server. He was very quick to grab us extra utensils, cups, etc. We ordered a large house wine (if you don't finish it, you can take it home) and pretty much all of the tapas (appetizers.) I really liked their fried macaroni and cheese balls and the artichoke dip. I wish they put more crostini's with their artichoke dip but since they offer free bread, there's no point in asking for more of the toasted bread. We also ordered a warm and cold salad and a sausage pizza. I probably wouldn't order the pizza again because I'm not a fan of thin crust. We also ordered three desserts - lemon cake, chocolate and the tiramisu. Everyone seemed to love the tiramisu and I have to agree, I liked it the best too. Now, the reasoning behind the five stars. While we were waiting for our dessert, Jesse took it upon himself to sing us a beautiful Italian aria. How amazing is that? Cam made the joke that even if sang random words in Italian it wouldn't have mattered because he did such a great job! Jesse, you are awesome and I hope Macaroni Grill takes care of you! Thanks for the wonderful lunch.
Okay - we went to Macaroni Grill for a birthday party on March 23, 2014. We had a party of 9. I have to say after reading a lot of bad reviews on Yelp - the experience was quite the opposite. Our waiter was Jeff - fantastic from beginning to end. The Food - pretty good too - from the apps to dessert. Best entree on the menu - get the Pork Chops. Waiter Jeff - keep up the great work! Macaroni Grill - hang in there - a lot of reviews say the words. " I really wanted to like this place.....BUT". A lot of restaurants fall apart by living on their past reps - don't be one of them.
(5)
Jenn S.
After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, the family eats together at a restaurant. Today, I got to choose. And I chose Romano's Macaroni Grill. I recommend Mama's Trio, chicken alfredo and some greens. Love the bread with black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Our server, Jerry, was awesome. He was reading our minds. Mahalo Jerry!
(5)
Chantelle K.
I came here as birthday dinner. Never been here before but my friend had. We arrived around 6:30pm. We waited about 5 mins and were seated. Our waiter Kevin, was lovely. He was very polite and efficient. The food itself took a while to get to us. We order a caesar salad which was delicious and I got the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It could've had more chicken but overall it was really tasty. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with that dish. They gave us some garlic bread as well. Which was also delicious. You're able to write on the tables since they cover it with paper and supply crayons. I loved that personal touch. Since it was my birthday, I receive a complementary chocolate cake. It was very rich and VERY chocolately. A little too much for my liking but still very good. They give you the option of singing or no singing which I also liked because I hate being sang Happy Birthday in restaurants. I would come back here. The service is divine and so is the food. I gave four stars because I felt that, although very delicious, the food wasn't outstanding. Maybe it was because I ordered something so basic. But overall, everything was great!
(4)
Sharon N.
Felt pretty skeptic when my boyfriend and I came here for dinner because of all the reviews saying that the service was terrible but I guess we came on a good night! We came in a little after 5 PM and we only had to wait five minutes to get seated. Ian was our server and to our surprise, he was really nice and the total opposite of all the Yelp reviews about crappy service so that was a definite plus! Boyfriend and I decided to share entrees so we ended ordering: 1. Mac & cheese bites w/ Alfredo dip 2. Zucchini frittis (?) 3. Chicken Parmesan 4. Pasta Rustica Everything was SOOOO delicious and Ian always came by our table to make sure that we had everything we needed! What a nice guy. :) My boyfriend and I couldn't even finish our pastas so we had to box it up & take it home. With this wonderful experience and DELICIOUS food, we're definitely gonna come back & try new things!
(5)
Kim S.
Yes, this is a time when I wish there were zero stars to give. The last visit may be the final. Snarky service from a blondie who treated & spoke to us with a patronizing & fake attitude. We wanted to smack her. Desserts appear the same on the menu but have turned cheap - not the price, the ingredients & preparation. According to blondie this changed a few months ago but she neglected to tell us while we ordered. My go to Homemade Chocolate Cake was so disgusting I took 1 bite & stopped. It tasted like those cheap no name box mixes where only water is added - the kind you make as a little kid for an easy bake oven. It was probably a week old too. The "warm ganache" was watered down cheap chocolate syrup & not warm. Absolutely no chocolate toffee pieces as stated on the menu. Ghirardelli® Chocolate should sue them for defaming their name because I doubt any was used in this cake & if it was the flavor was completely mangled. Blondie saw & was told I didn't like it but didn't offer to replace or remove the offensive dessert. I didn't want to make a scene & ask for the manager to remove the dessert from the bill because we had out of town guests. Plus, I figured it would be free because I had a coupon provided directly from this location for a free dessert. Well, the coupon was refused (supposedly by the manager) so I had to pay $10 for 1 bite of cake I wanted to spit out.
(1)
Marni T.
My boyfriend and I came here twice together, first time we ate here his friend told us what to get. Btw don't ever listen to your boyfriend's friends, they are always wrong always! I took his advice and ordered chicken on or under a brick? Not sure, but it was awful. The dipping sauce they had was totally inedible. My boyfriend liked what he got, but its hard to disappoint him. The waiter was nice, HE also knew my boyfriend so he "hooked" us up with what he thought was good. The second time we came here was because we had a gift card and thought we might as well use it and have a cheap date night. Well our server was awesome, very helpful. We ordered and got our food in a timely matter. I ordered ravioli which was a lot better than what I ordered the last time. The bread with the olive oil is always "on point". Well service here is great, workers are nice and helpful. Food is okay, I've had better. I would only come back if I didn't have to pay.
(3)
Michael C.
Who wants to go to a UYE??!! Me, me! (raises hand). Thank you to John F. who single-handedly organized a UYE during happy hour. I myself had never been to HH at Macaroni Grill before, and so I was looking forward to trying new food and meeting new people. The event was scheduled for 500-700pm, though their happy hour normally finishes at 6pm. I guess John used some form of Yelp magic and the management/staff was kind of enough to extend happy hour for our group till 7pm. NOTE: I'm not sure if there is an entirely separate menu for HH, but John went around informing us that there were 3 pizzas that were specials during happy hour. We were also informed they had a selection of drinks/beer/wine on special as well. HH: I chose the Italian sausage pizza. Normally price at $15, this was $7 during hh. This was quite good, and I would absolutely order this again on a future visit. As far as drinks, I ordered the house chardonnay, which was $4/glass during hh. SERVICE: Very good. Although our group kept increasing in numbers, our main server, was pleasant, friendly, polite, and helpful, during the duration of the UYE. He also conveniently provided separate checks for all of us in attendance. side NOTE: Though the food and service was satisfactory, I'm unsure about returning to hh at Macaroni Grill if there are only pizzas on special. I was hoping for more variety of menu items honestly. Bottom Line: Perhaps I may venture to hh on my own and give it a 2nd chance.
(3)
Austin B.
I usually like pasta, but I do not like Macaroni Grill's take on it, as they LOVE using rosemary in a lot of their dishes (and bread -_-), and rosemary is one of my least favorite flavors. Ambience is nice and so is the service, but I wouldn't pick this place if it were my choice. Likes: Service is usually pretty good at this location. The servers are attentive and friendly. It's easy to find someone to help you usually (in the main dining area at the least). Even the the bread has rosemary, the texture is good and if I dip it in the olive oil, it's good. Dislikes: Rosemary. It's in a lot of dishes... and when it's in there, it stands out... a lot. Favorites: The chicken under a brick is moist and doesn't have a prominent rosemary flavor, so that's my favorite dish here. For the price of the dishes, I'd rather go to Cheesecake Factory because the food in general is better tasting there, and the portions are larger. This place is nice for the ambience and the service, but I'd only recommend it if that's important to you and you like the taste of rosemary.
(3)
Liliana U.
Decided to eat here with my boyfriend after receiving a gift card to ala moana and I'm so glad we did. The wait wasn't long at all for a dinner table, a little less than 25mins. Once we were seated we were given our menus but me and my boyfriend just dashed to the paper on the table to draw on, the kids in us. Definitely a kid friendly place that will keep them occupied, and hopefully quiet for those of you who bring 3 loud children to restaurants ... Our server was AMAAAZZINNNG ! I believe his name was Nate, he's tall, dark haired, and wears glasses ( Just in case management see's this; congrats on your staffing !) He was super attentive, very nice, gave us his personal opinion and recommendations on the food when we asked, fun, and all around professional ! He is definitely one of the reason why me & my boyfriend would come back, just awesome service! Now let's get to the yummy part; food ! They have a good selection to choose from but a little on the pricy side for some, but not all the food especially if you're buying for quite a few people. We had fried mozzarella for our appetizer, oh em ge. Supper yummy ! I almost ordered another one ! For our entrees we had the Sausage Flatbread pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti with meat balls (they sound a lot more fancier on the menu, but I can't remember what is called lol ). The flatbread pizza was yummy but I just feel as though the sausage was not spread evenly on but more focused on the center, some pieces of pizza didn't have any sausage. The lasagna was pretty damn good I must say. Totally made up for the pizza. I didn't try the spaghetti with meatballs but it looked good ! Desert was awesome! So awesome that we couldn't decide on what to have so we picked 2. We had the chocolate cake and the lemon cake. They were both so gooooood. The chocolate cake was very rich, a little dry but it was sauces woth chocolate sauce on the cake and the plate, just dip it right in there ! The lemon cake, I might just come back for the lemon cake. It was so good, very moist, very lemony. Overall, awesome experience ! I will be coming back !
(5)
Joseph D.
This place was great. My girl and I only waiting for 5-10 minutes on a busy Friday night without a reservation. The hostess and waitress was very polite and the food was delicious. Very good!!
(5)
Lisa S.
Chicken Scallopini my all time favorite! But I had to try the Lobster Ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! Soup of the day was Pomodonia (creamy tomato bisque) absolutely amazing!!!!
Perfect service.... Much better now that the fire pit is gone. Smell no longer there.
(5)
Terry K.
What can I say? A chain restaurant is a chain restaurant. While the convenient location of this restaurant coupled with the not so bad service, discounted for the wait if you go during "primetime" dinner hour without a reservation... and my list can go on. Upshot these days? Happy Hour Menu and Happy Hour Drink prices during football season. The Happy Hour Menu has items not on the regular menu so depending on when you stop in, they might have something you would enjoy.... Other than that- Parking is okay- what can I expect? It's in the mall where parking is plentiful. Atmosphere? not bad at all. Servers are friendly and act exactly as they were trained. Food? is okay. It's a chain restaurant! They do offer the free loaf of bread which you can dip in olive oil and pepper (balsamic vinegar if you ask for it) and their spinach artichoke dip is always a guarantee to please. If you're looking for decent meals, a haven to hang out (during happy hour) or a place simply to relax.... this is your place. If you expect anything more than this you will be disappointed. So go with an appetite, stress-less because parking was not a problem and you will be good!
(3)
Valerie R.
Went to Macaroni Grill on a Sunday evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday and I was really disappointed with the service we received from our waitress Stephanie. She was very blah, no smiling, just asked for our order and walked away. It seemed she was just going through the motions to get her shift over with. What upset me more was I witnessed her being friendly with other guests so I'm not sure what her problem was. Other than that, our food was tasty but the service we received really ruined our experience.
(3)
Lilli D.
There is so much to love about this place, but it falls just short of great because of the most important thing for any restaurant: the food. First, the good. For starters, the venue is absolutely beautiful. It's a somewhat large restaurant with nice wall and cobblestone work. Everything, including the servers, is immaculately clean. There's mellow lighting and they're always playing lounge music. Speaking of the servers, they're generally friendly and know their stuff. Probably the best novelty of the restaurant is there's paper and crayons over the table that the servers use for their name/specials and the guests can use for doodling. There are good aspects of the food; the bread is always spot on, hot, fresh, and is kicked up to the next level with rosemary. They also contain a pretty decent wine selection. There is a stocked bar if you're not in the mood for wine, which is always nice. Another thing I've noticed is the dessert portions are fairly large. The thing that kills is all however is what I ended up ordering for my appetizer and main meal. I had the calamari, which itself was alright, but the basket was mostly filled with fried bits instead of actual fried calamari. The worst offender was by far, the pasta I chose for my 2 For $11 lunch: fettuccine alfredo. Normally you would think a classic dish is a safe bet. But when I dug into my plate, I found all the cheese bits at the bottom, as well as a pool of oil and grease a millimeter tall. This only happens when: a.) the components of the alfredo are cooked in correctly, or b.) the dish was reheated in the microwave. No matter what the means, its still bad cooking. This Macaroni Grill is so, so close to being one of my favorite restaurants, but that can't be the case in this point in time. My advice to potential customers: check other reviews to see which dishes are good or not, and avoid anything that's fried or has a significant amount of cooked cheese. My advice to the business: put more care in the actual food and you'll do wonderfully.
(3)
Haylee F.
Stopped in for quick bite and defaulted to Macaroni Grill since CPK had a 45 minute wait. Decided to sit at the bar for faster service and was stoked on that decision. We started with a bottle of wine complimented by the 2 for $14 tapas menu. Unfortunately my first choice, the prosciutto mozzarella, was no longer being offered. We opted for the diablo meatballs - 6 served in a spicy marinara sauce - and the mac and cheese bites with truffle sauce (I'm a huge anything-truffle fan). I ordered the warm spinach salad with shrimp for my entree but was a little disappointed on how salty it was! Our server/bartender noticed I only took a few bites and quickly came to my rescue. I told him it was a little too salty for me, but that I would box it and take it home to mix with pasta to take some of the edge off. The flavor was still good but it was too overpowering. He insisted he get me another one but I didn't feel good about wasting an entire salad! So instead he offered to get me a side pasta dish and that totally did the trick! I haven't been to MG in years but I will defintiely be back to try some of their other Tuscan creations!
(4)
Ram K.
Pretty busy around 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We checked in and waited about 15 minutes, not bad. Karen was our server and she did a great job. Brought some bread w/ a plate of olive oil and pepper. She kept up with drink refills and checked on us enough. My gf had some kind of trio dish with chicken parmesan, lasagna and a burrito looking thing. Lots of food and she enjoyed it. I had the minestrone soup to start then lobster ravioli. Both were good. There was lobster meat in the ravioli and a ton of it on top of the dish! Well not a ton but there was a lot. Another waiter came by and took care of the empty plates and boxed up my gf's leftovers. Only thing is in the restroom, why aren't there dividers separating the urinals? I know it's minor but I do like my privacy. Lol We used to come here a lot when they first opened and don't know why we stopped. We will be back, soon!
(4)
Missy T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill is the official restaurant of my spaghetti and meatballs cravings. I was a fan of their fat fatty menu a few years ago, and was skeptical of their calorie cutting menu change since most of the deliciousness of their food I suspected came from copious amounts of butter and cream - both of which are staples in my omnomnomnivore diet. After some initial kinks, I am happy to say that the deliciosity of Romano's menu has survived. Getting a table there usually comes with a 20+ min wait at peak times, so do call ahead if you're going to be ravenous and/or impatient. If you don't want to hang around outside or in the entrance, you can enjoy the bar while you wait to be seated, just make sure you notify the host or hostess so they don't skip you. Happy Hour specials on certain dranks are available, so ask the bartender or server if you're around at HH times (I am totally not sure when those times are, so inquire whenever you're there!). Prices are kinda high - around $15+ for their entree stuff, but they do have a 2 for $9 thing for their appetizers. As I mentioned before, I'm a fan of the "Mom's Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti". The meatballs are a beef/veal mixture (don't judge), and are super yummy with the spaghetti sauce. Another dish I can vouch for is the Italian Sausage "Flatbread" (it's pizza). The thin crust has a good chew to it, so it's not like biting into a well-adorned matzo cracker, and just like any decent pizza it's tasty cold. One word of caution: don't be fooled by the menu's facelift - both dishes I mentioned, while possibly still less calorie laden than those on the old menu, break 1,000 calories and they're definitely not the worst choices you could make, so if you're trying to watch your girlish figure keep that in mind. Other than that, if you're looking for a nice lunch or dinner spot after some shopping, Romano's is a good choice if you don't wanna leave the Ala Moana area and aren't looking for some cheap eats.
(4)
Ryan R.
This new crew forgot all silverware on all tables as I look around, Young staff with their head in the clouds. They seemed more focused on their social life. All in all, our waiter was eager to please.
(3)
Ken W.
I had spagetti & meatballs. It was a definite taste bud treat
(4)
Kanya G.
Bread!!! That's seriously the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this place. So flavorful, with the awesome combination of soft inside, crunchy outside, olive oil and salt and pepper. I've come here many, many times-- for celebrations and casual get togethers with friends and family. It's a really family-friendly place, which I like. I like coming here for their lunch specials (2 sampler-sized dishes for $11). Carmela's Chicken pasta's super good! Romano's also makes the best Eggplant Parmesan I've had so far. Love their Bibb and Blue salad, too-- that's a must try. I don't really recall a dish I've been disappointed with. Service-wise, it varies. Sometimes the wait is very long. The restaurant does compensate their customers with free dessert on their next visit if their wait to be seated is ridiculously long. Speaking of free, there's also a free chocolate fudge birthday cake and a song (if you'd like) for birthday celebrants, which can be a little embarrassing, but a plus.
(4)
Joanna Y.
Although I keep hearing negative reviews, I haven't had a bad experience at Romano's. I've only gone a few times (the last time before today was probably May 2012), and each time has been a good experience. So moving onto the review, I went with my mom and dad on our lunch break today. It was pleasant. Our waiter was really nice, really prompt on his service (taking orders, timely with bringing another water, the check, etc). The food has always been pretty good. We noticed a new menu today, I like the options and today I actually had a hard time deciding what to order. I went with the pick 3 choices; between a salad, soup, pasta or sandwich. I did the caprese panini and it was good. Wish it could have been a little more toasted though lol Prices are a little more compared to CPK, and not sure whether I like the food better or not. The atmosphere is nice though, I like the "mood lighting" (even though I was with my family lol).
(4)
Rich T.
Excellent Service, Great Food ! Fair prices.
(5)
Jeanette S.
I had a gift card from Christmas and since my husband and I have never eaten here we decided to give it a shot. We went in around 415pm so there was no crowd dinner crowd yet. Our server was very friendly. Even mentioned some appetizers not found on the menu like the spinach artichoke dip. To start we had the calamari. My husband usually doesn't eat calamari, but he scarfed down most of the appetizer. It was better than most calamari I've had. For dinner I had the mushroom ravioli with a side of Bibb and blue salad. I loved the mushroom ravioli, but I wish there were more mushrooms to it. Bibb & blue salad was pretty good as well. The walnuts in the salad gave it a nice crunch. For dessert we had the tiramisu. It was ok. The serving was bigger than I expected so I'm glad my husband and I shared the dessert. Overall a pretty good experience would definitely go back and try some other pastas. Also if you check in and like their Facebook page, let the server know and you get 10% off your bill!
(4)
Shuao Li L.
Food is good. Waiter was not that good. We had to ask for silverware & even then, it was not brought to us right away. Thanks Roger, you got nice towards the end of our meal...hoping for a better tip eh?
Lucked out with open seating at the bar, no wait on Valentine's with no reservations, awesome! The wait would have been 1 hour. Great service from waiter Tyler. The food runners did try to bring us our appetizer and dessert twice, but i guess that's better than not bringing it at all... Food was good but not excellent this time. Caprese was good but not as good as others I've had. Chicken scaloppine was good as always but the chicken was a little dry and over cooked. Still my favorite dish here. Bf's ribeye was under seasoned and over charred in spots, not worth $27. But the potatoes and asparagus were cooked and flavored perfectly. Free heart shaped sorbet for Valentine's. And we got the lemon passion cake, that was light and refreshing.
(4)
Gordito G.
I don't mind having to wait but when the front end guys sit there friends, even though there is a 45 min wait, that's just wrong. Too bad for the waiter because his or her tip will reflect that. That's just wrong, and I'm not the only who say it and feels the same way. Big thumbs down. And I like this place.
(1)
Joshua B.
This is a great resturant for Italian food however today it smell kinda like mildew and was very warm inside. I was seated in the bar area and the waitress was very nice and friendly. They have a very small menu at this location or maybe just lunch time. Overall the food was great and the server only left me dry a few times. (Not her fault) she was over worked.
(3)
Mr G. T.
Had the Lobster Ravioli and Caesar Salad. It was very good with a very decent amount of Lobster meat in the ravioli and on the plate with sauce. From my observations, waiter service may be hit or miss though. Our waiter was very good, so we were fortunate.
(4)
Hoku T.
Updated - I added a star due to manager service. We got served by the manager and he was very helpful in the corrections that needed to be made and quick about correcting the problem. What keeps my rating as a three star is three things: 1) Waiter/Waitress - the waiters and waitresses here are really hard working employees. They'll strive to get the orders right, bring them out as quickly as they are made, refill on drinks and try to clear the dishes when they see you're done with your last bite or seem to forfeit. They're helpful in menu selections and courteous when there's a first timer dining. 2) Hostess and Reservations - making reservations by phone or checking in is easy. The hostess will take your cell phone number and call you when your table is available to allow for more shopping time. From 11am to closing, they're great on seating from two to twelve (the max that I've dined with) with hardly any wait over than 30 min. 3) Bread and Birthday Cake! I love eating their bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crack pepper! Sure, they have butter...so do I at home. But that's one thing which makes this place a little different from other Italian restaurants. Also, the bread arrives at the table fresh, hot and steamy which makes great any time of the meal. Sometimes, if you have a cool waiter/waitress they'll let you take a loaf to go. Birthday's are great to celebrate here, because they're always a waiter who will stand by your table and sing Happy Birthday in Italian which sends shivers up my arms and down my spine! All of the waiters I've heard in the past are amazing with their tenor voices! Plus, the cake is amazing! You can't find it on the dessert menu, it's one of their specialty desserts and it seems to fit in all the cracks. I have only three entree's that I like and will repeatedly get from now on, because trying the other entree's always left me unsatisfied. I won't mention them because other people may like them, but I felt that I didn't get my money's worth. I like their Margarita Pizza, Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan (when its not over cooked).
(4)
Anjli L.
They make their gluten free pasta from scratch. The server, Nate, was great. They can even modify some appetizers. Plus the house wine is quite good!
(5)
JenniLi ..
1st: We ordered take out and when we got home we were missing one of our appetizers, we got the money put back on our card of course but it kills me when that happens and I didnt think we would have to double check our order like fast food places... anyways the food wasnt anything special nothing really stood out. 2nd: We went for a bday, group of 10. I kind of like when the food isnt super speedy so it gives us time to talk but this was the longest Ive had to wait for food and I was so hungry, good thing we had bread. We tried different things but still thought the food was just alright. I did like the dessert and atmosphere, we all had a lot of fun with the crayons
(2)
Brent C.
This review is for happy hour. Quite simply, I full highball of wine for $4.00 is almost impossible to beat. You can get Chard or Chianti, and the Chianti is pretty decent. You feel pretty good just after two. The pupu list is small but very good. In particular, the Fried Zucchini and New York strip steak are awesome. Also consider paying a couple dollars more off the regular menu to get the Mac and Cheese bites. Lastly, a big compliment to the bar staff. We've been a few times now and everyone is attentive and super chill.
(5)
John F.
YAY! My 100th Review!!! Romano's Macaroni Grill is a great medium priced, family-friendly restaurant located on the 4th level in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center just above Pearl Ultralounge. There is a daily Happy Hour in the Lounge from 3 to 6pm featuring 2 Italian Tapas for $14, $7 Pizzas, House Wines $4, Draft Bear $4, Domestic Beer $3, Import Beer $4. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I order the seafod pasta. At Macaroni Grill, they call it Pasta di Mare and it includes a couple large scallops, about a half dozen mussels, 3 large shrimp, spaghetti alla chitarra, white wine, pomodoro, & slices of garlic. My aunty always orders the Eggplant Parmesan which was served with capellini pomodoro & fresh mozzarella. Really great stuff! SEE MY MANY PICTURES! Japanese menu with pictures available upon request. TIP: Visit macaronigrill.com and join the mac pack and get a complimentary appetizer on your next visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill, ask for our "Earn Your Degree in Italian" lunch card. Purchase 4 pasta entrees and on your next visit, receive the 5th one complimentary.
(5)
Jayson L.
i came to this place few time and only thing i really remember this place is that i can draw on their table. when it comes to Italian food i get little picky because i don't want my food taste like just straight cheese. romanos have menu where you can make your own pasta which i like but i don't find anything special in their food. some creative on food just ain't there. i like their mushroom ravioli and their bread. you can make your own dipping sauce so i like that. i come here once in a while but it not one of my favorite place yet. i still have to try different type of their food to find what i like here.
(3)
Summer T.
called ahead to make reservations and for some reason we still had to wait 15 minutes for a table, even though the restaurant was by no means full. it's a good thing they gave us an awesome waiter! i was a little disaapointed with their dinner menu. i thought there would be more of a selection for some reason. over all the food was good but nothing spectacular that i would want to make the drive into town for, unless some other firends insisted on it.
(3)
Connie M.
Back when I was in high school, this was the place to go. I can't tell you how many times I frequented this place back then, but yesterday was my first time back to Macaroni Grill in 7 years! I had the Pasta Milano ($16) bow tie pasta, cream sauce, chicken with bits of sun-dried tomatoes. First off, I felt it was super overpriced, considering the portion and quality; the chicken tasted a bit rubbery and the pasta was over cooked. I did enjoy the house baked bread which was crispy, soft and fragrant.
(2)
Whitney I.
Bad visit. Came in at 1:15pm on a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant had several open tables and the pushy hostess continued to give us the run around about how we had to wait 20 minutes. We sat at the bar since they wouldn't seat us and the friendly bar back gave us water, but one of glasses had a bug in it. Really gross. Very disappointed with the service and the sanitation. The balsamic vinegar was leaking so they had wrapped napkins all around it. Our food came out quickly but the waiter failed to offer us any condiments to go with our food.
(1)
W Q.
Located on the 4th floor of the Ala Moana mall. (Take the elevator) The lunch deal here is hard to beat. $13 pick 3 items, soup/salad/pasta/sandwich. The mushroom soup here I think is best, the minestrone is second best. For pasta, camela's chicken is great, but I opt for the tomato sauce instead of the cream sauce. The turkey sandwich here is excellent and my favorite pick. The complimentary bread here is excellent. For $13 this is one of the best lunch deals. M-F only.
(5)
Bruce L.
Service was prompt, courteous, helpful, credible and cheerful. My lobster ravioli was onolicious!! I'd come again soon. A real value:))
(4)
Richard H.
Great Chain Italian restaurant, located in Ala Moana's premier food restaurant floor, along Jade Dynasty, Tsukiji, and Tanaka of Tokyo. Call ahead for reservations, as they always have a fairly long wait list for both lunch and dinner. They have a nice bar, featuring a half a dozen flat screen TVs. I bought a Heineken draft and caught ten minutes of a college football game (not a terrible way to wait for your table). They called our name, and seated us to a comfortable booth in the back of their very large and spacious restaurant. This place has an upscale and elegant design, but your table will be covered by white paper and accompanied by three crayons. The server writes his name and the specials on the table. Unfortunately, Cat Masuda wasn't working, so we weren't treated to her beautiful opera voice. The lunch menu is completely different from their awesome dinner menu. We normally order the Center Pork chops, but that wasn't available for the lunch crowd. I selected the soup and pasta combination for $11. Both items arrived side by side in square, cup-shaped dishes. My soup was a tomato bisque with basil, and contained stewed tomatoes, and garnished with a toasted baguette and Parmesan cheese. This was less creamy, and richer tomato taste than I was accustomed to, but I enjoyed every drop. My pasta selection was the chicken Penn pasta, which was strips of roasted chicken breast, mixed with mushroom, and Penn pasta in a creamy pesto sauce. Great value and excellent pairing for a light lunch. 31 YELPS REVIEW CHALLENGE #27/31
(4)
Sonja S.
Carmela's chicken is my absolute favvvvvvvvorite pasta here hands down. With chicken, mushrooms, onions, and a sauce that just hits the spot, I order it every time. I don't dine at macaroni grill all the time (mostly because it cost an arm and leg to dine at, in my standards), but I'd have to say in all the times I did, I have gotten good adequate service. Nothing bad, but nothing too memorable. It doesn't matter though, Carmela's chicken will keep me coming back.
(4)
Doug D.
Mushroom soup was on point, the fried calamari was delicious! The penne rutisca was not. Every piece of meat I had was burnt, the top was beautiful until I bit it and tasted the burnt side. If you know pasta then you know it tastes bad when the meat added is burnt. Our waiter was not happy when we asked for one of the orders to be separated. I know it sucks to have to redo the check but I would still be pleasant about it before you get the customer out. I've worked in restaurant settings so I know how it goes but if you aren't gonna be pleasant it'll show in your tip no matter how good the food is.
(3)
Melissa C.
Yes, I ate here while on vacay in Honolulu. I had a gift card and free food is great! Happy Hour is a great deal, with $6 pizza & $4 house wine served in a big glass. Service took a while, I think there was only one bartender, and there were a lot of people in the bar. My pepperoni pizza was very good, and it could probably feed 2, but also feeds one very hungry person. A good place for solid happy hour food & drink, not always an easy combination to find!
(4)
Travis H.
The first thing I'll say about this place is that it's incredibly hit and miss. My wife and I will go here one day and it can be fantastic with top notch service. We could go the very next day and have terrible food to go along with awful service. That's just the way it seems to be here. Once you find a dish you enjoy, stick with it. It's not worth ordering something else because more often than not you'll be disappointed. It's always busy at dinner time so be sure to make reservations (you have to make them at least two hours in advance!). The only server that wasn't awful so far was Nate. He's an incredibly nice guy who seems to genuinely care about his job and his guests. He goes above and beyond what's expected of a waiter and makes the experience that much better. My wife and I have learned the hard way to stick to the dishes we know we enjoy, and always ask for Nate.
(3)
Dan T.
My past experiences with Macaroni Grill have been above average but my last trip there was way below average and the only reason for the two stars is for good service. I had the Lasagna and the noodles were really soft and mushy. My wife had some pasta with a butter and garlic sauce and it really had no taste. My daughter had the flatbread and though that it was okay but for these prices the food should be remarkable.
(2)
Jack W.
Me and my wife have eaten their many times. Its quick service, always friendly, and decent italian fix. I highly recommend there Mac and cheese balls. THEY ARE AMAZING!
(4)
Victoria R.
We Always come here. Food is great and the waiters are nice and helpful. They Definitely exercise great Customer service.
(5)
Erin K.
My husband and I came here last weekend for date night. It was the weekend, so the place was packed and we waited about half an hour to be seated. We've been here before but what really stood out this time were the appetizers we ordered: calamari & roasted mushroom soup. We're really picky when it comes to calamari but we really enjoyed the calamari here, the batter isn't too heavy and it's seasoned perfectly! Also, it's very soft and not rubbery/chewy at all! The roasted mushroom soup was also really good! It's not on the menu (I think it's one of their specials) so you have to ask if they're serving it that day. It's a heavier soup (almost like gravy) with lots of mushrooms and it's got a lot of flavor. The only downside about this restaurant is that I find it to be a little pricey. We had gift cards so our bill wasn't too bad but we probably won't be coming back without gift cards.
(3)
Jessica S.
Horrible service. Even around after 8pm, when the dinner rush is over. This was on a Sunday night!! I don't know what our server was doing, but he barely attended to us, was slow to bring out even bread and water, and completely forgot about an appetizer I ordered. Dude was being a total space cadet or something. And the food...not that great. I can make way better at home. Even the frozen Costco Italian meals taste better (e.g. the spinach mozzarella ravioli, Amy's lasagna, etc) for the price Macaroni Grill charges. Disappointed, not coming back.
(2)
Mei-Lan C.
oh my god , I can't believe I just won a prize package with 2 tickets for earth , wind and fire concert and dinner for 2 from macaroni grill !!!!!!! thank you guys soooo much for picking me :) we sure will enjoy the concert tonight .
(5)
Jarod H.
Five stars. Love the atmosphere, the fire pit, and the ambiance. The bread with olive oil and basal mic vinegar is the best! For lunch, the turkey sandwich is good. Also, had the pasta on prior occasions and the fried mozzarella. So ono! Recommend!
(5)
Catherine F.
Is it just me or are all the waiters/waitresses/hostesses/bussers extremely attractive here? Came here last night on a whim. Never been to a Macaroni Grill before. We were told the wait was to be about 15 mins, but ended up being almost 30. Our waitress forgot our orders - twice. It was a busy night, but come on. She could have written them down instead of keeping us waiting even longer. The food itself was good, but nothing to write home about. I chose the "build your own" option and chose the garlic cream sauce with my pasta. The sauce itself was over peppered and lacked any other flavors. Overall, I was disappointed with our experience. I'm not sure if I will choose to come back here again when there are plenty of other dining options at Ala Moana.
(3)
Jeff W.
Very nice place for lunch, business, couple, or family. I enjoyed my chicken under a brick. It was tasty and pretty healthy. Mushroom ravioli got many compliments also. Fresh bread and olive oil is a nice part of the meal. Parking is easy and the staff is very pleasant and attentive. You should try it out.
(4)
Linda K.
Whatever class they take to sign their name upside down ... sign me up!! It never fails to impress me that they do not only write their name upside down but also draw fishies and whatnot to present the specials on the menu. Being a child inside going to Macaroni Grill sparks my creative side .. meaning .. I just can't leave without having doodled on the ENTIRE paper covering the table. That's the fun side with going there ... and of course eating ... and drinking wine. Their food has to me always been good. I love their mac n cheese appetizers .. mmm .. mouth watering thinking about it. I also love their bread .. dipping it in balsamic. As for the food I tend to go for something with chicken and pasta .. mainly because I love their pasta *duh*. My husband once had the pork chop and loved it .. think it was rubbed with mustard ... really good. Had their choklate desert one time .. yummy!! The service is always good and I tend to go when it isn't too crowded or waiting time too long...but in reality ... as long as I get to draw once I'm seated is what really matters.
(3)
Judith H.
I've been happy with the food and service everytime I've come here I've never ordered pasta. Salads and sandwiches are delicious.
(5)
Angela A.
Been here a couple of times. The stuffed mushrooms appetizer and chicken Alfredo were really good! The service was really good and average wait time for the food, not too long/short.
(5)
Melissa K.
On the five occasions I've been to Romano's, I've always left feeling pleased and satisfied. The bread is a soft, warm, round loaf with a sprinkling of olive oil-- delicious! I can sit and eat two loaves by myself ... and I don't necessarily have to share because they will bring out more! Carb joy ... Service is good, the wait time is shorter than CPK's, and while I generally opt for a booth table at most restaurants, at Romano's I prefer the bar because it's clean, the chairs are cozy, and the bartenders are really nice and helpful. I also think the food is better here than at CPK. The macaroni n cheese bites are delectable and we also really enjoyed the chicken flatbread. I usually go with the choose your own pasta, sauce, and accompaniments ($14)-- I like that you can choose three vegetables to go with your pasta plate. I usually go for the mushrooms, broccolini, and some other one I can't think of right now. Chill place and tasty food. It's not legit Italian but it's definitely the next best thing.
(4)
Steven K.
Lots of free parking, clean, well lite room, the service was outstanding. I was with a very picky eater who complains about nearly everything and they took really good care of her.. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was wonderful. I was surprised at the price of everything.
(4)
Bob D.
Had a party of 15 and were able to get a reservation with 24-hour notice. Table was available at the reserved time. Kids menu was a decent value and kept price reasonable ($1 for kids ice cream). Service was excellent (Ricky), continuously refilled drinks. Food was average but good for socializing and nice atmosphere. Dessert menu is fairly limited. Make sure you go to Costco and pickup $100 gift certificates for $80 for additional savings.
(3)
Kori T.
Oh how I long for the old Macaroni Grill where the servers where dressed in their crisp outfits and I felt like I was paying not only for the food but the experience. Oh woe is me what has this place become. *tear* I'm sad to say I spend my anniversary dinner at this place because this is where my husband proposed to me the night before his deployment. The wait was easy and we where seated in a booth within 10mins of arriving. They still do write on the tables as always and bring out the delicious warm bread. But the menu is pitiful. The service was also lacking took them quite a while to get to us just for drink orders. And I feared for one of the servers life at 7 or 8 months she shouldn't be lifting huge trays.. @_@" I was going to run forward and grab it from her. T_T Other than that our server never talked to us nor refilled drinks she just disappeared. She did come back at the far end of the meal and asked why I didn't eat my meal (it tasted like dirt) and offered to take it off the bill. We left quite sad that our anniversary dinner wasn't all that great. *Tip: Call in advance for large groups they can at least know to prep for your arrival ^_^
(2)
Heidi N.
I am going out of my way to write this review in a timely manner (5/26/13) because, surprisingly & quite frankly, I really enjoyed eating here. I, too, am not a fan of mainland chains, but I don't waste coupons or gift certificates, soooo we went. First off, Darrin was a great server. He was attentive and accurate, taking time to make sure he got our order right before walking off. I also got a really great mojito-like drink; one of the 3 drinks from the non-alcoholic section of the menu. Loved it! Between the 3 1/2 of us, we got a mushroom flat bread (caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil), bolognese spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, spinach and shrimp salad and house bread. We asked for some balsamic to go with the olive oil and cracked pepper served with bread. That was an awesome start! Long story short, the flat bread and the house bread are both musts when ever I go there. I loved everything else! and because I loved everything else, I would be interested in trying other things on their menu. I really was pleasantly surprised. We also ended up with a lot to take home, so much so that all 3 1/2 at our leftovers for dinner. So the $100 bill was pretty much cut in half, making each seating $50! That's a deal considering we also had a glass of wine, a soda, my drink and 2 orders of gelato! Oh, yeah, the gelato. Darrin recommended the house-made chocolate cake but we went with the gelato because we were too full. Probably should have went with the cake because I found the gelato to be too sugary. Note for next time, which hopefully will be soon!
(4)
Denalee C.
I was honestly shocked when we came for dinner on a Friday night during the summer and it wasn't crowded. I'm still trying to interprete what that means. First off, I love the paper table cloth with crayons already waiting for you. Nothing screams, "we love kids!" more than crayons and an oversized "canvas". And then the server writes his name upside-down for your reference. *sigh* I love the little touches. He brought us bread and a fancy bottle of water. I just LOVE the bottle of water. Nothing is more infuriating than a restaurant that doesn't fill up your water enough. I'm totally stoked when they solve the problem with my own pitcher/bottle of water. Now on to the bread. It comes out steamy and totally inviting but...SERIOUSLY what am I suppose to do with the whole uncut loaf? Eat it like a sandwich? At least provide me with something other than my butter knife to cut it. However, the bread is really fresh and is littered with herbs inside. The server poured us the EVOO and put in some pepper. Uh...I thought it was EVOO and balsamic vinegar? Guess not. My mushroom ravioli was visually quite impressive. The raviolis were incredibly large and swimming in a generous portion of sauce with mushrooms and onions. It was tasty but not breath-taking enough to become a regular meal for me. It was an overall great experience. If shopping at the mall has worked up an appetite, stop by Romano's for a no wait, tasty experience.
(4)
Ashley N.
I remember coming to Macaroni Grill when they first opened and really enjoying it. I don't know what happened in the years since, but things have really gone downhill... My boyfriend and I decided on having a nice lunch here earlier today. We were seated quickly. It seems like they were a bit understaffed, but the hostess and our waitress were very nice (if the rating was just based on service, I'd give 4-5 stars). My boyfriend decided on getting the meat sauce with meatballs, and I ordered the carbonara. I feel like we weren't waiting too long for our meal, which was surprising because my first bite of my pasta was cold... The carbonara is supposed to come with a poached egg, but mine was cooked through. All in all, it kind of tasted like our food had been previously cooked and just microwaved to order. In any case, this entire meal was disappointing for the $30+ tab. The next time I'm carving Italian, I'm probably not heading back to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are a lot of other better places around Hawaii that serve better quality food for the same price.
(2)
Don D.
Ive been to this restaurant as a duo and even as part of a party. It seems like my experience was better when it was a party than when I went with my wife. Overall, I would still rate the restaurant 4 stars. As a party, the service was attentive and prompt. But I notice when I go as a "couple" the service is lacking. The server tends to forget we are there and tends to the larger tables in their section. The food never disappoints though and most times, we are taking food home because we always over order so we can try more stuff! Regardless of the situation, food and service still tends to be on the better side! I will be back for sure.
(4)
Dine L.
Where to begin... Short version: terrible service, food is decent but nothing spectacular, go to assagios for Italian Whole story: 1. We informed the hostess it was my friends birthday b/c we had come for another birthday and knew they do a special complementary cake...but did not receive one this time :( 2. Our waiter tells us the specials then leaves without taking our drink orders first like waiters usually do...so we have to wait for him to come back 10 min. Later and ask if we can order drinks 3. We wait a good 30 minutes to have our order taken when a different worker comes to take our order because he says our waiter is too busy 4. We get our food and desserts and they are decent, good portions 5. We asked for 6 separate checks and when we receive them the orders are completely mixed up except for one, so my friend hands him her card to pay for her correct check, our waiter takes our orders down again on paper so he gets them right the next time 6. He brings the second set of checks ....the orders are wrong AGAIN even if he wrote them down-not to mention he brings another check to my friend who had already given him her card to pay...he says he forgot and her card was at the register...umm...not safe.... 7. We get our correct checks after a good 45 min. Passes but I notice I am charged $8 for 2 sodas because I had a refill....I was not aware that when he offered me a refill it was not free because usually that is the case when a waiter offers you a refill or else should inform you it's extra charge, when I asked him about it he says "it's right this time don't worry about it" ...........ummm ok i am worried because I don't want to pay something I'm not supposed to 8. During all this time a woman who seemed to be the manager was standing with him at the register just shaking her head and never came to the table once to apologize 9. I thought maybe for all the trouble, and especially because it was my friends birthday and she did not receive the usual free dessert, they would comp her meal or the dessert she ordered but that was not the case, all she got was a balloon tied to her chair..... Really don't care to come here ever again I've never had service so bad. I also had a bad experience with service at another Italian restaurant. In my opinion, if you want Italian, go to Assagios! I have been there many, many times and never had a bad experience, food is always amazing with great prices and good service and they never fail to leave you with a complementary chocolate mint at the least.
(1)
Francis C.
Went a couple nights ago and it was packed. Hour and half wait but we found some seats at the bar. The bartenders were very friendly and on point. We got all our drinks and food before anyone else who got seated at the same time. I have been here a hand full of times and never been taken care of so quickly and so friendly before. My tip would be to eat or drink at the bar, if it's busy or slow, just walk in and go right till u see the Bar and the empty chairs. Fast and great service from the bartenders. Mahalo to the weekend night bartenders!!!
(4)
Mia S.
My experience at Mac Grill started off with smiling hostesses greeting us and helpfully directed us to the open area seating at the bar for a late lunch. I found myself welcomed by a wonderful upbeat bartender Josie who kept attentively tending to all my needs. She was also very friendly and really made us feel welcome! As light eaters we started out with the 2 for $14 appies going with the Mac n Cheese bites and the Goat Cheese Peppadews and OH MY GOODNESS!! they were amazing!!! I then got the Caprese Salad which started off a little bland but with some salt and balsamic turned into the best salad I've ordered from a restaurant. The manager Travis who was really friendly also stopped by during our meal and chatted with us about how we were enjoying the food and to see if there was anything else we needed. He was very kind and helpful in directing us as to what we could do for the rest of our day and also recommended the Leche Sorbet which turned out to be the best decision ever!!!! Our experience at Mac Grill was exceptional! Our staff Josie and Travis were helpful, professional and welcoming. The food was great and the atmosphere was a relaxing break from a busy shopping day :) I would defiantly recommend Mac Grill to anyone!!
(5)
Bubba S.
Went here about 4 months ago on a recommendation from my dad for the pork chop and it was awesome.....I'll be back.....pork chops are my favorite!
(5)
Jonathan B.
Awesome service and very dependable food quality. I usually get the chicken parm and salads. The starters are good also. Prices are very reasonable and it's just an all around good dining experience.
(4)
Stefanie D.
Yum!!! I went here for lunch on a Sunday was seated within five minutes, which was awesome because I was hungry! Our server was Brad, who is the chillest server I've ever had. He wasn't fake happy, but he wasn't standoffish either. He was attentive and helpful, but was super chill the entire time. I liked it. Cool dude. We ended up scarfing down two loaves of the rosemary bread with olive oil before our appetizer even got to us. We got the Bruschetta Crostini, which was delicious. However, when I used to go here on the mainland, my friend and I used to get a whole plate of bread slices and a ramekin of bruschetta. Here you get two pieces, with the bruschetta already on it. Still super good, no complaints. We definitely were not short on carbs after the two loaves anyway. He got a chicken pasta dish and I got my favorite, fettuccine alfredo. He ate his really fast, so I'm pretty sure it was good. I liked mine a lot. The alfredo had a lot of roasted garlic in it and I'm a huge fan of garlic. We were stuffed, so we skipped out on dessert. When the bill came, we got 10% off for checking in Facebook! Pretty cool. Also, the bill was about half of what we paid for Ruby Tuesday's the night before and 100 times better. For a chain restaurant, I loved it.
(4)
T M.
I had the best service today! Liann was great! The food was beyond wonderful! I ordered things I never had before and found my new favorites!
(5)
Pamela S.
We went there for my bf's birthday dinner. We had reservations for 630pm and were seated fairly quickly. The waiter, Louis, took our drink order fairly quickly. The drinks were delivered after about 10 minutes. We then placed our orders. I mentioned that I had a garlic allergy and inquired whether the chicken plate with asparagus, mashed potatoes and diavolo sauce had garlic as I had. Louis implied that only the sauce had garlic but it was served on the side, so I ordered that dish. After about 15 minutes, the soups and salads arrived. Waiter did not ask anyone if they wanted their empty glasses refilled. Had to ask. Another half hour later the entrees arrived. The chicken was very large and tasty. However, beneath the chicken I found a whole clove of garlic. Turned out that was not a mistake as there were a total of three cloves of garlic on the plate. Thank goodness I had medication on me. If my allergy had been life-threatening, Romano would have been in serious trouble. If you have any food allergies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! The waiter we had did not even bother to ask the chef whether garlic was an ingredient in the dish I ordered. At approximately 830pm, our waiter returned to asked if bf was ok with a something chocolate with nuts on top. Bf agreed, then waiter handed us the dessert menus. He returned after 20 minutes with the slice of chocolate cake and promptly left. Did not even ask anyone if they wanted to order dessert. By that time, we were so disappointed in the lack of service that we all decided to eat dessert elsewhere. In summary, service was practically non-existent, even though restaurant was only half-full. Waiter doesn't give a damn if you have food allergies, Won't be returning and advise anyone asking not to either.
(1)
Elaine W.
Had a 1 hour wait for a table of 3. That's what lost a star. But during that hour wait we got gelato at nearby stand and it was delicious. When we got in, our table was missing 2 chairs, probably because just before us they sat down a table of 22. We also felt the need to order faster than table. The complimentary bread they give you was not the best that night, but drown it in balsamic vinegar and you can barely notice it. The food was filling. It was above average, but not extravagant. I had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and could not finish mine, so that was a plus. I got to take it home. My friend could barely finish (mushroom ravioli, but she did) and my other had to bring it home as well. It made for a great netflix snack that night. Our bill of 3 came to about $53. Our server was a doll, so tip for him! One day we will come back, but maybe we will reserve a spot first!
Being a hardcore CPK fan, I've actually sat down in RMG, pondered, stood up and left and headed to CPK. But this time I actually stayed put. ATMOSPHERE: Dark, semi-formal, and almost romantic. I thought the restaurant was super kid-friendly, with the crayons on the table lined with a huge piece of drawing paper. Then I got the concept and chuckled. FOOD: Bread - Served upon request. Our server poured some olive oil and sprinkled fresh ground pepper onto a plate for the dip. Very nice taste. Caesar Salad - Small portion for a $4 add-on. Dressing was okay. Tastes like it's bottled, so no different than the salad I make at home. Lobster Ravioli - Tried this on recommendation from a friend who is also a pasta fan. Very flavorful with chunks of lobster tail & claw meat on top of the ravioli that's also filled with a lobster mixture. The sauce was very good. The portion looks small but is filling due to its richness. Carmela's Chicken - Penne pasta, mushrooms and broiled chicken in a Marsala cream sauce. Very tasty. The chicken gives the dish a nice kick with the broiled flavor. Definitely a bigger portion than the lobster ravioli. SERVICE: Our female server was awesome. Nice personality, took the time to explain the menu to us, being our first time there. She constantly checked on us. OVERALL: Nice alternative to CPK, being that they offer different types of pasta dishes CPK doesn't have, but CPK still rules my heart.
(4)
Jennifer Y.
My friends and I ate here last night for my going away dinner and it was great! We reserved the private room in the back and it was nice with just the six of us. Our waiter was attentive, the food was tasty, and dessert was really good. Two of my friends ordered the mac and cheese bites and even though I was hoping for a bigger portion (the menu does say "share"), it was tasty. For dinner I ordered the penne rustica and I was happily satisfied. The pasta was perfect, the chicken slices were yummy, and the shrimp at the bottom of the bowl was flavorful as well. Good stuff. :) I give this place four stars because a friend order a salad (don't remember which one) and she wasn't happy with it so she ordered the tomato soup. Thankfully the salad was taken off of the bill. Dessert was a great time: I received a chocolate souffle with a candle in it to "make a wish," a friend ordered the lemon passion, and another ordered the tiramisu. We were all happy. I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a long time and just like my last visit, I was not disappointed.
(4)
Ashly M.
I've been here twice within the past two months. Both times: Food was hot and scrumptious. Service was friendly and knowledgable. Wait time was minimal for being a chain in a mall. Ambiance is very comfortable. Wine is served generously. I'll be back.
(4)
Bryson L.
This was our first time there and it was a pretty bad experience. Short version: inattentive server, semi condescending manager, sub-standard food quality. Long version: When we got there we were seated relatively quickly for a Friday evening and our hostess was very pleasant. Our server was nice and somewhat impressive at first. We ordered appetizers to which was very good. My friend had a glass of wine and I had a Coke to start as well and everything came promptly. My friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli and I had the Filet Mignon. I ordered my steak to be cooked medium and also had a glass of red wine as well. As we waited the food runner came to our table on two separate occasions with food for another table that was across the room from us. On both occasions we politely said that wasn't ours. As we continued to wait the room got noisier and there was singing by one of the managers as well. Kinda cool I guess, but also a little annoying. No big deal though. When our food arrived the Lobster entree was really good and there were no problems there. My wine had not come yet as our server had forgotten it so I asked for it and she apologized and had it sent to our table. My Filet Mignon seemed a little over cooked but I proceeded to eat it. The texture was tougher than most tenderloin cuts and it was more on the medium-well side which made the meat a little dry. When I couldn't eat to my satisfaction I asked our server if I could get another steak cooked the way I had ordered it, medium. She looked at it and said "that looks like medium?" I wanted to ask her if she was the chef but decided to bite my tongue and politely asked for another because this was a little dry. She had her manager come over and though the manager accommodated my request she also added in "we'll cook it medium rare just to be sure." In my head I was like "Or you can cook it medium like I asked..." But again I bit my tongue and said thank you. As we waited for my new steak the manager put the roasted potatoes and broccoli on a new plate instead of making a whole new entree, which was fine I was cool with that. We then noticed our server had not been coming around our table as much as she was with the 3 tables near us. No big deal really, just that my Coke had run pretty low and would have liked a re-fill but again no biggie. When they brought out my steak they were very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. It looked nice and as I cut into it I was relieved that it was cooked just right. Then I took a bite. It was odd at first because I did not think they would do a switcharoo. I commented to my friend that this wasn't Filet Mignon. I'm pretty sure it was Top Sirloin. I could be wrong on the exact cut but I know for sure it was not Filet Mignon. I took two more bites just to be sure and stopped when I knew that it was not a tenderloin cut. An innocent oversight? Maybe. But I wasn't going to eat another bite. I was not trying to be a bad customer, nor get my food taken off the bill. Hell, I would have paid for both entrees if I could get one cooked to my satisfaction. Our server asked if I wanted a take out box but I politely declined. I didn't tell her that it was a different cut because I just wanted to get out of there. We got the check, paid and I still tipped her over 20%. Worst dining experience to date and I will not go back nor will I recommend this place. Ever.
(1)
Rome S.
Great family restaurant. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Good is quality. They will prepare paleo style if needed, with gluten free options. If you're in a hurry let your server know.
(4)
Volley R.
Can I give a 0 star? Do NOT come here. I have never seen too much anger and animosity in a bar, in one place, at one time. I sat there as the bartender yelled at a customer. Bartender was angry, loud, and totally upset at the customer. Who knows what history or what happened between them two? But hello, there were other paying customers sitting at the bar including me. What did we do wrong to have to hear upset and anger and animosity. I was just trying to eat dinner after work, but since the bartender will not stop yelling at the customer, I made a comment to both of them to please make up and stop already. The bartender then turned around and yelled at me to mind my own business. Well, it was my business if people were yelling in front of me (think loud yelling and angry faces!), and I was just trying to eat dinner. Long story short and after much attitude from the bartender, I was still a lady and paid my bill plus generous tip (meant for the other bartender) as always. I will never come back at this place again!
(1)
Tristan F.
Great service and amazing food! Kawika was an excellent waiter. Informative and friendly. Would pick Romano's over CPK any day.
(5)
Kellye G.
Love the mushroom ravioli, if you havent been here and tried it, its delish! Fun family atmosphere and the singing waiters makes it a lot of fun. One of my stops whenever im at the mall.
(4)
Jamie C.
Happy hour is a great secret if u like wine - house is $4 dollars if u don't mind drinkin out of a water glass (but filled!!)
(5)
Krystal C.
Came on a Friday around 630 p.m. Myself and two kids had to wait a few minutes even though the majority of the back of the restaurant was completely empty. Eventually got seated in that area. Our waiter, Darrin was extremely polite and helpful when I asked about items on the menu. He continued to be awesome the entire dinner, and treated my children really great too. Food was very very good. We had the fried Mac n cheese bites and I had Carmelas Chicken. My kiddos had the chicken and pasta with broccoli and ate all of it. The bread that was served beforehand was just ok, could've been better.
(4)
Mike Y.
I was just here for a bday party and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The service was great and the food was cooked exactly how I requested it. I ordered the pork chop and pleaded with the waiter to make sure it was cooked medium (nobody likes dry pork...). It was cooked perfectly! My only complaint was that the food was a little bit too salty. Overall, the service was great and the food was above average.
(4)
Amanda H.
Our first time here thanks to my Aunt that got me a gift card for Christmas. I had no idea there was only one on the island. I got a glimpse of it while leaving Mai Tai's the week before (newly 21 and going everywhere). We got into the restaurant about 8pm and asked for a table of 2. They told us the wait would be 10-15 minutes. My bf and I found that odd because we saw a lot of empty tables. There were also a couple couples and parties before us. But being servers ourselves we understood that there are other factors so we let it go. We got sat after about 15 minutes. The booth we got sat had crayons and paper over the table. I'm not sure if it is standard, it looked it from around the room so we enjoyed playing word games. Our waiter, Jeff, was very nice and wrote his name on the table so we'd remember. I thought that was interesting and interactive. He brought us bread with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. We started on the bread, wishing it was cut or utensils to cut them with. Either way we dug in. After looking over the menu my bf suggested the lobster ravioli and he wanted a chicken dish so he asked Jeff. He suggested the Chicken under a brick, or something like that. We also ordered an appetizer, the broiled artichoke hearts. The artichoke hearts came out quickly. There were about 8 quartered hearts that shrunk due to the broiling. They were seasoned well and paired with what seemed like mayonnaise. It was a good dish, small, and not what we expected, but good. Our food came out shortly after and we were ready to dig in, but we realized we still didn't have any utensils. We tried to flag down someone but no one passed at the time so my bf just scooped some up from the table behind us. The lobster ravioli was good. There were large pieces of diced lobster and the sauce complimented the ravioli. My bf's chicken was also very good. Juicy and moist on a bed of potatoes. After about 20 minutes we were both a bit tired of our entrees and realized it was a bunch of the same taste, so we traded for a few bites. We got the bill and asked about the facebook discount which is 10% off the bill, from a very helpful yelp review! Overall the experience was a good first time and we left satisfied. I'm not sure if we'll be back anytime soon, but it was a great experience.
(4)
Dustin T.
Dining room is appealing and very welcoming. As the waiters with crisp aprons stand by ready to serve, eagerly looking on, the Hostess raises her eyebrow and greets me. She seemed a bit lazy leaning both elbows on the table while acknowledging me. When asked to store a bday cake she said, "I can't take it to the back because the last time I did, I put the ice cream cake in the fridge and it melted." She pointed to a younger hostess to hand over the cake. Definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box. Their menu is certainly hovering over mediocrity. Salad was nicely chilled but not amazing. Next. Appetizers are good esp the fresh bread. Fried Mac n cheese balls are not bad. Flat bread looked appealing but salty. I prefer Chili's flat breads over this. Shroom Soup was very salty and odd tasting. Next. Rustica pasta is tasty with a few booger sized chicken I had to dig around for and 4 pieces of 2-inch shrimps. Had a few bites of the chicken scaloppine. Tasted good but literally swimming in oil. I don't recall eating any pasta this oily. This place is not my first choice or second or third in the mall dining choices available. They are certainly trying let's give em that. I would rather fly to the mainland to eat Olive Garden than dine here. Sorry Mac Grill, you unfortunately do not meet the expectations of a fine dining experience. Very forgettable restaurant if it weren't for the bad stomach aches your foods cause.
(2)
Mer F.
Went here to use my free complimentary free dessert coupon with a any purchase. My sister and I had already eaten at another restaurant so we decided to have dessert here. Phil was our server who was very prompt in presenting us the daily specials by drawing and writing with his artistic abilities on top of our table. I felt bad because after all that presentation, we just wanted dessert, but hands down to his service. We both ordered the tiramisu and the the chocolate cake, which he mentioned was his favorite. It took a good 15-20minutes before we got our desserts. I was wondering why it was taking a bit long, but it was because the cake came out HOT! Let me tell you, Good things come to those who wait! It was scrumptious! Desserts cost $8 a piece! Yikes! Good thing we got a coupon!
(4)
Stevie D.
Visited on a Saturday night so the restaurant had a 30 minute wait for 2. We sat at the bar with no waiting. Bartender was polite and attentive. I ordered the caprese salad and fettuccine alfredo and both were fresh and delicious. They serve bread with olive oil and pepper for dipping. We asked for fresh grated parmesan in the oil and it was superb! The food came out almost all at once and didn't take long after ordering. The restaurant atmosphere is good but loud.
(4)
Elizabeth H.
I was extremely disappointed at my recent visit to Macaroni Grill. While the food was okay, the horrible service just ruined our experience. Our dinner had lasted close to two hours, and most of the time it was due to waiting for our food, drinks, and check. While we had a very friendly server, my husband actually had to go look for her, because we had been waiting a while for our check. While, we weren't helped a lot, at least the workers were smiling. On a positive note, the food was pretty good. I loved the bread and my pasta milano. It wasn't the best pasta I ever ate, but it hit the spot for my pasta craving. After the okay food and not so wonderful service, I probably wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Arlene A.
One good thing about gift cards, they're great for bringing you to places you wouldn't normally partronize. So yes, Romano's is such a place. It's been some time since I last ate here, mainly because the food is a little too rich for my taste. Definitely a fun place to come in groups though, so a bunch of us did just that when we had to use a gift card. It was a rainy, Friday night, so naturally there were lots of people who were hanging out at the mall so they wouldn't have to sit in some horrdenous traffic. Checked in with the hostess in front and were told that the wait would be about 50 minutes, and they would text us when our table was ready. Meh. Not ideal but we weren't super hungry and were able to kill some time walking around the mall. We returned a little after 50 minutes and had to wait another 20 or so minutes for our table.The hostess thanked us for waiting and led us to our table and said our waiter would be with us shortly. To make a long story short, the customer service here is good; very friendly and attentive staff. The two stars is mainly for the food, which was way too salty that we couldn't even taste the flavor of the actual dishes. On the menu were the margharita pizza, caprese salad, warm spinach salad, mushroom soup and calamari. Honestly, the only dish I liked was the free baked bread with the accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Presentation was nice but can accumulate only so many points. I'm not totally writing this place off my list but it'll definitely take a lot of pressuring if someone wants me to eat here!
(2)
Kaliko P.
The first time I tried to eat here was many years ago but didn't make it to the table as I sat around for 10 minutes in the empty restaurant (they had just opened). A guy walks up to me and I was eager to see that I was finally going to be able to eat here! Yay. Then he says, "we are not open yet but if you want to, you can wait outside...it will be around 15 minutes". I sulked out and vowed never to return. By some weird fate we ended up at the 'Mac today, after I swore I'd never come back. I got bad flashbacks when the hostess (who got our name wrong even after I said it THREE TIMES..and no, it wasn't my name, it was my husbands and he has a one-syllable Christian name....) said, "the wait will be 10 to 15 minutes", to which I looked around at all the empty tables. I grumbled to the husband and said, "I am looking at the time and if they take too long to seat us, we are leaving!" Lucky for them, and us, it only took five minutes. Water came in a neat little glass bottle. The house bread was hot and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You can dip your bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. Our lunches were fabulous!! I cannot seem to get too excited over pasta...because pasta is something I cook frequently and often, and I (am told) make it quite well. The Eggplant Quadratini ($16) was a fabulous vegetarian find. Quadratini pasta in a smoky tomato sauce with cherry tomatos and fresh basil that was ab-fab!! My husband had a Chicken pasta that he loved as well. I don't think it was as good as my Quadratini but he really enjoyed it. Our bill came out to approx $33. We caught an error earlier in our bill that charged us $6 for two iced teas we did not order but the server was quick in making that right. Aside from that little blemish, he was a great server and the four stars was mainly for the wait today and the wait from several years ago...I owe them.
(4)
John N.
I've actually never ate inside this place and only have taken out so I can't review the service but this place has pretty good food for take out at a little than normal price. Depending on the time of year, it may be hectic to find parking just for this take out spot, but sometimes when you have the urge, you just take it. My favorite is the Chicken Pomodoro. Rich, creamy, flavorful, and good is how I would describe it. I would say they are better than some local Italian spots. The brocolini served here is also amazing. Who would have thought broccoli can end up tasting so good? Second favorite has got to be their regular spaghetti and meatballs. The taste is earthier than other spots, and the portion size is just right. Great for a night of take out. Also, the kids meals are a great deal here if you want to feed your child. They give healthy but good sized portions here. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 5/100 January 12, 2013
(4)
Joy P.
My favorite Italian restaurant on the island. The ambiance is great, even if it can get really busy. Love the concept of being able to draw on your table, helps to keep you preoccupied while waiting for your food to come. Their bread is yums, and don't forget to ask for their vinegrette and olive oil to go with it. Menu is typical of Italian restaurants, but I feel the quality of the food is greater than that of say... Bravos. Which is probably the reason why you pay a few dollars more.
(4)
Susan T.
I was contacted by the GM shortly after my last update. I was invited to come back and try them again. I will do so. The GM was polite, friendly, and apologetic for our poor experience.
(2)
Terri O.
They have a new Menu since I've been there last... Over a year ago. Surprisingly Good! Rosemary Chicken was awesome...But service is still slow. Staff very friendly
(4)
Vernelle O.
Food is ok but kind of bland and shrimp wasn't really cooked well. However, our friend ordered the mushroom ravioli and that was delicious!
(3)
Adam G.
My date and I have eaten here twice and both times was a great experience. This resturant in particular stands shoulder to shoulder with Macaroni Grill resturants I've eaten at in Vegas and Texas. I would recommend this place for a friend.
(4)
Brandon F.
awesome food and awesome service. the alfredo i had had so much flavor with every bite. lots of chicken. the waitress (katie) was very friendly. im coming back here soon
(5)
Russel M.
5 Stars as far as Chain Restaurants go. Tonight was our first experience at the Ala Moana RMG. WOW! We had an outstanding time. Service with CAT (yeah her real Stage name) was perfect. She's a killer Opera Singer. Just ask for a song. The Chef (Mike) came out and said hi (we know each other from some Charity work we participate in together) he's a great guy. We ordered the Mama's Trio and the Pork Chop. Both were very nice. Highly recommended for your next party or dinner.
(4)
Teresa L.
I should have yelped this restaurant before I went here because I ordered all the not so great stuff. If it wasn't for a gift card I had, I would never go to eat here...reminds me of cheap italian food (minus the cheap). But if you were to go here..... I would strongly suggest happy hour at macaroni grill. Everyday 4-7pm; half off appetizers, half off house wines. On thursdays, you get 25% off on bottles of wine. I had the mozzarella fritta which was okay. The Caesar salad was okay. I wasn't a big fan of their dressing...it didn't taste fresh. We ordered the chicken maralsa, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, and we made our own pasta. I did not enjoy the chicken marsala at all. Not what I'm used to. It tasted like chicken teriyaki. The fettuccine alfredo was alright...the chicken tasted frozen. When we made our own pasta dish, we chose bowtie pasta, creamy garlic sauce, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach. The sauce was alright...nothing special My sister got the strawberry italian soda which she enjoyed. Our server was friendly and was helpful in suggesting some dishes he enjoyed since it was my sister's first time here. For dessert we had the sorbet. It comes with 6 scoops of Lychee & Strawberry (or all one flavor if that's what you prefer). Overall, I would not return to this restaurant again unless I didn't have another choice. =/
(2)
Kiichi R.
Actual Rating: 4 stars Ambiance: Personally, being here three times so far, each experience was a bit too dark. I wasn't blind but it wasn't particularly adding to the atmosphere. Service: They were friendly and it's always fun to watch their trademark "upside down" writing when they introduce themselves. We were checked upon often and they received full marks for that. Food: The food was great! It was delicious and I am glad they offer more than just pasta. There are no complaints in this department either. Price: It's a little up there. Granted, in all my experiences, I never held back, but you could easily make this a nice "treat" to yourself with a simple entree and dessert. Other (parking/location/etc.): It's Ala Moana. You can do your best to find parking on the top level. But it's really up to you and there will always be free parking. No whether you can get one without a walk involved, is up to your planning. Overall - Pros: Food was great; wait staff was great; Not a "quiet" place so feel free to enjoy your company! Cons: A bit dark.
(4)
Dawn O.
Crappy carbonara. Extremely disappointed. I'll say this first: service was good as usual. I usually love the food, but the carbonara was terrible - practically inedible! In the menu, the description says something like, "crispy pancetta" and "poached egg". I thought, "Hmm. Poached egg. Interesting." However, when I got my dish, the poached egg didn't bother me. It was a cream-based sauce and the burnt pancetta. No where in the menu does it say that the carbonara is a cream-based sauce. Plus, CARBONARA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CREAM-BASED!!! The pancetta was so burnt, it made everything bitter. I ate a few bites of my husband's Penne Rustica to try to cover the bitter. The penne was good. Macaroni Grill, please step up your game. (86 the garlic-cream sauce. The whole is NOT better than the sum of its parts. And it does not go with everything.) The food is exponentially getting worse whenever I try your establishment and you keep taking off the winner dishes off the menu.
(1)
Tyler Y.
I'm adding a mediocre review based on the service. My boyfriend and I came in for a late lunch/early dinner, so we made it to happy hour. We were seated in the lounge area, where there were probably seven other families and at least 3 servers separated between tables. We had the server named Brian. Of course I loved the drawing paper. The food was nearly half off (well, certain dishes), but a lot of the menu items were being replaced :( Anyways, back to the service. Sorry, but Brian was slow at coming back to us, and to make up for not checking up on us and taking a while, he was definitely a kiss a** and I know why. When we paid our tab in cash, we didn't get a recipe that accounted for the transaction. Our tab was $26 and we only got $9 back... (we paid it with two twenty dollar bills, so we should've got back $14...) apparently out server felt obligated to take the tip out himself... Sorry, but last time I checked, the customers have the option to leave a tip and servers can't just help themselves to a tip... Imagine if we had paid with a credit/debit card. We never would've known if he overcharged us for his tip!! Word to the wise, count your change! Don't plan on coming back in a while because of this one sneaky act.
(2)
Wilma A.
We have been to this place 4x. The first time was a pleasant experience, we got seated fast and the selection of menu was better. The server was cherry on top because she was very personable. The second to fourth time, the quality of steak has changed dramatically. They also changed their menu beginning this year. My husband is a picky eater, he said the steak wasn't as tender anymore. The chocolate cake was so-so, it's supposed to be "homemade" but it didn't wow us. Salmon was fresh but nothing out-of-this world experience.
(3)
nikki k.
I decided to give Macaroni Grill another chance and I have to say I wasn't sad that I did. I went there last night thinking it was going to be packed but surprisingly it was very empty (being Easter and all). Our waitress was a little clumsy and forgetful but had a very cheerful and pleasant personality which made up for the "bad". For appetizers we got the calamari and fried cheese...both were served nice and hot with good flavor. Dinner was a split between my sister and myself. She ordered lobster ravioli and I decided on the mushroom ravioli. Both were VERY tasty and flavorful but the lobster ravioli by far was the winner that night. If I order something with lobster, I'm going to expect a decent amount of it and they did NOT disappoint! No desert, but I did have the Moscato and it was DELICIOUS!!! I'm so happy that I gave this place another chance. I will probably be coming back. Good job Macaroni Grill!
(4)
Sunny S.
Friendly, attentive staff. Their place is kinda big, feels very cozy. Food is good, from appetizers to main entree. Even their keiki mac & cheese is so good, my daughter kept asking for them. Love their bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delisiozo!!! I also love that they're kid-friendly and their restrooms are clean.
(4)
Mimi M.
The customer service was great and kids got to draw with crayons on the paper that they've prepared for table cloth. The lady that attended to us gave us suggestions and was very friendly. We also love the atmosphere there. We can't wait to go back and eat there again!
(5)
Jason H.
I come here time to time because I work in Ala Moana. Sometimes I am so over the food court so I like to feel high class and eat at one of the restaurants upstairs. I'm always pleased with Macaroni Grill because the portions are a good size for what you pay for. The bread is good so eating some of that along with your dish is just perfect. I never have enough room to eat my whole meal, so I like to take the rest home and eat it later. Who doesn't like leftover pasta? It's super easy to just reheat and it taste just as good! Tips: 1) If you're torn on what to get, I 99% of the time get the Carmela's Chicken ($17) It never fails me. Try it out. 2) Also, if you eat light and don't feel like taking anything home, try sharing with a friend. I think splitting one meal would be perfect for two people. 3) If you're pressed for time, just sit at the bar! I find that the bartenders can serve you faster cause they are always behind the counter. Happy Eating!
(5)
Brittany L.
I've been to this macoroni grill location three times. Every time I leave I wonder why I ever go back. The first time wasn't too terrible...but these last two take the cake. My husband had hair in his food! Because boys are gross, he just took it out and continued eating (gag) and we told our waiter and he just said, "oh ok, but you're fine now?". O_o never even apologized let alone offered to bring it back. There is a serious lack of training employees here which is a shame because all the servers are very friendly...it's not their fault that they don't know customer recovery. Shame on the management. And we had to send several drinks back to the bar last visit because they were terrible. I swear one mojito was half sour mix. They were completely undrinkable. After the bartenders third attempt we gave up and just left the drink sit at the table.
(1)
Jojo M.
I had a steak and fried mozzarella... One of the best steaks ever; it was totally worth the $26.00. The service is great and the place is very clean. Additionally, Military service personnel can get $10.00 off by using a coupon that is available at all MWR ITT offices. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Vicky H.
While my favorite type of food isn't Italian, I must say their food is delicious and moderate in portion. The ambience in here is great and the service is average. I don't like the fact a opera singer sings for everyone and then tries to collect tip from the tables she randomly sings to.... And what's with the kindergarten paper place mats and crayons? Sure it's great for families, but for a date? How awkward! With all said and done, they are okay and is a great place to eat after shopping all day.. But only because ala moans CPK wait is too darn long.
(3)
Megan T.
This place is really cute and I love how they put paper on the tables to keep the guests occupied. The service we received was great (our waiter's name was brad) and the food was pretty good too. I had the fettuccine Alfredo, which is the best I've ever had by far. It had the right amount of flavor and filled me up quick! My boyfriend had the pork chops which he said was okay but had too much flavor and was kind of overpowering but it filled him up. He suggests you get the under a brick chicken instead. But all in all, this place is great :)
(4)
Lisa T.
Macaroni Grill you disappoint me :( I came here often for office parties and service was usually pretty good with the servers checking on us often, and the groups being seated rather quickly, maybe because the office parties were during lunch. Having dinner reservations? A whole other story. A disappointing one too. I made reservations for my mom's birthday dinner for a party of 10. When we arrived 10 minutes early, they stated they were still working on our table but to let them know as soon as half the party was there. Our party arrived by the reservation time so I checked in with the hostess again. She stated it would be another 10 minutes before we could be seated. 20 minutes later they sat us next to another large party which is basically 30 minutes after our original reservation time. We sat around waiting for the server who took drink orders for our table. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, but the server decided to bring glasses for only half. We decided to order another bottle for the other half to enjoy which took 15 minutes to bring. This was just the beginning of a long and hot dinner. Half of our table stated it was pretty warm in the restaurant as we sipped our water to stay cool...water glasses/bottles stayed empty for half the meal with 10 people trying to stretch the water bottle to last. When the food made its way out, it seemed to be brought out by a runner. Again the waiter is MIA as he was for most of the meal. The upside of the evening was the restaurant did note we were celebrating a birthday and were nice enough to bring out a dessert for my mom as well as have a server sing to my mom in Italian which she loved. The same server also offered to fan my mom after he noticed she was sweating and kept fanning herself through out the night. Our actual server took another 5-10 minutes to bring out dessert menus for the rest of our table. Once we ordered and received our dessert (which was brought out by a runner), we were left to eat our dessert with no utensils. We didn't see our waiter until the end of the evening when he delivered our bill. Overall, the service has gone down hill tremendously. I enjoy their food but it is not worth the time to eat there any more. I hope somehow Macaroni Grill can turn it around and improve service. Until then, I think I will go elsewhere.
(1)
Clarissa M.
Why the hell did I bother to return? Family wanted to go here. We just came in told happy hour was going on feel free to seat in the happy hour bar section so we did and no server ever stopped by to give us bread water or even acknowledge our presence. This place has 10 servers standing around no attentive servers. Does management care? It's terrible and because of my experience here I wish Yelp had a negative rating system cause this place would deserve it. We brought it to the attention of the hostess as she was the only person who was around and we left.
(1)
Deano G.
Very average & you can get this stuff anywhere. Take your time while on the island and seek out the local flavor and spend your money there. You shouldn't be disappointed at all...
(3)
Anita C.
I went for lunch the other day bcs my friend wanted Italian and I said to him that all the good Italian places I know were open for dinner... He suggested Buca and I suggested Macaroni Grill. I won since he's never been to Mac Grill. I was happy I won out since I know Mac Grill takes the iDcard and we'll get a free dessert, heehee I had the sausage pizza and he had the Mama's trio. Oh my, there was so much sausage on my pizza! I was in sausage heaven, so yummy! My friend's trio was massive and he couldn't even finish it. We both had enough food left over for another meal. So for dessert we got the tiramisu and it was delishhhhhhhh! Oh man it was so good! If I wasn't so stuffed from my pizza, I wouldn't have shared the tiramisu! I haven't been to Mac Grill in a long time and after this trip, I will be coming back more often.
(4)
Duong U.
My wife are not big fans of the corporate chain restaurants. But, Macaroni Grill always pleases. Good food at a reasonable price. Try their happy hour menu...Great service, Great pricing!
(4)
Mary Q.
My girlfriend had a gift certificate, and I said " Yes, of course, I will meet you there!" Well Romano's came through for us again!! We sat in the bar area this time, and it had a nice warm modern Italian feel. The bar looked nice, but we sat at a high 2 top. Katie, our waitress (who crayoned her name upside down) was attentive and pleasant. We had one glass of wine and a Lemonade Limonello drink, and were uncertain what to order. Katie was very helpful and suggested to get the special 2 appetizers for $14 and we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers and a shrimp, avocado, bean bruschetta. The peppers were AWESOME! Had a good time, and will come back again!
(5)
Tiffany Y.
I think it is about time that I write a review about this place especially because I'm always hinting that I want my birthday party there so they can sing to me "opera style". But, this past Tuesday, my husband and I went there for a "Tweetup Tribute for a well-loved social media individual." The event was great, however, I was very impressed that Romano's Macaroni Grill accomodated this big of a party. Service: We got there an hour and a half late but the waitress came up to us within 10 minutes asking if we wanted to be started with drinks. Since everyone ate, we only ordered something light. Our waitress...I wish I got her name but she was so helpful always inquiring without being bothersome if we wanted refills or anything else. Atmosphere: Just right. Although the tables are close together, it is not claustraphobic or to where you may smell the other person's body odor at the table next to yours. Price: Reasonable Menu: All right...we only ordered a chicken caesar salad that fed both my husband and I as well as the spinach artichoke. I noticed they have this very nice chocolate dessert but we didn't order dessert. Plus: Your child-like tendencies will come out with the crayons they will place on the table for you to draw while waiting. This past Tuesday was not my first time there, I've been there previously in groups or with my husband. One thing that hasn't changed...they always provide great customer service.
(4)
Jhay B.
Went to eat here cause it was our first time. The minute we walked in, it was a 10 minute wait. Within that wait we noticed a lot of seats emptied and wonder why they don't just sit us there. Anyways got out food I took the pasta sampler and all of the food was bland or one of them on my plate was too salty with a weird after taste. Our server kept forgetting about certain things cause I had to ask for more water and for more butter and more napkins and etc. not a very friendly service either but it will be the last and final visit!! If I had to relocate I would of spend my money at bravo!!
(1)
Ness ..
Went here with my girlfriend to enjoy our date.. But the service was horrible!! We both felt very uncomfortable & dissatisfied with our waiter SHELDAN Reasons for the reason we won't return: - didn't get offered water till 10mins after we got seated (mention that it wasn't even busy!) -haven't been asked if we needed anything (he PURPOSELY PASSED US MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE WE MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING) Only reason there's even a star on this review because the food was good Overall, SHELDAN made my girlfriend and I uncomfortable and we think it's because were gay!
(1)
Regina N.
I love Italian food, especially pasta and this is one of the places I love coming to. The Parmesan fries and calamari was really good, a lot of flavor. My bf ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the penne rustica. Portions were more than I assumed and very flavorful!
(4)
Mel M.
Services are great but could be better if consistent. Other than that I love the meals and deals they always have. Lovely lunch menu too!
(4)
Tina H.
I ordered an eggplant quadratini yesterday. It was delicious, but huge so I had to take most of it home with me. Today, I brought a portion over for lunch. Midway into biting into the pasta, I chewed on something hard ... REALLY HARD (Insert obligatory "That's what she said.") It was a piece of porcelain. I knew it couldn't be from anything that I used because I only had a plastic fork and paper plate. I called management and they agreed that it was probably a piece of their bowl that chipped off. As a reward for not dying from their mistake, I get a voucher in the mail for the exact price of the eggplant quadratini. Here's a picture of the piece that I found: yelp.com/biz_photos/aKNb… Best recommendation on your next visit: Ask for the lobster ravioli and ask to hold the razor blades.
(1)
Katlyn S.
I hosted a baby shower here last weekend and we had a wonderful experience. They have a private room for parties, so I was able to decorate and have privacy! They let me into the room an hour early so that I could put the decorations on the table and get everything set. Then, during the shower our waiter was awesome and quick. The only extra cost for the room is the mandatory 18% gratuity, which we didn't mind at all. The room is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are cheerful and helpful. They definitely earn 5 stars in my book!
(5)
Anne M.
Had a wonderful, single, only got 45 minutes for lunch lunch today. Loved it. Yummy pasta and deliscioso salad dressing! A treat. Great, fast, friendly service. Will return. Right next door to Jade Dynasty Chinese in Ala Moana Center. Still easy to find, plenty parking!
(5)
jessica t.
I like how they "text" you when your table is ready! :) everyone was so nice. They are also very accommodating. I got a the Cesar salad and was able to get salmon with it. So delicious! The staff is all friendly. I just say the bathroom is also clean. :) will be back for more!!!
(5)
Samuel C.
This review is based on our experience tonight and JUST tonight. We've come here often and just thought that both the food and service were 'meh'. The MOD that night should thank Donnie, because if it weren't for him we would have complained to him/her. The night started off a little rough. They were in the middle of cutting servers and told us (table of 6) was going to be a 20 minute wait. There had to have been at least 15 tables open. When we finally got sat the host told us the specials and said that the waiter would be right with us. We waited patiently for about 20 minutes before we stopped another host to ask who our server was. At that point I'm pretty sure you could read the annoyance on all of our faces. When our server finally came over he quickly apologized and explained that there was some confusion due to some of the servers being cut. Having worked in a restaurant i get it. From that point on i have to say that Donnie made up for everything that happened earlier. He was prompt in getting us bread and water knowing we were waiting awhile. He took our order right away and was able to get our salads and soup out quick. Im pretty sure he came into this situation thinking his tip was going to be less due to what had happened earlier. But that was the great thing about him, although he knew we were all upset he still came, smiled, and hustled. And most of all was genuinely nice. This yelp is mostly about him and how he handled us, because let me just say that we were all in a pretty sour mood. But the food tonight was also better than i remembered. Chicken Scallopine- light pasta. Good flavor. Make your own- Bolognese with Italian Sausage and mushroom. More flavor than i remembered. Chicken Florentine Salad- Cold greens. Lemon dressing was good. Roasted Mushroom soup- A little rich in flavor for me but taste was super good. Make your own pasta- Pesto chicken with Brocollini All in all the food was much better than we've had before. It turned out great despite the beginning and id have to say it was in large part due to the service. Very disappointed that we didn't see a manager the whole night. ---"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"---
(4)
Gregg P.
We frequent certain establishments because of their service and quality of food. Tonight was no exception to the norm @Macaroni Grill. While the food isn't true Italian, and the taste isn't exceptional, it is Very good. Tonight we had the mama's trio, and chicken arrabbiata with penne pasta, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccolini. Mama's trio came with lasagna bolognese, cannelloni bolognese, and chicken parmigiana. We were pleased with all of the foods, but I wish they were more Italian in flavoring and more...definitely more meat flavor driven. Our drinks were the house chianti, water, and lemonade. We were pleased with all. The starters were the typical bread and oil, but we also ordered the roasted mushroom soup. While it looked like a brown gravy, it tasted a bit too salty, and we wanted it a bit creamier. It came off almost like canned mushroom soup mixed with a French onion base, darkened, condensed, then over salted. While I make this sound very bad, it truly wasn't terrible. Just average and it could have been so much better. We finished with a absolutely wonderful lemon passion and cafe mocha. The lemon passion was moist and the highlight of dinner. Make sure you check into Facebook and like their page, show them and save10% off your bill.
(4)
Diandrea S.
I went here for lunch around 12 in the afternoon on a weekday. The place wasn't crowded and their was only one waitress serving us and three other tables. The waitress friendly and kept checking on us to make sure everything was okay. The area we sat in was very nice and close to the kitchen. I got rigatoni and my sister got ravioli. Both were delicious. Who I presumed was the chef, brought our food straight to our table and grated fresh Parmesan to taste. Very nice dim lighted setting and the chairs and booths were very comfortable. The pricing of some of the items seemed a little high and the ravioli, although delicious was around $13 for only 4 pieces (sizes were pretty large, but maybe not $13 worth). Overall great experience and delicious food.
(4)
Kit W.
It's been years since I have been to Macaroni Grill. I came here for lunch today because I recently received a gift card for this place. Since it's a Monday, the restaurant was only half full and we were immediately seated at a booth for two without reservations. We ordered the mushroom ravioli from the Pranzo Combo Specials (available Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM). You have a choice of three sides: fresh greens, Caesar salad, or soup. We went with the Caesar salad. For $13, I thought this was a pretty good deal because the mushroom ravioli was super delicious!!! The porcini mushrooms on top of the ravioli were beautifully caramelized and the marsala sauce was so good I dipped even my Caesar salad in it! We also ordered Chicken Under a Brick because it looked so delicious in the pictures other reviewers posted. For $21, the portion did not disappoint but we didn't like much else about it. The flavor was only okay, there was a lot of oil, and the chicken was not tender (probably a bit overcooked). Maybe I was hoping for too much given past reviews but I was let down by this dish. For drinks, I tried the Limonata Nojito, which had San Pellegrino Limonata, agave nectar, lime, and mint. I love citrus and mint so it was the perfect drink for me! If you like similar flavor profiles, you should totally get the Limonata Nojito (a nojito is apparently a mocktail version of a mojito!).
(4)
Kelly D.
Waited 25 minutes.. waiter forgot our bread, balsamic vinegar. Another waitress passing by gave us more bread. Food came out after 25 minutes. Waiter was nice and great personality but hardly checked up. Great opera singer.
(3)
Blanca C.
Love the atmosphere of the place, however, it's a Thursday night and a waiting line?! The staff is wonderful and attentive. A+ servers and hostess. My husband chicken Parmesan was a delicious and hottttt, mean while my food was cold and over salty. Mix feelings! :/ Cost of food was $40 bucks total, I think I rather buy Indian food. I get more for my money and the taste and flavor are 100% on point. Not bias all right?! Lol
(3)
Krysten I.
It's pretty sad that I pretty much always forget there is a macaroni grill at ala moana. When I eat at the mall, I'll eat at cpk, tanaka of tokyo, shirokiya, bubba gump, genki, pretty much anywhere else. I recently received a gift card for macaroni grill and forgot I had it because this restaurant never crosses my mind. Sad. For dinner, there is usually a line, but for lunch, it's empty. A friend of mind suggested we go for lunch and I agreed because I would get to finally use my gift card! When we got to the hostess counter, the two hostesses were sorting crayons. They asked my friend and I to wait and I wasn't really sure why since the restaurant was relatively empty. We were finally seated and it seemed like we had to wait and wait longer than usual throughout the meal. We waited to order, for bread, for our food etc. I like how some of the reviews mention that people are impressed by the waitstaff' ability to write their names upside down. It's really not that hard. I'm disappointed that they couldn't write the specials upside down too lol. I had looked up their online menu and saw that they have a $10 lunch special lol but I guess in hawaii it's $13 surprise surprise. -___- I ended up getting the mushroom ravioli with Cesar salad and was impressed. It was actually a pretty good deal even though it cost 30% more just because it's in hawaii. Make sure to ask for bread, because it's pretty tasty with all the rosemary and olive oil yumminess. I think it's funny that hey try to be "European" by leaving a bottle of water on each table, yet use these paper towel things for napkins. The crayons on the table are also kind of strange even though I'm a little kid at heart and like drawing on the table while I wait for my food. Come for lunch, but I wouldn't suggest coming for dinner!
(3)
M. W.
What to order? Spicy ricotta meatballs as an appetizer - not spicy :-). Mama trio - enough food for 3 meals. Flat breads are yummy, chicken under the brick is a roasted half chicken with potatoes and asparagus. Super yummy. Our server was Sheldon and he was amazing! Drinks refilled, checked in on us, was friendly and helpful. Love when he is our server! :-) I miss the create your own pasta - and the menu is 1/3 of what it used to be. But we still find new items to try. The Bibb salad is good and so is the minestrone soup. The lemon curd desert is yummy if u like tartness. Also - 10% off if u like them on FB and check in. Wanted to add that the appetizer - zucchini fritta(fried) can be baked instead and tastes much better. Happy hour is from 3-6pm and is fun and yummy.
(4)
Gen M.
I remember always watching the commercials on tv and the food looking delicious. So I finally decided to give this restaurant a try with a friend of mine. First off they are conveniently located in Ala Moana mall. The customer service was definitely great and the food was very yummy. I will be going back for sure.
(4)
TaraMarie P.
Macaroni Grill isn't exactly one of those amazing, must-go-here spots, but you know what, it's alright if you just want some pasta and you want to draw on the tables. Who doesn't need that combination every now and then? The service is nice; of course it's amusing the first couple of times to see them draw on the tables, but it loses its charm after a while. The whole drawing aspect really only adds to the experience if you're even with people who are fun enough to let loose and draw silly things with you while you're waiting. Otherwise the crayons and paper are a moot point and do nothing for the experience at all. As with any other higher end pasta joint, the waiter will offer to grate your cheese and may or may not have some interesting commentary. What disappoints me a little though is the menu selection. The food available doesn't exactly seem "wow," though it is tasty. I can't get cajun pasta of any sort, or lemon garlic sauce, and in fact, I don't remember any kind of house pesto being a choice on my make-your-own pasta sheet. I ended up getting chicken alfredo and having to add chili flakes and tobasco (sounds weird, but hey, it worked) just to get my spicy fix. Another thing that upsets me are the prices. They're not absurd or anything, but in my opinion they're a bit high for the quality of food. About $2 less on each plate seems a bit more fitting, unless these dishes had a bit more of a twist, or zest, or just something more. I can't quite describe it well but the food needs some, oomph for that price, you know? Lastly, funny story: I always seem to come here months upon months apart, so I forget what it looks like and other crucial details like the fact that some of the booths are elevated. Both of the last times I came, after dinner or lunch, I stepped out of the booth and that feeling hit me---you know, the one where you think you're going to die because you missed a step? Yea that one. I forgot we were on an elevated platform and stepped out onto the main floor without realizing it was lower. Didn't hit anything or fall on my butt but still... I'm sure I looked stupid missing a step and grabbing onto the table like "wth just happened?!?" Look out for those, I tell you. Do not let the food coma give you amnesia...........
(3)
Kyle M.
Good food and good atmosphere here, service was great and the food was ok. I had the flatbread pizza and it was great, but my wife was not too impressed with the salmon, and the orzo was loaded with garlic. Our waiter was awesome and the food come out pretty fast. We would go back here again.
(4)
Jeremy H.
The service was great the waiter wrote upside down when he came which was neat. The food was really good especially the chicken arugula flatbread and I also had mamas trio to me that wasn't as good as the flatbread. The drinks there were sorta expensive it cost 7$ for a regular drink, but this is a really good place to come and eat!
(4)
Daniel H.
Rarely do I see the sort of attentiveness in wait staff that I saw tonight. For Jessie, nothing was too much and he took excellent care of my girlfriend and I. He even went so far as to sing in Italian for us at the end of the meal with a beautiful voice. The food was excellent too with free warm bread and olive oil as a starter. It was great to have fresh bread that wasn't the usual sweet stuff we've found across Hawaii. My flat bread style pizza was delicious and just the right size, with the option of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's the little things. The meal ended with delicious Italian style espresso. I've missed proper coffee too. I wish this wasn't our last night, because we'd be back again tomorrow for sure.
(5)
Reid K.
Last time I reviewed Romano's Macaroni Grill, I gave it 1 star. Maybe that was a bit harsh, so I'm here to give it 2 stars this time around. Things have changed. The fire pit that I so loved is now gone. The menu is a bit different, and by that I mean they removed items, some of which I loved (market chopped!). The wait staff is mostly the same--we recognize them, they recognize us. The annoyingly mislabeled restroom doors are still intact. Honestly, I do like the food. The pollo caprese can be eaten guilt-free because it's relatively healthy, and I've found that it's good fuel if you plan to go to the gym later. (Con: the portion of chicken is pathetic. It's, like, a quarter of a chicken breast.) My brother likes the chicken parm. My dad likes the chicken under a brick, but it's too fatty for my taste. The aforementioned market chopped salad is dead and gone, but the bibb and blue salad is always reliably good. My favorite dish is, hands down, the grilled king salmon (with orzo). It's tasty and simple and it works well eaten in or taken to go. If I love the food, then why is Macaroni Grill still only 2 stars? For one, the value you receive for the price you'll pay is debatable. I hate paying $16 for the pollo caprese when the chicken is so measly. Also, the service has been iffy every time I've visited since I wrote the first review. Incorrect orders have come to the table, and quantities of dish ingredients are inconsistent from visit to visit. I have nothing against Macaroni Grill. I still go there to eat from time to time, and I'm always open to some king salmon. As I said, I do like their food, but they need to tighten up their operating procedures and create a consistent experience that provides value for the price their customers pay.
(2)
Cody B.
Went here for an early dinner. Had no issue getting a table, we tend to like the bar area because its first come first serve. Darrin was great, had a great attitude and amazed my girlfriend with his writing up-side-down and drawing skills. He explained the menu and had our drink there right away. The food was great and was fast getting to us. I had the trio and she had the pasta and chicken. Both were way more than we could finish. We were way to full to try any of the desserts but are sure they would have been great too. If you are looking for some good food this is the place.
(5)
Karen T.
5 star review I was there for lunch yesterday with my nephew and his girlfriend and it was a great lunch! I believe our waiters name was Kawika-nice asian boy. :) My nephew got I think a ribeye, his girlfriend got the chicken marsala and I had the special-Mahimahi with risotto. I've never had risotto before but it was sooo good! I've been cutting back on carbs but I ate every last bit of it! The portion was just a little big for me but I finished it all! I've eaten here before and the food and service was good then too. AWKWARD 2 star review I had to write a review about yesterdays experience though to get this out there. The hostess walked us over to the bar area and I hear the bartender (a tall white woman with dark hair) yell out not to sit us at the open booth. So she seats us at the next table. My nephews gf asked can't we sit in a booth? So the hostess (so nice the whole time) apologized and explains that the booth is reserved but she'll go check the other side and be right back. So we sit and she comes back and tells us it's a misunderstanding-we can move to the booth if we want to. I did notice during our lunch that the bartender was serving the tables around us. Just not ours. She never stopped by our table to apologize(I thought that would have been nice) but she was very pleasant to the tables around us. I guess it was personal-whatever-We paid our bill, we weren't rowdy(we're in our mid 40's/50's!), and they left a 25% tip! Restaurant gets 3 1/2 star review total I don't know what the problem was but she should not be allowed to get away with that. Would I return? Yes I probably would-I think there's another one in Pearlridge. Would I recommend this place to others? Not after this!
(3)
Katie W.
The food was good, but service was, although friendly, very slow. We came on a Tuesday night and there was a 45 minute wait for 2, so we sat at the bar. It probably ended up taking just as long to get our food. They gave us a free dessert to make up for it, but overall it took over two hours.
(3)
Sarah L.
Recently came back with my sister and her friends. The hostess was very nice and helpful. The waitress was excellent as usual. This time the restaurant was clean and my seat was clean as well! For my previous review, the manager saw my review and send my a $25 gift certificate so I was happy and gladly came back to here to eat. The food was exceptional. I usually get Carmella's Chicken or the Mushroom ravioli, but this time I got the Penne Rustica. Normally I don't like trying new things, but this dish was delicious. It's a baked pasta so the top was crispy. I topped it with a lot of Parmesan cheese. There is only a few pieces of shrimp in the pasta, but there is plenty of chicken. It was a little dry for my taste so I drank plenty of water. But this is good pasta for anyone to try if it's their first time there :)
(4)
India R.
I enjoy coming here, with a restaurant at this size, the wait is never too long... You can sit at the bar, or a comfortable booth for a great meal. The service is great, and who doesn't love to draw on the tables with their crayons?! :) Everything on the menu is flavorful, from the Chicken marsala to the trimisu! It's American-Italian, so you can't go wrong with all your menu options. And if there's pasta and pizza available, everyone is a happy camper! :)
(4)
Michael M.
Really like this place although as chain restaurants go's it feel short of my experience last time at a Northern California location. I had the pork chop which was very flavorful but didn't touch the mushroom rice risotto, didn't care for that at all. I notice that they didn't have the same high end plating that I experienced in the past. It wasn't busy and our server was not very attentive but we liked how the chefs delivered the food as it was ready. We also had the calamari & macaroni balls which were very good and I would recommend. 3 stars because of the average food and experience. There was one server at another table who sang beautifully which definitely made it nice for those that had her as a server.
(3)
Cindy B.
House bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and flat breads have to be my favorites! Yum! Front desk staff can be a hit or miss. Sometimes the girls can be snobby. On my latest visit, however the front desk staff was very friendly. Our waiter, Ryan, was also excellent. He was very attentive and personable. My boyfriend and I ordered the Spinach Dip ($8). The dip was very flavorful. You can taste the spinach and artichokes in the dip. Although the flavors were there, I couldn't help the fact that the dip was cold. Some parts of the edges were really warm and when you dug deeper into the dip it was cold! The dip was accompanied with small pieces of crostini. Would def get it again if the dip was hot! The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad ($15) is similar to the one at Nordstrom Cafe (I prefer Nordstroms one). The chicken is crispy and delicious and the salad is well dressed. The Roasted Chicken Flat Bread ($16) has pesto, chicken, roasted peppers, and arugula on a thin crispy flat bread. So good! Not a big fan of arugula, but it works on this dish. For dessert, we got the Panna Cotta ($9). We were pretty full by the end of our meal, so this dessert was perfect. Very light and not too sweet.
(4)
Chablis T.
Dining here again by default turned out to be a pleasant experience. Our waitress was new & that was her first night serving. Her name is Jenny. She was awesome. Best service I had dining here. On the menu: Shrimp Portofino. That was oh so good. This is what I'll be coming back for! Love that I can bring my kids here! They are given crayons & keep busy by drawing on their paper topped tables. We will be back.
(4)
Supa M.
Good food great service...our waiter was peter...he was good wrote his name upside down and everything fast service and refilled my soda every time never had to ask once...the food was good and the portion was a lot
My first time at a macaroni grill. It's just an over priced Olive Garden. The calamari was very expensive when compared to the amount that was served to us. I ordered the coffee with baileys. It seemed there was NO ALCOHOL in there!!! My mojito tasted like a virgin mojito (idk if there's such thing). Very upset
(1)
Christa B.
What can I say? I love the national franchise restaurants. I wish this place were closer to me. I'd be a regular for sure. I'd just come for the drinks and dessert! You know how the food tastes. It's decent for Italian. It's good for your money. However, are you aware of how good the drinks are? I'm not a lush. I promise, but they were so good, I had several. The Sorrento lemonade, the Italian mojito, and the Cafe Romano are excellent! The Sorrento is southern lemonade sweet. The Italian Mojito is for the palette that enjoys the hint taste of licorice. The cafe romano is super sweet as well. It probably has more sugar than coffee. I won't say much else about this place other than to mention our server Brian. He made great drink suggestions and was very friendly. The guy who sang happy birthday to my daughter in Italian had a lovely voice. Now who's ready for a drink!?
(4)
Denise P.
My sisters, niece, and I had lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we were seated. I guess we weren't the only ones who chose to have a late lunch that day. The wait was worth it. We were seated and our server promptly took our drink orders and brought our drinks out quickly. We placed our lunch order and proceeded to draw on the paper with our crayons. I must say, they should have these available at every establishment! When our food was brought to our table we all took pictures of each other's dish before we started eating. The food was delicious and enjoyed all the more because of our gathering. This has been my third time here and my first time writing a review about Romano's Macaroni Grill on Yelp. I'm giving Romano's five stars because their excellent customer service and delicious food have been consistent on each of my visits here. Keep up the great team work and delicious food, Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)
Claudia M.
Havent been to this place in a long while. To my surprise, I enjoyed it and wondered why I haven't been patronizing this place. Waiter was very pleasant! Had the eggplant parmesan and it was delish. The angel hair pasta with red sauce which accompanied the eggplant was very tasty. They also had a nice kid's menu...chicken with pasta, meatballs with spaghetti, and other items. It also came with a drink. Can't wait to go back. And they take reservations until 9pm...something like that.
(4)
Outofthebox24 7.
Service: Depending who your server is.. it could go either way.. the first 2 times I came here, we literally walked out before we had a chance to order bc we were not acknowledged for at least 10 min after being seated. I've never, ever walked out once I was already seated..and 2 out of 2 times, it was just beyond tolerable. After walking out, we did go back and talk to a manager, who was no where to be found the first time. The 3rd time was not my pick to go here, but I was in the mood to give them a shot. The service was much better. I am wondering if it changed because we brought it to the attention of the manager the last time. Food: Again, it can go either way. CPK is right across the pathway, and some of their pastas trump Mac grill's. However....I do love their bread (complimentary) and Mac and Cheese Balls (appetizer). Parking: Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center so you can park inside the mall. Right now there is construction everywhere as the mall is being renovated. The easiest place to park is on the 3 Level between Shirokiya and Nordstrom.
(2)
Ashley H.
This restaurant is a little hidden which is unfortunate because it's really good! I was walking around the mall with my boyfriend while waiting to get my eyebrows done. And got hungry, we tried a lot of the other restaurants and food at the food court and wanted to try something new. He reminded me that his friend worked there and I said let's try it, since we've never been. We went around lunch time and waited 15 mins to get seated. I was SOOOO EXCITED when I saw the paper and crayons! I could color on the table while we wait and it helped the time go by! Julia was our server she was nice but hardly checked on us, I even had to call her a few times. The second time we went we had Mel and she was fantastic she checked on us often, refilled drinks promptly, asked if we needed anything and even offered ranch to go with my Zucchini Fritta OMG SHE MADE MY NIGHT! It was so bomb, and the mac bites were so good. The appetizers are too die for, I kid you not! The entrees aren't that bed either! Talking about the appetizers makes me want to go get some right now, ugggggh. Lol
(4)
Lia M.
Beau and I come here now and then and we just love the tortellacci with prosciutto and butternut squash. The lobster ravioli is incredible and they are very generous on the lobster meat in the sauce, too-- we weren't expecting that! The bruschetta is delicious and a nice starter as well as the deep fried macaroni mmmmmmm!!! However- if you do the appetizers- then get something lighter for dinner as the portions are either large or just very heavy and filling.
(5)
Jonathan R.
Low-End of the Scale Unfortunately, my trip to Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana was less than thrilling. Let me begin at atmosphere, probably the best aspect of the restaurant. The dining area is lit with these low hanging lights that provide a warmth glow of gradient reds and yellows. The seats were nice and comfortable and the bathrooms are nice and clean - always a good sign. The service was slow during our lunch hour run but the server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was less than average. The Florentine Steak & Frittes was perhaps the most disappointing. The steak in itself was small and was served with two slices of tomatoes that look like they were meant to go on a burger instead. The Calamari Fritti, basically friend calamari, has a lot more fried particles than fried calamari. However, I did enjoy their Carmela's Chicken. It had good amount of chicken and mushrooms that wasn't too salty, but just enough. To sum it up, For the price you pay to go to Romano's Macaroni Grill, you kind of expect better quality food. In the end, I would probably prefer eating at the food-court or Asagio's
(2)
Shy K.
I love coming here during happy hour with friends and/or dinner time with family. The food is good and service is pretty quick. However, it never fails. Every time I order appetizers it comes to the table cold. Especially the stuffed mushrooms it's always cold in the middle. Good good with good company makes a perfect day.
Loved it. Back in the day, we used to take our kids here. Then we moved from Michigan and left behind one of my favorite dinner spots. The paper table cloths with Crayola accompaniments are still there. The food is still fantastic and eclectic. Our waitress, Rachael, did a smashing job. Despite the fact that they took my favorite off the menu (Italian nachos) and the fact that it's tough to find (way up top in the Ala Moana Mall), I still have to give it a thumbs up and a five-star rating.
(5)
Li Y.
My nieces luuuuve this place which is why we are here today. Because whatever my nieces want my nieces get, at least with dis auntie! And, even tho this surprises even me, I am actually glad we did. with a party of 11 persons we got a feast for the eyes and palate! Located at the top of the Hookipa escalator/elevator, location is very convenient in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. First off let me say the service was top notch! We began to arrive 10 minutes early for a 11am reservation. Had to wait a few minutes to go in as the restaurant doors didn't open until 11am. DO NOTE, party will not usually be seated at table until at least the party present so...don't be late otherwise the early arrivals might not be too happy when you get there later! Hostess was more than accommodating tho when we explained we had a senior the ripe age of...well...almost 90years old so, they allowed us to go almost straight to the table. Can't leave grandma out of the festivities. Kudos to the hostess staff! Our waiter was just as if not more attentive. Even quite entertaining. Food was all very tasty (too tasty?) and very reasonably priced. Do a Facebook/yelp checkin and "like" of the restaurant and get 10pct off. Also, active and reserved military get 10pct off. Kudos to the management staff. Do believe I will be back to visit ! Great place to end up or start your shopping adventures at the mall!!
(4)
Oscar F.
Food was great. Served on time. UNFORTUNATLEY, our waiter forgot more than half of our order. The place was not busy at all and I counted at least 7 other waiters around. WOW!!! Update. They paid for our missing food item! YAY!!
(4)
Mel V.
Thinking of somewhere to satisfy my craving for good pasta and pizza... decided to come here today 081314 for a lunch. Upon arriving to the main entrance I noticed that they had a green "PASS" posted great job guys! It's kind of a big deal because you know that the resturabt meets the expectations of the food and health department for crying out loud they hot a pass! So I'm pretty sure you won't be going home sick or find roaches etc. Crawling around riggt?! Geeze I hope not. Moving on... As we walked in, we were promptly greeted by the host, we came on a weekday & during opening about half an hour before the lunch rush so she asked us for how many and gladly walked us to our table. Within less than 5 minutes our waiter Shawn cane and asked us if we wanted drinks and if we needed more time. did not rush us at out but promptly brought our water and bread olive oil vinegar mixture... We decided to go with the Italian sausage flat bread & the create your own pasta. Shawn was very knowledgeable of explaining the sauces, and helped us in vision what our choices would look and taste like. First we got the Italian sausage pizza: the crust was on flat bread that was baked to.a perfected crisp with a good amount of cheese to sauce ratio. Not greasy at all and the sausage bites were equally arranged. Next was our pasta: we chose fettuccine with aarabita (I think I spelt it wrong) with roasted red peppers spinach and tomatoes it cane out okay... I wasn't to.impress but it tasted great. Got the right amount of seasoning, but could have had a little more spice or kick to it... the noodles were good but to me it seemed like they just boiled the noodles n just slabbed the sauce over it and tossed in the veggies.. don't get me wrong it was good though.. I guess we should of gone with our usual pasta di mare oh well. .. lesson learned... Lastly every so often our waiter came to check on us to see if everything was okay, the big thing I liked was how the manager himself came to each table to make sure his/ her staff was giving us the customer service n hospitality we deserve. With that being said I will definitely return who.doesnt love drawing on the tables?!
(4)
Wendy G.
Amazing service!
(5)
Maile T.
Just want to say, this place is awesome! Darren is our favorite bartender and always remembers our names when we come in :) He is always pleasant and welcoming which is the experience any guest will have with him and the other bartenders. We love their Happy Hour and ambiance as well. After we had a bad experience last night at Longhis Ala Moana, we thought...lets go to Macaroni Grill where they are consistently friendly, professional and actually care about their guests. Thank you Darren, Ryan and the other bartenders for always making our dining experiences memorable :)
(5)
Emily H.
Just don't! I've been here a few times. Once for dessert and once for dinner. Dessert was surprisingly dry and expensive so I was disappointed. We went for dinner once for my husbands birthday. The smell upset me. Like dirty carpet. The food was mediocre and the service was pretty slow which is rough with a 3 year old. Just not where I would spend my money again.
(1)
Hannah P.
We wanted an Italian soda soooooo bad. I remembered macaroni grill having a pretty good selection of flavors. That and I could litteraly not think of one other place that made them. We called and were told they don't do take out drinks. And the lady who answered the phone sounded like she thought we were joking. No joke here sister, the craving is real. Lol. We'd have to come in... Meh. BUT we had to. Strawberry and cream plus carbonation= bomb dot com. The local girl bartending in the lounge was sweet. Charismatic, young, and fresh. I appreciated her service while we hastily slurped down our Italian sodas.. Just thought I'd pay her respects on yelp :)
(4)
Jewelyn T.
Came here for dinner once in 2007 while living on Oahu. I say NO to Romano's! I had of course pasta and it was horrible! Not worth the price either. Never coming back here again. But if you must... it's located on the very top of Ala Moana... lots of free parking... parking is always terrible... unless you come at a reasonable time of day. 1 star for good location... right in the heart of Honolulu.
(1)
Xiomara R.
Yeah, yeah... it feels odd going to a chain when you are on touring someplace new. BUT they don't have any of these around SF, and the female portion of this review team has a fond memory of them. So we braved the one in Ala Moana Center and were pretty pleased all around. To start, we had the drink special, Bellini, which was very good. We then dived into a mix of appetizers and pasta, both of which were excellent. The Shrimp, Cannellini Bean & Avocado Crostini were in particular amazing, and something that if we ever get a chance to visit in the future we will probably indulge ourselves on them again. Overall, the only downfall of the place was the high price, which was par the course for Waikiki anyway.
(4)
K K.
#NAME?
(2)
iris a.
Family of 6 should not dine here... too expensive!! BUT.. the food was good.... Order the calamari, it was bomb... We ordered this feta onion mushroom pizza thing... not good at all.. they burnt it only a little bit & the flavor was just... destroyed! Good classics though... stay away from the entrees... not much flavor if you stray from the pastas and pizzas...
(3)
V H.
What happened to this place???? I used to come to this place a lot but not anymore, I'd rather go to Arancino's, The food was bad and the service was worse, so sad to c a good place go bad.
(2)
Diane Y.
Don't listen to the people who say the food is flavorless or that the pasta is overcooked. Doubtless, they're either very old people who've lost half their taste buds or hicks who don't understand about al dente pasta and prefer it to be served roughly the same consistency as one might find microwaved Michelina's entrees to be. The food here has a subtle flavor that will escape any palate not sophisticated enough to recognize that good, fresh ingredients were not meant to be doused in a sea of cheesy sauce. The dishes here are simple and rely on quality ingredients like their incredibly fresh grilled shrimp. Our server was a friendly girl with the impressive ability of writing upside down! I must confess I had too much fun with the crayons and paper tablecloth... This place loses one star for its small portions. We haven't forgotten you're a chain restaurant, Macaroni Grill. There's no sense in pretending you're a chic French bistro where patrons overpay for tiny portions to enjoy the ambience.
(4)
Elaine L.
Came here with 2 friends for lunch today, don't think we'll be coming back any time soon. We got a soda and a Leaning Bellini, 2 appetizers and 3 entrees. Soda was fine, since you can't really mess up the soda, but the Leaning Bellini wasn't very good, tasted more like syrupy champagne and cheap rum. We asked our server for some balsamic vinegar for the bread and it took him forever and a day to get it because he was too busy checking on other tables and the couple sitting at the bar (he went to the bar 4 times to refill the couple's drink and chat with them before coming back to our table). By the time he finally came back to our table with the vinegar, we already asked another server to get it for us and were done with the bread and starting on the appetizer that the other server dropped off at our table. The appetizers Calamari and Mozzarella Fritta were good. But our entrees were horrible... We had Mama's Trio, Chicken Marsala, and Seafood Linguine. My Mama's Trio was half burnt and half dried out, the Seafood Linguine was totally dried so the pasta was all stuck together, and the Chicken Marsala tasted bland because they made the sauce too thin (the sauce was a beige brown instead of the usual leathery brown). Before we could send our food back to get it remade, we had to wait for our server to come back to our table, because no one even bothered to look over to our table (we were waiving our hands in the air hoping to catch one of their attention), not the hostess, manager, or servers came to check on us after the food was dropped off at our table. After waiting for a while, our server finally walked by 10 minutes after our food arrived. He took everything back and said they will remake them and it will only take a few minutes, but we already lost our appetite by that time and didn't eat much of the food when the manager brought them back to our table. If the service was good, we would at least give them a second chance even tho the food sucked, but EVERYTHING sucked. We're not going to pay that much money for shitty food AND shitty service. TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT.
(1)
Tawnie-Ann M.
This place is definitely over rated. Bravo's in Aiea is way better. I came here for dinner and ordered the pasta di mare. It basically just tasted like tomato sauce with seafood over fresh pasta. The fresh pasta was way too undercooked for my liking. The waiter explained that's how "fresh" pasta is supposed to be. Service was okay, although our waiter forgot our drink order twice=\
(2)
Tricia M.
in my post-marriage and pre-pregnancy days, i was quite the avid pau hana goer, so i can state with confidence that i know a good one when i see one! ;) the deets: conveniently located in town with tons of free parking, Romano's happy hour is 4-7 daily in the bar area (take an immediate right when you enter), with 50% off all appetizers and $3 for an 8-oz glass of house wine (note: a standard pour is 6 oz = value alert!). i know there's a special for beer too but hey when you're eating italiano you drink vino, yes? whether you're alone (sit at the bar and watch the game), +1 (sit near the fire pit - now where else in hawaii can you do that!), or in a group (sit at a table), you'll find a good spot and hopefully like us, great service. charmaine was a sweet local lady who took super good care of us and never made us feel rushed, even tho her surrounding tables turned a coupla times while we were there. the grinds: since we were in a group we ordered a bunch of half-off appetizers and ate family-style. we had the calamari (nice texture and sauce), caprese salad (our healthy dish of the night), crab-stuffed mushrooms, spinach artichoke dip (sorry, can't beat cpk or ryans on that one), and sampler with fried cheese, bruschetta and calamari. not to mention unlimited fresh house bread which is great with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper (and to sop up extra sauce from the apps). everything came out fast and yummy, and i can't complain about the unbelievable grand total of $55 (before tip) --- for 5 people (2 drinkers)!!! no that is not a typo! omg we've spent that much per person at some places!! bottom line: wish i discovered this awesome pau hana spot when i could drink, but even without a buzz i'm giving Romano's 5 big ones :)
(5)
holland h.
I always liked this place until the last time I went. I left my credit card, and when I called to see if it was there the hostess told me "I'm really busy right now, can you call later"? Obviously she has never had a credit card, and doesnt realize how stressful thatcan be. So I hauled back there, and the hostess bar said no, sorry, no card. I asked the server and she said that indeed she turned it over to the hostess stand. The manager was a bumbling fool who couldnt be bothered. After throwing a fit, finally it turned up-- at the hostess stand! Funny thing was, they werent even slammed, it was moderately slow.
(2)
Lucas T.
Three of us had a decent wait of 15 minutes to be seated for a Thursday night. Strangely the server don't do the customary writing of the name on the table, but oh well. Ordered two portions of mama's trio and an eggplant Parmesan. Only complaint here is the food took a while even though it didn't seem busy. When it did arrive though it was friggen awesome. Couldn't even finish the trio so into the doggy bag it goes.
(4)
Noopha P.
Easy place to stop in for happy hour. Grab a pizza and glass of wine. The staff is very friendly.
(5)
First L.
There's a reason why we eat here more than 4 times a year. The atmosphere is nice, but the food is awesome! Service is on par with more elegant establishments. We've been here over 10 times and only once were we setup with an insensitive waitress. If it wasn't for the delightful pasta, this occurrence would have made us leave. We usually order our appetizers off the menu: risotto. Reason for rating: food is always great.
(5)
Mr Y.
The service was great! Food though lacked flavor. Got the panseared opah with spinich orzo. Definately not worth $22. And they changed the tiramisu too. Not the best. Kinda dissappointed for spending $65 for dinner. Even my kids pizza had more flavor.
(3)
Shelley K.
I used to love coming here to eat, but now I don't really care to go. They took off all of my favorites off their menu. And now all of their food is just way too salty!! Go somewhere else for better Italian food.
(2)
Aaron W.
I love eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food is great, the portions are generous, and the staff is very friendly. I also like the fact that you can bring your kids and keep them occupied with the crayons and paper table cloth. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the bread, which is some kind of sour dough with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also love the option that they give you to create your own pasta. I usually just do this when I eat at Romano's.
(5)
Brandon S.
I've never been a big fan of mainland chain "big box" type of establishments. Their menus are often times cookie cutter and nothing localized. Sometimes I wonder about the food because rather than a chef using his own integrity to create the dish, they rely on a preset protocol to push the food out to the customers. This is one of the few places besides CPK that I don't mind coming to knowing the above. I guess I'm a sucker for Italian food. The other night I went here with my girlfriend and we order a couple entrees and a salad. The house salad was pretty good, it came with a Mediterranean Balsamic Vinaigrette on top of the house bread which was close to a french roll with rosemary. Pretty good too. Our entrees came, I ordered nothing fancy this time around and got the spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce. You can't mess this up right? They didn't, the sauce was excellent. It reminded me of the type you cooked up and simmered at home. The drawback was that there wasn't enough noodles. So it was almost like a soup. My girlfriend ate the mushroom ravioli and I tried a piece of it and I thought this was pretty good too. It was the type of food you would expect at a hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery which is a bit of a surprise to me. Ordinarily i would have given this place a solid 4-stars just based on the taste of our food, however our server, needed to be reminded or asked countless times about one thing or another. So I think that costs this place 1-star. Before you say anything let me explain why.... The place wasn't packed as we were there a bit on the later side when the mall was closing so there's no excuse for this. Things like not getting the water refilled when we clearly had empty cups for a long period of time. We asked our server if we could have our food packed up and said he'd be right back after he helped out these other folks. 15 minutes later we had to ask again and about 10 minutes later he finally came to take our plate to pack up. I asked if we could take our leftover bread and he replied yes I'll pack that up for you too. He didn't. When the check finally came I asked again, can we get something for the bread and our server exclaimed he'd bring us an empty container. Instead he brought our bill back after I charged it with no box. My girlfriend even said you asked him twice to bring the bill, twice to box up our food and twice for the bread. We finally ended up leaving without the bread because we didn't want to wait any longer. Lame.
(3)
Michael M.
I notice a lot of reviews of this place start with "I came here because I had a gift card..." I have one better: my brother's girlfriend had a gift card and used it to take us all out. This is a restaurant that you cannot take too seriously if you want to enjoy it. We came here 6 pm on a Sunday night with reservations and were actually seated promptly. Loud, festive atmosphere where you can still have a table conversations. This is a good atmosphere for family/friends to reconnect if you don't mind the food. The food (rolls up sleeves). Okay Mr. Romano and your Macaroni Grill. There is this this substance called "salt." It is "Na" combined with "Cl" on the periodic table of elements and has a cubic, crystalline structure. It also goes great on food. You and your staff should really investigate it. Everyone is using it nowadays in finer restaurants. We noticed there was no bread and asked the waiter. He said "we have a new policy where we won't give you bread unless you request it." He wasn't about to let us in on the new policy. I wonder what else we are missing out on without asking for it. We ordered family style. Margherita Pizza, Carbonara, Caprese, Eggplant Parmasian. As mention before, there was no f-ing salt! Even the carbonara, with prosciutto which is salt cured lacked salt! On a side note. I think they mistake MSG for salt here. It makes sense. Looks similar. The only reason why I have this theory is that we all had that weird MSG feeling after dinner. Service was friendly, but we didn't appreciate the "guess our new policy game." The only reason why I would come back is if I had a gift card.
(2)
Dee S.
we just tried this restaurant for the first time about a month ago when family was here and we had a great experience! Not only was our waiter fun and really on point with everything on the menu, but we never needed to ask for anything, she had it all there before we even thought of it! I also have two small children and then just loved coloring on the paper tablecloth! There were no cell phones, or tablets, just good family fun drawing all over the table! Food was great and prices weren't bad. We have already gone back and will be going back again. Thanks!
(5)
Cassie T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill. To many this is just another chain restaurant and if you think this you are totally correct. However, since I am from Alaska this was my first trip to the Macaroni Grill. First let me say that at the Ala Moana Center if you try to go to CPK, or some of the other restaurants and they are busy just try the Macaroni Grill. They had absolutely no wait when I recently visited. We were seated immediately! Our waiter came over and suddenly the paper table cloth and crayons on the table suddenly made sense. Call it cheesy if you wish, but I thought this was neat. I am also very impressed with our waiter, Peter, and the fact that he can write his name upside down. Give it a try next time! On to the eats. I was dining with a coworker and we both opted for the pick 2 lunch combo for like $11.99. I think this is a pretty good deal! I ordered the Fresh Green Salad and the Carmela's Chicken. The pasta was pretty tasty and it had roasted chicken, rigatoni, caramelized onions, and mushrooms in a marsala cream. I also love this pick two option because it is the perfect portion for things like pasta! My friend ordered the soup and sandwich, she said it was pretty good. Overall our lunch experience here was good. I will come back for more pasta for sur3e!
(4)
Tamra P.
Italian is not normally my first choice for lunch (kinda puts me in kanak attack mode) and I am not usually a fan of chains but Romano's is a good non-food court option at Ala Moana. Service on my last visit was fabulous. Waiter was very friendly, quick, and checked up on us in a timely manner. Food was timed well. Bread here is a bit oily on the crust but the herbs are yummy. We shared a calamari appetizer, and I had a combo salad/ pasta (rigatoni, chicken, mushrooms, and olives), great deal for $11. Portion was nicely sized - not overwhelming like I would expect and the flavor was ok - nothing spectacular, but good. Hubby enjoyed his lobster ravioli. The happy hour deals seem like a great value, and this place is also a good option if you have kids.
(3)
Stace P.
I was a little nervous coming here because of the mixed reviews, but we had some gift cards and figured "Why not?" Came in at 11am, right when they opened. Was seated very quickly in the bar side of the restaurant at one of the side tables. We were all very hungry including the kids. Chase was our server and I will just say the 5 stars is strictly based on his service. The food is good, don't get me wrong, but nothing to be raving about. The complimentary bread is good. I had the lasagna and the hubby had spaghetti and meatballs. We each added the bib and bleu salad to our meals. (Highly recommended!) Kids ate the spaghetti and meet balls and pepperoni pizza. All were delicious. Food came out quickly which I greatly appreciated since I was starving. Chase was very attentive to the drinks at our table, patient with our orders (especially with the kids) and even when he assembled our EVOO and balsamic mix he added some flare into it. He was polite and courteous. Let's just say hopefully every server provides this type of customer service. He should probably start giving classes to others who need help. I believe customer service is quickly becoming a lost art and Chase is a refreshing glimpse into what customer service should be. The hubby and I were very impressed.
(5)
Robin K.
Had the best dinner last night at Macaroni Grill and are so appreciative of the service we received. Our waitress Karen made us feel like we were home eating with family! The food was great, my favorite piece was the lobster ravioli! The restaurant is a definite must visit for anyone on vacation or if you are lucky enough to be Kamia'aina, stop in as well. Great food, great service, great ambiance. We will be sure to ask for Karen the next time we are in!
(5)
Kelly K.
Firepit seating is the way to go if you have a small group of 2 or 3. They serve the same menu and it's quite a cozy spot. Food is typical for a large chain like Macaroni Grill. Service was friendly and attentive. The impromptu opera singing server was strange to me (even though the server had a beautiful voice). The only gripe I have is with the time it took to get our food. What a long wait.
(3)
Mark M.
Even before Yelp's star rating system, I always thought this place deserved high scores. I've only encountered two problems here and one of them happened just last night. When I think of an ideal hostess, I think of a very nice, pleasant, happy to accommodate, smiling girl. When we walked in last night to tell them we had reservations, we encountered a hostess that did not have a single quality of the many I just mentioned. What we got was a hostess who was rude, unhappy, not so pleasant girl who glared at me while I mentioned we had reservations for two. I hope the manager of this place reads this (and I'm sure he does) because our entire evening was saved by our server Jeff. This guy is effing awesome. He's got perfect timing. He came right when we needed to order our meal, he gave us our bread right about when I was about to ask for it, and he checked up on us in a method that wasn't annoying or spaced too far apart. This guy was trained right and I hope he's the one that trains future servers for this establishment. This guy even cracked jokes at all the right times. So yes, give that man a raise. I bet you're wondering how the food was. I honestly have to say that Macaroni Grill has never done me wrong when it comes to the food. Last night I had the pasta milano which is made with bowtie pasta, my personal favorite. They toss that and chicken in a nice creamy garlic sauce. We also had the crab stuffed mushrooms which were amazing, and the wife ordered the lobster ravioli which is always succulent, fresh, and seasoned just right. We had two servings of their house bread which always comes out hot and delicious and we dipped the pieces in the EVOO and cracked pepper... so good. Oh, I lost my train of thought. You're probably wondering what the second issue was eh? A while back, I had dinner with some co-workers and our dinner dates. After dinner I wanted to order the dessert ravioli which I didn't know they discontinued. I tried to order it from our server and his response was... "Oh, we discontinued it." "When did that happen?" I asked. "Just now." He told me. Wait what? Like just now since I ordered it? What was he trying to say? They didn't discontinue it that morning or after lunch.. they discontinued it... "Just now." I've never forgiven him for that and this happened over a year ago.
(4)
Randy E.
Jessie our waiter was amazing!!! The food took way to long.... And there was a big ant problem at the table level and my ankles received several ant bites as I sat in the booth. Not a great experience.....
(2)
Greg C.
The only complaint I have about Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana is that there is almost always a long wait to get inside, but that's to be expected when they serve such delicious Italian food! I love Macaroni Grill! The appetizers are winna's, but the Tomato Bruschetta is worth the cost...even my kids love it! I like all Italian food, but I find myself continually ordering the Chicken Marsala. It's got such a strong but delicious mushroom taste, I'm hooked! Eating at Macaroni Grill is money well spent, and it's good for my tummy!!
(5)
Vanessa B.
I had the shrimp portofino. The portion was good, and the food was great, especially the bread with the special macaroni grill dipping sauce. There is a huge paper on top of the table cloth for kids and adults to draw on it and keeping the guests entertained. There are crayons as well. The servers are entertaining by introducing themselves and writing their names upside down on the paper for the guests to easily read it. At times, if there is no space on the table to write their names, some servers won't even write it. I think they should have find a way to write their name, just to keep that contingency of macaroni grill entertainment. Overall, I had a good time and it's a great place to hang out with your friends and eat at Ala Moana.
(4)
Paris N.
I've been here once before, but that was 3 years ago, and they have def gone down hill. Customer Serivce was horrible. Our server was Jeff, even though we didn't have to wait to be seated (at 5pm) we had a long wait for everything. He forgot to bring water (before he brought our wine over), forgot our bread, even asked us twice if we would like an appitizer, which we ordered the first time he asked us. I usually tip very well, but by this time I already knew I wouldn't be with this server. The food was great, we even had another server bring it over including the appitizer. Everytime our server, Jeff, would come over to randomly bring an item he forgot, he wouldn't say a word. We will not be visiting again. It might have just been our server, or the time of day, but we had poor service. We even got there before a rush, so there was no excuse for us not to get everything in a timely manner.
(1)
Dean I.
We had a party of 8, OK wait time to get seated, considering the time, 5:00pm. Our server was pleasant and topped off our drinks frequently. Food was good. Consistent with the other Macaroni Grill in Hawaii. The noise level was kinda loud, however it was Saturday evening. Also, there were several birthday celebrations going on at that time.
(3)
Debra N.
The food is fantastic, personable servers, some sing, and a favorite spot for the locals who love Italian food. It's best to make reservations ahead. If I don't, I try to go a little early, like 11:00-11:15 AM to beat the crowd.
(5)
Liz Z.
My mother and I went to Macaroni Grill for Easter supper. It was a bit noisy with the post church crowd when we first got there around 2:30pm; we were seated in the lounge area near the bar. Our server was Brian, who was working behind the bar but also took care of our table. He approached our table in good time, as busy as it was, and gave us the low-down on the special menu items of the day while writing it all out on the table, UPSIDE DOWN (to him) on the tablepaper, with a crayon, at the speed of light (mother, as I, was impressed). There was some confusion because the recent change in the menu (I was perturbed by the change), but Brian was quick to direct us to the best left of the menu. Long story short, the food runners were so polite, the food rocked, Brian was personable, attentive, and charming to my mother (she can be a challenge) and me. To top it off the bartender working with Brian came to our table to ask what we thought of everything. The grub was tasty and the waiter and staff were very cool.
Delicious, authentic, zesty Italian dishes. Appetizers Goat cheese peppers YUM, the spicy meatballs are deluxous too.
(5)
moejoe r.
Can't believe that we waited 1 1/2 hours for horrible service and a minimal menu. Micka was our server and so not with it the night we were there. He asked for our drink order and said that he would bring bread to our table asap. There were 5 in our party; he dropped off two of the five drinks and said they were low on the bread and said he would go check on it. Ten minutes passed before he came back to the table with bread, but not the rest of our drinks. When we asked about the other drinks, which were simply fountain drinks, he said he would bring them next and that he was pretty backed up with tables. REALLY??? Sorry to take up your time dude!!! He is lucky that me or my husband were NOT paying the tab because he wouldn't have gotten a tip from from us!!! Some other negatives about our night there: *Salads were served and we were asked if we would like crushed pepper and we all said yes but the server forgot to bring it with them and they had run around the restaurant looking for the pepper mill!!! *We were still eating our food and Micka came over and asked us if we wanted to-go boxes. It was 9pm, they weren't closing soon and we felt that we were being pushed out the door. *Server was ready to present the check and yet never offered dessert.
(1)
Angela M.
Dear Macaroni Grill, You said you would write happy birthday on the table but did not. You informed us that the table we were being seated at did not work with booster seats. You would think that when I said "two small children" over the phone, you would have placed us somewhere where my child would not have to eat with her chin resting on the table. Though admittedly it may have been neater that way. You ran out of crayons. You gave my kids activity sheets but no crayons. We finally secured a yellow crayon. This is like having no crayon. Your service was spectacularly slow and acquiring our loaves of bread took fifteen minutes the first time and twenty the second. The bread was crusty and delicious, but the kitchen was either poorly engineered and you lack oven space or you're trying to save money on bread. We are willing to pay a small fee for the bread if you bring it out more quickly. At least ten cents, possibly even a quarter. My pregnant and parched friend had to risk life and limb and rise to a standing position, waving frantically so we could finally get our water refilled. In retrospect I suppose one of us non-pregnant folk could have stood, but it didn't occur to us in the moment. You put my entree in front of someone else and commenced to parmesan it before they realized it was not theirs. I then was forced to eat an entree with cheese on it, which I did not want, as I feared having it sent back to the kitchen would have incurred another 30 minute wait for my food. Your pesto lacks in, what is the word, ah yes, flavor. Half the shaker of salt offered some improvement and transformed "bland and oily" into "edible". You forgot to bring my kids their beverages until the end of the meal. Which actually turned out to be a good thing as pineapple juice apparently has a laxative effect on my two year old. We do appreciate the chocolate cake for our birthday people. Though the cakes took another twenty minutes and had the moistness of a sponge in the desert. Also, may I suggest that if your singer has gone home for the evening, do not force a random non-singing waiter to attempt the operatic Italian version of Happy Birthday. Although according to the men, that was the best part. We will surely speak of it for years to come. My husband was rather peeved that our dinner, completely due to slow service, took over two hours as the Shirokiya beer garden had stopped serving beer. To him this is... tragic. As far as corporate chains, we have had much better experiences at the factory of cheesecake and the kitchen of pizza. We will not be returning any time soon. Sincerely, Angela
(2)
Jonathan V.
Environment: 5/5 Employees: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Parking: 5/5 Cost: 3/5 People Traffic: 3/5 Total: 24/30 Synopsis: Being a hard-worker pays off...HUGE! Last minute, for Jane's birthday (Jon's friend), we decided to go to Macaroni Grill. I was aware of the menu change last year, some time in December, but was in for a surprise! When I heard there was a 30-45 minute wait, I sighed. I instantly told the hostess, "IT'S MERCEDES GIRLLLL!" She's like, "MERCEDDESS! Don't worry, we got it, just come in!" It turned out not only did we receive instant seating, but also got a discount. How lucky am I? Anyway, more to that, the food presentation is far greater than it was before, and the food recipes for fried calamari and margarita pizza changed. Fried Calamari yes, Margarita Pizza..NO! Fried Mac balls YES! And of course the mush rav! You have to have to have this. I miss working here, honestly! Environment: To the untrained eye, you may think that things are the same. The backboard behind the hostess has been taken down, new boards w/ specials on it around the restaurant, and the attire is more casual. Not a terrible change. The hostess are not wearing simply black and have more of a jazz to it, which is respectable. I like the changes that has been made. The menus are all on paper now, which doesn't save the environment, but I am super glad the company kept their signature paper on cloth concept, so you can draw! If you sit at the bar, there is a small fire pit that you would love! The window view is not great, but as a whole the place inspires romance. One word: booths! Employees: I miss everyone: Chef Mike, Chef Fred, Brad, Chase, Kory, Mel, David, Nick, Nikki, Brian x 2, Ed, Josie, Josie's mom, Travis, etc. I forgot the waitresses name, but yes, she knew "Mercedes" off the back. Isn't helpful to have a nickname? Anyway, she said, "Don't worry about it." Once at the door, there were new girls and I told them, "Hey, it's Mercedes." They told me it was a 20 minutes wait. I was like O_O...then when the hostess who knew me, came, hugged me, and she said, "RIGHT THIS WAY BABES!" Bam...table 132 (I remember my tables Mel!! You just caught me drunk!) I hugged everyone I knew and Brad was even nice enough to get me some Fried Mac Balls! Awesome-possum! Much love. Skyy was our waiter and he had a killer smile and was supah cute. Though wasn't the best, best service in the world I was gracious of the other things, otherwise. Although one great mistake he did, which I didn't like, was the fact that he took the unfinished Fried Calamari without asking if we were done with it. O_O OMG! And...to this day we are still waiting for our balsamic vinaigrette..... it never came the entire night. Newbie? Food: I am not sure if it is the presentation or not, but the dish amount seemed smaller, but that is okay. In general the pricing increased and that is to be anticipated due to the changes and inflation of gas prices. In addition, I should have been less drunk so I could have asked what would have been better to order. WOMP, WOMP! Fried Calamari: The new concoction is dreamy!! Way better than it was before, and hot off the oven. MMmmmm...I ate everything....or tried to before it was taken from me. The sauce container is too small to finish all the squid things with. Boo... Margarita Pizza: Not as good as it was before. I liked the cherry tomatoes better because of offered a sweeter taste. With the round tomatoes, too much liquid made the pizza taste water-down. Don't do it people! Mushroom Ravioli: OMG! 6 pieces of cheese and mushroom heaven. I am so glad this was left on the menu. Yum! It was sooo damn good! Because we didn't have the vinegarette at our table, we just used the sauce for dipping our bread. :D It's an excellent substitute. Creamy yumminess! Fried Macaroni Balls: Although, due to the nature of this (FRIED!), I wouldn't order it off the back, it was scrumptious. I was surprised because I don't like mac'n'cheese much. But having those fried balls dipped in more cheese was cherry on top. Orgy in my mouth! Fireworks type of explosions. Parking: There is a lot of parking in Ala Moana. What is fortunate is the fact that it's right by the escalator and stairway. It's quite the real estate location to be seen from the parking lot. Cost: The pricing certainly increased, but fortunately received the discount we had been given. Thanks David! Overall, it's not atrocious, but it is also not the cheapest in the world. If you are coming here, be certain that you're going to choose the best dishes. If you're new to Mac Grill before the changes, then this would not be much of a concern to you. People Traffic: Let me advise you not to come here on a Friday/Saturday night. They are busy! Slammed!! Always! I am unable to inform you as to when they are not busy, but it varies, I presume. Best to do is call before coming!
(4)
Paige L.
31 Yelps Review Challenge 9/31 Placing a carryout order here is like pulling teeth. "Can I get a name for the order?" "Paige." "Jane??" "No, PAIGE." "OH oh oh ok, go ahead with your order Blake." WTH In spite of forcing the employee to repeat my order back to me several times, it was still completely wrong when I picked it up. The manager offered me a card for a free dessert on my next visit, which was a nice gesture (and a sign of good customer service), but honestly I don't know when I'll get around to using it. The food is really nothing special and is overpriced for both the quality and the quantity.
(2)
Inu K.
Complimentary bread with olive oil and peppercorns was great, Had the lobster ravvioli great, great for kids, server we had great. Prices great.
(5)
Olivia D.
The wait at CPK at 6:30 on a Friday night was an hour long, so we decided to put our names on the list for Macaroni Grill and see what happened. I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill in Hawaii, especially since they deleted the Insalata Rosa (the best salad ever!) from their menu, but it's fine when you're hungry. Our server was very personable and he kept bread on the table and our drinks full. I wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but I also wanted to try the fresh pasta, so they let me do a substitution. Alas, there is no happy medium. The regular pastas come out too soft and overcooked and the fresh pasta is super hard. It's beyond al dente. I've never had pasta that hard and dry. The meat sauce and meatballs tasted good--the sauce was substantial and had a nice wine flavor--but it was too salty. Everyone's dinner was too salty. Even my boyfriend was shocked when he tried his son's macaroni and cheese and noted the high sodium content--and this is a guy who loves salt. My boyfriend had a chicken and arugula flatbread pizza and he really liked it, but that guy will really eat anything covered in arugula. We also dug the fried mozzerella appetizer. Fried cheese is just good no matter what. Overall, the good service made up for the lackluster food.
I've definitely been to this location many times and to sum it all up, they're pretty good. Customer Service Pros: 1. The servers are fast and pleasant for the most part. What I really appreciate that the servers do is quickly clear the table of any dirty plates. 2. I've never had to wait very long for any order whether it was an appetizer, entree, or dessert! 3. I like how the servers bring a big glass bottle of water to your table so you can serve yourself whenever you like. Customer Service Cons: 1. I've only been here for lunch a couple times and the only thing I didn't care for was that the staff, particularly the busboys, chitchat to each other a LOT and LOUDLY. Even though there aren't a lot of customers that come during lunch, it's unprofessional and leaves a poor impression. But most importantly, the food: I've ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken a couple of times, and unfortunately I did not care for it. The sauce was oily and quite frankly, there was so much Alfredo sauce, it made the fettuccine look like a garnishment. However, I will recommend the Chicken Parmesan! It is served with three small pieces of fried boneless chicken with Parmesan cheese and a roasted cherry tomato on top with angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. It is DELICIOUS and pretty filling. For dessert, I've always tried their gelato, which is always good. Yesterday, however, I decided to try the espresso drinks that they offer for dessert! I tried their Caffe Mocha and it was OK. It was served with a biscotti in an nice porcelain cup that holds about 8 ounces. It was okay but you can definitely get a better mocha at Honolulu Coffee Co c(; Overall, it's a good restaurant. I would've given this place 4 stars but I really cannot stand them talking story loudly while I'm trying to unwind and enjoy my meal :/
(3)
Kelly G.
With varying reviews from my Yelp buddies, I walked into Macaroni Grill very skeptical of encountering a good experience, yet I walked away pleasantly surprised! The restaurant has a great ambiance - the bar has an open fireplace! Would love to sit there next time. The rest of the place has cozy, dim, elegant decor. Booths and tables alike adorn the space. My friend and I got seated in a booth immediately this Saturday afternoon (St Patty's day no less). Our waitress Niki was great! Came around often and was very patient with our inability to decide whether or not to drink. The complimentary bread was DELICIOUS! Crusty, soft, and easily tearable. Served with Italian butter (olive oil & freshly cracked black pepper). We consumed 1.5 of these loaves before our entrees arrived. Easily one of the top table bread's I've ever consumed. I ordered the 3 piece combination ($13) of the Pomodorina Soup, Carmela's Chicken and the Caprese Panini. Everything was delicious! Perfect portions as well. My qualm was that my panini was cold by the time it arrived which was probably due to the fact that it service was SLOW to get our food out. The friend ordered the Cesar salad and the mushroom ravioli. I had a chance to taste the sauce - yummy. She complimented the filling by saying the mushrooms were delicious and the onions were caramelized perfectly. Both our entrees came out to $33 inc tax. Delicious and worth the value. Would have ordered my fiance's favorite dessert - the lemon passion cake. He has gone out to just to order this cake for himself! Delicious. Can't wait to come back and make a date of it with my fiance!
(4)
Vivian L.
I have been to Romano's several times. I usually leave the restaurant feeling content, if not, very pleased with the ambience, food, and service. I decided to have lunch with a friend after a long week. She told me she read about some menu changes at Macaroni Grill and we decided to see what the hype was all about. We were in for a very unpleasant surprise... When we walked in, there were three hostesses at the counter. We received no greeting at all. Only one of them was working with a customer. The other two glanced at us for a second and then ignored us. I had to walk up to them and tell them "Table for two" and a hostess told us to wait 10 minutes. We got our table in 10 minutes, but no server came up to us. I had to look around very intently for about another 10 minutes before a server named Sheldon noticed me staring and told us he'd be right with us (no smile or proper waiter-like acknowledgement included). He didn't come for another 10 minutes. (A total of 30 minutes down the drain and our orders still weren't placed!) They jacked up almost all of the prices on their menu. There's a new "combination" option on the menu where you can "choose 2" or "choose 3" items (soup, salad, pasta, sandwich). My friend asked about this new "combination" set and the waiter SNAPPED AT HER. ("What do you mean how does it work?? It's right there on the menu!!") She was so surprised she didn't respond, and he didn't even answer her question. Rude, rude, rude. We should have stood up and left then and there, but we were starving by then. So I told him we were ready to order. Both of us ordered a combination. I had a salad and a panini. For an $11 course, the portions were PATHETIC. My friend's chihuahua's food bowl is larger than the bowls they use for combination menu. The panini was disgustingly cold when I received it 15 minutes later. I didn't even finish it. Our waiter checked up on a table by us at least five times. He came to us just ONCE during our meal. (Did I mention that they don't even refill our waters anymore? They just leave a glass bottle of water on our table so we can refill it ourselves.) 10 minute seating wait, 10 minute wait for a server, 10 minute wait to order, 15 minute wait for food, and just 10 minutes to finish our meal... Awful atmosphere, so-so food, and abysmal service. It will be a very long time until I visit this restaurant again, and I will NOT be recommending this place to anybody.
(1)
Ku'ulani M.
Dear General Manager: I've been to your restaurant many times. I've celebrated new babies there, held coworker reunions there, had date nights with my husband there, met up for happy hour drinks with the friend from out of town, and even had family inheritance talks there. Typically, I thoroughly enjoy patronizing your restaurant and look forward to the good food and conversation that transpires. For my sister, turning 21 was a momentous occasion, and at the birthday girl's choosing and my persuading, my mother, father, husband, toddler, aunt and 86 year old grandmother made the 30-minute trek from Kaneohe to your restaurant tonight in celebration. Our experience prompted me to write this letter. From the great place I know Macaroni Grill to be, it was disappointing, to say the least. It began well. We made dinner reservations for a table of 8 the night before without a problem. We were seated on time, and our waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and lots of detail about the menu, realizing that only 2 of us had ever patronized your restaurant before. However, I believe when faced with a shy table not returning the kind of enthusiasm he expected, it went downhill from there. He took our drink orders from the head of the table, instead of walking around to each person, including my hard-of-hearing grandmother at the other end. The bread came out only after we prompted him for it, and nearly 2 minutes before the food came. (Given you're your table has a restless 2 year-old toddler you've given nothing but a sad handful of 3 yellow crayons and 2 green ones, you'd think that bread at a table is a must.) When he tried to confirm our food orders from the head of the table again, he seemed to wait in disdain for an answer, irritated by the table's lack of quick responses. The soup came out from the busser without a spoon, and went cold before one ever came, flagged down from a neighboring waiter since ours was nowhere to be found. We weren't checked on during our meal, so the water carafes went dry for a while. And finally, when we'd just about had enough of the waiting game and were ready for something - the check, dessert, the apocalypse - we flagged our speeding-by waiter to ask if there might be a special birthday surprise for the 21 year old. He answered with grit in haste, "It's already on its way." 'On its way' must have meant on its way from your corporate headquarters, because our table was exhausted and over it by the time the cake and candle came. Don't get me wrong. We greatly appreciate the restaurant's complimentary gesture and its top-notch Italian birthday singers. But by that time, my family probably wished they were anywhere but a birthday serenade. Excusing themselves from the table, the rest of the family immediately dug out of the tired situation while we waited for the check, which also had to be flagged down by our waiter-in-hiding. When he finally did come out with it, he said (and I quote): "Here's the 18% gratuity, and here's the total. This is my copy," and walked off. I waited for the thank-you. I swore I must not have heard it. But alas, just like our waiter all night, it wasn't there. I must say one more thing. Never before have I heard your kitchen staff yell in locker-room form when a dish is no longer available. Why they yelled several times, "86 the calamari" in sing-song unison is just baffling to me. Should a classy Italian restaurant sound like a sports arena every few minutes? Now I'm typically not a complainer. And I never speak with managers, let alone write letters to them. But this was a shocking experience, and I hope one we'll never have to encounter again. I was excited to introduce my family to this place and celebrate an exciting birthday, but I was embarrassed to apologize to them that this wasn't all I chocked it up to be. So please, be the top-notch restaurant I know you to run, and remedy the situation. At the very least, speak with your staff about their etiquette. I don't care if the table orders a glass of water and a caesar salad - courtesy should know no bounds.
(2)
Donald N.
We have eaten twice at this restaurant in the last few days and it was excellent both times. The lobster ravioli is wonderful, the best I have had. My wife had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was subtly flavored and tasted lovingly homemade. The pork chop with mushroom risotto and brocollini was also very flavorful. There was even a wonderful slightly grilled flavor to the brocollini, very nice! Prices were quite reasonable for the quality of the food. We went the second time for an anniversary dinner and they fit us in on short notice, a nice touch. We highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)
Tyler C.
Mac Grill is probably one of the few "Italian" restaurants that I will eat at on this rock. The service and employees are very efficient, from the hostess' to the runners. Zero problems from the handful of times I've dined in. Food is outstanding. The salads are fresh, and their house bread is what makes them stand out. The bread is served full-loaf, lightly seasoned with butter and salt. You can practically eat it without even touching your knife. Especially when it comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. As for entrees, I especially come for the Lobster Ravioli. The portion is huge compared to other restaurants, who only give you about 6 pieces. It always looks and smells good to remember to count before digging in. I'm sure there is more than 6 though. They have birthday singers here, that are just talented. And if you wanna brush up on your italian, hit up the bathroom and soak in the lessons that are playing.
(4)
Gabriel T.
Haven't gone to this place for a long long time until coming back recently. They recently changed some things up on the menu. I went over with my co workers for lunch after work. Our waitress was Josi. She was awesome, super cool, and friendly. The free bread is da bomb with the virgin oil plus balsamic vinegar. I had the 3 piece combination with Blackboard soup, Whole Wheat fettuccine, and half Roast Turkey sandwich. It was very filling. I feel that it was well worth the price. The blackboard soup is good. It's a little on the sweet side but good nonetheless. I dipped it with my sandwich and the free bread. The whole wheat fettuccine was also good. Not too salty and sweet. Last but not least, the roast turkey sandwich was on point. Good stuff. The bread on the sandwich was a little hard though but it was sweetness right when you crunch onto it. Our waitress offered it we wanted to split the appetizer that we shared 6 ways. I was surprised because not that many food establishments can do that. They also have this one Waiter who sings a sweet Italian? birthday song whenever someone has a birthday. I think he is the only one who sings it but he does a good job doing it. The vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant is a tad bit on the classy feel and look even though you can informally write and draw on your table with crayons. But that is cool how they have paper on the table. Our waitress wrote her name on it and we wrote our orders on it so that we can remember what we ordered and what to order. We also draw our own pictures on it of course. It's conveniently located on the Ho'okipa 4th floor terrace side of Ala Moana center where they have the whole trifecta of restaurants such as Tsukijis, Island Burger, Mai Tai Bar, Bubba Gump, and CPK. Yelp 365 Challenge #211/365
(4)
Dale A.
The restaurant is usually ok. I had lunch there this week and they have a special soup salad or sand combo. 2 choices are like $11. I had soup and salad. They come in 2 small square bowls that are each smaller than a regular appetizer portion. Ridiculous! Had to go eat lunch when I left! Randy SCHOCH you should be ashamed.
(1)
Amber M.
Can't get enough of the food here! Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite. The service was the best I've seen in a big restaurant in a long time. Definitely going back soon!
(5)
Derek N.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for the Mac yet. And yes, I am aware of MAC 24/7, but I don't think they deserve to be "the" Mac. Their menu and such have changed; honestly I liked it better before, but the create your own pasta is still there and still pretty awesome. You can get whatever you want, so it's pretty perfect. My only complaint was that the arrabbiata sauce was really oily. I could be wrong but I don't remember it being that oily. Anyway, the portion was pretty generous. But that was last visit and I'm here to talk about today's visit. I think the last time I was here they told us about the happy hour situation but we didn't take advantage of it. Based on today's experience I regret that now! Actually, I kind of started off this visit with a negative; I walked in the door and stood by the desk and the girl at the front desk just ignored me. For a full two minutes; I timed it on my phone. Rude! But then I wandered over to the bar section and the bartender caught my eye pretty quickly and motioned for me to sit at a recently vacated seat. He seemed pretty nice and almost made up for the hostess. When I looked at the menu he told me about the $6 pizza that is offered during happy hour. This was actually the reason that I was drawn in to begin with, but had forgotten about in the three minutes in between. The pizza was thin crust, which I am not a big fan of, but it was delicious nonetheless. Plus they put freshly grates parmesan cheese over it, and gave me some red pepper flakes to put on top, like the kind in those little packets from Pizza Hut. The ambience is pretty nice. If you can tune out the conversations of other people at the bar, you can hear some fifties-ish music playing in the background, there's ESPN on televisions if you watch sports (I suppose it's still there even if you don't), the temperature is pretty comfortable, and the bar itself has a nice marble surface. Considering that I'm in a sit down restaurant in the nicest part of the mall, $6 for a pizza seems pretty reasonable. They also have domestic beers for $3 and import beers and wine for $4. I don't drink, but as I understand it, it is a popular activity. All things considered, this was a four-star experience; half a star for each slice of pizza! The normal menu is a bit pricey, so if you're after value like I am, you may enjoy the happy hour!
(4)
Leina'ala O.
I should take a star off for the ditzy hostess but she's young so I understand. We showed up 30 minutes before closing on Mother's Day. We couldn't help our time, both my mom and I had to work so this was the soonest we could get there. I knew it was somewhat of an inconvenience but it was Mother's day and I wanted my mom to try this place. She always talks about Olive Garden and frankly, Olive Garden sucks compared to Macaroni Grill. Katie was our server and she was awesome. She didn't give us attitude for showing up late, her recommendations were spot on, and the rest of the staff helped her run our food and prebuss our table. The Sangiovese was delicious and my mom was impressed with her Opah. Best chain restaurant in the bizz!
(5)
Helen C.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not a fan of Italian cuisine. Dairy products don't sit well with me, so me + overwhelming amounts of cheese = not a good idea. It's okay, I don't like the taste of cheese anyway...Sorry if I personally offended cheese lovers out there. It's not you. It's me. I ordered the Chicken Scallopine, which I found to be the least creamy item on the menu aside from spaghetti and meatballs. Although the sauce was a little creamier than expected, I manned up and I am damn glad I did. I rarely enjoy Italian food so this was a welcomed surprise. My coworker ordered the whole wheat fettuccine and said it tasted like paper though. Can't blame Romano's there. That's what you get for ordering whole wheat pasta!! Blech. The waiters were really nice. I think they're all trained to draw pictures out of their names...upside down. Skills. Finally, tiramisu for dessert. So rich, so sweet, but oh-so creamy. I couldn't handle it. Nothing against taste...my weak stomach just couldn't take the beating. I'll be sure to pack some Lactaid pills or something the next time I come. Then I can properly enjoy my meal or something, right? **9/31 Yelps Review Challenge**
(4)
Sharon H.
Surprisingly good food at reasonable prices, and a nice ambience for a fairly quiet Saturday lunch. Just don't expect a leisure lunch....service is quick, but so much so that you get the feeling they want a high turnover. If you like garlic, try the sage roasted chicken with asparagus and potatoes. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, apparently from a hot brick placed on the chicken during the roasting process, and surrounded by more than a dozen roasted garlic buds. The aspagarus was crisp yet tender while the potatoes were meltingly soft. Only odd note on the plate was a side dish of roasted tomato salsa, delicious with the (complimentary) herb bread but not necessarily adding to the dish. Dessert was a lemon passion cake, creamy moist and dense but not heavy, accompanied by a dollop of what appeared to be a lemon-passion whipped cream. Yum-O! Perhaps the only annoyance was the wait staff. Our over-eager waiter brought the check while we were still eating lunch, and two other staff kept trying to take the plate off the table while we were still eating from it. Think they were hinting us to leave?! Oh, and you'll have to ask them to replenish the water, as they don't always notice.
(3)
Carson B.
Nice waitress, food was good, wait was terrible, food was expensive, atmosphere is great. Crying babies hamper the mood :)
(3)
Knk N.
love coming to this place food is always tasty and filling not much to complain about this place as it does get busy. so their could be a slight wait but other than that awesomeness on service and food and drinks.
(4)
Jon R.
Unfortunately service makes any restaurant right after the food. Food was "mass produced" flavor but worst off our male waiter was a real #]^|+€* is all I can say. Never ever coming back to this place. Also the hostesses have NO IDEA how to give an accurate time if wait. We were told ten minutes and we ended up waiting thirty minutes. Never again. Go Ruby Tuesdays instead and sit at the bar as long as Krista is working there. She is the bomb!
(1)
Nicholas B.
You can't go wrong with Spaghetti and meatballs with the bolognase sauce. I had a really good time here
(4)
Melissa L.
I wasn't gonna Write a neg review bc I had some good experiences there but our server was just horrible! Took her 5mins to take our drink order( place was by no means crowded) looked like she got wacked with the stink stick after we told her we would pass on appetizers she made such a weird face, idk. Never checked on us, no refills, Made another stink face when asked to split the bill. Horrible. Seriously I use to serve, and would never have a bad attitude. Then again I can guarantee I made more tips then she did. Owell
(1)
Jenel O.
Everytime i've gone to Romano's, it's been far from stellar. Tonight was no different. The table we were seated at was a round table under their a/c vents and was absolutely FREEZING! It doesn't set a good tone for a good meal at all. They got rid of the orzo salad I had many many years ago and settled on as my "ok" dish there. So I got the caprese ($11) and baked artichoke hearts ($7.50). Both were totally oversalted and keep in mind I usually like my food salty so you know it was way too salty. The caprese should be something that can survive with very minimal seasoning and be perfectly fine... someone obviously has a heavy hand in the salt back in the kitchen. The flavors are definitely not clean enough on 2 dishes that should've felt very fresh and light. I tried a forkful of my husbands carbonara and one of my mother in law's mushroom raviolis... not bad. Kids dishes ran around $7. Spaghetti with meat sauce was pretty decent as was the mac and cheese. I would never personally choose to come back and spend my money here. When we left, there was a long long line outside. I'm not sure why hoards of people would choose this place. The two highlights though were the bread: hot, lightly crispy on the outside and flavorful... and our server was also really polite and pretty on it.
(2)
DJ Nocturna R.
I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a few years. They have good service. I like how they never forget to grate cheese in your pasta and the guy grating the cheese telling you the cheese was discovered by the monks in Milan centuries ago.. That's a great story because it made the meal more appetizing. I had the Shrimp Portofino because I love pine nuts in my pasta and fresh tomatoes- I just wish they gave more pine nuts. I also love their ceasar salad. I also ordered tiramisu for dessert. It's ok. Tonight it wasn't so busy so I was able to sit down and relax in a dark corner. The lighting is perfect and they have comfortable booth seating. They also have a private room for bigger groups or a party. For a chain restaurant - it's a great place to go for dinner while shopping at Ala Moana.
(3)
Loren O.
I've come a handfull of times and I've always left happy and full. They serve the full menu at the bar, so if it's busy and there's open seats at the bar, we normally go there. Their servers are always friendly, and the restaurant itself seems new and well kept. I like we can draw on the tables and that the servers write their names upside down so the customers can read it :p Some of them get pretty crazy with writing their name! I'm one who likes to doodle so its something fun to do while we wait for our food. I'm a sucker for chicken fettuccine, so thats normally whati get. My bf got the Chicken Milanese once and he thought it was good. I had their Lemon Passion for dessert once and it was super refreshing! A tinge on the sour side, but I love lemon so I didn't care. It's located on the third floor of Ala Moana in the Ho'okipa Terrace so it's always pretty crowded around dinner time. We always had a little bit of a wait before we got seated. Prices are pretty reasonable, typical for an italian restaurant i think. Also, if you're celebrating a birthday, be sure to let them know! Once we had a girl sing Happy Birthday to my friend in Italian! It was beautiful! Sounds so much prettier in Italian!
(4)
Chris L.
Not what it used to be. I've previously Visited this restaurant, but this time was a little bit different. On previous occasions, this restaurant was quite full and have a certain flare that was a huge draw. This time, the restaurant appeared quite empty. I was seated within five minutes. Shortly after I was seated, I noted that a section of the restaurant was not even open or lighted. I also noted that the characteristic attire of the waitstaff had changed from nice white collard shirts and ascots/ties, to a much more relaxed blue and white striped shirt and blue jeans. This caught me quite offguard, as this restaurant had previously seem to be a little more upscale. Before I ordered or was approached by the waiter, I was promptly given a glass of water. Upon ordering I noted that the menu had changed dramatically from previous visits. There appeared to be fewer items then were previously offered. After ordering, I noticed that the waitstaff uniform had changed from a very elegant white shirt with black slacks, to a very relaxed blue-and-white striped shirt and blue jeans. Having been to this restaurant before, it seemed Like everything had gone downhill. The food was not bad, but was nothing to write home about. At this time, I think I may be looking for another restaurant to frequent more often. I came away very unimpressed, after previously frequenting this restaurant often. As was noted in a previous review, the loss of the founding general manager seems to have been a sword in the side for this restaurant. I would like to frequent another restaurant in the future to see if all have changed in the same way.
(1)
Quincey Q.
First time going there so it was foreign to me. The food was okay but different wish ihad gotten more food with my entree but i shared with my date so it was okay. It was fun drawing on the place mat paper and the ginger root drink was good but I wouldnt drink it everyday. An okay meal bu tnot a geat meal especially for the money it cost.
(3)
Niki T.
We came here friday night around 10pm or so. The wait was 45 minutes and they do awesome texting your position in line. They text you how many people ahead and the estimated wait. Honestly it was okay. We came here because I was given a gift card. The server was great, tall, skinny, light skinned gentleman, blindfish hair. We ordered half a Cesar salad and a lasagna to share. Salad was amazing, lasagna wasn't the greatest, but the again I'm just picky. The sweetish marinara sauce made me sick and I ended up puking in their restroom. We ended up having a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Didn't like the thick cream cheese topping on the cheesecake, but other than that the strawberries were amazing. All In all the food wasn't amazing but I would come back for a salad and a few drinks maybe. Server was attentive and I wish I remembered his name.
(3)
Rachel I.
I came here with my family and it was so-so busy. We only had to wait or 30ish minutes but once we were seated I looked around and wondered why we even had to wait when there was SO Many seats open...maybe they couldn't keep up with orders? We spent a total hour and a half there mainly just waiting for our food !! It took so long, we weren't a big party or anything. We ordered an appetizer and they brought us the wrong one after waiting forever for it and also they only gave us one bread and once we finished it we were never offered another one. We had to flag another waiter to have a refill on our water. The service was just so slow and I seriously never had to wait so long for my food which was so small in portion. I won't be coming back here, so not worth it.
(2)
Jarrett W.
Came here for dinner tonight around 5:45 and was able to enjoy happy hour which ends at 6. We proceeded to sit at the bar, the bartender immediately served us and also made sure that we got another drink within the happy hour timeframe. he continued to made sure that our food was ok, our drinks were topped off. I must say i was impressed by his service. btw we ordered the italian sausage flatbread pizza and chicken marsala... both were tasty and we ate it all!
(4)
Tina T.
Came here on a week night around 8:30pm after a long day at work. Nothing extraordinary to say about this place. The salads looked a bit too pre-made, neither the caesar salad nor the signature bib and blue salad had crisp veges. Onthe other hand, our pastas were cooked well. I ordered a pasta with tomatoe sauce, eggplant & my friend ordered the pasta milano. Overall it was what we would expect from the romano's macaroni grill - a no frills, family style restaurant at a convenient location. Service was good and food was acceptable. Not a place I will rush to return but will return just because it's a safe choice.
(3)
Jody S.
Dined at Macaroni Grill this past weekend with my mom and daughter for a girl's day birthday lunch. While the food was definitely ono as usual (I had a make-your-own pasta with scallops, mushrooms and broccoli) and my mom ordered (a make-your-own pasta with shrimp and broccoli) and the rugrat ordered cheese pizza, the waiter was a little bit odd. Don't get me wrong, he was nice enough but just not "all there" like most waitstaff is. He reminded me of someone who went out partying the night before, woke up hanging and bummers....had to go to work so was simply making do with the situation. Oh well....he performed okay but could've done better.
(3)
Arynn I.
3 1/2 stars please! We came in as a last minute thought and I think it was close to when they stop seating. But we were given a nice booth in the back. I wasn't too hungry so I was there more just to support my friend's eating. I figured I'd get a drink. Our server Shawn was pretty awesome for the most part! He did a really good job of making conversation with us as he took drink orders. And he can write his name upside down. :) that was different. We only had to flag him down once when my friends wanted refills on their beer and wine. He also let us know when he was going to take a break, just in case we looked for him. I had a tiratini, which is basically a liquid tiramisu martini. For some reason when I ordered it I was under the impression it was frozen...but I think it's cause I was thinking of a mudslide. It was fabulously delicious! I also figured I'd better eat if I'm going to have something to drink so I don't get myself sick and had a little of the freshly baked bread that was brought to our table. I love it dipped in olive oil and here they put some fresh black pepper in the oil. I also picked at my friends' appetizers. We ordered the sampler; which had bruschetta, fried mozzarella and calamari. Also got pizza and stuffed mushrooms. So I tried the calamari and it was pretty good (I'm not so much a calamari person) and I ate a fried cheese and bruschetta. Wow, I just realized we had a lot of starches..but i guess that's good when you're drinking. I also ate a couple mushrooms but didn't eat the pizza. I did like the stuffed mushrooms but I think I still prefer Johnny Carino's (mainland restaurant chain) mushrooms better. I suppose that the next time I come to the Macaroni Grill I will hopefully be hungry and get a meal but for the purpose of this visit it was good! #Yelp 365 Challenge-028/365
(3)
Jaleen M.
After a long afternoon we decided that pasta was what was for dinner. Our server Sheldon was awesome. We come here often and hes the best one we've had so far. We were undecided on an appetizer so he suggested their garlic fries, best we've had. For dinner we shared the Cesar salad and shrimp portofino (sp?) Salad had a little to much zing but it was delicious. The portofino wasnt to oily like others we've had. Our stars mostly go for the service. Ask for sheldon =) hes bomb. We are not tourist and he didnt treat us like we were a waste of time like others we've had.
(5)
Katie N.
I like this place until recently. I guess they are under new management, therefor they have cleaned house. Service is VERY slow with quite bit of new faces. Twice I had the same bartender service me and both times service was slow. I do understand everything have gone up, but I wasn't sure if I had to ask for bread since I've order my food?? Waited 5 mins no bread, 10 mins no bread...so finally I asked...sadly it he brought it out when I was half way through my lunch. I was disappointed on top of that my soup was the wrong soup (he repeated and asked again, yet the wrong soup was delivered....WTH??). Since, service is SLOW I didn't want to return it and wait longer for it. On the flip side, I do like the new menu concept...more choices to pick and choose on the lunch menu. would like to see improvement on service, and I would recommend letting your guest know if bread is no longer automatic this way they are not expecting it and would ask sooner.
(2)
Zhen L.
Took my girlfriend here for an evening couple of months back, and we had a great time. First of all, the white paper with the crayon? Made me chuckle a bit in my head. My girlfriend and I had a fun time drawing on the paper while we waited for our food. Many may not think so, but I thought it was a nice way to keep customers entertained while waiting for the food. If you have kids, I think it's perfect for them. We a total of four things: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms - Share Some sort of Ravioli I do not recall - Girlfriend Fettucine Alfredo w/Shrimp - Myself Hot Fudge Brownie desert - Share Italian food is number one on my list. The crab stuffed mushrooms was small and pricey, but it was really good. My Fettucine Alfredo was just how I liked it; the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My girlfriend's Ravioli was quite delicious as well. What finished us off was the brownie(?) or chocolate cake desert thing that we had. It literally melts in your mouth. Why a four star? Because I have not eaten here enough to completely say it's as good as it gets. "Yay! I'm a fan," is really all that I am. My and girlfriend and I are looking forward to eating here again soon. I definitely recommend this place.
(4)
Erin Y.
This is a chain restaurant, but moreover, its a bad chain restaurant. A chain restaurant that only gets as much business as it does because CPK is too damn small. Have a choice on where to eat? Anywhere in Hookipa Terrace other than here. Service is terribly slow, there are people packed into every nook (read:no stroller space), and the food is slightly better than bad. I cannot believe this place is even listed under steakhouses. It does not deserve to be in the elitest carnivore group. My steak was terrible and not cooked the way I asked for it, medium rare. Don't serve it if you can't make it correctly. We went at least five minutes without forks or knives before flagging someone down. Water didn't get refilled, and the waiter kept banging into the sleeping baby in the stroller. Be careful, dammit. I'm trying to have just one meal in peace! Skip it unless you're planning to dine at a weird hour when no one else is eating. Oh, and skip the steak.
(2)
Tia S.
Happy Hour is from 4pm to 7pm. Good deal, because you get 50% all apps and drink specials. House wine is $3.00! It's nice sitting at the bar since you get immediate service. They also have counter seating at the fire pit. I went with my sis and sat at the counter. Our server was slow during my last visit and had a flat personality, but it was crazy busy so he may have been flustered. We enjoyed three apps, pasta, and wine for just under $40. The ambiance is nice and you don't need to dress up. Added perk is you get a complimentary Italian language lesson in the bathroom. Haha! They play a recording in the room. Lots of parking at the mall. Good place to unwind after shopping or working. Nice size food portions. Good taste and price.
(3)
Kristen U.
Is it just me or has this place gone downhill over the last few years? Esthetic wise, I remember having cloth napkins, not paper. And weren't the menus actual books, and not pieces of paper? Huh... Everything was just, okay. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad, just mediocre. For our tapas, we ordered bruschetta crostini and spicy ricotta meatballs and my entree was the penne rustica. It was good, but not spectacular. Service was also okay.
(3)
Makakaualii R.
We went a few days ago and the service was excellent his name was Roger and he was very polite, attentive and great customer service. We had the meatball X2 and I had the chicken scallopine and it was a bomb. I never had it before and it was so ono and I can't stop think about it meaning we'll be going again real soon! Mahalo Roger for the great service.
(4)
Angelica Q.
Hubby took my son and 5 year old there. It was happy hour so the drafts were $4 as well as house wine. Appetizers were nice two tapas mix for $14, Salads were delicious but costly, and my son enjoyed his kids meal selection with dessert for $8. We were satisfied with the waiter and his interaction with our son (he listened to my son's jokes when he frequented our table). Top top the meal with tirimisus and a vanilla gelato for our little one. Overall, the experience was really good, but the food is pricey and worth it. Will visit again.
(4)
En I.
Went for dinner on a Saturday and food was okay but service was very slow. Past experience also had slow service so it may just be that they do not staff enough for peak days/hours.
(3)
Missy S.
So reading the yelp reviews, I can understand what people are saying about the good and bad stuff. This is why my review is an ok review. I enjoyed the ambiance, the waitress was very nice, and the food was decent. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and it tasted good. Not the best I have ever had, but enough to finish the plate clean. We also ordered the sizzling platter, and it was good. Expensive place, so beware. I would say romano is an ok place. Not the best place for italian food. There are places much better. But I would come again. Maybe to try some other things on the menu.
(3)
Stephanie T.
I came here with my boyfriend simply because I've never been here before and wanted to see what it was like. The environment was nice, but that was pretty much the only thing that was nice. I was barely able to understand what the waiter was saying, it took over 10 minutes of trying to get the attention of our waiter to order, the food took forever to arrive, my boyfriend's pasta had nearly NO salt in it, my penne was over cooked, the waiter forgot our beers, and it was over priced for the quality of food and service offered. Not coming here again.
(2)
Naomi L.
Ok - I want to like this place because my friends like to eat here, but I can't. I have been here 4 times now and can remember bad experiences from 3 of those times: 1) With dad for dinner - service was terrible and the pasta was bland and gross. Best part was the waiter wrote his name with crayons upside down on the table. Unfortunately he didn't like the way he wrote it, so he retried 4 more times. He wrote all over the table. Then he told us he was new. Once was plenty, I could read it already. Then I got to read it 5 times. 2) Went with friend for dinner - they wouldn't seat us for over 20 minutes despite tables being open (maybe there were reservations?) and no one waiting so we sat at a high table. The pasta had no sauce, the bread was hard as rocks, and the water came 1x during the entire meal. I left more than half on my plate. The waiter tried to charge us a service charge. Dude, there were only 2 in our party, not 6-8 or more! So I'm sorry, I left a small tip. 3) Went after rotation with 2 classmates for lunch -this was the only time it was okay. The service was fast and bread was warm. Maybe it's because it was lunch. He sped it up because we said we were at work lunch (were dressed in scrubs)... Maybe that was the key to good service. Anyhow, I liked the lunch 1/2 1/2 deal. I forgot what I ate, but I napped for like 3 hours afterwards. 4) Last week wedding rehearsal dinner with 12 people - they cancelled our reservations because they called 3 hours prior (while we were rehearsing!) and said no one picked up to confirm. It wasn't like there were other people waiting! In fact, they could have sat us at a regular table or two and it would have been fine! We came like 20 minutes early and after telling us that they cancelled our table, they made us "wait and see what develops until your reservation time." So... basically they were going to let another big party without reservations go in and take the private room that we had reservations for just 3 hours prior?? Seriously?? Yes, it was really a mystery when no other big party showed up and we were able to take our private room table. That was 20 minutes wasted. BOO. Come on macaroni grill. Blah. Service was junkie (again), we didn't have enough silverware, the food was bland (again). The waitress cut our cake at the end and then said "have fun." Haha, great. So we served ourselves (the cake wasn't even cut well, so we had to recut it) because after waiting 5 minutes it didn't seem like she was coming back. Fail 3/4 times = I'm going to try my best not to come back here.
(1)
Jenn C.
jeff is the best bartender! ask for him! yummy beer, tasty bellinis, big sangrias, you get the picture. caprese is my favorite so of course I HAD to order that, but... not enough mozzarella cheese. calamari is on point and the rosemary bread was good enough to order more and more and more. mushroom ravioli is extremely tasty, but its also very heavy so I would recommend sharing this with a friend.
(4)
First L.
There's a reason why we eat here more than 4 times a year. The atmosphere is nice, but the food is awesome! Service is on par with more elegant establishments. We've been here over 10 times and only once were we setup with an insensitive waitress. If it wasn't for the delightful pasta, this occurrence would have made us leave. We usually order our appetizers off the menu: risotto. Reason for rating: food is always great.
(5)
Mr Y.
The service was great! Food though lacked flavor. Got the panseared opah with spinich orzo. Definately not worth $22. And they changed the tiramisu too. Not the best. Kinda dissappointed for spending $65 for dinner. Even my kids pizza had more flavor.
(3)
Desiree M.
I came here most recently with my cousin and Kyle. The place was pretty busy, which was expected considering we came here on Saturday night. There was a wait but it wasn't too bad; it was just unfortunate that there was no place to sit. Whenever I come here I usually get pasta, which is the usual italian pasta with the american twist. Sometimes I just wish that I could get a good creamy and salty carbonara or a garlic and red pepper angel hair. We started off with the spinach-artichoke dip. It had this distinctive taste that I couldn't put my finger on but I wasn't really a fan of it. Other than that though it was pretty good. Our food took a while, which is understandable considering they were packed, but they kept us going with bread. This time I ordered the lamb spiedini, which was kind of a bad choice. I'm usually a fan of lamb but I don't know there was something about the way they cooked it and so it had too much of a meaty flavor for me. I could only eat one spiedino (they're like kebabs) and I didn't really enjoy it. I think next time I'll stick to the pasta.
(3)
Rach L.
Oh my worddddd. 2 years ago, I ate Fettuccine Alfredo from here, and I had the runs for a day. As a result of those most unpleasant moments on the toilet, I have not been back since. And this is from somebody who enjoys using the loo. But good on ya to all you waiters that know how to write your names upside down on our coloring mats. I'm still learning how to do that.
(2)
Rochelle J.
I like Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana. They have happy hour from 4:30 to 8pm. $3 house wines, they have draft beers too but I don't remember the cost since I don't drink beer myself. I do recall seeing them on the happy hour list though. I suspect they are also $3. You could combine two appetizers for $12. There was also three good sized pizzas for $5 each! That was the best deal! Will go again. The pizza wasn't half bad for the price. Check it out yourself with a friend or two.
(4)
Tom S.
a bit pricey. service was good. there is even a lady that walks around singing opera(she was my middle school VP). there is crayon and white paper you can draw on as you wait for your food.
(4)
Jen A.
All I gotta say is: Mushroom Ravioli! Yum-mers. Service was on it and managed our big party well. But it is a bit pricey for Italian. I can think of a few other places that are more authentic with a more intimate atmosphere that I'd pay these kinds of prices for (Sabrina's, Assagios).
(3)
Jessie R.
In all honesty, the food is average. Nothing special really. I would eat it, but I wouldn't go there JUST to eat that. Atmosphere is nice, though some of the seating areas are really cramped. Sorry guys, we broke some of the crayons. I hope you get fresh ones.
(3)
Joshua C.
Why pay so much when you could just get a bertolli dinner out of the freezer section or cook your own pasta w/ heavy cream??? For some better "Italian" food check out the top of this list yelp.com/list_details?li…
(1)
Jay C.
YOU'RE BETTER OFF AT CPK...macaroni grill is a mainland chain that appeared here in the islands in the past few years. if you have been to a location on the mainland, you will be SEVERLY DISAPPOINTED with the ala moana locale. the ingredients are fresher, portions are larger and prices are lower on the mainland. i understand the prices being a bit more here in paradise, but certainly NOT at the expense of quality. our group ended up here after mariposa was too exclusive to take in our party of 8. we know realize that we should've headed to CPK. the service was good, but the food SUCKED! the complimentary bread was smaller than it's mainland counter-parts; it lacked the crisp skin and soft center. the appetizer sampler seemed as though someone removed half of what was supposed to be on the plate. it was sad and pathetic. the penne rustica that my friend order lacked taste. she had to pour salt all over it but that didn't do much. in the end, the manager let her replace it with the more simple marinara. my sausage salentino was recommended by the waiter and i enjoyed it. however, my auntie ordered the shrimp portofino and a couple of the shrimp were under-cooked. she dealt with it because she was too embarassed to return it. finally, another friend ordered the pizza margherita. it was about 7" wide and lacked flavor. all in all, the food SUCKED and there is no necessity to return, despite the decent service. this ain't amore!
(1)
Norman T.
The saving grace for this place is the staff. It took 45 minutes to get our food. The bread was excellent; finish that, then go because the rest of the meal was very forgettable.
(2)
Googleone G.
Ok food here. Good mushrooms lasgna. Price is expensive for the quality of the food. Desent place for a last minute date if you can't one of the better restaurants in Honolulu.
(3)
Trish P.
i'm updating b/c i've actually recently eaten here again. like i said before, i would only eat here again if it were against my will........ and it was. anyway - along with 2 friends, i dined there a few days ago. the service was still the same. our waiter was not the nicest guy ever, he checked on us only once, unless you count when he came back to fill our water, but i can hardly count that. he seemed more interested/concerned/distracted by the larger (bigger tip) table next to us. the food however was an improvement, but not a big one. i tried a seafood linguine which included shrimp, scallops, and some vegetables all in a buttery garlic sauce. the food was not cold this time. the waiter informed me that now, the scallops they serve are larger - great! but when i got my dish.... only 2 measly (larger, but not huge) scallops were in my pasta, along with 3 jumbo shrimp. i belive this dish was over $17..... not really worth it if you ask me. the dish itself was good - but not worth what it cost..... an extra star for flavor - its just too bad that yelp doenst let you give 1/2 stars......
(2)
Kit T.
Hearty atmosphere, friendly staff, ridiculously tiny portions. About 3 oz. of perfectly cooked swordfich and a scant quarter cup of delicious orzo on a long oblong nouvelle cuisine type plate was $17- holy snap. The decor and ambiance is fun, feels warm, homey, lots of wood and a fireplace bar...nice! But eat before you get here or go home hungry! For the cost to value ratio, it is more like a $$$ scenario than the $$ rating.
(2)
Lindsay C.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill this past week for dinner - Arrived around 7:30-8pm-ish and the place was packed, although we were seated right away. I always love a restaurant that gives you a table covered in paper to draw on!! Our waiter - Reily - was very friendly and attentive! Quick with drinks and service. We started with the Calamari - which comes with two, zesty pizzaiola and basil pine nut pesto. I surprisingly liked the basil pesto - but really enjoyed combining the two sauces. I ordered the Seafood Linguine - "Shrimp, scallops and clams sauteed with oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula and imported linguine pasta in a white wine olive oil sauce" - but had the white wine olive oil sauce switched out with Arrabiata sauce. MMMMmmm This was really good! Not usually a fan of scallops in pasta (big fan of scallops wrapped in bacon) but all of the seafood was really good, and the shrimp were a pretty good size! The portion was a decent size, I had some leftover - which I ate for lunch the next day! Tony ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo "Imported fettuccine pasta sauteed with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese." and added Grilled Chicken. He really enjoyed it - although he said it was a little watery. He had leftovers as well. When they wrap up your leftovers they put them in a aluminum foil pan with directions on how to reheat - rather than giving you the styrofoam containers that melt when you microwave! I am not a big fan of leftovers, but as I mentioned, I reheated my leftovers the next day for lunch, and they were just as good as the night before!
(4)
James V.
Good food. Not too pricy. They were out of a couple of items and had to wait until after the dinner was served for the bread. That was the only issue.
(4)
Christine B.
Squee, what can i say, i love that we get to draw on the tables with everyone with the crayons while we wait for our food to be served to us. The waiters/waitresses are all very talented and friendly here. I came here a month ago with my friends and this waiter impressed us with his writing and drawing/people skills. The portions here are pretty good, i ordered the Afredo pasta and love the creamyness of it. Gosh italian tastes so good on such occasions, esp since i don't eat it often.
(4)
Brian N.
Great Italian & Mediterranean restaurant. I eat at this place occasionally and what can I say, it's onolicious! They serve many different pasta entrees including lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and other classic entrees, along with several entrees created by the restaurant. They also serve pizzas and Mediterranean food.
(5)
n p.
The lines are usually long but if you call early enough in the day you can make a reservation before they reach their quota for the day. Been here quite a few times but I can't say I was satisfied each time. Some nights the bread is really good and toasty while other times it's stale and tastes about a day old. The portions are HUGE! They could be split between two people easily. The create your own option is pretty nice since some nights their standard menu just doesn't do it for me. The deserts are also enormous but their strawberry zabaglione is pretty good though. Service isn't always great but I guess that's why they have those paper tableclothes... to let customers kill time.
(3)
barry n.
Had a so-so experience at Romano's in Ala Moana. Went on Saturday night at about 8:30 and there still was a 15 minute wait. After being seated, our waiter came and did the name written on the table thing, but didn't leave any crayons for us! Boo hoo! Our order was taken pretty quickly and our food didn't take long. My wife had the salmon, which she liked because it wasn't dry. I had the seafood linguine and was disappointed with the seafood. There was not a lot of clams and shrimp and I didn't realize how small scallops could be! I'm talking about as big as a half of a peanut! Despite the lack of seafood, it still was pretty tasty. Pretty disappointed with the service because I didn't get ONE refill of water! I don't know if our waiter was that busy, but other than that, it was a pretty good experience. I think the best part of the night was the waitress who sang. For a petite girl, she could really belt out a song! She was very good, but I wonder if she gets tired of singing "Happy Birthday" because she must've done it about 5 times during the hour and a half that we were there. I always enjoy going here and will probably continue to do so.
(3)
Trace B.
Waiter didn't bring bread, brought the wrong salad and gave me the wrong meal. Waited 15 minutes until I could get his attention to get the correct entree. Terrible service on what appeared to be a quiet night. Do not recommend!
(1)
Sherman R.
SERVICE NOT GREAT!! Girlfriend and I went to Romano's at Ala Moana. We were greeted at the front by a female (unknown). She sat us at a table where there was a lot of traffic. I requested to be seated somewhere else (thinking that she'll sit us somewhere decent), low and behold, she sits us right at the next table. She was not very customer friendly. Anyhow, the waiter came with the wine and I told him, "that's ok....we requested for another table with less traffic and your front end sits us at the very next table". He was nice enough to apologize and he stated that he would sit us somewhere else. But, the damage was already done. So we stood up and left and told the waiter that it wasn't his fault. We ended up at RUBY TUESDAYS (next door). My god, even though they weren't as fancy as Romano's, hell, the service was excellent and the steak was outstanding. (im a big tipper for excellent service). SERVICE FOR THOUGHT!!!
(1)
deborah h.
Hi, Just received an e-mail from Romano's - if you join their Facebook fan page this weekend you'll receive a free dessert! Yum.
(5)
Tiani B.
the happy hour experience was.....weird. we walked in on a saturday, about 3-3:30....the host was not very "warm and welcoming" the restraunt was pretty much empty on the dining side but was told it would be a 15-20min wait...as I looked around at all the empty seating I was a little puzzled. Then the host said that if we could find a table on the bar side of the restraunt then we wouldnt have to wait...gee, thanks guy! There was two empty tables so we took one. We waited a little longer then expected to get some waithelp. Seems there was only one waiter working the entire bar area....so with that said, we waited for drinks, asked for drinks a second time after some of them never made it to the table. We ordered pizza, pasta, and chicken on a brick. The pizza was heavenly! It was just a plain ol' cheese pizza but our table enjoyed it very much. The pasta was good, and the chicken on a brick....Im honestly not sure if it was under cooked or the seasoning was just "off" but it did not excite my pallet. the serving of chicken was over the top! I was expecting a cute little filet NO, it was almost as big as my plate and just a terrible cut! I ate around it...the asaparagus and potatoes were delicious! Overall, I guess I would come back and have pizza? As far as being on my all time favorite places to eat, this will not make it!
(3)
Victoria A.
After reading mixed reviews... I thought I should try this place out myself. And so, my 4 stars "Yay! I'm a fan" review begins. My boyfriend & I dine out for every month anniversary. For our 47-month celebration, I chose Macaroni Grill, since it was less than 5 minutes away from Ward Stadium theaters (where we watched '21 Jump Street' *hilarious, by the way). Because it was a Friday, being the experienced diner that I am, I called in a reservation. The hostess was polite and calm (although it sounded like there were a hundred people talking in the background). She asked if we were celebrating anything and I responded with a "Yes, thank you for asking". Anyway... fast forward. We arrived 10 minutes late. Because I called to inform them that we were stuck in traffic; they were able to hold a table. It was crazy busy. We normally never dine out on a weekend because of the chaos; so I was very nervous about what the service would be like. Thankfully, we only waited a little less than 10 minutes for our table. The hostess acknowledged our anniversary and wished us an enjoyable evening. The server greeted us promptly and wrote her name on the table (I thought was the most awesome thing ever!). Despite the craziness of the restaurant, the timing of our courses was perfect! Only one thing I was a bit disappointed about: Why would the hostesses ask about our celebration if we don't receive any type of acknowledgement from our server? Not that my boyfriend & I dine out especially on our anniversary to receive FREE stuff; we're not that kind of customers. Anyways.... Here's what we ate: 1st course: Spicy Ricotta Meatballs & Fire Roasted Artichokes 2nd course: Eggplant Parmesan Florentine Steak & Frites 3rd course: Csnnoli & some type of Lemon heaven. haha Overall, I will definitely make sure I come back. Maybe it'll be for a girls' night. :D
(4)
T. L.
The food here is extemely fattening and unhealthy but oh it tastes so good :-) love it !!!!
(4)
josh v.
Question: Do they have to go to an on the job training to learn how to write upside down? The table cloth is covered with with paper and the wait help writes their name and the specials of the day, upside down. Crazy fast. Like that's how they learned to write in kindergarden. And the penmanship was really good too! I can say its probably better than mines.... smh.... I went to Macaroni Grill for really late dinner with my sister, who was craving for pasta. Our wait for a table wasn't that long, maybe 5 minutes. We got our table and noticed how cold it was instantly. I looked around to see if any booths were open so we could opt out of current frigid condition. No luck... Its ok, I rather be cold then hot. The lighting was a little on the dark side compared to other restaurants with dim lighting. Its not that bad, I like it because its relaxing and easy on my eyes but it was darker than the norm. And I did want to see what I was eating. For Yelp's sake.... For starters, we got some antipastis. One of them being my ussual at all restaurants, spinach artichoke dip. The other, a sampler, that consisted of calamari frita, mozzarella frita, tomato bruschetta and focaccia bread. For the Entrees, my sister ordered shrimp portofino and for me, chicken cannelloni. As we waited for our food, my sister and I would try our hand at the art of upside down writing. Fail. Our waitress brought over some bread as we showed off our skills. She gave us a hint, "S" are written the same. I tried couple times more until I ultimately decided that I can't do this. So I drew. A Wu-Tang logo and a maze. And a couple more doodles that I don't remember. Here comes our antipastis! The spinach artichoke dip was ok, if it was warmer, it would have been a little better. It had a healthy amount of artichoke hearts in it which I liked. The sampler was actually really good. Calamari was the best thing I had there. Lightly floured. The bruschetta was nice. I like that it was chunky while being juicy. It can cover the foccacia bread great as well as have the soak in all that juices. The mozzarella fritas was..... ummmmm... like fried breaded string cheese? It didn't impress me much. As soon as we knew it, we was full. No mas. And our entrees didn't come yet! So, we decided to get those to go, after we tried a couple of bites. Just so we can see how it is, fresh. I took a scoop of my chicken cannelloni. I like ricotta cheese, but it over powered the whole dish. There was more ricotta then chicken! They should rename it to Ricotta Cheese Cannelloni. If there was more chicken, it would have been a great number. The asiago cheese sauce was really good, though. Sharp and creamy. We asked our waitress for containers to get the rest of our food boxed up. She definitely made a good first impression of Macoroni Grill a good one. She was really attentive. A return visit sounds good to me. whenever anybody has a craving for cocina italiano, I'm down!
(3)
Dixie R.
My review is based on what happened last night at Macaroni Grill regarding manager David Bonilla. I contemplated even reviewing at all and instead write to corporate but you know that takes a lot of time and effort and I have better things to do with my life.. and not to mention I did call him an asshole to his face so I don't know if my case would stick up anyway. Oh let me advise you in advance that there's already been a similar review regarding the same manager on here.. Ok so my family and I sit at the bar area where it said 4-7pm Happy Hour 50% off Appetizers and were greeted by our server Damon who was charming and very attentive. We ordered some stuffed mushrooms off the appetizer menu and since it was good, we ended up ordering 2 hey why not it's 50% off? So blah blah blah long story short the bill comes out and we see that we were charged full price for the mushrooms so we asked Damon if the mushrooms weren't on happy hour price and he said it was a mistake so he'll get his manager to take it off. Then Damon comes back very rattled saying that his manager was not going to take off anything because he should have known to communicate to us that everything except for the mushrooms were half off. At this point I'm thinking then why the f doesn't the board have a disclaimer saying DISREGARDING THE MUSHROOMS or subject to price etc. Anyway, I felt bad for Damon and it seemed as if he was going to have to pay for it so I asked nicely if we can talk to the manager. He comes to our table with a "Hey folks" and I asked "So we were just told the mushrooms were not on happy hour is that right?" and he just starts spurting out diarrhea out of his mouth and this is what he had to say in a really snarky sassy manner, "No they are not and you know what Damon should have known and failed to communicate that so yeah the restaurant is not paying for it and I'm not paying for it so it's fine he will just pay for that himself. " So trying to defend our waiter who was just thrown under the bus I told him "Well I don't think it's his fault especially when the sign saids 50% off Appetizers and it's a little deceiving.." so we go back and forth me trying to tell him it's just the principal...I feel bad for the waiter he shouldn't have to pay for it... "Well he is and that's that we are not paying for it you are not but when somebody keeps making the same mistake over and over then he needs to pay for it." And I could tell he was just not letting me win at all so I said to his face that I would yelp about this in which he replied with a finger in my face "YOU DO THAT! I'll adjust the bill you have a good evening ." (Meaning Damon would pay) And you know I just could not help myself and said " You too asshole." and this is the best part.. ARE YOU READY ARE YOU READY?!?!? He comes back around makes the widest angle turn almost like a kick ball change he was soooo taken back and comes back to my face furious and said, "REALLY?!?!??! Really right now?! Is that what your gonna say to me?!" Whoa. when did this become a street fight..last time I remember, I was at a corporate fucking american family restaurant. Oh that's right, I called him an asshole. But I did apologize and I did say "Well I'm sorry about that but you're very unprofessional..I don't think you should run an establishment if you can't handle guests complaints and you treat your employees this way." Hello??! Don't be a manager in the first place if you can't handle heat from complaining guests..That's basically what a manager is, a shit taker but obviously he can't take it (maybe he takes it up his ass too much) and ends up dishing himself and forgets that he works for a corporate chain restaurant and you're just supposed to nod and give the sympathy sandwich. He walked away saying "I don't appreciate you calling me foul language infront of children." Which yeah ok I did have my 1 year old son there but trust me he hears worse things outside of Macaroni Grill and to be completely honest, I could not find a more suitable moment than to introduce that word to him in his life. Well I guess I won't be coming back to Macaroni Grill ever again and that is totally fine with me..It's not like the food there tastes like an angel's ass anyway.
(1)
Crystal B.
My boyfriend and I went to Romano's for one reason and one reason only: I said that Romano's is gross, mass-produced B-rated Italian food, and he insisted that from what he remembered it was actually good. Naturally, we had to settle the matter. I started with a Bellini, which was very sweet but good other than that. I ordered Calamari and my boyfriend ordered the appetizer sampler platter, which also came with calamari. The server pointed out the double order, but we said it was okay because calamari is always good. Or so we thought. The appetizers were just okay overall, but the calamari was pretty inedible. It was rubbery and not served hot, just lukewarm. The breading was thin, not crispy, and barely covered the calamari. Flavorless, really like eating leather. Gross. We left a lot uneaten. Next came salads, which were fine. Nothing special, but acceptable. Then our entrees arrived. I had the eggplant parmesan, I think my boyfriend just had penne with meat sauce, if I remember correctly. My eggplant parmesan was frozen. The middle of the eggplant was cold, tough, and had that weird chalky raw-eggplant texture. I tried to eat it but decided to send it back. The server was gracious, and when it came back out it was cooked fully. But frozen veggies? Yuck. Both of the entrees followed the "just okay" trend set by the rest of the meal. We didn't really feel inspired to get dessert. To their credit, the service was good. He was there when we needed him, and he got the problem with my entree fixed effectively. But the food was so blahhh, I would much rather spend an extra $5-$10 and get food that is much better quality. In other words, I won the bet. We won't be back.
(2)
tetsuzan R.
Coming from the Mediterranean region, I am always ready to dip my piece of warm bread in the mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and papper, and enjoy washing it down with some cold beer. The appetizers are great and fresh and make my mouth and soul happy. The tiramisu is a must if you know to appreciate italian food, and it goes well with espresso or macchiato. Easy to find room, especially if I call and reserve a table :) In case I just drop by and find no more room I can always enjoy the wonderful attention of the bartenders and have my meal by an open fireplace. Take my advice and make sure to reserve a table during the weekends!!! Oh, and if you like romantic setting you can ask for a booth otherwise there plenty tables and chairs. The amazing waiters of Romoano's Macaroni Grill can: 1) sing Happy Birthday in Italian like opera singers. 2) write their names and the specials upside down real fast on the table and some can do it with more than one crayon at once. Importent to know - 5:30 to 7:00 PM - Happy Hour - drinks and appetizers are half the price. Go for it :)
(4)
Megan M.
We have come here a handful of times and I was never really impressed until last night. Our server Shawn was great, drinks were ALWAYS full, he was there when we needed him and not when we wanted our space. The food was great and hot, I normally order something different until I find something I really like, I got the Shrimp Alfredo and my husband got the Chicken Alfredo. The sauce could have used a bit more seasoning, but it was good. The extra cost for the shrimp wasn't worth it, $5 for 4 shrimp, sure they were on the larger size but if it had mentioned on the menu it was just four I would have gone for the chicken which was much more obvious in my husbands meal. The kids menu is a bit pricey but the food was excellent, the pizza and mac and cheese were both homemade and fantastic. It also comes with ice cream and a drink, if you are nice sometimes they will let you substitute fresh strawberries instead of ice cream (our children aren't allowed to have ice cream) for no charge. The appetizers are great, the crab stuffed mushrooms have to have been hands down the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. Not too soggy and TONS of crab. The Mozzarella Fritta was good as well, the tomato sauce that comes with it is amazing. We will be going back again and again!
(5)
Nicole L.
I used to frequent Macaroni Grill for Sunday lunch with my family a while back and it is definitely not the same. Everything has gotten smaller it seems. I think I remember there being a lot more items on the menu and the portions are a lot less than before. I always order the chicken marsala and always have to get a to-go box, but this time there were only 3 litte pieces of chicken and not too much pasta. Even the piece of lasagna my friend ordered looked a lot smaller. Not what I'm used to when eating hearty Italian. Italians can eat! But I'm pretty sure the prices are higher if not the same. The service was awesome, I still get so amazed when the servers write their names on the table paper upside down. Lol.
(3)
Jocelyn S.
i've eaten at Macaroni Grill several times before and my experience was fine, but my recent experience was quite different... i've gotten a Mac Grill gift card for Christmas from one of my friends, so the BF and i decided to have dinner there so that we could use it. we entered the restaurant and the hostess at the counter was unwelcoming. no greeting at all. there was no "hello" or "welcome to Macaroni Grill" or not even a smile. my BF told her "table for 2" and she told us waiting time was gonna be 50 minutes. so ok fine, we waited outside then moved our way inside to sit. i sat nearby where the hostess was. i observed that she kept on changing waiting times. first couple people, she had told them it was an hour wait... and not even 5 mintues later, she'd say 30 or 15 minute wait to another set of people. i knew she was trying to get rid of potential customers that was told it was gonna be an hour wait... not sure why since there were some empty tables around. finally, it was our turn to be called. our waiter seemed pleasant. he does the standard procedure of the olive oil and pepper onto the small plate to dip the bread in. unfortunately, he didn't even bring us bread, so it wasn't used at all... in the meantime, we were just entertaining ourselves with scribbling stuff on the paper table cloth, which is a nice distraction as we wait for our food. the dish i usually order and enjoy is their 2 pork chops with risotto and broccoli. when we got our food, i noticed my pork chop order looked completely different from what i remembered it used to be. now it was just one single pork chop and a small portion of the risotto. honestly, it was not worth the price. but i did like the presentation of the dish. looked liked it came from those fine dining places. unfortunately, the risotto didn't seem to be cooked properly. *sigh* i was kinda disappointed but i was hungry so whatever, i ate it. *hehe* i noticed that our waiter didn't check up on us as much as how he waited on the other tables. we were done with our food and decided to order dessert. another server brought out our dessert, but didn't even include utensils for us. it was a good thing our waiter came walking by. i called him back to let him know that we needed utensils. we ordered the Ricotta Cheesecake. BF and i enjoyed it because it wasn't too sweet and it had this lemon taste that enhanced the flavor to it. overall, i do like the ambiance of this restaurant. it has that Italiano flare to it. just wished that they haven't changed the pork chop dish. other than that, this place ain't that bad. i'm not gonna say that i won't be coming here again, cuz i probably will come back. it's just that the recent experience i had this time wasn't the greatest. they just need to do some improvements.
(3)
Scott H.
Quality has really declined. I used to love getting the baked herb bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar...but even the bread they serve is horrible. No texture, bland, almost mealy in your mouth. My wife and I did not even finish one loaf. Highlights: 1) Our server was great. Kept the glass wet all night, was really on top of things. 2) The fettuccine alfredo was much improved. More like Bucca Di Peppo now, if that's the kind of fettuccine alfredo you like (and I do). The Bad: Wife's Pasta Milano was horrible. I've the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes over powered everything. Bow tie pasta was under-cooked. Could not taste anything else in the meal, very imbalanced. The Smothered Chocolate cake. HUGE disappointment. We had the three course meal, which we both ordered this desert. Horrible./ Tasted like it was missing egg, nothing holding the ingredients together. No texture! Did not have any flavor, and the sauce, which was good, we definitely NOT smothering the cake. Not enough sauce to hide the horrible platter of a cake it was served on.
(1)
Serenie S.
I've been here a few times. I recently got the Eggplant Marinara? It was good. I had a guy named Aaron as a waiter. He was nice. It's an moderate pricing. I think around $20 a person. Not really worth waiting 45-60 minutes to get seated but if it's not busy I'd go.
(4)
Chaplain Andrew W.
I'm a seasoned veteran of Macaroni Grill elsewhere. Pensacola, Providence and Riverside all do a GREAT job. I've been to the Honolulu grill twice now -- really not on par with the chain overall. Service is OK -- kind of lax. Wine tastes watered down. All the other grills let you pour your own and it's not in a juice glass. Last night my meal wasn't even warm. Maybe it was somebody's leftovers? Did I complain? Well, somebody other than our server delivered the food and then our server never came to check on us again. Another kind-hearted waiter finally came over and gave my wife more water. Thanks Romano's for great food and service elsewhere, but we won't come back to this one any more.
(2)
David C.
I came here for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Our waiter was super cool and friendly. He used the crayons to write his name and make it into a smiley face. The food was really good as well. I got a chicken thing with a small pasta with cherry tomatoes. It was really good at offered at a reasonable price. Their sherbert is also really good. The flavors may be a little different, coconut and guava, but still good.
(4)
Liane F.
Love this place for a franchise! The veggie pizza is awesome.
(4)
Alyssa K.
Service is A+ I must say. My favorite dish so far is the Parmesan crusted artichoke appetizer.
(4)
Cheryl K.
Typical mainland chain but not so bad. The food is decent and the prices are average. I always order the Sangria to drink and keep forgetting not to order it because its not that good. I recently ate the lasagna and my fiance had the chicken parmesan. The food is okay but not spectacular or memorable. It always seems to be busy when we go there. The service is good and I love drawing with crayons on our paper table cloths. Except one time I got a paper cut from it. Ouch! Overall good experience!
(4)
Shannon C.
I really like the bruschetta and their house bread. Oh and the blackberry iced tea. Not much of a fan for the entrees here. The pizzas aren't that great either.
(3)
Tracy L.
As part of a vegan/social experiment, I quickly found that Hawai'i doesn't offer too many places for someone to eat. Oddly enough, I was at Romano's Macaroni Grill recently and while sitting at the bar and staring at the basket of bread, was told by the waiter that they did offer up some great items. They have a "build your own pasta" menu which is a piece of paper with pre-printed categories on it. You choose your type of pasta (all their pasta is egg-free!), the veggies, and sauce. They also offer up dishes for those folks who are wheat/gluten sensitive too!
(3)
Anita L.
Funny how this chain pops up everywhere. I didn't think Ala Moana Center needed one with its many food establishments, but I guess someone felt one was needed. It just opened recently and serves up the same stuff as all its other locations. Good if you're with kids and it's a solid menu which isn't too expensive. The funny thing is that the food, though the same is about $2 more than its locations within the mainland of the US. The stuff tastes a little different too. I ordered the chicken caesar salad which I've ordered on so many occasions at other Macaroni Grills and it arrived with different salad leaves and also, shredded chicken instead of chunks of chicken. Naturally there was less of the chicken because shredded makes it look like there is more when in fact there is less. The portions are also slightly smaller here than on the mainland. What's going on here????
(2)
Ryan O.
A Mainland chain, sure, but one certainly welcome in a town that hungers for more (if not better) Italian options. We went during their soft-opening, and again last week, and loved it. Family friendly (a plus for us and our three kids), decent portions for a reasonable price. The kitchen speed has been a bit uneven - main courses sometimes beat the salad or appetizers to your table - but the servers are sharp and friendly and no dishes were lacking in richness or flavor (I always end up taking almost half of my order home). As with the opening of other major chains (notably the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki), right now the line to get in can be long -- show up at 6 p.m. on a Friday, and you'll have to wait an hour or more. But, at least with its location within Honolulu's retail Mecca, there's no shortage of things to browse to pass the time. Presumably, in a few months, the lines will subside (especially as other new dining options open in Hookipa Terrace).
(4)
Kai C.
i love their bread, it's worth going just for the bread. The entree's are good too for affordable prices.
(4)
Bina D.
My husband and I had dinner at the restaurant a few days ago. The first thing I noticed was the crayons and the paper to draw on. So very classy. I ordered the lasagna and it was so bland, a very boring taste. My husband had the Chicken Cannelloni and it was flavorless as well. I don't understand why people come back to this place. A frozen lasagna from he grocery store is much better. I will not be coming back. The service was good though, we got a very attentive waiter.
(2)
Zoe B.
We like their pizza and also the pasta there. We think the pasta was great and we like the 'create your own' option too. The chocolate cake was tasty as well. We like to eat there once in a while (due to price). The taste was good for sure.
(4)
Tammie C.
We go to this restaurant a lot, one for it's convenience if you've been shopping like a mad woman...and two because the food is pretty good! However, do not go if you are already hungry and want to eat within the next 10-15 minutes. Because the wait alone is at least 20 minutes, and more if it's a weekend. I personally love the build your own pastas...it's quite a heaping of food and I always have left overs for the next day. Out of the many times we've eaten there, we only received bad service once...and that was from a waitress "Melia"....she was very talented at writing her name upside down with crayons...kudos for that....but she sucked @$$ at service. Melia if you happen to read this....Sorry to "out" you...but I was shocked at your zombie like attitude, the fact that you never came to check up on us after our food was slowly delivered, and the fact that we had to wait 10 minutes to find you to get our check. Instead of practicing on writing your name beautifully upside down, maybe you should practice a little more on your service. All in all, food is pretty good and moderately priced. The waiters singing Italian opera to birthday people are always entertaining.
(3)
L K.
First time I went there I didn't care for the dish I got, but kept going anyway. And by the fifth time, I like it. The atmosphere is cool, and the little kid in me loved the crayons to write on the paper table cloths. It's always pretty busy when I pass by, and when I go in too. The prices are decent. I had this cheesy filled pasta, it was good. And the house bread they bring is actually quite tasty and soft. Tried their pomegranate martini, that was yummy. And the sorbet is good too, unless you are hoping for sweet, it isn't sweet. My friend who had some with me made the most hilarious faces as he ate it. Wish I took a picture of that.
(4)
John O.
Very crowded, at least when I went there... Food was just o-kay, and the portions were really big, not sure why? I ordered lasagna and it must of weighed like ten pounds. Not sure why people think bigger is better??? I ordered a martini that was too strong and took them like 40 minutes to deliver. So strong I had to add ice too it and still was bad. All in all, too much - too much!!! Will never come here again!
(2)
Erika R.
Last Saturday me and my auntie and three of my children went for lunch at Macaroni Grill. Our waiter was nice enough and we enjoyed bruschetta while we waited for our meal. We had ordered spinach salad with scallops, mushroom ravioli, and chicken scallopini along with the kids dishes. The server brought the kids food and we continued to snack on the bread and olive oil and our bruschetta. 50 minutes later the kids were getting tired, having finished their food ages ago, and our food still hadn't arrived. When we finally located our waiter he said he'd check on our order and put a rush on it. Ten minutes later he still hadn't returned and me and my auntie were done waiting. Tired and hungry we stood up to pay for what we had eaten when out came our waiter with our food! But it was too late after the one hour delay. We were ready to go. Luckily the general manager noticed what was going on and asked me what had happened. After hearing the story he comped all the food and gave it to us to go. They also gave us gift certificates and his business card and told us to call him before our next visit so he could make sure everything went smoothly. I gave one star because I love the food but everything else was terrible!!!
(1)
Jean P.
I've been here more than a few times and have never eaten anything that I wasn't satisfied with. The food is very tasty though it's very filling. Come hungry because the portions are large. The only downside is that it's pretty much always busy but I think the fact that it's busy is a testament to how good the food is.
(4)
Brian P.
No way, not going here again. Not unless someone else is offering to pay, and even then I'll only go if I can't get them to eat someplace else. I've given this place way too many chances and it always seems to disappoint. Although the bread is warm it does not taste good, filled with so many herbs it starts tasting like a spice rack. The pasta sauces are bland and you can tell that their lasagna comes from a freezer because the middle is still cold. And their pizzas taste weird. The sauce is too sweet and their cheese comes off all together like a sheet in one bite. Coming from Wisconsin where using good cheese on a pizza is a no-brainer, this is really unacceptable. I've given this place many many chances to redeem itself, tried something different each time, and it is just plain bad everytime. Sorry to be so negative but it had to be said.
(1)
Jesse W.
7/23/10: Last minute dinner, wife and I had a cooperative baby and decided to hang around Ala Moana mall to find a restaurant. We went up to the fourth level food court area and, frankly, weren't thrilled with all the dining options. Anyways, we've been to this chain restaurant - back in our ex-home in California, we went to the San Mateo location and this experience was very similar. I ordered their tomato leek soup which came out almost the opposite that I expected. It wasn't a creamy soup but rather almost a minestrone type soup with LOTS of lima beans. My entree was the blue cheese salad, very OK and mediocre, it was served with some iceberg lettuce that was a bit tired. Anyways, service was great, responsive and very helpful (they are very kid friendly).
(3)
Jeff S.
Got to love the bread!!!!!! The Ala Moana location has very fast service. They also have this opera-like singer that sings happy birthday to people. I could really do without it. Other than that it is your standard corporate italian restaurant so what could be bad?
(4)
Al V.
Wow this place has gone DOWNHILL,, #1 menu got smaller,#2 No such thing as bread az soon as you get seated(had to ask for it) , this place really looks GLOOMY now.. kind of BORING now days,, As for food not anything to go back for anymore, ANd I really liked this place , Service, staff , food were all good a year ago.. Needless to say I wont be going back here anytime soon, I have read the reviews on Yelp wihich were mostly negative, But figgured just check it out annyways,, And THE REVIEWS WERE RIGHT!! Daam this place neds NEW MANAGEMENT,, What Happened to the CLOTH NAPKINS,, Although our waiter Darrel tried his best,, FOOD JUST WASNT HAPPENING, Fact I didnt even eat half,, Its in my refridgerator now and dont think i will eat it. ,
(1)
Julia P.
the food was pretty good! i enjoy the pizza and almost ate it all and they appetizers was pretty good overall had great time !
(4)
Sara H.
this place is awesome! i'm fairly easy to please i suppose - the free bread is delicious and the crayons/paper table cloths are so fun! :) i could go on and on, blah blah about how the food is good, service is decent, yada yada but i think the best selling point is the HAPPY HOUR. $3 beer and wine and 1/2 off appetizers from like 5 to 7 PM DAILY. disclaimer though - they just changed the menu so i'm not positive on the happy hour deals. check it out!
(4)
Jenni S.
Love the lemon cello dessert! Sometimes we go there just for that.
(5)
Mindy K.
Just had to say, this meal was bad from the moment we stepped inside. It wasn't only the slightly pukey, smell of unwashed floors, the bad service, the messed up orders, or the unaccountably smoky and overly winy flavor of my mushroom ravioli, which I did eat, but which wasn't worth $15. It wasn't just that they put hot salami (which I know sounds vaguely pornographic but forutunately was not) rather than pepperoni on the kids' $5 pepperoni pizzas. The worst of it is I wasted the gift certificates that I could have used at Chili's. (Isn't that sad?) I won't be coming back.
(2)
Anjelika J.
ate here for lunch today... gross. my pasta was so salty, i had to down 2 cokes in 5 minutes. my food was inedible. i never cared for the flavor of the food here, but i have to say that the "quality" of the food has gone down. the bread is smaller, the glasses (i swear) are smaller. on the plus side, the servers are still nice! 2 stars for the servers.
(2)
Jana M.
So four days before we went for dinner I called in for a reservation. When we got there we were seated right in the entry area closest to the hostess podium under a large ac vent where my 3 year old daughter and her two year old friend shivered through dinner. Because of the ac vent our food got cold as soon as we got it. Service was awful, my friend asked for a children's water to which we never received. They also seem to be cutting back, our waiter only poured us olive oil for our bread and no balsamic vinegar, so we asked for some and he said "sure!" and again never returned with it. Dinner was at 6:30 and we didn't get out until 8:30, with two kids 3 and under it was too long for a "family" chain restaurant. Food wasn't too bad, I had the shrimp spiedini and it was yummy, mom had the pasta Milano and it was ok, my daughter had the grilled chicken with broccoli and that was what it was. This wasn't my first time going there but I've decided that this will now be my last.
(3)
Jeff I.
Every time I ask someone about this place, half of them say it was great, and the other half says that it was disappointing. Personal experience give me a middle of the road feeling. I had a chicken pesto pizza that was ok. I would have ordered pasta, but since I was paying, I had to keep the cost down. Oh yeah, and the tables are covered with paper and you are provided with crayons to go crazy with.
(4)
Danielle M.
Dined at this place a couple times, and i gotta say even though this place is always crowded, but is definitely worth the wait!! Recommend: Prosciutto e Arugula Pizza, Scallops & Spinach Salad, Mushroom Ravioli, Lobster Ravioli, Sausage Salentino, Grilled Pork Chop with mushroom risotto (the best)
(4)
Shirley Mina Y.
On my way to work yesterday, I remembered to redeem my free chocolate cake coupon, since it was about to expire. I had gotten it since I was on their email list. I only wish it wasn't for a chocolate dessert, since I haven't been able to eat any chocolate since August 2010. It was okay since I gave it away.
(5)
Yu T.
We came here because everywhere was so busy and long wait. We were seated right away, no wait. We were 3 of us. We all had bad meal. We felt so bad coming here. Our server was overly friendly. It wasn't comfortable. There was a piece of plastic in one of my dishes.
(1)
KT R.
Went here for dinner last night. Food was ok (kind of bland in my opinion, though the other people I was with didn't have any complaints) but I was honestly impressed with the service. Our waiter took our order by memory (always a risky thing to do) and forgot about the appetizer we ordered for the table. Since it was a little late in the meal to backtrack and bring it out, he gave us a free dessert (chocolate cake - probably the same one they use for birthdays :P) big enough to share instead. I was really surprised by this since it's a chain restaurant and we didn't give him a hard time or anything about having forgotten the app. Definitely made a good impression...
(3)
Norm G.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the food here. Being a chain restaurant, I thought "no way!" But, my wife and I were tired from shopping, so we walked in a bit after 5 pm. The waiter was funny and friendly, I had a nice glass of merlot, and the entree was flavorful. I'm glad we came early, because the line was out the door when we left the place. I will definitely come here again.
(4)
Rekinhsuf Z.
After being seated, did not even get water for nearly 20 minutes, at which point my wife and I took our hungry infant daughter to someplace where we could at least be served. Hostess and onlooking workers did not even apologize. Shame.
(1)
Happy M.
I've visted Macaroni Grill many times, and I've never had a bad dining experience yet. I prefer eating their bread with a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the olive oil dip. I like their calamari fritti, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and shrimp, pasta milano, grilled pork chops, and eggplant parmesean. Their twice baked lasagna with meatballs and lobster ravioli had a weird taste, and the sausage and pepper classico tasted better the day after. If it's your birthday, you get a free smothered chocolate cake (yummy!), and they sing to you in Italian.
(4)
Linda K.
Enjoyed a late friday night dinner with my husband, his first time here. This was maybe my third time and I have to say, each dish was quite delish. The first time I ordered a chicken breast w/portabella mushroom dish (no longer on the menu). The second was a shrimp angel haired pasta and last night was the Rib eye steak, asparagus w/potato side. Our server was "Nelli", I was very pleased that she double checked that I requested my steak "medium well" instead of "medium rare". Rarely do waiters double check and end up bringing me the rare deal. This dish was very satisfying! My hubby ordered the same and thought this was the best steak dish; although, I had to remind him of the juicy melt in your mouth steaks from Ruths Chris. It's been years since we ate there though. Anyway, we shared the tiramisu, a winner for moi. Anyway, the cut potato made with tomato's was seasoned well with olive oil was the bomb. I enjoyed it more than the steak itself. Oh, and to mention, the calamari appetizer was perfecto! Two thumbs up to Chef Fred who just made our date night!
(4)
Stacey K.
what happened to this place??? I went here today and was sooo disappointed. the bread SUCKS now, it used to be so good I had to stop myself from eating over 1 table's serving.. I always got the chicken marsala with broccoli instead of noodles which was yummy but now it was pretty gross. really went down the poo hole. don't bother. go cpk instead or the food court would have even been better..
(1)
K. I. S.
Went with a group of 9 and were seated in the bar..... a good thing since there was a football game on that could be watched if you thought ahead to sit on THAT side of the table. Since we do not usually eat in bars, we were a little unaware of this upside. As for the food, there are some changes in the menu so what you see if not what you can get..... do menu changes occur so quickly that new menus can't be printed in time or ??? Anyway, it was very confusing for me to hear the waiter recite the "what we used to have but don't have anymore"--- why tell me about it if it isn't available? Anyway, to make a long story short, I took his advice and ended up with Lemon Chicken with Rigatoni and spinach in a cream sauce and my husband ordered the "double-thick pork chop with risotto" which is on the new but not yet printed menu. My husband's comment later was that the pork chop was nothing to write home about and my taste of the mushroom/green pea risotto was el dente (which is not as it should be). My lemon chicken with rigatoni had the thinnest cream sauce I have ever had.... it was more like "no-fat milk rather than cream" sauce. My strawberry Italian soda came in a tall VERY THIN glass with LOTS of ice and very little Italian soda for $3.50. Very $$$ considering the glass and ice. We had the artichoke dip as an appetizer and that was OK but not impressive either. I can make better stuff at home, I think. We passed on desserts which were pretty pricy and, after the meal, I could not be enticed to even share one with my husband to even get a taste of the tiramisu. Maybe we should eat at my house next time??? The best part of the meal was that we were there for the happy our so the other 8 people could get cheap drinks and SOME of the appetizers were half-price also. But for me, not so great food even at half-price is still not a good meal. I'd pass on this place unless I really wanted spaghetti and meat balls or something that I don't have high hopes for..... just basic pasta and bread. Big plus is all the free parking at Ala Moana Center :)
(3)
Clintonn M.
ate hear after work on monday dec 5th, yes on a monday.. walked up to the hostess stand and was quoted a 25 minute wait... So that was okay, being that we were not the only walk-ins and they have reservations to tend too. but waiting 45 minutes to be seated with open tables available was very alarming.. then 10 minutes to get a drink order, which was only sodas and we ordered our entrees at the same time.. 40 f***ing minutes later our chicken marsala and chicken parmesan finally came out.. That is over 6 refills of soda later. by that time, so filled up on soda, that I didn't care to eat.. WONT GO BACK, Why pay for overpriced food if you will be let down...
(1)
Eric M.
Went @ 630pm but still had a 15 min wait for a table. Popular place combined with happy hour winding down. Food is decent and not too expensive. Service was good. Noise level high as this joint was jumpin when all tables filled.
(3)
Susan F.
It was my bf's grandma's birthday yesterday and his family wanted to take her to dinner at Macaroni Grill. I've eaten here once before, but wasn't impressed with what I ate. So prior to dinner, I went to their website to check out their menu so I would know what to order prior to going in. It seemed like most of their pasta dishes were chicken dishes (which I'm not a big chicken fan). So I decided to get the spinach and scallop salad... but of course when we sit down and open the menus the salad isn't on the menu. After sitting there staring at the menu thinking to myself, "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken". I decided to order the "create your own pasta". I wasn't too happy about this because I didn't care for the noodle selections : Spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or bowtie. I got the spaghetti with arrabbiata (spicy red sauce), with spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. When our food arrived, my pasta didn't have the roasted garlic in it, which in the end I was happy because the garlic that was in my bf's pasta tasted like it was moldy or spoiled (it was so bad that he removed them from his dish). Jeff, our server wasn't very attentive either, because I had to request several times for our water to be refilled and for bread. Overall, I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill, but it isn't terribly bad.
(3)
Keane L.
PISS-poor service. Waitress barely looked at us, as if she were afraid: when she wrote her name on the table, when she filled our drinks.. Not a single glance or comment. I blame the newness factor of this restaurant. When Chili's was first opened in Kapolei, the waiters sat around talking to each other. Time will improve this restaurant. Food was good, but a bit on the pricier side. I'm not fond of the view from that side. Looking into the mountains was always boring to me compared to looking out at the sea and sun. I would gladly go to a Macaroni Grill again (it beats Olive Garden in the category of faux-Italian), but I'll stick to the ones in California until this one "grows up..."
(2)
Dave T.
Went to celebrate our daughter's birthday. They had a "happy birthday" seat ready for her, which made her happy. Our server, Cat, was friendly and cordial. She explained the menu to us and answered our questions. Our food was delicious, with the right amount of seasoning (last visit a couple of years ago, I remembered that everything was on the salty side). Our daughter had her complimentary birthday cake and ice cream, but the highlight was having our server, Cat, sing happy birthday in Italian (she's an opera singer). Thank you for the wonderful evening.
(4)
Mari T.
just went here b/c i had a free dessert coupon. terrible service. dessert was skimpy, but pretty good. strawberries and cream w/ an almond biscotti. definitely wouldn't pay $7 for that tho. with the fat-filled dishes and short-tempered help, i don't think i'll be going back any time soon.
(2)
Winnie C L.
12 of us went to Macaroni Grill, we made a reservation for 10, but they are willing to accommodate to 12 of us. Don't get me wrong food was good (Okay, not super good), all food came out fast, but our waiter disappear most of her time, it seems like to me they are under staff, they were not able to handle big party and large volume. Every time we need something we have to wait for a while, we did not get immediate attention, no one came up ask how was the food. I think their service was terrible. We were there to celebrate our friend bday, they drop off the cake with an unlighted candle, not surprise at all to our friend AND we have to wait for over 20 minutes to have someone sang "Happy Birthday". I am sorry they really don't deserve 18% tips, but we did give them. And we will NEVER come back any more. There are many other restaurant better than this. It was an awful experience to celebrate bday. You got to wait.
(2)
Ed K.
a friend gave us a $80 gift card to go try this place out and so we went to go check it out. across of tsukiji, above pearl, same escalator. hookipa terrace. the service was unique.. wait staff wrote his name on the table with crayons. *clap *clap *clap. the stuffed mushroom appetizer was tasty, but didn't have crab in it like the yelp pictures denotes. entrees are $15ish. honestly.. to sum it up was major rip off.. my bro had chicken parmigiana. it looked like cafeteria pasta. i had mama's spaghetti and instantly noticed they added dairy to it because it was sour. tip: go with corn starch to make the sauce thick. yacked it all out right after dinner. however, the loaf of bread on which they serve as appetizer was fresh, crispy, and soft. olive garden is way better if they had one in 808. straight up.
(1)
Shelley K.
I used to love coming here to eat, but now I don't really care to go. They took off all of my favorites off their menu. And now all of their food is just way too salty!! Go somewhere else for better Italian food.
(2)
Al D.
This place was a huge disappointment. The service is bad. The waitstaff hardly checked up on us and took forever to bring us our pizza. They were very unapologetic and so we just canceled our order. We did get to try some appetizers though. The mushrooms and the spinach dip. I really don't get why people are posting pictures of the mushrooms as if they good or something. They're not. They're tiny and the stuffing is 90% bread crumbs, 10% canned crab. The spinach dip came in a tiny dish and was super bland. It was labled spinach artichoke dip on the menu but there was no artichoke in it so I'll just call it spinach dip. I don't know why people wait in line to eat here. The best thing I had was my beer and that's because the restaurant didn't make it.
(2)
Juli P.
I have always loved this reastraunt but this evening while our server was wonderful our food was not. We were dismayed by the new menu, and when our carbonara was undercooked not even al dente the manager brought it back and told us that is how it is supposed to be. I am said it was as close to olive garden as we could get. Next time I will go to Ricados in Pearl City!
(1)
Courtney T.
i'm surprised to see so many people with negative reviews. Maybe i've just been lucky, but i've eaten here at least 4 times, and i've always had a stellar experience. Well, the first time I ate here was when it first opened and a busboy dropped a bunch of glasses while cleaning up, but since then, i think they've really improved. I've only ordered pastas, as they're pretty much my favorite food, and have been happy with all of them. I can't remember the names of them, but i've never gotten something i wasn't happy with here. It's cute how they have paper over the tablecloths so you can draw. It also helps how the waiter writes his name on it so you can remember what his name is. It can get pretty busy at times, so you should make a reservation if possible. Also a side note, if you order their house white wine, it is a HUGE bottle, but they wrap it up for you to take home. The singing hostesses are the best! it really makes you feel like you're in an italian place. Cat is so awesome!
(5)
Consuela P.
I admit my boss is da best! Last November, he treated all of us at the office to lunch at the newly (not so new now) at a new Italian restaurant at Ala Moana SC called Romano's Macaroni Grill. I simply love Italian food! We started off with the Romano's Sampler ~ a platter of Tomato Bruschetta, Mozzarella Fritta and Calamari; served with a zesty sauce. I ordered the Shrimp Portofino ~ it was good and garlicky! And to complete my meal, I simply had to have the tiramisu for dessert. The ambiance is really nice as all of its tables were draped in white linen; that's covered with butcher paper and crayons to allow guests to creatively express themselves. We went crazy doodling away! Everyone said good things about their food and our server was always attentive and friendly. In my opinion, it's a fun and casual place to gather for a great meal with friends and family. Before leaving we took a group photo by their decorated Christmas tree.
(4)
John A.
Portions got smaller : (
(3)
Glenn N.
Been here 6x. Don't really care for their rustic mediterranean meals. Their "Lobster Ravioli" was tasty but it seems they skimp on the lobster fillings. Can anyone suggest the ultimate Italian restaurant?
(3)
Brooke M.
So this is where Mom picked for her birthday dinner. Yay. For the amount of money they extorted from us, we could've gone to Sabrina's and had a wonderful dinner of authentic, non-greasy Italian food. So, they seat you at a table covered in paper (ooh, classy) and then the server writes her name on the paper upside down with a crayon (wow, impressive). They tell you about their house "Chianti" which is made in California (never mind that "Chianti" is name protected by Italian law and must come from Chianti). Then they give you some crappy hard rosemary flavored bread without butter, expecting you to use that economy size bottle of the most flavorless olive oil ever made that's sitting there on the table. Then the food comes out- wrong in my mom's case, pools of oil in mine, and nothing for my dad! I was done eating by the time they brought his! Crap crap crap! Oh, and the "Learn to speak Italian" cd that's playing in the bathroom is a little disconcerting... CRAP!
(1)
Nikki N.
I am a fan because when I went last time a waiter Kat sang happy birthday to a party and I liked it so our waiter had her come over and sing something. It was so beautiful! I like the food there because it is always so tasty. The portions are big and I always have left overs to take home. The bread and crayons keep you occupied while you wait for your food which is great for groups and family dinners.
(4)
Jo H.
i went there for the first time for a friend's birthday, and i'm never going back there again! we had a private room and our server was NOT attentive. the only time she actually came around was when she was waiting for us to pay. and the food was not good. i would definitely rather go to assaggios or something. i had the veal parmesan and the veal was soggy tasting and just odd. the marinara sauce was watery and weak tasting. then my friend and i got an order of the kids mac and cheese to share and it was awful. it wasn't creamy at all nor was it delicious and cheesy. it was just a messy clump. all in all, it was not a pleasant experience and i will not be back.
(1)
Jasen N.
came here for the happy hour. with half off appetizers, i was excited. we ordered the sampler, roasted vegetables, and crab stuffed mushrooms. the food was okay, nothing really special. calamari was kinda cold and wasn't crispy, big disappointment. they need more waiters on the lounge side as i had to wait a long time just to get a water refill. we got all that for $18 plus tip, not bad at all. btw, happy hour is only on the lounge side!
(3)
Gayle N.
A year or so ago, I would rate this place five stars. Now, not even this one is low enough. Their service has gone way downhill. Waithelp are uncaring, loud and obnoxious. I ordered a martini and got half a glass, told him that I wanted it filled up and he said that the bartender refused saying that I had ordered a "shot" (in a martini glass???). The food on the "new and improved" menu ... only one word describes it...horrific. I used to order the seafood linguine and this time got something that was warned to me that woud be spicy, just completely limp and tasteless. We wanted more cocktails but wait help no where to be found. I'm with Bucca D. Hit or miss! and lately, it's been MISS!!! What happened to you guys?????
(1)
Lynne W.
I hadn't been here for a while (a year) and so I was supremely disappointed in the food quality. It was noticeably different, like they had changed vendors or something. Really marginal food. Marginal Italian is the worst. I would skip this place until they raise their standards.
(2)
Jessie L.
So the first time I went to this place I was with my boyfriend and a friend on her birthday, and we were using some giftcards we got for xmas. We sat down and had fun playing with the crayons and paper table cloth. Our server was friendly and prompt, the prices were a little pricy so we each just ordered an entree. I ordered the chicken scaloppine. The dish was a decent sized portion, but tasted a little plain. After a few bites I was throughly disappointed at the lack of flavor. My boyfriend ordered some sort of a trio with pasta, lasagna, and a ravioli, after the waiter recommended it was huge and worth the extra price. When his came out, it definetly did not stand up to the exagerations the waiter made, and he was also not satisfied with the taste of the dish. All in all, the food and price was a two thumbs down, however they did give us a big piece of chocolate cake for my friends birthday and sang a solo tune at our table. That by far was the highlight of the meal, turned out our waiter could really bust a tune. The chocolate cake although a nice thought, had no icecream with it and was extremly chocolatety so after about one bite each became unbearable to finish. Now heres the kicker, remember how I said we were using giftcards? Well we get the bill, and the waiter took quite awhile getting back to us, so we used our two gift cards equaling thirty dollars and left the rest in cash and left. As we are getting into our car in the parking lot, all of a sudden out server comes running out of the restaurant yelling at us that we didnt pay our bill!!! He finally makes it across the lot to us, huffing and puffing saying we shorted him and need to pay up. We explain that part of the money was left in giftcards and the rest in cash including a tip! He continued to argue and made me go back into the restaurant. At this point I demanded a manager, who after hearing what happened and seeing what we left apologized for the server who apparently didnt even bother to check the giftcards balances. So UNPROFESSIONAL, never in all my years dining out and working in restaurants would anybody do such a thing without even making sure they were right or not first. Plus, due to the fiasco we ended up missing the movie we had planned for after dinner. To rectify it the manager offered us some giftcards and refused to just give back our money for the meal..! What good our the gift cards when we will never be coming back here again!!!
(1)
Dan R.
Since there are a ton of reviews, I'll keep this short and hopefully helpful. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. and stand around the whole time listening because they don't have the buzzers. No huge deal-if the food is good. The inside is pretty atmospheric, but we got seated in a section surrounded by kids, and it felt like a school lunchroom. Not a great date spot. But maybe you'll get lucky, we saw some booths that looked a lot more private. The waitress said she'd bring bread right away. We were starving after the 45 minute vigil. 15 minutes and 3 reminders from us later we finally got one small loaf to share between three (after other table seated after us). The food-we had the trio and a pasta with chicken and lemon cream sauce- were fine. Except the burned lasagna sucked. But super heavy on the butter and cream. So the first bites are great, but towards the end no one wanted to finish their food. The old saying :"put enough butter and cream in and anything tastes good" seems to be the motto. If you want a big ol' slug of cheese and butter, this place is for you. If you like a few more seasonings, and your arteries, keep looking.
(2)
Ro R.
i've been to the ala moana macaroni grill about four times now and they were all OK, but my last visit had to be the worst. we went there to have a nice little birthday dinner for our friend. and i remember they sing the 'birthday song' in italian. our party of four waited for over an hour to get seated. the hostess asked if we could be placed over to the far left side and i said 'fine', thinking that we'd be seated faster. but no, everyone else that came after us--parties of four or more--were seated before us. then we ordered a specific wine on the menu, they didn't have it. i ordered the ravioli, they didn't have that as well. of course that's not their fault, right? whatever. we ordered an appetizer, but our waiter seemed to have forgotten about it because our entrees came out. and those entrees took a while. we weren't happy. we did request for the birthday-ditty and we were done. i've been to the macaroni grills in the mainland and their service is faaar better than the service here. And for some reason, the food tastes better there than it does here too. i hope to never eat at the ala moana restaurant ever again!
(2)
Twotones W.
Comedian Ray Romano's macaroni grill.. Lets start off by saying if u "Lie" italian food or in the demographic reigon of Ala moana shopping center. You have to check this place out. Conviently hidden across the "Mai Tai Bar" with really hot waitresses! This place gets real busy around dinner time, waiting time is approximately 20-30 minotes... Once seated we noticed the table which we were seated at was kinda uncomfortable idk probably it was jus me "Hot date" wink wink. We ordered spagehtti/Chicken parmesan and a few heinekens to down the great tasting much fufilling food. Portions were more than i ever expected, Btw dig the kraoyla Krayons to graffiti the table cloth. Feel bad for the person doin the laundry whole lotta bleach!! Service was quite outstanding i should reckon. Every worker that passed our table would stop and ask if we needed anything wow.. I will definetly eat here again!
(3)
Christine C.
I was pleasantly surprised- great food and service! It wasn't like my first experience in Iowa, in the 90's. Much better here!
(4)
surprise m.
I just ate dinner here tonight and if you're an olive garden fan ( i am) then you'll appreciate this place. no bellini iced tea here but i did order the blackberry mint tea ( sweet already so no sugar added) and I liked it enough for a total of... 6 refills( yup free refills rock!) I really liked the kid friendly tables to doodle on because that kept us busy. waiter was attentive and our drinks were getting refilled so quickly it was impressive. kids food came out first ( phew! drama free visit). they ate the spaghetti w/meatballs and mac and cheese ( no complaints). we ordered the artichoke and shrimp dip (enjoyed it), grilled pork chops (2 huge tender chops served w/ risotto), mama's trio (hubby liked the chicken parmesan and lasagna only) and pasta milano ( if you're a rosemary fan you might enjoy this). we ended our feast w/the dessert dessert dessert.it was tiramisu (moist, enjoyed it), lemon passion (surprise! i liked this one), smothered choc. cake (really rich and topped w/warm syrup and nuts).dinner for a party of 5 was $110. we must've been there on a well staffed night and everyone left satisfied. we'll be back :)
(4)
alexis l.
I'm hoping that once the other restaurants that are under construction at ala moana are completed, it'll lessen the wait a little at this and other nearby restaurants. ala moana is a popular place for people to eat and could use quite a few more restaurants to make it more convenient. even though I'm used to macaroni grill from the mainland, i love coming to this particular site. we never wait for a table--instead we're addicted to eating our meals at the bar, where you can seat yourselves if there's space available and order from the regular menu. the bartenders are so friendly and enthusiastic, and will do their best to accomodate special requests. the food is unsurprisingly yummy for a casual everyday meal and the prices are very low for waikiki standards.
(5)
Brian L.
Another great meal. My grandma had the mushroom ravioli (you can get 4 or 6 raviolis) and I had the lobster ravioli (5 raviolis). They were both very tasty. I also had a side salad which was great. Our server was nice and the place is always very clean. $46 for three.
(4)
Javier C.
This place sucks, food sucks, drinks sucks too. Please dont waste your time or money. BTW My girlfriend went there and her purse was stolen while she went to the bathroom. (Ladies grab on to your purses and dont let them go). The staff was very rude too. Not sure why people are so obssessed with this nasty and tacky place.
(1)
DENNIS K.
As with all new restaurants it takes time to mature. Romano's Macaroni Grill is still in that stage. Besides that, I had the Seafood Scampi special when I was there. I'm a hard critic when it comes to seafood especially scallops. Well these were cooked perfectly. The wine we chose complimented the food. The salad was fresh and crisp and the balsamic vingar dressing was excellent. Give this restaurant more time, it will blossom into a culinary oasis among many restaurants there in Ala Moana Center. I like the pager beepers they give you to tell you that your table is ready.
(4)
Tim H.
This place sucks.... I mean sucks..... I went last night because friends from the outer island were here and wanted to treat us to dinner. They had a gift certificate. If they didn't have a gift certificate, I would have talked them out of it in a heart beat. I've been there twice before. The first time was OK. They had just opened. My wife and I had dinner at the bar. The bar tender guy was loud mouthed and talked too much. The food was OK. The second time was just bad. I ordered Mama's Trio and it came out still frozen in the center. It was a frozen mass with cold melted cheese on top. Last night I had veal. It was edible, but that's about it. It was soooo salty, and one of the pieces of veal was still raw. I don't understand why they serve undercooked/cold food. Not once did I ever have food come out of their kitchen that I had to blow on it to cool it off. Not once. any dish. never.They say be very careful, the plate is very hot. I think they take the raw food and put it on a hot plate and think it'll be cooked by the time it gets to your table. Don't waste your money. Go to Assagio's or Auntie Pasto's. Or Bacci in Kailua. That is the best Italian on Oahu.
(1)
Michael B.
We went to celebrate a birthday and it turned into a nightmare. We had a 6:30 reservation and the food did not arrive until 8 pm. Had we not had guests, we would have walked out. We repeatedly questioned where our food was and why the tables around us, who arrived after us, had already been served and were leaving. I finally spoke with the manager and he was very professional. He offered free deserts and I told him nothing short of comping the entire meal would be acceptable. The meal arrived and we ate a few bites. The meals were salty and cold. What happened in the kitchen, I do not know. As we were leaving, the manager again apologized, as all the staff had done. He offered us coupons to return but I will never. They did waive the entire bill other than $6, what that was for I have no idea and it was worth it to be able to leave. My only regret is that the staff who were not responsible did not get any pay. It was awful, it ruined what should have been a celebration. I encourage you to dine anywhere but here. This seems to be a trend based on the review before mine. Unfortunately I had not read it.
(1)
Bethanie C.
not bad :-)
(4)
Jo Ann V.
Lucky number 13 of us agreed to meet there for lunch last Sunday without making reservations and much to our delight, the staff was very accomodating. Our short wait was due to the 4 or 5 tables that needed to be positioned for all of us to fit (and expand). Maybe we got there at a good time--11:30AM, because when we left two hours later, there were many clusters of hungry looking folks surrounding the entrance. On the previous 2 or 3 visits to this place, it was just hubby and me and we were happy with the pasta, chianti and overall Tuscan ambience. I love the crispy white paper draped over the tables and the accompanying crayons for the kids (right!). I also love the "How to Speak Italian" tape that entertains the restroom patrons. This recent visit was different but still satisfying, mainly due to our attentive waiter and the speed of getting our food. I ordered the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab in a tomato-cheese sauce, soooo good! Hubby ordered his usual seafood pasta which unfortunately arrived in a white sauce instead of the tomato sauce that he wanted, but our trusty waiter brought it back to the kitchen pronto and returned with the corrected meal in less than 5 minutes. Yes, the servings are humongous and we all took leftovers home. The one thing I found lacking was the absence of the roaming singing hostess--there were 2 of them when we last ate here. I found her charming and she was opera-quality good. Maybe she has Sundays off.
(4)
C K.
it's a crowded resturant and the food is ok. Service was great. I like the tomato cream sauce. it wasn't over powering.
(3)
J R.
ive had really good and really bad here. not sure why so inconsistent.
(3)
Jewelyn T.
Came here for dinner once in 2007 while living on Oahu. I say NO to Romano's! I had of course pasta and it was horrible! Not worth the price either. Never coming back here again. But if you must... it's located on the very top of Ala Moana... lots of free parking... parking is always terrible... unless you come at a reasonable time of day. 1 star for good location... right in the heart of Honolulu.
(1)
Xiomara R.
Yeah, yeah... it feels odd going to a chain when you are on touring someplace new. BUT they don't have any of these around SF, and the female portion of this review team has a fond memory of them. So we braved the one in Ala Moana Center and were pretty pleased all around. To start, we had the drink special, Bellini, which was very good. We then dived into a mix of appetizers and pasta, both of which were excellent. The Shrimp, Cannellini Bean & Avocado Crostini were in particular amazing, and something that if we ever get a chance to visit in the future we will probably indulge ourselves on them again. Overall, the only downfall of the place was the high price, which was par the course for Waikiki anyway.
(4)
K K.
#NAME?
(2)
iris a.
Family of 6 should not dine here... too expensive!! BUT.. the food was good.... Order the calamari, it was bomb... We ordered this feta onion mushroom pizza thing... not good at all.. they burnt it only a little bit & the flavor was just... destroyed! Good classics though... stay away from the entrees... not much flavor if you stray from the pastas and pizzas...
(3)
V H.
What happened to this place???? I used to come to this place a lot but not anymore, I'd rather go to Arancino's, The food was bad and the service was worse, so sad to c a good place go bad.
(2)
Diane Y.
Don't listen to the people who say the food is flavorless or that the pasta is overcooked. Doubtless, they're either very old people who've lost half their taste buds or hicks who don't understand about al dente pasta and prefer it to be served roughly the same consistency as one might find microwaved Michelina's entrees to be. The food here has a subtle flavor that will escape any palate not sophisticated enough to recognize that good, fresh ingredients were not meant to be doused in a sea of cheesy sauce. The dishes here are simple and rely on quality ingredients like their incredibly fresh grilled shrimp. Our server was a friendly girl with the impressive ability of writing upside down! I must confess I had too much fun with the crayons and paper tablecloth... This place loses one star for its small portions. We haven't forgotten you're a chain restaurant, Macaroni Grill. There's no sense in pretending you're a chic French bistro where patrons overpay for tiny portions to enjoy the ambience.
(4)
Lukela B.
Wow tried the Stuff Mushroom that was good and Main course had a Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo. Wow. Also thanks to a good friend chef Fred and The waitress Marilyn for hooking us up and give such good service and advice on tonight's dinner.
(5)
Christopher-desiree G.
We got seated within 20 mins., but once we ordered, we didn't get our food until 45 mins. later. Our waitress said they got busy all of a sudden. We've gone there. Before and never had to wait so long for our food. The stuffed mushrooms were good. The mushroom soup was a little spicy. My brother always gets the chicken parmasian so it must be delicious...
(3)
Elaine L.
Came here with 2 friends for lunch today, don't think we'll be coming back any time soon. We got a soda and a Leaning Bellini, 2 appetizers and 3 entrees. Soda was fine, since you can't really mess up the soda, but the Leaning Bellini wasn't very good, tasted more like syrupy champagne and cheap rum. We asked our server for some balsamic vinegar for the bread and it took him forever and a day to get it because he was too busy checking on other tables and the couple sitting at the bar (he went to the bar 4 times to refill the couple's drink and chat with them before coming back to our table). By the time he finally came back to our table with the vinegar, we already asked another server to get it for us and were done with the bread and starting on the appetizer that the other server dropped off at our table. The appetizers Calamari and Mozzarella Fritta were good. But our entrees were horrible... We had Mama's Trio, Chicken Marsala, and Seafood Linguine. My Mama's Trio was half burnt and half dried out, the Seafood Linguine was totally dried so the pasta was all stuck together, and the Chicken Marsala tasted bland because they made the sauce too thin (the sauce was a beige brown instead of the usual leathery brown). Before we could send our food back to get it remade, we had to wait for our server to come back to our table, because no one even bothered to look over to our table (we were waiving our hands in the air hoping to catch one of their attention), not the hostess, manager, or servers came to check on us after the food was dropped off at our table. After waiting for a while, our server finally walked by 10 minutes after our food arrived. He took everything back and said they will remake them and it will only take a few minutes, but we already lost our appetite by that time and didn't eat much of the food when the manager brought them back to our table. If the service was good, we would at least give them a second chance even tho the food sucked, but EVERYTHING sucked. We're not going to pay that much money for shitty food AND shitty service. TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT.
(1)
Tawnie-Ann M.
This place is definitely over rated. Bravo's in Aiea is way better. I came here for dinner and ordered the pasta di mare. It basically just tasted like tomato sauce with seafood over fresh pasta. The fresh pasta was way too undercooked for my liking. The waiter explained that's how "fresh" pasta is supposed to be. Service was okay, although our waiter forgot our drink order twice=\
(2)
Veronica S.
I came here on two occasions on my last visit to Hawaii because it was in the Ala Moana Mall and we went there often to shop. I have to say that out of all the chain restaurants on this floor, Macaroni is a good choice. The prices are right, and the food is decent. Their calamari appetizer was smaller than I was used to, but the complimentary, warm rosemary bread they give you makes up for it I guess. It's definitely American-Italian food but I still like some of the stuff :-) Prices are $10-$15 an entree, with the steak being about $25..
(4)
Tricia M.
in my post-marriage and pre-pregnancy days, i was quite the avid pau hana goer, so i can state with confidence that i know a good one when i see one! ;) the deets: conveniently located in town with tons of free parking, Romano's happy hour is 4-7 daily in the bar area (take an immediate right when you enter), with 50% off all appetizers and $3 for an 8-oz glass of house wine (note: a standard pour is 6 oz = value alert!). i know there's a special for beer too but hey when you're eating italiano you drink vino, yes? whether you're alone (sit at the bar and watch the game), +1 (sit near the fire pit - now where else in hawaii can you do that!), or in a group (sit at a table), you'll find a good spot and hopefully like us, great service. charmaine was a sweet local lady who took super good care of us and never made us feel rushed, even tho her surrounding tables turned a coupla times while we were there. the grinds: since we were in a group we ordered a bunch of half-off appetizers and ate family-style. we had the calamari (nice texture and sauce), caprese salad (our healthy dish of the night), crab-stuffed mushrooms, spinach artichoke dip (sorry, can't beat cpk or ryans on that one), and sampler with fried cheese, bruschetta and calamari. not to mention unlimited fresh house bread which is great with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper (and to sop up extra sauce from the apps). everything came out fast and yummy, and i can't complain about the unbelievable grand total of $55 (before tip) --- for 5 people (2 drinkers)!!! no that is not a typo! omg we've spent that much per person at some places!! bottom line: wish i discovered this awesome pau hana spot when i could drink, but even without a buzz i'm giving Romano's 5 big ones :)
(5)
holland h.
I always liked this place until the last time I went. I left my credit card, and when I called to see if it was there the hostess told me "I'm really busy right now, can you call later"? Obviously she has never had a credit card, and doesnt realize how stressful thatcan be. So I hauled back there, and the hostess bar said no, sorry, no card. I asked the server and she said that indeed she turned it over to the hostess stand. The manager was a bumbling fool who couldnt be bothered. After throwing a fit, finally it turned up-- at the hostess stand! Funny thing was, they werent even slammed, it was moderately slow.
(2)
Lucas T.
Three of us had a decent wait of 15 minutes to be seated for a Thursday night. Strangely the server don't do the customary writing of the name on the table, but oh well. Ordered two portions of mama's trio and an eggplant Parmesan. Only complaint here is the food took a while even though it didn't seem busy. When it did arrive though it was friggen awesome. Couldn't even finish the trio so into the doggy bag it goes.
(4)
Noopha P.
Easy place to stop in for happy hour. Grab a pizza and glass of wine. The staff is very friendly.
(5)
Josie L.
Wouldn't go again, the food was only so/so and they were so understaffed our waiter was sprinting from table to table...the only thing he got quickly was the bill when we'd signed off on it.... Disappointing! The only nice thing I can say about the experience was that the calamari was great!
(1)
Les Is More M.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?!?! writing a negative review is not enjoyable, especially after enjoying good service at this place several times previously. romano's had been a dependable dinner destination, but after the original GM resigned things have really gone downhill. I've known a couple of people that worked at romano's, so I did get some inside scoop. at any rate, this last visit was less than satisfactory primarily because our waiter kinda sucked. I didn't get his name, but he looked like barry kripke - from "big bang theory". from simple things like making sure we had enough silverware, to enough drinking (water) glasses... things weren't getting off to a good start. each time he'd check back to see if everything was OK, it wasn't. I asked for balsamic vinegar to add to the olive oil they pour for your bread, and it took a long time for him to return with it. he claimed there was only one bottle (c'mon. really?) and that's pretty much how the entire night went. the best service we got was from the food runners, who delivered our meals. he had a hard time discerning between menu items, and describing specials of the evening so that kinda sucked too. at one time, i remember ALWAYS having to wait for a table, because lines were omni-present. The good news is that now the lines are relatively short - probably due to the service. The bad news is that the food quality did seem to take a dip as well; my chicken marsala was underseasoned and my pasta was a bit cold. the wait between ordering and having our orders delivered was really long too, surprising since the dining room was far from packed. Overall I just got the impression that this waiter should be out selling used cars somewhere (no offense to used car salespeople out there!), because his personality just seemed better suited for something other than dining. It's a shame that this place has gone downhill so much since my last visit, or the one before that also. disappointing to say the least!! If this place doesn't turn things around - and quickly - they'll be closed and out of business within a year.
(2)
Alicia H.
Yay! My pick for dinner, bad idea... Pros: Mint iced tea= free refills Free bread Waitstaff, especially friendly Cons: Undercooked shrimp & pasta No taste I didn't even bother to take home leftovers, which is RARE! Lol Overall the food was alright, but I've been here many times before and never had any problems, maybe because I did the whole "build my own pasta" whoops But thanks Charmaine for awesome service!
(3)
Chastity M.
My husband and I ate at Macaroni Grill to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary and were very pleased! It was our first visit and we had a very pleasant experience. Our reservations were on a Friday at 430 so I think we kind of beat any rush there may have been because we were seated before our reservation time. Our waiter Lucien (I believe that was his name... Receipt said so! Lol) was nice! He checked on us often and gave us the BEST meal suggestion for our taste! If you visit the Macaroni Grill be sure to try Carmela's Chicken.. BOMB. At the time of our reservation they asked if we were celebrating anything so I had told them we were; our anniversary. Upon being seated, they clipped a red heart balloon that said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to our table and we enjoyed that because now everyone knew we were celebrating something special! On top of that we got some of the best chocolate cake on the house & a song sung to us in Italian. Being my husband has Italian roots, he thought this was amazing. Overall... We had a blast and really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. Definitely will be back!
(5)
Auntie M.
Though our waiter was friendly he forgot about our appetizer & water & hardly came to the table to check on us. The food selection isnt great and the table next to us complained about the lasagna. Since we heard that my fiance changed his mind and tried something different which wasnt great either. My choice, chicken parmegana, was dry & tasteless. My pasta lacked sauce & taste too. Even dessert, chocolate cake, was dry! Only thing I did like was the bread. We dont eat here often but its not like I'll be wanting to come back.
(1)
Sean H.
I go here occasionally since it's right in Ala Moana and the vibe in the restaurant is very cool. I feel like that the restaurant is clean, has a nice darker ambiance, etc. I also really like that paper is used to cover the tables and that crayons are provided. I always doodle over the entire table during dinner time! I don't care for any of the food here. I do like rich foods, but everything is a bit too rich. I had the fettucine alfredo once, and I really want to warn everyone NOT to get this! It is literally noodles covered in butter and salt. Too much salt! It was disgusting and I did not finish it. The other dishes (and I have tried really everything) are only okay. The spinach artichoke dish is yummy but not the greatest I've had. And for the mediocre quality, the prices I think are a bit steep. The one thing here that I do REALLLY recommend is the blackberry mint iced tea. Really, if you go here that is the one thing you MUST try. And I believe it's unlimited refills. I admit to cruising in here for unnecessarily long periods of time just to drink as much of this magical drink as possible.
(3)
Robin W.
I frequently eat herre b/c it is close to work, home, and has easy mall parking. The booths are VERY comfortable and they have lots of seating. I especially enjoy the blackberry mint iced tea....nice and sweet. The entrees are almost always delicious, and if you can't decide what to order, try Mama'sTrio, with lasagna, chicken parmesean, and cannoli (?--rolled pasta stuffed with cheese). I LOVE Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Chicken Marsala. The steaks and fish are good too. I guess I like this place a lot! I'm usually too full to try dessert, but they look good! It's not gourmet Italian, but definitely great food, especially for a chain. The staff are friendly and they have a kid's menu too.
(4)
Chanelle A.
Had to see what everyone else was raving about. The food was good, although i wasn't too impressed. I would probably eat there again, but if given a choice, I'd choose Buca.
(3)
Debbie R.
Consistently good food here. You can always count on the food being the same everytime. Tasty, good portions. We always leave happy and full. Prices are midrange, not too expensive, not cheap though. I enjoy their lunch specials at 11.25 each . . . Chicken Parmigian is very good and fills you up, especially with their award winning bread . . its to die for!!
(4)
Dylan Y.
Had the same experience of not getting bread while waiting for our food.I think you should be offered it because if you don't know it's available, how you know it's available right? Is this Macaroni's version of don't ask don't tell? Saw other patrons getting bread though, I guess it depends who your server is.Food arrived without bread and I remember when this place first opened everyone told how big the portions were, not this time though. Maybe you have to order the over $20 meals but the chicken (pollo) entrees looked like mini plate lunches spread out on oversize dishes.Only good thing was the kids could draw and scribble on the paper table cloths with crayons provided while we waited patiently for the food.Go to Bella Mia or La Pizzarina instead.
(2)
Lisa M F.
This is not the typical chain restaurant. It has the moderate prices (~$20 per person), covers all the courses, and doesn't scream local eatery. What sets it apart from chain restaurants is that it has a comfort feel to it. The first time that I went, the service seemed off, but last night our waiter was really friendly! - Complimentary Herb Bread w/ Olive Oil & Freshly Crack Pepper: Good bread makes a good place and this good place makes a good bread. I eat white bread for this place (normally I only eat whole wheat or bread from GHBC). - Kids Mac & Cheese (1st visit) $8.59: The penne was al dente and cheese tasted standard. The bad thing is that I found out that it has trans fat!! D: - Jumbo Shrimp Spiedini $15.99: 6 shrimp on sticks with rosemary over roasted veggies with a side of lemon. Some of the shrimp were stuck on the stick, but they tasted sooo good. The lemon makes a difference! The veggies were okay, but some of their natural flavors were muted. - Complimentary Smothered Chocolate Cake (+1 candle): They give you a HUGE BLOCK of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache, nuts, and whipped cream for your birthday! The cake was so rich, so good, but taught me that there can be such a thing as too much cake. :( I finished it though, with little help from my table people. They were "too full" from tiramisu and sorbet. In addition to the cake, there was a candle and the waiter joined in with singing Happy Birthday. I like waiters who care :) Macaroni Grill is overally awesome. The atmosphere, food, and service are all done right. Small details are the only things to fix, but that's only to get to perfection. Comfort without cheesiness is the way to go. That's why I choose to go here.
(4)
Elijah-Phil K.
I love Romano's! Especially the Lemon Passion Cake and Tiramisu. Yeah, the entrees are lovely but I always save room for dessert. Since my first time at Romano's, the Lemon Passion Cake as been taken off the menu but has been brought back but is now notably smaller... Still delicious, though! The atmosphere is alright and I once went with a party of eight and it took three hours to get us in and out of there. Our food took super long but thank goodness for the crayons and the paper table coverings.
(4)
Nicole C.
This is absolutely the WORST Macaroni Grill I've been to in the entire country. I've been to the other ones in different states, and you would think the one in Hawaii would be top notch. The first time I came here, the food was cold and I had to send it back. The service was also lacking. I gave it another try, but it just isn't worth the wait and the service was still slow. They should seriously turn it into Olive Garden, which I think Hawaii would benefit from even more.
(1)
Yummy P.
I'd give this place "no stars" if it were possible. I remember trying this place when it first opened in Hawaii. I was very impressed with the decor and open kitchen. I liked how family friendly it was and how friendly the staff were. Sitting at the table with my family, we were immediately greeted by our server who wrote his name on the table covered with paper, allowing you to draw on it as you wait for your food or to entertain the kids. After taking our orders we waited about 45 minutes for our food to arrive. It was a busy night, so we took that into consideration. When the food did arrive - Bleh! The dishes were bland and boring. I sampled everyone's dished - 6 out of 6 - Fail! All of the dished were awful. No flavor and just boring. It was like your first time cooking pasta with prego sauce. A couple of months later, I decided to give it another try. Again, the service was excellent, sadly the food was the same as well. Bland and boring. Ugh. I was very disappointed. Years later, I've moved to Seattle and got invited to a dinner party...where you ask? Romano's Macaroni Grill. I thought, ok - we're not in Hawaii, so the food may be better here. Looking at the menu, entrees have changed a little - so I was a little relieved. Service was excellent as usual and now to order. I was with a party of 10 and everyone tried to order something different. After sampling everything...BLEH! Sad! Everything still Bland and Boring! Mozzarella Alla Caprese: Bland and Tomatoes Mushy. Spinach Artichoke Dip: Bland Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms: Too oily Calamari Fritti: Bland and Overcooked Scallops & Spinach Salad: Over cooked Scallops Entrees: Margherita Pizza, Amalfi Chicken, Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp Portofino, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Scaloppine, Mama's Trio, Center-Cut Filet and Grilled Salmon Spiedini. Not one person was impressed with their dish. We even sampled each others dishes and agreed. Bland and Boring. I can't believe how after trying this restaurant 3 times, both in Hawaii and Seattle - the food still fails to impress me. Definitely NOT RECOMMENDED!
(1)
Charles L.
What happen to this place? Granted, I haven't ate there in years but still shouldn't be such a drop off in terms of quality. (In other words, suck that bad!) Dinner was on a Saturday, party of four. I made reservation around 7pm. We ordered the grilled lamb, lasagna, warm spinach salad w/ scallop. It took almost 45 minutes for our food to arrive. We were all starving by then. The lamb was super dry and zero flavor. We had it returned for a seafood pasta which was, again, zero flavor. The portions were small and they were definitely overpriced. The only acceptable dish was the lasagna. The food and establishment get one star from me and the other star was for our server.
(2)
Clay K.
They sure have improved the quality of their food. The menu is pared down but so far everything is really good. The make your own pasta combo is my favorite with whole wheat fettuccine,fresh spinach,broccolini and grilled chix with basil pesto. Prices are reasonable too.
(4)
Kamesuke Y.
A few times having the pleasure to eat here but always forgetting to write my review is not an excuse... sorry. Our most recent visit was slightly after the lunch hour rush. Service was extremely prompt, friendly and better than most. I wanted to eat soemthing that wasn't on the menu and our waiter said he'll check with the chef/cooking staff and see what they can do. WOW.. to our amazement.. and especially mine.. they actually accepted my order and outdid themselves. Really... the food was awesome... on top of that... their Tiramisu is out of this world. Melt in your mouth.. sent down from heaven.... Oops.. with the thought of their wodnerful Tiramisu.. I have completely forgotten what the wifey had ordered and eaten. So.. to avoid a long wait and the crowds.. a later than usual lunch (after 2:00pm) is a perfect time to enjoy. Out of the many places we have eaten.. the service we had was outstanding. Where can you find a place that will cook something off menu just to please a hungry couple? Our hats off to their staff. Don't know if they treat all their customers like we were treated that day but it will always be a fond memory we will always cherish.
(5)
Kanani W.
Came here for lunch & ordered the fried mac & cheese as an appetizer & it was delicious! I had the chicken parmesan & the pasta was tasty but I think the chicken was fried for just a little too long. The cheese on top saved that though. The boyfriend ordered the bib & blue & added shrimp for $6 more. If he had known $6 would only get you 4 shrimp, he wouldn't have added it. Atmosphere was great & we didn't have to wait to be seated. Pretty decent Labor Day lunch :)
(4)
Jnl E.
FIRST AND LAST TIME EVER EATING HERE. Word of advice: Don't ever go to eat here.. Service was horrible! We were seated at 6, didn't get to order until 6:45 and our food didn't come until 8!! And the place wasn't even packed.. It was so-so packed. I mean c'mon, 1 whole hour to wait for food is unacceptable! I ordered the pepperoni pizza because I figured, how can you mess up simple pepperoni pizza.. but to my surprise, not good. They even had the nerve to include gratuity in our bill! HA! Unless they get more cooks on board to serve..i wouldn't ever come back to this place.
(1)
Abbey Y.
Wow they have these opera sounding singers that sing on your birthday! Haha it's pretty amazing as you never hear that normally, so it was most definitely entertaining to hear a small asian lady belching out those notes in this restaurant. I've come here numerous times and I've never been disappointed. The service is always excellent so is their food (with the exception of their hostesses for some reason they're not as nice as I thought they should be, but nonetheless the waiters/waitresses are 300 times better). I'm a huge fan of their Eggplant Parmesan. It's delicious! Everyone I've eaten with has always tried it and they love it as well. The free bread that they serve is always hot and fresh out of the oven yummm who doesn't love free yummy bread? The atmosphere is definitely soothing and the restaurant is dimly lit, with a light hanging above each table. The place gets packed as it's in Ala Moana so be prepared to wait if you're here during the busy hours. If you're not happy with any of their entrees you can make your own pasta :) how awesome is that? But it does get a little pricey if you get a little too happy while checking off ingredients for your pasta.
(4)
Zue K.
THIS PLACE IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES! Previous visits have been okay, but my last visit here wasn't amazing. I highly recommend not being seated near the kitchen area. There is a lot of noise and inappropriate conversation taking place amongst the workers. Our server,Ed, could've been a million times better. He screwed up on two out of four of our tables orders. The first one that came to our table incorrectly was a marsala dish with extra mushrooms. When we notified him of the mistake he told us, "I'll do you a favor and take the extra mushrooms off your bill," not that he would bring us more or take the plate back to have it corrected. And really, do 'us' a favor?! My goodness...if you hate your job that much, quit and give someone else a chance. By the time he dropped our salad it was after our entrees came and we asked for dressing on the side. Dressing was not on the side. Our server never came back with another salad, bread, or beer. We also had to flag another waiter down for more water. Perhaps it was us politely letting him know some orders were wrong that upset him, but I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone that wants to have an enjoyable dinner.
(1)
Jermy D.
Wine Wednesdays! 25% bottles of wine! In a nutshell, delicious food and good service. The booze: They also have a promotion where you get 25% off bottles of wine. We asked the waiter for wine suggestions for our meal. He was actually quite knowledgeable. We were torn between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Reisling. The waiter offered a tasting of the two before we made our final decision. The Reisling was the definite winner. The food: Delicious! The portions are a little smaller than you would expect, but it ended up being a perfect size for an entree. We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms and fell in love. I had the Chicken Rigatoni with the Marsala wine, and it was delicious! The prices are actually pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food. The service: They waiter we had was friendly and attentive without being too overbearing. Overall, great place to chill and unwind with a bottle of wine and great company.
(4)
Cherie T.
I really enjoyed my dinning experience here. I have two food allergies and my server Ryan was EXCELLENT!! Please please let him know that he made the experience great. He understood my concerns and worked with me to order the Salmon with out sauce and asparagus. He checked with the chef to make sure that there were no ingredients that I couldn't have in my food. It's always a challenge to find a place to eat when you have a Gluten and Soy allergy but Mac Grill is one of my favs now. Ryan did not make me feel uncomfortable about my allergy like other servers and places do. I really appreciated the way he took care of our table. He was a great server and was very attentive. Even during the busy times. Thank you RYAN for a great gluten and soy free dining experience!
(4)
Stephanie H.
Came here on Friday night before heading to the movies. The service was quick and friendly, if not too friendly, and the food was good. I do remember a time when Macaroni Grill first opened and they served the most mouth watering bread and entrees. Those days are long gone and replaced by a restaurant with the same name but in no way serves the same quality food. In it's place is Italian food more resembling that of The Olive Garden. You know the food tastes good not because they use the best ingredients but because they add copious amounts of butter, salt, and whatever else makes pasta taste good. I like it 'cus it's quick, tasty, and you can order wine by the cup-full.
(3)
Nicki R.
I LOVE this restaurant! My husband and I came here for dinner on the night we got engaged. The abiance is dimly lit and romantic and our server, Kat, was incredibly friendly. I ordered the terriyaki glazed salmon and mashed potatoes and it was delicious. My husband loved his steak as well. After Kat cleared our plates and we were waiting for the check, she came out with a chocolate cake. She congratulated us on our engagement and told us she was going to sing a song for us (it turns out she is one of the opera singers). I don't know what the song was but she was fantastic and almost had me in tears. Not only is this a restaurant I know I can count on having a great meal at, I know their staff will go above and beyond to help us have an amazing evening.
(5)
Mel G.
Have only been once before, and on the mainland years ago, so thought we'd give it another go. Great location in Ala Moana (give you some space to walk off the huge meal) so there is ample parking. Wait wasn't too bad, considering it was a Sat night. Inside is nice and well laid out, a bit on the cold side or we just happened to be right near an AC vent. The break was delicious, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have balsamic vinegar for it like I remember. Sad. Butter would have been better with it considering the just oil and pepper alternative. They did give us another round as we had a bit of a wait due to the busy Sat night crowd. Server was ok, he had a lot of other tables so maybe that was it, he just seemed to be rushed and didn't check back on us very often. Food was good but not amazing. Hubby ordered the Mama's Trio, he said the cannelloni and chicken parmigiana was good, but the lasagna had a weird flavor to it and he left it. I ordered the chicken scallopini and it was delicious, but then it became extremely salty in the bottom of the plate. Generous portions! Gave only 3 stars as I think something was a little weird in the food and have been semi-sick all day, but it could have been all the sodium in the dish I have (and I'm not used to salty foods). Would try again, at least one more time, for a second chance with a lighter dish.
(2)
K K.
I give this place three stars only because our server was really bad. we had to ask for refills on water, he didn't really seem to want to be there. took away the dessert menu before asking if we wanted anything. But other that our server, food was awesome. The Parmesan-Crusted chicken is awesome & I'd eat it again. Chicken Florentine was okay, it has a different taste that's not so much to my liking. Overall I'd come again & request that we not have the same server we had today.
(3)
Tahnee K.
I have always loved Macaroni Grill, I didn't go there for a while but when I did go to eat there last week things were so different. They close the doors now for the AC, they have new uniforms, new menu and the water is in this really pretty bottle they leave on your table. I had the Fried Macaroni and Cheese balls with this truffle oil and something sauce it was amazing, i want to order that for take out all the time now
(4)
Milton K.
Just went there tonite - Found out that there is some "Corporate" changes, and so the menu HAS changed with it! Had the Cesar's Salad AND the Chicken Marsala... Cesar Salad was decent in portion but seemed a little bit "pricey" for what it is. Romain with large croutons and of course, the cheese. Came in a "bowl" but quantity of portion did not "fill" it - Was enough, but the "appearance" seemed "short". Maybe a smaller/different bowl (or a PLATE!) would make it "look" better. The Chicken Marsala was OUTRAGEOUS! Portion was VERY satisfying (THREE LARGE pieces of chicken!), flavor was good, and a MOUND of pasta. BUT I felt the pasta was a BIT (note I said a BIT) overcooked, so it was a little "soft". The IDEAL part of this "experience" was the SERVICE - Dannon (name?) .did a FANTASTIC job of making sure we were well taken care of! Actually, maybe a little TOO MUCH! (IS there TOO MUCH?) I started by ordering a Corona, ("Happy Hour") and it showed up ASAP with a CHILLED, FROSTED Glass! Also - they serve WATER in a chilled pour bottle now! (Like having your own WINE or Champagne!) But all in all, an enjoyable experience! AND - getting out of all the CROWD / PEOPLE sure made it a "Get-A-Way" up there on the 4th floor of Ala Moana! I think the next time I am going to try the "revisited" Pizzas... Or maybe try the new stuff - They also have now FLAT BREADS!
(4)
Kat A.
Lobster Ravioli baby.. Thats what I always order. Although my friends like to think opposite. The setting here is somewhat romantic, dim-light, a great place for family to dine also.
(4)
Loreene A.
Romano's Marcaroni Grill is a great place to eat!The waiter was very courteous,friendly and helpful.He explained very thourghly about the food,whether it's spicy or not,allowing me to sample the two types of soup they had for the evening which was lentil soup or tomato soup.Both tasted great so I opted for lentil soup.It had vegetables in it and some beans.It was a little spicy but delicious. If you're not used to spicy food you may want to stay away from the lentil soup. The soup menu changes daily.The bread was delicious and so was the Italian Soda with White Peach and cream.I ordered the Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and it was delicious as well.Food serving size is good for the price and food comes quickly.I'd defiantly recommend this place
(4)
Jaime K.
My last review I said food took "abnormally long". This visit was also very long wait too. I guess this is becoming a normal occurrence now. Our waitress Lisann was great. The problem was with the kitchen. It didn't seem busier than normal, but we were told that eggplant parmigiana was sold out and when we ordered chicken parmigiana Lisann said she had to "fight" for the 2 we ordered since it was they ran out of that too. WoW, I'm glad "we won". Lisann was very attentive and kept us updated on the status of our food. She informed us about the Happy hour and asked us if we wanted to take advantage of half off. House wine was only $3 and appetizers 1/2. good deal! As for pricing, we ordered: 2 chicken parms (last time was great! this time not so. It was not warm by the time we got it) 1 lamp chop 1 spag + meatballs 3 glasses of wine 1 budlight 1 calamari 1 artichoke dip Our bill was about $110 without tip. I'll definitely go back for HH, but not sure if I want to go back for dinner anymore :(
(3)
Marianette K.
1. Ordered 2 dirty martinis. Only one arrived dirty, both did not have olives. We could live without it being dirty, but no olives? 2. Waitress thought Chardonnay was a red wine. 3. We were well into our entrees, with no red wine that we ordered. My husband went to bar to get it himself. No recognition or apology from waitress. 4. No detailed receipt. We wanted to deduct the liquor portion in determining the tip. 5. We had to stand and wait quite a while for the manager (Keoki??) who was engaged in a conversation at a table. From their smiles, it wasn't a complaint conversation. After fifteen minutes, still no manager - we left without letting management know our dismay. 6. I enjoyed the prociutto appetizer and meatball spaghetti.
(1)
J B.
The calamari was awesome! The best I've had on the island. Our server Zoli was knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant overall. The entire staff made our experience amazing. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan for my meal. The dish came with 3 large round battered slices of eggplant and delicate pasta covered in a chunky marinara and parmesan cheese. My husband ordered the Margherita pizza which was also delicious. The toppings were fresh, and there was a nice balance of cheese and sauce. Typically I am dissatisfied with "chain style" restaurants price, service, and food but this is our 5th visit to the Macaroni grill where we have had excellent food and service.
(4)
Beyonce H.
Definitely our favorite place! We have made friends with bartender Dave and from the first time we walked in, we have have received nothing but EXCELLENT SERVICE. Anytime our dishes were not perfect, he always makes sure it get's taken care of. Honestly when you go to other upscale restaurants, haven't you settled and tipped for subpar service, just because you don't want to make a fuss? My husband loves the ribeye steak, because Dave will make sure it is cooked to perfection. Chicken under a Brick is our fav, Grilled King Salmon, and really if you are a soup/salad person, the price are so reasonable during happy hour. Also thank you Jeff, Ryan and Corey make our visits so much fun! P.S. they got rid of the fireplace, so the bar is much roomier!
(5)
Isis B.
This place used to be one of my faves...but for some reason, maybe because the restaurant has fallen on hard times - I'm only giving it two stars. The food is, really, its still very tasty. And they keep on changing the menu, which is great. Actually, they tell you that they're trying a new menu, but the fact seems to be that they're going back and forth between an old menu and a new one. Anyways, the food is really tasty...the problem is that they give less of it!! I swear!! Before, I could only finish half of an entree. Now, I can lick the damn bowl clean AND still have room for dessert - which I must add, the Lemon Passion Cake is awesome!! But getting back to my gripe - seriously, they need to add more food back onto each entree. Then I'll update my review to three...hmm...maybe four stars!!
(2)
M A X.
Went to Romano's Macaroni Grill to redeem a gift card I got for Christmas. I've been there a few times (my memory was they weren't very good). But, It's been a while, and I was willing to take another chance (I mean what the hey, they're still in business right?) Time: Monday 3:30pm Water: good (no chlorine taste) Bread: Gimmiky. The olive-oil looks like it came from Costco (the uber-gourmet section of course) and sat on the table all day. I'd rather have some garlic butter. Spagetti w/Meatballs: reviewers note: I decided to order the most basic item on the menu to get a real taste of their quality (without all the fanfare of the signature dishes). - Da Spagetti: A bit larger in diameter than I'm used to but not overcooked. It was obviously prepared ahead of time then stored. You can taste the refrigerator. - Da Meatballs: Good but nothing to write home about. Standard restaurant fare (meat + fillers + spices) - Da Sauce: This was low point of the dish (and did I mention the refrigerator flavored noodles?). It was only one degree higher than Chef Boyardee!! Like, if you get the Chef Boyardee recipie and try it at home. What a disappointment! :( Service: The overall experience wasn't bad. You can tell no one makes a career of working at Romano's Macaroni Grill, so I'm not going to knock them. Conclusion: Romano's Macaroni Grill ranks as one of those places you go once every few years after you forget how bad it was the last time. Seriously tho, if you can't even pull off a good Spagetti & Meatballs, then you shouldn't be in the italian restaurant business. too bad. :( Maybe I'll try again in 2012 (or buy a can of Chef Boyardee)
(1)
Jay C.
I went here for many date nights, and the service got progressively worse. I received one waiter and I could not believe how rude and intrusive his service was, which ruined my night. I will not be going there again. The menu has gotten smaller due to management change, and the food has decreased in quality. You have to ask for bread now. I would not recommend even my worst enemy to go here.
(1)
Jason F.
the service was top notch! the food was excellent! the bread is bomb with oil n vinegar! i get the mix plate combo of the 3 dishes, chicken canoli, chicken parm, and lasagna! with cesar salad. i mean it's not the greatest but its better then your girlfriends baked zitta with mf prego ya know what I mean! coo coo coo
(4)
Jessica K.
The atmosphere was totally different from the locations I have visited in mainland in the past. Anyhow It was great until I found a hair in the salad, one of the mix and match lunch menu, We were almost done eating and since it was my vacation, trying to spend a good time with my sister, I did not complain as much. Turns out another party was having the same problem. They gave me 10% discount on the bill which is around $3. Did not get a sincere apology. Now I think back, they didn't deserve that much money I paid. Overall quality of food and service was a disappointment. 2 star. The Cheesecake factory is much better.
(2)
Nicole K.
hands down i love the table "cloths" aka the paper and crayons they give. it makes the wait go by faster, and it's a good way to have fun with friends. i'm a huge fan of italian food, and i absolutely love any kind of seafood scampi that they have. it's a nice sit down restaurant. if you go when it's busy, the wait might be a while though. the servers are always friendly, and i love it when they sing birthday songs.
(4)
Gene R.
Service was SLOW. Food was just edible, wish I never came here. I ordered a italian pizza it was soggy and Luke warm. In
(1)
R C.
I have been here on several occasions for lunch, dinner and pau hana drink specials. The food isn't anything outstanding , it's simple and comforting. This is a chain, I have been to several Romano's in Texas and Arizona. The staff is very friendly, attentive and helpful. It's cool to watch them write their names backward :) It's a huge restaurant , always fully staffed. The bar drinks are reasonable. Dessert tray is onolicious, something to share always. The food: my usual: Caesar Salad, Pepperoni pizza , or lasanga, and Spinach and Artichoke Dip... I have tasted pastas and sandwiches here but I stick to my favorite mostly. Drinks: beer at the bar , bartenders are very cool and fun to chit chat with. The women bar tenders are very nice. I like to share my food, it's family style.
(3)
Jesse C.
Macaroni Grill seems like another franchise chain. Your meal might be awesome or bland. It just depends on your cook and server. Sadly, that's the problem with chain restaurants. They lack consistency. Whenever I've been here the staff has been friendly. So point for them. Their gimmick is drawing their name upside down on the table(paper)cloth. This is obviously great for kids; free-for-all drawing war. Makes it a great place for families with young children or lewd teenagers. Ha! Now you cant get your mind out of the gutter. Shame on you! :P
(3)
Min K.
Maybe it's because I know people who work here, I consistently get amazing service. But regardless had I not known anyone, the service is still good. My favorite, always will be the mushroom ravioli, but it's slowly been shifting it's focus to the spaghetti. Call me a loser, yes, the spaghetti. I love the meatballs, I love the sauce, I love everything about it. The price is reasonable, good wine, and with good company, a good night. :)
(4)
Kaileen Y.
It was Girl's Night Out. A few girlfriends and I decided to have dinner here at the Macaroni Grill. It was a great night. The service was quick. The servers & waiters were so nice. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact that we were a bunch of college girls wearing pretty dresses. But, whatever! I enjoyed being able to draw on our own table. Haha. That's right. Each table is covered with a huge sheet of white paper & are given a few crayons. It makes the experience sort of fun! The food was good too. Loved the Artichoke dip...probably the best I've tasted. I had the Chicken Parmigiana. It was good. But, it wasn't GREAT; I've tasted better...which explains the 4 stars.
(4)
Shay F.
I think the only thing I like on the entire menu is the grilled mahi mahi. Service wasn't so great. He kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. I'd give it two stars, but I just love the tables. I kept drawing and drawing and drawing...LoL.
(3)
Mike H.
Saavy Server & Suggestive Selling sold us on a night and dinner to savor! Thought the lessons in Latin, while in the lua were entertaining as well! Chicken Marsala was awesome, will be back soon.
(5)
Brian A.
Let me tell you a short story. The first time I went to RMG it was in Beaverton, OR. Me, my cousin and our friend (all dudes) went to try it out cause it was a new franchise just moving in. We had an "okay" dinner, nothing to write home (or Yelp) about. Then the singer comes over and gives us a "O solo mio." The three of us were kind of feeling awkward that the dude is singing to the three of us in a restaurant full of couples and families. Yeah, that was weird. Anyway, nothing too memorable here. Had the steak once and it was alright, as is the calamari. The marsala was okay as well. The ambiance is nice though, very classy. Sometimes can get a bit loud depending on where they seat you. The bread with balsamic vinegar and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, yeah too much Food Channel) is winners though. I just like to take the crayons, after everyone is done trying to write their names upside-down, and put an "X" right in front of me and write "Bread goes here." Hey, just so the waiter knows, right? See, I'm always there to help. At this location, during peak hours, the wait can be horrendous. Parking is right outside the Pearl Lounge on the top level on the Nordstom's side of Ala Moana. They have a elevator and escalator in the mall near by for people who need the help.
(2)
Yon S.
Been here twice when they first opened. Kids like the drawing crayons on the tablecloth gimmick. They supposed to be singing talent waiters somewhere. Can't even recall what I ate. Not the worst. Not the best.
(2)
Steven B.
We just recently tried their happy hour menu and were sorely disappointed with the food and service. Since we are not drinkers, we ordered just appetizers which were half off. Our waiter was not attentive nor friendly. It took at least 25 minutes to get our food and when it came out, they got our order wrong. Bread was not served until the food arrived. Mind you, we were famished, and all we had was a tiny plate of olive oil in front of us. There was no apology from the server or the waiter. In fact, we did not see our waiter until the end of the meal to fill our empty glasses. The mozzarella caprese was lacking. The mozzarella on the tomato was small and rubbery. We won't go back there again.
(1)
Jennifer C.
I've been here quite a few times, I usually get the fettucine Alfredo - I really like it. My favorite part of the restaurant experience, is the drawing table cloth lol. Pretty neat how the waiters write their name upside down when they first greet you at the table. It took awhile for the food to come, and we asked for a refill of water but it took awhile for it to come also. Service was slow, but at least I liked my dish.
(3)
Sandy D.
Ate lunch with my 8 yr. old and hadn't gone here for about 6 years since they way undercooked my fish (icy cold) in the middle. Well, we were taken to our table right away by Brian who was also our server. He was very attentive and refilled our drinks checked on us just enough. Had the calamari as an appetizer. It was fine. Nothing super good or bad. Daughter had spaghetti with meat sauce and I had the salad sampler. Brian also brought us warm bread from the very beginning. Daughter enjoyed her spaghetti. My salad sampler was fine. The caesar tasted the best. There was one salad that had a little too much dressing, which was a bit overpowering for me, but food was okay. Nothing you have to have, but nothing terrible. Was definitely made better by our server. Also helped that I used a gift card to defray the cost of lunch.
(3)
bucca d.
This place is hit or miss - not consistent enough. I don't like to give 2 stars, but here's my justification. I had the tomato bisque soup which was Dlicious! Slightly chunky/clumpy viscous and not extremely smooth. The dark balsmaic vinegar streaks in the soup added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the tomato bisque and the shredded basil strips added good bite to the flavor. Overall excellent. Four Stars! The caesar salad was really good according to my wife, but she claims they did not give enough portion wise. Four stars! The spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce was disappointing. They changed their recipe! It use to be served in a bowl with lots of spaghetti and flavored with acquired tasting goat cheese. Now its just like any ol spaghetti with meat ball pasta. ONE star! The mushroom ravioli is usually their signature, but for some reason the didn't cook off the wine. It tasted like they just poured fresh wine into the already cooked dish. It tasted bitter because of this. As usual this dish was also sodium rich. Dipped the bread in the sauce which is pretty decent and the wild mushrooms were very good. One star for ruining the dish with uncooked wine!
(2)
Kanoe P.
The last few visits I've had at Macaroni Grill have been HORRIBLE, but this past time was AMAZING. Especially compared to how disappointed I was the past 5 times. But this time the hostess was really friendly, the server was even better, and the food... YUMMMM! Thank goodness because when they first opened I was a huge fan, but when I went back, I was not. This past visit made me a fan again, and I'm happy to say that I'll be back soon!
(4)
Outofthebox24 7.
Service: Depending who your server is.. it could go either way.. the first 2 times I came here, we literally walked out before we had a chance to order bc we were not acknowledged for at least 10 min after being seated. I've never, ever walked out once I was already seated..and 2 out of 2 times, it was just beyond tolerable. After walking out, we did go back and talk to a manager, who was no where to be found the first time. The 3rd time was not my pick to go here, but I was in the mood to give them a shot. The service was much better. I am wondering if it changed because we brought it to the attention of the manager the last time. Food: Again, it can go either way. CPK is right across the pathway, and some of their pastas trump Mac grill's. However....I do love their bread (complimentary) and Mac and Cheese Balls (appetizer). Parking: Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center so you can park inside the mall. Right now there is construction everywhere as the mall is being renovated. The easiest place to park is on the 3 Level between Shirokiya and Nordstrom.
(2)
Gen M.
I remember always watching the commercials on tv and the food looking delicious. So I finally decided to give this restaurant a try with a friend of mine. First off they are conveniently located in Ala Moana mall. The customer service was definitely great and the food was very yummy. I will be going back for sure.
(4)
Ashley H.
This restaurant is a little hidden which is unfortunate because it's really good! I was walking around the mall with my boyfriend while waiting to get my eyebrows done. And got hungry, we tried a lot of the other restaurants and food at the food court and wanted to try something new. He reminded me that his friend worked there and I said let's try it, since we've never been. We went around lunch time and waited 15 mins to get seated. I was SOOOO EXCITED when I saw the paper and crayons! I could color on the table while we wait and it helped the time go by! Julia was our server she was nice but hardly checked on us, I even had to call her a few times. The second time we went we had Mel and she was fantastic she checked on us often, refilled drinks promptly, asked if we needed anything and even offered ranch to go with my Zucchini Fritta OMG SHE MADE MY NIGHT! It was so bomb, and the mac bites were so good. The appetizers are too die for, I kid you not! The entrees aren't that bed either! Talking about the appetizers makes me want to go get some right now, ugggggh. Lol
(4)
Lia M.
Beau and I come here now and then and we just love the tortellacci with prosciutto and butternut squash. The lobster ravioli is incredible and they are very generous on the lobster meat in the sauce, too-- we weren't expecting that! The bruschetta is delicious and a nice starter as well as the deep fried macaroni mmmmmmm!!! However- if you do the appetizers- then get something lighter for dinner as the portions are either large or just very heavy and filling.
(5)
Jonathan R.
Low-End of the Scale Unfortunately, my trip to Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana was less than thrilling. Let me begin at atmosphere, probably the best aspect of the restaurant. The dining area is lit with these low hanging lights that provide a warmth glow of gradient reds and yellows. The seats were nice and comfortable and the bathrooms are nice and clean - always a good sign. The service was slow during our lunch hour run but the server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was less than average. The Florentine Steak & Frittes was perhaps the most disappointing. The steak in itself was small and was served with two slices of tomatoes that look like they were meant to go on a burger instead. The Calamari Fritti, basically friend calamari, has a lot more fried particles than fried calamari. However, I did enjoy their Carmela's Chicken. It had good amount of chicken and mushrooms that wasn't too salty, but just enough. To sum it up, For the price you pay to go to Romano's Macaroni Grill, you kind of expect better quality food. In the end, I would probably prefer eating at the food-court or Asagio's
(2)
Terry K.
What can I say? A chain restaurant is a chain restaurant. While the convenient location of this restaurant coupled with the not so bad service, discounted for the wait if you go during "primetime" dinner hour without a reservation... and my list can go on. Upshot these days? Happy Hour Menu and Happy Hour Drink prices during football season. The Happy Hour Menu has items not on the regular menu so depending on when you stop in, they might have something you would enjoy.... Other than that- Parking is okay- what can I expect? It's in the mall where parking is plentiful. Atmosphere? not bad at all. Servers are friendly and act exactly as they were trained. Food? is okay. It's a chain restaurant! They do offer the free loaf of bread which you can dip in olive oil and pepper (balsamic vinegar if you ask for it) and their spinach artichoke dip is always a guarantee to please. If you're looking for decent meals, a haven to hang out (during happy hour) or a place simply to relax.... this is your place. If you expect anything more than this you will be disappointed. So go with an appetite, stress-less because parking was not a problem and you will be good!
(3)
Lilli D.
There is so much to love about this place, but it falls just short of great because of the most important thing for any restaurant: the food. First, the good. For starters, the venue is absolutely beautiful. It's a somewhat large restaurant with nice wall and cobblestone work. Everything, including the servers, is immaculately clean. There's mellow lighting and they're always playing lounge music. Speaking of the servers, they're generally friendly and know their stuff. Probably the best novelty of the restaurant is there's paper and crayons over the table that the servers use for their name/specials and the guests can use for doodling. There are good aspects of the food; the bread is always spot on, hot, fresh, and is kicked up to the next level with rosemary. They also contain a pretty decent wine selection. There is a stocked bar if you're not in the mood for wine, which is always nice. Another thing I've noticed is the dessert portions are fairly large. The thing that kills is all however is what I ended up ordering for my appetizer and main meal. I had the calamari, which itself was alright, but the basket was mostly filled with fried bits instead of actual fried calamari. The worst offender was by far, the pasta I chose for my 2 For $11 lunch: fettuccine alfredo. Normally you would think a classic dish is a safe bet. But when I dug into my plate, I found all the cheese bits at the bottom, as well as a pool of oil and grease a millimeter tall. This only happens when: a.) the components of the alfredo are cooked in correctly, or b.) the dish was reheated in the microwave. No matter what the means, its still bad cooking. This Macaroni Grill is so, so close to being one of my favorite restaurants, but that can't be the case in this point in time. My advice to potential customers: check other reviews to see which dishes are good or not, and avoid anything that's fried or has a significant amount of cooked cheese. My advice to the business: put more care in the actual food and you'll do wonderfully.
(3)
Haylee F.
Stopped in for quick bite and defaulted to Macaroni Grill since CPK had a 45 minute wait. Decided to sit at the bar for faster service and was stoked on that decision. We started with a bottle of wine complimented by the 2 for $14 tapas menu. Unfortunately my first choice, the prosciutto mozzarella, was no longer being offered. We opted for the diablo meatballs - 6 served in a spicy marinara sauce - and the mac and cheese bites with truffle sauce (I'm a huge anything-truffle fan). I ordered the warm spinach salad with shrimp for my entree but was a little disappointed on how salty it was! Our server/bartender noticed I only took a few bites and quickly came to my rescue. I told him it was a little too salty for me, but that I would box it and take it home to mix with pasta to take some of the edge off. The flavor was still good but it was too overpowering. He insisted he get me another one but I didn't feel good about wasting an entire salad! So instead he offered to get me a side pasta dish and that totally did the trick! I haven't been to MG in years but I will defintiely be back to try some of their other Tuscan creations!
(4)
W Q.
Located on the 4th floor of the Ala Moana mall. (Take the elevator) The lunch deal here is hard to beat. $13 pick 3 items, soup/salad/pasta/sandwich. The mushroom soup here I think is best, the minestrone is second best. For pasta, camela's chicken is great, but I opt for the tomato sauce instead of the cream sauce. The turkey sandwich here is excellent and my favorite pick. The complimentary bread here is excellent. For $13 this is one of the best lunch deals. M-F only.
(5)
Bruce L.
Service was prompt, courteous, helpful, credible and cheerful. My lobster ravioli was onolicious!! I'd come again soon. A real value:))
(4)
Anne M.
Had a wonderful, single, only got 45 minutes for lunch lunch today. Loved it. Yummy pasta and deliscioso salad dressing! A treat. Great, fast, friendly service. Will return. Right next door to Jade Dynasty Chinese in Ala Moana Center. Still easy to find, plenty parking!
(5)
jessica t.
I like how they "text" you when your table is ready! :) everyone was so nice. They are also very accommodating. I got a the Cesar salad and was able to get salmon with it. So delicious! The staff is all friendly. I just say the bathroom is also clean. :) will be back for more!!!
(5)
Michael M.
Really like this place although as chain restaurants go's it feel short of my experience last time at a Northern California location. I had the pork chop which was very flavorful but didn't touch the mushroom rice risotto, didn't care for that at all. I notice that they didn't have the same high end plating that I experienced in the past. It wasn't busy and our server was not very attentive but we liked how the chefs delivered the food as it was ready. We also had the calamari & macaroni balls which were very good and I would recommend. 3 stars because of the average food and experience. There was one server at another table who sang beautifully which definitely made it nice for those that had her as a server.
(3)
Samuel C.
This review is based on our experience tonight and JUST tonight. We've come here often and just thought that both the food and service were 'meh'. The MOD that night should thank Donnie, because if it weren't for him we would have complained to him/her. The night started off a little rough. They were in the middle of cutting servers and told us (table of 6) was going to be a 20 minute wait. There had to have been at least 15 tables open. When we finally got sat the host told us the specials and said that the waiter would be right with us. We waited patiently for about 20 minutes before we stopped another host to ask who our server was. At that point I'm pretty sure you could read the annoyance on all of our faces. When our server finally came over he quickly apologized and explained that there was some confusion due to some of the servers being cut. Having worked in a restaurant i get it. From that point on i have to say that Donnie made up for everything that happened earlier. He was prompt in getting us bread and water knowing we were waiting awhile. He took our order right away and was able to get our salads and soup out quick. Im pretty sure he came into this situation thinking his tip was going to be less due to what had happened earlier. But that was the great thing about him, although he knew we were all upset he still came, smiled, and hustled. And most of all was genuinely nice. This yelp is mostly about him and how he handled us, because let me just say that we were all in a pretty sour mood. But the food tonight was also better than i remembered. Chicken Scallopine- light pasta. Good flavor. Make your own- Bolognese with Italian Sausage and mushroom. More flavor than i remembered. Chicken Florentine Salad- Cold greens. Lemon dressing was good. Roasted Mushroom soup- A little rich in flavor for me but taste was super good. Make your own pasta- Pesto chicken with Brocollini All in all the food was much better than we've had before. It turned out great despite the beginning and id have to say it was in large part due to the service. Very disappointed that we didn't see a manager the whole night. ---"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"---
(4)
Gregg P.
We frequent certain establishments because of their service and quality of food. Tonight was no exception to the norm @Macaroni Grill. While the food isn't true Italian, and the taste isn't exceptional, it is Very good. Tonight we had the mama's trio, and chicken arrabbiata with penne pasta, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccolini. Mama's trio came with lasagna bolognese, cannelloni bolognese, and chicken parmigiana. We were pleased with all of the foods, but I wish they were more Italian in flavoring and more...definitely more meat flavor driven. Our drinks were the house chianti, water, and lemonade. We were pleased with all. The starters were the typical bread and oil, but we also ordered the roasted mushroom soup. While it looked like a brown gravy, it tasted a bit too salty, and we wanted it a bit creamier. It came off almost like canned mushroom soup mixed with a French onion base, darkened, condensed, then over salted. While I make this sound very bad, it truly wasn't terrible. Just average and it could have been so much better. We finished with a absolutely wonderful lemon passion and cafe mocha. The lemon passion was moist and the highlight of dinner. Make sure you check into Facebook and like their page, show them and save10% off your bill.
(4)
Diandrea S.
I went here for lunch around 12 in the afternoon on a weekday. The place wasn't crowded and their was only one waitress serving us and three other tables. The waitress friendly and kept checking on us to make sure everything was okay. The area we sat in was very nice and close to the kitchen. I got rigatoni and my sister got ravioli. Both were delicious. Who I presumed was the chef, brought our food straight to our table and grated fresh Parmesan to taste. Very nice dim lighted setting and the chairs and booths were very comfortable. The pricing of some of the items seemed a little high and the ravioli, although delicious was around $13 for only 4 pieces (sizes were pretty large, but maybe not $13 worth). Overall great experience and delicious food.
(4)
Kit W.
It's been years since I have been to Macaroni Grill. I came here for lunch today because I recently received a gift card for this place. Since it's a Monday, the restaurant was only half full and we were immediately seated at a booth for two without reservations. We ordered the mushroom ravioli from the Pranzo Combo Specials (available Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM). You have a choice of three sides: fresh greens, Caesar salad, or soup. We went with the Caesar salad. For $13, I thought this was a pretty good deal because the mushroom ravioli was super delicious!!! The porcini mushrooms on top of the ravioli were beautifully caramelized and the marsala sauce was so good I dipped even my Caesar salad in it! We also ordered Chicken Under a Brick because it looked so delicious in the pictures other reviewers posted. For $21, the portion did not disappoint but we didn't like much else about it. The flavor was only okay, there was a lot of oil, and the chicken was not tender (probably a bit overcooked). Maybe I was hoping for too much given past reviews but I was let down by this dish. For drinks, I tried the Limonata Nojito, which had San Pellegrino Limonata, agave nectar, lime, and mint. I love citrus and mint so it was the perfect drink for me! If you like similar flavor profiles, you should totally get the Limonata Nojito (a nojito is apparently a mocktail version of a mojito!).
(4)
Kelly D.
Waited 25 minutes.. waiter forgot our bread, balsamic vinegar. Another waitress passing by gave us more bread. Food came out after 25 minutes. Waiter was nice and great personality but hardly checked up. Great opera singer.
(3)
Blanca C.
Love the atmosphere of the place, however, it's a Thursday night and a waiting line?! The staff is wonderful and attentive. A+ servers and hostess. My husband chicken Parmesan was a delicious and hottttt, mean while my food was cold and over salty. Mix feelings! :/ Cost of food was $40 bucks total, I think I rather buy Indian food. I get more for my money and the taste and flavor are 100% on point. Not bias all right?! Lol
(3)
Krysten I.
It's pretty sad that I pretty much always forget there is a macaroni grill at ala moana. When I eat at the mall, I'll eat at cpk, tanaka of tokyo, shirokiya, bubba gump, genki, pretty much anywhere else. I recently received a gift card for macaroni grill and forgot I had it because this restaurant never crosses my mind. Sad. For dinner, there is usually a line, but for lunch, it's empty. A friend of mind suggested we go for lunch and I agreed because I would get to finally use my gift card! When we got to the hostess counter, the two hostesses were sorting crayons. They asked my friend and I to wait and I wasn't really sure why since the restaurant was relatively empty. We were finally seated and it seemed like we had to wait and wait longer than usual throughout the meal. We waited to order, for bread, for our food etc. I like how some of the reviews mention that people are impressed by the waitstaff' ability to write their names upside down. It's really not that hard. I'm disappointed that they couldn't write the specials upside down too lol. I had looked up their online menu and saw that they have a $10 lunch special lol but I guess in hawaii it's $13 surprise surprise. -___- I ended up getting the mushroom ravioli with Cesar salad and was impressed. It was actually a pretty good deal even though it cost 30% more just because it's in hawaii. Make sure to ask for bread, because it's pretty tasty with all the rosemary and olive oil yumminess. I think it's funny that hey try to be "European" by leaving a bottle of water on each table, yet use these paper towel things for napkins. The crayons on the table are also kind of strange even though I'm a little kid at heart and like drawing on the table while I wait for my food. Come for lunch, but I wouldn't suggest coming for dinner!
(3)
M. W.
What to order? Spicy ricotta meatballs as an appetizer - not spicy :-). Mama trio - enough food for 3 meals. Flat breads are yummy, chicken under the brick is a roasted half chicken with potatoes and asparagus. Super yummy. Our server was Sheldon and he was amazing! Drinks refilled, checked in on us, was friendly and helpful. Love when he is our server! :-) I miss the create your own pasta - and the menu is 1/3 of what it used to be. But we still find new items to try. The Bibb salad is good and so is the minestrone soup. The lemon curd desert is yummy if u like tartness. Also - 10% off if u like them on FB and check in. Wanted to add that the appetizer - zucchini fritta(fried) can be baked instead and tastes much better. Happy hour is from 3-6pm and is fun and yummy.
(4)
Costi W.
Loved it. Back in the day, we used to take our kids here. Then we moved from Michigan and left behind one of my favorite dinner spots. The paper table cloths with Crayola accompaniments are still there. The food is still fantastic and eclectic. Our waitress, Rachael, did a smashing job. Despite the fact that they took my favorite off the menu (Italian nachos) and the fact that it's tough to find (way up top in the Ala Moana Mall), I still have to give it a thumbs up and a five-star rating.
(5)
TaraMarie P.
Macaroni Grill isn't exactly one of those amazing, must-go-here spots, but you know what, it's alright if you just want some pasta and you want to draw on the tables. Who doesn't need that combination every now and then? The service is nice; of course it's amusing the first couple of times to see them draw on the tables, but it loses its charm after a while. The whole drawing aspect really only adds to the experience if you're even with people who are fun enough to let loose and draw silly things with you while you're waiting. Otherwise the crayons and paper are a moot point and do nothing for the experience at all. As with any other higher end pasta joint, the waiter will offer to grate your cheese and may or may not have some interesting commentary. What disappoints me a little though is the menu selection. The food available doesn't exactly seem "wow," though it is tasty. I can't get cajun pasta of any sort, or lemon garlic sauce, and in fact, I don't remember any kind of house pesto being a choice on my make-your-own pasta sheet. I ended up getting chicken alfredo and having to add chili flakes and tobasco (sounds weird, but hey, it worked) just to get my spicy fix. Another thing that upsets me are the prices. They're not absurd or anything, but in my opinion they're a bit high for the quality of food. About $2 less on each plate seems a bit more fitting, unless these dishes had a bit more of a twist, or zest, or just something more. I can't quite describe it well but the food needs some, oomph for that price, you know? Lastly, funny story: I always seem to come here months upon months apart, so I forget what it looks like and other crucial details like the fact that some of the booths are elevated. Both of the last times I came, after dinner or lunch, I stepped out of the booth and that feeling hit me---you know, the one where you think you're going to die because you missed a step? Yea that one. I forgot we were on an elevated platform and stepped out onto the main floor without realizing it was lower. Didn't hit anything or fall on my butt but still... I'm sure I looked stupid missing a step and grabbing onto the table like "wth just happened?!?" Look out for those, I tell you. Do not let the food coma give you amnesia...........
(3)
Kyle M.
Good food and good atmosphere here, service was great and the food was ok. I had the flatbread pizza and it was great, but my wife was not too impressed with the salmon, and the orzo was loaded with garlic. Our waiter was awesome and the food come out pretty fast. We would go back here again.
(4)
Jeremy H.
The service was great the waiter wrote upside down when he came which was neat. The food was really good especially the chicken arugula flatbread and I also had mamas trio to me that wasn't as good as the flatbread. The drinks there were sorta expensive it cost 7$ for a regular drink, but this is a really good place to come and eat!
(4)
Daniel H.
Rarely do I see the sort of attentiveness in wait staff that I saw tonight. For Jessie, nothing was too much and he took excellent care of my girlfriend and I. He even went so far as to sing in Italian for us at the end of the meal with a beautiful voice. The food was excellent too with free warm bread and olive oil as a starter. It was great to have fresh bread that wasn't the usual sweet stuff we've found across Hawaii. My flat bread style pizza was delicious and just the right size, with the option of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's the little things. The meal ended with delicious Italian style espresso. I've missed proper coffee too. I wish this wasn't our last night, because we'd be back again tomorrow for sure.
(5)
Reid K.
Last time I reviewed Romano's Macaroni Grill, I gave it 1 star. Maybe that was a bit harsh, so I'm here to give it 2 stars this time around. Things have changed. The fire pit that I so loved is now gone. The menu is a bit different, and by that I mean they removed items, some of which I loved (market chopped!). The wait staff is mostly the same--we recognize them, they recognize us. The annoyingly mislabeled restroom doors are still intact. Honestly, I do like the food. The pollo caprese can be eaten guilt-free because it's relatively healthy, and I've found that it's good fuel if you plan to go to the gym later. (Con: the portion of chicken is pathetic. It's, like, a quarter of a chicken breast.) My brother likes the chicken parm. My dad likes the chicken under a brick, but it's too fatty for my taste. The aforementioned market chopped salad is dead and gone, but the bibb and blue salad is always reliably good. My favorite dish is, hands down, the grilled king salmon (with orzo). It's tasty and simple and it works well eaten in or taken to go. If I love the food, then why is Macaroni Grill still only 2 stars? For one, the value you receive for the price you'll pay is debatable. I hate paying $16 for the pollo caprese when the chicken is so measly. Also, the service has been iffy every time I've visited since I wrote the first review. Incorrect orders have come to the table, and quantities of dish ingredients are inconsistent from visit to visit. I have nothing against Macaroni Grill. I still go there to eat from time to time, and I'm always open to some king salmon. As I said, I do like their food, but they need to tighten up their operating procedures and create a consistent experience that provides value for the price their customers pay.
(2)
Corinne E.
Really enjoyed my meal here. Love the bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar! I had the chicken marsala! So delicious! I am strange, but I loved their water bottles! Got a free dessert with my Hawaii Perks card. Whooo hooo! Good sized tiramisu. Enjoyed the waiters enthusiastically singing "Happy Birthday" to a table nearby. Fun place to dine.
(4)
Leigh A.
PRICE: $$ AMBIANCE: casual, dim lighting MEALS: good (Parmesan Chicken Caesar Salad & Penne Rustica) SERVICE: friendly
(4)
Napua K.
Last time there 4 yrs ago. Due to Kamehameha Day holiday, lunch specials not available, wat a big disappointment. I really wanted the pork sandwich, & ended up w/chicken Parmesan which was fine. I do want to commend Chase for his excellent service.
(3)
Karen T.
5 star review I was there for lunch yesterday with my nephew and his girlfriend and it was a great lunch! I believe our waiters name was Kawika-nice asian boy. :) My nephew got I think a ribeye, his girlfriend got the chicken marsala and I had the special-Mahimahi with risotto. I've never had risotto before but it was sooo good! I've been cutting back on carbs but I ate every last bit of it! The portion was just a little big for me but I finished it all! I've eaten here before and the food and service was good then too. AWKWARD 2 star review I had to write a review about yesterdays experience though to get this out there. The hostess walked us over to the bar area and I hear the bartender (a tall white woman with dark hair) yell out not to sit us at the open booth. So she seats us at the next table. My nephews gf asked can't we sit in a booth? So the hostess (so nice the whole time) apologized and explains that the booth is reserved but she'll go check the other side and be right back. So we sit and she comes back and tells us it's a misunderstanding-we can move to the booth if we want to. I did notice during our lunch that the bartender was serving the tables around us. Just not ours. She never stopped by our table to apologize(I thought that would have been nice) but she was very pleasant to the tables around us. I guess it was personal-whatever-We paid our bill, we weren't rowdy(we're in our mid 40's/50's!), and they left a 25% tip! Restaurant gets 3 1/2 star review total I don't know what the problem was but she should not be allowed to get away with that. Would I return? Yes I probably would-I think there's another one in Pearlridge. Would I recommend this place to others? Not after this!
(3)
Katie W.
The food was good, but service was, although friendly, very slow. We came on a Tuesday night and there was a 45 minute wait for 2, so we sat at the bar. It probably ended up taking just as long to get our food. They gave us a free dessert to make up for it, but overall it took over two hours.
(3)
Sarah L.
Recently came back with my sister and her friends. The hostess was very nice and helpful. The waitress was excellent as usual. This time the restaurant was clean and my seat was clean as well! For my previous review, the manager saw my review and send my a $25 gift certificate so I was happy and gladly came back to here to eat. The food was exceptional. I usually get Carmella's Chicken or the Mushroom ravioli, but this time I got the Penne Rustica. Normally I don't like trying new things, but this dish was delicious. It's a baked pasta so the top was crispy. I topped it with a lot of Parmesan cheese. There is only a few pieces of shrimp in the pasta, but there is plenty of chicken. It was a little dry for my taste so I drank plenty of water. But this is good pasta for anyone to try if it's their first time there :)
(4)
India R.
I enjoy coming here, with a restaurant at this size, the wait is never too long... You can sit at the bar, or a comfortable booth for a great meal. The service is great, and who doesn't love to draw on the tables with their crayons?! :) Everything on the menu is flavorful, from the Chicken marsala to the trimisu! It's American-Italian, so you can't go wrong with all your menu options. And if there's pasta and pizza available, everyone is a happy camper! :)
(4)
Emily H.
Just don't! I've been here a few times. Once for dessert and once for dinner. Dessert was surprisingly dry and expensive so I was disappointed. We went for dinner once for my husbands birthday. The smell upset me. Like dirty carpet. The food was mediocre and the service was pretty slow which is rough with a 3 year old. Just not where I would spend my money again.
(1)
Janice H.
HOW TO GET 10% OFF OF YOUR BILL 1) "Like" their Facebook page here: facebook.com/MacaroniGri… (search for "Romano's Macaroni Grill Hawaii") 2) Do a Facebook check-in to the restaurant from your account 3) Show to server before requesting your bill 4) Sum exclusions apply (see photo below) Otherwise, it's mediocre, chain restaurant Italian food. I've dined here several times since it opened and my experiences have ranged to complete crap (mushroom risotto came out cold and hard like 3-day-old white rice left in the rice pot) to mediocre (oven was broken, so no bread was available; made a simple request for more toppings for a fries pupu and chef told the server they'd charge me for it). REVIEW #242
(3)
Victoria A.
Imagine you're shopping, tired, hungry and just really need to chill at a nice place where you can hang your feet for a bit and to eat something semi-decent and non-fast food. This isn't such a bad place. The wait time at peak hours for lunch and dinner may be a little long. Go at non-peak hours if you must. Food is just ok - nothing spectacular to write columns about. Sad to say, the whole experience was just ok, not terrible but not spectacularly outstanding either. I ordered the lobster ravioli and our waiter delivers mushroom ravioli. I could've fussed but we had already waited long enough to be seated and a little bit more to get our food. I didn't mind the mushroom but I had my heart set on lobster - hunger is hunger and this was food. My cousin had the roasted chicken dish and my daughter had the penne. Both were decent but again, nothing so notably spectacular. It was just ok. But then again, how much can we expect from a chain restaurant? It might as well have been Chilis or Ruby Tuesdays. The ambiance is another thing this place has got going for itself. It's cozy and lit just right - almost comforting. Speaking of comfort, the booth I sat in had cracked bench covering which made it quite irritating to have my thigh pinched every time I moved. Easily resolved, I put a napkin under my leg. Meh...I was too tired to fuss and I really didn't want to wait until another table opened up. In my opinion, the best thing about this place is their wine and their paper covered tables with available crayons. Both very therapeutic in nature and both served me well to help heal me of my retail therapy. The wait staff is talented as well, I mean do you realize how difficult it is to write your name upside down with two colored crayons? Talent is hard to come by nowadays and to be able to be skilled with food service skills and art - it's a win-win for the customers.
(3)
Sabrina B.
Was greeted right away by the hostess, didn't wait more than 1 min (it was around 3pm) for a seat to be ready, our server always followed up to see how we are doing, food was great! Left happy!
(5)
Breanna M.
Good service, not so good food. I was disappointed with the Alfredo I ordered. How can you make bland Alfredo at a Italian restaurant? We had to return the calamari we ordered because it tasted like breaded rubber. Very disappointed with this location. Definitely won't be going back.
(2)
Patrick B.
Food good wait staff excellent Bread tastes like medicine UGH check in at front desk rude waiter Matt superb Aloha Nui loa from the fairest islands ever nestled upon our planet earth.
(3)
Liesyl M.
Great Italian food!! :) This is my third time here and we came to celebrate my birthday!! The restaurant is located in Ala Moana Shopping center so parking shouldn't be a problem. The decor is very Italian like. When you are seated there are crayons for you to draw on the paper table! :) It's fun for everyone. If you plan on having a party of more than 4, make sure to call in advance to reserve a table as you may have to wait awhile if you don't reserve in advance. We had a party of 11 so making a reservation was a must. They seated us comfortably and right on time. Their complimentary bread is fresh and tastes great. It's a bit hard to cut through but the taste is delicious. It has a rosemary taste and dipping it in the olive oil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar makes it even better!! For our entrees we ordered the Eggplant Parmesan with a Caesar Salad and the Lobster Ravioli with a Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Caesar Salad wasn't too dressed which made the salad a little tasteless, if you decide to get it you should ask for more dressing with it. The Eggplant Parmesan was delicious and I would definitely get it again. The Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad was interesting but delicious!! It has pickled red onions, walnuts, and buttermilk dressing!! This salad is definitely a must try!! As for the Lobster Ravioli, I was surprised of the size as it wasn't that big. My bf ordered it and did not fill him up. So be aware that you may wanna get some appetizers or eat a lot of bread if you decide to order it. It tasted great but not fulfilling. If you plan on coming for your birthday, they give a free birthday chocolate cake. I was expecting the singer of the restaurant to sing to me but they said that she already left. So I was bummed. But glad that my friends sang for me. :) As for the service, it wasn't that great. Our server was nice and all as he was able to split our check five ways. There were times when we needed water refills but didn't get it right away. It also seemed that he took long to get to our table to take orders and see if we needed anything else. One of my friends ordered a drink but never got it and the server remembered when were already done eating. Overall, we would definitely come back for the bread, the fun of drawing on the table, and the Italian food. :)
(4)
Wendy S.
Executive Chef Nawai Kekoolani and his crew fire up awesome dishes! Everthing is great from appetizers to salads, entrees and dessert. Service is fantastic!
(5)
Po'u L.
4 stars for the food, 5 stars for the server TAYLOR. She was really attentive and polite, I was thoroughly impressed by the way she could write her name upside down. I tried to do it... Not so easy. Lobster ravioli was the best ravioli I ever ate.
(5)
Maile T.
Just want to say, this place is awesome! Darren is our favorite bartender and always remembers our names when we come in :) He is always pleasant and welcoming which is the experience any guest will have with him and the other bartenders. We love their Happy Hour and ambiance as well. After we had a bad experience last night at Longhis Ala Moana, we thought...lets go to Macaroni Grill where they are consistently friendly, professional and actually care about their guests. Thank you Darren, Ryan and the other bartenders for always making our dining experiences memorable :)
(5)
Hayley K.
This last visit was around my fourth time dining here, but it's been years since I've been here. I must say my opinion on this place has changed dramatically. I mean they have always had a great staff, but I guess I was never really into Italian food. After five years my taste buds must be changing because I LOVE the food. Anyway, my bf and I came on Sunday to watch the USA vs Portugal game and we sat at the bar. We had the most AMAZING lady help us and gosh I would go back just to see her again! She was real pleasant and very personable. I could tell everyone there loved her. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, I had the Margherita flat bread, and bf had the mushroom ravioli and beer. All superb dishes that you should try! Our bill came out to $50 and luckily I had a gift card from many years ago for $25.
(5)
Kayla B.
Food was awesome I had the wild mushroom and goat cheese flat bread not a big fan of goat cheese but it was good... Super amazed by our server TAYLOR very sweet super attentive and all around happy person you can tell she loves her job.... Can't wait to come back and most definitely asking for her section :)
(5)
Mrs. Yogurdisher A.
We arrived after the lunch rush, around 2pm, and was told by the hostess that our wait would be 5 - 10 mins. I noticed that there were empty tables but shrugged it off as not enough wait-help since it was off peak hours. Our server, Josie, very energetic and enthusiastic, took a crayon and wrote her name on the paper tablecloth. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested two entrees that we were very happy with. She served their loaf of bread and proceeded to pour a generous amount of EVOO onto a small plate. There was no balsamic vinegar on the table so I asked for some. I rated this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because although the food was excellent and prices good, their portions are a tad on the small size (compared to Assagios regular portions). I would visit this establishment again.
(4)
Miss L.
It's like roulette here, sometimes it's awesome and sometimes it's so horrible I don't know why I keep coming back! The last time I came they weren't serving the lunch menu because they ran out of a lot of items. Thank goodness they are serving it today! The food for the most part is delicious all around but the service is what is a gamble.
(4)
Marni T.
My boyfriend and I came here twice together, first time we ate here his friend told us what to get. Btw don't ever listen to your boyfriend's friends, they are always wrong always! I took his advice and ordered chicken on or under a brick? Not sure, but it was awful. The dipping sauce they had was totally inedible. My boyfriend liked what he got, but its hard to disappoint him. The waiter was nice, HE also knew my boyfriend so he "hooked" us up with what he thought was good. The second time we came here was because we had a gift card and thought we might as well use it and have a cheap date night. Well our server was awesome, very helpful. We ordered and got our food in a timely matter. I ordered ravioli which was a lot better than what I ordered the last time. The bread with the olive oil is always "on point". Well service here is great, workers are nice and helpful. Food is okay, I've had better. I would only come back if I didn't have to pay.
(3)
Chris L.
I can happily give Romano's 5 stars on Yelp! after our 4 or 5 visits there. Romano's is a pretty nice place atmosphere wise, clean and organised. The restaurant only failed the dust check near the front entrance which is understandable due to the fact that when the doors open the wind comes in with you. The wait staff here are very professional, we've enjoyed talking to our server every trip we made, they talk story and do that cool upside down name thing. Food now, the food is great, at least what we have tried. My group tried to order one of each food but we were down two crew members this night. Flat Bread Pizza: Great, we got the Pizza Margarita, the crust was crunchy and the pizza was cheesy and tasted delightful. Mac and Cheese Balls: This is an appetizer, we don't usually mention appetizers on our reviews but I felt I should mention this one. . .the sauce that comes with it is nice and thick, flavorful. The Mac and cheese balls themselves are out of this world good. Mama's Trio: It's not healthy to try and eat all of this in one sitting. . .but try and stop me from doing so. . .5 star dish for sure. Chicken Parmigiana: Breading is great and the sauce is seasoned, no complaints here. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: Chicken was moist, correctly cooked and the Alfredo sauce was among some of the best I've had locally, Pasta was great as well. In House Wine: Its really good if you like a dry wine. Water: Water? WATER!? Why are you reviewing the WATER!?. . .because they do something to it that makes it amazing. . .I don't know what it is but the water is so pure, its like. . .God Water. . .the water of nature . . . Bathroom Test: Passed with flying colors, there was some water on the floor but the floor isn't a super slick surface so its fine. This has been Chris L. In my first review for the 808 Review Crew on Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)
Waiza D.
Our first time coming here ! The wait is not that long which is good, definitely 5 stars! The food was delish !!
(5)
Ariel A.
Went to dine at Macaroni grill and it clearly didnt look busy but we still had to wait for 20 minutes as workers were still arriving for their 5:00 shift im guessing. The happy hour is only for those that sit in the bar section (bummers). Pasta dishes are Ok, a little on the pricy side. The bread is delicious and I like the fact that they ask if you want more bread before running out. We had a great server that was very attentive. Great for the kids since they are kept busy with the crayons provided. My favorite is the mushroom ravioli!
(3)
Mona C.
Went into Romano's today with a hungry family who was appreciative for no wait time. The kids ordered their usuals (spaghetti and meat balls with meat sauce/mac n cheese, $1 gelato afterwards) so they're always happy. The adults opted to try something different... 2 for $13 tapas menu (mac & cheese bites and artichoke hearts) - I was disappointed and immediately regretted not ordering our usual calamari. Before I forget.. the house bread. The bread is always good (hot n fresh) and served up with pepper and olive oil for dipping. We ordered the Mama's Trio as our entree (to share, upon recommendation by another *yelper), and added a caesar salad. The salad was good, wish it had been larger. Mama's Trio is lasagna, canolli and chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta. The hubby devoured the chicken parm so im sure it was up to par. The canolli was not bad, but the lasagna tasted a little off. Service was great, Taylor took great care of us, but another waitress clipped me twice on the shoulder as she passed my seat. I'm not big, and my seat was not sticking out in the aisle. Since Romano's is in the mall, is convenient to stop at, and the kids love the food, I'm sure we'll be back, but will stick to our usual choices and request a booth.
(3)
Rachael O.
This is by far my favorite of the big Italian chain restaurants. My first visit to this location was on July 4, 2013. I was hot and tired from navigating the crush of folks gathered at Ala Moana. I opted for one of their lighter dishes that I've eaten at the Chicago airport location a few times--grilled chicken with a modest portion of angel hair pasta and a light tomato sauce. It always hits the spot, staying with me, but not causing "carb coma." Only this time the chicken was simply inedible. To make sure it was not my imagination, I asked my daughter to taste a bite and she spit hers out, as well. Whether it was burned or a bad piece of chicken to start, I sent it back (and I never send food back, trust me). The server, the manager, and even the chef could not have been nicer in fixing the problem, so it turned the situation around completely. Fast forward to a friend's recent visit and we went back, at his request. I was so ecstatic to see that the chicken Florentine salad is back on the menu! Imagine grilled chicken, shaved parmesan, baby spinach, olives, capers, onions, and purple cabbage tossed with a fresh, tangy lemon and olive oil dressing. Divine! The only downside was the stuffed mushrooms which did not spend enough time in the broiler, so their filling was a little cool (didn't stop my friend from crushing them, though). We split the lemon dessert which was heaven on a plate. I think we each ended up with bruised knuckles, trying to get a fair share of the dessert. It's a layer of lemon cake, soaked in some delicious syrup and topped with a tart and sweet lemon mousse. Don't mess around with the other desserts. Get this one! The ambience is warmer and more sophisticated than Olive Garden or Carraba's. And they have some lunch duos ($11) and trios ($13) that let you choose your own combo of soup, half-sandwich, salad, or pasta, from a limited menu of favorites. It's a good value for Waikiki. Would I fight traffic in town to get here? Probably not. Would I stop by if I'm already in town? Definitely!
(4)
Brian M.
Our server Matt was excellent for service. The food is always great. Looking forward to coming back.
(5)
Charmaine N.
This is my third visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill. I can't remember much of the first or second time, except that the food was pretty delicious. On this recent visit, we were seated within 5 minutes. Our waiter gave us water right away and didn't rush us to order. He brought us some bread to start. To be honest, RMG doesn't have the best bread. In the end, the bf ordered the Chicken Marsala and a glass of Pinot Grigio and I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine and a glass of Moscato. We didn't have to wait long for our food to come out but my Moscato did take a bit longer. Our waiter seemed to be pretty busy but I didn't mind..I wasn't in any rush. The Chicken Scaloppine was delicious! It has mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, capers and a pieces of chicken breast in a buttery, lemon, white wine sauce. I'm not much of an artichoke fan so I gave them to my bf. He also seemed to enjoy his meal. For desert, we ordered a Biscotti Toddy and a Cafe Romano. It was like a...alcoholic splash to your morning coffee. Warm, chocolatey and sweet with a kick of Baileys. I would recommend these to anyone 21+.
(3)
Brittaney T.
Food: very tasty. I could taste the flavor in every thing we tried. However, at the prices I expected the plate sizes to be larger. Maybe it's because I'm used to Cheesecake Factory charging a high price for a large portion. I felt like this place could have increase their portions, especially the appetizers. The bread wasn't over the top great. It was very average. Service: very friendly and energetic. Our server was Peter. He was an extraordinary server and I would love to come back if he was our server again. Wait Time: it was about 25 minutes on a Sunday night. We waited a little longer for a booth. Ambience: appropriately lit. Not too loud. I could hear the dishes clanking though. It's very casual inside. I would come back.
(4)
Reina L.
We always enjoy coming here. Tonight we sat in a section we never sat in before...talk about a tight fit. No pomodorino soup for Jake, he was disappointed since this wasn't the first time we came here and they were out. Kawika was great and kept our drinks filled. I got bread to take home with our left over meals, since we had so much food.
(4)
Dirty V.
We like to go here for lunch. I get the mushroom ravioli, bib and blue salad with Mac and cheese bites appetizer. Peach ice tea is a must.
(4)
Gemma R.
Cam and I joined Monica H. (and family) for lunch yesterday to celebrate new business ventures. They tried getting reservations at Mariposa but with a 2.5 hour wait, we opted for Macaroni Grill instead. I was surprised we were able to get seated right away, (6 adults, 1 tween and 2 babies). Just a note to anyone with a baby, they do not allow strollers into the restaurant - instead, they allow you to leave it at the front receptionist stand (kind of like Disneyland). We were able to keep ours because Logan passed out and there was no way we were taking him out of that seat. Our server was Jesse and we honestly couldn't have asked for a better server. He was very quick to grab us extra utensils, cups, etc. We ordered a large house wine (if you don't finish it, you can take it home) and pretty much all of the tapas (appetizers.) I really liked their fried macaroni and cheese balls and the artichoke dip. I wish they put more crostini's with their artichoke dip but since they offer free bread, there's no point in asking for more of the toasted bread. We also ordered a warm and cold salad and a sausage pizza. I probably wouldn't order the pizza again because I'm not a fan of thin crust. We also ordered three desserts - lemon cake, chocolate and the tiramisu. Everyone seemed to love the tiramisu and I have to agree, I liked it the best too. Now, the reasoning behind the five stars. While we were waiting for our dessert, Jesse took it upon himself to sing us a beautiful Italian aria. How amazing is that? Cam made the joke that even if sang random words in Italian it wouldn't have mattered because he did such a great job! Jesse, you are awesome and I hope Macaroni Grill takes care of you! Thanks for the wonderful lunch.
Okay - we went to Macaroni Grill for a birthday party on March 23, 2014. We had a party of 9. I have to say after reading a lot of bad reviews on Yelp - the experience was quite the opposite. Our waiter was Jeff - fantastic from beginning to end. The Food - pretty good too - from the apps to dessert. Best entree on the menu - get the Pork Chops. Waiter Jeff - keep up the great work! Macaroni Grill - hang in there - a lot of reviews say the words. " I really wanted to like this place.....BUT". A lot of restaurants fall apart by living on their past reps - don't be one of them.
(5)
Jenn S.
After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, the family eats together at a restaurant. Today, I got to choose. And I chose Romano's Macaroni Grill. I recommend Mama's Trio, chicken alfredo and some greens. Love the bread with black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Our server, Jerry, was awesome. He was reading our minds. Mahalo Jerry!
(5)
Chantelle K.
I came here as birthday dinner. Never been here before but my friend had. We arrived around 6:30pm. We waited about 5 mins and were seated. Our waiter Kevin, was lovely. He was very polite and efficient. The food itself took a while to get to us. We order a caesar salad which was delicious and I got the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It could've had more chicken but overall it was really tasty. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with that dish. They gave us some garlic bread as well. Which was also delicious. You're able to write on the tables since they cover it with paper and supply crayons. I loved that personal touch. Since it was my birthday, I receive a complementary chocolate cake. It was very rich and VERY chocolately. A little too much for my liking but still very good. They give you the option of singing or no singing which I also liked because I hate being sang Happy Birthday in restaurants. I would come back here. The service is divine and so is the food. I gave four stars because I felt that, although very delicious, the food wasn't outstanding. Maybe it was because I ordered something so basic. But overall, everything was great!
(4)
Sharon N.
Felt pretty skeptic when my boyfriend and I came here for dinner because of all the reviews saying that the service was terrible but I guess we came on a good night! We came in a little after 5 PM and we only had to wait five minutes to get seated. Ian was our server and to our surprise, he was really nice and the total opposite of all the Yelp reviews about crappy service so that was a definite plus! Boyfriend and I decided to share entrees so we ended ordering: 1. Mac & cheese bites w/ Alfredo dip 2. Zucchini frittis (?) 3. Chicken Parmesan 4. Pasta Rustica Everything was SOOOO delicious and Ian always came by our table to make sure that we had everything we needed! What a nice guy. :) My boyfriend and I couldn't even finish our pastas so we had to box it up & take it home. With this wonderful experience and DELICIOUS food, we're definitely gonna come back & try new things!
(5)
Kim S.
Yes, this is a time when I wish there were zero stars to give. The last visit may be the final. Snarky service from a blondie who treated & spoke to us with a patronizing & fake attitude. We wanted to smack her. Desserts appear the same on the menu but have turned cheap - not the price, the ingredients & preparation. According to blondie this changed a few months ago but she neglected to tell us while we ordered. My go to Homemade Chocolate Cake was so disgusting I took 1 bite & stopped. It tasted like those cheap no name box mixes where only water is added - the kind you make as a little kid for an easy bake oven. It was probably a week old too. The "warm ganache" was watered down cheap chocolate syrup & not warm. Absolutely no chocolate toffee pieces as stated on the menu. Ghirardelli® Chocolate should sue them for defaming their name because I doubt any was used in this cake & if it was the flavor was completely mangled. Blondie saw & was told I didn't like it but didn't offer to replace or remove the offensive dessert. I didn't want to make a scene & ask for the manager to remove the dessert from the bill because we had out of town guests. Plus, I figured it would be free because I had a coupon provided directly from this location for a free dessert. Well, the coupon was refused (supposedly by the manager) so I had to pay $10 for 1 bite of cake I wanted to spit out.
(1)
Michael C.
Who wants to go to a UYE??!! Me, me! (raises hand). Thank you to John F. who single-handedly organized a UYE during happy hour. I myself had never been to HH at Macaroni Grill before, and so I was looking forward to trying new food and meeting new people. The event was scheduled for 500-700pm, though their happy hour normally finishes at 6pm. I guess John used some form of Yelp magic and the management/staff was kind of enough to extend happy hour for our group till 7pm. NOTE: I'm not sure if there is an entirely separate menu for HH, but John went around informing us that there were 3 pizzas that were specials during happy hour. We were also informed they had a selection of drinks/beer/wine on special as well. HH: I chose the Italian sausage pizza. Normally price at $15, this was $7 during hh. This was quite good, and I would absolutely order this again on a future visit. As far as drinks, I ordered the house chardonnay, which was $4/glass during hh. SERVICE: Very good. Although our group kept increasing in numbers, our main server, was pleasant, friendly, polite, and helpful, during the duration of the UYE. He also conveniently provided separate checks for all of us in attendance. side NOTE: Though the food and service was satisfactory, I'm unsure about returning to hh at Macaroni Grill if there are only pizzas on special. I was hoping for more variety of menu items honestly. Bottom Line: Perhaps I may venture to hh on my own and give it a 2nd chance.
(3)
Austin B.
I usually like pasta, but I do not like Macaroni Grill's take on it, as they LOVE using rosemary in a lot of their dishes (and bread -_-), and rosemary is one of my least favorite flavors. Ambience is nice and so is the service, but I wouldn't pick this place if it were my choice. Likes: Service is usually pretty good at this location. The servers are attentive and friendly. It's easy to find someone to help you usually (in the main dining area at the least). Even the the bread has rosemary, the texture is good and if I dip it in the olive oil, it's good. Dislikes: Rosemary. It's in a lot of dishes... and when it's in there, it stands out... a lot. Favorites: The chicken under a brick is moist and doesn't have a prominent rosemary flavor, so that's my favorite dish here. For the price of the dishes, I'd rather go to Cheesecake Factory because the food in general is better tasting there, and the portions are larger. This place is nice for the ambience and the service, but I'd only recommend it if that's important to you and you like the taste of rosemary.
(3)
Angelo A.
Convenient . . . check Ample parking . . . check Good for big parties . . . check Americanized, chain restaurant, Italian food . . . check
(3)
Claudia M.
Havent been to this place in a long while. To my surprise, I enjoyed it and wondered why I haven't been patronizing this place. Waiter was very pleasant! Had the eggplant parmesan and it was delish. The angel hair pasta with red sauce which accompanied the eggplant was very tasty. They also had a nice kid's menu...chicken with pasta, meatballs with spaghetti, and other items. It also came with a drink. Can't wait to go back. And they take reservations until 9pm...something like that.
(4)
Liliana U.
Decided to eat here with my boyfriend after receiving a gift card to ala moana and I'm so glad we did. The wait wasn't long at all for a dinner table, a little less than 25mins. Once we were seated we were given our menus but me and my boyfriend just dashed to the paper on the table to draw on, the kids in us. Definitely a kid friendly place that will keep them occupied, and hopefully quiet for those of you who bring 3 loud children to restaurants ... Our server was AMAAAZZINNNG ! I believe his name was Nate, he's tall, dark haired, and wears glasses ( Just in case management see's this; congrats on your staffing !) He was super attentive, very nice, gave us his personal opinion and recommendations on the food when we asked, fun, and all around professional ! He is definitely one of the reason why me & my boyfriend would come back, just awesome service! Now let's get to the yummy part; food ! They have a good selection to choose from but a little on the pricy side for some, but not all the food especially if you're buying for quite a few people. We had fried mozzarella for our appetizer, oh em ge. Supper yummy ! I almost ordered another one ! For our entrees we had the Sausage Flatbread pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti with meat balls (they sound a lot more fancier on the menu, but I can't remember what is called lol ). The flatbread pizza was yummy but I just feel as though the sausage was not spread evenly on but more focused on the center, some pieces of pizza didn't have any sausage. The lasagna was pretty damn good I must say. Totally made up for the pizza. I didn't try the spaghetti with meatballs but it looked good ! Desert was awesome! So awesome that we couldn't decide on what to have so we picked 2. We had the chocolate cake and the lemon cake. They were both so gooooood. The chocolate cake was very rich, a little dry but it was sauces woth chocolate sauce on the cake and the plate, just dip it right in there ! The lemon cake, I might just come back for the lemon cake. It was so good, very moist, very lemony. Overall, awesome experience ! I will be coming back !
(5)
Joseph D.
This place was great. My girl and I only waiting for 5-10 minutes on a busy Friday night without a reservation. The hostess and waitress was very polite and the food was delicious. Very good!!
(5)
Lisa S.
Chicken Scallopini my all time favorite! But I had to try the Lobster Ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! Soup of the day was Pomodonia (creamy tomato bisque) absolutely amazing!!!!
My first time at a macaroni grill. It's just an over priced Olive Garden. The calamari was very expensive when compared to the amount that was served to us. I ordered the coffee with baileys. It seemed there was NO ALCOHOL in there!!! My mojito tasted like a virgin mojito (idk if there's such thing). Very upset
(1)
Christa B.
What can I say? I love the national franchise restaurants. I wish this place were closer to me. I'd be a regular for sure. I'd just come for the drinks and dessert! You know how the food tastes. It's decent for Italian. It's good for your money. However, are you aware of how good the drinks are? I'm not a lush. I promise, but they were so good, I had several. The Sorrento lemonade, the Italian mojito, and the Cafe Romano are excellent! The Sorrento is southern lemonade sweet. The Italian Mojito is for the palette that enjoys the hint taste of licorice. The cafe romano is super sweet as well. It probably has more sugar than coffee. I won't say much else about this place other than to mention our server Brian. He made great drink suggestions and was very friendly. The guy who sang happy birthday to my daughter in Italian had a lovely voice. Now who's ready for a drink!?
(4)
Denise P.
My sisters, niece, and I had lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we were seated. I guess we weren't the only ones who chose to have a late lunch that day. The wait was worth it. We were seated and our server promptly took our drink orders and brought our drinks out quickly. We placed our lunch order and proceeded to draw on the paper with our crayons. I must say, they should have these available at every establishment! When our food was brought to our table we all took pictures of each other's dish before we started eating. The food was delicious and enjoyed all the more because of our gathering. This has been my third time here and my first time writing a review about Romano's Macaroni Grill on Yelp. I'm giving Romano's five stars because their excellent customer service and delicious food have been consistent on each of my visits here. Keep up the great team work and delicious food, Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)
Cindy B.
House bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and flat breads have to be my favorites! Yum! Front desk staff can be a hit or miss. Sometimes the girls can be snobby. On my latest visit, however the front desk staff was very friendly. Our waiter, Ryan, was also excellent. He was very attentive and personable. My boyfriend and I ordered the Spinach Dip ($8). The dip was very flavorful. You can taste the spinach and artichokes in the dip. Although the flavors were there, I couldn't help the fact that the dip was cold. Some parts of the edges were really warm and when you dug deeper into the dip it was cold! The dip was accompanied with small pieces of crostini. Would def get it again if the dip was hot! The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad ($15) is similar to the one at Nordstrom Cafe (I prefer Nordstroms one). The chicken is crispy and delicious and the salad is well dressed. The Roasted Chicken Flat Bread ($16) has pesto, chicken, roasted peppers, and arugula on a thin crispy flat bread. So good! Not a big fan of arugula, but it works on this dish. For dessert, we got the Panna Cotta ($9). We were pretty full by the end of our meal, so this dessert was perfect. Very light and not too sweet.
(4)
Chablis T.
Dining here again by default turned out to be a pleasant experience. Our waitress was new & that was her first night serving. Her name is Jenny. She was awesome. Best service I had dining here. On the menu: Shrimp Portofino. That was oh so good. This is what I'll be coming back for! Love that I can bring my kids here! They are given crayons & keep busy by drawing on their paper topped tables. We will be back.
(4)
Supa M.
Good food great service...our waiter was peter...he was good wrote his name upside down and everything fast service and refilled my soda every time never had to ask once...the food was good and the portion was a lot
My nieces luuuuve this place which is why we are here today. Because whatever my nieces want my nieces get, at least with dis auntie! And, even tho this surprises even me, I am actually glad we did. with a party of 11 persons we got a feast for the eyes and palate! Located at the top of the Hookipa escalator/elevator, location is very convenient in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. First off let me say the service was top notch! We began to arrive 10 minutes early for a 11am reservation. Had to wait a few minutes to go in as the restaurant doors didn't open until 11am. DO NOTE, party will not usually be seated at table until at least the party present so...don't be late otherwise the early arrivals might not be too happy when you get there later! Hostess was more than accommodating tho when we explained we had a senior the ripe age of...well...almost 90years old so, they allowed us to go almost straight to the table. Can't leave grandma out of the festivities. Kudos to the hostess staff! Our waiter was just as if not more attentive. Even quite entertaining. Food was all very tasty (too tasty?) and very reasonably priced. Do a Facebook/yelp checkin and "like" of the restaurant and get 10pct off. Also, active and reserved military get 10pct off. Kudos to the management staff. Do believe I will be back to visit ! Great place to end up or start your shopping adventures at the mall!!
(4)
Oscar F.
Food was great. Served on time. UNFORTUNATLEY, our waiter forgot more than half of our order. The place was not busy at all and I counted at least 7 other waiters around. WOW!!! Update. They paid for our missing food item! YAY!!
(4)
Shy K.
I love coming here during happy hour with friends and/or dinner time with family. The food is good and service is pretty quick. However, it never fails. Every time I order appetizers it comes to the table cold. Especially the stuffed mushrooms it's always cold in the middle. Good good with good company makes a perfect day.
(4)
Cody B.
Went here for an early dinner. Had no issue getting a table, we tend to like the bar area because its first come first serve. Darrin was great, had a great attitude and amazed my girlfriend with his writing up-side-down and drawing skills. He explained the menu and had our drink there right away. The food was great and was fast getting to us. I had the trio and she had the pasta and chicken. Both were way more than we could finish. We were way to full to try any of the desserts but are sure they would have been great too. If you are looking for some good food this is the place.
(5)
Valerie R.
Went to Macaroni Grill on a Sunday evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday and I was really disappointed with the service we received from our waitress Stephanie. She was very blah, no smiling, just asked for our order and walked away. It seemed she was just going through the motions to get her shift over with. What upset me more was I witnessed her being friendly with other guests so I'm not sure what her problem was. Other than that, our food was tasty but the service we received really ruined our experience.
(3)
Mel V.
Thinking of somewhere to satisfy my craving for good pasta and pizza... decided to come here today 081314 for a lunch. Upon arriving to the main entrance I noticed that they had a green "PASS" posted great job guys! It's kind of a big deal because you know that the resturabt meets the expectations of the food and health department for crying out loud they hot a pass! So I'm pretty sure you won't be going home sick or find roaches etc. Crawling around riggt?! Geeze I hope not. Moving on... As we walked in, we were promptly greeted by the host, we came on a weekday & during opening about half an hour before the lunch rush so she asked us for how many and gladly walked us to our table. Within less than 5 minutes our waiter Shawn cane and asked us if we wanted drinks and if we needed more time. did not rush us at out but promptly brought our water and bread olive oil vinegar mixture... We decided to go with the Italian sausage flat bread & the create your own pasta. Shawn was very knowledgeable of explaining the sauces, and helped us in vision what our choices would look and taste like. First we got the Italian sausage pizza: the crust was on flat bread that was baked to.a perfected crisp with a good amount of cheese to sauce ratio. Not greasy at all and the sausage bites were equally arranged. Next was our pasta: we chose fettuccine with aarabita (I think I spelt it wrong) with roasted red peppers spinach and tomatoes it cane out okay... I wasn't to.impress but it tasted great. Got the right amount of seasoning, but could have had a little more spice or kick to it... the noodles were good but to me it seemed like they just boiled the noodles n just slabbed the sauce over it and tossed in the veggies.. don't get me wrong it was good though.. I guess we should of gone with our usual pasta di mare oh well. .. lesson learned... Lastly every so often our waiter came to check on us to see if everything was okay, the big thing I liked was how the manager himself came to each table to make sure his/ her staff was giving us the customer service n hospitality we deserve. With that being said I will definitely return who.doesnt love drawing on the tables?!
(4)
Hannah P.
We wanted an Italian soda soooooo bad. I remembered macaroni grill having a pretty good selection of flavors. That and I could litteraly not think of one other place that made them. We called and were told they don't do take out drinks. And the lady who answered the phone sounded like she thought we were joking. No joke here sister, the craving is real. Lol. We'd have to come in... Meh. BUT we had to. Strawberry and cream plus carbonation= bomb dot com. The local girl bartending in the lounge was sweet. Charismatic, young, and fresh. I appreciated her service while we hastily slurped down our Italian sodas.. Just thought I'd pay her respects on yelp :)
(4)
Wendy G.
Amazing service!
(5)
Ram K.
Pretty busy around 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We checked in and waited about 15 minutes, not bad. Karen was our server and she did a great job. Brought some bread w/ a plate of olive oil and pepper. She kept up with drink refills and checked on us enough. My gf had some kind of trio dish with chicken parmesan, lasagna and a burrito looking thing. Lots of food and she enjoyed it. I had the minestrone soup to start then lobster ravioli. Both were good. There was lobster meat in the ravioli and a ton of it on top of the dish! Well not a ton but there was a lot. Another waiter came by and took care of the empty plates and boxed up my gf's leftovers. Only thing is in the restroom, why aren't there dividers separating the urinals? I know it's minor but I do like my privacy. Lol We used to come here a lot when they first opened and don't know why we stopped. We will be back, soon!
(4)
Missy T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill is the official restaurant of my spaghetti and meatballs cravings. I was a fan of their fat fatty menu a few years ago, and was skeptical of their calorie cutting menu change since most of the deliciousness of their food I suspected came from copious amounts of butter and cream - both of which are staples in my omnomnomnivore diet. After some initial kinks, I am happy to say that the deliciosity of Romano's menu has survived. Getting a table there usually comes with a 20+ min wait at peak times, so do call ahead if you're going to be ravenous and/or impatient. If you don't want to hang around outside or in the entrance, you can enjoy the bar while you wait to be seated, just make sure you notify the host or hostess so they don't skip you. Happy Hour specials on certain dranks are available, so ask the bartender or server if you're around at HH times (I am totally not sure when those times are, so inquire whenever you're there!). Prices are kinda high - around $15+ for their entree stuff, but they do have a 2 for $9 thing for their appetizers. As I mentioned before, I'm a fan of the "Mom's Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti". The meatballs are a beef/veal mixture (don't judge), and are super yummy with the spaghetti sauce. Another dish I can vouch for is the Italian Sausage "Flatbread" (it's pizza). The thin crust has a good chew to it, so it's not like biting into a well-adorned matzo cracker, and just like any decent pizza it's tasty cold. One word of caution: don't be fooled by the menu's facelift - both dishes I mentioned, while possibly still less calorie laden than those on the old menu, break 1,000 calories and they're definitely not the worst choices you could make, so if you're trying to watch your girlish figure keep that in mind. Other than that, if you're looking for a nice lunch or dinner spot after some shopping, Romano's is a good choice if you don't wanna leave the Ala Moana area and aren't looking for some cheap eats.
(4)
Ryan R.
This new crew forgot all silverware on all tables as I look around, Young staff with their head in the clouds. They seemed more focused on their social life. All in all, our waiter was eager to please.
(3)
Ken W.
I had spagetti & meatballs. It was a definite taste bud treat
(4)
Kanya G.
Bread!!! That's seriously the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this place. So flavorful, with the awesome combination of soft inside, crunchy outside, olive oil and salt and pepper. I've come here many, many times-- for celebrations and casual get togethers with friends and family. It's a really family-friendly place, which I like. I like coming here for their lunch specials (2 sampler-sized dishes for $11). Carmela's Chicken pasta's super good! Romano's also makes the best Eggplant Parmesan I've had so far. Love their Bibb and Blue salad, too-- that's a must try. I don't really recall a dish I've been disappointed with. Service-wise, it varies. Sometimes the wait is very long. The restaurant does compensate their customers with free dessert on their next visit if their wait to be seated is ridiculously long. Speaking of free, there's also a free chocolate fudge birthday cake and a song (if you'd like) for birthday celebrants, which can be a little embarrassing, but a plus.
(4)
Joanna Y.
Although I keep hearing negative reviews, I haven't had a bad experience at Romano's. I've only gone a few times (the last time before today was probably May 2012), and each time has been a good experience. So moving onto the review, I went with my mom and dad on our lunch break today. It was pleasant. Our waiter was really nice, really prompt on his service (taking orders, timely with bringing another water, the check, etc). The food has always been pretty good. We noticed a new menu today, I like the options and today I actually had a hard time deciding what to order. I went with the pick 3 choices; between a salad, soup, pasta or sandwich. I did the caprese panini and it was good. Wish it could have been a little more toasted though lol Prices are a little more compared to CPK, and not sure whether I like the food better or not. The atmosphere is nice though, I like the "mood lighting" (even though I was with my family lol).
(4)
Rich T.
Excellent Service, Great Food ! Fair prices.
(5)
Jeanette S.
I had a gift card from Christmas and since my husband and I have never eaten here we decided to give it a shot. We went in around 415pm so there was no crowd dinner crowd yet. Our server was very friendly. Even mentioned some appetizers not found on the menu like the spinach artichoke dip. To start we had the calamari. My husband usually doesn't eat calamari, but he scarfed down most of the appetizer. It was better than most calamari I've had. For dinner I had the mushroom ravioli with a side of Bibb and blue salad. I loved the mushroom ravioli, but I wish there were more mushrooms to it. Bibb & blue salad was pretty good as well. The walnuts in the salad gave it a nice crunch. For dessert we had the tiramisu. It was ok. The serving was bigger than I expected so I'm glad my husband and I shared the dessert. Overall a pretty good experience would definitely go back and try some other pastas. Also if you check in and like their Facebook page, let the server know and you get 10% off your bill!
(4)
Shuao Li L.
Food is good. Waiter was not that good. We had to ask for silverware & even then, it was not brought to us right away. Thanks Roger, you got nice towards the end of our meal...hoping for a better tip eh?
Lucked out with open seating at the bar, no wait on Valentine's with no reservations, awesome! The wait would have been 1 hour. Great service from waiter Tyler. The food runners did try to bring us our appetizer and dessert twice, but i guess that's better than not bringing it at all... Food was good but not excellent this time. Caprese was good but not as good as others I've had. Chicken scaloppine was good as always but the chicken was a little dry and over cooked. Still my favorite dish here. Bf's ribeye was under seasoned and over charred in spots, not worth $27. But the potatoes and asparagus were cooked and flavored perfectly. Free heart shaped sorbet for Valentine's. And we got the lemon passion cake, that was light and refreshing.
(4)
Gordito G.
I don't mind having to wait but when the front end guys sit there friends, even though there is a 45 min wait, that's just wrong. Too bad for the waiter because his or her tip will reflect that. That's just wrong, and I'm not the only who say it and feels the same way. Big thumbs down. And I like this place.
(1)
Joshua B.
This is a great resturant for Italian food however today it smell kinda like mildew and was very warm inside. I was seated in the bar area and the waitress was very nice and friendly. They have a very small menu at this location or maybe just lunch time. Overall the food was great and the server only left me dry a few times. (Not her fault) she was over worked.
(3)
Mr G. T.
Had the Lobster Ravioli and Caesar Salad. It was very good with a very decent amount of Lobster meat in the ravioli and on the plate with sauce. From my observations, waiter service may be hit or miss though. Our waiter was very good, so we were fortunate.
(4)
Hoku T.
Updated - I added a star due to manager service. We got served by the manager and he was very helpful in the corrections that needed to be made and quick about correcting the problem. What keeps my rating as a three star is three things: 1) Waiter/Waitress - the waiters and waitresses here are really hard working employees. They'll strive to get the orders right, bring them out as quickly as they are made, refill on drinks and try to clear the dishes when they see you're done with your last bite or seem to forfeit. They're helpful in menu selections and courteous when there's a first timer dining. 2) Hostess and Reservations - making reservations by phone or checking in is easy. The hostess will take your cell phone number and call you when your table is available to allow for more shopping time. From 11am to closing, they're great on seating from two to twelve (the max that I've dined with) with hardly any wait over than 30 min. 3) Bread and Birthday Cake! I love eating their bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crack pepper! Sure, they have butter...so do I at home. But that's one thing which makes this place a little different from other Italian restaurants. Also, the bread arrives at the table fresh, hot and steamy which makes great any time of the meal. Sometimes, if you have a cool waiter/waitress they'll let you take a loaf to go. Birthday's are great to celebrate here, because they're always a waiter who will stand by your table and sing Happy Birthday in Italian which sends shivers up my arms and down my spine! All of the waiters I've heard in the past are amazing with their tenor voices! Plus, the cake is amazing! You can't find it on the dessert menu, it's one of their specialty desserts and it seems to fit in all the cracks. I have only three entree's that I like and will repeatedly get from now on, because trying the other entree's always left me unsatisfied. I won't mention them because other people may like them, but I felt that I didn't get my money's worth. I like their Margarita Pizza, Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan (when its not over cooked).
(4)
Anjli L.
They make their gluten free pasta from scratch. The server, Nate, was great. They can even modify some appetizers. Plus the house wine is quite good!
(5)
JenniLi ..
1st: We ordered take out and when we got home we were missing one of our appetizers, we got the money put back on our card of course but it kills me when that happens and I didnt think we would have to double check our order like fast food places... anyways the food wasnt anything special nothing really stood out. 2nd: We went for a bday, group of 10. I kind of like when the food isnt super speedy so it gives us time to talk but this was the longest Ive had to wait for food and I was so hungry, good thing we had bread. We tried different things but still thought the food was just alright. I did like the dessert and atmosphere, we all had a lot of fun with the crayons
(2)
Brent C.
This review is for happy hour. Quite simply, I full highball of wine for $4.00 is almost impossible to beat. You can get Chard or Chianti, and the Chianti is pretty decent. You feel pretty good just after two. The pupu list is small but very good. In particular, the Fried Zucchini and New York strip steak are awesome. Also consider paying a couple dollars more off the regular menu to get the Mac and Cheese bites. Lastly, a big compliment to the bar staff. We've been a few times now and everyone is attentive and super chill.
(5)
John F.
YAY! My 100th Review!!! Romano's Macaroni Grill is a great medium priced, family-friendly restaurant located on the 4th level in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center just above Pearl Ultralounge. There is a daily Happy Hour in the Lounge from 3 to 6pm featuring 2 Italian Tapas for $14, $7 Pizzas, House Wines $4, Draft Bear $4, Domestic Beer $3, Import Beer $4. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I order the seafod pasta. At Macaroni Grill, they call it Pasta di Mare and it includes a couple large scallops, about a half dozen mussels, 3 large shrimp, spaghetti alla chitarra, white wine, pomodoro, & slices of garlic. My aunty always orders the Eggplant Parmesan which was served with capellini pomodoro & fresh mozzarella. Really great stuff! SEE MY MANY PICTURES! Japanese menu with pictures available upon request. TIP: Visit macaronigrill.com and join the mac pack and get a complimentary appetizer on your next visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill, ask for our "Earn Your Degree in Italian" lunch card. Purchase 4 pasta entrees and on your next visit, receive the 5th one complimentary.
(5)
Jayson L.
i came to this place few time and only thing i really remember this place is that i can draw on their table. when it comes to Italian food i get little picky because i don't want my food taste like just straight cheese. romanos have menu where you can make your own pasta which i like but i don't find anything special in their food. some creative on food just ain't there. i like their mushroom ravioli and their bread. you can make your own dipping sauce so i like that. i come here once in a while but it not one of my favorite place yet. i still have to try different type of their food to find what i like here.
(3)
Summer T.
called ahead to make reservations and for some reason we still had to wait 15 minutes for a table, even though the restaurant was by no means full. it's a good thing they gave us an awesome waiter! i was a little disaapointed with their dinner menu. i thought there would be more of a selection for some reason. over all the food was good but nothing spectacular that i would want to make the drive into town for, unless some other firends insisted on it.
(3)
Connie M.
Back when I was in high school, this was the place to go. I can't tell you how many times I frequented this place back then, but yesterday was my first time back to Macaroni Grill in 7 years! I had the Pasta Milano ($16) bow tie pasta, cream sauce, chicken with bits of sun-dried tomatoes. First off, I felt it was super overpriced, considering the portion and quality; the chicken tasted a bit rubbery and the pasta was over cooked. I did enjoy the house baked bread which was crispy, soft and fragrant.
(2)
Whitney I.
Bad visit. Came in at 1:15pm on a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant had several open tables and the pushy hostess continued to give us the run around about how we had to wait 20 minutes. We sat at the bar since they wouldn't seat us and the friendly bar back gave us water, but one of glasses had a bug in it. Really gross. Very disappointed with the service and the sanitation. The balsamic vinegar was leaking so they had wrapped napkins all around it. Our food came out quickly but the waiter failed to offer us any condiments to go with our food.
(1)
Richard H.
Great Chain Italian restaurant, located in Ala Moana's premier food restaurant floor, along Jade Dynasty, Tsukiji, and Tanaka of Tokyo. Call ahead for reservations, as they always have a fairly long wait list for both lunch and dinner. They have a nice bar, featuring a half a dozen flat screen TVs. I bought a Heineken draft and caught ten minutes of a college football game (not a terrible way to wait for your table). They called our name, and seated us to a comfortable booth in the back of their very large and spacious restaurant. This place has an upscale and elegant design, but your table will be covered by white paper and accompanied by three crayons. The server writes his name and the specials on the table. Unfortunately, Cat Masuda wasn't working, so we weren't treated to her beautiful opera voice. The lunch menu is completely different from their awesome dinner menu. We normally order the Center Pork chops, but that wasn't available for the lunch crowd. I selected the soup and pasta combination for $11. Both items arrived side by side in square, cup-shaped dishes. My soup was a tomato bisque with basil, and contained stewed tomatoes, and garnished with a toasted baguette and Parmesan cheese. This was less creamy, and richer tomato taste than I was accustomed to, but I enjoyed every drop. My pasta selection was the chicken Penn pasta, which was strips of roasted chicken breast, mixed with mushroom, and Penn pasta in a creamy pesto sauce. Great value and excellent pairing for a light lunch. 31 YELPS REVIEW CHALLENGE #27/31
(4)
Sonja S.
Carmela's chicken is my absolute favvvvvvvvorite pasta here hands down. With chicken, mushrooms, onions, and a sauce that just hits the spot, I order it every time. I don't dine at macaroni grill all the time (mostly because it cost an arm and leg to dine at, in my standards), but I'd have to say in all the times I did, I have gotten good adequate service. Nothing bad, but nothing too memorable. It doesn't matter though, Carmela's chicken will keep me coming back.
(4)
Doug D.
Mushroom soup was on point, the fried calamari was delicious! The penne rutisca was not. Every piece of meat I had was burnt, the top was beautiful until I bit it and tasted the burnt side. If you know pasta then you know it tastes bad when the meat added is burnt. Our waiter was not happy when we asked for one of the orders to be separated. I know it sucks to have to redo the check but I would still be pleasant about it before you get the customer out. I've worked in restaurant settings so I know how it goes but if you aren't gonna be pleasant it'll show in your tip no matter how good the food is.
(3)
Melissa C.
Yes, I ate here while on vacay in Honolulu. I had a gift card and free food is great! Happy Hour is a great deal, with $6 pizza & $4 house wine served in a big glass. Service took a while, I think there was only one bartender, and there were a lot of people in the bar. My pepperoni pizza was very good, and it could probably feed 2, but also feeds one very hungry person. A good place for solid happy hour food & drink, not always an easy combination to find!
(4)
Travis H.
The first thing I'll say about this place is that it's incredibly hit and miss. My wife and I will go here one day and it can be fantastic with top notch service. We could go the very next day and have terrible food to go along with awful service. That's just the way it seems to be here. Once you find a dish you enjoy, stick with it. It's not worth ordering something else because more often than not you'll be disappointed. It's always busy at dinner time so be sure to make reservations (you have to make them at least two hours in advance!). The only server that wasn't awful so far was Nate. He's an incredibly nice guy who seems to genuinely care about his job and his guests. He goes above and beyond what's expected of a waiter and makes the experience that much better. My wife and I have learned the hard way to stick to the dishes we know we enjoy, and always ask for Nate.
(3)
Dan T.
My past experiences with Macaroni Grill have been above average but my last trip there was way below average and the only reason for the two stars is for good service. I had the Lasagna and the noodles were really soft and mushy. My wife had some pasta with a butter and garlic sauce and it really had no taste. My daughter had the flatbread and though that it was okay but for these prices the food should be remarkable.
(2)
Mer F.
Went here to use my free complimentary free dessert coupon with a any purchase. My sister and I had already eaten at another restaurant so we decided to have dessert here. Phil was our server who was very prompt in presenting us the daily specials by drawing and writing with his artistic abilities on top of our table. I felt bad because after all that presentation, we just wanted dessert, but hands down to his service. We both ordered the tiramisu and the the chocolate cake, which he mentioned was his favorite. It took a good 15-20minutes before we got our desserts. I was wondering why it was taking a bit long, but it was because the cake came out HOT! Let me tell you, Good things come to those who wait! It was scrumptious! Desserts cost $8 a piece! Yikes! Good thing we got a coupon!
(4)
Stevie D.
Visited on a Saturday night so the restaurant had a 30 minute wait for 2. We sat at the bar with no waiting. Bartender was polite and attentive. I ordered the caprese salad and fettuccine alfredo and both were fresh and delicious. They serve bread with olive oil and pepper for dipping. We asked for fresh grated parmesan in the oil and it was superb! The food came out almost all at once and didn't take long after ordering. The restaurant atmosphere is good but loud.
(4)
Elizabeth H.
I was extremely disappointed at my recent visit to Macaroni Grill. While the food was okay, the horrible service just ruined our experience. Our dinner had lasted close to two hours, and most of the time it was due to waiting for our food, drinks, and check. While we had a very friendly server, my husband actually had to go look for her, because we had been waiting a while for our check. While, we weren't helped a lot, at least the workers were smiling. On a positive note, the food was pretty good. I loved the bread and my pasta milano. It wasn't the best pasta I ever ate, but it hit the spot for my pasta craving. After the okay food and not so wonderful service, I probably wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Sunny S.
Friendly, attentive staff. Their place is kinda big, feels very cozy. Food is good, from appetizers to main entree. Even their keiki mac & cheese is so good, my daughter kept asking for them. Love their bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delisiozo!!! I also love that they're kid-friendly and their restrooms are clean.
(4)
Jhay B.
Went to eat here cause it was our first time. The minute we walked in, it was a 10 minute wait. Within that wait we noticed a lot of seats emptied and wonder why they don't just sit us there. Anyways got out food I took the pasta sampler and all of the food was bland or one of them on my plate was too salty with a weird after taste. Our server kept forgetting about certain things cause I had to ask for more water and for more butter and more napkins and etc. not a very friendly service either but it will be the last and final visit!! If I had to relocate I would of spend my money at bravo!!
(1)
Adam G.
My date and I have eaten here twice and both times was a great experience. This resturant in particular stands shoulder to shoulder with Macaroni Grill resturants I've eaten at in Vegas and Texas. I would recommend this place for a friend.
(4)
Brandon F.
awesome food and awesome service. the alfredo i had had so much flavor with every bite. lots of chicken. the waitress (katie) was very friendly. im coming back here soon
(5)
Russel M.
5 Stars as far as Chain Restaurants go. Tonight was our first experience at the Ala Moana RMG. WOW! We had an outstanding time. Service with CAT (yeah her real Stage name) was perfect. She's a killer Opera Singer. Just ask for a song. The Chef (Mike) came out and said hi (we know each other from some Charity work we participate in together) he's a great guy. We ordered the Mama's Trio and the Pork Chop. Both were very nice. Highly recommended for your next party or dinner.
(4)
Mimi M.
The customer service was great and kids got to draw with crayons on the paper that they've prepared for table cloth. The lady that attended to us gave us suggestions and was very friendly. We also love the atmosphere there. We can't wait to go back and eat there again!
(5)
Jojo M.
I had a steak and fried mozzarella... One of the best steaks ever; it was totally worth the $26.00. The service is great and the place is very clean. Additionally, Military service personnel can get $10.00 off by using a coupon that is available at all MWR ITT offices. I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Tyler Y.
I'm adding a mediocre review based on the service. My boyfriend and I came in for a late lunch/early dinner, so we made it to happy hour. We were seated in the lounge area, where there were probably seven other families and at least 3 servers separated between tables. We had the server named Brian. Of course I loved the drawing paper. The food was nearly half off (well, certain dishes), but a lot of the menu items were being replaced :( Anyways, back to the service. Sorry, but Brian was slow at coming back to us, and to make up for not checking up on us and taking a while, he was definitely a kiss a** and I know why. When we paid our tab in cash, we didn't get a recipe that accounted for the transaction. Our tab was $26 and we only got $9 back... (we paid it with two twenty dollar bills, so we should've got back $14...) apparently out server felt obligated to take the tip out himself... Sorry, but last time I checked, the customers have the option to leave a tip and servers can't just help themselves to a tip... Imagine if we had paid with a credit/debit card. We never would've known if he overcharged us for his tip!! Word to the wise, count your change! Don't plan on coming back in a while because of this one sneaky act.
(2)
Wilma A.
We have been to this place 4x. The first time was a pleasant experience, we got seated fast and the selection of menu was better. The server was cherry on top because she was very personable. The second to fourth time, the quality of steak has changed dramatically. They also changed their menu beginning this year. My husband is a picky eater, he said the steak wasn't as tender anymore. The chocolate cake was so-so, it's supposed to be "homemade" but it didn't wow us. Salmon was fresh but nothing out-of-this world experience.
(3)
nikki k.
I decided to give Macaroni Grill another chance and I have to say I wasn't sad that I did. I went there last night thinking it was going to be packed but surprisingly it was very empty (being Easter and all). Our waitress was a little clumsy and forgetful but had a very cheerful and pleasant personality which made up for the "bad". For appetizers we got the calamari and fried cheese...both were served nice and hot with good flavor. Dinner was a split between my sister and myself. She ordered lobster ravioli and I decided on the mushroom ravioli. Both were VERY tasty and flavorful but the lobster ravioli by far was the winner that night. If I order something with lobster, I'm going to expect a decent amount of it and they did NOT disappoint! No desert, but I did have the Moscato and it was DELICIOUS!!! I'm so happy that I gave this place another chance. I will probably be coming back. Good job Macaroni Grill!
(4)
Vicky H.
While my favorite type of food isn't Italian, I must say their food is delicious and moderate in portion. The ambience in here is great and the service is average. I don't like the fact a opera singer sings for everyone and then tries to collect tip from the tables she randomly sings to.... And what's with the kindergarten paper place mats and crayons? Sure it's great for families, but for a date? How awkward! With all said and done, they are okay and is a great place to eat after shopping all day.. But only because ala moans CPK wait is too darn long.
(3)
Jason H.
I come here time to time because I work in Ala Moana. Sometimes I am so over the food court so I like to feel high class and eat at one of the restaurants upstairs. I'm always pleased with Macaroni Grill because the portions are a good size for what you pay for. The bread is good so eating some of that along with your dish is just perfect. I never have enough room to eat my whole meal, so I like to take the rest home and eat it later. Who doesn't like leftover pasta? It's super easy to just reheat and it taste just as good! Tips: 1) If you're torn on what to get, I 99% of the time get the Carmela's Chicken ($17) It never fails me. Try it out. 2) Also, if you eat light and don't feel like taking anything home, try sharing with a friend. I think splitting one meal would be perfect for two people. 3) If you're pressed for time, just sit at the bar! I find that the bartenders can serve you faster cause they are always behind the counter. Happy Eating!
(5)
Brittany L.
I've been to this macoroni grill location three times. Every time I leave I wonder why I ever go back. The first time wasn't too terrible...but these last two take the cake. My husband had hair in his food! Because boys are gross, he just took it out and continued eating (gag) and we told our waiter and he just said, "oh ok, but you're fine now?". O_o never even apologized let alone offered to bring it back. There is a serious lack of training employees here which is a shame because all the servers are very friendly...it's not their fault that they don't know customer recovery. Shame on the management. And we had to send several drinks back to the bar last visit because they were terrible. I swear one mojito was half sour mix. They were completely undrinkable. After the bartenders third attempt we gave up and just left the drink sit at the table.
(1)
Megan T.
This place is really cute and I love how they put paper on the tables to keep the guests occupied. The service we received was great (our waiter's name was brad) and the food was pretty good too. I had the fettuccine Alfredo, which is the best I've ever had by far. It had the right amount of flavor and filled me up quick! My boyfriend had the pork chops which he said was okay but had too much flavor and was kind of overpowering but it filled him up. He suggests you get the under a brick chicken instead. But all in all, this place is great :)
(4)
Don D.
Ive been to this restaurant as a duo and even as part of a party. It seems like my experience was better when it was a party than when I went with my wife. Overall, I would still rate the restaurant 4 stars. As a party, the service was attentive and prompt. But I notice when I go as a "couple" the service is lacking. The server tends to forget we are there and tends to the larger tables in their section. The food never disappoints though and most times, we are taking food home because we always over order so we can try more stuff! Regardless of the situation, food and service still tends to be on the better side! I will be back for sure.
(4)
Lisa T.
Macaroni Grill you disappoint me :( I came here often for office parties and service was usually pretty good with the servers checking on us often, and the groups being seated rather quickly, maybe because the office parties were during lunch. Having dinner reservations? A whole other story. A disappointing one too. I made reservations for my mom's birthday dinner for a party of 10. When we arrived 10 minutes early, they stated they were still working on our table but to let them know as soon as half the party was there. Our party arrived by the reservation time so I checked in with the hostess again. She stated it would be another 10 minutes before we could be seated. 20 minutes later they sat us next to another large party which is basically 30 minutes after our original reservation time. We sat around waiting for the server who took drink orders for our table. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, but the server decided to bring glasses for only half. We decided to order another bottle for the other half to enjoy which took 15 minutes to bring. This was just the beginning of a long and hot dinner. Half of our table stated it was pretty warm in the restaurant as we sipped our water to stay cool...water glasses/bottles stayed empty for half the meal with 10 people trying to stretch the water bottle to last. When the food made its way out, it seemed to be brought out by a runner. Again the waiter is MIA as he was for most of the meal. The upside of the evening was the restaurant did note we were celebrating a birthday and were nice enough to bring out a dessert for my mom as well as have a server sing to my mom in Italian which she loved. The same server also offered to fan my mom after he noticed she was sweating and kept fanning herself through out the night. Our actual server took another 5-10 minutes to bring out dessert menus for the rest of our table. Once we ordered and received our dessert (which was brought out by a runner), we were left to eat our dessert with no utensils. We didn't see our waiter until the end of the evening when he delivered our bill. Overall, the service has gone down hill tremendously. I enjoy their food but it is not worth the time to eat there any more. I hope somehow Macaroni Grill can turn it around and improve service. Until then, I think I will go elsewhere.
(1)
Clarissa M.
Why the hell did I bother to return? Family wanted to go here. We just came in told happy hour was going on feel free to seat in the happy hour bar section so we did and no server ever stopped by to give us bread water or even acknowledge our presence. This place has 10 servers standing around no attentive servers. Does management care? It's terrible and because of my experience here I wish Yelp had a negative rating system cause this place would deserve it. We brought it to the attention of the hostess as she was the only person who was around and we left.
(1)
Deano G.
Very average & you can get this stuff anywhere. Take your time while on the island and seek out the local flavor and spend your money there. You shouldn't be disappointed at all...
(3)
Anita C.
I went for lunch the other day bcs my friend wanted Italian and I said to him that all the good Italian places I know were open for dinner... He suggested Buca and I suggested Macaroni Grill. I won since he's never been to Mac Grill. I was happy I won out since I know Mac Grill takes the iDcard and we'll get a free dessert, heehee I had the sausage pizza and he had the Mama's trio. Oh my, there was so much sausage on my pizza! I was in sausage heaven, so yummy! My friend's trio was massive and he couldn't even finish it. We both had enough food left over for another meal. So for dessert we got the tiramisu and it was delishhhhhhhh! Oh man it was so good! If I wasn't so stuffed from my pizza, I wouldn't have shared the tiramisu! I haven't been to Mac Grill in a long time and after this trip, I will be coming back more often.
(4)
Duong U.
My wife are not big fans of the corporate chain restaurants. But, Macaroni Grill always pleases. Good food at a reasonable price. Try their happy hour menu...Great service, Great pricing!
(4)
Mary Q.
My girlfriend had a gift certificate, and I said " Yes, of course, I will meet you there!" Well Romano's came through for us again!! We sat in the bar area this time, and it had a nice warm modern Italian feel. The bar looked nice, but we sat at a high 2 top. Katie, our waitress (who crayoned her name upside down) was attentive and pleasant. We had one glass of wine and a Lemonade Limonello drink, and were uncertain what to order. Katie was very helpful and suggested to get the special 2 appetizers for $14 and we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers and a shrimp, avocado, bean bruschetta. The peppers were AWESOME! Had a good time, and will come back again!
(5)
Tiffany Y.
I think it is about time that I write a review about this place especially because I'm always hinting that I want my birthday party there so they can sing to me "opera style". But, this past Tuesday, my husband and I went there for a "Tweetup Tribute for a well-loved social media individual." The event was great, however, I was very impressed that Romano's Macaroni Grill accomodated this big of a party. Service: We got there an hour and a half late but the waitress came up to us within 10 minutes asking if we wanted to be started with drinks. Since everyone ate, we only ordered something light. Our waitress...I wish I got her name but she was so helpful always inquiring without being bothersome if we wanted refills or anything else. Atmosphere: Just right. Although the tables are close together, it is not claustraphobic or to where you may smell the other person's body odor at the table next to yours. Price: Reasonable Menu: All right...we only ordered a chicken caesar salad that fed both my husband and I as well as the spinach artichoke. I noticed they have this very nice chocolate dessert but we didn't order dessert. Plus: Your child-like tendencies will come out with the crayons they will place on the table for you to draw while waiting. This past Tuesday was not my first time there, I've been there previously in groups or with my husband. One thing that hasn't changed...they always provide great customer service.
(4)
Ness ..
Went here with my girlfriend to enjoy our date.. But the service was horrible!! We both felt very uncomfortable & dissatisfied with our waiter SHELDAN Reasons for the reason we won't return: - didn't get offered water till 10mins after we got seated (mention that it wasn't even busy!) -haven't been asked if we needed anything (he PURPOSELY PASSED US MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE WE MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING) Only reason there's even a star on this review because the food was good Overall, SHELDAN made my girlfriend and I uncomfortable and we think it's because were gay!
(1)
Regina N.
I love Italian food, especially pasta and this is one of the places I love coming to. The Parmesan fries and calamari was really good, a lot of flavor. My bf ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the penne rustica. Portions were more than I assumed and very flavorful!
(4)
Mel M.
Services are great but could be better if consistent. Other than that I love the meals and deals they always have. Lovely lunch menu too!
(4)
Tina H.
I ordered an eggplant quadratini yesterday. It was delicious, but huge so I had to take most of it home with me. Today, I brought a portion over for lunch. Midway into biting into the pasta, I chewed on something hard ... REALLY HARD (Insert obligatory "That's what she said.") It was a piece of porcelain. I knew it couldn't be from anything that I used because I only had a plastic fork and paper plate. I called management and they agreed that it was probably a piece of their bowl that chipped off. As a reward for not dying from their mistake, I get a voucher in the mail for the exact price of the eggplant quadratini. Here's a picture of the piece that I found: yelp.com/biz_photos/aKNb… Best recommendation on your next visit: Ask for the lobster ravioli and ask to hold the razor blades.
(1)
Katlyn S.
I hosted a baby shower here last weekend and we had a wonderful experience. They have a private room for parties, so I was able to decorate and have privacy! They let me into the room an hour early so that I could put the decorations on the table and get everything set. Then, during the shower our waiter was awesome and quick. The only extra cost for the room is the mandatory 18% gratuity, which we didn't mind at all. The room is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are cheerful and helpful. They definitely earn 5 stars in my book!
(5)
Aaron W.
I love eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food is great, the portions are generous, and the staff is very friendly. I also like the fact that you can bring your kids and keep them occupied with the crayons and paper table cloth. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the bread, which is some kind of sour dough with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also love the option that they give you to create your own pasta. I usually just do this when I eat at Romano's.
(5)
Brandon S.
I've never been a big fan of mainland chain "big box" type of establishments. Their menus are often times cookie cutter and nothing localized. Sometimes I wonder about the food because rather than a chef using his own integrity to create the dish, they rely on a preset protocol to push the food out to the customers. This is one of the few places besides CPK that I don't mind coming to knowing the above. I guess I'm a sucker for Italian food. The other night I went here with my girlfriend and we order a couple entrees and a salad. The house salad was pretty good, it came with a Mediterranean Balsamic Vinaigrette on top of the house bread which was close to a french roll with rosemary. Pretty good too. Our entrees came, I ordered nothing fancy this time around and got the spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce. You can't mess this up right? They didn't, the sauce was excellent. It reminded me of the type you cooked up and simmered at home. The drawback was that there wasn't enough noodles. So it was almost like a soup. My girlfriend ate the mushroom ravioli and I tried a piece of it and I thought this was pretty good too. It was the type of food you would expect at a hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery which is a bit of a surprise to me. Ordinarily i would have given this place a solid 4-stars just based on the taste of our food, however our server, needed to be reminded or asked countless times about one thing or another. So I think that costs this place 1-star. Before you say anything let me explain why.... The place wasn't packed as we were there a bit on the later side when the mall was closing so there's no excuse for this. Things like not getting the water refilled when we clearly had empty cups for a long period of time. We asked our server if we could have our food packed up and said he'd be right back after he helped out these other folks. 15 minutes later we had to ask again and about 10 minutes later he finally came to take our plate to pack up. I asked if we could take our leftover bread and he replied yes I'll pack that up for you too. He didn't. When the check finally came I asked again, can we get something for the bread and our server exclaimed he'd bring us an empty container. Instead he brought our bill back after I charged it with no box. My girlfriend even said you asked him twice to bring the bill, twice to box up our food and twice for the bread. We finally ended up leaving without the bread because we didn't want to wait any longer. Lame.
(3)
Michael M.
I notice a lot of reviews of this place start with "I came here because I had a gift card..." I have one better: my brother's girlfriend had a gift card and used it to take us all out. This is a restaurant that you cannot take too seriously if you want to enjoy it. We came here 6 pm on a Sunday night with reservations and were actually seated promptly. Loud, festive atmosphere where you can still have a table conversations. This is a good atmosphere for family/friends to reconnect if you don't mind the food. The food (rolls up sleeves). Okay Mr. Romano and your Macaroni Grill. There is this this substance called "salt." It is "Na" combined with "Cl" on the periodic table of elements and has a cubic, crystalline structure. It also goes great on food. You and your staff should really investigate it. Everyone is using it nowadays in finer restaurants. We noticed there was no bread and asked the waiter. He said "we have a new policy where we won't give you bread unless you request it." He wasn't about to let us in on the new policy. I wonder what else we are missing out on without asking for it. We ordered family style. Margherita Pizza, Carbonara, Caprese, Eggplant Parmasian. As mention before, there was no f-ing salt! Even the carbonara, with prosciutto which is salt cured lacked salt! On a side note. I think they mistake MSG for salt here. It makes sense. Looks similar. The only reason why I have this theory is that we all had that weird MSG feeling after dinner. Service was friendly, but we didn't appreciate the "guess our new policy game." The only reason why I would come back is if I had a gift card.
(2)
Dee S.
we just tried this restaurant for the first time about a month ago when family was here and we had a great experience! Not only was our waiter fun and really on point with everything on the menu, but we never needed to ask for anything, she had it all there before we even thought of it! I also have two small children and then just loved coloring on the paper tablecloth! There were no cell phones, or tablets, just good family fun drawing all over the table! Food was great and prices weren't bad. We have already gone back and will be going back again. Thanks!
(5)
Cassie T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill. To many this is just another chain restaurant and if you think this you are totally correct. However, since I am from Alaska this was my first trip to the Macaroni Grill. First let me say that at the Ala Moana Center if you try to go to CPK, or some of the other restaurants and they are busy just try the Macaroni Grill. They had absolutely no wait when I recently visited. We were seated immediately! Our waiter came over and suddenly the paper table cloth and crayons on the table suddenly made sense. Call it cheesy if you wish, but I thought this was neat. I am also very impressed with our waiter, Peter, and the fact that he can write his name upside down. Give it a try next time! On to the eats. I was dining with a coworker and we both opted for the pick 2 lunch combo for like $11.99. I think this is a pretty good deal! I ordered the Fresh Green Salad and the Carmela's Chicken. The pasta was pretty tasty and it had roasted chicken, rigatoni, caramelized onions, and mushrooms in a marsala cream. I also love this pick two option because it is the perfect portion for things like pasta! My friend ordered the soup and sandwich, she said it was pretty good. Overall our lunch experience here was good. I will come back for more pasta for sur3e!
(4)
Tamra P.
Italian is not normally my first choice for lunch (kinda puts me in kanak attack mode) and I am not usually a fan of chains but Romano's is a good non-food court option at Ala Moana. Service on my last visit was fabulous. Waiter was very friendly, quick, and checked up on us in a timely manner. Food was timed well. Bread here is a bit oily on the crust but the herbs are yummy. We shared a calamari appetizer, and I had a combo salad/ pasta (rigatoni, chicken, mushrooms, and olives), great deal for $11. Portion was nicely sized - not overwhelming like I would expect and the flavor was ok - nothing spectacular, but good. Hubby enjoyed his lobster ravioli. The happy hour deals seem like a great value, and this place is also a good option if you have kids.
(3)
Stace P.
I was a little nervous coming here because of the mixed reviews, but we had some gift cards and figured "Why not?" Came in at 11am, right when they opened. Was seated very quickly in the bar side of the restaurant at one of the side tables. We were all very hungry including the kids. Chase was our server and I will just say the 5 stars is strictly based on his service. The food is good, don't get me wrong, but nothing to be raving about. The complimentary bread is good. I had the lasagna and the hubby had spaghetti and meatballs. We each added the bib and bleu salad to our meals. (Highly recommended!) Kids ate the spaghetti and meet balls and pepperoni pizza. All were delicious. Food came out quickly which I greatly appreciated since I was starving. Chase was very attentive to the drinks at our table, patient with our orders (especially with the kids) and even when he assembled our EVOO and balsamic mix he added some flare into it. He was polite and courteous. Let's just say hopefully every server provides this type of customer service. He should probably start giving classes to others who need help. I believe customer service is quickly becoming a lost art and Chase is a refreshing glimpse into what customer service should be. The hubby and I were very impressed.
(5)
Robin K.
Had the best dinner last night at Macaroni Grill and are so appreciative of the service we received. Our waitress Karen made us feel like we were home eating with family! The food was great, my favorite piece was the lobster ravioli! The restaurant is a definite must visit for anyone on vacation or if you are lucky enough to be Kamia'aina, stop in as well. Great food, great service, great ambiance. We will be sure to ask for Karen the next time we are in!
(5)
Kelly K.
Firepit seating is the way to go if you have a small group of 2 or 3. They serve the same menu and it's quite a cozy spot. Food is typical for a large chain like Macaroni Grill. Service was friendly and attentive. The impromptu opera singing server was strange to me (even though the server had a beautiful voice). The only gripe I have is with the time it took to get our food. What a long wait.
(3)
Mark M.
Even before Yelp's star rating system, I always thought this place deserved high scores. I've only encountered two problems here and one of them happened just last night. When I think of an ideal hostess, I think of a very nice, pleasant, happy to accommodate, smiling girl. When we walked in last night to tell them we had reservations, we encountered a hostess that did not have a single quality of the many I just mentioned. What we got was a hostess who was rude, unhappy, not so pleasant girl who glared at me while I mentioned we had reservations for two. I hope the manager of this place reads this (and I'm sure he does) because our entire evening was saved by our server Jeff. This guy is effing awesome. He's got perfect timing. He came right when we needed to order our meal, he gave us our bread right about when I was about to ask for it, and he checked up on us in a method that wasn't annoying or spaced too far apart. This guy was trained right and I hope he's the one that trains future servers for this establishment. This guy even cracked jokes at all the right times. So yes, give that man a raise. I bet you're wondering how the food was. I honestly have to say that Macaroni Grill has never done me wrong when it comes to the food. Last night I had the pasta milano which is made with bowtie pasta, my personal favorite. They toss that and chicken in a nice creamy garlic sauce. We also had the crab stuffed mushrooms which were amazing, and the wife ordered the lobster ravioli which is always succulent, fresh, and seasoned just right. We had two servings of their house bread which always comes out hot and delicious and we dipped the pieces in the EVOO and cracked pepper... so good. Oh, I lost my train of thought. You're probably wondering what the second issue was eh? A while back, I had dinner with some co-workers and our dinner dates. After dinner I wanted to order the dessert ravioli which I didn't know they discontinued. I tried to order it from our server and his response was... "Oh, we discontinued it." "When did that happen?" I asked. "Just now." He told me. Wait what? Like just now since I ordered it? What was he trying to say? They didn't discontinue it that morning or after lunch.. they discontinued it... "Just now." I've never forgiven him for that and this happened over a year ago.
(4)
Randy E.
Jessie our waiter was amazing!!! The food took way to long.... And there was a big ant problem at the table level and my ankles received several ant bites as I sat in the booth. Not a great experience.....
(2)
Greg C.
The only complaint I have about Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana is that there is almost always a long wait to get inside, but that's to be expected when they serve such delicious Italian food! I love Macaroni Grill! The appetizers are winna's, but the Tomato Bruschetta is worth the cost...even my kids love it! I like all Italian food, but I find myself continually ordering the Chicken Marsala. It's got such a strong but delicious mushroom taste, I'm hooked! Eating at Macaroni Grill is money well spent, and it's good for my tummy!!
(5)
Vanessa B.
I had the shrimp portofino. The portion was good, and the food was great, especially the bread with the special macaroni grill dipping sauce. There is a huge paper on top of the table cloth for kids and adults to draw on it and keeping the guests entertained. There are crayons as well. The servers are entertaining by introducing themselves and writing their names upside down on the paper for the guests to easily read it. At times, if there is no space on the table to write their names, some servers won't even write it. I think they should have find a way to write their name, just to keep that contingency of macaroni grill entertainment. Overall, I had a good time and it's a great place to hang out with your friends and eat at Ala Moana.
(4)
Paris N.
I've been here once before, but that was 3 years ago, and they have def gone down hill. Customer Serivce was horrible. Our server was Jeff, even though we didn't have to wait to be seated (at 5pm) we had a long wait for everything. He forgot to bring water (before he brought our wine over), forgot our bread, even asked us twice if we would like an appitizer, which we ordered the first time he asked us. I usually tip very well, but by this time I already knew I wouldn't be with this server. The food was great, we even had another server bring it over including the appitizer. Everytime our server, Jeff, would come over to randomly bring an item he forgot, he wouldn't say a word. We will not be visiting again. It might have just been our server, or the time of day, but we had poor service. We even got there before a rush, so there was no excuse for us not to get everything in a timely manner.
(1)
Dean I.
We had a party of 8, OK wait time to get seated, considering the time, 5:00pm. Our server was pleasant and topped off our drinks frequently. Food was good. Consistent with the other Macaroni Grill in Hawaii. The noise level was kinda loud, however it was Saturday evening. Also, there were several birthday celebrations going on at that time.
(3)
Debra N.
The food is fantastic, personable servers, some sing, and a favorite spot for the locals who love Italian food. It's best to make reservations ahead. If I don't, I try to go a little early, like 11:00-11:15 AM to beat the crowd.
(5)
Liz Z.
My mother and I went to Macaroni Grill for Easter supper. It was a bit noisy with the post church crowd when we first got there around 2:30pm; we were seated in the lounge area near the bar. Our server was Brian, who was working behind the bar but also took care of our table. He approached our table in good time, as busy as it was, and gave us the low-down on the special menu items of the day while writing it all out on the table, UPSIDE DOWN (to him) on the tablepaper, with a crayon, at the speed of light (mother, as I, was impressed). There was some confusion because the recent change in the menu (I was perturbed by the change), but Brian was quick to direct us to the best left of the menu. Long story short, the food runners were so polite, the food rocked, Brian was personable, attentive, and charming to my mother (she can be a challenge) and me. To top it off the bartender working with Brian came to our table to ask what we thought of everything. The grub was tasty and the waiter and staff were very cool.
Delicious, authentic, zesty Italian dishes. Appetizers Goat cheese peppers YUM, the spicy meatballs are deluxous too.
(5)
moejoe r.
Can't believe that we waited 1 1/2 hours for horrible service and a minimal menu. Micka was our server and so not with it the night we were there. He asked for our drink order and said that he would bring bread to our table asap. There were 5 in our party; he dropped off two of the five drinks and said they were low on the bread and said he would go check on it. Ten minutes passed before he came back to the table with bread, but not the rest of our drinks. When we asked about the other drinks, which were simply fountain drinks, he said he would bring them next and that he was pretty backed up with tables. REALLY??? Sorry to take up your time dude!!! He is lucky that me or my husband were NOT paying the tab because he wouldn't have gotten a tip from from us!!! Some other negatives about our night there: *Salads were served and we were asked if we would like crushed pepper and we all said yes but the server forgot to bring it with them and they had run around the restaurant looking for the pepper mill!!! *We were still eating our food and Micka came over and asked us if we wanted to-go boxes. It was 9pm, they weren't closing soon and we felt that we were being pushed out the door. *Server was ready to present the check and yet never offered dessert.
(1)
Paige L.
31 Yelps Review Challenge 9/31 Placing a carryout order here is like pulling teeth. "Can I get a name for the order?" "Paige." "Jane??" "No, PAIGE." "OH oh oh ok, go ahead with your order Blake." WTH In spite of forcing the employee to repeat my order back to me several times, it was still completely wrong when I picked it up. The manager offered me a card for a free dessert on my next visit, which was a nice gesture (and a sign of good customer service), but honestly I don't know when I'll get around to using it. The food is really nothing special and is overpriced for both the quality and the quantity.
(2)
Inu K.
Complimentary bread with olive oil and peppercorns was great, Had the lobster ravvioli great, great for kids, server we had great. Prices great.
(5)
Angela M.
Dear Macaroni Grill, You said you would write happy birthday on the table but did not. You informed us that the table we were being seated at did not work with booster seats. You would think that when I said "two small children" over the phone, you would have placed us somewhere where my child would not have to eat with her chin resting on the table. Though admittedly it may have been neater that way. You ran out of crayons. You gave my kids activity sheets but no crayons. We finally secured a yellow crayon. This is like having no crayon. Your service was spectacularly slow and acquiring our loaves of bread took fifteen minutes the first time and twenty the second. The bread was crusty and delicious, but the kitchen was either poorly engineered and you lack oven space or you're trying to save money on bread. We are willing to pay a small fee for the bread if you bring it out more quickly. At least ten cents, possibly even a quarter. My pregnant and parched friend had to risk life and limb and rise to a standing position, waving frantically so we could finally get our water refilled. In retrospect I suppose one of us non-pregnant folk could have stood, but it didn't occur to us in the moment. You put my entree in front of someone else and commenced to parmesan it before they realized it was not theirs. I then was forced to eat an entree with cheese on it, which I did not want, as I feared having it sent back to the kitchen would have incurred another 30 minute wait for my food. Your pesto lacks in, what is the word, ah yes, flavor. Half the shaker of salt offered some improvement and transformed "bland and oily" into "edible". You forgot to bring my kids their beverages until the end of the meal. Which actually turned out to be a good thing as pineapple juice apparently has a laxative effect on my two year old. We do appreciate the chocolate cake for our birthday people. Though the cakes took another twenty minutes and had the moistness of a sponge in the desert. Also, may I suggest that if your singer has gone home for the evening, do not force a random non-singing waiter to attempt the operatic Italian version of Happy Birthday. Although according to the men, that was the best part. We will surely speak of it for years to come. My husband was rather peeved that our dinner, completely due to slow service, took over two hours as the Shirokiya beer garden had stopped serving beer. To him this is... tragic. As far as corporate chains, we have had much better experiences at the factory of cheesecake and the kitchen of pizza. We will not be returning any time soon. Sincerely, Angela
(2)
Jonathan V.
Environment: 5/5 Employees: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Parking: 5/5 Cost: 3/5 People Traffic: 3/5 Total: 24/30 Synopsis: Being a hard-worker pays off...HUGE! Last minute, for Jane's birthday (Jon's friend), we decided to go to Macaroni Grill. I was aware of the menu change last year, some time in December, but was in for a surprise! When I heard there was a 30-45 minute wait, I sighed. I instantly told the hostess, "IT'S MERCEDES GIRLLLL!" She's like, "MERCEDDESS! Don't worry, we got it, just come in!" It turned out not only did we receive instant seating, but also got a discount. How lucky am I? Anyway, more to that, the food presentation is far greater than it was before, and the food recipes for fried calamari and margarita pizza changed. Fried Calamari yes, Margarita Pizza..NO! Fried Mac balls YES! And of course the mush rav! You have to have to have this. I miss working here, honestly! Environment: To the untrained eye, you may think that things are the same. The backboard behind the hostess has been taken down, new boards w/ specials on it around the restaurant, and the attire is more casual. Not a terrible change. The hostess are not wearing simply black and have more of a jazz to it, which is respectable. I like the changes that has been made. The menus are all on paper now, which doesn't save the environment, but I am super glad the company kept their signature paper on cloth concept, so you can draw! If you sit at the bar, there is a small fire pit that you would love! The window view is not great, but as a whole the place inspires romance. One word: booths! Employees: I miss everyone: Chef Mike, Chef Fred, Brad, Chase, Kory, Mel, David, Nick, Nikki, Brian x 2, Ed, Josie, Josie's mom, Travis, etc. I forgot the waitresses name, but yes, she knew "Mercedes" off the back. Isn't helpful to have a nickname? Anyway, she said, "Don't worry about it." Once at the door, there were new girls and I told them, "Hey, it's Mercedes." They told me it was a 20 minutes wait. I was like O_O...then when the hostess who knew me, came, hugged me, and she said, "RIGHT THIS WAY BABES!" Bam...table 132 (I remember my tables Mel!! You just caught me drunk!) I hugged everyone I knew and Brad was even nice enough to get me some Fried Mac Balls! Awesome-possum! Much love. Skyy was our waiter and he had a killer smile and was supah cute. Though wasn't the best, best service in the world I was gracious of the other things, otherwise. Although one great mistake he did, which I didn't like, was the fact that he took the unfinished Fried Calamari without asking if we were done with it. O_O OMG! And...to this day we are still waiting for our balsamic vinaigrette..... it never came the entire night. Newbie? Food: I am not sure if it is the presentation or not, but the dish amount seemed smaller, but that is okay. In general the pricing increased and that is to be anticipated due to the changes and inflation of gas prices. In addition, I should have been less drunk so I could have asked what would have been better to order. WOMP, WOMP! Fried Calamari: The new concoction is dreamy!! Way better than it was before, and hot off the oven. MMmmmm...I ate everything....or tried to before it was taken from me. The sauce container is too small to finish all the squid things with. Boo... Margarita Pizza: Not as good as it was before. I liked the cherry tomatoes better because of offered a sweeter taste. With the round tomatoes, too much liquid made the pizza taste water-down. Don't do it people! Mushroom Ravioli: OMG! 6 pieces of cheese and mushroom heaven. I am so glad this was left on the menu. Yum! It was sooo damn good! Because we didn't have the vinegarette at our table, we just used the sauce for dipping our bread. :D It's an excellent substitute. Creamy yumminess! Fried Macaroni Balls: Although, due to the nature of this (FRIED!), I wouldn't order it off the back, it was scrumptious. I was surprised because I don't like mac'n'cheese much. But having those fried balls dipped in more cheese was cherry on top. Orgy in my mouth! Fireworks type of explosions. Parking: There is a lot of parking in Ala Moana. What is fortunate is the fact that it's right by the escalator and stairway. It's quite the real estate location to be seen from the parking lot. Cost: The pricing certainly increased, but fortunately received the discount we had been given. Thanks David! Overall, it's not atrocious, but it is also not the cheapest in the world. If you are coming here, be certain that you're going to choose the best dishes. If you're new to Mac Grill before the changes, then this would not be much of a concern to you. People Traffic: Let me advise you not to come here on a Friday/Saturday night. They are busy! Slammed!! Always! I am unable to inform you as to when they are not busy, but it varies, I presume. Best to do is call before coming!
(4)
Susan T.
I was contacted by the GM shortly after my last update. I was invited to come back and try them again. I will do so. The GM was polite, friendly, and apologetic for our poor experience.
(2)
Terri O.
They have a new Menu since I've been there last... Over a year ago. Surprisingly Good! Rosemary Chicken was awesome...But service is still slow. Staff very friendly
(4)
Vernelle O.
Food is ok but kind of bland and shrimp wasn't really cooked well. However, our friend ordered the mushroom ravioli and that was delicious!
(3)
Olivia D.
The wait at CPK at 6:30 on a Friday night was an hour long, so we decided to put our names on the list for Macaroni Grill and see what happened. I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill in Hawaii, especially since they deleted the Insalata Rosa (the best salad ever!) from their menu, but it's fine when you're hungry. Our server was very personable and he kept bread on the table and our drinks full. I wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but I also wanted to try the fresh pasta, so they let me do a substitution. Alas, there is no happy medium. The regular pastas come out too soft and overcooked and the fresh pasta is super hard. It's beyond al dente. I've never had pasta that hard and dry. The meat sauce and meatballs tasted good--the sauce was substantial and had a nice wine flavor--but it was too salty. Everyone's dinner was too salty. Even my boyfriend was shocked when he tried his son's macaroni and cheese and noted the high sodium content--and this is a guy who loves salt. My boyfriend had a chicken and arugula flatbread pizza and he really liked it, but that guy will really eat anything covered in arugula. We also dug the fried mozzerella appetizer. Fried cheese is just good no matter what. Overall, the good service made up for the lackluster food.
(3)
Arlene A.
One good thing about gift cards, they're great for bringing you to places you wouldn't normally partronize. So yes, Romano's is such a place. It's been some time since I last ate here, mainly because the food is a little too rich for my taste. Definitely a fun place to come in groups though, so a bunch of us did just that when we had to use a gift card. It was a rainy, Friday night, so naturally there were lots of people who were hanging out at the mall so they wouldn't have to sit in some horrdenous traffic. Checked in with the hostess in front and were told that the wait would be about 50 minutes, and they would text us when our table was ready. Meh. Not ideal but we weren't super hungry and were able to kill some time walking around the mall. We returned a little after 50 minutes and had to wait another 20 or so minutes for our table.The hostess thanked us for waiting and led us to our table and said our waiter would be with us shortly. To make a long story short, the customer service here is good; very friendly and attentive staff. The two stars is mainly for the food, which was way too salty that we couldn't even taste the flavor of the actual dishes. On the menu were the margharita pizza, caprese salad, warm spinach salad, mushroom soup and calamari. Honestly, the only dish I liked was the free baked bread with the accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Presentation was nice but can accumulate only so many points. I'm not totally writing this place off my list but it'll definitely take a lot of pressuring if someone wants me to eat here!
(2)
Kaliko P.
The first time I tried to eat here was many years ago but didn't make it to the table as I sat around for 10 minutes in the empty restaurant (they had just opened). A guy walks up to me and I was eager to see that I was finally going to be able to eat here! Yay. Then he says, "we are not open yet but if you want to, you can wait outside...it will be around 15 minutes". I sulked out and vowed never to return. By some weird fate we ended up at the 'Mac today, after I swore I'd never come back. I got bad flashbacks when the hostess (who got our name wrong even after I said it THREE TIMES..and no, it wasn't my name, it was my husbands and he has a one-syllable Christian name....) said, "the wait will be 10 to 15 minutes", to which I looked around at all the empty tables. I grumbled to the husband and said, "I am looking at the time and if they take too long to seat us, we are leaving!" Lucky for them, and us, it only took five minutes. Water came in a neat little glass bottle. The house bread was hot and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You can dip your bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. Our lunches were fabulous!! I cannot seem to get too excited over pasta...because pasta is something I cook frequently and often, and I (am told) make it quite well. The Eggplant Quadratini ($16) was a fabulous vegetarian find. Quadratini pasta in a smoky tomato sauce with cherry tomatos and fresh basil that was ab-fab!! My husband had a Chicken pasta that he loved as well. I don't think it was as good as my Quadratini but he really enjoyed it. Our bill came out to approx $33. We caught an error earlier in our bill that charged us $6 for two iced teas we did not order but the server was quick in making that right. Aside from that little blemish, he was a great server and the four stars was mainly for the wait today and the wait from several years ago...I owe them.
(4)
John N.
I've actually never ate inside this place and only have taken out so I can't review the service but this place has pretty good food for take out at a little than normal price. Depending on the time of year, it may be hectic to find parking just for this take out spot, but sometimes when you have the urge, you just take it. My favorite is the Chicken Pomodoro. Rich, creamy, flavorful, and good is how I would describe it. I would say they are better than some local Italian spots. The brocolini served here is also amazing. Who would have thought broccoli can end up tasting so good? Second favorite has got to be their regular spaghetti and meatballs. The taste is earthier than other spots, and the portion size is just right. Great for a night of take out. Also, the kids meals are a great deal here if you want to feed your child. They give healthy but good sized portions here. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 5/100 January 12, 2013
(4)
Joy P.
My favorite Italian restaurant on the island. The ambiance is great, even if it can get really busy. Love the concept of being able to draw on your table, helps to keep you preoccupied while waiting for your food to come. Their bread is yums, and don't forget to ask for their vinegrette and olive oil to go with it. Menu is typical of Italian restaurants, but I feel the quality of the food is greater than that of say... Bravos. Which is probably the reason why you pay a few dollars more.
(4)
Teresa L.
I should have yelped this restaurant before I went here because I ordered all the not so great stuff. If it wasn't for a gift card I had, I would never go to eat here...reminds me of cheap italian food (minus the cheap). But if you were to go here..... I would strongly suggest happy hour at macaroni grill. Everyday 4-7pm; half off appetizers, half off house wines. On thursdays, you get 25% off on bottles of wine. I had the mozzarella fritta which was okay. The Caesar salad was okay. I wasn't a big fan of their dressing...it didn't taste fresh. We ordered the chicken maralsa, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, and we made our own pasta. I did not enjoy the chicken marsala at all. Not what I'm used to. It tasted like chicken teriyaki. The fettuccine alfredo was alright...the chicken tasted frozen. When we made our own pasta dish, we chose bowtie pasta, creamy garlic sauce, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach. The sauce was alright...nothing special My sister got the strawberry italian soda which she enjoyed. Our server was friendly and was helpful in suggesting some dishes he enjoyed since it was my sister's first time here. For dessert we had the sorbet. It comes with 6 scoops of Lychee & Strawberry (or all one flavor if that's what you prefer). Overall, I would not return to this restaurant again unless I didn't have another choice. =/
(2)
Kiichi R.
Actual Rating: 4 stars Ambiance: Personally, being here three times so far, each experience was a bit too dark. I wasn't blind but it wasn't particularly adding to the atmosphere. Service: They were friendly and it's always fun to watch their trademark "upside down" writing when they introduce themselves. We were checked upon often and they received full marks for that. Food: The food was great! It was delicious and I am glad they offer more than just pasta. There are no complaints in this department either. Price: It's a little up there. Granted, in all my experiences, I never held back, but you could easily make this a nice "treat" to yourself with a simple entree and dessert. Other (parking/location/etc.): It's Ala Moana. You can do your best to find parking on the top level. But it's really up to you and there will always be free parking. No whether you can get one without a walk involved, is up to your planning. Overall - Pros: Food was great; wait staff was great; Not a "quiet" place so feel free to enjoy your company! Cons: A bit dark.
(4)
Dawn O.
Crappy carbonara. Extremely disappointed. I'll say this first: service was good as usual. I usually love the food, but the carbonara was terrible - practically inedible! In the menu, the description says something like, "crispy pancetta" and "poached egg". I thought, "Hmm. Poached egg. Interesting." However, when I got my dish, the poached egg didn't bother me. It was a cream-based sauce and the burnt pancetta. No where in the menu does it say that the carbonara is a cream-based sauce. Plus, CARBONARA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CREAM-BASED!!! The pancetta was so burnt, it made everything bitter. I ate a few bites of my husband's Penne Rustica to try to cover the bitter. The penne was good. Macaroni Grill, please step up your game. (86 the garlic-cream sauce. The whole is NOT better than the sum of its parts. And it does not go with everything.) The food is exponentially getting worse whenever I try your establishment and you keep taking off the winner dishes off the menu.
(1)
Derek N.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for the Mac yet. And yes, I am aware of MAC 24/7, but I don't think they deserve to be "the" Mac. Their menu and such have changed; honestly I liked it better before, but the create your own pasta is still there and still pretty awesome. You can get whatever you want, so it's pretty perfect. My only complaint was that the arrabbiata sauce was really oily. I could be wrong but I don't remember it being that oily. Anyway, the portion was pretty generous. But that was last visit and I'm here to talk about today's visit. I think the last time I was here they told us about the happy hour situation but we didn't take advantage of it. Based on today's experience I regret that now! Actually, I kind of started off this visit with a negative; I walked in the door and stood by the desk and the girl at the front desk just ignored me. For a full two minutes; I timed it on my phone. Rude! But then I wandered over to the bar section and the bartender caught my eye pretty quickly and motioned for me to sit at a recently vacated seat. He seemed pretty nice and almost made up for the hostess. When I looked at the menu he told me about the $6 pizza that is offered during happy hour. This was actually the reason that I was drawn in to begin with, but had forgotten about in the three minutes in between. The pizza was thin crust, which I am not a big fan of, but it was delicious nonetheless. Plus they put freshly grates parmesan cheese over it, and gave me some red pepper flakes to put on top, like the kind in those little packets from Pizza Hut. The ambience is pretty nice. If you can tune out the conversations of other people at the bar, you can hear some fifties-ish music playing in the background, there's ESPN on televisions if you watch sports (I suppose it's still there even if you don't), the temperature is pretty comfortable, and the bar itself has a nice marble surface. Considering that I'm in a sit down restaurant in the nicest part of the mall, $6 for a pizza seems pretty reasonable. They also have domestic beers for $3 and import beers and wine for $4. I don't drink, but as I understand it, it is a popular activity. All things considered, this was a four-star experience; half a star for each slice of pizza! The normal menu is a bit pricey, so if you're after value like I am, you may enjoy the happy hour!
(4)
Leina'ala O.
I should take a star off for the ditzy hostess but she's young so I understand. We showed up 30 minutes before closing on Mother's Day. We couldn't help our time, both my mom and I had to work so this was the soonest we could get there. I knew it was somewhat of an inconvenience but it was Mother's day and I wanted my mom to try this place. She always talks about Olive Garden and frankly, Olive Garden sucks compared to Macaroni Grill. Katie was our server and she was awesome. She didn't give us attitude for showing up late, her recommendations were spot on, and the rest of the staff helped her run our food and prebuss our table. The Sangiovese was delicious and my mom was impressed with her Opah. Best chain restaurant in the bizz!
(5)
Helen C.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not a fan of Italian cuisine. Dairy products don't sit well with me, so me + overwhelming amounts of cheese = not a good idea. It's okay, I don't like the taste of cheese anyway...Sorry if I personally offended cheese lovers out there. It's not you. It's me. I ordered the Chicken Scallopine, which I found to be the least creamy item on the menu aside from spaghetti and meatballs. Although the sauce was a little creamier than expected, I manned up and I am damn glad I did. I rarely enjoy Italian food so this was a welcomed surprise. My coworker ordered the whole wheat fettuccine and said it tasted like paper though. Can't blame Romano's there. That's what you get for ordering whole wheat pasta!! Blech. The waiters were really nice. I think they're all trained to draw pictures out of their names...upside down. Skills. Finally, tiramisu for dessert. So rich, so sweet, but oh-so creamy. I couldn't handle it. Nothing against taste...my weak stomach just couldn't take the beating. I'll be sure to pack some Lactaid pills or something the next time I come. Then I can properly enjoy my meal or something, right? **9/31 Yelps Review Challenge**
(4)
Sharon H.
Surprisingly good food at reasonable prices, and a nice ambience for a fairly quiet Saturday lunch. Just don't expect a leisure lunch....service is quick, but so much so that you get the feeling they want a high turnover. If you like garlic, try the sage roasted chicken with asparagus and potatoes. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, apparently from a hot brick placed on the chicken during the roasting process, and surrounded by more than a dozen roasted garlic buds. The aspagarus was crisp yet tender while the potatoes were meltingly soft. Only odd note on the plate was a side dish of roasted tomato salsa, delicious with the (complimentary) herb bread but not necessarily adding to the dish. Dessert was a lemon passion cake, creamy moist and dense but not heavy, accompanied by a dollop of what appeared to be a lemon-passion whipped cream. Yum-O! Perhaps the only annoyance was the wait staff. Our over-eager waiter brought the check while we were still eating lunch, and two other staff kept trying to take the plate off the table while we were still eating from it. Think they were hinting us to leave?! Oh, and you'll have to ask them to replenish the water, as they don't always notice.
(3)
Carson B.
Nice waitress, food was good, wait was terrible, food was expensive, atmosphere is great. Crying babies hamper the mood :)
(3)
Melissa L.
I wasn't gonna Write a neg review bc I had some good experiences there but our server was just horrible! Took her 5mins to take our drink order( place was by no means crowded) looked like she got wacked with the stink stick after we told her we would pass on appetizers she made such a weird face, idk. Never checked on us, no refills, Made another stink face when asked to split the bill. Horrible. Seriously I use to serve, and would never have a bad attitude. Then again I can guarantee I made more tips then she did. Owell
(1)
Jenel O.
Everytime i've gone to Romano's, it's been far from stellar. Tonight was no different. The table we were seated at was a round table under their a/c vents and was absolutely FREEZING! It doesn't set a good tone for a good meal at all. They got rid of the orzo salad I had many many years ago and settled on as my "ok" dish there. So I got the caprese ($11) and baked artichoke hearts ($7.50). Both were totally oversalted and keep in mind I usually like my food salty so you know it was way too salty. The caprese should be something that can survive with very minimal seasoning and be perfectly fine... someone obviously has a heavy hand in the salt back in the kitchen. The flavors are definitely not clean enough on 2 dishes that should've felt very fresh and light. I tried a forkful of my husbands carbonara and one of my mother in law's mushroom raviolis... not bad. Kids dishes ran around $7. Spaghetti with meat sauce was pretty decent as was the mac and cheese. I would never personally choose to come back and spend my money here. When we left, there was a long long line outside. I'm not sure why hoards of people would choose this place. The two highlights though were the bread: hot, lightly crispy on the outside and flavorful... and our server was also really polite and pretty on it.
(2)
DJ Nocturna R.
I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a few years. They have good service. I like how they never forget to grate cheese in your pasta and the guy grating the cheese telling you the cheese was discovered by the monks in Milan centuries ago.. That's a great story because it made the meal more appetizing. I had the Shrimp Portofino because I love pine nuts in my pasta and fresh tomatoes- I just wish they gave more pine nuts. I also love their ceasar salad. I also ordered tiramisu for dessert. It's ok. Tonight it wasn't so busy so I was able to sit down and relax in a dark corner. The lighting is perfect and they have comfortable booth seating. They also have a private room for bigger groups or a party. For a chain restaurant - it's a great place to go for dinner while shopping at Ala Moana.
(3)
Loren O.
I've come a handfull of times and I've always left happy and full. They serve the full menu at the bar, so if it's busy and there's open seats at the bar, we normally go there. Their servers are always friendly, and the restaurant itself seems new and well kept. I like we can draw on the tables and that the servers write their names upside down so the customers can read it :p Some of them get pretty crazy with writing their name! I'm one who likes to doodle so its something fun to do while we wait for our food. I'm a sucker for chicken fettuccine, so thats normally whati get. My bf got the Chicken Milanese once and he thought it was good. I had their Lemon Passion for dessert once and it was super refreshing! A tinge on the sour side, but I love lemon so I didn't care. It's located on the third floor of Ala Moana in the Ho'okipa Terrace so it's always pretty crowded around dinner time. We always had a little bit of a wait before we got seated. Prices are pretty reasonable, typical for an italian restaurant i think. Also, if you're celebrating a birthday, be sure to let them know! Once we had a girl sing Happy Birthday to my friend in Italian! It was beautiful! Sounds so much prettier in Italian!
(4)
Chris L.
Not what it used to be. I've previously Visited this restaurant, but this time was a little bit different. On previous occasions, this restaurant was quite full and have a certain flare that was a huge draw. This time, the restaurant appeared quite empty. I was seated within five minutes. Shortly after I was seated, I noted that a section of the restaurant was not even open or lighted. I also noted that the characteristic attire of the waitstaff had changed from nice white collard shirts and ascots/ties, to a much more relaxed blue and white striped shirt and blue jeans. This caught me quite offguard, as this restaurant had previously seem to be a little more upscale. Before I ordered or was approached by the waiter, I was promptly given a glass of water. Upon ordering I noted that the menu had changed dramatically from previous visits. There appeared to be fewer items then were previously offered. After ordering, I noticed that the waitstaff uniform had changed from a very elegant white shirt with black slacks, to a very relaxed blue-and-white striped shirt and blue jeans. Having been to this restaurant before, it seemed Like everything had gone downhill. The food was not bad, but was nothing to write home about. At this time, I think I may be looking for another restaurant to frequent more often. I came away very unimpressed, after previously frequenting this restaurant often. As was noted in a previous review, the loss of the founding general manager seems to have been a sword in the side for this restaurant. I would like to frequent another restaurant in the future to see if all have changed in the same way.
(1)
Quincey Q.
First time going there so it was foreign to me. The food was okay but different wish ihad gotten more food with my entree but i shared with my date so it was okay. It was fun drawing on the place mat paper and the ginger root drink was good but I wouldnt drink it everyday. An okay meal bu tnot a geat meal especially for the money it cost.
(3)
Knk N.
love coming to this place food is always tasty and filling not much to complain about this place as it does get busy. so their could be a slight wait but other than that awesomeness on service and food and drinks.
(4)
Jon R.
Unfortunately service makes any restaurant right after the food. Food was "mass produced" flavor but worst off our male waiter was a real #]^|+€* is all I can say. Never ever coming back to this place. Also the hostesses have NO IDEA how to give an accurate time if wait. We were told ten minutes and we ended up waiting thirty minutes. Never again. Go Ruby Tuesdays instead and sit at the bar as long as Krista is working there. She is the bomb!
(1)
Nicholas B.
You can't go wrong with Spaghetti and meatballs with the bolognase sauce. I had a really good time here
(4)
Niki T.
We came here friday night around 10pm or so. The wait was 45 minutes and they do awesome texting your position in line. They text you how many people ahead and the estimated wait. Honestly it was okay. We came here because I was given a gift card. The server was great, tall, skinny, light skinned gentleman, blindfish hair. We ordered half a Cesar salad and a lasagna to share. Salad was amazing, lasagna wasn't the greatest, but the again I'm just picky. The sweetish marinara sauce made me sick and I ended up puking in their restroom. We ended up having a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Didn't like the thick cream cheese topping on the cheesecake, but other than that the strawberries were amazing. All In all the food wasn't amazing but I would come back for a salad and a few drinks maybe. Server was attentive and I wish I remembered his name.
(3)
Rachel I.
I came here with my family and it was so-so busy. We only had to wait or 30ish minutes but once we were seated I looked around and wondered why we even had to wait when there was SO Many seats open...maybe they couldn't keep up with orders? We spent a total hour and a half there mainly just waiting for our food !! It took so long, we weren't a big party or anything. We ordered an appetizer and they brought us the wrong one after waiting forever for it and also they only gave us one bread and once we finished it we were never offered another one. We had to flag another waiter to have a refill on our water. The service was just so slow and I seriously never had to wait so long for my food which was so small in portion. I won't be coming back here, so not worth it.
(2)
Jarrett W.
Came here for dinner tonight around 5:45 and was able to enjoy happy hour which ends at 6. We proceeded to sit at the bar, the bartender immediately served us and also made sure that we got another drink within the happy hour timeframe. he continued to made sure that our food was ok, our drinks were topped off. I must say i was impressed by his service. btw we ordered the italian sausage flatbread pizza and chicken marsala... both were tasty and we ate it all!
(4)
Arynn I.
3 1/2 stars please! We came in as a last minute thought and I think it was close to when they stop seating. But we were given a nice booth in the back. I wasn't too hungry so I was there more just to support my friend's eating. I figured I'd get a drink. Our server Shawn was pretty awesome for the most part! He did a really good job of making conversation with us as he took drink orders. And he can write his name upside down. :) that was different. We only had to flag him down once when my friends wanted refills on their beer and wine. He also let us know when he was going to take a break, just in case we looked for him. I had a tiratini, which is basically a liquid tiramisu martini. For some reason when I ordered it I was under the impression it was frozen...but I think it's cause I was thinking of a mudslide. It was fabulously delicious! I also figured I'd better eat if I'm going to have something to drink so I don't get myself sick and had a little of the freshly baked bread that was brought to our table. I love it dipped in olive oil and here they put some fresh black pepper in the oil. I also picked at my friends' appetizers. We ordered the sampler; which had bruschetta, fried mozzarella and calamari. Also got pizza and stuffed mushrooms. So I tried the calamari and it was pretty good (I'm not so much a calamari person) and I ate a fried cheese and bruschetta. Wow, I just realized we had a lot of starches..but i guess that's good when you're drinking. I also ate a couple mushrooms but didn't eat the pizza. I did like the stuffed mushrooms but I think I still prefer Johnny Carino's (mainland restaurant chain) mushrooms better. I suppose that the next time I come to the Macaroni Grill I will hopefully be hungry and get a meal but for the purpose of this visit it was good! #Yelp 365 Challenge-028/365
(3)
Jaleen M.
After a long afternoon we decided that pasta was what was for dinner. Our server Sheldon was awesome. We come here often and hes the best one we've had so far. We were undecided on an appetizer so he suggested their garlic fries, best we've had. For dinner we shared the Cesar salad and shrimp portofino (sp?) Salad had a little to much zing but it was delicious. The portofino wasnt to oily like others we've had. Our stars mostly go for the service. Ask for sheldon =) hes bomb. We are not tourist and he didnt treat us like we were a waste of time like others we've had.
(5)
Katie N.
I like this place until recently. I guess they are under new management, therefor they have cleaned house. Service is VERY slow with quite bit of new faces. Twice I had the same bartender service me and both times service was slow. I do understand everything have gone up, but I wasn't sure if I had to ask for bread since I've order my food?? Waited 5 mins no bread, 10 mins no bread...so finally I asked...sadly it he brought it out when I was half way through my lunch. I was disappointed on top of that my soup was the wrong soup (he repeated and asked again, yet the wrong soup was delivered....WTH??). Since, service is SLOW I didn't want to return it and wait longer for it. On the flip side, I do like the new menu concept...more choices to pick and choose on the lunch menu. would like to see improvement on service, and I would recommend letting your guest know if bread is no longer automatic this way they are not expecting it and would ask sooner.
(2)
Zhen L.
Took my girlfriend here for an evening couple of months back, and we had a great time. First of all, the white paper with the crayon? Made me chuckle a bit in my head. My girlfriend and I had a fun time drawing on the paper while we waited for our food. Many may not think so, but I thought it was a nice way to keep customers entertained while waiting for the food. If you have kids, I think it's perfect for them. We a total of four things: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms - Share Some sort of Ravioli I do not recall - Girlfriend Fettucine Alfredo w/Shrimp - Myself Hot Fudge Brownie desert - Share Italian food is number one on my list. The crab stuffed mushrooms was small and pricey, but it was really good. My Fettucine Alfredo was just how I liked it; the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My girlfriend's Ravioli was quite delicious as well. What finished us off was the brownie(?) or chocolate cake desert thing that we had. It literally melts in your mouth. Why a four star? Because I have not eaten here enough to completely say it's as good as it gets. "Yay! I'm a fan," is really all that I am. My and girlfriend and I are looking forward to eating here again soon. I definitely recommend this place.
(4)
Erin Y.
This is a chain restaurant, but moreover, its a bad chain restaurant. A chain restaurant that only gets as much business as it does because CPK is too damn small. Have a choice on where to eat? Anywhere in Hookipa Terrace other than here. Service is terribly slow, there are people packed into every nook (read:no stroller space), and the food is slightly better than bad. I cannot believe this place is even listed under steakhouses. It does not deserve to be in the elitest carnivore group. My steak was terrible and not cooked the way I asked for it, medium rare. Don't serve it if you can't make it correctly. We went at least five minutes without forks or knives before flagging someone down. Water didn't get refilled, and the waiter kept banging into the sleeping baby in the stroller. Be careful, dammit. I'm trying to have just one meal in peace! Skip it unless you're planning to dine at a weird hour when no one else is eating. Oh, and skip the steak.
(2)
Tia S.
Happy Hour is from 4pm to 7pm. Good deal, because you get 50% all apps and drink specials. House wine is $3.00! It's nice sitting at the bar since you get immediate service. They also have counter seating at the fire pit. I went with my sis and sat at the counter. Our server was slow during my last visit and had a flat personality, but it was crazy busy so he may have been flustered. We enjoyed three apps, pasta, and wine for just under $40. The ambiance is nice and you don't need to dress up. Added perk is you get a complimentary Italian language lesson in the bathroom. Haha! They play a recording in the room. Lots of parking at the mall. Good place to unwind after shopping or working. Nice size food portions. Good taste and price.
(3)
Tina T.
Came here on a week night around 8:30pm after a long day at work. Nothing extraordinary to say about this place. The salads looked a bit too pre-made, neither the caesar salad nor the signature bib and blue salad had crisp veges. Onthe other hand, our pastas were cooked well. I ordered a pasta with tomatoe sauce, eggplant & my friend ordered the pasta milano. Overall it was what we would expect from the romano's macaroni grill - a no frills, family style restaurant at a convenient location. Service was good and food was acceptable. Not a place I will rush to return but will return just because it's a safe choice.
(3)
Jody S.
Dined at Macaroni Grill this past weekend with my mom and daughter for a girl's day birthday lunch. While the food was definitely ono as usual (I had a make-your-own pasta with scallops, mushrooms and broccoli) and my mom ordered (a make-your-own pasta with shrimp and broccoli) and the rugrat ordered cheese pizza, the waiter was a little bit odd. Don't get me wrong, he was nice enough but just not "all there" like most waitstaff is. He reminded me of someone who went out partying the night before, woke up hanging and bummers....had to go to work so was simply making do with the situation. Oh well....he performed okay but could've done better.
(3)
Kristen U.
Is it just me or has this place gone downhill over the last few years? Esthetic wise, I remember having cloth napkins, not paper. And weren't the menus actual books, and not pieces of paper? Huh... Everything was just, okay. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad, just mediocre. For our tapas, we ordered bruschetta crostini and spicy ricotta meatballs and my entree was the penne rustica. It was good, but not spectacular. Service was also okay.
(3)
Makakaualii R.
We went a few days ago and the service was excellent his name was Roger and he was very polite, attentive and great customer service. We had the meatball X2 and I had the chicken scallopine and it was a bomb. I never had it before and it was so ono and I can't stop think about it meaning we'll be going again real soon! Mahalo Roger for the great service.
(4)
Angelica Q.
Hubby took my son and 5 year old there. It was happy hour so the drafts were $4 as well as house wine. Appetizers were nice two tapas mix for $14, Salads were delicious but costly, and my son enjoyed his kids meal selection with dessert for $8. We were satisfied with the waiter and his interaction with our son (he listened to my son's jokes when he frequented our table). Top top the meal with tirimisus and a vanilla gelato for our little one. Overall, the experience was really good, but the food is pricey and worth it. Will visit again.
(4)
En I.
Went for dinner on a Saturday and food was okay but service was very slow. Past experience also had slow service so it may just be that they do not staff enough for peak days/hours.
(3)
Naomi L.
Ok - I want to like this place because my friends like to eat here, but I can't. I have been here 4 times now and can remember bad experiences from 3 of those times: 1) With dad for dinner - service was terrible and the pasta was bland and gross. Best part was the waiter wrote his name with crayons upside down on the table. Unfortunately he didn't like the way he wrote it, so he retried 4 more times. He wrote all over the table. Then he told us he was new. Once was plenty, I could read it already. Then I got to read it 5 times. 2) Went with friend for dinner - they wouldn't seat us for over 20 minutes despite tables being open (maybe there were reservations?) and no one waiting so we sat at a high table. The pasta had no sauce, the bread was hard as rocks, and the water came 1x during the entire meal. I left more than half on my plate. The waiter tried to charge us a service charge. Dude, there were only 2 in our party, not 6-8 or more! So I'm sorry, I left a small tip. 3) Went after rotation with 2 classmates for lunch -this was the only time it was okay. The service was fast and bread was warm. Maybe it's because it was lunch. He sped it up because we said we were at work lunch (were dressed in scrubs)... Maybe that was the key to good service. Anyhow, I liked the lunch 1/2 1/2 deal. I forgot what I ate, but I napped for like 3 hours afterwards. 4) Last week wedding rehearsal dinner with 12 people - they cancelled our reservations because they called 3 hours prior (while we were rehearsing!) and said no one picked up to confirm. It wasn't like there were other people waiting! In fact, they could have sat us at a regular table or two and it would have been fine! We came like 20 minutes early and after telling us that they cancelled our table, they made us "wait and see what develops until your reservation time." So... basically they were going to let another big party without reservations go in and take the private room that we had reservations for just 3 hours prior?? Seriously?? Yes, it was really a mystery when no other big party showed up and we were able to take our private room table. That was 20 minutes wasted. BOO. Come on macaroni grill. Blah. Service was junkie (again), we didn't have enough silverware, the food was bland (again). The waitress cut our cake at the end and then said "have fun." Haha, great. So we served ourselves (the cake wasn't even cut well, so we had to recut it) because after waiting 5 minutes it didn't seem like she was coming back. Fail 3/4 times = I'm going to try my best not to come back here.
(1)
Jenn C.
jeff is the best bartender! ask for him! yummy beer, tasty bellinis, big sangrias, you get the picture. caprese is my favorite so of course I HAD to order that, but... not enough mozzarella cheese. calamari is on point and the rosemary bread was good enough to order more and more and more. mushroom ravioli is extremely tasty, but its also very heavy so I would recommend sharing this with a friend.
(4)
Kitty K.
I gotta say it's better than what I expected. The service was good and the food was quick....much better than the one I went in Southern California lol.... I had the Mahi Mahi was delish....not too heavy and tasty. even thou I was full but I can't resist the quest for tiramisu.....It was okay....but eased my craving after one bite...lol
(3)
Missy S.
So reading the yelp reviews, I can understand what people are saying about the good and bad stuff. This is why my review is an ok review. I enjoyed the ambiance, the waitress was very nice, and the food was decent. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and it tasted good. Not the best I have ever had, but enough to finish the plate clean. We also ordered the sizzling platter, and it was good. Expensive place, so beware. I would say romano is an ok place. Not the best place for italian food. There are places much better. But I would come again. Maybe to try some other things on the menu.
(3)
Stephanie T.
I came here with my boyfriend simply because I've never been here before and wanted to see what it was like. The environment was nice, but that was pretty much the only thing that was nice. I was barely able to understand what the waiter was saying, it took over 10 minutes of trying to get the attention of our waiter to order, the food took forever to arrive, my boyfriend's pasta had nearly NO salt in it, my penne was over cooked, the waiter forgot our beers, and it was over priced for the quality of food and service offered. Not coming here again.
(2)
Annie W.
Let's get down to the important stuff first. Happy hour is from 4-7, at the bar which features an awesome fire place seating area. There are comfortable booth seating that will also grant HH prices. On Wednesdays, there is 25% off bottle purchases of wine. You have to agree, that these are great deals! The bruschetta is to live for! The fresh bread, sliced cheese and of course the seasoned, chopped tomatoes to pair it all together with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar to make this appetizer salivating worthy dish. I've had plenty of bruschetta before, but to be serve with sliced cheese was heavenly. I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine~ sauteed chicken with artichokes, mushrooms, aged prosciutto (pieces of salty deliciousness) and lemon butter with capellini (super thin~my fav) pasta. This dish is cooked with lots of butter, delicious but definitely not for the health conscious. They serve free bread and dipped in olive oil and recommended with vinegar will fill you up before your entree. It's good for groups and allows everyone to share if you want to try a bit of everything. If you're indecisive check out their trio sampler dish. A little bit of lasagna, bit of chicken and some other pasta dish. I must say that I had a bite of the lasagna and I was not impressed. Either way this doesn't deter me from coming back to try some more pasta on the menu. Speaking of chain restaurants, I would rather come here than Buca di Beppo.
(4)
R R.
Pola was our server and she was AWESOME.. Food was good and service was good... The Loaded Fries is to die for with that GARLIC AIOLI....
(5)
Elizabeth N.
This place is smack dab, middle America, chain food fair. It ain't great, and it ain't awful either. The all you can eat, fresh, hot bread is a very nice touch and I think is the buffer of why you'd pay $12.00 for a $5.00 stouffers-tasting-lasagna dish. That and the nice decorations....peep they have Italian lessons playing on the speakers in the ladies room! Tight. Honestly tho, if I didn't have a gift card to eat here, I'd spend my money on a local Italian restaurant, at least you'd know majority of your food didn't come from a can...or at least you'd hope so. My recap: Pros: -The Sun-Thur Happy Hour is pretty good. 1/2 all appetizers and $3 Stella on Draft and house wines??? Woohoo for getting tipsy alone! And if the bar is full (or you a kid in tow) they'll give you happy hour prices at your table. Nice! -Very kid friendly -So far, very nice service, except for the one hostess in the front who just didn't seem like she wanted to be at work the night we walked in... -Free, hot , unlimited bread with all the proper italian fixin's of olive oil and balsamic vinegar -Quick service, clean and nice ambiance Cons: -Mediocre food -Kinda pricey for mediocre food
(3)
Tracie F.
Eh the experience was very mediocre. The wait was reasonable. It was really crowded. Our waiter Tony was great! loved the paper table cloths for drawing. The bread was out of this world but honestly that is where the praise about the food stops. We had the sampler appetizer plate. The tomato bruchetta was gross. The fried mozzarella was ok...a little on the greasy side. I did like that it was fresh mozzarella. The calamari was salty. Entrees were bland. The pasta with the chicken scallopini was a pile of flavorless noodles. Did they forget the sauce?? Chicken was bland. The lasagna was good but also on the salty side. Now I am dessert queen and just about anything with sugar pleases me. The apple crisp thing was ok. The six pieces of apple we got had about 2 crumbles of the almond crisp on it. Save your money and get a scoop of ice cream instead. Overall a pretty so-so experience. Go to Mariposa instead. It does beat the food court though...well basically ANYTHING beats that!
(3)
Veteran B.
Macaroni Grill is a solid "American" italian dinner option. I've been to several of them and the Hawaii franchise was no different. Good food, good service, and okay price. I think local italian (where ever you live) is funner but Macaroni Grill is a win win.
(4)
Rupert L.
Haven't been here for over a year now. I need to come back and draw on the tables. The food was great.
(3)
Margaret D.
This is a nice relatively quiet place to have lunch and talk to someone. Food is all right. My gripe is the two times I've had the pasta with shrimp or scallops, there have only been a few. They don't take the legs off the shrimp which means you have to messily remove them yourself. The easiest way is with your fingers, but who wants to get cream sauce on the fingers? It's not a cookout, it's pasta. Service has been just fine each time. The servers write their names on the table cloth, then you can draw. I always make a big drawing and imagine the busboys discovering it and thinking, Wow, that's too nice to throw out! but they probably never look at it. LOL.
(3)
Chloe M.
Aw man... I used to LOVE Macaroni Grill. My grandpa used to take me here a lot so I wanted to take my bf here for our weekly date night. Food: I'm 99% sure that they changed the way they make the food. I always ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and the last time I came here with my grandpa (a month ago) it didn't taste the same. This time I decided to try something new, so I ordered the Carbonara ($17), and my bf ordered the Pasta Di Mare ($20). I never tried carbonara before my last visit to the Macaroni Grill and they pretty much ruined it for me. I thought it was cool that they offer "fresh pasta" but my "fresh" pasta was hard and undercooked. My bfs pasta was okay, but nothing really special. Tomato sauce with mussels (two of which were inedible), shrimp, and scallops. For the same price, we could've gotten delicious pasta at Assagios instead. Boo. They also changed their menu, and they no longer have the sorbet/strawberry cup. Instead they have white peach sorbet (double boo). Ambiance: Yeah yeah, you can write on the table, but where was the opera singer?? I was looking forward to listening to the live opera singing with my bf instead of my grandpa this time, but I guess they don't do that anymore? Overall: Please save your money for delicious food instead. There's not that many good pasta places in Hawaii, and I'm still looking for the perfect place.
(2)
Rochelle S.
While working in customer service, I remember having to watch video on the customer experience and how they only really remember customer service that was extremely exceptional, or extremely horrible. Unfortunately, for this review, it is the latter of the two. My girlfriends and I came here yesterday because one of them had a gift card. We probably wouldn't have come here otherwise. When we got to the restaurant, our section was completely empty except 1 other table. We were promptly greeted by our server. I'm not going to mention any names because she was a really very nice person, just not a top-notch server. In any case, after a long morning of bridesmaid dress shopping, I though a mojito was in order. After a pretty lengthy discussion of whether they could do it in strawberry, the order was placed, along w/ our entrees and appetizer. Our appetizer, which was calamari, came out pretty quick. It was pretty good. But then again, I'm not really a good judge in calamari. As long as it's fried and served with condiments, it as an A-rating in my book. My girlfriend who ordered a caesar salad as an appetizer also received it pretty quickly. Mojito still M.I.A 30 minutes later, appetizers had long since been devoured and still no mojito, The more vocal of my girlfriends inquired about the mojito and our server kind of mumbled under her breath, "oh yeah". Said server ran to get it and came back. Syrup was sunk to the bottom and the cup was sweating like a hooker in hell. I know that thing had been sitting at the bar for the entire time we had been there. 15 minutes AFTER the mojito debacle, our entrees still had not arrived, our section was completely packed and tables that had been sat after us had already received their entrees. Entrees finally received, all I can say is: sub-par. The best part of the meal was that our check arrived 2 minutes after the entrees were served. The fasted thing that came out of that kitchen!!!! Word to the wise, endure the wait for CPK, at least you know the food will be good.
(2)
Kalani S.
They recently removed the fire pit from the bar which I'm glad they did. Now the bar can service everyone sitting here. No more waiting for the waiter.
(4)
raechelle v.
It's been years since I came here. Went here for lunch for my birthday with some friends and had a good time. I always liked the bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. We came in around 11:30 or so and didn't have to wait long. I remember having to wait hours to get in back in the day, hence why I haven't been here in years. Our server was friendly. They changed the menu. I like their lunch combination specials. You can choose from soup, salad, and a dish. You can get 2 choices for $11 or 3 choices for $13. I got 1 order of Caesar salad and 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken. The 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken comes out to being almost the same size as the full size order which is listed for $16. Best bet is to get the combination specials. It was good as I remembered it to be minus the hassle of a long wait. Service was quick and friendly. Only downside is knowing that you just consumed a 1,000 calories in one sitting. Oh well, you only live once. I ended up going for a swim at Ala Moana to burn off some of that pasta after lunch.
I've definitely been to this location many times and to sum it all up, they're pretty good. Customer Service Pros: 1. The servers are fast and pleasant for the most part. What I really appreciate that the servers do is quickly clear the table of any dirty plates. 2. I've never had to wait very long for any order whether it was an appetizer, entree, or dessert! 3. I like how the servers bring a big glass bottle of water to your table so you can serve yourself whenever you like. Customer Service Cons: 1. I've only been here for lunch a couple times and the only thing I didn't care for was that the staff, particularly the busboys, chitchat to each other a LOT and LOUDLY. Even though there aren't a lot of customers that come during lunch, it's unprofessional and leaves a poor impression. But most importantly, the food: I've ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken a couple of times, and unfortunately I did not care for it. The sauce was oily and quite frankly, there was so much Alfredo sauce, it made the fettuccine look like a garnishment. However, I will recommend the Chicken Parmesan! It is served with three small pieces of fried boneless chicken with Parmesan cheese and a roasted cherry tomato on top with angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. It is DELICIOUS and pretty filling. For dessert, I've always tried their gelato, which is always good. Yesterday, however, I decided to try the espresso drinks that they offer for dessert! I tried their Caffe Mocha and it was OK. It was served with a biscotti in an nice porcelain cup that holds about 8 ounces. It was okay but you can definitely get a better mocha at Honolulu Coffee Co c(; Overall, it's a good restaurant. I would've given this place 4 stars but I really cannot stand them talking story loudly while I'm trying to unwind and enjoy my meal :/
(3)
Kelly G.
With varying reviews from my Yelp buddies, I walked into Macaroni Grill very skeptical of encountering a good experience, yet I walked away pleasantly surprised! The restaurant has a great ambiance - the bar has an open fireplace! Would love to sit there next time. The rest of the place has cozy, dim, elegant decor. Booths and tables alike adorn the space. My friend and I got seated in a booth immediately this Saturday afternoon (St Patty's day no less). Our waitress Niki was great! Came around often and was very patient with our inability to decide whether or not to drink. The complimentary bread was DELICIOUS! Crusty, soft, and easily tearable. Served with Italian butter (olive oil & freshly cracked black pepper). We consumed 1.5 of these loaves before our entrees arrived. Easily one of the top table bread's I've ever consumed. I ordered the 3 piece combination ($13) of the Pomodorina Soup, Carmela's Chicken and the Caprese Panini. Everything was delicious! Perfect portions as well. My qualm was that my panini was cold by the time it arrived which was probably due to the fact that it service was SLOW to get our food out. The friend ordered the Cesar salad and the mushroom ravioli. I had a chance to taste the sauce - yummy. She complimented the filling by saying the mushrooms were delicious and the onions were caramelized perfectly. Both our entrees came out to $33 inc tax. Delicious and worth the value. Would have ordered my fiance's favorite dessert - the lemon passion cake. He has gone out to just to order this cake for himself! Delicious. Can't wait to come back and make a date of it with my fiance!
(4)
Vivian L.
I have been to Romano's several times. I usually leave the restaurant feeling content, if not, very pleased with the ambience, food, and service. I decided to have lunch with a friend after a long week. She told me she read about some menu changes at Macaroni Grill and we decided to see what the hype was all about. We were in for a very unpleasant surprise... When we walked in, there were three hostesses at the counter. We received no greeting at all. Only one of them was working with a customer. The other two glanced at us for a second and then ignored us. I had to walk up to them and tell them "Table for two" and a hostess told us to wait 10 minutes. We got our table in 10 minutes, but no server came up to us. I had to look around very intently for about another 10 minutes before a server named Sheldon noticed me staring and told us he'd be right with us (no smile or proper waiter-like acknowledgement included). He didn't come for another 10 minutes. (A total of 30 minutes down the drain and our orders still weren't placed!) They jacked up almost all of the prices on their menu. There's a new "combination" option on the menu where you can "choose 2" or "choose 3" items (soup, salad, pasta, sandwich). My friend asked about this new "combination" set and the waiter SNAPPED AT HER. ("What do you mean how does it work?? It's right there on the menu!!") She was so surprised she didn't respond, and he didn't even answer her question. Rude, rude, rude. We should have stood up and left then and there, but we were starving by then. So I told him we were ready to order. Both of us ordered a combination. I had a salad and a panini. For an $11 course, the portions were PATHETIC. My friend's chihuahua's food bowl is larger than the bowls they use for combination menu. The panini was disgustingly cold when I received it 15 minutes later. I didn't even finish it. Our waiter checked up on a table by us at least five times. He came to us just ONCE during our meal. (Did I mention that they don't even refill our waters anymore? They just leave a glass bottle of water on our table so we can refill it ourselves.) 10 minute seating wait, 10 minute wait for a server, 10 minute wait to order, 15 minute wait for food, and just 10 minutes to finish our meal... Awful atmosphere, so-so food, and abysmal service. It will be a very long time until I visit this restaurant again, and I will NOT be recommending this place to anybody.
(1)
Ku'ulani M.
Dear General Manager: I've been to your restaurant many times. I've celebrated new babies there, held coworker reunions there, had date nights with my husband there, met up for happy hour drinks with the friend from out of town, and even had family inheritance talks there. Typically, I thoroughly enjoy patronizing your restaurant and look forward to the good food and conversation that transpires. For my sister, turning 21 was a momentous occasion, and at the birthday girl's choosing and my persuading, my mother, father, husband, toddler, aunt and 86 year old grandmother made the 30-minute trek from Kaneohe to your restaurant tonight in celebration. Our experience prompted me to write this letter. From the great place I know Macaroni Grill to be, it was disappointing, to say the least. It began well. We made dinner reservations for a table of 8 the night before without a problem. We were seated on time, and our waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and lots of detail about the menu, realizing that only 2 of us had ever patronized your restaurant before. However, I believe when faced with a shy table not returning the kind of enthusiasm he expected, it went downhill from there. He took our drink orders from the head of the table, instead of walking around to each person, including my hard-of-hearing grandmother at the other end. The bread came out only after we prompted him for it, and nearly 2 minutes before the food came. (Given you're your table has a restless 2 year-old toddler you've given nothing but a sad handful of 3 yellow crayons and 2 green ones, you'd think that bread at a table is a must.) When he tried to confirm our food orders from the head of the table again, he seemed to wait in disdain for an answer, irritated by the table's lack of quick responses. The soup came out from the busser without a spoon, and went cold before one ever came, flagged down from a neighboring waiter since ours was nowhere to be found. We weren't checked on during our meal, so the water carafes went dry for a while. And finally, when we'd just about had enough of the waiting game and were ready for something - the check, dessert, the apocalypse - we flagged our speeding-by waiter to ask if there might be a special birthday surprise for the 21 year old. He answered with grit in haste, "It's already on its way." 'On its way' must have meant on its way from your corporate headquarters, because our table was exhausted and over it by the time the cake and candle came. Don't get me wrong. We greatly appreciate the restaurant's complimentary gesture and its top-notch Italian birthday singers. But by that time, my family probably wished they were anywhere but a birthday serenade. Excusing themselves from the table, the rest of the family immediately dug out of the tired situation while we waited for the check, which also had to be flagged down by our waiter-in-hiding. When he finally did come out with it, he said (and I quote): "Here's the 18% gratuity, and here's the total. This is my copy," and walked off. I waited for the thank-you. I swore I must not have heard it. But alas, just like our waiter all night, it wasn't there. I must say one more thing. Never before have I heard your kitchen staff yell in locker-room form when a dish is no longer available. Why they yelled several times, "86 the calamari" in sing-song unison is just baffling to me. Should a classy Italian restaurant sound like a sports arena every few minutes? Now I'm typically not a complainer. And I never speak with managers, let alone write letters to them. But this was a shocking experience, and I hope one we'll never have to encounter again. I was excited to introduce my family to this place and celebrate an exciting birthday, but I was embarrassed to apologize to them that this wasn't all I chocked it up to be. So please, be the top-notch restaurant I know you to run, and remedy the situation. At the very least, speak with your staff about their etiquette. I don't care if the table orders a glass of water and a caesar salad - courtesy should know no bounds.
(2)
Donald N.
We have eaten twice at this restaurant in the last few days and it was excellent both times. The lobster ravioli is wonderful, the best I have had. My wife had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was subtly flavored and tasted lovingly homemade. The pork chop with mushroom risotto and brocollini was also very flavorful. There was even a wonderful slightly grilled flavor to the brocollini, very nice! Prices were quite reasonable for the quality of the food. We went the second time for an anniversary dinner and they fit us in on short notice, a nice touch. We highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)
Tyler C.
Mac Grill is probably one of the few "Italian" restaurants that I will eat at on this rock. The service and employees are very efficient, from the hostess' to the runners. Zero problems from the handful of times I've dined in. Food is outstanding. The salads are fresh, and their house bread is what makes them stand out. The bread is served full-loaf, lightly seasoned with butter and salt. You can practically eat it without even touching your knife. Especially when it comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. As for entrees, I especially come for the Lobster Ravioli. The portion is huge compared to other restaurants, who only give you about 6 pieces. It always looks and smells good to remember to count before digging in. I'm sure there is more than 6 though. They have birthday singers here, that are just talented. And if you wanna brush up on your italian, hit up the bathroom and soak in the lessons that are playing.
(4)
Gabriel T.
Haven't gone to this place for a long long time until coming back recently. They recently changed some things up on the menu. I went over with my co workers for lunch after work. Our waitress was Josi. She was awesome, super cool, and friendly. The free bread is da bomb with the virgin oil plus balsamic vinegar. I had the 3 piece combination with Blackboard soup, Whole Wheat fettuccine, and half Roast Turkey sandwich. It was very filling. I feel that it was well worth the price. The blackboard soup is good. It's a little on the sweet side but good nonetheless. I dipped it with my sandwich and the free bread. The whole wheat fettuccine was also good. Not too salty and sweet. Last but not least, the roast turkey sandwich was on point. Good stuff. The bread on the sandwich was a little hard though but it was sweetness right when you crunch onto it. Our waitress offered it we wanted to split the appetizer that we shared 6 ways. I was surprised because not that many food establishments can do that. They also have this one Waiter who sings a sweet Italian? birthday song whenever someone has a birthday. I think he is the only one who sings it but he does a good job doing it. The vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant is a tad bit on the classy feel and look even though you can informally write and draw on your table with crayons. But that is cool how they have paper on the table. Our waitress wrote her name on it and we wrote our orders on it so that we can remember what we ordered and what to order. We also draw our own pictures on it of course. It's conveniently located on the Ho'okipa 4th floor terrace side of Ala Moana center where they have the whole trifecta of restaurants such as Tsukijis, Island Burger, Mai Tai Bar, Bubba Gump, and CPK. Yelp 365 Challenge #211/365
(4)
Dale A.
The restaurant is usually ok. I had lunch there this week and they have a special soup salad or sand combo. 2 choices are like $11. I had soup and salad. They come in 2 small square bowls that are each smaller than a regular appetizer portion. Ridiculous! Had to go eat lunch when I left! Randy SCHOCH you should be ashamed.
(1)
Amber M.
Can't get enough of the food here! Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite. The service was the best I've seen in a big restaurant in a long time. Definitely going back soon!
(5)
Karin H.
Had a small baby shower at Romano's here yesterday and it was better than I thought it would be! Our server, Eva, was GREAT! She has extremely good customer service skills. All you crappy servers out there need to shadow her for a few days or weeks (depending how crappy your service is.) Anyway, we had a party of 12 and booked the private room for lunch. The room was very nicely decorated with props and wine bottles and glasses but it was stuffy in there. There's no air con in the room so we couldn't shut the door, especially because we had two divas and a pregnant one in our party. My co-worker ordered a chicken dish and it had rosemary in it (she hates rosemary...the herb) and without hesitation Eva offered to make her a new dish with alfredo sauce instead! UGH, that's what I'm talkin bout! DAMN good service! The food was good. We ordered: (1) Calamari Fritti: 3/5, it was good, nothing special (2) Stuffed Mushrooms: 3/5, it was okay to me. Button mushrooms stuffed with cheese and sausage. (3) Clam Chowder: 3.7/5 the chowder was really good, nice big chunks of clam in it but it was so salty and I personally like thicker chowder. (4) Eggplant Quadratini: 4/5 it had roasted eggplant chunks, cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese with a tomato sauce. Very good. Btw, Quadratini is a pasta shaped like Veggie Straws. It was my first time trying it and I liked it better than spaghetti. (5) New York Style Cheesecake: 4.5/5. For a chain restaurant it was pretty good. They don't make it fresh in house but it didn't taste like a cheap Costco cake either (no offense Costco fans). They order it from a private distributor that specially makes it for Romano's. It's a lighter cheesecake (compared to Cheesecake Factory) made with what tasted like mascarpone cheese (which, i absolutely LOVE) with a shortbread crust and diced strawberries on the side. Yum. My co-worker had a small problem making reservations with the manager. I'm sure it was a communication error but just double check your reservation is saved in the book! We had to re-schedule our date because it magically disappeared...or someone just didn't pencil it in. Idk idk either way just double check. The hostess was not the most welcoming/friendly person but she wasn't a total B. She's serious. That's the only way I could describe her...serious. I guess we were just really happy with our server. I'd go back. The end.
(3)
Stephanie K.
Quite busy on a Saturday night (one hour wait), but I'm not one to complain about that. Food came out in a timely manner and since it was birthday season up in here, there was a ton of singing! Our waiter knew how to belt it!
(4)
Amy Y.
Today is the first day I come back home. My frineds and I planned what to do today. We wanted to have lunch and hang out. So one of my friend suggested Romano's Macaroni Grill. We were served quickly. The waiter was pretty nice because he provided us with crayons to draw on the table. At first I thought it was weird he'd let us draw on the table. But I realize there was a white paper on top of the table. So, we could draw on the table with crayons. Later, we looked at the menu and my friend got a appetizer called something sampler with calamari and my other friend and I shared a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was good even if the crust was thin. I liked it. They also had a loaf of bread given to us for free in the beginning. It was meant to dip olive oil. I thought it wasn't that good so I just ate the bread as it is. I never tried the appetizer my friend order because she ate that as a meal instead.
(4)
Matthew S.
Come here often due to close living proximity. Service in the main restaurant area is usually slow, however, today was the first time I sat in the lounge area & service was excellent! Our server was Roger & his service was impeccable! Always checking up on us in a timely fashion & he is very personable. He didn't see rushed at any time during our dinner. Food was good & if you come in for a bite at night, ask for Roger. Thanks man!
(4)
Kallen A.
Went here since our original dinner plans didn't work out. Started off with the mac and cheese bites and oven-fired artichoke hearts. These both were so awesome. They had a special of 2 appetizers for $14. For my entree I got the penne rustica. It consisted of penne with prosciutto, shrimp, grilled chicken, parmesan cream sauce, and sundried tomatoes. Shout out to our server Peter who was very attentive and was a good sport when my friend kept teasing him and making him think he got our orders wrong. We tried to write our names upside down and backwards on the paper table-covering like him, but we failed miserably. I give them 5 stars on this visit for the good food, and quick and attentive service,
(5)
Doris D.
Just your average franchise with overpriced, mediocre food. I had a regular salad with goat cheese which was $12, no meat! Ouch. We dropped about $80-90 for four people at lunch - 4 entrees and 1 beer (no appetizers or dessert). The food was really average. There's no effort behind the food, just entrees that are obviously tried and true and just "good enough" for the masses. While I have no problem spending money on a good meal, it's the value that gets me; I'd rather take my money to a local Italian place. I'm from New York and I've tasted some really great Italian food - I guess this Italian food at Romano's would be good if you didn't know any better. Sorry! This restaurant doesn't get my vote.
(2)
Remy Z.
Great environment Quality singing, food, fare Hangman with dinner!
(4)
Vanessa B.
Wine served in a water cup and a horrible lobster ravioli dish. Maybe i'll try this place again when I get another gift card as a present.
(1)
Jason C.
I've been there several times only because for special occasions we let our 6 year old pick the place to eat and this is in his rotation. I've never been thrilled by their pasta dishes so I thought I'd go with a Neapolitan pizza, and they had something that seemed promising, Prosciutto e Arugula - Imported Italian prosciutto, fresh arugula, Italian tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. When it arrived it looked and smelled good, and also had halved grape tomatoes. Overall it tasted pretty good, I would have liked more arugula, but two things really brought it down. The prosciutto should be sliced so thin you can read through it, but it was very thick, maybe 5x what it should be, and the crust was bad. I was expecting a thin crispy crust like at CPK or Bucca, but this was not good, it was tough and soggy in the middle. To be honest I've heard the description of a tough crust but never understood what it meant - until now. Lastly, what really surprised me was that the gelato and sorbet was $7! I thought that it was pretty steep. Both my kids wanted gelato, so I proposed to instead go to Nordstom for gelato or go to Bubbies. Both jumped at the chance for Bubbies. We were all happy.
(2)
April Y.
Went with the family on Mother's Day, and had a nice brunch. We had a party of 14, and they set up a long table for our party. Kind of a really tight squeeze in there - bad for a wheelchair or handicapped person, and very difficult to navigate between seated tables. Our server was very on top of things, polite and kept us in the know on when the food would be comming out. Everyone was pleased with their food, and we had no problems with the food sensitive people's dishes. Seasoning was appropriate, nothing too salty or bland. Food came out perfectly done, not over or under cooked. Good times, we will visit again.
(3)
Beth I.
Loving the happy hour action at the bar! 4pm, $3 domestic, $4 drafts (stella and peroni), $4 imported. Also 50% off certain appetizers and free slices of pizza. My bf and I got there a little before 4 and there was no one there, but it quickly filled up. The bartender didn't put our orders in until 4 so we could get the happy hour deals! awesome! My bf's friend Jonelle works there as well, so it's always a plus! She's friendly and has great service!
(4)
Troy L.
I'm not sure when the other reviews were made for macaroni grille, but our experience was outstanding (request Brad). Our drinks were served immediately, salad was fresh and delicious, and the entrees were large, hot, and delectable. Truly awesome.
(5)
Steve D.
Food is not bad but I will never go to this location ever again, first the wait is no less than 30 minutes but it's not because they are busy. I worked in restaurant biz for 25 years, they stack their tables which means there are open tables available but they either want you at the bar or can't handle the rush. That's not the worst part, servers hate working with the public which doesn't make sense, go work in a cubicle then. If you still want to eat there or have a gift card someone gave you, if long wait ask to sit in bar, they have tables just like sitting in main dining room but don't wait for them to tell you because they really don't care about their customers
(1)
Raych D.
WORST SERVICE IN MY LIFE FROM THE SERVER AND MANAGER!!!!!! Came here tonight for dinner with a friend because I loved this place..well "used" too until tonight. After being seated before 7pm, our waitress greeted herself then after 15 minutes without having no bread or water we kept looking around for her but she was not to be found. When she finally did come, we couldn't decide on which appetizer to get from the moz. cheese or the crab stuffed mushroom and we asked our server for her input and she just said "well I don't know", and "If you guys came 3 minutes before 7pm you could have ordered both during happy hour and got both for the price of one" which was no help to us, because she took forever in asking us for our orders! After deciding on getting our Moz. sticks our waitress took forever again to check up on us if we were ready to order. After she finally did come back and we did order and got our food I was really upset because I asked for my steak to be cooked "medium rare" but it was cooked more on the medium well side but I didn't complain because I didn't want to wait any longer to eat another made steak. When our dessert finally arrived and we wanted our check, she then again was no were to be found for 10 minutes until we kept staring across the room she finally returned. I had to ask her 3x for a to go container for my Tiramisu that I did not finish and she even called the to-go container "what ever it's called". Me and my friend was so upset at our service that we had to complain to the manager that was on duty...and let it be known we both are easy going customers who have never complained before in our lives. When we spoke to the manager my friend explained the type of service we had and he told us that our server was one of his best server and that when he passed our table we should have said something to him so it was our fault because we didn't speak up. The only reason why we didn't is because we didn't want anything to happen to our food and did not want to cause a scene. The manager David Bonilla made us feel so unwelcome and as if we were lying about the whole thing stating that the reason why our waitress may have not checked up on us more frequently is because "we were to busy talking". All I have to say is the manager gave us the most unfriendly, rude and very unsatisfied customer service we have ever seen that we needed to voice our concerns and complain on here.
(1)
Wayne S.
YUM FOOD!! Such talented wait staff to write upside down!! My mind wobbles. Once we sat towards the inside of the restaurant and was quite bothered by the atmosphere of the kitchen area. Made me feed rushed and not relaxed. Now I always ask for the front end of the restaurant which makes the dining experience so much better. Service is slow so don't be in a rush to eat food, do however stuff your face on the great bread.
(4)
Jessica d.
So I wasn't too impressed the first time, but thought I would give it another go. N.A.S.T.Y. I had the brick chicken. It was so over charred on the outside it tasted burnt, though still moist inside so that's good, on a plate GLOBBED with so much oil all I could taste was char and cheap olive oil. The potatoes and asparagus were good, but WAY greasy from massive amounts of cheap olive oil. So I didn't eat it, but they still charged me. Great. I also wish they would ask before they put pepper on the olive oil.
(1)
Keoni E.
Not what it used to be.... I used to love this place! Great food, service, and the table is covered with a blank canvas with crayons to draw on it:) Awesome for keeping kids entertained, and I ain't gonna lie some of us adults too! Lol. I have been here several times over the years and have seen the menu change along with the portions. Portions are smaller and the food doesn't taste the same. I like the ambience. I really liked the Alfredo Pasta along with the baked pasta that has shrimp, chicken and prosciutto, it's done right here. (Both has changed, still good but not like before) The pork chops with the risotto was excellent. I liked it a lot when it used to be honey glazed and they would give us 2 Chops instead of one. Before a peanut recall... Of all things, hahaha! There was hands down, one thing you would have to go here for..... The Desert Ravioli! It's a deep fried ravioli with melted chocolate and "peanuts" inside served hot with vanilla bean ice cream. To die for. Hate to float your boat then take my shotgun and shoot a hole in it but they no longer have it and I'm still waiting (a few years now) for them to bring it back... sadly I don't think they ever will :( I know many can still enjoy it here, but for me, this restaurant went from a close friend to an acquaintance.... Your casual, hey haven't seen you in a while. How you been?! Used to be an above 4 Star rating now a 3. Give my love to Romano and the Fam! Lol. Write a review and save me the hardship my fellow Yelpers!! Hahaha!
(3)
R T.
Hungry and tired and looking for a nice late lunch Macaroni Grill did not disappoint. The tomato basil soup, Cesar's salad and the pasta were very good. The bread seemed a bit dry but our waiter was very efficient and brought us more. I would definitely go back!
(3)
Alyssa M.
There's usually a wait...so i would call ahead & make a reservation. Their customer service is good, they're pretty unique on how they introduce themselves to you :) Quite interesting way to do it. My fave is the mushroom raviolli...ITS A MUST TRY!!!
(3)
angela a.
I remember going to a few Macaroni Grills throughout the mainland and liking them. My experience here wasn't bad, but not great either. My husband and I went here for lunch one Saturday. We were seated right away and it wasn't too busy. Our waitress was good, she took our orders and provided us with waters quickly. We ordered the parmesan fries and a chicken alfredo to split. The parmesan fries were barely warm and covered with too much grated parmeasean. It was like having some sort of cheese powder on your fries. I guess I was just expecting something a little more refined than sprinkling kraft parmesan cheese on them. They also served it with a "4 cheese sauce" which I found completely unappealing. It didn't taste good, either. It wasn't my thing. The chicken alfredo was okay, but it did remind me of eating a Marie Calendar's chicken alfredo for 5x the price. I wont be coming back here again.
(3)
Anna K.
I haven't been to the Macaroni Grill in years.. so why did I stop by? My best friend got me a gift card for my birthday and told me to take my bf out to dinner. Instead of dinner, I took him there for happy hour. (Happy hour is from 4-6? in the lounge area.) We went there yesterday after work and were happy to see the lounge area 1/4 full and as a result, we found a table easily. For happy hour, there's 4 dollar drafts (Stella, Peroni, and Heineken), some tapas, and $7 dollar pizza. My bf LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES pizza. Honestly, his cute cuddly self is probably comprised of beer, dough, cheese, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and pepperoni. With pizza on the menu, my bf and I ordered the Italian sausage pizza and several beers. The pizza was super delish and my bf agreed. Since I have $30 bucks left on my gift card, my bf wants to go back and order not one but two pizzas... probably to eat one by himself. UGHHHHHHHHHHH how do I control my little pizza monster?!.. Definitely by not having a gift card to Macaroni Grill.
(4)
Dustin V.
Happy hours 3 to 6 pm daily with half off draft beers, house wines, and select pizza. BUT, the beer selection is limited to a few lagers (not a fan). If they would upgrade their beer, I would rate them higher. The fourth star is for the food and staff, not the beer selection.
(4)
Thomas O.
For a chain restaurant (owned by same company as chili's) this place does pretty good. Ma famille arrived at the restaurant at around 11/1130 on Sunday and this place was EMPTY but that usually means one thing: EXCELLENT SERVICE. As you can see, it wasn't 5-star-status but it was pretty good. Our server, John, was gracious enough to let us know that they were releasing new pizzas on their menu within the coming weeks...go John! (Papa John?? no.) Anways, as soon as we got to our table we got some bread. Now this isn't normal table bread...well maybe it is, but they do one thing a lot of eyetalian restaurants don't do: EVOO and Cracked Pepper. QT: Ask for Balsamic Vinegar because they do have them bottles hiding (IDK why, I doubt they use $500/mL BV). Back to the bread, it's crusty, warm (most of the time), bread-y, and darn good with the vinaigrette. Entrees: I ordered the Mama's Trio which consists of A Parmesan Chicken breast, a stack of Lasagna, and roll of Chicken Cannelloni (i think). This is seriously a lot of food for one sitting so I naturally took the Lasagna home. The PC was crispy on the outside with melted cheese on top and moist on the inside..perfecto! The CC wasn't memorable but it didn't taste bad. However, when I cooked the Lasagna at home in my oven, wow that thing was good. It was filling too for such a compact piece. My sister ordered a Pepperoni Pizza which is always cooked to perfection. I think they have a wood burning oven, but I am not completely sure. My mom ordered her regular Chicken Marsala which was strikingly infiltrated with garlic cloves. It looked pretty good and she ate most of it so it must've been delicious. My dad ordered the Chicken Spedini (SP?)..It was served with roasted vegetables and HAD to be the most healthiest thing on the table besides our water glasses. Overall the experience was not Italian but what do you expect? (They do have some good singers though!)
(4)
John K.
I came here because I received a gift card from a close friend. I read the reviews and it was mostly bad but I needed to use the gift card. Although it took us 50 minutes which I think it could have been prevented only if they would stop calling out reservations for people who clearly weren't coming and give that spot to people that were currently waiting. But I understand, and they did tell us that the wait is 45 minutes. Whatever... Service was pretty good. our waiter was really kind and helpful. He wrote his name backwards with the crayon they had and the specials of the night also which was really cool. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms for starters and I was shocked at how small they were. I couldn't believe they charged us almost 12 bucks for tiny little mushrooms. It was really good though but small and definitely not worth the amount I paid. The entrees were rather good. I really like my pasta and so did my friends. We all got the blackberry iced tea which wasn't the best honestly. This place is pretty overrated. I wouldn't come back here due to the high prices and not so happy portions. Only way I would come back is if I had a gift card. Final say... Eat somewhere else!
(2)
Brent K.
Nothing special. Middle of the road kind of place. Food is ok. Service is ok. Nothing exciting here. I would rather spend a little more and get a great meal at Assagio's. Right down stairs.
(3)
Hollie-Anne T.
I've been to Macaroni Grill couple of times before, and i've loved it. Took my husband here for the first time and he enjoyed the food. We decided to go a second time last week, but it was hella crappy. I had the flatbread pizza since they didn't have the pasta i ordered the last time. OMG that flatbread was BURNT.... i started eating it and i was wondering why it had no taste to it. It was bland and all i could taste was burnt bread. I looked on the bottom of my flatbread and realized that the whole thing was burnt. My husband had the martini and kept complaining that it was dry. He also had the steak and didn't finish it since that was also lacking. My husband and I are food lovers we eat till we are content. But when i feel like going to mcdonalds to eat or yogurtland that means that the food was DUH-GUS-TING. Never coming back until they change their food.
(2)
Jamie R.
We had a great time. They took great care of us and the kids. The food was perfect. Great flavor and fast. Drinks were even better. Lots of left overs. We ordered too much.
(5)
Michelle S.
My husband and I decided to eat here because we were craving Italian food one night and tried to hit up Asaggios which was closed. Glad it was closed! Some highlights of this restaurant: The service is amazing!!!! The Chianti that I ordered with my shrimp alfredo was in a traditional glass, not a fancy wine glass. Loved that! The bread that they serve before your entree was fresh baked, warm and came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper to dip it in. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms for appetizers and they were delicious with spicy Italian sausage and cheese. I also had the caesar which did not disappoint! Now my husband is Italian so I am spoiled when it comes to alfredo sauce since I get to have it made from scratch, but this place really impressed me with their sauce! We will definately be back!!!
(5)
Sheena A.
First time here and I had a wonderful experience. The Lemon Passion is to die for!! Chase our waiter was so attentive and very prompt and efficient!! Will return soon!! Ok, I had lunch here months ago with my friend and didn't realize I had not posted this review!!!! Sorry!!!
(5)
Paul C.
Hey good place to eat. Contrary to what trip advisor said lol. Portions decent (except for the artichoke appetizer) definitely go again. I was all about the mini loaf of bread and olive oil.....
(4)
Claudia M.
I came here for my friend's birthday dinner for a party of about 20 people. They seated us down with our reservations and the waiter was nice towards us. He got our orders once all of our party was present. We told him that some of us wanted separate checks but apparently he forgot at the end....it took him 30 mins to split the checks for our party...horrible service, they were friendly but that doesnt cut it. The food was so so, nothing special. I just had the chicken pasta. Won't come here again.
(2)
Andrew S.
Amazing service and delicious food
(5)
Rob D.
Went to Macaroni Grill and had a new dish, Island Fresh Catch; it was Ahi tonight and it was very delicious. I have been here many times and this was by far the best meal that I have had there thus far. Very surprised. It was quite crowded and the restaurant was humming.
(5)
LaVonne V.
It is 5:45pm and I called to make a reservation for 7 people at 7pm. The person on the line asked if 8pm would work. "No", I said. "8pm will be too late. Do you not have a table available at 7?" "Yes, we do, but our policy requires a 2-hour advance." OK, how dumb is that?!?
(1)
Darrell D.
Typical corporate food chain. I hated coming here in such a great food area of honolulu. But we didn't want to risk another local bad exp. Good service. Friendly staff. Nice for kids. Accommodates for families. Food is corporate...blah.
(3)
Chad Y.
Now I have been to a few Romano's around the country and I have to say I was sorely disappointed with this particular location. I know, Italian food purists will tell you its not "authentic" but let's face facts...I am going to a chain restaurant for dinner. I am not exactly expecting authentic, but rather a good meal. Now onto the Ala Moana location, stopped by for lunch and while they offer a good selection, the food arrived cold. While I appreciate an ice-cold salad, cold pizza and pasta? Not exactly the best if you ask me... The service was lackluster...our server was ok but didn't pay much attention to her section. Another server and her were fighting over our table within earshot, which started things off on the wrong foot. They came by a few times but were slow to refill water and were not very attentive and seemed pretentious. Not a bad place to go...but at the same time, not what I have come to expect from Romano's
(3)
Cody Z.
ate here at 6pm June 20, 2012 I sat at the bar beneath the giant TV they have these giant size bar seats with comfortble square cushions lots of seat space to move around I ordered an iced tea with no lemon Iced tea came with lemon took it out Iced tea tasted good bartender gave me the menu alot smaller than I remember I ordered shrimp fettucine alfredo noticed alot of people had bread thought it came automatically turns out you have ask for it that's okay no bread my pasta arrived good portion, excellent succulent good size shrimp pasta was tasty but missing something It dawned on me SALT added salt, then wham, suddenly everything tasted better ate the whole thing I left happy
(3)
Jas L.
Five-ish years ago, I used to come here a lot with my friends, and it was a decent experience every time. Within these past few years, I've noticed the quality of service has declined. For example, several weeks ago, I went to Mac Grill for my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant dinner for him. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there even though there were hardly any tables to wait on. She treated us like we were a couple of teenagers who wouldn't give her tip. The only time she was truly nice is when she gave us our bill. There are some waiters/hosts (the guy waiters) that are very polite. In my opinion, they should be the main waiters! The entrees have great taste, but it isn't the best--it isn't worth the money. The appetizers are definitely not worth the money either. For the amount you pay, you get half of what you would expect.
(2)
Faye M.
The food here is deeeeelish! I always have a good time here, it's really relaxed and spacious. The best part is when you go to the bathroom! LOL First, they have Rosetta Stone for Italian on (IDK what brand it really is!) and second, when you leave the women's bathroom, it says "Gentlemen", or maybe it's the Italian word for "Men", but it totally makes you do a double take when you're leaving! The second best part is when you're there for a special occasion like a birthday - if one of the singing servers are there, they'll sing a few lines from an Italian Opera and totally make your meal even more special!
(3)
Dan L.
Stopped here for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago mid week after work. Place is convenient for parking or shoppers at Ala Moana. We were promptly seated and had forgot about the crayons for drawing on the tables ( great way to keep Kids entertained) love it. We ordered simple dishes spaghetti w/meat sauce but were surprised to the lack of flavor Salt? garlic? fresh spices? didn't taste like they were used. :( On the up side and saving grace the waiter was spot on attentive friendly but not standing over our shoulder. This may have been a new cook or just overlooked that day so willing to come back.
(3)
Jarod H.
Five stars. Love the atmosphere, the fire pit, and the ambiance. The bread with olive oil and basal mic vinegar is the best! For lunch, the turkey sandwich is good. Also, had the pasta on prior occasions and the fried mozzarella. So ono! Recommend!
(5)
Erin K.
My husband and I came here last weekend for date night. It was the weekend, so the place was packed and we waited about half an hour to be seated. We've been here before but what really stood out this time were the appetizers we ordered: calamari & roasted mushroom soup. We're really picky when it comes to calamari but we really enjoyed the calamari here, the batter isn't too heavy and it's seasoned perfectly! Also, it's very soft and not rubbery/chewy at all! The roasted mushroom soup was also really good! It's not on the menu (I think it's one of their specials) so you have to ask if they're serving it that day. It's a heavier soup (almost like gravy) with lots of mushrooms and it's got a lot of flavor. The only downside about this restaurant is that I find it to be a little pricey. We had gift cards so our bill wasn't too bad but we probably won't be coming back without gift cards.
(3)
Jessica S.
Horrible service. Even around after 8pm, when the dinner rush is over. This was on a Sunday night!! I don't know what our server was doing, but he barely attended to us, was slow to bring out even bread and water, and completely forgot about an appetizer I ordered. Dude was being a total space cadet or something. And the food...not that great. I can make way better at home. Even the frozen Costco Italian meals taste better (e.g. the spinach mozzarella ravioli, Amy's lasagna, etc) for the price Macaroni Grill charges. Disappointed, not coming back.
(2)
Mei-Lan C.
oh my god , I can't believe I just won a prize package with 2 tickets for earth , wind and fire concert and dinner for 2 from macaroni grill !!!!!!! thank you guys soooo much for picking me :) we sure will enjoy the concert tonight .
(5)
Catherine F.
Is it just me or are all the waiters/waitresses/hostesses/bussers extremely attractive here? Came here last night on a whim. Never been to a Macaroni Grill before. We were told the wait was to be about 15 mins, but ended up being almost 30. Our waitress forgot our orders - twice. It was a busy night, but come on. She could have written them down instead of keeping us waiting even longer. The food itself was good, but nothing to write home about. I chose the "build your own" option and chose the garlic cream sauce with my pasta. The sauce itself was over peppered and lacked any other flavors. Overall, I was disappointed with our experience. I'm not sure if I will choose to come back here again when there are plenty of other dining options at Ala Moana.
(3)
Jeff W.
Very nice place for lunch, business, couple, or family. I enjoyed my chicken under a brick. It was tasty and pretty healthy. Mushroom ravioli got many compliments also. Fresh bread and olive oil is a nice part of the meal. Parking is easy and the staff is very pleasant and attentive. You should try it out.
(4)
Jack W.
Me and my wife have eaten their many times. Its quick service, always friendly, and decent italian fix. I highly recommend there Mac and cheese balls. THEY ARE AMAZING!
(4)
Victoria R.
We Always come here. Food is great and the waiters are nice and helpful. They Definitely exercise great Customer service.
(5)
Linda K.
Whatever class they take to sign their name upside down ... sign me up!! It never fails to impress me that they do not only write their name upside down but also draw fishies and whatnot to present the specials on the menu. Being a child inside going to Macaroni Grill sparks my creative side .. meaning .. I just can't leave without having doodled on the ENTIRE paper covering the table. That's the fun side with going there ... and of course eating ... and drinking wine. Their food has to me always been good. I love their mac n cheese appetizers .. mmm .. mouth watering thinking about it. I also love their bread .. dipping it in balsamic. As for the food I tend to go for something with chicken and pasta .. mainly because I love their pasta *duh*. My husband once had the pork chop and loved it .. think it was rubbed with mustard ... really good. Had their choklate desert one time .. yummy!! The service is always good and I tend to go when it isn't too crowded or waiting time too long...but in reality ... as long as I get to draw once I'm seated is what really matters.
(3)
Judith H.
I've been happy with the food and service everytime I've come here I've never ordered pasta. Salads and sandwiches are delicious.
(5)
Angela A.
Been here a couple of times. The stuffed mushrooms appetizer and chicken Alfredo were really good! The service was really good and average wait time for the food, not too long/short.
(5)
Melissa K.
On the five occasions I've been to Romano's, I've always left feeling pleased and satisfied. The bread is a soft, warm, round loaf with a sprinkling of olive oil-- delicious! I can sit and eat two loaves by myself ... and I don't necessarily have to share because they will bring out more! Carb joy ... Service is good, the wait time is shorter than CPK's, and while I generally opt for a booth table at most restaurants, at Romano's I prefer the bar because it's clean, the chairs are cozy, and the bartenders are really nice and helpful. I also think the food is better here than at CPK. The macaroni n cheese bites are delectable and we also really enjoyed the chicken flatbread. I usually go with the choose your own pasta, sauce, and accompaniments ($14)-- I like that you can choose three vegetables to go with your pasta plate. I usually go for the mushrooms, broccolini, and some other one I can't think of right now. Chill place and tasty food. It's not legit Italian but it's definitely the next best thing.
(4)
Steven K.
Lots of free parking, clean, well lite room, the service was outstanding. I was with a very picky eater who complains about nearly everything and they took really good care of her.. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was wonderful. I was surprised at the price of everything.
(4)
Bob D.
Had a party of 15 and were able to get a reservation with 24-hour notice. Table was available at the reserved time. Kids menu was a decent value and kept price reasonable ($1 for kids ice cream). Service was excellent (Ricky), continuously refilled drinks. Food was average but good for socializing and nice atmosphere. Dessert menu is fairly limited. Make sure you go to Costco and pickup $100 gift certificates for $80 for additional savings.
(3)
Kori T.
Oh how I long for the old Macaroni Grill where the servers where dressed in their crisp outfits and I felt like I was paying not only for the food but the experience. Oh woe is me what has this place become. *tear* I'm sad to say I spend my anniversary dinner at this place because this is where my husband proposed to me the night before his deployment. The wait was easy and we where seated in a booth within 10mins of arriving. They still do write on the tables as always and bring out the delicious warm bread. But the menu is pitiful. The service was also lacking took them quite a while to get to us just for drink orders. And I feared for one of the servers life at 7 or 8 months she shouldn't be lifting huge trays.. @_@" I was going to run forward and grab it from her. T_T Other than that our server never talked to us nor refilled drinks she just disappeared. She did come back at the far end of the meal and asked why I didn't eat my meal (it tasted like dirt) and offered to take it off the bill. We left quite sad that our anniversary dinner wasn't all that great. *Tip: Call in advance for large groups they can at least know to prep for your arrival ^_^
(2)
Heidi N.
I am going out of my way to write this review in a timely manner (5/26/13) because, surprisingly & quite frankly, I really enjoyed eating here. I, too, am not a fan of mainland chains, but I don't waste coupons or gift certificates, soooo we went. First off, Darrin was a great server. He was attentive and accurate, taking time to make sure he got our order right before walking off. I also got a really great mojito-like drink; one of the 3 drinks from the non-alcoholic section of the menu. Loved it! Between the 3 1/2 of us, we got a mushroom flat bread (caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil), bolognese spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, spinach and shrimp salad and house bread. We asked for some balsamic to go with the olive oil and cracked pepper served with bread. That was an awesome start! Long story short, the flat bread and the house bread are both musts when ever I go there. I loved everything else! and because I loved everything else, I would be interested in trying other things on their menu. I really was pleasantly surprised. We also ended up with a lot to take home, so much so that all 3 1/2 at our leftovers for dinner. So the $100 bill was pretty much cut in half, making each seating $50! That's a deal considering we also had a glass of wine, a soda, my drink and 2 orders of gelato! Oh, yeah, the gelato. Darrin recommended the house-made chocolate cake but we went with the gelato because we were too full. Probably should have went with the cake because I found the gelato to be too sugary. Note for next time, which hopefully will be soon!
(4)
Denalee C.
I was honestly shocked when we came for dinner on a Friday night during the summer and it wasn't crowded. I'm still trying to interprete what that means. First off, I love the paper table cloth with crayons already waiting for you. Nothing screams, "we love kids!" more than crayons and an oversized "canvas". And then the server writes his name upside-down for your reference. *sigh* I love the little touches. He brought us bread and a fancy bottle of water. I just LOVE the bottle of water. Nothing is more infuriating than a restaurant that doesn't fill up your water enough. I'm totally stoked when they solve the problem with my own pitcher/bottle of water. Now on to the bread. It comes out steamy and totally inviting but...SERIOUSLY what am I suppose to do with the whole uncut loaf? Eat it like a sandwich? At least provide me with something other than my butter knife to cut it. However, the bread is really fresh and is littered with herbs inside. The server poured us the EVOO and put in some pepper. Uh...I thought it was EVOO and balsamic vinegar? Guess not. My mushroom ravioli was visually quite impressive. The raviolis were incredibly large and swimming in a generous portion of sauce with mushrooms and onions. It was tasty but not breath-taking enough to become a regular meal for me. It was an overall great experience. If shopping at the mall has worked up an appetite, stop by Romano's for a no wait, tasty experience.
(4)
Ashley N.
I remember coming to Macaroni Grill when they first opened and really enjoying it. I don't know what happened in the years since, but things have really gone downhill... My boyfriend and I decided on having a nice lunch here earlier today. We were seated quickly. It seems like they were a bit understaffed, but the hostess and our waitress were very nice (if the rating was just based on service, I'd give 4-5 stars). My boyfriend decided on getting the meat sauce with meatballs, and I ordered the carbonara. I feel like we weren't waiting too long for our meal, which was surprising because my first bite of my pasta was cold... The carbonara is supposed to come with a poached egg, but mine was cooked through. All in all, it kind of tasted like our food had been previously cooked and just microwaved to order. In any case, this entire meal was disappointing for the $30+ tab. The next time I'm carving Italian, I'm probably not heading back to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are a lot of other better places around Hawaii that serve better quality food for the same price.
(2)
Dine L.
Where to begin... Short version: terrible service, food is decent but nothing spectacular, go to assagios for Italian Whole story: 1. We informed the hostess it was my friends birthday b/c we had come for another birthday and knew they do a special complementary cake...but did not receive one this time :( 2. Our waiter tells us the specials then leaves without taking our drink orders first like waiters usually do...so we have to wait for him to come back 10 min. Later and ask if we can order drinks 3. We wait a good 30 minutes to have our order taken when a different worker comes to take our order because he says our waiter is too busy 4. We get our food and desserts and they are decent, good portions 5. We asked for 6 separate checks and when we receive them the orders are completely mixed up except for one, so my friend hands him her card to pay for her correct check, our waiter takes our orders down again on paper so he gets them right the next time 6. He brings the second set of checks ....the orders are wrong AGAIN even if he wrote them down-not to mention he brings another check to my friend who had already given him her card to pay...he says he forgot and her card was at the register...umm...not safe.... 7. We get our correct checks after a good 45 min. Passes but I notice I am charged $8 for 2 sodas because I had a refill....I was not aware that when he offered me a refill it was not free because usually that is the case when a waiter offers you a refill or else should inform you it's extra charge, when I asked him about it he says "it's right this time don't worry about it" ...........ummm ok i am worried because I don't want to pay something I'm not supposed to 8. During all this time a woman who seemed to be the manager was standing with him at the register just shaking her head and never came to the table once to apologize 9. I thought maybe for all the trouble, and especially because it was my friends birthday and she did not receive the usual free dessert, they would comp her meal or the dessert she ordered but that was not the case, all she got was a balloon tied to her chair..... Really don't care to come here ever again I've never had service so bad. I also had a bad experience with service at another Italian restaurant. In my opinion, if you want Italian, go to Assagios! I have been there many, many times and never had a bad experience, food is always amazing with great prices and good service and they never fail to leave you with a complementary chocolate mint at the least.
(1)
Francis C.
Went a couple nights ago and it was packed. Hour and half wait but we found some seats at the bar. The bartenders were very friendly and on point. We got all our drinks and food before anyone else who got seated at the same time. I have been here a hand full of times and never been taken care of so quickly and so friendly before. My tip would be to eat or drink at the bar, if it's busy or slow, just walk in and go right till u see the Bar and the empty chairs. Fast and great service from the bartenders. Mahalo to the weekend night bartenders!!!
(4)
Mia S.
My experience at Mac Grill started off with smiling hostesses greeting us and helpfully directed us to the open area seating at the bar for a late lunch. I found myself welcomed by a wonderful upbeat bartender Josie who kept attentively tending to all my needs. She was also very friendly and really made us feel welcome! As light eaters we started out with the 2 for $14 appies going with the Mac n Cheese bites and the Goat Cheese Peppadews and OH MY GOODNESS!! they were amazing!!! I then got the Caprese Salad which started off a little bland but with some salt and balsamic turned into the best salad I've ordered from a restaurant. The manager Travis who was really friendly also stopped by during our meal and chatted with us about how we were enjoying the food and to see if there was anything else we needed. He was very kind and helpful in directing us as to what we could do for the rest of our day and also recommended the Leche Sorbet which turned out to be the best decision ever!!!! Our experience at Mac Grill was exceptional! Our staff Josie and Travis were helpful, professional and welcoming. The food was great and the atmosphere was a relaxing break from a busy shopping day :) I would defiantly recommend Mac Grill to anyone!!
(5)
Bubba S.
Went here about 4 months ago on a recommendation from my dad for the pork chop and it was awesome.....I'll be back.....pork chops are my favorite!
(5)
Jonathan B.
Awesome service and very dependable food quality. I usually get the chicken parm and salads. The starters are good also. Prices are very reasonable and it's just an all around good dining experience.
(4)
Stefanie D.
Yum!!! I went here for lunch on a Sunday was seated within five minutes, which was awesome because I was hungry! Our server was Brad, who is the chillest server I've ever had. He wasn't fake happy, but he wasn't standoffish either. He was attentive and helpful, but was super chill the entire time. I liked it. Cool dude. We ended up scarfing down two loaves of the rosemary bread with olive oil before our appetizer even got to us. We got the Bruschetta Crostini, which was delicious. However, when I used to go here on the mainland, my friend and I used to get a whole plate of bread slices and a ramekin of bruschetta. Here you get two pieces, with the bruschetta already on it. Still super good, no complaints. We definitely were not short on carbs after the two loaves anyway. He got a chicken pasta dish and I got my favorite, fettuccine alfredo. He ate his really fast, so I'm pretty sure it was good. I liked mine a lot. The alfredo had a lot of roasted garlic in it and I'm a huge fan of garlic. We were stuffed, so we skipped out on dessert. When the bill came, we got 10% off for checking in Facebook! Pretty cool. Also, the bill was about half of what we paid for Ruby Tuesday's the night before and 100 times better. For a chain restaurant, I loved it.
(4)
T M.
I had the best service today! Liann was great! The food was beyond wonderful! I ordered things I never had before and found my new favorites!
(5)
Pamela S.
We went there for my bf's birthday dinner. We had reservations for 630pm and were seated fairly quickly. The waiter, Louis, took our drink order fairly quickly. The drinks were delivered after about 10 minutes. We then placed our orders. I mentioned that I had a garlic allergy and inquired whether the chicken plate with asparagus, mashed potatoes and diavolo sauce had garlic as I had. Louis implied that only the sauce had garlic but it was served on the side, so I ordered that dish. After about 15 minutes, the soups and salads arrived. Waiter did not ask anyone if they wanted their empty glasses refilled. Had to ask. Another half hour later the entrees arrived. The chicken was very large and tasty. However, beneath the chicken I found a whole clove of garlic. Turned out that was not a mistake as there were a total of three cloves of garlic on the plate. Thank goodness I had medication on me. If my allergy had been life-threatening, Romano would have been in serious trouble. If you have any food allergies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! The waiter we had did not even bother to ask the chef whether garlic was an ingredient in the dish I ordered. At approximately 830pm, our waiter returned to asked if bf was ok with a something chocolate with nuts on top. Bf agreed, then waiter handed us the dessert menus. He returned after 20 minutes with the slice of chocolate cake and promptly left. Did not even ask anyone if they wanted to order dessert. By that time, we were so disappointed in the lack of service that we all decided to eat dessert elsewhere. In summary, service was practically non-existent, even though restaurant was only half-full. Waiter doesn't give a damn if you have food allergies, Won't be returning and advise anyone asking not to either.
(1)
Elaine W.
Had a 1 hour wait for a table of 3. That's what lost a star. But during that hour wait we got gelato at nearby stand and it was delicious. When we got in, our table was missing 2 chairs, probably because just before us they sat down a table of 22. We also felt the need to order faster than table. The complimentary bread they give you was not the best that night, but drown it in balsamic vinegar and you can barely notice it. The food was filling. It was above average, but not extravagant. I had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and could not finish mine, so that was a plus. I got to take it home. My friend could barely finish (mushroom ravioli, but she did) and my other had to bring it home as well. It made for a great netflix snack that night. Our bill of 3 came to about $53. Our server was a doll, so tip for him! One day we will come back, but maybe we will reserve a spot first!
Being a hardcore CPK fan, I've actually sat down in RMG, pondered, stood up and left and headed to CPK. But this time I actually stayed put. ATMOSPHERE: Dark, semi-formal, and almost romantic. I thought the restaurant was super kid-friendly, with the crayons on the table lined with a huge piece of drawing paper. Then I got the concept and chuckled. FOOD: Bread - Served upon request. Our server poured some olive oil and sprinkled fresh ground pepper onto a plate for the dip. Very nice taste. Caesar Salad - Small portion for a $4 add-on. Dressing was okay. Tastes like it's bottled, so no different than the salad I make at home. Lobster Ravioli - Tried this on recommendation from a friend who is also a pasta fan. Very flavorful with chunks of lobster tail & claw meat on top of the ravioli that's also filled with a lobster mixture. The sauce was very good. The portion looks small but is filling due to its richness. Carmela's Chicken - Penne pasta, mushrooms and broiled chicken in a Marsala cream sauce. Very tasty. The chicken gives the dish a nice kick with the broiled flavor. Definitely a bigger portion than the lobster ravioli. SERVICE: Our female server was awesome. Nice personality, took the time to explain the menu to us, being our first time there. She constantly checked on us. OVERALL: Nice alternative to CPK, being that they offer different types of pasta dishes CPK doesn't have, but CPK still rules my heart.
(4)
Jennifer Y.
My friends and I ate here last night for my going away dinner and it was great! We reserved the private room in the back and it was nice with just the six of us. Our waiter was attentive, the food was tasty, and dessert was really good. Two of my friends ordered the mac and cheese bites and even though I was hoping for a bigger portion (the menu does say "share"), it was tasty. For dinner I ordered the penne rustica and I was happily satisfied. The pasta was perfect, the chicken slices were yummy, and the shrimp at the bottom of the bowl was flavorful as well. Good stuff. :) I give this place four stars because a friend order a salad (don't remember which one) and she wasn't happy with it so she ordered the tomato soup. Thankfully the salad was taken off of the bill. Dessert was a great time: I received a chocolate souffle with a candle in it to "make a wish," a friend ordered the lemon passion, and another ordered the tiramisu. We were all happy. I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a long time and just like my last visit, I was not disappointed.
(4)
Bryson L.
This was our first time there and it was a pretty bad experience. Short version: inattentive server, semi condescending manager, sub-standard food quality. Long version: When we got there we were seated relatively quickly for a Friday evening and our hostess was very pleasant. Our server was nice and somewhat impressive at first. We ordered appetizers to which was very good. My friend had a glass of wine and I had a Coke to start as well and everything came promptly. My friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli and I had the Filet Mignon. I ordered my steak to be cooked medium and also had a glass of red wine as well. As we waited the food runner came to our table on two separate occasions with food for another table that was across the room from us. On both occasions we politely said that wasn't ours. As we continued to wait the room got noisier and there was singing by one of the managers as well. Kinda cool I guess, but also a little annoying. No big deal though. When our food arrived the Lobster entree was really good and there were no problems there. My wine had not come yet as our server had forgotten it so I asked for it and she apologized and had it sent to our table. My Filet Mignon seemed a little over cooked but I proceeded to eat it. The texture was tougher than most tenderloin cuts and it was more on the medium-well side which made the meat a little dry. When I couldn't eat to my satisfaction I asked our server if I could get another steak cooked the way I had ordered it, medium. She looked at it and said "that looks like medium?" I wanted to ask her if she was the chef but decided to bite my tongue and politely asked for another because this was a little dry. She had her manager come over and though the manager accommodated my request she also added in "we'll cook it medium rare just to be sure." In my head I was like "Or you can cook it medium like I asked..." But again I bit my tongue and said thank you. As we waited for my new steak the manager put the roasted potatoes and broccoli on a new plate instead of making a whole new entree, which was fine I was cool with that. We then noticed our server had not been coming around our table as much as she was with the 3 tables near us. No big deal really, just that my Coke had run pretty low and would have liked a re-fill but again no biggie. When they brought out my steak they were very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. It looked nice and as I cut into it I was relieved that it was cooked just right. Then I took a bite. It was odd at first because I did not think they would do a switcharoo. I commented to my friend that this wasn't Filet Mignon. I'm pretty sure it was Top Sirloin. I could be wrong on the exact cut but I know for sure it was not Filet Mignon. I took two more bites just to be sure and stopped when I knew that it was not a tenderloin cut. An innocent oversight? Maybe. But I wasn't going to eat another bite. I was not trying to be a bad customer, nor get my food taken off the bill. Hell, I would have paid for both entrees if I could get one cooked to my satisfaction. Our server asked if I wanted a take out box but I politely declined. I didn't tell her that it was a different cut because I just wanted to get out of there. We got the check, paid and I still tipped her over 20%. Worst dining experience to date and I will not go back nor will I recommend this place. Ever.
(1)
Rome S.
Great family restaurant. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Good is quality. They will prepare paleo style if needed, with gluten free options. If you're in a hurry let your server know.
(4)
Volley R.
Can I give a 0 star? Do NOT come here. I have never seen too much anger and animosity in a bar, in one place, at one time. I sat there as the bartender yelled at a customer. Bartender was angry, loud, and totally upset at the customer. Who knows what history or what happened between them two? But hello, there were other paying customers sitting at the bar including me. What did we do wrong to have to hear upset and anger and animosity. I was just trying to eat dinner after work, but since the bartender will not stop yelling at the customer, I made a comment to both of them to please make up and stop already. The bartender then turned around and yelled at me to mind my own business. Well, it was my business if people were yelling in front of me (think loud yelling and angry faces!), and I was just trying to eat dinner. Long story short and after much attitude from the bartender, I was still a lady and paid my bill plus generous tip (meant for the other bartender) as always. I will never come back at this place again!
(1)
Tristan F.
Great service and amazing food! Kawika was an excellent waiter. Informative and friendly. Would pick Romano's over CPK any day.
(5)
Kellye G.
Love the mushroom ravioli, if you havent been here and tried it, its delish! Fun family atmosphere and the singing waiters makes it a lot of fun. One of my stops whenever im at the mall.
(4)
Jamie C.
Happy hour is a great secret if u like wine - house is $4 dollars if u don't mind drinkin out of a water glass (but filled!!)
(5)
Krystal C.
Came on a Friday around 630 p.m. Myself and two kids had to wait a few minutes even though the majority of the back of the restaurant was completely empty. Eventually got seated in that area. Our waiter, Darrin was extremely polite and helpful when I asked about items on the menu. He continued to be awesome the entire dinner, and treated my children really great too. Food was very very good. We had the fried Mac n cheese bites and I had Carmelas Chicken. My kiddos had the chicken and pasta with broccoli and ate all of it. The bread that was served beforehand was just ok, could've been better.
(4)
Mike Y.
I was just here for a bday party and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The service was great and the food was cooked exactly how I requested it. I ordered the pork chop and pleaded with the waiter to make sure it was cooked medium (nobody likes dry pork...). It was cooked perfectly! My only complaint was that the food was a little bit too salty. Overall, the service was great and the food was above average.
(4)
Amanda H.
Our first time here thanks to my Aunt that got me a gift card for Christmas. I had no idea there was only one on the island. I got a glimpse of it while leaving Mai Tai's the week before (newly 21 and going everywhere). We got into the restaurant about 8pm and asked for a table of 2. They told us the wait would be 10-15 minutes. My bf and I found that odd because we saw a lot of empty tables. There were also a couple couples and parties before us. But being servers ourselves we understood that there are other factors so we let it go. We got sat after about 15 minutes. The booth we got sat had crayons and paper over the table. I'm not sure if it is standard, it looked it from around the room so we enjoyed playing word games. Our waiter, Jeff, was very nice and wrote his name on the table so we'd remember. I thought that was interesting and interactive. He brought us bread with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. We started on the bread, wishing it was cut or utensils to cut them with. Either way we dug in. After looking over the menu my bf suggested the lobster ravioli and he wanted a chicken dish so he asked Jeff. He suggested the Chicken under a brick, or something like that. We also ordered an appetizer, the broiled artichoke hearts. The artichoke hearts came out quickly. There were about 8 quartered hearts that shrunk due to the broiling. They were seasoned well and paired with what seemed like mayonnaise. It was a good dish, small, and not what we expected, but good. Our food came out shortly after and we were ready to dig in, but we realized we still didn't have any utensils. We tried to flag down someone but no one passed at the time so my bf just scooped some up from the table behind us. The lobster ravioli was good. There were large pieces of diced lobster and the sauce complimented the ravioli. My bf's chicken was also very good. Juicy and moist on a bed of potatoes. After about 20 minutes we were both a bit tired of our entrees and realized it was a bunch of the same taste, so we traded for a few bites. We got the bill and asked about the facebook discount which is 10% off the bill, from a very helpful yelp review! Overall the experience was a good first time and we left satisfied. I'm not sure if we'll be back anytime soon, but it was a great experience.
(4)
Dustin T.
Dining room is appealing and very welcoming. As the waiters with crisp aprons stand by ready to serve, eagerly looking on, the Hostess raises her eyebrow and greets me. She seemed a bit lazy leaning both elbows on the table while acknowledging me. When asked to store a bday cake she said, "I can't take it to the back because the last time I did, I put the ice cream cake in the fridge and it melted." She pointed to a younger hostess to hand over the cake. Definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box. Their menu is certainly hovering over mediocrity. Salad was nicely chilled but not amazing. Next. Appetizers are good esp the fresh bread. Fried Mac n cheese balls are not bad. Flat bread looked appealing but salty. I prefer Chili's flat breads over this. Shroom Soup was very salty and odd tasting. Next. Rustica pasta is tasty with a few booger sized chicken I had to dig around for and 4 pieces of 2-inch shrimps. Had a few bites of the chicken scaloppine. Tasted good but literally swimming in oil. I don't recall eating any pasta this oily. This place is not my first choice or second or third in the mall dining choices available. They are certainly trying let's give em that. I would rather fly to the mainland to eat Olive Garden than dine here. Sorry Mac Grill, you unfortunately do not meet the expectations of a fine dining experience. Very forgettable restaurant if it weren't for the bad stomach aches your foods cause.
(2)
Ashly M.
I've been here twice within the past two months. Both times: Food was hot and scrumptious. Service was friendly and knowledgable. Wait time was minimal for being a chain in a mall. Ambiance is very comfortable. Wine is served generously. I'll be back.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Garage Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : 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.
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Pizza
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Kitty K.
I gotta say it's better than what I expected. The service was good and the food was quick....much better than the one I went in Southern California lol.... I had the Mahi Mahi was delish....not too heavy and tasty. even thou I was full but I can't resist the quest for tiramisu.....It was okay....but eased my craving after one bite...lol
(3)Annie W.
Let's get down to the important stuff first. Happy hour is from 4-7, at the bar which features an awesome fire place seating area. There are comfortable booth seating that will also grant HH prices. On Wednesdays, there is 25% off bottle purchases of wine. You have to agree, that these are great deals! The bruschetta is to live for! The fresh bread, sliced cheese and of course the seasoned, chopped tomatoes to pair it all together with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar to make this appetizer salivating worthy dish. I've had plenty of bruschetta before, but to be serve with sliced cheese was heavenly. I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine~ sauteed chicken with artichokes, mushrooms, aged prosciutto (pieces of salty deliciousness) and lemon butter with capellini (super thin~my fav) pasta. This dish is cooked with lots of butter, delicious but definitely not for the health conscious. They serve free bread and dipped in olive oil and recommended with vinegar will fill you up before your entree. It's good for groups and allows everyone to share if you want to try a bit of everything. If you're indecisive check out their trio sampler dish. A little bit of lasagna, bit of chicken and some other pasta dish. I must say that I had a bite of the lasagna and I was not impressed. Either way this doesn't deter me from coming back to try some more pasta on the menu. Speaking of chain restaurants, I would rather come here than Buca di Beppo.
(4)R R.
Pola was our server and she was AWESOME.. Food was good and service was good... The Loaded Fries is to die for with that GARLIC AIOLI....
(5)Elizabeth N.
This place is smack dab, middle America, chain food fair. It ain't great, and it ain't awful either. The all you can eat, fresh, hot bread is a very nice touch and I think is the buffer of why you'd pay $12.00 for a $5.00 stouffers-tasting-lasagna dish. That and the nice decorations....peep they have Italian lessons playing on the speakers in the ladies room! Tight. Honestly tho, if I didn't have a gift card to eat here, I'd spend my money on a local Italian restaurant, at least you'd know majority of your food didn't come from a can...or at least you'd hope so. My recap: Pros: -The Sun-Thur Happy Hour is pretty good. 1/2 all appetizers and $3 Stella on Draft and house wines??? Woohoo for getting tipsy alone! And if the bar is full (or you a kid in tow) they'll give you happy hour prices at your table. Nice! -Very kid friendly -So far, very nice service, except for the one hostess in the front who just didn't seem like she wanted to be at work the night we walked in... -Free, hot , unlimited bread with all the proper italian fixin's of olive oil and balsamic vinegar -Quick service, clean and nice ambiance Cons: -Mediocre food -Kinda pricey for mediocre food
(3)Tracie F.
Eh the experience was very mediocre. The wait was reasonable. It was really crowded. Our waiter Tony was great! loved the paper table cloths for drawing. The bread was out of this world but honestly that is where the praise about the food stops. We had the sampler appetizer plate. The tomato bruchetta was gross. The fried mozzarella was ok...a little on the greasy side. I did like that it was fresh mozzarella. The calamari was salty. Entrees were bland. The pasta with the chicken scallopini was a pile of flavorless noodles. Did they forget the sauce?? Chicken was bland. The lasagna was good but also on the salty side. Now I am dessert queen and just about anything with sugar pleases me. The apple crisp thing was ok. The six pieces of apple we got had about 2 crumbles of the almond crisp on it. Save your money and get a scoop of ice cream instead. Overall a pretty so-so experience. Go to Mariposa instead. It does beat the food court though...well basically ANYTHING beats that!
(3)Veteran B.
Macaroni Grill is a solid "American" italian dinner option. I've been to several of them and the Hawaii franchise was no different. Good food, good service, and okay price. I think local italian (where ever you live) is funner but Macaroni Grill is a win win.
(4)Rupert L.
Haven't been here for over a year now. I need to come back and draw on the tables. The food was great.
(3)Chloe M.
Aw man... I used to LOVE Macaroni Grill. My grandpa used to take me here a lot so I wanted to take my bf here for our weekly date night. Food: I'm 99% sure that they changed the way they make the food. I always ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and the last time I came here with my grandpa (a month ago) it didn't taste the same. This time I decided to try something new, so I ordered the Carbonara ($17), and my bf ordered the Pasta Di Mare ($20). I never tried carbonara before my last visit to the Macaroni Grill and they pretty much ruined it for me. I thought it was cool that they offer "fresh pasta" but my "fresh" pasta was hard and undercooked. My bfs pasta was okay, but nothing really special. Tomato sauce with mussels (two of which were inedible), shrimp, and scallops. For the same price, we could've gotten delicious pasta at Assagios instead. Boo. They also changed their menu, and they no longer have the sorbet/strawberry cup. Instead they have white peach sorbet (double boo). Ambiance: Yeah yeah, you can write on the table, but where was the opera singer?? I was looking forward to listening to the live opera singing with my bf instead of my grandpa this time, but I guess they don't do that anymore? Overall: Please save your money for delicious food instead. There's not that many good pasta places in Hawaii, and I'm still looking for the perfect place.
(2)Rochelle S.
While working in customer service, I remember having to watch video on the customer experience and how they only really remember customer service that was extremely exceptional, or extremely horrible. Unfortunately, for this review, it is the latter of the two. My girlfriends and I came here yesterday because one of them had a gift card. We probably wouldn't have come here otherwise. When we got to the restaurant, our section was completely empty except 1 other table. We were promptly greeted by our server. I'm not going to mention any names because she was a really very nice person, just not a top-notch server. In any case, after a long morning of bridesmaid dress shopping, I though a mojito was in order. After a pretty lengthy discussion of whether they could do it in strawberry, the order was placed, along w/ our entrees and appetizer. Our appetizer, which was calamari, came out pretty quick. It was pretty good. But then again, I'm not really a good judge in calamari. As long as it's fried and served with condiments, it as an A-rating in my book. My girlfriend who ordered a caesar salad as an appetizer also received it pretty quickly. Mojito still M.I.A 30 minutes later, appetizers had long since been devoured and still no mojito, The more vocal of my girlfriends inquired about the mojito and our server kind of mumbled under her breath, "oh yeah". Said server ran to get it and came back. Syrup was sunk to the bottom and the cup was sweating like a hooker in hell. I know that thing had been sitting at the bar for the entire time we had been there. 15 minutes AFTER the mojito debacle, our entrees still had not arrived, our section was completely packed and tables that had been sat after us had already received their entrees. Entrees finally received, all I can say is: sub-par. The best part of the meal was that our check arrived 2 minutes after the entrees were served. The fasted thing that came out of that kitchen!!!! Word to the wise, endure the wait for CPK, at least you know the food will be good.
(2)Kalani S.
They recently removed the fire pit from the bar which I'm glad they did. Now the bar can service everyone sitting here. No more waiting for the waiter.
(4)Margaret D.
This is a nice relatively quiet place to have lunch and talk to someone. Food is all right. My gripe is the two times I've had the pasta with shrimp or scallops, there have only been a few. They don't take the legs off the shrimp which means you have to messily remove them yourself. The easiest way is with your fingers, but who wants to get cream sauce on the fingers? It's not a cookout, it's pasta. Service has been just fine each time. The servers write their names on the table cloth, then you can draw. I always make a big drawing and imagine the busboys discovering it and thinking, Wow, that's too nice to throw out! but they probably never look at it. LOL.
(3)raechelle v.
It's been years since I came here. Went here for lunch for my birthday with some friends and had a good time. I always liked the bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. We came in around 11:30 or so and didn't have to wait long. I remember having to wait hours to get in back in the day, hence why I haven't been here in years. Our server was friendly. They changed the menu. I like their lunch combination specials. You can choose from soup, salad, and a dish. You can get 2 choices for $11 or 3 choices for $13. I got 1 order of Caesar salad and 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken. The 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken comes out to being almost the same size as the full size order which is listed for $16. Best bet is to get the combination specials. It was good as I remembered it to be minus the hassle of a long wait. Service was quick and friendly. Only downside is knowing that you just consumed a 1,000 calories in one sitting. Oh well, you only live once. I ended up going for a swim at Ala Moana to burn off some of that pasta after lunch.
(4)Karin H.
Had a small baby shower at Romano's here yesterday and it was better than I thought it would be! Our server, Eva, was GREAT! She has extremely good customer service skills. All you crappy servers out there need to shadow her for a few days or weeks (depending how crappy your service is.) Anyway, we had a party of 12 and booked the private room for lunch. The room was very nicely decorated with props and wine bottles and glasses but it was stuffy in there. There's no air con in the room so we couldn't shut the door, especially because we had two divas and a pregnant one in our party. My co-worker ordered a chicken dish and it had rosemary in it (she hates rosemary...the herb) and without hesitation Eva offered to make her a new dish with alfredo sauce instead! UGH, that's what I'm talkin bout! DAMN good service! The food was good. We ordered: (1) Calamari Fritti: 3/5, it was good, nothing special (2) Stuffed Mushrooms: 3/5, it was okay to me. Button mushrooms stuffed with cheese and sausage. (3) Clam Chowder: 3.7/5 the chowder was really good, nice big chunks of clam in it but it was so salty and I personally like thicker chowder. (4) Eggplant Quadratini: 4/5 it had roasted eggplant chunks, cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese with a tomato sauce. Very good. Btw, Quadratini is a pasta shaped like Veggie Straws. It was my first time trying it and I liked it better than spaghetti. (5) New York Style Cheesecake: 4.5/5. For a chain restaurant it was pretty good. They don't make it fresh in house but it didn't taste like a cheap Costco cake either (no offense Costco fans). They order it from a private distributor that specially makes it for Romano's. It's a lighter cheesecake (compared to Cheesecake Factory) made with what tasted like mascarpone cheese (which, i absolutely LOVE) with a shortbread crust and diced strawberries on the side. Yum. My co-worker had a small problem making reservations with the manager. I'm sure it was a communication error but just double check your reservation is saved in the book! We had to re-schedule our date because it magically disappeared...or someone just didn't pencil it in. Idk idk either way just double check. The hostess was not the most welcoming/friendly person but she wasn't a total B. She's serious. That's the only way I could describe her...serious. I guess we were just really happy with our server. I'd go back. The end.
(3)Stephanie K.
Quite busy on a Saturday night (one hour wait), but I'm not one to complain about that. Food came out in a timely manner and since it was birthday season up in here, there was a ton of singing! Our waiter knew how to belt it!
(4)Amy Y.
Today is the first day I come back home. My frineds and I planned what to do today. We wanted to have lunch and hang out. So one of my friend suggested Romano's Macaroni Grill. We were served quickly. The waiter was pretty nice because he provided us with crayons to draw on the table. At first I thought it was weird he'd let us draw on the table. But I realize there was a white paper on top of the table. So, we could draw on the table with crayons. Later, we looked at the menu and my friend got a appetizer called something sampler with calamari and my other friend and I shared a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was good even if the crust was thin. I liked it. They also had a loaf of bread given to us for free in the beginning. It was meant to dip olive oil. I thought it wasn't that good so I just ate the bread as it is. I never tried the appetizer my friend order because she ate that as a meal instead.
(4)Matthew S.
Come here often due to close living proximity. Service in the main restaurant area is usually slow, however, today was the first time I sat in the lounge area & service was excellent! Our server was Roger & his service was impeccable! Always checking up on us in a timely fashion & he is very personable. He didn't see rushed at any time during our dinner. Food was good & if you come in for a bite at night, ask for Roger. Thanks man!
(4)Kallen A.
Went here since our original dinner plans didn't work out. Started off with the mac and cheese bites and oven-fired artichoke hearts. These both were so awesome. They had a special of 2 appetizers for $14. For my entree I got the penne rustica. It consisted of penne with prosciutto, shrimp, grilled chicken, parmesan cream sauce, and sundried tomatoes. Shout out to our server Peter who was very attentive and was a good sport when my friend kept teasing him and making him think he got our orders wrong. We tried to write our names upside down and backwards on the paper table-covering like him, but we failed miserably. I give them 5 stars on this visit for the good food, and quick and attentive service,
(5)Doris D.
Just your average franchise with overpriced, mediocre food. I had a regular salad with goat cheese which was $12, no meat! Ouch. We dropped about $80-90 for four people at lunch - 4 entrees and 1 beer (no appetizers or dessert). The food was really average. There's no effort behind the food, just entrees that are obviously tried and true and just "good enough" for the masses. While I have no problem spending money on a good meal, it's the value that gets me; I'd rather take my money to a local Italian place. I'm from New York and I've tasted some really great Italian food - I guess this Italian food at Romano's would be good if you didn't know any better. Sorry! This restaurant doesn't get my vote.
(2)Remy Z.
Great environment Quality singing, food, fare Hangman with dinner!
(4)Vanessa B.
Wine served in a water cup and a horrible lobster ravioli dish. Maybe i'll try this place again when I get another gift card as a present.
(1)Sheena A.
First time here and I had a wonderful experience. The Lemon Passion is to die for!! Chase our waiter was so attentive and very prompt and efficient!! Will return soon!! Ok, I had lunch here months ago with my friend and didn't realize I had not posted this review!!!! Sorry!!!
(5)Paul C.
Hey good place to eat. Contrary to what trip advisor said lol. Portions decent (except for the artichoke appetizer) definitely go again. I was all about the mini loaf of bread and olive oil.....
(4)Jason C.
I've been there several times only because for special occasions we let our 6 year old pick the place to eat and this is in his rotation. I've never been thrilled by their pasta dishes so I thought I'd go with a Neapolitan pizza, and they had something that seemed promising, Prosciutto e Arugula - Imported Italian prosciutto, fresh arugula, Italian tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. When it arrived it looked and smelled good, and also had halved grape tomatoes. Overall it tasted pretty good, I would have liked more arugula, but two things really brought it down. The prosciutto should be sliced so thin you can read through it, but it was very thick, maybe 5x what it should be, and the crust was bad. I was expecting a thin crispy crust like at CPK or Bucca, but this was not good, it was tough and soggy in the middle. To be honest I've heard the description of a tough crust but never understood what it meant - until now. Lastly, what really surprised me was that the gelato and sorbet was $7! I thought that it was pretty steep. Both my kids wanted gelato, so I proposed to instead go to Nordstom for gelato or go to Bubbies. Both jumped at the chance for Bubbies. We were all happy.
(2)April Y.
Went with the family on Mother's Day, and had a nice brunch. We had a party of 14, and they set up a long table for our party. Kind of a really tight squeeze in there - bad for a wheelchair or handicapped person, and very difficult to navigate between seated tables. Our server was very on top of things, polite and kept us in the know on when the food would be comming out. Everyone was pleased with their food, and we had no problems with the food sensitive people's dishes. Seasoning was appropriate, nothing too salty or bland. Food came out perfectly done, not over or under cooked. Good times, we will visit again.
(3)Beth I.
Loving the happy hour action at the bar! 4pm, $3 domestic, $4 drafts (stella and peroni), $4 imported. Also 50% off certain appetizers and free slices of pizza. My bf and I got there a little before 4 and there was no one there, but it quickly filled up. The bartender didn't put our orders in until 4 so we could get the happy hour deals! awesome! My bf's friend Jonelle works there as well, so it's always a plus! She's friendly and has great service!
(4)Troy L.
I'm not sure when the other reviews were made for macaroni grille, but our experience was outstanding (request Brad). Our drinks were served immediately, salad was fresh and delicious, and the entrees were large, hot, and delectable. Truly awesome.
(5)Steve D.
Food is not bad but I will never go to this location ever again, first the wait is no less than 30 minutes but it's not because they are busy. I worked in restaurant biz for 25 years, they stack their tables which means there are open tables available but they either want you at the bar or can't handle the rush. That's not the worst part, servers hate working with the public which doesn't make sense, go work in a cubicle then. If you still want to eat there or have a gift card someone gave you, if long wait ask to sit in bar, they have tables just like sitting in main dining room but don't wait for them to tell you because they really don't care about their customers
(1)Raych D.
WORST SERVICE IN MY LIFE FROM THE SERVER AND MANAGER!!!!!! Came here tonight for dinner with a friend because I loved this place..well "used" too until tonight. After being seated before 7pm, our waitress greeted herself then after 15 minutes without having no bread or water we kept looking around for her but she was not to be found. When she finally did come, we couldn't decide on which appetizer to get from the moz. cheese or the crab stuffed mushroom and we asked our server for her input and she just said "well I don't know", and "If you guys came 3 minutes before 7pm you could have ordered both during happy hour and got both for the price of one" which was no help to us, because she took forever in asking us for our orders! After deciding on getting our Moz. sticks our waitress took forever again to check up on us if we were ready to order. After she finally did come back and we did order and got our food I was really upset because I asked for my steak to be cooked "medium rare" but it was cooked more on the medium well side but I didn't complain because I didn't want to wait any longer to eat another made steak. When our dessert finally arrived and we wanted our check, she then again was no were to be found for 10 minutes until we kept staring across the room she finally returned. I had to ask her 3x for a to go container for my Tiramisu that I did not finish and she even called the to-go container "what ever it's called". Me and my friend was so upset at our service that we had to complain to the manager that was on duty...and let it be known we both are easy going customers who have never complained before in our lives. When we spoke to the manager my friend explained the type of service we had and he told us that our server was one of his best server and that when he passed our table we should have said something to him so it was our fault because we didn't speak up. The only reason why we didn't is because we didn't want anything to happen to our food and did not want to cause a scene. The manager David Bonilla made us feel so unwelcome and as if we were lying about the whole thing stating that the reason why our waitress may have not checked up on us more frequently is because "we were to busy talking". All I have to say is the manager gave us the most unfriendly, rude and very unsatisfied customer service we have ever seen that we needed to voice our concerns and complain on here.
(1)Wayne S.
YUM FOOD!! Such talented wait staff to write upside down!! My mind wobbles. Once we sat towards the inside of the restaurant and was quite bothered by the atmosphere of the kitchen area. Made me feed rushed and not relaxed. Now I always ask for the front end of the restaurant which makes the dining experience so much better. Service is slow so don't be in a rush to eat food, do however stuff your face on the great bread.
(4)Jessica d.
So I wasn't too impressed the first time, but thought I would give it another go. N.A.S.T.Y. I had the brick chicken. It was so over charred on the outside it tasted burnt, though still moist inside so that's good, on a plate GLOBBED with so much oil all I could taste was char and cheap olive oil. The potatoes and asparagus were good, but WAY greasy from massive amounts of cheap olive oil. So I didn't eat it, but they still charged me. Great. I also wish they would ask before they put pepper on the olive oil.
(1)Keoni E.
Not what it used to be.... I used to love this place! Great food, service, and the table is covered with a blank canvas with crayons to draw on it:) Awesome for keeping kids entertained, and I ain't gonna lie some of us adults too! Lol. I have been here several times over the years and have seen the menu change along with the portions. Portions are smaller and the food doesn't taste the same. I like the ambience. I really liked the Alfredo Pasta along with the baked pasta that has shrimp, chicken and prosciutto, it's done right here. (Both has changed, still good but not like before) The pork chops with the risotto was excellent. I liked it a lot when it used to be honey glazed and they would give us 2 Chops instead of one. Before a peanut recall... Of all things, hahaha! There was hands down, one thing you would have to go here for..... The Desert Ravioli! It's a deep fried ravioli with melted chocolate and "peanuts" inside served hot with vanilla bean ice cream. To die for. Hate to float your boat then take my shotgun and shoot a hole in it but they no longer have it and I'm still waiting (a few years now) for them to bring it back... sadly I don't think they ever will :( I know many can still enjoy it here, but for me, this restaurant went from a close friend to an acquaintance.... Your casual, hey haven't seen you in a while. How you been?! Used to be an above 4 Star rating now a 3. Give my love to Romano and the Fam! Lol. Write a review and save me the hardship my fellow Yelpers!! Hahaha!
(3)R T.
Hungry and tired and looking for a nice late lunch Macaroni Grill did not disappoint. The tomato basil soup, Cesar's salad and the pasta were very good. The bread seemed a bit dry but our waiter was very efficient and brought us more. I would definitely go back!
(3)Alyssa M.
There's usually a wait...so i would call ahead & make a reservation. Their customer service is good, they're pretty unique on how they introduce themselves to you :) Quite interesting way to do it. My fave is the mushroom raviolli...ITS A MUST TRY!!!
(3)angela a.
I remember going to a few Macaroni Grills throughout the mainland and liking them. My experience here wasn't bad, but not great either. My husband and I went here for lunch one Saturday. We were seated right away and it wasn't too busy. Our waitress was good, she took our orders and provided us with waters quickly. We ordered the parmesan fries and a chicken alfredo to split. The parmesan fries were barely warm and covered with too much grated parmeasean. It was like having some sort of cheese powder on your fries. I guess I was just expecting something a little more refined than sprinkling kraft parmesan cheese on them. They also served it with a "4 cheese sauce" which I found completely unappealing. It didn't taste good, either. It wasn't my thing. The chicken alfredo was okay, but it did remind me of eating a Marie Calendar's chicken alfredo for 5x the price. I wont be coming back here again.
(3)Josie L.
Wouldn't go again, the food was only so/so and they were so understaffed our waiter was sprinting from table to table...the only thing he got quickly was the bill when we'd signed off on it.... Disappointing! The only nice thing I can say about the experience was that the calamari was great!
(1)Veronica S.
I came here on two occasions on my last visit to Hawaii because it was in the Ala Moana Mall and we went there often to shop. I have to say that out of all the chain restaurants on this floor, Macaroni is a good choice. The prices are right, and the food is decent. Their calamari appetizer was smaller than I was used to, but the complimentary, warm rosemary bread they give you makes up for it I guess. It's definitely American-Italian food but I still like some of the stuff :-) Prices are $10-$15 an entree, with the steak being about $25..
(4)Les Is More M.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?!?! writing a negative review is not enjoyable, especially after enjoying good service at this place several times previously. romano's had been a dependable dinner destination, but after the original GM resigned things have really gone downhill. I've known a couple of people that worked at romano's, so I did get some inside scoop. at any rate, this last visit was less than satisfactory primarily because our waiter kinda sucked. I didn't get his name, but he looked like barry kripke - from "big bang theory". from simple things like making sure we had enough silverware, to enough drinking (water) glasses... things weren't getting off to a good start. each time he'd check back to see if everything was OK, it wasn't. I asked for balsamic vinegar to add to the olive oil they pour for your bread, and it took a long time for him to return with it. he claimed there was only one bottle (c'mon. really?) and that's pretty much how the entire night went. the best service we got was from the food runners, who delivered our meals. he had a hard time discerning between menu items, and describing specials of the evening so that kinda sucked too. at one time, i remember ALWAYS having to wait for a table, because lines were omni-present. The good news is that now the lines are relatively short - probably due to the service. The bad news is that the food quality did seem to take a dip as well; my chicken marsala was underseasoned and my pasta was a bit cold. the wait between ordering and having our orders delivered was really long too, surprising since the dining room was far from packed. Overall I just got the impression that this waiter should be out selling used cars somewhere (no offense to used car salespeople out there!), because his personality just seemed better suited for something other than dining. It's a shame that this place has gone downhill so much since my last visit, or the one before that also. disappointing to say the least!! If this place doesn't turn things around - and quickly - they'll be closed and out of business within a year.
(2)Alicia H.
Yay! My pick for dinner, bad idea... Pros: Mint iced tea= free refills Free bread Waitstaff, especially friendly Cons: Undercooked shrimp & pasta No taste I didn't even bother to take home leftovers, which is RARE! Lol Overall the food was alright, but I've been here many times before and never had any problems, maybe because I did the whole "build my own pasta" whoops But thanks Charmaine for awesome service!
(3)Chastity M.
My husband and I ate at Macaroni Grill to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary and were very pleased! It was our first visit and we had a very pleasant experience. Our reservations were on a Friday at 430 so I think we kind of beat any rush there may have been because we were seated before our reservation time. Our waiter Lucien (I believe that was his name... Receipt said so! Lol) was nice! He checked on us often and gave us the BEST meal suggestion for our taste! If you visit the Macaroni Grill be sure to try Carmela's Chicken.. BOMB. At the time of our reservation they asked if we were celebrating anything so I had told them we were; our anniversary. Upon being seated, they clipped a red heart balloon that said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to our table and we enjoyed that because now everyone knew we were celebrating something special! On top of that we got some of the best chocolate cake on the house & a song sung to us in Italian. Being my husband has Italian roots, he thought this was amazing. Overall... We had a blast and really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. Definitely will be back!
(5)Lukela B.
Wow tried the Stuff Mushroom that was good and Main course had a Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo. Wow. Also thanks to a good friend chef Fred and The waitress Marilyn for hooking us up and give such good service and advice on tonight's dinner.
(5)Christopher-desiree G.
We got seated within 20 mins., but once we ordered, we didn't get our food until 45 mins. later. Our waitress said they got busy all of a sudden. We've gone there. Before and never had to wait so long for our food. The stuffed mushrooms were good. The mushroom soup was a little spicy. My brother always gets the chicken parmasian so it must be delicious...
(3)Auntie M.
Though our waiter was friendly he forgot about our appetizer & water & hardly came to the table to check on us. The food selection isnt great and the table next to us complained about the lasagna. Since we heard that my fiance changed his mind and tried something different which wasnt great either. My choice, chicken parmegana, was dry & tasteless. My pasta lacked sauce & taste too. Even dessert, chocolate cake, was dry! Only thing I did like was the bread. We dont eat here often but its not like I'll be wanting to come back.
(1)Sean H.
I go here occasionally since it's right in Ala Moana and the vibe in the restaurant is very cool. I feel like that the restaurant is clean, has a nice darker ambiance, etc. I also really like that paper is used to cover the tables and that crayons are provided. I always doodle over the entire table during dinner time! I don't care for any of the food here. I do like rich foods, but everything is a bit too rich. I had the fettucine alfredo once, and I really want to warn everyone NOT to get this! It is literally noodles covered in butter and salt. Too much salt! It was disgusting and I did not finish it. The other dishes (and I have tried really everything) are only okay. The spinach artichoke dish is yummy but not the greatest I've had. And for the mediocre quality, the prices I think are a bit steep. The one thing here that I do REALLLY recommend is the blackberry mint iced tea. Really, if you go here that is the one thing you MUST try. And I believe it's unlimited refills. I admit to cruising in here for unnecessarily long periods of time just to drink as much of this magical drink as possible.
(3)Robin W.
I frequently eat herre b/c it is close to work, home, and has easy mall parking. The booths are VERY comfortable and they have lots of seating. I especially enjoy the blackberry mint iced tea....nice and sweet. The entrees are almost always delicious, and if you can't decide what to order, try Mama'sTrio, with lasagna, chicken parmesean, and cannoli (?--rolled pasta stuffed with cheese). I LOVE Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Chicken Marsala. The steaks and fish are good too. I guess I like this place a lot! I'm usually too full to try dessert, but they look good! It's not gourmet Italian, but definitely great food, especially for a chain. The staff are friendly and they have a kid's menu too.
(4)Chanelle A.
Had to see what everyone else was raving about. The food was good, although i wasn't too impressed. I would probably eat there again, but if given a choice, I'd choose Buca.
(3)Debbie R.
Consistently good food here. You can always count on the food being the same everytime. Tasty, good portions. We always leave happy and full. Prices are midrange, not too expensive, not cheap though. I enjoy their lunch specials at 11.25 each . . . Chicken Parmigian is very good and fills you up, especially with their award winning bread . . its to die for!!
(4)Dylan Y.
Had the same experience of not getting bread while waiting for our food.I think you should be offered it because if you don't know it's available, how you know it's available right? Is this Macaroni's version of don't ask don't tell? Saw other patrons getting bread though, I guess it depends who your server is.Food arrived without bread and I remember when this place first opened everyone told how big the portions were, not this time though. Maybe you have to order the over $20 meals but the chicken (pollo) entrees looked like mini plate lunches spread out on oversize dishes.Only good thing was the kids could draw and scribble on the paper table cloths with crayons provided while we waited patiently for the food.Go to Bella Mia or La Pizzarina instead.
(2)Jnl E.
FIRST AND LAST TIME EVER EATING HERE. Word of advice: Don't ever go to eat here.. Service was horrible! We were seated at 6, didn't get to order until 6:45 and our food didn't come until 8!! And the place wasn't even packed.. It was so-so packed. I mean c'mon, 1 whole hour to wait for food is unacceptable! I ordered the pepperoni pizza because I figured, how can you mess up simple pepperoni pizza.. but to my surprise, not good. They even had the nerve to include gratuity in our bill! HA! Unless they get more cooks on board to serve..i wouldn't ever come back to this place.
(1)Lisa M F.
This is not the typical chain restaurant. It has the moderate prices (~$20 per person), covers all the courses, and doesn't scream local eatery. What sets it apart from chain restaurants is that it has a comfort feel to it. The first time that I went, the service seemed off, but last night our waiter was really friendly! - Complimentary Herb Bread w/ Olive Oil & Freshly Crack Pepper: Good bread makes a good place and this good place makes a good bread. I eat white bread for this place (normally I only eat whole wheat or bread from GHBC). - Kids Mac & Cheese (1st visit) $8.59: The penne was al dente and cheese tasted standard. The bad thing is that I found out that it has trans fat!! D: - Jumbo Shrimp Spiedini $15.99: 6 shrimp on sticks with rosemary over roasted veggies with a side of lemon. Some of the shrimp were stuck on the stick, but they tasted sooo good. The lemon makes a difference! The veggies were okay, but some of their natural flavors were muted. - Complimentary Smothered Chocolate Cake (+1 candle): They give you a HUGE BLOCK of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache, nuts, and whipped cream for your birthday! The cake was so rich, so good, but taught me that there can be such a thing as too much cake. :( I finished it though, with little help from my table people. They were "too full" from tiramisu and sorbet. In addition to the cake, there was a candle and the waiter joined in with singing Happy Birthday. I like waiters who care :) Macaroni Grill is overally awesome. The atmosphere, food, and service are all done right. Small details are the only things to fix, but that's only to get to perfection. Comfort without cheesiness is the way to go. That's why I choose to go here.
(4)Kamesuke Y.
A few times having the pleasure to eat here but always forgetting to write my review is not an excuse... sorry. Our most recent visit was slightly after the lunch hour rush. Service was extremely prompt, friendly and better than most. I wanted to eat soemthing that wasn't on the menu and our waiter said he'll check with the chef/cooking staff and see what they can do. WOW.. to our amazement.. and especially mine.. they actually accepted my order and outdid themselves. Really... the food was awesome... on top of that... their Tiramisu is out of this world. Melt in your mouth.. sent down from heaven.... Oops.. with the thought of their wodnerful Tiramisu.. I have completely forgotten what the wifey had ordered and eaten. So.. to avoid a long wait and the crowds.. a later than usual lunch (after 2:00pm) is a perfect time to enjoy. Out of the many places we have eaten.. the service we had was outstanding. Where can you find a place that will cook something off menu just to please a hungry couple? Our hats off to their staff. Don't know if they treat all their customers like we were treated that day but it will always be a fond memory we will always cherish.
(5)Kanani W.
Came here for lunch & ordered the fried mac & cheese as an appetizer & it was delicious! I had the chicken parmesan & the pasta was tasty but I think the chicken was fried for just a little too long. The cheese on top saved that though. The boyfriend ordered the bib & blue & added shrimp for $6 more. If he had known $6 would only get you 4 shrimp, he wouldn't have added it. Atmosphere was great & we didn't have to wait to be seated. Pretty decent Labor Day lunch :)
(4)Yummy P.
I'd give this place "no stars" if it were possible. I remember trying this place when it first opened in Hawaii. I was very impressed with the decor and open kitchen. I liked how family friendly it was and how friendly the staff were. Sitting at the table with my family, we were immediately greeted by our server who wrote his name on the table covered with paper, allowing you to draw on it as you wait for your food or to entertain the kids. After taking our orders we waited about 45 minutes for our food to arrive. It was a busy night, so we took that into consideration. When the food did arrive - Bleh! The dishes were bland and boring. I sampled everyone's dished - 6 out of 6 - Fail! All of the dished were awful. No flavor and just boring. It was like your first time cooking pasta with prego sauce. A couple of months later, I decided to give it another try. Again, the service was excellent, sadly the food was the same as well. Bland and boring. Ugh. I was very disappointed. Years later, I've moved to Seattle and got invited to a dinner party...where you ask? Romano's Macaroni Grill. I thought, ok - we're not in Hawaii, so the food may be better here. Looking at the menu, entrees have changed a little - so I was a little relieved. Service was excellent as usual and now to order. I was with a party of 10 and everyone tried to order something different. After sampling everything...BLEH! Sad! Everything still Bland and Boring! Mozzarella Alla Caprese: Bland and Tomatoes Mushy. Spinach Artichoke Dip: Bland Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms: Too oily Calamari Fritti: Bland and Overcooked Scallops & Spinach Salad: Over cooked Scallops Entrees: Margherita Pizza, Amalfi Chicken, Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp Portofino, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Scaloppine, Mama's Trio, Center-Cut Filet and Grilled Salmon Spiedini. Not one person was impressed with their dish. We even sampled each others dishes and agreed. Bland and Boring. I can't believe how after trying this restaurant 3 times, both in Hawaii and Seattle - the food still fails to impress me. Definitely NOT RECOMMENDED!
(1)Charles L.
What happen to this place? Granted, I haven't ate there in years but still shouldn't be such a drop off in terms of quality. (In other words, suck that bad!) Dinner was on a Saturday, party of four. I made reservation around 7pm. We ordered the grilled lamb, lasagna, warm spinach salad w/ scallop. It took almost 45 minutes for our food to arrive. We were all starving by then. The lamb was super dry and zero flavor. We had it returned for a seafood pasta which was, again, zero flavor. The portions were small and they were definitely overpriced. The only acceptable dish was the lasagna. The food and establishment get one star from me and the other star was for our server.
(2)Clay K.
They sure have improved the quality of their food. The menu is pared down but so far everything is really good. The make your own pasta combo is my favorite with whole wheat fettuccine,fresh spinach,broccolini and grilled chix with basil pesto. Prices are reasonable too.
(4)Abbey Y.
Wow they have these opera sounding singers that sing on your birthday! Haha it's pretty amazing as you never hear that normally, so it was most definitely entertaining to hear a small asian lady belching out those notes in this restaurant. I've come here numerous times and I've never been disappointed. The service is always excellent so is their food (with the exception of their hostesses for some reason they're not as nice as I thought they should be, but nonetheless the waiters/waitresses are 300 times better). I'm a huge fan of their Eggplant Parmesan. It's delicious! Everyone I've eaten with has always tried it and they love it as well. The free bread that they serve is always hot and fresh out of the oven yummm who doesn't love free yummy bread? The atmosphere is definitely soothing and the restaurant is dimly lit, with a light hanging above each table. The place gets packed as it's in Ala Moana so be prepared to wait if you're here during the busy hours. If you're not happy with any of their entrees you can make your own pasta :) how awesome is that? But it does get a little pricey if you get a little too happy while checking off ingredients for your pasta.
(4)Elijah-Phil K.
I love Romano's! Especially the Lemon Passion Cake and Tiramisu. Yeah, the entrees are lovely but I always save room for dessert. Since my first time at Romano's, the Lemon Passion Cake as been taken off the menu but has been brought back but is now notably smaller... Still delicious, though! The atmosphere is alright and I once went with a party of eight and it took three hours to get us in and out of there. Our food took super long but thank goodness for the crayons and the paper table coverings.
(4)Nicole C.
This is absolutely the WORST Macaroni Grill I've been to in the entire country. I've been to the other ones in different states, and you would think the one in Hawaii would be top notch. The first time I came here, the food was cold and I had to send it back. The service was also lacking. I gave it another try, but it just isn't worth the wait and the service was still slow. They should seriously turn it into Olive Garden, which I think Hawaii would benefit from even more.
(1)Zue K.
THIS PLACE IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES! Previous visits have been okay, but my last visit here wasn't amazing. I highly recommend not being seated near the kitchen area. There is a lot of noise and inappropriate conversation taking place amongst the workers. Our server,Ed, could've been a million times better. He screwed up on two out of four of our tables orders. The first one that came to our table incorrectly was a marsala dish with extra mushrooms. When we notified him of the mistake he told us, "I'll do you a favor and take the extra mushrooms off your bill," not that he would bring us more or take the plate back to have it corrected. And really, do 'us' a favor?! My goodness...if you hate your job that much, quit and give someone else a chance. By the time he dropped our salad it was after our entrees came and we asked for dressing on the side. Dressing was not on the side. Our server never came back with another salad, bread, or beer. We also had to flag another waiter down for more water. Perhaps it was us politely letting him know some orders were wrong that upset him, but I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone that wants to have an enjoyable dinner.
(1)Jermy D.
Wine Wednesdays! 25% bottles of wine! In a nutshell, delicious food and good service. The booze: They also have a promotion where you get 25% off bottles of wine. We asked the waiter for wine suggestions for our meal. He was actually quite knowledgeable. We were torn between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Reisling. The waiter offered a tasting of the two before we made our final decision. The Reisling was the definite winner. The food: Delicious! The portions are a little smaller than you would expect, but it ended up being a perfect size for an entree. We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms and fell in love. I had the Chicken Rigatoni with the Marsala wine, and it was delicious! The prices are actually pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food. The service: They waiter we had was friendly and attentive without being too overbearing. Overall, great place to chill and unwind with a bottle of wine and great company.
(4)Cherie T.
I really enjoyed my dinning experience here. I have two food allergies and my server Ryan was EXCELLENT!! Please please let him know that he made the experience great. He understood my concerns and worked with me to order the Salmon with out sauce and asparagus. He checked with the chef to make sure that there were no ingredients that I couldn't have in my food. It's always a challenge to find a place to eat when you have a Gluten and Soy allergy but Mac Grill is one of my favs now. Ryan did not make me feel uncomfortable about my allergy like other servers and places do. I really appreciated the way he took care of our table. He was a great server and was very attentive. Even during the busy times. Thank you RYAN for a great gluten and soy free dining experience!
(4)Stephanie H.
Came here on Friday night before heading to the movies. The service was quick and friendly, if not too friendly, and the food was good. I do remember a time when Macaroni Grill first opened and they served the most mouth watering bread and entrees. Those days are long gone and replaced by a restaurant with the same name but in no way serves the same quality food. In it's place is Italian food more resembling that of The Olive Garden. You know the food tastes good not because they use the best ingredients but because they add copious amounts of butter, salt, and whatever else makes pasta taste good. I like it 'cus it's quick, tasty, and you can order wine by the cup-full.
(3)Nicki R.
I LOVE this restaurant! My husband and I came here for dinner on the night we got engaged. The abiance is dimly lit and romantic and our server, Kat, was incredibly friendly. I ordered the terriyaki glazed salmon and mashed potatoes and it was delicious. My husband loved his steak as well. After Kat cleared our plates and we were waiting for the check, she came out with a chocolate cake. She congratulated us on our engagement and told us she was going to sing a song for us (it turns out she is one of the opera singers). I don't know what the song was but she was fantastic and almost had me in tears. Not only is this a restaurant I know I can count on having a great meal at, I know their staff will go above and beyond to help us have an amazing evening.
(5)Nicole K.
hands down i love the table "cloths" aka the paper and crayons they give. it makes the wait go by faster, and it's a good way to have fun with friends. i'm a huge fan of italian food, and i absolutely love any kind of seafood scampi that they have. it's a nice sit down restaurant. if you go when it's busy, the wait might be a while though. the servers are always friendly, and i love it when they sing birthday songs.
(4)Gene R.
Service was SLOW. Food was just edible, wish I never came here. I ordered a italian pizza it was soggy and Luke warm. In
(1)Mel G.
Have only been once before, and on the mainland years ago, so thought we'd give it another go. Great location in Ala Moana (give you some space to walk off the huge meal) so there is ample parking. Wait wasn't too bad, considering it was a Sat night. Inside is nice and well laid out, a bit on the cold side or we just happened to be right near an AC vent. The break was delicious, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have balsamic vinegar for it like I remember. Sad. Butter would have been better with it considering the just oil and pepper alternative. They did give us another round as we had a bit of a wait due to the busy Sat night crowd. Server was ok, he had a lot of other tables so maybe that was it, he just seemed to be rushed and didn't check back on us very often. Food was good but not amazing. Hubby ordered the Mama's Trio, he said the cannelloni and chicken parmigiana was good, but the lasagna had a weird flavor to it and he left it. I ordered the chicken scallopini and it was delicious, but then it became extremely salty in the bottom of the plate. Generous portions! Gave only 3 stars as I think something was a little weird in the food and have been semi-sick all day, but it could have been all the sodium in the dish I have (and I'm not used to salty foods). Would try again, at least one more time, for a second chance with a lighter dish.
(2)K K.
I give this place three stars only because our server was really bad. we had to ask for refills on water, he didn't really seem to want to be there. took away the dessert menu before asking if we wanted anything. But other that our server, food was awesome. The Parmesan-Crusted chicken is awesome & I'd eat it again. Chicken Florentine was okay, it has a different taste that's not so much to my liking. Overall I'd come again & request that we not have the same server we had today.
(3)Tahnee K.
I have always loved Macaroni Grill, I didn't go there for a while but when I did go to eat there last week things were so different. They close the doors now for the AC, they have new uniforms, new menu and the water is in this really pretty bottle they leave on your table. I had the Fried Macaroni and Cheese balls with this truffle oil and something sauce it was amazing, i want to order that for take out all the time now
(4)Tiani B.
the happy hour experience was.....weird. we walked in on a saturday, about 3-3:30....the host was not very "warm and welcoming" the restraunt was pretty much empty on the dining side but was told it would be a 15-20min wait...as I looked around at all the empty seating I was a little puzzled. Then the host said that if we could find a table on the bar side of the restraunt then we wouldnt have to wait...gee, thanks guy! There was two empty tables so we took one. We waited a little longer then expected to get some waithelp. Seems there was only one waiter working the entire bar area....so with that said, we waited for drinks, asked for drinks a second time after some of them never made it to the table. We ordered pizza, pasta, and chicken on a brick. The pizza was heavenly! It was just a plain ol' cheese pizza but our table enjoyed it very much. The pasta was good, and the chicken on a brick....Im honestly not sure if it was under cooked or the seasoning was just "off" but it did not excite my pallet. the serving of chicken was over the top! I was expecting a cute little filet NO, it was almost as big as my plate and just a terrible cut! I ate around it...the asaparagus and potatoes were delicious! Overall, I guess I would come back and have pizza? As far as being on my all time favorite places to eat, this will not make it!
(3)Victoria A.
After reading mixed reviews... I thought I should try this place out myself. And so, my 4 stars "Yay! I'm a fan" review begins. My boyfriend & I dine out for every month anniversary. For our 47-month celebration, I chose Macaroni Grill, since it was less than 5 minutes away from Ward Stadium theaters (where we watched '21 Jump Street' *hilarious, by the way). Because it was a Friday, being the experienced diner that I am, I called in a reservation. The hostess was polite and calm (although it sounded like there were a hundred people talking in the background). She asked if we were celebrating anything and I responded with a "Yes, thank you for asking". Anyway... fast forward. We arrived 10 minutes late. Because I called to inform them that we were stuck in traffic; they were able to hold a table. It was crazy busy. We normally never dine out on a weekend because of the chaos; so I was very nervous about what the service would be like. Thankfully, we only waited a little less than 10 minutes for our table. The hostess acknowledged our anniversary and wished us an enjoyable evening. The server greeted us promptly and wrote her name on the table (I thought was the most awesome thing ever!). Despite the craziness of the restaurant, the timing of our courses was perfect! Only one thing I was a bit disappointed about: Why would the hostesses ask about our celebration if we don't receive any type of acknowledgement from our server? Not that my boyfriend & I dine out especially on our anniversary to receive FREE stuff; we're not that kind of customers. Anyways.... Here's what we ate: 1st course: Spicy Ricotta Meatballs & Fire Roasted Artichokes 2nd course: Eggplant Parmesan Florentine Steak & Frites 3rd course: Csnnoli & some type of Lemon heaven. haha Overall, I will definitely make sure I come back. Maybe it'll be for a girls' night. :D
(4)T. L.
The food here is extemely fattening and unhealthy but oh it tastes so good :-) love it !!!!
(4)josh v.
Question: Do they have to go to an on the job training to learn how to write upside down? The table cloth is covered with with paper and the wait help writes their name and the specials of the day, upside down. Crazy fast. Like that's how they learned to write in kindergarden. And the penmanship was really good too! I can say its probably better than mines.... smh.... I went to Macaroni Grill for really late dinner with my sister, who was craving for pasta. Our wait for a table wasn't that long, maybe 5 minutes. We got our table and noticed how cold it was instantly. I looked around to see if any booths were open so we could opt out of current frigid condition. No luck... Its ok, I rather be cold then hot. The lighting was a little on the dark side compared to other restaurants with dim lighting. Its not that bad, I like it because its relaxing and easy on my eyes but it was darker than the norm. And I did want to see what I was eating. For Yelp's sake.... For starters, we got some antipastis. One of them being my ussual at all restaurants, spinach artichoke dip. The other, a sampler, that consisted of calamari frita, mozzarella frita, tomato bruschetta and focaccia bread. For the Entrees, my sister ordered shrimp portofino and for me, chicken cannelloni. As we waited for our food, my sister and I would try our hand at the art of upside down writing. Fail. Our waitress brought over some bread as we showed off our skills. She gave us a hint, "S" are written the same. I tried couple times more until I ultimately decided that I can't do this. So I drew. A Wu-Tang logo and a maze. And a couple more doodles that I don't remember. Here comes our antipastis! The spinach artichoke dip was ok, if it was warmer, it would have been a little better. It had a healthy amount of artichoke hearts in it which I liked. The sampler was actually really good. Calamari was the best thing I had there. Lightly floured. The bruschetta was nice. I like that it was chunky while being juicy. It can cover the foccacia bread great as well as have the soak in all that juices. The mozzarella fritas was..... ummmmm... like fried breaded string cheese? It didn't impress me much. As soon as we knew it, we was full. No mas. And our entrees didn't come yet! So, we decided to get those to go, after we tried a couple of bites. Just so we can see how it is, fresh. I took a scoop of my chicken cannelloni. I like ricotta cheese, but it over powered the whole dish. There was more ricotta then chicken! They should rename it to Ricotta Cheese Cannelloni. If there was more chicken, it would have been a great number. The asiago cheese sauce was really good, though. Sharp and creamy. We asked our waitress for containers to get the rest of our food boxed up. She definitely made a good first impression of Macoroni Grill a good one. She was really attentive. A return visit sounds good to me. whenever anybody has a craving for cocina italiano, I'm down!
(3)Dixie R.
My review is based on what happened last night at Macaroni Grill regarding manager David Bonilla. I contemplated even reviewing at all and instead write to corporate but you know that takes a lot of time and effort and I have better things to do with my life.. and not to mention I did call him an asshole to his face so I don't know if my case would stick up anyway. Oh let me advise you in advance that there's already been a similar review regarding the same manager on here.. Ok so my family and I sit at the bar area where it said 4-7pm Happy Hour 50% off Appetizers and were greeted by our server Damon who was charming and very attentive. We ordered some stuffed mushrooms off the appetizer menu and since it was good, we ended up ordering 2 hey why not it's 50% off? So blah blah blah long story short the bill comes out and we see that we were charged full price for the mushrooms so we asked Damon if the mushrooms weren't on happy hour price and he said it was a mistake so he'll get his manager to take it off. Then Damon comes back very rattled saying that his manager was not going to take off anything because he should have known to communicate to us that everything except for the mushrooms were half off. At this point I'm thinking then why the f doesn't the board have a disclaimer saying DISREGARDING THE MUSHROOMS or subject to price etc. Anyway, I felt bad for Damon and it seemed as if he was going to have to pay for it so I asked nicely if we can talk to the manager. He comes to our table with a "Hey folks" and I asked "So we were just told the mushrooms were not on happy hour is that right?" and he just starts spurting out diarrhea out of his mouth and this is what he had to say in a really snarky sassy manner, "No they are not and you know what Damon should have known and failed to communicate that so yeah the restaurant is not paying for it and I'm not paying for it so it's fine he will just pay for that himself. " So trying to defend our waiter who was just thrown under the bus I told him "Well I don't think it's his fault especially when the sign saids 50% off Appetizers and it's a little deceiving.." so we go back and forth me trying to tell him it's just the principal...I feel bad for the waiter he shouldn't have to pay for it... "Well he is and that's that we are not paying for it you are not but when somebody keeps making the same mistake over and over then he needs to pay for it." And I could tell he was just not letting me win at all so I said to his face that I would yelp about this in which he replied with a finger in my face "YOU DO THAT! I'll adjust the bill you have a good evening ." (Meaning Damon would pay) And you know I just could not help myself and said " You too asshole." and this is the best part.. ARE YOU READY ARE YOU READY?!?!? He comes back around makes the widest angle turn almost like a kick ball change he was soooo taken back and comes back to my face furious and said, "REALLY?!?!??! Really right now?! Is that what your gonna say to me?!" Whoa. when did this become a street fight..last time I remember, I was at a corporate fucking american family restaurant. Oh that's right, I called him an asshole. But I did apologize and I did say "Well I'm sorry about that but you're very unprofessional..I don't think you should run an establishment if you can't handle guests complaints and you treat your employees this way." Hello??! Don't be a manager in the first place if you can't handle heat from complaining guests..That's basically what a manager is, a shit taker but obviously he can't take it (maybe he takes it up his ass too much) and ends up dishing himself and forgets that he works for a corporate chain restaurant and you're just supposed to nod and give the sympathy sandwich. He walked away saying "I don't appreciate you calling me foul language infront of children." Which yeah ok I did have my 1 year old son there but trust me he hears worse things outside of Macaroni Grill and to be completely honest, I could not find a more suitable moment than to introduce that word to him in his life. Well I guess I won't be coming back to Macaroni Grill ever again and that is totally fine with me..It's not like the food there tastes like an angel's ass anyway.
(1)Crystal B.
My boyfriend and I went to Romano's for one reason and one reason only: I said that Romano's is gross, mass-produced B-rated Italian food, and he insisted that from what he remembered it was actually good. Naturally, we had to settle the matter. I started with a Bellini, which was very sweet but good other than that. I ordered Calamari and my boyfriend ordered the appetizer sampler platter, which also came with calamari. The server pointed out the double order, but we said it was okay because calamari is always good. Or so we thought. The appetizers were just okay overall, but the calamari was pretty inedible. It was rubbery and not served hot, just lukewarm. The breading was thin, not crispy, and barely covered the calamari. Flavorless, really like eating leather. Gross. We left a lot uneaten. Next came salads, which were fine. Nothing special, but acceptable. Then our entrees arrived. I had the eggplant parmesan, I think my boyfriend just had penne with meat sauce, if I remember correctly. My eggplant parmesan was frozen. The middle of the eggplant was cold, tough, and had that weird chalky raw-eggplant texture. I tried to eat it but decided to send it back. The server was gracious, and when it came back out it was cooked fully. But frozen veggies? Yuck. Both of the entrees followed the "just okay" trend set by the rest of the meal. We didn't really feel inspired to get dessert. To their credit, the service was good. He was there when we needed him, and he got the problem with my entree fixed effectively. But the food was so blahhh, I would much rather spend an extra $5-$10 and get food that is much better quality. In other words, I won the bet. We won't be back.
(2)tetsuzan R.
Coming from the Mediterranean region, I am always ready to dip my piece of warm bread in the mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and papper, and enjoy washing it down with some cold beer. The appetizers are great and fresh and make my mouth and soul happy. The tiramisu is a must if you know to appreciate italian food, and it goes well with espresso or macchiato. Easy to find room, especially if I call and reserve a table :) In case I just drop by and find no more room I can always enjoy the wonderful attention of the bartenders and have my meal by an open fireplace. Take my advice and make sure to reserve a table during the weekends!!! Oh, and if you like romantic setting you can ask for a booth otherwise there plenty tables and chairs. The amazing waiters of Romoano's Macaroni Grill can: 1) sing Happy Birthday in Italian like opera singers. 2) write their names and the specials upside down real fast on the table and some can do it with more than one crayon at once. Importent to know - 5:30 to 7:00 PM - Happy Hour - drinks and appetizers are half the price. Go for it :)
(4)Megan M.
We have come here a handful of times and I was never really impressed until last night. Our server Shawn was great, drinks were ALWAYS full, he was there when we needed him and not when we wanted our space. The food was great and hot, I normally order something different until I find something I really like, I got the Shrimp Alfredo and my husband got the Chicken Alfredo. The sauce could have used a bit more seasoning, but it was good. The extra cost for the shrimp wasn't worth it, $5 for 4 shrimp, sure they were on the larger size but if it had mentioned on the menu it was just four I would have gone for the chicken which was much more obvious in my husbands meal. The kids menu is a bit pricey but the food was excellent, the pizza and mac and cheese were both homemade and fantastic. It also comes with ice cream and a drink, if you are nice sometimes they will let you substitute fresh strawberries instead of ice cream (our children aren't allowed to have ice cream) for no charge. The appetizers are great, the crab stuffed mushrooms have to have been hands down the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. Not too soggy and TONS of crab. The Mozzarella Fritta was good as well, the tomato sauce that comes with it is amazing. We will be going back again and again!
(5)Nicole L.
I used to frequent Macaroni Grill for Sunday lunch with my family a while back and it is definitely not the same. Everything has gotten smaller it seems. I think I remember there being a lot more items on the menu and the portions are a lot less than before. I always order the chicken marsala and always have to get a to-go box, but this time there were only 3 litte pieces of chicken and not too much pasta. Even the piece of lasagna my friend ordered looked a lot smaller. Not what I'm used to when eating hearty Italian. Italians can eat! But I'm pretty sure the prices are higher if not the same. The service was awesome, I still get so amazed when the servers write their names on the table paper upside down. Lol.
(3)Jocelyn S.
i've eaten at Macaroni Grill several times before and my experience was fine, but my recent experience was quite different... i've gotten a Mac Grill gift card for Christmas from one of my friends, so the BF and i decided to have dinner there so that we could use it. we entered the restaurant and the hostess at the counter was unwelcoming. no greeting at all. there was no "hello" or "welcome to Macaroni Grill" or not even a smile. my BF told her "table for 2" and she told us waiting time was gonna be 50 minutes. so ok fine, we waited outside then moved our way inside to sit. i sat nearby where the hostess was. i observed that she kept on changing waiting times. first couple people, she had told them it was an hour wait... and not even 5 mintues later, she'd say 30 or 15 minute wait to another set of people. i knew she was trying to get rid of potential customers that was told it was gonna be an hour wait... not sure why since there were some empty tables around. finally, it was our turn to be called. our waiter seemed pleasant. he does the standard procedure of the olive oil and pepper onto the small plate to dip the bread in. unfortunately, he didn't even bring us bread, so it wasn't used at all... in the meantime, we were just entertaining ourselves with scribbling stuff on the paper table cloth, which is a nice distraction as we wait for our food. the dish i usually order and enjoy is their 2 pork chops with risotto and broccoli. when we got our food, i noticed my pork chop order looked completely different from what i remembered it used to be. now it was just one single pork chop and a small portion of the risotto. honestly, it was not worth the price. but i did like the presentation of the dish. looked liked it came from those fine dining places. unfortunately, the risotto didn't seem to be cooked properly. *sigh* i was kinda disappointed but i was hungry so whatever, i ate it. *hehe* i noticed that our waiter didn't check up on us as much as how he waited on the other tables. we were done with our food and decided to order dessert. another server brought out our dessert, but didn't even include utensils for us. it was a good thing our waiter came walking by. i called him back to let him know that we needed utensils. we ordered the Ricotta Cheesecake. BF and i enjoyed it because it wasn't too sweet and it had this lemon taste that enhanced the flavor to it. overall, i do like the ambiance of this restaurant. it has that Italiano flare to it. just wished that they haven't changed the pork chop dish. other than that, this place ain't that bad. i'm not gonna say that i won't be coming here again, cuz i probably will come back. it's just that the recent experience i had this time wasn't the greatest. they just need to do some improvements.
(3)Milton K.
Just went there tonite - Found out that there is some "Corporate" changes, and so the menu HAS changed with it! Had the Cesar's Salad AND the Chicken Marsala... Cesar Salad was decent in portion but seemed a little bit "pricey" for what it is. Romain with large croutons and of course, the cheese. Came in a "bowl" but quantity of portion did not "fill" it - Was enough, but the "appearance" seemed "short". Maybe a smaller/different bowl (or a PLATE!) would make it "look" better. The Chicken Marsala was OUTRAGEOUS! Portion was VERY satisfying (THREE LARGE pieces of chicken!), flavor was good, and a MOUND of pasta. BUT I felt the pasta was a BIT (note I said a BIT) overcooked, so it was a little "soft". The IDEAL part of this "experience" was the SERVICE - Dannon (name?) .did a FANTASTIC job of making sure we were well taken care of! Actually, maybe a little TOO MUCH! (IS there TOO MUCH?) I started by ordering a Corona, ("Happy Hour") and it showed up ASAP with a CHILLED, FROSTED Glass! Also - they serve WATER in a chilled pour bottle now! (Like having your own WINE or Champagne!) But all in all, an enjoyable experience! AND - getting out of all the CROWD / PEOPLE sure made it a "Get-A-Way" up there on the 4th floor of Ala Moana! I think the next time I am going to try the "revisited" Pizzas... Or maybe try the new stuff - They also have now FLAT BREADS!
(4)Kat A.
Lobster Ravioli baby.. Thats what I always order. Although my friends like to think opposite. The setting here is somewhat romantic, dim-light, a great place for family to dine also.
(4)Loreene A.
Romano's Marcaroni Grill is a great place to eat!The waiter was very courteous,friendly and helpful.He explained very thourghly about the food,whether it's spicy or not,allowing me to sample the two types of soup they had for the evening which was lentil soup or tomato soup.Both tasted great so I opted for lentil soup.It had vegetables in it and some beans.It was a little spicy but delicious. If you're not used to spicy food you may want to stay away from the lentil soup. The soup menu changes daily.The bread was delicious and so was the Italian Soda with White Peach and cream.I ordered the Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and it was delicious as well.Food serving size is good for the price and food comes quickly.I'd defiantly recommend this place
(4)Jaime K.
My last review I said food took "abnormally long". This visit was also very long wait too. I guess this is becoming a normal occurrence now. Our waitress Lisann was great. The problem was with the kitchen. It didn't seem busier than normal, but we were told that eggplant parmigiana was sold out and when we ordered chicken parmigiana Lisann said she had to "fight" for the 2 we ordered since it was they ran out of that too. WoW, I'm glad "we won". Lisann was very attentive and kept us updated on the status of our food. She informed us about the Happy hour and asked us if we wanted to take advantage of half off. House wine was only $3 and appetizers 1/2. good deal! As for pricing, we ordered: 2 chicken parms (last time was great! this time not so. It was not warm by the time we got it) 1 lamp chop 1 spag + meatballs 3 glasses of wine 1 budlight 1 calamari 1 artichoke dip Our bill was about $110 without tip. I'll definitely go back for HH, but not sure if I want to go back for dinner anymore :(
(3)Marianette K.
1. Ordered 2 dirty martinis. Only one arrived dirty, both did not have olives. We could live without it being dirty, but no olives? 2. Waitress thought Chardonnay was a red wine. 3. We were well into our entrees, with no red wine that we ordered. My husband went to bar to get it himself. No recognition or apology from waitress. 4. No detailed receipt. We wanted to deduct the liquor portion in determining the tip. 5. We had to stand and wait quite a while for the manager (Keoki??) who was engaged in a conversation at a table. From their smiles, it wasn't a complaint conversation. After fifteen minutes, still no manager - we left without letting management know our dismay. 6. I enjoyed the prociutto appetizer and meatball spaghetti.
(1)J B.
The calamari was awesome! The best I've had on the island. Our server Zoli was knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant overall. The entire staff made our experience amazing. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan for my meal. The dish came with 3 large round battered slices of eggplant and delicate pasta covered in a chunky marinara and parmesan cheese. My husband ordered the Margherita pizza which was also delicious. The toppings were fresh, and there was a nice balance of cheese and sauce. Typically I am dissatisfied with "chain style" restaurants price, service, and food but this is our 5th visit to the Macaroni grill where we have had excellent food and service.
(4)Beyonce H.
Definitely our favorite place! We have made friends with bartender Dave and from the first time we walked in, we have have received nothing but EXCELLENT SERVICE. Anytime our dishes were not perfect, he always makes sure it get's taken care of. Honestly when you go to other upscale restaurants, haven't you settled and tipped for subpar service, just because you don't want to make a fuss? My husband loves the ribeye steak, because Dave will make sure it is cooked to perfection. Chicken under a Brick is our fav, Grilled King Salmon, and really if you are a soup/salad person, the price are so reasonable during happy hour. Also thank you Jeff, Ryan and Corey make our visits so much fun! P.S. they got rid of the fireplace, so the bar is much roomier!
(5)Isis B.
This place used to be one of my faves...but for some reason, maybe because the restaurant has fallen on hard times - I'm only giving it two stars. The food is, really, its still very tasty. And they keep on changing the menu, which is great. Actually, they tell you that they're trying a new menu, but the fact seems to be that they're going back and forth between an old menu and a new one. Anyways, the food is really tasty...the problem is that they give less of it!! I swear!! Before, I could only finish half of an entree. Now, I can lick the damn bowl clean AND still have room for dessert - which I must add, the Lemon Passion Cake is awesome!! But getting back to my gripe - seriously, they need to add more food back onto each entree. Then I'll update my review to three...hmm...maybe four stars!!
(2)M A X.
Went to Romano's Macaroni Grill to redeem a gift card I got for Christmas. I've been there a few times (my memory was they weren't very good). But, It's been a while, and I was willing to take another chance (I mean what the hey, they're still in business right?) Time: Monday 3:30pm Water: good (no chlorine taste) Bread: Gimmiky. The olive-oil looks like it came from Costco (the uber-gourmet section of course) and sat on the table all day. I'd rather have some garlic butter. Spagetti w/Meatballs: reviewers note: I decided to order the most basic item on the menu to get a real taste of their quality (without all the fanfare of the signature dishes). - Da Spagetti: A bit larger in diameter than I'm used to but not overcooked. It was obviously prepared ahead of time then stored. You can taste the refrigerator. - Da Meatballs: Good but nothing to write home about. Standard restaurant fare (meat + fillers + spices) - Da Sauce: This was low point of the dish (and did I mention the refrigerator flavored noodles?). It was only one degree higher than Chef Boyardee!! Like, if you get the Chef Boyardee recipie and try it at home. What a disappointment! :( Service: The overall experience wasn't bad. You can tell no one makes a career of working at Romano's Macaroni Grill, so I'm not going to knock them. Conclusion: Romano's Macaroni Grill ranks as one of those places you go once every few years after you forget how bad it was the last time. Seriously tho, if you can't even pull off a good Spagetti & Meatballs, then you shouldn't be in the italian restaurant business. too bad. :( Maybe I'll try again in 2012 (or buy a can of Chef Boyardee)
(1)Jay C.
I went here for many date nights, and the service got progressively worse. I received one waiter and I could not believe how rude and intrusive his service was, which ruined my night. I will not be going there again. The menu has gotten smaller due to management change, and the food has decreased in quality. You have to ask for bread now. I would not recommend even my worst enemy to go here.
(1)Jason F.
the service was top notch! the food was excellent! the bread is bomb with oil n vinegar! i get the mix plate combo of the 3 dishes, chicken canoli, chicken parm, and lasagna! with cesar salad. i mean it's not the greatest but its better then your girlfriends baked zitta with mf prego ya know what I mean! coo coo coo
(4)Jessica K.
The atmosphere was totally different from the locations I have visited in mainland in the past. Anyhow It was great until I found a hair in the salad, one of the mix and match lunch menu, We were almost done eating and since it was my vacation, trying to spend a good time with my sister, I did not complain as much. Turns out another party was having the same problem. They gave me 10% discount on the bill which is around $3. Did not get a sincere apology. Now I think back, they didn't deserve that much money I paid. Overall quality of food and service was a disappointment. 2 star. The Cheesecake factory is much better.
(2)R C.
I have been here on several occasions for lunch, dinner and pau hana drink specials. The food isn't anything outstanding , it's simple and comforting. This is a chain, I have been to several Romano's in Texas and Arizona. The staff is very friendly, attentive and helpful. It's cool to watch them write their names backward :) It's a huge restaurant , always fully staffed. The bar drinks are reasonable. Dessert tray is onolicious, something to share always. The food: my usual: Caesar Salad, Pepperoni pizza , or lasanga, and Spinach and Artichoke Dip... I have tasted pastas and sandwiches here but I stick to my favorite mostly. Drinks: beer at the bar , bartenders are very cool and fun to chit chat with. The women bar tenders are very nice. I like to share my food, it's family style.
(3)Jesse C.
Macaroni Grill seems like another franchise chain. Your meal might be awesome or bland. It just depends on your cook and server. Sadly, that's the problem with chain restaurants. They lack consistency. Whenever I've been here the staff has been friendly. So point for them. Their gimmick is drawing their name upside down on the table(paper)cloth. This is obviously great for kids; free-for-all drawing war. Makes it a great place for families with young children or lewd teenagers. Ha! Now you cant get your mind out of the gutter. Shame on you! :P
(3)Min K.
Maybe it's because I know people who work here, I consistently get amazing service. But regardless had I not known anyone, the service is still good. My favorite, always will be the mushroom ravioli, but it's slowly been shifting it's focus to the spaghetti. Call me a loser, yes, the spaghetti. I love the meatballs, I love the sauce, I love everything about it. The price is reasonable, good wine, and with good company, a good night. :)
(4)Kaileen Y.
It was Girl's Night Out. A few girlfriends and I decided to have dinner here at the Macaroni Grill. It was a great night. The service was quick. The servers & waiters were so nice. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact that we were a bunch of college girls wearing pretty dresses. But, whatever! I enjoyed being able to draw on our own table. Haha. That's right. Each table is covered with a huge sheet of white paper & are given a few crayons. It makes the experience sort of fun! The food was good too. Loved the Artichoke dip...probably the best I've tasted. I had the Chicken Parmigiana. It was good. But, it wasn't GREAT; I've tasted better...which explains the 4 stars.
(4)Shay F.
I think the only thing I like on the entire menu is the grilled mahi mahi. Service wasn't so great. He kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. I'd give it two stars, but I just love the tables. I kept drawing and drawing and drawing...LoL.
(3)Mike H.
Saavy Server & Suggestive Selling sold us on a night and dinner to savor! Thought the lessons in Latin, while in the lua were entertaining as well! Chicken Marsala was awesome, will be back soon.
(5)Brian A.
Let me tell you a short story. The first time I went to RMG it was in Beaverton, OR. Me, my cousin and our friend (all dudes) went to try it out cause it was a new franchise just moving in. We had an "okay" dinner, nothing to write home (or Yelp) about. Then the singer comes over and gives us a "O solo mio." The three of us were kind of feeling awkward that the dude is singing to the three of us in a restaurant full of couples and families. Yeah, that was weird. Anyway, nothing too memorable here. Had the steak once and it was alright, as is the calamari. The marsala was okay as well. The ambiance is nice though, very classy. Sometimes can get a bit loud depending on where they seat you. The bread with balsamic vinegar and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, yeah too much Food Channel) is winners though. I just like to take the crayons, after everyone is done trying to write their names upside-down, and put an "X" right in front of me and write "Bread goes here." Hey, just so the waiter knows, right? See, I'm always there to help. At this location, during peak hours, the wait can be horrendous. Parking is right outside the Pearl Lounge on the top level on the Nordstom's side of Ala Moana. They have a elevator and escalator in the mall near by for people who need the help.
(2)Yon S.
Been here twice when they first opened. Kids like the drawing crayons on the tablecloth gimmick. They supposed to be singing talent waiters somewhere. Can't even recall what I ate. Not the worst. Not the best.
(2)Steven B.
We just recently tried their happy hour menu and were sorely disappointed with the food and service. Since we are not drinkers, we ordered just appetizers which were half off. Our waiter was not attentive nor friendly. It took at least 25 minutes to get our food and when it came out, they got our order wrong. Bread was not served until the food arrived. Mind you, we were famished, and all we had was a tiny plate of olive oil in front of us. There was no apology from the server or the waiter. In fact, we did not see our waiter until the end of the meal to fill our empty glasses. The mozzarella caprese was lacking. The mozzarella on the tomato was small and rubbery. We won't go back there again.
(1)Jennifer C.
I've been here quite a few times, I usually get the fettucine Alfredo - I really like it. My favorite part of the restaurant experience, is the drawing table cloth lol. Pretty neat how the waiters write their name upside down when they first greet you at the table. It took awhile for the food to come, and we asked for a refill of water but it took awhile for it to come also. Service was slow, but at least I liked my dish.
(3)Sandy D.
Ate lunch with my 8 yr. old and hadn't gone here for about 6 years since they way undercooked my fish (icy cold) in the middle. Well, we were taken to our table right away by Brian who was also our server. He was very attentive and refilled our drinks checked on us just enough. Had the calamari as an appetizer. It was fine. Nothing super good or bad. Daughter had spaghetti with meat sauce and I had the salad sampler. Brian also brought us warm bread from the very beginning. Daughter enjoyed her spaghetti. My salad sampler was fine. The caesar tasted the best. There was one salad that had a little too much dressing, which was a bit overpowering for me, but food was okay. Nothing you have to have, but nothing terrible. Was definitely made better by our server. Also helped that I used a gift card to defray the cost of lunch.
(3)bucca d.
This place is hit or miss - not consistent enough. I don't like to give 2 stars, but here's my justification. I had the tomato bisque soup which was Dlicious! Slightly chunky/clumpy viscous and not extremely smooth. The dark balsmaic vinegar streaks in the soup added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the tomato bisque and the shredded basil strips added good bite to the flavor. Overall excellent. Four Stars! The caesar salad was really good according to my wife, but she claims they did not give enough portion wise. Four stars! The spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce was disappointing. They changed their recipe! It use to be served in a bowl with lots of spaghetti and flavored with acquired tasting goat cheese. Now its just like any ol spaghetti with meat ball pasta. ONE star! The mushroom ravioli is usually their signature, but for some reason the didn't cook off the wine. It tasted like they just poured fresh wine into the already cooked dish. It tasted bitter because of this. As usual this dish was also sodium rich. Dipped the bread in the sauce which is pretty decent and the wild mushrooms were very good. One star for ruining the dish with uncooked wine!
(2)Kanoe P.
The last few visits I've had at Macaroni Grill have been HORRIBLE, but this past time was AMAZING. Especially compared to how disappointed I was the past 5 times. But this time the hostess was really friendly, the server was even better, and the food... YUMMMM! Thank goodness because when they first opened I was a huge fan, but when I went back, I was not. This past visit made me a fan again, and I'm happy to say that I'll be back soon!
(4)Desiree M.
I came here most recently with my cousin and Kyle. The place was pretty busy, which was expected considering we came here on Saturday night. There was a wait but it wasn't too bad; it was just unfortunate that there was no place to sit. Whenever I come here I usually get pasta, which is the usual italian pasta with the american twist. Sometimes I just wish that I could get a good creamy and salty carbonara or a garlic and red pepper angel hair. We started off with the spinach-artichoke dip. It had this distinctive taste that I couldn't put my finger on but I wasn't really a fan of it. Other than that though it was pretty good. Our food took a while, which is understandable considering they were packed, but they kept us going with bread. This time I ordered the lamb spiedini, which was kind of a bad choice. I'm usually a fan of lamb but I don't know there was something about the way they cooked it and so it had too much of a meaty flavor for me. I could only eat one spiedino (they're like kebabs) and I didn't really enjoy it. I think next time I'll stick to the pasta.
(3)Rach L.
Oh my worddddd. 2 years ago, I ate Fettuccine Alfredo from here, and I had the runs for a day. As a result of those most unpleasant moments on the toilet, I have not been back since. And this is from somebody who enjoys using the loo. But good on ya to all you waiters that know how to write your names upside down on our coloring mats. I'm still learning how to do that.
(2)Rochelle J.
I like Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana. They have happy hour from 4:30 to 8pm. $3 house wines, they have draft beers too but I don't remember the cost since I don't drink beer myself. I do recall seeing them on the happy hour list though. I suspect they are also $3. You could combine two appetizers for $12. There was also three good sized pizzas for $5 each! That was the best deal! Will go again. The pizza wasn't half bad for the price. Check it out yourself with a friend or two.
(4)Tom S.
a bit pricey. service was good. there is even a lady that walks around singing opera(she was my middle school VP). there is crayon and white paper you can draw on as you wait for your food.
(4)Jen A.
All I gotta say is: Mushroom Ravioli! Yum-mers. Service was on it and managed our big party well. But it is a bit pricey for Italian. I can think of a few other places that are more authentic with a more intimate atmosphere that I'd pay these kinds of prices for (Sabrina's, Assagios).
(3)Jessie R.
In all honesty, the food is average. Nothing special really. I would eat it, but I wouldn't go there JUST to eat that. Atmosphere is nice, though some of the seating areas are really cramped. Sorry guys, we broke some of the crayons. I hope you get fresh ones.
(3)Joshua C.
Why pay so much when you could just get a bertolli dinner out of the freezer section or cook your own pasta w/ heavy cream??? For some better "Italian" food check out the top of this list yelp.com/list_details?li…
(1)Jay C.
YOU'RE BETTER OFF AT CPK...macaroni grill is a mainland chain that appeared here in the islands in the past few years. if you have been to a location on the mainland, you will be SEVERLY DISAPPOINTED with the ala moana locale. the ingredients are fresher, portions are larger and prices are lower on the mainland. i understand the prices being a bit more here in paradise, but certainly NOT at the expense of quality. our group ended up here after mariposa was too exclusive to take in our party of 8. we know realize that we should've headed to CPK. the service was good, but the food SUCKED! the complimentary bread was smaller than it's mainland counter-parts; it lacked the crisp skin and soft center. the appetizer sampler seemed as though someone removed half of what was supposed to be on the plate. it was sad and pathetic. the penne rustica that my friend order lacked taste. she had to pour salt all over it but that didn't do much. in the end, the manager let her replace it with the more simple marinara. my sausage salentino was recommended by the waiter and i enjoyed it. however, my auntie ordered the shrimp portofino and a couple of the shrimp were under-cooked. she dealt with it because she was too embarassed to return it. finally, another friend ordered the pizza margherita. it was about 7" wide and lacked flavor. all in all, the food SUCKED and there is no necessity to return, despite the decent service. this ain't amore!
(1)Norman T.
The saving grace for this place is the staff. It took 45 minutes to get our food. The bread was excellent; finish that, then go because the rest of the meal was very forgettable.
(2)Googleone G.
Ok food here. Good mushrooms lasgna. Price is expensive for the quality of the food. Desent place for a last minute date if you can't one of the better restaurants in Honolulu.
(3)Trish P.
i'm updating b/c i've actually recently eaten here again. like i said before, i would only eat here again if it were against my will........ and it was. anyway - along with 2 friends, i dined there a few days ago. the service was still the same. our waiter was not the nicest guy ever, he checked on us only once, unless you count when he came back to fill our water, but i can hardly count that. he seemed more interested/concerned/distracted by the larger (bigger tip) table next to us. the food however was an improvement, but not a big one. i tried a seafood linguine which included shrimp, scallops, and some vegetables all in a buttery garlic sauce. the food was not cold this time. the waiter informed me that now, the scallops they serve are larger - great! but when i got my dish.... only 2 measly (larger, but not huge) scallops were in my pasta, along with 3 jumbo shrimp. i belive this dish was over $17..... not really worth it if you ask me. the dish itself was good - but not worth what it cost..... an extra star for flavor - its just too bad that yelp doenst let you give 1/2 stars......
(2)Kit T.
Hearty atmosphere, friendly staff, ridiculously tiny portions. About 3 oz. of perfectly cooked swordfich and a scant quarter cup of delicious orzo on a long oblong nouvelle cuisine type plate was $17- holy snap. The decor and ambiance is fun, feels warm, homey, lots of wood and a fireplace bar...nice! But eat before you get here or go home hungry! For the cost to value ratio, it is more like a $$$ scenario than the $$ rating.
(2)Lindsay C.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill this past week for dinner - Arrived around 7:30-8pm-ish and the place was packed, although we were seated right away. I always love a restaurant that gives you a table covered in paper to draw on!! Our waiter - Reily - was very friendly and attentive! Quick with drinks and service. We started with the Calamari - which comes with two, zesty pizzaiola and basil pine nut pesto. I surprisingly liked the basil pesto - but really enjoyed combining the two sauces. I ordered the Seafood Linguine - "Shrimp, scallops and clams sauteed with oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula and imported linguine pasta in a white wine olive oil sauce" - but had the white wine olive oil sauce switched out with Arrabiata sauce. MMMMmmm This was really good! Not usually a fan of scallops in pasta (big fan of scallops wrapped in bacon) but all of the seafood was really good, and the shrimp were a pretty good size! The portion was a decent size, I had some leftover - which I ate for lunch the next day! Tony ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo "Imported fettuccine pasta sauteed with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese." and added Grilled Chicken. He really enjoyed it - although he said it was a little watery. He had leftovers as well. When they wrap up your leftovers they put them in a aluminum foil pan with directions on how to reheat - rather than giving you the styrofoam containers that melt when you microwave! I am not a big fan of leftovers, but as I mentioned, I reheated my leftovers the next day for lunch, and they were just as good as the night before!
(4)James V.
Good food. Not too pricy. They were out of a couple of items and had to wait until after the dinner was served for the bread. That was the only issue.
(4)Christine B.
Squee, what can i say, i love that we get to draw on the tables with everyone with the crayons while we wait for our food to be served to us. The waiters/waitresses are all very talented and friendly here. I came here a month ago with my friends and this waiter impressed us with his writing and drawing/people skills. The portions here are pretty good, i ordered the Afredo pasta and love the creamyness of it. Gosh italian tastes so good on such occasions, esp since i don't eat it often.
(4)Brian N.
Great Italian & Mediterranean restaurant. I eat at this place occasionally and what can I say, it's onolicious! They serve many different pasta entrees including lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and other classic entrees, along with several entrees created by the restaurant. They also serve pizzas and Mediterranean food.
(5)n p.
The lines are usually long but if you call early enough in the day you can make a reservation before they reach their quota for the day. Been here quite a few times but I can't say I was satisfied each time. Some nights the bread is really good and toasty while other times it's stale and tastes about a day old. The portions are HUGE! They could be split between two people easily. The create your own option is pretty nice since some nights their standard menu just doesn't do it for me. The deserts are also enormous but their strawberry zabaglione is pretty good though. Service isn't always great but I guess that's why they have those paper tableclothes... to let customers kill time.
(3)barry n.
Had a so-so experience at Romano's in Ala Moana. Went on Saturday night at about 8:30 and there still was a 15 minute wait. After being seated, our waiter came and did the name written on the table thing, but didn't leave any crayons for us! Boo hoo! Our order was taken pretty quickly and our food didn't take long. My wife had the salmon, which she liked because it wasn't dry. I had the seafood linguine and was disappointed with the seafood. There was not a lot of clams and shrimp and I didn't realize how small scallops could be! I'm talking about as big as a half of a peanut! Despite the lack of seafood, it still was pretty tasty. Pretty disappointed with the service because I didn't get ONE refill of water! I don't know if our waiter was that busy, but other than that, it was a pretty good experience. I think the best part of the night was the waitress who sang. For a petite girl, she could really belt out a song! She was very good, but I wonder if she gets tired of singing "Happy Birthday" because she must've done it about 5 times during the hour and a half that we were there. I always enjoy going here and will probably continue to do so.
(3)Trace B.
Waiter didn't bring bread, brought the wrong salad and gave me the wrong meal. Waited 15 minutes until I could get his attention to get the correct entree. Terrible service on what appeared to be a quiet night. Do not recommend!
(1)Sherman R.
SERVICE NOT GREAT!! Girlfriend and I went to Romano's at Ala Moana. We were greeted at the front by a female (unknown). She sat us at a table where there was a lot of traffic. I requested to be seated somewhere else (thinking that she'll sit us somewhere decent), low and behold, she sits us right at the next table. She was not very customer friendly. Anyhow, the waiter came with the wine and I told him, "that's ok....we requested for another table with less traffic and your front end sits us at the very next table". He was nice enough to apologize and he stated that he would sit us somewhere else. But, the damage was already done. So we stood up and left and told the waiter that it wasn't his fault. We ended up at RUBY TUESDAYS (next door). My god, even though they weren't as fancy as Romano's, hell, the service was excellent and the steak was outstanding. (im a big tipper for excellent service). SERVICE FOR THOUGHT!!!
(1)deborah h.
Hi, Just received an e-mail from Romano's - if you join their Facebook fan page this weekend you'll receive a free dessert! Yum.
(5)Ed K.
a friend gave us a $80 gift card to go try this place out and so we went to go check it out. across of tsukiji, above pearl, same escalator. hookipa terrace. the service was unique.. wait staff wrote his name on the table with crayons. *clap *clap *clap. the stuffed mushroom appetizer was tasty, but didn't have crab in it like the yelp pictures denotes. entrees are $15ish. honestly.. to sum it up was major rip off.. my bro had chicken parmigiana. it looked like cafeteria pasta. i had mama's spaghetti and instantly noticed they added dairy to it because it was sour. tip: go with corn starch to make the sauce thick. yacked it all out right after dinner. however, the loaf of bread on which they serve as appetizer was fresh, crispy, and soft. olive garden is way better if they had one in 808. straight up.
(1)Al D.
This place was a huge disappointment. The service is bad. The waitstaff hardly checked up on us and took forever to bring us our pizza. They were very unapologetic and so we just canceled our order. We did get to try some appetizers though. The mushrooms and the spinach dip. I really don't get why people are posting pictures of the mushrooms as if they good or something. They're not. They're tiny and the stuffing is 90% bread crumbs, 10% canned crab. The spinach dip came in a tiny dish and was super bland. It was labled spinach artichoke dip on the menu but there was no artichoke in it so I'll just call it spinach dip. I don't know why people wait in line to eat here. The best thing I had was my beer and that's because the restaurant didn't make it.
(2)Courtney T.
i'm surprised to see so many people with negative reviews. Maybe i've just been lucky, but i've eaten here at least 4 times, and i've always had a stellar experience. Well, the first time I ate here was when it first opened and a busboy dropped a bunch of glasses while cleaning up, but since then, i think they've really improved. I've only ordered pastas, as they're pretty much my favorite food, and have been happy with all of them. I can't remember the names of them, but i've never gotten something i wasn't happy with here. It's cute how they have paper over the tablecloths so you can draw. It also helps how the waiter writes his name on it so you can remember what his name is. It can get pretty busy at times, so you should make a reservation if possible. Also a side note, if you order their house white wine, it is a HUGE bottle, but they wrap it up for you to take home. The singing hostesses are the best! it really makes you feel like you're in an italian place. Cat is so awesome!
(5)Consuela P.
I admit my boss is da best! Last November, he treated all of us at the office to lunch at the newly (not so new now) at a new Italian restaurant at Ala Moana SC called Romano's Macaroni Grill. I simply love Italian food! We started off with the Romano's Sampler ~ a platter of Tomato Bruschetta, Mozzarella Fritta and Calamari; served with a zesty sauce. I ordered the Shrimp Portofino ~ it was good and garlicky! And to complete my meal, I simply had to have the tiramisu for dessert. The ambiance is really nice as all of its tables were draped in white linen; that's covered with butcher paper and crayons to allow guests to creatively express themselves. We went crazy doodling away! Everyone said good things about their food and our server was always attentive and friendly. In my opinion, it's a fun and casual place to gather for a great meal with friends and family. Before leaving we took a group photo by their decorated Christmas tree.
(4)John A.
Portions got smaller : (
(3)Glenn N.
Been here 6x. Don't really care for their rustic mediterranean meals. Their "Lobster Ravioli" was tasty but it seems they skimp on the lobster fillings. Can anyone suggest the ultimate Italian restaurant?
(3)Brooke M.
So this is where Mom picked for her birthday dinner. Yay. For the amount of money they extorted from us, we could've gone to Sabrina's and had a wonderful dinner of authentic, non-greasy Italian food. So, they seat you at a table covered in paper (ooh, classy) and then the server writes her name on the paper upside down with a crayon (wow, impressive). They tell you about their house "Chianti" which is made in California (never mind that "Chianti" is name protected by Italian law and must come from Chianti). Then they give you some crappy hard rosemary flavored bread without butter, expecting you to use that economy size bottle of the most flavorless olive oil ever made that's sitting there on the table. Then the food comes out- wrong in my mom's case, pools of oil in mine, and nothing for my dad! I was done eating by the time they brought his! Crap crap crap! Oh, and the "Learn to speak Italian" cd that's playing in the bathroom is a little disconcerting... CRAP!
(1)Juli P.
I have always loved this reastraunt but this evening while our server was wonderful our food was not. We were dismayed by the new menu, and when our carbonara was undercooked not even al dente the manager brought it back and told us that is how it is supposed to be. I am said it was as close to olive garden as we could get. Next time I will go to Ricados in Pearl City!
(1)Nikki N.
I am a fan because when I went last time a waiter Kat sang happy birthday to a party and I liked it so our waiter had her come over and sing something. It was so beautiful! I like the food there because it is always so tasty. The portions are big and I always have left overs to take home. The bread and crayons keep you occupied while you wait for your food which is great for groups and family dinners.
(4)Scott H.
Quality has really declined. I used to love getting the baked herb bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar...but even the bread they serve is horrible. No texture, bland, almost mealy in your mouth. My wife and I did not even finish one loaf. Highlights: 1) Our server was great. Kept the glass wet all night, was really on top of things. 2) The fettuccine alfredo was much improved. More like Bucca Di Peppo now, if that's the kind of fettuccine alfredo you like (and I do). The Bad: Wife's Pasta Milano was horrible. I've the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes over powered everything. Bow tie pasta was under-cooked. Could not taste anything else in the meal, very imbalanced. The Smothered Chocolate cake. HUGE disappointment. We had the three course meal, which we both ordered this desert. Horrible./ Tasted like it was missing egg, nothing holding the ingredients together. No texture! Did not have any flavor, and the sauce, which was good, we definitely NOT smothering the cake. Not enough sauce to hide the horrible platter of a cake it was served on.
(1)Serenie S.
I've been here a few times. I recently got the Eggplant Marinara? It was good. I had a guy named Aaron as a waiter. He was nice. It's an moderate pricing. I think around $20 a person. Not really worth waiting 45-60 minutes to get seated but if it's not busy I'd go.
(4)Chaplain Andrew W.
I'm a seasoned veteran of Macaroni Grill elsewhere. Pensacola, Providence and Riverside all do a GREAT job. I've been to the Honolulu grill twice now -- really not on par with the chain overall. Service is OK -- kind of lax. Wine tastes watered down. All the other grills let you pour your own and it's not in a juice glass. Last night my meal wasn't even warm. Maybe it was somebody's leftovers? Did I complain? Well, somebody other than our server delivered the food and then our server never came to check on us again. Another kind-hearted waiter finally came over and gave my wife more water. Thanks Romano's for great food and service elsewhere, but we won't come back to this one any more.
(2)David C.
I came here for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Our waiter was super cool and friendly. He used the crayons to write his name and make it into a smiley face. The food was really good as well. I got a chicken thing with a small pasta with cherry tomatoes. It was really good at offered at a reasonable price. Their sherbert is also really good. The flavors may be a little different, coconut and guava, but still good.
(4)Liane F.
Love this place for a franchise! The veggie pizza is awesome.
(4)Alyssa K.
Service is A+ I must say. My favorite dish so far is the Parmesan crusted artichoke appetizer.
(4)Cheryl K.
Typical mainland chain but not so bad. The food is decent and the prices are average. I always order the Sangria to drink and keep forgetting not to order it because its not that good. I recently ate the lasagna and my fiance had the chicken parmesan. The food is okay but not spectacular or memorable. It always seems to be busy when we go there. The service is good and I love drawing with crayons on our paper table cloths. Except one time I got a paper cut from it. Ouch! Overall good experience!
(4)Shannon C.
I really like the bruschetta and their house bread. Oh and the blackberry iced tea. Not much of a fan for the entrees here. The pizzas aren't that great either.
(3)Tracy L.
As part of a vegan/social experiment, I quickly found that Hawai'i doesn't offer too many places for someone to eat. Oddly enough, I was at Romano's Macaroni Grill recently and while sitting at the bar and staring at the basket of bread, was told by the waiter that they did offer up some great items. They have a "build your own pasta" menu which is a piece of paper with pre-printed categories on it. You choose your type of pasta (all their pasta is egg-free!), the veggies, and sauce. They also offer up dishes for those folks who are wheat/gluten sensitive too!
(3)Anita L.
Funny how this chain pops up everywhere. I didn't think Ala Moana Center needed one with its many food establishments, but I guess someone felt one was needed. It just opened recently and serves up the same stuff as all its other locations. Good if you're with kids and it's a solid menu which isn't too expensive. The funny thing is that the food, though the same is about $2 more than its locations within the mainland of the US. The stuff tastes a little different too. I ordered the chicken caesar salad which I've ordered on so many occasions at other Macaroni Grills and it arrived with different salad leaves and also, shredded chicken instead of chunks of chicken. Naturally there was less of the chicken because shredded makes it look like there is more when in fact there is less. The portions are also slightly smaller here than on the mainland. What's going on here????
(2)L K.
First time I went there I didn't care for the dish I got, but kept going anyway. And by the fifth time, I like it. The atmosphere is cool, and the little kid in me loved the crayons to write on the paper table cloths. It's always pretty busy when I pass by, and when I go in too. The prices are decent. I had this cheesy filled pasta, it was good. And the house bread they bring is actually quite tasty and soft. Tried their pomegranate martini, that was yummy. And the sorbet is good too, unless you are hoping for sweet, it isn't sweet. My friend who had some with me made the most hilarious faces as he ate it. Wish I took a picture of that.
(4)Ryan O.
A Mainland chain, sure, but one certainly welcome in a town that hungers for more (if not better) Italian options. We went during their soft-opening, and again last week, and loved it. Family friendly (a plus for us and our three kids), decent portions for a reasonable price. The kitchen speed has been a bit uneven - main courses sometimes beat the salad or appetizers to your table - but the servers are sharp and friendly and no dishes were lacking in richness or flavor (I always end up taking almost half of my order home). As with the opening of other major chains (notably the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki), right now the line to get in can be long -- show up at 6 p.m. on a Friday, and you'll have to wait an hour or more. But, at least with its location within Honolulu's retail Mecca, there's no shortage of things to browse to pass the time. Presumably, in a few months, the lines will subside (especially as other new dining options open in Hookipa Terrace).
(4)Kai C.
i love their bread, it's worth going just for the bread. The entree's are good too for affordable prices.
(4)Bina D.
My husband and I had dinner at the restaurant a few days ago. The first thing I noticed was the crayons and the paper to draw on. So very classy. I ordered the lasagna and it was so bland, a very boring taste. My husband had the Chicken Cannelloni and it was flavorless as well. I don't understand why people come back to this place. A frozen lasagna from he grocery store is much better. I will not be coming back. The service was good though, we got a very attentive waiter.
(2)Zoe B.
We like their pizza and also the pasta there. We think the pasta was great and we like the 'create your own' option too. The chocolate cake was tasty as well. We like to eat there once in a while (due to price). The taste was good for sure.
(4)Tammie C.
We go to this restaurant a lot, one for it's convenience if you've been shopping like a mad woman...and two because the food is pretty good! However, do not go if you are already hungry and want to eat within the next 10-15 minutes. Because the wait alone is at least 20 minutes, and more if it's a weekend. I personally love the build your own pastas...it's quite a heaping of food and I always have left overs for the next day. Out of the many times we've eaten there, we only received bad service once...and that was from a waitress "Melia"....she was very talented at writing her name upside down with crayons...kudos for that....but she sucked @$$ at service. Melia if you happen to read this....Sorry to "out" you...but I was shocked at your zombie like attitude, the fact that you never came to check up on us after our food was slowly delivered, and the fact that we had to wait 10 minutes to find you to get our check. Instead of practicing on writing your name beautifully upside down, maybe you should practice a little more on your service. All in all, food is pretty good and moderately priced. The waiters singing Italian opera to birthday people are always entertaining.
(3)John O.
Very crowded, at least when I went there... Food was just o-kay, and the portions were really big, not sure why? I ordered lasagna and it must of weighed like ten pounds. Not sure why people think bigger is better??? I ordered a martini that was too strong and took them like 40 minutes to deliver. So strong I had to add ice too it and still was bad. All in all, too much - too much!!! Will never come here again!
(2)Erika R.
Last Saturday me and my auntie and three of my children went for lunch at Macaroni Grill. Our waiter was nice enough and we enjoyed bruschetta while we waited for our meal. We had ordered spinach salad with scallops, mushroom ravioli, and chicken scallopini along with the kids dishes. The server brought the kids food and we continued to snack on the bread and olive oil and our bruschetta. 50 minutes later the kids were getting tired, having finished their food ages ago, and our food still hadn't arrived. When we finally located our waiter he said he'd check on our order and put a rush on it. Ten minutes later he still hadn't returned and me and my auntie were done waiting. Tired and hungry we stood up to pay for what we had eaten when out came our waiter with our food! But it was too late after the one hour delay. We were ready to go. Luckily the general manager noticed what was going on and asked me what had happened. After hearing the story he comped all the food and gave it to us to go. They also gave us gift certificates and his business card and told us to call him before our next visit so he could make sure everything went smoothly. I gave one star because I love the food but everything else was terrible!!!
(1)Jean P.
I've been here more than a few times and have never eaten anything that I wasn't satisfied with. The food is very tasty though it's very filling. Come hungry because the portions are large. The only downside is that it's pretty much always busy but I think the fact that it's busy is a testament to how good the food is.
(4)Brian P.
No way, not going here again. Not unless someone else is offering to pay, and even then I'll only go if I can't get them to eat someplace else. I've given this place way too many chances and it always seems to disappoint. Although the bread is warm it does not taste good, filled with so many herbs it starts tasting like a spice rack. The pasta sauces are bland and you can tell that their lasagna comes from a freezer because the middle is still cold. And their pizzas taste weird. The sauce is too sweet and their cheese comes off all together like a sheet in one bite. Coming from Wisconsin where using good cheese on a pizza is a no-brainer, this is really unacceptable. I've given this place many many chances to redeem itself, tried something different each time, and it is just plain bad everytime. Sorry to be so negative but it had to be said.
(1)Jesse W.
7/23/10: Last minute dinner, wife and I had a cooperative baby and decided to hang around Ala Moana mall to find a restaurant. We went up to the fourth level food court area and, frankly, weren't thrilled with all the dining options. Anyways, we've been to this chain restaurant - back in our ex-home in California, we went to the San Mateo location and this experience was very similar. I ordered their tomato leek soup which came out almost the opposite that I expected. It wasn't a creamy soup but rather almost a minestrone type soup with LOTS of lima beans. My entree was the blue cheese salad, very OK and mediocre, it was served with some iceberg lettuce that was a bit tired. Anyways, service was great, responsive and very helpful (they are very kid friendly).
(3)Jeff S.
Got to love the bread!!!!!! The Ala Moana location has very fast service. They also have this opera-like singer that sings happy birthday to people. I could really do without it. Other than that it is your standard corporate italian restaurant so what could be bad?
(4)Al V.
Wow this place has gone DOWNHILL,, #1 menu got smaller,#2 No such thing as bread az soon as you get seated(had to ask for it) , this place really looks GLOOMY now.. kind of BORING now days,, As for food not anything to go back for anymore, ANd I really liked this place , Service, staff , food were all good a year ago.. Needless to say I wont be going back here anytime soon, I have read the reviews on Yelp wihich were mostly negative, But figgured just check it out annyways,, And THE REVIEWS WERE RIGHT!! Daam this place neds NEW MANAGEMENT,, What Happened to the CLOTH NAPKINS,, Although our waiter Darrel tried his best,, FOOD JUST WASNT HAPPENING, Fact I didnt even eat half,, Its in my refridgerator now and dont think i will eat it. ,
(1)Julia P.
the food was pretty good! i enjoy the pizza and almost ate it all and they appetizers was pretty good overall had great time !
(4)Sara H.
this place is awesome! i'm fairly easy to please i suppose - the free bread is delicious and the crayons/paper table cloths are so fun! :) i could go on and on, blah blah about how the food is good, service is decent, yada yada but i think the best selling point is the HAPPY HOUR. $3 beer and wine and 1/2 off appetizers from like 5 to 7 PM DAILY. disclaimer though - they just changed the menu so i'm not positive on the happy hour deals. check it out!
(4)Jenni S.
Love the lemon cello dessert! Sometimes we go there just for that.
(5)Mindy K.
Just had to say, this meal was bad from the moment we stepped inside. It wasn't only the slightly pukey, smell of unwashed floors, the bad service, the messed up orders, or the unaccountably smoky and overly winy flavor of my mushroom ravioli, which I did eat, but which wasn't worth $15. It wasn't just that they put hot salami (which I know sounds vaguely pornographic but forutunately was not) rather than pepperoni on the kids' $5 pepperoni pizzas. The worst of it is I wasted the gift certificates that I could have used at Chili's. (Isn't that sad?) I won't be coming back.
(2)Anjelika J.
ate here for lunch today... gross. my pasta was so salty, i had to down 2 cokes in 5 minutes. my food was inedible. i never cared for the flavor of the food here, but i have to say that the "quality" of the food has gone down. the bread is smaller, the glasses (i swear) are smaller. on the plus side, the servers are still nice! 2 stars for the servers.
(2)Jana M.
So four days before we went for dinner I called in for a reservation. When we got there we were seated right in the entry area closest to the hostess podium under a large ac vent where my 3 year old daughter and her two year old friend shivered through dinner. Because of the ac vent our food got cold as soon as we got it. Service was awful, my friend asked for a children's water to which we never received. They also seem to be cutting back, our waiter only poured us olive oil for our bread and no balsamic vinegar, so we asked for some and he said "sure!" and again never returned with it. Dinner was at 6:30 and we didn't get out until 8:30, with two kids 3 and under it was too long for a "family" chain restaurant. Food wasn't too bad, I had the shrimp spiedini and it was yummy, mom had the pasta Milano and it was ok, my daughter had the grilled chicken with broccoli and that was what it was. This wasn't my first time going there but I've decided that this will now be my last.
(3)Jeff I.
Every time I ask someone about this place, half of them say it was great, and the other half says that it was disappointing. Personal experience give me a middle of the road feeling. I had a chicken pesto pizza that was ok. I would have ordered pasta, but since I was paying, I had to keep the cost down. Oh yeah, and the tables are covered with paper and you are provided with crayons to go crazy with.
(4)Danielle M.
Dined at this place a couple times, and i gotta say even though this place is always crowded, but is definitely worth the wait!! Recommend: Prosciutto e Arugula Pizza, Scallops & Spinach Salad, Mushroom Ravioli, Lobster Ravioli, Sausage Salentino, Grilled Pork Chop with mushroom risotto (the best)
(4)Shirley Mina Y.
On my way to work yesterday, I remembered to redeem my free chocolate cake coupon, since it was about to expire. I had gotten it since I was on their email list. I only wish it wasn't for a chocolate dessert, since I haven't been able to eat any chocolate since August 2010. It was okay since I gave it away.
(5)Yu T.
We came here because everywhere was so busy and long wait. We were seated right away, no wait. We were 3 of us. We all had bad meal. We felt so bad coming here. Our server was overly friendly. It wasn't comfortable. There was a piece of plastic in one of my dishes.
(1)KT R.
Went here for dinner last night. Food was ok (kind of bland in my opinion, though the other people I was with didn't have any complaints) but I was honestly impressed with the service. Our waiter took our order by memory (always a risky thing to do) and forgot about the appetizer we ordered for the table. Since it was a little late in the meal to backtrack and bring it out, he gave us a free dessert (chocolate cake - probably the same one they use for birthdays :P) big enough to share instead. I was really surprised by this since it's a chain restaurant and we didn't give him a hard time or anything about having forgotten the app. Definitely made a good impression...
(3)Norm G.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the food here. Being a chain restaurant, I thought "no way!" But, my wife and I were tired from shopping, so we walked in a bit after 5 pm. The waiter was funny and friendly, I had a nice glass of merlot, and the entree was flavorful. I'm glad we came early, because the line was out the door when we left the place. I will definitely come here again.
(4)Rekinhsuf Z.
After being seated, did not even get water for nearly 20 minutes, at which point my wife and I took our hungry infant daughter to someplace where we could at least be served. Hostess and onlooking workers did not even apologize. Shame.
(1)Linda K.
Enjoyed a late friday night dinner with my husband, his first time here. This was maybe my third time and I have to say, each dish was quite delish. The first time I ordered a chicken breast w/portabella mushroom dish (no longer on the menu). The second was a shrimp angel haired pasta and last night was the Rib eye steak, asparagus w/potato side. Our server was "Nelli", I was very pleased that she double checked that I requested my steak "medium well" instead of "medium rare". Rarely do waiters double check and end up bringing me the rare deal. This dish was very satisfying! My hubby ordered the same and thought this was the best steak dish; although, I had to remind him of the juicy melt in your mouth steaks from Ruths Chris. It's been years since we ate there though. Anyway, we shared the tiramisu, a winner for moi. Anyway, the cut potato made with tomato's was seasoned well with olive oil was the bomb. I enjoyed it more than the steak itself. Oh, and to mention, the calamari appetizer was perfecto! Two thumbs up to Chef Fred who just made our date night!
(4)Stacey K.
what happened to this place??? I went here today and was sooo disappointed. the bread SUCKS now, it used to be so good I had to stop myself from eating over 1 table's serving.. I always got the chicken marsala with broccoli instead of noodles which was yummy but now it was pretty gross. really went down the poo hole. don't bother. go cpk instead or the food court would have even been better..
(1)K. I. S.
Went with a group of 9 and were seated in the bar..... a good thing since there was a football game on that could be watched if you thought ahead to sit on THAT side of the table. Since we do not usually eat in bars, we were a little unaware of this upside. As for the food, there are some changes in the menu so what you see if not what you can get..... do menu changes occur so quickly that new menus can't be printed in time or ??? Anyway, it was very confusing for me to hear the waiter recite the "what we used to have but don't have anymore"--- why tell me about it if it isn't available? Anyway, to make a long story short, I took his advice and ended up with Lemon Chicken with Rigatoni and spinach in a cream sauce and my husband ordered the "double-thick pork chop with risotto" which is on the new but not yet printed menu. My husband's comment later was that the pork chop was nothing to write home about and my taste of the mushroom/green pea risotto was el dente (which is not as it should be). My lemon chicken with rigatoni had the thinnest cream sauce I have ever had.... it was more like "no-fat milk rather than cream" sauce. My strawberry Italian soda came in a tall VERY THIN glass with LOTS of ice and very little Italian soda for $3.50. Very $$$ considering the glass and ice. We had the artichoke dip as an appetizer and that was OK but not impressive either. I can make better stuff at home, I think. We passed on desserts which were pretty pricy and, after the meal, I could not be enticed to even share one with my husband to even get a taste of the tiramisu. Maybe we should eat at my house next time??? The best part of the meal was that we were there for the happy our so the other 8 people could get cheap drinks and SOME of the appetizers were half-price also. But for me, not so great food even at half-price is still not a good meal. I'd pass on this place unless I really wanted spaghetti and meat balls or something that I don't have high hopes for..... just basic pasta and bread. Big plus is all the free parking at Ala Moana Center :)
(3)Happy M.
I've visted Macaroni Grill many times, and I've never had a bad dining experience yet. I prefer eating their bread with a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the olive oil dip. I like their calamari fritti, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and shrimp, pasta milano, grilled pork chops, and eggplant parmesean. Their twice baked lasagna with meatballs and lobster ravioli had a weird taste, and the sausage and pepper classico tasted better the day after. If it's your birthday, you get a free smothered chocolate cake (yummy!), and they sing to you in Italian.
(4)Clintonn M.
ate hear after work on monday dec 5th, yes on a monday.. walked up to the hostess stand and was quoted a 25 minute wait... So that was okay, being that we were not the only walk-ins and they have reservations to tend too. but waiting 45 minutes to be seated with open tables available was very alarming.. then 10 minutes to get a drink order, which was only sodas and we ordered our entrees at the same time.. 40 f***ing minutes later our chicken marsala and chicken parmesan finally came out.. That is over 6 refills of soda later. by that time, so filled up on soda, that I didn't care to eat.. WONT GO BACK, Why pay for overpriced food if you will be let down...
(1)Eric M.
Went @ 630pm but still had a 15 min wait for a table. Popular place combined with happy hour winding down. Food is decent and not too expensive. Service was good. Noise level high as this joint was jumpin when all tables filled.
(3)Susan F.
It was my bf's grandma's birthday yesterday and his family wanted to take her to dinner at Macaroni Grill. I've eaten here once before, but wasn't impressed with what I ate. So prior to dinner, I went to their website to check out their menu so I would know what to order prior to going in. It seemed like most of their pasta dishes were chicken dishes (which I'm not a big chicken fan). So I decided to get the spinach and scallop salad... but of course when we sit down and open the menus the salad isn't on the menu. After sitting there staring at the menu thinking to myself, "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken". I decided to order the "create your own pasta". I wasn't too happy about this because I didn't care for the noodle selections : Spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or bowtie. I got the spaghetti with arrabbiata (spicy red sauce), with spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. When our food arrived, my pasta didn't have the roasted garlic in it, which in the end I was happy because the garlic that was in my bf's pasta tasted like it was moldy or spoiled (it was so bad that he removed them from his dish). Jeff, our server wasn't very attentive either, because I had to request several times for our water to be refilled and for bread. Overall, I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill, but it isn't terribly bad.
(3)Keane L.
PISS-poor service. Waitress barely looked at us, as if she were afraid: when she wrote her name on the table, when she filled our drinks.. Not a single glance or comment. I blame the newness factor of this restaurant. When Chili's was first opened in Kapolei, the waiters sat around talking to each other. Time will improve this restaurant. Food was good, but a bit on the pricier side. I'm not fond of the view from that side. Looking into the mountains was always boring to me compared to looking out at the sea and sun. I would gladly go to a Macaroni Grill again (it beats Olive Garden in the category of faux-Italian), but I'll stick to the ones in California until this one "grows up..."
(2)Dave T.
Went to celebrate our daughter's birthday. They had a "happy birthday" seat ready for her, which made her happy. Our server, Cat, was friendly and cordial. She explained the menu to us and answered our questions. Our food was delicious, with the right amount of seasoning (last visit a couple of years ago, I remembered that everything was on the salty side). Our daughter had her complimentary birthday cake and ice cream, but the highlight was having our server, Cat, sing happy birthday in Italian (she's an opera singer). Thank you for the wonderful evening.
(4)Mari T.
just went here b/c i had a free dessert coupon. terrible service. dessert was skimpy, but pretty good. strawberries and cream w/ an almond biscotti. definitely wouldn't pay $7 for that tho. with the fat-filled dishes and short-tempered help, i don't think i'll be going back any time soon.
(2)Winnie C L.
12 of us went to Macaroni Grill, we made a reservation for 10, but they are willing to accommodate to 12 of us. Don't get me wrong food was good (Okay, not super good), all food came out fast, but our waiter disappear most of her time, it seems like to me they are under staff, they were not able to handle big party and large volume. Every time we need something we have to wait for a while, we did not get immediate attention, no one came up ask how was the food. I think their service was terrible. We were there to celebrate our friend bday, they drop off the cake with an unlighted candle, not surprise at all to our friend AND we have to wait for over 20 minutes to have someone sang "Happy Birthday". I am sorry they really don't deserve 18% tips, but we did give them. And we will NEVER come back any more. There are many other restaurant better than this. It was an awful experience to celebrate bday. You got to wait.
(2)Jo H.
i went there for the first time for a friend's birthday, and i'm never going back there again! we had a private room and our server was NOT attentive. the only time she actually came around was when she was waiting for us to pay. and the food was not good. i would definitely rather go to assaggios or something. i had the veal parmesan and the veal was soggy tasting and just odd. the marinara sauce was watery and weak tasting. then my friend and i got an order of the kids mac and cheese to share and it was awful. it wasn't creamy at all nor was it delicious and cheesy. it was just a messy clump. all in all, it was not a pleasant experience and i will not be back.
(1)Jasen N.
came here for the happy hour. with half off appetizers, i was excited. we ordered the sampler, roasted vegetables, and crab stuffed mushrooms. the food was okay, nothing really special. calamari was kinda cold and wasn't crispy, big disappointment. they need more waiters on the lounge side as i had to wait a long time just to get a water refill. we got all that for $18 plus tip, not bad at all. btw, happy hour is only on the lounge side!
(3)Gayle N.
A year or so ago, I would rate this place five stars. Now, not even this one is low enough. Their service has gone way downhill. Waithelp are uncaring, loud and obnoxious. I ordered a martini and got half a glass, told him that I wanted it filled up and he said that the bartender refused saying that I had ordered a "shot" (in a martini glass???). The food on the "new and improved" menu ... only one word describes it...horrific. I used to order the seafood linguine and this time got something that was warned to me that woud be spicy, just completely limp and tasteless. We wanted more cocktails but wait help no where to be found. I'm with Bucca D. Hit or miss! and lately, it's been MISS!!! What happened to you guys?????
(1)Lynne W.
I hadn't been here for a while (a year) and so I was supremely disappointed in the food quality. It was noticeably different, like they had changed vendors or something. Really marginal food. Marginal Italian is the worst. I would skip this place until they raise their standards.
(2)Jessie L.
So the first time I went to this place I was with my boyfriend and a friend on her birthday, and we were using some giftcards we got for xmas. We sat down and had fun playing with the crayons and paper table cloth. Our server was friendly and prompt, the prices were a little pricy so we each just ordered an entree. I ordered the chicken scaloppine. The dish was a decent sized portion, but tasted a little plain. After a few bites I was throughly disappointed at the lack of flavor. My boyfriend ordered some sort of a trio with pasta, lasagna, and a ravioli, after the waiter recommended it was huge and worth the extra price. When his came out, it definetly did not stand up to the exagerations the waiter made, and he was also not satisfied with the taste of the dish. All in all, the food and price was a two thumbs down, however they did give us a big piece of chocolate cake for my friends birthday and sang a solo tune at our table. That by far was the highlight of the meal, turned out our waiter could really bust a tune. The chocolate cake although a nice thought, had no icecream with it and was extremly chocolatety so after about one bite each became unbearable to finish. Now heres the kicker, remember how I said we were using giftcards? Well we get the bill, and the waiter took quite awhile getting back to us, so we used our two gift cards equaling thirty dollars and left the rest in cash and left. As we are getting into our car in the parking lot, all of a sudden out server comes running out of the restaurant yelling at us that we didnt pay our bill!!! He finally makes it across the lot to us, huffing and puffing saying we shorted him and need to pay up. We explain that part of the money was left in giftcards and the rest in cash including a tip! He continued to argue and made me go back into the restaurant. At this point I demanded a manager, who after hearing what happened and seeing what we left apologized for the server who apparently didnt even bother to check the giftcards balances. So UNPROFESSIONAL, never in all my years dining out and working in restaurants would anybody do such a thing without even making sure they were right or not first. Plus, due to the fiasco we ended up missing the movie we had planned for after dinner. To rectify it the manager offered us some giftcards and refused to just give back our money for the meal..! What good our the gift cards when we will never be coming back here again!!!
(1)Dan R.
Since there are a ton of reviews, I'll keep this short and hopefully helpful. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. and stand around the whole time listening because they don't have the buzzers. No huge deal-if the food is good. The inside is pretty atmospheric, but we got seated in a section surrounded by kids, and it felt like a school lunchroom. Not a great date spot. But maybe you'll get lucky, we saw some booths that looked a lot more private. The waitress said she'd bring bread right away. We were starving after the 45 minute vigil. 15 minutes and 3 reminders from us later we finally got one small loaf to share between three (after other table seated after us). The food-we had the trio and a pasta with chicken and lemon cream sauce- were fine. Except the burned lasagna sucked. But super heavy on the butter and cream. So the first bites are great, but towards the end no one wanted to finish their food. The old saying :"put enough butter and cream in and anything tastes good" seems to be the motto. If you want a big ol' slug of cheese and butter, this place is for you. If you like a few more seasonings, and your arteries, keep looking.
(2)Ro R.
i've been to the ala moana macaroni grill about four times now and they were all OK, but my last visit had to be the worst. we went there to have a nice little birthday dinner for our friend. and i remember they sing the 'birthday song' in italian. our party of four waited for over an hour to get seated. the hostess asked if we could be placed over to the far left side and i said 'fine', thinking that we'd be seated faster. but no, everyone else that came after us--parties of four or more--were seated before us. then we ordered a specific wine on the menu, they didn't have it. i ordered the ravioli, they didn't have that as well. of course that's not their fault, right? whatever. we ordered an appetizer, but our waiter seemed to have forgotten about it because our entrees came out. and those entrees took a while. we weren't happy. we did request for the birthday-ditty and we were done. i've been to the macaroni grills in the mainland and their service is faaar better than the service here. And for some reason, the food tastes better there than it does here too. i hope to never eat at the ala moana restaurant ever again!
(2)Twotones W.
Comedian Ray Romano's macaroni grill.. Lets start off by saying if u "Lie" italian food or in the demographic reigon of Ala moana shopping center. You have to check this place out. Conviently hidden across the "Mai Tai Bar" with really hot waitresses! This place gets real busy around dinner time, waiting time is approximately 20-30 minotes... Once seated we noticed the table which we were seated at was kinda uncomfortable idk probably it was jus me "Hot date" wink wink. We ordered spagehtti/Chicken parmesan and a few heinekens to down the great tasting much fufilling food. Portions were more than i ever expected, Btw dig the kraoyla Krayons to graffiti the table cloth. Feel bad for the person doin the laundry whole lotta bleach!! Service was quite outstanding i should reckon. Every worker that passed our table would stop and ask if we needed anything wow.. I will definetly eat here again!
(3)Christine C.
I was pleasantly surprised- great food and service! It wasn't like my first experience in Iowa, in the 90's. Much better here!
(4)surprise m.
I just ate dinner here tonight and if you're an olive garden fan ( i am) then you'll appreciate this place. no bellini iced tea here but i did order the blackberry mint tea ( sweet already so no sugar added) and I liked it enough for a total of... 6 refills( yup free refills rock!) I really liked the kid friendly tables to doodle on because that kept us busy. waiter was attentive and our drinks were getting refilled so quickly it was impressive. kids food came out first ( phew! drama free visit). they ate the spaghetti w/meatballs and mac and cheese ( no complaints). we ordered the artichoke and shrimp dip (enjoyed it), grilled pork chops (2 huge tender chops served w/ risotto), mama's trio (hubby liked the chicken parmesan and lasagna only) and pasta milano ( if you're a rosemary fan you might enjoy this). we ended our feast w/the dessert dessert dessert.it was tiramisu (moist, enjoyed it), lemon passion (surprise! i liked this one), smothered choc. cake (really rich and topped w/warm syrup and nuts).dinner for a party of 5 was $110. we must've been there on a well staffed night and everyone left satisfied. we'll be back :)
(4)alexis l.
I'm hoping that once the other restaurants that are under construction at ala moana are completed, it'll lessen the wait a little at this and other nearby restaurants. ala moana is a popular place for people to eat and could use quite a few more restaurants to make it more convenient. even though I'm used to macaroni grill from the mainland, i love coming to this particular site. we never wait for a table--instead we're addicted to eating our meals at the bar, where you can seat yourselves if there's space available and order from the regular menu. the bartenders are so friendly and enthusiastic, and will do their best to accomodate special requests. the food is unsurprisingly yummy for a casual everyday meal and the prices are very low for waikiki standards.
(5)Brian L.
Another great meal. My grandma had the mushroom ravioli (you can get 4 or 6 raviolis) and I had the lobster ravioli (5 raviolis). They were both very tasty. I also had a side salad which was great. Our server was nice and the place is always very clean. $46 for three.
(4)Javier C.
This place sucks, food sucks, drinks sucks too. Please dont waste your time or money. BTW My girlfriend went there and her purse was stolen while she went to the bathroom. (Ladies grab on to your purses and dont let them go). The staff was very rude too. Not sure why people are so obssessed with this nasty and tacky place.
(1)DENNIS K.
As with all new restaurants it takes time to mature. Romano's Macaroni Grill is still in that stage. Besides that, I had the Seafood Scampi special when I was there. I'm a hard critic when it comes to seafood especially scallops. Well these were cooked perfectly. The wine we chose complimented the food. The salad was fresh and crisp and the balsamic vingar dressing was excellent. Give this restaurant more time, it will blossom into a culinary oasis among many restaurants there in Ala Moana Center. I like the pager beepers they give you to tell you that your table is ready.
(4)Tim H.
This place sucks.... I mean sucks..... I went last night because friends from the outer island were here and wanted to treat us to dinner. They had a gift certificate. If they didn't have a gift certificate, I would have talked them out of it in a heart beat. I've been there twice before. The first time was OK. They had just opened. My wife and I had dinner at the bar. The bar tender guy was loud mouthed and talked too much. The food was OK. The second time was just bad. I ordered Mama's Trio and it came out still frozen in the center. It was a frozen mass with cold melted cheese on top. Last night I had veal. It was edible, but that's about it. It was soooo salty, and one of the pieces of veal was still raw. I don't understand why they serve undercooked/cold food. Not once did I ever have food come out of their kitchen that I had to blow on it to cool it off. Not once. any dish. never.They say be very careful, the plate is very hot. I think they take the raw food and put it on a hot plate and think it'll be cooked by the time it gets to your table. Don't waste your money. Go to Assagio's or Auntie Pasto's. Or Bacci in Kailua. That is the best Italian on Oahu.
(1)Michael B.
We went to celebrate a birthday and it turned into a nightmare. We had a 6:30 reservation and the food did not arrive until 8 pm. Had we not had guests, we would have walked out. We repeatedly questioned where our food was and why the tables around us, who arrived after us, had already been served and were leaving. I finally spoke with the manager and he was very professional. He offered free deserts and I told him nothing short of comping the entire meal would be acceptable. The meal arrived and we ate a few bites. The meals were salty and cold. What happened in the kitchen, I do not know. As we were leaving, the manager again apologized, as all the staff had done. He offered us coupons to return but I will never. They did waive the entire bill other than $6, what that was for I have no idea and it was worth it to be able to leave. My only regret is that the staff who were not responsible did not get any pay. It was awful, it ruined what should have been a celebration. I encourage you to dine anywhere but here. This seems to be a trend based on the review before mine. Unfortunately I had not read it.
(1)Bethanie C.
not bad :-)
(4)Jo Ann V.
Lucky number 13 of us agreed to meet there for lunch last Sunday without making reservations and much to our delight, the staff was very accomodating. Our short wait was due to the 4 or 5 tables that needed to be positioned for all of us to fit (and expand). Maybe we got there at a good time--11:30AM, because when we left two hours later, there were many clusters of hungry looking folks surrounding the entrance. On the previous 2 or 3 visits to this place, it was just hubby and me and we were happy with the pasta, chianti and overall Tuscan ambience. I love the crispy white paper draped over the tables and the accompanying crayons for the kids (right!). I also love the "How to Speak Italian" tape that entertains the restroom patrons. This recent visit was different but still satisfying, mainly due to our attentive waiter and the speed of getting our food. I ordered the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab in a tomato-cheese sauce, soooo good! Hubby ordered his usual seafood pasta which unfortunately arrived in a white sauce instead of the tomato sauce that he wanted, but our trusty waiter brought it back to the kitchen pronto and returned with the corrected meal in less than 5 minutes. Yes, the servings are humongous and we all took leftovers home. The one thing I found lacking was the absence of the roaming singing hostess--there were 2 of them when we last ate here. I found her charming and she was opera-quality good. Maybe she has Sundays off.
(4)C K.
it's a crowded resturant and the food is ok. Service was great. I like the tomato cream sauce. it wasn't over powering.
(3)J R.
ive had really good and really bad here. not sure why so inconsistent.
(3)Anna K.
I haven't been to the Macaroni Grill in years.. so why did I stop by? My best friend got me a gift card for my birthday and told me to take my bf out to dinner. Instead of dinner, I took him there for happy hour. (Happy hour is from 4-6? in the lounge area.) We went there yesterday after work and were happy to see the lounge area 1/4 full and as a result, we found a table easily. For happy hour, there's 4 dollar drafts (Stella, Peroni, and Heineken), some tapas, and $7 dollar pizza. My bf LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES pizza. Honestly, his cute cuddly self is probably comprised of beer, dough, cheese, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and pepperoni. With pizza on the menu, my bf and I ordered the Italian sausage pizza and several beers. The pizza was super delish and my bf agreed. Since I have $30 bucks left on my gift card, my bf wants to go back and order not one but two pizzas... probably to eat one by himself. UGHHHHHHHHHHH how do I control my little pizza monster?!.. Definitely by not having a gift card to Macaroni Grill.
(4)Dustin V.
Happy hours 3 to 6 pm daily with half off draft beers, house wines, and select pizza. BUT, the beer selection is limited to a few lagers (not a fan). If they would upgrade their beer, I would rate them higher. The fourth star is for the food and staff, not the beer selection.
(4)Thomas O.
For a chain restaurant (owned by same company as chili's) this place does pretty good. Ma famille arrived at the restaurant at around 11/1130 on Sunday and this place was EMPTY but that usually means one thing: EXCELLENT SERVICE. As you can see, it wasn't 5-star-status but it was pretty good. Our server, John, was gracious enough to let us know that they were releasing new pizzas on their menu within the coming weeks...go John! (Papa John?? no.) Anways, as soon as we got to our table we got some bread. Now this isn't normal table bread...well maybe it is, but they do one thing a lot of eyetalian restaurants don't do: EVOO and Cracked Pepper. QT: Ask for Balsamic Vinegar because they do have them bottles hiding (IDK why, I doubt they use $500/mL BV). Back to the bread, it's crusty, warm (most of the time), bread-y, and darn good with the vinaigrette. Entrees: I ordered the Mama's Trio which consists of A Parmesan Chicken breast, a stack of Lasagna, and roll of Chicken Cannelloni (i think). This is seriously a lot of food for one sitting so I naturally took the Lasagna home. The PC was crispy on the outside with melted cheese on top and moist on the inside..perfecto! The CC wasn't memorable but it didn't taste bad. However, when I cooked the Lasagna at home in my oven, wow that thing was good. It was filling too for such a compact piece. My sister ordered a Pepperoni Pizza which is always cooked to perfection. I think they have a wood burning oven, but I am not completely sure. My mom ordered her regular Chicken Marsala which was strikingly infiltrated with garlic cloves. It looked pretty good and she ate most of it so it must've been delicious. My dad ordered the Chicken Spedini (SP?)..It was served with roasted vegetables and HAD to be the most healthiest thing on the table besides our water glasses. Overall the experience was not Italian but what do you expect? (They do have some good singers though!)
(4)John K.
I came here because I received a gift card from a close friend. I read the reviews and it was mostly bad but I needed to use the gift card. Although it took us 50 minutes which I think it could have been prevented only if they would stop calling out reservations for people who clearly weren't coming and give that spot to people that were currently waiting. But I understand, and they did tell us that the wait is 45 minutes. Whatever... Service was pretty good. our waiter was really kind and helpful. He wrote his name backwards with the crayon they had and the specials of the night also which was really cool. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms for starters and I was shocked at how small they were. I couldn't believe they charged us almost 12 bucks for tiny little mushrooms. It was really good though but small and definitely not worth the amount I paid. The entrees were rather good. I really like my pasta and so did my friends. We all got the blackberry iced tea which wasn't the best honestly. This place is pretty overrated. I wouldn't come back here due to the high prices and not so happy portions. Only way I would come back is if I had a gift card. Final say... Eat somewhere else!
(2)Brent K.
Nothing special. Middle of the road kind of place. Food is ok. Service is ok. Nothing exciting here. I would rather spend a little more and get a great meal at Assagio's. Right down stairs.
(3)Hollie-Anne T.
I've been to Macaroni Grill couple of times before, and i've loved it. Took my husband here for the first time and he enjoyed the food. We decided to go a second time last week, but it was hella crappy. I had the flatbread pizza since they didn't have the pasta i ordered the last time. OMG that flatbread was BURNT.... i started eating it and i was wondering why it had no taste to it. It was bland and all i could taste was burnt bread. I looked on the bottom of my flatbread and realized that the whole thing was burnt. My husband had the martini and kept complaining that it was dry. He also had the steak and didn't finish it since that was also lacking. My husband and I are food lovers we eat till we are content. But when i feel like going to mcdonalds to eat or yogurtland that means that the food was DUH-GUS-TING. Never coming back until they change their food.
(2)Jamie R.
We had a great time. They took great care of us and the kids. The food was perfect. Great flavor and fast. Drinks were even better. Lots of left overs. We ordered too much.
(5)Michelle S.
My husband and I decided to eat here because we were craving Italian food one night and tried to hit up Asaggios which was closed. Glad it was closed! Some highlights of this restaurant: The service is amazing!!!! The Chianti that I ordered with my shrimp alfredo was in a traditional glass, not a fancy wine glass. Loved that! The bread that they serve before your entree was fresh baked, warm and came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper to dip it in. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms for appetizers and they were delicious with spicy Italian sausage and cheese. I also had the caesar which did not disappoint! Now my husband is Italian so I am spoiled when it comes to alfredo sauce since I get to have it made from scratch, but this place really impressed me with their sauce! We will definately be back!!!
(5)Claudia M.
I came here for my friend's birthday dinner for a party of about 20 people. They seated us down with our reservations and the waiter was nice towards us. He got our orders once all of our party was present. We told him that some of us wanted separate checks but apparently he forgot at the end....it took him 30 mins to split the checks for our party...horrible service, they were friendly but that doesnt cut it. The food was so so, nothing special. I just had the chicken pasta. Won't come here again.
(2)Andrew S.
Amazing service and delicious food
(5)Rob D.
Went to Macaroni Grill and had a new dish, Island Fresh Catch; it was Ahi tonight and it was very delicious. I have been here many times and this was by far the best meal that I have had there thus far. Very surprised. It was quite crowded and the restaurant was humming.
(5)LaVonne V.
It is 5:45pm and I called to make a reservation for 7 people at 7pm. The person on the line asked if 8pm would work. "No", I said. "8pm will be too late. Do you not have a table available at 7?" "Yes, we do, but our policy requires a 2-hour advance." OK, how dumb is that?!?
(1)Darrell D.
Typical corporate food chain. I hated coming here in such a great food area of honolulu. But we didn't want to risk another local bad exp. Good service. Friendly staff. Nice for kids. Accommodates for families. Food is corporate...blah.
(3)Chad Y.
Now I have been to a few Romano's around the country and I have to say I was sorely disappointed with this particular location. I know, Italian food purists will tell you its not "authentic" but let's face facts...I am going to a chain restaurant for dinner. I am not exactly expecting authentic, but rather a good meal. Now onto the Ala Moana location, stopped by for lunch and while they offer a good selection, the food arrived cold. While I appreciate an ice-cold salad, cold pizza and pasta? Not exactly the best if you ask me... The service was lackluster...our server was ok but didn't pay much attention to her section. Another server and her were fighting over our table within earshot, which started things off on the wrong foot. They came by a few times but were slow to refill water and were not very attentive and seemed pretentious. Not a bad place to go...but at the same time, not what I have come to expect from Romano's
(3)Cody Z.
ate here at 6pm June 20, 2012 I sat at the bar beneath the giant TV they have these giant size bar seats with comfortble square cushions lots of seat space to move around I ordered an iced tea with no lemon Iced tea came with lemon took it out Iced tea tasted good bartender gave me the menu alot smaller than I remember I ordered shrimp fettucine alfredo noticed alot of people had bread thought it came automatically turns out you have ask for it that's okay no bread my pasta arrived good portion, excellent succulent good size shrimp pasta was tasty but missing something It dawned on me SALT added salt, then wham, suddenly everything tasted better ate the whole thing I left happy
(3)Jas L.
Five-ish years ago, I used to come here a lot with my friends, and it was a decent experience every time. Within these past few years, I've noticed the quality of service has declined. For example, several weeks ago, I went to Mac Grill for my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant dinner for him. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there even though there were hardly any tables to wait on. She treated us like we were a couple of teenagers who wouldn't give her tip. The only time she was truly nice is when she gave us our bill. There are some waiters/hosts (the guy waiters) that are very polite. In my opinion, they should be the main waiters! The entrees have great taste, but it isn't the best--it isn't worth the money. The appetizers are definitely not worth the money either. For the amount you pay, you get half of what you would expect.
(2)Faye M.
The food here is deeeeelish! I always have a good time here, it's really relaxed and spacious. The best part is when you go to the bathroom! LOL First, they have Rosetta Stone for Italian on (IDK what brand it really is!) and second, when you leave the women's bathroom, it says "Gentlemen", or maybe it's the Italian word for "Men", but it totally makes you do a double take when you're leaving! The second best part is when you're there for a special occasion like a birthday - if one of the singing servers are there, they'll sing a few lines from an Italian Opera and totally make your meal even more special!
(3)Dan L.
Stopped here for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago mid week after work. Place is convenient for parking or shoppers at Ala Moana. We were promptly seated and had forgot about the crayons for drawing on the tables ( great way to keep Kids entertained) love it. We ordered simple dishes spaghetti w/meat sauce but were surprised to the lack of flavor Salt? garlic? fresh spices? didn't taste like they were used. :( On the up side and saving grace the waiter was spot on attentive friendly but not standing over our shoulder. This may have been a new cook or just overlooked that day so willing to come back.
(3)Janice H.
HOW TO GET 10% OFF OF YOUR BILL 1) "Like" their Facebook page here: facebook.com/MacaroniGri… (search for "Romano's Macaroni Grill Hawaii") 2) Do a Facebook check-in to the restaurant from your account 3) Show to server before requesting your bill 4) Sum exclusions apply (see photo below) Otherwise, it's mediocre, chain restaurant Italian food. I've dined here several times since it opened and my experiences have ranged to complete crap (mushroom risotto came out cold and hard like 3-day-old white rice left in the rice pot) to mediocre (oven was broken, so no bread was available; made a simple request for more toppings for a fries pupu and chef told the server they'd charge me for it). REVIEW #242
(3)Victoria A.
Imagine you're shopping, tired, hungry and just really need to chill at a nice place where you can hang your feet for a bit and to eat something semi-decent and non-fast food. This isn't such a bad place. The wait time at peak hours for lunch and dinner may be a little long. Go at non-peak hours if you must. Food is just ok - nothing spectacular to write columns about. Sad to say, the whole experience was just ok, not terrible but not spectacularly outstanding either. I ordered the lobster ravioli and our waiter delivers mushroom ravioli. I could've fussed but we had already waited long enough to be seated and a little bit more to get our food. I didn't mind the mushroom but I had my heart set on lobster - hunger is hunger and this was food. My cousin had the roasted chicken dish and my daughter had the penne. Both were decent but again, nothing so notably spectacular. It was just ok. But then again, how much can we expect from a chain restaurant? It might as well have been Chilis or Ruby Tuesdays. The ambiance is another thing this place has got going for itself. It's cozy and lit just right - almost comforting. Speaking of comfort, the booth I sat in had cracked bench covering which made it quite irritating to have my thigh pinched every time I moved. Easily resolved, I put a napkin under my leg. Meh...I was too tired to fuss and I really didn't want to wait until another table opened up. In my opinion, the best thing about this place is their wine and their paper covered tables with available crayons. Both very therapeutic in nature and both served me well to help heal me of my retail therapy. The wait staff is talented as well, I mean do you realize how difficult it is to write your name upside down with two colored crayons? Talent is hard to come by nowadays and to be able to be skilled with food service skills and art - it's a win-win for the customers.
(3)Sabrina B.
Was greeted right away by the hostess, didn't wait more than 1 min (it was around 3pm) for a seat to be ready, our server always followed up to see how we are doing, food was great! Left happy!
(5)Breanna M.
Good service, not so good food. I was disappointed with the Alfredo I ordered. How can you make bland Alfredo at a Italian restaurant? We had to return the calamari we ordered because it tasted like breaded rubber. Very disappointed with this location. Definitely won't be going back.
(2)Patrick B.
Food good wait staff excellent Bread tastes like medicine UGH check in at front desk rude waiter Matt superb Aloha Nui loa from the fairest islands ever nestled upon our planet earth.
(3)Liesyl M.
Great Italian food!! :) This is my third time here and we came to celebrate my birthday!! The restaurant is located in Ala Moana Shopping center so parking shouldn't be a problem. The decor is very Italian like. When you are seated there are crayons for you to draw on the paper table! :) It's fun for everyone. If you plan on having a party of more than 4, make sure to call in advance to reserve a table as you may have to wait awhile if you don't reserve in advance. We had a party of 11 so making a reservation was a must. They seated us comfortably and right on time. Their complimentary bread is fresh and tastes great. It's a bit hard to cut through but the taste is delicious. It has a rosemary taste and dipping it in the olive oil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar makes it even better!! For our entrees we ordered the Eggplant Parmesan with a Caesar Salad and the Lobster Ravioli with a Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Caesar Salad wasn't too dressed which made the salad a little tasteless, if you decide to get it you should ask for more dressing with it. The Eggplant Parmesan was delicious and I would definitely get it again. The Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad was interesting but delicious!! It has pickled red onions, walnuts, and buttermilk dressing!! This salad is definitely a must try!! As for the Lobster Ravioli, I was surprised of the size as it wasn't that big. My bf ordered it and did not fill him up. So be aware that you may wanna get some appetizers or eat a lot of bread if you decide to order it. It tasted great but not fulfilling. If you plan on coming for your birthday, they give a free birthday chocolate cake. I was expecting the singer of the restaurant to sing to me but they said that she already left. So I was bummed. But glad that my friends sang for me. :) As for the service, it wasn't that great. Our server was nice and all as he was able to split our check five ways. There were times when we needed water refills but didn't get it right away. It also seemed that he took long to get to our table to take orders and see if we needed anything else. One of my friends ordered a drink but never got it and the server remembered when were already done eating. Overall, we would definitely come back for the bread, the fun of drawing on the table, and the Italian food. :)
(4)Wendy S.
Executive Chef Nawai Kekoolani and his crew fire up awesome dishes! Everthing is great from appetizers to salads, entrees and dessert. Service is fantastic!
(5)Po'u L.
4 stars for the food, 5 stars for the server TAYLOR. She was really attentive and polite, I was thoroughly impressed by the way she could write her name upside down. I tried to do it... Not so easy. Lobster ravioli was the best ravioli I ever ate.
(5)Angelo A.
Convenient . . . check Ample parking . . . check Good for big parties . . . check Americanized, chain restaurant, Italian food . . . check
(3)Hayley K.
This last visit was around my fourth time dining here, but it's been years since I've been here. I must say my opinion on this place has changed dramatically. I mean they have always had a great staff, but I guess I was never really into Italian food. After five years my taste buds must be changing because I LOVE the food. Anyway, my bf and I came on Sunday to watch the USA vs Portugal game and we sat at the bar. We had the most AMAZING lady help us and gosh I would go back just to see her again! She was real pleasant and very personable. I could tell everyone there loved her. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, I had the Margherita flat bread, and bf had the mushroom ravioli and beer. All superb dishes that you should try! Our bill came out to $50 and luckily I had a gift card from many years ago for $25.
(5)Kayla B.
Food was awesome I had the wild mushroom and goat cheese flat bread not a big fan of goat cheese but it was good... Super amazed by our server TAYLOR very sweet super attentive and all around happy person you can tell she loves her job.... Can't wait to come back and most definitely asking for her section :)
(5)Mrs. Yogurdisher A.
We arrived after the lunch rush, around 2pm, and was told by the hostess that our wait would be 5 - 10 mins. I noticed that there were empty tables but shrugged it off as not enough wait-help since it was off peak hours. Our server, Josie, very energetic and enthusiastic, took a crayon and wrote her name on the paper tablecloth. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested two entrees that we were very happy with. She served their loaf of bread and proceeded to pour a generous amount of EVOO onto a small plate. There was no balsamic vinegar on the table so I asked for some. I rated this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because although the food was excellent and prices good, their portions are a tad on the small size (compared to Assagios regular portions). I would visit this establishment again.
(4)Corinne E.
Really enjoyed my meal here. Love the bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar! I had the chicken marsala! So delicious! I am strange, but I loved their water bottles! Got a free dessert with my Hawaii Perks card. Whooo hooo! Good sized tiramisu. Enjoyed the waiters enthusiastically singing "Happy Birthday" to a table nearby. Fun place to dine.
(4)Leigh A.
PRICE: $$ AMBIANCE: casual, dim lighting MEALS: good (Parmesan Chicken Caesar Salad & Penne Rustica) SERVICE: friendly
(4)Napua K.
Last time there 4 yrs ago. Due to Kamehameha Day holiday, lunch specials not available, wat a big disappointment. I really wanted the pork sandwich, & ended up w/chicken Parmesan which was fine. I do want to commend Chase for his excellent service.
(3)Chris L.
I can happily give Romano's 5 stars on Yelp! after our 4 or 5 visits there. Romano's is a pretty nice place atmosphere wise, clean and organised. The restaurant only failed the dust check near the front entrance which is understandable due to the fact that when the doors open the wind comes in with you. The wait staff here are very professional, we've enjoyed talking to our server every trip we made, they talk story and do that cool upside down name thing. Food now, the food is great, at least what we have tried. My group tried to order one of each food but we were down two crew members this night. Flat Bread Pizza: Great, we got the Pizza Margarita, the crust was crunchy and the pizza was cheesy and tasted delightful. Mac and Cheese Balls: This is an appetizer, we don't usually mention appetizers on our reviews but I felt I should mention this one. . .the sauce that comes with it is nice and thick, flavorful. The Mac and cheese balls themselves are out of this world good. Mama's Trio: It's not healthy to try and eat all of this in one sitting. . .but try and stop me from doing so. . .5 star dish for sure. Chicken Parmigiana: Breading is great and the sauce is seasoned, no complaints here. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: Chicken was moist, correctly cooked and the Alfredo sauce was among some of the best I've had locally, Pasta was great as well. In House Wine: Its really good if you like a dry wine. Water: Water? WATER!? Why are you reviewing the WATER!?. . .because they do something to it that makes it amazing. . .I don't know what it is but the water is so pure, its like. . .God Water. . .the water of nature . . . Bathroom Test: Passed with flying colors, there was some water on the floor but the floor isn't a super slick surface so its fine. This has been Chris L. In my first review for the 808 Review Crew on Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)Waiza D.
Our first time coming here ! The wait is not that long which is good, definitely 5 stars! The food was delish !!
(5)Ariel A.
Went to dine at Macaroni grill and it clearly didnt look busy but we still had to wait for 20 minutes as workers were still arriving for their 5:00 shift im guessing. The happy hour is only for those that sit in the bar section (bummers). Pasta dishes are Ok, a little on the pricy side. The bread is delicious and I like the fact that they ask if you want more bread before running out. We had a great server that was very attentive. Great for the kids since they are kept busy with the crayons provided. My favorite is the mushroom ravioli!
(3)Miss L.
It's like roulette here, sometimes it's awesome and sometimes it's so horrible I don't know why I keep coming back! The last time I came they weren't serving the lunch menu because they ran out of a lot of items. Thank goodness they are serving it today! The food for the most part is delicious all around but the service is what is a gamble.
(4)Mona C.
Went into Romano's today with a hungry family who was appreciative for no wait time. The kids ordered their usuals (spaghetti and meat balls with meat sauce/mac n cheese, $1 gelato afterwards) so they're always happy. The adults opted to try something different... 2 for $13 tapas menu (mac & cheese bites and artichoke hearts) - I was disappointed and immediately regretted not ordering our usual calamari. Before I forget.. the house bread. The bread is always good (hot n fresh) and served up with pepper and olive oil for dipping. We ordered the Mama's Trio as our entree (to share, upon recommendation by another *yelper), and added a caesar salad. The salad was good, wish it had been larger. Mama's Trio is lasagna, canolli and chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta. The hubby devoured the chicken parm so im sure it was up to par. The canolli was not bad, but the lasagna tasted a little off. Service was great, Taylor took great care of us, but another waitress clipped me twice on the shoulder as she passed my seat. I'm not big, and my seat was not sticking out in the aisle. Since Romano's is in the mall, is convenient to stop at, and the kids love the food, I'm sure we'll be back, but will stick to our usual choices and request a booth.
(3)Rachael O.
This is by far my favorite of the big Italian chain restaurants. My first visit to this location was on July 4, 2013. I was hot and tired from navigating the crush of folks gathered at Ala Moana. I opted for one of their lighter dishes that I've eaten at the Chicago airport location a few times--grilled chicken with a modest portion of angel hair pasta and a light tomato sauce. It always hits the spot, staying with me, but not causing "carb coma." Only this time the chicken was simply inedible. To make sure it was not my imagination, I asked my daughter to taste a bite and she spit hers out, as well. Whether it was burned or a bad piece of chicken to start, I sent it back (and I never send food back, trust me). The server, the manager, and even the chef could not have been nicer in fixing the problem, so it turned the situation around completely. Fast forward to a friend's recent visit and we went back, at his request. I was so ecstatic to see that the chicken Florentine salad is back on the menu! Imagine grilled chicken, shaved parmesan, baby spinach, olives, capers, onions, and purple cabbage tossed with a fresh, tangy lemon and olive oil dressing. Divine! The only downside was the stuffed mushrooms which did not spend enough time in the broiler, so their filling was a little cool (didn't stop my friend from crushing them, though). We split the lemon dessert which was heaven on a plate. I think we each ended up with bruised knuckles, trying to get a fair share of the dessert. It's a layer of lemon cake, soaked in some delicious syrup and topped with a tart and sweet lemon mousse. Don't mess around with the other desserts. Get this one! The ambience is warmer and more sophisticated than Olive Garden or Carraba's. And they have some lunch duos ($11) and trios ($13) that let you choose your own combo of soup, half-sandwich, salad, or pasta, from a limited menu of favorites. It's a good value for Waikiki. Would I fight traffic in town to get here? Probably not. Would I stop by if I'm already in town? Definitely!
(4)Brian M.
Our server Matt was excellent for service. The food is always great. Looking forward to coming back.
(5)Charmaine N.
This is my third visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill. I can't remember much of the first or second time, except that the food was pretty delicious. On this recent visit, we were seated within 5 minutes. Our waiter gave us water right away and didn't rush us to order. He brought us some bread to start. To be honest, RMG doesn't have the best bread. In the end, the bf ordered the Chicken Marsala and a glass of Pinot Grigio and I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine and a glass of Moscato. We didn't have to wait long for our food to come out but my Moscato did take a bit longer. Our waiter seemed to be pretty busy but I didn't mind..I wasn't in any rush. The Chicken Scaloppine was delicious! It has mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, capers and a pieces of chicken breast in a buttery, lemon, white wine sauce. I'm not much of an artichoke fan so I gave them to my bf. He also seemed to enjoy his meal. For desert, we ordered a Biscotti Toddy and a Cafe Romano. It was like a...alcoholic splash to your morning coffee. Warm, chocolatey and sweet with a kick of Baileys. I would recommend these to anyone 21+.
(3)Brittaney T.
Food: very tasty. I could taste the flavor in every thing we tried. However, at the prices I expected the plate sizes to be larger. Maybe it's because I'm used to Cheesecake Factory charging a high price for a large portion. I felt like this place could have increase their portions, especially the appetizers. The bread wasn't over the top great. It was very average. Service: very friendly and energetic. Our server was Peter. He was an extraordinary server and I would love to come back if he was our server again. Wait Time: it was about 25 minutes on a Sunday night. We waited a little longer for a booth. Ambience: appropriately lit. Not too loud. I could hear the dishes clanking though. It's very casual inside. I would come back.
(4)Reina L.
We always enjoy coming here. Tonight we sat in a section we never sat in before...talk about a tight fit. No pomodorino soup for Jake, he was disappointed since this wasn't the first time we came here and they were out. Kawika was great and kept our drinks filled. I got bread to take home with our left over meals, since we had so much food.
(4)Dirty V.
We like to go here for lunch. I get the mushroom ravioli, bib and blue salad with Mac and cheese bites appetizer. Peach ice tea is a must.
(4)Gemma R.
Cam and I joined Monica H. (and family) for lunch yesterday to celebrate new business ventures. They tried getting reservations at Mariposa but with a 2.5 hour wait, we opted for Macaroni Grill instead. I was surprised we were able to get seated right away, (6 adults, 1 tween and 2 babies). Just a note to anyone with a baby, they do not allow strollers into the restaurant - instead, they allow you to leave it at the front receptionist stand (kind of like Disneyland). We were able to keep ours because Logan passed out and there was no way we were taking him out of that seat. Our server was Jesse and we honestly couldn't have asked for a better server. He was very quick to grab us extra utensils, cups, etc. We ordered a large house wine (if you don't finish it, you can take it home) and pretty much all of the tapas (appetizers.) I really liked their fried macaroni and cheese balls and the artichoke dip. I wish they put more crostini's with their artichoke dip but since they offer free bread, there's no point in asking for more of the toasted bread. We also ordered a warm and cold salad and a sausage pizza. I probably wouldn't order the pizza again because I'm not a fan of thin crust. We also ordered three desserts - lemon cake, chocolate and the tiramisu. Everyone seemed to love the tiramisu and I have to agree, I liked it the best too. Now, the reasoning behind the five stars. While we were waiting for our dessert, Jesse took it upon himself to sing us a beautiful Italian aria. How amazing is that? Cam made the joke that even if sang random words in Italian it wouldn't have mattered because he did such a great job! Jesse, you are awesome and I hope Macaroni Grill takes care of you! Thanks for the wonderful lunch.
(5)Ramon B.
Came Here To Carb load before the Honolulu Marathon! I was seated quickly and my Server Ian was super nice and professional as well! I ordered the Chicken on a Brick! Food came out and was very well presented my only complaint is that they should not be so heavy handed on the Olive Oil! It over took the taste of the Entrée but other than that I will stick to what I know! CARMELAS CHICKEN OH YEAH
(4)Tobias C.
Okay - we went to Macaroni Grill for a birthday party on March 23, 2014. We had a party of 9. I have to say after reading a lot of bad reviews on Yelp - the experience was quite the opposite. Our waiter was Jeff - fantastic from beginning to end. The Food - pretty good too - from the apps to dessert. Best entree on the menu - get the Pork Chops. Waiter Jeff - keep up the great work! Macaroni Grill - hang in there - a lot of reviews say the words. " I really wanted to like this place.....BUT". A lot of restaurants fall apart by living on their past reps - don't be one of them.
(5)Jenn S.
After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, the family eats together at a restaurant. Today, I got to choose. And I chose Romano's Macaroni Grill. I recommend Mama's Trio, chicken alfredo and some greens. Love the bread with black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Our server, Jerry, was awesome. He was reading our minds. Mahalo Jerry!
(5)Chantelle K.
I came here as birthday dinner. Never been here before but my friend had. We arrived around 6:30pm. We waited about 5 mins and were seated. Our waiter Kevin, was lovely. He was very polite and efficient. The food itself took a while to get to us. We order a caesar salad which was delicious and I got the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It could've had more chicken but overall it was really tasty. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with that dish. They gave us some garlic bread as well. Which was also delicious. You're able to write on the tables since they cover it with paper and supply crayons. I loved that personal touch. Since it was my birthday, I receive a complementary chocolate cake. It was very rich and VERY chocolately. A little too much for my liking but still very good. They give you the option of singing or no singing which I also liked because I hate being sang Happy Birthday in restaurants. I would come back here. The service is divine and so is the food. I gave four stars because I felt that, although very delicious, the food wasn't outstanding. Maybe it was because I ordered something so basic. But overall, everything was great!
(4)Sharon N.
Felt pretty skeptic when my boyfriend and I came here for dinner because of all the reviews saying that the service was terrible but I guess we came on a good night! We came in a little after 5 PM and we only had to wait five minutes to get seated. Ian was our server and to our surprise, he was really nice and the total opposite of all the Yelp reviews about crappy service so that was a definite plus! Boyfriend and I decided to share entrees so we ended ordering: 1. Mac & cheese bites w/ Alfredo dip 2. Zucchini frittis (?) 3. Chicken Parmesan 4. Pasta Rustica Everything was SOOOO delicious and Ian always came by our table to make sure that we had everything we needed! What a nice guy. :) My boyfriend and I couldn't even finish our pastas so we had to box it up & take it home. With this wonderful experience and DELICIOUS food, we're definitely gonna come back & try new things!
(5)Kim S.
Yes, this is a time when I wish there were zero stars to give. The last visit may be the final. Snarky service from a blondie who treated & spoke to us with a patronizing & fake attitude. We wanted to smack her. Desserts appear the same on the menu but have turned cheap - not the price, the ingredients & preparation. According to blondie this changed a few months ago but she neglected to tell us while we ordered. My go to Homemade Chocolate Cake was so disgusting I took 1 bite & stopped. It tasted like those cheap no name box mixes where only water is added - the kind you make as a little kid for an easy bake oven. It was probably a week old too. The "warm ganache" was watered down cheap chocolate syrup & not warm. Absolutely no chocolate toffee pieces as stated on the menu. Ghirardelli® Chocolate should sue them for defaming their name because I doubt any was used in this cake & if it was the flavor was completely mangled. Blondie saw & was told I didn't like it but didn't offer to replace or remove the offensive dessert. I didn't want to make a scene & ask for the manager to remove the dessert from the bill because we had out of town guests. Plus, I figured it would be free because I had a coupon provided directly from this location for a free dessert. Well, the coupon was refused (supposedly by the manager) so I had to pay $10 for 1 bite of cake I wanted to spit out.
(1)Marni T.
My boyfriend and I came here twice together, first time we ate here his friend told us what to get. Btw don't ever listen to your boyfriend's friends, they are always wrong always! I took his advice and ordered chicken on or under a brick? Not sure, but it was awful. The dipping sauce they had was totally inedible. My boyfriend liked what he got, but its hard to disappoint him. The waiter was nice, HE also knew my boyfriend so he "hooked" us up with what he thought was good. The second time we came here was because we had a gift card and thought we might as well use it and have a cheap date night. Well our server was awesome, very helpful. We ordered and got our food in a timely matter. I ordered ravioli which was a lot better than what I ordered the last time. The bread with the olive oil is always "on point". Well service here is great, workers are nice and helpful. Food is okay, I've had better. I would only come back if I didn't have to pay.
(3)Michael C.
Who wants to go to a UYE??!! Me, me! (raises hand). Thank you to John F. who single-handedly organized a UYE during happy hour. I myself had never been to HH at Macaroni Grill before, and so I was looking forward to trying new food and meeting new people. The event was scheduled for 500-700pm, though their happy hour normally finishes at 6pm. I guess John used some form of Yelp magic and the management/staff was kind of enough to extend happy hour for our group till 7pm. NOTE: I'm not sure if there is an entirely separate menu for HH, but John went around informing us that there were 3 pizzas that were specials during happy hour. We were also informed they had a selection of drinks/beer/wine on special as well. HH: I chose the Italian sausage pizza. Normally price at $15, this was $7 during hh. This was quite good, and I would absolutely order this again on a future visit. As far as drinks, I ordered the house chardonnay, which was $4/glass during hh. SERVICE: Very good. Although our group kept increasing in numbers, our main server, was pleasant, friendly, polite, and helpful, during the duration of the UYE. He also conveniently provided separate checks for all of us in attendance. side NOTE: Though the food and service was satisfactory, I'm unsure about returning to hh at Macaroni Grill if there are only pizzas on special. I was hoping for more variety of menu items honestly. Bottom Line: Perhaps I may venture to hh on my own and give it a 2nd chance.
(3)Austin B.
I usually like pasta, but I do not like Macaroni Grill's take on it, as they LOVE using rosemary in a lot of their dishes (and bread -_-), and rosemary is one of my least favorite flavors. Ambience is nice and so is the service, but I wouldn't pick this place if it were my choice. Likes: Service is usually pretty good at this location. The servers are attentive and friendly. It's easy to find someone to help you usually (in the main dining area at the least). Even the the bread has rosemary, the texture is good and if I dip it in the olive oil, it's good. Dislikes: Rosemary. It's in a lot of dishes... and when it's in there, it stands out... a lot. Favorites: The chicken under a brick is moist and doesn't have a prominent rosemary flavor, so that's my favorite dish here. For the price of the dishes, I'd rather go to Cheesecake Factory because the food in general is better tasting there, and the portions are larger. This place is nice for the ambience and the service, but I'd only recommend it if that's important to you and you like the taste of rosemary.
(3)Liliana U.
Decided to eat here with my boyfriend after receiving a gift card to ala moana and I'm so glad we did. The wait wasn't long at all for a dinner table, a little less than 25mins. Once we were seated we were given our menus but me and my boyfriend just dashed to the paper on the table to draw on, the kids in us. Definitely a kid friendly place that will keep them occupied, and hopefully quiet for those of you who bring 3 loud children to restaurants ... Our server was AMAAAZZINNNG ! I believe his name was Nate, he's tall, dark haired, and wears glasses ( Just in case management see's this; congrats on your staffing !) He was super attentive, very nice, gave us his personal opinion and recommendations on the food when we asked, fun, and all around professional ! He is definitely one of the reason why me & my boyfriend would come back, just awesome service! Now let's get to the yummy part; food ! They have a good selection to choose from but a little on the pricy side for some, but not all the food especially if you're buying for quite a few people. We had fried mozzarella for our appetizer, oh em ge. Supper yummy ! I almost ordered another one ! For our entrees we had the Sausage Flatbread pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti with meat balls (they sound a lot more fancier on the menu, but I can't remember what is called lol ). The flatbread pizza was yummy but I just feel as though the sausage was not spread evenly on but more focused on the center, some pieces of pizza didn't have any sausage. The lasagna was pretty damn good I must say. Totally made up for the pizza. I didn't try the spaghetti with meatballs but it looked good ! Desert was awesome! So awesome that we couldn't decide on what to have so we picked 2. We had the chocolate cake and the lemon cake. They were both so gooooood. The chocolate cake was very rich, a little dry but it was sauces woth chocolate sauce on the cake and the plate, just dip it right in there ! The lemon cake, I might just come back for the lemon cake. It was so good, very moist, very lemony. Overall, awesome experience ! I will be coming back !
(5)Joseph D.
This place was great. My girl and I only waiting for 5-10 minutes on a busy Friday night without a reservation. The hostess and waitress was very polite and the food was delicious. Very good!!
(5)Lisa S.
Chicken Scallopini my all time favorite! But I had to try the Lobster Ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! Soup of the day was Pomodonia (creamy tomato bisque) absolutely amazing!!!!
(4)Drake W.
Despite what you read the food was great! The service was outstanding, I didn't have to wait long for my food and it was on valentines day which was busy. I ordered the garlic fries which is off the menu, you have to ask for it. Usually the garlic fries either have to much or to less of garlic but macaroni grill made it perfect! With bacon cheese and shrimp it was beyond excellent! I ordered the make your own pasta with fettuccini, Alfredo sauce, asparagus, broccolini, tomatoes and shrimp. Which came out nice and great tasting. My fiancé had the mushroom ravioli which was also out standing ! I am born and raised in Hawai'i and this is the best Italian restaurant I've been to.
(5)Steve S.
Perfect service.... Much better now that the fire pit is gone. Smell no longer there.
(5)Terry K.
What can I say? A chain restaurant is a chain restaurant. While the convenient location of this restaurant coupled with the not so bad service, discounted for the wait if you go during "primetime" dinner hour without a reservation... and my list can go on. Upshot these days? Happy Hour Menu and Happy Hour Drink prices during football season. The Happy Hour Menu has items not on the regular menu so depending on when you stop in, they might have something you would enjoy.... Other than that- Parking is okay- what can I expect? It's in the mall where parking is plentiful. Atmosphere? not bad at all. Servers are friendly and act exactly as they were trained. Food? is okay. It's a chain restaurant! They do offer the free loaf of bread which you can dip in olive oil and pepper (balsamic vinegar if you ask for it) and their spinach artichoke dip is always a guarantee to please. If you're looking for decent meals, a haven to hang out (during happy hour) or a place simply to relax.... this is your place. If you expect anything more than this you will be disappointed. So go with an appetite, stress-less because parking was not a problem and you will be good!
(3)Valerie R.
Went to Macaroni Grill on a Sunday evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday and I was really disappointed with the service we received from our waitress Stephanie. She was very blah, no smiling, just asked for our order and walked away. It seemed she was just going through the motions to get her shift over with. What upset me more was I witnessed her being friendly with other guests so I'm not sure what her problem was. Other than that, our food was tasty but the service we received really ruined our experience.
(3)Lilli D.
There is so much to love about this place, but it falls just short of great because of the most important thing for any restaurant: the food. First, the good. For starters, the venue is absolutely beautiful. It's a somewhat large restaurant with nice wall and cobblestone work. Everything, including the servers, is immaculately clean. There's mellow lighting and they're always playing lounge music. Speaking of the servers, they're generally friendly and know their stuff. Probably the best novelty of the restaurant is there's paper and crayons over the table that the servers use for their name/specials and the guests can use for doodling. There are good aspects of the food; the bread is always spot on, hot, fresh, and is kicked up to the next level with rosemary. They also contain a pretty decent wine selection. There is a stocked bar if you're not in the mood for wine, which is always nice. Another thing I've noticed is the dessert portions are fairly large. The thing that kills is all however is what I ended up ordering for my appetizer and main meal. I had the calamari, which itself was alright, but the basket was mostly filled with fried bits instead of actual fried calamari. The worst offender was by far, the pasta I chose for my 2 For $11 lunch: fettuccine alfredo. Normally you would think a classic dish is a safe bet. But when I dug into my plate, I found all the cheese bits at the bottom, as well as a pool of oil and grease a millimeter tall. This only happens when: a.) the components of the alfredo are cooked in correctly, or b.) the dish was reheated in the microwave. No matter what the means, its still bad cooking. This Macaroni Grill is so, so close to being one of my favorite restaurants, but that can't be the case in this point in time. My advice to potential customers: check other reviews to see which dishes are good or not, and avoid anything that's fried or has a significant amount of cooked cheese. My advice to the business: put more care in the actual food and you'll do wonderfully.
(3)Haylee F.
Stopped in for quick bite and defaulted to Macaroni Grill since CPK had a 45 minute wait. Decided to sit at the bar for faster service and was stoked on that decision. We started with a bottle of wine complimented by the 2 for $14 tapas menu. Unfortunately my first choice, the prosciutto mozzarella, was no longer being offered. We opted for the diablo meatballs - 6 served in a spicy marinara sauce - and the mac and cheese bites with truffle sauce (I'm a huge anything-truffle fan). I ordered the warm spinach salad with shrimp for my entree but was a little disappointed on how salty it was! Our server/bartender noticed I only took a few bites and quickly came to my rescue. I told him it was a little too salty for me, but that I would box it and take it home to mix with pasta to take some of the edge off. The flavor was still good but it was too overpowering. He insisted he get me another one but I didn't feel good about wasting an entire salad! So instead he offered to get me a side pasta dish and that totally did the trick! I haven't been to MG in years but I will defintiely be back to try some of their other Tuscan creations!
(4)Ram K.
Pretty busy around 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We checked in and waited about 15 minutes, not bad. Karen was our server and she did a great job. Brought some bread w/ a plate of olive oil and pepper. She kept up with drink refills and checked on us enough. My gf had some kind of trio dish with chicken parmesan, lasagna and a burrito looking thing. Lots of food and she enjoyed it. I had the minestrone soup to start then lobster ravioli. Both were good. There was lobster meat in the ravioli and a ton of it on top of the dish! Well not a ton but there was a lot. Another waiter came by and took care of the empty plates and boxed up my gf's leftovers. Only thing is in the restroom, why aren't there dividers separating the urinals? I know it's minor but I do like my privacy. Lol We used to come here a lot when they first opened and don't know why we stopped. We will be back, soon!
(4)Missy T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill is the official restaurant of my spaghetti and meatballs cravings. I was a fan of their fat fatty menu a few years ago, and was skeptical of their calorie cutting menu change since most of the deliciousness of their food I suspected came from copious amounts of butter and cream - both of which are staples in my omnomnomnivore diet. After some initial kinks, I am happy to say that the deliciosity of Romano's menu has survived. Getting a table there usually comes with a 20+ min wait at peak times, so do call ahead if you're going to be ravenous and/or impatient. If you don't want to hang around outside or in the entrance, you can enjoy the bar while you wait to be seated, just make sure you notify the host or hostess so they don't skip you. Happy Hour specials on certain dranks are available, so ask the bartender or server if you're around at HH times (I am totally not sure when those times are, so inquire whenever you're there!). Prices are kinda high - around $15+ for their entree stuff, but they do have a 2 for $9 thing for their appetizers. As I mentioned before, I'm a fan of the "Mom's Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti". The meatballs are a beef/veal mixture (don't judge), and are super yummy with the spaghetti sauce. Another dish I can vouch for is the Italian Sausage "Flatbread" (it's pizza). The thin crust has a good chew to it, so it's not like biting into a well-adorned matzo cracker, and just like any decent pizza it's tasty cold. One word of caution: don't be fooled by the menu's facelift - both dishes I mentioned, while possibly still less calorie laden than those on the old menu, break 1,000 calories and they're definitely not the worst choices you could make, so if you're trying to watch your girlish figure keep that in mind. Other than that, if you're looking for a nice lunch or dinner spot after some shopping, Romano's is a good choice if you don't wanna leave the Ala Moana area and aren't looking for some cheap eats.
(4)Ryan R.
This new crew forgot all silverware on all tables as I look around, Young staff with their head in the clouds. They seemed more focused on their social life. All in all, our waiter was eager to please.
(3)Ken W.
I had spagetti & meatballs. It was a definite taste bud treat
(4)Kanya G.
Bread!!! That's seriously the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this place. So flavorful, with the awesome combination of soft inside, crunchy outside, olive oil and salt and pepper. I've come here many, many times-- for celebrations and casual get togethers with friends and family. It's a really family-friendly place, which I like. I like coming here for their lunch specials (2 sampler-sized dishes for $11). Carmela's Chicken pasta's super good! Romano's also makes the best Eggplant Parmesan I've had so far. Love their Bibb and Blue salad, too-- that's a must try. I don't really recall a dish I've been disappointed with. Service-wise, it varies. Sometimes the wait is very long. The restaurant does compensate their customers with free dessert on their next visit if their wait to be seated is ridiculously long. Speaking of free, there's also a free chocolate fudge birthday cake and a song (if you'd like) for birthday celebrants, which can be a little embarrassing, but a plus.
(4)Joanna Y.
Although I keep hearing negative reviews, I haven't had a bad experience at Romano's. I've only gone a few times (the last time before today was probably May 2012), and each time has been a good experience. So moving onto the review, I went with my mom and dad on our lunch break today. It was pleasant. Our waiter was really nice, really prompt on his service (taking orders, timely with bringing another water, the check, etc). The food has always been pretty good. We noticed a new menu today, I like the options and today I actually had a hard time deciding what to order. I went with the pick 3 choices; between a salad, soup, pasta or sandwich. I did the caprese panini and it was good. Wish it could have been a little more toasted though lol Prices are a little more compared to CPK, and not sure whether I like the food better or not. The atmosphere is nice though, I like the "mood lighting" (even though I was with my family lol).
(4)Rich T.
Excellent Service, Great Food ! Fair prices.
(5)Jeanette S.
I had a gift card from Christmas and since my husband and I have never eaten here we decided to give it a shot. We went in around 415pm so there was no crowd dinner crowd yet. Our server was very friendly. Even mentioned some appetizers not found on the menu like the spinach artichoke dip. To start we had the calamari. My husband usually doesn't eat calamari, but he scarfed down most of the appetizer. It was better than most calamari I've had. For dinner I had the mushroom ravioli with a side of Bibb and blue salad. I loved the mushroom ravioli, but I wish there were more mushrooms to it. Bibb & blue salad was pretty good as well. The walnuts in the salad gave it a nice crunch. For dessert we had the tiramisu. It was ok. The serving was bigger than I expected so I'm glad my husband and I shared the dessert. Overall a pretty good experience would definitely go back and try some other pastas. Also if you check in and like their Facebook page, let the server know and you get 10% off your bill!
(4)Shuao Li L.
Food is good. Waiter was not that good. We had to ask for silverware & even then, it was not brought to us right away. Thanks Roger, you got nice towards the end of our meal...hoping for a better tip eh?
(3)John S.
I am pleased to report with this updated review that Romano's Macaroni Grill has redeemed itself for the most part with improvements to its service compared to my previous few visits which were met with repeated blunders. After a back-to-back correspondence with the general manager, he convinced me to give them another chance promising an improvement. He and his staff have made good on this promise. There was an apparent improvement across the board. Service was quick (despite the dinner rush) and the food was served with standards in mind. We were told that the wait would be 30 minutes. The actual wait time was over an hour. I would like to note that aside from the wait service started out well, as it always seems to, toward the end of service things start to fall out. Appetizers flew out at record speeds, followed by entrées in a similar fashion. Less frequent visits to our table for drink refills is my main gripe, followed by desserts that took longer than expected to come out and not as described on the menu. We ordered the Café Romano, which the menu specified would be topped with whipped cream. What was served did not have whipped cream and was lukewarm. Maybe it had been waiting to be taken out to our table too long and the whipped cream had simply dissolved into the drink. Regardless, service has been consistently worse toward the end in all my experiences at this establishment. Though service always seems to start out well and gets sloppy toward the end, I like that initiatives have been taken to make improvements. Perhaps the next time I visit, service will be consistent all the way through.
(4)Sheri M.
Lucked out with open seating at the bar, no wait on Valentine's with no reservations, awesome! The wait would have been 1 hour. Great service from waiter Tyler. The food runners did try to bring us our appetizer and dessert twice, but i guess that's better than not bringing it at all... Food was good but not excellent this time. Caprese was good but not as good as others I've had. Chicken scaloppine was good as always but the chicken was a little dry and over cooked. Still my favorite dish here. Bf's ribeye was under seasoned and over charred in spots, not worth $27. But the potatoes and asparagus were cooked and flavored perfectly. Free heart shaped sorbet for Valentine's. And we got the lemon passion cake, that was light and refreshing.
(4)Gordito G.
I don't mind having to wait but when the front end guys sit there friends, even though there is a 45 min wait, that's just wrong. Too bad for the waiter because his or her tip will reflect that. That's just wrong, and I'm not the only who say it and feels the same way. Big thumbs down. And I like this place.
(1)Joshua B.
This is a great resturant for Italian food however today it smell kinda like mildew and was very warm inside. I was seated in the bar area and the waitress was very nice and friendly. They have a very small menu at this location or maybe just lunch time. Overall the food was great and the server only left me dry a few times. (Not her fault) she was over worked.
(3)Mr G. T.
Had the Lobster Ravioli and Caesar Salad. It was very good with a very decent amount of Lobster meat in the ravioli and on the plate with sauce. From my observations, waiter service may be hit or miss though. Our waiter was very good, so we were fortunate.
(4)Hoku T.
Updated - I added a star due to manager service. We got served by the manager and he was very helpful in the corrections that needed to be made and quick about correcting the problem. What keeps my rating as a three star is three things: 1) Waiter/Waitress - the waiters and waitresses here are really hard working employees. They'll strive to get the orders right, bring them out as quickly as they are made, refill on drinks and try to clear the dishes when they see you're done with your last bite or seem to forfeit. They're helpful in menu selections and courteous when there's a first timer dining. 2) Hostess and Reservations - making reservations by phone or checking in is easy. The hostess will take your cell phone number and call you when your table is available to allow for more shopping time. From 11am to closing, they're great on seating from two to twelve (the max that I've dined with) with hardly any wait over than 30 min. 3) Bread and Birthday Cake! I love eating their bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crack pepper! Sure, they have butter...so do I at home. But that's one thing which makes this place a little different from other Italian restaurants. Also, the bread arrives at the table fresh, hot and steamy which makes great any time of the meal. Sometimes, if you have a cool waiter/waitress they'll let you take a loaf to go. Birthday's are great to celebrate here, because they're always a waiter who will stand by your table and sing Happy Birthday in Italian which sends shivers up my arms and down my spine! All of the waiters I've heard in the past are amazing with their tenor voices! Plus, the cake is amazing! You can't find it on the dessert menu, it's one of their specialty desserts and it seems to fit in all the cracks. I have only three entree's that I like and will repeatedly get from now on, because trying the other entree's always left me unsatisfied. I won't mention them because other people may like them, but I felt that I didn't get my money's worth. I like their Margarita Pizza, Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan (when its not over cooked).
(4)Anjli L.
They make their gluten free pasta from scratch. The server, Nate, was great. They can even modify some appetizers. Plus the house wine is quite good!
(5)JenniLi ..
1st: We ordered take out and when we got home we were missing one of our appetizers, we got the money put back on our card of course but it kills me when that happens and I didnt think we would have to double check our order like fast food places... anyways the food wasnt anything special nothing really stood out. 2nd: We went for a bday, group of 10. I kind of like when the food isnt super speedy so it gives us time to talk but this was the longest Ive had to wait for food and I was so hungry, good thing we had bread. We tried different things but still thought the food was just alright. I did like the dessert and atmosphere, we all had a lot of fun with the crayons
(2)Brent C.
This review is for happy hour. Quite simply, I full highball of wine for $4.00 is almost impossible to beat. You can get Chard or Chianti, and the Chianti is pretty decent. You feel pretty good just after two. The pupu list is small but very good. In particular, the Fried Zucchini and New York strip steak are awesome. Also consider paying a couple dollars more off the regular menu to get the Mac and Cheese bites. Lastly, a big compliment to the bar staff. We've been a few times now and everyone is attentive and super chill.
(5)John F.
YAY! My 100th Review!!! Romano's Macaroni Grill is a great medium priced, family-friendly restaurant located on the 4th level in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center just above Pearl Ultralounge. There is a daily Happy Hour in the Lounge from 3 to 6pm featuring 2 Italian Tapas for $14, $7 Pizzas, House Wines $4, Draft Bear $4, Domestic Beer $3, Import Beer $4. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I order the seafod pasta. At Macaroni Grill, they call it Pasta di Mare and it includes a couple large scallops, about a half dozen mussels, 3 large shrimp, spaghetti alla chitarra, white wine, pomodoro, & slices of garlic. My aunty always orders the Eggplant Parmesan which was served with capellini pomodoro & fresh mozzarella. Really great stuff! SEE MY MANY PICTURES! Japanese menu with pictures available upon request. TIP: Visit macaronigrill.com and join the mac pack and get a complimentary appetizer on your next visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill, ask for our "Earn Your Degree in Italian" lunch card. Purchase 4 pasta entrees and on your next visit, receive the 5th one complimentary.
(5)Jayson L.
i came to this place few time and only thing i really remember this place is that i can draw on their table. when it comes to Italian food i get little picky because i don't want my food taste like just straight cheese. romanos have menu where you can make your own pasta which i like but i don't find anything special in their food. some creative on food just ain't there. i like their mushroom ravioli and their bread. you can make your own dipping sauce so i like that. i come here once in a while but it not one of my favorite place yet. i still have to try different type of their food to find what i like here.
(3)Summer T.
called ahead to make reservations and for some reason we still had to wait 15 minutes for a table, even though the restaurant was by no means full. it's a good thing they gave us an awesome waiter! i was a little disaapointed with their dinner menu. i thought there would be more of a selection for some reason. over all the food was good but nothing spectacular that i would want to make the drive into town for, unless some other firends insisted on it.
(3)Connie M.
Back when I was in high school, this was the place to go. I can't tell you how many times I frequented this place back then, but yesterday was my first time back to Macaroni Grill in 7 years! I had the Pasta Milano ($16) bow tie pasta, cream sauce, chicken with bits of sun-dried tomatoes. First off, I felt it was super overpriced, considering the portion and quality; the chicken tasted a bit rubbery and the pasta was over cooked. I did enjoy the house baked bread which was crispy, soft and fragrant.
(2)Whitney I.
Bad visit. Came in at 1:15pm on a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant had several open tables and the pushy hostess continued to give us the run around about how we had to wait 20 minutes. We sat at the bar since they wouldn't seat us and the friendly bar back gave us water, but one of glasses had a bug in it. Really gross. Very disappointed with the service and the sanitation. The balsamic vinegar was leaking so they had wrapped napkins all around it. Our food came out quickly but the waiter failed to offer us any condiments to go with our food.
(1)W Q.
Located on the 4th floor of the Ala Moana mall. (Take the elevator) The lunch deal here is hard to beat. $13 pick 3 items, soup/salad/pasta/sandwich. The mushroom soup here I think is best, the minestrone is second best. For pasta, camela's chicken is great, but I opt for the tomato sauce instead of the cream sauce. The turkey sandwich here is excellent and my favorite pick. The complimentary bread here is excellent. For $13 this is one of the best lunch deals. M-F only.
(5)Bruce L.
Service was prompt, courteous, helpful, credible and cheerful. My lobster ravioli was onolicious!! I'd come again soon. A real value:))
(4)Richard H.
Great Chain Italian restaurant, located in Ala Moana's premier food restaurant floor, along Jade Dynasty, Tsukiji, and Tanaka of Tokyo. Call ahead for reservations, as they always have a fairly long wait list for both lunch and dinner. They have a nice bar, featuring a half a dozen flat screen TVs. I bought a Heineken draft and caught ten minutes of a college football game (not a terrible way to wait for your table). They called our name, and seated us to a comfortable booth in the back of their very large and spacious restaurant. This place has an upscale and elegant design, but your table will be covered by white paper and accompanied by three crayons. The server writes his name and the specials on the table. Unfortunately, Cat Masuda wasn't working, so we weren't treated to her beautiful opera voice. The lunch menu is completely different from their awesome dinner menu. We normally order the Center Pork chops, but that wasn't available for the lunch crowd. I selected the soup and pasta combination for $11. Both items arrived side by side in square, cup-shaped dishes. My soup was a tomato bisque with basil, and contained stewed tomatoes, and garnished with a toasted baguette and Parmesan cheese. This was less creamy, and richer tomato taste than I was accustomed to, but I enjoyed every drop. My pasta selection was the chicken Penn pasta, which was strips of roasted chicken breast, mixed with mushroom, and Penn pasta in a creamy pesto sauce. Great value and excellent pairing for a light lunch. 31 YELPS REVIEW CHALLENGE #27/31
(4)Sonja S.
Carmela's chicken is my absolute favvvvvvvvorite pasta here hands down. With chicken, mushrooms, onions, and a sauce that just hits the spot, I order it every time. I don't dine at macaroni grill all the time (mostly because it cost an arm and leg to dine at, in my standards), but I'd have to say in all the times I did, I have gotten good adequate service. Nothing bad, but nothing too memorable. It doesn't matter though, Carmela's chicken will keep me coming back.
(4)Doug D.
Mushroom soup was on point, the fried calamari was delicious! The penne rutisca was not. Every piece of meat I had was burnt, the top was beautiful until I bit it and tasted the burnt side. If you know pasta then you know it tastes bad when the meat added is burnt. Our waiter was not happy when we asked for one of the orders to be separated. I know it sucks to have to redo the check but I would still be pleasant about it before you get the customer out. I've worked in restaurant settings so I know how it goes but if you aren't gonna be pleasant it'll show in your tip no matter how good the food is.
(3)Melissa C.
Yes, I ate here while on vacay in Honolulu. I had a gift card and free food is great! Happy Hour is a great deal, with $6 pizza & $4 house wine served in a big glass. Service took a while, I think there was only one bartender, and there were a lot of people in the bar. My pepperoni pizza was very good, and it could probably feed 2, but also feeds one very hungry person. A good place for solid happy hour food & drink, not always an easy combination to find!
(4)Travis H.
The first thing I'll say about this place is that it's incredibly hit and miss. My wife and I will go here one day and it can be fantastic with top notch service. We could go the very next day and have terrible food to go along with awful service. That's just the way it seems to be here. Once you find a dish you enjoy, stick with it. It's not worth ordering something else because more often than not you'll be disappointed. It's always busy at dinner time so be sure to make reservations (you have to make them at least two hours in advance!). The only server that wasn't awful so far was Nate. He's an incredibly nice guy who seems to genuinely care about his job and his guests. He goes above and beyond what's expected of a waiter and makes the experience that much better. My wife and I have learned the hard way to stick to the dishes we know we enjoy, and always ask for Nate.
(3)Dan T.
My past experiences with Macaroni Grill have been above average but my last trip there was way below average and the only reason for the two stars is for good service. I had the Lasagna and the noodles were really soft and mushy. My wife had some pasta with a butter and garlic sauce and it really had no taste. My daughter had the flatbread and though that it was okay but for these prices the food should be remarkable.
(2)Jack W.
Me and my wife have eaten their many times. Its quick service, always friendly, and decent italian fix. I highly recommend there Mac and cheese balls. THEY ARE AMAZING!
(4)Victoria R.
We Always come here. Food is great and the waiters are nice and helpful. They Definitely exercise great Customer service.
(5)Erin K.
My husband and I came here last weekend for date night. It was the weekend, so the place was packed and we waited about half an hour to be seated. We've been here before but what really stood out this time were the appetizers we ordered: calamari & roasted mushroom soup. We're really picky when it comes to calamari but we really enjoyed the calamari here, the batter isn't too heavy and it's seasoned perfectly! Also, it's very soft and not rubbery/chewy at all! The roasted mushroom soup was also really good! It's not on the menu (I think it's one of their specials) so you have to ask if they're serving it that day. It's a heavier soup (almost like gravy) with lots of mushrooms and it's got a lot of flavor. The only downside about this restaurant is that I find it to be a little pricey. We had gift cards so our bill wasn't too bad but we probably won't be coming back without gift cards.
(3)Jessica S.
Horrible service. Even around after 8pm, when the dinner rush is over. This was on a Sunday night!! I don't know what our server was doing, but he barely attended to us, was slow to bring out even bread and water, and completely forgot about an appetizer I ordered. Dude was being a total space cadet or something. And the food...not that great. I can make way better at home. Even the frozen Costco Italian meals taste better (e.g. the spinach mozzarella ravioli, Amy's lasagna, etc) for the price Macaroni Grill charges. Disappointed, not coming back.
(2)Mei-Lan C.
oh my god , I can't believe I just won a prize package with 2 tickets for earth , wind and fire concert and dinner for 2 from macaroni grill !!!!!!! thank you guys soooo much for picking me :) we sure will enjoy the concert tonight .
(5)Jarod H.
Five stars. Love the atmosphere, the fire pit, and the ambiance. The bread with olive oil and basal mic vinegar is the best! For lunch, the turkey sandwich is good. Also, had the pasta on prior occasions and the fried mozzarella. So ono! Recommend!
(5)Catherine F.
Is it just me or are all the waiters/waitresses/hostesses/bussers extremely attractive here? Came here last night on a whim. Never been to a Macaroni Grill before. We were told the wait was to be about 15 mins, but ended up being almost 30. Our waitress forgot our orders - twice. It was a busy night, but come on. She could have written them down instead of keeping us waiting even longer. The food itself was good, but nothing to write home about. I chose the "build your own" option and chose the garlic cream sauce with my pasta. The sauce itself was over peppered and lacked any other flavors. Overall, I was disappointed with our experience. I'm not sure if I will choose to come back here again when there are plenty of other dining options at Ala Moana.
(3)Jeff W.
Very nice place for lunch, business, couple, or family. I enjoyed my chicken under a brick. It was tasty and pretty healthy. Mushroom ravioli got many compliments also. Fresh bread and olive oil is a nice part of the meal. Parking is easy and the staff is very pleasant and attentive. You should try it out.
(4)Linda K.
Whatever class they take to sign their name upside down ... sign me up!! It never fails to impress me that they do not only write their name upside down but also draw fishies and whatnot to present the specials on the menu. Being a child inside going to Macaroni Grill sparks my creative side .. meaning .. I just can't leave without having doodled on the ENTIRE paper covering the table. That's the fun side with going there ... and of course eating ... and drinking wine. Their food has to me always been good. I love their mac n cheese appetizers .. mmm .. mouth watering thinking about it. I also love their bread .. dipping it in balsamic. As for the food I tend to go for something with chicken and pasta .. mainly because I love their pasta *duh*. My husband once had the pork chop and loved it .. think it was rubbed with mustard ... really good. Had their choklate desert one time .. yummy!! The service is always good and I tend to go when it isn't too crowded or waiting time too long...but in reality ... as long as I get to draw once I'm seated is what really matters.
(3)Judith H.
I've been happy with the food and service everytime I've come here I've never ordered pasta. Salads and sandwiches are delicious.
(5)Angela A.
Been here a couple of times. The stuffed mushrooms appetizer and chicken Alfredo were really good! The service was really good and average wait time for the food, not too long/short.
(5)Melissa K.
On the five occasions I've been to Romano's, I've always left feeling pleased and satisfied. The bread is a soft, warm, round loaf with a sprinkling of olive oil-- delicious! I can sit and eat two loaves by myself ... and I don't necessarily have to share because they will bring out more! Carb joy ... Service is good, the wait time is shorter than CPK's, and while I generally opt for a booth table at most restaurants, at Romano's I prefer the bar because it's clean, the chairs are cozy, and the bartenders are really nice and helpful. I also think the food is better here than at CPK. The macaroni n cheese bites are delectable and we also really enjoyed the chicken flatbread. I usually go with the choose your own pasta, sauce, and accompaniments ($14)-- I like that you can choose three vegetables to go with your pasta plate. I usually go for the mushrooms, broccolini, and some other one I can't think of right now. Chill place and tasty food. It's not legit Italian but it's definitely the next best thing.
(4)Steven K.
Lots of free parking, clean, well lite room, the service was outstanding. I was with a very picky eater who complains about nearly everything and they took really good care of her.. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was wonderful. I was surprised at the price of everything.
(4)Bob D.
Had a party of 15 and were able to get a reservation with 24-hour notice. Table was available at the reserved time. Kids menu was a decent value and kept price reasonable ($1 for kids ice cream). Service was excellent (Ricky), continuously refilled drinks. Food was average but good for socializing and nice atmosphere. Dessert menu is fairly limited. Make sure you go to Costco and pickup $100 gift certificates for $80 for additional savings.
(3)Kori T.
Oh how I long for the old Macaroni Grill where the servers where dressed in their crisp outfits and I felt like I was paying not only for the food but the experience. Oh woe is me what has this place become. *tear* I'm sad to say I spend my anniversary dinner at this place because this is where my husband proposed to me the night before his deployment. The wait was easy and we where seated in a booth within 10mins of arriving. They still do write on the tables as always and bring out the delicious warm bread. But the menu is pitiful. The service was also lacking took them quite a while to get to us just for drink orders. And I feared for one of the servers life at 7 or 8 months she shouldn't be lifting huge trays.. @_@" I was going to run forward and grab it from her. T_T Other than that our server never talked to us nor refilled drinks she just disappeared. She did come back at the far end of the meal and asked why I didn't eat my meal (it tasted like dirt) and offered to take it off the bill. We left quite sad that our anniversary dinner wasn't all that great. *Tip: Call in advance for large groups they can at least know to prep for your arrival ^_^
(2)Heidi N.
I am going out of my way to write this review in a timely manner (5/26/13) because, surprisingly & quite frankly, I really enjoyed eating here. I, too, am not a fan of mainland chains, but I don't waste coupons or gift certificates, soooo we went. First off, Darrin was a great server. He was attentive and accurate, taking time to make sure he got our order right before walking off. I also got a really great mojito-like drink; one of the 3 drinks from the non-alcoholic section of the menu. Loved it! Between the 3 1/2 of us, we got a mushroom flat bread (caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil), bolognese spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, spinach and shrimp salad and house bread. We asked for some balsamic to go with the olive oil and cracked pepper served with bread. That was an awesome start! Long story short, the flat bread and the house bread are both musts when ever I go there. I loved everything else! and because I loved everything else, I would be interested in trying other things on their menu. I really was pleasantly surprised. We also ended up with a lot to take home, so much so that all 3 1/2 at our leftovers for dinner. So the $100 bill was pretty much cut in half, making each seating $50! That's a deal considering we also had a glass of wine, a soda, my drink and 2 orders of gelato! Oh, yeah, the gelato. Darrin recommended the house-made chocolate cake but we went with the gelato because we were too full. Probably should have went with the cake because I found the gelato to be too sugary. Note for next time, which hopefully will be soon!
(4)Denalee C.
I was honestly shocked when we came for dinner on a Friday night during the summer and it wasn't crowded. I'm still trying to interprete what that means. First off, I love the paper table cloth with crayons already waiting for you. Nothing screams, "we love kids!" more than crayons and an oversized "canvas". And then the server writes his name upside-down for your reference. *sigh* I love the little touches. He brought us bread and a fancy bottle of water. I just LOVE the bottle of water. Nothing is more infuriating than a restaurant that doesn't fill up your water enough. I'm totally stoked when they solve the problem with my own pitcher/bottle of water. Now on to the bread. It comes out steamy and totally inviting but...SERIOUSLY what am I suppose to do with the whole uncut loaf? Eat it like a sandwich? At least provide me with something other than my butter knife to cut it. However, the bread is really fresh and is littered with herbs inside. The server poured us the EVOO and put in some pepper. Uh...I thought it was EVOO and balsamic vinegar? Guess not. My mushroom ravioli was visually quite impressive. The raviolis were incredibly large and swimming in a generous portion of sauce with mushrooms and onions. It was tasty but not breath-taking enough to become a regular meal for me. It was an overall great experience. If shopping at the mall has worked up an appetite, stop by Romano's for a no wait, tasty experience.
(4)Ashley N.
I remember coming to Macaroni Grill when they first opened and really enjoying it. I don't know what happened in the years since, but things have really gone downhill... My boyfriend and I decided on having a nice lunch here earlier today. We were seated quickly. It seems like they were a bit understaffed, but the hostess and our waitress were very nice (if the rating was just based on service, I'd give 4-5 stars). My boyfriend decided on getting the meat sauce with meatballs, and I ordered the carbonara. I feel like we weren't waiting too long for our meal, which was surprising because my first bite of my pasta was cold... The carbonara is supposed to come with a poached egg, but mine was cooked through. All in all, it kind of tasted like our food had been previously cooked and just microwaved to order. In any case, this entire meal was disappointing for the $30+ tab. The next time I'm carving Italian, I'm probably not heading back to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are a lot of other better places around Hawaii that serve better quality food for the same price.
(2)Don D.
Ive been to this restaurant as a duo and even as part of a party. It seems like my experience was better when it was a party than when I went with my wife. Overall, I would still rate the restaurant 4 stars. As a party, the service was attentive and prompt. But I notice when I go as a "couple" the service is lacking. The server tends to forget we are there and tends to the larger tables in their section. The food never disappoints though and most times, we are taking food home because we always over order so we can try more stuff! Regardless of the situation, food and service still tends to be on the better side! I will be back for sure.
(4)Dine L.
Where to begin... Short version: terrible service, food is decent but nothing spectacular, go to assagios for Italian Whole story: 1. We informed the hostess it was my friends birthday b/c we had come for another birthday and knew they do a special complementary cake...but did not receive one this time :( 2. Our waiter tells us the specials then leaves without taking our drink orders first like waiters usually do...so we have to wait for him to come back 10 min. Later and ask if we can order drinks 3. We wait a good 30 minutes to have our order taken when a different worker comes to take our order because he says our waiter is too busy 4. We get our food and desserts and they are decent, good portions 5. We asked for 6 separate checks and when we receive them the orders are completely mixed up except for one, so my friend hands him her card to pay for her correct check, our waiter takes our orders down again on paper so he gets them right the next time 6. He brings the second set of checks ....the orders are wrong AGAIN even if he wrote them down-not to mention he brings another check to my friend who had already given him her card to pay...he says he forgot and her card was at the register...umm...not safe.... 7. We get our correct checks after a good 45 min. Passes but I notice I am charged $8 for 2 sodas because I had a refill....I was not aware that when he offered me a refill it was not free because usually that is the case when a waiter offers you a refill or else should inform you it's extra charge, when I asked him about it he says "it's right this time don't worry about it" ...........ummm ok i am worried because I don't want to pay something I'm not supposed to 8. During all this time a woman who seemed to be the manager was standing with him at the register just shaking her head and never came to the table once to apologize 9. I thought maybe for all the trouble, and especially because it was my friends birthday and she did not receive the usual free dessert, they would comp her meal or the dessert she ordered but that was not the case, all she got was a balloon tied to her chair..... Really don't care to come here ever again I've never had service so bad. I also had a bad experience with service at another Italian restaurant. In my opinion, if you want Italian, go to Assagios! I have been there many, many times and never had a bad experience, food is always amazing with great prices and good service and they never fail to leave you with a complementary chocolate mint at the least.
(1)Francis C.
Went a couple nights ago and it was packed. Hour and half wait but we found some seats at the bar. The bartenders were very friendly and on point. We got all our drinks and food before anyone else who got seated at the same time. I have been here a hand full of times and never been taken care of so quickly and so friendly before. My tip would be to eat or drink at the bar, if it's busy or slow, just walk in and go right till u see the Bar and the empty chairs. Fast and great service from the bartenders. Mahalo to the weekend night bartenders!!!
(4)Mia S.
My experience at Mac Grill started off with smiling hostesses greeting us and helpfully directed us to the open area seating at the bar for a late lunch. I found myself welcomed by a wonderful upbeat bartender Josie who kept attentively tending to all my needs. She was also very friendly and really made us feel welcome! As light eaters we started out with the 2 for $14 appies going with the Mac n Cheese bites and the Goat Cheese Peppadews and OH MY GOODNESS!! they were amazing!!! I then got the Caprese Salad which started off a little bland but with some salt and balsamic turned into the best salad I've ordered from a restaurant. The manager Travis who was really friendly also stopped by during our meal and chatted with us about how we were enjoying the food and to see if there was anything else we needed. He was very kind and helpful in directing us as to what we could do for the rest of our day and also recommended the Leche Sorbet which turned out to be the best decision ever!!!! Our experience at Mac Grill was exceptional! Our staff Josie and Travis were helpful, professional and welcoming. The food was great and the atmosphere was a relaxing break from a busy shopping day :) I would defiantly recommend Mac Grill to anyone!!
(5)Bubba S.
Went here about 4 months ago on a recommendation from my dad for the pork chop and it was awesome.....I'll be back.....pork chops are my favorite!
(5)Jonathan B.
Awesome service and very dependable food quality. I usually get the chicken parm and salads. The starters are good also. Prices are very reasonable and it's just an all around good dining experience.
(4)Stefanie D.
Yum!!! I went here for lunch on a Sunday was seated within five minutes, which was awesome because I was hungry! Our server was Brad, who is the chillest server I've ever had. He wasn't fake happy, but he wasn't standoffish either. He was attentive and helpful, but was super chill the entire time. I liked it. Cool dude. We ended up scarfing down two loaves of the rosemary bread with olive oil before our appetizer even got to us. We got the Bruschetta Crostini, which was delicious. However, when I used to go here on the mainland, my friend and I used to get a whole plate of bread slices and a ramekin of bruschetta. Here you get two pieces, with the bruschetta already on it. Still super good, no complaints. We definitely were not short on carbs after the two loaves anyway. He got a chicken pasta dish and I got my favorite, fettuccine alfredo. He ate his really fast, so I'm pretty sure it was good. I liked mine a lot. The alfredo had a lot of roasted garlic in it and I'm a huge fan of garlic. We were stuffed, so we skipped out on dessert. When the bill came, we got 10% off for checking in Facebook! Pretty cool. Also, the bill was about half of what we paid for Ruby Tuesday's the night before and 100 times better. For a chain restaurant, I loved it.
(4)T M.
I had the best service today! Liann was great! The food was beyond wonderful! I ordered things I never had before and found my new favorites!
(5)Pamela S.
We went there for my bf's birthday dinner. We had reservations for 630pm and were seated fairly quickly. The waiter, Louis, took our drink order fairly quickly. The drinks were delivered after about 10 minutes. We then placed our orders. I mentioned that I had a garlic allergy and inquired whether the chicken plate with asparagus, mashed potatoes and diavolo sauce had garlic as I had. Louis implied that only the sauce had garlic but it was served on the side, so I ordered that dish. After about 15 minutes, the soups and salads arrived. Waiter did not ask anyone if they wanted their empty glasses refilled. Had to ask. Another half hour later the entrees arrived. The chicken was very large and tasty. However, beneath the chicken I found a whole clove of garlic. Turned out that was not a mistake as there were a total of three cloves of garlic on the plate. Thank goodness I had medication on me. If my allergy had been life-threatening, Romano would have been in serious trouble. If you have any food allergies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! The waiter we had did not even bother to ask the chef whether garlic was an ingredient in the dish I ordered. At approximately 830pm, our waiter returned to asked if bf was ok with a something chocolate with nuts on top. Bf agreed, then waiter handed us the dessert menus. He returned after 20 minutes with the slice of chocolate cake and promptly left. Did not even ask anyone if they wanted to order dessert. By that time, we were so disappointed in the lack of service that we all decided to eat dessert elsewhere. In summary, service was practically non-existent, even though restaurant was only half-full. Waiter doesn't give a damn if you have food allergies, Won't be returning and advise anyone asking not to either.
(1)Elaine W.
Had a 1 hour wait for a table of 3. That's what lost a star. But during that hour wait we got gelato at nearby stand and it was delicious. When we got in, our table was missing 2 chairs, probably because just before us they sat down a table of 22. We also felt the need to order faster than table. The complimentary bread they give you was not the best that night, but drown it in balsamic vinegar and you can barely notice it. The food was filling. It was above average, but not extravagant. I had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and could not finish mine, so that was a plus. I got to take it home. My friend could barely finish (mushroom ravioli, but she did) and my other had to bring it home as well. It made for a great netflix snack that night. Our bill of 3 came to about $53. Our server was a doll, so tip for him! One day we will come back, but maybe we will reserve a spot first!
(3)Vikéndios N.
Being a hardcore CPK fan, I've actually sat down in RMG, pondered, stood up and left and headed to CPK. But this time I actually stayed put. ATMOSPHERE: Dark, semi-formal, and almost romantic. I thought the restaurant was super kid-friendly, with the crayons on the table lined with a huge piece of drawing paper. Then I got the concept and chuckled. FOOD: Bread - Served upon request. Our server poured some olive oil and sprinkled fresh ground pepper onto a plate for the dip. Very nice taste. Caesar Salad - Small portion for a $4 add-on. Dressing was okay. Tastes like it's bottled, so no different than the salad I make at home. Lobster Ravioli - Tried this on recommendation from a friend who is also a pasta fan. Very flavorful with chunks of lobster tail & claw meat on top of the ravioli that's also filled with a lobster mixture. The sauce was very good. The portion looks small but is filling due to its richness. Carmela's Chicken - Penne pasta, mushrooms and broiled chicken in a Marsala cream sauce. Very tasty. The chicken gives the dish a nice kick with the broiled flavor. Definitely a bigger portion than the lobster ravioli. SERVICE: Our female server was awesome. Nice personality, took the time to explain the menu to us, being our first time there. She constantly checked on us. OVERALL: Nice alternative to CPK, being that they offer different types of pasta dishes CPK doesn't have, but CPK still rules my heart.
(4)Jennifer Y.
My friends and I ate here last night for my going away dinner and it was great! We reserved the private room in the back and it was nice with just the six of us. Our waiter was attentive, the food was tasty, and dessert was really good. Two of my friends ordered the mac and cheese bites and even though I was hoping for a bigger portion (the menu does say "share"), it was tasty. For dinner I ordered the penne rustica and I was happily satisfied. The pasta was perfect, the chicken slices were yummy, and the shrimp at the bottom of the bowl was flavorful as well. Good stuff. :) I give this place four stars because a friend order a salad (don't remember which one) and she wasn't happy with it so she ordered the tomato soup. Thankfully the salad was taken off of the bill. Dessert was a great time: I received a chocolate souffle with a candle in it to "make a wish," a friend ordered the lemon passion, and another ordered the tiramisu. We were all happy. I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a long time and just like my last visit, I was not disappointed.
(4)Ashly M.
I've been here twice within the past two months. Both times: Food was hot and scrumptious. Service was friendly and knowledgable. Wait time was minimal for being a chain in a mall. Ambiance is very comfortable. Wine is served generously. I'll be back.
(4)Bryson L.
This was our first time there and it was a pretty bad experience. Short version: inattentive server, semi condescending manager, sub-standard food quality. Long version: When we got there we were seated relatively quickly for a Friday evening and our hostess was very pleasant. Our server was nice and somewhat impressive at first. We ordered appetizers to which was very good. My friend had a glass of wine and I had a Coke to start as well and everything came promptly. My friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli and I had the Filet Mignon. I ordered my steak to be cooked medium and also had a glass of red wine as well. As we waited the food runner came to our table on two separate occasions with food for another table that was across the room from us. On both occasions we politely said that wasn't ours. As we continued to wait the room got noisier and there was singing by one of the managers as well. Kinda cool I guess, but also a little annoying. No big deal though. When our food arrived the Lobster entree was really good and there were no problems there. My wine had not come yet as our server had forgotten it so I asked for it and she apologized and had it sent to our table. My Filet Mignon seemed a little over cooked but I proceeded to eat it. The texture was tougher than most tenderloin cuts and it was more on the medium-well side which made the meat a little dry. When I couldn't eat to my satisfaction I asked our server if I could get another steak cooked the way I had ordered it, medium. She looked at it and said "that looks like medium?" I wanted to ask her if she was the chef but decided to bite my tongue and politely asked for another because this was a little dry. She had her manager come over and though the manager accommodated my request she also added in "we'll cook it medium rare just to be sure." In my head I was like "Or you can cook it medium like I asked..." But again I bit my tongue and said thank you. As we waited for my new steak the manager put the roasted potatoes and broccoli on a new plate instead of making a whole new entree, which was fine I was cool with that. We then noticed our server had not been coming around our table as much as she was with the 3 tables near us. No big deal really, just that my Coke had run pretty low and would have liked a re-fill but again no biggie. When they brought out my steak they were very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. It looked nice and as I cut into it I was relieved that it was cooked just right. Then I took a bite. It was odd at first because I did not think they would do a switcharoo. I commented to my friend that this wasn't Filet Mignon. I'm pretty sure it was Top Sirloin. I could be wrong on the exact cut but I know for sure it was not Filet Mignon. I took two more bites just to be sure and stopped when I knew that it was not a tenderloin cut. An innocent oversight? Maybe. But I wasn't going to eat another bite. I was not trying to be a bad customer, nor get my food taken off the bill. Hell, I would have paid for both entrees if I could get one cooked to my satisfaction. Our server asked if I wanted a take out box but I politely declined. I didn't tell her that it was a different cut because I just wanted to get out of there. We got the check, paid and I still tipped her over 20%. Worst dining experience to date and I will not go back nor will I recommend this place. Ever.
(1)Rome S.
Great family restaurant. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Good is quality. They will prepare paleo style if needed, with gluten free options. If you're in a hurry let your server know.
(4)Volley R.
Can I give a 0 star? Do NOT come here. I have never seen too much anger and animosity in a bar, in one place, at one time. I sat there as the bartender yelled at a customer. Bartender was angry, loud, and totally upset at the customer. Who knows what history or what happened between them two? But hello, there were other paying customers sitting at the bar including me. What did we do wrong to have to hear upset and anger and animosity. I was just trying to eat dinner after work, but since the bartender will not stop yelling at the customer, I made a comment to both of them to please make up and stop already. The bartender then turned around and yelled at me to mind my own business. Well, it was my business if people were yelling in front of me (think loud yelling and angry faces!), and I was just trying to eat dinner. Long story short and after much attitude from the bartender, I was still a lady and paid my bill plus generous tip (meant for the other bartender) as always. I will never come back at this place again!
(1)Tristan F.
Great service and amazing food! Kawika was an excellent waiter. Informative and friendly. Would pick Romano's over CPK any day.
(5)Kellye G.
Love the mushroom ravioli, if you havent been here and tried it, its delish! Fun family atmosphere and the singing waiters makes it a lot of fun. One of my stops whenever im at the mall.
(4)Jamie C.
Happy hour is a great secret if u like wine - house is $4 dollars if u don't mind drinkin out of a water glass (but filled!!)
(5)Krystal C.
Came on a Friday around 630 p.m. Myself and two kids had to wait a few minutes even though the majority of the back of the restaurant was completely empty. Eventually got seated in that area. Our waiter, Darrin was extremely polite and helpful when I asked about items on the menu. He continued to be awesome the entire dinner, and treated my children really great too. Food was very very good. We had the fried Mac n cheese bites and I had Carmelas Chicken. My kiddos had the chicken and pasta with broccoli and ate all of it. The bread that was served beforehand was just ok, could've been better.
(4)Mike Y.
I was just here for a bday party and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The service was great and the food was cooked exactly how I requested it. I ordered the pork chop and pleaded with the waiter to make sure it was cooked medium (nobody likes dry pork...). It was cooked perfectly! My only complaint was that the food was a little bit too salty. Overall, the service was great and the food was above average.
(4)Amanda H.
Our first time here thanks to my Aunt that got me a gift card for Christmas. I had no idea there was only one on the island. I got a glimpse of it while leaving Mai Tai's the week before (newly 21 and going everywhere). We got into the restaurant about 8pm and asked for a table of 2. They told us the wait would be 10-15 minutes. My bf and I found that odd because we saw a lot of empty tables. There were also a couple couples and parties before us. But being servers ourselves we understood that there are other factors so we let it go. We got sat after about 15 minutes. The booth we got sat had crayons and paper over the table. I'm not sure if it is standard, it looked it from around the room so we enjoyed playing word games. Our waiter, Jeff, was very nice and wrote his name on the table so we'd remember. I thought that was interesting and interactive. He brought us bread with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. We started on the bread, wishing it was cut or utensils to cut them with. Either way we dug in. After looking over the menu my bf suggested the lobster ravioli and he wanted a chicken dish so he asked Jeff. He suggested the Chicken under a brick, or something like that. We also ordered an appetizer, the broiled artichoke hearts. The artichoke hearts came out quickly. There were about 8 quartered hearts that shrunk due to the broiling. They were seasoned well and paired with what seemed like mayonnaise. It was a good dish, small, and not what we expected, but good. Our food came out shortly after and we were ready to dig in, but we realized we still didn't have any utensils. We tried to flag down someone but no one passed at the time so my bf just scooped some up from the table behind us. The lobster ravioli was good. There were large pieces of diced lobster and the sauce complimented the ravioli. My bf's chicken was also very good. Juicy and moist on a bed of potatoes. After about 20 minutes we were both a bit tired of our entrees and realized it was a bunch of the same taste, so we traded for a few bites. We got the bill and asked about the facebook discount which is 10% off the bill, from a very helpful yelp review! Overall the experience was a good first time and we left satisfied. I'm not sure if we'll be back anytime soon, but it was a great experience.
(4)Dustin T.
Dining room is appealing and very welcoming. As the waiters with crisp aprons stand by ready to serve, eagerly looking on, the Hostess raises her eyebrow and greets me. She seemed a bit lazy leaning both elbows on the table while acknowledging me. When asked to store a bday cake she said, "I can't take it to the back because the last time I did, I put the ice cream cake in the fridge and it melted." She pointed to a younger hostess to hand over the cake. Definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box. Their menu is certainly hovering over mediocrity. Salad was nicely chilled but not amazing. Next. Appetizers are good esp the fresh bread. Fried Mac n cheese balls are not bad. Flat bread looked appealing but salty. I prefer Chili's flat breads over this. Shroom Soup was very salty and odd tasting. Next. Rustica pasta is tasty with a few booger sized chicken I had to dig around for and 4 pieces of 2-inch shrimps. Had a few bites of the chicken scaloppine. Tasted good but literally swimming in oil. I don't recall eating any pasta this oily. This place is not my first choice or second or third in the mall dining choices available. They are certainly trying let's give em that. I would rather fly to the mainland to eat Olive Garden than dine here. Sorry Mac Grill, you unfortunately do not meet the expectations of a fine dining experience. Very forgettable restaurant if it weren't for the bad stomach aches your foods cause.
(2)Mer F.
Went here to use my free complimentary free dessert coupon with a any purchase. My sister and I had already eaten at another restaurant so we decided to have dessert here. Phil was our server who was very prompt in presenting us the daily specials by drawing and writing with his artistic abilities on top of our table. I felt bad because after all that presentation, we just wanted dessert, but hands down to his service. We both ordered the tiramisu and the the chocolate cake, which he mentioned was his favorite. It took a good 15-20minutes before we got our desserts. I was wondering why it was taking a bit long, but it was because the cake came out HOT! Let me tell you, Good things come to those who wait! It was scrumptious! Desserts cost $8 a piece! Yikes! Good thing we got a coupon!
(4)Stevie D.
Visited on a Saturday night so the restaurant had a 30 minute wait for 2. We sat at the bar with no waiting. Bartender was polite and attentive. I ordered the caprese salad and fettuccine alfredo and both were fresh and delicious. They serve bread with olive oil and pepper for dipping. We asked for fresh grated parmesan in the oil and it was superb! The food came out almost all at once and didn't take long after ordering. The restaurant atmosphere is good but loud.
(4)Elizabeth H.
I was extremely disappointed at my recent visit to Macaroni Grill. While the food was okay, the horrible service just ruined our experience. Our dinner had lasted close to two hours, and most of the time it was due to waiting for our food, drinks, and check. While we had a very friendly server, my husband actually had to go look for her, because we had been waiting a while for our check. While, we weren't helped a lot, at least the workers were smiling. On a positive note, the food was pretty good. I loved the bread and my pasta milano. It wasn't the best pasta I ever ate, but it hit the spot for my pasta craving. After the okay food and not so wonderful service, I probably wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
(2)Arlene A.
One good thing about gift cards, they're great for bringing you to places you wouldn't normally partronize. So yes, Romano's is such a place. It's been some time since I last ate here, mainly because the food is a little too rich for my taste. Definitely a fun place to come in groups though, so a bunch of us did just that when we had to use a gift card. It was a rainy, Friday night, so naturally there were lots of people who were hanging out at the mall so they wouldn't have to sit in some horrdenous traffic. Checked in with the hostess in front and were told that the wait would be about 50 minutes, and they would text us when our table was ready. Meh. Not ideal but we weren't super hungry and were able to kill some time walking around the mall. We returned a little after 50 minutes and had to wait another 20 or so minutes for our table.The hostess thanked us for waiting and led us to our table and said our waiter would be with us shortly. To make a long story short, the customer service here is good; very friendly and attentive staff. The two stars is mainly for the food, which was way too salty that we couldn't even taste the flavor of the actual dishes. On the menu were the margharita pizza, caprese salad, warm spinach salad, mushroom soup and calamari. Honestly, the only dish I liked was the free baked bread with the accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Presentation was nice but can accumulate only so many points. I'm not totally writing this place off my list but it'll definitely take a lot of pressuring if someone wants me to eat here!
(2)Kaliko P.
The first time I tried to eat here was many years ago but didn't make it to the table as I sat around for 10 minutes in the empty restaurant (they had just opened). A guy walks up to me and I was eager to see that I was finally going to be able to eat here! Yay. Then he says, "we are not open yet but if you want to, you can wait outside...it will be around 15 minutes". I sulked out and vowed never to return. By some weird fate we ended up at the 'Mac today, after I swore I'd never come back. I got bad flashbacks when the hostess (who got our name wrong even after I said it THREE TIMES..and no, it wasn't my name, it was my husbands and he has a one-syllable Christian name....) said, "the wait will be 10 to 15 minutes", to which I looked around at all the empty tables. I grumbled to the husband and said, "I am looking at the time and if they take too long to seat us, we are leaving!" Lucky for them, and us, it only took five minutes. Water came in a neat little glass bottle. The house bread was hot and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You can dip your bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. Our lunches were fabulous!! I cannot seem to get too excited over pasta...because pasta is something I cook frequently and often, and I (am told) make it quite well. The Eggplant Quadratini ($16) was a fabulous vegetarian find. Quadratini pasta in a smoky tomato sauce with cherry tomatos and fresh basil that was ab-fab!! My husband had a Chicken pasta that he loved as well. I don't think it was as good as my Quadratini but he really enjoyed it. Our bill came out to approx $33. We caught an error earlier in our bill that charged us $6 for two iced teas we did not order but the server was quick in making that right. Aside from that little blemish, he was a great server and the four stars was mainly for the wait today and the wait from several years ago...I owe them.
(4)John N.
I've actually never ate inside this place and only have taken out so I can't review the service but this place has pretty good food for take out at a little than normal price. Depending on the time of year, it may be hectic to find parking just for this take out spot, but sometimes when you have the urge, you just take it. My favorite is the Chicken Pomodoro. Rich, creamy, flavorful, and good is how I would describe it. I would say they are better than some local Italian spots. The brocolini served here is also amazing. Who would have thought broccoli can end up tasting so good? Second favorite has got to be their regular spaghetti and meatballs. The taste is earthier than other spots, and the portion size is just right. Great for a night of take out. Also, the kids meals are a great deal here if you want to feed your child. They give healthy but good sized portions here. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 5/100 January 12, 2013
(4)Joy P.
My favorite Italian restaurant on the island. The ambiance is great, even if it can get really busy. Love the concept of being able to draw on your table, helps to keep you preoccupied while waiting for your food to come. Their bread is yums, and don't forget to ask for their vinegrette and olive oil to go with it. Menu is typical of Italian restaurants, but I feel the quality of the food is greater than that of say... Bravos. Which is probably the reason why you pay a few dollars more.
(4)Susan T.
I was contacted by the GM shortly after my last update. I was invited to come back and try them again. I will do so. The GM was polite, friendly, and apologetic for our poor experience.
(2)Terri O.
They have a new Menu since I've been there last... Over a year ago. Surprisingly Good! Rosemary Chicken was awesome...But service is still slow. Staff very friendly
(4)Vernelle O.
Food is ok but kind of bland and shrimp wasn't really cooked well. However, our friend ordered the mushroom ravioli and that was delicious!
(3)Adam G.
My date and I have eaten here twice and both times was a great experience. This resturant in particular stands shoulder to shoulder with Macaroni Grill resturants I've eaten at in Vegas and Texas. I would recommend this place for a friend.
(4)Brandon F.
awesome food and awesome service. the alfredo i had had so much flavor with every bite. lots of chicken. the waitress (katie) was very friendly. im coming back here soon
(5)Russel M.
5 Stars as far as Chain Restaurants go. Tonight was our first experience at the Ala Moana RMG. WOW! We had an outstanding time. Service with CAT (yeah her real Stage name) was perfect. She's a killer Opera Singer. Just ask for a song. The Chef (Mike) came out and said hi (we know each other from some Charity work we participate in together) he's a great guy. We ordered the Mama's Trio and the Pork Chop. Both were very nice. Highly recommended for your next party or dinner.
(4)Teresa L.
I should have yelped this restaurant before I went here because I ordered all the not so great stuff. If it wasn't for a gift card I had, I would never go to eat here...reminds me of cheap italian food (minus the cheap). But if you were to go here..... I would strongly suggest happy hour at macaroni grill. Everyday 4-7pm; half off appetizers, half off house wines. On thursdays, you get 25% off on bottles of wine. I had the mozzarella fritta which was okay. The Caesar salad was okay. I wasn't a big fan of their dressing...it didn't taste fresh. We ordered the chicken maralsa, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, and we made our own pasta. I did not enjoy the chicken marsala at all. Not what I'm used to. It tasted like chicken teriyaki. The fettuccine alfredo was alright...the chicken tasted frozen. When we made our own pasta dish, we chose bowtie pasta, creamy garlic sauce, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach. The sauce was alright...nothing special My sister got the strawberry italian soda which she enjoyed. Our server was friendly and was helpful in suggesting some dishes he enjoyed since it was my sister's first time here. For dessert we had the sorbet. It comes with 6 scoops of Lychee & Strawberry (or all one flavor if that's what you prefer). Overall, I would not return to this restaurant again unless I didn't have another choice. =/
(2)Kiichi R.
Actual Rating: 4 stars Ambiance: Personally, being here three times so far, each experience was a bit too dark. I wasn't blind but it wasn't particularly adding to the atmosphere. Service: They were friendly and it's always fun to watch their trademark "upside down" writing when they introduce themselves. We were checked upon often and they received full marks for that. Food: The food was great! It was delicious and I am glad they offer more than just pasta. There are no complaints in this department either. Price: It's a little up there. Granted, in all my experiences, I never held back, but you could easily make this a nice "treat" to yourself with a simple entree and dessert. Other (parking/location/etc.): It's Ala Moana. You can do your best to find parking on the top level. But it's really up to you and there will always be free parking. No whether you can get one without a walk involved, is up to your planning. Overall - Pros: Food was great; wait staff was great; Not a "quiet" place so feel free to enjoy your company! Cons: A bit dark.
(4)Dawn O.
Crappy carbonara. Extremely disappointed. I'll say this first: service was good as usual. I usually love the food, but the carbonara was terrible - practically inedible! In the menu, the description says something like, "crispy pancetta" and "poached egg". I thought, "Hmm. Poached egg. Interesting." However, when I got my dish, the poached egg didn't bother me. It was a cream-based sauce and the burnt pancetta. No where in the menu does it say that the carbonara is a cream-based sauce. Plus, CARBONARA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CREAM-BASED!!! The pancetta was so burnt, it made everything bitter. I ate a few bites of my husband's Penne Rustica to try to cover the bitter. The penne was good. Macaroni Grill, please step up your game. (86 the garlic-cream sauce. The whole is NOT better than the sum of its parts. And it does not go with everything.) The food is exponentially getting worse whenever I try your establishment and you keep taking off the winner dishes off the menu.
(1)Tyler Y.
I'm adding a mediocre review based on the service. My boyfriend and I came in for a late lunch/early dinner, so we made it to happy hour. We were seated in the lounge area, where there were probably seven other families and at least 3 servers separated between tables. We had the server named Brian. Of course I loved the drawing paper. The food was nearly half off (well, certain dishes), but a lot of the menu items were being replaced :( Anyways, back to the service. Sorry, but Brian was slow at coming back to us, and to make up for not checking up on us and taking a while, he was definitely a kiss a** and I know why. When we paid our tab in cash, we didn't get a recipe that accounted for the transaction. Our tab was $26 and we only got $9 back... (we paid it with two twenty dollar bills, so we should've got back $14...) apparently out server felt obligated to take the tip out himself... Sorry, but last time I checked, the customers have the option to leave a tip and servers can't just help themselves to a tip... Imagine if we had paid with a credit/debit card. We never would've known if he overcharged us for his tip!! Word to the wise, count your change! Don't plan on coming back in a while because of this one sneaky act.
(2)Wilma A.
We have been to this place 4x. The first time was a pleasant experience, we got seated fast and the selection of menu was better. The server was cherry on top because she was very personable. The second to fourth time, the quality of steak has changed dramatically. They also changed their menu beginning this year. My husband is a picky eater, he said the steak wasn't as tender anymore. The chocolate cake was so-so, it's supposed to be "homemade" but it didn't wow us. Salmon was fresh but nothing out-of-this world experience.
(3)nikki k.
I decided to give Macaroni Grill another chance and I have to say I wasn't sad that I did. I went there last night thinking it was going to be packed but surprisingly it was very empty (being Easter and all). Our waitress was a little clumsy and forgetful but had a very cheerful and pleasant personality which made up for the "bad". For appetizers we got the calamari and fried cheese...both were served nice and hot with good flavor. Dinner was a split between my sister and myself. She ordered lobster ravioli and I decided on the mushroom ravioli. Both were VERY tasty and flavorful but the lobster ravioli by far was the winner that night. If I order something with lobster, I'm going to expect a decent amount of it and they did NOT disappoint! No desert, but I did have the Moscato and it was DELICIOUS!!! I'm so happy that I gave this place another chance. I will probably be coming back. Good job Macaroni Grill!
(4)Sunny S.
Friendly, attentive staff. Their place is kinda big, feels very cozy. Food is good, from appetizers to main entree. Even their keiki mac & cheese is so good, my daughter kept asking for them. Love their bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delisiozo!!! I also love that they're kid-friendly and their restrooms are clean.
(4)Mimi M.
The customer service was great and kids got to draw with crayons on the paper that they've prepared for table cloth. The lady that attended to us gave us suggestions and was very friendly. We also love the atmosphere there. We can't wait to go back and eat there again!
(5)Jason H.
I come here time to time because I work in Ala Moana. Sometimes I am so over the food court so I like to feel high class and eat at one of the restaurants upstairs. I'm always pleased with Macaroni Grill because the portions are a good size for what you pay for. The bread is good so eating some of that along with your dish is just perfect. I never have enough room to eat my whole meal, so I like to take the rest home and eat it later. Who doesn't like leftover pasta? It's super easy to just reheat and it taste just as good! Tips: 1) If you're torn on what to get, I 99% of the time get the Carmela's Chicken ($17) It never fails me. Try it out. 2) Also, if you eat light and don't feel like taking anything home, try sharing with a friend. I think splitting one meal would be perfect for two people. 3) If you're pressed for time, just sit at the bar! I find that the bartenders can serve you faster cause they are always behind the counter. Happy Eating!
(5)Brittany L.
I've been to this macoroni grill location three times. Every time I leave I wonder why I ever go back. The first time wasn't too terrible...but these last two take the cake. My husband had hair in his food! Because boys are gross, he just took it out and continued eating (gag) and we told our waiter and he just said, "oh ok, but you're fine now?". O_o never even apologized let alone offered to bring it back. There is a serious lack of training employees here which is a shame because all the servers are very friendly...it's not their fault that they don't know customer recovery. Shame on the management. And we had to send several drinks back to the bar last visit because they were terrible. I swear one mojito was half sour mix. They were completely undrinkable. After the bartenders third attempt we gave up and just left the drink sit at the table.
(1)Jojo M.
I had a steak and fried mozzarella... One of the best steaks ever; it was totally worth the $26.00. The service is great and the place is very clean. Additionally, Military service personnel can get $10.00 off by using a coupon that is available at all MWR ITT offices. I can't wait to go back.
(5)Vicky H.
While my favorite type of food isn't Italian, I must say their food is delicious and moderate in portion. The ambience in here is great and the service is average. I don't like the fact a opera singer sings for everyone and then tries to collect tip from the tables she randomly sings to.... And what's with the kindergarten paper place mats and crayons? Sure it's great for families, but for a date? How awkward! With all said and done, they are okay and is a great place to eat after shopping all day.. But only because ala moans CPK wait is too darn long.
(3)Megan T.
This place is really cute and I love how they put paper on the tables to keep the guests occupied. The service we received was great (our waiter's name was brad) and the food was pretty good too. I had the fettuccine Alfredo, which is the best I've ever had by far. It had the right amount of flavor and filled me up quick! My boyfriend had the pork chops which he said was okay but had too much flavor and was kind of overpowering but it filled him up. He suggests you get the under a brick chicken instead. But all in all, this place is great :)
(4)Lisa T.
Macaroni Grill you disappoint me :( I came here often for office parties and service was usually pretty good with the servers checking on us often, and the groups being seated rather quickly, maybe because the office parties were during lunch. Having dinner reservations? A whole other story. A disappointing one too. I made reservations for my mom's birthday dinner for a party of 10. When we arrived 10 minutes early, they stated they were still working on our table but to let them know as soon as half the party was there. Our party arrived by the reservation time so I checked in with the hostess again. She stated it would be another 10 minutes before we could be seated. 20 minutes later they sat us next to another large party which is basically 30 minutes after our original reservation time. We sat around waiting for the server who took drink orders for our table. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, but the server decided to bring glasses for only half. We decided to order another bottle for the other half to enjoy which took 15 minutes to bring. This was just the beginning of a long and hot dinner. Half of our table stated it was pretty warm in the restaurant as we sipped our water to stay cool...water glasses/bottles stayed empty for half the meal with 10 people trying to stretch the water bottle to last. When the food made its way out, it seemed to be brought out by a runner. Again the waiter is MIA as he was for most of the meal. The upside of the evening was the restaurant did note we were celebrating a birthday and were nice enough to bring out a dessert for my mom as well as have a server sing to my mom in Italian which she loved. The same server also offered to fan my mom after he noticed she was sweating and kept fanning herself through out the night. Our actual server took another 5-10 minutes to bring out dessert menus for the rest of our table. Once we ordered and received our dessert (which was brought out by a runner), we were left to eat our dessert with no utensils. We didn't see our waiter until the end of the evening when he delivered our bill. Overall, the service has gone down hill tremendously. I enjoy their food but it is not worth the time to eat there any more. I hope somehow Macaroni Grill can turn it around and improve service. Until then, I think I will go elsewhere.
(1)Clarissa M.
Why the hell did I bother to return? Family wanted to go here. We just came in told happy hour was going on feel free to seat in the happy hour bar section so we did and no server ever stopped by to give us bread water or even acknowledge our presence. This place has 10 servers standing around no attentive servers. Does management care? It's terrible and because of my experience here I wish Yelp had a negative rating system cause this place would deserve it. We brought it to the attention of the hostess as she was the only person who was around and we left.
(1)Deano G.
Very average & you can get this stuff anywhere. Take your time while on the island and seek out the local flavor and spend your money there. You shouldn't be disappointed at all...
(3)Anita C.
I went for lunch the other day bcs my friend wanted Italian and I said to him that all the good Italian places I know were open for dinner... He suggested Buca and I suggested Macaroni Grill. I won since he's never been to Mac Grill. I was happy I won out since I know Mac Grill takes the iDcard and we'll get a free dessert, heehee I had the sausage pizza and he had the Mama's trio. Oh my, there was so much sausage on my pizza! I was in sausage heaven, so yummy! My friend's trio was massive and he couldn't even finish it. We both had enough food left over for another meal. So for dessert we got the tiramisu and it was delishhhhhhhh! Oh man it was so good! If I wasn't so stuffed from my pizza, I wouldn't have shared the tiramisu! I haven't been to Mac Grill in a long time and after this trip, I will be coming back more often.
(4)Duong U.
My wife are not big fans of the corporate chain restaurants. But, Macaroni Grill always pleases. Good food at a reasonable price. Try their happy hour menu...Great service, Great pricing!
(4)Mary Q.
My girlfriend had a gift certificate, and I said " Yes, of course, I will meet you there!" Well Romano's came through for us again!! We sat in the bar area this time, and it had a nice warm modern Italian feel. The bar looked nice, but we sat at a high 2 top. Katie, our waitress (who crayoned her name upside down) was attentive and pleasant. We had one glass of wine and a Lemonade Limonello drink, and were uncertain what to order. Katie was very helpful and suggested to get the special 2 appetizers for $14 and we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers and a shrimp, avocado, bean bruschetta. The peppers were AWESOME! Had a good time, and will come back again!
(5)Tiffany Y.
I think it is about time that I write a review about this place especially because I'm always hinting that I want my birthday party there so they can sing to me "opera style". But, this past Tuesday, my husband and I went there for a "Tweetup Tribute for a well-loved social media individual." The event was great, however, I was very impressed that Romano's Macaroni Grill accomodated this big of a party. Service: We got there an hour and a half late but the waitress came up to us within 10 minutes asking if we wanted to be started with drinks. Since everyone ate, we only ordered something light. Our waitress...I wish I got her name but she was so helpful always inquiring without being bothersome if we wanted refills or anything else. Atmosphere: Just right. Although the tables are close together, it is not claustraphobic or to where you may smell the other person's body odor at the table next to yours. Price: Reasonable Menu: All right...we only ordered a chicken caesar salad that fed both my husband and I as well as the spinach artichoke. I noticed they have this very nice chocolate dessert but we didn't order dessert. Plus: Your child-like tendencies will come out with the crayons they will place on the table for you to draw while waiting. This past Tuesday was not my first time there, I've been there previously in groups or with my husband. One thing that hasn't changed...they always provide great customer service.
(4)Jhay B.
Went to eat here cause it was our first time. The minute we walked in, it was a 10 minute wait. Within that wait we noticed a lot of seats emptied and wonder why they don't just sit us there. Anyways got out food I took the pasta sampler and all of the food was bland or one of them on my plate was too salty with a weird after taste. Our server kept forgetting about certain things cause I had to ask for more water and for more butter and more napkins and etc. not a very friendly service either but it will be the last and final visit!! If I had to relocate I would of spend my money at bravo!!
(1)Ness ..
Went here with my girlfriend to enjoy our date.. But the service was horrible!! We both felt very uncomfortable & dissatisfied with our waiter SHELDAN Reasons for the reason we won't return: - didn't get offered water till 10mins after we got seated (mention that it wasn't even busy!) -haven't been asked if we needed anything (he PURPOSELY PASSED US MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE WE MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING) Only reason there's even a star on this review because the food was good Overall, SHELDAN made my girlfriend and I uncomfortable and we think it's because were gay!
(1)Regina N.
I love Italian food, especially pasta and this is one of the places I love coming to. The Parmesan fries and calamari was really good, a lot of flavor. My bf ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the penne rustica. Portions were more than I assumed and very flavorful!
(4)Mel M.
Services are great but could be better if consistent. Other than that I love the meals and deals they always have. Lovely lunch menu too!
(4)Tina H.
I ordered an eggplant quadratini yesterday. It was delicious, but huge so I had to take most of it home with me. Today, I brought a portion over for lunch. Midway into biting into the pasta, I chewed on something hard ... REALLY HARD (Insert obligatory "That's what she said.") It was a piece of porcelain. I knew it couldn't be from anything that I used because I only had a plastic fork and paper plate. I called management and they agreed that it was probably a piece of their bowl that chipped off. As a reward for not dying from their mistake, I get a voucher in the mail for the exact price of the eggplant quadratini. Here's a picture of the piece that I found: yelp.com/biz_photos/aKNb… Best recommendation on your next visit: Ask for the lobster ravioli and ask to hold the razor blades.
(1)Katlyn S.
I hosted a baby shower here last weekend and we had a wonderful experience. They have a private room for parties, so I was able to decorate and have privacy! They let me into the room an hour early so that I could put the decorations on the table and get everything set. Then, during the shower our waiter was awesome and quick. The only extra cost for the room is the mandatory 18% gratuity, which we didn't mind at all. The room is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are cheerful and helpful. They definitely earn 5 stars in my book!
(5)Anne M.
Had a wonderful, single, only got 45 minutes for lunch lunch today. Loved it. Yummy pasta and deliscioso salad dressing! A treat. Great, fast, friendly service. Will return. Right next door to Jade Dynasty Chinese in Ala Moana Center. Still easy to find, plenty parking!
(5)jessica t.
I like how they "text" you when your table is ready! :) everyone was so nice. They are also very accommodating. I got a the Cesar salad and was able to get salmon with it. So delicious! The staff is all friendly. I just say the bathroom is also clean. :) will be back for more!!!
(5)Samuel C.
This review is based on our experience tonight and JUST tonight. We've come here often and just thought that both the food and service were 'meh'. The MOD that night should thank Donnie, because if it weren't for him we would have complained to him/her. The night started off a little rough. They were in the middle of cutting servers and told us (table of 6) was going to be a 20 minute wait. There had to have been at least 15 tables open. When we finally got sat the host told us the specials and said that the waiter would be right with us. We waited patiently for about 20 minutes before we stopped another host to ask who our server was. At that point I'm pretty sure you could read the annoyance on all of our faces. When our server finally came over he quickly apologized and explained that there was some confusion due to some of the servers being cut. Having worked in a restaurant i get it. From that point on i have to say that Donnie made up for everything that happened earlier. He was prompt in getting us bread and water knowing we were waiting awhile. He took our order right away and was able to get our salads and soup out quick. Im pretty sure he came into this situation thinking his tip was going to be less due to what had happened earlier. But that was the great thing about him, although he knew we were all upset he still came, smiled, and hustled. And most of all was genuinely nice. This yelp is mostly about him and how he handled us, because let me just say that we were all in a pretty sour mood. But the food tonight was also better than i remembered. Chicken Scallopine- light pasta. Good flavor. Make your own- Bolognese with Italian Sausage and mushroom. More flavor than i remembered. Chicken Florentine Salad- Cold greens. Lemon dressing was good. Roasted Mushroom soup- A little rich in flavor for me but taste was super good. Make your own pasta- Pesto chicken with Brocollini All in all the food was much better than we've had before. It turned out great despite the beginning and id have to say it was in large part due to the service. Very disappointed that we didn't see a manager the whole night. ---"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"---
(4)Gregg P.
We frequent certain establishments because of their service and quality of food. Tonight was no exception to the norm @Macaroni Grill. While the food isn't true Italian, and the taste isn't exceptional, it is Very good. Tonight we had the mama's trio, and chicken arrabbiata with penne pasta, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccolini. Mama's trio came with lasagna bolognese, cannelloni bolognese, and chicken parmigiana. We were pleased with all of the foods, but I wish they were more Italian in flavoring and more...definitely more meat flavor driven. Our drinks were the house chianti, water, and lemonade. We were pleased with all. The starters were the typical bread and oil, but we also ordered the roasted mushroom soup. While it looked like a brown gravy, it tasted a bit too salty, and we wanted it a bit creamier. It came off almost like canned mushroom soup mixed with a French onion base, darkened, condensed, then over salted. While I make this sound very bad, it truly wasn't terrible. Just average and it could have been so much better. We finished with a absolutely wonderful lemon passion and cafe mocha. The lemon passion was moist and the highlight of dinner. Make sure you check into Facebook and like their page, show them and save10% off your bill.
(4)Diandrea S.
I went here for lunch around 12 in the afternoon on a weekday. The place wasn't crowded and their was only one waitress serving us and three other tables. The waitress friendly and kept checking on us to make sure everything was okay. The area we sat in was very nice and close to the kitchen. I got rigatoni and my sister got ravioli. Both were delicious. Who I presumed was the chef, brought our food straight to our table and grated fresh Parmesan to taste. Very nice dim lighted setting and the chairs and booths were very comfortable. The pricing of some of the items seemed a little high and the ravioli, although delicious was around $13 for only 4 pieces (sizes were pretty large, but maybe not $13 worth). Overall great experience and delicious food.
(4)Kit W.
It's been years since I have been to Macaroni Grill. I came here for lunch today because I recently received a gift card for this place. Since it's a Monday, the restaurant was only half full and we were immediately seated at a booth for two without reservations. We ordered the mushroom ravioli from the Pranzo Combo Specials (available Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM). You have a choice of three sides: fresh greens, Caesar salad, or soup. We went with the Caesar salad. For $13, I thought this was a pretty good deal because the mushroom ravioli was super delicious!!! The porcini mushrooms on top of the ravioli were beautifully caramelized and the marsala sauce was so good I dipped even my Caesar salad in it! We also ordered Chicken Under a Brick because it looked so delicious in the pictures other reviewers posted. For $21, the portion did not disappoint but we didn't like much else about it. The flavor was only okay, there was a lot of oil, and the chicken was not tender (probably a bit overcooked). Maybe I was hoping for too much given past reviews but I was let down by this dish. For drinks, I tried the Limonata Nojito, which had San Pellegrino Limonata, agave nectar, lime, and mint. I love citrus and mint so it was the perfect drink for me! If you like similar flavor profiles, you should totally get the Limonata Nojito (a nojito is apparently a mocktail version of a mojito!).
(4)Kelly D.
Waited 25 minutes.. waiter forgot our bread, balsamic vinegar. Another waitress passing by gave us more bread. Food came out after 25 minutes. Waiter was nice and great personality but hardly checked up. Great opera singer.
(3)Blanca C.
Love the atmosphere of the place, however, it's a Thursday night and a waiting line?! The staff is wonderful and attentive. A+ servers and hostess. My husband chicken Parmesan was a delicious and hottttt, mean while my food was cold and over salty. Mix feelings! :/ Cost of food was $40 bucks total, I think I rather buy Indian food. I get more for my money and the taste and flavor are 100% on point. Not bias all right?! Lol
(3)Krysten I.
It's pretty sad that I pretty much always forget there is a macaroni grill at ala moana. When I eat at the mall, I'll eat at cpk, tanaka of tokyo, shirokiya, bubba gump, genki, pretty much anywhere else. I recently received a gift card for macaroni grill and forgot I had it because this restaurant never crosses my mind. Sad. For dinner, there is usually a line, but for lunch, it's empty. A friend of mind suggested we go for lunch and I agreed because I would get to finally use my gift card! When we got to the hostess counter, the two hostesses were sorting crayons. They asked my friend and I to wait and I wasn't really sure why since the restaurant was relatively empty. We were finally seated and it seemed like we had to wait and wait longer than usual throughout the meal. We waited to order, for bread, for our food etc. I like how some of the reviews mention that people are impressed by the waitstaff' ability to write their names upside down. It's really not that hard. I'm disappointed that they couldn't write the specials upside down too lol. I had looked up their online menu and saw that they have a $10 lunch special lol but I guess in hawaii it's $13 surprise surprise. -___- I ended up getting the mushroom ravioli with Cesar salad and was impressed. It was actually a pretty good deal even though it cost 30% more just because it's in hawaii. Make sure to ask for bread, because it's pretty tasty with all the rosemary and olive oil yumminess. I think it's funny that hey try to be "European" by leaving a bottle of water on each table, yet use these paper towel things for napkins. The crayons on the table are also kind of strange even though I'm a little kid at heart and like drawing on the table while I wait for my food. Come for lunch, but I wouldn't suggest coming for dinner!
(3)M. W.
What to order? Spicy ricotta meatballs as an appetizer - not spicy :-). Mama trio - enough food for 3 meals. Flat breads are yummy, chicken under the brick is a roasted half chicken with potatoes and asparagus. Super yummy. Our server was Sheldon and he was amazing! Drinks refilled, checked in on us, was friendly and helpful. Love when he is our server! :-) I miss the create your own pasta - and the menu is 1/3 of what it used to be. But we still find new items to try. The Bibb salad is good and so is the minestrone soup. The lemon curd desert is yummy if u like tartness. Also - 10% off if u like them on FB and check in. Wanted to add that the appetizer - zucchini fritta(fried) can be baked instead and tastes much better. Happy hour is from 3-6pm and is fun and yummy.
(4)Gen M.
I remember always watching the commercials on tv and the food looking delicious. So I finally decided to give this restaurant a try with a friend of mine. First off they are conveniently located in Ala Moana mall. The customer service was definitely great and the food was very yummy. I will be going back for sure.
(4)TaraMarie P.
Macaroni Grill isn't exactly one of those amazing, must-go-here spots, but you know what, it's alright if you just want some pasta and you want to draw on the tables. Who doesn't need that combination every now and then? The service is nice; of course it's amusing the first couple of times to see them draw on the tables, but it loses its charm after a while. The whole drawing aspect really only adds to the experience if you're even with people who are fun enough to let loose and draw silly things with you while you're waiting. Otherwise the crayons and paper are a moot point and do nothing for the experience at all. As with any other higher end pasta joint, the waiter will offer to grate your cheese and may or may not have some interesting commentary. What disappoints me a little though is the menu selection. The food available doesn't exactly seem "wow," though it is tasty. I can't get cajun pasta of any sort, or lemon garlic sauce, and in fact, I don't remember any kind of house pesto being a choice on my make-your-own pasta sheet. I ended up getting chicken alfredo and having to add chili flakes and tobasco (sounds weird, but hey, it worked) just to get my spicy fix. Another thing that upsets me are the prices. They're not absurd or anything, but in my opinion they're a bit high for the quality of food. About $2 less on each plate seems a bit more fitting, unless these dishes had a bit more of a twist, or zest, or just something more. I can't quite describe it well but the food needs some, oomph for that price, you know? Lastly, funny story: I always seem to come here months upon months apart, so I forget what it looks like and other crucial details like the fact that some of the booths are elevated. Both of the last times I came, after dinner or lunch, I stepped out of the booth and that feeling hit me---you know, the one where you think you're going to die because you missed a step? Yea that one. I forgot we were on an elevated platform and stepped out onto the main floor without realizing it was lower. Didn't hit anything or fall on my butt but still... I'm sure I looked stupid missing a step and grabbing onto the table like "wth just happened?!?" Look out for those, I tell you. Do not let the food coma give you amnesia...........
(3)Kyle M.
Good food and good atmosphere here, service was great and the food was ok. I had the flatbread pizza and it was great, but my wife was not too impressed with the salmon, and the orzo was loaded with garlic. Our waiter was awesome and the food come out pretty fast. We would go back here again.
(4)Jeremy H.
The service was great the waiter wrote upside down when he came which was neat. The food was really good especially the chicken arugula flatbread and I also had mamas trio to me that wasn't as good as the flatbread. The drinks there were sorta expensive it cost 7$ for a regular drink, but this is a really good place to come and eat!
(4)Daniel H.
Rarely do I see the sort of attentiveness in wait staff that I saw tonight. For Jessie, nothing was too much and he took excellent care of my girlfriend and I. He even went so far as to sing in Italian for us at the end of the meal with a beautiful voice. The food was excellent too with free warm bread and olive oil as a starter. It was great to have fresh bread that wasn't the usual sweet stuff we've found across Hawaii. My flat bread style pizza was delicious and just the right size, with the option of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's the little things. The meal ended with delicious Italian style espresso. I've missed proper coffee too. I wish this wasn't our last night, because we'd be back again tomorrow for sure.
(5)Reid K.
Last time I reviewed Romano's Macaroni Grill, I gave it 1 star. Maybe that was a bit harsh, so I'm here to give it 2 stars this time around. Things have changed. The fire pit that I so loved is now gone. The menu is a bit different, and by that I mean they removed items, some of which I loved (market chopped!). The wait staff is mostly the same--we recognize them, they recognize us. The annoyingly mislabeled restroom doors are still intact. Honestly, I do like the food. The pollo caprese can be eaten guilt-free because it's relatively healthy, and I've found that it's good fuel if you plan to go to the gym later. (Con: the portion of chicken is pathetic. It's, like, a quarter of a chicken breast.) My brother likes the chicken parm. My dad likes the chicken under a brick, but it's too fatty for my taste. The aforementioned market chopped salad is dead and gone, but the bibb and blue salad is always reliably good. My favorite dish is, hands down, the grilled king salmon (with orzo). It's tasty and simple and it works well eaten in or taken to go. If I love the food, then why is Macaroni Grill still only 2 stars? For one, the value you receive for the price you'll pay is debatable. I hate paying $16 for the pollo caprese when the chicken is so measly. Also, the service has been iffy every time I've visited since I wrote the first review. Incorrect orders have come to the table, and quantities of dish ingredients are inconsistent from visit to visit. I have nothing against Macaroni Grill. I still go there to eat from time to time, and I'm always open to some king salmon. As I said, I do like their food, but they need to tighten up their operating procedures and create a consistent experience that provides value for the price their customers pay.
(2)Cody B.
Went here for an early dinner. Had no issue getting a table, we tend to like the bar area because its first come first serve. Darrin was great, had a great attitude and amazed my girlfriend with his writing up-side-down and drawing skills. He explained the menu and had our drink there right away. The food was great and was fast getting to us. I had the trio and she had the pasta and chicken. Both were way more than we could finish. We were way to full to try any of the desserts but are sure they would have been great too. If you are looking for some good food this is the place.
(5)Karen T.
5 star review I was there for lunch yesterday with my nephew and his girlfriend and it was a great lunch! I believe our waiters name was Kawika-nice asian boy. :) My nephew got I think a ribeye, his girlfriend got the chicken marsala and I had the special-Mahimahi with risotto. I've never had risotto before but it was sooo good! I've been cutting back on carbs but I ate every last bit of it! The portion was just a little big for me but I finished it all! I've eaten here before and the food and service was good then too. AWKWARD 2 star review I had to write a review about yesterdays experience though to get this out there. The hostess walked us over to the bar area and I hear the bartender (a tall white woman with dark hair) yell out not to sit us at the open booth. So she seats us at the next table. My nephews gf asked can't we sit in a booth? So the hostess (so nice the whole time) apologized and explains that the booth is reserved but she'll go check the other side and be right back. So we sit and she comes back and tells us it's a misunderstanding-we can move to the booth if we want to. I did notice during our lunch that the bartender was serving the tables around us. Just not ours. She never stopped by our table to apologize(I thought that would have been nice) but she was very pleasant to the tables around us. I guess it was personal-whatever-We paid our bill, we weren't rowdy(we're in our mid 40's/50's!), and they left a 25% tip! Restaurant gets 3 1/2 star review total I don't know what the problem was but she should not be allowed to get away with that. Would I return? Yes I probably would-I think there's another one in Pearlridge. Would I recommend this place to others? Not after this!
(3)Katie W.
The food was good, but service was, although friendly, very slow. We came on a Tuesday night and there was a 45 minute wait for 2, so we sat at the bar. It probably ended up taking just as long to get our food. They gave us a free dessert to make up for it, but overall it took over two hours.
(3)Sarah L.
Recently came back with my sister and her friends. The hostess was very nice and helpful. The waitress was excellent as usual. This time the restaurant was clean and my seat was clean as well! For my previous review, the manager saw my review and send my a $25 gift certificate so I was happy and gladly came back to here to eat. The food was exceptional. I usually get Carmella's Chicken or the Mushroom ravioli, but this time I got the Penne Rustica. Normally I don't like trying new things, but this dish was delicious. It's a baked pasta so the top was crispy. I topped it with a lot of Parmesan cheese. There is only a few pieces of shrimp in the pasta, but there is plenty of chicken. It was a little dry for my taste so I drank plenty of water. But this is good pasta for anyone to try if it's their first time there :)
(4)India R.
I enjoy coming here, with a restaurant at this size, the wait is never too long... You can sit at the bar, or a comfortable booth for a great meal. The service is great, and who doesn't love to draw on the tables with their crayons?! :) Everything on the menu is flavorful, from the Chicken marsala to the trimisu! It's American-Italian, so you can't go wrong with all your menu options. And if there's pasta and pizza available, everyone is a happy camper! :)
(4)Michael M.
Really like this place although as chain restaurants go's it feel short of my experience last time at a Northern California location. I had the pork chop which was very flavorful but didn't touch the mushroom rice risotto, didn't care for that at all. I notice that they didn't have the same high end plating that I experienced in the past. It wasn't busy and our server was not very attentive but we liked how the chefs delivered the food as it was ready. We also had the calamari & macaroni balls which were very good and I would recommend. 3 stars because of the average food and experience. There was one server at another table who sang beautifully which definitely made it nice for those that had her as a server.
(3)Cindy B.
House bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and flat breads have to be my favorites! Yum! Front desk staff can be a hit or miss. Sometimes the girls can be snobby. On my latest visit, however the front desk staff was very friendly. Our waiter, Ryan, was also excellent. He was very attentive and personable. My boyfriend and I ordered the Spinach Dip ($8). The dip was very flavorful. You can taste the spinach and artichokes in the dip. Although the flavors were there, I couldn't help the fact that the dip was cold. Some parts of the edges were really warm and when you dug deeper into the dip it was cold! The dip was accompanied with small pieces of crostini. Would def get it again if the dip was hot! The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad ($15) is similar to the one at Nordstrom Cafe (I prefer Nordstroms one). The chicken is crispy and delicious and the salad is well dressed. The Roasted Chicken Flat Bread ($16) has pesto, chicken, roasted peppers, and arugula on a thin crispy flat bread. So good! Not a big fan of arugula, but it works on this dish. For dessert, we got the Panna Cotta ($9). We were pretty full by the end of our meal, so this dessert was perfect. Very light and not too sweet.
(4)Chablis T.
Dining here again by default turned out to be a pleasant experience. Our waitress was new & that was her first night serving. Her name is Jenny. She was awesome. Best service I had dining here. On the menu: Shrimp Portofino. That was oh so good. This is what I'll be coming back for! Love that I can bring my kids here! They are given crayons & keep busy by drawing on their paper topped tables. We will be back.
(4)Supa M.
Good food great service...our waiter was peter...he was good wrote his name upside down and everything fast service and refilled my soda every time never had to ask once...the food was good and the portion was a lot
(5)Kelli S.
My family and I dine at Macaroni Grill once in a while, as prices for those pasta entrées can sometimes be expensive. But I've always found something I liked there--the "Chicken Cannelloni" dish--so I never minded. The ambience is always pleasant and peaceful, and sometimes, when the restaurant is not as crowded, I forget that I'm in the hustle and bustle of Ala Moana Shopping Center (at least, during the times that I've been to Macaroni Grill for dinner, I never had to wait long because we went early). It's been a while since I've been to Romano's, and I noticed that the menu has changed drastically--so drastically, in fact, that I no longer see my beloved "Chicken Cannelloni" dish on it! There's even a specialized lunch menu available, designed for those who have packed schedules. Though much has changed at this classic Italian joint, there are still dishes I would love to try. Here's what I would recommend if you're dining at Romano's: "Warm Spinach and Shrimp": I've had this amazing spinach salad once--and smelled like garlic for the remainder of the day--but it was totally worth it. This salad consists of baby spinach, prosciutto and pine nuts. Spinach is my favorite vegetable and my favorite salad base, and I loved the flavors of the prosciutto and garlic that were mixed in. This salad is great for sharing if you're dining with a friend or in a small group. "Fettuccine Alfredo": Because I'm not a fan of tomato sauce, I ordered this dish because it was a no-fuss, no-frills option, consisting simply of noodles, Parmesan, butter and cream. This is my brother's go-to entrée whenever we do visit Romano's. I enjoyed the buttery, creamy Parmesan sauce, and there was an ample amount of Parm cheese featured on top of the noodles as well. "Chicken Parmesan": The "Chicken Parmesan" was yummy, but there's so many other choices on the menu that I think only ordered this dish once. However, if you're looking for an entrée that's a bit more traditional, this is the go-to, as it features a good amount of mozzarella cheese and capellini pomodoro. The included chicken breast sported a crispy exterior and was flavorful as well, making the dish enjoyable. "Mac and Cheese Bites, Truffle Dip": I haven't been able to try this appetizer yet, but I absolutely love mac 'n cheese, so it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on these bite-sized morsels. Macaroni Grill is one of several places that have mac 'n cheese bites on its Appetizers menu (like CPK, The Cheesecake Factory and more), but I'm hoping the truffle dip adds an extra element to this savory app. It features toasted four cheese pasta that's served with a truffle dip. I love my mac 'n cheese extra cheesy, so I'm excited to try Romano's version one day. "Cannelloni Bolognese": This pasta dish is appealing to me because it contains one of my favorite cheeses (ricotta), as well as Asiago cream. It also features spinach and Bolognese sauce. I would just ask for my pasta to be light on the sauce, but I can't wait to taste the cheesy medley in this dish one day. This actually sounds VERY similar to my "Chicken Cannelloni" dish (but without the chicken), so I would really like to give it a taste. "Penne Rustica": If I ever ventured out of the comfort zone of my "Chicken Cannelloni" usual, this pasta dish would be a worthy contender. It features roasted chicken, shrimp, rosemary cream, prosciutto and parmesan cheeses. I do like chicken and shrimp, so I'm sure I'd like this dish because those are its main components. If I'm ever at Romano's for dinner again, I would love to give this entrée a go. "Classic Italian Bake": This dish sort of sounds like a lasagna (without the actual name), and I like many of its components--house-made meatballs, Italian sausage, rigatoni, creamy ricotta, basil and rustic tomato sauce. I would just order this pasta dish sans the roasted tomatoes and light on the rustic tomato sauce. But I'm curious to try the homemade meatballs, and I'm sure the sausage and cheese deliver lots of savory flavors. "Prosciutto Grilled Cheese": Grilled cheese has always been my favorite type of sandwich, and this savory meal comes with a great medley of cheeses -- lightly smoked prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and four cheese fonduta in between slices of fresh ciabatta bread. If I ever go to Macaroni Grill for lunch, this is the first option on my "to-try" list. "Chicken Caesar Calzone": I don't have calzones very often, but if I have a craving for one, this option sounds tasty. This "Calzonetto" features grilled chicken, tomatoes, spinach, oregano, Parmesan, mozzarella and Caesar dressing. It's basically Caesar salad rolled up into a warm, hand-held pocket, which sounds extremely yummy. I would opt for this calzone without the tomatoes, as usual.
(3)Sash B.
My first time at a macaroni grill. It's just an over priced Olive Garden. The calamari was very expensive when compared to the amount that was served to us. I ordered the coffee with baileys. It seemed there was NO ALCOHOL in there!!! My mojito tasted like a virgin mojito (idk if there's such thing). Very upset
(1)Christa B.
What can I say? I love the national franchise restaurants. I wish this place were closer to me. I'd be a regular for sure. I'd just come for the drinks and dessert! You know how the food tastes. It's decent for Italian. It's good for your money. However, are you aware of how good the drinks are? I'm not a lush. I promise, but they were so good, I had several. The Sorrento lemonade, the Italian mojito, and the Cafe Romano are excellent! The Sorrento is southern lemonade sweet. The Italian Mojito is for the palette that enjoys the hint taste of licorice. The cafe romano is super sweet as well. It probably has more sugar than coffee. I won't say much else about this place other than to mention our server Brian. He made great drink suggestions and was very friendly. The guy who sang happy birthday to my daughter in Italian had a lovely voice. Now who's ready for a drink!?
(4)Denise P.
My sisters, niece, and I had lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we were seated. I guess we weren't the only ones who chose to have a late lunch that day. The wait was worth it. We were seated and our server promptly took our drink orders and brought our drinks out quickly. We placed our lunch order and proceeded to draw on the paper with our crayons. I must say, they should have these available at every establishment! When our food was brought to our table we all took pictures of each other's dish before we started eating. The food was delicious and enjoyed all the more because of our gathering. This has been my third time here and my first time writing a review about Romano's Macaroni Grill on Yelp. I'm giving Romano's five stars because their excellent customer service and delicious food have been consistent on each of my visits here. Keep up the great team work and delicious food, Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)Claudia M.
Havent been to this place in a long while. To my surprise, I enjoyed it and wondered why I haven't been patronizing this place. Waiter was very pleasant! Had the eggplant parmesan and it was delish. The angel hair pasta with red sauce which accompanied the eggplant was very tasty. They also had a nice kid's menu...chicken with pasta, meatballs with spaghetti, and other items. It also came with a drink. Can't wait to go back. And they take reservations until 9pm...something like that.
(4)Outofthebox24 7.
Service: Depending who your server is.. it could go either way.. the first 2 times I came here, we literally walked out before we had a chance to order bc we were not acknowledged for at least 10 min after being seated. I've never, ever walked out once I was already seated..and 2 out of 2 times, it was just beyond tolerable. After walking out, we did go back and talk to a manager, who was no where to be found the first time. The 3rd time was not my pick to go here, but I was in the mood to give them a shot. The service was much better. I am wondering if it changed because we brought it to the attention of the manager the last time. Food: Again, it can go either way. CPK is right across the pathway, and some of their pastas trump Mac grill's. However....I do love their bread (complimentary) and Mac and Cheese Balls (appetizer). Parking: Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center so you can park inside the mall. Right now there is construction everywhere as the mall is being renovated. The easiest place to park is on the 3 Level between Shirokiya and Nordstrom.
(2)Ashley H.
This restaurant is a little hidden which is unfortunate because it's really good! I was walking around the mall with my boyfriend while waiting to get my eyebrows done. And got hungry, we tried a lot of the other restaurants and food at the food court and wanted to try something new. He reminded me that his friend worked there and I said let's try it, since we've never been. We went around lunch time and waited 15 mins to get seated. I was SOOOO EXCITED when I saw the paper and crayons! I could color on the table while we wait and it helped the time go by! Julia was our server she was nice but hardly checked on us, I even had to call her a few times. The second time we went we had Mel and she was fantastic she checked on us often, refilled drinks promptly, asked if we needed anything and even offered ranch to go with my Zucchini Fritta OMG SHE MADE MY NIGHT! It was so bomb, and the mac bites were so good. The appetizers are too die for, I kid you not! The entrees aren't that bed either! Talking about the appetizers makes me want to go get some right now, ugggggh. Lol
(4)Lia M.
Beau and I come here now and then and we just love the tortellacci with prosciutto and butternut squash. The lobster ravioli is incredible and they are very generous on the lobster meat in the sauce, too-- we weren't expecting that! The bruschetta is delicious and a nice starter as well as the deep fried macaroni mmmmmmm!!! However- if you do the appetizers- then get something lighter for dinner as the portions are either large or just very heavy and filling.
(5)Jonathan R.
Low-End of the Scale Unfortunately, my trip to Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana was less than thrilling. Let me begin at atmosphere, probably the best aspect of the restaurant. The dining area is lit with these low hanging lights that provide a warmth glow of gradient reds and yellows. The seats were nice and comfortable and the bathrooms are nice and clean - always a good sign. The service was slow during our lunch hour run but the server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was less than average. The Florentine Steak & Frittes was perhaps the most disappointing. The steak in itself was small and was served with two slices of tomatoes that look like they were meant to go on a burger instead. The Calamari Fritti, basically friend calamari, has a lot more fried particles than fried calamari. However, I did enjoy their Carmela's Chicken. It had good amount of chicken and mushrooms that wasn't too salty, but just enough. To sum it up, For the price you pay to go to Romano's Macaroni Grill, you kind of expect better quality food. In the end, I would probably prefer eating at the food-court or Asagio's
(2)Shy K.
I love coming here during happy hour with friends and/or dinner time with family. The food is good and service is pretty quick. However, it never fails. Every time I order appetizers it comes to the table cold. Especially the stuffed mushrooms it's always cold in the middle. Good good with good company makes a perfect day.
(4)Jackie J.
So Dre and I went to dinner last night. It was okay. Mel was our server who was awesome! See the thing is, I ordered a lava flow and it tasted like a milkshake or like tequila rose. It had no ice in it, it was frothy. The drink wasn't right. It looked and tasted like it had been sitting out for a bit before they brought it to me. We ordered two appetizers which were awesome but immediately after we got our appetizers our complementary bread came, along with our entrées. Everything came out at once. We felt so overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. The different flavors of everything didn't taste well together. They should've come out in the right order and with some time in between. I ordered something with penne instead of the long noodles it would usually come with and it still had long noodles in it. It seemed like the dish had been prepared earlier and they just took the top off of it and put it on some penne. Our dinner went well because we were with each other and our server was great but the delivery wasn't good. I've had a much better experience here once before and I wish they would keep their standards that high. I hope our next visit goes better if we decide to return.
(3)Costi W.
Loved it. Back in the day, we used to take our kids here. Then we moved from Michigan and left behind one of my favorite dinner spots. The paper table cloths with Crayola accompaniments are still there. The food is still fantastic and eclectic. Our waitress, Rachael, did a smashing job. Despite the fact that they took my favorite off the menu (Italian nachos) and the fact that it's tough to find (way up top in the Ala Moana Mall), I still have to give it a thumbs up and a five-star rating.
(5)Li Y.
My nieces luuuuve this place which is why we are here today. Because whatever my nieces want my nieces get, at least with dis auntie! And, even tho this surprises even me, I am actually glad we did. with a party of 11 persons we got a feast for the eyes and palate! Located at the top of the Hookipa escalator/elevator, location is very convenient in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. First off let me say the service was top notch! We began to arrive 10 minutes early for a 11am reservation. Had to wait a few minutes to go in as the restaurant doors didn't open until 11am. DO NOTE, party will not usually be seated at table until at least the party present so...don't be late otherwise the early arrivals might not be too happy when you get there later! Hostess was more than accommodating tho when we explained we had a senior the ripe age of...well...almost 90years old so, they allowed us to go almost straight to the table. Can't leave grandma out of the festivities. Kudos to the hostess staff! Our waiter was just as if not more attentive. Even quite entertaining. Food was all very tasty (too tasty?) and very reasonably priced. Do a Facebook/yelp checkin and "like" of the restaurant and get 10pct off. Also, active and reserved military get 10pct off. Kudos to the management staff. Do believe I will be back to visit ! Great place to end up or start your shopping adventures at the mall!!
(4)Oscar F.
Food was great. Served on time. UNFORTUNATLEY, our waiter forgot more than half of our order. The place was not busy at all and I counted at least 7 other waiters around. WOW!!! Update. They paid for our missing food item! YAY!!
(4)Mel V.
Thinking of somewhere to satisfy my craving for good pasta and pizza... decided to come here today 081314 for a lunch. Upon arriving to the main entrance I noticed that they had a green "PASS" posted great job guys! It's kind of a big deal because you know that the resturabt meets the expectations of the food and health department for crying out loud they hot a pass! So I'm pretty sure you won't be going home sick or find roaches etc. Crawling around riggt?! Geeze I hope not. Moving on... As we walked in, we were promptly greeted by the host, we came on a weekday & during opening about half an hour before the lunch rush so she asked us for how many and gladly walked us to our table. Within less than 5 minutes our waiter Shawn cane and asked us if we wanted drinks and if we needed more time. did not rush us at out but promptly brought our water and bread olive oil vinegar mixture... We decided to go with the Italian sausage flat bread & the create your own pasta. Shawn was very knowledgeable of explaining the sauces, and helped us in vision what our choices would look and taste like. First we got the Italian sausage pizza: the crust was on flat bread that was baked to.a perfected crisp with a good amount of cheese to sauce ratio. Not greasy at all and the sausage bites were equally arranged. Next was our pasta: we chose fettuccine with aarabita (I think I spelt it wrong) with roasted red peppers spinach and tomatoes it cane out okay... I wasn't to.impress but it tasted great. Got the right amount of seasoning, but could have had a little more spice or kick to it... the noodles were good but to me it seemed like they just boiled the noodles n just slabbed the sauce over it and tossed in the veggies.. don't get me wrong it was good though.. I guess we should of gone with our usual pasta di mare oh well. .. lesson learned... Lastly every so often our waiter came to check on us to see if everything was okay, the big thing I liked was how the manager himself came to each table to make sure his/ her staff was giving us the customer service n hospitality we deserve. With that being said I will definitely return who.doesnt love drawing on the tables?!
(4)Wendy G.
Amazing service!
(5)Maile T.
Just want to say, this place is awesome! Darren is our favorite bartender and always remembers our names when we come in :) He is always pleasant and welcoming which is the experience any guest will have with him and the other bartenders. We love their Happy Hour and ambiance as well. After we had a bad experience last night at Longhis Ala Moana, we thought...lets go to Macaroni Grill where they are consistently friendly, professional and actually care about their guests. Thank you Darren, Ryan and the other bartenders for always making our dining experiences memorable :)
(5)Emily H.
Just don't! I've been here a few times. Once for dessert and once for dinner. Dessert was surprisingly dry and expensive so I was disappointed. We went for dinner once for my husbands birthday. The smell upset me. Like dirty carpet. The food was mediocre and the service was pretty slow which is rough with a 3 year old. Just not where I would spend my money again.
(1)Hannah P.
We wanted an Italian soda soooooo bad. I remembered macaroni grill having a pretty good selection of flavors. That and I could litteraly not think of one other place that made them. We called and were told they don't do take out drinks. And the lady who answered the phone sounded like she thought we were joking. No joke here sister, the craving is real. Lol. We'd have to come in... Meh. BUT we had to. Strawberry and cream plus carbonation= bomb dot com. The local girl bartending in the lounge was sweet. Charismatic, young, and fresh. I appreciated her service while we hastily slurped down our Italian sodas.. Just thought I'd pay her respects on yelp :)
(4)Jewelyn T.
Came here for dinner once in 2007 while living on Oahu. I say NO to Romano's! I had of course pasta and it was horrible! Not worth the price either. Never coming back here again. But if you must... it's located on the very top of Ala Moana... lots of free parking... parking is always terrible... unless you come at a reasonable time of day. 1 star for good location... right in the heart of Honolulu.
(1)Xiomara R.
Yeah, yeah... it feels odd going to a chain when you are on touring someplace new. BUT they don't have any of these around SF, and the female portion of this review team has a fond memory of them. So we braved the one in Ala Moana Center and were pretty pleased all around. To start, we had the drink special, Bellini, which was very good. We then dived into a mix of appetizers and pasta, both of which were excellent. The Shrimp, Cannellini Bean & Avocado Crostini were in particular amazing, and something that if we ever get a chance to visit in the future we will probably indulge ourselves on them again. Overall, the only downfall of the place was the high price, which was par the course for Waikiki anyway.
(4)K K.
#NAME?
(2)iris a.
Family of 6 should not dine here... too expensive!! BUT.. the food was good.... Order the calamari, it was bomb... We ordered this feta onion mushroom pizza thing... not good at all.. they burnt it only a little bit & the flavor was just... destroyed! Good classics though... stay away from the entrees... not much flavor if you stray from the pastas and pizzas...
(3)V H.
What happened to this place???? I used to come to this place a lot but not anymore, I'd rather go to Arancino's, The food was bad and the service was worse, so sad to c a good place go bad.
(2)Diane Y.
Don't listen to the people who say the food is flavorless or that the pasta is overcooked. Doubtless, they're either very old people who've lost half their taste buds or hicks who don't understand about al dente pasta and prefer it to be served roughly the same consistency as one might find microwaved Michelina's entrees to be. The food here has a subtle flavor that will escape any palate not sophisticated enough to recognize that good, fresh ingredients were not meant to be doused in a sea of cheesy sauce. The dishes here are simple and rely on quality ingredients like their incredibly fresh grilled shrimp. Our server was a friendly girl with the impressive ability of writing upside down! I must confess I had too much fun with the crayons and paper tablecloth... This place loses one star for its small portions. We haven't forgotten you're a chain restaurant, Macaroni Grill. There's no sense in pretending you're a chic French bistro where patrons overpay for tiny portions to enjoy the ambience.
(4)Elaine L.
Came here with 2 friends for lunch today, don't think we'll be coming back any time soon. We got a soda and a Leaning Bellini, 2 appetizers and 3 entrees. Soda was fine, since you can't really mess up the soda, but the Leaning Bellini wasn't very good, tasted more like syrupy champagne and cheap rum. We asked our server for some balsamic vinegar for the bread and it took him forever and a day to get it because he was too busy checking on other tables and the couple sitting at the bar (he went to the bar 4 times to refill the couple's drink and chat with them before coming back to our table). By the time he finally came back to our table with the vinegar, we already asked another server to get it for us and were done with the bread and starting on the appetizer that the other server dropped off at our table. The appetizers Calamari and Mozzarella Fritta were good. But our entrees were horrible... We had Mama's Trio, Chicken Marsala, and Seafood Linguine. My Mama's Trio was half burnt and half dried out, the Seafood Linguine was totally dried so the pasta was all stuck together, and the Chicken Marsala tasted bland because they made the sauce too thin (the sauce was a beige brown instead of the usual leathery brown). Before we could send our food back to get it remade, we had to wait for our server to come back to our table, because no one even bothered to look over to our table (we were waiving our hands in the air hoping to catch one of their attention), not the hostess, manager, or servers came to check on us after the food was dropped off at our table. After waiting for a while, our server finally walked by 10 minutes after our food arrived. He took everything back and said they will remake them and it will only take a few minutes, but we already lost our appetite by that time and didn't eat much of the food when the manager brought them back to our table. If the service was good, we would at least give them a second chance even tho the food sucked, but EVERYTHING sucked. We're not going to pay that much money for shitty food AND shitty service. TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT.
(1)Tawnie-Ann M.
This place is definitely over rated. Bravo's in Aiea is way better. I came here for dinner and ordered the pasta di mare. It basically just tasted like tomato sauce with seafood over fresh pasta. The fresh pasta was way too undercooked for my liking. The waiter explained that's how "fresh" pasta is supposed to be. Service was okay, although our waiter forgot our drink order twice=\
(2)Tricia M.
in my post-marriage and pre-pregnancy days, i was quite the avid pau hana goer, so i can state with confidence that i know a good one when i see one! ;) the deets: conveniently located in town with tons of free parking, Romano's happy hour is 4-7 daily in the bar area (take an immediate right when you enter), with 50% off all appetizers and $3 for an 8-oz glass of house wine (note: a standard pour is 6 oz = value alert!). i know there's a special for beer too but hey when you're eating italiano you drink vino, yes? whether you're alone (sit at the bar and watch the game), +1 (sit near the fire pit - now where else in hawaii can you do that!), or in a group (sit at a table), you'll find a good spot and hopefully like us, great service. charmaine was a sweet local lady who took super good care of us and never made us feel rushed, even tho her surrounding tables turned a coupla times while we were there. the grinds: since we were in a group we ordered a bunch of half-off appetizers and ate family-style. we had the calamari (nice texture and sauce), caprese salad (our healthy dish of the night), crab-stuffed mushrooms, spinach artichoke dip (sorry, can't beat cpk or ryans on that one), and sampler with fried cheese, bruschetta and calamari. not to mention unlimited fresh house bread which is great with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper (and to sop up extra sauce from the apps). everything came out fast and yummy, and i can't complain about the unbelievable grand total of $55 (before tip) --- for 5 people (2 drinkers)!!! no that is not a typo! omg we've spent that much per person at some places!! bottom line: wish i discovered this awesome pau hana spot when i could drink, but even without a buzz i'm giving Romano's 5 big ones :)
(5)holland h.
I always liked this place until the last time I went. I left my credit card, and when I called to see if it was there the hostess told me "I'm really busy right now, can you call later"? Obviously she has never had a credit card, and doesnt realize how stressful thatcan be. So I hauled back there, and the hostess bar said no, sorry, no card. I asked the server and she said that indeed she turned it over to the hostess stand. The manager was a bumbling fool who couldnt be bothered. After throwing a fit, finally it turned up-- at the hostess stand! Funny thing was, they werent even slammed, it was moderately slow.
(2)Lucas T.
Three of us had a decent wait of 15 minutes to be seated for a Thursday night. Strangely the server don't do the customary writing of the name on the table, but oh well. Ordered two portions of mama's trio and an eggplant Parmesan. Only complaint here is the food took a while even though it didn't seem busy. When it did arrive though it was friggen awesome. Couldn't even finish the trio so into the doggy bag it goes.
(4)Noopha P.
Easy place to stop in for happy hour. Grab a pizza and glass of wine. The staff is very friendly.
(5)First L.
There's a reason why we eat here more than 4 times a year. The atmosphere is nice, but the food is awesome! Service is on par with more elegant establishments. We've been here over 10 times and only once were we setup with an insensitive waitress. If it wasn't for the delightful pasta, this occurrence would have made us leave. We usually order our appetizers off the menu: risotto. Reason for rating: food is always great.
(5)Mr Y.
The service was great! Food though lacked flavor. Got the panseared opah with spinich orzo. Definately not worth $22. And they changed the tiramisu too. Not the best. Kinda dissappointed for spending $65 for dinner. Even my kids pizza had more flavor.
(3)Shelley K.
I used to love coming here to eat, but now I don't really care to go. They took off all of my favorites off their menu. And now all of their food is just way too salty!! Go somewhere else for better Italian food.
(2)Aaron W.
I love eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food is great, the portions are generous, and the staff is very friendly. I also like the fact that you can bring your kids and keep them occupied with the crayons and paper table cloth. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the bread, which is some kind of sour dough with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also love the option that they give you to create your own pasta. I usually just do this when I eat at Romano's.
(5)Brandon S.
I've never been a big fan of mainland chain "big box" type of establishments. Their menus are often times cookie cutter and nothing localized. Sometimes I wonder about the food because rather than a chef using his own integrity to create the dish, they rely on a preset protocol to push the food out to the customers. This is one of the few places besides CPK that I don't mind coming to knowing the above. I guess I'm a sucker for Italian food. The other night I went here with my girlfriend and we order a couple entrees and a salad. The house salad was pretty good, it came with a Mediterranean Balsamic Vinaigrette on top of the house bread which was close to a french roll with rosemary. Pretty good too. Our entrees came, I ordered nothing fancy this time around and got the spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce. You can't mess this up right? They didn't, the sauce was excellent. It reminded me of the type you cooked up and simmered at home. The drawback was that there wasn't enough noodles. So it was almost like a soup. My girlfriend ate the mushroom ravioli and I tried a piece of it and I thought this was pretty good too. It was the type of food you would expect at a hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery which is a bit of a surprise to me. Ordinarily i would have given this place a solid 4-stars just based on the taste of our food, however our server, needed to be reminded or asked countless times about one thing or another. So I think that costs this place 1-star. Before you say anything let me explain why.... The place wasn't packed as we were there a bit on the later side when the mall was closing so there's no excuse for this. Things like not getting the water refilled when we clearly had empty cups for a long period of time. We asked our server if we could have our food packed up and said he'd be right back after he helped out these other folks. 15 minutes later we had to ask again and about 10 minutes later he finally came to take our plate to pack up. I asked if we could take our leftover bread and he replied yes I'll pack that up for you too. He didn't. When the check finally came I asked again, can we get something for the bread and our server exclaimed he'd bring us an empty container. Instead he brought our bill back after I charged it with no box. My girlfriend even said you asked him twice to bring the bill, twice to box up our food and twice for the bread. We finally ended up leaving without the bread because we didn't want to wait any longer. Lame.
(3)Michael M.
I notice a lot of reviews of this place start with "I came here because I had a gift card..." I have one better: my brother's girlfriend had a gift card and used it to take us all out. This is a restaurant that you cannot take too seriously if you want to enjoy it. We came here 6 pm on a Sunday night with reservations and were actually seated promptly. Loud, festive atmosphere where you can still have a table conversations. This is a good atmosphere for family/friends to reconnect if you don't mind the food. The food (rolls up sleeves). Okay Mr. Romano and your Macaroni Grill. There is this this substance called "salt." It is "Na" combined with "Cl" on the periodic table of elements and has a cubic, crystalline structure. It also goes great on food. You and your staff should really investigate it. Everyone is using it nowadays in finer restaurants. We noticed there was no bread and asked the waiter. He said "we have a new policy where we won't give you bread unless you request it." He wasn't about to let us in on the new policy. I wonder what else we are missing out on without asking for it. We ordered family style. Margherita Pizza, Carbonara, Caprese, Eggplant Parmasian. As mention before, there was no f-ing salt! Even the carbonara, with prosciutto which is salt cured lacked salt! On a side note. I think they mistake MSG for salt here. It makes sense. Looks similar. The only reason why I have this theory is that we all had that weird MSG feeling after dinner. Service was friendly, but we didn't appreciate the "guess our new policy game." The only reason why I would come back is if I had a gift card.
(2)Dee S.
we just tried this restaurant for the first time about a month ago when family was here and we had a great experience! Not only was our waiter fun and really on point with everything on the menu, but we never needed to ask for anything, she had it all there before we even thought of it! I also have two small children and then just loved coloring on the paper tablecloth! There were no cell phones, or tablets, just good family fun drawing all over the table! Food was great and prices weren't bad. We have already gone back and will be going back again. Thanks!
(5)Cassie T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill. To many this is just another chain restaurant and if you think this you are totally correct. However, since I am from Alaska this was my first trip to the Macaroni Grill. First let me say that at the Ala Moana Center if you try to go to CPK, or some of the other restaurants and they are busy just try the Macaroni Grill. They had absolutely no wait when I recently visited. We were seated immediately! Our waiter came over and suddenly the paper table cloth and crayons on the table suddenly made sense. Call it cheesy if you wish, but I thought this was neat. I am also very impressed with our waiter, Peter, and the fact that he can write his name upside down. Give it a try next time! On to the eats. I was dining with a coworker and we both opted for the pick 2 lunch combo for like $11.99. I think this is a pretty good deal! I ordered the Fresh Green Salad and the Carmela's Chicken. The pasta was pretty tasty and it had roasted chicken, rigatoni, caramelized onions, and mushrooms in a marsala cream. I also love this pick two option because it is the perfect portion for things like pasta! My friend ordered the soup and sandwich, she said it was pretty good. Overall our lunch experience here was good. I will come back for more pasta for sur3e!
(4)Tamra P.
Italian is not normally my first choice for lunch (kinda puts me in kanak attack mode) and I am not usually a fan of chains but Romano's is a good non-food court option at Ala Moana. Service on my last visit was fabulous. Waiter was very friendly, quick, and checked up on us in a timely manner. Food was timed well. Bread here is a bit oily on the crust but the herbs are yummy. We shared a calamari appetizer, and I had a combo salad/ pasta (rigatoni, chicken, mushrooms, and olives), great deal for $11. Portion was nicely sized - not overwhelming like I would expect and the flavor was ok - nothing spectacular, but good. Hubby enjoyed his lobster ravioli. The happy hour deals seem like a great value, and this place is also a good option if you have kids.
(3)Stace P.
I was a little nervous coming here because of the mixed reviews, but we had some gift cards and figured "Why not?" Came in at 11am, right when they opened. Was seated very quickly in the bar side of the restaurant at one of the side tables. We were all very hungry including the kids. Chase was our server and I will just say the 5 stars is strictly based on his service. The food is good, don't get me wrong, but nothing to be raving about. The complimentary bread is good. I had the lasagna and the hubby had spaghetti and meatballs. We each added the bib and bleu salad to our meals. (Highly recommended!) Kids ate the spaghetti and meet balls and pepperoni pizza. All were delicious. Food came out quickly which I greatly appreciated since I was starving. Chase was very attentive to the drinks at our table, patient with our orders (especially with the kids) and even when he assembled our EVOO and balsamic mix he added some flare into it. He was polite and courteous. Let's just say hopefully every server provides this type of customer service. He should probably start giving classes to others who need help. I believe customer service is quickly becoming a lost art and Chase is a refreshing glimpse into what customer service should be. The hubby and I were very impressed.
(5)Robin K.
Had the best dinner last night at Macaroni Grill and are so appreciative of the service we received. Our waitress Karen made us feel like we were home eating with family! The food was great, my favorite piece was the lobster ravioli! The restaurant is a definite must visit for anyone on vacation or if you are lucky enough to be Kamia'aina, stop in as well. Great food, great service, great ambiance. We will be sure to ask for Karen the next time we are in!
(5)Kelly K.
Firepit seating is the way to go if you have a small group of 2 or 3. They serve the same menu and it's quite a cozy spot. Food is typical for a large chain like Macaroni Grill. Service was friendly and attentive. The impromptu opera singing server was strange to me (even though the server had a beautiful voice). The only gripe I have is with the time it took to get our food. What a long wait.
(3)Mark M.
Even before Yelp's star rating system, I always thought this place deserved high scores. I've only encountered two problems here and one of them happened just last night. When I think of an ideal hostess, I think of a very nice, pleasant, happy to accommodate, smiling girl. When we walked in last night to tell them we had reservations, we encountered a hostess that did not have a single quality of the many I just mentioned. What we got was a hostess who was rude, unhappy, not so pleasant girl who glared at me while I mentioned we had reservations for two. I hope the manager of this place reads this (and I'm sure he does) because our entire evening was saved by our server Jeff. This guy is effing awesome. He's got perfect timing. He came right when we needed to order our meal, he gave us our bread right about when I was about to ask for it, and he checked up on us in a method that wasn't annoying or spaced too far apart. This guy was trained right and I hope he's the one that trains future servers for this establishment. This guy even cracked jokes at all the right times. So yes, give that man a raise. I bet you're wondering how the food was. I honestly have to say that Macaroni Grill has never done me wrong when it comes to the food. Last night I had the pasta milano which is made with bowtie pasta, my personal favorite. They toss that and chicken in a nice creamy garlic sauce. We also had the crab stuffed mushrooms which were amazing, and the wife ordered the lobster ravioli which is always succulent, fresh, and seasoned just right. We had two servings of their house bread which always comes out hot and delicious and we dipped the pieces in the EVOO and cracked pepper... so good. Oh, I lost my train of thought. You're probably wondering what the second issue was eh? A while back, I had dinner with some co-workers and our dinner dates. After dinner I wanted to order the dessert ravioli which I didn't know they discontinued. I tried to order it from our server and his response was... "Oh, we discontinued it." "When did that happen?" I asked. "Just now." He told me. Wait what? Like just now since I ordered it? What was he trying to say? They didn't discontinue it that morning or after lunch.. they discontinued it... "Just now." I've never forgiven him for that and this happened over a year ago.
(4)Randy E.
Jessie our waiter was amazing!!! The food took way to long.... And there was a big ant problem at the table level and my ankles received several ant bites as I sat in the booth. Not a great experience.....
(2)Greg C.
The only complaint I have about Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana is that there is almost always a long wait to get inside, but that's to be expected when they serve such delicious Italian food! I love Macaroni Grill! The appetizers are winna's, but the Tomato Bruschetta is worth the cost...even my kids love it! I like all Italian food, but I find myself continually ordering the Chicken Marsala. It's got such a strong but delicious mushroom taste, I'm hooked! Eating at Macaroni Grill is money well spent, and it's good for my tummy!!
(5)Vanessa B.
I had the shrimp portofino. The portion was good, and the food was great, especially the bread with the special macaroni grill dipping sauce. There is a huge paper on top of the table cloth for kids and adults to draw on it and keeping the guests entertained. There are crayons as well. The servers are entertaining by introducing themselves and writing their names upside down on the paper for the guests to easily read it. At times, if there is no space on the table to write their names, some servers won't even write it. I think they should have find a way to write their name, just to keep that contingency of macaroni grill entertainment. Overall, I had a good time and it's a great place to hang out with your friends and eat at Ala Moana.
(4)Paris N.
I've been here once before, but that was 3 years ago, and they have def gone down hill. Customer Serivce was horrible. Our server was Jeff, even though we didn't have to wait to be seated (at 5pm) we had a long wait for everything. He forgot to bring water (before he brought our wine over), forgot our bread, even asked us twice if we would like an appitizer, which we ordered the first time he asked us. I usually tip very well, but by this time I already knew I wouldn't be with this server. The food was great, we even had another server bring it over including the appitizer. Everytime our server, Jeff, would come over to randomly bring an item he forgot, he wouldn't say a word. We will not be visiting again. It might have just been our server, or the time of day, but we had poor service. We even got there before a rush, so there was no excuse for us not to get everything in a timely manner.
(1)Dean I.
We had a party of 8, OK wait time to get seated, considering the time, 5:00pm. Our server was pleasant and topped off our drinks frequently. Food was good. Consistent with the other Macaroni Grill in Hawaii. The noise level was kinda loud, however it was Saturday evening. Also, there were several birthday celebrations going on at that time.
(3)Debra N.
The food is fantastic, personable servers, some sing, and a favorite spot for the locals who love Italian food. It's best to make reservations ahead. If I don't, I try to go a little early, like 11:00-11:15 AM to beat the crowd.
(5)Liz Z.
My mother and I went to Macaroni Grill for Easter supper. It was a bit noisy with the post church crowd when we first got there around 2:30pm; we were seated in the lounge area near the bar. Our server was Brian, who was working behind the bar but also took care of our table. He approached our table in good time, as busy as it was, and gave us the low-down on the special menu items of the day while writing it all out on the table, UPSIDE DOWN (to him) on the tablepaper, with a crayon, at the speed of light (mother, as I, was impressed). There was some confusion because the recent change in the menu (I was perturbed by the change), but Brian was quick to direct us to the best left of the menu. Long story short, the food runners were so polite, the food rocked, Brian was personable, attentive, and charming to my mother (she can be a challenge) and me. To top it off the bartender working with Brian came to our table to ask what we thought of everything. The grub was tasty and the waiter and staff were very cool.
(5)Tammy C.
Pretty good for a chain. Service: Our server Caleb greeted us with a funny joke. We thought it was a nice slip up, but he used it on every other table around us... meh. Beside that, he was very attentive and asked us how our meal was going every so often. I like that. I think a server should ask 2-3 times in the course of giving us our meal to ask how things are going. Atmosphere: Intimate booths and lighting. Located at Ala Moana, it's your typical chain. It has the ambience of a more upper scale chain but still remains it's chain likeness. No real WOW factor, but that is OK. Food: We started off with the bruschetta .. .can you say YUM! Bruschetta is always delicious. I had the Carmela's Chicken. I absolutely loved the flavors all together. Sautéed caramelized onions with chicken and marsala cream..... mmmm. I opted for spaghetti rather than the rigatoni. I believe it is a better option. I would definitely suggest anyone to try that. My experience here was good and the prices were fair. I am not dying to go back but I could perhaps grab the Carmela's chicken for take out. ;P
(4)Marvin J.
Delicious, authentic, zesty Italian dishes. Appetizers Goat cheese peppers YUM, the spicy meatballs are deluxous too.
(5)moejoe r.
Can't believe that we waited 1 1/2 hours for horrible service and a minimal menu. Micka was our server and so not with it the night we were there. He asked for our drink order and said that he would bring bread to our table asap. There were 5 in our party; he dropped off two of the five drinks and said they were low on the bread and said he would go check on it. Ten minutes passed before he came back to the table with bread, but not the rest of our drinks. When we asked about the other drinks, which were simply fountain drinks, he said he would bring them next and that he was pretty backed up with tables. REALLY??? Sorry to take up your time dude!!! He is lucky that me or my husband were NOT paying the tab because he wouldn't have gotten a tip from from us!!! Some other negatives about our night there: *Salads were served and we were asked if we would like crushed pepper and we all said yes but the server forgot to bring it with them and they had run around the restaurant looking for the pepper mill!!! *We were still eating our food and Micka came over and asked us if we wanted to-go boxes. It was 9pm, they weren't closing soon and we felt that we were being pushed out the door. *Server was ready to present the check and yet never offered dessert.
(1)Angela M.
Dear Macaroni Grill, You said you would write happy birthday on the table but did not. You informed us that the table we were being seated at did not work with booster seats. You would think that when I said "two small children" over the phone, you would have placed us somewhere where my child would not have to eat with her chin resting on the table. Though admittedly it may have been neater that way. You ran out of crayons. You gave my kids activity sheets but no crayons. We finally secured a yellow crayon. This is like having no crayon. Your service was spectacularly slow and acquiring our loaves of bread took fifteen minutes the first time and twenty the second. The bread was crusty and delicious, but the kitchen was either poorly engineered and you lack oven space or you're trying to save money on bread. We are willing to pay a small fee for the bread if you bring it out more quickly. At least ten cents, possibly even a quarter. My pregnant and parched friend had to risk life and limb and rise to a standing position, waving frantically so we could finally get our water refilled. In retrospect I suppose one of us non-pregnant folk could have stood, but it didn't occur to us in the moment. You put my entree in front of someone else and commenced to parmesan it before they realized it was not theirs. I then was forced to eat an entree with cheese on it, which I did not want, as I feared having it sent back to the kitchen would have incurred another 30 minute wait for my food. Your pesto lacks in, what is the word, ah yes, flavor. Half the shaker of salt offered some improvement and transformed "bland and oily" into "edible". You forgot to bring my kids their beverages until the end of the meal. Which actually turned out to be a good thing as pineapple juice apparently has a laxative effect on my two year old. We do appreciate the chocolate cake for our birthday people. Though the cakes took another twenty minutes and had the moistness of a sponge in the desert. Also, may I suggest that if your singer has gone home for the evening, do not force a random non-singing waiter to attempt the operatic Italian version of Happy Birthday. Although according to the men, that was the best part. We will surely speak of it for years to come. My husband was rather peeved that our dinner, completely due to slow service, took over two hours as the Shirokiya beer garden had stopped serving beer. To him this is... tragic. As far as corporate chains, we have had much better experiences at the factory of cheesecake and the kitchen of pizza. We will not be returning any time soon. Sincerely, Angela
(2)Jonathan V.
Environment: 5/5 Employees: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Parking: 5/5 Cost: 3/5 People Traffic: 3/5 Total: 24/30 Synopsis: Being a hard-worker pays off...HUGE! Last minute, for Jane's birthday (Jon's friend), we decided to go to Macaroni Grill. I was aware of the menu change last year, some time in December, but was in for a surprise! When I heard there was a 30-45 minute wait, I sighed. I instantly told the hostess, "IT'S MERCEDES GIRLLLL!" She's like, "MERCEDDESS! Don't worry, we got it, just come in!" It turned out not only did we receive instant seating, but also got a discount. How lucky am I? Anyway, more to that, the food presentation is far greater than it was before, and the food recipes for fried calamari and margarita pizza changed. Fried Calamari yes, Margarita Pizza..NO! Fried Mac balls YES! And of course the mush rav! You have to have to have this. I miss working here, honestly! Environment: To the untrained eye, you may think that things are the same. The backboard behind the hostess has been taken down, new boards w/ specials on it around the restaurant, and the attire is more casual. Not a terrible change. The hostess are not wearing simply black and have more of a jazz to it, which is respectable. I like the changes that has been made. The menus are all on paper now, which doesn't save the environment, but I am super glad the company kept their signature paper on cloth concept, so you can draw! If you sit at the bar, there is a small fire pit that you would love! The window view is not great, but as a whole the place inspires romance. One word: booths! Employees: I miss everyone: Chef Mike, Chef Fred, Brad, Chase, Kory, Mel, David, Nick, Nikki, Brian x 2, Ed, Josie, Josie's mom, Travis, etc. I forgot the waitresses name, but yes, she knew "Mercedes" off the back. Isn't helpful to have a nickname? Anyway, she said, "Don't worry about it." Once at the door, there were new girls and I told them, "Hey, it's Mercedes." They told me it was a 20 minutes wait. I was like O_O...then when the hostess who knew me, came, hugged me, and she said, "RIGHT THIS WAY BABES!" Bam...table 132 (I remember my tables Mel!! You just caught me drunk!) I hugged everyone I knew and Brad was even nice enough to get me some Fried Mac Balls! Awesome-possum! Much love. Skyy was our waiter and he had a killer smile and was supah cute. Though wasn't the best, best service in the world I was gracious of the other things, otherwise. Although one great mistake he did, which I didn't like, was the fact that he took the unfinished Fried Calamari without asking if we were done with it. O_O OMG! And...to this day we are still waiting for our balsamic vinaigrette..... it never came the entire night. Newbie? Food: I am not sure if it is the presentation or not, but the dish amount seemed smaller, but that is okay. In general the pricing increased and that is to be anticipated due to the changes and inflation of gas prices. In addition, I should have been less drunk so I could have asked what would have been better to order. WOMP, WOMP! Fried Calamari: The new concoction is dreamy!! Way better than it was before, and hot off the oven. MMmmmm...I ate everything....or tried to before it was taken from me. The sauce container is too small to finish all the squid things with. Boo... Margarita Pizza: Not as good as it was before. I liked the cherry tomatoes better because of offered a sweeter taste. With the round tomatoes, too much liquid made the pizza taste water-down. Don't do it people! Mushroom Ravioli: OMG! 6 pieces of cheese and mushroom heaven. I am so glad this was left on the menu. Yum! It was sooo damn good! Because we didn't have the vinegarette at our table, we just used the sauce for dipping our bread. :D It's an excellent substitute. Creamy yumminess! Fried Macaroni Balls: Although, due to the nature of this (FRIED!), I wouldn't order it off the back, it was scrumptious. I was surprised because I don't like mac'n'cheese much. But having those fried balls dipped in more cheese was cherry on top. Orgy in my mouth! Fireworks type of explosions. Parking: There is a lot of parking in Ala Moana. What is fortunate is the fact that it's right by the escalator and stairway. It's quite the real estate location to be seen from the parking lot. Cost: The pricing certainly increased, but fortunately received the discount we had been given. Thanks David! Overall, it's not atrocious, but it is also not the cheapest in the world. If you are coming here, be certain that you're going to choose the best dishes. If you're new to Mac Grill before the changes, then this would not be much of a concern to you. People Traffic: Let me advise you not to come here on a Friday/Saturday night. They are busy! Slammed!! Always! I am unable to inform you as to when they are not busy, but it varies, I presume. Best to do is call before coming!
(4)Paige L.
31 Yelps Review Challenge 9/31 Placing a carryout order here is like pulling teeth. "Can I get a name for the order?" "Paige." "Jane??" "No, PAIGE." "OH oh oh ok, go ahead with your order Blake." WTH In spite of forcing the employee to repeat my order back to me several times, it was still completely wrong when I picked it up. The manager offered me a card for a free dessert on my next visit, which was a nice gesture (and a sign of good customer service), but honestly I don't know when I'll get around to using it. The food is really nothing special and is overpriced for both the quality and the quantity.
(2)Inu K.
Complimentary bread with olive oil and peppercorns was great, Had the lobster ravvioli great, great for kids, server we had great. Prices great.
(5)Olivia D.
The wait at CPK at 6:30 on a Friday night was an hour long, so we decided to put our names on the list for Macaroni Grill and see what happened. I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill in Hawaii, especially since they deleted the Insalata Rosa (the best salad ever!) from their menu, but it's fine when you're hungry. Our server was very personable and he kept bread on the table and our drinks full. I wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but I also wanted to try the fresh pasta, so they let me do a substitution. Alas, there is no happy medium. The regular pastas come out too soft and overcooked and the fresh pasta is super hard. It's beyond al dente. I've never had pasta that hard and dry. The meat sauce and meatballs tasted good--the sauce was substantial and had a nice wine flavor--but it was too salty. Everyone's dinner was too salty. Even my boyfriend was shocked when he tried his son's macaroni and cheese and noted the high sodium content--and this is a guy who loves salt. My boyfriend had a chicken and arugula flatbread pizza and he really liked it, but that guy will really eat anything covered in arugula. We also dug the fried mozzerella appetizer. Fried cheese is just good no matter what. Overall, the good service made up for the lackluster food.
(3)Donna M.
Came here about a week ago...haven't been here in years. I must admit, I was looking forward to it because I was looking forward to their chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. We had reservations at 7:30 p.m. We were seated right away, which was great. The table bread with olive oil, crushed pepper and balsamic vinegar is always good. My little family of four...ordered the lasagna, pasta milano, chicken alfredo and shrimp alfredo. All were similar in that there was no taste. I've read past reviews that the pasta is salty....which leads me to believe that I either got a different cook or they've stopped using salt as a result. Either way...not good...especially for $15+ a plate...I was not impressed. Ordered a glass of moscato...a $12.00 glass of moscato....For that price I should've been able to keep the glass. Thinking whatevs, I really didn't come here for the pasta...I came here for the chocolate cake. As I remembered it it was a huge piece of moist chocolate cake...not too sweet...perfectly complimented with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream. I ordered what I thought was that very same dessert....and was surprised that it was not that delectable dessert I was anticipating...instead it was a poor rendition of a chocolate soufflé with a small dollop of whip cream and a couple of nuts. Not happy.... Bad food experience...Prices are way too high for the overall experience...however I must say that the service is great. In closing...I'd suggest ordering something other than the pasta...but that would be ridic. Perhaps be ready to season your own food..bring a flask for your booze...and don't order dessert.
(2)Kayleen K.
I've definitely been to this location many times and to sum it all up, they're pretty good. Customer Service Pros: 1. The servers are fast and pleasant for the most part. What I really appreciate that the servers do is quickly clear the table of any dirty plates. 2. I've never had to wait very long for any order whether it was an appetizer, entree, or dessert! 3. I like how the servers bring a big glass bottle of water to your table so you can serve yourself whenever you like. Customer Service Cons: 1. I've only been here for lunch a couple times and the only thing I didn't care for was that the staff, particularly the busboys, chitchat to each other a LOT and LOUDLY. Even though there aren't a lot of customers that come during lunch, it's unprofessional and leaves a poor impression. But most importantly, the food: I've ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken a couple of times, and unfortunately I did not care for it. The sauce was oily and quite frankly, there was so much Alfredo sauce, it made the fettuccine look like a garnishment. However, I will recommend the Chicken Parmesan! It is served with three small pieces of fried boneless chicken with Parmesan cheese and a roasted cherry tomato on top with angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. It is DELICIOUS and pretty filling. For dessert, I've always tried their gelato, which is always good. Yesterday, however, I decided to try the espresso drinks that they offer for dessert! I tried their Caffe Mocha and it was OK. It was served with a biscotti in an nice porcelain cup that holds about 8 ounces. It was okay but you can definitely get a better mocha at Honolulu Coffee Co c(; Overall, it's a good restaurant. I would've given this place 4 stars but I really cannot stand them talking story loudly while I'm trying to unwind and enjoy my meal :/
(3)Kelly G.
With varying reviews from my Yelp buddies, I walked into Macaroni Grill very skeptical of encountering a good experience, yet I walked away pleasantly surprised! The restaurant has a great ambiance - the bar has an open fireplace! Would love to sit there next time. The rest of the place has cozy, dim, elegant decor. Booths and tables alike adorn the space. My friend and I got seated in a booth immediately this Saturday afternoon (St Patty's day no less). Our waitress Niki was great! Came around often and was very patient with our inability to decide whether or not to drink. The complimentary bread was DELICIOUS! Crusty, soft, and easily tearable. Served with Italian butter (olive oil & freshly cracked black pepper). We consumed 1.5 of these loaves before our entrees arrived. Easily one of the top table bread's I've ever consumed. I ordered the 3 piece combination ($13) of the Pomodorina Soup, Carmela's Chicken and the Caprese Panini. Everything was delicious! Perfect portions as well. My qualm was that my panini was cold by the time it arrived which was probably due to the fact that it service was SLOW to get our food out. The friend ordered the Cesar salad and the mushroom ravioli. I had a chance to taste the sauce - yummy. She complimented the filling by saying the mushrooms were delicious and the onions were caramelized perfectly. Both our entrees came out to $33 inc tax. Delicious and worth the value. Would have ordered my fiance's favorite dessert - the lemon passion cake. He has gone out to just to order this cake for himself! Delicious. Can't wait to come back and make a date of it with my fiance!
(4)Vivian L.
I have been to Romano's several times. I usually leave the restaurant feeling content, if not, very pleased with the ambience, food, and service. I decided to have lunch with a friend after a long week. She told me she read about some menu changes at Macaroni Grill and we decided to see what the hype was all about. We were in for a very unpleasant surprise... When we walked in, there were three hostesses at the counter. We received no greeting at all. Only one of them was working with a customer. The other two glanced at us for a second and then ignored us. I had to walk up to them and tell them "Table for two" and a hostess told us to wait 10 minutes. We got our table in 10 minutes, but no server came up to us. I had to look around very intently for about another 10 minutes before a server named Sheldon noticed me staring and told us he'd be right with us (no smile or proper waiter-like acknowledgement included). He didn't come for another 10 minutes. (A total of 30 minutes down the drain and our orders still weren't placed!) They jacked up almost all of the prices on their menu. There's a new "combination" option on the menu where you can "choose 2" or "choose 3" items (soup, salad, pasta, sandwich). My friend asked about this new "combination" set and the waiter SNAPPED AT HER. ("What do you mean how does it work?? It's right there on the menu!!") She was so surprised she didn't respond, and he didn't even answer her question. Rude, rude, rude. We should have stood up and left then and there, but we were starving by then. So I told him we were ready to order. Both of us ordered a combination. I had a salad and a panini. For an $11 course, the portions were PATHETIC. My friend's chihuahua's food bowl is larger than the bowls they use for combination menu. The panini was disgustingly cold when I received it 15 minutes later. I didn't even finish it. Our waiter checked up on a table by us at least five times. He came to us just ONCE during our meal. (Did I mention that they don't even refill our waters anymore? They just leave a glass bottle of water on our table so we can refill it ourselves.) 10 minute seating wait, 10 minute wait for a server, 10 minute wait to order, 15 minute wait for food, and just 10 minutes to finish our meal... Awful atmosphere, so-so food, and abysmal service. It will be a very long time until I visit this restaurant again, and I will NOT be recommending this place to anybody.
(1)Ku'ulani M.
Dear General Manager: I've been to your restaurant many times. I've celebrated new babies there, held coworker reunions there, had date nights with my husband there, met up for happy hour drinks with the friend from out of town, and even had family inheritance talks there. Typically, I thoroughly enjoy patronizing your restaurant and look forward to the good food and conversation that transpires. For my sister, turning 21 was a momentous occasion, and at the birthday girl's choosing and my persuading, my mother, father, husband, toddler, aunt and 86 year old grandmother made the 30-minute trek from Kaneohe to your restaurant tonight in celebration. Our experience prompted me to write this letter. From the great place I know Macaroni Grill to be, it was disappointing, to say the least. It began well. We made dinner reservations for a table of 8 the night before without a problem. We were seated on time, and our waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and lots of detail about the menu, realizing that only 2 of us had ever patronized your restaurant before. However, I believe when faced with a shy table not returning the kind of enthusiasm he expected, it went downhill from there. He took our drink orders from the head of the table, instead of walking around to each person, including my hard-of-hearing grandmother at the other end. The bread came out only after we prompted him for it, and nearly 2 minutes before the food came. (Given you're your table has a restless 2 year-old toddler you've given nothing but a sad handful of 3 yellow crayons and 2 green ones, you'd think that bread at a table is a must.) When he tried to confirm our food orders from the head of the table again, he seemed to wait in disdain for an answer, irritated by the table's lack of quick responses. The soup came out from the busser without a spoon, and went cold before one ever came, flagged down from a neighboring waiter since ours was nowhere to be found. We weren't checked on during our meal, so the water carafes went dry for a while. And finally, when we'd just about had enough of the waiting game and were ready for something - the check, dessert, the apocalypse - we flagged our speeding-by waiter to ask if there might be a special birthday surprise for the 21 year old. He answered with grit in haste, "It's already on its way." 'On its way' must have meant on its way from your corporate headquarters, because our table was exhausted and over it by the time the cake and candle came. Don't get me wrong. We greatly appreciate the restaurant's complimentary gesture and its top-notch Italian birthday singers. But by that time, my family probably wished they were anywhere but a birthday serenade. Excusing themselves from the table, the rest of the family immediately dug out of the tired situation while we waited for the check, which also had to be flagged down by our waiter-in-hiding. When he finally did come out with it, he said (and I quote): "Here's the 18% gratuity, and here's the total. This is my copy," and walked off. I waited for the thank-you. I swore I must not have heard it. But alas, just like our waiter all night, it wasn't there. I must say one more thing. Never before have I heard your kitchen staff yell in locker-room form when a dish is no longer available. Why they yelled several times, "86 the calamari" in sing-song unison is just baffling to me. Should a classy Italian restaurant sound like a sports arena every few minutes? Now I'm typically not a complainer. And I never speak with managers, let alone write letters to them. But this was a shocking experience, and I hope one we'll never have to encounter again. I was excited to introduce my family to this place and celebrate an exciting birthday, but I was embarrassed to apologize to them that this wasn't all I chocked it up to be. So please, be the top-notch restaurant I know you to run, and remedy the situation. At the very least, speak with your staff about their etiquette. I don't care if the table orders a glass of water and a caesar salad - courtesy should know no bounds.
(2)Donald N.
We have eaten twice at this restaurant in the last few days and it was excellent both times. The lobster ravioli is wonderful, the best I have had. My wife had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was subtly flavored and tasted lovingly homemade. The pork chop with mushroom risotto and brocollini was also very flavorful. There was even a wonderful slightly grilled flavor to the brocollini, very nice! Prices were quite reasonable for the quality of the food. We went the second time for an anniversary dinner and they fit us in on short notice, a nice touch. We highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)Tyler C.
Mac Grill is probably one of the few "Italian" restaurants that I will eat at on this rock. The service and employees are very efficient, from the hostess' to the runners. Zero problems from the handful of times I've dined in. Food is outstanding. The salads are fresh, and their house bread is what makes them stand out. The bread is served full-loaf, lightly seasoned with butter and salt. You can practically eat it without even touching your knife. Especially when it comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. As for entrees, I especially come for the Lobster Ravioli. The portion is huge compared to other restaurants, who only give you about 6 pieces. It always looks and smells good to remember to count before digging in. I'm sure there is more than 6 though. They have birthday singers here, that are just talented. And if you wanna brush up on your italian, hit up the bathroom and soak in the lessons that are playing.
(4)Gabriel T.
Haven't gone to this place for a long long time until coming back recently. They recently changed some things up on the menu. I went over with my co workers for lunch after work. Our waitress was Josi. She was awesome, super cool, and friendly. The free bread is da bomb with the virgin oil plus balsamic vinegar. I had the 3 piece combination with Blackboard soup, Whole Wheat fettuccine, and half Roast Turkey sandwich. It was very filling. I feel that it was well worth the price. The blackboard soup is good. It's a little on the sweet side but good nonetheless. I dipped it with my sandwich and the free bread. The whole wheat fettuccine was also good. Not too salty and sweet. Last but not least, the roast turkey sandwich was on point. Good stuff. The bread on the sandwich was a little hard though but it was sweetness right when you crunch onto it. Our waitress offered it we wanted to split the appetizer that we shared 6 ways. I was surprised because not that many food establishments can do that. They also have this one Waiter who sings a sweet Italian? birthday song whenever someone has a birthday. I think he is the only one who sings it but he does a good job doing it. The vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant is a tad bit on the classy feel and look even though you can informally write and draw on your table with crayons. But that is cool how they have paper on the table. Our waitress wrote her name on it and we wrote our orders on it so that we can remember what we ordered and what to order. We also draw our own pictures on it of course. It's conveniently located on the Ho'okipa 4th floor terrace side of Ala Moana center where they have the whole trifecta of restaurants such as Tsukijis, Island Burger, Mai Tai Bar, Bubba Gump, and CPK. Yelp 365 Challenge #211/365
(4)Dale A.
The restaurant is usually ok. I had lunch there this week and they have a special soup salad or sand combo. 2 choices are like $11. I had soup and salad. They come in 2 small square bowls that are each smaller than a regular appetizer portion. Ridiculous! Had to go eat lunch when I left! Randy SCHOCH you should be ashamed.
(1)Amber M.
Can't get enough of the food here! Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite. The service was the best I've seen in a big restaurant in a long time. Definitely going back soon!
(5)Derek N.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for the Mac yet. And yes, I am aware of MAC 24/7, but I don't think they deserve to be "the" Mac. Their menu and such have changed; honestly I liked it better before, but the create your own pasta is still there and still pretty awesome. You can get whatever you want, so it's pretty perfect. My only complaint was that the arrabbiata sauce was really oily. I could be wrong but I don't remember it being that oily. Anyway, the portion was pretty generous. But that was last visit and I'm here to talk about today's visit. I think the last time I was here they told us about the happy hour situation but we didn't take advantage of it. Based on today's experience I regret that now! Actually, I kind of started off this visit with a negative; I walked in the door and stood by the desk and the girl at the front desk just ignored me. For a full two minutes; I timed it on my phone. Rude! But then I wandered over to the bar section and the bartender caught my eye pretty quickly and motioned for me to sit at a recently vacated seat. He seemed pretty nice and almost made up for the hostess. When I looked at the menu he told me about the $6 pizza that is offered during happy hour. This was actually the reason that I was drawn in to begin with, but had forgotten about in the three minutes in between. The pizza was thin crust, which I am not a big fan of, but it was delicious nonetheless. Plus they put freshly grates parmesan cheese over it, and gave me some red pepper flakes to put on top, like the kind in those little packets from Pizza Hut. The ambience is pretty nice. If you can tune out the conversations of other people at the bar, you can hear some fifties-ish music playing in the background, there's ESPN on televisions if you watch sports (I suppose it's still there even if you don't), the temperature is pretty comfortable, and the bar itself has a nice marble surface. Considering that I'm in a sit down restaurant in the nicest part of the mall, $6 for a pizza seems pretty reasonable. They also have domestic beers for $3 and import beers and wine for $4. I don't drink, but as I understand it, it is a popular activity. All things considered, this was a four-star experience; half a star for each slice of pizza! The normal menu is a bit pricey, so if you're after value like I am, you may enjoy the happy hour!
(4)Leina'ala O.
I should take a star off for the ditzy hostess but she's young so I understand. We showed up 30 minutes before closing on Mother's Day. We couldn't help our time, both my mom and I had to work so this was the soonest we could get there. I knew it was somewhat of an inconvenience but it was Mother's day and I wanted my mom to try this place. She always talks about Olive Garden and frankly, Olive Garden sucks compared to Macaroni Grill. Katie was our server and she was awesome. She didn't give us attitude for showing up late, her recommendations were spot on, and the rest of the staff helped her run our food and prebuss our table. The Sangiovese was delicious and my mom was impressed with her Opah. Best chain restaurant in the bizz!
(5)Helen C.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not a fan of Italian cuisine. Dairy products don't sit well with me, so me + overwhelming amounts of cheese = not a good idea. It's okay, I don't like the taste of cheese anyway...Sorry if I personally offended cheese lovers out there. It's not you. It's me. I ordered the Chicken Scallopine, which I found to be the least creamy item on the menu aside from spaghetti and meatballs. Although the sauce was a little creamier than expected, I manned up and I am damn glad I did. I rarely enjoy Italian food so this was a welcomed surprise. My coworker ordered the whole wheat fettuccine and said it tasted like paper though. Can't blame Romano's there. That's what you get for ordering whole wheat pasta!! Blech. The waiters were really nice. I think they're all trained to draw pictures out of their names...upside down. Skills. Finally, tiramisu for dessert. So rich, so sweet, but oh-so creamy. I couldn't handle it. Nothing against taste...my weak stomach just couldn't take the beating. I'll be sure to pack some Lactaid pills or something the next time I come. Then I can properly enjoy my meal or something, right? **9/31 Yelps Review Challenge**
(4)Sharon H.
Surprisingly good food at reasonable prices, and a nice ambience for a fairly quiet Saturday lunch. Just don't expect a leisure lunch....service is quick, but so much so that you get the feeling they want a high turnover. If you like garlic, try the sage roasted chicken with asparagus and potatoes. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, apparently from a hot brick placed on the chicken during the roasting process, and surrounded by more than a dozen roasted garlic buds. The aspagarus was crisp yet tender while the potatoes were meltingly soft. Only odd note on the plate was a side dish of roasted tomato salsa, delicious with the (complimentary) herb bread but not necessarily adding to the dish. Dessert was a lemon passion cake, creamy moist and dense but not heavy, accompanied by a dollop of what appeared to be a lemon-passion whipped cream. Yum-O! Perhaps the only annoyance was the wait staff. Our over-eager waiter brought the check while we were still eating lunch, and two other staff kept trying to take the plate off the table while we were still eating from it. Think they were hinting us to leave?! Oh, and you'll have to ask them to replenish the water, as they don't always notice.
(3)Carson B.
Nice waitress, food was good, wait was terrible, food was expensive, atmosphere is great. Crying babies hamper the mood :)
(3)Knk N.
love coming to this place food is always tasty and filling not much to complain about this place as it does get busy. so their could be a slight wait but other than that awesomeness on service and food and drinks.
(4)Jon R.
Unfortunately service makes any restaurant right after the food. Food was "mass produced" flavor but worst off our male waiter was a real #]^|+€* is all I can say. Never ever coming back to this place. Also the hostesses have NO IDEA how to give an accurate time if wait. We were told ten minutes and we ended up waiting thirty minutes. Never again. Go Ruby Tuesdays instead and sit at the bar as long as Krista is working there. She is the bomb!
(1)Nicholas B.
You can't go wrong with Spaghetti and meatballs with the bolognase sauce. I had a really good time here
(4)Melissa L.
I wasn't gonna Write a neg review bc I had some good experiences there but our server was just horrible! Took her 5mins to take our drink order( place was by no means crowded) looked like she got wacked with the stink stick after we told her we would pass on appetizers she made such a weird face, idk. Never checked on us, no refills, Made another stink face when asked to split the bill. Horrible. Seriously I use to serve, and would never have a bad attitude. Then again I can guarantee I made more tips then she did. Owell
(1)Jenel O.
Everytime i've gone to Romano's, it's been far from stellar. Tonight was no different. The table we were seated at was a round table under their a/c vents and was absolutely FREEZING! It doesn't set a good tone for a good meal at all. They got rid of the orzo salad I had many many years ago and settled on as my "ok" dish there. So I got the caprese ($11) and baked artichoke hearts ($7.50). Both were totally oversalted and keep in mind I usually like my food salty so you know it was way too salty. The caprese should be something that can survive with very minimal seasoning and be perfectly fine... someone obviously has a heavy hand in the salt back in the kitchen. The flavors are definitely not clean enough on 2 dishes that should've felt very fresh and light. I tried a forkful of my husbands carbonara and one of my mother in law's mushroom raviolis... not bad. Kids dishes ran around $7. Spaghetti with meat sauce was pretty decent as was the mac and cheese. I would never personally choose to come back and spend my money here. When we left, there was a long long line outside. I'm not sure why hoards of people would choose this place. The two highlights though were the bread: hot, lightly crispy on the outside and flavorful... and our server was also really polite and pretty on it.
(2)DJ Nocturna R.
I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a few years. They have good service. I like how they never forget to grate cheese in your pasta and the guy grating the cheese telling you the cheese was discovered by the monks in Milan centuries ago.. That's a great story because it made the meal more appetizing. I had the Shrimp Portofino because I love pine nuts in my pasta and fresh tomatoes- I just wish they gave more pine nuts. I also love their ceasar salad. I also ordered tiramisu for dessert. It's ok. Tonight it wasn't so busy so I was able to sit down and relax in a dark corner. The lighting is perfect and they have comfortable booth seating. They also have a private room for bigger groups or a party. For a chain restaurant - it's a great place to go for dinner while shopping at Ala Moana.
(3)Loren O.
I've come a handfull of times and I've always left happy and full. They serve the full menu at the bar, so if it's busy and there's open seats at the bar, we normally go there. Their servers are always friendly, and the restaurant itself seems new and well kept. I like we can draw on the tables and that the servers write their names upside down so the customers can read it :p Some of them get pretty crazy with writing their name! I'm one who likes to doodle so its something fun to do while we wait for our food. I'm a sucker for chicken fettuccine, so thats normally whati get. My bf got the Chicken Milanese once and he thought it was good. I had their Lemon Passion for dessert once and it was super refreshing! A tinge on the sour side, but I love lemon so I didn't care. It's located on the third floor of Ala Moana in the Ho'okipa Terrace so it's always pretty crowded around dinner time. We always had a little bit of a wait before we got seated. Prices are pretty reasonable, typical for an italian restaurant i think. Also, if you're celebrating a birthday, be sure to let them know! Once we had a girl sing Happy Birthday to my friend in Italian! It was beautiful! Sounds so much prettier in Italian!
(4)Chris L.
Not what it used to be. I've previously Visited this restaurant, but this time was a little bit different. On previous occasions, this restaurant was quite full and have a certain flare that was a huge draw. This time, the restaurant appeared quite empty. I was seated within five minutes. Shortly after I was seated, I noted that a section of the restaurant was not even open or lighted. I also noted that the characteristic attire of the waitstaff had changed from nice white collard shirts and ascots/ties, to a much more relaxed blue and white striped shirt and blue jeans. This caught me quite offguard, as this restaurant had previously seem to be a little more upscale. Before I ordered or was approached by the waiter, I was promptly given a glass of water. Upon ordering I noted that the menu had changed dramatically from previous visits. There appeared to be fewer items then were previously offered. After ordering, I noticed that the waitstaff uniform had changed from a very elegant white shirt with black slacks, to a very relaxed blue-and-white striped shirt and blue jeans. Having been to this restaurant before, it seemed Like everything had gone downhill. The food was not bad, but was nothing to write home about. At this time, I think I may be looking for another restaurant to frequent more often. I came away very unimpressed, after previously frequenting this restaurant often. As was noted in a previous review, the loss of the founding general manager seems to have been a sword in the side for this restaurant. I would like to frequent another restaurant in the future to see if all have changed in the same way.
(1)Quincey Q.
First time going there so it was foreign to me. The food was okay but different wish ihad gotten more food with my entree but i shared with my date so it was okay. It was fun drawing on the place mat paper and the ginger root drink was good but I wouldnt drink it everyday. An okay meal bu tnot a geat meal especially for the money it cost.
(3)Niki T.
We came here friday night around 10pm or so. The wait was 45 minutes and they do awesome texting your position in line. They text you how many people ahead and the estimated wait. Honestly it was okay. We came here because I was given a gift card. The server was great, tall, skinny, light skinned gentleman, blindfish hair. We ordered half a Cesar salad and a lasagna to share. Salad was amazing, lasagna wasn't the greatest, but the again I'm just picky. The sweetish marinara sauce made me sick and I ended up puking in their restroom. We ended up having a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Didn't like the thick cream cheese topping on the cheesecake, but other than that the strawberries were amazing. All In all the food wasn't amazing but I would come back for a salad and a few drinks maybe. Server was attentive and I wish I remembered his name.
(3)Rachel I.
I came here with my family and it was so-so busy. We only had to wait or 30ish minutes but once we were seated I looked around and wondered why we even had to wait when there was SO Many seats open...maybe they couldn't keep up with orders? We spent a total hour and a half there mainly just waiting for our food !! It took so long, we weren't a big party or anything. We ordered an appetizer and they brought us the wrong one after waiting forever for it and also they only gave us one bread and once we finished it we were never offered another one. We had to flag another waiter to have a refill on our water. The service was just so slow and I seriously never had to wait so long for my food which was so small in portion. I won't be coming back here, so not worth it.
(2)Jarrett W.
Came here for dinner tonight around 5:45 and was able to enjoy happy hour which ends at 6. We proceeded to sit at the bar, the bartender immediately served us and also made sure that we got another drink within the happy hour timeframe. he continued to made sure that our food was ok, our drinks were topped off. I must say i was impressed by his service. btw we ordered the italian sausage flatbread pizza and chicken marsala... both were tasty and we ate it all!
(4)Tina T.
Came here on a week night around 8:30pm after a long day at work. Nothing extraordinary to say about this place. The salads looked a bit too pre-made, neither the caesar salad nor the signature bib and blue salad had crisp veges. Onthe other hand, our pastas were cooked well. I ordered a pasta with tomatoe sauce, eggplant & my friend ordered the pasta milano. Overall it was what we would expect from the romano's macaroni grill - a no frills, family style restaurant at a convenient location. Service was good and food was acceptable. Not a place I will rush to return but will return just because it's a safe choice.
(3)Jody S.
Dined at Macaroni Grill this past weekend with my mom and daughter for a girl's day birthday lunch. While the food was definitely ono as usual (I had a make-your-own pasta with scallops, mushrooms and broccoli) and my mom ordered (a make-your-own pasta with shrimp and broccoli) and the rugrat ordered cheese pizza, the waiter was a little bit odd. Don't get me wrong, he was nice enough but just not "all there" like most waitstaff is. He reminded me of someone who went out partying the night before, woke up hanging and bummers....had to go to work so was simply making do with the situation. Oh well....he performed okay but could've done better.
(3)Arynn I.
3 1/2 stars please! We came in as a last minute thought and I think it was close to when they stop seating. But we were given a nice booth in the back. I wasn't too hungry so I was there more just to support my friend's eating. I figured I'd get a drink. Our server Shawn was pretty awesome for the most part! He did a really good job of making conversation with us as he took drink orders. And he can write his name upside down. :) that was different. We only had to flag him down once when my friends wanted refills on their beer and wine. He also let us know when he was going to take a break, just in case we looked for him. I had a tiratini, which is basically a liquid tiramisu martini. For some reason when I ordered it I was under the impression it was frozen...but I think it's cause I was thinking of a mudslide. It was fabulously delicious! I also figured I'd better eat if I'm going to have something to drink so I don't get myself sick and had a little of the freshly baked bread that was brought to our table. I love it dipped in olive oil and here they put some fresh black pepper in the oil. I also picked at my friends' appetizers. We ordered the sampler; which had bruschetta, fried mozzarella and calamari. Also got pizza and stuffed mushrooms. So I tried the calamari and it was pretty good (I'm not so much a calamari person) and I ate a fried cheese and bruschetta. Wow, I just realized we had a lot of starches..but i guess that's good when you're drinking. I also ate a couple mushrooms but didn't eat the pizza. I did like the stuffed mushrooms but I think I still prefer Johnny Carino's (mainland restaurant chain) mushrooms better. I suppose that the next time I come to the Macaroni Grill I will hopefully be hungry and get a meal but for the purpose of this visit it was good! #Yelp 365 Challenge-028/365
(3)Jaleen M.
After a long afternoon we decided that pasta was what was for dinner. Our server Sheldon was awesome. We come here often and hes the best one we've had so far. We were undecided on an appetizer so he suggested their garlic fries, best we've had. For dinner we shared the Cesar salad and shrimp portofino (sp?) Salad had a little to much zing but it was delicious. The portofino wasnt to oily like others we've had. Our stars mostly go for the service. Ask for sheldon =) hes bomb. We are not tourist and he didnt treat us like we were a waste of time like others we've had.
(5)Katie N.
I like this place until recently. I guess they are under new management, therefor they have cleaned house. Service is VERY slow with quite bit of new faces. Twice I had the same bartender service me and both times service was slow. I do understand everything have gone up, but I wasn't sure if I had to ask for bread since I've order my food?? Waited 5 mins no bread, 10 mins no bread...so finally I asked...sadly it he brought it out when I was half way through my lunch. I was disappointed on top of that my soup was the wrong soup (he repeated and asked again, yet the wrong soup was delivered....WTH??). Since, service is SLOW I didn't want to return it and wait longer for it. On the flip side, I do like the new menu concept...more choices to pick and choose on the lunch menu. would like to see improvement on service, and I would recommend letting your guest know if bread is no longer automatic this way they are not expecting it and would ask sooner.
(2)Zhen L.
Took my girlfriend here for an evening couple of months back, and we had a great time. First of all, the white paper with the crayon? Made me chuckle a bit in my head. My girlfriend and I had a fun time drawing on the paper while we waited for our food. Many may not think so, but I thought it was a nice way to keep customers entertained while waiting for the food. If you have kids, I think it's perfect for them. We a total of four things: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms - Share Some sort of Ravioli I do not recall - Girlfriend Fettucine Alfredo w/Shrimp - Myself Hot Fudge Brownie desert - Share Italian food is number one on my list. The crab stuffed mushrooms was small and pricey, but it was really good. My Fettucine Alfredo was just how I liked it; the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My girlfriend's Ravioli was quite delicious as well. What finished us off was the brownie(?) or chocolate cake desert thing that we had. It literally melts in your mouth. Why a four star? Because I have not eaten here enough to completely say it's as good as it gets. "Yay! I'm a fan," is really all that I am. My and girlfriend and I are looking forward to eating here again soon. I definitely recommend this place.
(4)Erin Y.
This is a chain restaurant, but moreover, its a bad chain restaurant. A chain restaurant that only gets as much business as it does because CPK is too damn small. Have a choice on where to eat? Anywhere in Hookipa Terrace other than here. Service is terribly slow, there are people packed into every nook (read:no stroller space), and the food is slightly better than bad. I cannot believe this place is even listed under steakhouses. It does not deserve to be in the elitest carnivore group. My steak was terrible and not cooked the way I asked for it, medium rare. Don't serve it if you can't make it correctly. We went at least five minutes without forks or knives before flagging someone down. Water didn't get refilled, and the waiter kept banging into the sleeping baby in the stroller. Be careful, dammit. I'm trying to have just one meal in peace! Skip it unless you're planning to dine at a weird hour when no one else is eating. Oh, and skip the steak.
(2)Tia S.
Happy Hour is from 4pm to 7pm. Good deal, because you get 50% all apps and drink specials. House wine is $3.00! It's nice sitting at the bar since you get immediate service. They also have counter seating at the fire pit. I went with my sis and sat at the counter. Our server was slow during my last visit and had a flat personality, but it was crazy busy so he may have been flustered. We enjoyed three apps, pasta, and wine for just under $40. The ambiance is nice and you don't need to dress up. Added perk is you get a complimentary Italian language lesson in the bathroom. Haha! They play a recording in the room. Lots of parking at the mall. Good place to unwind after shopping or working. Nice size food portions. Good taste and price.
(3)Kristen U.
Is it just me or has this place gone downhill over the last few years? Esthetic wise, I remember having cloth napkins, not paper. And weren't the menus actual books, and not pieces of paper? Huh... Everything was just, okay. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad, just mediocre. For our tapas, we ordered bruschetta crostini and spicy ricotta meatballs and my entree was the penne rustica. It was good, but not spectacular. Service was also okay.
(3)Makakaualii R.
We went a few days ago and the service was excellent his name was Roger and he was very polite, attentive and great customer service. We had the meatball X2 and I had the chicken scallopine and it was a bomb. I never had it before and it was so ono and I can't stop think about it meaning we'll be going again real soon! Mahalo Roger for the great service.
(4)Angelica Q.
Hubby took my son and 5 year old there. It was happy hour so the drafts were $4 as well as house wine. Appetizers were nice two tapas mix for $14, Salads were delicious but costly, and my son enjoyed his kids meal selection with dessert for $8. We were satisfied with the waiter and his interaction with our son (he listened to my son's jokes when he frequented our table). Top top the meal with tirimisus and a vanilla gelato for our little one. Overall, the experience was really good, but the food is pricey and worth it. Will visit again.
(4)En I.
Went for dinner on a Saturday and food was okay but service was very slow. Past experience also had slow service so it may just be that they do not staff enough for peak days/hours.
(3)Missy S.
So reading the yelp reviews, I can understand what people are saying about the good and bad stuff. This is why my review is an ok review. I enjoyed the ambiance, the waitress was very nice, and the food was decent. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and it tasted good. Not the best I have ever had, but enough to finish the plate clean. We also ordered the sizzling platter, and it was good. Expensive place, so beware. I would say romano is an ok place. Not the best place for italian food. There are places much better. But I would come again. Maybe to try some other things on the menu.
(3)Stephanie T.
I came here with my boyfriend simply because I've never been here before and wanted to see what it was like. The environment was nice, but that was pretty much the only thing that was nice. I was barely able to understand what the waiter was saying, it took over 10 minutes of trying to get the attention of our waiter to order, the food took forever to arrive, my boyfriend's pasta had nearly NO salt in it, my penne was over cooked, the waiter forgot our beers, and it was over priced for the quality of food and service offered. Not coming here again.
(2)Naomi L.
Ok - I want to like this place because my friends like to eat here, but I can't. I have been here 4 times now and can remember bad experiences from 3 of those times: 1) With dad for dinner - service was terrible and the pasta was bland and gross. Best part was the waiter wrote his name with crayons upside down on the table. Unfortunately he didn't like the way he wrote it, so he retried 4 more times. He wrote all over the table. Then he told us he was new. Once was plenty, I could read it already. Then I got to read it 5 times. 2) Went with friend for dinner - they wouldn't seat us for over 20 minutes despite tables being open (maybe there were reservations?) and no one waiting so we sat at a high table. The pasta had no sauce, the bread was hard as rocks, and the water came 1x during the entire meal. I left more than half on my plate. The waiter tried to charge us a service charge. Dude, there were only 2 in our party, not 6-8 or more! So I'm sorry, I left a small tip. 3) Went after rotation with 2 classmates for lunch -this was the only time it was okay. The service was fast and bread was warm. Maybe it's because it was lunch. He sped it up because we said we were at work lunch (were dressed in scrubs)... Maybe that was the key to good service. Anyhow, I liked the lunch 1/2 1/2 deal. I forgot what I ate, but I napped for like 3 hours afterwards. 4) Last week wedding rehearsal dinner with 12 people - they cancelled our reservations because they called 3 hours prior (while we were rehearsing!) and said no one picked up to confirm. It wasn't like there were other people waiting! In fact, they could have sat us at a regular table or two and it would have been fine! We came like 20 minutes early and after telling us that they cancelled our table, they made us "wait and see what develops until your reservation time." So... basically they were going to let another big party without reservations go in and take the private room that we had reservations for just 3 hours prior?? Seriously?? Yes, it was really a mystery when no other big party showed up and we were able to take our private room table. That was 20 minutes wasted. BOO. Come on macaroni grill. Blah. Service was junkie (again), we didn't have enough silverware, the food was bland (again). The waitress cut our cake at the end and then said "have fun." Haha, great. So we served ourselves (the cake wasn't even cut well, so we had to recut it) because after waiting 5 minutes it didn't seem like she was coming back. Fail 3/4 times = I'm going to try my best not to come back here.
(1)Jenn C.
jeff is the best bartender! ask for him! yummy beer, tasty bellinis, big sangrias, you get the picture. caprese is my favorite so of course I HAD to order that, but... not enough mozzarella cheese. calamari is on point and the rosemary bread was good enough to order more and more and more. mushroom ravioli is extremely tasty, but its also very heavy so I would recommend sharing this with a friend.
(4)First L.
There's a reason why we eat here more than 4 times a year. The atmosphere is nice, but the food is awesome! Service is on par with more elegant establishments. We've been here over 10 times and only once were we setup with an insensitive waitress. If it wasn't for the delightful pasta, this occurrence would have made us leave. We usually order our appetizers off the menu: risotto. Reason for rating: food is always great.
(5)Mr Y.
The service was great! Food though lacked flavor. Got the panseared opah with spinich orzo. Definately not worth $22. And they changed the tiramisu too. Not the best. Kinda dissappointed for spending $65 for dinner. Even my kids pizza had more flavor.
(3)Desiree M.
I came here most recently with my cousin and Kyle. The place was pretty busy, which was expected considering we came here on Saturday night. There was a wait but it wasn't too bad; it was just unfortunate that there was no place to sit. Whenever I come here I usually get pasta, which is the usual italian pasta with the american twist. Sometimes I just wish that I could get a good creamy and salty carbonara or a garlic and red pepper angel hair. We started off with the spinach-artichoke dip. It had this distinctive taste that I couldn't put my finger on but I wasn't really a fan of it. Other than that though it was pretty good. Our food took a while, which is understandable considering they were packed, but they kept us going with bread. This time I ordered the lamb spiedini, which was kind of a bad choice. I'm usually a fan of lamb but I don't know there was something about the way they cooked it and so it had too much of a meaty flavor for me. I could only eat one spiedino (they're like kebabs) and I didn't really enjoy it. I think next time I'll stick to the pasta.
(3)Rach L.
Oh my worddddd. 2 years ago, I ate Fettuccine Alfredo from here, and I had the runs for a day. As a result of those most unpleasant moments on the toilet, I have not been back since. And this is from somebody who enjoys using the loo. But good on ya to all you waiters that know how to write your names upside down on our coloring mats. I'm still learning how to do that.
(2)Rochelle J.
I like Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana. They have happy hour from 4:30 to 8pm. $3 house wines, they have draft beers too but I don't remember the cost since I don't drink beer myself. I do recall seeing them on the happy hour list though. I suspect they are also $3. You could combine two appetizers for $12. There was also three good sized pizzas for $5 each! That was the best deal! Will go again. The pizza wasn't half bad for the price. Check it out yourself with a friend or two.
(4)Tom S.
a bit pricey. service was good. there is even a lady that walks around singing opera(she was my middle school VP). there is crayon and white paper you can draw on as you wait for your food.
(4)Jen A.
All I gotta say is: Mushroom Ravioli! Yum-mers. Service was on it and managed our big party well. But it is a bit pricey for Italian. I can think of a few other places that are more authentic with a more intimate atmosphere that I'd pay these kinds of prices for (Sabrina's, Assagios).
(3)Jessie R.
In all honesty, the food is average. Nothing special really. I would eat it, but I wouldn't go there JUST to eat that. Atmosphere is nice, though some of the seating areas are really cramped. Sorry guys, we broke some of the crayons. I hope you get fresh ones.
(3)Joshua C.
Why pay so much when you could just get a bertolli dinner out of the freezer section or cook your own pasta w/ heavy cream??? For some better "Italian" food check out the top of this list yelp.com/list_details?li…
(1)Jay C.
YOU'RE BETTER OFF AT CPK...macaroni grill is a mainland chain that appeared here in the islands in the past few years. if you have been to a location on the mainland, you will be SEVERLY DISAPPOINTED with the ala moana locale. the ingredients are fresher, portions are larger and prices are lower on the mainland. i understand the prices being a bit more here in paradise, but certainly NOT at the expense of quality. our group ended up here after mariposa was too exclusive to take in our party of 8. we know realize that we should've headed to CPK. the service was good, but the food SUCKED! the complimentary bread was smaller than it's mainland counter-parts; it lacked the crisp skin and soft center. the appetizer sampler seemed as though someone removed half of what was supposed to be on the plate. it was sad and pathetic. the penne rustica that my friend order lacked taste. she had to pour salt all over it but that didn't do much. in the end, the manager let her replace it with the more simple marinara. my sausage salentino was recommended by the waiter and i enjoyed it. however, my auntie ordered the shrimp portofino and a couple of the shrimp were under-cooked. she dealt with it because she was too embarassed to return it. finally, another friend ordered the pizza margherita. it was about 7" wide and lacked flavor. all in all, the food SUCKED and there is no necessity to return, despite the decent service. this ain't amore!
(1)Norman T.
The saving grace for this place is the staff. It took 45 minutes to get our food. The bread was excellent; finish that, then go because the rest of the meal was very forgettable.
(2)Googleone G.
Ok food here. Good mushrooms lasgna. Price is expensive for the quality of the food. Desent place for a last minute date if you can't one of the better restaurants in Honolulu.
(3)Trish P.
i'm updating b/c i've actually recently eaten here again. like i said before, i would only eat here again if it were against my will........ and it was. anyway - along with 2 friends, i dined there a few days ago. the service was still the same. our waiter was not the nicest guy ever, he checked on us only once, unless you count when he came back to fill our water, but i can hardly count that. he seemed more interested/concerned/distracted by the larger (bigger tip) table next to us. the food however was an improvement, but not a big one. i tried a seafood linguine which included shrimp, scallops, and some vegetables all in a buttery garlic sauce. the food was not cold this time. the waiter informed me that now, the scallops they serve are larger - great! but when i got my dish.... only 2 measly (larger, but not huge) scallops were in my pasta, along with 3 jumbo shrimp. i belive this dish was over $17..... not really worth it if you ask me. the dish itself was good - but not worth what it cost..... an extra star for flavor - its just too bad that yelp doenst let you give 1/2 stars......
(2)Kit T.
Hearty atmosphere, friendly staff, ridiculously tiny portions. About 3 oz. of perfectly cooked swordfich and a scant quarter cup of delicious orzo on a long oblong nouvelle cuisine type plate was $17- holy snap. The decor and ambiance is fun, feels warm, homey, lots of wood and a fireplace bar...nice! But eat before you get here or go home hungry! For the cost to value ratio, it is more like a $$$ scenario than the $$ rating.
(2)Lindsay C.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill this past week for dinner - Arrived around 7:30-8pm-ish and the place was packed, although we were seated right away. I always love a restaurant that gives you a table covered in paper to draw on!! Our waiter - Reily - was very friendly and attentive! Quick with drinks and service. We started with the Calamari - which comes with two, zesty pizzaiola and basil pine nut pesto. I surprisingly liked the basil pesto - but really enjoyed combining the two sauces. I ordered the Seafood Linguine - "Shrimp, scallops and clams sauteed with oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula and imported linguine pasta in a white wine olive oil sauce" - but had the white wine olive oil sauce switched out with Arrabiata sauce. MMMMmmm This was really good! Not usually a fan of scallops in pasta (big fan of scallops wrapped in bacon) but all of the seafood was really good, and the shrimp were a pretty good size! The portion was a decent size, I had some leftover - which I ate for lunch the next day! Tony ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo "Imported fettuccine pasta sauteed with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese." and added Grilled Chicken. He really enjoyed it - although he said it was a little watery. He had leftovers as well. When they wrap up your leftovers they put them in a aluminum foil pan with directions on how to reheat - rather than giving you the styrofoam containers that melt when you microwave! I am not a big fan of leftovers, but as I mentioned, I reheated my leftovers the next day for lunch, and they were just as good as the night before!
(4)James V.
Good food. Not too pricy. They were out of a couple of items and had to wait until after the dinner was served for the bread. That was the only issue.
(4)Christine B.
Squee, what can i say, i love that we get to draw on the tables with everyone with the crayons while we wait for our food to be served to us. The waiters/waitresses are all very talented and friendly here. I came here a month ago with my friends and this waiter impressed us with his writing and drawing/people skills. The portions here are pretty good, i ordered the Afredo pasta and love the creamyness of it. Gosh italian tastes so good on such occasions, esp since i don't eat it often.
(4)Brian N.
Great Italian & Mediterranean restaurant. I eat at this place occasionally and what can I say, it's onolicious! They serve many different pasta entrees including lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and other classic entrees, along with several entrees created by the restaurant. They also serve pizzas and Mediterranean food.
(5)n p.
The lines are usually long but if you call early enough in the day you can make a reservation before they reach their quota for the day. Been here quite a few times but I can't say I was satisfied each time. Some nights the bread is really good and toasty while other times it's stale and tastes about a day old. The portions are HUGE! They could be split between two people easily. The create your own option is pretty nice since some nights their standard menu just doesn't do it for me. The deserts are also enormous but their strawberry zabaglione is pretty good though. Service isn't always great but I guess that's why they have those paper tableclothes... to let customers kill time.
(3)barry n.
Had a so-so experience at Romano's in Ala Moana. Went on Saturday night at about 8:30 and there still was a 15 minute wait. After being seated, our waiter came and did the name written on the table thing, but didn't leave any crayons for us! Boo hoo! Our order was taken pretty quickly and our food didn't take long. My wife had the salmon, which she liked because it wasn't dry. I had the seafood linguine and was disappointed with the seafood. There was not a lot of clams and shrimp and I didn't realize how small scallops could be! I'm talking about as big as a half of a peanut! Despite the lack of seafood, it still was pretty tasty. Pretty disappointed with the service because I didn't get ONE refill of water! I don't know if our waiter was that busy, but other than that, it was a pretty good experience. I think the best part of the night was the waitress who sang. For a petite girl, she could really belt out a song! She was very good, but I wonder if she gets tired of singing "Happy Birthday" because she must've done it about 5 times during the hour and a half that we were there. I always enjoy going here and will probably continue to do so.
(3)Trace B.
Waiter didn't bring bread, brought the wrong salad and gave me the wrong meal. Waited 15 minutes until I could get his attention to get the correct entree. Terrible service on what appeared to be a quiet night. Do not recommend!
(1)Sherman R.
SERVICE NOT GREAT!! Girlfriend and I went to Romano's at Ala Moana. We were greeted at the front by a female (unknown). She sat us at a table where there was a lot of traffic. I requested to be seated somewhere else (thinking that she'll sit us somewhere decent), low and behold, she sits us right at the next table. She was not very customer friendly. Anyhow, the waiter came with the wine and I told him, "that's ok....we requested for another table with less traffic and your front end sits us at the very next table". He was nice enough to apologize and he stated that he would sit us somewhere else. But, the damage was already done. So we stood up and left and told the waiter that it wasn't his fault. We ended up at RUBY TUESDAYS (next door). My god, even though they weren't as fancy as Romano's, hell, the service was excellent and the steak was outstanding. (im a big tipper for excellent service). SERVICE FOR THOUGHT!!!
(1)deborah h.
Hi, Just received an e-mail from Romano's - if you join their Facebook fan page this weekend you'll receive a free dessert! Yum.
(5)Tiani B.
the happy hour experience was.....weird. we walked in on a saturday, about 3-3:30....the host was not very "warm and welcoming" the restraunt was pretty much empty on the dining side but was told it would be a 15-20min wait...as I looked around at all the empty seating I was a little puzzled. Then the host said that if we could find a table on the bar side of the restraunt then we wouldnt have to wait...gee, thanks guy! There was two empty tables so we took one. We waited a little longer then expected to get some waithelp. Seems there was only one waiter working the entire bar area....so with that said, we waited for drinks, asked for drinks a second time after some of them never made it to the table. We ordered pizza, pasta, and chicken on a brick. The pizza was heavenly! It was just a plain ol' cheese pizza but our table enjoyed it very much. The pasta was good, and the chicken on a brick....Im honestly not sure if it was under cooked or the seasoning was just "off" but it did not excite my pallet. the serving of chicken was over the top! I was expecting a cute little filet NO, it was almost as big as my plate and just a terrible cut! I ate around it...the asaparagus and potatoes were delicious! Overall, I guess I would come back and have pizza? As far as being on my all time favorite places to eat, this will not make it!
(3)Victoria A.
After reading mixed reviews... I thought I should try this place out myself. And so, my 4 stars "Yay! I'm a fan" review begins. My boyfriend & I dine out for every month anniversary. For our 47-month celebration, I chose Macaroni Grill, since it was less than 5 minutes away from Ward Stadium theaters (where we watched '21 Jump Street' *hilarious, by the way). Because it was a Friday, being the experienced diner that I am, I called in a reservation. The hostess was polite and calm (although it sounded like there were a hundred people talking in the background). She asked if we were celebrating anything and I responded with a "Yes, thank you for asking". Anyway... fast forward. We arrived 10 minutes late. Because I called to inform them that we were stuck in traffic; they were able to hold a table. It was crazy busy. We normally never dine out on a weekend because of the chaos; so I was very nervous about what the service would be like. Thankfully, we only waited a little less than 10 minutes for our table. The hostess acknowledged our anniversary and wished us an enjoyable evening. The server greeted us promptly and wrote her name on the table (I thought was the most awesome thing ever!). Despite the craziness of the restaurant, the timing of our courses was perfect! Only one thing I was a bit disappointed about: Why would the hostesses ask about our celebration if we don't receive any type of acknowledgement from our server? Not that my boyfriend & I dine out especially on our anniversary to receive FREE stuff; we're not that kind of customers. Anyways.... Here's what we ate: 1st course: Spicy Ricotta Meatballs & Fire Roasted Artichokes 2nd course: Eggplant Parmesan Florentine Steak & Frites 3rd course: Csnnoli & some type of Lemon heaven. haha Overall, I will definitely make sure I come back. Maybe it'll be for a girls' night. :D
(4)T. L.
The food here is extemely fattening and unhealthy but oh it tastes so good :-) love it !!!!
(4)josh v.
Question: Do they have to go to an on the job training to learn how to write upside down? The table cloth is covered with with paper and the wait help writes their name and the specials of the day, upside down. Crazy fast. Like that's how they learned to write in kindergarden. And the penmanship was really good too! I can say its probably better than mines.... smh.... I went to Macaroni Grill for really late dinner with my sister, who was craving for pasta. Our wait for a table wasn't that long, maybe 5 minutes. We got our table and noticed how cold it was instantly. I looked around to see if any booths were open so we could opt out of current frigid condition. No luck... Its ok, I rather be cold then hot. The lighting was a little on the dark side compared to other restaurants with dim lighting. Its not that bad, I like it because its relaxing and easy on my eyes but it was darker than the norm. And I did want to see what I was eating. For Yelp's sake.... For starters, we got some antipastis. One of them being my ussual at all restaurants, spinach artichoke dip. The other, a sampler, that consisted of calamari frita, mozzarella frita, tomato bruschetta and focaccia bread. For the Entrees, my sister ordered shrimp portofino and for me, chicken cannelloni. As we waited for our food, my sister and I would try our hand at the art of upside down writing. Fail. Our waitress brought over some bread as we showed off our skills. She gave us a hint, "S" are written the same. I tried couple times more until I ultimately decided that I can't do this. So I drew. A Wu-Tang logo and a maze. And a couple more doodles that I don't remember. Here comes our antipastis! The spinach artichoke dip was ok, if it was warmer, it would have been a little better. It had a healthy amount of artichoke hearts in it which I liked. The sampler was actually really good. Calamari was the best thing I had there. Lightly floured. The bruschetta was nice. I like that it was chunky while being juicy. It can cover the foccacia bread great as well as have the soak in all that juices. The mozzarella fritas was..... ummmmm... like fried breaded string cheese? It didn't impress me much. As soon as we knew it, we was full. No mas. And our entrees didn't come yet! So, we decided to get those to go, after we tried a couple of bites. Just so we can see how it is, fresh. I took a scoop of my chicken cannelloni. I like ricotta cheese, but it over powered the whole dish. There was more ricotta then chicken! They should rename it to Ricotta Cheese Cannelloni. If there was more chicken, it would have been a great number. The asiago cheese sauce was really good, though. Sharp and creamy. We asked our waitress for containers to get the rest of our food boxed up. She definitely made a good first impression of Macoroni Grill a good one. She was really attentive. A return visit sounds good to me. whenever anybody has a craving for cocina italiano, I'm down!
(3)Dixie R.
My review is based on what happened last night at Macaroni Grill regarding manager David Bonilla. I contemplated even reviewing at all and instead write to corporate but you know that takes a lot of time and effort and I have better things to do with my life.. and not to mention I did call him an asshole to his face so I don't know if my case would stick up anyway. Oh let me advise you in advance that there's already been a similar review regarding the same manager on here.. Ok so my family and I sit at the bar area where it said 4-7pm Happy Hour 50% off Appetizers and were greeted by our server Damon who was charming and very attentive. We ordered some stuffed mushrooms off the appetizer menu and since it was good, we ended up ordering 2 hey why not it's 50% off? So blah blah blah long story short the bill comes out and we see that we were charged full price for the mushrooms so we asked Damon if the mushrooms weren't on happy hour price and he said it was a mistake so he'll get his manager to take it off. Then Damon comes back very rattled saying that his manager was not going to take off anything because he should have known to communicate to us that everything except for the mushrooms were half off. At this point I'm thinking then why the f doesn't the board have a disclaimer saying DISREGARDING THE MUSHROOMS or subject to price etc. Anyway, I felt bad for Damon and it seemed as if he was going to have to pay for it so I asked nicely if we can talk to the manager. He comes to our table with a "Hey folks" and I asked "So we were just told the mushrooms were not on happy hour is that right?" and he just starts spurting out diarrhea out of his mouth and this is what he had to say in a really snarky sassy manner, "No they are not and you know what Damon should have known and failed to communicate that so yeah the restaurant is not paying for it and I'm not paying for it so it's fine he will just pay for that himself. " So trying to defend our waiter who was just thrown under the bus I told him "Well I don't think it's his fault especially when the sign saids 50% off Appetizers and it's a little deceiving.." so we go back and forth me trying to tell him it's just the principal...I feel bad for the waiter he shouldn't have to pay for it... "Well he is and that's that we are not paying for it you are not but when somebody keeps making the same mistake over and over then he needs to pay for it." And I could tell he was just not letting me win at all so I said to his face that I would yelp about this in which he replied with a finger in my face "YOU DO THAT! I'll adjust the bill you have a good evening ." (Meaning Damon would pay) And you know I just could not help myself and said " You too asshole." and this is the best part.. ARE YOU READY ARE YOU READY?!?!? He comes back around makes the widest angle turn almost like a kick ball change he was soooo taken back and comes back to my face furious and said, "REALLY?!?!??! Really right now?! Is that what your gonna say to me?!" Whoa. when did this become a street fight..last time I remember, I was at a corporate fucking american family restaurant. Oh that's right, I called him an asshole. But I did apologize and I did say "Well I'm sorry about that but you're very unprofessional..I don't think you should run an establishment if you can't handle guests complaints and you treat your employees this way." Hello??! Don't be a manager in the first place if you can't handle heat from complaining guests..That's basically what a manager is, a shit taker but obviously he can't take it (maybe he takes it up his ass too much) and ends up dishing himself and forgets that he works for a corporate chain restaurant and you're just supposed to nod and give the sympathy sandwich. He walked away saying "I don't appreciate you calling me foul language infront of children." Which yeah ok I did have my 1 year old son there but trust me he hears worse things outside of Macaroni Grill and to be completely honest, I could not find a more suitable moment than to introduce that word to him in his life. Well I guess I won't be coming back to Macaroni Grill ever again and that is totally fine with me..It's not like the food there tastes like an angel's ass anyway.
(1)Crystal B.
My boyfriend and I went to Romano's for one reason and one reason only: I said that Romano's is gross, mass-produced B-rated Italian food, and he insisted that from what he remembered it was actually good. Naturally, we had to settle the matter. I started with a Bellini, which was very sweet but good other than that. I ordered Calamari and my boyfriend ordered the appetizer sampler platter, which also came with calamari. The server pointed out the double order, but we said it was okay because calamari is always good. Or so we thought. The appetizers were just okay overall, but the calamari was pretty inedible. It was rubbery and not served hot, just lukewarm. The breading was thin, not crispy, and barely covered the calamari. Flavorless, really like eating leather. Gross. We left a lot uneaten. Next came salads, which were fine. Nothing special, but acceptable. Then our entrees arrived. I had the eggplant parmesan, I think my boyfriend just had penne with meat sauce, if I remember correctly. My eggplant parmesan was frozen. The middle of the eggplant was cold, tough, and had that weird chalky raw-eggplant texture. I tried to eat it but decided to send it back. The server was gracious, and when it came back out it was cooked fully. But frozen veggies? Yuck. Both of the entrees followed the "just okay" trend set by the rest of the meal. We didn't really feel inspired to get dessert. To their credit, the service was good. He was there when we needed him, and he got the problem with my entree fixed effectively. But the food was so blahhh, I would much rather spend an extra $5-$10 and get food that is much better quality. In other words, I won the bet. We won't be back.
(2)tetsuzan R.
Coming from the Mediterranean region, I am always ready to dip my piece of warm bread in the mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and papper, and enjoy washing it down with some cold beer. The appetizers are great and fresh and make my mouth and soul happy. The tiramisu is a must if you know to appreciate italian food, and it goes well with espresso or macchiato. Easy to find room, especially if I call and reserve a table :) In case I just drop by and find no more room I can always enjoy the wonderful attention of the bartenders and have my meal by an open fireplace. Take my advice and make sure to reserve a table during the weekends!!! Oh, and if you like romantic setting you can ask for a booth otherwise there plenty tables and chairs. The amazing waiters of Romoano's Macaroni Grill can: 1) sing Happy Birthday in Italian like opera singers. 2) write their names and the specials upside down real fast on the table and some can do it with more than one crayon at once. Importent to know - 5:30 to 7:00 PM - Happy Hour - drinks and appetizers are half the price. Go for it :)
(4)Megan M.
We have come here a handful of times and I was never really impressed until last night. Our server Shawn was great, drinks were ALWAYS full, he was there when we needed him and not when we wanted our space. The food was great and hot, I normally order something different until I find something I really like, I got the Shrimp Alfredo and my husband got the Chicken Alfredo. The sauce could have used a bit more seasoning, but it was good. The extra cost for the shrimp wasn't worth it, $5 for 4 shrimp, sure they were on the larger size but if it had mentioned on the menu it was just four I would have gone for the chicken which was much more obvious in my husbands meal. The kids menu is a bit pricey but the food was excellent, the pizza and mac and cheese were both homemade and fantastic. It also comes with ice cream and a drink, if you are nice sometimes they will let you substitute fresh strawberries instead of ice cream (our children aren't allowed to have ice cream) for no charge. The appetizers are great, the crab stuffed mushrooms have to have been hands down the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. Not too soggy and TONS of crab. The Mozzarella Fritta was good as well, the tomato sauce that comes with it is amazing. We will be going back again and again!
(5)Nicole L.
I used to frequent Macaroni Grill for Sunday lunch with my family a while back and it is definitely not the same. Everything has gotten smaller it seems. I think I remember there being a lot more items on the menu and the portions are a lot less than before. I always order the chicken marsala and always have to get a to-go box, but this time there were only 3 litte pieces of chicken and not too much pasta. Even the piece of lasagna my friend ordered looked a lot smaller. Not what I'm used to when eating hearty Italian. Italians can eat! But I'm pretty sure the prices are higher if not the same. The service was awesome, I still get so amazed when the servers write their names on the table paper upside down. Lol.
(3)Jocelyn S.
i've eaten at Macaroni Grill several times before and my experience was fine, but my recent experience was quite different... i've gotten a Mac Grill gift card for Christmas from one of my friends, so the BF and i decided to have dinner there so that we could use it. we entered the restaurant and the hostess at the counter was unwelcoming. no greeting at all. there was no "hello" or "welcome to Macaroni Grill" or not even a smile. my BF told her "table for 2" and she told us waiting time was gonna be 50 minutes. so ok fine, we waited outside then moved our way inside to sit. i sat nearby where the hostess was. i observed that she kept on changing waiting times. first couple people, she had told them it was an hour wait... and not even 5 mintues later, she'd say 30 or 15 minute wait to another set of people. i knew she was trying to get rid of potential customers that was told it was gonna be an hour wait... not sure why since there were some empty tables around. finally, it was our turn to be called. our waiter seemed pleasant. he does the standard procedure of the olive oil and pepper onto the small plate to dip the bread in. unfortunately, he didn't even bring us bread, so it wasn't used at all... in the meantime, we were just entertaining ourselves with scribbling stuff on the paper table cloth, which is a nice distraction as we wait for our food. the dish i usually order and enjoy is their 2 pork chops with risotto and broccoli. when we got our food, i noticed my pork chop order looked completely different from what i remembered it used to be. now it was just one single pork chop and a small portion of the risotto. honestly, it was not worth the price. but i did like the presentation of the dish. looked liked it came from those fine dining places. unfortunately, the risotto didn't seem to be cooked properly. *sigh* i was kinda disappointed but i was hungry so whatever, i ate it. *hehe* i noticed that our waiter didn't check up on us as much as how he waited on the other tables. we were done with our food and decided to order dessert. another server brought out our dessert, but didn't even include utensils for us. it was a good thing our waiter came walking by. i called him back to let him know that we needed utensils. we ordered the Ricotta Cheesecake. BF and i enjoyed it because it wasn't too sweet and it had this lemon taste that enhanced the flavor to it. overall, i do like the ambiance of this restaurant. it has that Italiano flare to it. just wished that they haven't changed the pork chop dish. other than that, this place ain't that bad. i'm not gonna say that i won't be coming here again, cuz i probably will come back. it's just that the recent experience i had this time wasn't the greatest. they just need to do some improvements.
(3)Scott H.
Quality has really declined. I used to love getting the baked herb bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar...but even the bread they serve is horrible. No texture, bland, almost mealy in your mouth. My wife and I did not even finish one loaf. Highlights: 1) Our server was great. Kept the glass wet all night, was really on top of things. 2) The fettuccine alfredo was much improved. More like Bucca Di Peppo now, if that's the kind of fettuccine alfredo you like (and I do). The Bad: Wife's Pasta Milano was horrible. I've the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes over powered everything. Bow tie pasta was under-cooked. Could not taste anything else in the meal, very imbalanced. The Smothered Chocolate cake. HUGE disappointment. We had the three course meal, which we both ordered this desert. Horrible./ Tasted like it was missing egg, nothing holding the ingredients together. No texture! Did not have any flavor, and the sauce, which was good, we definitely NOT smothering the cake. Not enough sauce to hide the horrible platter of a cake it was served on.
(1)Serenie S.
I've been here a few times. I recently got the Eggplant Marinara? It was good. I had a guy named Aaron as a waiter. He was nice. It's an moderate pricing. I think around $20 a person. Not really worth waiting 45-60 minutes to get seated but if it's not busy I'd go.
(4)Chaplain Andrew W.
I'm a seasoned veteran of Macaroni Grill elsewhere. Pensacola, Providence and Riverside all do a GREAT job. I've been to the Honolulu grill twice now -- really not on par with the chain overall. Service is OK -- kind of lax. Wine tastes watered down. All the other grills let you pour your own and it's not in a juice glass. Last night my meal wasn't even warm. Maybe it was somebody's leftovers? Did I complain? Well, somebody other than our server delivered the food and then our server never came to check on us again. Another kind-hearted waiter finally came over and gave my wife more water. Thanks Romano's for great food and service elsewhere, but we won't come back to this one any more.
(2)David C.
I came here for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Our waiter was super cool and friendly. He used the crayons to write his name and make it into a smiley face. The food was really good as well. I got a chicken thing with a small pasta with cherry tomatoes. It was really good at offered at a reasonable price. Their sherbert is also really good. The flavors may be a little different, coconut and guava, but still good.
(4)Liane F.
Love this place for a franchise! The veggie pizza is awesome.
(4)Alyssa K.
Service is A+ I must say. My favorite dish so far is the Parmesan crusted artichoke appetizer.
(4)Cheryl K.
Typical mainland chain but not so bad. The food is decent and the prices are average. I always order the Sangria to drink and keep forgetting not to order it because its not that good. I recently ate the lasagna and my fiance had the chicken parmesan. The food is okay but not spectacular or memorable. It always seems to be busy when we go there. The service is good and I love drawing with crayons on our paper table cloths. Except one time I got a paper cut from it. Ouch! Overall good experience!
(4)Shannon C.
I really like the bruschetta and their house bread. Oh and the blackberry iced tea. Not much of a fan for the entrees here. The pizzas aren't that great either.
(3)Tracy L.
As part of a vegan/social experiment, I quickly found that Hawai'i doesn't offer too many places for someone to eat. Oddly enough, I was at Romano's Macaroni Grill recently and while sitting at the bar and staring at the basket of bread, was told by the waiter that they did offer up some great items. They have a "build your own pasta" menu which is a piece of paper with pre-printed categories on it. You choose your type of pasta (all their pasta is egg-free!), the veggies, and sauce. They also offer up dishes for those folks who are wheat/gluten sensitive too!
(3)Anita L.
Funny how this chain pops up everywhere. I didn't think Ala Moana Center needed one with its many food establishments, but I guess someone felt one was needed. It just opened recently and serves up the same stuff as all its other locations. Good if you're with kids and it's a solid menu which isn't too expensive. The funny thing is that the food, though the same is about $2 more than its locations within the mainland of the US. The stuff tastes a little different too. I ordered the chicken caesar salad which I've ordered on so many occasions at other Macaroni Grills and it arrived with different salad leaves and also, shredded chicken instead of chunks of chicken. Naturally there was less of the chicken because shredded makes it look like there is more when in fact there is less. The portions are also slightly smaller here than on the mainland. What's going on here????
(2)Ryan O.
A Mainland chain, sure, but one certainly welcome in a town that hungers for more (if not better) Italian options. We went during their soft-opening, and again last week, and loved it. Family friendly (a plus for us and our three kids), decent portions for a reasonable price. The kitchen speed has been a bit uneven - main courses sometimes beat the salad or appetizers to your table - but the servers are sharp and friendly and no dishes were lacking in richness or flavor (I always end up taking almost half of my order home). As with the opening of other major chains (notably the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki), right now the line to get in can be long -- show up at 6 p.m. on a Friday, and you'll have to wait an hour or more. But, at least with its location within Honolulu's retail Mecca, there's no shortage of things to browse to pass the time. Presumably, in a few months, the lines will subside (especially as other new dining options open in Hookipa Terrace).
(4)Kai C.
i love their bread, it's worth going just for the bread. The entree's are good too for affordable prices.
(4)Bina D.
My husband and I had dinner at the restaurant a few days ago. The first thing I noticed was the crayons and the paper to draw on. So very classy. I ordered the lasagna and it was so bland, a very boring taste. My husband had the Chicken Cannelloni and it was flavorless as well. I don't understand why people come back to this place. A frozen lasagna from he grocery store is much better. I will not be coming back. The service was good though, we got a very attentive waiter.
(2)Zoe B.
We like their pizza and also the pasta there. We think the pasta was great and we like the 'create your own' option too. The chocolate cake was tasty as well. We like to eat there once in a while (due to price). The taste was good for sure.
(4)Tammie C.
We go to this restaurant a lot, one for it's convenience if you've been shopping like a mad woman...and two because the food is pretty good! However, do not go if you are already hungry and want to eat within the next 10-15 minutes. Because the wait alone is at least 20 minutes, and more if it's a weekend. I personally love the build your own pastas...it's quite a heaping of food and I always have left overs for the next day. Out of the many times we've eaten there, we only received bad service once...and that was from a waitress "Melia"....she was very talented at writing her name upside down with crayons...kudos for that....but she sucked @$$ at service. Melia if you happen to read this....Sorry to "out" you...but I was shocked at your zombie like attitude, the fact that you never came to check up on us after our food was slowly delivered, and the fact that we had to wait 10 minutes to find you to get our check. Instead of practicing on writing your name beautifully upside down, maybe you should practice a little more on your service. All in all, food is pretty good and moderately priced. The waiters singing Italian opera to birthday people are always entertaining.
(3)L K.
First time I went there I didn't care for the dish I got, but kept going anyway. And by the fifth time, I like it. The atmosphere is cool, and the little kid in me loved the crayons to write on the paper table cloths. It's always pretty busy when I pass by, and when I go in too. The prices are decent. I had this cheesy filled pasta, it was good. And the house bread they bring is actually quite tasty and soft. Tried their pomegranate martini, that was yummy. And the sorbet is good too, unless you are hoping for sweet, it isn't sweet. My friend who had some with me made the most hilarious faces as he ate it. Wish I took a picture of that.
(4)John O.
Very crowded, at least when I went there... Food was just o-kay, and the portions were really big, not sure why? I ordered lasagna and it must of weighed like ten pounds. Not sure why people think bigger is better??? I ordered a martini that was too strong and took them like 40 minutes to deliver. So strong I had to add ice too it and still was bad. All in all, too much - too much!!! Will never come here again!
(2)Erika R.
Last Saturday me and my auntie and three of my children went for lunch at Macaroni Grill. Our waiter was nice enough and we enjoyed bruschetta while we waited for our meal. We had ordered spinach salad with scallops, mushroom ravioli, and chicken scallopini along with the kids dishes. The server brought the kids food and we continued to snack on the bread and olive oil and our bruschetta. 50 minutes later the kids were getting tired, having finished their food ages ago, and our food still hadn't arrived. When we finally located our waiter he said he'd check on our order and put a rush on it. Ten minutes later he still hadn't returned and me and my auntie were done waiting. Tired and hungry we stood up to pay for what we had eaten when out came our waiter with our food! But it was too late after the one hour delay. We were ready to go. Luckily the general manager noticed what was going on and asked me what had happened. After hearing the story he comped all the food and gave it to us to go. They also gave us gift certificates and his business card and told us to call him before our next visit so he could make sure everything went smoothly. I gave one star because I love the food but everything else was terrible!!!
(1)Jean P.
I've been here more than a few times and have never eaten anything that I wasn't satisfied with. The food is very tasty though it's very filling. Come hungry because the portions are large. The only downside is that it's pretty much always busy but I think the fact that it's busy is a testament to how good the food is.
(4)Brian P.
No way, not going here again. Not unless someone else is offering to pay, and even then I'll only go if I can't get them to eat someplace else. I've given this place way too many chances and it always seems to disappoint. Although the bread is warm it does not taste good, filled with so many herbs it starts tasting like a spice rack. The pasta sauces are bland and you can tell that their lasagna comes from a freezer because the middle is still cold. And their pizzas taste weird. The sauce is too sweet and their cheese comes off all together like a sheet in one bite. Coming from Wisconsin where using good cheese on a pizza is a no-brainer, this is really unacceptable. I've given this place many many chances to redeem itself, tried something different each time, and it is just plain bad everytime. Sorry to be so negative but it had to be said.
(1)Jesse W.
7/23/10: Last minute dinner, wife and I had a cooperative baby and decided to hang around Ala Moana mall to find a restaurant. We went up to the fourth level food court area and, frankly, weren't thrilled with all the dining options. Anyways, we've been to this chain restaurant - back in our ex-home in California, we went to the San Mateo location and this experience was very similar. I ordered their tomato leek soup which came out almost the opposite that I expected. It wasn't a creamy soup but rather almost a minestrone type soup with LOTS of lima beans. My entree was the blue cheese salad, very OK and mediocre, it was served with some iceberg lettuce that was a bit tired. Anyways, service was great, responsive and very helpful (they are very kid friendly).
(3)Jeff S.
Got to love the bread!!!!!! The Ala Moana location has very fast service. They also have this opera-like singer that sings happy birthday to people. I could really do without it. Other than that it is your standard corporate italian restaurant so what could be bad?
(4)Al V.
Wow this place has gone DOWNHILL,, #1 menu got smaller,#2 No such thing as bread az soon as you get seated(had to ask for it) , this place really looks GLOOMY now.. kind of BORING now days,, As for food not anything to go back for anymore, ANd I really liked this place , Service, staff , food were all good a year ago.. Needless to say I wont be going back here anytime soon, I have read the reviews on Yelp wihich were mostly negative, But figgured just check it out annyways,, And THE REVIEWS WERE RIGHT!! Daam this place neds NEW MANAGEMENT,, What Happened to the CLOTH NAPKINS,, Although our waiter Darrel tried his best,, FOOD JUST WASNT HAPPENING, Fact I didnt even eat half,, Its in my refridgerator now and dont think i will eat it. ,
(1)Julia P.
the food was pretty good! i enjoy the pizza and almost ate it all and they appetizers was pretty good overall had great time !
(4)Sara H.
this place is awesome! i'm fairly easy to please i suppose - the free bread is delicious and the crayons/paper table cloths are so fun! :) i could go on and on, blah blah about how the food is good, service is decent, yada yada but i think the best selling point is the HAPPY HOUR. $3 beer and wine and 1/2 off appetizers from like 5 to 7 PM DAILY. disclaimer though - they just changed the menu so i'm not positive on the happy hour deals. check it out!
(4)Jenni S.
Love the lemon cello dessert! Sometimes we go there just for that.
(5)Mindy K.
Just had to say, this meal was bad from the moment we stepped inside. It wasn't only the slightly pukey, smell of unwashed floors, the bad service, the messed up orders, or the unaccountably smoky and overly winy flavor of my mushroom ravioli, which I did eat, but which wasn't worth $15. It wasn't just that they put hot salami (which I know sounds vaguely pornographic but forutunately was not) rather than pepperoni on the kids' $5 pepperoni pizzas. The worst of it is I wasted the gift certificates that I could have used at Chili's. (Isn't that sad?) I won't be coming back.
(2)Anjelika J.
ate here for lunch today... gross. my pasta was so salty, i had to down 2 cokes in 5 minutes. my food was inedible. i never cared for the flavor of the food here, but i have to say that the "quality" of the food has gone down. the bread is smaller, the glasses (i swear) are smaller. on the plus side, the servers are still nice! 2 stars for the servers.
(2)Jana M.
So four days before we went for dinner I called in for a reservation. When we got there we were seated right in the entry area closest to the hostess podium under a large ac vent where my 3 year old daughter and her two year old friend shivered through dinner. Because of the ac vent our food got cold as soon as we got it. Service was awful, my friend asked for a children's water to which we never received. They also seem to be cutting back, our waiter only poured us olive oil for our bread and no balsamic vinegar, so we asked for some and he said "sure!" and again never returned with it. Dinner was at 6:30 and we didn't get out until 8:30, with two kids 3 and under it was too long for a "family" chain restaurant. Food wasn't too bad, I had the shrimp spiedini and it was yummy, mom had the pasta Milano and it was ok, my daughter had the grilled chicken with broccoli and that was what it was. This wasn't my first time going there but I've decided that this will now be my last.
(3)Jeff I.
Every time I ask someone about this place, half of them say it was great, and the other half says that it was disappointing. Personal experience give me a middle of the road feeling. I had a chicken pesto pizza that was ok. I would have ordered pasta, but since I was paying, I had to keep the cost down. Oh yeah, and the tables are covered with paper and you are provided with crayons to go crazy with.
(4)Danielle M.
Dined at this place a couple times, and i gotta say even though this place is always crowded, but is definitely worth the wait!! Recommend: Prosciutto e Arugula Pizza, Scallops & Spinach Salad, Mushroom Ravioli, Lobster Ravioli, Sausage Salentino, Grilled Pork Chop with mushroom risotto (the best)
(4)Shirley Mina Y.
On my way to work yesterday, I remembered to redeem my free chocolate cake coupon, since it was about to expire. I had gotten it since I was on their email list. I only wish it wasn't for a chocolate dessert, since I haven't been able to eat any chocolate since August 2010. It was okay since I gave it away.
(5)Yu T.
We came here because everywhere was so busy and long wait. We were seated right away, no wait. We were 3 of us. We all had bad meal. We felt so bad coming here. Our server was overly friendly. It wasn't comfortable. There was a piece of plastic in one of my dishes.
(1)KT R.
Went here for dinner last night. Food was ok (kind of bland in my opinion, though the other people I was with didn't have any complaints) but I was honestly impressed with the service. Our waiter took our order by memory (always a risky thing to do) and forgot about the appetizer we ordered for the table. Since it was a little late in the meal to backtrack and bring it out, he gave us a free dessert (chocolate cake - probably the same one they use for birthdays :P) big enough to share instead. I was really surprised by this since it's a chain restaurant and we didn't give him a hard time or anything about having forgotten the app. Definitely made a good impression...
(3)Norm G.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the food here. Being a chain restaurant, I thought "no way!" But, my wife and I were tired from shopping, so we walked in a bit after 5 pm. The waiter was funny and friendly, I had a nice glass of merlot, and the entree was flavorful. I'm glad we came early, because the line was out the door when we left the place. I will definitely come here again.
(4)Rekinhsuf Z.
After being seated, did not even get water for nearly 20 minutes, at which point my wife and I took our hungry infant daughter to someplace where we could at least be served. Hostess and onlooking workers did not even apologize. Shame.
(1)Happy M.
I've visted Macaroni Grill many times, and I've never had a bad dining experience yet. I prefer eating their bread with a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the olive oil dip. I like their calamari fritti, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and shrimp, pasta milano, grilled pork chops, and eggplant parmesean. Their twice baked lasagna with meatballs and lobster ravioli had a weird taste, and the sausage and pepper classico tasted better the day after. If it's your birthday, you get a free smothered chocolate cake (yummy!), and they sing to you in Italian.
(4)Linda K.
Enjoyed a late friday night dinner with my husband, his first time here. This was maybe my third time and I have to say, each dish was quite delish. The first time I ordered a chicken breast w/portabella mushroom dish (no longer on the menu). The second was a shrimp angel haired pasta and last night was the Rib eye steak, asparagus w/potato side. Our server was "Nelli", I was very pleased that she double checked that I requested my steak "medium well" instead of "medium rare". Rarely do waiters double check and end up bringing me the rare deal. This dish was very satisfying! My hubby ordered the same and thought this was the best steak dish; although, I had to remind him of the juicy melt in your mouth steaks from Ruths Chris. It's been years since we ate there though. Anyway, we shared the tiramisu, a winner for moi. Anyway, the cut potato made with tomato's was seasoned well with olive oil was the bomb. I enjoyed it more than the steak itself. Oh, and to mention, the calamari appetizer was perfecto! Two thumbs up to Chef Fred who just made our date night!
(4)Stacey K.
what happened to this place??? I went here today and was sooo disappointed. the bread SUCKS now, it used to be so good I had to stop myself from eating over 1 table's serving.. I always got the chicken marsala with broccoli instead of noodles which was yummy but now it was pretty gross. really went down the poo hole. don't bother. go cpk instead or the food court would have even been better..
(1)K. I. S.
Went with a group of 9 and were seated in the bar..... a good thing since there was a football game on that could be watched if you thought ahead to sit on THAT side of the table. Since we do not usually eat in bars, we were a little unaware of this upside. As for the food, there are some changes in the menu so what you see if not what you can get..... do menu changes occur so quickly that new menus can't be printed in time or ??? Anyway, it was very confusing for me to hear the waiter recite the "what we used to have but don't have anymore"--- why tell me about it if it isn't available? Anyway, to make a long story short, I took his advice and ended up with Lemon Chicken with Rigatoni and spinach in a cream sauce and my husband ordered the "double-thick pork chop with risotto" which is on the new but not yet printed menu. My husband's comment later was that the pork chop was nothing to write home about and my taste of the mushroom/green pea risotto was el dente (which is not as it should be). My lemon chicken with rigatoni had the thinnest cream sauce I have ever had.... it was more like "no-fat milk rather than cream" sauce. My strawberry Italian soda came in a tall VERY THIN glass with LOTS of ice and very little Italian soda for $3.50. Very $$$ considering the glass and ice. We had the artichoke dip as an appetizer and that was OK but not impressive either. I can make better stuff at home, I think. We passed on desserts which were pretty pricy and, after the meal, I could not be enticed to even share one with my husband to even get a taste of the tiramisu. Maybe we should eat at my house next time??? The best part of the meal was that we were there for the happy our so the other 8 people could get cheap drinks and SOME of the appetizers were half-price also. But for me, not so great food even at half-price is still not a good meal. I'd pass on this place unless I really wanted spaghetti and meat balls or something that I don't have high hopes for..... just basic pasta and bread. Big plus is all the free parking at Ala Moana Center :)
(3)Clintonn M.
ate hear after work on monday dec 5th, yes on a monday.. walked up to the hostess stand and was quoted a 25 minute wait... So that was okay, being that we were not the only walk-ins and they have reservations to tend too. but waiting 45 minutes to be seated with open tables available was very alarming.. then 10 minutes to get a drink order, which was only sodas and we ordered our entrees at the same time.. 40 f***ing minutes later our chicken marsala and chicken parmesan finally came out.. That is over 6 refills of soda later. by that time, so filled up on soda, that I didn't care to eat.. WONT GO BACK, Why pay for overpriced food if you will be let down...
(1)Eric M.
Went @ 630pm but still had a 15 min wait for a table. Popular place combined with happy hour winding down. Food is decent and not too expensive. Service was good. Noise level high as this joint was jumpin when all tables filled.
(3)Susan F.
It was my bf's grandma's birthday yesterday and his family wanted to take her to dinner at Macaroni Grill. I've eaten here once before, but wasn't impressed with what I ate. So prior to dinner, I went to their website to check out their menu so I would know what to order prior to going in. It seemed like most of their pasta dishes were chicken dishes (which I'm not a big chicken fan). So I decided to get the spinach and scallop salad... but of course when we sit down and open the menus the salad isn't on the menu. After sitting there staring at the menu thinking to myself, "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken", "I don't want chicken". I decided to order the "create your own pasta". I wasn't too happy about this because I didn't care for the noodle selections : Spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, or bowtie. I got the spaghetti with arrabbiata (spicy red sauce), with spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. When our food arrived, my pasta didn't have the roasted garlic in it, which in the end I was happy because the garlic that was in my bf's pasta tasted like it was moldy or spoiled (it was so bad that he removed them from his dish). Jeff, our server wasn't very attentive either, because I had to request several times for our water to be refilled and for bread. Overall, I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill, but it isn't terribly bad.
(3)Keane L.
PISS-poor service. Waitress barely looked at us, as if she were afraid: when she wrote her name on the table, when she filled our drinks.. Not a single glance or comment. I blame the newness factor of this restaurant. When Chili's was first opened in Kapolei, the waiters sat around talking to each other. Time will improve this restaurant. Food was good, but a bit on the pricier side. I'm not fond of the view from that side. Looking into the mountains was always boring to me compared to looking out at the sea and sun. I would gladly go to a Macaroni Grill again (it beats Olive Garden in the category of faux-Italian), but I'll stick to the ones in California until this one "grows up..."
(2)Dave T.
Went to celebrate our daughter's birthday. They had a "happy birthday" seat ready for her, which made her happy. Our server, Cat, was friendly and cordial. She explained the menu to us and answered our questions. Our food was delicious, with the right amount of seasoning (last visit a couple of years ago, I remembered that everything was on the salty side). Our daughter had her complimentary birthday cake and ice cream, but the highlight was having our server, Cat, sing happy birthday in Italian (she's an opera singer). Thank you for the wonderful evening.
(4)Mari T.
just went here b/c i had a free dessert coupon. terrible service. dessert was skimpy, but pretty good. strawberries and cream w/ an almond biscotti. definitely wouldn't pay $7 for that tho. with the fat-filled dishes and short-tempered help, i don't think i'll be going back any time soon.
(2)Winnie C L.
12 of us went to Macaroni Grill, we made a reservation for 10, but they are willing to accommodate to 12 of us. Don't get me wrong food was good (Okay, not super good), all food came out fast, but our waiter disappear most of her time, it seems like to me they are under staff, they were not able to handle big party and large volume. Every time we need something we have to wait for a while, we did not get immediate attention, no one came up ask how was the food. I think their service was terrible. We were there to celebrate our friend bday, they drop off the cake with an unlighted candle, not surprise at all to our friend AND we have to wait for over 20 minutes to have someone sang "Happy Birthday". I am sorry they really don't deserve 18% tips, but we did give them. And we will NEVER come back any more. There are many other restaurant better than this. It was an awful experience to celebrate bday. You got to wait.
(2)Ed K.
a friend gave us a $80 gift card to go try this place out and so we went to go check it out. across of tsukiji, above pearl, same escalator. hookipa terrace. the service was unique.. wait staff wrote his name on the table with crayons. *clap *clap *clap. the stuffed mushroom appetizer was tasty, but didn't have crab in it like the yelp pictures denotes. entrees are $15ish. honestly.. to sum it up was major rip off.. my bro had chicken parmigiana. it looked like cafeteria pasta. i had mama's spaghetti and instantly noticed they added dairy to it because it was sour. tip: go with corn starch to make the sauce thick. yacked it all out right after dinner. however, the loaf of bread on which they serve as appetizer was fresh, crispy, and soft. olive garden is way better if they had one in 808. straight up.
(1)Shelley K.
I used to love coming here to eat, but now I don't really care to go. They took off all of my favorites off their menu. And now all of their food is just way too salty!! Go somewhere else for better Italian food.
(2)Al D.
This place was a huge disappointment. The service is bad. The waitstaff hardly checked up on us and took forever to bring us our pizza. They were very unapologetic and so we just canceled our order. We did get to try some appetizers though. The mushrooms and the spinach dip. I really don't get why people are posting pictures of the mushrooms as if they good or something. They're not. They're tiny and the stuffing is 90% bread crumbs, 10% canned crab. The spinach dip came in a tiny dish and was super bland. It was labled spinach artichoke dip on the menu but there was no artichoke in it so I'll just call it spinach dip. I don't know why people wait in line to eat here. The best thing I had was my beer and that's because the restaurant didn't make it.
(2)Juli P.
I have always loved this reastraunt but this evening while our server was wonderful our food was not. We were dismayed by the new menu, and when our carbonara was undercooked not even al dente the manager brought it back and told us that is how it is supposed to be. I am said it was as close to olive garden as we could get. Next time I will go to Ricados in Pearl City!
(1)Courtney T.
i'm surprised to see so many people with negative reviews. Maybe i've just been lucky, but i've eaten here at least 4 times, and i've always had a stellar experience. Well, the first time I ate here was when it first opened and a busboy dropped a bunch of glasses while cleaning up, but since then, i think they've really improved. I've only ordered pastas, as they're pretty much my favorite food, and have been happy with all of them. I can't remember the names of them, but i've never gotten something i wasn't happy with here. It's cute how they have paper over the tablecloths so you can draw. It also helps how the waiter writes his name on it so you can remember what his name is. It can get pretty busy at times, so you should make a reservation if possible. Also a side note, if you order their house white wine, it is a HUGE bottle, but they wrap it up for you to take home. The singing hostesses are the best! it really makes you feel like you're in an italian place. Cat is so awesome!
(5)Consuela P.
I admit my boss is da best! Last November, he treated all of us at the office to lunch at the newly (not so new now) at a new Italian restaurant at Ala Moana SC called Romano's Macaroni Grill. I simply love Italian food! We started off with the Romano's Sampler ~ a platter of Tomato Bruschetta, Mozzarella Fritta and Calamari; served with a zesty sauce. I ordered the Shrimp Portofino ~ it was good and garlicky! And to complete my meal, I simply had to have the tiramisu for dessert. The ambiance is really nice as all of its tables were draped in white linen; that's covered with butcher paper and crayons to allow guests to creatively express themselves. We went crazy doodling away! Everyone said good things about their food and our server was always attentive and friendly. In my opinion, it's a fun and casual place to gather for a great meal with friends and family. Before leaving we took a group photo by their decorated Christmas tree.
(4)John A.
Portions got smaller : (
(3)Glenn N.
Been here 6x. Don't really care for their rustic mediterranean meals. Their "Lobster Ravioli" was tasty but it seems they skimp on the lobster fillings. Can anyone suggest the ultimate Italian restaurant?
(3)Brooke M.
So this is where Mom picked for her birthday dinner. Yay. For the amount of money they extorted from us, we could've gone to Sabrina's and had a wonderful dinner of authentic, non-greasy Italian food. So, they seat you at a table covered in paper (ooh, classy) and then the server writes her name on the paper upside down with a crayon (wow, impressive). They tell you about their house "Chianti" which is made in California (never mind that "Chianti" is name protected by Italian law and must come from Chianti). Then they give you some crappy hard rosemary flavored bread without butter, expecting you to use that economy size bottle of the most flavorless olive oil ever made that's sitting there on the table. Then the food comes out- wrong in my mom's case, pools of oil in mine, and nothing for my dad! I was done eating by the time they brought his! Crap crap crap! Oh, and the "Learn to speak Italian" cd that's playing in the bathroom is a little disconcerting... CRAP!
(1)Nikki N.
I am a fan because when I went last time a waiter Kat sang happy birthday to a party and I liked it so our waiter had her come over and sing something. It was so beautiful! I like the food there because it is always so tasty. The portions are big and I always have left overs to take home. The bread and crayons keep you occupied while you wait for your food which is great for groups and family dinners.
(4)Jo H.
i went there for the first time for a friend's birthday, and i'm never going back there again! we had a private room and our server was NOT attentive. the only time she actually came around was when she was waiting for us to pay. and the food was not good. i would definitely rather go to assaggios or something. i had the veal parmesan and the veal was soggy tasting and just odd. the marinara sauce was watery and weak tasting. then my friend and i got an order of the kids mac and cheese to share and it was awful. it wasn't creamy at all nor was it delicious and cheesy. it was just a messy clump. all in all, it was not a pleasant experience and i will not be back.
(1)Jasen N.
came here for the happy hour. with half off appetizers, i was excited. we ordered the sampler, roasted vegetables, and crab stuffed mushrooms. the food was okay, nothing really special. calamari was kinda cold and wasn't crispy, big disappointment. they need more waiters on the lounge side as i had to wait a long time just to get a water refill. we got all that for $18 plus tip, not bad at all. btw, happy hour is only on the lounge side!
(3)Gayle N.
A year or so ago, I would rate this place five stars. Now, not even this one is low enough. Their service has gone way downhill. Waithelp are uncaring, loud and obnoxious. I ordered a martini and got half a glass, told him that I wanted it filled up and he said that the bartender refused saying that I had ordered a "shot" (in a martini glass???). The food on the "new and improved" menu ... only one word describes it...horrific. I used to order the seafood linguine and this time got something that was warned to me that woud be spicy, just completely limp and tasteless. We wanted more cocktails but wait help no where to be found. I'm with Bucca D. Hit or miss! and lately, it's been MISS!!! What happened to you guys?????
(1)Lynne W.
I hadn't been here for a while (a year) and so I was supremely disappointed in the food quality. It was noticeably different, like they had changed vendors or something. Really marginal food. Marginal Italian is the worst. I would skip this place until they raise their standards.
(2)Jessie L.
So the first time I went to this place I was with my boyfriend and a friend on her birthday, and we were using some giftcards we got for xmas. We sat down and had fun playing with the crayons and paper table cloth. Our server was friendly and prompt, the prices were a little pricy so we each just ordered an entree. I ordered the chicken scaloppine. The dish was a decent sized portion, but tasted a little plain. After a few bites I was throughly disappointed at the lack of flavor. My boyfriend ordered some sort of a trio with pasta, lasagna, and a ravioli, after the waiter recommended it was huge and worth the extra price. When his came out, it definetly did not stand up to the exagerations the waiter made, and he was also not satisfied with the taste of the dish. All in all, the food and price was a two thumbs down, however they did give us a big piece of chocolate cake for my friends birthday and sang a solo tune at our table. That by far was the highlight of the meal, turned out our waiter could really bust a tune. The chocolate cake although a nice thought, had no icecream with it and was extremly chocolatety so after about one bite each became unbearable to finish. Now heres the kicker, remember how I said we were using giftcards? Well we get the bill, and the waiter took quite awhile getting back to us, so we used our two gift cards equaling thirty dollars and left the rest in cash and left. As we are getting into our car in the parking lot, all of a sudden out server comes running out of the restaurant yelling at us that we didnt pay our bill!!! He finally makes it across the lot to us, huffing and puffing saying we shorted him and need to pay up. We explain that part of the money was left in giftcards and the rest in cash including a tip! He continued to argue and made me go back into the restaurant. At this point I demanded a manager, who after hearing what happened and seeing what we left apologized for the server who apparently didnt even bother to check the giftcards balances. So UNPROFESSIONAL, never in all my years dining out and working in restaurants would anybody do such a thing without even making sure they were right or not first. Plus, due to the fiasco we ended up missing the movie we had planned for after dinner. To rectify it the manager offered us some giftcards and refused to just give back our money for the meal..! What good our the gift cards when we will never be coming back here again!!!
(1)Dan R.
Since there are a ton of reviews, I'll keep this short and hopefully helpful. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. and stand around the whole time listening because they don't have the buzzers. No huge deal-if the food is good. The inside is pretty atmospheric, but we got seated in a section surrounded by kids, and it felt like a school lunchroom. Not a great date spot. But maybe you'll get lucky, we saw some booths that looked a lot more private. The waitress said she'd bring bread right away. We were starving after the 45 minute vigil. 15 minutes and 3 reminders from us later we finally got one small loaf to share between three (after other table seated after us). The food-we had the trio and a pasta with chicken and lemon cream sauce- were fine. Except the burned lasagna sucked. But super heavy on the butter and cream. So the first bites are great, but towards the end no one wanted to finish their food. The old saying :"put enough butter and cream in and anything tastes good" seems to be the motto. If you want a big ol' slug of cheese and butter, this place is for you. If you like a few more seasonings, and your arteries, keep looking.
(2)Ro R.
i've been to the ala moana macaroni grill about four times now and they were all OK, but my last visit had to be the worst. we went there to have a nice little birthday dinner for our friend. and i remember they sing the 'birthday song' in italian. our party of four waited for over an hour to get seated. the hostess asked if we could be placed over to the far left side and i said 'fine', thinking that we'd be seated faster. but no, everyone else that came after us--parties of four or more--were seated before us. then we ordered a specific wine on the menu, they didn't have it. i ordered the ravioli, they didn't have that as well. of course that's not their fault, right? whatever. we ordered an appetizer, but our waiter seemed to have forgotten about it because our entrees came out. and those entrees took a while. we weren't happy. we did request for the birthday-ditty and we were done. i've been to the macaroni grills in the mainland and their service is faaar better than the service here. And for some reason, the food tastes better there than it does here too. i hope to never eat at the ala moana restaurant ever again!
(2)Twotones W.
Comedian Ray Romano's macaroni grill.. Lets start off by saying if u "Lie" italian food or in the demographic reigon of Ala moana shopping center. You have to check this place out. Conviently hidden across the "Mai Tai Bar" with really hot waitresses! This place gets real busy around dinner time, waiting time is approximately 20-30 minotes... Once seated we noticed the table which we were seated at was kinda uncomfortable idk probably it was jus me "Hot date" wink wink. We ordered spagehtti/Chicken parmesan and a few heinekens to down the great tasting much fufilling food. Portions were more than i ever expected, Btw dig the kraoyla Krayons to graffiti the table cloth. Feel bad for the person doin the laundry whole lotta bleach!! Service was quite outstanding i should reckon. Every worker that passed our table would stop and ask if we needed anything wow.. I will definetly eat here again!
(3)Christine C.
I was pleasantly surprised- great food and service! It wasn't like my first experience in Iowa, in the 90's. Much better here!
(4)surprise m.
I just ate dinner here tonight and if you're an olive garden fan ( i am) then you'll appreciate this place. no bellini iced tea here but i did order the blackberry mint tea ( sweet already so no sugar added) and I liked it enough for a total of... 6 refills( yup free refills rock!) I really liked the kid friendly tables to doodle on because that kept us busy. waiter was attentive and our drinks were getting refilled so quickly it was impressive. kids food came out first ( phew! drama free visit). they ate the spaghetti w/meatballs and mac and cheese ( no complaints). we ordered the artichoke and shrimp dip (enjoyed it), grilled pork chops (2 huge tender chops served w/ risotto), mama's trio (hubby liked the chicken parmesan and lasagna only) and pasta milano ( if you're a rosemary fan you might enjoy this). we ended our feast w/the dessert dessert dessert.it was tiramisu (moist, enjoyed it), lemon passion (surprise! i liked this one), smothered choc. cake (really rich and topped w/warm syrup and nuts).dinner for a party of 5 was $110. we must've been there on a well staffed night and everyone left satisfied. we'll be back :)
(4)alexis l.
I'm hoping that once the other restaurants that are under construction at ala moana are completed, it'll lessen the wait a little at this and other nearby restaurants. ala moana is a popular place for people to eat and could use quite a few more restaurants to make it more convenient. even though I'm used to macaroni grill from the mainland, i love coming to this particular site. we never wait for a table--instead we're addicted to eating our meals at the bar, where you can seat yourselves if there's space available and order from the regular menu. the bartenders are so friendly and enthusiastic, and will do their best to accomodate special requests. the food is unsurprisingly yummy for a casual everyday meal and the prices are very low for waikiki standards.
(5)Brian L.
Another great meal. My grandma had the mushroom ravioli (you can get 4 or 6 raviolis) and I had the lobster ravioli (5 raviolis). They were both very tasty. I also had a side salad which was great. Our server was nice and the place is always very clean. $46 for three.
(4)Javier C.
This place sucks, food sucks, drinks sucks too. Please dont waste your time or money. BTW My girlfriend went there and her purse was stolen while she went to the bathroom. (Ladies grab on to your purses and dont let them go). The staff was very rude too. Not sure why people are so obssessed with this nasty and tacky place.
(1)DENNIS K.
As with all new restaurants it takes time to mature. Romano's Macaroni Grill is still in that stage. Besides that, I had the Seafood Scampi special when I was there. I'm a hard critic when it comes to seafood especially scallops. Well these were cooked perfectly. The wine we chose complimented the food. The salad was fresh and crisp and the balsamic vingar dressing was excellent. Give this restaurant more time, it will blossom into a culinary oasis among many restaurants there in Ala Moana Center. I like the pager beepers they give you to tell you that your table is ready.
(4)Tim H.
This place sucks.... I mean sucks..... I went last night because friends from the outer island were here and wanted to treat us to dinner. They had a gift certificate. If they didn't have a gift certificate, I would have talked them out of it in a heart beat. I've been there twice before. The first time was OK. They had just opened. My wife and I had dinner at the bar. The bar tender guy was loud mouthed and talked too much. The food was OK. The second time was just bad. I ordered Mama's Trio and it came out still frozen in the center. It was a frozen mass with cold melted cheese on top. Last night I had veal. It was edible, but that's about it. It was soooo salty, and one of the pieces of veal was still raw. I don't understand why they serve undercooked/cold food. Not once did I ever have food come out of their kitchen that I had to blow on it to cool it off. Not once. any dish. never.They say be very careful, the plate is very hot. I think they take the raw food and put it on a hot plate and think it'll be cooked by the time it gets to your table. Don't waste your money. Go to Assagio's or Auntie Pasto's. Or Bacci in Kailua. That is the best Italian on Oahu.
(1)Michael B.
We went to celebrate a birthday and it turned into a nightmare. We had a 6:30 reservation and the food did not arrive until 8 pm. Had we not had guests, we would have walked out. We repeatedly questioned where our food was and why the tables around us, who arrived after us, had already been served and were leaving. I finally spoke with the manager and he was very professional. He offered free deserts and I told him nothing short of comping the entire meal would be acceptable. The meal arrived and we ate a few bites. The meals were salty and cold. What happened in the kitchen, I do not know. As we were leaving, the manager again apologized, as all the staff had done. He offered us coupons to return but I will never. They did waive the entire bill other than $6, what that was for I have no idea and it was worth it to be able to leave. My only regret is that the staff who were not responsible did not get any pay. It was awful, it ruined what should have been a celebration. I encourage you to dine anywhere but here. This seems to be a trend based on the review before mine. Unfortunately I had not read it.
(1)Bethanie C.
not bad :-)
(4)Jo Ann V.
Lucky number 13 of us agreed to meet there for lunch last Sunday without making reservations and much to our delight, the staff was very accomodating. Our short wait was due to the 4 or 5 tables that needed to be positioned for all of us to fit (and expand). Maybe we got there at a good time--11:30AM, because when we left two hours later, there were many clusters of hungry looking folks surrounding the entrance. On the previous 2 or 3 visits to this place, it was just hubby and me and we were happy with the pasta, chianti and overall Tuscan ambience. I love the crispy white paper draped over the tables and the accompanying crayons for the kids (right!). I also love the "How to Speak Italian" tape that entertains the restroom patrons. This recent visit was different but still satisfying, mainly due to our attentive waiter and the speed of getting our food. I ordered the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab in a tomato-cheese sauce, soooo good! Hubby ordered his usual seafood pasta which unfortunately arrived in a white sauce instead of the tomato sauce that he wanted, but our trusty waiter brought it back to the kitchen pronto and returned with the corrected meal in less than 5 minutes. Yes, the servings are humongous and we all took leftovers home. The one thing I found lacking was the absence of the roaming singing hostess--there were 2 of them when we last ate here. I found her charming and she was opera-quality good. Maybe she has Sundays off.
(4)C K.
it's a crowded resturant and the food is ok. Service was great. I like the tomato cream sauce. it wasn't over powering.
(3)J R.
ive had really good and really bad here. not sure why so inconsistent.
(3)Jewelyn T.
Came here for dinner once in 2007 while living on Oahu. I say NO to Romano's! I had of course pasta and it was horrible! Not worth the price either. Never coming back here again. But if you must... it's located on the very top of Ala Moana... lots of free parking... parking is always terrible... unless you come at a reasonable time of day. 1 star for good location... right in the heart of Honolulu.
(1)Xiomara R.
Yeah, yeah... it feels odd going to a chain when you are on touring someplace new. BUT they don't have any of these around SF, and the female portion of this review team has a fond memory of them. So we braved the one in Ala Moana Center and were pretty pleased all around. To start, we had the drink special, Bellini, which was very good. We then dived into a mix of appetizers and pasta, both of which were excellent. The Shrimp, Cannellini Bean & Avocado Crostini were in particular amazing, and something that if we ever get a chance to visit in the future we will probably indulge ourselves on them again. Overall, the only downfall of the place was the high price, which was par the course for Waikiki anyway.
(4)K K.
#NAME?
(2)iris a.
Family of 6 should not dine here... too expensive!! BUT.. the food was good.... Order the calamari, it was bomb... We ordered this feta onion mushroom pizza thing... not good at all.. they burnt it only a little bit & the flavor was just... destroyed! Good classics though... stay away from the entrees... not much flavor if you stray from the pastas and pizzas...
(3)V H.
What happened to this place???? I used to come to this place a lot but not anymore, I'd rather go to Arancino's, The food was bad and the service was worse, so sad to c a good place go bad.
(2)Diane Y.
Don't listen to the people who say the food is flavorless or that the pasta is overcooked. Doubtless, they're either very old people who've lost half their taste buds or hicks who don't understand about al dente pasta and prefer it to be served roughly the same consistency as one might find microwaved Michelina's entrees to be. The food here has a subtle flavor that will escape any palate not sophisticated enough to recognize that good, fresh ingredients were not meant to be doused in a sea of cheesy sauce. The dishes here are simple and rely on quality ingredients like their incredibly fresh grilled shrimp. Our server was a friendly girl with the impressive ability of writing upside down! I must confess I had too much fun with the crayons and paper tablecloth... This place loses one star for its small portions. We haven't forgotten you're a chain restaurant, Macaroni Grill. There's no sense in pretending you're a chic French bistro where patrons overpay for tiny portions to enjoy the ambience.
(4)Lukela B.
Wow tried the Stuff Mushroom that was good and Main course had a Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo. Wow. Also thanks to a good friend chef Fred and The waitress Marilyn for hooking us up and give such good service and advice on tonight's dinner.
(5)Christopher-desiree G.
We got seated within 20 mins., but once we ordered, we didn't get our food until 45 mins. later. Our waitress said they got busy all of a sudden. We've gone there. Before and never had to wait so long for our food. The stuffed mushrooms were good. The mushroom soup was a little spicy. My brother always gets the chicken parmasian so it must be delicious...
(3)Elaine L.
Came here with 2 friends for lunch today, don't think we'll be coming back any time soon. We got a soda and a Leaning Bellini, 2 appetizers and 3 entrees. Soda was fine, since you can't really mess up the soda, but the Leaning Bellini wasn't very good, tasted more like syrupy champagne and cheap rum. We asked our server for some balsamic vinegar for the bread and it took him forever and a day to get it because he was too busy checking on other tables and the couple sitting at the bar (he went to the bar 4 times to refill the couple's drink and chat with them before coming back to our table). By the time he finally came back to our table with the vinegar, we already asked another server to get it for us and were done with the bread and starting on the appetizer that the other server dropped off at our table. The appetizers Calamari and Mozzarella Fritta were good. But our entrees were horrible... We had Mama's Trio, Chicken Marsala, and Seafood Linguine. My Mama's Trio was half burnt and half dried out, the Seafood Linguine was totally dried so the pasta was all stuck together, and the Chicken Marsala tasted bland because they made the sauce too thin (the sauce was a beige brown instead of the usual leathery brown). Before we could send our food back to get it remade, we had to wait for our server to come back to our table, because no one even bothered to look over to our table (we were waiving our hands in the air hoping to catch one of their attention), not the hostess, manager, or servers came to check on us after the food was dropped off at our table. After waiting for a while, our server finally walked by 10 minutes after our food arrived. He took everything back and said they will remake them and it will only take a few minutes, but we already lost our appetite by that time and didn't eat much of the food when the manager brought them back to our table. If the service was good, we would at least give them a second chance even tho the food sucked, but EVERYTHING sucked. We're not going to pay that much money for shitty food AND shitty service. TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT.
(1)Tawnie-Ann M.
This place is definitely over rated. Bravo's in Aiea is way better. I came here for dinner and ordered the pasta di mare. It basically just tasted like tomato sauce with seafood over fresh pasta. The fresh pasta was way too undercooked for my liking. The waiter explained that's how "fresh" pasta is supposed to be. Service was okay, although our waiter forgot our drink order twice=\
(2)Veronica S.
I came here on two occasions on my last visit to Hawaii because it was in the Ala Moana Mall and we went there often to shop. I have to say that out of all the chain restaurants on this floor, Macaroni is a good choice. The prices are right, and the food is decent. Their calamari appetizer was smaller than I was used to, but the complimentary, warm rosemary bread they give you makes up for it I guess. It's definitely American-Italian food but I still like some of the stuff :-) Prices are $10-$15 an entree, with the steak being about $25..
(4)Tricia M.
in my post-marriage and pre-pregnancy days, i was quite the avid pau hana goer, so i can state with confidence that i know a good one when i see one! ;) the deets: conveniently located in town with tons of free parking, Romano's happy hour is 4-7 daily in the bar area (take an immediate right when you enter), with 50% off all appetizers and $3 for an 8-oz glass of house wine (note: a standard pour is 6 oz = value alert!). i know there's a special for beer too but hey when you're eating italiano you drink vino, yes? whether you're alone (sit at the bar and watch the game), +1 (sit near the fire pit - now where else in hawaii can you do that!), or in a group (sit at a table), you'll find a good spot and hopefully like us, great service. charmaine was a sweet local lady who took super good care of us and never made us feel rushed, even tho her surrounding tables turned a coupla times while we were there. the grinds: since we were in a group we ordered a bunch of half-off appetizers and ate family-style. we had the calamari (nice texture and sauce), caprese salad (our healthy dish of the night), crab-stuffed mushrooms, spinach artichoke dip (sorry, can't beat cpk or ryans on that one), and sampler with fried cheese, bruschetta and calamari. not to mention unlimited fresh house bread which is great with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper (and to sop up extra sauce from the apps). everything came out fast and yummy, and i can't complain about the unbelievable grand total of $55 (before tip) --- for 5 people (2 drinkers)!!! no that is not a typo! omg we've spent that much per person at some places!! bottom line: wish i discovered this awesome pau hana spot when i could drink, but even without a buzz i'm giving Romano's 5 big ones :)
(5)holland h.
I always liked this place until the last time I went. I left my credit card, and when I called to see if it was there the hostess told me "I'm really busy right now, can you call later"? Obviously she has never had a credit card, and doesnt realize how stressful thatcan be. So I hauled back there, and the hostess bar said no, sorry, no card. I asked the server and she said that indeed she turned it over to the hostess stand. The manager was a bumbling fool who couldnt be bothered. After throwing a fit, finally it turned up-- at the hostess stand! Funny thing was, they werent even slammed, it was moderately slow.
(2)Lucas T.
Three of us had a decent wait of 15 minutes to be seated for a Thursday night. Strangely the server don't do the customary writing of the name on the table, but oh well. Ordered two portions of mama's trio and an eggplant Parmesan. Only complaint here is the food took a while even though it didn't seem busy. When it did arrive though it was friggen awesome. Couldn't even finish the trio so into the doggy bag it goes.
(4)Noopha P.
Easy place to stop in for happy hour. Grab a pizza and glass of wine. The staff is very friendly.
(5)Josie L.
Wouldn't go again, the food was only so/so and they were so understaffed our waiter was sprinting from table to table...the only thing he got quickly was the bill when we'd signed off on it.... Disappointing! The only nice thing I can say about the experience was that the calamari was great!
(1)Les Is More M.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE?!?! writing a negative review is not enjoyable, especially after enjoying good service at this place several times previously. romano's had been a dependable dinner destination, but after the original GM resigned things have really gone downhill. I've known a couple of people that worked at romano's, so I did get some inside scoop. at any rate, this last visit was less than satisfactory primarily because our waiter kinda sucked. I didn't get his name, but he looked like barry kripke - from "big bang theory". from simple things like making sure we had enough silverware, to enough drinking (water) glasses... things weren't getting off to a good start. each time he'd check back to see if everything was OK, it wasn't. I asked for balsamic vinegar to add to the olive oil they pour for your bread, and it took a long time for him to return with it. he claimed there was only one bottle (c'mon. really?) and that's pretty much how the entire night went. the best service we got was from the food runners, who delivered our meals. he had a hard time discerning between menu items, and describing specials of the evening so that kinda sucked too. at one time, i remember ALWAYS having to wait for a table, because lines were omni-present. The good news is that now the lines are relatively short - probably due to the service. The bad news is that the food quality did seem to take a dip as well; my chicken marsala was underseasoned and my pasta was a bit cold. the wait between ordering and having our orders delivered was really long too, surprising since the dining room was far from packed. Overall I just got the impression that this waiter should be out selling used cars somewhere (no offense to used car salespeople out there!), because his personality just seemed better suited for something other than dining. It's a shame that this place has gone downhill so much since my last visit, or the one before that also. disappointing to say the least!! If this place doesn't turn things around - and quickly - they'll be closed and out of business within a year.
(2)Alicia H.
Yay! My pick for dinner, bad idea... Pros: Mint iced tea= free refills Free bread Waitstaff, especially friendly Cons: Undercooked shrimp & pasta No taste I didn't even bother to take home leftovers, which is RARE! Lol Overall the food was alright, but I've been here many times before and never had any problems, maybe because I did the whole "build my own pasta" whoops But thanks Charmaine for awesome service!
(3)Chastity M.
My husband and I ate at Macaroni Grill to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary and were very pleased! It was our first visit and we had a very pleasant experience. Our reservations were on a Friday at 430 so I think we kind of beat any rush there may have been because we were seated before our reservation time. Our waiter Lucien (I believe that was his name... Receipt said so! Lol) was nice! He checked on us often and gave us the BEST meal suggestion for our taste! If you visit the Macaroni Grill be sure to try Carmela's Chicken.. BOMB. At the time of our reservation they asked if we were celebrating anything so I had told them we were; our anniversary. Upon being seated, they clipped a red heart balloon that said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to our table and we enjoyed that because now everyone knew we were celebrating something special! On top of that we got some of the best chocolate cake on the house & a song sung to us in Italian. Being my husband has Italian roots, he thought this was amazing. Overall... We had a blast and really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. Definitely will be back!
(5)Auntie M.
Though our waiter was friendly he forgot about our appetizer & water & hardly came to the table to check on us. The food selection isnt great and the table next to us complained about the lasagna. Since we heard that my fiance changed his mind and tried something different which wasnt great either. My choice, chicken parmegana, was dry & tasteless. My pasta lacked sauce & taste too. Even dessert, chocolate cake, was dry! Only thing I did like was the bread. We dont eat here often but its not like I'll be wanting to come back.
(1)Sean H.
I go here occasionally since it's right in Ala Moana and the vibe in the restaurant is very cool. I feel like that the restaurant is clean, has a nice darker ambiance, etc. I also really like that paper is used to cover the tables and that crayons are provided. I always doodle over the entire table during dinner time! I don't care for any of the food here. I do like rich foods, but everything is a bit too rich. I had the fettucine alfredo once, and I really want to warn everyone NOT to get this! It is literally noodles covered in butter and salt. Too much salt! It was disgusting and I did not finish it. The other dishes (and I have tried really everything) are only okay. The spinach artichoke dish is yummy but not the greatest I've had. And for the mediocre quality, the prices I think are a bit steep. The one thing here that I do REALLLY recommend is the blackberry mint iced tea. Really, if you go here that is the one thing you MUST try. And I believe it's unlimited refills. I admit to cruising in here for unnecessarily long periods of time just to drink as much of this magical drink as possible.
(3)Robin W.
I frequently eat herre b/c it is close to work, home, and has easy mall parking. The booths are VERY comfortable and they have lots of seating. I especially enjoy the blackberry mint iced tea....nice and sweet. The entrees are almost always delicious, and if you can't decide what to order, try Mama'sTrio, with lasagna, chicken parmesean, and cannoli (?--rolled pasta stuffed with cheese). I LOVE Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni and the Chicken Marsala. The steaks and fish are good too. I guess I like this place a lot! I'm usually too full to try dessert, but they look good! It's not gourmet Italian, but definitely great food, especially for a chain. The staff are friendly and they have a kid's menu too.
(4)Chanelle A.
Had to see what everyone else was raving about. The food was good, although i wasn't too impressed. I would probably eat there again, but if given a choice, I'd choose Buca.
(3)Debbie R.
Consistently good food here. You can always count on the food being the same everytime. Tasty, good portions. We always leave happy and full. Prices are midrange, not too expensive, not cheap though. I enjoy their lunch specials at 11.25 each . . . Chicken Parmigian is very good and fills you up, especially with their award winning bread . . its to die for!!
(4)Dylan Y.
Had the same experience of not getting bread while waiting for our food.I think you should be offered it because if you don't know it's available, how you know it's available right? Is this Macaroni's version of don't ask don't tell? Saw other patrons getting bread though, I guess it depends who your server is.Food arrived without bread and I remember when this place first opened everyone told how big the portions were, not this time though. Maybe you have to order the over $20 meals but the chicken (pollo) entrees looked like mini plate lunches spread out on oversize dishes.Only good thing was the kids could draw and scribble on the paper table cloths with crayons provided while we waited patiently for the food.Go to Bella Mia or La Pizzarina instead.
(2)Lisa M F.
This is not the typical chain restaurant. It has the moderate prices (~$20 per person), covers all the courses, and doesn't scream local eatery. What sets it apart from chain restaurants is that it has a comfort feel to it. The first time that I went, the service seemed off, but last night our waiter was really friendly! - Complimentary Herb Bread w/ Olive Oil & Freshly Crack Pepper: Good bread makes a good place and this good place makes a good bread. I eat white bread for this place (normally I only eat whole wheat or bread from GHBC). - Kids Mac & Cheese (1st visit) $8.59: The penne was al dente and cheese tasted standard. The bad thing is that I found out that it has trans fat!! D: - Jumbo Shrimp Spiedini $15.99: 6 shrimp on sticks with rosemary over roasted veggies with a side of lemon. Some of the shrimp were stuck on the stick, but they tasted sooo good. The lemon makes a difference! The veggies were okay, but some of their natural flavors were muted. - Complimentary Smothered Chocolate Cake (+1 candle): They give you a HUGE BLOCK of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache, nuts, and whipped cream for your birthday! The cake was so rich, so good, but taught me that there can be such a thing as too much cake. :( I finished it though, with little help from my table people. They were "too full" from tiramisu and sorbet. In addition to the cake, there was a candle and the waiter joined in with singing Happy Birthday. I like waiters who care :) Macaroni Grill is overally awesome. The atmosphere, food, and service are all done right. Small details are the only things to fix, but that's only to get to perfection. Comfort without cheesiness is the way to go. That's why I choose to go here.
(4)Elijah-Phil K.
I love Romano's! Especially the Lemon Passion Cake and Tiramisu. Yeah, the entrees are lovely but I always save room for dessert. Since my first time at Romano's, the Lemon Passion Cake as been taken off the menu but has been brought back but is now notably smaller... Still delicious, though! The atmosphere is alright and I once went with a party of eight and it took three hours to get us in and out of there. Our food took super long but thank goodness for the crayons and the paper table coverings.
(4)Nicole C.
This is absolutely the WORST Macaroni Grill I've been to in the entire country. I've been to the other ones in different states, and you would think the one in Hawaii would be top notch. The first time I came here, the food was cold and I had to send it back. The service was also lacking. I gave it another try, but it just isn't worth the wait and the service was still slow. They should seriously turn it into Olive Garden, which I think Hawaii would benefit from even more.
(1)Yummy P.
I'd give this place "no stars" if it were possible. I remember trying this place when it first opened in Hawaii. I was very impressed with the decor and open kitchen. I liked how family friendly it was and how friendly the staff were. Sitting at the table with my family, we were immediately greeted by our server who wrote his name on the table covered with paper, allowing you to draw on it as you wait for your food or to entertain the kids. After taking our orders we waited about 45 minutes for our food to arrive. It was a busy night, so we took that into consideration. When the food did arrive - Bleh! The dishes were bland and boring. I sampled everyone's dished - 6 out of 6 - Fail! All of the dished were awful. No flavor and just boring. It was like your first time cooking pasta with prego sauce. A couple of months later, I decided to give it another try. Again, the service was excellent, sadly the food was the same as well. Bland and boring. Ugh. I was very disappointed. Years later, I've moved to Seattle and got invited to a dinner party...where you ask? Romano's Macaroni Grill. I thought, ok - we're not in Hawaii, so the food may be better here. Looking at the menu, entrees have changed a little - so I was a little relieved. Service was excellent as usual and now to order. I was with a party of 10 and everyone tried to order something different. After sampling everything...BLEH! Sad! Everything still Bland and Boring! Mozzarella Alla Caprese: Bland and Tomatoes Mushy. Spinach Artichoke Dip: Bland Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms: Too oily Calamari Fritti: Bland and Overcooked Scallops & Spinach Salad: Over cooked Scallops Entrees: Margherita Pizza, Amalfi Chicken, Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp Portofino, Eggplant Parmigiana, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Scaloppine, Mama's Trio, Center-Cut Filet and Grilled Salmon Spiedini. Not one person was impressed with their dish. We even sampled each others dishes and agreed. Bland and Boring. I can't believe how after trying this restaurant 3 times, both in Hawaii and Seattle - the food still fails to impress me. Definitely NOT RECOMMENDED!
(1)Charles L.
What happen to this place? Granted, I haven't ate there in years but still shouldn't be such a drop off in terms of quality. (In other words, suck that bad!) Dinner was on a Saturday, party of four. I made reservation around 7pm. We ordered the grilled lamb, lasagna, warm spinach salad w/ scallop. It took almost 45 minutes for our food to arrive. We were all starving by then. The lamb was super dry and zero flavor. We had it returned for a seafood pasta which was, again, zero flavor. The portions were small and they were definitely overpriced. The only acceptable dish was the lasagna. The food and establishment get one star from me and the other star was for our server.
(2)Clay K.
They sure have improved the quality of their food. The menu is pared down but so far everything is really good. The make your own pasta combo is my favorite with whole wheat fettuccine,fresh spinach,broccolini and grilled chix with basil pesto. Prices are reasonable too.
(4)Kamesuke Y.
A few times having the pleasure to eat here but always forgetting to write my review is not an excuse... sorry. Our most recent visit was slightly after the lunch hour rush. Service was extremely prompt, friendly and better than most. I wanted to eat soemthing that wasn't on the menu and our waiter said he'll check with the chef/cooking staff and see what they can do. WOW.. to our amazement.. and especially mine.. they actually accepted my order and outdid themselves. Really... the food was awesome... on top of that... their Tiramisu is out of this world. Melt in your mouth.. sent down from heaven.... Oops.. with the thought of their wodnerful Tiramisu.. I have completely forgotten what the wifey had ordered and eaten. So.. to avoid a long wait and the crowds.. a later than usual lunch (after 2:00pm) is a perfect time to enjoy. Out of the many places we have eaten.. the service we had was outstanding. Where can you find a place that will cook something off menu just to please a hungry couple? Our hats off to their staff. Don't know if they treat all their customers like we were treated that day but it will always be a fond memory we will always cherish.
(5)Kanani W.
Came here for lunch & ordered the fried mac & cheese as an appetizer & it was delicious! I had the chicken parmesan & the pasta was tasty but I think the chicken was fried for just a little too long. The cheese on top saved that though. The boyfriend ordered the bib & blue & added shrimp for $6 more. If he had known $6 would only get you 4 shrimp, he wouldn't have added it. Atmosphere was great & we didn't have to wait to be seated. Pretty decent Labor Day lunch :)
(4)Jnl E.
FIRST AND LAST TIME EVER EATING HERE. Word of advice: Don't ever go to eat here.. Service was horrible! We were seated at 6, didn't get to order until 6:45 and our food didn't come until 8!! And the place wasn't even packed.. It was so-so packed. I mean c'mon, 1 whole hour to wait for food is unacceptable! I ordered the pepperoni pizza because I figured, how can you mess up simple pepperoni pizza.. but to my surprise, not good. They even had the nerve to include gratuity in our bill! HA! Unless they get more cooks on board to serve..i wouldn't ever come back to this place.
(1)Abbey Y.
Wow they have these opera sounding singers that sing on your birthday! Haha it's pretty amazing as you never hear that normally, so it was most definitely entertaining to hear a small asian lady belching out those notes in this restaurant. I've come here numerous times and I've never been disappointed. The service is always excellent so is their food (with the exception of their hostesses for some reason they're not as nice as I thought they should be, but nonetheless the waiters/waitresses are 300 times better). I'm a huge fan of their Eggplant Parmesan. It's delicious! Everyone I've eaten with has always tried it and they love it as well. The free bread that they serve is always hot and fresh out of the oven yummm who doesn't love free yummy bread? The atmosphere is definitely soothing and the restaurant is dimly lit, with a light hanging above each table. The place gets packed as it's in Ala Moana so be prepared to wait if you're here during the busy hours. If you're not happy with any of their entrees you can make your own pasta :) how awesome is that? But it does get a little pricey if you get a little too happy while checking off ingredients for your pasta.
(4)Zue K.
THIS PLACE IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES! Previous visits have been okay, but my last visit here wasn't amazing. I highly recommend not being seated near the kitchen area. There is a lot of noise and inappropriate conversation taking place amongst the workers. Our server,Ed, could've been a million times better. He screwed up on two out of four of our tables orders. The first one that came to our table incorrectly was a marsala dish with extra mushrooms. When we notified him of the mistake he told us, "I'll do you a favor and take the extra mushrooms off your bill," not that he would bring us more or take the plate back to have it corrected. And really, do 'us' a favor?! My goodness...if you hate your job that much, quit and give someone else a chance. By the time he dropped our salad it was after our entrees came and we asked for dressing on the side. Dressing was not on the side. Our server never came back with another salad, bread, or beer. We also had to flag another waiter down for more water. Perhaps it was us politely letting him know some orders were wrong that upset him, but I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone that wants to have an enjoyable dinner.
(1)Jermy D.
Wine Wednesdays! 25% bottles of wine! In a nutshell, delicious food and good service. The booze: They also have a promotion where you get 25% off bottles of wine. We asked the waiter for wine suggestions for our meal. He was actually quite knowledgeable. We were torn between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Reisling. The waiter offered a tasting of the two before we made our final decision. The Reisling was the definite winner. The food: Delicious! The portions are a little smaller than you would expect, but it ended up being a perfect size for an entree. We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms and fell in love. I had the Chicken Rigatoni with the Marsala wine, and it was delicious! The prices are actually pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food. The service: They waiter we had was friendly and attentive without being too overbearing. Overall, great place to chill and unwind with a bottle of wine and great company.
(4)Cherie T.
I really enjoyed my dinning experience here. I have two food allergies and my server Ryan was EXCELLENT!! Please please let him know that he made the experience great. He understood my concerns and worked with me to order the Salmon with out sauce and asparagus. He checked with the chef to make sure that there were no ingredients that I couldn't have in my food. It's always a challenge to find a place to eat when you have a Gluten and Soy allergy but Mac Grill is one of my favs now. Ryan did not make me feel uncomfortable about my allergy like other servers and places do. I really appreciated the way he took care of our table. He was a great server and was very attentive. Even during the busy times. Thank you RYAN for a great gluten and soy free dining experience!
(4)Stephanie H.
Came here on Friday night before heading to the movies. The service was quick and friendly, if not too friendly, and the food was good. I do remember a time when Macaroni Grill first opened and they served the most mouth watering bread and entrees. Those days are long gone and replaced by a restaurant with the same name but in no way serves the same quality food. In it's place is Italian food more resembling that of The Olive Garden. You know the food tastes good not because they use the best ingredients but because they add copious amounts of butter, salt, and whatever else makes pasta taste good. I like it 'cus it's quick, tasty, and you can order wine by the cup-full.
(3)Nicki R.
I LOVE this restaurant! My husband and I came here for dinner on the night we got engaged. The abiance is dimly lit and romantic and our server, Kat, was incredibly friendly. I ordered the terriyaki glazed salmon and mashed potatoes and it was delicious. My husband loved his steak as well. After Kat cleared our plates and we were waiting for the check, she came out with a chocolate cake. She congratulated us on our engagement and told us she was going to sing a song for us (it turns out she is one of the opera singers). I don't know what the song was but she was fantastic and almost had me in tears. Not only is this a restaurant I know I can count on having a great meal at, I know their staff will go above and beyond to help us have an amazing evening.
(5)Mel G.
Have only been once before, and on the mainland years ago, so thought we'd give it another go. Great location in Ala Moana (give you some space to walk off the huge meal) so there is ample parking. Wait wasn't too bad, considering it was a Sat night. Inside is nice and well laid out, a bit on the cold side or we just happened to be right near an AC vent. The break was delicious, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have balsamic vinegar for it like I remember. Sad. Butter would have been better with it considering the just oil and pepper alternative. They did give us another round as we had a bit of a wait due to the busy Sat night crowd. Server was ok, he had a lot of other tables so maybe that was it, he just seemed to be rushed and didn't check back on us very often. Food was good but not amazing. Hubby ordered the Mama's Trio, he said the cannelloni and chicken parmigiana was good, but the lasagna had a weird flavor to it and he left it. I ordered the chicken scallopini and it was delicious, but then it became extremely salty in the bottom of the plate. Generous portions! Gave only 3 stars as I think something was a little weird in the food and have been semi-sick all day, but it could have been all the sodium in the dish I have (and I'm not used to salty foods). Would try again, at least one more time, for a second chance with a lighter dish.
(2)K K.
I give this place three stars only because our server was really bad. we had to ask for refills on water, he didn't really seem to want to be there. took away the dessert menu before asking if we wanted anything. But other that our server, food was awesome. The Parmesan-Crusted chicken is awesome & I'd eat it again. Chicken Florentine was okay, it has a different taste that's not so much to my liking. Overall I'd come again & request that we not have the same server we had today.
(3)Tahnee K.
I have always loved Macaroni Grill, I didn't go there for a while but when I did go to eat there last week things were so different. They close the doors now for the AC, they have new uniforms, new menu and the water is in this really pretty bottle they leave on your table. I had the Fried Macaroni and Cheese balls with this truffle oil and something sauce it was amazing, i want to order that for take out all the time now
(4)Milton K.
Just went there tonite - Found out that there is some "Corporate" changes, and so the menu HAS changed with it! Had the Cesar's Salad AND the Chicken Marsala... Cesar Salad was decent in portion but seemed a little bit "pricey" for what it is. Romain with large croutons and of course, the cheese. Came in a "bowl" but quantity of portion did not "fill" it - Was enough, but the "appearance" seemed "short". Maybe a smaller/different bowl (or a PLATE!) would make it "look" better. The Chicken Marsala was OUTRAGEOUS! Portion was VERY satisfying (THREE LARGE pieces of chicken!), flavor was good, and a MOUND of pasta. BUT I felt the pasta was a BIT (note I said a BIT) overcooked, so it was a little "soft". The IDEAL part of this "experience" was the SERVICE - Dannon (name?) .did a FANTASTIC job of making sure we were well taken care of! Actually, maybe a little TOO MUCH! (IS there TOO MUCH?) I started by ordering a Corona, ("Happy Hour") and it showed up ASAP with a CHILLED, FROSTED Glass! Also - they serve WATER in a chilled pour bottle now! (Like having your own WINE or Champagne!) But all in all, an enjoyable experience! AND - getting out of all the CROWD / PEOPLE sure made it a "Get-A-Way" up there on the 4th floor of Ala Moana! I think the next time I am going to try the "revisited" Pizzas... Or maybe try the new stuff - They also have now FLAT BREADS!
(4)Kat A.
Lobster Ravioli baby.. Thats what I always order. Although my friends like to think opposite. The setting here is somewhat romantic, dim-light, a great place for family to dine also.
(4)Loreene A.
Romano's Marcaroni Grill is a great place to eat!The waiter was very courteous,friendly and helpful.He explained very thourghly about the food,whether it's spicy or not,allowing me to sample the two types of soup they had for the evening which was lentil soup or tomato soup.Both tasted great so I opted for lentil soup.It had vegetables in it and some beans.It was a little spicy but delicious. If you're not used to spicy food you may want to stay away from the lentil soup. The soup menu changes daily.The bread was delicious and so was the Italian Soda with White Peach and cream.I ordered the Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken and it was delicious as well.Food serving size is good for the price and food comes quickly.I'd defiantly recommend this place
(4)Jaime K.
My last review I said food took "abnormally long". This visit was also very long wait too. I guess this is becoming a normal occurrence now. Our waitress Lisann was great. The problem was with the kitchen. It didn't seem busier than normal, but we were told that eggplant parmigiana was sold out and when we ordered chicken parmigiana Lisann said she had to "fight" for the 2 we ordered since it was they ran out of that too. WoW, I'm glad "we won". Lisann was very attentive and kept us updated on the status of our food. She informed us about the Happy hour and asked us if we wanted to take advantage of half off. House wine was only $3 and appetizers 1/2. good deal! As for pricing, we ordered: 2 chicken parms (last time was great! this time not so. It was not warm by the time we got it) 1 lamp chop 1 spag + meatballs 3 glasses of wine 1 budlight 1 calamari 1 artichoke dip Our bill was about $110 without tip. I'll definitely go back for HH, but not sure if I want to go back for dinner anymore :(
(3)Marianette K.
1. Ordered 2 dirty martinis. Only one arrived dirty, both did not have olives. We could live without it being dirty, but no olives? 2. Waitress thought Chardonnay was a red wine. 3. We were well into our entrees, with no red wine that we ordered. My husband went to bar to get it himself. No recognition or apology from waitress. 4. No detailed receipt. We wanted to deduct the liquor portion in determining the tip. 5. We had to stand and wait quite a while for the manager (Keoki??) who was engaged in a conversation at a table. From their smiles, it wasn't a complaint conversation. After fifteen minutes, still no manager - we left without letting management know our dismay. 6. I enjoyed the prociutto appetizer and meatball spaghetti.
(1)J B.
The calamari was awesome! The best I've had on the island. Our server Zoli was knowledgeable, attentive, and pleasant overall. The entire staff made our experience amazing. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan for my meal. The dish came with 3 large round battered slices of eggplant and delicate pasta covered in a chunky marinara and parmesan cheese. My husband ordered the Margherita pizza which was also delicious. The toppings were fresh, and there was a nice balance of cheese and sauce. Typically I am dissatisfied with "chain style" restaurants price, service, and food but this is our 5th visit to the Macaroni grill where we have had excellent food and service.
(4)Beyonce H.
Definitely our favorite place! We have made friends with bartender Dave and from the first time we walked in, we have have received nothing but EXCELLENT SERVICE. Anytime our dishes were not perfect, he always makes sure it get's taken care of. Honestly when you go to other upscale restaurants, haven't you settled and tipped for subpar service, just because you don't want to make a fuss? My husband loves the ribeye steak, because Dave will make sure it is cooked to perfection. Chicken under a Brick is our fav, Grilled King Salmon, and really if you are a soup/salad person, the price are so reasonable during happy hour. Also thank you Jeff, Ryan and Corey make our visits so much fun! P.S. they got rid of the fireplace, so the bar is much roomier!
(5)Isis B.
This place used to be one of my faves...but for some reason, maybe because the restaurant has fallen on hard times - I'm only giving it two stars. The food is, really, its still very tasty. And they keep on changing the menu, which is great. Actually, they tell you that they're trying a new menu, but the fact seems to be that they're going back and forth between an old menu and a new one. Anyways, the food is really tasty...the problem is that they give less of it!! I swear!! Before, I could only finish half of an entree. Now, I can lick the damn bowl clean AND still have room for dessert - which I must add, the Lemon Passion Cake is awesome!! But getting back to my gripe - seriously, they need to add more food back onto each entree. Then I'll update my review to three...hmm...maybe four stars!!
(2)M A X.
Went to Romano's Macaroni Grill to redeem a gift card I got for Christmas. I've been there a few times (my memory was they weren't very good). But, It's been a while, and I was willing to take another chance (I mean what the hey, they're still in business right?) Time: Monday 3:30pm Water: good (no chlorine taste) Bread: Gimmiky. The olive-oil looks like it came from Costco (the uber-gourmet section of course) and sat on the table all day. I'd rather have some garlic butter. Spagetti w/Meatballs: reviewers note: I decided to order the most basic item on the menu to get a real taste of their quality (without all the fanfare of the signature dishes). - Da Spagetti: A bit larger in diameter than I'm used to but not overcooked. It was obviously prepared ahead of time then stored. You can taste the refrigerator. - Da Meatballs: Good but nothing to write home about. Standard restaurant fare (meat + fillers + spices) - Da Sauce: This was low point of the dish (and did I mention the refrigerator flavored noodles?). It was only one degree higher than Chef Boyardee!! Like, if you get the Chef Boyardee recipie and try it at home. What a disappointment! :( Service: The overall experience wasn't bad. You can tell no one makes a career of working at Romano's Macaroni Grill, so I'm not going to knock them. Conclusion: Romano's Macaroni Grill ranks as one of those places you go once every few years after you forget how bad it was the last time. Seriously tho, if you can't even pull off a good Spagetti & Meatballs, then you shouldn't be in the italian restaurant business. too bad. :( Maybe I'll try again in 2012 (or buy a can of Chef Boyardee)
(1)Jay C.
I went here for many date nights, and the service got progressively worse. I received one waiter and I could not believe how rude and intrusive his service was, which ruined my night. I will not be going there again. The menu has gotten smaller due to management change, and the food has decreased in quality. You have to ask for bread now. I would not recommend even my worst enemy to go here.
(1)Jason F.
the service was top notch! the food was excellent! the bread is bomb with oil n vinegar! i get the mix plate combo of the 3 dishes, chicken canoli, chicken parm, and lasagna! with cesar salad. i mean it's not the greatest but its better then your girlfriends baked zitta with mf prego ya know what I mean! coo coo coo
(4)Jessica K.
The atmosphere was totally different from the locations I have visited in mainland in the past. Anyhow It was great until I found a hair in the salad, one of the mix and match lunch menu, We were almost done eating and since it was my vacation, trying to spend a good time with my sister, I did not complain as much. Turns out another party was having the same problem. They gave me 10% discount on the bill which is around $3. Did not get a sincere apology. Now I think back, they didn't deserve that much money I paid. Overall quality of food and service was a disappointment. 2 star. The Cheesecake factory is much better.
(2)Nicole K.
hands down i love the table "cloths" aka the paper and crayons they give. it makes the wait go by faster, and it's a good way to have fun with friends. i'm a huge fan of italian food, and i absolutely love any kind of seafood scampi that they have. it's a nice sit down restaurant. if you go when it's busy, the wait might be a while though. the servers are always friendly, and i love it when they sing birthday songs.
(4)Gene R.
Service was SLOW. Food was just edible, wish I never came here. I ordered a italian pizza it was soggy and Luke warm. In
(1)R C.
I have been here on several occasions for lunch, dinner and pau hana drink specials. The food isn't anything outstanding , it's simple and comforting. This is a chain, I have been to several Romano's in Texas and Arizona. The staff is very friendly, attentive and helpful. It's cool to watch them write their names backward :) It's a huge restaurant , always fully staffed. The bar drinks are reasonable. Dessert tray is onolicious, something to share always. The food: my usual: Caesar Salad, Pepperoni pizza , or lasanga, and Spinach and Artichoke Dip... I have tasted pastas and sandwiches here but I stick to my favorite mostly. Drinks: beer at the bar , bartenders are very cool and fun to chit chat with. The women bar tenders are very nice. I like to share my food, it's family style.
(3)Jesse C.
Macaroni Grill seems like another franchise chain. Your meal might be awesome or bland. It just depends on your cook and server. Sadly, that's the problem with chain restaurants. They lack consistency. Whenever I've been here the staff has been friendly. So point for them. Their gimmick is drawing their name upside down on the table(paper)cloth. This is obviously great for kids; free-for-all drawing war. Makes it a great place for families with young children or lewd teenagers. Ha! Now you cant get your mind out of the gutter. Shame on you! :P
(3)Min K.
Maybe it's because I know people who work here, I consistently get amazing service. But regardless had I not known anyone, the service is still good. My favorite, always will be the mushroom ravioli, but it's slowly been shifting it's focus to the spaghetti. Call me a loser, yes, the spaghetti. I love the meatballs, I love the sauce, I love everything about it. The price is reasonable, good wine, and with good company, a good night. :)
(4)Kaileen Y.
It was Girl's Night Out. A few girlfriends and I decided to have dinner here at the Macaroni Grill. It was a great night. The service was quick. The servers & waiters were so nice. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact that we were a bunch of college girls wearing pretty dresses. But, whatever! I enjoyed being able to draw on our own table. Haha. That's right. Each table is covered with a huge sheet of white paper & are given a few crayons. It makes the experience sort of fun! The food was good too. Loved the Artichoke dip...probably the best I've tasted. I had the Chicken Parmigiana. It was good. But, it wasn't GREAT; I've tasted better...which explains the 4 stars.
(4)Shay F.
I think the only thing I like on the entire menu is the grilled mahi mahi. Service wasn't so great. He kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. I'd give it two stars, but I just love the tables. I kept drawing and drawing and drawing...LoL.
(3)Mike H.
Saavy Server & Suggestive Selling sold us on a night and dinner to savor! Thought the lessons in Latin, while in the lua were entertaining as well! Chicken Marsala was awesome, will be back soon.
(5)Brian A.
Let me tell you a short story. The first time I went to RMG it was in Beaverton, OR. Me, my cousin and our friend (all dudes) went to try it out cause it was a new franchise just moving in. We had an "okay" dinner, nothing to write home (or Yelp) about. Then the singer comes over and gives us a "O solo mio." The three of us were kind of feeling awkward that the dude is singing to the three of us in a restaurant full of couples and families. Yeah, that was weird. Anyway, nothing too memorable here. Had the steak once and it was alright, as is the calamari. The marsala was okay as well. The ambiance is nice though, very classy. Sometimes can get a bit loud depending on where they seat you. The bread with balsamic vinegar and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, yeah too much Food Channel) is winners though. I just like to take the crayons, after everyone is done trying to write their names upside-down, and put an "X" right in front of me and write "Bread goes here." Hey, just so the waiter knows, right? See, I'm always there to help. At this location, during peak hours, the wait can be horrendous. Parking is right outside the Pearl Lounge on the top level on the Nordstom's side of Ala Moana. They have a elevator and escalator in the mall near by for people who need the help.
(2)Yon S.
Been here twice when they first opened. Kids like the drawing crayons on the tablecloth gimmick. They supposed to be singing talent waiters somewhere. Can't even recall what I ate. Not the worst. Not the best.
(2)Steven B.
We just recently tried their happy hour menu and were sorely disappointed with the food and service. Since we are not drinkers, we ordered just appetizers which were half off. Our waiter was not attentive nor friendly. It took at least 25 minutes to get our food and when it came out, they got our order wrong. Bread was not served until the food arrived. Mind you, we were famished, and all we had was a tiny plate of olive oil in front of us. There was no apology from the server or the waiter. In fact, we did not see our waiter until the end of the meal to fill our empty glasses. The mozzarella caprese was lacking. The mozzarella on the tomato was small and rubbery. We won't go back there again.
(1)Jennifer C.
I've been here quite a few times, I usually get the fettucine Alfredo - I really like it. My favorite part of the restaurant experience, is the drawing table cloth lol. Pretty neat how the waiters write their name upside down when they first greet you at the table. It took awhile for the food to come, and we asked for a refill of water but it took awhile for it to come also. Service was slow, but at least I liked my dish.
(3)Sandy D.
Ate lunch with my 8 yr. old and hadn't gone here for about 6 years since they way undercooked my fish (icy cold) in the middle. Well, we were taken to our table right away by Brian who was also our server. He was very attentive and refilled our drinks checked on us just enough. Had the calamari as an appetizer. It was fine. Nothing super good or bad. Daughter had spaghetti with meat sauce and I had the salad sampler. Brian also brought us warm bread from the very beginning. Daughter enjoyed her spaghetti. My salad sampler was fine. The caesar tasted the best. There was one salad that had a little too much dressing, which was a bit overpowering for me, but food was okay. Nothing you have to have, but nothing terrible. Was definitely made better by our server. Also helped that I used a gift card to defray the cost of lunch.
(3)bucca d.
This place is hit or miss - not consistent enough. I don't like to give 2 stars, but here's my justification. I had the tomato bisque soup which was Dlicious! Slightly chunky/clumpy viscous and not extremely smooth. The dark balsmaic vinegar streaks in the soup added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the tomato bisque and the shredded basil strips added good bite to the flavor. Overall excellent. Four Stars! The caesar salad was really good according to my wife, but she claims they did not give enough portion wise. Four stars! The spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce was disappointing. They changed their recipe! It use to be served in a bowl with lots of spaghetti and flavored with acquired tasting goat cheese. Now its just like any ol spaghetti with meat ball pasta. ONE star! The mushroom ravioli is usually their signature, but for some reason the didn't cook off the wine. It tasted like they just poured fresh wine into the already cooked dish. It tasted bitter because of this. As usual this dish was also sodium rich. Dipped the bread in the sauce which is pretty decent and the wild mushrooms were very good. One star for ruining the dish with uncooked wine!
(2)Kanoe P.
The last few visits I've had at Macaroni Grill have been HORRIBLE, but this past time was AMAZING. Especially compared to how disappointed I was the past 5 times. But this time the hostess was really friendly, the server was even better, and the food... YUMMMM! Thank goodness because when they first opened I was a huge fan, but when I went back, I was not. This past visit made me a fan again, and I'm happy to say that I'll be back soon!
(4)Outofthebox24 7.
Service: Depending who your server is.. it could go either way.. the first 2 times I came here, we literally walked out before we had a chance to order bc we were not acknowledged for at least 10 min after being seated. I've never, ever walked out once I was already seated..and 2 out of 2 times, it was just beyond tolerable. After walking out, we did go back and talk to a manager, who was no where to be found the first time. The 3rd time was not my pick to go here, but I was in the mood to give them a shot. The service was much better. I am wondering if it changed because we brought it to the attention of the manager the last time. Food: Again, it can go either way. CPK is right across the pathway, and some of their pastas trump Mac grill's. However....I do love their bread (complimentary) and Mac and Cheese Balls (appetizer). Parking: Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center so you can park inside the mall. Right now there is construction everywhere as the mall is being renovated. The easiest place to park is on the 3 Level between Shirokiya and Nordstrom.
(2)Gen M.
I remember always watching the commercials on tv and the food looking delicious. So I finally decided to give this restaurant a try with a friend of mine. First off they are conveniently located in Ala Moana mall. The customer service was definitely great and the food was very yummy. I will be going back for sure.
(4)Ashley H.
This restaurant is a little hidden which is unfortunate because it's really good! I was walking around the mall with my boyfriend while waiting to get my eyebrows done. And got hungry, we tried a lot of the other restaurants and food at the food court and wanted to try something new. He reminded me that his friend worked there and I said let's try it, since we've never been. We went around lunch time and waited 15 mins to get seated. I was SOOOO EXCITED when I saw the paper and crayons! I could color on the table while we wait and it helped the time go by! Julia was our server she was nice but hardly checked on us, I even had to call her a few times. The second time we went we had Mel and she was fantastic she checked on us often, refilled drinks promptly, asked if we needed anything and even offered ranch to go with my Zucchini Fritta OMG SHE MADE MY NIGHT! It was so bomb, and the mac bites were so good. The appetizers are too die for, I kid you not! The entrees aren't that bed either! Talking about the appetizers makes me want to go get some right now, ugggggh. Lol
(4)Lia M.
Beau and I come here now and then and we just love the tortellacci with prosciutto and butternut squash. The lobster ravioli is incredible and they are very generous on the lobster meat in the sauce, too-- we weren't expecting that! The bruschetta is delicious and a nice starter as well as the deep fried macaroni mmmmmmm!!! However- if you do the appetizers- then get something lighter for dinner as the portions are either large or just very heavy and filling.
(5)Jonathan R.
Low-End of the Scale Unfortunately, my trip to Romano's Macaroni Grill in Ala Moana was less than thrilling. Let me begin at atmosphere, probably the best aspect of the restaurant. The dining area is lit with these low hanging lights that provide a warmth glow of gradient reds and yellows. The seats were nice and comfortable and the bathrooms are nice and clean - always a good sign. The service was slow during our lunch hour run but the server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. The food was less than average. The Florentine Steak & Frittes was perhaps the most disappointing. The steak in itself was small and was served with two slices of tomatoes that look like they were meant to go on a burger instead. The Calamari Fritti, basically friend calamari, has a lot more fried particles than fried calamari. However, I did enjoy their Carmela's Chicken. It had good amount of chicken and mushrooms that wasn't too salty, but just enough. To sum it up, For the price you pay to go to Romano's Macaroni Grill, you kind of expect better quality food. In the end, I would probably prefer eating at the food-court or Asagio's
(2)Terry K.
What can I say? A chain restaurant is a chain restaurant. While the convenient location of this restaurant coupled with the not so bad service, discounted for the wait if you go during "primetime" dinner hour without a reservation... and my list can go on. Upshot these days? Happy Hour Menu and Happy Hour Drink prices during football season. The Happy Hour Menu has items not on the regular menu so depending on when you stop in, they might have something you would enjoy.... Other than that- Parking is okay- what can I expect? It's in the mall where parking is plentiful. Atmosphere? not bad at all. Servers are friendly and act exactly as they were trained. Food? is okay. It's a chain restaurant! They do offer the free loaf of bread which you can dip in olive oil and pepper (balsamic vinegar if you ask for it) and their spinach artichoke dip is always a guarantee to please. If you're looking for decent meals, a haven to hang out (during happy hour) or a place simply to relax.... this is your place. If you expect anything more than this you will be disappointed. So go with an appetite, stress-less because parking was not a problem and you will be good!
(3)Lilli D.
There is so much to love about this place, but it falls just short of great because of the most important thing for any restaurant: the food. First, the good. For starters, the venue is absolutely beautiful. It's a somewhat large restaurant with nice wall and cobblestone work. Everything, including the servers, is immaculately clean. There's mellow lighting and they're always playing lounge music. Speaking of the servers, they're generally friendly and know their stuff. Probably the best novelty of the restaurant is there's paper and crayons over the table that the servers use for their name/specials and the guests can use for doodling. There are good aspects of the food; the bread is always spot on, hot, fresh, and is kicked up to the next level with rosemary. They also contain a pretty decent wine selection. There is a stocked bar if you're not in the mood for wine, which is always nice. Another thing I've noticed is the dessert portions are fairly large. The thing that kills is all however is what I ended up ordering for my appetizer and main meal. I had the calamari, which itself was alright, but the basket was mostly filled with fried bits instead of actual fried calamari. The worst offender was by far, the pasta I chose for my 2 For $11 lunch: fettuccine alfredo. Normally you would think a classic dish is a safe bet. But when I dug into my plate, I found all the cheese bits at the bottom, as well as a pool of oil and grease a millimeter tall. This only happens when: a.) the components of the alfredo are cooked in correctly, or b.) the dish was reheated in the microwave. No matter what the means, its still bad cooking. This Macaroni Grill is so, so close to being one of my favorite restaurants, but that can't be the case in this point in time. My advice to potential customers: check other reviews to see which dishes are good or not, and avoid anything that's fried or has a significant amount of cooked cheese. My advice to the business: put more care in the actual food and you'll do wonderfully.
(3)Haylee F.
Stopped in for quick bite and defaulted to Macaroni Grill since CPK had a 45 minute wait. Decided to sit at the bar for faster service and was stoked on that decision. We started with a bottle of wine complimented by the 2 for $14 tapas menu. Unfortunately my first choice, the prosciutto mozzarella, was no longer being offered. We opted for the diablo meatballs - 6 served in a spicy marinara sauce - and the mac and cheese bites with truffle sauce (I'm a huge anything-truffle fan). I ordered the warm spinach salad with shrimp for my entree but was a little disappointed on how salty it was! Our server/bartender noticed I only took a few bites and quickly came to my rescue. I told him it was a little too salty for me, but that I would box it and take it home to mix with pasta to take some of the edge off. The flavor was still good but it was too overpowering. He insisted he get me another one but I didn't feel good about wasting an entire salad! So instead he offered to get me a side pasta dish and that totally did the trick! I haven't been to MG in years but I will defintiely be back to try some of their other Tuscan creations!
(4)W Q.
Located on the 4th floor of the Ala Moana mall. (Take the elevator) The lunch deal here is hard to beat. $13 pick 3 items, soup/salad/pasta/sandwich. The mushroom soup here I think is best, the minestrone is second best. For pasta, camela's chicken is great, but I opt for the tomato sauce instead of the cream sauce. The turkey sandwich here is excellent and my favorite pick. The complimentary bread here is excellent. For $13 this is one of the best lunch deals. M-F only.
(5)Bruce L.
Service was prompt, courteous, helpful, credible and cheerful. My lobster ravioli was onolicious!! I'd come again soon. A real value:))
(4)Anne M.
Had a wonderful, single, only got 45 minutes for lunch lunch today. Loved it. Yummy pasta and deliscioso salad dressing! A treat. Great, fast, friendly service. Will return. Right next door to Jade Dynasty Chinese in Ala Moana Center. Still easy to find, plenty parking!
(5)jessica t.
I like how they "text" you when your table is ready! :) everyone was so nice. They are also very accommodating. I got a the Cesar salad and was able to get salmon with it. So delicious! The staff is all friendly. I just say the bathroom is also clean. :) will be back for more!!!
(5)Michael M.
Really like this place although as chain restaurants go's it feel short of my experience last time at a Northern California location. I had the pork chop which was very flavorful but didn't touch the mushroom rice risotto, didn't care for that at all. I notice that they didn't have the same high end plating that I experienced in the past. It wasn't busy and our server was not very attentive but we liked how the chefs delivered the food as it was ready. We also had the calamari & macaroni balls which were very good and I would recommend. 3 stars because of the average food and experience. There was one server at another table who sang beautifully which definitely made it nice for those that had her as a server.
(3)Samuel C.
This review is based on our experience tonight and JUST tonight. We've come here often and just thought that both the food and service were 'meh'. The MOD that night should thank Donnie, because if it weren't for him we would have complained to him/her. The night started off a little rough. They were in the middle of cutting servers and told us (table of 6) was going to be a 20 minute wait. There had to have been at least 15 tables open. When we finally got sat the host told us the specials and said that the waiter would be right with us. We waited patiently for about 20 minutes before we stopped another host to ask who our server was. At that point I'm pretty sure you could read the annoyance on all of our faces. When our server finally came over he quickly apologized and explained that there was some confusion due to some of the servers being cut. Having worked in a restaurant i get it. From that point on i have to say that Donnie made up for everything that happened earlier. He was prompt in getting us bread and water knowing we were waiting awhile. He took our order right away and was able to get our salads and soup out quick. Im pretty sure he came into this situation thinking his tip was going to be less due to what had happened earlier. But that was the great thing about him, although he knew we were all upset he still came, smiled, and hustled. And most of all was genuinely nice. This yelp is mostly about him and how he handled us, because let me just say that we were all in a pretty sour mood. But the food tonight was also better than i remembered. Chicken Scallopine- light pasta. Good flavor. Make your own- Bolognese with Italian Sausage and mushroom. More flavor than i remembered. Chicken Florentine Salad- Cold greens. Lemon dressing was good. Roasted Mushroom soup- A little rich in flavor for me but taste was super good. Make your own pasta- Pesto chicken with Brocollini All in all the food was much better than we've had before. It turned out great despite the beginning and id have to say it was in large part due to the service. Very disappointed that we didn't see a manager the whole night. ---"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"---
(4)Gregg P.
We frequent certain establishments because of their service and quality of food. Tonight was no exception to the norm @Macaroni Grill. While the food isn't true Italian, and the taste isn't exceptional, it is Very good. Tonight we had the mama's trio, and chicken arrabbiata with penne pasta, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and broccolini. Mama's trio came with lasagna bolognese, cannelloni bolognese, and chicken parmigiana. We were pleased with all of the foods, but I wish they were more Italian in flavoring and more...definitely more meat flavor driven. Our drinks were the house chianti, water, and lemonade. We were pleased with all. The starters were the typical bread and oil, but we also ordered the roasted mushroom soup. While it looked like a brown gravy, it tasted a bit too salty, and we wanted it a bit creamier. It came off almost like canned mushroom soup mixed with a French onion base, darkened, condensed, then over salted. While I make this sound very bad, it truly wasn't terrible. Just average and it could have been so much better. We finished with a absolutely wonderful lemon passion and cafe mocha. The lemon passion was moist and the highlight of dinner. Make sure you check into Facebook and like their page, show them and save10% off your bill.
(4)Diandrea S.
I went here for lunch around 12 in the afternoon on a weekday. The place wasn't crowded and their was only one waitress serving us and three other tables. The waitress friendly and kept checking on us to make sure everything was okay. The area we sat in was very nice and close to the kitchen. I got rigatoni and my sister got ravioli. Both were delicious. Who I presumed was the chef, brought our food straight to our table and grated fresh Parmesan to taste. Very nice dim lighted setting and the chairs and booths were very comfortable. The pricing of some of the items seemed a little high and the ravioli, although delicious was around $13 for only 4 pieces (sizes were pretty large, but maybe not $13 worth). Overall great experience and delicious food.
(4)Kit W.
It's been years since I have been to Macaroni Grill. I came here for lunch today because I recently received a gift card for this place. Since it's a Monday, the restaurant was only half full and we were immediately seated at a booth for two without reservations. We ordered the mushroom ravioli from the Pranzo Combo Specials (available Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM). You have a choice of three sides: fresh greens, Caesar salad, or soup. We went with the Caesar salad. For $13, I thought this was a pretty good deal because the mushroom ravioli was super delicious!!! The porcini mushrooms on top of the ravioli were beautifully caramelized and the marsala sauce was so good I dipped even my Caesar salad in it! We also ordered Chicken Under a Brick because it looked so delicious in the pictures other reviewers posted. For $21, the portion did not disappoint but we didn't like much else about it. The flavor was only okay, there was a lot of oil, and the chicken was not tender (probably a bit overcooked). Maybe I was hoping for too much given past reviews but I was let down by this dish. For drinks, I tried the Limonata Nojito, which had San Pellegrino Limonata, agave nectar, lime, and mint. I love citrus and mint so it was the perfect drink for me! If you like similar flavor profiles, you should totally get the Limonata Nojito (a nojito is apparently a mocktail version of a mojito!).
(4)Kelly D.
Waited 25 minutes.. waiter forgot our bread, balsamic vinegar. Another waitress passing by gave us more bread. Food came out after 25 minutes. Waiter was nice and great personality but hardly checked up. Great opera singer.
(3)Blanca C.
Love the atmosphere of the place, however, it's a Thursday night and a waiting line?! The staff is wonderful and attentive. A+ servers and hostess. My husband chicken Parmesan was a delicious and hottttt, mean while my food was cold and over salty. Mix feelings! :/ Cost of food was $40 bucks total, I think I rather buy Indian food. I get more for my money and the taste and flavor are 100% on point. Not bias all right?! Lol
(3)Krysten I.
It's pretty sad that I pretty much always forget there is a macaroni grill at ala moana. When I eat at the mall, I'll eat at cpk, tanaka of tokyo, shirokiya, bubba gump, genki, pretty much anywhere else. I recently received a gift card for macaroni grill and forgot I had it because this restaurant never crosses my mind. Sad. For dinner, there is usually a line, but for lunch, it's empty. A friend of mind suggested we go for lunch and I agreed because I would get to finally use my gift card! When we got to the hostess counter, the two hostesses were sorting crayons. They asked my friend and I to wait and I wasn't really sure why since the restaurant was relatively empty. We were finally seated and it seemed like we had to wait and wait longer than usual throughout the meal. We waited to order, for bread, for our food etc. I like how some of the reviews mention that people are impressed by the waitstaff' ability to write their names upside down. It's really not that hard. I'm disappointed that they couldn't write the specials upside down too lol. I had looked up their online menu and saw that they have a $10 lunch special lol but I guess in hawaii it's $13 surprise surprise. -___- I ended up getting the mushroom ravioli with Cesar salad and was impressed. It was actually a pretty good deal even though it cost 30% more just because it's in hawaii. Make sure to ask for bread, because it's pretty tasty with all the rosemary and olive oil yumminess. I think it's funny that hey try to be "European" by leaving a bottle of water on each table, yet use these paper towel things for napkins. The crayons on the table are also kind of strange even though I'm a little kid at heart and like drawing on the table while I wait for my food. Come for lunch, but I wouldn't suggest coming for dinner!
(3)M. W.
What to order? Spicy ricotta meatballs as an appetizer - not spicy :-). Mama trio - enough food for 3 meals. Flat breads are yummy, chicken under the brick is a roasted half chicken with potatoes and asparagus. Super yummy. Our server was Sheldon and he was amazing! Drinks refilled, checked in on us, was friendly and helpful. Love when he is our server! :-) I miss the create your own pasta - and the menu is 1/3 of what it used to be. But we still find new items to try. The Bibb salad is good and so is the minestrone soup. The lemon curd desert is yummy if u like tartness. Also - 10% off if u like them on FB and check in. Wanted to add that the appetizer - zucchini fritta(fried) can be baked instead and tastes much better. Happy hour is from 3-6pm and is fun and yummy.
(4)Costi W.
Loved it. Back in the day, we used to take our kids here. Then we moved from Michigan and left behind one of my favorite dinner spots. The paper table cloths with Crayola accompaniments are still there. The food is still fantastic and eclectic. Our waitress, Rachael, did a smashing job. Despite the fact that they took my favorite off the menu (Italian nachos) and the fact that it's tough to find (way up top in the Ala Moana Mall), I still have to give it a thumbs up and a five-star rating.
(5)TaraMarie P.
Macaroni Grill isn't exactly one of those amazing, must-go-here spots, but you know what, it's alright if you just want some pasta and you want to draw on the tables. Who doesn't need that combination every now and then? The service is nice; of course it's amusing the first couple of times to see them draw on the tables, but it loses its charm after a while. The whole drawing aspect really only adds to the experience if you're even with people who are fun enough to let loose and draw silly things with you while you're waiting. Otherwise the crayons and paper are a moot point and do nothing for the experience at all. As with any other higher end pasta joint, the waiter will offer to grate your cheese and may or may not have some interesting commentary. What disappoints me a little though is the menu selection. The food available doesn't exactly seem "wow," though it is tasty. I can't get cajun pasta of any sort, or lemon garlic sauce, and in fact, I don't remember any kind of house pesto being a choice on my make-your-own pasta sheet. I ended up getting chicken alfredo and having to add chili flakes and tobasco (sounds weird, but hey, it worked) just to get my spicy fix. Another thing that upsets me are the prices. They're not absurd or anything, but in my opinion they're a bit high for the quality of food. About $2 less on each plate seems a bit more fitting, unless these dishes had a bit more of a twist, or zest, or just something more. I can't quite describe it well but the food needs some, oomph for that price, you know? Lastly, funny story: I always seem to come here months upon months apart, so I forget what it looks like and other crucial details like the fact that some of the booths are elevated. Both of the last times I came, after dinner or lunch, I stepped out of the booth and that feeling hit me---you know, the one where you think you're going to die because you missed a step? Yea that one. I forgot we were on an elevated platform and stepped out onto the main floor without realizing it was lower. Didn't hit anything or fall on my butt but still... I'm sure I looked stupid missing a step and grabbing onto the table like "wth just happened?!?" Look out for those, I tell you. Do not let the food coma give you amnesia...........
(3)Kyle M.
Good food and good atmosphere here, service was great and the food was ok. I had the flatbread pizza and it was great, but my wife was not too impressed with the salmon, and the orzo was loaded with garlic. Our waiter was awesome and the food come out pretty fast. We would go back here again.
(4)Jeremy H.
The service was great the waiter wrote upside down when he came which was neat. The food was really good especially the chicken arugula flatbread and I also had mamas trio to me that wasn't as good as the flatbread. The drinks there were sorta expensive it cost 7$ for a regular drink, but this is a really good place to come and eat!
(4)Daniel H.
Rarely do I see the sort of attentiveness in wait staff that I saw tonight. For Jessie, nothing was too much and he took excellent care of my girlfriend and I. He even went so far as to sing in Italian for us at the end of the meal with a beautiful voice. The food was excellent too with free warm bread and olive oil as a starter. It was great to have fresh bread that wasn't the usual sweet stuff we've found across Hawaii. My flat bread style pizza was delicious and just the right size, with the option of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It's the little things. The meal ended with delicious Italian style espresso. I've missed proper coffee too. I wish this wasn't our last night, because we'd be back again tomorrow for sure.
(5)Reid K.
Last time I reviewed Romano's Macaroni Grill, I gave it 1 star. Maybe that was a bit harsh, so I'm here to give it 2 stars this time around. Things have changed. The fire pit that I so loved is now gone. The menu is a bit different, and by that I mean they removed items, some of which I loved (market chopped!). The wait staff is mostly the same--we recognize them, they recognize us. The annoyingly mislabeled restroom doors are still intact. Honestly, I do like the food. The pollo caprese can be eaten guilt-free because it's relatively healthy, and I've found that it's good fuel if you plan to go to the gym later. (Con: the portion of chicken is pathetic. It's, like, a quarter of a chicken breast.) My brother likes the chicken parm. My dad likes the chicken under a brick, but it's too fatty for my taste. The aforementioned market chopped salad is dead and gone, but the bibb and blue salad is always reliably good. My favorite dish is, hands down, the grilled king salmon (with orzo). It's tasty and simple and it works well eaten in or taken to go. If I love the food, then why is Macaroni Grill still only 2 stars? For one, the value you receive for the price you'll pay is debatable. I hate paying $16 for the pollo caprese when the chicken is so measly. Also, the service has been iffy every time I've visited since I wrote the first review. Incorrect orders have come to the table, and quantities of dish ingredients are inconsistent from visit to visit. I have nothing against Macaroni Grill. I still go there to eat from time to time, and I'm always open to some king salmon. As I said, I do like their food, but they need to tighten up their operating procedures and create a consistent experience that provides value for the price their customers pay.
(2)Corinne E.
Really enjoyed my meal here. Love the bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar! I had the chicken marsala! So delicious! I am strange, but I loved their water bottles! Got a free dessert with my Hawaii Perks card. Whooo hooo! Good sized tiramisu. Enjoyed the waiters enthusiastically singing "Happy Birthday" to a table nearby. Fun place to dine.
(4)Leigh A.
PRICE: $$ AMBIANCE: casual, dim lighting MEALS: good (Parmesan Chicken Caesar Salad & Penne Rustica) SERVICE: friendly
(4)Napua K.
Last time there 4 yrs ago. Due to Kamehameha Day holiday, lunch specials not available, wat a big disappointment. I really wanted the pork sandwich, & ended up w/chicken Parmesan which was fine. I do want to commend Chase for his excellent service.
(3)Karen T.
5 star review I was there for lunch yesterday with my nephew and his girlfriend and it was a great lunch! I believe our waiters name was Kawika-nice asian boy. :) My nephew got I think a ribeye, his girlfriend got the chicken marsala and I had the special-Mahimahi with risotto. I've never had risotto before but it was sooo good! I've been cutting back on carbs but I ate every last bit of it! The portion was just a little big for me but I finished it all! I've eaten here before and the food and service was good then too. AWKWARD 2 star review I had to write a review about yesterdays experience though to get this out there. The hostess walked us over to the bar area and I hear the bartender (a tall white woman with dark hair) yell out not to sit us at the open booth. So she seats us at the next table. My nephews gf asked can't we sit in a booth? So the hostess (so nice the whole time) apologized and explains that the booth is reserved but she'll go check the other side and be right back. So we sit and she comes back and tells us it's a misunderstanding-we can move to the booth if we want to. I did notice during our lunch that the bartender was serving the tables around us. Just not ours. She never stopped by our table to apologize(I thought that would have been nice) but she was very pleasant to the tables around us. I guess it was personal-whatever-We paid our bill, we weren't rowdy(we're in our mid 40's/50's!), and they left a 25% tip! Restaurant gets 3 1/2 star review total I don't know what the problem was but she should not be allowed to get away with that. Would I return? Yes I probably would-I think there's another one in Pearlridge. Would I recommend this place to others? Not after this!
(3)Katie W.
The food was good, but service was, although friendly, very slow. We came on a Tuesday night and there was a 45 minute wait for 2, so we sat at the bar. It probably ended up taking just as long to get our food. They gave us a free dessert to make up for it, but overall it took over two hours.
(3)Sarah L.
Recently came back with my sister and her friends. The hostess was very nice and helpful. The waitress was excellent as usual. This time the restaurant was clean and my seat was clean as well! For my previous review, the manager saw my review and send my a $25 gift certificate so I was happy and gladly came back to here to eat. The food was exceptional. I usually get Carmella's Chicken or the Mushroom ravioli, but this time I got the Penne Rustica. Normally I don't like trying new things, but this dish was delicious. It's a baked pasta so the top was crispy. I topped it with a lot of Parmesan cheese. There is only a few pieces of shrimp in the pasta, but there is plenty of chicken. It was a little dry for my taste so I drank plenty of water. But this is good pasta for anyone to try if it's their first time there :)
(4)India R.
I enjoy coming here, with a restaurant at this size, the wait is never too long... You can sit at the bar, or a comfortable booth for a great meal. The service is great, and who doesn't love to draw on the tables with their crayons?! :) Everything on the menu is flavorful, from the Chicken marsala to the trimisu! It's American-Italian, so you can't go wrong with all your menu options. And if there's pasta and pizza available, everyone is a happy camper! :)
(4)Emily H.
Just don't! I've been here a few times. Once for dessert and once for dinner. Dessert was surprisingly dry and expensive so I was disappointed. We went for dinner once for my husbands birthday. The smell upset me. Like dirty carpet. The food was mediocre and the service was pretty slow which is rough with a 3 year old. Just not where I would spend my money again.
(1)Janice H.
HOW TO GET 10% OFF OF YOUR BILL 1) "Like" their Facebook page here: facebook.com/MacaroniGri… (search for "Romano's Macaroni Grill Hawaii") 2) Do a Facebook check-in to the restaurant from your account 3) Show to server before requesting your bill 4) Sum exclusions apply (see photo below) Otherwise, it's mediocre, chain restaurant Italian food. I've dined here several times since it opened and my experiences have ranged to complete crap (mushroom risotto came out cold and hard like 3-day-old white rice left in the rice pot) to mediocre (oven was broken, so no bread was available; made a simple request for more toppings for a fries pupu and chef told the server they'd charge me for it). REVIEW #242
(3)Victoria A.
Imagine you're shopping, tired, hungry and just really need to chill at a nice place where you can hang your feet for a bit and to eat something semi-decent and non-fast food. This isn't such a bad place. The wait time at peak hours for lunch and dinner may be a little long. Go at non-peak hours if you must. Food is just ok - nothing spectacular to write columns about. Sad to say, the whole experience was just ok, not terrible but not spectacularly outstanding either. I ordered the lobster ravioli and our waiter delivers mushroom ravioli. I could've fussed but we had already waited long enough to be seated and a little bit more to get our food. I didn't mind the mushroom but I had my heart set on lobster - hunger is hunger and this was food. My cousin had the roasted chicken dish and my daughter had the penne. Both were decent but again, nothing so notably spectacular. It was just ok. But then again, how much can we expect from a chain restaurant? It might as well have been Chilis or Ruby Tuesdays. The ambiance is another thing this place has got going for itself. It's cozy and lit just right - almost comforting. Speaking of comfort, the booth I sat in had cracked bench covering which made it quite irritating to have my thigh pinched every time I moved. Easily resolved, I put a napkin under my leg. Meh...I was too tired to fuss and I really didn't want to wait until another table opened up. In my opinion, the best thing about this place is their wine and their paper covered tables with available crayons. Both very therapeutic in nature and both served me well to help heal me of my retail therapy. The wait staff is talented as well, I mean do you realize how difficult it is to write your name upside down with two colored crayons? Talent is hard to come by nowadays and to be able to be skilled with food service skills and art - it's a win-win for the customers.
(3)Sabrina B.
Was greeted right away by the hostess, didn't wait more than 1 min (it was around 3pm) for a seat to be ready, our server always followed up to see how we are doing, food was great! Left happy!
(5)Breanna M.
Good service, not so good food. I was disappointed with the Alfredo I ordered. How can you make bland Alfredo at a Italian restaurant? We had to return the calamari we ordered because it tasted like breaded rubber. Very disappointed with this location. Definitely won't be going back.
(2)Patrick B.
Food good wait staff excellent Bread tastes like medicine UGH check in at front desk rude waiter Matt superb Aloha Nui loa from the fairest islands ever nestled upon our planet earth.
(3)Liesyl M.
Great Italian food!! :) This is my third time here and we came to celebrate my birthday!! The restaurant is located in Ala Moana Shopping center so parking shouldn't be a problem. The decor is very Italian like. When you are seated there are crayons for you to draw on the paper table! :) It's fun for everyone. If you plan on having a party of more than 4, make sure to call in advance to reserve a table as you may have to wait awhile if you don't reserve in advance. We had a party of 11 so making a reservation was a must. They seated us comfortably and right on time. Their complimentary bread is fresh and tastes great. It's a bit hard to cut through but the taste is delicious. It has a rosemary taste and dipping it in the olive oil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar makes it even better!! For our entrees we ordered the Eggplant Parmesan with a Caesar Salad and the Lobster Ravioli with a Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Caesar Salad wasn't too dressed which made the salad a little tasteless, if you decide to get it you should ask for more dressing with it. The Eggplant Parmesan was delicious and I would definitely get it again. The Bibb and Bleu Cheese Salad was interesting but delicious!! It has pickled red onions, walnuts, and buttermilk dressing!! This salad is definitely a must try!! As for the Lobster Ravioli, I was surprised of the size as it wasn't that big. My bf ordered it and did not fill him up. So be aware that you may wanna get some appetizers or eat a lot of bread if you decide to order it. It tasted great but not fulfilling. If you plan on coming for your birthday, they give a free birthday chocolate cake. I was expecting the singer of the restaurant to sing to me but they said that she already left. So I was bummed. But glad that my friends sang for me. :) As for the service, it wasn't that great. Our server was nice and all as he was able to split our check five ways. There were times when we needed water refills but didn't get it right away. It also seemed that he took long to get to our table to take orders and see if we needed anything else. One of my friends ordered a drink but never got it and the server remembered when were already done eating. Overall, we would definitely come back for the bread, the fun of drawing on the table, and the Italian food. :)
(4)Wendy S.
Executive Chef Nawai Kekoolani and his crew fire up awesome dishes! Everthing is great from appetizers to salads, entrees and dessert. Service is fantastic!
(5)Po'u L.
4 stars for the food, 5 stars for the server TAYLOR. She was really attentive and polite, I was thoroughly impressed by the way she could write her name upside down. I tried to do it... Not so easy. Lobster ravioli was the best ravioli I ever ate.
(5)Maile T.
Just want to say, this place is awesome! Darren is our favorite bartender and always remembers our names when we come in :) He is always pleasant and welcoming which is the experience any guest will have with him and the other bartenders. We love their Happy Hour and ambiance as well. After we had a bad experience last night at Longhis Ala Moana, we thought...lets go to Macaroni Grill where they are consistently friendly, professional and actually care about their guests. Thank you Darren, Ryan and the other bartenders for always making our dining experiences memorable :)
(5)Hayley K.
This last visit was around my fourth time dining here, but it's been years since I've been here. I must say my opinion on this place has changed dramatically. I mean they have always had a great staff, but I guess I was never really into Italian food. After five years my taste buds must be changing because I LOVE the food. Anyway, my bf and I came on Sunday to watch the USA vs Portugal game and we sat at the bar. We had the most AMAZING lady help us and gosh I would go back just to see her again! She was real pleasant and very personable. I could tell everyone there loved her. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, I had the Margherita flat bread, and bf had the mushroom ravioli and beer. All superb dishes that you should try! Our bill came out to $50 and luckily I had a gift card from many years ago for $25.
(5)Kayla B.
Food was awesome I had the wild mushroom and goat cheese flat bread not a big fan of goat cheese but it was good... Super amazed by our server TAYLOR very sweet super attentive and all around happy person you can tell she loves her job.... Can't wait to come back and most definitely asking for her section :)
(5)Mrs. Yogurdisher A.
We arrived after the lunch rush, around 2pm, and was told by the hostess that our wait would be 5 - 10 mins. I noticed that there were empty tables but shrugged it off as not enough wait-help since it was off peak hours. Our server, Josie, very energetic and enthusiastic, took a crayon and wrote her name on the paper tablecloth. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and suggested two entrees that we were very happy with. She served their loaf of bread and proceeded to pour a generous amount of EVOO onto a small plate. There was no balsamic vinegar on the table so I asked for some. I rated this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars because although the food was excellent and prices good, their portions are a tad on the small size (compared to Assagios regular portions). I would visit this establishment again.
(4)Miss L.
It's like roulette here, sometimes it's awesome and sometimes it's so horrible I don't know why I keep coming back! The last time I came they weren't serving the lunch menu because they ran out of a lot of items. Thank goodness they are serving it today! The food for the most part is delicious all around but the service is what is a gamble.
(4)Marni T.
My boyfriend and I came here twice together, first time we ate here his friend told us what to get. Btw don't ever listen to your boyfriend's friends, they are always wrong always! I took his advice and ordered chicken on or under a brick? Not sure, but it was awful. The dipping sauce they had was totally inedible. My boyfriend liked what he got, but its hard to disappoint him. The waiter was nice, HE also knew my boyfriend so he "hooked" us up with what he thought was good. The second time we came here was because we had a gift card and thought we might as well use it and have a cheap date night. Well our server was awesome, very helpful. We ordered and got our food in a timely matter. I ordered ravioli which was a lot better than what I ordered the last time. The bread with the olive oil is always "on point". Well service here is great, workers are nice and helpful. Food is okay, I've had better. I would only come back if I didn't have to pay.
(3)Chris L.
I can happily give Romano's 5 stars on Yelp! after our 4 or 5 visits there. Romano's is a pretty nice place atmosphere wise, clean and organised. The restaurant only failed the dust check near the front entrance which is understandable due to the fact that when the doors open the wind comes in with you. The wait staff here are very professional, we've enjoyed talking to our server every trip we made, they talk story and do that cool upside down name thing. Food now, the food is great, at least what we have tried. My group tried to order one of each food but we were down two crew members this night. Flat Bread Pizza: Great, we got the Pizza Margarita, the crust was crunchy and the pizza was cheesy and tasted delightful. Mac and Cheese Balls: This is an appetizer, we don't usually mention appetizers on our reviews but I felt I should mention this one. . .the sauce that comes with it is nice and thick, flavorful. The Mac and cheese balls themselves are out of this world good. Mama's Trio: It's not healthy to try and eat all of this in one sitting. . .but try and stop me from doing so. . .5 star dish for sure. Chicken Parmigiana: Breading is great and the sauce is seasoned, no complaints here. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: Chicken was moist, correctly cooked and the Alfredo sauce was among some of the best I've had locally, Pasta was great as well. In House Wine: Its really good if you like a dry wine. Water: Water? WATER!? Why are you reviewing the WATER!?. . .because they do something to it that makes it amazing. . .I don't know what it is but the water is so pure, its like. . .God Water. . .the water of nature . . . Bathroom Test: Passed with flying colors, there was some water on the floor but the floor isn't a super slick surface so its fine. This has been Chris L. In my first review for the 808 Review Crew on Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)Waiza D.
Our first time coming here ! The wait is not that long which is good, definitely 5 stars! The food was delish !!
(5)Ariel A.
Went to dine at Macaroni grill and it clearly didnt look busy but we still had to wait for 20 minutes as workers were still arriving for their 5:00 shift im guessing. The happy hour is only for those that sit in the bar section (bummers). Pasta dishes are Ok, a little on the pricy side. The bread is delicious and I like the fact that they ask if you want more bread before running out. We had a great server that was very attentive. Great for the kids since they are kept busy with the crayons provided. My favorite is the mushroom ravioli!
(3)Mona C.
Went into Romano's today with a hungry family who was appreciative for no wait time. The kids ordered their usuals (spaghetti and meat balls with meat sauce/mac n cheese, $1 gelato afterwards) so they're always happy. The adults opted to try something different... 2 for $13 tapas menu (mac & cheese bites and artichoke hearts) - I was disappointed and immediately regretted not ordering our usual calamari. Before I forget.. the house bread. The bread is always good (hot n fresh) and served up with pepper and olive oil for dipping. We ordered the Mama's Trio as our entree (to share, upon recommendation by another *yelper), and added a caesar salad. The salad was good, wish it had been larger. Mama's Trio is lasagna, canolli and chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta. The hubby devoured the chicken parm so im sure it was up to par. The canolli was not bad, but the lasagna tasted a little off. Service was great, Taylor took great care of us, but another waitress clipped me twice on the shoulder as she passed my seat. I'm not big, and my seat was not sticking out in the aisle. Since Romano's is in the mall, is convenient to stop at, and the kids love the food, I'm sure we'll be back, but will stick to our usual choices and request a booth.
(3)Rachael O.
This is by far my favorite of the big Italian chain restaurants. My first visit to this location was on July 4, 2013. I was hot and tired from navigating the crush of folks gathered at Ala Moana. I opted for one of their lighter dishes that I've eaten at the Chicago airport location a few times--grilled chicken with a modest portion of angel hair pasta and a light tomato sauce. It always hits the spot, staying with me, but not causing "carb coma." Only this time the chicken was simply inedible. To make sure it was not my imagination, I asked my daughter to taste a bite and she spit hers out, as well. Whether it was burned or a bad piece of chicken to start, I sent it back (and I never send food back, trust me). The server, the manager, and even the chef could not have been nicer in fixing the problem, so it turned the situation around completely. Fast forward to a friend's recent visit and we went back, at his request. I was so ecstatic to see that the chicken Florentine salad is back on the menu! Imagine grilled chicken, shaved parmesan, baby spinach, olives, capers, onions, and purple cabbage tossed with a fresh, tangy lemon and olive oil dressing. Divine! The only downside was the stuffed mushrooms which did not spend enough time in the broiler, so their filling was a little cool (didn't stop my friend from crushing them, though). We split the lemon dessert which was heaven on a plate. I think we each ended up with bruised knuckles, trying to get a fair share of the dessert. It's a layer of lemon cake, soaked in some delicious syrup and topped with a tart and sweet lemon mousse. Don't mess around with the other desserts. Get this one! The ambience is warmer and more sophisticated than Olive Garden or Carraba's. And they have some lunch duos ($11) and trios ($13) that let you choose your own combo of soup, half-sandwich, salad, or pasta, from a limited menu of favorites. It's a good value for Waikiki. Would I fight traffic in town to get here? Probably not. Would I stop by if I'm already in town? Definitely!
(4)Brian M.
Our server Matt was excellent for service. The food is always great. Looking forward to coming back.
(5)Charmaine N.
This is my third visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill. I can't remember much of the first or second time, except that the food was pretty delicious. On this recent visit, we were seated within 5 minutes. Our waiter gave us water right away and didn't rush us to order. He brought us some bread to start. To be honest, RMG doesn't have the best bread. In the end, the bf ordered the Chicken Marsala and a glass of Pinot Grigio and I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine and a glass of Moscato. We didn't have to wait long for our food to come out but my Moscato did take a bit longer. Our waiter seemed to be pretty busy but I didn't mind..I wasn't in any rush. The Chicken Scaloppine was delicious! It has mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, capers and a pieces of chicken breast in a buttery, lemon, white wine sauce. I'm not much of an artichoke fan so I gave them to my bf. He also seemed to enjoy his meal. For desert, we ordered a Biscotti Toddy and a Cafe Romano. It was like a...alcoholic splash to your morning coffee. Warm, chocolatey and sweet with a kick of Baileys. I would recommend these to anyone 21+.
(3)Brittaney T.
Food: very tasty. I could taste the flavor in every thing we tried. However, at the prices I expected the plate sizes to be larger. Maybe it's because I'm used to Cheesecake Factory charging a high price for a large portion. I felt like this place could have increase their portions, especially the appetizers. The bread wasn't over the top great. It was very average. Service: very friendly and energetic. Our server was Peter. He was an extraordinary server and I would love to come back if he was our server again. Wait Time: it was about 25 minutes on a Sunday night. We waited a little longer for a booth. Ambience: appropriately lit. Not too loud. I could hear the dishes clanking though. It's very casual inside. I would come back.
(4)Reina L.
We always enjoy coming here. Tonight we sat in a section we never sat in before...talk about a tight fit. No pomodorino soup for Jake, he was disappointed since this wasn't the first time we came here and they were out. Kawika was great and kept our drinks filled. I got bread to take home with our left over meals, since we had so much food.
(4)Dirty V.
We like to go here for lunch. I get the mushroom ravioli, bib and blue salad with Mac and cheese bites appetizer. Peach ice tea is a must.
(4)Gemma R.
Cam and I joined Monica H. (and family) for lunch yesterday to celebrate new business ventures. They tried getting reservations at Mariposa but with a 2.5 hour wait, we opted for Macaroni Grill instead. I was surprised we were able to get seated right away, (6 adults, 1 tween and 2 babies). Just a note to anyone with a baby, they do not allow strollers into the restaurant - instead, they allow you to leave it at the front receptionist stand (kind of like Disneyland). We were able to keep ours because Logan passed out and there was no way we were taking him out of that seat. Our server was Jesse and we honestly couldn't have asked for a better server. He was very quick to grab us extra utensils, cups, etc. We ordered a large house wine (if you don't finish it, you can take it home) and pretty much all of the tapas (appetizers.) I really liked their fried macaroni and cheese balls and the artichoke dip. I wish they put more crostini's with their artichoke dip but since they offer free bread, there's no point in asking for more of the toasted bread. We also ordered a warm and cold salad and a sausage pizza. I probably wouldn't order the pizza again because I'm not a fan of thin crust. We also ordered three desserts - lemon cake, chocolate and the tiramisu. Everyone seemed to love the tiramisu and I have to agree, I liked it the best too. Now, the reasoning behind the five stars. While we were waiting for our dessert, Jesse took it upon himself to sing us a beautiful Italian aria. How amazing is that? Cam made the joke that even if sang random words in Italian it wouldn't have mattered because he did such a great job! Jesse, you are awesome and I hope Macaroni Grill takes care of you! Thanks for the wonderful lunch.
(5)Ramon B.
Came Here To Carb load before the Honolulu Marathon! I was seated quickly and my Server Ian was super nice and professional as well! I ordered the Chicken on a Brick! Food came out and was very well presented my only complaint is that they should not be so heavy handed on the Olive Oil! It over took the taste of the Entrée but other than that I will stick to what I know! CARMELAS CHICKEN OH YEAH
(4)Tobias C.
Okay - we went to Macaroni Grill for a birthday party on March 23, 2014. We had a party of 9. I have to say after reading a lot of bad reviews on Yelp - the experience was quite the opposite. Our waiter was Jeff - fantastic from beginning to end. The Food - pretty good too - from the apps to dessert. Best entree on the menu - get the Pork Chops. Waiter Jeff - keep up the great work! Macaroni Grill - hang in there - a lot of reviews say the words. " I really wanted to like this place.....BUT". A lot of restaurants fall apart by living on their past reps - don't be one of them.
(5)Jenn S.
After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, the family eats together at a restaurant. Today, I got to choose. And I chose Romano's Macaroni Grill. I recommend Mama's Trio, chicken alfredo and some greens. Love the bread with black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Our server, Jerry, was awesome. He was reading our minds. Mahalo Jerry!
(5)Chantelle K.
I came here as birthday dinner. Never been here before but my friend had. We arrived around 6:30pm. We waited about 5 mins and were seated. Our waiter Kevin, was lovely. He was very polite and efficient. The food itself took a while to get to us. We order a caesar salad which was delicious and I got the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It could've had more chicken but overall it was really tasty. Personally I don't think you can go wrong with that dish. They gave us some garlic bread as well. Which was also delicious. You're able to write on the tables since they cover it with paper and supply crayons. I loved that personal touch. Since it was my birthday, I receive a complementary chocolate cake. It was very rich and VERY chocolately. A little too much for my liking but still very good. They give you the option of singing or no singing which I also liked because I hate being sang Happy Birthday in restaurants. I would come back here. The service is divine and so is the food. I gave four stars because I felt that, although very delicious, the food wasn't outstanding. Maybe it was because I ordered something so basic. But overall, everything was great!
(4)Sharon N.
Felt pretty skeptic when my boyfriend and I came here for dinner because of all the reviews saying that the service was terrible but I guess we came on a good night! We came in a little after 5 PM and we only had to wait five minutes to get seated. Ian was our server and to our surprise, he was really nice and the total opposite of all the Yelp reviews about crappy service so that was a definite plus! Boyfriend and I decided to share entrees so we ended ordering: 1. Mac & cheese bites w/ Alfredo dip 2. Zucchini frittis (?) 3. Chicken Parmesan 4. Pasta Rustica Everything was SOOOO delicious and Ian always came by our table to make sure that we had everything we needed! What a nice guy. :) My boyfriend and I couldn't even finish our pastas so we had to box it up & take it home. With this wonderful experience and DELICIOUS food, we're definitely gonna come back & try new things!
(5)Kim S.
Yes, this is a time when I wish there were zero stars to give. The last visit may be the final. Snarky service from a blondie who treated & spoke to us with a patronizing & fake attitude. We wanted to smack her. Desserts appear the same on the menu but have turned cheap - not the price, the ingredients & preparation. According to blondie this changed a few months ago but she neglected to tell us while we ordered. My go to Homemade Chocolate Cake was so disgusting I took 1 bite & stopped. It tasted like those cheap no name box mixes where only water is added - the kind you make as a little kid for an easy bake oven. It was probably a week old too. The "warm ganache" was watered down cheap chocolate syrup & not warm. Absolutely no chocolate toffee pieces as stated on the menu. Ghirardelli® Chocolate should sue them for defaming their name because I doubt any was used in this cake & if it was the flavor was completely mangled. Blondie saw & was told I didn't like it but didn't offer to replace or remove the offensive dessert. I didn't want to make a scene & ask for the manager to remove the dessert from the bill because we had out of town guests. Plus, I figured it would be free because I had a coupon provided directly from this location for a free dessert. Well, the coupon was refused (supposedly by the manager) so I had to pay $10 for 1 bite of cake I wanted to spit out.
(1)Michael C.
Who wants to go to a UYE??!! Me, me! (raises hand). Thank you to John F. who single-handedly organized a UYE during happy hour. I myself had never been to HH at Macaroni Grill before, and so I was looking forward to trying new food and meeting new people. The event was scheduled for 500-700pm, though their happy hour normally finishes at 6pm. I guess John used some form of Yelp magic and the management/staff was kind of enough to extend happy hour for our group till 7pm. NOTE: I'm not sure if there is an entirely separate menu for HH, but John went around informing us that there were 3 pizzas that were specials during happy hour. We were also informed they had a selection of drinks/beer/wine on special as well. HH: I chose the Italian sausage pizza. Normally price at $15, this was $7 during hh. This was quite good, and I would absolutely order this again on a future visit. As far as drinks, I ordered the house chardonnay, which was $4/glass during hh. SERVICE: Very good. Although our group kept increasing in numbers, our main server, was pleasant, friendly, polite, and helpful, during the duration of the UYE. He also conveniently provided separate checks for all of us in attendance. side NOTE: Though the food and service was satisfactory, I'm unsure about returning to hh at Macaroni Grill if there are only pizzas on special. I was hoping for more variety of menu items honestly. Bottom Line: Perhaps I may venture to hh on my own and give it a 2nd chance.
(3)Austin B.
I usually like pasta, but I do not like Macaroni Grill's take on it, as they LOVE using rosemary in a lot of their dishes (and bread -_-), and rosemary is one of my least favorite flavors. Ambience is nice and so is the service, but I wouldn't pick this place if it were my choice. Likes: Service is usually pretty good at this location. The servers are attentive and friendly. It's easy to find someone to help you usually (in the main dining area at the least). Even the the bread has rosemary, the texture is good and if I dip it in the olive oil, it's good. Dislikes: Rosemary. It's in a lot of dishes... and when it's in there, it stands out... a lot. Favorites: The chicken under a brick is moist and doesn't have a prominent rosemary flavor, so that's my favorite dish here. For the price of the dishes, I'd rather go to Cheesecake Factory because the food in general is better tasting there, and the portions are larger. This place is nice for the ambience and the service, but I'd only recommend it if that's important to you and you like the taste of rosemary.
(3)Angelo A.
Convenient . . . check Ample parking . . . check Good for big parties . . . check Americanized, chain restaurant, Italian food . . . check
(3)Claudia M.
Havent been to this place in a long while. To my surprise, I enjoyed it and wondered why I haven't been patronizing this place. Waiter was very pleasant! Had the eggplant parmesan and it was delish. The angel hair pasta with red sauce which accompanied the eggplant was very tasty. They also had a nice kid's menu...chicken with pasta, meatballs with spaghetti, and other items. It also came with a drink. Can't wait to go back. And they take reservations until 9pm...something like that.
(4)Liliana U.
Decided to eat here with my boyfriend after receiving a gift card to ala moana and I'm so glad we did. The wait wasn't long at all for a dinner table, a little less than 25mins. Once we were seated we were given our menus but me and my boyfriend just dashed to the paper on the table to draw on, the kids in us. Definitely a kid friendly place that will keep them occupied, and hopefully quiet for those of you who bring 3 loud children to restaurants ... Our server was AMAAAZZINNNG ! I believe his name was Nate, he's tall, dark haired, and wears glasses ( Just in case management see's this; congrats on your staffing !) He was super attentive, very nice, gave us his personal opinion and recommendations on the food when we asked, fun, and all around professional ! He is definitely one of the reason why me & my boyfriend would come back, just awesome service! Now let's get to the yummy part; food ! They have a good selection to choose from but a little on the pricy side for some, but not all the food especially if you're buying for quite a few people. We had fried mozzarella for our appetizer, oh em ge. Supper yummy ! I almost ordered another one ! For our entrees we had the Sausage Flatbread pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti with meat balls (they sound a lot more fancier on the menu, but I can't remember what is called lol ). The flatbread pizza was yummy but I just feel as though the sausage was not spread evenly on but more focused on the center, some pieces of pizza didn't have any sausage. The lasagna was pretty damn good I must say. Totally made up for the pizza. I didn't try the spaghetti with meatballs but it looked good ! Desert was awesome! So awesome that we couldn't decide on what to have so we picked 2. We had the chocolate cake and the lemon cake. They were both so gooooood. The chocolate cake was very rich, a little dry but it was sauces woth chocolate sauce on the cake and the plate, just dip it right in there ! The lemon cake, I might just come back for the lemon cake. It was so good, very moist, very lemony. Overall, awesome experience ! I will be coming back !
(5)Joseph D.
This place was great. My girl and I only waiting for 5-10 minutes on a busy Friday night without a reservation. The hostess and waitress was very polite and the food was delicious. Very good!!
(5)Lisa S.
Chicken Scallopini my all time favorite! But I had to try the Lobster Ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! Soup of the day was Pomodonia (creamy tomato bisque) absolutely amazing!!!!
(4)Drake W.
Despite what you read the food was great! The service was outstanding, I didn't have to wait long for my food and it was on valentines day which was busy. I ordered the garlic fries which is off the menu, you have to ask for it. Usually the garlic fries either have to much or to less of garlic but macaroni grill made it perfect! With bacon cheese and shrimp it was beyond excellent! I ordered the make your own pasta with fettuccini, Alfredo sauce, asparagus, broccolini, tomatoes and shrimp. Which came out nice and great tasting. My fiancé had the mushroom ravioli which was also out standing ! I am born and raised in Hawai'i and this is the best Italian restaurant I've been to.
(5)Steve S.
Perfect service.... Much better now that the fire pit is gone. Smell no longer there.
(5)Kelli S.
My family and I dine at Macaroni Grill once in a while, as prices for those pasta entrées can sometimes be expensive. But I've always found something I liked there--the "Chicken Cannelloni" dish--so I never minded. The ambience is always pleasant and peaceful, and sometimes, when the restaurant is not as crowded, I forget that I'm in the hustle and bustle of Ala Moana Shopping Center (at least, during the times that I've been to Macaroni Grill for dinner, I never had to wait long because we went early). It's been a while since I've been to Romano's, and I noticed that the menu has changed drastically--so drastically, in fact, that I no longer see my beloved "Chicken Cannelloni" dish on it! There's even a specialized lunch menu available, designed for those who have packed schedules. Though much has changed at this classic Italian joint, there are still dishes I would love to try. Here's what I would recommend if you're dining at Romano's: "Warm Spinach and Shrimp": I've had this amazing spinach salad once--and smelled like garlic for the remainder of the day--but it was totally worth it. This salad consists of baby spinach, prosciutto and pine nuts. Spinach is my favorite vegetable and my favorite salad base, and I loved the flavors of the prosciutto and garlic that were mixed in. This salad is great for sharing if you're dining with a friend or in a small group. "Fettuccine Alfredo": Because I'm not a fan of tomato sauce, I ordered this dish because it was a no-fuss, no-frills option, consisting simply of noodles, Parmesan, butter and cream. This is my brother's go-to entrée whenever we do visit Romano's. I enjoyed the buttery, creamy Parmesan sauce, and there was an ample amount of Parm cheese featured on top of the noodles as well. "Chicken Parmesan": The "Chicken Parmesan" was yummy, but there's so many other choices on the menu that I think only ordered this dish once. However, if you're looking for an entrée that's a bit more traditional, this is the go-to, as it features a good amount of mozzarella cheese and capellini pomodoro. The included chicken breast sported a crispy exterior and was flavorful as well, making the dish enjoyable. "Mac and Cheese Bites, Truffle Dip": I haven't been able to try this appetizer yet, but I absolutely love mac 'n cheese, so it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on these bite-sized morsels. Macaroni Grill is one of several places that have mac 'n cheese bites on its Appetizers menu (like CPK, The Cheesecake Factory and more), but I'm hoping the truffle dip adds an extra element to this savory app. It features toasted four cheese pasta that's served with a truffle dip. I love my mac 'n cheese extra cheesy, so I'm excited to try Romano's version one day. "Cannelloni Bolognese": This pasta dish is appealing to me because it contains one of my favorite cheeses (ricotta), as well as Asiago cream. It also features spinach and Bolognese sauce. I would just ask for my pasta to be light on the sauce, but I can't wait to taste the cheesy medley in this dish one day. This actually sounds VERY similar to my "Chicken Cannelloni" dish (but without the chicken), so I would really like to give it a taste. "Penne Rustica": If I ever ventured out of the comfort zone of my "Chicken Cannelloni" usual, this pasta dish would be a worthy contender. It features roasted chicken, shrimp, rosemary cream, prosciutto and parmesan cheeses. I do like chicken and shrimp, so I'm sure I'd like this dish because those are its main components. If I'm ever at Romano's for dinner again, I would love to give this entrée a go. "Classic Italian Bake": This dish sort of sounds like a lasagna (without the actual name), and I like many of its components--house-made meatballs, Italian sausage, rigatoni, creamy ricotta, basil and rustic tomato sauce. I would just order this pasta dish sans the roasted tomatoes and light on the rustic tomato sauce. But I'm curious to try the homemade meatballs, and I'm sure the sausage and cheese deliver lots of savory flavors. "Prosciutto Grilled Cheese": Grilled cheese has always been my favorite type of sandwich, and this savory meal comes with a great medley of cheeses -- lightly smoked prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and four cheese fonduta in between slices of fresh ciabatta bread. If I ever go to Macaroni Grill for lunch, this is the first option on my "to-try" list. "Chicken Caesar Calzone": I don't have calzones very often, but if I have a craving for one, this option sounds tasty. This "Calzonetto" features grilled chicken, tomatoes, spinach, oregano, Parmesan, mozzarella and Caesar dressing. It's basically Caesar salad rolled up into a warm, hand-held pocket, which sounds extremely yummy. I would opt for this calzone without the tomatoes, as usual.
(3)Sash B.
My first time at a macaroni grill. It's just an over priced Olive Garden. The calamari was very expensive when compared to the amount that was served to us. I ordered the coffee with baileys. It seemed there was NO ALCOHOL in there!!! My mojito tasted like a virgin mojito (idk if there's such thing). Very upset
(1)Christa B.
What can I say? I love the national franchise restaurants. I wish this place were closer to me. I'd be a regular for sure. I'd just come for the drinks and dessert! You know how the food tastes. It's decent for Italian. It's good for your money. However, are you aware of how good the drinks are? I'm not a lush. I promise, but they were so good, I had several. The Sorrento lemonade, the Italian mojito, and the Cafe Romano are excellent! The Sorrento is southern lemonade sweet. The Italian Mojito is for the palette that enjoys the hint taste of licorice. The cafe romano is super sweet as well. It probably has more sugar than coffee. I won't say much else about this place other than to mention our server Brian. He made great drink suggestions and was very friendly. The guy who sang happy birthday to my daughter in Italian had a lovely voice. Now who's ready for a drink!?
(4)Denise P.
My sisters, niece, and I had lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We had to wait about 10 minutes before we were seated. I guess we weren't the only ones who chose to have a late lunch that day. The wait was worth it. We were seated and our server promptly took our drink orders and brought our drinks out quickly. We placed our lunch order and proceeded to draw on the paper with our crayons. I must say, they should have these available at every establishment! When our food was brought to our table we all took pictures of each other's dish before we started eating. The food was delicious and enjoyed all the more because of our gathering. This has been my third time here and my first time writing a review about Romano's Macaroni Grill on Yelp. I'm giving Romano's five stars because their excellent customer service and delicious food have been consistent on each of my visits here. Keep up the great team work and delicious food, Romano's Macaroni Grill!
(5)Cindy B.
House bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and flat breads have to be my favorites! Yum! Front desk staff can be a hit or miss. Sometimes the girls can be snobby. On my latest visit, however the front desk staff was very friendly. Our waiter, Ryan, was also excellent. He was very attentive and personable. My boyfriend and I ordered the Spinach Dip ($8). The dip was very flavorful. You can taste the spinach and artichokes in the dip. Although the flavors were there, I couldn't help the fact that the dip was cold. Some parts of the edges were really warm and when you dug deeper into the dip it was cold! The dip was accompanied with small pieces of crostini. Would def get it again if the dip was hot! The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad ($15) is similar to the one at Nordstrom Cafe (I prefer Nordstroms one). The chicken is crispy and delicious and the salad is well dressed. The Roasted Chicken Flat Bread ($16) has pesto, chicken, roasted peppers, and arugula on a thin crispy flat bread. So good! Not a big fan of arugula, but it works on this dish. For dessert, we got the Panna Cotta ($9). We were pretty full by the end of our meal, so this dessert was perfect. Very light and not too sweet.
(4)Chablis T.
Dining here again by default turned out to be a pleasant experience. Our waitress was new & that was her first night serving. Her name is Jenny. She was awesome. Best service I had dining here. On the menu: Shrimp Portofino. That was oh so good. This is what I'll be coming back for! Love that I can bring my kids here! They are given crayons & keep busy by drawing on their paper topped tables. We will be back.
(4)Supa M.
Good food great service...our waiter was peter...he was good wrote his name upside down and everything fast service and refilled my soda every time never had to ask once...the food was good and the portion was a lot
(5)Jackie J.
So Dre and I went to dinner last night. It was okay. Mel was our server who was awesome! See the thing is, I ordered a lava flow and it tasted like a milkshake or like tequila rose. It had no ice in it, it was frothy. The drink wasn't right. It looked and tasted like it had been sitting out for a bit before they brought it to me. We ordered two appetizers which were awesome but immediately after we got our appetizers our complementary bread came, along with our entrées. Everything came out at once. We felt so overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. The different flavors of everything didn't taste well together. They should've come out in the right order and with some time in between. I ordered something with penne instead of the long noodles it would usually come with and it still had long noodles in it. It seemed like the dish had been prepared earlier and they just took the top off of it and put it on some penne. Our dinner went well because we were with each other and our server was great but the delivery wasn't good. I've had a much better experience here once before and I wish they would keep their standards that high. I hope our next visit goes better if we decide to return.
(3)Li Y.
My nieces luuuuve this place which is why we are here today. Because whatever my nieces want my nieces get, at least with dis auntie! And, even tho this surprises even me, I am actually glad we did. with a party of 11 persons we got a feast for the eyes and palate! Located at the top of the Hookipa escalator/elevator, location is very convenient in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. First off let me say the service was top notch! We began to arrive 10 minutes early for a 11am reservation. Had to wait a few minutes to go in as the restaurant doors didn't open until 11am. DO NOTE, party will not usually be seated at table until at least the party present so...don't be late otherwise the early arrivals might not be too happy when you get there later! Hostess was more than accommodating tho when we explained we had a senior the ripe age of...well...almost 90years old so, they allowed us to go almost straight to the table. Can't leave grandma out of the festivities. Kudos to the hostess staff! Our waiter was just as if not more attentive. Even quite entertaining. Food was all very tasty (too tasty?) and very reasonably priced. Do a Facebook/yelp checkin and "like" of the restaurant and get 10pct off. Also, active and reserved military get 10pct off. Kudos to the management staff. Do believe I will be back to visit ! Great place to end up or start your shopping adventures at the mall!!
(4)Oscar F.
Food was great. Served on time. UNFORTUNATLEY, our waiter forgot more than half of our order. The place was not busy at all and I counted at least 7 other waiters around. WOW!!! Update. They paid for our missing food item! YAY!!
(4)Shy K.
I love coming here during happy hour with friends and/or dinner time with family. The food is good and service is pretty quick. However, it never fails. Every time I order appetizers it comes to the table cold. Especially the stuffed mushrooms it's always cold in the middle. Good good with good company makes a perfect day.
(4)Cody B.
Went here for an early dinner. Had no issue getting a table, we tend to like the bar area because its first come first serve. Darrin was great, had a great attitude and amazed my girlfriend with his writing up-side-down and drawing skills. He explained the menu and had our drink there right away. The food was great and was fast getting to us. I had the trio and she had the pasta and chicken. Both were way more than we could finish. We were way to full to try any of the desserts but are sure they would have been great too. If you are looking for some good food this is the place.
(5)Valerie R.
Went to Macaroni Grill on a Sunday evening to celebrate my daughter's birthday and I was really disappointed with the service we received from our waitress Stephanie. She was very blah, no smiling, just asked for our order and walked away. It seemed she was just going through the motions to get her shift over with. What upset me more was I witnessed her being friendly with other guests so I'm not sure what her problem was. Other than that, our food was tasty but the service we received really ruined our experience.
(3)Mel V.
Thinking of somewhere to satisfy my craving for good pasta and pizza... decided to come here today 081314 for a lunch. Upon arriving to the main entrance I noticed that they had a green "PASS" posted great job guys! It's kind of a big deal because you know that the resturabt meets the expectations of the food and health department for crying out loud they hot a pass! So I'm pretty sure you won't be going home sick or find roaches etc. Crawling around riggt?! Geeze I hope not. Moving on... As we walked in, we were promptly greeted by the host, we came on a weekday & during opening about half an hour before the lunch rush so she asked us for how many and gladly walked us to our table. Within less than 5 minutes our waiter Shawn cane and asked us if we wanted drinks and if we needed more time. did not rush us at out but promptly brought our water and bread olive oil vinegar mixture... We decided to go with the Italian sausage flat bread & the create your own pasta. Shawn was very knowledgeable of explaining the sauces, and helped us in vision what our choices would look and taste like. First we got the Italian sausage pizza: the crust was on flat bread that was baked to.a perfected crisp with a good amount of cheese to sauce ratio. Not greasy at all and the sausage bites were equally arranged. Next was our pasta: we chose fettuccine with aarabita (I think I spelt it wrong) with roasted red peppers spinach and tomatoes it cane out okay... I wasn't to.impress but it tasted great. Got the right amount of seasoning, but could have had a little more spice or kick to it... the noodles were good but to me it seemed like they just boiled the noodles n just slabbed the sauce over it and tossed in the veggies.. don't get me wrong it was good though.. I guess we should of gone with our usual pasta di mare oh well. .. lesson learned... Lastly every so often our waiter came to check on us to see if everything was okay, the big thing I liked was how the manager himself came to each table to make sure his/ her staff was giving us the customer service n hospitality we deserve. With that being said I will definitely return who.doesnt love drawing on the tables?!
(4)Hannah P.
We wanted an Italian soda soooooo bad. I remembered macaroni grill having a pretty good selection of flavors. That and I could litteraly not think of one other place that made them. We called and were told they don't do take out drinks. And the lady who answered the phone sounded like she thought we were joking. No joke here sister, the craving is real. Lol. We'd have to come in... Meh. BUT we had to. Strawberry and cream plus carbonation= bomb dot com. The local girl bartending in the lounge was sweet. Charismatic, young, and fresh. I appreciated her service while we hastily slurped down our Italian sodas.. Just thought I'd pay her respects on yelp :)
(4)Wendy G.
Amazing service!
(5)Ram K.
Pretty busy around 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We checked in and waited about 15 minutes, not bad. Karen was our server and she did a great job. Brought some bread w/ a plate of olive oil and pepper. She kept up with drink refills and checked on us enough. My gf had some kind of trio dish with chicken parmesan, lasagna and a burrito looking thing. Lots of food and she enjoyed it. I had the minestrone soup to start then lobster ravioli. Both were good. There was lobster meat in the ravioli and a ton of it on top of the dish! Well not a ton but there was a lot. Another waiter came by and took care of the empty plates and boxed up my gf's leftovers. Only thing is in the restroom, why aren't there dividers separating the urinals? I know it's minor but I do like my privacy. Lol We used to come here a lot when they first opened and don't know why we stopped. We will be back, soon!
(4)Missy T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill is the official restaurant of my spaghetti and meatballs cravings. I was a fan of their fat fatty menu a few years ago, and was skeptical of their calorie cutting menu change since most of the deliciousness of their food I suspected came from copious amounts of butter and cream - both of which are staples in my omnomnomnivore diet. After some initial kinks, I am happy to say that the deliciosity of Romano's menu has survived. Getting a table there usually comes with a 20+ min wait at peak times, so do call ahead if you're going to be ravenous and/or impatient. If you don't want to hang around outside or in the entrance, you can enjoy the bar while you wait to be seated, just make sure you notify the host or hostess so they don't skip you. Happy Hour specials on certain dranks are available, so ask the bartender or server if you're around at HH times (I am totally not sure when those times are, so inquire whenever you're there!). Prices are kinda high - around $15+ for their entree stuff, but they do have a 2 for $9 thing for their appetizers. As I mentioned before, I'm a fan of the "Mom's Ricotta Meatballs and Spaghetti". The meatballs are a beef/veal mixture (don't judge), and are super yummy with the spaghetti sauce. Another dish I can vouch for is the Italian Sausage "Flatbread" (it's pizza). The thin crust has a good chew to it, so it's not like biting into a well-adorned matzo cracker, and just like any decent pizza it's tasty cold. One word of caution: don't be fooled by the menu's facelift - both dishes I mentioned, while possibly still less calorie laden than those on the old menu, break 1,000 calories and they're definitely not the worst choices you could make, so if you're trying to watch your girlish figure keep that in mind. Other than that, if you're looking for a nice lunch or dinner spot after some shopping, Romano's is a good choice if you don't wanna leave the Ala Moana area and aren't looking for some cheap eats.
(4)Ryan R.
This new crew forgot all silverware on all tables as I look around, Young staff with their head in the clouds. They seemed more focused on their social life. All in all, our waiter was eager to please.
(3)Ken W.
I had spagetti & meatballs. It was a definite taste bud treat
(4)Kanya G.
Bread!!! That's seriously the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this place. So flavorful, with the awesome combination of soft inside, crunchy outside, olive oil and salt and pepper. I've come here many, many times-- for celebrations and casual get togethers with friends and family. It's a really family-friendly place, which I like. I like coming here for their lunch specials (2 sampler-sized dishes for $11). Carmela's Chicken pasta's super good! Romano's also makes the best Eggplant Parmesan I've had so far. Love their Bibb and Blue salad, too-- that's a must try. I don't really recall a dish I've been disappointed with. Service-wise, it varies. Sometimes the wait is very long. The restaurant does compensate their customers with free dessert on their next visit if their wait to be seated is ridiculously long. Speaking of free, there's also a free chocolate fudge birthday cake and a song (if you'd like) for birthday celebrants, which can be a little embarrassing, but a plus.
(4)Joanna Y.
Although I keep hearing negative reviews, I haven't had a bad experience at Romano's. I've only gone a few times (the last time before today was probably May 2012), and each time has been a good experience. So moving onto the review, I went with my mom and dad on our lunch break today. It was pleasant. Our waiter was really nice, really prompt on his service (taking orders, timely with bringing another water, the check, etc). The food has always been pretty good. We noticed a new menu today, I like the options and today I actually had a hard time deciding what to order. I went with the pick 3 choices; between a salad, soup, pasta or sandwich. I did the caprese panini and it was good. Wish it could have been a little more toasted though lol Prices are a little more compared to CPK, and not sure whether I like the food better or not. The atmosphere is nice though, I like the "mood lighting" (even though I was with my family lol).
(4)Rich T.
Excellent Service, Great Food ! Fair prices.
(5)Jeanette S.
I had a gift card from Christmas and since my husband and I have never eaten here we decided to give it a shot. We went in around 415pm so there was no crowd dinner crowd yet. Our server was very friendly. Even mentioned some appetizers not found on the menu like the spinach artichoke dip. To start we had the calamari. My husband usually doesn't eat calamari, but he scarfed down most of the appetizer. It was better than most calamari I've had. For dinner I had the mushroom ravioli with a side of Bibb and blue salad. I loved the mushroom ravioli, but I wish there were more mushrooms to it. Bibb & blue salad was pretty good as well. The walnuts in the salad gave it a nice crunch. For dessert we had the tiramisu. It was ok. The serving was bigger than I expected so I'm glad my husband and I shared the dessert. Overall a pretty good experience would definitely go back and try some other pastas. Also if you check in and like their Facebook page, let the server know and you get 10% off your bill!
(4)Shuao Li L.
Food is good. Waiter was not that good. We had to ask for silverware & even then, it was not brought to us right away. Thanks Roger, you got nice towards the end of our meal...hoping for a better tip eh?
(3)John S.
I am pleased to report with this updated review that Romano's Macaroni Grill has redeemed itself for the most part with improvements to its service compared to my previous few visits which were met with repeated blunders. After a back-to-back correspondence with the general manager, he convinced me to give them another chance promising an improvement. He and his staff have made good on this promise. There was an apparent improvement across the board. Service was quick (despite the dinner rush) and the food was served with standards in mind. We were told that the wait would be 30 minutes. The actual wait time was over an hour. I would like to note that aside from the wait service started out well, as it always seems to, toward the end of service things start to fall out. Appetizers flew out at record speeds, followed by entrées in a similar fashion. Less frequent visits to our table for drink refills is my main gripe, followed by desserts that took longer than expected to come out and not as described on the menu. We ordered the Café Romano, which the menu specified would be topped with whipped cream. What was served did not have whipped cream and was lukewarm. Maybe it had been waiting to be taken out to our table too long and the whipped cream had simply dissolved into the drink. Regardless, service has been consistently worse toward the end in all my experiences at this establishment. Though service always seems to start out well and gets sloppy toward the end, I like that initiatives have been taken to make improvements. Perhaps the next time I visit, service will be consistent all the way through.
(4)Sheri M.
Lucked out with open seating at the bar, no wait on Valentine's with no reservations, awesome! The wait would have been 1 hour. Great service from waiter Tyler. The food runners did try to bring us our appetizer and dessert twice, but i guess that's better than not bringing it at all... Food was good but not excellent this time. Caprese was good but not as good as others I've had. Chicken scaloppine was good as always but the chicken was a little dry and over cooked. Still my favorite dish here. Bf's ribeye was under seasoned and over charred in spots, not worth $27. But the potatoes and asparagus were cooked and flavored perfectly. Free heart shaped sorbet for Valentine's. And we got the lemon passion cake, that was light and refreshing.
(4)Gordito G.
I don't mind having to wait but when the front end guys sit there friends, even though there is a 45 min wait, that's just wrong. Too bad for the waiter because his or her tip will reflect that. That's just wrong, and I'm not the only who say it and feels the same way. Big thumbs down. And I like this place.
(1)Joshua B.
This is a great resturant for Italian food however today it smell kinda like mildew and was very warm inside. I was seated in the bar area and the waitress was very nice and friendly. They have a very small menu at this location or maybe just lunch time. Overall the food was great and the server only left me dry a few times. (Not her fault) she was over worked.
(3)Mr G. T.
Had the Lobster Ravioli and Caesar Salad. It was very good with a very decent amount of Lobster meat in the ravioli and on the plate with sauce. From my observations, waiter service may be hit or miss though. Our waiter was very good, so we were fortunate.
(4)Hoku T.
Updated - I added a star due to manager service. We got served by the manager and he was very helpful in the corrections that needed to be made and quick about correcting the problem. What keeps my rating as a three star is three things: 1) Waiter/Waitress - the waiters and waitresses here are really hard working employees. They'll strive to get the orders right, bring them out as quickly as they are made, refill on drinks and try to clear the dishes when they see you're done with your last bite or seem to forfeit. They're helpful in menu selections and courteous when there's a first timer dining. 2) Hostess and Reservations - making reservations by phone or checking in is easy. The hostess will take your cell phone number and call you when your table is available to allow for more shopping time. From 11am to closing, they're great on seating from two to twelve (the max that I've dined with) with hardly any wait over than 30 min. 3) Bread and Birthday Cake! I love eating their bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crack pepper! Sure, they have butter...so do I at home. But that's one thing which makes this place a little different from other Italian restaurants. Also, the bread arrives at the table fresh, hot and steamy which makes great any time of the meal. Sometimes, if you have a cool waiter/waitress they'll let you take a loaf to go. Birthday's are great to celebrate here, because they're always a waiter who will stand by your table and sing Happy Birthday in Italian which sends shivers up my arms and down my spine! All of the waiters I've heard in the past are amazing with their tenor voices! Plus, the cake is amazing! You can't find it on the dessert menu, it's one of their specialty desserts and it seems to fit in all the cracks. I have only three entree's that I like and will repeatedly get from now on, because trying the other entree's always left me unsatisfied. I won't mention them because other people may like them, but I felt that I didn't get my money's worth. I like their Margarita Pizza, Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan (when its not over cooked).
(4)Anjli L.
They make their gluten free pasta from scratch. The server, Nate, was great. They can even modify some appetizers. Plus the house wine is quite good!
(5)JenniLi ..
1st: We ordered take out and when we got home we were missing one of our appetizers, we got the money put back on our card of course but it kills me when that happens and I didnt think we would have to double check our order like fast food places... anyways the food wasnt anything special nothing really stood out. 2nd: We went for a bday, group of 10. I kind of like when the food isnt super speedy so it gives us time to talk but this was the longest Ive had to wait for food and I was so hungry, good thing we had bread. We tried different things but still thought the food was just alright. I did like the dessert and atmosphere, we all had a lot of fun with the crayons
(2)Brent C.
This review is for happy hour. Quite simply, I full highball of wine for $4.00 is almost impossible to beat. You can get Chard or Chianti, and the Chianti is pretty decent. You feel pretty good just after two. The pupu list is small but very good. In particular, the Fried Zucchini and New York strip steak are awesome. Also consider paying a couple dollars more off the regular menu to get the Mac and Cheese bites. Lastly, a big compliment to the bar staff. We've been a few times now and everyone is attentive and super chill.
(5)John F.
YAY! My 100th Review!!! Romano's Macaroni Grill is a great medium priced, family-friendly restaurant located on the 4th level in the middle of Ala Moana Shopping Center just above Pearl Ultralounge. There is a daily Happy Hour in the Lounge from 3 to 6pm featuring 2 Italian Tapas for $14, $7 Pizzas, House Wines $4, Draft Bear $4, Domestic Beer $3, Import Beer $4. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I order the seafod pasta. At Macaroni Grill, they call it Pasta di Mare and it includes a couple large scallops, about a half dozen mussels, 3 large shrimp, spaghetti alla chitarra, white wine, pomodoro, & slices of garlic. My aunty always orders the Eggplant Parmesan which was served with capellini pomodoro & fresh mozzarella. Really great stuff! SEE MY MANY PICTURES! Japanese menu with pictures available upon request. TIP: Visit macaronigrill.com and join the mac pack and get a complimentary appetizer on your next visit to Romano's Macaroni Grill, ask for our "Earn Your Degree in Italian" lunch card. Purchase 4 pasta entrees and on your next visit, receive the 5th one complimentary.
(5)Jayson L.
i came to this place few time and only thing i really remember this place is that i can draw on their table. when it comes to Italian food i get little picky because i don't want my food taste like just straight cheese. romanos have menu where you can make your own pasta which i like but i don't find anything special in their food. some creative on food just ain't there. i like their mushroom ravioli and their bread. you can make your own dipping sauce so i like that. i come here once in a while but it not one of my favorite place yet. i still have to try different type of their food to find what i like here.
(3)Summer T.
called ahead to make reservations and for some reason we still had to wait 15 minutes for a table, even though the restaurant was by no means full. it's a good thing they gave us an awesome waiter! i was a little disaapointed with their dinner menu. i thought there would be more of a selection for some reason. over all the food was good but nothing spectacular that i would want to make the drive into town for, unless some other firends insisted on it.
(3)Connie M.
Back when I was in high school, this was the place to go. I can't tell you how many times I frequented this place back then, but yesterday was my first time back to Macaroni Grill in 7 years! I had the Pasta Milano ($16) bow tie pasta, cream sauce, chicken with bits of sun-dried tomatoes. First off, I felt it was super overpriced, considering the portion and quality; the chicken tasted a bit rubbery and the pasta was over cooked. I did enjoy the house baked bread which was crispy, soft and fragrant.
(2)Whitney I.
Bad visit. Came in at 1:15pm on a Sunday afternoon. The restaurant had several open tables and the pushy hostess continued to give us the run around about how we had to wait 20 minutes. We sat at the bar since they wouldn't seat us and the friendly bar back gave us water, but one of glasses had a bug in it. Really gross. Very disappointed with the service and the sanitation. The balsamic vinegar was leaking so they had wrapped napkins all around it. Our food came out quickly but the waiter failed to offer us any condiments to go with our food.
(1)Richard H.
Great Chain Italian restaurant, located in Ala Moana's premier food restaurant floor, along Jade Dynasty, Tsukiji, and Tanaka of Tokyo. Call ahead for reservations, as they always have a fairly long wait list for both lunch and dinner. They have a nice bar, featuring a half a dozen flat screen TVs. I bought a Heineken draft and caught ten minutes of a college football game (not a terrible way to wait for your table). They called our name, and seated us to a comfortable booth in the back of their very large and spacious restaurant. This place has an upscale and elegant design, but your table will be covered by white paper and accompanied by three crayons. The server writes his name and the specials on the table. Unfortunately, Cat Masuda wasn't working, so we weren't treated to her beautiful opera voice. The lunch menu is completely different from their awesome dinner menu. We normally order the Center Pork chops, but that wasn't available for the lunch crowd. I selected the soup and pasta combination for $11. Both items arrived side by side in square, cup-shaped dishes. My soup was a tomato bisque with basil, and contained stewed tomatoes, and garnished with a toasted baguette and Parmesan cheese. This was less creamy, and richer tomato taste than I was accustomed to, but I enjoyed every drop. My pasta selection was the chicken Penn pasta, which was strips of roasted chicken breast, mixed with mushroom, and Penn pasta in a creamy pesto sauce. Great value and excellent pairing for a light lunch. 31 YELPS REVIEW CHALLENGE #27/31
(4)Sonja S.
Carmela's chicken is my absolute favvvvvvvvorite pasta here hands down. With chicken, mushrooms, onions, and a sauce that just hits the spot, I order it every time. I don't dine at macaroni grill all the time (mostly because it cost an arm and leg to dine at, in my standards), but I'd have to say in all the times I did, I have gotten good adequate service. Nothing bad, but nothing too memorable. It doesn't matter though, Carmela's chicken will keep me coming back.
(4)Doug D.
Mushroom soup was on point, the fried calamari was delicious! The penne rutisca was not. Every piece of meat I had was burnt, the top was beautiful until I bit it and tasted the burnt side. If you know pasta then you know it tastes bad when the meat added is burnt. Our waiter was not happy when we asked for one of the orders to be separated. I know it sucks to have to redo the check but I would still be pleasant about it before you get the customer out. I've worked in restaurant settings so I know how it goes but if you aren't gonna be pleasant it'll show in your tip no matter how good the food is.
(3)Melissa C.
Yes, I ate here while on vacay in Honolulu. I had a gift card and free food is great! Happy Hour is a great deal, with $6 pizza & $4 house wine served in a big glass. Service took a while, I think there was only one bartender, and there were a lot of people in the bar. My pepperoni pizza was very good, and it could probably feed 2, but also feeds one very hungry person. A good place for solid happy hour food & drink, not always an easy combination to find!
(4)Travis H.
The first thing I'll say about this place is that it's incredibly hit and miss. My wife and I will go here one day and it can be fantastic with top notch service. We could go the very next day and have terrible food to go along with awful service. That's just the way it seems to be here. Once you find a dish you enjoy, stick with it. It's not worth ordering something else because more often than not you'll be disappointed. It's always busy at dinner time so be sure to make reservations (you have to make them at least two hours in advance!). The only server that wasn't awful so far was Nate. He's an incredibly nice guy who seems to genuinely care about his job and his guests. He goes above and beyond what's expected of a waiter and makes the experience that much better. My wife and I have learned the hard way to stick to the dishes we know we enjoy, and always ask for Nate.
(3)Dan T.
My past experiences with Macaroni Grill have been above average but my last trip there was way below average and the only reason for the two stars is for good service. I had the Lasagna and the noodles were really soft and mushy. My wife had some pasta with a butter and garlic sauce and it really had no taste. My daughter had the flatbread and though that it was okay but for these prices the food should be remarkable.
(2)Mer F.
Went here to use my free complimentary free dessert coupon with a any purchase. My sister and I had already eaten at another restaurant so we decided to have dessert here. Phil was our server who was very prompt in presenting us the daily specials by drawing and writing with his artistic abilities on top of our table. I felt bad because after all that presentation, we just wanted dessert, but hands down to his service. We both ordered the tiramisu and the the chocolate cake, which he mentioned was his favorite. It took a good 15-20minutes before we got our desserts. I was wondering why it was taking a bit long, but it was because the cake came out HOT! Let me tell you, Good things come to those who wait! It was scrumptious! Desserts cost $8 a piece! Yikes! Good thing we got a coupon!
(4)Stevie D.
Visited on a Saturday night so the restaurant had a 30 minute wait for 2. We sat at the bar with no waiting. Bartender was polite and attentive. I ordered the caprese salad and fettuccine alfredo and both were fresh and delicious. They serve bread with olive oil and pepper for dipping. We asked for fresh grated parmesan in the oil and it was superb! The food came out almost all at once and didn't take long after ordering. The restaurant atmosphere is good but loud.
(4)Elizabeth H.
I was extremely disappointed at my recent visit to Macaroni Grill. While the food was okay, the horrible service just ruined our experience. Our dinner had lasted close to two hours, and most of the time it was due to waiting for our food, drinks, and check. While we had a very friendly server, my husband actually had to go look for her, because we had been waiting a while for our check. While, we weren't helped a lot, at least the workers were smiling. On a positive note, the food was pretty good. I loved the bread and my pasta milano. It wasn't the best pasta I ever ate, but it hit the spot for my pasta craving. After the okay food and not so wonderful service, I probably wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
(2)Sunny S.
Friendly, attentive staff. Their place is kinda big, feels very cozy. Food is good, from appetizers to main entree. Even their keiki mac & cheese is so good, my daughter kept asking for them. Love their bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Delisiozo!!! I also love that they're kid-friendly and their restrooms are clean.
(4)Jhay B.
Went to eat here cause it was our first time. The minute we walked in, it was a 10 minute wait. Within that wait we noticed a lot of seats emptied and wonder why they don't just sit us there. Anyways got out food I took the pasta sampler and all of the food was bland or one of them on my plate was too salty with a weird after taste. Our server kept forgetting about certain things cause I had to ask for more water and for more butter and more napkins and etc. not a very friendly service either but it will be the last and final visit!! If I had to relocate I would of spend my money at bravo!!
(1)Adam G.
My date and I have eaten here twice and both times was a great experience. This resturant in particular stands shoulder to shoulder with Macaroni Grill resturants I've eaten at in Vegas and Texas. I would recommend this place for a friend.
(4)Brandon F.
awesome food and awesome service. the alfredo i had had so much flavor with every bite. lots of chicken. the waitress (katie) was very friendly. im coming back here soon
(5)Russel M.
5 Stars as far as Chain Restaurants go. Tonight was our first experience at the Ala Moana RMG. WOW! We had an outstanding time. Service with CAT (yeah her real Stage name) was perfect. She's a killer Opera Singer. Just ask for a song. The Chef (Mike) came out and said hi (we know each other from some Charity work we participate in together) he's a great guy. We ordered the Mama's Trio and the Pork Chop. Both were very nice. Highly recommended for your next party or dinner.
(4)Mimi M.
The customer service was great and kids got to draw with crayons on the paper that they've prepared for table cloth. The lady that attended to us gave us suggestions and was very friendly. We also love the atmosphere there. We can't wait to go back and eat there again!
(5)Jojo M.
I had a steak and fried mozzarella... One of the best steaks ever; it was totally worth the $26.00. The service is great and the place is very clean. Additionally, Military service personnel can get $10.00 off by using a coupon that is available at all MWR ITT offices. I can't wait to go back.
(5)Tyler Y.
I'm adding a mediocre review based on the service. My boyfriend and I came in for a late lunch/early dinner, so we made it to happy hour. We were seated in the lounge area, where there were probably seven other families and at least 3 servers separated between tables. We had the server named Brian. Of course I loved the drawing paper. The food was nearly half off (well, certain dishes), but a lot of the menu items were being replaced :( Anyways, back to the service. Sorry, but Brian was slow at coming back to us, and to make up for not checking up on us and taking a while, he was definitely a kiss a** and I know why. When we paid our tab in cash, we didn't get a recipe that accounted for the transaction. Our tab was $26 and we only got $9 back... (we paid it with two twenty dollar bills, so we should've got back $14...) apparently out server felt obligated to take the tip out himself... Sorry, but last time I checked, the customers have the option to leave a tip and servers can't just help themselves to a tip... Imagine if we had paid with a credit/debit card. We never would've known if he overcharged us for his tip!! Word to the wise, count your change! Don't plan on coming back in a while because of this one sneaky act.
(2)Wilma A.
We have been to this place 4x. The first time was a pleasant experience, we got seated fast and the selection of menu was better. The server was cherry on top because she was very personable. The second to fourth time, the quality of steak has changed dramatically. They also changed their menu beginning this year. My husband is a picky eater, he said the steak wasn't as tender anymore. The chocolate cake was so-so, it's supposed to be "homemade" but it didn't wow us. Salmon was fresh but nothing out-of-this world experience.
(3)nikki k.
I decided to give Macaroni Grill another chance and I have to say I wasn't sad that I did. I went there last night thinking it was going to be packed but surprisingly it was very empty (being Easter and all). Our waitress was a little clumsy and forgetful but had a very cheerful and pleasant personality which made up for the "bad". For appetizers we got the calamari and fried cheese...both were served nice and hot with good flavor. Dinner was a split between my sister and myself. She ordered lobster ravioli and I decided on the mushroom ravioli. Both were VERY tasty and flavorful but the lobster ravioli by far was the winner that night. If I order something with lobster, I'm going to expect a decent amount of it and they did NOT disappoint! No desert, but I did have the Moscato and it was DELICIOUS!!! I'm so happy that I gave this place another chance. I will probably be coming back. Good job Macaroni Grill!
(4)Vicky H.
While my favorite type of food isn't Italian, I must say their food is delicious and moderate in portion. The ambience in here is great and the service is average. I don't like the fact a opera singer sings for everyone and then tries to collect tip from the tables she randomly sings to.... And what's with the kindergarten paper place mats and crayons? Sure it's great for families, but for a date? How awkward! With all said and done, they are okay and is a great place to eat after shopping all day.. But only because ala moans CPK wait is too darn long.
(3)Jason H.
I come here time to time because I work in Ala Moana. Sometimes I am so over the food court so I like to feel high class and eat at one of the restaurants upstairs. I'm always pleased with Macaroni Grill because the portions are a good size for what you pay for. The bread is good so eating some of that along with your dish is just perfect. I never have enough room to eat my whole meal, so I like to take the rest home and eat it later. Who doesn't like leftover pasta? It's super easy to just reheat and it taste just as good! Tips: 1) If you're torn on what to get, I 99% of the time get the Carmela's Chicken ($17) It never fails me. Try it out. 2) Also, if you eat light and don't feel like taking anything home, try sharing with a friend. I think splitting one meal would be perfect for two people. 3) If you're pressed for time, just sit at the bar! I find that the bartenders can serve you faster cause they are always behind the counter. Happy Eating!
(5)Brittany L.
I've been to this macoroni grill location three times. Every time I leave I wonder why I ever go back. The first time wasn't too terrible...but these last two take the cake. My husband had hair in his food! Because boys are gross, he just took it out and continued eating (gag) and we told our waiter and he just said, "oh ok, but you're fine now?". O_o never even apologized let alone offered to bring it back. There is a serious lack of training employees here which is a shame because all the servers are very friendly...it's not their fault that they don't know customer recovery. Shame on the management. And we had to send several drinks back to the bar last visit because they were terrible. I swear one mojito was half sour mix. They were completely undrinkable. After the bartenders third attempt we gave up and just left the drink sit at the table.
(1)Megan T.
This place is really cute and I love how they put paper on the tables to keep the guests occupied. The service we received was great (our waiter's name was brad) and the food was pretty good too. I had the fettuccine Alfredo, which is the best I've ever had by far. It had the right amount of flavor and filled me up quick! My boyfriend had the pork chops which he said was okay but had too much flavor and was kind of overpowering but it filled him up. He suggests you get the under a brick chicken instead. But all in all, this place is great :)
(4)Don D.
Ive been to this restaurant as a duo and even as part of a party. It seems like my experience was better when it was a party than when I went with my wife. Overall, I would still rate the restaurant 4 stars. As a party, the service was attentive and prompt. But I notice when I go as a "couple" the service is lacking. The server tends to forget we are there and tends to the larger tables in their section. The food never disappoints though and most times, we are taking food home because we always over order so we can try more stuff! Regardless of the situation, food and service still tends to be on the better side! I will be back for sure.
(4)Lisa T.
Macaroni Grill you disappoint me :( I came here often for office parties and service was usually pretty good with the servers checking on us often, and the groups being seated rather quickly, maybe because the office parties were during lunch. Having dinner reservations? A whole other story. A disappointing one too. I made reservations for my mom's birthday dinner for a party of 10. When we arrived 10 minutes early, they stated they were still working on our table but to let them know as soon as half the party was there. Our party arrived by the reservation time so I checked in with the hostess again. She stated it would be another 10 minutes before we could be seated. 20 minutes later they sat us next to another large party which is basically 30 minutes after our original reservation time. We sat around waiting for the server who took drink orders for our table. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, but the server decided to bring glasses for only half. We decided to order another bottle for the other half to enjoy which took 15 minutes to bring. This was just the beginning of a long and hot dinner. Half of our table stated it was pretty warm in the restaurant as we sipped our water to stay cool...water glasses/bottles stayed empty for half the meal with 10 people trying to stretch the water bottle to last. When the food made its way out, it seemed to be brought out by a runner. Again the waiter is MIA as he was for most of the meal. The upside of the evening was the restaurant did note we were celebrating a birthday and were nice enough to bring out a dessert for my mom as well as have a server sing to my mom in Italian which she loved. The same server also offered to fan my mom after he noticed she was sweating and kept fanning herself through out the night. Our actual server took another 5-10 minutes to bring out dessert menus for the rest of our table. Once we ordered and received our dessert (which was brought out by a runner), we were left to eat our dessert with no utensils. We didn't see our waiter until the end of the evening when he delivered our bill. Overall, the service has gone down hill tremendously. I enjoy their food but it is not worth the time to eat there any more. I hope somehow Macaroni Grill can turn it around and improve service. Until then, I think I will go elsewhere.
(1)Clarissa M.
Why the hell did I bother to return? Family wanted to go here. We just came in told happy hour was going on feel free to seat in the happy hour bar section so we did and no server ever stopped by to give us bread water or even acknowledge our presence. This place has 10 servers standing around no attentive servers. Does management care? It's terrible and because of my experience here I wish Yelp had a negative rating system cause this place would deserve it. We brought it to the attention of the hostess as she was the only person who was around and we left.
(1)Deano G.
Very average & you can get this stuff anywhere. Take your time while on the island and seek out the local flavor and spend your money there. You shouldn't be disappointed at all...
(3)Anita C.
I went for lunch the other day bcs my friend wanted Italian and I said to him that all the good Italian places I know were open for dinner... He suggested Buca and I suggested Macaroni Grill. I won since he's never been to Mac Grill. I was happy I won out since I know Mac Grill takes the iDcard and we'll get a free dessert, heehee I had the sausage pizza and he had the Mama's trio. Oh my, there was so much sausage on my pizza! I was in sausage heaven, so yummy! My friend's trio was massive and he couldn't even finish it. We both had enough food left over for another meal. So for dessert we got the tiramisu and it was delishhhhhhhh! Oh man it was so good! If I wasn't so stuffed from my pizza, I wouldn't have shared the tiramisu! I haven't been to Mac Grill in a long time and after this trip, I will be coming back more often.
(4)Duong U.
My wife are not big fans of the corporate chain restaurants. But, Macaroni Grill always pleases. Good food at a reasonable price. Try their happy hour menu...Great service, Great pricing!
(4)Mary Q.
My girlfriend had a gift certificate, and I said " Yes, of course, I will meet you there!" Well Romano's came through for us again!! We sat in the bar area this time, and it had a nice warm modern Italian feel. The bar looked nice, but we sat at a high 2 top. Katie, our waitress (who crayoned her name upside down) was attentive and pleasant. We had one glass of wine and a Lemonade Limonello drink, and were uncertain what to order. Katie was very helpful and suggested to get the special 2 appetizers for $14 and we ordered the goat cheese stuffed peppers and a shrimp, avocado, bean bruschetta. The peppers were AWESOME! Had a good time, and will come back again!
(5)Tiffany Y.
I think it is about time that I write a review about this place especially because I'm always hinting that I want my birthday party there so they can sing to me "opera style". But, this past Tuesday, my husband and I went there for a "Tweetup Tribute for a well-loved social media individual." The event was great, however, I was very impressed that Romano's Macaroni Grill accomodated this big of a party. Service: We got there an hour and a half late but the waitress came up to us within 10 minutes asking if we wanted to be started with drinks. Since everyone ate, we only ordered something light. Our waitress...I wish I got her name but she was so helpful always inquiring without being bothersome if we wanted refills or anything else. Atmosphere: Just right. Although the tables are close together, it is not claustraphobic or to where you may smell the other person's body odor at the table next to yours. Price: Reasonable Menu: All right...we only ordered a chicken caesar salad that fed both my husband and I as well as the spinach artichoke. I noticed they have this very nice chocolate dessert but we didn't order dessert. Plus: Your child-like tendencies will come out with the crayons they will place on the table for you to draw while waiting. This past Tuesday was not my first time there, I've been there previously in groups or with my husband. One thing that hasn't changed...they always provide great customer service.
(4)Ness ..
Went here with my girlfriend to enjoy our date.. But the service was horrible!! We both felt very uncomfortable & dissatisfied with our waiter SHELDAN Reasons for the reason we won't return: - didn't get offered water till 10mins after we got seated (mention that it wasn't even busy!) -haven't been asked if we needed anything (he PURPOSELY PASSED US MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE WE MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING) Only reason there's even a star on this review because the food was good Overall, SHELDAN made my girlfriend and I uncomfortable and we think it's because were gay!
(1)Regina N.
I love Italian food, especially pasta and this is one of the places I love coming to. The Parmesan fries and calamari was really good, a lot of flavor. My bf ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the penne rustica. Portions were more than I assumed and very flavorful!
(4)Mel M.
Services are great but could be better if consistent. Other than that I love the meals and deals they always have. Lovely lunch menu too!
(4)Tina H.
I ordered an eggplant quadratini yesterday. It was delicious, but huge so I had to take most of it home with me. Today, I brought a portion over for lunch. Midway into biting into the pasta, I chewed on something hard ... REALLY HARD (Insert obligatory "That's what she said.") It was a piece of porcelain. I knew it couldn't be from anything that I used because I only had a plastic fork and paper plate. I called management and they agreed that it was probably a piece of their bowl that chipped off. As a reward for not dying from their mistake, I get a voucher in the mail for the exact price of the eggplant quadratini. Here's a picture of the piece that I found: yelp.com/biz_photos/aKNb… Best recommendation on your next visit: Ask for the lobster ravioli and ask to hold the razor blades.
(1)Katlyn S.
I hosted a baby shower here last weekend and we had a wonderful experience. They have a private room for parties, so I was able to decorate and have privacy! They let me into the room an hour early so that I could put the decorations on the table and get everything set. Then, during the shower our waiter was awesome and quick. The only extra cost for the room is the mandatory 18% gratuity, which we didn't mind at all. The room is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are cheerful and helpful. They definitely earn 5 stars in my book!
(5)Aaron W.
I love eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food is great, the portions are generous, and the staff is very friendly. I also like the fact that you can bring your kids and keep them occupied with the crayons and paper table cloth. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the bread, which is some kind of sour dough with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also love the option that they give you to create your own pasta. I usually just do this when I eat at Romano's.
(5)Brandon S.
I've never been a big fan of mainland chain "big box" type of establishments. Their menus are often times cookie cutter and nothing localized. Sometimes I wonder about the food because rather than a chef using his own integrity to create the dish, they rely on a preset protocol to push the food out to the customers. This is one of the few places besides CPK that I don't mind coming to knowing the above. I guess I'm a sucker for Italian food. The other night I went here with my girlfriend and we order a couple entrees and a salad. The house salad was pretty good, it came with a Mediterranean Balsamic Vinaigrette on top of the house bread which was close to a french roll with rosemary. Pretty good too. Our entrees came, I ordered nothing fancy this time around and got the spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce. You can't mess this up right? They didn't, the sauce was excellent. It reminded me of the type you cooked up and simmered at home. The drawback was that there wasn't enough noodles. So it was almost like a soup. My girlfriend ate the mushroom ravioli and I tried a piece of it and I thought this was pretty good too. It was the type of food you would expect at a hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery which is a bit of a surprise to me. Ordinarily i would have given this place a solid 4-stars just based on the taste of our food, however our server, needed to be reminded or asked countless times about one thing or another. So I think that costs this place 1-star. Before you say anything let me explain why.... The place wasn't packed as we were there a bit on the later side when the mall was closing so there's no excuse for this. Things like not getting the water refilled when we clearly had empty cups for a long period of time. We asked our server if we could have our food packed up and said he'd be right back after he helped out these other folks. 15 minutes later we had to ask again and about 10 minutes later he finally came to take our plate to pack up. I asked if we could take our leftover bread and he replied yes I'll pack that up for you too. He didn't. When the check finally came I asked again, can we get something for the bread and our server exclaimed he'd bring us an empty container. Instead he brought our bill back after I charged it with no box. My girlfriend even said you asked him twice to bring the bill, twice to box up our food and twice for the bread. We finally ended up leaving without the bread because we didn't want to wait any longer. Lame.
(3)Michael M.
I notice a lot of reviews of this place start with "I came here because I had a gift card..." I have one better: my brother's girlfriend had a gift card and used it to take us all out. This is a restaurant that you cannot take too seriously if you want to enjoy it. We came here 6 pm on a Sunday night with reservations and were actually seated promptly. Loud, festive atmosphere where you can still have a table conversations. This is a good atmosphere for family/friends to reconnect if you don't mind the food. The food (rolls up sleeves). Okay Mr. Romano and your Macaroni Grill. There is this this substance called "salt." It is "Na" combined with "Cl" on the periodic table of elements and has a cubic, crystalline structure. It also goes great on food. You and your staff should really investigate it. Everyone is using it nowadays in finer restaurants. We noticed there was no bread and asked the waiter. He said "we have a new policy where we won't give you bread unless you request it." He wasn't about to let us in on the new policy. I wonder what else we are missing out on without asking for it. We ordered family style. Margherita Pizza, Carbonara, Caprese, Eggplant Parmasian. As mention before, there was no f-ing salt! Even the carbonara, with prosciutto which is salt cured lacked salt! On a side note. I think they mistake MSG for salt here. It makes sense. Looks similar. The only reason why I have this theory is that we all had that weird MSG feeling after dinner. Service was friendly, but we didn't appreciate the "guess our new policy game." The only reason why I would come back is if I had a gift card.
(2)Dee S.
we just tried this restaurant for the first time about a month ago when family was here and we had a great experience! Not only was our waiter fun and really on point with everything on the menu, but we never needed to ask for anything, she had it all there before we even thought of it! I also have two small children and then just loved coloring on the paper tablecloth! There were no cell phones, or tablets, just good family fun drawing all over the table! Food was great and prices weren't bad. We have already gone back and will be going back again. Thanks!
(5)Cassie T.
Romano's Macaroni Grill. To many this is just another chain restaurant and if you think this you are totally correct. However, since I am from Alaska this was my first trip to the Macaroni Grill. First let me say that at the Ala Moana Center if you try to go to CPK, or some of the other restaurants and they are busy just try the Macaroni Grill. They had absolutely no wait when I recently visited. We were seated immediately! Our waiter came over and suddenly the paper table cloth and crayons on the table suddenly made sense. Call it cheesy if you wish, but I thought this was neat. I am also very impressed with our waiter, Peter, and the fact that he can write his name upside down. Give it a try next time! On to the eats. I was dining with a coworker and we both opted for the pick 2 lunch combo for like $11.99. I think this is a pretty good deal! I ordered the Fresh Green Salad and the Carmela's Chicken. The pasta was pretty tasty and it had roasted chicken, rigatoni, caramelized onions, and mushrooms in a marsala cream. I also love this pick two option because it is the perfect portion for things like pasta! My friend ordered the soup and sandwich, she said it was pretty good. Overall our lunch experience here was good. I will come back for more pasta for sur3e!
(4)Tamra P.
Italian is not normally my first choice for lunch (kinda puts me in kanak attack mode) and I am not usually a fan of chains but Romano's is a good non-food court option at Ala Moana. Service on my last visit was fabulous. Waiter was very friendly, quick, and checked up on us in a timely manner. Food was timed well. Bread here is a bit oily on the crust but the herbs are yummy. We shared a calamari appetizer, and I had a combo salad/ pasta (rigatoni, chicken, mushrooms, and olives), great deal for $11. Portion was nicely sized - not overwhelming like I would expect and the flavor was ok - nothing spectacular, but good. Hubby enjoyed his lobster ravioli. The happy hour deals seem like a great value, and this place is also a good option if you have kids.
(3)Stace P.
I was a little nervous coming here because of the mixed reviews, but we had some gift cards and figured "Why not?" Came in at 11am, right when they opened. Was seated very quickly in the bar side of the restaurant at one of the side tables. We were all very hungry including the kids. Chase was our server and I will just say the 5 stars is strictly based on his service. The food is good, don't get me wrong, but nothing to be raving about. The complimentary bread is good. I had the lasagna and the hubby had spaghetti and meatballs. We each added the bib and bleu salad to our meals. (Highly recommended!) Kids ate the spaghetti and meet balls and pepperoni pizza. All were delicious. Food came out quickly which I greatly appreciated since I was starving. Chase was very attentive to the drinks at our table, patient with our orders (especially with the kids) and even when he assembled our EVOO and balsamic mix he added some flare into it. He was polite and courteous. Let's just say hopefully every server provides this type of customer service. He should probably start giving classes to others who need help. I believe customer service is quickly becoming a lost art and Chase is a refreshing glimpse into what customer service should be. The hubby and I were very impressed.
(5)Robin K.
Had the best dinner last night at Macaroni Grill and are so appreciative of the service we received. Our waitress Karen made us feel like we were home eating with family! The food was great, my favorite piece was the lobster ravioli! The restaurant is a definite must visit for anyone on vacation or if you are lucky enough to be Kamia'aina, stop in as well. Great food, great service, great ambiance. We will be sure to ask for Karen the next time we are in!
(5)Kelly K.
Firepit seating is the way to go if you have a small group of 2 or 3. They serve the same menu and it's quite a cozy spot. Food is typical for a large chain like Macaroni Grill. Service was friendly and attentive. The impromptu opera singing server was strange to me (even though the server had a beautiful voice). The only gripe I have is with the time it took to get our food. What a long wait.
(3)Mark M.
Even before Yelp's star rating system, I always thought this place deserved high scores. I've only encountered two problems here and one of them happened just last night. When I think of an ideal hostess, I think of a very nice, pleasant, happy to accommodate, smiling girl. When we walked in last night to tell them we had reservations, we encountered a hostess that did not have a single quality of the many I just mentioned. What we got was a hostess who was rude, unhappy, not so pleasant girl who glared at me while I mentioned we had reservations for two. I hope the manager of this place reads this (and I'm sure he does) because our entire evening was saved by our server Jeff. This guy is effing awesome. He's got perfect timing. He came right when we needed to order our meal, he gave us our bread right about when I was about to ask for it, and he checked up on us in a method that wasn't annoying or spaced too far apart. This guy was trained right and I hope he's the one that trains future servers for this establishment. This guy even cracked jokes at all the right times. So yes, give that man a raise. I bet you're wondering how the food was. I honestly have to say that Macaroni Grill has never done me wrong when it comes to the food. Last night I had the pasta milano which is made with bowtie pasta, my personal favorite. They toss that and chicken in a nice creamy garlic sauce. We also had the crab stuffed mushrooms which were amazing, and the wife ordered the lobster ravioli which is always succulent, fresh, and seasoned just right. We had two servings of their house bread which always comes out hot and delicious and we dipped the pieces in the EVOO and cracked pepper... so good. Oh, I lost my train of thought. You're probably wondering what the second issue was eh? A while back, I had dinner with some co-workers and our dinner dates. After dinner I wanted to order the dessert ravioli which I didn't know they discontinued. I tried to order it from our server and his response was... "Oh, we discontinued it." "When did that happen?" I asked. "Just now." He told me. Wait what? Like just now since I ordered it? What was he trying to say? They didn't discontinue it that morning or after lunch.. they discontinued it... "Just now." I've never forgiven him for that and this happened over a year ago.
(4)Randy E.
Jessie our waiter was amazing!!! The food took way to long.... And there was a big ant problem at the table level and my ankles received several ant bites as I sat in the booth. Not a great experience.....
(2)Greg C.
The only complaint I have about Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana is that there is almost always a long wait to get inside, but that's to be expected when they serve such delicious Italian food! I love Macaroni Grill! The appetizers are winna's, but the Tomato Bruschetta is worth the cost...even my kids love it! I like all Italian food, but I find myself continually ordering the Chicken Marsala. It's got such a strong but delicious mushroom taste, I'm hooked! Eating at Macaroni Grill is money well spent, and it's good for my tummy!!
(5)Vanessa B.
I had the shrimp portofino. The portion was good, and the food was great, especially the bread with the special macaroni grill dipping sauce. There is a huge paper on top of the table cloth for kids and adults to draw on it and keeping the guests entertained. There are crayons as well. The servers are entertaining by introducing themselves and writing their names upside down on the paper for the guests to easily read it. At times, if there is no space on the table to write their names, some servers won't even write it. I think they should have find a way to write their name, just to keep that contingency of macaroni grill entertainment. Overall, I had a good time and it's a great place to hang out with your friends and eat at Ala Moana.
(4)Paris N.
I've been here once before, but that was 3 years ago, and they have def gone down hill. Customer Serivce was horrible. Our server was Jeff, even though we didn't have to wait to be seated (at 5pm) we had a long wait for everything. He forgot to bring water (before he brought our wine over), forgot our bread, even asked us twice if we would like an appitizer, which we ordered the first time he asked us. I usually tip very well, but by this time I already knew I wouldn't be with this server. The food was great, we even had another server bring it over including the appitizer. Everytime our server, Jeff, would come over to randomly bring an item he forgot, he wouldn't say a word. We will not be visiting again. It might have just been our server, or the time of day, but we had poor service. We even got there before a rush, so there was no excuse for us not to get everything in a timely manner.
(1)Dean I.
We had a party of 8, OK wait time to get seated, considering the time, 5:00pm. Our server was pleasant and topped off our drinks frequently. Food was good. Consistent with the other Macaroni Grill in Hawaii. The noise level was kinda loud, however it was Saturday evening. Also, there were several birthday celebrations going on at that time.
(3)Debra N.
The food is fantastic, personable servers, some sing, and a favorite spot for the locals who love Italian food. It's best to make reservations ahead. If I don't, I try to go a little early, like 11:00-11:15 AM to beat the crowd.
(5)Liz Z.
My mother and I went to Macaroni Grill for Easter supper. It was a bit noisy with the post church crowd when we first got there around 2:30pm; we were seated in the lounge area near the bar. Our server was Brian, who was working behind the bar but also took care of our table. He approached our table in good time, as busy as it was, and gave us the low-down on the special menu items of the day while writing it all out on the table, UPSIDE DOWN (to him) on the tablepaper, with a crayon, at the speed of light (mother, as I, was impressed). There was some confusion because the recent change in the menu (I was perturbed by the change), but Brian was quick to direct us to the best left of the menu. Long story short, the food runners were so polite, the food rocked, Brian was personable, attentive, and charming to my mother (she can be a challenge) and me. To top it off the bartender working with Brian came to our table to ask what we thought of everything. The grub was tasty and the waiter and staff were very cool.
(5)Tammy C.
Pretty good for a chain. Service: Our server Caleb greeted us with a funny joke. We thought it was a nice slip up, but he used it on every other table around us... meh. Beside that, he was very attentive and asked us how our meal was going every so often. I like that. I think a server should ask 2-3 times in the course of giving us our meal to ask how things are going. Atmosphere: Intimate booths and lighting. Located at Ala Moana, it's your typical chain. It has the ambience of a more upper scale chain but still remains it's chain likeness. No real WOW factor, but that is OK. Food: We started off with the bruschetta .. .can you say YUM! Bruschetta is always delicious. I had the Carmela's Chicken. I absolutely loved the flavors all together. Sautéed caramelized onions with chicken and marsala cream..... mmmm. I opted for spaghetti rather than the rigatoni. I believe it is a better option. I would definitely suggest anyone to try that. My experience here was good and the prices were fair. I am not dying to go back but I could perhaps grab the Carmela's chicken for take out. ;P
(4)Marvin J.
Delicious, authentic, zesty Italian dishes. Appetizers Goat cheese peppers YUM, the spicy meatballs are deluxous too.
(5)moejoe r.
Can't believe that we waited 1 1/2 hours for horrible service and a minimal menu. Micka was our server and so not with it the night we were there. He asked for our drink order and said that he would bring bread to our table asap. There were 5 in our party; he dropped off two of the five drinks and said they were low on the bread and said he would go check on it. Ten minutes passed before he came back to the table with bread, but not the rest of our drinks. When we asked about the other drinks, which were simply fountain drinks, he said he would bring them next and that he was pretty backed up with tables. REALLY??? Sorry to take up your time dude!!! He is lucky that me or my husband were NOT paying the tab because he wouldn't have gotten a tip from from us!!! Some other negatives about our night there: *Salads were served and we were asked if we would like crushed pepper and we all said yes but the server forgot to bring it with them and they had run around the restaurant looking for the pepper mill!!! *We were still eating our food and Micka came over and asked us if we wanted to-go boxes. It was 9pm, they weren't closing soon and we felt that we were being pushed out the door. *Server was ready to present the check and yet never offered dessert.
(1)Paige L.
31 Yelps Review Challenge 9/31 Placing a carryout order here is like pulling teeth. "Can I get a name for the order?" "Paige." "Jane??" "No, PAIGE." "OH oh oh ok, go ahead with your order Blake." WTH In spite of forcing the employee to repeat my order back to me several times, it was still completely wrong when I picked it up. The manager offered me a card for a free dessert on my next visit, which was a nice gesture (and a sign of good customer service), but honestly I don't know when I'll get around to using it. The food is really nothing special and is overpriced for both the quality and the quantity.
(2)Inu K.
Complimentary bread with olive oil and peppercorns was great, Had the lobster ravvioli great, great for kids, server we had great. Prices great.
(5)Angela M.
Dear Macaroni Grill, You said you would write happy birthday on the table but did not. You informed us that the table we were being seated at did not work with booster seats. You would think that when I said "two small children" over the phone, you would have placed us somewhere where my child would not have to eat with her chin resting on the table. Though admittedly it may have been neater that way. You ran out of crayons. You gave my kids activity sheets but no crayons. We finally secured a yellow crayon. This is like having no crayon. Your service was spectacularly slow and acquiring our loaves of bread took fifteen minutes the first time and twenty the second. The bread was crusty and delicious, but the kitchen was either poorly engineered and you lack oven space or you're trying to save money on bread. We are willing to pay a small fee for the bread if you bring it out more quickly. At least ten cents, possibly even a quarter. My pregnant and parched friend had to risk life and limb and rise to a standing position, waving frantically so we could finally get our water refilled. In retrospect I suppose one of us non-pregnant folk could have stood, but it didn't occur to us in the moment. You put my entree in front of someone else and commenced to parmesan it before they realized it was not theirs. I then was forced to eat an entree with cheese on it, which I did not want, as I feared having it sent back to the kitchen would have incurred another 30 minute wait for my food. Your pesto lacks in, what is the word, ah yes, flavor. Half the shaker of salt offered some improvement and transformed "bland and oily" into "edible". You forgot to bring my kids their beverages until the end of the meal. Which actually turned out to be a good thing as pineapple juice apparently has a laxative effect on my two year old. We do appreciate the chocolate cake for our birthday people. Though the cakes took another twenty minutes and had the moistness of a sponge in the desert. Also, may I suggest that if your singer has gone home for the evening, do not force a random non-singing waiter to attempt the operatic Italian version of Happy Birthday. Although according to the men, that was the best part. We will surely speak of it for years to come. My husband was rather peeved that our dinner, completely due to slow service, took over two hours as the Shirokiya beer garden had stopped serving beer. To him this is... tragic. As far as corporate chains, we have had much better experiences at the factory of cheesecake and the kitchen of pizza. We will not be returning any time soon. Sincerely, Angela
(2)Jonathan V.
Environment: 5/5 Employees: 4/5 Food: 4/5 Parking: 5/5 Cost: 3/5 People Traffic: 3/5 Total: 24/30 Synopsis: Being a hard-worker pays off...HUGE! Last minute, for Jane's birthday (Jon's friend), we decided to go to Macaroni Grill. I was aware of the menu change last year, some time in December, but was in for a surprise! When I heard there was a 30-45 minute wait, I sighed. I instantly told the hostess, "IT'S MERCEDES GIRLLLL!" She's like, "MERCEDDESS! Don't worry, we got it, just come in!" It turned out not only did we receive instant seating, but also got a discount. How lucky am I? Anyway, more to that, the food presentation is far greater than it was before, and the food recipes for fried calamari and margarita pizza changed. Fried Calamari yes, Margarita Pizza..NO! Fried Mac balls YES! And of course the mush rav! You have to have to have this. I miss working here, honestly! Environment: To the untrained eye, you may think that things are the same. The backboard behind the hostess has been taken down, new boards w/ specials on it around the restaurant, and the attire is more casual. Not a terrible change. The hostess are not wearing simply black and have more of a jazz to it, which is respectable. I like the changes that has been made. The menus are all on paper now, which doesn't save the environment, but I am super glad the company kept their signature paper on cloth concept, so you can draw! If you sit at the bar, there is a small fire pit that you would love! The window view is not great, but as a whole the place inspires romance. One word: booths! Employees: I miss everyone: Chef Mike, Chef Fred, Brad, Chase, Kory, Mel, David, Nick, Nikki, Brian x 2, Ed, Josie, Josie's mom, Travis, etc. I forgot the waitresses name, but yes, she knew "Mercedes" off the back. Isn't helpful to have a nickname? Anyway, she said, "Don't worry about it." Once at the door, there were new girls and I told them, "Hey, it's Mercedes." They told me it was a 20 minutes wait. I was like O_O...then when the hostess who knew me, came, hugged me, and she said, "RIGHT THIS WAY BABES!" Bam...table 132 (I remember my tables Mel!! You just caught me drunk!) I hugged everyone I knew and Brad was even nice enough to get me some Fried Mac Balls! Awesome-possum! Much love. Skyy was our waiter and he had a killer smile and was supah cute. Though wasn't the best, best service in the world I was gracious of the other things, otherwise. Although one great mistake he did, which I didn't like, was the fact that he took the unfinished Fried Calamari without asking if we were done with it. O_O OMG! And...to this day we are still waiting for our balsamic vinaigrette..... it never came the entire night. Newbie? Food: I am not sure if it is the presentation or not, but the dish amount seemed smaller, but that is okay. In general the pricing increased and that is to be anticipated due to the changes and inflation of gas prices. In addition, I should have been less drunk so I could have asked what would have been better to order. WOMP, WOMP! Fried Calamari: The new concoction is dreamy!! Way better than it was before, and hot off the oven. MMmmmm...I ate everything....or tried to before it was taken from me. The sauce container is too small to finish all the squid things with. Boo... Margarita Pizza: Not as good as it was before. I liked the cherry tomatoes better because of offered a sweeter taste. With the round tomatoes, too much liquid made the pizza taste water-down. Don't do it people! Mushroom Ravioli: OMG! 6 pieces of cheese and mushroom heaven. I am so glad this was left on the menu. Yum! It was sooo damn good! Because we didn't have the vinegarette at our table, we just used the sauce for dipping our bread. :D It's an excellent substitute. Creamy yumminess! Fried Macaroni Balls: Although, due to the nature of this (FRIED!), I wouldn't order it off the back, it was scrumptious. I was surprised because I don't like mac'n'cheese much. But having those fried balls dipped in more cheese was cherry on top. Orgy in my mouth! Fireworks type of explosions. Parking: There is a lot of parking in Ala Moana. What is fortunate is the fact that it's right by the escalator and stairway. It's quite the real estate location to be seen from the parking lot. Cost: The pricing certainly increased, but fortunately received the discount we had been given. Thanks David! Overall, it's not atrocious, but it is also not the cheapest in the world. If you are coming here, be certain that you're going to choose the best dishes. If you're new to Mac Grill before the changes, then this would not be much of a concern to you. People Traffic: Let me advise you not to come here on a Friday/Saturday night. They are busy! Slammed!! Always! I am unable to inform you as to when they are not busy, but it varies, I presume. Best to do is call before coming!
(4)Susan T.
I was contacted by the GM shortly after my last update. I was invited to come back and try them again. I will do so. The GM was polite, friendly, and apologetic for our poor experience.
(2)Terri O.
They have a new Menu since I've been there last... Over a year ago. Surprisingly Good! Rosemary Chicken was awesome...But service is still slow. Staff very friendly
(4)Vernelle O.
Food is ok but kind of bland and shrimp wasn't really cooked well. However, our friend ordered the mushroom ravioli and that was delicious!
(3)Olivia D.
The wait at CPK at 6:30 on a Friday night was an hour long, so we decided to put our names on the list for Macaroni Grill and see what happened. I'm not a big fan of Macaroni Grill in Hawaii, especially since they deleted the Insalata Rosa (the best salad ever!) from their menu, but it's fine when you're hungry. Our server was very personable and he kept bread on the table and our drinks full. I wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but I also wanted to try the fresh pasta, so they let me do a substitution. Alas, there is no happy medium. The regular pastas come out too soft and overcooked and the fresh pasta is super hard. It's beyond al dente. I've never had pasta that hard and dry. The meat sauce and meatballs tasted good--the sauce was substantial and had a nice wine flavor--but it was too salty. Everyone's dinner was too salty. Even my boyfriend was shocked when he tried his son's macaroni and cheese and noted the high sodium content--and this is a guy who loves salt. My boyfriend had a chicken and arugula flatbread pizza and he really liked it, but that guy will really eat anything covered in arugula. We also dug the fried mozzerella appetizer. Fried cheese is just good no matter what. Overall, the good service made up for the lackluster food.
(3)Arlene A.
One good thing about gift cards, they're great for bringing you to places you wouldn't normally partronize. So yes, Romano's is such a place. It's been some time since I last ate here, mainly because the food is a little too rich for my taste. Definitely a fun place to come in groups though, so a bunch of us did just that when we had to use a gift card. It was a rainy, Friday night, so naturally there were lots of people who were hanging out at the mall so they wouldn't have to sit in some horrdenous traffic. Checked in with the hostess in front and were told that the wait would be about 50 minutes, and they would text us when our table was ready. Meh. Not ideal but we weren't super hungry and were able to kill some time walking around the mall. We returned a little after 50 minutes and had to wait another 20 or so minutes for our table.The hostess thanked us for waiting and led us to our table and said our waiter would be with us shortly. To make a long story short, the customer service here is good; very friendly and attentive staff. The two stars is mainly for the food, which was way too salty that we couldn't even taste the flavor of the actual dishes. On the menu were the margharita pizza, caprese salad, warm spinach salad, mushroom soup and calamari. Honestly, the only dish I liked was the free baked bread with the accompanying olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Presentation was nice but can accumulate only so many points. I'm not totally writing this place off my list but it'll definitely take a lot of pressuring if someone wants me to eat here!
(2)Kaliko P.
The first time I tried to eat here was many years ago but didn't make it to the table as I sat around for 10 minutes in the empty restaurant (they had just opened). A guy walks up to me and I was eager to see that I was finally going to be able to eat here! Yay. Then he says, "we are not open yet but if you want to, you can wait outside...it will be around 15 minutes". I sulked out and vowed never to return. By some weird fate we ended up at the 'Mac today, after I swore I'd never come back. I got bad flashbacks when the hostess (who got our name wrong even after I said it THREE TIMES..and no, it wasn't my name, it was my husbands and he has a one-syllable Christian name....) said, "the wait will be 10 to 15 minutes", to which I looked around at all the empty tables. I grumbled to the husband and said, "I am looking at the time and if they take too long to seat us, we are leaving!" Lucky for them, and us, it only took five minutes. Water came in a neat little glass bottle. The house bread was hot and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You can dip your bread with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. Our lunches were fabulous!! I cannot seem to get too excited over pasta...because pasta is something I cook frequently and often, and I (am told) make it quite well. The Eggplant Quadratini ($16) was a fabulous vegetarian find. Quadratini pasta in a smoky tomato sauce with cherry tomatos and fresh basil that was ab-fab!! My husband had a Chicken pasta that he loved as well. I don't think it was as good as my Quadratini but he really enjoyed it. Our bill came out to approx $33. We caught an error earlier in our bill that charged us $6 for two iced teas we did not order but the server was quick in making that right. Aside from that little blemish, he was a great server and the four stars was mainly for the wait today and the wait from several years ago...I owe them.
(4)John N.
I've actually never ate inside this place and only have taken out so I can't review the service but this place has pretty good food for take out at a little than normal price. Depending on the time of year, it may be hectic to find parking just for this take out spot, but sometimes when you have the urge, you just take it. My favorite is the Chicken Pomodoro. Rich, creamy, flavorful, and good is how I would describe it. I would say they are better than some local Italian spots. The brocolini served here is also amazing. Who would have thought broccoli can end up tasting so good? Second favorite has got to be their regular spaghetti and meatballs. The taste is earthier than other spots, and the portion size is just right. Great for a night of take out. Also, the kids meals are a great deal here if you want to feed your child. They give healthy but good sized portions here. 100 Reviews, 1 Day 5/100 January 12, 2013
(4)Joy P.
My favorite Italian restaurant on the island. The ambiance is great, even if it can get really busy. Love the concept of being able to draw on your table, helps to keep you preoccupied while waiting for your food to come. Their bread is yums, and don't forget to ask for their vinegrette and olive oil to go with it. Menu is typical of Italian restaurants, but I feel the quality of the food is greater than that of say... Bravos. Which is probably the reason why you pay a few dollars more.
(4)Teresa L.
I should have yelped this restaurant before I went here because I ordered all the not so great stuff. If it wasn't for a gift card I had, I would never go to eat here...reminds me of cheap italian food (minus the cheap). But if you were to go here..... I would strongly suggest happy hour at macaroni grill. Everyday 4-7pm; half off appetizers, half off house wines. On thursdays, you get 25% off on bottles of wine. I had the mozzarella fritta which was okay. The Caesar salad was okay. I wasn't a big fan of their dressing...it didn't taste fresh. We ordered the chicken maralsa, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, and we made our own pasta. I did not enjoy the chicken marsala at all. Not what I'm used to. It tasted like chicken teriyaki. The fettuccine alfredo was alright...the chicken tasted frozen. When we made our own pasta dish, we chose bowtie pasta, creamy garlic sauce, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach. The sauce was alright...nothing special My sister got the strawberry italian soda which she enjoyed. Our server was friendly and was helpful in suggesting some dishes he enjoyed since it was my sister's first time here. For dessert we had the sorbet. It comes with 6 scoops of Lychee & Strawberry (or all one flavor if that's what you prefer). Overall, I would not return to this restaurant again unless I didn't have another choice. =/
(2)Kiichi R.
Actual Rating: 4 stars Ambiance: Personally, being here three times so far, each experience was a bit too dark. I wasn't blind but it wasn't particularly adding to the atmosphere. Service: They were friendly and it's always fun to watch their trademark "upside down" writing when they introduce themselves. We were checked upon often and they received full marks for that. Food: The food was great! It was delicious and I am glad they offer more than just pasta. There are no complaints in this department either. Price: It's a little up there. Granted, in all my experiences, I never held back, but you could easily make this a nice "treat" to yourself with a simple entree and dessert. Other (parking/location/etc.): It's Ala Moana. You can do your best to find parking on the top level. But it's really up to you and there will always be free parking. No whether you can get one without a walk involved, is up to your planning. Overall - Pros: Food was great; wait staff was great; Not a "quiet" place so feel free to enjoy your company! Cons: A bit dark.
(4)Dawn O.
Crappy carbonara. Extremely disappointed. I'll say this first: service was good as usual. I usually love the food, but the carbonara was terrible - practically inedible! In the menu, the description says something like, "crispy pancetta" and "poached egg". I thought, "Hmm. Poached egg. Interesting." However, when I got my dish, the poached egg didn't bother me. It was a cream-based sauce and the burnt pancetta. No where in the menu does it say that the carbonara is a cream-based sauce. Plus, CARBONARA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CREAM-BASED!!! The pancetta was so burnt, it made everything bitter. I ate a few bites of my husband's Penne Rustica to try to cover the bitter. The penne was good. Macaroni Grill, please step up your game. (86 the garlic-cream sauce. The whole is NOT better than the sum of its parts. And it does not go with everything.) The food is exponentially getting worse whenever I try your establishment and you keep taking off the winner dishes off the menu.
(1)Derek N.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for the Mac yet. And yes, I am aware of MAC 24/7, but I don't think they deserve to be "the" Mac. Their menu and such have changed; honestly I liked it better before, but the create your own pasta is still there and still pretty awesome. You can get whatever you want, so it's pretty perfect. My only complaint was that the arrabbiata sauce was really oily. I could be wrong but I don't remember it being that oily. Anyway, the portion was pretty generous. But that was last visit and I'm here to talk about today's visit. I think the last time I was here they told us about the happy hour situation but we didn't take advantage of it. Based on today's experience I regret that now! Actually, I kind of started off this visit with a negative; I walked in the door and stood by the desk and the girl at the front desk just ignored me. For a full two minutes; I timed it on my phone. Rude! But then I wandered over to the bar section and the bartender caught my eye pretty quickly and motioned for me to sit at a recently vacated seat. He seemed pretty nice and almost made up for the hostess. When I looked at the menu he told me about the $6 pizza that is offered during happy hour. This was actually the reason that I was drawn in to begin with, but had forgotten about in the three minutes in between. The pizza was thin crust, which I am not a big fan of, but it was delicious nonetheless. Plus they put freshly grates parmesan cheese over it, and gave me some red pepper flakes to put on top, like the kind in those little packets from Pizza Hut. The ambience is pretty nice. If you can tune out the conversations of other people at the bar, you can hear some fifties-ish music playing in the background, there's ESPN on televisions if you watch sports (I suppose it's still there even if you don't), the temperature is pretty comfortable, and the bar itself has a nice marble surface. Considering that I'm in a sit down restaurant in the nicest part of the mall, $6 for a pizza seems pretty reasonable. They also have domestic beers for $3 and import beers and wine for $4. I don't drink, but as I understand it, it is a popular activity. All things considered, this was a four-star experience; half a star for each slice of pizza! The normal menu is a bit pricey, so if you're after value like I am, you may enjoy the happy hour!
(4)Leina'ala O.
I should take a star off for the ditzy hostess but she's young so I understand. We showed up 30 minutes before closing on Mother's Day. We couldn't help our time, both my mom and I had to work so this was the soonest we could get there. I knew it was somewhat of an inconvenience but it was Mother's day and I wanted my mom to try this place. She always talks about Olive Garden and frankly, Olive Garden sucks compared to Macaroni Grill. Katie was our server and she was awesome. She didn't give us attitude for showing up late, her recommendations were spot on, and the rest of the staff helped her run our food and prebuss our table. The Sangiovese was delicious and my mom was impressed with her Opah. Best chain restaurant in the bizz!
(5)Helen C.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not a fan of Italian cuisine. Dairy products don't sit well with me, so me + overwhelming amounts of cheese = not a good idea. It's okay, I don't like the taste of cheese anyway...Sorry if I personally offended cheese lovers out there. It's not you. It's me. I ordered the Chicken Scallopine, which I found to be the least creamy item on the menu aside from spaghetti and meatballs. Although the sauce was a little creamier than expected, I manned up and I am damn glad I did. I rarely enjoy Italian food so this was a welcomed surprise. My coworker ordered the whole wheat fettuccine and said it tasted like paper though. Can't blame Romano's there. That's what you get for ordering whole wheat pasta!! Blech. The waiters were really nice. I think they're all trained to draw pictures out of their names...upside down. Skills. Finally, tiramisu for dessert. So rich, so sweet, but oh-so creamy. I couldn't handle it. Nothing against taste...my weak stomach just couldn't take the beating. I'll be sure to pack some Lactaid pills or something the next time I come. Then I can properly enjoy my meal or something, right? **9/31 Yelps Review Challenge**
(4)Sharon H.
Surprisingly good food at reasonable prices, and a nice ambience for a fairly quiet Saturday lunch. Just don't expect a leisure lunch....service is quick, but so much so that you get the feeling they want a high turnover. If you like garlic, try the sage roasted chicken with asparagus and potatoes. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, apparently from a hot brick placed on the chicken during the roasting process, and surrounded by more than a dozen roasted garlic buds. The aspagarus was crisp yet tender while the potatoes were meltingly soft. Only odd note on the plate was a side dish of roasted tomato salsa, delicious with the (complimentary) herb bread but not necessarily adding to the dish. Dessert was a lemon passion cake, creamy moist and dense but not heavy, accompanied by a dollop of what appeared to be a lemon-passion whipped cream. Yum-O! Perhaps the only annoyance was the wait staff. Our over-eager waiter brought the check while we were still eating lunch, and two other staff kept trying to take the plate off the table while we were still eating from it. Think they were hinting us to leave?! Oh, and you'll have to ask them to replenish the water, as they don't always notice.
(3)Carson B.
Nice waitress, food was good, wait was terrible, food was expensive, atmosphere is great. Crying babies hamper the mood :)
(3)Melissa L.
I wasn't gonna Write a neg review bc I had some good experiences there but our server was just horrible! Took her 5mins to take our drink order( place was by no means crowded) looked like she got wacked with the stink stick after we told her we would pass on appetizers she made such a weird face, idk. Never checked on us, no refills, Made another stink face when asked to split the bill. Horrible. Seriously I use to serve, and would never have a bad attitude. Then again I can guarantee I made more tips then she did. Owell
(1)Jenel O.
Everytime i've gone to Romano's, it's been far from stellar. Tonight was no different. The table we were seated at was a round table under their a/c vents and was absolutely FREEZING! It doesn't set a good tone for a good meal at all. They got rid of the orzo salad I had many many years ago and settled on as my "ok" dish there. So I got the caprese ($11) and baked artichoke hearts ($7.50). Both were totally oversalted and keep in mind I usually like my food salty so you know it was way too salty. The caprese should be something that can survive with very minimal seasoning and be perfectly fine... someone obviously has a heavy hand in the salt back in the kitchen. The flavors are definitely not clean enough on 2 dishes that should've felt very fresh and light. I tried a forkful of my husbands carbonara and one of my mother in law's mushroom raviolis... not bad. Kids dishes ran around $7. Spaghetti with meat sauce was pretty decent as was the mac and cheese. I would never personally choose to come back and spend my money here. When we left, there was a long long line outside. I'm not sure why hoards of people would choose this place. The two highlights though were the bread: hot, lightly crispy on the outside and flavorful... and our server was also really polite and pretty on it.
(2)DJ Nocturna R.
I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a few years. They have good service. I like how they never forget to grate cheese in your pasta and the guy grating the cheese telling you the cheese was discovered by the monks in Milan centuries ago.. That's a great story because it made the meal more appetizing. I had the Shrimp Portofino because I love pine nuts in my pasta and fresh tomatoes- I just wish they gave more pine nuts. I also love their ceasar salad. I also ordered tiramisu for dessert. It's ok. Tonight it wasn't so busy so I was able to sit down and relax in a dark corner. The lighting is perfect and they have comfortable booth seating. They also have a private room for bigger groups or a party. For a chain restaurant - it's a great place to go for dinner while shopping at Ala Moana.
(3)Loren O.
I've come a handfull of times and I've always left happy and full. They serve the full menu at the bar, so if it's busy and there's open seats at the bar, we normally go there. Their servers are always friendly, and the restaurant itself seems new and well kept. I like we can draw on the tables and that the servers write their names upside down so the customers can read it :p Some of them get pretty crazy with writing their name! I'm one who likes to doodle so its something fun to do while we wait for our food. I'm a sucker for chicken fettuccine, so thats normally whati get. My bf got the Chicken Milanese once and he thought it was good. I had their Lemon Passion for dessert once and it was super refreshing! A tinge on the sour side, but I love lemon so I didn't care. It's located on the third floor of Ala Moana in the Ho'okipa Terrace so it's always pretty crowded around dinner time. We always had a little bit of a wait before we got seated. Prices are pretty reasonable, typical for an italian restaurant i think. Also, if you're celebrating a birthday, be sure to let them know! Once we had a girl sing Happy Birthday to my friend in Italian! It was beautiful! Sounds so much prettier in Italian!
(4)Chris L.
Not what it used to be. I've previously Visited this restaurant, but this time was a little bit different. On previous occasions, this restaurant was quite full and have a certain flare that was a huge draw. This time, the restaurant appeared quite empty. I was seated within five minutes. Shortly after I was seated, I noted that a section of the restaurant was not even open or lighted. I also noted that the characteristic attire of the waitstaff had changed from nice white collard shirts and ascots/ties, to a much more relaxed blue and white striped shirt and blue jeans. This caught me quite offguard, as this restaurant had previously seem to be a little more upscale. Before I ordered or was approached by the waiter, I was promptly given a glass of water. Upon ordering I noted that the menu had changed dramatically from previous visits. There appeared to be fewer items then were previously offered. After ordering, I noticed that the waitstaff uniform had changed from a very elegant white shirt with black slacks, to a very relaxed blue-and-white striped shirt and blue jeans. Having been to this restaurant before, it seemed Like everything had gone downhill. The food was not bad, but was nothing to write home about. At this time, I think I may be looking for another restaurant to frequent more often. I came away very unimpressed, after previously frequenting this restaurant often. As was noted in a previous review, the loss of the founding general manager seems to have been a sword in the side for this restaurant. I would like to frequent another restaurant in the future to see if all have changed in the same way.
(1)Quincey Q.
First time going there so it was foreign to me. The food was okay but different wish ihad gotten more food with my entree but i shared with my date so it was okay. It was fun drawing on the place mat paper and the ginger root drink was good but I wouldnt drink it everyday. An okay meal bu tnot a geat meal especially for the money it cost.
(3)Knk N.
love coming to this place food is always tasty and filling not much to complain about this place as it does get busy. so their could be a slight wait but other than that awesomeness on service and food and drinks.
(4)Jon R.
Unfortunately service makes any restaurant right after the food. Food was "mass produced" flavor but worst off our male waiter was a real #]^|+€* is all I can say. Never ever coming back to this place. Also the hostesses have NO IDEA how to give an accurate time if wait. We were told ten minutes and we ended up waiting thirty minutes. Never again. Go Ruby Tuesdays instead and sit at the bar as long as Krista is working there. She is the bomb!
(1)Nicholas B.
You can't go wrong with Spaghetti and meatballs with the bolognase sauce. I had a really good time here
(4)Niki T.
We came here friday night around 10pm or so. The wait was 45 minutes and they do awesome texting your position in line. They text you how many people ahead and the estimated wait. Honestly it was okay. We came here because I was given a gift card. The server was great, tall, skinny, light skinned gentleman, blindfish hair. We ordered half a Cesar salad and a lasagna to share. Salad was amazing, lasagna wasn't the greatest, but the again I'm just picky. The sweetish marinara sauce made me sick and I ended up puking in their restroom. We ended up having a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Didn't like the thick cream cheese topping on the cheesecake, but other than that the strawberries were amazing. All In all the food wasn't amazing but I would come back for a salad and a few drinks maybe. Server was attentive and I wish I remembered his name.
(3)Rachel I.
I came here with my family and it was so-so busy. We only had to wait or 30ish minutes but once we were seated I looked around and wondered why we even had to wait when there was SO Many seats open...maybe they couldn't keep up with orders? We spent a total hour and a half there mainly just waiting for our food !! It took so long, we weren't a big party or anything. We ordered an appetizer and they brought us the wrong one after waiting forever for it and also they only gave us one bread and once we finished it we were never offered another one. We had to flag another waiter to have a refill on our water. The service was just so slow and I seriously never had to wait so long for my food which was so small in portion. I won't be coming back here, so not worth it.
(2)Jarrett W.
Came here for dinner tonight around 5:45 and was able to enjoy happy hour which ends at 6. We proceeded to sit at the bar, the bartender immediately served us and also made sure that we got another drink within the happy hour timeframe. he continued to made sure that our food was ok, our drinks were topped off. I must say i was impressed by his service. btw we ordered the italian sausage flatbread pizza and chicken marsala... both were tasty and we ate it all!
(4)Arynn I.
3 1/2 stars please! We came in as a last minute thought and I think it was close to when they stop seating. But we were given a nice booth in the back. I wasn't too hungry so I was there more just to support my friend's eating. I figured I'd get a drink. Our server Shawn was pretty awesome for the most part! He did a really good job of making conversation with us as he took drink orders. And he can write his name upside down. :) that was different. We only had to flag him down once when my friends wanted refills on their beer and wine. He also let us know when he was going to take a break, just in case we looked for him. I had a tiratini, which is basically a liquid tiramisu martini. For some reason when I ordered it I was under the impression it was frozen...but I think it's cause I was thinking of a mudslide. It was fabulously delicious! I also figured I'd better eat if I'm going to have something to drink so I don't get myself sick and had a little of the freshly baked bread that was brought to our table. I love it dipped in olive oil and here they put some fresh black pepper in the oil. I also picked at my friends' appetizers. We ordered the sampler; which had bruschetta, fried mozzarella and calamari. Also got pizza and stuffed mushrooms. So I tried the calamari and it was pretty good (I'm not so much a calamari person) and I ate a fried cheese and bruschetta. Wow, I just realized we had a lot of starches..but i guess that's good when you're drinking. I also ate a couple mushrooms but didn't eat the pizza. I did like the stuffed mushrooms but I think I still prefer Johnny Carino's (mainland restaurant chain) mushrooms better. I suppose that the next time I come to the Macaroni Grill I will hopefully be hungry and get a meal but for the purpose of this visit it was good! #Yelp 365 Challenge-028/365
(3)Jaleen M.
After a long afternoon we decided that pasta was what was for dinner. Our server Sheldon was awesome. We come here often and hes the best one we've had so far. We were undecided on an appetizer so he suggested their garlic fries, best we've had. For dinner we shared the Cesar salad and shrimp portofino (sp?) Salad had a little to much zing but it was delicious. The portofino wasnt to oily like others we've had. Our stars mostly go for the service. Ask for sheldon =) hes bomb. We are not tourist and he didnt treat us like we were a waste of time like others we've had.
(5)Katie N.
I like this place until recently. I guess they are under new management, therefor they have cleaned house. Service is VERY slow with quite bit of new faces. Twice I had the same bartender service me and both times service was slow. I do understand everything have gone up, but I wasn't sure if I had to ask for bread since I've order my food?? Waited 5 mins no bread, 10 mins no bread...so finally I asked...sadly it he brought it out when I was half way through my lunch. I was disappointed on top of that my soup was the wrong soup (he repeated and asked again, yet the wrong soup was delivered....WTH??). Since, service is SLOW I didn't want to return it and wait longer for it. On the flip side, I do like the new menu concept...more choices to pick and choose on the lunch menu. would like to see improvement on service, and I would recommend letting your guest know if bread is no longer automatic this way they are not expecting it and would ask sooner.
(2)Zhen L.
Took my girlfriend here for an evening couple of months back, and we had a great time. First of all, the white paper with the crayon? Made me chuckle a bit in my head. My girlfriend and I had a fun time drawing on the paper while we waited for our food. Many may not think so, but I thought it was a nice way to keep customers entertained while waiting for the food. If you have kids, I think it's perfect for them. We a total of four things: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms - Share Some sort of Ravioli I do not recall - Girlfriend Fettucine Alfredo w/Shrimp - Myself Hot Fudge Brownie desert - Share Italian food is number one on my list. The crab stuffed mushrooms was small and pricey, but it was really good. My Fettucine Alfredo was just how I liked it; the shrimp was cooked perfectly. My girlfriend's Ravioli was quite delicious as well. What finished us off was the brownie(?) or chocolate cake desert thing that we had. It literally melts in your mouth. Why a four star? Because I have not eaten here enough to completely say it's as good as it gets. "Yay! I'm a fan," is really all that I am. My and girlfriend and I are looking forward to eating here again soon. I definitely recommend this place.
(4)Erin Y.
This is a chain restaurant, but moreover, its a bad chain restaurant. A chain restaurant that only gets as much business as it does because CPK is too damn small. Have a choice on where to eat? Anywhere in Hookipa Terrace other than here. Service is terribly slow, there are people packed into every nook (read:no stroller space), and the food is slightly better than bad. I cannot believe this place is even listed under steakhouses. It does not deserve to be in the elitest carnivore group. My steak was terrible and not cooked the way I asked for it, medium rare. Don't serve it if you can't make it correctly. We went at least five minutes without forks or knives before flagging someone down. Water didn't get refilled, and the waiter kept banging into the sleeping baby in the stroller. Be careful, dammit. I'm trying to have just one meal in peace! Skip it unless you're planning to dine at a weird hour when no one else is eating. Oh, and skip the steak.
(2)Tia S.
Happy Hour is from 4pm to 7pm. Good deal, because you get 50% all apps and drink specials. House wine is $3.00! It's nice sitting at the bar since you get immediate service. They also have counter seating at the fire pit. I went with my sis and sat at the counter. Our server was slow during my last visit and had a flat personality, but it was crazy busy so he may have been flustered. We enjoyed three apps, pasta, and wine for just under $40. The ambiance is nice and you don't need to dress up. Added perk is you get a complimentary Italian language lesson in the bathroom. Haha! They play a recording in the room. Lots of parking at the mall. Good place to unwind after shopping or working. Nice size food portions. Good taste and price.
(3)Tina T.
Came here on a week night around 8:30pm after a long day at work. Nothing extraordinary to say about this place. The salads looked a bit too pre-made, neither the caesar salad nor the signature bib and blue salad had crisp veges. Onthe other hand, our pastas were cooked well. I ordered a pasta with tomatoe sauce, eggplant & my friend ordered the pasta milano. Overall it was what we would expect from the romano's macaroni grill - a no frills, family style restaurant at a convenient location. Service was good and food was acceptable. Not a place I will rush to return but will return just because it's a safe choice.
(3)Jody S.
Dined at Macaroni Grill this past weekend with my mom and daughter for a girl's day birthday lunch. While the food was definitely ono as usual (I had a make-your-own pasta with scallops, mushrooms and broccoli) and my mom ordered (a make-your-own pasta with shrimp and broccoli) and the rugrat ordered cheese pizza, the waiter was a little bit odd. Don't get me wrong, he was nice enough but just not "all there" like most waitstaff is. He reminded me of someone who went out partying the night before, woke up hanging and bummers....had to go to work so was simply making do with the situation. Oh well....he performed okay but could've done better.
(3)Kristen U.
Is it just me or has this place gone downhill over the last few years? Esthetic wise, I remember having cloth napkins, not paper. And weren't the menus actual books, and not pieces of paper? Huh... Everything was just, okay. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad, just mediocre. For our tapas, we ordered bruschetta crostini and spicy ricotta meatballs and my entree was the penne rustica. It was good, but not spectacular. Service was also okay.
(3)Makakaualii R.
We went a few days ago and the service was excellent his name was Roger and he was very polite, attentive and great customer service. We had the meatball X2 and I had the chicken scallopine and it was a bomb. I never had it before and it was so ono and I can't stop think about it meaning we'll be going again real soon! Mahalo Roger for the great service.
(4)Angelica Q.
Hubby took my son and 5 year old there. It was happy hour so the drafts were $4 as well as house wine. Appetizers were nice two tapas mix for $14, Salads were delicious but costly, and my son enjoyed his kids meal selection with dessert for $8. We were satisfied with the waiter and his interaction with our son (he listened to my son's jokes when he frequented our table). Top top the meal with tirimisus and a vanilla gelato for our little one. Overall, the experience was really good, but the food is pricey and worth it. Will visit again.
(4)En I.
Went for dinner on a Saturday and food was okay but service was very slow. Past experience also had slow service so it may just be that they do not staff enough for peak days/hours.
(3)Naomi L.
Ok - I want to like this place because my friends like to eat here, but I can't. I have been here 4 times now and can remember bad experiences from 3 of those times: 1) With dad for dinner - service was terrible and the pasta was bland and gross. Best part was the waiter wrote his name with crayons upside down on the table. Unfortunately he didn't like the way he wrote it, so he retried 4 more times. He wrote all over the table. Then he told us he was new. Once was plenty, I could read it already. Then I got to read it 5 times. 2) Went with friend for dinner - they wouldn't seat us for over 20 minutes despite tables being open (maybe there were reservations?) and no one waiting so we sat at a high table. The pasta had no sauce, the bread was hard as rocks, and the water came 1x during the entire meal. I left more than half on my plate. The waiter tried to charge us a service charge. Dude, there were only 2 in our party, not 6-8 or more! So I'm sorry, I left a small tip. 3) Went after rotation with 2 classmates for lunch -this was the only time it was okay. The service was fast and bread was warm. Maybe it's because it was lunch. He sped it up because we said we were at work lunch (were dressed in scrubs)... Maybe that was the key to good service. Anyhow, I liked the lunch 1/2 1/2 deal. I forgot what I ate, but I napped for like 3 hours afterwards. 4) Last week wedding rehearsal dinner with 12 people - they cancelled our reservations because they called 3 hours prior (while we were rehearsing!) and said no one picked up to confirm. It wasn't like there were other people waiting! In fact, they could have sat us at a regular table or two and it would have been fine! We came like 20 minutes early and after telling us that they cancelled our table, they made us "wait and see what develops until your reservation time." So... basically they were going to let another big party without reservations go in and take the private room that we had reservations for just 3 hours prior?? Seriously?? Yes, it was really a mystery when no other big party showed up and we were able to take our private room table. That was 20 minutes wasted. BOO. Come on macaroni grill. Blah. Service was junkie (again), we didn't have enough silverware, the food was bland (again). The waitress cut our cake at the end and then said "have fun." Haha, great. So we served ourselves (the cake wasn't even cut well, so we had to recut it) because after waiting 5 minutes it didn't seem like she was coming back. Fail 3/4 times = I'm going to try my best not to come back here.
(1)Jenn C.
jeff is the best bartender! ask for him! yummy beer, tasty bellinis, big sangrias, you get the picture. caprese is my favorite so of course I HAD to order that, but... not enough mozzarella cheese. calamari is on point and the rosemary bread was good enough to order more and more and more. mushroom ravioli is extremely tasty, but its also very heavy so I would recommend sharing this with a friend.
(4)Kitty K.
I gotta say it's better than what I expected. The service was good and the food was quick....much better than the one I went in Southern California lol.... I had the Mahi Mahi was delish....not too heavy and tasty. even thou I was full but I can't resist the quest for tiramisu.....It was okay....but eased my craving after one bite...lol
(3)Missy S.
So reading the yelp reviews, I can understand what people are saying about the good and bad stuff. This is why my review is an ok review. I enjoyed the ambiance, the waitress was very nice, and the food was decent. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce and it tasted good. Not the best I have ever had, but enough to finish the plate clean. We also ordered the sizzling platter, and it was good. Expensive place, so beware. I would say romano is an ok place. Not the best place for italian food. There are places much better. But I would come again. Maybe to try some other things on the menu.
(3)Stephanie T.
I came here with my boyfriend simply because I've never been here before and wanted to see what it was like. The environment was nice, but that was pretty much the only thing that was nice. I was barely able to understand what the waiter was saying, it took over 10 minutes of trying to get the attention of our waiter to order, the food took forever to arrive, my boyfriend's pasta had nearly NO salt in it, my penne was over cooked, the waiter forgot our beers, and it was over priced for the quality of food and service offered. Not coming here again.
(2)Annie W.
Let's get down to the important stuff first. Happy hour is from 4-7, at the bar which features an awesome fire place seating area. There are comfortable booth seating that will also grant HH prices. On Wednesdays, there is 25% off bottle purchases of wine. You have to agree, that these are great deals! The bruschetta is to live for! The fresh bread, sliced cheese and of course the seasoned, chopped tomatoes to pair it all together with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar to make this appetizer salivating worthy dish. I've had plenty of bruschetta before, but to be serve with sliced cheese was heavenly. I ordered the Chicken Scaloppine~ sauteed chicken with artichokes, mushrooms, aged prosciutto (pieces of salty deliciousness) and lemon butter with capellini (super thin~my fav) pasta. This dish is cooked with lots of butter, delicious but definitely not for the health conscious. They serve free bread and dipped in olive oil and recommended with vinegar will fill you up before your entree. It's good for groups and allows everyone to share if you want to try a bit of everything. If you're indecisive check out their trio sampler dish. A little bit of lasagna, bit of chicken and some other pasta dish. I must say that I had a bite of the lasagna and I was not impressed. Either way this doesn't deter me from coming back to try some more pasta on the menu. Speaking of chain restaurants, I would rather come here than Buca di Beppo.
(4)R R.
Pola was our server and she was AWESOME.. Food was good and service was good... The Loaded Fries is to die for with that GARLIC AIOLI....
(5)Elizabeth N.
This place is smack dab, middle America, chain food fair. It ain't great, and it ain't awful either. The all you can eat, fresh, hot bread is a very nice touch and I think is the buffer of why you'd pay $12.00 for a $5.00 stouffers-tasting-lasagna dish. That and the nice decorations....peep they have Italian lessons playing on the speakers in the ladies room! Tight. Honestly tho, if I didn't have a gift card to eat here, I'd spend my money on a local Italian restaurant, at least you'd know majority of your food didn't come from a can...or at least you'd hope so. My recap: Pros: -The Sun-Thur Happy Hour is pretty good. 1/2 all appetizers and $3 Stella on Draft and house wines??? Woohoo for getting tipsy alone! And if the bar is full (or you a kid in tow) they'll give you happy hour prices at your table. Nice! -Very kid friendly -So far, very nice service, except for the one hostess in the front who just didn't seem like she wanted to be at work the night we walked in... -Free, hot , unlimited bread with all the proper italian fixin's of olive oil and balsamic vinegar -Quick service, clean and nice ambiance Cons: -Mediocre food -Kinda pricey for mediocre food
(3)Tracie F.
Eh the experience was very mediocre. The wait was reasonable. It was really crowded. Our waiter Tony was great! loved the paper table cloths for drawing. The bread was out of this world but honestly that is where the praise about the food stops. We had the sampler appetizer plate. The tomato bruchetta was gross. The fried mozzarella was ok...a little on the greasy side. I did like that it was fresh mozzarella. The calamari was salty. Entrees were bland. The pasta with the chicken scallopini was a pile of flavorless noodles. Did they forget the sauce?? Chicken was bland. The lasagna was good but also on the salty side. Now I am dessert queen and just about anything with sugar pleases me. The apple crisp thing was ok. The six pieces of apple we got had about 2 crumbles of the almond crisp on it. Save your money and get a scoop of ice cream instead. Overall a pretty so-so experience. Go to Mariposa instead. It does beat the food court though...well basically ANYTHING beats that!
(3)Veteran B.
Macaroni Grill is a solid "American" italian dinner option. I've been to several of them and the Hawaii franchise was no different. Good food, good service, and okay price. I think local italian (where ever you live) is funner but Macaroni Grill is a win win.
(4)Rupert L.
Haven't been here for over a year now. I need to come back and draw on the tables. The food was great.
(3)Margaret D.
This is a nice relatively quiet place to have lunch and talk to someone. Food is all right. My gripe is the two times I've had the pasta with shrimp or scallops, there have only been a few. They don't take the legs off the shrimp which means you have to messily remove them yourself. The easiest way is with your fingers, but who wants to get cream sauce on the fingers? It's not a cookout, it's pasta. Service has been just fine each time. The servers write their names on the table cloth, then you can draw. I always make a big drawing and imagine the busboys discovering it and thinking, Wow, that's too nice to throw out! but they probably never look at it. LOL.
(3)Chloe M.
Aw man... I used to LOVE Macaroni Grill. My grandpa used to take me here a lot so I wanted to take my bf here for our weekly date night. Food: I'm 99% sure that they changed the way they make the food. I always ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and the last time I came here with my grandpa (a month ago) it didn't taste the same. This time I decided to try something new, so I ordered the Carbonara ($17), and my bf ordered the Pasta Di Mare ($20). I never tried carbonara before my last visit to the Macaroni Grill and they pretty much ruined it for me. I thought it was cool that they offer "fresh pasta" but my "fresh" pasta was hard and undercooked. My bfs pasta was okay, but nothing really special. Tomato sauce with mussels (two of which were inedible), shrimp, and scallops. For the same price, we could've gotten delicious pasta at Assagios instead. Boo. They also changed their menu, and they no longer have the sorbet/strawberry cup. Instead they have white peach sorbet (double boo). Ambiance: Yeah yeah, you can write on the table, but where was the opera singer?? I was looking forward to listening to the live opera singing with my bf instead of my grandpa this time, but I guess they don't do that anymore? Overall: Please save your money for delicious food instead. There's not that many good pasta places in Hawaii, and I'm still looking for the perfect place.
(2)Rochelle S.
While working in customer service, I remember having to watch video on the customer experience and how they only really remember customer service that was extremely exceptional, or extremely horrible. Unfortunately, for this review, it is the latter of the two. My girlfriends and I came here yesterday because one of them had a gift card. We probably wouldn't have come here otherwise. When we got to the restaurant, our section was completely empty except 1 other table. We were promptly greeted by our server. I'm not going to mention any names because she was a really very nice person, just not a top-notch server. In any case, after a long morning of bridesmaid dress shopping, I though a mojito was in order. After a pretty lengthy discussion of whether they could do it in strawberry, the order was placed, along w/ our entrees and appetizer. Our appetizer, which was calamari, came out pretty quick. It was pretty good. But then again, I'm not really a good judge in calamari. As long as it's fried and served with condiments, it as an A-rating in my book. My girlfriend who ordered a caesar salad as an appetizer also received it pretty quickly. Mojito still M.I.A 30 minutes later, appetizers had long since been devoured and still no mojito, The more vocal of my girlfriends inquired about the mojito and our server kind of mumbled under her breath, "oh yeah". Said server ran to get it and came back. Syrup was sunk to the bottom and the cup was sweating like a hooker in hell. I know that thing had been sitting at the bar for the entire time we had been there. 15 minutes AFTER the mojito debacle, our entrees still had not arrived, our section was completely packed and tables that had been sat after us had already received their entrees. Entrees finally received, all I can say is: sub-par. The best part of the meal was that our check arrived 2 minutes after the entrees were served. The fasted thing that came out of that kitchen!!!! Word to the wise, endure the wait for CPK, at least you know the food will be good.
(2)Kalani S.
They recently removed the fire pit from the bar which I'm glad they did. Now the bar can service everyone sitting here. No more waiting for the waiter.
(4)raechelle v.
It's been years since I came here. Went here for lunch for my birthday with some friends and had a good time. I always liked the bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. We came in around 11:30 or so and didn't have to wait long. I remember having to wait hours to get in back in the day, hence why I haven't been here in years. Our server was friendly. They changed the menu. I like their lunch combination specials. You can choose from soup, salad, and a dish. You can get 2 choices for $11 or 3 choices for $13. I got 1 order of Caesar salad and 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken. The 2 orders of Carmela's Chicken comes out to being almost the same size as the full size order which is listed for $16. Best bet is to get the combination specials. It was good as I remembered it to be minus the hassle of a long wait. Service was quick and friendly. Only downside is knowing that you just consumed a 1,000 calories in one sitting. Oh well, you only live once. I ended up going for a swim at Ala Moana to burn off some of that pasta after lunch.
(4)Donna M.
Came here about a week ago...haven't been here in years. I must admit, I was looking forward to it because I was looking forward to their chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. We had reservations at 7:30 p.m. We were seated right away, which was great. The table bread with olive oil, crushed pepper and balsamic vinegar is always good. My little family of four...ordered the lasagna, pasta milano, chicken alfredo and shrimp alfredo. All were similar in that there was no taste. I've read past reviews that the pasta is salty....which leads me to believe that I either got a different cook or they've stopped using salt as a result. Either way...not good...especially for $15+ a plate...I was not impressed. Ordered a glass of moscato...a $12.00 glass of moscato....For that price I should've been able to keep the glass. Thinking whatevs, I really didn't come here for the pasta...I came here for the chocolate cake. As I remembered it it was a huge piece of moist chocolate cake...not too sweet...perfectly complimented with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream. I ordered what I thought was that very same dessert....and was surprised that it was not that delectable dessert I was anticipating...instead it was a poor rendition of a chocolate soufflé with a small dollop of whip cream and a couple of nuts. Not happy.... Bad food experience...Prices are way too high for the overall experience...however I must say that the service is great. In closing...I'd suggest ordering something other than the pasta...but that would be ridic. Perhaps be ready to season your own food..bring a flask for your booze...and don't order dessert.
(2)Kayleen K.
I've definitely been to this location many times and to sum it all up, they're pretty good. Customer Service Pros: 1. The servers are fast and pleasant for the most part. What I really appreciate that the servers do is quickly clear the table of any dirty plates. 2. I've never had to wait very long for any order whether it was an appetizer, entree, or dessert! 3. I like how the servers bring a big glass bottle of water to your table so you can serve yourself whenever you like. Customer Service Cons: 1. I've only been here for lunch a couple times and the only thing I didn't care for was that the staff, particularly the busboys, chitchat to each other a LOT and LOUDLY. Even though there aren't a lot of customers that come during lunch, it's unprofessional and leaves a poor impression. But most importantly, the food: I've ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken a couple of times, and unfortunately I did not care for it. The sauce was oily and quite frankly, there was so much Alfredo sauce, it made the fettuccine look like a garnishment. However, I will recommend the Chicken Parmesan! It is served with three small pieces of fried boneless chicken with Parmesan cheese and a roasted cherry tomato on top with angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. It is DELICIOUS and pretty filling. For dessert, I've always tried their gelato, which is always good. Yesterday, however, I decided to try the espresso drinks that they offer for dessert! I tried their Caffe Mocha and it was OK. It was served with a biscotti in an nice porcelain cup that holds about 8 ounces. It was okay but you can definitely get a better mocha at Honolulu Coffee Co c(; Overall, it's a good restaurant. I would've given this place 4 stars but I really cannot stand them talking story loudly while I'm trying to unwind and enjoy my meal :/
(3)Kelly G.
With varying reviews from my Yelp buddies, I walked into Macaroni Grill very skeptical of encountering a good experience, yet I walked away pleasantly surprised! The restaurant has a great ambiance - the bar has an open fireplace! Would love to sit there next time. The rest of the place has cozy, dim, elegant decor. Booths and tables alike adorn the space. My friend and I got seated in a booth immediately this Saturday afternoon (St Patty's day no less). Our waitress Niki was great! Came around often and was very patient with our inability to decide whether or not to drink. The complimentary bread was DELICIOUS! Crusty, soft, and easily tearable. Served with Italian butter (olive oil & freshly cracked black pepper). We consumed 1.5 of these loaves before our entrees arrived. Easily one of the top table bread's I've ever consumed. I ordered the 3 piece combination ($13) of the Pomodorina Soup, Carmela's Chicken and the Caprese Panini. Everything was delicious! Perfect portions as well. My qualm was that my panini was cold by the time it arrived which was probably due to the fact that it service was SLOW to get our food out. The friend ordered the Cesar salad and the mushroom ravioli. I had a chance to taste the sauce - yummy. She complimented the filling by saying the mushrooms were delicious and the onions were caramelized perfectly. Both our entrees came out to $33 inc tax. Delicious and worth the value. Would have ordered my fiance's favorite dessert - the lemon passion cake. He has gone out to just to order this cake for himself! Delicious. Can't wait to come back and make a date of it with my fiance!
(4)Vivian L.
I have been to Romano's several times. I usually leave the restaurant feeling content, if not, very pleased with the ambience, food, and service. I decided to have lunch with a friend after a long week. She told me she read about some menu changes at Macaroni Grill and we decided to see what the hype was all about. We were in for a very unpleasant surprise... When we walked in, there were three hostesses at the counter. We received no greeting at all. Only one of them was working with a customer. The other two glanced at us for a second and then ignored us. I had to walk up to them and tell them "Table for two" and a hostess told us to wait 10 minutes. We got our table in 10 minutes, but no server came up to us. I had to look around very intently for about another 10 minutes before a server named Sheldon noticed me staring and told us he'd be right with us (no smile or proper waiter-like acknowledgement included). He didn't come for another 10 minutes. (A total of 30 minutes down the drain and our orders still weren't placed!) They jacked up almost all of the prices on their menu. There's a new "combination" option on the menu where you can "choose 2" or "choose 3" items (soup, salad, pasta, sandwich). My friend asked about this new "combination" set and the waiter SNAPPED AT HER. ("What do you mean how does it work?? It's right there on the menu!!") She was so surprised she didn't respond, and he didn't even answer her question. Rude, rude, rude. We should have stood up and left then and there, but we were starving by then. So I told him we were ready to order. Both of us ordered a combination. I had a salad and a panini. For an $11 course, the portions were PATHETIC. My friend's chihuahua's food bowl is larger than the bowls they use for combination menu. The panini was disgustingly cold when I received it 15 minutes later. I didn't even finish it. Our waiter checked up on a table by us at least five times. He came to us just ONCE during our meal. (Did I mention that they don't even refill our waters anymore? They just leave a glass bottle of water on our table so we can refill it ourselves.) 10 minute seating wait, 10 minute wait for a server, 10 minute wait to order, 15 minute wait for food, and just 10 minutes to finish our meal... Awful atmosphere, so-so food, and abysmal service. It will be a very long time until I visit this restaurant again, and I will NOT be recommending this place to anybody.
(1)Ku'ulani M.
Dear General Manager: I've been to your restaurant many times. I've celebrated new babies there, held coworker reunions there, had date nights with my husband there, met up for happy hour drinks with the friend from out of town, and even had family inheritance talks there. Typically, I thoroughly enjoy patronizing your restaurant and look forward to the good food and conversation that transpires. For my sister, turning 21 was a momentous occasion, and at the birthday girl's choosing and my persuading, my mother, father, husband, toddler, aunt and 86 year old grandmother made the 30-minute trek from Kaneohe to your restaurant tonight in celebration. Our experience prompted me to write this letter. From the great place I know Macaroni Grill to be, it was disappointing, to say the least. It began well. We made dinner reservations for a table of 8 the night before without a problem. We were seated on time, and our waiter greeted us with enthusiasm and lots of detail about the menu, realizing that only 2 of us had ever patronized your restaurant before. However, I believe when faced with a shy table not returning the kind of enthusiasm he expected, it went downhill from there. He took our drink orders from the head of the table, instead of walking around to each person, including my hard-of-hearing grandmother at the other end. The bread came out only after we prompted him for it, and nearly 2 minutes before the food came. (Given you're your table has a restless 2 year-old toddler you've given nothing but a sad handful of 3 yellow crayons and 2 green ones, you'd think that bread at a table is a must.) When he tried to confirm our food orders from the head of the table again, he seemed to wait in disdain for an answer, irritated by the table's lack of quick responses. The soup came out from the busser without a spoon, and went cold before one ever came, flagged down from a neighboring waiter since ours was nowhere to be found. We weren't checked on during our meal, so the water carafes went dry for a while. And finally, when we'd just about had enough of the waiting game and were ready for something - the check, dessert, the apocalypse - we flagged our speeding-by waiter to ask if there might be a special birthday surprise for the 21 year old. He answered with grit in haste, "It's already on its way." 'On its way' must have meant on its way from your corporate headquarters, because our table was exhausted and over it by the time the cake and candle came. Don't get me wrong. We greatly appreciate the restaurant's complimentary gesture and its top-notch Italian birthday singers. But by that time, my family probably wished they were anywhere but a birthday serenade. Excusing themselves from the table, the rest of the family immediately dug out of the tired situation while we waited for the check, which also had to be flagged down by our waiter-in-hiding. When he finally did come out with it, he said (and I quote): "Here's the 18% gratuity, and here's the total. This is my copy," and walked off. I waited for the thank-you. I swore I must not have heard it. But alas, just like our waiter all night, it wasn't there. I must say one more thing. Never before have I heard your kitchen staff yell in locker-room form when a dish is no longer available. Why they yelled several times, "86 the calamari" in sing-song unison is just baffling to me. Should a classy Italian restaurant sound like a sports arena every few minutes? Now I'm typically not a complainer. And I never speak with managers, let alone write letters to them. But this was a shocking experience, and I hope one we'll never have to encounter again. I was excited to introduce my family to this place and celebrate an exciting birthday, but I was embarrassed to apologize to them that this wasn't all I chocked it up to be. So please, be the top-notch restaurant I know you to run, and remedy the situation. At the very least, speak with your staff about their etiquette. I don't care if the table orders a glass of water and a caesar salad - courtesy should know no bounds.
(2)Donald N.
We have eaten twice at this restaurant in the last few days and it was excellent both times. The lobster ravioli is wonderful, the best I have had. My wife had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was subtly flavored and tasted lovingly homemade. The pork chop with mushroom risotto and brocollini was also very flavorful. There was even a wonderful slightly grilled flavor to the brocollini, very nice! Prices were quite reasonable for the quality of the food. We went the second time for an anniversary dinner and they fit us in on short notice, a nice touch. We highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)Tyler C.
Mac Grill is probably one of the few "Italian" restaurants that I will eat at on this rock. The service and employees are very efficient, from the hostess' to the runners. Zero problems from the handful of times I've dined in. Food is outstanding. The salads are fresh, and their house bread is what makes them stand out. The bread is served full-loaf, lightly seasoned with butter and salt. You can practically eat it without even touching your knife. Especially when it comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. As for entrees, I especially come for the Lobster Ravioli. The portion is huge compared to other restaurants, who only give you about 6 pieces. It always looks and smells good to remember to count before digging in. I'm sure there is more than 6 though. They have birthday singers here, that are just talented. And if you wanna brush up on your italian, hit up the bathroom and soak in the lessons that are playing.
(4)Gabriel T.
Haven't gone to this place for a long long time until coming back recently. They recently changed some things up on the menu. I went over with my co workers for lunch after work. Our waitress was Josi. She was awesome, super cool, and friendly. The free bread is da bomb with the virgin oil plus balsamic vinegar. I had the 3 piece combination with Blackboard soup, Whole Wheat fettuccine, and half Roast Turkey sandwich. It was very filling. I feel that it was well worth the price. The blackboard soup is good. It's a little on the sweet side but good nonetheless. I dipped it with my sandwich and the free bread. The whole wheat fettuccine was also good. Not too salty and sweet. Last but not least, the roast turkey sandwich was on point. Good stuff. The bread on the sandwich was a little hard though but it was sweetness right when you crunch onto it. Our waitress offered it we wanted to split the appetizer that we shared 6 ways. I was surprised because not that many food establishments can do that. They also have this one Waiter who sings a sweet Italian? birthday song whenever someone has a birthday. I think he is the only one who sings it but he does a good job doing it. The vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant is a tad bit on the classy feel and look even though you can informally write and draw on your table with crayons. But that is cool how they have paper on the table. Our waitress wrote her name on it and we wrote our orders on it so that we can remember what we ordered and what to order. We also draw our own pictures on it of course. It's conveniently located on the Ho'okipa 4th floor terrace side of Ala Moana center where they have the whole trifecta of restaurants such as Tsukijis, Island Burger, Mai Tai Bar, Bubba Gump, and CPK. Yelp 365 Challenge #211/365
(4)Dale A.
The restaurant is usually ok. I had lunch there this week and they have a special soup salad or sand combo. 2 choices are like $11. I had soup and salad. They come in 2 small square bowls that are each smaller than a regular appetizer portion. Ridiculous! Had to go eat lunch when I left! Randy SCHOCH you should be ashamed.
(1)Amber M.
Can't get enough of the food here! Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite. The service was the best I've seen in a big restaurant in a long time. Definitely going back soon!
(5)Karin H.
Had a small baby shower at Romano's here yesterday and it was better than I thought it would be! Our server, Eva, was GREAT! She has extremely good customer service skills. All you crappy servers out there need to shadow her for a few days or weeks (depending how crappy your service is.) Anyway, we had a party of 12 and booked the private room for lunch. The room was very nicely decorated with props and wine bottles and glasses but it was stuffy in there. There's no air con in the room so we couldn't shut the door, especially because we had two divas and a pregnant one in our party. My co-worker ordered a chicken dish and it had rosemary in it (she hates rosemary...the herb) and without hesitation Eva offered to make her a new dish with alfredo sauce instead! UGH, that's what I'm talkin bout! DAMN good service! The food was good. We ordered: (1) Calamari Fritti: 3/5, it was good, nothing special (2) Stuffed Mushrooms: 3/5, it was okay to me. Button mushrooms stuffed with cheese and sausage. (3) Clam Chowder: 3.7/5 the chowder was really good, nice big chunks of clam in it but it was so salty and I personally like thicker chowder. (4) Eggplant Quadratini: 4/5 it had roasted eggplant chunks, cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese with a tomato sauce. Very good. Btw, Quadratini is a pasta shaped like Veggie Straws. It was my first time trying it and I liked it better than spaghetti. (5) New York Style Cheesecake: 4.5/5. For a chain restaurant it was pretty good. They don't make it fresh in house but it didn't taste like a cheap Costco cake either (no offense Costco fans). They order it from a private distributor that specially makes it for Romano's. It's a lighter cheesecake (compared to Cheesecake Factory) made with what tasted like mascarpone cheese (which, i absolutely LOVE) with a shortbread crust and diced strawberries on the side. Yum. My co-worker had a small problem making reservations with the manager. I'm sure it was a communication error but just double check your reservation is saved in the book! We had to re-schedule our date because it magically disappeared...or someone just didn't pencil it in. Idk idk either way just double check. The hostess was not the most welcoming/friendly person but she wasn't a total B. She's serious. That's the only way I could describe her...serious. I guess we were just really happy with our server. I'd go back. The end.
(3)Stephanie K.
Quite busy on a Saturday night (one hour wait), but I'm not one to complain about that. Food came out in a timely manner and since it was birthday season up in here, there was a ton of singing! Our waiter knew how to belt it!
(4)Amy Y.
Today is the first day I come back home. My frineds and I planned what to do today. We wanted to have lunch and hang out. So one of my friend suggested Romano's Macaroni Grill. We were served quickly. The waiter was pretty nice because he provided us with crayons to draw on the table. At first I thought it was weird he'd let us draw on the table. But I realize there was a white paper on top of the table. So, we could draw on the table with crayons. Later, we looked at the menu and my friend got a appetizer called something sampler with calamari and my other friend and I shared a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was good even if the crust was thin. I liked it. They also had a loaf of bread given to us for free in the beginning. It was meant to dip olive oil. I thought it wasn't that good so I just ate the bread as it is. I never tried the appetizer my friend order because she ate that as a meal instead.
(4)Matthew S.
Come here often due to close living proximity. Service in the main restaurant area is usually slow, however, today was the first time I sat in the lounge area & service was excellent! Our server was Roger & his service was impeccable! Always checking up on us in a timely fashion & he is very personable. He didn't see rushed at any time during our dinner. Food was good & if you come in for a bite at night, ask for Roger. Thanks man!
(4)Kallen A.
Went here since our original dinner plans didn't work out. Started off with the mac and cheese bites and oven-fired artichoke hearts. These both were so awesome. They had a special of 2 appetizers for $14. For my entree I got the penne rustica. It consisted of penne with prosciutto, shrimp, grilled chicken, parmesan cream sauce, and sundried tomatoes. Shout out to our server Peter who was very attentive and was a good sport when my friend kept teasing him and making him think he got our orders wrong. We tried to write our names upside down and backwards on the paper table-covering like him, but we failed miserably. I give them 5 stars on this visit for the good food, and quick and attentive service,
(5)Doris D.
Just your average franchise with overpriced, mediocre food. I had a regular salad with goat cheese which was $12, no meat! Ouch. We dropped about $80-90 for four people at lunch - 4 entrees and 1 beer (no appetizers or dessert). The food was really average. There's no effort behind the food, just entrees that are obviously tried and true and just "good enough" for the masses. While I have no problem spending money on a good meal, it's the value that gets me; I'd rather take my money to a local Italian place. I'm from New York and I've tasted some really great Italian food - I guess this Italian food at Romano's would be good if you didn't know any better. Sorry! This restaurant doesn't get my vote.
(2)Remy Z.
Great environment Quality singing, food, fare Hangman with dinner!
(4)Vanessa B.
Wine served in a water cup and a horrible lobster ravioli dish. Maybe i'll try this place again when I get another gift card as a present.
(1)Jason C.
I've been there several times only because for special occasions we let our 6 year old pick the place to eat and this is in his rotation. I've never been thrilled by their pasta dishes so I thought I'd go with a Neapolitan pizza, and they had something that seemed promising, Prosciutto e Arugula - Imported Italian prosciutto, fresh arugula, Italian tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. When it arrived it looked and smelled good, and also had halved grape tomatoes. Overall it tasted pretty good, I would have liked more arugula, but two things really brought it down. The prosciutto should be sliced so thin you can read through it, but it was very thick, maybe 5x what it should be, and the crust was bad. I was expecting a thin crispy crust like at CPK or Bucca, but this was not good, it was tough and soggy in the middle. To be honest I've heard the description of a tough crust but never understood what it meant - until now. Lastly, what really surprised me was that the gelato and sorbet was $7! I thought that it was pretty steep. Both my kids wanted gelato, so I proposed to instead go to Nordstom for gelato or go to Bubbies. Both jumped at the chance for Bubbies. We were all happy.
(2)April Y.
Went with the family on Mother's Day, and had a nice brunch. We had a party of 14, and they set up a long table for our party. Kind of a really tight squeeze in there - bad for a wheelchair or handicapped person, and very difficult to navigate between seated tables. Our server was very on top of things, polite and kept us in the know on when the food would be comming out. Everyone was pleased with their food, and we had no problems with the food sensitive people's dishes. Seasoning was appropriate, nothing too salty or bland. Food came out perfectly done, not over or under cooked. Good times, we will visit again.
(3)Beth I.
Loving the happy hour action at the bar! 4pm, $3 domestic, $4 drafts (stella and peroni), $4 imported. Also 50% off certain appetizers and free slices of pizza. My bf and I got there a little before 4 and there was no one there, but it quickly filled up. The bartender didn't put our orders in until 4 so we could get the happy hour deals! awesome! My bf's friend Jonelle works there as well, so it's always a plus! She's friendly and has great service!
(4)Troy L.
I'm not sure when the other reviews were made for macaroni grille, but our experience was outstanding (request Brad). Our drinks were served immediately, salad was fresh and delicious, and the entrees were large, hot, and delectable. Truly awesome.
(5)Steve D.
Food is not bad but I will never go to this location ever again, first the wait is no less than 30 minutes but it's not because they are busy. I worked in restaurant biz for 25 years, they stack their tables which means there are open tables available but they either want you at the bar or can't handle the rush. That's not the worst part, servers hate working with the public which doesn't make sense, go work in a cubicle then. If you still want to eat there or have a gift card someone gave you, if long wait ask to sit in bar, they have tables just like sitting in main dining room but don't wait for them to tell you because they really don't care about their customers
(1)Raych D.
WORST SERVICE IN MY LIFE FROM THE SERVER AND MANAGER!!!!!! Came here tonight for dinner with a friend because I loved this place..well "used" too until tonight. After being seated before 7pm, our waitress greeted herself then after 15 minutes without having no bread or water we kept looking around for her but she was not to be found. When she finally did come, we couldn't decide on which appetizer to get from the moz. cheese or the crab stuffed mushroom and we asked our server for her input and she just said "well I don't know", and "If you guys came 3 minutes before 7pm you could have ordered both during happy hour and got both for the price of one" which was no help to us, because she took forever in asking us for our orders! After deciding on getting our Moz. sticks our waitress took forever again to check up on us if we were ready to order. After she finally did come back and we did order and got our food I was really upset because I asked for my steak to be cooked "medium rare" but it was cooked more on the medium well side but I didn't complain because I didn't want to wait any longer to eat another made steak. When our dessert finally arrived and we wanted our check, she then again was no were to be found for 10 minutes until we kept staring across the room she finally returned. I had to ask her 3x for a to go container for my Tiramisu that I did not finish and she even called the to-go container "what ever it's called". Me and my friend was so upset at our service that we had to complain to the manager that was on duty...and let it be known we both are easy going customers who have never complained before in our lives. When we spoke to the manager my friend explained the type of service we had and he told us that our server was one of his best server and that when he passed our table we should have said something to him so it was our fault because we didn't speak up. The only reason why we didn't is because we didn't want anything to happen to our food and did not want to cause a scene. The manager David Bonilla made us feel so unwelcome and as if we were lying about the whole thing stating that the reason why our waitress may have not checked up on us more frequently is because "we were to busy talking". All I have to say is the manager gave us the most unfriendly, rude and very unsatisfied customer service we have ever seen that we needed to voice our concerns and complain on here.
(1)Wayne S.
YUM FOOD!! Such talented wait staff to write upside down!! My mind wobbles. Once we sat towards the inside of the restaurant and was quite bothered by the atmosphere of the kitchen area. Made me feed rushed and not relaxed. Now I always ask for the front end of the restaurant which makes the dining experience so much better. Service is slow so don't be in a rush to eat food, do however stuff your face on the great bread.
(4)Jessica d.
So I wasn't too impressed the first time, but thought I would give it another go. N.A.S.T.Y. I had the brick chicken. It was so over charred on the outside it tasted burnt, though still moist inside so that's good, on a plate GLOBBED with so much oil all I could taste was char and cheap olive oil. The potatoes and asparagus were good, but WAY greasy from massive amounts of cheap olive oil. So I didn't eat it, but they still charged me. Great. I also wish they would ask before they put pepper on the olive oil.
(1)Keoni E.
Not what it used to be.... I used to love this place! Great food, service, and the table is covered with a blank canvas with crayons to draw on it:) Awesome for keeping kids entertained, and I ain't gonna lie some of us adults too! Lol. I have been here several times over the years and have seen the menu change along with the portions. Portions are smaller and the food doesn't taste the same. I like the ambience. I really liked the Alfredo Pasta along with the baked pasta that has shrimp, chicken and prosciutto, it's done right here. (Both has changed, still good but not like before) The pork chops with the risotto was excellent. I liked it a lot when it used to be honey glazed and they would give us 2 Chops instead of one. Before a peanut recall... Of all things, hahaha! There was hands down, one thing you would have to go here for..... The Desert Ravioli! It's a deep fried ravioli with melted chocolate and "peanuts" inside served hot with vanilla bean ice cream. To die for. Hate to float your boat then take my shotgun and shoot a hole in it but they no longer have it and I'm still waiting (a few years now) for them to bring it back... sadly I don't think they ever will :( I know many can still enjoy it here, but for me, this restaurant went from a close friend to an acquaintance.... Your casual, hey haven't seen you in a while. How you been?! Used to be an above 4 Star rating now a 3. Give my love to Romano and the Fam! Lol. Write a review and save me the hardship my fellow Yelpers!! Hahaha!
(3)R T.
Hungry and tired and looking for a nice late lunch Macaroni Grill did not disappoint. The tomato basil soup, Cesar's salad and the pasta were very good. The bread seemed a bit dry but our waiter was very efficient and brought us more. I would definitely go back!
(3)Alyssa M.
There's usually a wait...so i would call ahead & make a reservation. Their customer service is good, they're pretty unique on how they introduce themselves to you :) Quite interesting way to do it. My fave is the mushroom raviolli...ITS A MUST TRY!!!
(3)angela a.
I remember going to a few Macaroni Grills throughout the mainland and liking them. My experience here wasn't bad, but not great either. My husband and I went here for lunch one Saturday. We were seated right away and it wasn't too busy. Our waitress was good, she took our orders and provided us with waters quickly. We ordered the parmesan fries and a chicken alfredo to split. The parmesan fries were barely warm and covered with too much grated parmeasean. It was like having some sort of cheese powder on your fries. I guess I was just expecting something a little more refined than sprinkling kraft parmesan cheese on them. They also served it with a "4 cheese sauce" which I found completely unappealing. It didn't taste good, either. It wasn't my thing. The chicken alfredo was okay, but it did remind me of eating a Marie Calendar's chicken alfredo for 5x the price. I wont be coming back here again.
(3)Anna K.
I haven't been to the Macaroni Grill in years.. so why did I stop by? My best friend got me a gift card for my birthday and told me to take my bf out to dinner. Instead of dinner, I took him there for happy hour. (Happy hour is from 4-6? in the lounge area.) We went there yesterday after work and were happy to see the lounge area 1/4 full and as a result, we found a table easily. For happy hour, there's 4 dollar drafts (Stella, Peroni, and Heineken), some tapas, and $7 dollar pizza. My bf LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES pizza. Honestly, his cute cuddly self is probably comprised of beer, dough, cheese, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and pepperoni. With pizza on the menu, my bf and I ordered the Italian sausage pizza and several beers. The pizza was super delish and my bf agreed. Since I have $30 bucks left on my gift card, my bf wants to go back and order not one but two pizzas... probably to eat one by himself. UGHHHHHHHHHHH how do I control my little pizza monster?!.. Definitely by not having a gift card to Macaroni Grill.
(4)Dustin V.
Happy hours 3 to 6 pm daily with half off draft beers, house wines, and select pizza. BUT, the beer selection is limited to a few lagers (not a fan). If they would upgrade their beer, I would rate them higher. The fourth star is for the food and staff, not the beer selection.
(4)Thomas O.
For a chain restaurant (owned by same company as chili's) this place does pretty good. Ma famille arrived at the restaurant at around 11/1130 on Sunday and this place was EMPTY but that usually means one thing: EXCELLENT SERVICE. As you can see, it wasn't 5-star-status but it was pretty good. Our server, John, was gracious enough to let us know that they were releasing new pizzas on their menu within the coming weeks...go John! (Papa John?? no.) Anways, as soon as we got to our table we got some bread. Now this isn't normal table bread...well maybe it is, but they do one thing a lot of eyetalian restaurants don't do: EVOO and Cracked Pepper. QT: Ask for Balsamic Vinegar because they do have them bottles hiding (IDK why, I doubt they use $500/mL BV). Back to the bread, it's crusty, warm (most of the time), bread-y, and darn good with the vinaigrette. Entrees: I ordered the Mama's Trio which consists of A Parmesan Chicken breast, a stack of Lasagna, and roll of Chicken Cannelloni (i think). This is seriously a lot of food for one sitting so I naturally took the Lasagna home. The PC was crispy on the outside with melted cheese on top and moist on the inside..perfecto! The CC wasn't memorable but it didn't taste bad. However, when I cooked the Lasagna at home in my oven, wow that thing was good. It was filling too for such a compact piece. My sister ordered a Pepperoni Pizza which is always cooked to perfection. I think they have a wood burning oven, but I am not completely sure. My mom ordered her regular Chicken Marsala which was strikingly infiltrated with garlic cloves. It looked pretty good and she ate most of it so it must've been delicious. My dad ordered the Chicken Spedini (SP?)..It was served with roasted vegetables and HAD to be the most healthiest thing on the table besides our water glasses. Overall the experience was not Italian but what do you expect? (They do have some good singers though!)
(4)John K.
I came here because I received a gift card from a close friend. I read the reviews and it was mostly bad but I needed to use the gift card. Although it took us 50 minutes which I think it could have been prevented only if they would stop calling out reservations for people who clearly weren't coming and give that spot to people that were currently waiting. But I understand, and they did tell us that the wait is 45 minutes. Whatever... Service was pretty good. our waiter was really kind and helpful. He wrote his name backwards with the crayon they had and the specials of the night also which was really cool. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms for starters and I was shocked at how small they were. I couldn't believe they charged us almost 12 bucks for tiny little mushrooms. It was really good though but small and definitely not worth the amount I paid. The entrees were rather good. I really like my pasta and so did my friends. We all got the blackberry iced tea which wasn't the best honestly. This place is pretty overrated. I wouldn't come back here due to the high prices and not so happy portions. Only way I would come back is if I had a gift card. Final say... Eat somewhere else!
(2)Brent K.
Nothing special. Middle of the road kind of place. Food is ok. Service is ok. Nothing exciting here. I would rather spend a little more and get a great meal at Assagio's. Right down stairs.
(3)Hollie-Anne T.
I've been to Macaroni Grill couple of times before, and i've loved it. Took my husband here for the first time and he enjoyed the food. We decided to go a second time last week, but it was hella crappy. I had the flatbread pizza since they didn't have the pasta i ordered the last time. OMG that flatbread was BURNT.... i started eating it and i was wondering why it had no taste to it. It was bland and all i could taste was burnt bread. I looked on the bottom of my flatbread and realized that the whole thing was burnt. My husband had the martini and kept complaining that it was dry. He also had the steak and didn't finish it since that was also lacking. My husband and I are food lovers we eat till we are content. But when i feel like going to mcdonalds to eat or yogurtland that means that the food was DUH-GUS-TING. Never coming back until they change their food.
(2)Jamie R.
We had a great time. They took great care of us and the kids. The food was perfect. Great flavor and fast. Drinks were even better. Lots of left overs. We ordered too much.
(5)Michelle S.
My husband and I decided to eat here because we were craving Italian food one night and tried to hit up Asaggios which was closed. Glad it was closed! Some highlights of this restaurant: The service is amazing!!!! The Chianti that I ordered with my shrimp alfredo was in a traditional glass, not a fancy wine glass. Loved that! The bread that they serve before your entree was fresh baked, warm and came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper to dip it in. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms for appetizers and they were delicious with spicy Italian sausage and cheese. I also had the caesar which did not disappoint! Now my husband is Italian so I am spoiled when it comes to alfredo sauce since I get to have it made from scratch, but this place really impressed me with their sauce! We will definately be back!!!
(5)Sheena A.
First time here and I had a wonderful experience. The Lemon Passion is to die for!! Chase our waiter was so attentive and very prompt and efficient!! Will return soon!! Ok, I had lunch here months ago with my friend and didn't realize I had not posted this review!!!! Sorry!!!
(5)Paul C.
Hey good place to eat. Contrary to what trip advisor said lol. Portions decent (except for the artichoke appetizer) definitely go again. I was all about the mini loaf of bread and olive oil.....
(4)Claudia M.
I came here for my friend's birthday dinner for a party of about 20 people. They seated us down with our reservations and the waiter was nice towards us. He got our orders once all of our party was present. We told him that some of us wanted separate checks but apparently he forgot at the end....it took him 30 mins to split the checks for our party...horrible service, they were friendly but that doesnt cut it. The food was so so, nothing special. I just had the chicken pasta. Won't come here again.
(2)Andrew S.
Amazing service and delicious food
(5)Rob D.
Went to Macaroni Grill and had a new dish, Island Fresh Catch; it was Ahi tonight and it was very delicious. I have been here many times and this was by far the best meal that I have had there thus far. Very surprised. It was quite crowded and the restaurant was humming.
(5)LaVonne V.
It is 5:45pm and I called to make a reservation for 7 people at 7pm. The person on the line asked if 8pm would work. "No", I said. "8pm will be too late. Do you not have a table available at 7?" "Yes, we do, but our policy requires a 2-hour advance." OK, how dumb is that?!?
(1)Darrell D.
Typical corporate food chain. I hated coming here in such a great food area of honolulu. But we didn't want to risk another local bad exp. Good service. Friendly staff. Nice for kids. Accommodates for families. Food is corporate...blah.
(3)Chad Y.
Now I have been to a few Romano's around the country and I have to say I was sorely disappointed with this particular location. I know, Italian food purists will tell you its not "authentic" but let's face facts...I am going to a chain restaurant for dinner. I am not exactly expecting authentic, but rather a good meal. Now onto the Ala Moana location, stopped by for lunch and while they offer a good selection, the food arrived cold. While I appreciate an ice-cold salad, cold pizza and pasta? Not exactly the best if you ask me... The service was lackluster...our server was ok but didn't pay much attention to her section. Another server and her were fighting over our table within earshot, which started things off on the wrong foot. They came by a few times but were slow to refill water and were not very attentive and seemed pretentious. Not a bad place to go...but at the same time, not what I have come to expect from Romano's
(3)Cody Z.
ate here at 6pm June 20, 2012 I sat at the bar beneath the giant TV they have these giant size bar seats with comfortble square cushions lots of seat space to move around I ordered an iced tea with no lemon Iced tea came with lemon took it out Iced tea tasted good bartender gave me the menu alot smaller than I remember I ordered shrimp fettucine alfredo noticed alot of people had bread thought it came automatically turns out you have ask for it that's okay no bread my pasta arrived good portion, excellent succulent good size shrimp pasta was tasty but missing something It dawned on me SALT added salt, then wham, suddenly everything tasted better ate the whole thing I left happy
(3)Jas L.
Five-ish years ago, I used to come here a lot with my friends, and it was a decent experience every time. Within these past few years, I've noticed the quality of service has declined. For example, several weeks ago, I went to Mac Grill for my boyfriend's birthday. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant dinner for him. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there even though there were hardly any tables to wait on. She treated us like we were a couple of teenagers who wouldn't give her tip. The only time she was truly nice is when she gave us our bill. There are some waiters/hosts (the guy waiters) that are very polite. In my opinion, they should be the main waiters! The entrees have great taste, but it isn't the best--it isn't worth the money. The appetizers are definitely not worth the money either. For the amount you pay, you get half of what you would expect.
(2)Faye M.
The food here is deeeeelish! I always have a good time here, it's really relaxed and spacious. The best part is when you go to the bathroom! LOL First, they have Rosetta Stone for Italian on (IDK what brand it really is!) and second, when you leave the women's bathroom, it says "Gentlemen", or maybe it's the Italian word for "Men", but it totally makes you do a double take when you're leaving! The second best part is when you're there for a special occasion like a birthday - if one of the singing servers are there, they'll sing a few lines from an Italian Opera and totally make your meal even more special!
(3)Dan L.
Stopped here for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago mid week after work. Place is convenient for parking or shoppers at Ala Moana. We were promptly seated and had forgot about the crayons for drawing on the tables ( great way to keep Kids entertained) love it. We ordered simple dishes spaghetti w/meat sauce but were surprised to the lack of flavor Salt? garlic? fresh spices? didn't taste like they were used. :( On the up side and saving grace the waiter was spot on attentive friendly but not standing over our shoulder. This may have been a new cook or just overlooked that day so willing to come back.
(3)Jarod H.
Five stars. Love the atmosphere, the fire pit, and the ambiance. The bread with olive oil and basal mic vinegar is the best! For lunch, the turkey sandwich is good. Also, had the pasta on prior occasions and the fried mozzarella. So ono! Recommend!
(5)Erin K.
My husband and I came here last weekend for date night. It was the weekend, so the place was packed and we waited about half an hour to be seated. We've been here before but what really stood out this time were the appetizers we ordered: calamari & roasted mushroom soup. We're really picky when it comes to calamari but we really enjoyed the calamari here, the batter isn't too heavy and it's seasoned perfectly! Also, it's very soft and not rubbery/chewy at all! The roasted mushroom soup was also really good! It's not on the menu (I think it's one of their specials) so you have to ask if they're serving it that day. It's a heavier soup (almost like gravy) with lots of mushrooms and it's got a lot of flavor. The only downside about this restaurant is that I find it to be a little pricey. We had gift cards so our bill wasn't too bad but we probably won't be coming back without gift cards.
(3)Jessica S.
Horrible service. Even around after 8pm, when the dinner rush is over. This was on a Sunday night!! I don't know what our server was doing, but he barely attended to us, was slow to bring out even bread and water, and completely forgot about an appetizer I ordered. Dude was being a total space cadet or something. And the food...not that great. I can make way better at home. Even the frozen Costco Italian meals taste better (e.g. the spinach mozzarella ravioli, Amy's lasagna, etc) for the price Macaroni Grill charges. Disappointed, not coming back.
(2)Mei-Lan C.
oh my god , I can't believe I just won a prize package with 2 tickets for earth , wind and fire concert and dinner for 2 from macaroni grill !!!!!!! thank you guys soooo much for picking me :) we sure will enjoy the concert tonight .
(5)Catherine F.
Is it just me or are all the waiters/waitresses/hostesses/bussers extremely attractive here? Came here last night on a whim. Never been to a Macaroni Grill before. We were told the wait was to be about 15 mins, but ended up being almost 30. Our waitress forgot our orders - twice. It was a busy night, but come on. She could have written them down instead of keeping us waiting even longer. The food itself was good, but nothing to write home about. I chose the "build your own" option and chose the garlic cream sauce with my pasta. The sauce itself was over peppered and lacked any other flavors. Overall, I was disappointed with our experience. I'm not sure if I will choose to come back here again when there are plenty of other dining options at Ala Moana.
(3)Jeff W.
Very nice place for lunch, business, couple, or family. I enjoyed my chicken under a brick. It was tasty and pretty healthy. Mushroom ravioli got many compliments also. Fresh bread and olive oil is a nice part of the meal. Parking is easy and the staff is very pleasant and attentive. You should try it out.
(4)Jack W.
Me and my wife have eaten their many times. Its quick service, always friendly, and decent italian fix. I highly recommend there Mac and cheese balls. THEY ARE AMAZING!
(4)Victoria R.
We Always come here. Food is great and the waiters are nice and helpful. They Definitely exercise great Customer service.
(5)Linda K.
Whatever class they take to sign their name upside down ... sign me up!! It never fails to impress me that they do not only write their name upside down but also draw fishies and whatnot to present the specials on the menu. Being a child inside going to Macaroni Grill sparks my creative side .. meaning .. I just can't leave without having doodled on the ENTIRE paper covering the table. That's the fun side with going there ... and of course eating ... and drinking wine. Their food has to me always been good. I love their mac n cheese appetizers .. mmm .. mouth watering thinking about it. I also love their bread .. dipping it in balsamic. As for the food I tend to go for something with chicken and pasta .. mainly because I love their pasta *duh*. My husband once had the pork chop and loved it .. think it was rubbed with mustard ... really good. Had their choklate desert one time .. yummy!! The service is always good and I tend to go when it isn't too crowded or waiting time too long...but in reality ... as long as I get to draw once I'm seated is what really matters.
(3)Judith H.
I've been happy with the food and service everytime I've come here I've never ordered pasta. Salads and sandwiches are delicious.
(5)Angela A.
Been here a couple of times. The stuffed mushrooms appetizer and chicken Alfredo were really good! The service was really good and average wait time for the food, not too long/short.
(5)Melissa K.
On the five occasions I've been to Romano's, I've always left feeling pleased and satisfied. The bread is a soft, warm, round loaf with a sprinkling of olive oil-- delicious! I can sit and eat two loaves by myself ... and I don't necessarily have to share because they will bring out more! Carb joy ... Service is good, the wait time is shorter than CPK's, and while I generally opt for a booth table at most restaurants, at Romano's I prefer the bar because it's clean, the chairs are cozy, and the bartenders are really nice and helpful. I also think the food is better here than at CPK. The macaroni n cheese bites are delectable and we also really enjoyed the chicken flatbread. I usually go with the choose your own pasta, sauce, and accompaniments ($14)-- I like that you can choose three vegetables to go with your pasta plate. I usually go for the mushrooms, broccolini, and some other one I can't think of right now. Chill place and tasty food. It's not legit Italian but it's definitely the next best thing.
(4)Steven K.
Lots of free parking, clean, well lite room, the service was outstanding. I was with a very picky eater who complains about nearly everything and they took really good care of her.. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was wonderful. I was surprised at the price of everything.
(4)Bob D.
Had a party of 15 and were able to get a reservation with 24-hour notice. Table was available at the reserved time. Kids menu was a decent value and kept price reasonable ($1 for kids ice cream). Service was excellent (Ricky), continuously refilled drinks. Food was average but good for socializing and nice atmosphere. Dessert menu is fairly limited. Make sure you go to Costco and pickup $100 gift certificates for $80 for additional savings.
(3)Kori T.
Oh how I long for the old Macaroni Grill where the servers where dressed in their crisp outfits and I felt like I was paying not only for the food but the experience. Oh woe is me what has this place become. *tear* I'm sad to say I spend my anniversary dinner at this place because this is where my husband proposed to me the night before his deployment. The wait was easy and we where seated in a booth within 10mins of arriving. They still do write on the tables as always and bring out the delicious warm bread. But the menu is pitiful. The service was also lacking took them quite a while to get to us just for drink orders. And I feared for one of the servers life at 7 or 8 months she shouldn't be lifting huge trays.. @_@" I was going to run forward and grab it from her. T_T Other than that our server never talked to us nor refilled drinks she just disappeared. She did come back at the far end of the meal and asked why I didn't eat my meal (it tasted like dirt) and offered to take it off the bill. We left quite sad that our anniversary dinner wasn't all that great. *Tip: Call in advance for large groups they can at least know to prep for your arrival ^_^
(2)Heidi N.
I am going out of my way to write this review in a timely manner (5/26/13) because, surprisingly & quite frankly, I really enjoyed eating here. I, too, am not a fan of mainland chains, but I don't waste coupons or gift certificates, soooo we went. First off, Darrin was a great server. He was attentive and accurate, taking time to make sure he got our order right before walking off. I also got a really great mojito-like drink; one of the 3 drinks from the non-alcoholic section of the menu. Loved it! Between the 3 1/2 of us, we got a mushroom flat bread (caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil), bolognese spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, spinach and shrimp salad and house bread. We asked for some balsamic to go with the olive oil and cracked pepper served with bread. That was an awesome start! Long story short, the flat bread and the house bread are both musts when ever I go there. I loved everything else! and because I loved everything else, I would be interested in trying other things on their menu. I really was pleasantly surprised. We also ended up with a lot to take home, so much so that all 3 1/2 at our leftovers for dinner. So the $100 bill was pretty much cut in half, making each seating $50! That's a deal considering we also had a glass of wine, a soda, my drink and 2 orders of gelato! Oh, yeah, the gelato. Darrin recommended the house-made chocolate cake but we went with the gelato because we were too full. Probably should have went with the cake because I found the gelato to be too sugary. Note for next time, which hopefully will be soon!
(4)Denalee C.
I was honestly shocked when we came for dinner on a Friday night during the summer and it wasn't crowded. I'm still trying to interprete what that means. First off, I love the paper table cloth with crayons already waiting for you. Nothing screams, "we love kids!" more than crayons and an oversized "canvas". And then the server writes his name upside-down for your reference. *sigh* I love the little touches. He brought us bread and a fancy bottle of water. I just LOVE the bottle of water. Nothing is more infuriating than a restaurant that doesn't fill up your water enough. I'm totally stoked when they solve the problem with my own pitcher/bottle of water. Now on to the bread. It comes out steamy and totally inviting but...SERIOUSLY what am I suppose to do with the whole uncut loaf? Eat it like a sandwich? At least provide me with something other than my butter knife to cut it. However, the bread is really fresh and is littered with herbs inside. The server poured us the EVOO and put in some pepper. Uh...I thought it was EVOO and balsamic vinegar? Guess not. My mushroom ravioli was visually quite impressive. The raviolis were incredibly large and swimming in a generous portion of sauce with mushrooms and onions. It was tasty but not breath-taking enough to become a regular meal for me. It was an overall great experience. If shopping at the mall has worked up an appetite, stop by Romano's for a no wait, tasty experience.
(4)Ashley N.
I remember coming to Macaroni Grill when they first opened and really enjoying it. I don't know what happened in the years since, but things have really gone downhill... My boyfriend and I decided on having a nice lunch here earlier today. We were seated quickly. It seems like they were a bit understaffed, but the hostess and our waitress were very nice (if the rating was just based on service, I'd give 4-5 stars). My boyfriend decided on getting the meat sauce with meatballs, and I ordered the carbonara. I feel like we weren't waiting too long for our meal, which was surprising because my first bite of my pasta was cold... The carbonara is supposed to come with a poached egg, but mine was cooked through. All in all, it kind of tasted like our food had been previously cooked and just microwaved to order. In any case, this entire meal was disappointing for the $30+ tab. The next time I'm carving Italian, I'm probably not heading back to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are a lot of other better places around Hawaii that serve better quality food for the same price.
(2)Dine L.
Where to begin... Short version: terrible service, food is decent but nothing spectacular, go to assagios for Italian Whole story: 1. We informed the hostess it was my friends birthday b/c we had come for another birthday and knew they do a special complementary cake...but did not receive one this time :( 2. Our waiter tells us the specials then leaves without taking our drink orders first like waiters usually do...so we have to wait for him to come back 10 min. Later and ask if we can order drinks 3. We wait a good 30 minutes to have our order taken when a different worker comes to take our order because he says our waiter is too busy 4. We get our food and desserts and they are decent, good portions 5. We asked for 6 separate checks and when we receive them the orders are completely mixed up except for one, so my friend hands him her card to pay for her correct check, our waiter takes our orders down again on paper so he gets them right the next time 6. He brings the second set of checks ....the orders are wrong AGAIN even if he wrote them down-not to mention he brings another check to my friend who had already given him her card to pay...he says he forgot and her card was at the register...umm...not safe.... 7. We get our correct checks after a good 45 min. Passes but I notice I am charged $8 for 2 sodas because I had a refill....I was not aware that when he offered me a refill it was not free because usually that is the case when a waiter offers you a refill or else should inform you it's extra charge, when I asked him about it he says "it's right this time don't worry about it" ...........ummm ok i am worried because I don't want to pay something I'm not supposed to 8. During all this time a woman who seemed to be the manager was standing with him at the register just shaking her head and never came to the table once to apologize 9. I thought maybe for all the trouble, and especially because it was my friends birthday and she did not receive the usual free dessert, they would comp her meal or the dessert she ordered but that was not the case, all she got was a balloon tied to her chair..... Really don't care to come here ever again I've never had service so bad. I also had a bad experience with service at another Italian restaurant. In my opinion, if you want Italian, go to Assagios! I have been there many, many times and never had a bad experience, food is always amazing with great prices and good service and they never fail to leave you with a complementary chocolate mint at the least.
(1)Francis C.
Went a couple nights ago and it was packed. Hour and half wait but we found some seats at the bar. The bartenders were very friendly and on point. We got all our drinks and food before anyone else who got seated at the same time. I have been here a hand full of times and never been taken care of so quickly and so friendly before. My tip would be to eat or drink at the bar, if it's busy or slow, just walk in and go right till u see the Bar and the empty chairs. Fast and great service from the bartenders. Mahalo to the weekend night bartenders!!!
(4)Mia S.
My experience at Mac Grill started off with smiling hostesses greeting us and helpfully directed us to the open area seating at the bar for a late lunch. I found myself welcomed by a wonderful upbeat bartender Josie who kept attentively tending to all my needs. She was also very friendly and really made us feel welcome! As light eaters we started out with the 2 for $14 appies going with the Mac n Cheese bites and the Goat Cheese Peppadews and OH MY GOODNESS!! they were amazing!!! I then got the Caprese Salad which started off a little bland but with some salt and balsamic turned into the best salad I've ordered from a restaurant. The manager Travis who was really friendly also stopped by during our meal and chatted with us about how we were enjoying the food and to see if there was anything else we needed. He was very kind and helpful in directing us as to what we could do for the rest of our day and also recommended the Leche Sorbet which turned out to be the best decision ever!!!! Our experience at Mac Grill was exceptional! Our staff Josie and Travis were helpful, professional and welcoming. The food was great and the atmosphere was a relaxing break from a busy shopping day :) I would defiantly recommend Mac Grill to anyone!!
(5)Bubba S.
Went here about 4 months ago on a recommendation from my dad for the pork chop and it was awesome.....I'll be back.....pork chops are my favorite!
(5)Jonathan B.
Awesome service and very dependable food quality. I usually get the chicken parm and salads. The starters are good also. Prices are very reasonable and it's just an all around good dining experience.
(4)Stefanie D.
Yum!!! I went here for lunch on a Sunday was seated within five minutes, which was awesome because I was hungry! Our server was Brad, who is the chillest server I've ever had. He wasn't fake happy, but he wasn't standoffish either. He was attentive and helpful, but was super chill the entire time. I liked it. Cool dude. We ended up scarfing down two loaves of the rosemary bread with olive oil before our appetizer even got to us. We got the Bruschetta Crostini, which was delicious. However, when I used to go here on the mainland, my friend and I used to get a whole plate of bread slices and a ramekin of bruschetta. Here you get two pieces, with the bruschetta already on it. Still super good, no complaints. We definitely were not short on carbs after the two loaves anyway. He got a chicken pasta dish and I got my favorite, fettuccine alfredo. He ate his really fast, so I'm pretty sure it was good. I liked mine a lot. The alfredo had a lot of roasted garlic in it and I'm a huge fan of garlic. We were stuffed, so we skipped out on dessert. When the bill came, we got 10% off for checking in Facebook! Pretty cool. Also, the bill was about half of what we paid for Ruby Tuesday's the night before and 100 times better. For a chain restaurant, I loved it.
(4)T M.
I had the best service today! Liann was great! The food was beyond wonderful! I ordered things I never had before and found my new favorites!
(5)Pamela S.
We went there for my bf's birthday dinner. We had reservations for 630pm and were seated fairly quickly. The waiter, Louis, took our drink order fairly quickly. The drinks were delivered after about 10 minutes. We then placed our orders. I mentioned that I had a garlic allergy and inquired whether the chicken plate with asparagus, mashed potatoes and diavolo sauce had garlic as I had. Louis implied that only the sauce had garlic but it was served on the side, so I ordered that dish. After about 15 minutes, the soups and salads arrived. Waiter did not ask anyone if they wanted their empty glasses refilled. Had to ask. Another half hour later the entrees arrived. The chicken was very large and tasty. However, beneath the chicken I found a whole clove of garlic. Turned out that was not a mistake as there were a total of three cloves of garlic on the plate. Thank goodness I had medication on me. If my allergy had been life-threatening, Romano would have been in serious trouble. If you have any food allergies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! The waiter we had did not even bother to ask the chef whether garlic was an ingredient in the dish I ordered. At approximately 830pm, our waiter returned to asked if bf was ok with a something chocolate with nuts on top. Bf agreed, then waiter handed us the dessert menus. He returned after 20 minutes with the slice of chocolate cake and promptly left. Did not even ask anyone if they wanted to order dessert. By that time, we were so disappointed in the lack of service that we all decided to eat dessert elsewhere. In summary, service was practically non-existent, even though restaurant was only half-full. Waiter doesn't give a damn if you have food allergies, Won't be returning and advise anyone asking not to either.
(1)Elaine W.
Had a 1 hour wait for a table of 3. That's what lost a star. But during that hour wait we got gelato at nearby stand and it was delicious. When we got in, our table was missing 2 chairs, probably because just before us they sat down a table of 22. We also felt the need to order faster than table. The complimentary bread they give you was not the best that night, but drown it in balsamic vinegar and you can barely notice it. The food was filling. It was above average, but not extravagant. I had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and could not finish mine, so that was a plus. I got to take it home. My friend could barely finish (mushroom ravioli, but she did) and my other had to bring it home as well. It made for a great netflix snack that night. Our bill of 3 came to about $53. Our server was a doll, so tip for him! One day we will come back, but maybe we will reserve a spot first!
(3)Vikéndios N.
Being a hardcore CPK fan, I've actually sat down in RMG, pondered, stood up and left and headed to CPK. But this time I actually stayed put. ATMOSPHERE: Dark, semi-formal, and almost romantic. I thought the restaurant was super kid-friendly, with the crayons on the table lined with a huge piece of drawing paper. Then I got the concept and chuckled. FOOD: Bread - Served upon request. Our server poured some olive oil and sprinkled fresh ground pepper onto a plate for the dip. Very nice taste. Caesar Salad - Small portion for a $4 add-on. Dressing was okay. Tastes like it's bottled, so no different than the salad I make at home. Lobster Ravioli - Tried this on recommendation from a friend who is also a pasta fan. Very flavorful with chunks of lobster tail & claw meat on top of the ravioli that's also filled with a lobster mixture. The sauce was very good. The portion looks small but is filling due to its richness. Carmela's Chicken - Penne pasta, mushrooms and broiled chicken in a Marsala cream sauce. Very tasty. The chicken gives the dish a nice kick with the broiled flavor. Definitely a bigger portion than the lobster ravioli. SERVICE: Our female server was awesome. Nice personality, took the time to explain the menu to us, being our first time there. She constantly checked on us. OVERALL: Nice alternative to CPK, being that they offer different types of pasta dishes CPK doesn't have, but CPK still rules my heart.
(4)Jennifer Y.
My friends and I ate here last night for my going away dinner and it was great! We reserved the private room in the back and it was nice with just the six of us. Our waiter was attentive, the food was tasty, and dessert was really good. Two of my friends ordered the mac and cheese bites and even though I was hoping for a bigger portion (the menu does say "share"), it was tasty. For dinner I ordered the penne rustica and I was happily satisfied. The pasta was perfect, the chicken slices were yummy, and the shrimp at the bottom of the bowl was flavorful as well. Good stuff. :) I give this place four stars because a friend order a salad (don't remember which one) and she wasn't happy with it so she ordered the tomato soup. Thankfully the salad was taken off of the bill. Dessert was a great time: I received a chocolate souffle with a candle in it to "make a wish," a friend ordered the lemon passion, and another ordered the tiramisu. We were all happy. I haven't been to Macaroni Grill in a long time and just like my last visit, I was not disappointed.
(4)Bryson L.
This was our first time there and it was a pretty bad experience. Short version: inattentive server, semi condescending manager, sub-standard food quality. Long version: When we got there we were seated relatively quickly for a Friday evening and our hostess was very pleasant. Our server was nice and somewhat impressive at first. We ordered appetizers to which was very good. My friend had a glass of wine and I had a Coke to start as well and everything came promptly. My friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli and I had the Filet Mignon. I ordered my steak to be cooked medium and also had a glass of red wine as well. As we waited the food runner came to our table on two separate occasions with food for another table that was across the room from us. On both occasions we politely said that wasn't ours. As we continued to wait the room got noisier and there was singing by one of the managers as well. Kinda cool I guess, but also a little annoying. No big deal though. When our food arrived the Lobster entree was really good and there were no problems there. My wine had not come yet as our server had forgotten it so I asked for it and she apologized and had it sent to our table. My Filet Mignon seemed a little over cooked but I proceeded to eat it. The texture was tougher than most tenderloin cuts and it was more on the medium-well side which made the meat a little dry. When I couldn't eat to my satisfaction I asked our server if I could get another steak cooked the way I had ordered it, medium. She looked at it and said "that looks like medium?" I wanted to ask her if she was the chef but decided to bite my tongue and politely asked for another because this was a little dry. She had her manager come over and though the manager accommodated my request she also added in "we'll cook it medium rare just to be sure." In my head I was like "Or you can cook it medium like I asked..." But again I bit my tongue and said thank you. As we waited for my new steak the manager put the roasted potatoes and broccoli on a new plate instead of making a whole new entree, which was fine I was cool with that. We then noticed our server had not been coming around our table as much as she was with the 3 tables near us. No big deal really, just that my Coke had run pretty low and would have liked a re-fill but again no biggie. When they brought out my steak they were very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. It looked nice and as I cut into it I was relieved that it was cooked just right. Then I took a bite. It was odd at first because I did not think they would do a switcharoo. I commented to my friend that this wasn't Filet Mignon. I'm pretty sure it was Top Sirloin. I could be wrong on the exact cut but I know for sure it was not Filet Mignon. I took two more bites just to be sure and stopped when I knew that it was not a tenderloin cut. An innocent oversight? Maybe. But I wasn't going to eat another bite. I was not trying to be a bad customer, nor get my food taken off the bill. Hell, I would have paid for both entrees if I could get one cooked to my satisfaction. Our server asked if I wanted a take out box but I politely declined. I didn't tell her that it was a different cut because I just wanted to get out of there. We got the check, paid and I still tipped her over 20%. Worst dining experience to date and I will not go back nor will I recommend this place. Ever.
(1)Rome S.
Great family restaurant. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Good is quality. They will prepare paleo style if needed, with gluten free options. If you're in a hurry let your server know.
(4)Volley R.
Can I give a 0 star? Do NOT come here. I have never seen too much anger and animosity in a bar, in one place, at one time. I sat there as the bartender yelled at a customer. Bartender was angry, loud, and totally upset at the customer. Who knows what history or what happened between them two? But hello, there were other paying customers sitting at the bar including me. What did we do wrong to have to hear upset and anger and animosity. I was just trying to eat dinner after work, but since the bartender will not stop yelling at the customer, I made a comment to both of them to please make up and stop already. The bartender then turned around and yelled at me to mind my own business. Well, it was my business if people were yelling in front of me (think loud yelling and angry faces!), and I was just trying to eat dinner. Long story short and after much attitude from the bartender, I was still a lady and paid my bill plus generous tip (meant for the other bartender) as always. I will never come back at this place again!
(1)Tristan F.
Great service and amazing food! Kawika was an excellent waiter. Informative and friendly. Would pick Romano's over CPK any day.
(5)Kellye G.
Love the mushroom ravioli, if you havent been here and tried it, its delish! Fun family atmosphere and the singing waiters makes it a lot of fun. One of my stops whenever im at the mall.
(4)Jamie C.
Happy hour is a great secret if u like wine - house is $4 dollars if u don't mind drinkin out of a water glass (but filled!!)
(5)Krystal C.
Came on a Friday around 630 p.m. Myself and two kids had to wait a few minutes even though the majority of the back of the restaurant was completely empty. Eventually got seated in that area. Our waiter, Darrin was extremely polite and helpful when I asked about items on the menu. He continued to be awesome the entire dinner, and treated my children really great too. Food was very very good. We had the fried Mac n cheese bites and I had Carmelas Chicken. My kiddos had the chicken and pasta with broccoli and ate all of it. The bread that was served beforehand was just ok, could've been better.
(4)Mike Y.
I was just here for a bday party and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The service was great and the food was cooked exactly how I requested it. I ordered the pork chop and pleaded with the waiter to make sure it was cooked medium (nobody likes dry pork...). It was cooked perfectly! My only complaint was that the food was a little bit too salty. Overall, the service was great and the food was above average.
(4)Amanda H.
Our first time here thanks to my Aunt that got me a gift card for Christmas. I had no idea there was only one on the island. I got a glimpse of it while leaving Mai Tai's the week before (newly 21 and going everywhere). We got into the restaurant about 8pm and asked for a table of 2. They told us the wait would be 10-15 minutes. My bf and I found that odd because we saw a lot of empty tables. There were also a couple couples and parties before us. But being servers ourselves we understood that there are other factors so we let it go. We got sat after about 15 minutes. The booth we got sat had crayons and paper over the table. I'm not sure if it is standard, it looked it from around the room so we enjoyed playing word games. Our waiter, Jeff, was very nice and wrote his name on the table so we'd remember. I thought that was interesting and interactive. He brought us bread with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. We started on the bread, wishing it was cut or utensils to cut them with. Either way we dug in. After looking over the menu my bf suggested the lobster ravioli and he wanted a chicken dish so he asked Jeff. He suggested the Chicken under a brick, or something like that. We also ordered an appetizer, the broiled artichoke hearts. The artichoke hearts came out quickly. There were about 8 quartered hearts that shrunk due to the broiling. They were seasoned well and paired with what seemed like mayonnaise. It was a good dish, small, and not what we expected, but good. Our food came out shortly after and we were ready to dig in, but we realized we still didn't have any utensils. We tried to flag down someone but no one passed at the time so my bf just scooped some up from the table behind us. The lobster ravioli was good. There were large pieces of diced lobster and the sauce complimented the ravioli. My bf's chicken was also very good. Juicy and moist on a bed of potatoes. After about 20 minutes we were both a bit tired of our entrees and realized it was a bunch of the same taste, so we traded for a few bites. We got the bill and asked about the facebook discount which is 10% off the bill, from a very helpful yelp review! Overall the experience was a good first time and we left satisfied. I'm not sure if we'll be back anytime soon, but it was a great experience.
(4)Dustin T.
Dining room is appealing and very welcoming. As the waiters with crisp aprons stand by ready to serve, eagerly looking on, the Hostess raises her eyebrow and greets me. She seemed a bit lazy leaning both elbows on the table while acknowledging me. When asked to store a bday cake she said, "I can't take it to the back because the last time I did, I put the ice cream cake in the fridge and it melted." She pointed to a younger hostess to hand over the cake. Definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box. Their menu is certainly hovering over mediocrity. Salad was nicely chilled but not amazing. Next. Appetizers are good esp the fresh bread. Fried Mac n cheese balls are not bad. Flat bread looked appealing but salty. I prefer Chili's flat breads over this. Shroom Soup was very salty and odd tasting. Next. Rustica pasta is tasty with a few booger sized chicken I had to dig around for and 4 pieces of 2-inch shrimps. Had a few bites of the chicken scaloppine. Tasted good but literally swimming in oil. I don't recall eating any pasta this oily. This place is not my first choice or second or third in the mall dining choices available. They are certainly trying let's give em that. I would rather fly to the mainland to eat Olive Garden than dine here. Sorry Mac Grill, you unfortunately do not meet the expectations of a fine dining experience. Very forgettable restaurant if it weren't for the bad stomach aches your foods cause.
(2)Ashly M.
I've been here twice within the past two months. Both times: Food was hot and scrumptious. Service was friendly and knowledgable. Wait time was minimal for being a chain in a mall. Ambiance is very comfortable. Wine is served generously. I'll be back.
(4)