Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Anyone Had Luck With Olive Garden?

MominSoCal

By MominSoCal
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

MominSoCal Apprentice
MominSoCal
Posted

I see their GFmenu, but just wondering if anyone has tried it?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

No, but I have eaten at several Spaghetti Factories and have not been glutened. I have also been in their kitchen and they cook the pasta separately.

mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

We just tried a local Olive Garden.  YUCK.  It was with a large party and our food came cold (and gluten free noodles were hard and dry)  Stick to the salad, with no croutons.  My son had the salmon and enjoyed it. 

 

Could have been this location.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I ate at an Olive Garden in Washington and it was ok.  Just ok.  I wouldn't pick it as a return to place unless there was no other choice.  It was just sort of blah! 

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

Food is bleh and you really have to watch the salad.  They'll put croutons on it even when you remind them not to.  And then they'll try to pick them off!

  • 3 weeks later...
HumanDecency Contributor
HumanDecency
Posted

What would be the safest thing to eat here?

  • 1 month later...
MsMarginalized Rookie
MsMarginalized
Posted

Food is bleh and you really have to watch the salad.  They'll put croutons on it even when you remind them not to.  And then they'll try to pick them off!

Before you send it back, throw on some katsup or scoop something else off of someone elses plate (ask their permission firs) and plop it on top.  Tell the server that you CANNOT have this bowl because you CANNOT pick all the gluten off.  The katsup/sauce from other plate should act as a marker that this is the original/glutened problem plate.

 

You can also cut meat in a strange way before sending it back if it got glutened.  (I read both of these suggestions either on Elizabeth Hasselbecks website or in 1 of her books.)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mommida Enthusiast
mommida
Posted

From my experience I would try an Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's, or Carrabbarra's before going to Olive Garden.  My son did enjoy the fish (I think it was salmon).

Rissa019 Newbie
Rissa019
Posted

I see their GFmenu, but just wondering if anyone has tried it?

YES! Their pasta is wonderful!! It breaks apart easily, but does not bother me as I am not picky (since you can't exactly be a picky gluten-free eater) hehe.. salads are wonderful too. I was very impressed with how well and educated the waiter was on their gluten free options!

Kath Urbahn Newbie
Kath Urbahn
Posted

From my experience I would try an Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's, or Carrabbarra's before going to Olive Garden.  My son did enjoy the fish (I think it was salmon).

I agree wholeheartedly !!! 

Kath Urbahn Newbie
Kath Urbahn
Posted

I see their GFmenu, but just wondering if anyone has tried it?

I didn't care for it.  I thought it was kinda gross.  And yeah, the salads, they're really bad about still putting croutons on it, and then just picking them off when you repeat that you cannot have croutons.  I go elsewhere, though I used to love Olive Garden.  Before I knew they had gluten-free pasta, though, I asked them for some mixed steamed veggies, and asked them to put marinara and a healthy sprinkle of cheese over it.  They were happy to comply.  It was DELICIOUS!!! :P

  • 2 weeks later...
MindytheOrganist Enthusiast
MindytheOrganist
Posted

We've had good luck at Olive Garden, but we live in a small market, and it's easy for the servers to get to know us.  We usually go with a good friend who doesn't mind omitting croutons (even though both he and I can have them), so there is no confusion about the salad.  The pasta is a bit dry, but we solve that by getting marinara sauce "for the breadsticks," then giving it to my celiac hubby to add to his pasta.  We do have a Biaggi's here, and that is our favorite place to go for Italian.

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

I  agree  with the  others  olive  garden is our  least  favorite.. There  food  is like  airline  food ,ready made  &  reheated.... I  have  eaten  there not  by  choice  ,  they  brought  me  a  separate  salad  &  dipping  oil ( I brought my  gluten-free  breadsticks) salad  was  freshly made... I  had a beef  skewer  with  veggies .... was  just  okay. Not  worth  the price... The  Pf Chang's,  Outback, or  Carrabas'  is  way  better....

Charfet Newbie
Charfet
Posted

I see their GFmenu, but just wondering if anyone has tried it?

I tried the other day & it was very good.  I had the gluten-free Penne Rigate Pomodoro.  The waiter said that they are getting another brand of pasta in a couple of weeks & suggested I come back to try it.  Can't wait, it was so good.

  • 4 weeks later...
MindytheOrganist Enthusiast
MindytheOrganist
Posted

UPDATE!!  Our Olive Garden got the different pasta, and it is vast improvement over what they had.  Unfortunately, they have not had the time to print up a new gluten-free menu, but our server was VERY helpful.

Sweet-Pea Newbie
Sweet-Pea
Posted

I have eaten at several Olive Gardens....St. Peters, MO, Salt Lake City, UT, and several in the Midwest. They have a new Gluten-free menu that is pretty good. The pasta was the rice pasta (I don't care for it). They had several gluten free dishes that didn't contain pasta and were pretty tasty....give them a try again.

  • 4 months later...
SMRI Collaborator
SMRI
Posted

Ate at Olive Garden yesterday.  Not a huge fan but my daughter loves their soup and we were traveling with limited options.  I had the gluten-free pasta.  It was not bad and in many ways I liked it better than regular pasta, not as "thick" and gummy.  I had the Rigatoni Primivera and it had a lot of vegetables in the sauce that were fresh and not overcooked for a change.  The salad came without croutons but I thought I saw some crumbs in there--not sure if it was the dressing or not.  I didn't say anything because I have one more day to eat gluten before my follow-up GI appointment.  They have incorporated their gluten-free foods in their regular menu and are either listed as "Gluten Free ______" or have a (G) denoting gluten-free.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,930
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Mhp
    Newest Member
    Mhp
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • AnnaNZ
      Bitters for digestion?

      By AnnaNZ · Posted

      I forgot to mention my suspicion of the high amount of glyphosate allowed to be used on wheat in USA and NZ and Australia. My weight was 69kg mid-2023, I went down to 60kg in March 2024 and now hover around 63kg (just after winter here in NZ) - wheat-free and very low alcohol consumption.
    • AnnaNZ
      Bitters for digestion?

      By AnnaNZ · Posted

      Hi Jess Thanks so much for your response and apologies for the long delay in answering. I think I must have been waiting for something to happen before I replied and unfortunately it fell off the radar... I have had an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy in the meantime (which revealed 'minor' issues only). Yes I do think histamine intolerance is one of the problems. I have been lowering my histamine intake and feeling a lot better. And I do think it is the liver which is giving the pain. I am currently taking zinc (I have had three low zinc tests now), magnesium, B complex, vitamin E and a calcium/Vitamin C mix. I consciously think about getting vitamin D outside. (Maybe I should have my vitamin D re-tested now...) I am still 100% gluten-free. My current thoughts on the cause of the problems is some, if not all, of the following: Genetically low zinc uptake, lack of vitamin D, wine drinking (alcohol/sulphites), covid, immune depletion, gastroparesis, dysbiosis, leaky gut, inability to process certain foods I am so much better than late 2023 so feel very positive 🙂    
    • lehum
      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      By lehum · Posted

      Hi and thank you very much for your detailed response! I am so glad that the protocol worked so well for you and helped you to get your health back on track. I've heard of it helping other people too. One question I have is how did you maintain your weight on this diet? I really rely on nuts and rice to keep me at a steady weight because I tend to lose weight quickly and am having a hard time envisioning how to make it work, especially when not being able to eat things like nuts and avocados. In case you have any input, woud be great to hear it! Friendly greetings.
    • Hmart
      Is this celiac?

      By Hmart · Posted

      I was not taking any medications previous to this. I was a healthy 49 yo with some mild stomach discomfort. I noticed the onset of tinnitus earlier this year and I had Covid at the end of June. My first ‘flare-up’ with these symptoms was in August and I was eating gluten like normal. I had another flare-up in September and then got an upper endo at the end of September that showed possible celiac. My blood test came a week later. While I didn’t stop eating gluten before I had the blood test, I had cut back on food and gluten both. I had a flare-up with this symptoms after one week of gluten free but wasn’t being crazy careful. Then I had another flare-up this week. I think it might have been caused by Trader Joe’s baked tofu which I didn’t realize had wheat. But I don’t know if these flare-ups are caused by gluten or if there’s something else going on. I am food journaling and tracking all symptoms. I have lost 7 pounds in the last 10 days. 
    • trents
      Is this celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Hmart! There are other medical conditions besides celiac disease that can cause villous atrophy as well as some medications and for some people, the dairy protein casein. So, your question is a valid one. Especially in view of the fact that your antibody testing was negative, though there are also some seronegative celiacs. So, do you get reactions every time you consume gluten? If you were to purposely consume a slice of bread would you be certain to develop the symptoms you describe?
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.