I wanted to like it. My whole experience wasn't very good. We ordered and waited a long time for our salads (which tastes like it was a day old). When our meals came the chicken and steak were both dry. I had plenty of room for desert and it was the worst shorbet (gritty) and cheesecake I think I've had. I'm just so glad I had gift card to cover it. I just so wanted to like it though.
(1)
Thomas B.
Tasty Italian food. Love the bread, oil and vinegar thing. Macaroni Grill is a good fall back place. Although I was disappointed that the Raspberry Lemonade did not come with refills. Overall: Decent.
(3)
Rod S.
As casual dining faux Italian goes, it's pretty good stuff. It's just been overshadowed by some of the competition lately. While most Macaroni Grills are similar, this one has never been quite as good as some other ones around the country. I just hate the gimmick of the server writing upside down on the table. Today I had the chicken cannelloni. It spent way too much time under the heat lamp, or in the convention oven to reheat. The pasta shell was slightly crunchy on the edges and pretty dried out over all. The chicken/cream cheese like sauce doesn't have much flavor and the chicken is spongy enough that you can't really tell it's in there except for vague hints of chicken flavor. I've been here many times in days gone by, but switched to Carrabba's a few years ago. I like the idea of the sea salt and oil drizzle on the focaccia bread, but my fingers are messy the rest of the meal. I was there for lunch today, and it was not very busy for a Friday lunch. It would appear I'm not the only person less enthralled by this location. In days gone by, I ate at a number of locations around the country. It was pretty popular with coworkers when I was travelling a lot. The real hook of Macaroni Grill is the cheap gallon jug of wine you get to pour yourself and drink. It makes everything better. Since this is illegal in Utah, it doesn't help soften the quality of the food. I've also noticed other locations cook the food better. That's somewhat surprising since the sauces are all sent to the restaurant already made. All they have to do is reheat them and not screw up the protein. Oh well. It's a far sight better than Olive Garden. It's OK, but I'll stick with Carrabba's locally.
(3)
Chris T.
The only reason we went here is because some bhole gave us a gift card as a wedding present. I should've just thrown it away. Here are a couple reasons why I'll be removing that person from my life. 1. Service was bad. It was Saturday night but not super busy. They somehow lost our name from the call ahead list (even though the waitress remembered the name). Waiter was slow, delivered my beer after the appetizers. Plus I can't take anyone seriously that introduces themselves with crayons. 2. Food was awful. The only decent thing we ate was the bread. Calamari and stuffed peppers were edible... Barely. Lobster in the ravioli was crunchy and chewy at the same time. The sea bass was by far the most disgusting thing I've tried to eat in a long time. Literally took one bite and I was done. When the waiter asked how everything was I told him "fine", as i was scared he would bring me something else to eat if I told him the truth. I never review things online; however, I just had to document this culinary monstrosity. The only comfort I have left is knowing that this rubbish won't remain in my body long, as I am 88% sure this experience will result in food poisoning.
(1)
Jake P.
I went to this restaurant on a Thursday night, slightly past 7:00 pm. As I expected, I arrived to find a half-full parking lot and an overall slow night inside of the restaurant. We were seated right away; "we" being my 2-year-old daughter and I. We sat, waited, and colored on the table with crayons. After more than 10 minutes of waiting my daughter became impatient and made sure I knew it. Looking around I saw the restaurant was at least half-empty. A waiter was taking care of the customers at the tables next to mine, but we were somehow being ignored or forgotten about. I decided to leave. As I walked out I passed several employees who were standing around, including the female employee who had seated us, and not a single one of them talked to us on our way out. Driving from the restaurant I decided I would call to speak to a manager. I was put on hold and after a short wait I was told the manager was busy but I would receive a callback shortly. Rather than playing phone tag with this manager I briefly explained what happened and asked the employee to relay it to the manager. The employee said he would pass it along and have the manager call me. The only problem is the employee never asked me for my phone number and if they have caller ID then the manager, for whatever reason, didn't call me back. Based on this disappointing experience I've decided I will never return to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are plenty of restaurants willing to professionally accept my patronage, the employees at this Macaroni Grill showed me they are not one of those restaurants. In conclusion, if you would like to eat at a restaurant where they pay attention to you then pass on Macaroni Grill in Provo.
(1)
Kelly W.
Had not eaten here in a few years. So much lost time! I really liked it. We definitely had to wait a bit, but that was expected. The hosting staff were very smiley and did a great job at keeping us happy. Once we were seated, I don't think I've ever had such speedy service. Had Tyler as our waiter. It's apparent that he enjoys his job. He adapted well to my group and was just like a friend. Never have had such speedy service. Hands down. Really considerate waiter. Not to mention, the food is quality. I'll be back!
(5)
Kyle F.
The good news is, the bread was as good as ever... The bad news, everything else sucked. A lot. I ordered the mushroom ravioli, and added chicken. It was just gross. I was able to lift the entire dish with my fork due to the plaster-like cheese burnt on top. The sauce was basically wine-milk, the small amount of chicken was mainly hard gristle (the additional 3$ chicken btw) And the mushrooms were almost nonexistent. Upon ordering I was asked by our friendly server if I preferred soup, or salad. I chose soup, an overly salted, strangely thick, onion soup. To my surprise the soup was NOT included with the meal, but an additional 5$. Awesome. I will not be going back to Romano's on my own free will. And if i somehow get swindled into coming here again, I will stick with bread... and only bread.
(1)
B T.
Meh. On a good day the food is just OK and I can't stand the layout of the restaurant, especially if the place is busy. The whole place is one big room with so many tables packed in it that if you lean back in your chair you might collide with someone from the next table. I there's a line, go somewhere else. It's not worth the wait.
(2)
Cassidy O.
Some of the worst service I have received thus far. For the price and the quality of service it is not worth going to this location. We had a waitress that forgot about us and left us waiting for a check for 15 minutes, I had to ask the host if he could bring us our check because she forgot about us. The food was gross and there was a ridiculous amount of garlic in my pasta. When I explained that I was dissatisfied with my food early into eating the waitress replied " Well what do you want me to do about it? " I will never return to this location.
(1)
Jason B.
I am a very picky person. This place is very clean and the food is solid. Staff is friendly.
(5)
Zach L.
Holy oil. I filled up my engine with the residue left on my plate. I refilled my WD 40 bottles and gave my wife an oily back rub, then polished my shoes and greased my hair like John Travolta. I guess I'll be back in 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
(2)
Kristen S.
Not even worth going. My husband and I went because we got a gift card. There were only two other couples and the waiters were unbelievably leisurely when it came to waiting on us. Slow and sluggish. I ordered a plate that came with a little portion of 3 different pastas.The pasta is bland and dry and doesn't feel fresh. I make so much better at home! Not worth the money. And it tells you something when it's a Saturday night and there are only 2 other couples in the whole restaurant. And also I thought it was funny that they don't serve any sort of gourmet macaroni and cheese or something. "Macaroni Grille" hello? Totally was in the mood for some and was surprised/disappointed to find that out.
(1)
JJ G.
I want to be very clear, Macaroni Grille has some deficiencies in their menu, which I am aware of. For example, don't waste a moment on the fettuccine Alfredo, it's almost shockingly bland, or rather if you do order it ask for lots of parmesan, it's actually just fine with extra parmesan.. Nevertheless, order the Chicken Scallopine or the Chicken Milanese and you'll be in heaven. I love the veal chop although it's spendy, and my wife's favorite is the Shrimp Portofino. Also if you notice anything has the lemon butter sauce on it, it will probably be just fine (always ask for a little extra lemon butter sauce, they give you plenty but it is delightful). the bread is great of course, and their mocktails are very good. I haven't tried everything, but I would say i have been disappointed by at least 1/3rd of the dishes i have tried. Ask your server they can give you some guidance. On that note, We have requested Sabrina or Laura every time we go and have never been unhappy with the service. In fact I'd categorize Sabrina as one of the memorably good servers I have ever had. In sum, if you know what to order and you know who to request for service you will have a fantastic experience. I can certainly see how people may have given it poor marks for food, but the service has always been at least adequate and when the aforementioned servers are available, well above average Oh I should also mention, that while she isn't always singing, they have a hostess who sings aria's and she is remarkably talented. If you do go especially with someone you feel romantically inclined towards, be sure to ask if their singer is available, I believe her name is Mary.
(4)
Curtis G.
We came with a largish group, and our server did a great job of keeping everyone's food and drinks orders straight. We got our dishes relatively quickly and I quite liked the lasagne. My wife's chicken-and-pasta entree was rather bland, however.
(3)
Britney H.
Came in almost at closing time with my visiting mother her friend and my husband. Only 4 other tables were occupied and we were seated. It took a wile for our waiter to get to us but he was so friendly and helpful who cares. Everyone else ordered pizza and I got seafood linguine. The seafood part was fine but the pasta had no sauce and no flavor I didn't eat hardly any of it just picked out the seafood. It was a nice place with nice people but we came here for food. My husband said his pizza was just blah an ordinary nothing special blah pepperoni pizza. Great! We had a fine time but as for the food uh I make better spaghetti and meatballs at home for way less. Needless to say we won't be back but we gave it a try.
(2)
Tim H.
I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But alas, Romano's still sucks. Having been here a year earlier, I was aware that the appetizers were marginal at best, so I skipped them and went straight for the entree. Our food arrived promptly, but my chicken parmesan was pink inside. Yeah, I can forgive some things, but this isn't one of them. As my wife semi-enjoyed her broccoli-fied balsamic chicken, I patiently waited for round 2, and what ended up being an overly-dry couple pieces of chicken. The management at this place would be better off going to Chick-fil-A, buying a few sandwiches, tossing some cheese and marinara on the fillets, and serving that. Honestly, that would be far better. Our server was nice, the Italian soda was great, the wait was non-existent (on a Friday night...go figure!), and we had a $25 gift card which covered nearly all the cost of our food. Here ya go Romanos: A GENEROUS 2 stars.
(2)
Abe N.
Terrible management. They double charged me and refused to give me my money back! Be careful.
(1)
Mike B.
Food: I went out on a limb and got the pasta milano (roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and imported farfalle pasta in a roasted garlic cream sauce), and it was ok, but the portion size was too big, and it lacked flavor. Atmosphere: Open, warm, and classy. Price: $12/plate maybe? I just remember thinking it was overpriced.
(2)
E.M. B.
Food was standard and average Macaroni Grill cuisine. I don't mind the RMG. but this particular location made my blood boil. Yes, I realize I am in Provo, but I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner. When I ordered a glass of white wine, I swear a record scratched. My server, who was well WELL over the age of 21 (I would guess close to 30), kind of rolled his eyes, and said he would find someone to bring it to me. About 15 minutes after ordering it, the dishwasher came out with it. Seriously, if you have some 'moral' dilemma with touching and/or serving wine, don't work in a restaurant that has it. My family and I laughed about the whole thing, but it was a little embarrassing. Thank you, server at Macaroni Grill, for reminding me why I stay away from your city.
(2)
Cynthia H.
Two years ago I gave up on this place. I went 2x in a month and both times the food was so salty--like bad tv dinners--I swore them off forever. the only redeeming quality is the bread and oil you get for free.
(1)
Wade P.
One of my favorite places to go and eat with my wife. Pretty reasonable in price, and you can usually find a coupon. The atmosphere is much better than most restaurants in this price range and food is FULL of flavor usually. The bread they serve for free at the beginning of the meal is almost worth going for itself.
(4)
Erin Q.
Came here for another birthday dinner, expecting that I'd be thoroughly pleased with my experience. Instead, I walked away with a definite "Eh...meh" attitude. When we got to Macaroni Grill, there wasn't a wait, which was nice. They seated us quickly and our server demonstrated her skills of writing her name backwards and upside down on our table. The presentation of our food was great, but the quality wasn't too memorable. My fettucine alfredo tasted just like you'd expect it to, but with an absense of any spice...not even a hint of pepper. My friends weren't too impressed with their entrees either. But the bonus for going there for your birthday is that you get this really decent size piece of chocolate cake smothered with fudge sauce and chopped peanuts. Now I'm not complaining, for this was a complimentary dessert, but it was a little dry for my tasted. If that thing was just a little more moist, it would have been amazing. But I loved the fudge on top...brought my opinion of it up a notch. So what brings my opinion of this place up from two stars to three? Two reasons. It's possible that they might have had an off night, especially seeing as how I've been here before and I remember it being better. Second, the bread is freaking awesome. Fresh out of the oven, with crazy herbs (including rosemary - so good!) - dipped in some oil with fresh pepper - now that's tasty. I don't know if I'll be back here soon. Maybe just to order some bread take out...mmm.
(3)
J J.
There were some really great parts and some not so great parts. The great parts were the fresh rosemary bread that they provide as you wait. The flavored tea was wonderful, I would highly recommend the blackberry tea. Our server was super nice and efficient. We went with the 2 for $25 special and got two appetizers. The Zucchini fritters were AMAZING. The Macraoni bites, not so much. The low lights of our experience would be my alfredo looked as if it had been sitting for multiple hours. It looked so bad that the server went and got some white sauce for me to put on it. Seriously! I am paying X amount for dry and cold pasta. Not good. My husband got something else that he really liked. At the end of the evening, they made a major mistake with the bill and that took forever to straighten out. Forutunately, they dropped 10 dollars off the final bill because of their mistake. We will be returning.
(3)
Stephen H.
Those of you who read my restaurant ramblings know me well enough by now to know I don't frequent places like Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's a concept restaurant, and as a small business owner, I'm always going to favor the small locally-owned place over a big-box national concept. But it was Sunday in Utah and those sorts of places weren't open. I ended up going to Macaroni Grill and be enormously surprised. Our server was friendly and attentive, the prices were very reasonable, and the food was good! The spaghetti carbonara was served with a poached egg on top, just like I've seen in Italy, and was presented beautifully in an ultra-modern bowl. My companion had a shrimp and pasta dish that she loved, and we finished out the night with a too-rich (that's not a bad thing - I'm just giving you fair warning) chocolate cake (they should call it a gateau, just to emphasize how rich it is :-). Great, clean, modern setup, with olive oil at every table. If I *have* to commercialize Italian food, and I *have* to go to a concept restaurant, I'll have a perfectly good night at a place like Macaroni Grill. I'm curious enough now to try it back in KC so I can make sure this wasn't just a one-off good experience in the middle of Utah. :-)
(4)
James W.
Not sure what's happened to the Macaroni Grill but seems to have gone down hill a little bit. Maybe more of a reflection on their service than their food. My last visit I ordered some soup that I wanted served with my meal and I waited and waited after the meals were served and then asked and the server told me they were out of that soup. And when it came time to pay there was a big confusion on the bills, my wife and I were with 3 other couples and the server really messed things up. I expect a place like macaroni Grill to have servers that are a little more on the ball.
(2)
Corrine B.
If there was a no star they would get it! No one was there to great us for 10 min, that should of been my first clue! Dirty wine glass with lipstick still on it was served to me, not only that but the make your own pasta, was under cooked never added my spinach or peppers and to to it off I ended up with food poisoning!! I woke up at 2am sick, sweating and puking! What a way to spend a conference!! Thank God I was at the doTERRA convention and I was able to make myself get there and take all the oils I needed to rid myself from all that poison! I went home a day early :( never will I ever eat at one again!
(1)
Joe C.
We were seated in the back and our waitress gave us the menu and took our drink orders (just sparkling water). She came back about 10 minutes later with our sparkling waters and took our food orders. Note that there was only one other table with four people and about 20 plus tables empty. It took about 45 minues for our food to arrive. My salad was a grilled chicken something with spinach, and it was awful. The chicken was supposed to be grilled but it was frozen and the salad part did not taste good at all. Moreover, it had very little flavor about from terrible. After about 25 minutes the waitress came over to check on us and I asked for some drink refills and she brought over a pitcher of water. I then told her I'd like to re-order something else as my salad was not good. My order came right away. Acutally, I was impressed that it took such a short time considering it took 45 minutes for our first order. Also want to mention we were a party of three. Completely different from what I asked for and was the most terrible pasta dish I have ever had. Coming from someone that has traveled to the EU and visted Italy in particular. El' dente it is not. I will never visit this place again or any of it's other locations. P.S. As soon as my family returned home we all had major stomach issues that quickly turned into frequent restroom visits if you get what I mean.
(1)
Brad V.
This Italian restaurant is similar to comparing Taco Bell to Mexican food. It has its own distinctive flavor and it is good. But having lived back east and near lots of Italian restaurants, you know this place isn't real Italian food. But, good food and reasonably priced. No reservations accepted. So, arrive early if you want a seat on Friday/Saturday evenings!
(3)
Bryce M.
I took my wife out for her birthday dinner and I thought it was really good even though I'd never been before. It was a nice clean store, our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and the food was really good. I particularly liked their complimentary bread and the vanilla Italian soda I got. Great experience
(5)
Sheri F.
This isn't real Italian food. It's the same as Olive Garden. That said, the food is not prepared well either. I came here with a friend and ordered some rigatoni. It arrived burnt on the edges in a small portion and no bread or salad came with it. It tasted like burnt tomatoes. I couldn't taste anything else. I would have sent it back, but the server never checked on us. When he finally showed up, it was to drop off the check without saying a word and ran off. No tip for him. I left hungry and went home to get something to eat. The place was nearly empty. The decor is very minimalistic and the tables are covered in white butcher paper which screams "little kids" to me. Not an adult restaurant. Food: 0 Service: 0 Parking: 3 Ambiance: 3
(1)
Dave B.
If at any point of a meal the thought occurs to me, "finishing this isn't worth the calories", then I start to question coming back. My meal here started off well but just was not well seasoned or exciting at all. I wouldn't say they are bad, just that there are better experiences for the same price.
(3)
Alexandra S.
So it lived up or should I say down to the expectations. The food was awful. The bread was like a salt lick, the pasta was way overdone and bland. No seasoning. Like no salt either. They sure do rush you out because they close promptly. Also prolly cause there's nobody there. If you get the make your own pasta the season veggies is 2 pieces of broccoli. You would have to pay me to go here again. The staff seemed miserable but I don't blame them. I would prolly bring my own spices and add them to the dish. The red sauce was literally a combo of canned tomatoes and tomato paste, nothing else added. The Alfredo sauce is super super watered down or just not made with cream. No one greeted us at the door. I don't know how this place stays in business. They have these back east and they're really good... This one is a dud. Save your money. If you have a gift card at least you don't have to do dishes!... And you can get a $5 off coupon if you google.
(1)
Jean W.
I've been a past critic of this chain, and didn't expect to walk away from a birthday celebration at all satisfied. But I was wrong. I gotta give Macaroni Grill credit where it's due - they masterfully handled our large group of 14. And by "they," I mean our waiter for the most part. He was phenomenal. He was responsive, informed, professional, and didn't forget anything. He was seriously on it. We were seated nearly immediately, due to a reservation; always a great idea here on a Saturday evening. Drink and appetizer orders were taken and delivered quickly. I had forgotten how delicious their rosemary bread in oil/balsamic course is. I could have eaten a lot more of that. But I had surprisingly zeroed in on a couple of menu items, between which I couldn't decide. I eenie-meenie'd my order for the Lobster Ravioli, with the Bibb and Bleu dinner salad. My Bibb and Bleu salad was delightful, with its fresh bibb lettuce, crispy prosciutto, red onions, walnuts and bleu cheese, with a light buttermllk dressing. A great dinner salad. The Lobster Ravioli was nice, included six larger lightly stuffed raviolis in a white wine cream sauce. It wasn't through the roof delicious, but it hit the spot for me nicely. I wasn't uncomfortably full when I finished, either. Other entrees ordered by our party that caused me a brief moment of order envy; Chicken Cacciatore, Cremini Pork Shank, and the Italian Sausage and Potatoes. These entrees brought a lot of food; easily enough for two meals. Reviews from diners at our table were very favorable. Their prosecco bellini was serviceable. Not fantastic, nor worth their menu price. Stick with Carino's beliini - you can't go wrong there. RMG's has motivated me to henceforth order a glass of wine here. As previously mentioned, our party included a birthday girl. They brought her a complimentary dessert of a chocolate brownie-type layer, with a chocolate ganash sauce to pour over, a side of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It was divine. I could only allow myself a couple of bites. Or, was that the birthday girl who policed me? Either way...it was good enough that I could have eaten a lot more of it, but I didn't. I will not hesitate to come to this Macaroni Grill again; my former harsh opinion has been softened to a degree. But I still don't love the one huge dining room, the seven-mile walk from any available parking near here on a weekend night, nor the invasive opera singer. It gets annoying after a song or two. Just leave, man. Just leave.
(4)
Chelsea C.
My first clue should have been when I walked into the restaurant and we were the only customers there. We stood at the podium waiting to be seated for about five minutes before anyone even welcomed us. Once my boyfriend and I sat down she brought out the best part of the whole visit, the bread. She didn't give us any silverware and we had to grab our own. I ordered the dinner plate called "chicken under a brick", it had the little recommended symbol by it meaning it was a favorite. My food was swimming in grease and the chicken was worse quality than KFC. She came over to refill my water and poured water all over my feet and purse. Five minutes after she brought out my food she came and asked if I wanted her to box anything up. Needless to say I wish we had gone to Olive Garden.
(1)
Katy B.
Been to this location about three or four times over the past 3 years. Pros: +Good, friendly, quick service +Nice ambience. Very cozy and classy +Lots of free, hot bread with olive oil dip +Delicious tiramisu (the desserts in general are yummy) +Large portion sizes Cons: +The food is honestly just...meh. It's really not even close to the best pasta/American knockoff Italian I've ever had. It's not bad, but it's nothing to brag about either. I find most of it very bland and some of it tastes like it came from a can. +$15-20 a plate for meh Italian. This place is really expensive for what you get. Basically, I only go there if I have a gift card. I'm unwilling to drop any of my own money on it. I want to like it a lot; it plays itself up as a fancy bistro, but the food just doesn't measure up.
(3)
Nickie J.
I can see why the ratings are as low as they are..... If I were you, I'd go else where at 1/2 the cost. First I will say, the waiter didn't listen to a thing we said... We had to keep asking for things several times. I finally got up to get what I needed cause he was no where to be found. This might not have been that bad if the place was busy but there were 5 tables, if that spread amongst the servers. The food was mediocre at best. I should have know when I ordered a salad and most of it was brown, that's not acceptable to me. My bow tie noodles were not cooked all the way and my chicken was terrible. It had tons of dark spots in the meat ( no it wasn't grilled marks either). If you eat here, I hope you have a better experience than I did.
(2)
Annette S.
Terrible food, with the exception of the free bread you get with your meal. I had a salad with chicken, well they didn't out the chicken on it! So my husband had to go back to get the chicken, which was a bummer because he just got off work and wanted to relax. He has the Italian sausage plate which was go but how do you mess that up? Well if you can mess up a salad i guess that's a dumb question. This was my second time trying this place, once here once in Cali, and now I remember why I never returned. Just not my type of place and I could of cooked better food at home.
(2)
Ryan G.
I am a big fan of Macaroni Grille but the food has to be fixed. The food was just okay. The chicken was over cooked and service could have been better. Usually you have to wait on a Friday night but we got right in. Now we know why as it is just not as good as it used to be.
(3)
Salomon J.
My wife and I decided to eat an early dinner here. It was Friday night and we went around 7 pm. To our surprise there was no wait time. Last time we had come here the wait time was crazy long (about 45 mins). The food was good that time so we expected the same quality this time. Unfortunately that was not the case, My wife's food was cold and the chicken was so over cooked and the pasta was cold. I ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken added to it for $3 more (only got about 4 strips of them) My meal tasted good and I ate most of it. The waiter after about 15 mins of my wife sitting there not eating asked if there was something wrong so we where polite and just said the chicken was over cooked and the plate was cold. He apologized and said he would have it fixed. About 15 minutes later he came with another dish that the chicken was still over cooked and the pasta was still cold. After that we couldn't locate the waiter anywhere and the waters went dry and no refills happened for about 20 mins. The manager came over and asked if everything was okay cause my wife was still not eating so she explained the problem....(by this point she just wanted to go somewhere else to eat cause it had been about an hour since we got there and I was done with my food) The manager said he wouldn't charge us for the plate which makes sense because she didn't eat it. he offered did not offer any compensation or apology for the lack of quality of the food. My wife said to me "now we know why they are so empty on a Friday night" the manager heard and raised his voice at my wife and said "Like i said I will not charge you for the meal, that should take care of things" I looked at my wife as a sign to just let it go and move on with our night. Now the problem is that when I got home I got the worst food poisoning i have had in a long long long time!!! and from reading reviews here it seems to be a normal thing. I was sick all night and finally woke up promising my self that I would never return to this place.
(1)
Mike M.
I am usually at a loss ordering from the menu at Italian restaurants. The starchy, oily, heavy cream ridden food offers bland flavors and typical textures for the heavy stomach I go home with. With a side order of gorgonzola cheese, however, the grilled Italian sausage gives a real option for individuals with a craving for something spicy.
(4)
Sam S.
Romano's Macaroni Grill in Provo has a great ambiance, good service, and okay food. Not my favorite by any stretch, but not awful either. If I want Italian food this isn't my first choice.
(2)
Alexandra S.
So it lived up or should I say down to the expectations. The food was awful. The bread was like a salt lick, the pasta was way overdone and bland. No seasoning. Like no salt either. They sure do rush you out because they close promptly. Also prolly cause there's nobody there. If you get the make your own pasta the season veggies is 2 pieces of broccoli. You would have to pay me to go here again. The staff seemed miserable but I don't blame them. I would prolly bring my own spices and add them to the dish. The red sauce was literally a combo of canned tomatoes and tomato paste, nothing else added. The Alfredo sauce is super super watered down or just not made with cream. No one greeted us at the door. I don't know how this place stays in business. They have these back east and they're really good... This one is a dud. Save your money. If you have a gift card at least you don't have to do dishes!... And you can get a $5 off coupon if you google.
(1)
Jean W.
I've been a past critic of this chain, and didn't expect to walk away from a birthday celebration at all satisfied. But I was wrong. I gotta give Macaroni Grill credit where it's due - they masterfully handled our large group of 14. And by "they," I mean our waiter for the most part. He was phenomenal. He was responsive, informed, professional, and didn't forget anything. He was seriously on it. We were seated nearly immediately, due to a reservation; always a great idea here on a Saturday evening. Drink and appetizer orders were taken and delivered quickly. I had forgotten how delicious their rosemary bread in oil/balsamic course is. I could have eaten a lot more of that. But I had surprisingly zeroed in on a couple of menu items, between which I couldn't decide. I eenie-meenie'd my order for the Lobster Ravioli, with the Bibb and Bleu dinner salad. My Bibb and Bleu salad was delightful, with its fresh bibb lettuce, crispy prosciutto, red onions, walnuts and bleu cheese, with a light buttermllk dressing. A great dinner salad. The Lobster Ravioli was nice, included six larger lightly stuffed raviolis in a white wine cream sauce. It wasn't through the roof delicious, but it hit the spot for me nicely. I wasn't uncomfortably full when I finished, either. Other entrees ordered by our party that caused me a brief moment of order envy; Chicken Cacciatore, Cremini Pork Shank, and the Italian Sausage and Potatoes. These entrees brought a lot of food; easily enough for two meals. Reviews from diners at our table were very favorable. Their prosecco bellini was serviceable. Not fantastic, nor worth their menu price. Stick with Carino's beliini - you can't go wrong there. RMG's has motivated me to henceforth order a glass of wine here. As previously mentioned, our party included a birthday girl. They brought her a complimentary dessert of a chocolate brownie-type layer, with a chocolate ganash sauce to pour over, a side of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It was divine. I could only allow myself a couple of bites. Or, was that the birthday girl who policed me? Either way...it was good enough that I could have eaten a lot more of it, but I didn't. I will not hesitate to come to this Macaroni Grill again; my former harsh opinion has been softened to a degree. But I still don't love the one huge dining room, the seven-mile walk from any available parking near here on a weekend night, nor the invasive opera singer. It gets annoying after a song or two. Just leave, man. Just leave.
(4)
Brad V.
This Italian restaurant is similar to comparing Taco Bell to Mexican food. It has its own distinctive flavor and it is good. But having lived back east and near lots of Italian restaurants, you know this place isn't real Italian food. But, good food and reasonably priced. No reservations accepted. So, arrive early if you want a seat on Friday/Saturday evenings!
(3)
Corrine B.
If there was a no star they would get it! No one was there to great us for 10 min, that should of been my first clue! Dirty wine glass with lipstick still on it was served to me, not only that but the make your own pasta, was under cooked never added my spinach or peppers and to to it off I ended up with food poisoning!! I woke up at 2am sick, sweating and puking! What a way to spend a conference!! Thank God I was at the doTERRA convention and I was able to make myself get there and take all the oils I needed to rid myself from all that poison! I went home a day early :( never will I ever eat at one again!
(1)
Erin Q.
Came here for another birthday dinner, expecting that I'd be thoroughly pleased with my experience. Instead, I walked away with a definite "Eh...meh" attitude. When we got to Macaroni Grill, there wasn't a wait, which was nice. They seated us quickly and our server demonstrated her skills of writing her name backwards and upside down on our table. The presentation of our food was great, but the quality wasn't too memorable. My fettucine alfredo tasted just like you'd expect it to, but with an absense of any spice...not even a hint of pepper. My friends weren't too impressed with their entrees either. But the bonus for going there for your birthday is that you get this really decent size piece of chocolate cake smothered with fudge sauce and chopped peanuts. Now I'm not complaining, for this was a complimentary dessert, but it was a little dry for my tasted. If that thing was just a little more moist, it would have been amazing. But I loved the fudge on top...brought my opinion of it up a notch. So what brings my opinion of this place up from two stars to three? Two reasons. It's possible that they might have had an off night, especially seeing as how I've been here before and I remember it being better. Second, the bread is freaking awesome. Fresh out of the oven, with crazy herbs (including rosemary - so good!) - dipped in some oil with fresh pepper - now that's tasty. I don't know if I'll be back here soon. Maybe just to order some bread take out...mmm.
(3)
J J.
There were some really great parts and some not so great parts. The great parts were the fresh rosemary bread that they provide as you wait. The flavored tea was wonderful, I would highly recommend the blackberry tea. Our server was super nice and efficient. We went with the 2 for $25 special and got two appetizers. The Zucchini fritters were AMAZING. The Macraoni bites, not so much. The low lights of our experience would be my alfredo looked as if it had been sitting for multiple hours. It looked so bad that the server went and got some white sauce for me to put on it. Seriously! I am paying X amount for dry and cold pasta. Not good. My husband got something else that he really liked. At the end of the evening, they made a major mistake with the bill and that took forever to straighten out. Forutunately, they dropped 10 dollars off the final bill because of their mistake. We will be returning.
(3)
Bryce M.
I took my wife out for her birthday dinner and I thought it was really good even though I'd never been before. It was a nice clean store, our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and the food was really good. I particularly liked their complimentary bread and the vanilla Italian soda I got. Great experience
(5)
Sheri F.
This isn't real Italian food. It's the same as Olive Garden. That said, the food is not prepared well either. I came here with a friend and ordered some rigatoni. It arrived burnt on the edges in a small portion and no bread or salad came with it. It tasted like burnt tomatoes. I couldn't taste anything else. I would have sent it back, but the server never checked on us. When he finally showed up, it was to drop off the check without saying a word and ran off. No tip for him. I left hungry and went home to get something to eat. The place was nearly empty. The decor is very minimalistic and the tables are covered in white butcher paper which screams "little kids" to me. Not an adult restaurant. Food: 0 Service: 0 Parking: 3 Ambiance: 3
(1)
Dave B.
If at any point of a meal the thought occurs to me, "finishing this isn't worth the calories", then I start to question coming back. My meal here started off well but just was not well seasoned or exciting at all. I wouldn't say they are bad, just that there are better experiences for the same price.
(3)
Chelsea C.
My first clue should have been when I walked into the restaurant and we were the only customers there. We stood at the podium waiting to be seated for about five minutes before anyone even welcomed us. Once my boyfriend and I sat down she brought out the best part of the whole visit, the bread. She didn't give us any silverware and we had to grab our own. I ordered the dinner plate called "chicken under a brick", it had the little recommended symbol by it meaning it was a favorite. My food was swimming in grease and the chicken was worse quality than KFC. She came over to refill my water and poured water all over my feet and purse. Five minutes after she brought out my food she came and asked if I wanted her to box anything up. Needless to say I wish we had gone to Olive Garden.
(1)
Katy B.
Been to this location about three or four times over the past 3 years. Pros: +Good, friendly, quick service +Nice ambience. Very cozy and classy +Lots of free, hot bread with olive oil dip +Delicious tiramisu (the desserts in general are yummy) +Large portion sizes Cons: +The food is honestly just...meh. It's really not even close to the best pasta/American knockoff Italian I've ever had. It's not bad, but it's nothing to brag about either. I find most of it very bland and some of it tastes like it came from a can. +$15-20 a plate for meh Italian. This place is really expensive for what you get. Basically, I only go there if I have a gift card. I'm unwilling to drop any of my own money on it. I want to like it a lot; it plays itself up as a fancy bistro, but the food just doesn't measure up.
(3)
Nickie J.
I can see why the ratings are as low as they are..... If I were you, I'd go else where at 1/2 the cost. First I will say, the waiter didn't listen to a thing we said... We had to keep asking for things several times. I finally got up to get what I needed cause he was no where to be found. This might not have been that bad if the place was busy but there were 5 tables, if that spread amongst the servers. The food was mediocre at best. I should have know when I ordered a salad and most of it was brown, that's not acceptable to me. My bow tie noodles were not cooked all the way and my chicken was terrible. It had tons of dark spots in the meat ( no it wasn't grilled marks either). If you eat here, I hope you have a better experience than I did.
(2)
Annette S.
Terrible food, with the exception of the free bread you get with your meal. I had a salad with chicken, well they didn't out the chicken on it! So my husband had to go back to get the chicken, which was a bummer because he just got off work and wanted to relax. He has the Italian sausage plate which was go but how do you mess that up? Well if you can mess up a salad i guess that's a dumb question. This was my second time trying this place, once here once in Cali, and now I remember why I never returned. Just not my type of place and I could of cooked better food at home.
(2)
Ryan G.
I am a big fan of Macaroni Grille but the food has to be fixed. The food was just okay. The chicken was over cooked and service could have been better. Usually you have to wait on a Friday night but we got right in. Now we know why as it is just not as good as it used to be.
(3)
Joe C.
We were seated in the back and our waitress gave us the menu and took our drink orders (just sparkling water). She came back about 10 minutes later with our sparkling waters and took our food orders. Note that there was only one other table with four people and about 20 plus tables empty. It took about 45 minues for our food to arrive. My salad was a grilled chicken something with spinach, and it was awful. The chicken was supposed to be grilled but it was frozen and the salad part did not taste good at all. Moreover, it had very little flavor about from terrible. After about 25 minutes the waitress came over to check on us and I asked for some drink refills and she brought over a pitcher of water. I then told her I'd like to re-order something else as my salad was not good. My order came right away. Acutally, I was impressed that it took such a short time considering it took 45 minutes for our first order. Also want to mention we were a party of three. Completely different from what I asked for and was the most terrible pasta dish I have ever had. Coming from someone that has traveled to the EU and visted Italy in particular. El' dente it is not. I will never visit this place again or any of it's other locations. P.S. As soon as my family returned home we all had major stomach issues that quickly turned into frequent restroom visits if you get what I mean.
(1)
Cassidy O.
Some of the worst service I have received thus far. For the price and the quality of service it is not worth going to this location. We had a waitress that forgot about us and left us waiting for a check for 15 minutes, I had to ask the host if he could bring us our check because she forgot about us. The food was gross and there was a ridiculous amount of garlic in my pasta. When I explained that I was dissatisfied with my food early into eating the waitress replied " Well what do you want me to do about it? " I will never return to this location.
(1)
Jason B.
I am a very picky person. This place is very clean and the food is solid. Staff is friendly.
(5)
Zach L.
Holy oil. I filled up my engine with the residue left on my plate. I refilled my WD 40 bottles and gave my wife an oily back rub, then polished my shoes and greased my hair like John Travolta. I guess I'll be back in 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
(2)
Salomon J.
My wife and I decided to eat an early dinner here. It was Friday night and we went around 7 pm. To our surprise there was no wait time. Last time we had come here the wait time was crazy long (about 45 mins). The food was good that time so we expected the same quality this time. Unfortunately that was not the case, My wife's food was cold and the chicken was so over cooked and the pasta was cold. I ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken added to it for $3 more (only got about 4 strips of them) My meal tasted good and I ate most of it. The waiter after about 15 mins of my wife sitting there not eating asked if there was something wrong so we where polite and just said the chicken was over cooked and the plate was cold. He apologized and said he would have it fixed. About 15 minutes later he came with another dish that the chicken was still over cooked and the pasta was still cold. After that we couldn't locate the waiter anywhere and the waters went dry and no refills happened for about 20 mins. The manager came over and asked if everything was okay cause my wife was still not eating so she explained the problem....(by this point she just wanted to go somewhere else to eat cause it had been about an hour since we got there and I was done with my food) The manager said he wouldn't charge us for the plate which makes sense because she didn't eat it. he offered did not offer any compensation or apology for the lack of quality of the food. My wife said to me "now we know why they are so empty on a Friday night" the manager heard and raised his voice at my wife and said "Like i said I will not charge you for the meal, that should take care of things" I looked at my wife as a sign to just let it go and move on with our night. Now the problem is that when I got home I got the worst food poisoning i have had in a long long long time!!! and from reading reviews here it seems to be a normal thing. I was sick all night and finally woke up promising my self that I would never return to this place.
(1)
Mike M.
I am usually at a loss ordering from the menu at Italian restaurants. The starchy, oily, heavy cream ridden food offers bland flavors and typical textures for the heavy stomach I go home with. With a side order of gorgonzola cheese, however, the grilled Italian sausage gives a real option for individuals with a craving for something spicy.
(4)
Sam S.
Romano's Macaroni Grill in Provo has a great ambiance, good service, and okay food. Not my favorite by any stretch, but not awful either. If I want Italian food this isn't my first choice.
(2)
L F.
I wanted to like it. My whole experience wasn't very good. We ordered and waited a long time for our salads (which tastes like it was a day old). When our meals came the chicken and steak were both dry. I had plenty of room for desert and it was the worst shorbet (gritty) and cheesecake I think I've had. I'm just so glad I had gift card to cover it. I just so wanted to like it though.
(1)
Thomas B.
Tasty Italian food. Love the bread, oil and vinegar thing. Macaroni Grill is a good fall back place. Although I was disappointed that the Raspberry Lemonade did not come with refills. Overall: Decent.
(3)
Kristen S.
Not even worth going. My husband and I went because we got a gift card. There were only two other couples and the waiters were unbelievably leisurely when it came to waiting on us. Slow and sluggish. I ordered a plate that came with a little portion of 3 different pastas.The pasta is bland and dry and doesn't feel fresh. I make so much better at home! Not worth the money. And it tells you something when it's a Saturday night and there are only 2 other couples in the whole restaurant. And also I thought it was funny that they don't serve any sort of gourmet macaroni and cheese or something. "Macaroni Grille" hello? Totally was in the mood for some and was surprised/disappointed to find that out.
(1)
Stephen H.
Those of you who read my restaurant ramblings know me well enough by now to know I don't frequent places like Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's a concept restaurant, and as a small business owner, I'm always going to favor the small locally-owned place over a big-box national concept. But it was Sunday in Utah and those sorts of places weren't open. I ended up going to Macaroni Grill and be enormously surprised. Our server was friendly and attentive, the prices were very reasonable, and the food was good! The spaghetti carbonara was served with a poached egg on top, just like I've seen in Italy, and was presented beautifully in an ultra-modern bowl. My companion had a shrimp and pasta dish that she loved, and we finished out the night with a too-rich (that's not a bad thing - I'm just giving you fair warning) chocolate cake (they should call it a gateau, just to emphasize how rich it is :-). Great, clean, modern setup, with olive oil at every table. If I *have* to commercialize Italian food, and I *have* to go to a concept restaurant, I'll have a perfectly good night at a place like Macaroni Grill. I'm curious enough now to try it back in KC so I can make sure this wasn't just a one-off good experience in the middle of Utah. :-)
(4)
James W.
Not sure what's happened to the Macaroni Grill but seems to have gone down hill a little bit. Maybe more of a reflection on their service than their food. My last visit I ordered some soup that I wanted served with my meal and I waited and waited after the meals were served and then asked and the server told me they were out of that soup. And when it came time to pay there was a big confusion on the bills, my wife and I were with 3 other couples and the server really messed things up. I expect a place like macaroni Grill to have servers that are a little more on the ball.
(2)
Rod S.
As casual dining faux Italian goes, it's pretty good stuff. It's just been overshadowed by some of the competition lately. While most Macaroni Grills are similar, this one has never been quite as good as some other ones around the country. I just hate the gimmick of the server writing upside down on the table. Today I had the chicken cannelloni. It spent way too much time under the heat lamp, or in the convention oven to reheat. The pasta shell was slightly crunchy on the edges and pretty dried out over all. The chicken/cream cheese like sauce doesn't have much flavor and the chicken is spongy enough that you can't really tell it's in there except for vague hints of chicken flavor. I've been here many times in days gone by, but switched to Carrabba's a few years ago. I like the idea of the sea salt and oil drizzle on the focaccia bread, but my fingers are messy the rest of the meal. I was there for lunch today, and it was not very busy for a Friday lunch. It would appear I'm not the only person less enthralled by this location. In days gone by, I ate at a number of locations around the country. It was pretty popular with coworkers when I was travelling a lot. The real hook of Macaroni Grill is the cheap gallon jug of wine you get to pour yourself and drink. It makes everything better. Since this is illegal in Utah, it doesn't help soften the quality of the food. I've also noticed other locations cook the food better. That's somewhat surprising since the sauces are all sent to the restaurant already made. All they have to do is reheat them and not screw up the protein. Oh well. It's a far sight better than Olive Garden. It's OK, but I'll stick with Carrabba's locally.
(3)
Chris T.
The only reason we went here is because some bhole gave us a gift card as a wedding present. I should've just thrown it away. Here are a couple reasons why I'll be removing that person from my life. 1. Service was bad. It was Saturday night but not super busy. They somehow lost our name from the call ahead list (even though the waitress remembered the name). Waiter was slow, delivered my beer after the appetizers. Plus I can't take anyone seriously that introduces themselves with crayons. 2. Food was awful. The only decent thing we ate was the bread. Calamari and stuffed peppers were edible... Barely. Lobster in the ravioli was crunchy and chewy at the same time. The sea bass was by far the most disgusting thing I've tried to eat in a long time. Literally took one bite and I was done. When the waiter asked how everything was I told him "fine", as i was scared he would bring me something else to eat if I told him the truth. I never review things online; however, I just had to document this culinary monstrosity. The only comfort I have left is knowing that this rubbish won't remain in my body long, as I am 88% sure this experience will result in food poisoning.
(1)
Jake P.
I went to this restaurant on a Thursday night, slightly past 7:00 pm. As I expected, I arrived to find a half-full parking lot and an overall slow night inside of the restaurant. We were seated right away; "we" being my 2-year-old daughter and I. We sat, waited, and colored on the table with crayons. After more than 10 minutes of waiting my daughter became impatient and made sure I knew it. Looking around I saw the restaurant was at least half-empty. A waiter was taking care of the customers at the tables next to mine, but we were somehow being ignored or forgotten about. I decided to leave. As I walked out I passed several employees who were standing around, including the female employee who had seated us, and not a single one of them talked to us on our way out. Driving from the restaurant I decided I would call to speak to a manager. I was put on hold and after a short wait I was told the manager was busy but I would receive a callback shortly. Rather than playing phone tag with this manager I briefly explained what happened and asked the employee to relay it to the manager. The employee said he would pass it along and have the manager call me. The only problem is the employee never asked me for my phone number and if they have caller ID then the manager, for whatever reason, didn't call me back. Based on this disappointing experience I've decided I will never return to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are plenty of restaurants willing to professionally accept my patronage, the employees at this Macaroni Grill showed me they are not one of those restaurants. In conclusion, if you would like to eat at a restaurant where they pay attention to you then pass on Macaroni Grill in Provo.
(1)
Kelly W.
Had not eaten here in a few years. So much lost time! I really liked it. We definitely had to wait a bit, but that was expected. The hosting staff were very smiley and did a great job at keeping us happy. Once we were seated, I don't think I've ever had such speedy service. Had Tyler as our waiter. It's apparent that he enjoys his job. He adapted well to my group and was just like a friend. Never have had such speedy service. Hands down. Really considerate waiter. Not to mention, the food is quality. I'll be back!
(5)
Kyle F.
The good news is, the bread was as good as ever... The bad news, everything else sucked. A lot. I ordered the mushroom ravioli, and added chicken. It was just gross. I was able to lift the entire dish with my fork due to the plaster-like cheese burnt on top. The sauce was basically wine-milk, the small amount of chicken was mainly hard gristle (the additional 3$ chicken btw) And the mushrooms were almost nonexistent. Upon ordering I was asked by our friendly server if I preferred soup, or salad. I chose soup, an overly salted, strangely thick, onion soup. To my surprise the soup was NOT included with the meal, but an additional 5$. Awesome. I will not be going back to Romano's on my own free will. And if i somehow get swindled into coming here again, I will stick with bread... and only bread.
(1)
B T.
Meh. On a good day the food is just OK and I can't stand the layout of the restaurant, especially if the place is busy. The whole place is one big room with so many tables packed in it that if you lean back in your chair you might collide with someone from the next table. I there's a line, go somewhere else. It's not worth the wait.
(2)
Tim H.
I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But alas, Romano's still sucks. Having been here a year earlier, I was aware that the appetizers were marginal at best, so I skipped them and went straight for the entree. Our food arrived promptly, but my chicken parmesan was pink inside. Yeah, I can forgive some things, but this isn't one of them. As my wife semi-enjoyed her broccoli-fied balsamic chicken, I patiently waited for round 2, and what ended up being an overly-dry couple pieces of chicken. The management at this place would be better off going to Chick-fil-A, buying a few sandwiches, tossing some cheese and marinara on the fillets, and serving that. Honestly, that would be far better. Our server was nice, the Italian soda was great, the wait was non-existent (on a Friday night...go figure!), and we had a $25 gift card which covered nearly all the cost of our food. Here ya go Romanos: A GENEROUS 2 stars.
(2)
Abe N.
Terrible management. They double charged me and refused to give me my money back! Be careful.
(1)
Mike B.
Food: I went out on a limb and got the pasta milano (roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and imported farfalle pasta in a roasted garlic cream sauce), and it was ok, but the portion size was too big, and it lacked flavor. Atmosphere: Open, warm, and classy. Price: $12/plate maybe? I just remember thinking it was overpriced.
(2)
E.M. B.
Food was standard and average Macaroni Grill cuisine. I don't mind the RMG. but this particular location made my blood boil. Yes, I realize I am in Provo, but I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner. When I ordered a glass of white wine, I swear a record scratched. My server, who was well WELL over the age of 21 (I would guess close to 30), kind of rolled his eyes, and said he would find someone to bring it to me. About 15 minutes after ordering it, the dishwasher came out with it. Seriously, if you have some 'moral' dilemma with touching and/or serving wine, don't work in a restaurant that has it. My family and I laughed about the whole thing, but it was a little embarrassing. Thank you, server at Macaroni Grill, for reminding me why I stay away from your city.
(2)
Cynthia H.
Two years ago I gave up on this place. I went 2x in a month and both times the food was so salty--like bad tv dinners--I swore them off forever. the only redeeming quality is the bread and oil you get for free.
(1)
JJ G.
I want to be very clear, Macaroni Grille has some deficiencies in their menu, which I am aware of. For example, don't waste a moment on the fettuccine Alfredo, it's almost shockingly bland, or rather if you do order it ask for lots of parmesan, it's actually just fine with extra parmesan.. Nevertheless, order the Chicken Scallopine or the Chicken Milanese and you'll be in heaven. I love the veal chop although it's spendy, and my wife's favorite is the Shrimp Portofino. Also if you notice anything has the lemon butter sauce on it, it will probably be just fine (always ask for a little extra lemon butter sauce, they give you plenty but it is delightful). the bread is great of course, and their mocktails are very good. I haven't tried everything, but I would say i have been disappointed by at least 1/3rd of the dishes i have tried. Ask your server they can give you some guidance. On that note, We have requested Sabrina or Laura every time we go and have never been unhappy with the service. In fact I'd categorize Sabrina as one of the memorably good servers I have ever had. In sum, if you know what to order and you know who to request for service you will have a fantastic experience. I can certainly see how people may have given it poor marks for food, but the service has always been at least adequate and when the aforementioned servers are available, well above average Oh I should also mention, that while she isn't always singing, they have a hostess who sings aria's and she is remarkably talented. If you do go especially with someone you feel romantically inclined towards, be sure to ask if their singer is available, I believe her name is Mary.
(4)
Curtis G.
We came with a largish group, and our server did a great job of keeping everyone's food and drinks orders straight. We got our dishes relatively quickly and I quite liked the lasagne. My wife's chicken-and-pasta entree was rather bland, however.
(3)
Britney H.
Came in almost at closing time with my visiting mother her friend and my husband. Only 4 other tables were occupied and we were seated. It took a wile for our waiter to get to us but he was so friendly and helpful who cares. Everyone else ordered pizza and I got seafood linguine. The seafood part was fine but the pasta had no sauce and no flavor I didn't eat hardly any of it just picked out the seafood. It was a nice place with nice people but we came here for food. My husband said his pizza was just blah an ordinary nothing special blah pepperoni pizza. Great! We had a fine time but as for the food uh I make better spaghetti and meatballs at home for way less. Needless to say we won't be back but we gave it a try.
(2)
Wade P.
One of my favorite places to go and eat with my wife. Pretty reasonable in price, and you can usually find a coupon. The atmosphere is much better than most restaurants in this price range and food is FULL of flavor usually. The bread they serve for free at the beginning of the meal is almost worth going for itself.
(4)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :4801 N University,Ste 50
Provo, UT, 84604
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes 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.
L F.
I wanted to like it. My whole experience wasn't very good. We ordered and waited a long time for our salads (which tastes like it was a day old). When our meals came the chicken and steak were both dry. I had plenty of room for desert and it was the worst shorbet (gritty) and cheesecake I think I've had. I'm just so glad I had gift card to cover it. I just so wanted to like it though.
(1)Thomas B.
Tasty Italian food. Love the bread, oil and vinegar thing. Macaroni Grill is a good fall back place. Although I was disappointed that the Raspberry Lemonade did not come with refills. Overall: Decent.
(3)Rod S.
As casual dining faux Italian goes, it's pretty good stuff. It's just been overshadowed by some of the competition lately. While most Macaroni Grills are similar, this one has never been quite as good as some other ones around the country. I just hate the gimmick of the server writing upside down on the table. Today I had the chicken cannelloni. It spent way too much time under the heat lamp, or in the convention oven to reheat. The pasta shell was slightly crunchy on the edges and pretty dried out over all. The chicken/cream cheese like sauce doesn't have much flavor and the chicken is spongy enough that you can't really tell it's in there except for vague hints of chicken flavor. I've been here many times in days gone by, but switched to Carrabba's a few years ago. I like the idea of the sea salt and oil drizzle on the focaccia bread, but my fingers are messy the rest of the meal. I was there for lunch today, and it was not very busy for a Friday lunch. It would appear I'm not the only person less enthralled by this location. In days gone by, I ate at a number of locations around the country. It was pretty popular with coworkers when I was travelling a lot. The real hook of Macaroni Grill is the cheap gallon jug of wine you get to pour yourself and drink. It makes everything better. Since this is illegal in Utah, it doesn't help soften the quality of the food. I've also noticed other locations cook the food better. That's somewhat surprising since the sauces are all sent to the restaurant already made. All they have to do is reheat them and not screw up the protein. Oh well. It's a far sight better than Olive Garden. It's OK, but I'll stick with Carrabba's locally.
(3)Chris T.
The only reason we went here is because some bhole gave us a gift card as a wedding present. I should've just thrown it away. Here are a couple reasons why I'll be removing that person from my life. 1. Service was bad. It was Saturday night but not super busy. They somehow lost our name from the call ahead list (even though the waitress remembered the name). Waiter was slow, delivered my beer after the appetizers. Plus I can't take anyone seriously that introduces themselves with crayons. 2. Food was awful. The only decent thing we ate was the bread. Calamari and stuffed peppers were edible... Barely. Lobster in the ravioli was crunchy and chewy at the same time. The sea bass was by far the most disgusting thing I've tried to eat in a long time. Literally took one bite and I was done. When the waiter asked how everything was I told him "fine", as i was scared he would bring me something else to eat if I told him the truth. I never review things online; however, I just had to document this culinary monstrosity. The only comfort I have left is knowing that this rubbish won't remain in my body long, as I am 88% sure this experience will result in food poisoning.
(1)Jake P.
I went to this restaurant on a Thursday night, slightly past 7:00 pm. As I expected, I arrived to find a half-full parking lot and an overall slow night inside of the restaurant. We were seated right away; "we" being my 2-year-old daughter and I. We sat, waited, and colored on the table with crayons. After more than 10 minutes of waiting my daughter became impatient and made sure I knew it. Looking around I saw the restaurant was at least half-empty. A waiter was taking care of the customers at the tables next to mine, but we were somehow being ignored or forgotten about. I decided to leave. As I walked out I passed several employees who were standing around, including the female employee who had seated us, and not a single one of them talked to us on our way out. Driving from the restaurant I decided I would call to speak to a manager. I was put on hold and after a short wait I was told the manager was busy but I would receive a callback shortly. Rather than playing phone tag with this manager I briefly explained what happened and asked the employee to relay it to the manager. The employee said he would pass it along and have the manager call me. The only problem is the employee never asked me for my phone number and if they have caller ID then the manager, for whatever reason, didn't call me back. Based on this disappointing experience I've decided I will never return to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are plenty of restaurants willing to professionally accept my patronage, the employees at this Macaroni Grill showed me they are not one of those restaurants. In conclusion, if you would like to eat at a restaurant where they pay attention to you then pass on Macaroni Grill in Provo.
(1)Kelly W.
Had not eaten here in a few years. So much lost time! I really liked it. We definitely had to wait a bit, but that was expected. The hosting staff were very smiley and did a great job at keeping us happy. Once we were seated, I don't think I've ever had such speedy service. Had Tyler as our waiter. It's apparent that he enjoys his job. He adapted well to my group and was just like a friend. Never have had such speedy service. Hands down. Really considerate waiter. Not to mention, the food is quality. I'll be back!
(5)Kyle F.
The good news is, the bread was as good as ever... The bad news, everything else sucked. A lot. I ordered the mushroom ravioli, and added chicken. It was just gross. I was able to lift the entire dish with my fork due to the plaster-like cheese burnt on top. The sauce was basically wine-milk, the small amount of chicken was mainly hard gristle (the additional 3$ chicken btw) And the mushrooms were almost nonexistent. Upon ordering I was asked by our friendly server if I preferred soup, or salad. I chose soup, an overly salted, strangely thick, onion soup. To my surprise the soup was NOT included with the meal, but an additional 5$. Awesome. I will not be going back to Romano's on my own free will. And if i somehow get swindled into coming here again, I will stick with bread... and only bread.
(1)B T.
Meh. On a good day the food is just OK and I can't stand the layout of the restaurant, especially if the place is busy. The whole place is one big room with so many tables packed in it that if you lean back in your chair you might collide with someone from the next table. I there's a line, go somewhere else. It's not worth the wait.
(2)Cassidy O.
Some of the worst service I have received thus far. For the price and the quality of service it is not worth going to this location. We had a waitress that forgot about us and left us waiting for a check for 15 minutes, I had to ask the host if he could bring us our check because she forgot about us. The food was gross and there was a ridiculous amount of garlic in my pasta. When I explained that I was dissatisfied with my food early into eating the waitress replied " Well what do you want me to do about it? " I will never return to this location.
(1)Jason B.
I am a very picky person. This place is very clean and the food is solid. Staff is friendly.
(5)Zach L.
Holy oil. I filled up my engine with the residue left on my plate. I refilled my WD 40 bottles and gave my wife an oily back rub, then polished my shoes and greased my hair like John Travolta. I guess I'll be back in 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
(2)Kristen S.
Not even worth going. My husband and I went because we got a gift card. There were only two other couples and the waiters were unbelievably leisurely when it came to waiting on us. Slow and sluggish. I ordered a plate that came with a little portion of 3 different pastas.The pasta is bland and dry and doesn't feel fresh. I make so much better at home! Not worth the money. And it tells you something when it's a Saturday night and there are only 2 other couples in the whole restaurant. And also I thought it was funny that they don't serve any sort of gourmet macaroni and cheese or something. "Macaroni Grille" hello? Totally was in the mood for some and was surprised/disappointed to find that out.
(1)JJ G.
I want to be very clear, Macaroni Grille has some deficiencies in their menu, which I am aware of. For example, don't waste a moment on the fettuccine Alfredo, it's almost shockingly bland, or rather if you do order it ask for lots of parmesan, it's actually just fine with extra parmesan.. Nevertheless, order the Chicken Scallopine or the Chicken Milanese and you'll be in heaven. I love the veal chop although it's spendy, and my wife's favorite is the Shrimp Portofino. Also if you notice anything has the lemon butter sauce on it, it will probably be just fine (always ask for a little extra lemon butter sauce, they give you plenty but it is delightful). the bread is great of course, and their mocktails are very good. I haven't tried everything, but I would say i have been disappointed by at least 1/3rd of the dishes i have tried. Ask your server they can give you some guidance. On that note, We have requested Sabrina or Laura every time we go and have never been unhappy with the service. In fact I'd categorize Sabrina as one of the memorably good servers I have ever had. In sum, if you know what to order and you know who to request for service you will have a fantastic experience. I can certainly see how people may have given it poor marks for food, but the service has always been at least adequate and when the aforementioned servers are available, well above average Oh I should also mention, that while she isn't always singing, they have a hostess who sings aria's and she is remarkably talented. If you do go especially with someone you feel romantically inclined towards, be sure to ask if their singer is available, I believe her name is Mary.
(4)Curtis G.
We came with a largish group, and our server did a great job of keeping everyone's food and drinks orders straight. We got our dishes relatively quickly and I quite liked the lasagne. My wife's chicken-and-pasta entree was rather bland, however.
(3)Britney H.
Came in almost at closing time with my visiting mother her friend and my husband. Only 4 other tables were occupied and we were seated. It took a wile for our waiter to get to us but he was so friendly and helpful who cares. Everyone else ordered pizza and I got seafood linguine. The seafood part was fine but the pasta had no sauce and no flavor I didn't eat hardly any of it just picked out the seafood. It was a nice place with nice people but we came here for food. My husband said his pizza was just blah an ordinary nothing special blah pepperoni pizza. Great! We had a fine time but as for the food uh I make better spaghetti and meatballs at home for way less. Needless to say we won't be back but we gave it a try.
(2)Tim H.
I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But alas, Romano's still sucks. Having been here a year earlier, I was aware that the appetizers were marginal at best, so I skipped them and went straight for the entree. Our food arrived promptly, but my chicken parmesan was pink inside. Yeah, I can forgive some things, but this isn't one of them. As my wife semi-enjoyed her broccoli-fied balsamic chicken, I patiently waited for round 2, and what ended up being an overly-dry couple pieces of chicken. The management at this place would be better off going to Chick-fil-A, buying a few sandwiches, tossing some cheese and marinara on the fillets, and serving that. Honestly, that would be far better. Our server was nice, the Italian soda was great, the wait was non-existent (on a Friday night...go figure!), and we had a $25 gift card which covered nearly all the cost of our food. Here ya go Romanos: A GENEROUS 2 stars.
(2)Abe N.
Terrible management. They double charged me and refused to give me my money back! Be careful.
(1)Mike B.
Food: I went out on a limb and got the pasta milano (roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and imported farfalle pasta in a roasted garlic cream sauce), and it was ok, but the portion size was too big, and it lacked flavor. Atmosphere: Open, warm, and classy. Price: $12/plate maybe? I just remember thinking it was overpriced.
(2)E.M. B.
Food was standard and average Macaroni Grill cuisine. I don't mind the RMG. but this particular location made my blood boil. Yes, I realize I am in Provo, but I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner. When I ordered a glass of white wine, I swear a record scratched. My server, who was well WELL over the age of 21 (I would guess close to 30), kind of rolled his eyes, and said he would find someone to bring it to me. About 15 minutes after ordering it, the dishwasher came out with it. Seriously, if you have some 'moral' dilemma with touching and/or serving wine, don't work in a restaurant that has it. My family and I laughed about the whole thing, but it was a little embarrassing. Thank you, server at Macaroni Grill, for reminding me why I stay away from your city.
(2)Cynthia H.
Two years ago I gave up on this place. I went 2x in a month and both times the food was so salty--like bad tv dinners--I swore them off forever. the only redeeming quality is the bread and oil you get for free.
(1)Wade P.
One of my favorite places to go and eat with my wife. Pretty reasonable in price, and you can usually find a coupon. The atmosphere is much better than most restaurants in this price range and food is FULL of flavor usually. The bread they serve for free at the beginning of the meal is almost worth going for itself.
(4)Erin Q.
Came here for another birthday dinner, expecting that I'd be thoroughly pleased with my experience. Instead, I walked away with a definite "Eh...meh" attitude. When we got to Macaroni Grill, there wasn't a wait, which was nice. They seated us quickly and our server demonstrated her skills of writing her name backwards and upside down on our table. The presentation of our food was great, but the quality wasn't too memorable. My fettucine alfredo tasted just like you'd expect it to, but with an absense of any spice...not even a hint of pepper. My friends weren't too impressed with their entrees either. But the bonus for going there for your birthday is that you get this really decent size piece of chocolate cake smothered with fudge sauce and chopped peanuts. Now I'm not complaining, for this was a complimentary dessert, but it was a little dry for my tasted. If that thing was just a little more moist, it would have been amazing. But I loved the fudge on top...brought my opinion of it up a notch. So what brings my opinion of this place up from two stars to three? Two reasons. It's possible that they might have had an off night, especially seeing as how I've been here before and I remember it being better. Second, the bread is freaking awesome. Fresh out of the oven, with crazy herbs (including rosemary - so good!) - dipped in some oil with fresh pepper - now that's tasty. I don't know if I'll be back here soon. Maybe just to order some bread take out...mmm.
(3)J J.
There were some really great parts and some not so great parts. The great parts were the fresh rosemary bread that they provide as you wait. The flavored tea was wonderful, I would highly recommend the blackberry tea. Our server was super nice and efficient. We went with the 2 for $25 special and got two appetizers. The Zucchini fritters were AMAZING. The Macraoni bites, not so much. The low lights of our experience would be my alfredo looked as if it had been sitting for multiple hours. It looked so bad that the server went and got some white sauce for me to put on it. Seriously! I am paying X amount for dry and cold pasta. Not good. My husband got something else that he really liked. At the end of the evening, they made a major mistake with the bill and that took forever to straighten out. Forutunately, they dropped 10 dollars off the final bill because of their mistake. We will be returning.
(3)Stephen H.
Those of you who read my restaurant ramblings know me well enough by now to know I don't frequent places like Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's a concept restaurant, and as a small business owner, I'm always going to favor the small locally-owned place over a big-box national concept. But it was Sunday in Utah and those sorts of places weren't open. I ended up going to Macaroni Grill and be enormously surprised. Our server was friendly and attentive, the prices were very reasonable, and the food was good! The spaghetti carbonara was served with a poached egg on top, just like I've seen in Italy, and was presented beautifully in an ultra-modern bowl. My companion had a shrimp and pasta dish that she loved, and we finished out the night with a too-rich (that's not a bad thing - I'm just giving you fair warning) chocolate cake (they should call it a gateau, just to emphasize how rich it is :-). Great, clean, modern setup, with olive oil at every table. If I *have* to commercialize Italian food, and I *have* to go to a concept restaurant, I'll have a perfectly good night at a place like Macaroni Grill. I'm curious enough now to try it back in KC so I can make sure this wasn't just a one-off good experience in the middle of Utah. :-)
(4)James W.
Not sure what's happened to the Macaroni Grill but seems to have gone down hill a little bit. Maybe more of a reflection on their service than their food. My last visit I ordered some soup that I wanted served with my meal and I waited and waited after the meals were served and then asked and the server told me they were out of that soup. And when it came time to pay there was a big confusion on the bills, my wife and I were with 3 other couples and the server really messed things up. I expect a place like macaroni Grill to have servers that are a little more on the ball.
(2)Corrine B.
If there was a no star they would get it! No one was there to great us for 10 min, that should of been my first clue! Dirty wine glass with lipstick still on it was served to me, not only that but the make your own pasta, was under cooked never added my spinach or peppers and to to it off I ended up with food poisoning!! I woke up at 2am sick, sweating and puking! What a way to spend a conference!! Thank God I was at the doTERRA convention and I was able to make myself get there and take all the oils I needed to rid myself from all that poison! I went home a day early :( never will I ever eat at one again!
(1)Joe C.
We were seated in the back and our waitress gave us the menu and took our drink orders (just sparkling water). She came back about 10 minutes later with our sparkling waters and took our food orders. Note that there was only one other table with four people and about 20 plus tables empty. It took about 45 minues for our food to arrive. My salad was a grilled chicken something with spinach, and it was awful. The chicken was supposed to be grilled but it was frozen and the salad part did not taste good at all. Moreover, it had very little flavor about from terrible. After about 25 minutes the waitress came over to check on us and I asked for some drink refills and she brought over a pitcher of water. I then told her I'd like to re-order something else as my salad was not good. My order came right away. Acutally, I was impressed that it took such a short time considering it took 45 minutes for our first order. Also want to mention we were a party of three. Completely different from what I asked for and was the most terrible pasta dish I have ever had. Coming from someone that has traveled to the EU and visted Italy in particular. El' dente it is not. I will never visit this place again or any of it's other locations. P.S. As soon as my family returned home we all had major stomach issues that quickly turned into frequent restroom visits if you get what I mean.
(1)Brad V.
This Italian restaurant is similar to comparing Taco Bell to Mexican food. It has its own distinctive flavor and it is good. But having lived back east and near lots of Italian restaurants, you know this place isn't real Italian food. But, good food and reasonably priced. No reservations accepted. So, arrive early if you want a seat on Friday/Saturday evenings!
(3)Bryce M.
I took my wife out for her birthday dinner and I thought it was really good even though I'd never been before. It was a nice clean store, our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and the food was really good. I particularly liked their complimentary bread and the vanilla Italian soda I got. Great experience
(5)Sheri F.
This isn't real Italian food. It's the same as Olive Garden. That said, the food is not prepared well either. I came here with a friend and ordered some rigatoni. It arrived burnt on the edges in a small portion and no bread or salad came with it. It tasted like burnt tomatoes. I couldn't taste anything else. I would have sent it back, but the server never checked on us. When he finally showed up, it was to drop off the check without saying a word and ran off. No tip for him. I left hungry and went home to get something to eat. The place was nearly empty. The decor is very minimalistic and the tables are covered in white butcher paper which screams "little kids" to me. Not an adult restaurant. Food: 0 Service: 0 Parking: 3 Ambiance: 3
(1)Dave B.
If at any point of a meal the thought occurs to me, "finishing this isn't worth the calories", then I start to question coming back. My meal here started off well but just was not well seasoned or exciting at all. I wouldn't say they are bad, just that there are better experiences for the same price.
(3)Alexandra S.
So it lived up or should I say down to the expectations. The food was awful. The bread was like a salt lick, the pasta was way overdone and bland. No seasoning. Like no salt either. They sure do rush you out because they close promptly. Also prolly cause there's nobody there. If you get the make your own pasta the season veggies is 2 pieces of broccoli. You would have to pay me to go here again. The staff seemed miserable but I don't blame them. I would prolly bring my own spices and add them to the dish. The red sauce was literally a combo of canned tomatoes and tomato paste, nothing else added. The Alfredo sauce is super super watered down or just not made with cream. No one greeted us at the door. I don't know how this place stays in business. They have these back east and they're really good... This one is a dud. Save your money. If you have a gift card at least you don't have to do dishes!... And you can get a $5 off coupon if you google.
(1)Jean W.
I've been a past critic of this chain, and didn't expect to walk away from a birthday celebration at all satisfied. But I was wrong. I gotta give Macaroni Grill credit where it's due - they masterfully handled our large group of 14. And by "they," I mean our waiter for the most part. He was phenomenal. He was responsive, informed, professional, and didn't forget anything. He was seriously on it. We were seated nearly immediately, due to a reservation; always a great idea here on a Saturday evening. Drink and appetizer orders were taken and delivered quickly. I had forgotten how delicious their rosemary bread in oil/balsamic course is. I could have eaten a lot more of that. But I had surprisingly zeroed in on a couple of menu items, between which I couldn't decide. I eenie-meenie'd my order for the Lobster Ravioli, with the Bibb and Bleu dinner salad. My Bibb and Bleu salad was delightful, with its fresh bibb lettuce, crispy prosciutto, red onions, walnuts and bleu cheese, with a light buttermllk dressing. A great dinner salad. The Lobster Ravioli was nice, included six larger lightly stuffed raviolis in a white wine cream sauce. It wasn't through the roof delicious, but it hit the spot for me nicely. I wasn't uncomfortably full when I finished, either. Other entrees ordered by our party that caused me a brief moment of order envy; Chicken Cacciatore, Cremini Pork Shank, and the Italian Sausage and Potatoes. These entrees brought a lot of food; easily enough for two meals. Reviews from diners at our table were very favorable. Their prosecco bellini was serviceable. Not fantastic, nor worth their menu price. Stick with Carino's beliini - you can't go wrong there. RMG's has motivated me to henceforth order a glass of wine here. As previously mentioned, our party included a birthday girl. They brought her a complimentary dessert of a chocolate brownie-type layer, with a chocolate ganash sauce to pour over, a side of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It was divine. I could only allow myself a couple of bites. Or, was that the birthday girl who policed me? Either way...it was good enough that I could have eaten a lot more of it, but I didn't. I will not hesitate to come to this Macaroni Grill again; my former harsh opinion has been softened to a degree. But I still don't love the one huge dining room, the seven-mile walk from any available parking near here on a weekend night, nor the invasive opera singer. It gets annoying after a song or two. Just leave, man. Just leave.
(4)Chelsea C.
My first clue should have been when I walked into the restaurant and we were the only customers there. We stood at the podium waiting to be seated for about five minutes before anyone even welcomed us. Once my boyfriend and I sat down she brought out the best part of the whole visit, the bread. She didn't give us any silverware and we had to grab our own. I ordered the dinner plate called "chicken under a brick", it had the little recommended symbol by it meaning it was a favorite. My food was swimming in grease and the chicken was worse quality than KFC. She came over to refill my water and poured water all over my feet and purse. Five minutes after she brought out my food she came and asked if I wanted her to box anything up. Needless to say I wish we had gone to Olive Garden.
(1)Katy B.
Been to this location about three or four times over the past 3 years. Pros: +Good, friendly, quick service +Nice ambience. Very cozy and classy +Lots of free, hot bread with olive oil dip +Delicious tiramisu (the desserts in general are yummy) +Large portion sizes Cons: +The food is honestly just...meh. It's really not even close to the best pasta/American knockoff Italian I've ever had. It's not bad, but it's nothing to brag about either. I find most of it very bland and some of it tastes like it came from a can. +$15-20 a plate for meh Italian. This place is really expensive for what you get. Basically, I only go there if I have a gift card. I'm unwilling to drop any of my own money on it. I want to like it a lot; it plays itself up as a fancy bistro, but the food just doesn't measure up.
(3)Nickie J.
I can see why the ratings are as low as they are..... If I were you, I'd go else where at 1/2 the cost. First I will say, the waiter didn't listen to a thing we said... We had to keep asking for things several times. I finally got up to get what I needed cause he was no where to be found. This might not have been that bad if the place was busy but there were 5 tables, if that spread amongst the servers. The food was mediocre at best. I should have know when I ordered a salad and most of it was brown, that's not acceptable to me. My bow tie noodles were not cooked all the way and my chicken was terrible. It had tons of dark spots in the meat ( no it wasn't grilled marks either). If you eat here, I hope you have a better experience than I did.
(2)Annette S.
Terrible food, with the exception of the free bread you get with your meal. I had a salad with chicken, well they didn't out the chicken on it! So my husband had to go back to get the chicken, which was a bummer because he just got off work and wanted to relax. He has the Italian sausage plate which was go but how do you mess that up? Well if you can mess up a salad i guess that's a dumb question. This was my second time trying this place, once here once in Cali, and now I remember why I never returned. Just not my type of place and I could of cooked better food at home.
(2)Ryan G.
I am a big fan of Macaroni Grille but the food has to be fixed. The food was just okay. The chicken was over cooked and service could have been better. Usually you have to wait on a Friday night but we got right in. Now we know why as it is just not as good as it used to be.
(3)Salomon J.
My wife and I decided to eat an early dinner here. It was Friday night and we went around 7 pm. To our surprise there was no wait time. Last time we had come here the wait time was crazy long (about 45 mins). The food was good that time so we expected the same quality this time. Unfortunately that was not the case, My wife's food was cold and the chicken was so over cooked and the pasta was cold. I ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken added to it for $3 more (only got about 4 strips of them) My meal tasted good and I ate most of it. The waiter after about 15 mins of my wife sitting there not eating asked if there was something wrong so we where polite and just said the chicken was over cooked and the plate was cold. He apologized and said he would have it fixed. About 15 minutes later he came with another dish that the chicken was still over cooked and the pasta was still cold. After that we couldn't locate the waiter anywhere and the waters went dry and no refills happened for about 20 mins. The manager came over and asked if everything was okay cause my wife was still not eating so she explained the problem....(by this point she just wanted to go somewhere else to eat cause it had been about an hour since we got there and I was done with my food) The manager said he wouldn't charge us for the plate which makes sense because she didn't eat it. he offered did not offer any compensation or apology for the lack of quality of the food. My wife said to me "now we know why they are so empty on a Friday night" the manager heard and raised his voice at my wife and said "Like i said I will not charge you for the meal, that should take care of things" I looked at my wife as a sign to just let it go and move on with our night. Now the problem is that when I got home I got the worst food poisoning i have had in a long long long time!!! and from reading reviews here it seems to be a normal thing. I was sick all night and finally woke up promising my self that I would never return to this place.
(1)Mike M.
I am usually at a loss ordering from the menu at Italian restaurants. The starchy, oily, heavy cream ridden food offers bland flavors and typical textures for the heavy stomach I go home with. With a side order of gorgonzola cheese, however, the grilled Italian sausage gives a real option for individuals with a craving for something spicy.
(4)Sam S.
Romano's Macaroni Grill in Provo has a great ambiance, good service, and okay food. Not my favorite by any stretch, but not awful either. If I want Italian food this isn't my first choice.
(2)Alexandra S.
So it lived up or should I say down to the expectations. The food was awful. The bread was like a salt lick, the pasta was way overdone and bland. No seasoning. Like no salt either. They sure do rush you out because they close promptly. Also prolly cause there's nobody there. If you get the make your own pasta the season veggies is 2 pieces of broccoli. You would have to pay me to go here again. The staff seemed miserable but I don't blame them. I would prolly bring my own spices and add them to the dish. The red sauce was literally a combo of canned tomatoes and tomato paste, nothing else added. The Alfredo sauce is super super watered down or just not made with cream. No one greeted us at the door. I don't know how this place stays in business. They have these back east and they're really good... This one is a dud. Save your money. If you have a gift card at least you don't have to do dishes!... And you can get a $5 off coupon if you google.
(1)Jean W.
I've been a past critic of this chain, and didn't expect to walk away from a birthday celebration at all satisfied. But I was wrong. I gotta give Macaroni Grill credit where it's due - they masterfully handled our large group of 14. And by "they," I mean our waiter for the most part. He was phenomenal. He was responsive, informed, professional, and didn't forget anything. He was seriously on it. We were seated nearly immediately, due to a reservation; always a great idea here on a Saturday evening. Drink and appetizer orders were taken and delivered quickly. I had forgotten how delicious their rosemary bread in oil/balsamic course is. I could have eaten a lot more of that. But I had surprisingly zeroed in on a couple of menu items, between which I couldn't decide. I eenie-meenie'd my order for the Lobster Ravioli, with the Bibb and Bleu dinner salad. My Bibb and Bleu salad was delightful, with its fresh bibb lettuce, crispy prosciutto, red onions, walnuts and bleu cheese, with a light buttermllk dressing. A great dinner salad. The Lobster Ravioli was nice, included six larger lightly stuffed raviolis in a white wine cream sauce. It wasn't through the roof delicious, but it hit the spot for me nicely. I wasn't uncomfortably full when I finished, either. Other entrees ordered by our party that caused me a brief moment of order envy; Chicken Cacciatore, Cremini Pork Shank, and the Italian Sausage and Potatoes. These entrees brought a lot of food; easily enough for two meals. Reviews from diners at our table were very favorable. Their prosecco bellini was serviceable. Not fantastic, nor worth their menu price. Stick with Carino's beliini - you can't go wrong there. RMG's has motivated me to henceforth order a glass of wine here. As previously mentioned, our party included a birthday girl. They brought her a complimentary dessert of a chocolate brownie-type layer, with a chocolate ganash sauce to pour over, a side of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It was divine. I could only allow myself a couple of bites. Or, was that the birthday girl who policed me? Either way...it was good enough that I could have eaten a lot more of it, but I didn't. I will not hesitate to come to this Macaroni Grill again; my former harsh opinion has been softened to a degree. But I still don't love the one huge dining room, the seven-mile walk from any available parking near here on a weekend night, nor the invasive opera singer. It gets annoying after a song or two. Just leave, man. Just leave.
(4)Brad V.
This Italian restaurant is similar to comparing Taco Bell to Mexican food. It has its own distinctive flavor and it is good. But having lived back east and near lots of Italian restaurants, you know this place isn't real Italian food. But, good food and reasonably priced. No reservations accepted. So, arrive early if you want a seat on Friday/Saturday evenings!
(3)Corrine B.
If there was a no star they would get it! No one was there to great us for 10 min, that should of been my first clue! Dirty wine glass with lipstick still on it was served to me, not only that but the make your own pasta, was under cooked never added my spinach or peppers and to to it off I ended up with food poisoning!! I woke up at 2am sick, sweating and puking! What a way to spend a conference!! Thank God I was at the doTERRA convention and I was able to make myself get there and take all the oils I needed to rid myself from all that poison! I went home a day early :( never will I ever eat at one again!
(1)Erin Q.
Came here for another birthday dinner, expecting that I'd be thoroughly pleased with my experience. Instead, I walked away with a definite "Eh...meh" attitude. When we got to Macaroni Grill, there wasn't a wait, which was nice. They seated us quickly and our server demonstrated her skills of writing her name backwards and upside down on our table. The presentation of our food was great, but the quality wasn't too memorable. My fettucine alfredo tasted just like you'd expect it to, but with an absense of any spice...not even a hint of pepper. My friends weren't too impressed with their entrees either. But the bonus for going there for your birthday is that you get this really decent size piece of chocolate cake smothered with fudge sauce and chopped peanuts. Now I'm not complaining, for this was a complimentary dessert, but it was a little dry for my tasted. If that thing was just a little more moist, it would have been amazing. But I loved the fudge on top...brought my opinion of it up a notch. So what brings my opinion of this place up from two stars to three? Two reasons. It's possible that they might have had an off night, especially seeing as how I've been here before and I remember it being better. Second, the bread is freaking awesome. Fresh out of the oven, with crazy herbs (including rosemary - so good!) - dipped in some oil with fresh pepper - now that's tasty. I don't know if I'll be back here soon. Maybe just to order some bread take out...mmm.
(3)J J.
There were some really great parts and some not so great parts. The great parts were the fresh rosemary bread that they provide as you wait. The flavored tea was wonderful, I would highly recommend the blackberry tea. Our server was super nice and efficient. We went with the 2 for $25 special and got two appetizers. The Zucchini fritters were AMAZING. The Macraoni bites, not so much. The low lights of our experience would be my alfredo looked as if it had been sitting for multiple hours. It looked so bad that the server went and got some white sauce for me to put on it. Seriously! I am paying X amount for dry and cold pasta. Not good. My husband got something else that he really liked. At the end of the evening, they made a major mistake with the bill and that took forever to straighten out. Forutunately, they dropped 10 dollars off the final bill because of their mistake. We will be returning.
(3)Bryce M.
I took my wife out for her birthday dinner and I thought it was really good even though I'd never been before. It was a nice clean store, our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and the food was really good. I particularly liked their complimentary bread and the vanilla Italian soda I got. Great experience
(5)Sheri F.
This isn't real Italian food. It's the same as Olive Garden. That said, the food is not prepared well either. I came here with a friend and ordered some rigatoni. It arrived burnt on the edges in a small portion and no bread or salad came with it. It tasted like burnt tomatoes. I couldn't taste anything else. I would have sent it back, but the server never checked on us. When he finally showed up, it was to drop off the check without saying a word and ran off. No tip for him. I left hungry and went home to get something to eat. The place was nearly empty. The decor is very minimalistic and the tables are covered in white butcher paper which screams "little kids" to me. Not an adult restaurant. Food: 0 Service: 0 Parking: 3 Ambiance: 3
(1)Dave B.
If at any point of a meal the thought occurs to me, "finishing this isn't worth the calories", then I start to question coming back. My meal here started off well but just was not well seasoned or exciting at all. I wouldn't say they are bad, just that there are better experiences for the same price.
(3)Chelsea C.
My first clue should have been when I walked into the restaurant and we were the only customers there. We stood at the podium waiting to be seated for about five minutes before anyone even welcomed us. Once my boyfriend and I sat down she brought out the best part of the whole visit, the bread. She didn't give us any silverware and we had to grab our own. I ordered the dinner plate called "chicken under a brick", it had the little recommended symbol by it meaning it was a favorite. My food was swimming in grease and the chicken was worse quality than KFC. She came over to refill my water and poured water all over my feet and purse. Five minutes after she brought out my food she came and asked if I wanted her to box anything up. Needless to say I wish we had gone to Olive Garden.
(1)Katy B.
Been to this location about three or four times over the past 3 years. Pros: +Good, friendly, quick service +Nice ambience. Very cozy and classy +Lots of free, hot bread with olive oil dip +Delicious tiramisu (the desserts in general are yummy) +Large portion sizes Cons: +The food is honestly just...meh. It's really not even close to the best pasta/American knockoff Italian I've ever had. It's not bad, but it's nothing to brag about either. I find most of it very bland and some of it tastes like it came from a can. +$15-20 a plate for meh Italian. This place is really expensive for what you get. Basically, I only go there if I have a gift card. I'm unwilling to drop any of my own money on it. I want to like it a lot; it plays itself up as a fancy bistro, but the food just doesn't measure up.
(3)Nickie J.
I can see why the ratings are as low as they are..... If I were you, I'd go else where at 1/2 the cost. First I will say, the waiter didn't listen to a thing we said... We had to keep asking for things several times. I finally got up to get what I needed cause he was no where to be found. This might not have been that bad if the place was busy but there were 5 tables, if that spread amongst the servers. The food was mediocre at best. I should have know when I ordered a salad and most of it was brown, that's not acceptable to me. My bow tie noodles were not cooked all the way and my chicken was terrible. It had tons of dark spots in the meat ( no it wasn't grilled marks either). If you eat here, I hope you have a better experience than I did.
(2)Annette S.
Terrible food, with the exception of the free bread you get with your meal. I had a salad with chicken, well they didn't out the chicken on it! So my husband had to go back to get the chicken, which was a bummer because he just got off work and wanted to relax. He has the Italian sausage plate which was go but how do you mess that up? Well if you can mess up a salad i guess that's a dumb question. This was my second time trying this place, once here once in Cali, and now I remember why I never returned. Just not my type of place and I could of cooked better food at home.
(2)Ryan G.
I am a big fan of Macaroni Grille but the food has to be fixed. The food was just okay. The chicken was over cooked and service could have been better. Usually you have to wait on a Friday night but we got right in. Now we know why as it is just not as good as it used to be.
(3)Joe C.
We were seated in the back and our waitress gave us the menu and took our drink orders (just sparkling water). She came back about 10 minutes later with our sparkling waters and took our food orders. Note that there was only one other table with four people and about 20 plus tables empty. It took about 45 minues for our food to arrive. My salad was a grilled chicken something with spinach, and it was awful. The chicken was supposed to be grilled but it was frozen and the salad part did not taste good at all. Moreover, it had very little flavor about from terrible. After about 25 minutes the waitress came over to check on us and I asked for some drink refills and she brought over a pitcher of water. I then told her I'd like to re-order something else as my salad was not good. My order came right away. Acutally, I was impressed that it took such a short time considering it took 45 minutes for our first order. Also want to mention we were a party of three. Completely different from what I asked for and was the most terrible pasta dish I have ever had. Coming from someone that has traveled to the EU and visted Italy in particular. El' dente it is not. I will never visit this place again or any of it's other locations. P.S. As soon as my family returned home we all had major stomach issues that quickly turned into frequent restroom visits if you get what I mean.
(1)Cassidy O.
Some of the worst service I have received thus far. For the price and the quality of service it is not worth going to this location. We had a waitress that forgot about us and left us waiting for a check for 15 minutes, I had to ask the host if he could bring us our check because she forgot about us. The food was gross and there was a ridiculous amount of garlic in my pasta. When I explained that I was dissatisfied with my food early into eating the waitress replied " Well what do you want me to do about it? " I will never return to this location.
(1)Jason B.
I am a very picky person. This place is very clean and the food is solid. Staff is friendly.
(5)Zach L.
Holy oil. I filled up my engine with the residue left on my plate. I refilled my WD 40 bottles and gave my wife an oily back rub, then polished my shoes and greased my hair like John Travolta. I guess I'll be back in 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
(2)Salomon J.
My wife and I decided to eat an early dinner here. It was Friday night and we went around 7 pm. To our surprise there was no wait time. Last time we had come here the wait time was crazy long (about 45 mins). The food was good that time so we expected the same quality this time. Unfortunately that was not the case, My wife's food was cold and the chicken was so over cooked and the pasta was cold. I ordered the Alfredo Fettuccine with chicken added to it for $3 more (only got about 4 strips of them) My meal tasted good and I ate most of it. The waiter after about 15 mins of my wife sitting there not eating asked if there was something wrong so we where polite and just said the chicken was over cooked and the plate was cold. He apologized and said he would have it fixed. About 15 minutes later he came with another dish that the chicken was still over cooked and the pasta was still cold. After that we couldn't locate the waiter anywhere and the waters went dry and no refills happened for about 20 mins. The manager came over and asked if everything was okay cause my wife was still not eating so she explained the problem....(by this point she just wanted to go somewhere else to eat cause it had been about an hour since we got there and I was done with my food) The manager said he wouldn't charge us for the plate which makes sense because she didn't eat it. he offered did not offer any compensation or apology for the lack of quality of the food. My wife said to me "now we know why they are so empty on a Friday night" the manager heard and raised his voice at my wife and said "Like i said I will not charge you for the meal, that should take care of things" I looked at my wife as a sign to just let it go and move on with our night. Now the problem is that when I got home I got the worst food poisoning i have had in a long long long time!!! and from reading reviews here it seems to be a normal thing. I was sick all night and finally woke up promising my self that I would never return to this place.
(1)Mike M.
I am usually at a loss ordering from the menu at Italian restaurants. The starchy, oily, heavy cream ridden food offers bland flavors and typical textures for the heavy stomach I go home with. With a side order of gorgonzola cheese, however, the grilled Italian sausage gives a real option for individuals with a craving for something spicy.
(4)Sam S.
Romano's Macaroni Grill in Provo has a great ambiance, good service, and okay food. Not my favorite by any stretch, but not awful either. If I want Italian food this isn't my first choice.
(2)L F.
I wanted to like it. My whole experience wasn't very good. We ordered and waited a long time for our salads (which tastes like it was a day old). When our meals came the chicken and steak were both dry. I had plenty of room for desert and it was the worst shorbet (gritty) and cheesecake I think I've had. I'm just so glad I had gift card to cover it. I just so wanted to like it though.
(1)Thomas B.
Tasty Italian food. Love the bread, oil and vinegar thing. Macaroni Grill is a good fall back place. Although I was disappointed that the Raspberry Lemonade did not come with refills. Overall: Decent.
(3)Kristen S.
Not even worth going. My husband and I went because we got a gift card. There were only two other couples and the waiters were unbelievably leisurely when it came to waiting on us. Slow and sluggish. I ordered a plate that came with a little portion of 3 different pastas.The pasta is bland and dry and doesn't feel fresh. I make so much better at home! Not worth the money. And it tells you something when it's a Saturday night and there are only 2 other couples in the whole restaurant. And also I thought it was funny that they don't serve any sort of gourmet macaroni and cheese or something. "Macaroni Grille" hello? Totally was in the mood for some and was surprised/disappointed to find that out.
(1)Stephen H.
Those of you who read my restaurant ramblings know me well enough by now to know I don't frequent places like Romano's Macaroni Grill. It's a concept restaurant, and as a small business owner, I'm always going to favor the small locally-owned place over a big-box national concept. But it was Sunday in Utah and those sorts of places weren't open. I ended up going to Macaroni Grill and be enormously surprised. Our server was friendly and attentive, the prices were very reasonable, and the food was good! The spaghetti carbonara was served with a poached egg on top, just like I've seen in Italy, and was presented beautifully in an ultra-modern bowl. My companion had a shrimp and pasta dish that she loved, and we finished out the night with a too-rich (that's not a bad thing - I'm just giving you fair warning) chocolate cake (they should call it a gateau, just to emphasize how rich it is :-). Great, clean, modern setup, with olive oil at every table. If I *have* to commercialize Italian food, and I *have* to go to a concept restaurant, I'll have a perfectly good night at a place like Macaroni Grill. I'm curious enough now to try it back in KC so I can make sure this wasn't just a one-off good experience in the middle of Utah. :-)
(4)James W.
Not sure what's happened to the Macaroni Grill but seems to have gone down hill a little bit. Maybe more of a reflection on their service than their food. My last visit I ordered some soup that I wanted served with my meal and I waited and waited after the meals were served and then asked and the server told me they were out of that soup. And when it came time to pay there was a big confusion on the bills, my wife and I were with 3 other couples and the server really messed things up. I expect a place like macaroni Grill to have servers that are a little more on the ball.
(2)Rod S.
As casual dining faux Italian goes, it's pretty good stuff. It's just been overshadowed by some of the competition lately. While most Macaroni Grills are similar, this one has never been quite as good as some other ones around the country. I just hate the gimmick of the server writing upside down on the table. Today I had the chicken cannelloni. It spent way too much time under the heat lamp, or in the convention oven to reheat. The pasta shell was slightly crunchy on the edges and pretty dried out over all. The chicken/cream cheese like sauce doesn't have much flavor and the chicken is spongy enough that you can't really tell it's in there except for vague hints of chicken flavor. I've been here many times in days gone by, but switched to Carrabba's a few years ago. I like the idea of the sea salt and oil drizzle on the focaccia bread, but my fingers are messy the rest of the meal. I was there for lunch today, and it was not very busy for a Friday lunch. It would appear I'm not the only person less enthralled by this location. In days gone by, I ate at a number of locations around the country. It was pretty popular with coworkers when I was travelling a lot. The real hook of Macaroni Grill is the cheap gallon jug of wine you get to pour yourself and drink. It makes everything better. Since this is illegal in Utah, it doesn't help soften the quality of the food. I've also noticed other locations cook the food better. That's somewhat surprising since the sauces are all sent to the restaurant already made. All they have to do is reheat them and not screw up the protein. Oh well. It's a far sight better than Olive Garden. It's OK, but I'll stick with Carrabba's locally.
(3)Chris T.
The only reason we went here is because some bhole gave us a gift card as a wedding present. I should've just thrown it away. Here are a couple reasons why I'll be removing that person from my life. 1. Service was bad. It was Saturday night but not super busy. They somehow lost our name from the call ahead list (even though the waitress remembered the name). Waiter was slow, delivered my beer after the appetizers. Plus I can't take anyone seriously that introduces themselves with crayons. 2. Food was awful. The only decent thing we ate was the bread. Calamari and stuffed peppers were edible... Barely. Lobster in the ravioli was crunchy and chewy at the same time. The sea bass was by far the most disgusting thing I've tried to eat in a long time. Literally took one bite and I was done. When the waiter asked how everything was I told him "fine", as i was scared he would bring me something else to eat if I told him the truth. I never review things online; however, I just had to document this culinary monstrosity. The only comfort I have left is knowing that this rubbish won't remain in my body long, as I am 88% sure this experience will result in food poisoning.
(1)Jake P.
I went to this restaurant on a Thursday night, slightly past 7:00 pm. As I expected, I arrived to find a half-full parking lot and an overall slow night inside of the restaurant. We were seated right away; "we" being my 2-year-old daughter and I. We sat, waited, and colored on the table with crayons. After more than 10 minutes of waiting my daughter became impatient and made sure I knew it. Looking around I saw the restaurant was at least half-empty. A waiter was taking care of the customers at the tables next to mine, but we were somehow being ignored or forgotten about. I decided to leave. As I walked out I passed several employees who were standing around, including the female employee who had seated us, and not a single one of them talked to us on our way out. Driving from the restaurant I decided I would call to speak to a manager. I was put on hold and after a short wait I was told the manager was busy but I would receive a callback shortly. Rather than playing phone tag with this manager I briefly explained what happened and asked the employee to relay it to the manager. The employee said he would pass it along and have the manager call me. The only problem is the employee never asked me for my phone number and if they have caller ID then the manager, for whatever reason, didn't call me back. Based on this disappointing experience I've decided I will never return to Romano's Macaroni Grill. There are plenty of restaurants willing to professionally accept my patronage, the employees at this Macaroni Grill showed me they are not one of those restaurants. In conclusion, if you would like to eat at a restaurant where they pay attention to you then pass on Macaroni Grill in Provo.
(1)Kelly W.
Had not eaten here in a few years. So much lost time! I really liked it. We definitely had to wait a bit, but that was expected. The hosting staff were very smiley and did a great job at keeping us happy. Once we were seated, I don't think I've ever had such speedy service. Had Tyler as our waiter. It's apparent that he enjoys his job. He adapted well to my group and was just like a friend. Never have had such speedy service. Hands down. Really considerate waiter. Not to mention, the food is quality. I'll be back!
(5)Kyle F.
The good news is, the bread was as good as ever... The bad news, everything else sucked. A lot. I ordered the mushroom ravioli, and added chicken. It was just gross. I was able to lift the entire dish with my fork due to the plaster-like cheese burnt on top. The sauce was basically wine-milk, the small amount of chicken was mainly hard gristle (the additional 3$ chicken btw) And the mushrooms were almost nonexistent. Upon ordering I was asked by our friendly server if I preferred soup, or salad. I chose soup, an overly salted, strangely thick, onion soup. To my surprise the soup was NOT included with the meal, but an additional 5$. Awesome. I will not be going back to Romano's on my own free will. And if i somehow get swindled into coming here again, I will stick with bread... and only bread.
(1)B T.
Meh. On a good day the food is just OK and I can't stand the layout of the restaurant, especially if the place is busy. The whole place is one big room with so many tables packed in it that if you lean back in your chair you might collide with someone from the next table. I there's a line, go somewhere else. It's not worth the wait.
(2)Tim H.
I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But alas, Romano's still sucks. Having been here a year earlier, I was aware that the appetizers were marginal at best, so I skipped them and went straight for the entree. Our food arrived promptly, but my chicken parmesan was pink inside. Yeah, I can forgive some things, but this isn't one of them. As my wife semi-enjoyed her broccoli-fied balsamic chicken, I patiently waited for round 2, and what ended up being an overly-dry couple pieces of chicken. The management at this place would be better off going to Chick-fil-A, buying a few sandwiches, tossing some cheese and marinara on the fillets, and serving that. Honestly, that would be far better. Our server was nice, the Italian soda was great, the wait was non-existent (on a Friday night...go figure!), and we had a $25 gift card which covered nearly all the cost of our food. Here ya go Romanos: A GENEROUS 2 stars.
(2)Abe N.
Terrible management. They double charged me and refused to give me my money back! Be careful.
(1)Mike B.
Food: I went out on a limb and got the pasta milano (roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and imported farfalle pasta in a roasted garlic cream sauce), and it was ok, but the portion size was too big, and it lacked flavor. Atmosphere: Open, warm, and classy. Price: $12/plate maybe? I just remember thinking it was overpriced.
(2)E.M. B.
Food was standard and average Macaroni Grill cuisine. I don't mind the RMG. but this particular location made my blood boil. Yes, I realize I am in Provo, but I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner. When I ordered a glass of white wine, I swear a record scratched. My server, who was well WELL over the age of 21 (I would guess close to 30), kind of rolled his eyes, and said he would find someone to bring it to me. About 15 minutes after ordering it, the dishwasher came out with it. Seriously, if you have some 'moral' dilemma with touching and/or serving wine, don't work in a restaurant that has it. My family and I laughed about the whole thing, but it was a little embarrassing. Thank you, server at Macaroni Grill, for reminding me why I stay away from your city.
(2)Cynthia H.
Two years ago I gave up on this place. I went 2x in a month and both times the food was so salty--like bad tv dinners--I swore them off forever. the only redeeming quality is the bread and oil you get for free.
(1)JJ G.
I want to be very clear, Macaroni Grille has some deficiencies in their menu, which I am aware of. For example, don't waste a moment on the fettuccine Alfredo, it's almost shockingly bland, or rather if you do order it ask for lots of parmesan, it's actually just fine with extra parmesan.. Nevertheless, order the Chicken Scallopine or the Chicken Milanese and you'll be in heaven. I love the veal chop although it's spendy, and my wife's favorite is the Shrimp Portofino. Also if you notice anything has the lemon butter sauce on it, it will probably be just fine (always ask for a little extra lemon butter sauce, they give you plenty but it is delightful). the bread is great of course, and their mocktails are very good. I haven't tried everything, but I would say i have been disappointed by at least 1/3rd of the dishes i have tried. Ask your server they can give you some guidance. On that note, We have requested Sabrina or Laura every time we go and have never been unhappy with the service. In fact I'd categorize Sabrina as one of the memorably good servers I have ever had. In sum, if you know what to order and you know who to request for service you will have a fantastic experience. I can certainly see how people may have given it poor marks for food, but the service has always been at least adequate and when the aforementioned servers are available, well above average Oh I should also mention, that while she isn't always singing, they have a hostess who sings aria's and she is remarkably talented. If you do go especially with someone you feel romantically inclined towards, be sure to ask if their singer is available, I believe her name is Mary.
(4)Curtis G.
We came with a largish group, and our server did a great job of keeping everyone's food and drinks orders straight. We got our dishes relatively quickly and I quite liked the lasagne. My wife's chicken-and-pasta entree was rather bland, however.
(3)Britney H.
Came in almost at closing time with my visiting mother her friend and my husband. Only 4 other tables were occupied and we were seated. It took a wile for our waiter to get to us but he was so friendly and helpful who cares. Everyone else ordered pizza and I got seafood linguine. The seafood part was fine but the pasta had no sauce and no flavor I didn't eat hardly any of it just picked out the seafood. It was a nice place with nice people but we came here for food. My husband said his pizza was just blah an ordinary nothing special blah pepperoni pizza. Great! We had a fine time but as for the food uh I make better spaghetti and meatballs at home for way less. Needless to say we won't be back but we gave it a try.
(2)Wade P.
One of my favorite places to go and eat with my wife. Pretty reasonable in price, and you can usually find a coupon. The atmosphere is much better than most restaurants in this price range and food is FULL of flavor usually. The bread they serve for free at the beginning of the meal is almost worth going for itself.
(4)