My partner and I had dinner at Macaroni Grill on 4/20/15. The service was terrible. My partner got his food in about 7 minutes, my order did not arrive until 15 minutes. I don't think any waiter was assigned to our table. I finally got the attention of the Manager. He was very unprofessional. We used to dine at this Macaroni Grill location regularily but the last several times the service has been very bad and the food quality has not been good. In the past the quality of the staff and Manager was high; now it is really bad.
(1)
Holli P.
I do not understand why this place is rated so low.. I am extremely critical when reviewing places and this place was AMAZING. Our waitress was Natalie.. She was I think the best waitress I've ever had. You can tell she loves her job (or at least pretended really well.) she asked if we were in a hurry from the start... I'm pregnant and tired.. She didn't drag on her speech. She was fast. Never an empty drink. Just an all around amazing experience! And the food was awesome. We will be back!
I choose to go here when I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a family meal but still want some civility to my meal. It's sometimes really loud here but a clean atmosphere. I do enjoy when the weather is cool enough to enjoy the fireplace. If you join their mailing list they constantly have great meal deals to save some cash.
(3)
Eric F.
The bread is pretty good. The Italian bake was too watery for my taste. The meat balls were decent and the sausage was ok. A fairly inexpensive meal and you get what you pay for. The crayons and paper tablecloth are a nice touch, nothing better than a paper cut at dinner.
(3)
Carmelo W.
this place is great! love the food and the service!
(4)
Jason D.
It's been awhile since I've been here and I was really looking forward to the create a pasta since it's been awhile. Apparently they don't have it anymore. The quality wasn't what I expected. The service was alright, just not sure if I would return again.
(2)
R C.
This afternoon I came to this restaurant and had a wonderful server named Leslie. She is great but the reason I am writing this review is for their management. 3 hours after I left, I realized I was a dummy and forgot my credit card. I immediately called and spoke with a manager Permisis. He stated he had my credit card and he would have it in his pocket. I let him know I am at the hotel 5 minutes away and I would be right there. He acknowledged that and said great thank you. I was to the restaurant no more than 5 minutes later and I walked in and was greeted by two hostess' who were wonderful and called another manager who was completely confused about what was happening and asked for my ID. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back who said Permisis left for the evening and he called him and he would be back to the restaurant within 15 minutes. 15 minutes later..... (I'm fuming at this point)..... Permisis waltz his happy ass inside and had the balls to simple say, "You didn't give me enough time to go Christmas shopping with your card! Can I see your ID?" I grabbed my card out of his hand and left. He followed me out to the parking lot saying I'm sorry I was joking. And I said your professionalism is lacking. I am sitting outside in their parking lot leaving this review.
(1)
Jeff W.
Recently stopped for a cocktail at this MG. One of the WORST bartenders I have encountered in 40 years ! No personality, rude, slow, terrible service. I have been drinking Vodka Martinis for 40 years and he tried to tell me I didnt know how it was made. Very arrogant. Just moved into the area and my wife and I go out often. Never go back to this place again !
I was forced to handle some business on this side of town and found myself eating lunch at this Macaroni Grill. I normally stay in Scottsdale and abhor the west side of the valley. Oddly enough, the entire experience was phenomenal. The bread was warm, the drinks were cold, and the food had the right amount of salt. The service was attentive from the server to the hostess. Even the lanky manager, Larry, came by to see my table. He cleared plates and made a tiramissou recommendation. We ate it, it was ok. All in all, if I have to travel to the west side again, I would eat there. I do love salt and fat.
(5)
Benjamin S.
Service is horrible. Slow and they don't care. No person seating or greeting guests as they arrive. And our server took forever to bring us anything. Asked for extra bread and they never brought it. And the food is just ok... I wish I would have just gone to olive garden instead. I would recommend throwing your money in the garbage before I would recommend anyone spending it at a restaurant with this poor of service.
(1)
Johnny H.
The server was just amazingly funny! Very good service. Food and dessert was amazing! The homemade chocolate cake is a must get here.
(5)
Nonda R.
Haven't been to this place in a long time. Had bad service with the location in Goodyear. So far service is good. Food was good. Location here off the I-17 and Loop 101 will have to visit again.
(4)
Leslie M.
We were trying to figure out where to go for lunch and had recently received an offer for a $7 "express" lunch at Macaroni Grill. I hadn't been there in a few years, but my boyfriend remembered it as being one of his past favorites. We decided to give it a try. We went on a weekday around 1pm. It wasn't super busy. The dining room was about half full, and there were a few people in front of us waiting to be seated. I should have know this wasn't going to be a good experience when I noticed some people being directed to a line on one side of the dining room where I saw a sign for the "express" lunch. I really wasn't in the mood to stand in line and order my food. That was one of the reasons we picked there to eat. It was our turn, and the hostess asked if we were going to do full service dining or the express dining. Since we were hungry, we decided we might as well go with it. We got to the register and ordered. There seemed to be some confusion regarding the Chicken Caesar Calzonetto when I orderd. The cashier said it wouldn't be ready in seven minutes. I questioned her since it was clearly stated that everything on the express menu was guaranteed in seven minutes or less. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and told me it was guaranteed. Huh? We paid and noticed she put our receipt in a drawer with others. I had to ask her for it. Thought it was a bit odd that we weren't asked if we wanted it and that there was no mention of the fact that the time we placed our order was on the receipt. This was deceptive in my book. So, off we go to find a table. We were told we could sit anywhere. We found a table. Made a note of the time on our receipt and waited. Hmmmm.....No server. No silverware. No drinks. It's been five minutes and still nothing. Finally someone comes by and asks for our drink order. Our drinks are brought. At about eight miinutes after we ordered, one entree came out. We asked about the other one, and were told they bring them out seperately so they can meet the seven minute guarantee. The other one was brought at about ten minutes after. We realized at that point that we didn't have silverware. I vaguely remembered the cashier telling the people in front of us something about silverware. Off one of us goes to find it. We also didn't realize we probably needed to order anything extra with our food. We each got a sandwich. Nothing comes with it. If you want chips, salad or a cookie, you have to order that. We were asked if we wanted bread when we ordered, which I thought was odd. I don't usually want bread with my meal when I've ordered a sandwich. Everyone seemed stretched thin and it was never clear if we had a server or if it was just a group effort to make sure the "express" lunch people were taken care of. The server that brought the second sandwich told us that she would talk to the manager about a refund since the seven minute guarantee wasn't met. I will give her credit. Although she was busy, she did take the time to get back to us and even apologized that they didn't meet the time guarantee. Honestly, I didn't care that much about the seven minute thing until the cashier put the receipt in the drawer without even a mention. The whole experience was poor for what you would expect from a place like this. The food wasn't that good either. The chicken on the sandwith was good, but there was way to much wrap or bread. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm sandwich. It was bland. Tasted like it was breaded without seasoning. The "express" line was next to the kitchen and salad prep area. Every time a server needed to check on something they had to navigate the people standing in line. This new format is ridiculous. Both the service and food suffer.
(1)
Chandra L.
Good food and a good show! Haha if you go, ask to be seated by the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly the chef was working. He was obviously skilled, and had a rhythm going. The other cooks just sorta stood around and watched him as he ran circles around them. The funniest part is how he totally shut down the expediter (who was a huge asshole btw). If I had any cash I would have tipped the chef, he kept his cool while producing an incredible amount of food and having to work with an asshole. The reason for 4 stars, was for cleanliness of the bathroom. There was a prom party there, and a girl got sick and threw up all over one of the stalls. When the staff came in to clean it, they just complained, made very rude comments, and said how gross it was, right in front of the girl who got sick. And rather than clean it up, she just wrote a "out of service" note on the door.
(4)
Dominique M.
Coming in here for lunch made me a little nervous about the veganizability, however, this is where a good server is separated from a bad server. My server was amazing! It was a beautiful day and nobody was sitting outside so our server let us sit on the patio and take care of us while managing her other tables inside. That's when I knew we were in good hands. After looking over the menu, there really wasn't anything vegan or even close, so I asked my server to put together some sort of veganized option for me. She came out with a spinach salad, roasted asparagus, brocolettes, and pine nuts. Perfect lunch combo with the fresh spinach, smoky flavored veggies and salty pine nuts. All of it washed down with an iced tea in my glass that never went without a refill. This may be a new lunch destination next time I am in town! Thank you for not letting me down!
(5)
Elizabeth T.
Love their Caesar salad fresh bread with sliced and Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper are nice touches to what is already a good dish. I've had quite a few of their dishes and never been disappointed. My BF an Italian is super picky when it comes to Italian and he likes it.
(5)
Beth L.
If I rated this place solely on overall ambiance I'd give it a three star then there was that surly waiter -1 and most of all the food was just meh (not great, just meh) -1 grand total of 1
(1)
Ebony K.
So the hubs decided he wanted some pasta for dinner, enter Macaroni Grill. We get there, get seated rather quickly, and were being taking care of by a newbie by the name of Stephanie. all was going pretty good at first. We got our drinks, we got our appetizers, plenty of bread and then it kinda went down hill. We waited, and waited and noticed that other tables around us that came in after us were already noshing on there food, so about say 45 min later my hubby was like hmmm yea ( not all that happy) He talks to the manager (who's name I am sad to say I do not remember but it was Saturday 03.29.14) and omg he was beyond generous. He comped our entire meal (apps, drinks, food) which was not even close to what we expected. We just wanted our food because we were hungry lol. My hubby loved, loved, loved his sausage and peppers and I loved my pasta di mare (with white sauce instead of red). Our waitress, Stephanie, was super apologetic and we weren't really that mad, just hungry ( even though we had bread and apps) Will we come back? Of course. This not my first time at this particular location (contrary to my check in) and it won't be my last.
(3)
Marcie S.
Wow that was the best service I've ever had!!! ! And.... It couldn't have been a worse experience. Let me explain. Don was our server. His service was impeccable! We were celebrating my 12-year old granddaughter's birthday and he made her feel like she was the only patron in the restaurant. He catered to her and topped off the evening with a happy birthday song Italian-operetta style. The food was ordered and delivered in a timely and gracious manner. It was hot and delicious. As we were leaving, I asked to speak to the manager - Larry - so I could convey my appreciation for Don and his job well done. Larry was rude, and condescending, never bothering to stop wiping down his seating chart and look up at me as I spoke. When I mentioned that we had initially thought to go elsewhere because of the many negative Yelp reviews, he informed me that no one listens to Yelp anyway. It's just a bunch of unhappy people posting stuff. Well, Larry, I wasn't unhappy until I talked to you. Go see Don. Ignore Larry.
(3)
Larry S.
Great service and food! The manager Larry stopped to say hello and check on us and made sure we were taken care of! We celebrated a birthday and they sang it in Italian. Very large portions and great value for the price too!
(5)
Jen T.
I've been here a few times. I've sat in both the restaurant and the bar. The entrees are mediocre, and the apps are either phenomenal or mediocre. I'm a big fan of making dinner out of apps so that I can try more things, so the apps are what makes or breaks a place for me. The bartender Nico is friendly enough and makes up for the hit or miss food. If this place were a little more affordable I would get happy here more often but there are places with better food, drinks, and prices.
(3)
J. J.
Sat at the bar. Good drinks, friendly staff, & fast service. The bar tender was funny and made some great recommendations on the door. Normal chain Italian food style. Nothing horrible or overly exiting.
(5)
Mary J.
Worst meals every. Meals took 2 and half hours. A roach crawling up the wall. The final blow was when my son moved his plate and a roach crawled on to his food. All of this happen last night as we came here for me grandson graduation
(1)
Mary G.
MaryJosephineGuzzetta@gm… April 20, 2015, 10:38 AM Monday Romano's Macaroni Grill 2949 W. Agua Fria Fwy. Phoenix, AZ 85027 macaronigrill.com General Manager Alexis Fox 1178@macgrill.com (623) 580-8681 P - (623) 516-8794 F REGARDING: Kudos to Server Mary - 10+ service Friday 4/18/15 Afternoon REFERENCE: Birthday Celebratory Visit With AZ family Dear Executive Management: Your restaurant was picked randomly as one member of the family had a business meeting nearby. We came from California to visit my son whom I had not seen since May last year. A beautiful drive with only a few rest stops had us arriving in eager anticipation. I walked in - was thirsty - asked for water; immediate assistance. I looked around - there was an aura of warmth and hospitality. We were delighted with the menu; most of all with the server. Mary truly was phenomenal - never missed a beat - gave us the utmost in professionalism coupled with priceless hospitality service. She helped make my 74th so memorable. Kudos to her. Please care/share with her - one/all. God Bless You All. Respectfully, MJG Posted: yelp.com/biz/romanos-mac…
(5)
Trent Y.
Ambience was okay. I felt like I was sitting in a cafeteria. The food was rather bland and it kind of felt like I was an old person in a rest home on a specialty diet. I spoke to the management and there did not seem to be any concern at all. She said "that's the way they always do it". I ordered the lasagna and I believe the commercial product "Mrs. Stouffers Lasagna" would've been much better flavor. My wife had Chicken Marcella and that was equally bland. After four forkfuls each, we left the rest of the dinner paid the bill and left. Would we return? Not a chance in the world!
(1)
Shannon H.
So we ordered from the office for about 4 people curbside service. Lots of food and stuff-hence the, bring it to my car window so I don't have to get out and try to carry all this shit! When I got there the was a car taking up both curbside parking spaces and there was no one in the car. So I called the restaurant to let them know there was nowhere for me park. The hostess literally sighed on the phone and said "I guess I can. We don't normally do that." I was like I am literally outside but the take away parking is occupied and there is no one even in the car! She's says, "Well don't you just want to come in then?" I'm not going to even finish with the food that was ok at best because her attitude pretty much sealed it for me.
(2)
Joe S.
Customer service sucks from staff to on duty manager! Told 3 times Will be right with you as we waited 10 mins to be seated in a almost empty restaurant. Everyone seem more concerned with cleaning up and closing than making the customer feel welcomed. If fact we felt like an annoyance. We had to find a manager just to get a server to come to our table 10 mins later. That server only came to our table twice the whole time as she was busy with "a large party." Place is under staffed
(1)
Patricia B.
Came here for a business lunch a few days back. I like the warm spinach salad with scallops, and that is what I had. It was really good (4 starts). I also like the lemon cake but we passed this time. I do not remember what my coworkers ordered but I want to mention something I didn't like. Our server, whose name I do not remember... (Tony? not sure) asked for our order and then after we ordered the dish he transitioned to asking for a salad order in a way that may mislead customers to think the salad is included (I am trying hard to give him the benefit of the doubt... how would he benefit? bigger tip?) I do not like that. The proper question is 'Would you like to add a salad?'
(3)
Arturo A.
Love it there! Bread is great and loved the chicken. The service is great and very fast.
(5)
Diane W.
Have eaten at this particular restaurant a couple of times and although I have enjoyed my meal the service has never been very good. Ate there again last night and we were a party of five. Service was beyond poor. Wrong orders came to the table and my entree which was a create your own pasta was stone cold. It sat on the counter waiting for other meals to be plated for at least 20 minutes and not under warming lights. It took at least twenty minutes for cocktails to arrive. Called manager over and instead of trying to appease us he merely seemed irritated. There was absolutely no excuse for this poor service...restaurant wasn't even at 20% of it's capacity. As we walked out another customer was yelling at manager about fact his party had been waiting for one hour for their food. We will not return
(1)
Jessica L.
I went here to meet a client for lunch recently. The service was quick and the food was okay, but I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. I got a half sandwich and a cup of soup with an ice tea and by bill was $16 out the door with tax and tip. At similar Italian restaurants you can get an entire sandwich and a bowl of soup with a drink plus tax and tip for about $3-4 less. It's not drastic; just comparing apples to apples.
(3)
Robert D.
Had an amazing meal last night at this wonderful restaurant. Ask for Danny and get fantastic service!
(4)
Buzz F.
Solid Chain Italian food
(5)
Mr. C.
I really like the menu choices and the food always tastes good, but they really need to lay off of the cross selling and up selling here. First the hostess, then our server took turns telling us about how awesome the (expensive) specials were, then went on to tell us about the spendy wine choices.....hey, you can take the bottle home with you. The final straw came when she brought the check and asked us if we would like to buy a ticket to a charity of some kind. My point is, not everyone wants a sales pitch as soon as their butt hits the seat...next time we'll go to Carraba's or Babo...no sales pitch there!
(2)
Jackie H.
Awesome food! My girl and I were looking for something new. We found The Macaroni Grille. Every review we looked at was horrible and we were skeptical to come but we figured we'd go. Low and behold it was great, from the walk in the door we felt like royalty our server Jessi was on point not missing a beat. The place to be definitely!!
(5)
R M.
Food to go is the only way to go..... Orders to go (I have placed over 5) are consistent, hot, correct, and will give you any extras requested. In restaurant service? We have actually arrived and left three times due to lack of service. Exec leadership needs to mystery shop this location and provide feedback. Orders to go get 4 stars.
(2)
Heather E.
Went here for a quick lunch ended up waiting for 40 minutes for our entree salad took 20. Food was definitely not worth the wait. Server brought us plates with food on them and seemed annoyed when I asked for clean ones. Crostini that came with the salad was stale. I also asked for a peach tea that I never received. Chicken scalloppine was terrible instead lf it coming with marsala sauce it was drenched in oil. It's too bad this was such a bad experience. Desert ridge location is much better and the only reason I came to this location in the first place. Will not be back.
(1)
Yvette R.
It wasn't "A-Ok", but I am not a huge fan either. Macaroni grill deserves a little more than an A-okay. It's for sure better than Olive Garden and great for a fast Italian chain. The food was actually decent and reasonably priced. I will come back again.
(3)
Julie S.
Terribly understaffed. Food ordered at reasonable time, but beverages were still not brought 25 minutes after being sat. Not exaggerating I was on an hour lunch break I was watching the clock. Can say much for the food because we had to leave before it was ready. May try for dinner but never again for lunch!
(1)
Anthony B.
Service was terrible. It started when I asked for a different table and the hostess said no. That should have been my clue. The food was tasteless. I have ordered the shrimp portofino several times previous. I always thought it was good. But tonight it was awful. I'll never come here again.
(1)
Brian M.
Typical Italian chain. Great fresh bread and friendly service. Kind of cheesy to have paper on table to protect the tablecloths. Food was hot and tasty, though I'm not a fan of giant chunks of garlic in pasta. My only real shock was the terrible beer selection. 9 beers and all of them are domestics. They have kiltlifter and Sam Adams seasonal. Not a semblance of a medium bodied beer. Sad for an italian place.
(4)
Daren C.
Service was 2 stars, the guy did not want to be there. Food was 3.5 stars I had a Pollo Caprese which is a grilled chicken breast in a lemon butter type sauce served with thin noodles and cherry tomato sauce. It also had 4 small bites of cheese which I suppose was homemade mozzarella? While it was all good, it was just boring. Nothing stood out and said "Hey you really like this" Just average food. Now I remember why it has been years since we have been there.
(3)
Craig K.
Food: Edible. Not great. I got the Pasta Sampler and it seemed like it spent a little to long under a heat lamp. The prosciutto mac n cheese was the highlight. The rest not so great. My wife got the chicken parmesan. She thought it was alright. Kind of expensive for what you get also. Ambiance: Pretty cool. My daughter had a great time drawing on the "tablecloth". Service: Excellent. Casey (KC?) was great. He was the only thing that saved this place from 2 stars. Overall it wasn't bad enough to not go back but not good enough to make the regular rotation.
(3)
Barbara A.
Went on a busy Friday night. My friend's eggplant parmesan was good. My mushroom ravoli was also good, except it arrived a little rubbery as if it had sat waiting for pickup a little too long. We sent the tiramisu back as it was the most pitiful rendition I have ever been served. The waiter did his best although he was covering too many tables.
(3)
Judy L.
I have eaten at many Romano's Macaroni in and out of AZ. The quantity and quality of the food has been decreasing over the years. I am very bummed out about this. During lunch, my brother and I ordered dinner portions. When the food came out it was more like lunch portions. 1/2 a chicken breast for the chicken parm and a handful of noodles on a huge plate. My pasta milano was 1/2 the portion from previous visits. Our server was awesome, attentive our entire visit.
(2)
Sarah W.
I was super excited to go to this place because I've never been here. However walking in the hostess was very short coming off very rude. Keep in mind it was only like four or five in the afternoon. When we sat down the place was coming off cheap. Paper on the tables poor lighting. Not to mention we waited ten minutes just to get water! We ordered apps and y hose came out before the bread. The apps were zucchini and we're so thin and burnt was not worth the 9 dollars. And the mac and cheese that were okay but nothing special. We were never waited on by a waiter but the fricking bartender. It's wrong to have six customers two being children at the bar. And two tables from us was being waiting on by a chef. I will not being going back just because of how everything was. The only thing that was good or decent was the pasta but never again.
(1)
Paula E.
Terrible service!!!! Food was ok, but don't think we will be back. They left a empty dirty salad bowl on our table for more than half an hour, gross! Many servers and managers walked by with no notice of dirty dishes on tables, we had to box up our own food, and at no time did anyone offer me a second glass of wine! Fail!!! They also sat two well dressed adults in the kiddie section, really?!?! It was not busy, early in the evening, and a full staff. There is no excuse for such terrible service! I wish I had read the other reviews before we ate here. After all these bad reviews you would think their corporate would get a clue or they just don't care either! Lazy and apathetic is no way to go through life.
(1)
Arlin B.
I really want to like this place, I really... really do. But after going here four times in the last year-ish and having the same experience every time, I am compelled to write: The food is always pretty good, not great but it can be surprisingly very good at times. I hope you're not hungry when you dine at this Romano's Macaroni Grill, because you'll get seated, and then you'll watch your server walk past your table 3 or 4 times without even looking at you. Then maybe they will stop by and take your drink order. They will bring you their usual bread, in an effort to make nice and to think you will forget that they made you wait for your drink.... Then they will repeat the same routine, walking past your table, but this time, about 5 or 6 times, even though your drinks are empty and your menus closed on the end of the table. Finally, they will take your order ~ spaghetti & meatballs and chicken parmigiana please... They will stop by 2 to 3 times as you wait to let you know that your food will be out in just a minute or two. 45 minutes after you ordered, your food will arrive to your table with out an apology about the long wait, and they will try to tell you "the kitchen got soooo backed up." Seriously??? We can see the kitchen from our table dude... Come on... Not to mention it's a Tuesday night with the dining room is half empty? But maybe it takes Romano's 45 minutes to boil noodles and fry a chicken cutlet? Anyway, I really want to like this place, because the food can be really good, and the restaurant is in a nice location. But I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon after having the exact same experience four times. BTW ~ we don't care for the new way your serving water by using tap water to fill a pitcher, then to be carried over to fill a container located on the center tables only to fill yet another vessel, a bottle then bring it to us as if it's bottled H2O along with two small glasses. Seriously?
(2)
Wayne K.
It's been awhile since I've been in this particular Macaroni Grill. That's probably good since I was able to note the significant decline in the food and service. I was there for lunch. Arrived at 12:45 pm. Slightly less than 50% occupancy in the dining room. My wife and I were seated immediately by the manager who was busy working the tables. As I was about to be seated in the booth, I noted the booth seat was covered in crumbs. The manager wiped it down remarking the busser didn't wipe it down (considering I hadn't seen a single busser, the manager was the one bussing tables). I ordered the center cut lamb spedini and garden salad. The server asked if medium rare was okay since that's how it's normally served. I was fine with that. Salad arrived fairly promptly but I quickly noticed it was far from fresh. looked like bag salad about 3 days old. Wilted on the edges, limp and of generally unappetizing appearance. I sent it back without requiring a replacement. Main course arrived and first cut revealed it was well done. I cut a few more. Well done too. Wait...I thought she said medium rare? Cool pink center remember? The server asked how it was and I told her not what was ordered. She returned it (kept the veggies to eat while new lamb was brought back). Replacement came out perfect and was juicy and tender. Previous was quite dry which led me to believe they're pre-cooking their meat, hence the well done as soon as it's heated up. Manager never came to the table for either the salad or the lamb. in most places, the manager is required to authorize any reissue on plates. I would have been at the table in an instant to ensure I met the customer's concern/complaint. I think he was too busy making busy work. I noticed him walking around quite a bit but only sliding plates around in the kitchen window or placing salt and pepper shakers nicely. He was clueless and it showed in food quality and service. He was sweaty down the back of his shirt which may be fine for McDonalds, but not for a restaurant. Years ago this was an ememplary dining establishment. Based on recent service I don't expect it to survive unless serious management is brought in.
(1)
Jessica P.
So I used to go here all the time at absolutely the wrong time... when it was PACKED. It is NO fun when it's packed. The tables are very close together and it makes for a lot of noise and the servers are tripping on everything. So, tip... go when it's not busy, like lunch. Or a non-weekend evening. What's cool about the Macaroni Grill is the paper on the table. Great for children and great for "I'll-never-grow-up" adults. My husband and I had a blast drawing silly things, like fire breathing chickens of DOOM. :-) The menu: The spinach and artichoke dip is to die for. I love my artichoke dip and those other places can get pretty bland. This one is NOT bland. I had the lobster ravioli... very nicely HOT and tasty. My hubby had one of the chicken dishes... which was tasty as well. Service was good... it was pretty dead in the place so, clearly that's to be expected.
(4)
Lucinda N.
12/2/11: 10 minutes after I ordered my lunch, server returns to tell me my dish is very popular and it's going to be 20 minutes and hands me the menu. If my meal isn't here within 20 minutes, they will lose another star.... just not worth giving them 3 stars
(2)
Trisha B.
My friend picked up food here for us and her chicken was hardly cooked! Another friend had the same problem! I think this sums it up!
(1)
Michael N.
While in Phoenix with some teammates for a competition, we all decided to go out to dinner together. Everyone agreed on Italian, so we started calling around looking for a table. Fun fact: finding a table for twelve people ninety minutes before you want to eat on a Friday night, should probably not be Plan A. Fortunately for us, Macaroni Grill was more than happy to hold a table for us, provide excellent and attentive service, serve us yummy food, and even split the check. We're in Phoenix around this time many years, and will definitely consider coming back next year.
(5)
geoff s.
I used to love this place. Went on a Friday night and the place was half full (being kind). Service was nice, but slow. Our waitress was covering several tables while several other employees stood and did nothing or gave the appearance of being busy. Food was bland, over cooked and luke warm - cold. From the appetizer to the entrees, nothing was up to previous visits. Would not recommend going back until something big changes. Cooks? Menu? Managers?
(2)
Annelyse G.
Ok I'll be honest. Only good things about this place? The paper on the tables and the bread. Their food has always been inconsistent with me and my family. I love the bread at the beginning as it's a good thing to have if the food takes to long, and me being an artist and having the table with paper on it in front of me is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen. I just can't give them a good rating since their food and service is always on the bad side.
(3)
Kelly A.
Always great service and food everytime I come to this location.
(5)
Carrie F.
4 year old wanted spaghetti and meatballs so here is where I took her. Oops. Not busy and it took 2x for them to get BOTH of our meals correct. Hers had no meatballs and mine was so overcooked. What is funny is there was some kind of manager meeting there and this still was all messed up. Not sure it's worth going back. I mean my meal was over $11 for pasta, a bland sauce, and about 4 pinches of chicken and sausage. Eh.
(3)
Justin L.
I'm a big pasta guy, can probably eat it every night of the week if it were a more slimming dish. But I'm usually not a big fan of the chain Italian places i.e. Olive Garden and here. But after a long relationship with Olive Garden and their more than average prices for their less than average food. We stopped here for a change. It's the same old stuff, pasta, meats, salads, seafood. I used to never want to come here because I thought it was way more expensive than Olive Garden but I was wrong, I was able to find more of what I like for less of a price. I'm only recommending this place if you have thought of everything and nothing sounds good enough or close enough to drive. But I'll take it over Olive Garden any day.
(3)
Jeff L.
This is a review of several visits I have made to this establishment. It is hit or miss. Usually they are 4 or 5 stars. My last visit was a 1, and thus the average dropped significantly. We went at about 6:00PM on a Saturday night. This one let me down on my last visit. The food was cold. Luke warm at best...and one of the items was soup...and it was one of the specials of the day. Seriously soup? I think they put it in the bowl and it sat on the counter for 30 minutes before it was brought to the table. We had two orders and they were both cold. Also ordered the pork chop special. When it arrived it was cold/luke warm as well. The risotto was not cooked enough and cold. The pork chop was kind of tough. Not juicy and tender like the server promoted it to be. My dinner companion's food was also cold. It also looked like it sat out for awhile. and had give away glazed look to it. Very disappointing. I do not know who's fault it is... the kitchen for not timing the dishes or the server not bringing the food out when it is ready. My back was to the kitchen so I could not see it come up to know for sure. I suspect the server as he reported they were putting the finishing touches on one of the appetizers and it didn't make it to the table for 20 minutes after his last update. Note to servers: Don't put your hands in your hair and play with your zipper. Dude, you are serving food!! Overall, I find MGs food salty which requires frequent drink refills...our server kept up on that nicely. Because it is so close to home, I am sure I will be back, as other visits were not so disappointing. Lunch seems to be the best time to go to this location based on past experiences and I would put them at 4 to 5 stars.
(3)
Albert H.
Slow prep time for food - nowhere near the time I was told it would be ready. Seemed like hectic employees scurrying around with hardly any customers in sight. Parking is generous for this location. Food was nothing to complain about, but not clearly a notch above other chain Italian like Olive Garden or Buca di Beppo.
(3)
Lesa C.
Food was slow and cold when it finally gets to you. Wait staff was slow to take drink and food order. Bread made it to the table 20 minutes after we sat down. Lunch for five adults from start to finish took 90 minutes and it was not very busy on a Thursday! I will not go back again.
(1)
Amy C.
I have eaten at other Macaroni Grills in Az and outside. This particular location has issues with the food being overdone. Way overpriced and the sampler platter consisted of a handful of calamari, two pieces of rustic toast with shaved parm and a side of tomatoes "bruschetta"- I think not, and three mozzarella sticks FOR $11???? Three slices of tomato with small lumps of mozzarellla on each a Capresse salad? Quality, quantity and price are so scewed here- better go to Carraba's for almost the same price. Service was good though.
(1)
Mandah C.
I could eat Penne Rustica all say every day!
(5)
Kayleigh L.
I have been to several different Romano's locations and I was very upset with my recent experience at this location. When we first walked in it smelled like sewer. It was disgusting. So we opted to sit outside as it was really nice out. Our sever was slow and kept forgetting things and then our food came out cold! That was not cool, especially considering they were very slow at that time. It was just a bad experience and I will avoid this location in the future.
(2)
Taylor Momo J.
I've been here many times. Today they had a new menu. I like seafood so I get a pasta bowl. I tasted it and the noodles were chewy. I mentioned it to the waiter and he spoke with a manager. Manager came right over and explained that it was a new noodle with a very different texture. He understood I wanted a more usual, soft noodle, and replaced my meal without hesitation. And that he would remind wait staff to mention the new noodle difference. The replacement was great. So kudos to great service and understanding. They also do still have the make your own bowl which I might stick with next time. :)
(5)
william r.
absolutely dreadful. mac grill has been awful for awhile, but only went for daughters 13 birthday (her choice-her day) service was rotten, i had some whole wheat fettucine dish that had no sauce and was god-awful. 2 vodka/soda drinks were a joke and if not for a birthday, would've created a scene. place was dead and there is a reason for that. after dinner, 8 min wait for a dessert with 3 tables occupied! really? next time chef boyardee out of a can. this place is for suckers.
(1)
Janed B.
Appetizer - terrific! Meals were so-so. Dessert wonderful! We were lulled into expecting a great meal having just enjoyed Macaroni Grill's freshly baked ciabatta bread. And, our appetizer of stuffed mushrooms was excellent - flavorful and a bit spicy, not the usual crabmeat but instead a filling of sausage, goat cheese and spinach - a generous dish. As for the main dishes, our server assured us that we were making good choices - our mistake in believing her. In the past we've enjoyed our Macaroni Grill meals. This visit I had the Pan Seared Branzino - a tasteless grilled whitefish served over arugula. It lacked any flavor, even the requested extra sauce didn't help. My lunch buddy's Pesto Spaghetti was bland, nothing special. We ended the meal with an absolutely delicious Ghiradelli chocolate cake warm from the oven. Quality chocolate really does make a difference. This was a cake to die for! It was beautifully presented along with a small bowl of hot chocolate and whipped cream. This dessert almost made up for our very mediocre and somewhat pricey main dishes. I think a future visit may be for cake only!
(3)
Had R.
This location has always looked after me, specially the 2 guys behind the bar. The food was really good, the staff have always been excellent, and tonight was no exception.
(5)
Judgmental B.
We went there to attend a meeting with our clients, I ordered a eggplant parmisan... another co-worker ordered the same, he started eating before I did... I was about to eat and he whispered it to me, dont eat the eggplant is raw, it can make us sick... i stopped and examined and i observed the same. Anyways our clients were happy with what they ordered. We decided to proceed with our meeting and discussing work and not make a big deal about it. I did not eat all and just had my lemonade. Next instance, it was my son's first birthday and we thought of having a dinner party, although RMG was never our first priority, my wife still decided to at least give them a call and ask them about party menu and other arrangements. They were the most expensive and totally INflexible. They said we could not make any changes to menu blah blah. We said thank you and proceeded with Olive Garden Happy valley.
(1)
Eric G.
Waitress was rude, food was cold service sucked.. Never again!!!!
(1)
Korina A.
Ulgh. We knew better. But we had a gift card. How can you resist $25 off your meal, right? It was a Saturday night, peak dinner time. The place was packed. Well, it must not have been *too* full, as we were immediately seated. But it certainly felt jammed. That was probably due to the fact that they crammed about 500 tables in the space the size of a Starbucks. To boot, those table were stocked with crying babies. Lots of crying babies. I felt kind of bad for our server, who was a big girl. She could barely get through the back to back chairs in order to reach our table. However, during the course of dinner, my sympathy waned, as I realized she sucked as a server. I can't stand having to look at empty dirty plates, and we had to do that a lot. I was also thirsty a lot. Now the food... wow, the food. OK, it started well enough, kind of. First, we got a really yummy loaf of rosemary-laced bread, served with EVOO and cracked pepper. That's it. No balsamic or herbs or salt. That would've been fine, if they olive oil was fantastic. But it wasn't. The blah oil set the tone for the rest of the meal. Blah, blah, blah. The only flavor in any dish, was a hint of butter. Everything was dreadfully underseasoned. My lobster ravioli primarily tasted of the spinach pasta that surrounded it. It could've really used some garlic, salt, and some herbs. The whole meal was completely underwhelming, and I was resentful for having spent *any* money on it. Damn you, gift card.
I choose to go here when I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a family meal but still want some civility to my meal. It's sometimes really loud here but a clean atmosphere. I do enjoy when the weather is cool enough to enjoy the fireplace. If you join their mailing list they constantly have great meal deals to save some cash.
(3)
Eric F.
The bread is pretty good. The Italian bake was too watery for my taste. The meat balls were decent and the sausage was ok. A fairly inexpensive meal and you get what you pay for. The crayons and paper tablecloth are a nice touch, nothing better than a paper cut at dinner.
(3)
Carmelo W.
this place is great! love the food and the service!
(4)
Holli P.
I do not understand why this place is rated so low.. I am extremely critical when reviewing places and this place was AMAZING. Our waitress was Natalie.. She was I think the best waitress I've ever had. You can tell she loves her job (or at least pretended really well.) she asked if we were in a hurry from the start... I'm pregnant and tired.. She didn't drag on her speech. She was fast. Never an empty drink. Just an all around amazing experience! And the food was awesome. We will be back!
(5)
Jason D.
It's been awhile since I've been here and I was really looking forward to the create a pasta since it's been awhile. Apparently they don't have it anymore. The quality wasn't what I expected. The service was alright, just not sure if I would return again.
(2)
Diane W.
Have eaten at this particular restaurant a couple of times and although I have enjoyed my meal the service has never been very good. Ate there again last night and we were a party of five. Service was beyond poor. Wrong orders came to the table and my entree which was a create your own pasta was stone cold. It sat on the counter waiting for other meals to be plated for at least 20 minutes and not under warming lights. It took at least twenty minutes for cocktails to arrive. Called manager over and instead of trying to appease us he merely seemed irritated. There was absolutely no excuse for this poor service...restaurant wasn't even at 20% of it's capacity. As we walked out another customer was yelling at manager about fact his party had been waiting for one hour for their food. We will not return
I really want to like this place, I really... really do. But after going here four times in the last year-ish and having the same experience every time, I am compelled to write: The food is always pretty good, not great but it can be surprisingly very good at times. I hope you're not hungry when you dine at this Romano's Macaroni Grill, because you'll get seated, and then you'll watch your server walk past your table 3 or 4 times without even looking at you. Then maybe they will stop by and take your drink order. They will bring you their usual bread, in an effort to make nice and to think you will forget that they made you wait for your drink.... Then they will repeat the same routine, walking past your table, but this time, about 5 or 6 times, even though your drinks are empty and your menus closed on the end of the table. Finally, they will take your order ~ spaghetti & meatballs and chicken parmigiana please... They will stop by 2 to 3 times as you wait to let you know that your food will be out in just a minute or two. 45 minutes after you ordered, your food will arrive to your table with out an apology about the long wait, and they will try to tell you "the kitchen got soooo backed up." Seriously??? We can see the kitchen from our table dude... Come on... Not to mention it's a Tuesday night with the dining room is half empty? But maybe it takes Romano's 45 minutes to boil noodles and fry a chicken cutlet? Anyway, I really want to like this place, because the food can be really good, and the restaurant is in a nice location. But I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon after having the exact same experience four times. BTW ~ we don't care for the new way your serving water by using tap water to fill a pitcher, then to be carried over to fill a container located on the center tables only to fill yet another vessel, a bottle then bring it to us as if it's bottled H2O along with two small glasses. Seriously?
(2)
Mr. C.
I really like the menu choices and the food always tastes good, but they really need to lay off of the cross selling and up selling here. First the hostess, then our server took turns telling us about how awesome the (expensive) specials were, then went on to tell us about the spendy wine choices.....hey, you can take the bottle home with you. The final straw came when she brought the check and asked us if we would like to buy a ticket to a charity of some kind. My point is, not everyone wants a sales pitch as soon as their butt hits the seat...next time we'll go to Carraba's or Babo...no sales pitch there!
(2)
Jackie H.
Awesome food! My girl and I were looking for something new. We found The Macaroni Grille. Every review we looked at was horrible and we were skeptical to come but we figured we'd go. Low and behold it was great, from the walk in the door we felt like royalty our server Jessi was on point not missing a beat. The place to be definitely!!
(5)
R M.
Food to go is the only way to go..... Orders to go (I have placed over 5) are consistent, hot, correct, and will give you any extras requested. In restaurant service? We have actually arrived and left three times due to lack of service. Exec leadership needs to mystery shop this location and provide feedback. Orders to go get 4 stars.
(2)
Johnny H.
The server was just amazingly funny! Very good service. Food and dessert was amazing! The homemade chocolate cake is a must get here.
(5)
Nonda R.
Haven't been to this place in a long time. Had bad service with the location in Goodyear. So far service is good. Food was good. Location here off the I-17 and Loop 101 will have to visit again.
(4)
Benjamin S.
Service is horrible. Slow and they don't care. No person seating or greeting guests as they arrive. And our server took forever to bring us anything. Asked for extra bread and they never brought it. And the food is just ok... I wish I would have just gone to olive garden instead. I would recommend throwing your money in the garbage before I would recommend anyone spending it at a restaurant with this poor of service.
(1)
Chandra L.
Good food and a good show! Haha if you go, ask to be seated by the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly the chef was working. He was obviously skilled, and had a rhythm going. The other cooks just sorta stood around and watched him as he ran circles around them. The funniest part is how he totally shut down the expediter (who was a huge asshole btw). If I had any cash I would have tipped the chef, he kept his cool while producing an incredible amount of food and having to work with an asshole. The reason for 4 stars, was for cleanliness of the bathroom. There was a prom party there, and a girl got sick and threw up all over one of the stalls. When the staff came in to clean it, they just complained, made very rude comments, and said how gross it was, right in front of the girl who got sick. And rather than clean it up, she just wrote a "out of service" note on the door.
(4)
Dominique M.
Coming in here for lunch made me a little nervous about the veganizability, however, this is where a good server is separated from a bad server. My server was amazing! It was a beautiful day and nobody was sitting outside so our server let us sit on the patio and take care of us while managing her other tables inside. That's when I knew we were in good hands. After looking over the menu, there really wasn't anything vegan or even close, so I asked my server to put together some sort of veganized option for me. She came out with a spinach salad, roasted asparagus, brocolettes, and pine nuts. Perfect lunch combo with the fresh spinach, smoky flavored veggies and salty pine nuts. All of it washed down with an iced tea in my glass that never went without a refill. This may be a new lunch destination next time I am in town! Thank you for not letting me down!
(5)
Elizabeth T.
Love their Caesar salad fresh bread with sliced and Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper are nice touches to what is already a good dish. I've had quite a few of their dishes and never been disappointed. My BF an Italian is super picky when it comes to Italian and he likes it.
(5)
Beth L.
If I rated this place solely on overall ambiance I'd give it a three star then there was that surly waiter -1 and most of all the food was just meh (not great, just meh) -1 grand total of 1
(1)
Ryan R.
I was forced to handle some business on this side of town and found myself eating lunch at this Macaroni Grill. I normally stay in Scottsdale and abhor the west side of the valley. Oddly enough, the entire experience was phenomenal. The bread was warm, the drinks were cold, and the food had the right amount of salt. The service was attentive from the server to the hostess. Even the lanky manager, Larry, came by to see my table. He cleared plates and made a tiramissou recommendation. We ate it, it was ok. All in all, if I have to travel to the west side again, I would eat there. I do love salt and fat.
(5)
Ebony K.
So the hubs decided he wanted some pasta for dinner, enter Macaroni Grill. We get there, get seated rather quickly, and were being taking care of by a newbie by the name of Stephanie. all was going pretty good at first. We got our drinks, we got our appetizers, plenty of bread and then it kinda went down hill. We waited, and waited and noticed that other tables around us that came in after us were already noshing on there food, so about say 45 min later my hubby was like hmmm yea ( not all that happy) He talks to the manager (who's name I am sad to say I do not remember but it was Saturday 03.29.14) and omg he was beyond generous. He comped our entire meal (apps, drinks, food) which was not even close to what we expected. We just wanted our food because we were hungry lol. My hubby loved, loved, loved his sausage and peppers and I loved my pasta di mare (with white sauce instead of red). Our waitress, Stephanie, was super apologetic and we weren't really that mad, just hungry ( even though we had bread and apps) Will we come back? Of course. This not my first time at this particular location (contrary to my check in) and it won't be my last.
(3)
Marcie S.
Wow that was the best service I've ever had!!! ! And.... It couldn't have been a worse experience. Let me explain. Don was our server. His service was impeccable! We were celebrating my 12-year old granddaughter's birthday and he made her feel like she was the only patron in the restaurant. He catered to her and topped off the evening with a happy birthday song Italian-operetta style. The food was ordered and delivered in a timely and gracious manner. It was hot and delicious. As we were leaving, I asked to speak to the manager - Larry - so I could convey my appreciation for Don and his job well done. Larry was rude, and condescending, never bothering to stop wiping down his seating chart and look up at me as I spoke. When I mentioned that we had initially thought to go elsewhere because of the many negative Yelp reviews, he informed me that no one listens to Yelp anyway. It's just a bunch of unhappy people posting stuff. Well, Larry, I wasn't unhappy until I talked to you. Go see Don. Ignore Larry.
(3)
Larry S.
Great service and food! The manager Larry stopped to say hello and check on us and made sure we were taken care of! We celebrated a birthday and they sang it in Italian. Very large portions and great value for the price too!
(5)
Leslie M.
We were trying to figure out where to go for lunch and had recently received an offer for a $7 "express" lunch at Macaroni Grill. I hadn't been there in a few years, but my boyfriend remembered it as being one of his past favorites. We decided to give it a try. We went on a weekday around 1pm. It wasn't super busy. The dining room was about half full, and there were a few people in front of us waiting to be seated. I should have know this wasn't going to be a good experience when I noticed some people being directed to a line on one side of the dining room where I saw a sign for the "express" lunch. I really wasn't in the mood to stand in line and order my food. That was one of the reasons we picked there to eat. It was our turn, and the hostess asked if we were going to do full service dining or the express dining. Since we were hungry, we decided we might as well go with it. We got to the register and ordered. There seemed to be some confusion regarding the Chicken Caesar Calzonetto when I orderd. The cashier said it wouldn't be ready in seven minutes. I questioned her since it was clearly stated that everything on the express menu was guaranteed in seven minutes or less. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and told me it was guaranteed. Huh? We paid and noticed she put our receipt in a drawer with others. I had to ask her for it. Thought it was a bit odd that we weren't asked if we wanted it and that there was no mention of the fact that the time we placed our order was on the receipt. This was deceptive in my book. So, off we go to find a table. We were told we could sit anywhere. We found a table. Made a note of the time on our receipt and waited. Hmmmm.....No server. No silverware. No drinks. It's been five minutes and still nothing. Finally someone comes by and asks for our drink order. Our drinks are brought. At about eight miinutes after we ordered, one entree came out. We asked about the other one, and were told they bring them out seperately so they can meet the seven minute guarantee. The other one was brought at about ten minutes after. We realized at that point that we didn't have silverware. I vaguely remembered the cashier telling the people in front of us something about silverware. Off one of us goes to find it. We also didn't realize we probably needed to order anything extra with our food. We each got a sandwich. Nothing comes with it. If you want chips, salad or a cookie, you have to order that. We were asked if we wanted bread when we ordered, which I thought was odd. I don't usually want bread with my meal when I've ordered a sandwich. Everyone seemed stretched thin and it was never clear if we had a server or if it was just a group effort to make sure the "express" lunch people were taken care of. The server that brought the second sandwich told us that she would talk to the manager about a refund since the seven minute guarantee wasn't met. I will give her credit. Although she was busy, she did take the time to get back to us and even apologized that they didn't meet the time guarantee. Honestly, I didn't care that much about the seven minute thing until the cashier put the receipt in the drawer without even a mention. The whole experience was poor for what you would expect from a place like this. The food wasn't that good either. The chicken on the sandwith was good, but there was way to much wrap or bread. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm sandwich. It was bland. Tasted like it was breaded without seasoning. The "express" line was next to the kitchen and salad prep area. Every time a server needed to check on something they had to navigate the people standing in line. This new format is ridiculous. Both the service and food suffer.
(1)
Jen T.
I've been here a few times. I've sat in both the restaurant and the bar. The entrees are mediocre, and the apps are either phenomenal or mediocre. I'm a big fan of making dinner out of apps so that I can try more things, so the apps are what makes or breaks a place for me. The bartender Nico is friendly enough and makes up for the hit or miss food. If this place were a little more affordable I would get happy here more often but there are places with better food, drinks, and prices.
(3)
J. J.
Sat at the bar. Good drinks, friendly staff, & fast service. The bar tender was funny and made some great recommendations on the door. Normal chain Italian food style. Nothing horrible or overly exiting.
(5)
Mary G.
MaryJosephineGuzzetta@gm… April 20, 2015, 10:38 AM Monday Romano's Macaroni Grill 2949 W. Agua Fria Fwy. Phoenix, AZ 85027 macaronigrill.com General Manager Alexis Fox 1178@macgrill.com (623) 580-8681 P - (623) 516-8794 F REGARDING: Kudos to Server Mary - 10+ service Friday 4/18/15 Afternoon REFERENCE: Birthday Celebratory Visit With AZ family Dear Executive Management: Your restaurant was picked randomly as one member of the family had a business meeting nearby. We came from California to visit my son whom I had not seen since May last year. A beautiful drive with only a few rest stops had us arriving in eager anticipation. I walked in - was thirsty - asked for water; immediate assistance. I looked around - there was an aura of warmth and hospitality. We were delighted with the menu; most of all with the server. Mary truly was phenomenal - never missed a beat - gave us the utmost in professionalism coupled with priceless hospitality service. She helped make my 74th so memorable. Kudos to her. Please care/share with her - one/all. God Bless You All. Respectfully, MJG Posted: yelp.com/biz/romanos-mac…
(5)
Trent Y.
Ambience was okay. I felt like I was sitting in a cafeteria. The food was rather bland and it kind of felt like I was an old person in a rest home on a specialty diet. I spoke to the management and there did not seem to be any concern at all. She said "that's the way they always do it". I ordered the lasagna and I believe the commercial product "Mrs. Stouffers Lasagna" would've been much better flavor. My wife had Chicken Marcella and that was equally bland. After four forkfuls each, we left the rest of the dinner paid the bill and left. Would we return? Not a chance in the world!
(1)
Shannon H.
So we ordered from the office for about 4 people curbside service. Lots of food and stuff-hence the, bring it to my car window so I don't have to get out and try to carry all this shit! When I got there the was a car taking up both curbside parking spaces and there was no one in the car. So I called the restaurant to let them know there was nowhere for me park. The hostess literally sighed on the phone and said "I guess I can. We don't normally do that." I was like I am literally outside but the take away parking is occupied and there is no one even in the car! She's says, "Well don't you just want to come in then?" I'm not going to even finish with the food that was ok at best because her attitude pretty much sealed it for me.
(2)
Arturo A.
Love it there! Bread is great and loved the chicken. The service is great and very fast.
(5)
Bill J.
My partner and I had dinner at Macaroni Grill on 4/20/15. The service was terrible. My partner got his food in about 7 minutes, my order did not arrive until 15 minutes. I don't think any waiter was assigned to our table. I finally got the attention of the Manager. He was very unprofessional. We used to dine at this Macaroni Grill location regularily but the last several times the service has been very bad and the food quality has not been good. In the past the quality of the staff and Manager was high; now it is really bad.
(1)
R C.
This afternoon I came to this restaurant and had a wonderful server named Leslie. She is great but the reason I am writing this review is for their management. 3 hours after I left, I realized I was a dummy and forgot my credit card. I immediately called and spoke with a manager Permisis. He stated he had my credit card and he would have it in his pocket. I let him know I am at the hotel 5 minutes away and I would be right there. He acknowledged that and said great thank you. I was to the restaurant no more than 5 minutes later and I walked in and was greeted by two hostess' who were wonderful and called another manager who was completely confused about what was happening and asked for my ID. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back who said Permisis left for the evening and he called him and he would be back to the restaurant within 15 minutes. 15 minutes later..... (I'm fuming at this point)..... Permisis waltz his happy ass inside and had the balls to simple say, "You didn't give me enough time to go Christmas shopping with your card! Can I see your ID?" I grabbed my card out of his hand and left. He followed me out to the parking lot saying I'm sorry I was joking. And I said your professionalism is lacking. I am sitting outside in their parking lot leaving this review.
(1)
Jeff W.
Recently stopped for a cocktail at this MG. One of the WORST bartenders I have encountered in 40 years ! No personality, rude, slow, terrible service. I have been drinking Vodka Martinis for 40 years and he tried to tell me I didnt know how it was made. Very arrogant. Just moved into the area and my wife and I go out often. Never go back to this place again !
(1)
Mary J.
Worst meals every. Meals took 2 and half hours. A roach crawling up the wall. The final blow was when my son moved his plate and a roach crawled on to his food. All of this happen last night as we came here for me grandson graduation
(1)
Joe S.
Customer service sucks from staff to on duty manager! Told 3 times Will be right with you as we waited 10 mins to be seated in a almost empty restaurant. Everyone seem more concerned with cleaning up and closing than making the customer feel welcomed. If fact we felt like an annoyance. We had to find a manager just to get a server to come to our table 10 mins later. That server only came to our table twice the whole time as she was busy with "a large party." Place is under staffed
(1)
Patricia B.
Came here for a business lunch a few days back. I like the warm spinach salad with scallops, and that is what I had. It was really good (4 starts). I also like the lemon cake but we passed this time. I do not remember what my coworkers ordered but I want to mention something I didn't like. Our server, whose name I do not remember... (Tony? not sure) asked for our order and then after we ordered the dish he transitioned to asking for a salad order in a way that may mislead customers to think the salad is included (I am trying hard to give him the benefit of the doubt... how would he benefit? bigger tip?) I do not like that. The proper question is 'Would you like to add a salad?'
(3)
Sarah W.
I was super excited to go to this place because I've never been here. However walking in the hostess was very short coming off very rude. Keep in mind it was only like four or five in the afternoon. When we sat down the place was coming off cheap. Paper on the tables poor lighting. Not to mention we waited ten minutes just to get water! We ordered apps and y hose came out before the bread. The apps were zucchini and we're so thin and burnt was not worth the 9 dollars. And the mac and cheese that were okay but nothing special. We were never waited on by a waiter but the fricking bartender. It's wrong to have six customers two being children at the bar. And two tables from us was being waiting on by a chef. I will not being going back just because of how everything was. The only thing that was good or decent was the pasta but never again.
(1)
Paula E.
Terrible service!!!! Food was ok, but don't think we will be back. They left a empty dirty salad bowl on our table for more than half an hour, gross! Many servers and managers walked by with no notice of dirty dishes on tables, we had to box up our own food, and at no time did anyone offer me a second glass of wine! Fail!!! They also sat two well dressed adults in the kiddie section, really?!?! It was not busy, early in the evening, and a full staff. There is no excuse for such terrible service! I wish I had read the other reviews before we ate here. After all these bad reviews you would think their corporate would get a clue or they just don't care either! Lazy and apathetic is no way to go through life.
(1)
Jessica L.
I went here to meet a client for lunch recently. The service was quick and the food was okay, but I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. I got a half sandwich and a cup of soup with an ice tea and by bill was $16 out the door with tax and tip. At similar Italian restaurants you can get an entire sandwich and a bowl of soup with a drink plus tax and tip for about $3-4 less. It's not drastic; just comparing apples to apples.
(3)
Robert D.
Had an amazing meal last night at this wonderful restaurant. Ask for Danny and get fantastic service!
(4)
Justin L.
I'm a big pasta guy, can probably eat it every night of the week if it were a more slimming dish. But I'm usually not a big fan of the chain Italian places i.e. Olive Garden and here. But after a long relationship with Olive Garden and their more than average prices for their less than average food. We stopped here for a change. It's the same old stuff, pasta, meats, salads, seafood. I used to never want to come here because I thought it was way more expensive than Olive Garden but I was wrong, I was able to find more of what I like for less of a price. I'm only recommending this place if you have thought of everything and nothing sounds good enough or close enough to drive. But I'll take it over Olive Garden any day.
(3)
Jeff L.
This is a review of several visits I have made to this establishment. It is hit or miss. Usually they are 4 or 5 stars. My last visit was a 1, and thus the average dropped significantly. We went at about 6:00PM on a Saturday night. This one let me down on my last visit. The food was cold. Luke warm at best...and one of the items was soup...and it was one of the specials of the day. Seriously soup? I think they put it in the bowl and it sat on the counter for 30 minutes before it was brought to the table. We had two orders and they were both cold. Also ordered the pork chop special. When it arrived it was cold/luke warm as well. The risotto was not cooked enough and cold. The pork chop was kind of tough. Not juicy and tender like the server promoted it to be. My dinner companion's food was also cold. It also looked like it sat out for awhile. and had give away glazed look to it. Very disappointing. I do not know who's fault it is... the kitchen for not timing the dishes or the server not bringing the food out when it is ready. My back was to the kitchen so I could not see it come up to know for sure. I suspect the server as he reported they were putting the finishing touches on one of the appetizers and it didn't make it to the table for 20 minutes after his last update. Note to servers: Don't put your hands in your hair and play with your zipper. Dude, you are serving food!! Overall, I find MGs food salty which requires frequent drink refills...our server kept up on that nicely. Because it is so close to home, I am sure I will be back, as other visits were not so disappointing. Lunch seems to be the best time to go to this location based on past experiences and I would put them at 4 to 5 stars.
(3)
Albert H.
Slow prep time for food - nowhere near the time I was told it would be ready. Seemed like hectic employees scurrying around with hardly any customers in sight. Parking is generous for this location. Food was nothing to complain about, but not clearly a notch above other chain Italian like Olive Garden or Buca di Beppo.
(3)
Lesa C.
Food was slow and cold when it finally gets to you. Wait staff was slow to take drink and food order. Bread made it to the table 20 minutes after we sat down. Lunch for five adults from start to finish took 90 minutes and it was not very busy on a Thursday! I will not go back again.
(1)
Amy C.
I have eaten at other Macaroni Grills in Az and outside. This particular location has issues with the food being overdone. Way overpriced and the sampler platter consisted of a handful of calamari, two pieces of rustic toast with shaved parm and a side of tomatoes "bruschetta"- I think not, and three mozzarella sticks FOR $11???? Three slices of tomato with small lumps of mozzarellla on each a Capresse salad? Quality, quantity and price are so scewed here- better go to Carraba's for almost the same price. Service was good though.
(1)
Mandah C.
I could eat Penne Rustica all say every day!
(5)
Kayleigh L.
I have been to several different Romano's locations and I was very upset with my recent experience at this location. When we first walked in it smelled like sewer. It was disgusting. So we opted to sit outside as it was really nice out. Our sever was slow and kept forgetting things and then our food came out cold! That was not cool, especially considering they were very slow at that time. It was just a bad experience and I will avoid this location in the future.
(2)
Janed B.
Appetizer - terrific! Meals were so-so. Dessert wonderful! We were lulled into expecting a great meal having just enjoyed Macaroni Grill's freshly baked ciabatta bread. And, our appetizer of stuffed mushrooms was excellent - flavorful and a bit spicy, not the usual crabmeat but instead a filling of sausage, goat cheese and spinach - a generous dish. As for the main dishes, our server assured us that we were making good choices - our mistake in believing her. In the past we've enjoyed our Macaroni Grill meals. This visit I had the Pan Seared Branzino - a tasteless grilled whitefish served over arugula. It lacked any flavor, even the requested extra sauce didn't help. My lunch buddy's Pesto Spaghetti was bland, nothing special. We ended the meal with an absolutely delicious Ghiradelli chocolate cake warm from the oven. Quality chocolate really does make a difference. This was a cake to die for! It was beautifully presented along with a small bowl of hot chocolate and whipped cream. This dessert almost made up for our very mediocre and somewhat pricey main dishes. I think a future visit may be for cake only!
(3)
Had R.
This location has always looked after me, specially the 2 guys behind the bar. The food was really good, the staff have always been excellent, and tonight was no exception.
(5)
Julie S.
Terribly understaffed. Food ordered at reasonable time, but beverages were still not brought 25 minutes after being sat. Not exaggerating I was on an hour lunch break I was watching the clock. Can say much for the food because we had to leave before it was ready. May try for dinner but never again for lunch!
(1)
Carrie F.
4 year old wanted spaghetti and meatballs so here is where I took her. Oops. Not busy and it took 2x for them to get BOTH of our meals correct. Hers had no meatballs and mine was so overcooked. What is funny is there was some kind of manager meeting there and this still was all messed up. Not sure it's worth going back. I mean my meal was over $11 for pasta, a bland sauce, and about 4 pinches of chicken and sausage. Eh.
(3)
Taylor Momo J.
I've been here many times. Today they had a new menu. I like seafood so I get a pasta bowl. I tasted it and the noodles were chewy. I mentioned it to the waiter and he spoke with a manager. Manager came right over and explained that it was a new noodle with a very different texture. He understood I wanted a more usual, soft noodle, and replaced my meal without hesitation. And that he would remind wait staff to mention the new noodle difference. The replacement was great. So kudos to great service and understanding. They also do still have the make your own bowl which I might stick with next time. :)
(5)
william r.
absolutely dreadful. mac grill has been awful for awhile, but only went for daughters 13 birthday (her choice-her day) service was rotten, i had some whole wheat fettucine dish that had no sauce and was god-awful. 2 vodka/soda drinks were a joke and if not for a birthday, would've created a scene. place was dead and there is a reason for that. after dinner, 8 min wait for a dessert with 3 tables occupied! really? next time chef boyardee out of a can. this place is for suckers.
(1)
Wayne K.
It's been awhile since I've been in this particular Macaroni Grill. That's probably good since I was able to note the significant decline in the food and service. I was there for lunch. Arrived at 12:45 pm. Slightly less than 50% occupancy in the dining room. My wife and I were seated immediately by the manager who was busy working the tables. As I was about to be seated in the booth, I noted the booth seat was covered in crumbs. The manager wiped it down remarking the busser didn't wipe it down (considering I hadn't seen a single busser, the manager was the one bussing tables). I ordered the center cut lamb spedini and garden salad. The server asked if medium rare was okay since that's how it's normally served. I was fine with that. Salad arrived fairly promptly but I quickly noticed it was far from fresh. looked like bag salad about 3 days old. Wilted on the edges, limp and of generally unappetizing appearance. I sent it back without requiring a replacement. Main course arrived and first cut revealed it was well done. I cut a few more. Well done too. Wait...I thought she said medium rare? Cool pink center remember? The server asked how it was and I told her not what was ordered. She returned it (kept the veggies to eat while new lamb was brought back). Replacement came out perfect and was juicy and tender. Previous was quite dry which led me to believe they're pre-cooking their meat, hence the well done as soon as it's heated up. Manager never came to the table for either the salad or the lamb. in most places, the manager is required to authorize any reissue on plates. I would have been at the table in an instant to ensure I met the customer's concern/complaint. I think he was too busy making busy work. I noticed him walking around quite a bit but only sliding plates around in the kitchen window or placing salt and pepper shakers nicely. He was clueless and it showed in food quality and service. He was sweaty down the back of his shirt which may be fine for McDonalds, but not for a restaurant. Years ago this was an ememplary dining establishment. Based on recent service I don't expect it to survive unless serious management is brought in.
(1)
Jessica P.
So I used to go here all the time at absolutely the wrong time... when it was PACKED. It is NO fun when it's packed. The tables are very close together and it makes for a lot of noise and the servers are tripping on everything. So, tip... go when it's not busy, like lunch. Or a non-weekend evening. What's cool about the Macaroni Grill is the paper on the table. Great for children and great for "I'll-never-grow-up" adults. My husband and I had a blast drawing silly things, like fire breathing chickens of DOOM. :-) The menu: The spinach and artichoke dip is to die for. I love my artichoke dip and those other places can get pretty bland. This one is NOT bland. I had the lobster ravioli... very nicely HOT and tasty. My hubby had one of the chicken dishes... which was tasty as well. Service was good... it was pretty dead in the place so, clearly that's to be expected.
(4)
Lucinda N.
12/2/11: 10 minutes after I ordered my lunch, server returns to tell me my dish is very popular and it's going to be 20 minutes and hands me the menu. If my meal isn't here within 20 minutes, they will lose another star.... just not worth giving them 3 stars
(2)
Trisha B.
My friend picked up food here for us and her chicken was hardly cooked! Another friend had the same problem! I think this sums it up!
(1)
Judgmental B.
We went there to attend a meeting with our clients, I ordered a eggplant parmisan... another co-worker ordered the same, he started eating before I did... I was about to eat and he whispered it to me, dont eat the eggplant is raw, it can make us sick... i stopped and examined and i observed the same. Anyways our clients were happy with what they ordered. We decided to proceed with our meeting and discussing work and not make a big deal about it. I did not eat all and just had my lemonade. Next instance, it was my son's first birthday and we thought of having a dinner party, although RMG was never our first priority, my wife still decided to at least give them a call and ask them about party menu and other arrangements. They were the most expensive and totally INflexible. They said we could not make any changes to menu blah blah. We said thank you and proceeded with Olive Garden Happy valley.
(1)
Eric G.
Waitress was rude, food was cold service sucked.. Never again!!!!
(1)
Korina A.
Ulgh. We knew better. But we had a gift card. How can you resist $25 off your meal, right? It was a Saturday night, peak dinner time. The place was packed. Well, it must not have been *too* full, as we were immediately seated. But it certainly felt jammed. That was probably due to the fact that they crammed about 500 tables in the space the size of a Starbucks. To boot, those table were stocked with crying babies. Lots of crying babies. I felt kind of bad for our server, who was a big girl. She could barely get through the back to back chairs in order to reach our table. However, during the course of dinner, my sympathy waned, as I realized she sucked as a server. I can't stand having to look at empty dirty plates, and we had to do that a lot. I was also thirsty a lot. Now the food... wow, the food. OK, it started well enough, kind of. First, we got a really yummy loaf of rosemary-laced bread, served with EVOO and cracked pepper. That's it. No balsamic or herbs or salt. That would've been fine, if they olive oil was fantastic. But it wasn't. The blah oil set the tone for the rest of the meal. Blah, blah, blah. The only flavor in any dish, was a hint of butter. Everything was dreadfully underseasoned. My lobster ravioli primarily tasted of the spinach pasta that surrounded it. It could've really used some garlic, salt, and some herbs. The whole meal was completely underwhelming, and I was resentful for having spent *any* money on it. Damn you, gift card.
(1)
Daren C.
Service was 2 stars, the guy did not want to be there. Food was 3.5 stars I had a Pollo Caprese which is a grilled chicken breast in a lemon butter type sauce served with thin noodles and cherry tomato sauce. It also had 4 small bites of cheese which I suppose was homemade mozzarella? While it was all good, it was just boring. Nothing stood out and said "Hey you really like this" Just average food. Now I remember why it has been years since we have been there.
(3)
Craig K.
Food: Edible. Not great. I got the Pasta Sampler and it seemed like it spent a little to long under a heat lamp. The prosciutto mac n cheese was the highlight. The rest not so great. My wife got the chicken parmesan. She thought it was alright. Kind of expensive for what you get also. Ambiance: Pretty cool. My daughter had a great time drawing on the "tablecloth". Service: Excellent. Casey (KC?) was great. He was the only thing that saved this place from 2 stars. Overall it wasn't bad enough to not go back but not good enough to make the regular rotation.
(3)
Buzz F.
Solid Chain Italian food
(5)
Anthony B.
Service was terrible. It started when I asked for a different table and the hostess said no. That should have been my clue. The food was tasteless. I have ordered the shrimp portofino several times previous. I always thought it was good. But tonight it was awful. I'll never come here again.
(1)
Brian M.
Typical Italian chain. Great fresh bread and friendly service. Kind of cheesy to have paper on table to protect the tablecloths. Food was hot and tasty, though I'm not a fan of giant chunks of garlic in pasta. My only real shock was the terrible beer selection. 9 beers and all of them are domestics. They have kiltlifter and Sam Adams seasonal. Not a semblance of a medium bodied beer. Sad for an italian place.
(4)
Barbara A.
Went on a busy Friday night. My friend's eggplant parmesan was good. My mushroom ravoli was also good, except it arrived a little rubbery as if it had sat waiting for pickup a little too long. We sent the tiramisu back as it was the most pitiful rendition I have ever been served. The waiter did his best although he was covering too many tables.
(3)
Judy L.
I have eaten at many Romano's Macaroni in and out of AZ. The quantity and quality of the food has been decreasing over the years. I am very bummed out about this. During lunch, my brother and I ordered dinner portions. When the food came out it was more like lunch portions. 1/2 a chicken breast for the chicken parm and a handful of noodles on a huge plate. My pasta milano was 1/2 the portion from previous visits. Our server was awesome, attentive our entire visit.
(2)
Heather E.
Went here for a quick lunch ended up waiting for 40 minutes for our entree salad took 20. Food was definitely not worth the wait. Server brought us plates with food on them and seemed annoyed when I asked for clean ones. Crostini that came with the salad was stale. I also asked for a peach tea that I never received. Chicken scalloppine was terrible instead lf it coming with marsala sauce it was drenched in oil. It's too bad this was such a bad experience. Desert ridge location is much better and the only reason I came to this location in the first place. Will not be back.
(1)
Yvette R.
It wasn't "A-Ok", but I am not a huge fan either. Macaroni grill deserves a little more than an A-okay. It's for sure better than Olive Garden and great for a fast Italian chain. The food was actually decent and reasonably priced. I will come back again.
(3)
Michael N.
While in Phoenix with some teammates for a competition, we all decided to go out to dinner together. Everyone agreed on Italian, so we started calling around looking for a table. Fun fact: finding a table for twelve people ninety minutes before you want to eat on a Friday night, should probably not be Plan A. Fortunately for us, Macaroni Grill was more than happy to hold a table for us, provide excellent and attentive service, serve us yummy food, and even split the check. We're in Phoenix around this time many years, and will definitely consider coming back next year.
(5)
geoff s.
I used to love this place. Went on a Friday night and the place was half full (being kind). Service was nice, but slow. Our waitress was covering several tables while several other employees stood and did nothing or gave the appearance of being busy. Food was bland, over cooked and luke warm - cold. From the appetizer to the entrees, nothing was up to previous visits. Would not recommend going back until something big changes. Cooks? Menu? Managers?
(2)
Annelyse G.
Ok I'll be honest. Only good things about this place? The paper on the tables and the bread. Their food has always been inconsistent with me and my family. I love the bread at the beginning as it's a good thing to have if the food takes to long, and me being an artist and having the table with paper on it in front of me is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen. I just can't give them a good rating since their food and service is always on the bad side.
(3)
Kelly A.
Always great service and food everytime I come to this location.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot 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.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Bill J.
My partner and I had dinner at Macaroni Grill on 4/20/15. The service was terrible. My partner got his food in about 7 minutes, my order did not arrive until 15 minutes. I don't think any waiter was assigned to our table. I finally got the attention of the Manager. He was very unprofessional. We used to dine at this Macaroni Grill location regularily but the last several times the service has been very bad and the food quality has not been good. In the past the quality of the staff and Manager was high; now it is really bad.
(1)Holli P.
I do not understand why this place is rated so low.. I am extremely critical when reviewing places and this place was AMAZING. Our waitress was Natalie.. She was I think the best waitress I've ever had. You can tell she loves her job (or at least pretended really well.) she asked if we were in a hurry from the start... I'm pregnant and tired.. She didn't drag on her speech. She was fast. Never an empty drink. Just an all around amazing experience! And the food was awesome. We will be back!
(5)Jim R.
Arrived at 12:48pm sat in the bar which is usually where we eat at Macaronis no service for ten minutes with only one other table in bar so moved to regular dining room, immediately got seated and took our drink order, asked if we would like some bread. She returned 5 minutes later with wine and water we never did see the bread. There were only 4 tables in restaurant and 2 servers so you would think service would be excellent...... well 40 minutes later she brings the salads to our table and then 4 minutes after that the main entrée, so we didn't have time to eat our salad, food was good and when we finally got the bread it was not fresh at all. This is the second time we have had this experience at this restaurant and it will be the last. This place needs some new management.
(2)Grace G.
I choose to go here when I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a family meal but still want some civility to my meal. It's sometimes really loud here but a clean atmosphere. I do enjoy when the weather is cool enough to enjoy the fireplace. If you join their mailing list they constantly have great meal deals to save some cash.
(3)Eric F.
The bread is pretty good. The Italian bake was too watery for my taste. The meat balls were decent and the sausage was ok. A fairly inexpensive meal and you get what you pay for. The crayons and paper tablecloth are a nice touch, nothing better than a paper cut at dinner.
(3)Carmelo W.
this place is great! love the food and the service!
(4)Jason D.
It's been awhile since I've been here and I was really looking forward to the create a pasta since it's been awhile. Apparently they don't have it anymore. The quality wasn't what I expected. The service was alright, just not sure if I would return again.
(2)R C.
This afternoon I came to this restaurant and had a wonderful server named Leslie. She is great but the reason I am writing this review is for their management. 3 hours after I left, I realized I was a dummy and forgot my credit card. I immediately called and spoke with a manager Permisis. He stated he had my credit card and he would have it in his pocket. I let him know I am at the hotel 5 minutes away and I would be right there. He acknowledged that and said great thank you. I was to the restaurant no more than 5 minutes later and I walked in and was greeted by two hostess' who were wonderful and called another manager who was completely confused about what was happening and asked for my ID. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back who said Permisis left for the evening and he called him and he would be back to the restaurant within 15 minutes. 15 minutes later..... (I'm fuming at this point)..... Permisis waltz his happy ass inside and had the balls to simple say, "You didn't give me enough time to go Christmas shopping with your card! Can I see your ID?" I grabbed my card out of his hand and left. He followed me out to the parking lot saying I'm sorry I was joking. And I said your professionalism is lacking. I am sitting outside in their parking lot leaving this review.
(1)Jeff W.
Recently stopped for a cocktail at this MG. One of the WORST bartenders I have encountered in 40 years ! No personality, rude, slow, terrible service. I have been drinking Vodka Martinis for 40 years and he tried to tell me I didnt know how it was made. Very arrogant. Just moved into the area and my wife and I go out often. Never go back to this place again !
(1)Harold J.
Never again, I say. My in-laws insisted on having their 50th anniversary dinner party at Romano's Macaroni Grill (I-17 and L-101 area) last weekend with 20+/- attendees. I would like to say that this experience was most likely an anomaly; however, this is my third consecutive disappointing experience at a Phoenix-based RMG (all different locations in Phx-metro area) over the last 6-months. Never again...not even with a free gift-card will I set foot in a RMG. I am very sad because RMG used to be so good and dependable. Issues/Concerns: 1. Dinner party was seated 20-minutes before any water or bread was brought out. First came the water, then 20-minutes later the bread, then 20-mintues later the drink order, then 20-mintues later the meal orders, then 20-minutes later the appetizers, and so on. I'm okay with a leisurely dining pace, but this was ridiculous. 2. Initially only one wait-staff was assigned to our group of 20 until we complained to someone. From that point on, we had 1.5 wait-staff assigned. I don't fault the wait-staff; they appeared to be doing their best. 3. We were very lucky to get the separate dining area, so had a lot of privacy after the one other occupied table departed. For the entire duration of our stay (over 2-hours), that dirty table remained loaded with dirty dishes and uneaten food even though the restaurant was relatively slow. 4. We never did see the shift-manager. One would think that with a party of 20, a $400 dinner-tab on an otherwise slow Sunday afternoon, with a guaranteed 18% gratuity included in the bill, that had been pre-booked for 2-3 weeks in advance, that the management would exert a little extra effort to make sure our party was taken care of to make it a memorable event given it was such a special occasion for our parents. 5. Brother-in-law requested the waitstaff to bring one bottle of red and one bottle of white wine for each of the two tables upon initial entry. 30-minutes later, after he asked again, it was brought out and set on end of the table with no offer to pour or serve. When we rang-out, we were surprised to see the normal house-wine charged at $30 per bottle...seems very high for house wine. 6. We were all instructed to use the crayons and circle our menu choice on the menu sheets, like we were in 1st Grade. Very classy...not! 7. Appetizers were generally tasty but portions seemed small. 8. Many of the main course meals were disgusting (undercooked, cold, poor flavor, lacking any passion). For example, -I ordered Chicken Parmigiana. The angel hair pasta had vinegary-taste and was generally inedible. My Chicken Parmigiana entrée was edible, but i would submit that it was not to RMG's old-standards of excellence...I have had better hospital food. - My wife ordered a shrimp-based main course; her food was literally ice-box cold. - My son ordered lasagna; however, 10-minutes later they reported they were out of lasagna...really, RMG out-of-lasagna on a slow Sunday afternoon? He ended up with Pasta Alfredo, but the noodles were grossly underdone to the point of being crunchy. Same with my daughter-in-laws noodles. - I could go on, but you get the point. In my opinion, there are too many other dining choices in the Phoenix-area to waste any more of my time or money at Ramono's Macaroni Grill. Again, this makes me sad because I had some great dining experiences there when they first opened. In my opinion, the fish-stinks-from-the-head-down...this is a management issue that needs to be fixed by corporate.
(1)Ryan R.
I was forced to handle some business on this side of town and found myself eating lunch at this Macaroni Grill. I normally stay in Scottsdale and abhor the west side of the valley. Oddly enough, the entire experience was phenomenal. The bread was warm, the drinks were cold, and the food had the right amount of salt. The service was attentive from the server to the hostess. Even the lanky manager, Larry, came by to see my table. He cleared plates and made a tiramissou recommendation. We ate it, it was ok. All in all, if I have to travel to the west side again, I would eat there. I do love salt and fat.
(5)Benjamin S.
Service is horrible. Slow and they don't care. No person seating or greeting guests as they arrive. And our server took forever to bring us anything. Asked for extra bread and they never brought it. And the food is just ok... I wish I would have just gone to olive garden instead. I would recommend throwing your money in the garbage before I would recommend anyone spending it at a restaurant with this poor of service.
(1)Johnny H.
The server was just amazingly funny! Very good service. Food and dessert was amazing! The homemade chocolate cake is a must get here.
(5)Nonda R.
Haven't been to this place in a long time. Had bad service with the location in Goodyear. So far service is good. Food was good. Location here off the I-17 and Loop 101 will have to visit again.
(4)Leslie M.
We were trying to figure out where to go for lunch and had recently received an offer for a $7 "express" lunch at Macaroni Grill. I hadn't been there in a few years, but my boyfriend remembered it as being one of his past favorites. We decided to give it a try. We went on a weekday around 1pm. It wasn't super busy. The dining room was about half full, and there were a few people in front of us waiting to be seated. I should have know this wasn't going to be a good experience when I noticed some people being directed to a line on one side of the dining room where I saw a sign for the "express" lunch. I really wasn't in the mood to stand in line and order my food. That was one of the reasons we picked there to eat. It was our turn, and the hostess asked if we were going to do full service dining or the express dining. Since we were hungry, we decided we might as well go with it. We got to the register and ordered. There seemed to be some confusion regarding the Chicken Caesar Calzonetto when I orderd. The cashier said it wouldn't be ready in seven minutes. I questioned her since it was clearly stated that everything on the express menu was guaranteed in seven minutes or less. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and told me it was guaranteed. Huh? We paid and noticed she put our receipt in a drawer with others. I had to ask her for it. Thought it was a bit odd that we weren't asked if we wanted it and that there was no mention of the fact that the time we placed our order was on the receipt. This was deceptive in my book. So, off we go to find a table. We were told we could sit anywhere. We found a table. Made a note of the time on our receipt and waited. Hmmmm.....No server. No silverware. No drinks. It's been five minutes and still nothing. Finally someone comes by and asks for our drink order. Our drinks are brought. At about eight miinutes after we ordered, one entree came out. We asked about the other one, and were told they bring them out seperately so they can meet the seven minute guarantee. The other one was brought at about ten minutes after. We realized at that point that we didn't have silverware. I vaguely remembered the cashier telling the people in front of us something about silverware. Off one of us goes to find it. We also didn't realize we probably needed to order anything extra with our food. We each got a sandwich. Nothing comes with it. If you want chips, salad or a cookie, you have to order that. We were asked if we wanted bread when we ordered, which I thought was odd. I don't usually want bread with my meal when I've ordered a sandwich. Everyone seemed stretched thin and it was never clear if we had a server or if it was just a group effort to make sure the "express" lunch people were taken care of. The server that brought the second sandwich told us that she would talk to the manager about a refund since the seven minute guarantee wasn't met. I will give her credit. Although she was busy, she did take the time to get back to us and even apologized that they didn't meet the time guarantee. Honestly, I didn't care that much about the seven minute thing until the cashier put the receipt in the drawer without even a mention. The whole experience was poor for what you would expect from a place like this. The food wasn't that good either. The chicken on the sandwith was good, but there was way to much wrap or bread. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm sandwich. It was bland. Tasted like it was breaded without seasoning. The "express" line was next to the kitchen and salad prep area. Every time a server needed to check on something they had to navigate the people standing in line. This new format is ridiculous. Both the service and food suffer.
(1)Chandra L.
Good food and a good show! Haha if you go, ask to be seated by the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly the chef was working. He was obviously skilled, and had a rhythm going. The other cooks just sorta stood around and watched him as he ran circles around them. The funniest part is how he totally shut down the expediter (who was a huge asshole btw). If I had any cash I would have tipped the chef, he kept his cool while producing an incredible amount of food and having to work with an asshole. The reason for 4 stars, was for cleanliness of the bathroom. There was a prom party there, and a girl got sick and threw up all over one of the stalls. When the staff came in to clean it, they just complained, made very rude comments, and said how gross it was, right in front of the girl who got sick. And rather than clean it up, she just wrote a "out of service" note on the door.
(4)Dominique M.
Coming in here for lunch made me a little nervous about the veganizability, however, this is where a good server is separated from a bad server. My server was amazing! It was a beautiful day and nobody was sitting outside so our server let us sit on the patio and take care of us while managing her other tables inside. That's when I knew we were in good hands. After looking over the menu, there really wasn't anything vegan or even close, so I asked my server to put together some sort of veganized option for me. She came out with a spinach salad, roasted asparagus, brocolettes, and pine nuts. Perfect lunch combo with the fresh spinach, smoky flavored veggies and salty pine nuts. All of it washed down with an iced tea in my glass that never went without a refill. This may be a new lunch destination next time I am in town! Thank you for not letting me down!
(5)Elizabeth T.
Love their Caesar salad fresh bread with sliced and Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper are nice touches to what is already a good dish. I've had quite a few of their dishes and never been disappointed. My BF an Italian is super picky when it comes to Italian and he likes it.
(5)Beth L.
If I rated this place solely on overall ambiance I'd give it a three star then there was that surly waiter -1 and most of all the food was just meh (not great, just meh) -1 grand total of 1
(1)Ebony K.
So the hubs decided he wanted some pasta for dinner, enter Macaroni Grill. We get there, get seated rather quickly, and were being taking care of by a newbie by the name of Stephanie. all was going pretty good at first. We got our drinks, we got our appetizers, plenty of bread and then it kinda went down hill. We waited, and waited and noticed that other tables around us that came in after us were already noshing on there food, so about say 45 min later my hubby was like hmmm yea ( not all that happy) He talks to the manager (who's name I am sad to say I do not remember but it was Saturday 03.29.14) and omg he was beyond generous. He comped our entire meal (apps, drinks, food) which was not even close to what we expected. We just wanted our food because we were hungry lol. My hubby loved, loved, loved his sausage and peppers and I loved my pasta di mare (with white sauce instead of red). Our waitress, Stephanie, was super apologetic and we weren't really that mad, just hungry ( even though we had bread and apps) Will we come back? Of course. This not my first time at this particular location (contrary to my check in) and it won't be my last.
(3)Marcie S.
Wow that was the best service I've ever had!!! ! And.... It couldn't have been a worse experience. Let me explain. Don was our server. His service was impeccable! We were celebrating my 12-year old granddaughter's birthday and he made her feel like she was the only patron in the restaurant. He catered to her and topped off the evening with a happy birthday song Italian-operetta style. The food was ordered and delivered in a timely and gracious manner. It was hot and delicious. As we were leaving, I asked to speak to the manager - Larry - so I could convey my appreciation for Don and his job well done. Larry was rude, and condescending, never bothering to stop wiping down his seating chart and look up at me as I spoke. When I mentioned that we had initially thought to go elsewhere because of the many negative Yelp reviews, he informed me that no one listens to Yelp anyway. It's just a bunch of unhappy people posting stuff. Well, Larry, I wasn't unhappy until I talked to you. Go see Don. Ignore Larry.
(3)Larry S.
Great service and food! The manager Larry stopped to say hello and check on us and made sure we were taken care of! We celebrated a birthday and they sang it in Italian. Very large portions and great value for the price too!
(5)Jen T.
I've been here a few times. I've sat in both the restaurant and the bar. The entrees are mediocre, and the apps are either phenomenal or mediocre. I'm a big fan of making dinner out of apps so that I can try more things, so the apps are what makes or breaks a place for me. The bartender Nico is friendly enough and makes up for the hit or miss food. If this place were a little more affordable I would get happy here more often but there are places with better food, drinks, and prices.
(3)J. J.
Sat at the bar. Good drinks, friendly staff, & fast service. The bar tender was funny and made some great recommendations on the door. Normal chain Italian food style. Nothing horrible or overly exiting.
(5)Mary J.
Worst meals every. Meals took 2 and half hours. A roach crawling up the wall. The final blow was when my son moved his plate and a roach crawled on to his food. All of this happen last night as we came here for me grandson graduation
(1)Mary G.
MaryJosephineGuzzetta@gm… April 20, 2015, 10:38 AM Monday Romano's Macaroni Grill 2949 W. Agua Fria Fwy. Phoenix, AZ 85027 macaronigrill.com General Manager Alexis Fox 1178@macgrill.com (623) 580-8681 P - (623) 516-8794 F REGARDING: Kudos to Server Mary - 10+ service Friday 4/18/15 Afternoon REFERENCE: Birthday Celebratory Visit With AZ family Dear Executive Management: Your restaurant was picked randomly as one member of the family had a business meeting nearby. We came from California to visit my son whom I had not seen since May last year. A beautiful drive with only a few rest stops had us arriving in eager anticipation. I walked in - was thirsty - asked for water; immediate assistance. I looked around - there was an aura of warmth and hospitality. We were delighted with the menu; most of all with the server. Mary truly was phenomenal - never missed a beat - gave us the utmost in professionalism coupled with priceless hospitality service. She helped make my 74th so memorable. Kudos to her. Please care/share with her - one/all. God Bless You All. Respectfully, MJG Posted: yelp.com/biz/romanos-mac…
(5)Trent Y.
Ambience was okay. I felt like I was sitting in a cafeteria. The food was rather bland and it kind of felt like I was an old person in a rest home on a specialty diet. I spoke to the management and there did not seem to be any concern at all. She said "that's the way they always do it". I ordered the lasagna and I believe the commercial product "Mrs. Stouffers Lasagna" would've been much better flavor. My wife had Chicken Marcella and that was equally bland. After four forkfuls each, we left the rest of the dinner paid the bill and left. Would we return? Not a chance in the world!
(1)Shannon H.
So we ordered from the office for about 4 people curbside service. Lots of food and stuff-hence the, bring it to my car window so I don't have to get out and try to carry all this shit! When I got there the was a car taking up both curbside parking spaces and there was no one in the car. So I called the restaurant to let them know there was nowhere for me park. The hostess literally sighed on the phone and said "I guess I can. We don't normally do that." I was like I am literally outside but the take away parking is occupied and there is no one even in the car! She's says, "Well don't you just want to come in then?" I'm not going to even finish with the food that was ok at best because her attitude pretty much sealed it for me.
(2)Joe S.
Customer service sucks from staff to on duty manager! Told 3 times Will be right with you as we waited 10 mins to be seated in a almost empty restaurant. Everyone seem more concerned with cleaning up and closing than making the customer feel welcomed. If fact we felt like an annoyance. We had to find a manager just to get a server to come to our table 10 mins later. That server only came to our table twice the whole time as she was busy with "a large party." Place is under staffed
(1)Patricia B.
Came here for a business lunch a few days back. I like the warm spinach salad with scallops, and that is what I had. It was really good (4 starts). I also like the lemon cake but we passed this time. I do not remember what my coworkers ordered but I want to mention something I didn't like. Our server, whose name I do not remember... (Tony? not sure) asked for our order and then after we ordered the dish he transitioned to asking for a salad order in a way that may mislead customers to think the salad is included (I am trying hard to give him the benefit of the doubt... how would he benefit? bigger tip?) I do not like that. The proper question is 'Would you like to add a salad?'
(3)Arturo A.
Love it there! Bread is great and loved the chicken. The service is great and very fast.
(5)Diane W.
Have eaten at this particular restaurant a couple of times and although I have enjoyed my meal the service has never been very good. Ate there again last night and we were a party of five. Service was beyond poor. Wrong orders came to the table and my entree which was a create your own pasta was stone cold. It sat on the counter waiting for other meals to be plated for at least 20 minutes and not under warming lights. It took at least twenty minutes for cocktails to arrive. Called manager over and instead of trying to appease us he merely seemed irritated. There was absolutely no excuse for this poor service...restaurant wasn't even at 20% of it's capacity. As we walked out another customer was yelling at manager about fact his party had been waiting for one hour for their food. We will not return
(1)Jessica L.
I went here to meet a client for lunch recently. The service was quick and the food was okay, but I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. I got a half sandwich and a cup of soup with an ice tea and by bill was $16 out the door with tax and tip. At similar Italian restaurants you can get an entire sandwich and a bowl of soup with a drink plus tax and tip for about $3-4 less. It's not drastic; just comparing apples to apples.
(3)Robert D.
Had an amazing meal last night at this wonderful restaurant. Ask for Danny and get fantastic service!
(4)Buzz F.
Solid Chain Italian food
(5)Mr. C.
I really like the menu choices and the food always tastes good, but they really need to lay off of the cross selling and up selling here. First the hostess, then our server took turns telling us about how awesome the (expensive) specials were, then went on to tell us about the spendy wine choices.....hey, you can take the bottle home with you. The final straw came when she brought the check and asked us if we would like to buy a ticket to a charity of some kind. My point is, not everyone wants a sales pitch as soon as their butt hits the seat...next time we'll go to Carraba's or Babo...no sales pitch there!
(2)Jackie H.
Awesome food! My girl and I were looking for something new. We found The Macaroni Grille. Every review we looked at was horrible and we were skeptical to come but we figured we'd go. Low and behold it was great, from the walk in the door we felt like royalty our server Jessi was on point not missing a beat. The place to be definitely!!
(5)R M.
Food to go is the only way to go..... Orders to go (I have placed over 5) are consistent, hot, correct, and will give you any extras requested. In restaurant service? We have actually arrived and left three times due to lack of service. Exec leadership needs to mystery shop this location and provide feedback. Orders to go get 4 stars.
(2)Heather E.
Went here for a quick lunch ended up waiting for 40 minutes for our entree salad took 20. Food was definitely not worth the wait. Server brought us plates with food on them and seemed annoyed when I asked for clean ones. Crostini that came with the salad was stale. I also asked for a peach tea that I never received. Chicken scalloppine was terrible instead lf it coming with marsala sauce it was drenched in oil. It's too bad this was such a bad experience. Desert ridge location is much better and the only reason I came to this location in the first place. Will not be back.
(1)Yvette R.
It wasn't "A-Ok", but I am not a huge fan either. Macaroni grill deserves a little more than an A-okay. It's for sure better than Olive Garden and great for a fast Italian chain. The food was actually decent and reasonably priced. I will come back again.
(3)Julie S.
Terribly understaffed. Food ordered at reasonable time, but beverages were still not brought 25 minutes after being sat. Not exaggerating I was on an hour lunch break I was watching the clock. Can say much for the food because we had to leave before it was ready. May try for dinner but never again for lunch!
(1)Anthony B.
Service was terrible. It started when I asked for a different table and the hostess said no. That should have been my clue. The food was tasteless. I have ordered the shrimp portofino several times previous. I always thought it was good. But tonight it was awful. I'll never come here again.
(1)Brian M.
Typical Italian chain. Great fresh bread and friendly service. Kind of cheesy to have paper on table to protect the tablecloths. Food was hot and tasty, though I'm not a fan of giant chunks of garlic in pasta. My only real shock was the terrible beer selection. 9 beers and all of them are domestics. They have kiltlifter and Sam Adams seasonal. Not a semblance of a medium bodied beer. Sad for an italian place.
(4)Daren C.
Service was 2 stars, the guy did not want to be there. Food was 3.5 stars I had a Pollo Caprese which is a grilled chicken breast in a lemon butter type sauce served with thin noodles and cherry tomato sauce. It also had 4 small bites of cheese which I suppose was homemade mozzarella? While it was all good, it was just boring. Nothing stood out and said "Hey you really like this" Just average food. Now I remember why it has been years since we have been there.
(3)Craig K.
Food: Edible. Not great. I got the Pasta Sampler and it seemed like it spent a little to long under a heat lamp. The prosciutto mac n cheese was the highlight. The rest not so great. My wife got the chicken parmesan. She thought it was alright. Kind of expensive for what you get also. Ambiance: Pretty cool. My daughter had a great time drawing on the "tablecloth". Service: Excellent. Casey (KC?) was great. He was the only thing that saved this place from 2 stars. Overall it wasn't bad enough to not go back but not good enough to make the regular rotation.
(3)Barbara A.
Went on a busy Friday night. My friend's eggplant parmesan was good. My mushroom ravoli was also good, except it arrived a little rubbery as if it had sat waiting for pickup a little too long. We sent the tiramisu back as it was the most pitiful rendition I have ever been served. The waiter did his best although he was covering too many tables.
(3)Judy L.
I have eaten at many Romano's Macaroni in and out of AZ. The quantity and quality of the food has been decreasing over the years. I am very bummed out about this. During lunch, my brother and I ordered dinner portions. When the food came out it was more like lunch portions. 1/2 a chicken breast for the chicken parm and a handful of noodles on a huge plate. My pasta milano was 1/2 the portion from previous visits. Our server was awesome, attentive our entire visit.
(2)Sarah W.
I was super excited to go to this place because I've never been here. However walking in the hostess was very short coming off very rude. Keep in mind it was only like four or five in the afternoon. When we sat down the place was coming off cheap. Paper on the tables poor lighting. Not to mention we waited ten minutes just to get water! We ordered apps and y hose came out before the bread. The apps were zucchini and we're so thin and burnt was not worth the 9 dollars. And the mac and cheese that were okay but nothing special. We were never waited on by a waiter but the fricking bartender. It's wrong to have six customers two being children at the bar. And two tables from us was being waiting on by a chef. I will not being going back just because of how everything was. The only thing that was good or decent was the pasta but never again.
(1)Paula E.
Terrible service!!!! Food was ok, but don't think we will be back. They left a empty dirty salad bowl on our table for more than half an hour, gross! Many servers and managers walked by with no notice of dirty dishes on tables, we had to box up our own food, and at no time did anyone offer me a second glass of wine! Fail!!! They also sat two well dressed adults in the kiddie section, really?!?! It was not busy, early in the evening, and a full staff. There is no excuse for such terrible service! I wish I had read the other reviews before we ate here. After all these bad reviews you would think their corporate would get a clue or they just don't care either! Lazy and apathetic is no way to go through life.
(1)Arlin B.
I really want to like this place, I really... really do. But after going here four times in the last year-ish and having the same experience every time, I am compelled to write: The food is always pretty good, not great but it can be surprisingly very good at times. I hope you're not hungry when you dine at this Romano's Macaroni Grill, because you'll get seated, and then you'll watch your server walk past your table 3 or 4 times without even looking at you. Then maybe they will stop by and take your drink order. They will bring you their usual bread, in an effort to make nice and to think you will forget that they made you wait for your drink.... Then they will repeat the same routine, walking past your table, but this time, about 5 or 6 times, even though your drinks are empty and your menus closed on the end of the table. Finally, they will take your order ~ spaghetti & meatballs and chicken parmigiana please... They will stop by 2 to 3 times as you wait to let you know that your food will be out in just a minute or two. 45 minutes after you ordered, your food will arrive to your table with out an apology about the long wait, and they will try to tell you "the kitchen got soooo backed up." Seriously??? We can see the kitchen from our table dude... Come on... Not to mention it's a Tuesday night with the dining room is half empty? But maybe it takes Romano's 45 minutes to boil noodles and fry a chicken cutlet? Anyway, I really want to like this place, because the food can be really good, and the restaurant is in a nice location. But I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon after having the exact same experience four times. BTW ~ we don't care for the new way your serving water by using tap water to fill a pitcher, then to be carried over to fill a container located on the center tables only to fill yet another vessel, a bottle then bring it to us as if it's bottled H2O along with two small glasses. Seriously?
(2)Wayne K.
It's been awhile since I've been in this particular Macaroni Grill. That's probably good since I was able to note the significant decline in the food and service. I was there for lunch. Arrived at 12:45 pm. Slightly less than 50% occupancy in the dining room. My wife and I were seated immediately by the manager who was busy working the tables. As I was about to be seated in the booth, I noted the booth seat was covered in crumbs. The manager wiped it down remarking the busser didn't wipe it down (considering I hadn't seen a single busser, the manager was the one bussing tables). I ordered the center cut lamb spedini and garden salad. The server asked if medium rare was okay since that's how it's normally served. I was fine with that. Salad arrived fairly promptly but I quickly noticed it was far from fresh. looked like bag salad about 3 days old. Wilted on the edges, limp and of generally unappetizing appearance. I sent it back without requiring a replacement. Main course arrived and first cut revealed it was well done. I cut a few more. Well done too. Wait...I thought she said medium rare? Cool pink center remember? The server asked how it was and I told her not what was ordered. She returned it (kept the veggies to eat while new lamb was brought back). Replacement came out perfect and was juicy and tender. Previous was quite dry which led me to believe they're pre-cooking their meat, hence the well done as soon as it's heated up. Manager never came to the table for either the salad or the lamb. in most places, the manager is required to authorize any reissue on plates. I would have been at the table in an instant to ensure I met the customer's concern/complaint. I think he was too busy making busy work. I noticed him walking around quite a bit but only sliding plates around in the kitchen window or placing salt and pepper shakers nicely. He was clueless and it showed in food quality and service. He was sweaty down the back of his shirt which may be fine for McDonalds, but not for a restaurant. Years ago this was an ememplary dining establishment. Based on recent service I don't expect it to survive unless serious management is brought in.
(1)Jessica P.
So I used to go here all the time at absolutely the wrong time... when it was PACKED. It is NO fun when it's packed. The tables are very close together and it makes for a lot of noise and the servers are tripping on everything. So, tip... go when it's not busy, like lunch. Or a non-weekend evening. What's cool about the Macaroni Grill is the paper on the table. Great for children and great for "I'll-never-grow-up" adults. My husband and I had a blast drawing silly things, like fire breathing chickens of DOOM. :-) The menu: The spinach and artichoke dip is to die for. I love my artichoke dip and those other places can get pretty bland. This one is NOT bland. I had the lobster ravioli... very nicely HOT and tasty. My hubby had one of the chicken dishes... which was tasty as well. Service was good... it was pretty dead in the place so, clearly that's to be expected.
(4)Lucinda N.
12/2/11: 10 minutes after I ordered my lunch, server returns to tell me my dish is very popular and it's going to be 20 minutes and hands me the menu. If my meal isn't here within 20 minutes, they will lose another star.... just not worth giving them 3 stars
(2)Trisha B.
My friend picked up food here for us and her chicken was hardly cooked! Another friend had the same problem! I think this sums it up!
(1)Michael N.
While in Phoenix with some teammates for a competition, we all decided to go out to dinner together. Everyone agreed on Italian, so we started calling around looking for a table. Fun fact: finding a table for twelve people ninety minutes before you want to eat on a Friday night, should probably not be Plan A. Fortunately for us, Macaroni Grill was more than happy to hold a table for us, provide excellent and attentive service, serve us yummy food, and even split the check. We're in Phoenix around this time many years, and will definitely consider coming back next year.
(5)geoff s.
I used to love this place. Went on a Friday night and the place was half full (being kind). Service was nice, but slow. Our waitress was covering several tables while several other employees stood and did nothing or gave the appearance of being busy. Food was bland, over cooked and luke warm - cold. From the appetizer to the entrees, nothing was up to previous visits. Would not recommend going back until something big changes. Cooks? Menu? Managers?
(2)Annelyse G.
Ok I'll be honest. Only good things about this place? The paper on the tables and the bread. Their food has always been inconsistent with me and my family. I love the bread at the beginning as it's a good thing to have if the food takes to long, and me being an artist and having the table with paper on it in front of me is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen. I just can't give them a good rating since their food and service is always on the bad side.
(3)Kelly A.
Always great service and food everytime I come to this location.
(5)Carrie F.
4 year old wanted spaghetti and meatballs so here is where I took her. Oops. Not busy and it took 2x for them to get BOTH of our meals correct. Hers had no meatballs and mine was so overcooked. What is funny is there was some kind of manager meeting there and this still was all messed up. Not sure it's worth going back. I mean my meal was over $11 for pasta, a bland sauce, and about 4 pinches of chicken and sausage. Eh.
(3)Justin L.
I'm a big pasta guy, can probably eat it every night of the week if it were a more slimming dish. But I'm usually not a big fan of the chain Italian places i.e. Olive Garden and here. But after a long relationship with Olive Garden and their more than average prices for their less than average food. We stopped here for a change. It's the same old stuff, pasta, meats, salads, seafood. I used to never want to come here because I thought it was way more expensive than Olive Garden but I was wrong, I was able to find more of what I like for less of a price. I'm only recommending this place if you have thought of everything and nothing sounds good enough or close enough to drive. But I'll take it over Olive Garden any day.
(3)Jeff L.
This is a review of several visits I have made to this establishment. It is hit or miss. Usually they are 4 or 5 stars. My last visit was a 1, and thus the average dropped significantly. We went at about 6:00PM on a Saturday night. This one let me down on my last visit. The food was cold. Luke warm at best...and one of the items was soup...and it was one of the specials of the day. Seriously soup? I think they put it in the bowl and it sat on the counter for 30 minutes before it was brought to the table. We had two orders and they were both cold. Also ordered the pork chop special. When it arrived it was cold/luke warm as well. The risotto was not cooked enough and cold. The pork chop was kind of tough. Not juicy and tender like the server promoted it to be. My dinner companion's food was also cold. It also looked like it sat out for awhile. and had give away glazed look to it. Very disappointing. I do not know who's fault it is... the kitchen for not timing the dishes or the server not bringing the food out when it is ready. My back was to the kitchen so I could not see it come up to know for sure. I suspect the server as he reported they were putting the finishing touches on one of the appetizers and it didn't make it to the table for 20 minutes after his last update. Note to servers: Don't put your hands in your hair and play with your zipper. Dude, you are serving food!! Overall, I find MGs food salty which requires frequent drink refills...our server kept up on that nicely. Because it is so close to home, I am sure I will be back, as other visits were not so disappointing. Lunch seems to be the best time to go to this location based on past experiences and I would put them at 4 to 5 stars.
(3)Albert H.
Slow prep time for food - nowhere near the time I was told it would be ready. Seemed like hectic employees scurrying around with hardly any customers in sight. Parking is generous for this location. Food was nothing to complain about, but not clearly a notch above other chain Italian like Olive Garden or Buca di Beppo.
(3)Lesa C.
Food was slow and cold when it finally gets to you. Wait staff was slow to take drink and food order. Bread made it to the table 20 minutes after we sat down. Lunch for five adults from start to finish took 90 minutes and it was not very busy on a Thursday! I will not go back again.
(1)Amy C.
I have eaten at other Macaroni Grills in Az and outside. This particular location has issues with the food being overdone. Way overpriced and the sampler platter consisted of a handful of calamari, two pieces of rustic toast with shaved parm and a side of tomatoes "bruschetta"- I think not, and three mozzarella sticks FOR $11???? Three slices of tomato with small lumps of mozzarellla on each a Capresse salad? Quality, quantity and price are so scewed here- better go to Carraba's for almost the same price. Service was good though.
(1)Mandah C.
I could eat Penne Rustica all say every day!
(5)Kayleigh L.
I have been to several different Romano's locations and I was very upset with my recent experience at this location. When we first walked in it smelled like sewer. It was disgusting. So we opted to sit outside as it was really nice out. Our sever was slow and kept forgetting things and then our food came out cold! That was not cool, especially considering they were very slow at that time. It was just a bad experience and I will avoid this location in the future.
(2)Taylor Momo J.
I've been here many times. Today they had a new menu. I like seafood so I get a pasta bowl. I tasted it and the noodles were chewy. I mentioned it to the waiter and he spoke with a manager. Manager came right over and explained that it was a new noodle with a very different texture. He understood I wanted a more usual, soft noodle, and replaced my meal without hesitation. And that he would remind wait staff to mention the new noodle difference. The replacement was great. So kudos to great service and understanding. They also do still have the make your own bowl which I might stick with next time. :)
(5)william r.
absolutely dreadful. mac grill has been awful for awhile, but only went for daughters 13 birthday (her choice-her day) service was rotten, i had some whole wheat fettucine dish that had no sauce and was god-awful. 2 vodka/soda drinks were a joke and if not for a birthday, would've created a scene. place was dead and there is a reason for that. after dinner, 8 min wait for a dessert with 3 tables occupied! really? next time chef boyardee out of a can. this place is for suckers.
(1)Janed B.
Appetizer - terrific! Meals were so-so. Dessert wonderful! We were lulled into expecting a great meal having just enjoyed Macaroni Grill's freshly baked ciabatta bread. And, our appetizer of stuffed mushrooms was excellent - flavorful and a bit spicy, not the usual crabmeat but instead a filling of sausage, goat cheese and spinach - a generous dish. As for the main dishes, our server assured us that we were making good choices - our mistake in believing her. In the past we've enjoyed our Macaroni Grill meals. This visit I had the Pan Seared Branzino - a tasteless grilled whitefish served over arugula. It lacked any flavor, even the requested extra sauce didn't help. My lunch buddy's Pesto Spaghetti was bland, nothing special. We ended the meal with an absolutely delicious Ghiradelli chocolate cake warm from the oven. Quality chocolate really does make a difference. This was a cake to die for! It was beautifully presented along with a small bowl of hot chocolate and whipped cream. This dessert almost made up for our very mediocre and somewhat pricey main dishes. I think a future visit may be for cake only!
(3)Had R.
This location has always looked after me, specially the 2 guys behind the bar. The food was really good, the staff have always been excellent, and tonight was no exception.
(5)Judgmental B.
We went there to attend a meeting with our clients, I ordered a eggplant parmisan... another co-worker ordered the same, he started eating before I did... I was about to eat and he whispered it to me, dont eat the eggplant is raw, it can make us sick... i stopped and examined and i observed the same. Anyways our clients were happy with what they ordered. We decided to proceed with our meeting and discussing work and not make a big deal about it. I did not eat all and just had my lemonade. Next instance, it was my son's first birthday and we thought of having a dinner party, although RMG was never our first priority, my wife still decided to at least give them a call and ask them about party menu and other arrangements. They were the most expensive and totally INflexible. They said we could not make any changes to menu blah blah. We said thank you and proceeded with Olive Garden Happy valley.
(1)Eric G.
Waitress was rude, food was cold service sucked.. Never again!!!!
(1)Korina A.
Ulgh. We knew better. But we had a gift card. How can you resist $25 off your meal, right? It was a Saturday night, peak dinner time. The place was packed. Well, it must not have been *too* full, as we were immediately seated. But it certainly felt jammed. That was probably due to the fact that they crammed about 500 tables in the space the size of a Starbucks. To boot, those table were stocked with crying babies. Lots of crying babies. I felt kind of bad for our server, who was a big girl. She could barely get through the back to back chairs in order to reach our table. However, during the course of dinner, my sympathy waned, as I realized she sucked as a server. I can't stand having to look at empty dirty plates, and we had to do that a lot. I was also thirsty a lot. Now the food... wow, the food. OK, it started well enough, kind of. First, we got a really yummy loaf of rosemary-laced bread, served with EVOO and cracked pepper. That's it. No balsamic or herbs or salt. That would've been fine, if they olive oil was fantastic. But it wasn't. The blah oil set the tone for the rest of the meal. Blah, blah, blah. The only flavor in any dish, was a hint of butter. Everything was dreadfully underseasoned. My lobster ravioli primarily tasted of the spinach pasta that surrounded it. It could've really used some garlic, salt, and some herbs. The whole meal was completely underwhelming, and I was resentful for having spent *any* money on it. Damn you, gift card.
(1)Jim R.
Arrived at 12:48pm sat in the bar which is usually where we eat at Macaronis no service for ten minutes with only one other table in bar so moved to regular dining room, immediately got seated and took our drink order, asked if we would like some bread. She returned 5 minutes later with wine and water we never did see the bread. There were only 4 tables in restaurant and 2 servers so you would think service would be excellent...... well 40 minutes later she brings the salads to our table and then 4 minutes after that the main entrée, so we didn't have time to eat our salad, food was good and when we finally got the bread it was not fresh at all. This is the second time we have had this experience at this restaurant and it will be the last. This place needs some new management.
(2)Grace G.
I choose to go here when I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a family meal but still want some civility to my meal. It's sometimes really loud here but a clean atmosphere. I do enjoy when the weather is cool enough to enjoy the fireplace. If you join their mailing list they constantly have great meal deals to save some cash.
(3)Eric F.
The bread is pretty good. The Italian bake was too watery for my taste. The meat balls were decent and the sausage was ok. A fairly inexpensive meal and you get what you pay for. The crayons and paper tablecloth are a nice touch, nothing better than a paper cut at dinner.
(3)Carmelo W.
this place is great! love the food and the service!
(4)Holli P.
I do not understand why this place is rated so low.. I am extremely critical when reviewing places and this place was AMAZING. Our waitress was Natalie.. She was I think the best waitress I've ever had. You can tell she loves her job (or at least pretended really well.) she asked if we were in a hurry from the start... I'm pregnant and tired.. She didn't drag on her speech. She was fast. Never an empty drink. Just an all around amazing experience! And the food was awesome. We will be back!
(5)Jason D.
It's been awhile since I've been here and I was really looking forward to the create a pasta since it's been awhile. Apparently they don't have it anymore. The quality wasn't what I expected. The service was alright, just not sure if I would return again.
(2)Diane W.
Have eaten at this particular restaurant a couple of times and although I have enjoyed my meal the service has never been very good. Ate there again last night and we were a party of five. Service was beyond poor. Wrong orders came to the table and my entree which was a create your own pasta was stone cold. It sat on the counter waiting for other meals to be plated for at least 20 minutes and not under warming lights. It took at least twenty minutes for cocktails to arrive. Called manager over and instead of trying to appease us he merely seemed irritated. There was absolutely no excuse for this poor service...restaurant wasn't even at 20% of it's capacity. As we walked out another customer was yelling at manager about fact his party had been waiting for one hour for their food. We will not return
(1)Harold J.
Never again, I say. My in-laws insisted on having their 50th anniversary dinner party at Romano's Macaroni Grill (I-17 and L-101 area) last weekend with 20+/- attendees. I would like to say that this experience was most likely an anomaly; however, this is my third consecutive disappointing experience at a Phoenix-based RMG (all different locations in Phx-metro area) over the last 6-months. Never again...not even with a free gift-card will I set foot in a RMG. I am very sad because RMG used to be so good and dependable. Issues/Concerns: 1. Dinner party was seated 20-minutes before any water or bread was brought out. First came the water, then 20-minutes later the bread, then 20-mintues later the drink order, then 20-mintues later the meal orders, then 20-minutes later the appetizers, and so on. I'm okay with a leisurely dining pace, but this was ridiculous. 2. Initially only one wait-staff was assigned to our group of 20 until we complained to someone. From that point on, we had 1.5 wait-staff assigned. I don't fault the wait-staff; they appeared to be doing their best. 3. We were very lucky to get the separate dining area, so had a lot of privacy after the one other occupied table departed. For the entire duration of our stay (over 2-hours), that dirty table remained loaded with dirty dishes and uneaten food even though the restaurant was relatively slow. 4. We never did see the shift-manager. One would think that with a party of 20, a $400 dinner-tab on an otherwise slow Sunday afternoon, with a guaranteed 18% gratuity included in the bill, that had been pre-booked for 2-3 weeks in advance, that the management would exert a little extra effort to make sure our party was taken care of to make it a memorable event given it was such a special occasion for our parents. 5. Brother-in-law requested the waitstaff to bring one bottle of red and one bottle of white wine for each of the two tables upon initial entry. 30-minutes later, after he asked again, it was brought out and set on end of the table with no offer to pour or serve. When we rang-out, we were surprised to see the normal house-wine charged at $30 per bottle...seems very high for house wine. 6. We were all instructed to use the crayons and circle our menu choice on the menu sheets, like we were in 1st Grade. Very classy...not! 7. Appetizers were generally tasty but portions seemed small. 8. Many of the main course meals were disgusting (undercooked, cold, poor flavor, lacking any passion). For example, -I ordered Chicken Parmigiana. The angel hair pasta had vinegary-taste and was generally inedible. My Chicken Parmigiana entrée was edible, but i would submit that it was not to RMG's old-standards of excellence...I have had better hospital food. - My wife ordered a shrimp-based main course; her food was literally ice-box cold. - My son ordered lasagna; however, 10-minutes later they reported they were out of lasagna...really, RMG out-of-lasagna on a slow Sunday afternoon? He ended up with Pasta Alfredo, but the noodles were grossly underdone to the point of being crunchy. Same with my daughter-in-laws noodles. - I could go on, but you get the point. In my opinion, there are too many other dining choices in the Phoenix-area to waste any more of my time or money at Ramono's Macaroni Grill. Again, this makes me sad because I had some great dining experiences there when they first opened. In my opinion, the fish-stinks-from-the-head-down...this is a management issue that needs to be fixed by corporate.
(1)Arlin B.
I really want to like this place, I really... really do. But after going here four times in the last year-ish and having the same experience every time, I am compelled to write: The food is always pretty good, not great but it can be surprisingly very good at times. I hope you're not hungry when you dine at this Romano's Macaroni Grill, because you'll get seated, and then you'll watch your server walk past your table 3 or 4 times without even looking at you. Then maybe they will stop by and take your drink order. They will bring you their usual bread, in an effort to make nice and to think you will forget that they made you wait for your drink.... Then they will repeat the same routine, walking past your table, but this time, about 5 or 6 times, even though your drinks are empty and your menus closed on the end of the table. Finally, they will take your order ~ spaghetti & meatballs and chicken parmigiana please... They will stop by 2 to 3 times as you wait to let you know that your food will be out in just a minute or two. 45 minutes after you ordered, your food will arrive to your table with out an apology about the long wait, and they will try to tell you "the kitchen got soooo backed up." Seriously??? We can see the kitchen from our table dude... Come on... Not to mention it's a Tuesday night with the dining room is half empty? But maybe it takes Romano's 45 minutes to boil noodles and fry a chicken cutlet? Anyway, I really want to like this place, because the food can be really good, and the restaurant is in a nice location. But I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon after having the exact same experience four times. BTW ~ we don't care for the new way your serving water by using tap water to fill a pitcher, then to be carried over to fill a container located on the center tables only to fill yet another vessel, a bottle then bring it to us as if it's bottled H2O along with two small glasses. Seriously?
(2)Mr. C.
I really like the menu choices and the food always tastes good, but they really need to lay off of the cross selling and up selling here. First the hostess, then our server took turns telling us about how awesome the (expensive) specials were, then went on to tell us about the spendy wine choices.....hey, you can take the bottle home with you. The final straw came when she brought the check and asked us if we would like to buy a ticket to a charity of some kind. My point is, not everyone wants a sales pitch as soon as their butt hits the seat...next time we'll go to Carraba's or Babo...no sales pitch there!
(2)Jackie H.
Awesome food! My girl and I were looking for something new. We found The Macaroni Grille. Every review we looked at was horrible and we were skeptical to come but we figured we'd go. Low and behold it was great, from the walk in the door we felt like royalty our server Jessi was on point not missing a beat. The place to be definitely!!
(5)R M.
Food to go is the only way to go..... Orders to go (I have placed over 5) are consistent, hot, correct, and will give you any extras requested. In restaurant service? We have actually arrived and left three times due to lack of service. Exec leadership needs to mystery shop this location and provide feedback. Orders to go get 4 stars.
(2)Johnny H.
The server was just amazingly funny! Very good service. Food and dessert was amazing! The homemade chocolate cake is a must get here.
(5)Nonda R.
Haven't been to this place in a long time. Had bad service with the location in Goodyear. So far service is good. Food was good. Location here off the I-17 and Loop 101 will have to visit again.
(4)Benjamin S.
Service is horrible. Slow and they don't care. No person seating or greeting guests as they arrive. And our server took forever to bring us anything. Asked for extra bread and they never brought it. And the food is just ok... I wish I would have just gone to olive garden instead. I would recommend throwing your money in the garbage before I would recommend anyone spending it at a restaurant with this poor of service.
(1)Chandra L.
Good food and a good show! Haha if you go, ask to be seated by the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly the chef was working. He was obviously skilled, and had a rhythm going. The other cooks just sorta stood around and watched him as he ran circles around them. The funniest part is how he totally shut down the expediter (who was a huge asshole btw). If I had any cash I would have tipped the chef, he kept his cool while producing an incredible amount of food and having to work with an asshole. The reason for 4 stars, was for cleanliness of the bathroom. There was a prom party there, and a girl got sick and threw up all over one of the stalls. When the staff came in to clean it, they just complained, made very rude comments, and said how gross it was, right in front of the girl who got sick. And rather than clean it up, she just wrote a "out of service" note on the door.
(4)Dominique M.
Coming in here for lunch made me a little nervous about the veganizability, however, this is where a good server is separated from a bad server. My server was amazing! It was a beautiful day and nobody was sitting outside so our server let us sit on the patio and take care of us while managing her other tables inside. That's when I knew we were in good hands. After looking over the menu, there really wasn't anything vegan or even close, so I asked my server to put together some sort of veganized option for me. She came out with a spinach salad, roasted asparagus, brocolettes, and pine nuts. Perfect lunch combo with the fresh spinach, smoky flavored veggies and salty pine nuts. All of it washed down with an iced tea in my glass that never went without a refill. This may be a new lunch destination next time I am in town! Thank you for not letting me down!
(5)Elizabeth T.
Love their Caesar salad fresh bread with sliced and Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper are nice touches to what is already a good dish. I've had quite a few of their dishes and never been disappointed. My BF an Italian is super picky when it comes to Italian and he likes it.
(5)Beth L.
If I rated this place solely on overall ambiance I'd give it a three star then there was that surly waiter -1 and most of all the food was just meh (not great, just meh) -1 grand total of 1
(1)Ryan R.
I was forced to handle some business on this side of town and found myself eating lunch at this Macaroni Grill. I normally stay in Scottsdale and abhor the west side of the valley. Oddly enough, the entire experience was phenomenal. The bread was warm, the drinks were cold, and the food had the right amount of salt. The service was attentive from the server to the hostess. Even the lanky manager, Larry, came by to see my table. He cleared plates and made a tiramissou recommendation. We ate it, it was ok. All in all, if I have to travel to the west side again, I would eat there. I do love salt and fat.
(5)Ebony K.
So the hubs decided he wanted some pasta for dinner, enter Macaroni Grill. We get there, get seated rather quickly, and were being taking care of by a newbie by the name of Stephanie. all was going pretty good at first. We got our drinks, we got our appetizers, plenty of bread and then it kinda went down hill. We waited, and waited and noticed that other tables around us that came in after us were already noshing on there food, so about say 45 min later my hubby was like hmmm yea ( not all that happy) He talks to the manager (who's name I am sad to say I do not remember but it was Saturday 03.29.14) and omg he was beyond generous. He comped our entire meal (apps, drinks, food) which was not even close to what we expected. We just wanted our food because we were hungry lol. My hubby loved, loved, loved his sausage and peppers and I loved my pasta di mare (with white sauce instead of red). Our waitress, Stephanie, was super apologetic and we weren't really that mad, just hungry ( even though we had bread and apps) Will we come back? Of course. This not my first time at this particular location (contrary to my check in) and it won't be my last.
(3)Marcie S.
Wow that was the best service I've ever had!!! ! And.... It couldn't have been a worse experience. Let me explain. Don was our server. His service was impeccable! We were celebrating my 12-year old granddaughter's birthday and he made her feel like she was the only patron in the restaurant. He catered to her and topped off the evening with a happy birthday song Italian-operetta style. The food was ordered and delivered in a timely and gracious manner. It was hot and delicious. As we were leaving, I asked to speak to the manager - Larry - so I could convey my appreciation for Don and his job well done. Larry was rude, and condescending, never bothering to stop wiping down his seating chart and look up at me as I spoke. When I mentioned that we had initially thought to go elsewhere because of the many negative Yelp reviews, he informed me that no one listens to Yelp anyway. It's just a bunch of unhappy people posting stuff. Well, Larry, I wasn't unhappy until I talked to you. Go see Don. Ignore Larry.
(3)Larry S.
Great service and food! The manager Larry stopped to say hello and check on us and made sure we were taken care of! We celebrated a birthday and they sang it in Italian. Very large portions and great value for the price too!
(5)Leslie M.
We were trying to figure out where to go for lunch and had recently received an offer for a $7 "express" lunch at Macaroni Grill. I hadn't been there in a few years, but my boyfriend remembered it as being one of his past favorites. We decided to give it a try. We went on a weekday around 1pm. It wasn't super busy. The dining room was about half full, and there were a few people in front of us waiting to be seated. I should have know this wasn't going to be a good experience when I noticed some people being directed to a line on one side of the dining room where I saw a sign for the "express" lunch. I really wasn't in the mood to stand in line and order my food. That was one of the reasons we picked there to eat. It was our turn, and the hostess asked if we were going to do full service dining or the express dining. Since we were hungry, we decided we might as well go with it. We got to the register and ordered. There seemed to be some confusion regarding the Chicken Caesar Calzonetto when I orderd. The cashier said it wouldn't be ready in seven minutes. I questioned her since it was clearly stated that everything on the express menu was guaranteed in seven minutes or less. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and told me it was guaranteed. Huh? We paid and noticed she put our receipt in a drawer with others. I had to ask her for it. Thought it was a bit odd that we weren't asked if we wanted it and that there was no mention of the fact that the time we placed our order was on the receipt. This was deceptive in my book. So, off we go to find a table. We were told we could sit anywhere. We found a table. Made a note of the time on our receipt and waited. Hmmmm.....No server. No silverware. No drinks. It's been five minutes and still nothing. Finally someone comes by and asks for our drink order. Our drinks are brought. At about eight miinutes after we ordered, one entree came out. We asked about the other one, and were told they bring them out seperately so they can meet the seven minute guarantee. The other one was brought at about ten minutes after. We realized at that point that we didn't have silverware. I vaguely remembered the cashier telling the people in front of us something about silverware. Off one of us goes to find it. We also didn't realize we probably needed to order anything extra with our food. We each got a sandwich. Nothing comes with it. If you want chips, salad or a cookie, you have to order that. We were asked if we wanted bread when we ordered, which I thought was odd. I don't usually want bread with my meal when I've ordered a sandwich. Everyone seemed stretched thin and it was never clear if we had a server or if it was just a group effort to make sure the "express" lunch people were taken care of. The server that brought the second sandwich told us that she would talk to the manager about a refund since the seven minute guarantee wasn't met. I will give her credit. Although she was busy, she did take the time to get back to us and even apologized that they didn't meet the time guarantee. Honestly, I didn't care that much about the seven minute thing until the cashier put the receipt in the drawer without even a mention. The whole experience was poor for what you would expect from a place like this. The food wasn't that good either. The chicken on the sandwith was good, but there was way to much wrap or bread. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parm sandwich. It was bland. Tasted like it was breaded without seasoning. The "express" line was next to the kitchen and salad prep area. Every time a server needed to check on something they had to navigate the people standing in line. This new format is ridiculous. Both the service and food suffer.
(1)Jen T.
I've been here a few times. I've sat in both the restaurant and the bar. The entrees are mediocre, and the apps are either phenomenal or mediocre. I'm a big fan of making dinner out of apps so that I can try more things, so the apps are what makes or breaks a place for me. The bartender Nico is friendly enough and makes up for the hit or miss food. If this place were a little more affordable I would get happy here more often but there are places with better food, drinks, and prices.
(3)J. J.
Sat at the bar. Good drinks, friendly staff, & fast service. The bar tender was funny and made some great recommendations on the door. Normal chain Italian food style. Nothing horrible or overly exiting.
(5)Mary G.
MaryJosephineGuzzetta@gm… April 20, 2015, 10:38 AM Monday Romano's Macaroni Grill 2949 W. Agua Fria Fwy. Phoenix, AZ 85027 macaronigrill.com General Manager Alexis Fox 1178@macgrill.com (623) 580-8681 P - (623) 516-8794 F REGARDING: Kudos to Server Mary - 10+ service Friday 4/18/15 Afternoon REFERENCE: Birthday Celebratory Visit With AZ family Dear Executive Management: Your restaurant was picked randomly as one member of the family had a business meeting nearby. We came from California to visit my son whom I had not seen since May last year. A beautiful drive with only a few rest stops had us arriving in eager anticipation. I walked in - was thirsty - asked for water; immediate assistance. I looked around - there was an aura of warmth and hospitality. We were delighted with the menu; most of all with the server. Mary truly was phenomenal - never missed a beat - gave us the utmost in professionalism coupled with priceless hospitality service. She helped make my 74th so memorable. Kudos to her. Please care/share with her - one/all. God Bless You All. Respectfully, MJG Posted: yelp.com/biz/romanos-mac…
(5)Trent Y.
Ambience was okay. I felt like I was sitting in a cafeteria. The food was rather bland and it kind of felt like I was an old person in a rest home on a specialty diet. I spoke to the management and there did not seem to be any concern at all. She said "that's the way they always do it". I ordered the lasagna and I believe the commercial product "Mrs. Stouffers Lasagna" would've been much better flavor. My wife had Chicken Marcella and that was equally bland. After four forkfuls each, we left the rest of the dinner paid the bill and left. Would we return? Not a chance in the world!
(1)Shannon H.
So we ordered from the office for about 4 people curbside service. Lots of food and stuff-hence the, bring it to my car window so I don't have to get out and try to carry all this shit! When I got there the was a car taking up both curbside parking spaces and there was no one in the car. So I called the restaurant to let them know there was nowhere for me park. The hostess literally sighed on the phone and said "I guess I can. We don't normally do that." I was like I am literally outside but the take away parking is occupied and there is no one even in the car! She's says, "Well don't you just want to come in then?" I'm not going to even finish with the food that was ok at best because her attitude pretty much sealed it for me.
(2)Arturo A.
Love it there! Bread is great and loved the chicken. The service is great and very fast.
(5)Bill J.
My partner and I had dinner at Macaroni Grill on 4/20/15. The service was terrible. My partner got his food in about 7 minutes, my order did not arrive until 15 minutes. I don't think any waiter was assigned to our table. I finally got the attention of the Manager. He was very unprofessional. We used to dine at this Macaroni Grill location regularily but the last several times the service has been very bad and the food quality has not been good. In the past the quality of the staff and Manager was high; now it is really bad.
(1)R C.
This afternoon I came to this restaurant and had a wonderful server named Leslie. She is great but the reason I am writing this review is for their management. 3 hours after I left, I realized I was a dummy and forgot my credit card. I immediately called and spoke with a manager Permisis. He stated he had my credit card and he would have it in his pocket. I let him know I am at the hotel 5 minutes away and I would be right there. He acknowledged that and said great thank you. I was to the restaurant no more than 5 minutes later and I walked in and was greeted by two hostess' who were wonderful and called another manager who was completely confused about what was happening and asked for my ID. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back who said Permisis left for the evening and he called him and he would be back to the restaurant within 15 minutes. 15 minutes later..... (I'm fuming at this point)..... Permisis waltz his happy ass inside and had the balls to simple say, "You didn't give me enough time to go Christmas shopping with your card! Can I see your ID?" I grabbed my card out of his hand and left. He followed me out to the parking lot saying I'm sorry I was joking. And I said your professionalism is lacking. I am sitting outside in their parking lot leaving this review.
(1)Jeff W.
Recently stopped for a cocktail at this MG. One of the WORST bartenders I have encountered in 40 years ! No personality, rude, slow, terrible service. I have been drinking Vodka Martinis for 40 years and he tried to tell me I didnt know how it was made. Very arrogant. Just moved into the area and my wife and I go out often. Never go back to this place again !
(1)Mary J.
Worst meals every. Meals took 2 and half hours. A roach crawling up the wall. The final blow was when my son moved his plate and a roach crawled on to his food. All of this happen last night as we came here for me grandson graduation
(1)Joe S.
Customer service sucks from staff to on duty manager! Told 3 times Will be right with you as we waited 10 mins to be seated in a almost empty restaurant. Everyone seem more concerned with cleaning up and closing than making the customer feel welcomed. If fact we felt like an annoyance. We had to find a manager just to get a server to come to our table 10 mins later. That server only came to our table twice the whole time as she was busy with "a large party." Place is under staffed
(1)Patricia B.
Came here for a business lunch a few days back. I like the warm spinach salad with scallops, and that is what I had. It was really good (4 starts). I also like the lemon cake but we passed this time. I do not remember what my coworkers ordered but I want to mention something I didn't like. Our server, whose name I do not remember... (Tony? not sure) asked for our order and then after we ordered the dish he transitioned to asking for a salad order in a way that may mislead customers to think the salad is included (I am trying hard to give him the benefit of the doubt... how would he benefit? bigger tip?) I do not like that. The proper question is 'Would you like to add a salad?'
(3)Sarah W.
I was super excited to go to this place because I've never been here. However walking in the hostess was very short coming off very rude. Keep in mind it was only like four or five in the afternoon. When we sat down the place was coming off cheap. Paper on the tables poor lighting. Not to mention we waited ten minutes just to get water! We ordered apps and y hose came out before the bread. The apps were zucchini and we're so thin and burnt was not worth the 9 dollars. And the mac and cheese that were okay but nothing special. We were never waited on by a waiter but the fricking bartender. It's wrong to have six customers two being children at the bar. And two tables from us was being waiting on by a chef. I will not being going back just because of how everything was. The only thing that was good or decent was the pasta but never again.
(1)Paula E.
Terrible service!!!! Food was ok, but don't think we will be back. They left a empty dirty salad bowl on our table for more than half an hour, gross! Many servers and managers walked by with no notice of dirty dishes on tables, we had to box up our own food, and at no time did anyone offer me a second glass of wine! Fail!!! They also sat two well dressed adults in the kiddie section, really?!?! It was not busy, early in the evening, and a full staff. There is no excuse for such terrible service! I wish I had read the other reviews before we ate here. After all these bad reviews you would think their corporate would get a clue or they just don't care either! Lazy and apathetic is no way to go through life.
(1)Jessica L.
I went here to meet a client for lunch recently. The service was quick and the food was okay, but I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. I got a half sandwich and a cup of soup with an ice tea and by bill was $16 out the door with tax and tip. At similar Italian restaurants you can get an entire sandwich and a bowl of soup with a drink plus tax and tip for about $3-4 less. It's not drastic; just comparing apples to apples.
(3)Robert D.
Had an amazing meal last night at this wonderful restaurant. Ask for Danny and get fantastic service!
(4)Justin L.
I'm a big pasta guy, can probably eat it every night of the week if it were a more slimming dish. But I'm usually not a big fan of the chain Italian places i.e. Olive Garden and here. But after a long relationship with Olive Garden and their more than average prices for their less than average food. We stopped here for a change. It's the same old stuff, pasta, meats, salads, seafood. I used to never want to come here because I thought it was way more expensive than Olive Garden but I was wrong, I was able to find more of what I like for less of a price. I'm only recommending this place if you have thought of everything and nothing sounds good enough or close enough to drive. But I'll take it over Olive Garden any day.
(3)Jeff L.
This is a review of several visits I have made to this establishment. It is hit or miss. Usually they are 4 or 5 stars. My last visit was a 1, and thus the average dropped significantly. We went at about 6:00PM on a Saturday night. This one let me down on my last visit. The food was cold. Luke warm at best...and one of the items was soup...and it was one of the specials of the day. Seriously soup? I think they put it in the bowl and it sat on the counter for 30 minutes before it was brought to the table. We had two orders and they were both cold. Also ordered the pork chop special. When it arrived it was cold/luke warm as well. The risotto was not cooked enough and cold. The pork chop was kind of tough. Not juicy and tender like the server promoted it to be. My dinner companion's food was also cold. It also looked like it sat out for awhile. and had give away glazed look to it. Very disappointing. I do not know who's fault it is... the kitchen for not timing the dishes or the server not bringing the food out when it is ready. My back was to the kitchen so I could not see it come up to know for sure. I suspect the server as he reported they were putting the finishing touches on one of the appetizers and it didn't make it to the table for 20 minutes after his last update. Note to servers: Don't put your hands in your hair and play with your zipper. Dude, you are serving food!! Overall, I find MGs food salty which requires frequent drink refills...our server kept up on that nicely. Because it is so close to home, I am sure I will be back, as other visits were not so disappointing. Lunch seems to be the best time to go to this location based on past experiences and I would put them at 4 to 5 stars.
(3)Albert H.
Slow prep time for food - nowhere near the time I was told it would be ready. Seemed like hectic employees scurrying around with hardly any customers in sight. Parking is generous for this location. Food was nothing to complain about, but not clearly a notch above other chain Italian like Olive Garden or Buca di Beppo.
(3)Lesa C.
Food was slow and cold when it finally gets to you. Wait staff was slow to take drink and food order. Bread made it to the table 20 minutes after we sat down. Lunch for five adults from start to finish took 90 minutes and it was not very busy on a Thursday! I will not go back again.
(1)Amy C.
I have eaten at other Macaroni Grills in Az and outside. This particular location has issues with the food being overdone. Way overpriced and the sampler platter consisted of a handful of calamari, two pieces of rustic toast with shaved parm and a side of tomatoes "bruschetta"- I think not, and three mozzarella sticks FOR $11???? Three slices of tomato with small lumps of mozzarellla on each a Capresse salad? Quality, quantity and price are so scewed here- better go to Carraba's for almost the same price. Service was good though.
(1)Mandah C.
I could eat Penne Rustica all say every day!
(5)Kayleigh L.
I have been to several different Romano's locations and I was very upset with my recent experience at this location. When we first walked in it smelled like sewer. It was disgusting. So we opted to sit outside as it was really nice out. Our sever was slow and kept forgetting things and then our food came out cold! That was not cool, especially considering they were very slow at that time. It was just a bad experience and I will avoid this location in the future.
(2)Janed B.
Appetizer - terrific! Meals were so-so. Dessert wonderful! We were lulled into expecting a great meal having just enjoyed Macaroni Grill's freshly baked ciabatta bread. And, our appetizer of stuffed mushrooms was excellent - flavorful and a bit spicy, not the usual crabmeat but instead a filling of sausage, goat cheese and spinach - a generous dish. As for the main dishes, our server assured us that we were making good choices - our mistake in believing her. In the past we've enjoyed our Macaroni Grill meals. This visit I had the Pan Seared Branzino - a tasteless grilled whitefish served over arugula. It lacked any flavor, even the requested extra sauce didn't help. My lunch buddy's Pesto Spaghetti was bland, nothing special. We ended the meal with an absolutely delicious Ghiradelli chocolate cake warm from the oven. Quality chocolate really does make a difference. This was a cake to die for! It was beautifully presented along with a small bowl of hot chocolate and whipped cream. This dessert almost made up for our very mediocre and somewhat pricey main dishes. I think a future visit may be for cake only!
(3)Had R.
This location has always looked after me, specially the 2 guys behind the bar. The food was really good, the staff have always been excellent, and tonight was no exception.
(5)Julie S.
Terribly understaffed. Food ordered at reasonable time, but beverages were still not brought 25 minutes after being sat. Not exaggerating I was on an hour lunch break I was watching the clock. Can say much for the food because we had to leave before it was ready. May try for dinner but never again for lunch!
(1)Carrie F.
4 year old wanted spaghetti and meatballs so here is where I took her. Oops. Not busy and it took 2x for them to get BOTH of our meals correct. Hers had no meatballs and mine was so overcooked. What is funny is there was some kind of manager meeting there and this still was all messed up. Not sure it's worth going back. I mean my meal was over $11 for pasta, a bland sauce, and about 4 pinches of chicken and sausage. Eh.
(3)Taylor Momo J.
I've been here many times. Today they had a new menu. I like seafood so I get a pasta bowl. I tasted it and the noodles were chewy. I mentioned it to the waiter and he spoke with a manager. Manager came right over and explained that it was a new noodle with a very different texture. He understood I wanted a more usual, soft noodle, and replaced my meal without hesitation. And that he would remind wait staff to mention the new noodle difference. The replacement was great. So kudos to great service and understanding. They also do still have the make your own bowl which I might stick with next time. :)
(5)william r.
absolutely dreadful. mac grill has been awful for awhile, but only went for daughters 13 birthday (her choice-her day) service was rotten, i had some whole wheat fettucine dish that had no sauce and was god-awful. 2 vodka/soda drinks were a joke and if not for a birthday, would've created a scene. place was dead and there is a reason for that. after dinner, 8 min wait for a dessert with 3 tables occupied! really? next time chef boyardee out of a can. this place is for suckers.
(1)Wayne K.
It's been awhile since I've been in this particular Macaroni Grill. That's probably good since I was able to note the significant decline in the food and service. I was there for lunch. Arrived at 12:45 pm. Slightly less than 50% occupancy in the dining room. My wife and I were seated immediately by the manager who was busy working the tables. As I was about to be seated in the booth, I noted the booth seat was covered in crumbs. The manager wiped it down remarking the busser didn't wipe it down (considering I hadn't seen a single busser, the manager was the one bussing tables). I ordered the center cut lamb spedini and garden salad. The server asked if medium rare was okay since that's how it's normally served. I was fine with that. Salad arrived fairly promptly but I quickly noticed it was far from fresh. looked like bag salad about 3 days old. Wilted on the edges, limp and of generally unappetizing appearance. I sent it back without requiring a replacement. Main course arrived and first cut revealed it was well done. I cut a few more. Well done too. Wait...I thought she said medium rare? Cool pink center remember? The server asked how it was and I told her not what was ordered. She returned it (kept the veggies to eat while new lamb was brought back). Replacement came out perfect and was juicy and tender. Previous was quite dry which led me to believe they're pre-cooking their meat, hence the well done as soon as it's heated up. Manager never came to the table for either the salad or the lamb. in most places, the manager is required to authorize any reissue on plates. I would have been at the table in an instant to ensure I met the customer's concern/complaint. I think he was too busy making busy work. I noticed him walking around quite a bit but only sliding plates around in the kitchen window or placing salt and pepper shakers nicely. He was clueless and it showed in food quality and service. He was sweaty down the back of his shirt which may be fine for McDonalds, but not for a restaurant. Years ago this was an ememplary dining establishment. Based on recent service I don't expect it to survive unless serious management is brought in.
(1)Jessica P.
So I used to go here all the time at absolutely the wrong time... when it was PACKED. It is NO fun when it's packed. The tables are very close together and it makes for a lot of noise and the servers are tripping on everything. So, tip... go when it's not busy, like lunch. Or a non-weekend evening. What's cool about the Macaroni Grill is the paper on the table. Great for children and great for "I'll-never-grow-up" adults. My husband and I had a blast drawing silly things, like fire breathing chickens of DOOM. :-) The menu: The spinach and artichoke dip is to die for. I love my artichoke dip and those other places can get pretty bland. This one is NOT bland. I had the lobster ravioli... very nicely HOT and tasty. My hubby had one of the chicken dishes... which was tasty as well. Service was good... it was pretty dead in the place so, clearly that's to be expected.
(4)Lucinda N.
12/2/11: 10 minutes after I ordered my lunch, server returns to tell me my dish is very popular and it's going to be 20 minutes and hands me the menu. If my meal isn't here within 20 minutes, they will lose another star.... just not worth giving them 3 stars
(2)Trisha B.
My friend picked up food here for us and her chicken was hardly cooked! Another friend had the same problem! I think this sums it up!
(1)Judgmental B.
We went there to attend a meeting with our clients, I ordered a eggplant parmisan... another co-worker ordered the same, he started eating before I did... I was about to eat and he whispered it to me, dont eat the eggplant is raw, it can make us sick... i stopped and examined and i observed the same. Anyways our clients were happy with what they ordered. We decided to proceed with our meeting and discussing work and not make a big deal about it. I did not eat all and just had my lemonade. Next instance, it was my son's first birthday and we thought of having a dinner party, although RMG was never our first priority, my wife still decided to at least give them a call and ask them about party menu and other arrangements. They were the most expensive and totally INflexible. They said we could not make any changes to menu blah blah. We said thank you and proceeded with Olive Garden Happy valley.
(1)Eric G.
Waitress was rude, food was cold service sucked.. Never again!!!!
(1)Korina A.
Ulgh. We knew better. But we had a gift card. How can you resist $25 off your meal, right? It was a Saturday night, peak dinner time. The place was packed. Well, it must not have been *too* full, as we were immediately seated. But it certainly felt jammed. That was probably due to the fact that they crammed about 500 tables in the space the size of a Starbucks. To boot, those table were stocked with crying babies. Lots of crying babies. I felt kind of bad for our server, who was a big girl. She could barely get through the back to back chairs in order to reach our table. However, during the course of dinner, my sympathy waned, as I realized she sucked as a server. I can't stand having to look at empty dirty plates, and we had to do that a lot. I was also thirsty a lot. Now the food... wow, the food. OK, it started well enough, kind of. First, we got a really yummy loaf of rosemary-laced bread, served with EVOO and cracked pepper. That's it. No balsamic or herbs or salt. That would've been fine, if they olive oil was fantastic. But it wasn't. The blah oil set the tone for the rest of the meal. Blah, blah, blah. The only flavor in any dish, was a hint of butter. Everything was dreadfully underseasoned. My lobster ravioli primarily tasted of the spinach pasta that surrounded it. It could've really used some garlic, salt, and some herbs. The whole meal was completely underwhelming, and I was resentful for having spent *any* money on it. Damn you, gift card.
(1)Daren C.
Service was 2 stars, the guy did not want to be there. Food was 3.5 stars I had a Pollo Caprese which is a grilled chicken breast in a lemon butter type sauce served with thin noodles and cherry tomato sauce. It also had 4 small bites of cheese which I suppose was homemade mozzarella? While it was all good, it was just boring. Nothing stood out and said "Hey you really like this" Just average food. Now I remember why it has been years since we have been there.
(3)Craig K.
Food: Edible. Not great. I got the Pasta Sampler and it seemed like it spent a little to long under a heat lamp. The prosciutto mac n cheese was the highlight. The rest not so great. My wife got the chicken parmesan. She thought it was alright. Kind of expensive for what you get also. Ambiance: Pretty cool. My daughter had a great time drawing on the "tablecloth". Service: Excellent. Casey (KC?) was great. He was the only thing that saved this place from 2 stars. Overall it wasn't bad enough to not go back but not good enough to make the regular rotation.
(3)Buzz F.
Solid Chain Italian food
(5)Anthony B.
Service was terrible. It started when I asked for a different table and the hostess said no. That should have been my clue. The food was tasteless. I have ordered the shrimp portofino several times previous. I always thought it was good. But tonight it was awful. I'll never come here again.
(1)Brian M.
Typical Italian chain. Great fresh bread and friendly service. Kind of cheesy to have paper on table to protect the tablecloths. Food was hot and tasty, though I'm not a fan of giant chunks of garlic in pasta. My only real shock was the terrible beer selection. 9 beers and all of them are domestics. They have kiltlifter and Sam Adams seasonal. Not a semblance of a medium bodied beer. Sad for an italian place.
(4)Barbara A.
Went on a busy Friday night. My friend's eggplant parmesan was good. My mushroom ravoli was also good, except it arrived a little rubbery as if it had sat waiting for pickup a little too long. We sent the tiramisu back as it was the most pitiful rendition I have ever been served. The waiter did his best although he was covering too many tables.
(3)Judy L.
I have eaten at many Romano's Macaroni in and out of AZ. The quantity and quality of the food has been decreasing over the years. I am very bummed out about this. During lunch, my brother and I ordered dinner portions. When the food came out it was more like lunch portions. 1/2 a chicken breast for the chicken parm and a handful of noodles on a huge plate. My pasta milano was 1/2 the portion from previous visits. Our server was awesome, attentive our entire visit.
(2)Heather E.
Went here for a quick lunch ended up waiting for 40 minutes for our entree salad took 20. Food was definitely not worth the wait. Server brought us plates with food on them and seemed annoyed when I asked for clean ones. Crostini that came with the salad was stale. I also asked for a peach tea that I never received. Chicken scalloppine was terrible instead lf it coming with marsala sauce it was drenched in oil. It's too bad this was such a bad experience. Desert ridge location is much better and the only reason I came to this location in the first place. Will not be back.
(1)Yvette R.
It wasn't "A-Ok", but I am not a huge fan either. Macaroni grill deserves a little more than an A-okay. It's for sure better than Olive Garden and great for a fast Italian chain. The food was actually decent and reasonably priced. I will come back again.
(3)Michael N.
While in Phoenix with some teammates for a competition, we all decided to go out to dinner together. Everyone agreed on Italian, so we started calling around looking for a table. Fun fact: finding a table for twelve people ninety minutes before you want to eat on a Friday night, should probably not be Plan A. Fortunately for us, Macaroni Grill was more than happy to hold a table for us, provide excellent and attentive service, serve us yummy food, and even split the check. We're in Phoenix around this time many years, and will definitely consider coming back next year.
(5)geoff s.
I used to love this place. Went on a Friday night and the place was half full (being kind). Service was nice, but slow. Our waitress was covering several tables while several other employees stood and did nothing or gave the appearance of being busy. Food was bland, over cooked and luke warm - cold. From the appetizer to the entrees, nothing was up to previous visits. Would not recommend going back until something big changes. Cooks? Menu? Managers?
(2)Annelyse G.
Ok I'll be honest. Only good things about this place? The paper on the tables and the bread. Their food has always been inconsistent with me and my family. I love the bread at the beginning as it's a good thing to have if the food takes to long, and me being an artist and having the table with paper on it in front of me is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen. I just can't give them a good rating since their food and service is always on the bad side.
(3)Kelly A.
Always great service and food everytime I come to this location.
(5)