Olive Garden, Glorietta – I’ve heard about Olive Garden previously, yet we were hesitant to try it because of the amount of queue we had to wait for. So, when we decided to give it a try, we found out why people keep coming back.
One weekday, we met up with friends and chose Olive Garden from among the many Glorietta 3 restaurants. And since it was a weekday, the place wasn’t crowded and we didn’t have to wait in line to eat.
Olive Garden Unlimited Menu
Upon receiving the Olive Garden Philippines menu, I immediately checked about the famous unlimited soup and salad part. And you can pay the Olive Garden unlimited price for 795 PHP (14.01 USD) to get them.
But, is soup unlimited at Olive Garden with entree? Yes! So, if you’re planning on trying out entrees, you don’t have to pay the unlimited price, since you’ll get 1 unlimited soup for every entree.
We got fresh greens, onions, tomato, olive, julienned carrots, croutons, and grated parmesan cheese for the salad. The whole bunch of greens are topped with balsamic vinegar. And you’ll know we loved them because we finished 2 big bowls.
But what delighted the kids the most is the never-ending breadsticks. Freshly baked and topped with margarine, the breadsticks are a great starter and pair for the Olive Garden unlimited soup.
If you went to Olive Garden hungry, the soup, salad and breadsticks price is definitely worth it!
What are 4 soups at Olive Garden?
The server asked us to choose among the 4 available made-fresh-everyday soups. However, we can also substitute for the others when we’re done with the one we ordered.
Minestrone
According to the server, the bestseller among their soups is Minestrone. I was always attracted to tomato based soups, and since Minestrone has tomato, spinach, carrots, red beans, zucchini, and pasta in tomato broth, I tried it out.
But even though it’s ranked top among the soups, I liked the Chicken & Gnocchi better. Or maybe I was just not used to the taste of Minestrone, and liked the cream-based soup better.
Zuppa Toscana
One of our friends ordered Zuppa Toscana as suggested by the Olive Garden server. Then came a cream-based soup that’s not too thick with potatoes, spicy Italian sausage, and kale. It didn’t appeal much to my friend, but it seemed nice to give it a try, so maybe I’ll do next time!
Chicken & Gnocchi
This one’s the bestseller among us! Creamy and buttery, the Chicken & Gnocchi had that nostalgic feel with every sip. With bits of roasted chicken, potato dumplings, and spinach, the Chicken & Gnocchi will also be a hit with kids!
Pasta E Fagioli
Pasta E Fagioli didn’t make it to our table because we were too full with all our orders. I’d probably try the tomato-based soup with ground beef, white/red beans, tomatoes, and tubetti the next time we go back to Olive Garden.
Olive Garden Menu Philippines
There’s a lot to digest when you see the Olive garden menu with prices. However, with a little bit of research and reading, you’ll find yourselves equipped with the Olive Garden specials and what not to order.
So here are the food we ordered:
Calamari
Not long after the appetizers arrived, the Calamari was served. And I was glad it wasn’t the ones bought from the grocery store. You’ll immediately know if the calamari you ordered was the frozen ones sold in the market.
The quality of seafood meat hits different when made fresh compared to those bought premade and frozen. A marinara sauce and another one that seemed like mayo came on the plate of calamari.
And you’ll like adding both sauces to your squid strips (because they are not rings) or you can use either one of them.
Lasagna Fritta
The next appetizer, Lasagna Fritta, came too and it’s something you don’t often see in just any other Italian restaurant in Manila. Have you ever heard of fried lasagna? It’s my first time too. And I promise it’s one of the best we’ve ordered that day.
Six rectangular pieces of lasagna were coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried then topped with marinara sauce and grated parmesan. It definitely should be on your order list if you visit Olive Garden.
Lasagna
If you’re not adventurous and prefer the classic ways, you can try Olive Garden’s Lasagna. Just like the olden times, layers of lasagna sheets filled with ground beef and marinara sauce captivates just any baked pasta lover’s interests.
If you’re one of them, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to order your lasagna, and pair it with the never-ending breadsticks!
Sausage and Cheese Pizza
Of course, a trip to an Italian restaurant (Manila) wouldn’t be complete without an order of pizza. And yes, we choose that one flavor that would make our toddler go gaga. So among all the delectable flavors we’ve seen, we decided to try Sausage and Cheese Pizza.
And the crunchy thin crust of the pizza added to the great taste of the Sausage and Cheese Pizza. It was the first time our toddler liked a thin crust pizza.
Sirloin
All the carbs won’t make our lunch complete without something protein. So, we placed 2 orders of Sirloin which came with an alfredo pasta as a side. And it was a surprise because our toddler also loved the pasta, considering he didn’t like fettuccini before.
The sirloin was cooked just the way we wanted, one medium well and the other one well-done. And the meat of the well done sirloin wasn’t tough to eat, while the medium well sirloin was super juicy.
Both meats were seasoned well, so you don’t need to any sauce condiments available on the table.
Seafood Alfredo
Our Seafood Alfredo pasta arrived a few minutes after the pizza. The server came with a huge plate of a generous serving of fettuccini topped with thick cream sauce and lots of shrimp and scallops.
The whole plate of pasta was enough for us all to share and it was a filling addition to all our orders.
Tiramisu
Olive Garden boasts quite a number of desserts for sweet tooths to choose from. And since one of our friends loves coffee, he ordered Tiramisu, which had caffeine in it. When the slice of Tiramisu came, we immediately indulged.
As a person who isn’t a fan of too much sugary stuff, I must say that Olive Garden Tiramisu passed my judgment. The not-too-sweet cake had a hint of coffee and rum taste while the cream filling counters the bitterness of the 2.
Olive Garden Locations
The first branch I’ve seen is Olive Garden MOA, where you have to wait in a long line before you can dine. Thankfully, Olive Garden became an added restaurant in Glorietta 3. But you can also find it in BGC, so if you’re in the area, you can go there.
Olive Garden Review Philippines Conclusion
Not too many Olive Garden review blogs are out there. And upon checking, most of them are from the days when the restaurant has just launched or some time around it.
However, I found that the service is quite different from our experience. For one, the soups served to us didn’t have that freshly grated parmesan cheese I’ve seen from other posts. Nonetheless, the soups tasted great plain.
How about you? Were your experiences the same as us? Or to those who tried Olive Garden on their grand opening day? Share them in the comments section below!
