On a recent visit, the food was alright, the server more than a bit rushed, but we enjoyed our meal...that is, until we saw one of the chefs handling a pasta order with his bare hands. No more visits there for us.
(2)
Emma F.
I have been to a few different Macaroni Grill locations before and was never really thrilled by them. Then. I decided to go to this location last week and was quite pleased. It was a Saturday night, but we were seated right away. The waiter was friendly, although a little slow at times. I really enjoyed the decor of the restaurant. There was a lot of stonework and it looked really nice. In terms of food, the bread was amazing! It had kind of like a salty flavor to it, but it was really good! I stayed pretty traditional with my entree and had chicken fettuccine alfredo. No complaints here. The sauce was great and it wasn't overly creamy like some other restaurants, it was just right. And the portions weren't too enormous. I hate going out and having so much food that you feel sick afterwards. That makes you not like the restaurant. But Macaroni Grill had just the right size portions that I didn't feel gross after eating. I will definitely be back again.
(4)
Mike W.
As far as chain restaurants go, this is the best one I've been to in a while. If you've seen the 2008 documentary Food, Inc, you know a lot of lab work and testing goes into making this food taste the way it does. Well let me tell you, science tastes fantastic. Service was a little slow at the bar, but our waitress was prompt without being pushy and brought new bread without being asked. And didn't look annoyed when we took a while to decide on our entrees. The decor helps greatly with the experience. It's the same as any other macaroni grill but is far less bland and depressing than olive garden. I still prefer the unique experience of locally owned restaurants, but if I have to go to a chain, this is the one I want to go to.
(4)
Katey O.
Wow. I stopped by this location with my uncle, cousin, and my cousin's two kids (both under 5). We checked in and were told the wait would be 15 minutes. NOT SO!!!! We waited for 50 minutes while other groups who had arrived AFTER us were seated, even parties with the same table request that we had asked for (5 including a high chair). A 6 top and a 7 top were sat before us!!! I can understand a 2 top or even a 4 top, but c'mon, really??? I asked when our table would be ready and mentioned that the kids were hungry and had a long drive home ahead of them. The response I was given was "there's a table open, it's just not cleaned off yet." Uh, how long does it take to clean off a table???? Anyway, they finally sat us a few minutes later and the kids were restless. We sat for TEN MINUTES without anyone even coming to greet us or take our drink order. As a former server, I know that the goal is to greet the table by 2 minutes AT THE MOST. So, we realized that the kids were not going to make it through dinner and I walked my family out to their car. I was going to call corporate, but decided to talk to the manager instead. She said the typical manager thing, she's sorry... yadda yadda... and asked what she could get me off the menu. She did give me a comped cherry coke and a meal to go, which was nice. All in all, not fond of the experience.
(1)
Mike E.
why on earth would you pay for such mediocrity?
(1)
Sahana S.
One of the fine restaurant in cockeysville.its a total value for money and time. Their ambience is beautiful with friendly staff and good music.must try their oven fresh bread and pasta. This place is a must visit.i highly recommend this place for good Italian food.
(5)
Crystal B.
I don't think these reviews give enough credit. I dined here last night and actually I really liked the decor and found the staff to be very attentive and nice. We were very well taken care of and the food was very yummy. Because of some allergies we had to modify our orders and the kitchen easily complied and none of us got sick which means none of our allergies were triggered. I go to lots of fine dining places that make me sick after I tell them I'm lactose intolerant and this dinner surpassed my expectations. All these reviews are not accurate, we had great service and delicious food, and the ambiance is pleasant and bright!
(4)
Jason P.
For a chain, it's great food. 10 years ago, this used to be the place I'd ask to go when I got a good report card or for my birthday dinner. As an adult, it's the place I go occasionally for a consistent and easy create-your-own pasta. I've been here an unhealthy amount (according to Mint). However, I have recently had multiple poor experiences -- primarily surround curb-side to go and eating in the bar area. To-Go is just really 'iffy' on experience. Macaroni Grill corporate 'took care of me' so I won't hold that against them -- just beware. The bar area is understaffed - simple as that. The poor guy working the bar area has to juggle more than a 1/2 dozen tables AND the bar tops AND making the alcoholic drinks AND getting the food from the kitchen. I can't hold the poor service against him because he's a nice guy and does the best he can. This is managements fault.
(4)
Allegra S.
Save your money, and goto a real Resturant. The wait service was terrible, waiting 10 minutes for glasses of water and 1 soda.. and there was a fly in 1 drink.. The food presentation was messey... the pasta and sauces were not hot, lasagna was cold, asked for a side of sauce and it was brought our right away, but it was ice cold.. It's an Italian Resturant, Shouldn't there be a pot of red sauce on the stove at all times?? Where did then even get cold sauce? Took us 1 hour and 20 minutes from start to finish, no liquer or drinks, no appetizers, and this was on a Thursday !!
(1)
Kyle D.
Horrible experience, save your money, the kitchen is terribly slow and the manager is too good to come over and apologize for the slow service. Food is mediocre.
(1)
Dave A.
OMG. $7 in 7 minutes grilled cheese ... NOT. $7 in 37min maybe First , the wait staff had no idea how to use the quick system for the rush service. The person who tried wasn't authorized for the register. So we ordered and waited. They bring the sandwich and the hot grilled cheese with ham has a warm bun and ice cold cheese. Not sure how they managed to melt cold cheese. We ask for it to be heated or remade. Gave them the choice. 5 minutes later the manager comes and says, you didn't like your sandwich? So we wait another 10 minutes. This is not my typical experience at Macaroni grill , but if reviews are indicating this is a problem Does anyone from corporate the grilled cheese had cold cheese but a toasted bun.
(2)
Faisal A.
This restaurant WAS my favorite , now, nothing would give me a chance to visit it again! They were used to have fresh pastas, but now it seems that they cook from ready made pasta which is bought from Walmart !!
(1)
Alden P.
My penne rustico I was very good, my wife's eggplant parma was too. Service was friendly and adequate but light due to a no-show cook, so the poor waitress had to do some of the prep herself. But overall a nice evening.
(4)
Jen S.
Food was delicious, wine was half priced and very good, environment was nice. If you like Italian, this is definitely a place to go!
(5)
Morgan B.
I like to stop here before or after visiting family in the area. Last friday will be my last visit. I've noticed a slight decline in recent months and now I'm tired of coming back in hopes they would change for the better. I ate lunch around 12:30-the restaurant was a empty, a few older people were dining in as well. I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and shrimp along with their house white since it was half priced due to their Uncork Summer event. Their house white is ok if you like a generic dry white. Its certainly not worth is normal price tag of $30. The complimentary bread was over salted on the top. I was surprised when my meal came out exceptionally fast. My first couple of bites I noticed that there were large cut chunks of raw garlic in the dish. I've never had an Alfredo dish that had raw garlic in its sauce. Their grilled chicken is always done well but the shrimp are small and do not have the char marks like their chicken does. When I was almost finished with my meal and went to take my last few bites I noticed a short curly black hair in my food. I have long red hair and it was pulled up so it was not mine. At this point I was so fed up I just wanted to leave. I promptly got my check, paid and left. I'm not sure if these problems are just at this current location but next time I'm in the mood for Italian I'll stop in at Carrabba's.
(1)
Tim H.
I love the seafood pasta, the house salad with the house dressing and the calamari. The service was OK but friendly. It wasn't very late but it wasn't packed. Far from what I remember when I would go there in the past when it was always packed up until around 830 or 9 on a Friday night. Overall the meals were great and the experience was good. If you like Italian food are in the mood for something simple and predicable, try this place out. Thanks for reading my review. This review is based off of my personal experience and opinion.
(3)
LC C.
We came here last weekend and had a great experience. Lots of negative reviews on here, but we were very pleased. Service was excellent! Our server was very attentive and very nice. We ordered a bottle of the house wine to start along with the meatball and mac and cheese bite apps. Both were very good. I ordered the penne rustica, which I would def reccommend. It was delicious! The boy got the chicken under a brick, which he loved. I tried it as well and it tasted great. Overall, we had a very nice experience here.
(4)
XI X.
The food is ok. The ambiance is ok. The service is usually ok. Overall the place is ok. Obviously nothing really stands out as being amazing with the exception of the tiramisu. The chicken florentine salad used to be so much better with spinach instead of the romaine and iceberg mix they use right now.
(3)
Scott B.
This is the second time we came to the restaurant within the last month. Unfortunately, both times we went to the bar prior to sitting down. Each time I stood at the bar for over 5 minutes waiting to be acknowledged let alone waited on. Very disappointing. Table service has been good. Bar is a zero.
(1)
Mike H.
Where do I start.....if I could give this place a 0 star review....I would. I came her last night (Saturday) with my girl for our anniversary. We pulled up around 830 pm and the parking lot had maybe 10 cars in it (I should have known to drive away). We walked in and there were about maybe 15 people eating dinner and that covered about 1/3 of all of the tables. I told the hostess we had two people...he asked us to wait while he cleaned a table off (How in the world was there not a table cleaned off!!! There were an easy 15 tables not being used). I should have just walked out at that point, but I stuck it out. When we sat down....I looked at the plate in front of me and it had trash on it (I told our waitress that it was dirty and she took it from me, but again....the hostess was the one who set our table up). I also took a look at the silverware and that was dirty so I gave that back to her as well. Then, after we were seated our waitress was nice; however, we ordered 2 appetizers for $9 (zucchini fritti & fried mac and cheese balls). Let's just say none of it was fresh....frozen microwaved crap on a plate. We also got the bread and that wasn't good either. After the frozen crap on a plate.....I had enough and told the waitress that I wanted the check (mind you we were going to order main courses, but I had seen enough). I would be interested to see what a food health inspector would have to say about this place. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone!!! You are better off going to walmart and buying a TV dinner.
(1)
Laura N.
I like the bread. And that's about where it ends... I can make these dishes and spare myself the angsty college student servers.
(2)
Jim H.
The corporate-sponsored politeness of the servers may be best reason to go to Macaroni Grill. You can expect consistently chipper staff capable of writing their names upside down on your table with a crayon (I used to be impressed), a warm loaf of rosemary bread with the plate of olive oil, and the mandatory baseball bat-sized pepper grinder treatment. I love constancy, and this place gives it, albeit to the point of dullness. We visited this location after a long hiatus. I never really CRAVE the food here, It just happens to be there when we're in the vicinity. For whatever reason, they took one of our favorite dishes off the menu-the pork chops with mushroom risotto. Our waiter commented that a lot of patrons missed this. Ah well... I had the "Pasta Milano" with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (Normally I think sun dried tomatoes are thrown into far too many dishes, but it works here.), and micro chicken. I had about three small pieces of chicken in it. Now c'mon! Chicken is so freakin inexpensive, it's like pasta and coffee-there's no overhead-it's nearly an all-profit food! Anyway, I do like the cream sauce and had plenty to eat. My girlfriend had the eggplant parmesan. Her comment was that the tomato sauce on the pasta was delicious and fresh, but that the parm cheese on the eggplant was your garden-variety greasy pizza hut cheese. Deserts keep getting smaller here--I'll stake my life on this fact. No matter, though, because we like the lemon passion cake, grumble about how small the portion of it is, pay our bill, add the 15 to 20% gratuity and silently shake our heads wondering why we keep coming back. For me it's all about the crayons....
(3)
Paul S.
Could have been a 5 star rating, but there were a few slips along the way. We did get seated quickly even though there were six of us. Our waiter was very friendly, answered all our questions. So far so good. We ordered two tapas. Only they didn't come out at the same time. They waited til we finished one, waited awhile then brought out the other. Kind of ruins the whole "Meant to be shared" Dynamic of it all. As far as my main dish, I will say the menu seemed either very repetitive with ingredients I wasn't too fond of, or there was not a great of a selection as I hoped. So I opted to build my own pasta. I mean who has better taste in ingredients than yourself? The side dish ingredients you could select for free seemed somewhat strange for pasta. Like spinach, pine nuts (not in a pesto) and beans. And the add on items that did make sense (I got prosciutto and shrimp) were 4 bucks a pop. So that 11 dollar build your own pasta turned into an $18 dollar dish. One of the most expensive menu items. The sauces were really basic. Alfredo, Red Sauce, Garlic Cream, and a mix of tomato and cream. No olive oil or white wine sauce which disappointed me. Despite the pricey-ness of it all, flavor on everything I picked delivered. Again, you will likely not fail if you are picking what you like. Though the prosciutto was more chewy than crispy like it should be. The shrimp tasted wonderful though, the sauce tasted like an entire bulb of garlic and the portion size was big. I didn't need a salad or dessert. I thought everything would end on a good note, the check comes and 18 percent is already added because there are 6 of us. I thought 8 was the rule for that but whatever. I end up paying $26 for a bowl of pasta and a soda. Kind of insane. Good food but not good prices. Come here with a loaded wallet. Lastly, as great as the server was it must have taken him an extra hour and a half to pick up our paid checks as well as get the checks to us in the first place. I really despise places that do this to patrons. Rush us to eat then make us wait forever on you. In the end I think what took away stars for me was the surprise pricing of everything. I could have had a three course meal for $26
(3)
Melissa S.
Here for my mother's 60th birthday. Wait staff has an attitude & wasn't set up for our party of 20 even though I called a week ago to reserve! We get one loaf of bread every 20 minutes. I'm not very optimistic about the meal!!
(1)
Lauren S.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night with my boyfriend and one of my good friends. We got seated rather quickly, but before my friend got there. Boyfriend and I placed an order for an app, then said friend showed up. 15 minutes later the waiter came back, said they were all out, and ignored my friend--whom he did see--and walked away without taking her drink order. Another 20 minutes roll by and he takes our order, as well as her drink order. The food was pretty bland. My mushroom ravioli was good, in fact I almost ate the whole thing. However, I don't see myself coming back to have a sit down meal here. Maybe for carry out, since the ravioli was good.
(3)
Michaek S.
Should be named "Macaroni's Near-Miss Grill". Not much has changed since my last review, though the wine system is now different- no more big jug/hash mark honor system! Though the house red is still decent- a nice, fruity, cherry-toned chianti. They sold us a magnum (half-price on Thursdays!) and we were allowed to take home the leftovers. This place has potential- generally, ingredients are high quality and tasty. But small misteps in kitchen skill mar what could be a 4-star experience. And, again, the more basic the dish, the better off you are. Rosemary bread was tasty- until we got to the corners. They were rock-hard, as if it had been re-heated in a microwave a bit too long. Big minus-- the rest of the bread was really good, but those corners--- ruined the whole concept of fresh-baked bread. Salads were all fresh, crispy, nicely dressed, good mix of Romaine, thick carrot shreds, lots of juicy, ripe grape tomatoes, passable croutons. Spaghetti and meatballs- decent job. Tasty, rich tomato sauce, a sh!tton of nice al-dente spaghetti, meatballs were tender, flavorful- but a tad too salty for me. (My son originally wanted pizza, but they ran out of dough! Apparently Thursdays are also half-off pizza day!) My wife had a shrimp pasta dish- nice fresh spinach on top, shrimp were good, but their presence was skimpy, as was presence of pine nuts. Her pasta was a bit overcooked, too. I had chicken parmesan- nice, real chicken breast meat (right texture, not that water-injected pre-formed stuff), a bit of crispy spicy breading, nice slice of mozzerrala, rich, sweet tomato sauce with little pop of sweet, smoky roasted grape tomatos and anisey-tang of fresh basil shreds...that was GOOD!- side was whole wheat fettucine. Points for having whole wheat, minus for slightly undercooking it. Service was quick, helpful, and friendly. Place was crowded, too. Bottom line- place uses good ingredients, but can treat them poorly and skimps on expensive ones, resulting in inconsistent meals- from "Dag, this is awesome" to "eh, could be better". Kitchen staff truly needs better training. This is a fine place for a moderately priced Italian dinner with family members of all ages- far beter than Olive Garden and most pizza places- just don't get expecations up too high. And, sadly, it could be so much more.
(3)
Joanne S.
Went to macaroni grill for happy hour and flatbread pizzas. One was cold and the other borderline cold. Sent one back so they could warm it up and it came back burnt. The waiter offered to have them make a new one, but really would u serve your customer a burnt flatbread pizza. Common sense says no. The last time we were there we had a hair in the one flatbread. They need to do some work in the kitchen.
(2)
Kyaw M.
First misstep: nobody at the front desk for about 5 minutes... Second misstep: no server for another 5 minutes after we sat down... Third misstep: no bread, straight to entree..the server didn't even bother to entice us with drinks or appetizers, and entree came out the next time we saw him... Food: kinda split on this one..chicken parm was above average, but lobster ravioli was a HUGE mistake. It's a dish that Robert Irvine would have a fit over. Frozen lobster meat, frozen ravioli and both chewey and clearly overcooked and certainly not fresh. I should have known better.... I thought a MG cannot possibly get a 2 star, but I was wrong. It is going the wrong way as far as chain restaurants go.
(2)
Jennifer S.
l enjoyed mediocre shrimp (Gibby's tiny shrimp) with four pine nuts, the mushrooms, and the not al-dente pasta. They allegedly ran out of pizza dough, which I can make easily at home. My son had a fly in his coca-cola. The bread is frozen and overcooked. The basics, Spaghetti and Meatballs. was execptional.. I enjoyed my side ceasar salad.
(2)
A. G.
How does this place stay in business? There must be other fantastic Macaroni Grill's out there serving outstanding food, it's just not this one. Avoid it at all costs. We ordered the "lobster stuffed" clams - They must have just waved the lobster over the clams instead of actually putting it IN the stuffing. It was bread crumbs and chopped bell peppers - and somewhere in all that was the clam, I think. After waiting 35 minutes for the food to arrive, my daughters kid pizza tasted like the stuff you get at the bowling alley, and my Wife's fish was greasy and over cooked. The biggest atrocity was the " Chicken Under a Brick - sage-roasted half chicken, asparagus, roasted potatoes, diavola sauce" What came was. a squashed, burnt, chicken breast, gobs of shriveled skin, and a bit of thigh roughly the size of a half dollar. Served with roasted potatoes from yesterdays leftovers. Completely inedible! On a good note, the plate was returned, the Manager took the item off the bill as a good gesture and we left... straight to Wegman's - I was still hungry.
(1)
C M.
Good food and ambiance tonight. Love the new menu. Salmon is still terrific. Carmela's Rigatoni needed a little more sauce but the flavor is still outstanding. Service was attentive. Wine is on sale for half price , going back tomorrow to pick-up some for the holidays.
(5)
Robert C.
This place is empty! The service was slow, the waiter seemed very disorganized! Bar drinks were horrible!!! We sent back the margarita's. Twice !! I will never go back to this place or ever recommend it to anyone else
(1)
David R.
Went there last night after a 2 year hiatus. Penne Rustica USED to be incredible. Looks like MG is trying to squeeze some margin dollars out of their menu offerings because they changed this winning meal and the chicken and shrimp seemed sparse and the prosciutto was non existent.
(1)
Deborah B.
Its a Saturday night and we got right in. Parking lot full and we decided to give it a try anyway. Huge age range. The bellini is always great.
(3)
Nancy M.
Update! I keep clicking away, but still cannot get rid of that one star! Had to go here again today for a co-worker's going away lunch. Almost didn't go, but hey, I won't see the guy again and I like him, so I suck it up and head over to Romano's again... First, the place was nearly empty at lunchtime, and there was our party of 11. One waitress and not the brightest at that. But OK I will cut her some slack since it was just her. I ordered a Greens side salad and the Chicken Carmela. the salad was ok...just greens. Chicken Carmela was vile. Presentation sucked too. It came in a small rectangular bowl and was heaped high. The Penne was way too aldente...as in they had that teeny bit of of crunch inside. The flavor was just not good. I fished out some chicken and ate may five bits of penne. Never was I asked if there was a problem. Nope, just got the bill, paid and swore to myself, I don't care if it is my own going away party, I will not attend! ************************* Am sill in the bar even now. Bartender spent 5 minutes taking inventory before greeting us and giving us menus, otherwise he was pleasant. Stay away from the two for Italian Tapas fare. Zucchini Fritti is limp cold and greasy. Sausage and potatoes not hot and boring and flavorless. House Chianti no flavor and no finish. Tried another recommended by the bartender, Bridlewood Pinot Noir. There are lots of good inexpensive wines out there, and this is not one of them. Bland with no finish. The bread as always, was great, but how can a restaurant stay in business based on their bread? Save yourself some money...go anywhere else, or, better yet, tonight, eat at home.
(1)
Andy B.
This place has really gone downhill. I haven't been in a year or so and was shocked at (1) how tiny the menu is and (2) the mediocrity of the food. It was a Friday night and we were seated right away, so that was a plus (although I suspect I know why). I got lasagne bolognese. It was below average. The noodles were rubbery and there was very little meat. It was, however, huge. The server was pretty good and attentive, but that can't make up for pretty horrible food. I give this 2 stars because the server was good, the rosemary bread was delicious, and the servers no longer write their names upside down using 3 crayons.
(2)
John P.
Went here while visiting family. "What beers do you have on tap?" I asked the server. "We have ... Yuengling, Stella and [some third beer]." Can't think of the last time I saw a restaurant with only three beers on tap. There's a basement bar in Southie, but that doesn't quite count as a restaurant. Neither my mom nor I could get our first request: they had taken one off the menu (without updating it yet) and were plain out of the chicken scallopine. This was well before the Sunday evening rush, mind. Pro tip: they serve wine on the honor system, leaving the bottle at your table and reckoning afterward how much you drank. This means everyone gets a swig!
(2)
Deb C.
We have eaten here many times in the past, but tonight may have been our last time. They we very slow on a Monday night so there was no excuse for the poor service. The food wasn't bad, but not great. I requested whole grain pasta but got regular pasta but after waiting a while for our meal I didn't want to send it back. Our server never even asked if we wanted a second glass of wine or a refill on our coffee...not good !
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
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.
Sidney F.
On a recent visit, the food was alright, the server more than a bit rushed, but we enjoyed our meal...that is, until we saw one of the chefs handling a pasta order with his bare hands. No more visits there for us.
(2)Emma F.
I have been to a few different Macaroni Grill locations before and was never really thrilled by them. Then. I decided to go to this location last week and was quite pleased. It was a Saturday night, but we were seated right away. The waiter was friendly, although a little slow at times. I really enjoyed the decor of the restaurant. There was a lot of stonework and it looked really nice. In terms of food, the bread was amazing! It had kind of like a salty flavor to it, but it was really good! I stayed pretty traditional with my entree and had chicken fettuccine alfredo. No complaints here. The sauce was great and it wasn't overly creamy like some other restaurants, it was just right. And the portions weren't too enormous. I hate going out and having so much food that you feel sick afterwards. That makes you not like the restaurant. But Macaroni Grill had just the right size portions that I didn't feel gross after eating. I will definitely be back again.
(4)Mike W.
As far as chain restaurants go, this is the best one I've been to in a while. If you've seen the 2008 documentary Food, Inc, you know a lot of lab work and testing goes into making this food taste the way it does. Well let me tell you, science tastes fantastic. Service was a little slow at the bar, but our waitress was prompt without being pushy and brought new bread without being asked. And didn't look annoyed when we took a while to decide on our entrees. The decor helps greatly with the experience. It's the same as any other macaroni grill but is far less bland and depressing than olive garden. I still prefer the unique experience of locally owned restaurants, but if I have to go to a chain, this is the one I want to go to.
(4)Katey O.
Wow. I stopped by this location with my uncle, cousin, and my cousin's two kids (both under 5). We checked in and were told the wait would be 15 minutes. NOT SO!!!! We waited for 50 minutes while other groups who had arrived AFTER us were seated, even parties with the same table request that we had asked for (5 including a high chair). A 6 top and a 7 top were sat before us!!! I can understand a 2 top or even a 4 top, but c'mon, really??? I asked when our table would be ready and mentioned that the kids were hungry and had a long drive home ahead of them. The response I was given was "there's a table open, it's just not cleaned off yet." Uh, how long does it take to clean off a table???? Anyway, they finally sat us a few minutes later and the kids were restless. We sat for TEN MINUTES without anyone even coming to greet us or take our drink order. As a former server, I know that the goal is to greet the table by 2 minutes AT THE MOST. So, we realized that the kids were not going to make it through dinner and I walked my family out to their car. I was going to call corporate, but decided to talk to the manager instead. She said the typical manager thing, she's sorry... yadda yadda... and asked what she could get me off the menu. She did give me a comped cherry coke and a meal to go, which was nice. All in all, not fond of the experience.
(1)Mike E.
why on earth would you pay for such mediocrity?
(1)Sahana S.
One of the fine restaurant in cockeysville.its a total value for money and time. Their ambience is beautiful with friendly staff and good music.must try their oven fresh bread and pasta. This place is a must visit.i highly recommend this place for good Italian food.
(5)Crystal B.
I don't think these reviews give enough credit. I dined here last night and actually I really liked the decor and found the staff to be very attentive and nice. We were very well taken care of and the food was very yummy. Because of some allergies we had to modify our orders and the kitchen easily complied and none of us got sick which means none of our allergies were triggered. I go to lots of fine dining places that make me sick after I tell them I'm lactose intolerant and this dinner surpassed my expectations. All these reviews are not accurate, we had great service and delicious food, and the ambiance is pleasant and bright!
(4)Jason P.
For a chain, it's great food. 10 years ago, this used to be the place I'd ask to go when I got a good report card or for my birthday dinner. As an adult, it's the place I go occasionally for a consistent and easy create-your-own pasta. I've been here an unhealthy amount (according to Mint). However, I have recently had multiple poor experiences -- primarily surround curb-side to go and eating in the bar area. To-Go is just really 'iffy' on experience. Macaroni Grill corporate 'took care of me' so I won't hold that against them -- just beware. The bar area is understaffed - simple as that. The poor guy working the bar area has to juggle more than a 1/2 dozen tables AND the bar tops AND making the alcoholic drinks AND getting the food from the kitchen. I can't hold the poor service against him because he's a nice guy and does the best he can. This is managements fault.
(4)Allegra S.
Save your money, and goto a real Resturant. The wait service was terrible, waiting 10 minutes for glasses of water and 1 soda.. and there was a fly in 1 drink.. The food presentation was messey... the pasta and sauces were not hot, lasagna was cold, asked for a side of sauce and it was brought our right away, but it was ice cold.. It's an Italian Resturant, Shouldn't there be a pot of red sauce on the stove at all times?? Where did then even get cold sauce? Took us 1 hour and 20 minutes from start to finish, no liquer or drinks, no appetizers, and this was on a Thursday !!
(1)Kyle D.
Horrible experience, save your money, the kitchen is terribly slow and the manager is too good to come over and apologize for the slow service. Food is mediocre.
(1)Dave A.
OMG. $7 in 7 minutes grilled cheese ... NOT. $7 in 37min maybe First , the wait staff had no idea how to use the quick system for the rush service. The person who tried wasn't authorized for the register. So we ordered and waited. They bring the sandwich and the hot grilled cheese with ham has a warm bun and ice cold cheese. Not sure how they managed to melt cold cheese. We ask for it to be heated or remade. Gave them the choice. 5 minutes later the manager comes and says, you didn't like your sandwich? So we wait another 10 minutes. This is not my typical experience at Macaroni grill , but if reviews are indicating this is a problem Does anyone from corporate the grilled cheese had cold cheese but a toasted bun.
(2)Faisal A.
This restaurant WAS my favorite , now, nothing would give me a chance to visit it again! They were used to have fresh pastas, but now it seems that they cook from ready made pasta which is bought from Walmart !!
(1)Alden P.
My penne rustico I was very good, my wife's eggplant parma was too. Service was friendly and adequate but light due to a no-show cook, so the poor waitress had to do some of the prep herself. But overall a nice evening.
(4)Jen S.
Food was delicious, wine was half priced and very good, environment was nice. If you like Italian, this is definitely a place to go!
(5)Morgan B.
I like to stop here before or after visiting family in the area. Last friday will be my last visit. I've noticed a slight decline in recent months and now I'm tired of coming back in hopes they would change for the better. I ate lunch around 12:30-the restaurant was a empty, a few older people were dining in as well. I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and shrimp along with their house white since it was half priced due to their Uncork Summer event. Their house white is ok if you like a generic dry white. Its certainly not worth is normal price tag of $30. The complimentary bread was over salted on the top. I was surprised when my meal came out exceptionally fast. My first couple of bites I noticed that there were large cut chunks of raw garlic in the dish. I've never had an Alfredo dish that had raw garlic in its sauce. Their grilled chicken is always done well but the shrimp are small and do not have the char marks like their chicken does. When I was almost finished with my meal and went to take my last few bites I noticed a short curly black hair in my food. I have long red hair and it was pulled up so it was not mine. At this point I was so fed up I just wanted to leave. I promptly got my check, paid and left. I'm not sure if these problems are just at this current location but next time I'm in the mood for Italian I'll stop in at Carrabba's.
(1)Tim H.
I love the seafood pasta, the house salad with the house dressing and the calamari. The service was OK but friendly. It wasn't very late but it wasn't packed. Far from what I remember when I would go there in the past when it was always packed up until around 830 or 9 on a Friday night. Overall the meals were great and the experience was good. If you like Italian food are in the mood for something simple and predicable, try this place out. Thanks for reading my review. This review is based off of my personal experience and opinion.
(3)LC C.
We came here last weekend and had a great experience. Lots of negative reviews on here, but we were very pleased. Service was excellent! Our server was very attentive and very nice. We ordered a bottle of the house wine to start along with the meatball and mac and cheese bite apps. Both were very good. I ordered the penne rustica, which I would def reccommend. It was delicious! The boy got the chicken under a brick, which he loved. I tried it as well and it tasted great. Overall, we had a very nice experience here.
(4)XI X.
The food is ok. The ambiance is ok. The service is usually ok. Overall the place is ok. Obviously nothing really stands out as being amazing with the exception of the tiramisu. The chicken florentine salad used to be so much better with spinach instead of the romaine and iceberg mix they use right now.
(3)Scott B.
This is the second time we came to the restaurant within the last month. Unfortunately, both times we went to the bar prior to sitting down. Each time I stood at the bar for over 5 minutes waiting to be acknowledged let alone waited on. Very disappointing. Table service has been good. Bar is a zero.
(1)Mike H.
Where do I start.....if I could give this place a 0 star review....I would. I came her last night (Saturday) with my girl for our anniversary. We pulled up around 830 pm and the parking lot had maybe 10 cars in it (I should have known to drive away). We walked in and there were about maybe 15 people eating dinner and that covered about 1/3 of all of the tables. I told the hostess we had two people...he asked us to wait while he cleaned a table off (How in the world was there not a table cleaned off!!! There were an easy 15 tables not being used). I should have just walked out at that point, but I stuck it out. When we sat down....I looked at the plate in front of me and it had trash on it (I told our waitress that it was dirty and she took it from me, but again....the hostess was the one who set our table up). I also took a look at the silverware and that was dirty so I gave that back to her as well. Then, after we were seated our waitress was nice; however, we ordered 2 appetizers for $9 (zucchini fritti & fried mac and cheese balls). Let's just say none of it was fresh....frozen microwaved crap on a plate. We also got the bread and that wasn't good either. After the frozen crap on a plate.....I had enough and told the waitress that I wanted the check (mind you we were going to order main courses, but I had seen enough). I would be interested to see what a food health inspector would have to say about this place. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone!!! You are better off going to walmart and buying a TV dinner.
(1)Laura N.
I like the bread. And that's about where it ends... I can make these dishes and spare myself the angsty college student servers.
(2)Jim H.
The corporate-sponsored politeness of the servers may be best reason to go to Macaroni Grill. You can expect consistently chipper staff capable of writing their names upside down on your table with a crayon (I used to be impressed), a warm loaf of rosemary bread with the plate of olive oil, and the mandatory baseball bat-sized pepper grinder treatment. I love constancy, and this place gives it, albeit to the point of dullness. We visited this location after a long hiatus. I never really CRAVE the food here, It just happens to be there when we're in the vicinity. For whatever reason, they took one of our favorite dishes off the menu-the pork chops with mushroom risotto. Our waiter commented that a lot of patrons missed this. Ah well... I had the "Pasta Milano" with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (Normally I think sun dried tomatoes are thrown into far too many dishes, but it works here.), and micro chicken. I had about three small pieces of chicken in it. Now c'mon! Chicken is so freakin inexpensive, it's like pasta and coffee-there's no overhead-it's nearly an all-profit food! Anyway, I do like the cream sauce and had plenty to eat. My girlfriend had the eggplant parmesan. Her comment was that the tomato sauce on the pasta was delicious and fresh, but that the parm cheese on the eggplant was your garden-variety greasy pizza hut cheese. Deserts keep getting smaller here--I'll stake my life on this fact. No matter, though, because we like the lemon passion cake, grumble about how small the portion of it is, pay our bill, add the 15 to 20% gratuity and silently shake our heads wondering why we keep coming back. For me it's all about the crayons....
(3)Paul S.
Could have been a 5 star rating, but there were a few slips along the way. We did get seated quickly even though there were six of us. Our waiter was very friendly, answered all our questions. So far so good. We ordered two tapas. Only they didn't come out at the same time. They waited til we finished one, waited awhile then brought out the other. Kind of ruins the whole "Meant to be shared" Dynamic of it all. As far as my main dish, I will say the menu seemed either very repetitive with ingredients I wasn't too fond of, or there was not a great of a selection as I hoped. So I opted to build my own pasta. I mean who has better taste in ingredients than yourself? The side dish ingredients you could select for free seemed somewhat strange for pasta. Like spinach, pine nuts (not in a pesto) and beans. And the add on items that did make sense (I got prosciutto and shrimp) were 4 bucks a pop. So that 11 dollar build your own pasta turned into an $18 dollar dish. One of the most expensive menu items. The sauces were really basic. Alfredo, Red Sauce, Garlic Cream, and a mix of tomato and cream. No olive oil or white wine sauce which disappointed me. Despite the pricey-ness of it all, flavor on everything I picked delivered. Again, you will likely not fail if you are picking what you like. Though the prosciutto was more chewy than crispy like it should be. The shrimp tasted wonderful though, the sauce tasted like an entire bulb of garlic and the portion size was big. I didn't need a salad or dessert. I thought everything would end on a good note, the check comes and 18 percent is already added because there are 6 of us. I thought 8 was the rule for that but whatever. I end up paying $26 for a bowl of pasta and a soda. Kind of insane. Good food but not good prices. Come here with a loaded wallet. Lastly, as great as the server was it must have taken him an extra hour and a half to pick up our paid checks as well as get the checks to us in the first place. I really despise places that do this to patrons. Rush us to eat then make us wait forever on you. In the end I think what took away stars for me was the surprise pricing of everything. I could have had a three course meal for $26
(3)Melissa S.
Here for my mother's 60th birthday. Wait staff has an attitude & wasn't set up for our party of 20 even though I called a week ago to reserve! We get one loaf of bread every 20 minutes. I'm not very optimistic about the meal!!
(1)Lauren S.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night with my boyfriend and one of my good friends. We got seated rather quickly, but before my friend got there. Boyfriend and I placed an order for an app, then said friend showed up. 15 minutes later the waiter came back, said they were all out, and ignored my friend--whom he did see--and walked away without taking her drink order. Another 20 minutes roll by and he takes our order, as well as her drink order. The food was pretty bland. My mushroom ravioli was good, in fact I almost ate the whole thing. However, I don't see myself coming back to have a sit down meal here. Maybe for carry out, since the ravioli was good.
(3)Michaek S.
Should be named "Macaroni's Near-Miss Grill". Not much has changed since my last review, though the wine system is now different- no more big jug/hash mark honor system! Though the house red is still decent- a nice, fruity, cherry-toned chianti. They sold us a magnum (half-price on Thursdays!) and we were allowed to take home the leftovers. This place has potential- generally, ingredients are high quality and tasty. But small misteps in kitchen skill mar what could be a 4-star experience. And, again, the more basic the dish, the better off you are. Rosemary bread was tasty- until we got to the corners. They were rock-hard, as if it had been re-heated in a microwave a bit too long. Big minus-- the rest of the bread was really good, but those corners--- ruined the whole concept of fresh-baked bread. Salads were all fresh, crispy, nicely dressed, good mix of Romaine, thick carrot shreds, lots of juicy, ripe grape tomatoes, passable croutons. Spaghetti and meatballs- decent job. Tasty, rich tomato sauce, a sh!tton of nice al-dente spaghetti, meatballs were tender, flavorful- but a tad too salty for me. (My son originally wanted pizza, but they ran out of dough! Apparently Thursdays are also half-off pizza day!) My wife had a shrimp pasta dish- nice fresh spinach on top, shrimp were good, but their presence was skimpy, as was presence of pine nuts. Her pasta was a bit overcooked, too. I had chicken parmesan- nice, real chicken breast meat (right texture, not that water-injected pre-formed stuff), a bit of crispy spicy breading, nice slice of mozzerrala, rich, sweet tomato sauce with little pop of sweet, smoky roasted grape tomatos and anisey-tang of fresh basil shreds...that was GOOD!- side was whole wheat fettucine. Points for having whole wheat, minus for slightly undercooking it. Service was quick, helpful, and friendly. Place was crowded, too. Bottom line- place uses good ingredients, but can treat them poorly and skimps on expensive ones, resulting in inconsistent meals- from "Dag, this is awesome" to "eh, could be better". Kitchen staff truly needs better training. This is a fine place for a moderately priced Italian dinner with family members of all ages- far beter than Olive Garden and most pizza places- just don't get expecations up too high. And, sadly, it could be so much more.
(3)Joanne S.
Went to macaroni grill for happy hour and flatbread pizzas. One was cold and the other borderline cold. Sent one back so they could warm it up and it came back burnt. The waiter offered to have them make a new one, but really would u serve your customer a burnt flatbread pizza. Common sense says no. The last time we were there we had a hair in the one flatbread. They need to do some work in the kitchen.
(2)Kyaw M.
First misstep: nobody at the front desk for about 5 minutes... Second misstep: no server for another 5 minutes after we sat down... Third misstep: no bread, straight to entree..the server didn't even bother to entice us with drinks or appetizers, and entree came out the next time we saw him... Food: kinda split on this one..chicken parm was above average, but lobster ravioli was a HUGE mistake. It's a dish that Robert Irvine would have a fit over. Frozen lobster meat, frozen ravioli and both chewey and clearly overcooked and certainly not fresh. I should have known better.... I thought a MG cannot possibly get a 2 star, but I was wrong. It is going the wrong way as far as chain restaurants go.
(2)Jennifer S.
l enjoyed mediocre shrimp (Gibby's tiny shrimp) with four pine nuts, the mushrooms, and the not al-dente pasta. They allegedly ran out of pizza dough, which I can make easily at home. My son had a fly in his coca-cola. The bread is frozen and overcooked. The basics, Spaghetti and Meatballs. was execptional.. I enjoyed my side ceasar salad.
(2)A. G.
How does this place stay in business? There must be other fantastic Macaroni Grill's out there serving outstanding food, it's just not this one. Avoid it at all costs. We ordered the "lobster stuffed" clams - They must have just waved the lobster over the clams instead of actually putting it IN the stuffing. It was bread crumbs and chopped bell peppers - and somewhere in all that was the clam, I think. After waiting 35 minutes for the food to arrive, my daughters kid pizza tasted like the stuff you get at the bowling alley, and my Wife's fish was greasy and over cooked. The biggest atrocity was the " Chicken Under a Brick - sage-roasted half chicken, asparagus, roasted potatoes, diavola sauce" What came was. a squashed, burnt, chicken breast, gobs of shriveled skin, and a bit of thigh roughly the size of a half dollar. Served with roasted potatoes from yesterdays leftovers. Completely inedible! On a good note, the plate was returned, the Manager took the item off the bill as a good gesture and we left... straight to Wegman's - I was still hungry.
(1)C M.
Good food and ambiance tonight. Love the new menu. Salmon is still terrific. Carmela's Rigatoni needed a little more sauce but the flavor is still outstanding. Service was attentive. Wine is on sale for half price , going back tomorrow to pick-up some for the holidays.
(5)Robert C.
This place is empty! The service was slow, the waiter seemed very disorganized! Bar drinks were horrible!!! We sent back the margarita's. Twice !! I will never go back to this place or ever recommend it to anyone else
(1)David R.
Went there last night after a 2 year hiatus. Penne Rustica USED to be incredible. Looks like MG is trying to squeeze some margin dollars out of their menu offerings because they changed this winning meal and the chicken and shrimp seemed sparse and the prosciutto was non existent.
(1)Deborah B.
Its a Saturday night and we got right in. Parking lot full and we decided to give it a try anyway. Huge age range. The bellini is always great.
(3)Nancy M.
Update! I keep clicking away, but still cannot get rid of that one star! Had to go here again today for a co-worker's going away lunch. Almost didn't go, but hey, I won't see the guy again and I like him, so I suck it up and head over to Romano's again... First, the place was nearly empty at lunchtime, and there was our party of 11. One waitress and not the brightest at that. But OK I will cut her some slack since it was just her. I ordered a Greens side salad and the Chicken Carmela. the salad was ok...just greens. Chicken Carmela was vile. Presentation sucked too. It came in a small rectangular bowl and was heaped high. The Penne was way too aldente...as in they had that teeny bit of of crunch inside. The flavor was just not good. I fished out some chicken and ate may five bits of penne. Never was I asked if there was a problem. Nope, just got the bill, paid and swore to myself, I don't care if it is my own going away party, I will not attend! ************************* Am sill in the bar even now. Bartender spent 5 minutes taking inventory before greeting us and giving us menus, otherwise he was pleasant. Stay away from the two for Italian Tapas fare. Zucchini Fritti is limp cold and greasy. Sausage and potatoes not hot and boring and flavorless. House Chianti no flavor and no finish. Tried another recommended by the bartender, Bridlewood Pinot Noir. There are lots of good inexpensive wines out there, and this is not one of them. Bland with no finish. The bread as always, was great, but how can a restaurant stay in business based on their bread? Save yourself some money...go anywhere else, or, better yet, tonight, eat at home.
(1)Andy B.
This place has really gone downhill. I haven't been in a year or so and was shocked at (1) how tiny the menu is and (2) the mediocrity of the food. It was a Friday night and we were seated right away, so that was a plus (although I suspect I know why). I got lasagne bolognese. It was below average. The noodles were rubbery and there was very little meat. It was, however, huge. The server was pretty good and attentive, but that can't make up for pretty horrible food. I give this 2 stars because the server was good, the rosemary bread was delicious, and the servers no longer write their names upside down using 3 crayons.
(2)John P.
Went here while visiting family. "What beers do you have on tap?" I asked the server. "We have ... Yuengling, Stella and [some third beer]." Can't think of the last time I saw a restaurant with only three beers on tap. There's a basement bar in Southie, but that doesn't quite count as a restaurant. Neither my mom nor I could get our first request: they had taken one off the menu (without updating it yet) and were plain out of the chicken scallopine. This was well before the Sunday evening rush, mind. Pro tip: they serve wine on the honor system, leaving the bottle at your table and reckoning afterward how much you drank. This means everyone gets a swig!
(2)Deb C.
We have eaten here many times in the past, but tonight may have been our last time. They we very slow on a Monday night so there was no excuse for the poor service. The food wasn't bad, but not great. I requested whole grain pasta but got regular pasta but after waiting a while for our meal I didn't want to send it back. Our server never even asked if we wanted a second glass of wine or a refill on our coffee...not good !
(1)