We Tried 15 Italian Chain Restaurants. Here's The Best One

[@edkeaton6360]

"If anyone ever tells you that you had put way too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life." 🍝🍕🥗🍔🍝🍕

[@JeffDeWitt]

To paraphrase Samuel Clemens, "Too much Parmesan cheese is just enough."

[@fminem785]

love it!

[@MaG-qo6up]

Only if your cholesterol allows it!!

[@blueiz1119]

Exactly

[@mikewrasman5103]

You don't go to Italian restaurants to count Carolina or carbs.

[@ArielK1987]

Best Italian run restaurants are the family run in your local neighborhood.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Of course, or your Grandparents house. But they did say chains...nothing beats home made from the heart

[@paulluna8099]

That's why they made it clear they were referring to chain restaurants.

[@RH-beefhemoth]

@@paulluna8099 you're a chain restaurant

[@birdboy16]

@@RH-beefhemoth that’s a weird insult

[@tjp2109]

That's if you can find non-chain restaurants. I live in Oregon & we used to have so many mom & pop Italian places 20 years ago. Now all we have is Olive garden. Maybe there's a fine dining Italian place here or there but it's out of most people's budget. I personally don't think Italian is as popular a cuisine as a few decades ago, at least not in the Pacific NW. Used to be all the rage here.

[@rso1411]

I just went to Maggiano's for the first time and was very impressed. The food was outstanding.

[@lesismore7478]

Chicago based? Heard it's fire.

[@bobbonj1171]

Agreed I’m from Jersey and I’m Italian and believe me this is the best Italian chain over Carmines or Carabbas or whatever we have Olive Garden down the road FFS so we have to drive past it for few miles for this Chicago institution!

[@TerryOnVinyl]

I worked at Maggiano's in Atlanta around 2012-2013. I still miss the food

[@jaywoods378]

For a chain, it is really excellent. The best chain Italian restaurant for sure.

[@wandaswavely2523]

I go to local Italian restaurants, fresh products and usually owned by Italians and their families.

[@brianmoody2549]

A mom and pop’s restaurant .The food is great cooked with love and from the heart.

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

See someone else gets it. Chain restaurants aren’t legit Italian. The chefs at Olive Garden are probably Mexican not Italian

[@VickySwindoll]

Me too!

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Carraba's, Maggiano's and Buca deserve their position. I like the honesty of these restaurants reviews.

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

Maggianos is the only real Italian restaurant of those three. Carrabas is disgusting and so is buca. My papa was pissed when he tried them because it wasn’t even like being at home for him

[@osoniye4209]

I can't believe you came down to macaroni grill as amazing. They just aren't

[@robbygordon643]

All the ones around me have gone out of business.

[@demanskytuba6057]

Carrabba's is my favorite.

[@geraldbrienza4474]

Don’t go to chain restaurants period. Support your local Italian restaurant.

[@michaellochmueller1100]

IL Mulino Fort Lauderdale

[@brianmoody2549]

You are right about that.

[@thewatcher305]

@@michaellochmueller1100 You just put IL Mulino on my radar! Thank you!

[@donkey7577]

Not if u r getting paid like the people who work at any fast food joint that this channel raked over in the previous episode .....

[@hailervin]

:( sadly there isn’t an Italian restaurant hardly in my hometown. Not even a chain.

[@donaldmcdaniel1773]

I go to Olive Garden for the soup and salad, and I love the bread sticks.

[@CRuf-qw4yv]

Someone needs to open a German food chain restaurant. Sausage, old world saurkraut, saurbraten, wiener snitzel, pickled red beets, spatzele, cabbage soup, good old-style brown or stone-ground mustard, and reasonably priced Bavarian beer.

[@billh230]

I would go that. Problem is, German food just isn't as universally popular as Mexican, Chinese and Italian. Too bad, because you listed off food that makes my mouth water. Spaten Optimator for the win!!

[@Angelwolfs9]

Edelweiss in Ft Worth Texas!!! AWESOME German Food!

[@jamiebrown1737]

@@Angelwolfs9 We have a German place called Edelweiss in Colorado Springs too! It's fantastic.

[@CRuf-qw4yv]

Oh....And I forgot my fave...hot German Potato Salad.

[@billh230]

@@CRuf-qw4yv Gotta have a little Rotkohl to go with that, too..... 😋

[@kevinW826]

I have an Italian grocery store next door to me. They make EVERYTHING in store…wedding cakes, lasagna, focaccia, you name it. Yes it’s fairly expensive, but you can’t beat homemade Italian food by actual Italians.

[@docmalthus]

Best food there is!

[@mikej2020]

I never heard of most of these places

[@mikej2020]

@@microtasker I live in NYC! 😂 lots of people here

[@ciaralizabeth]

Just go to local restaurants. You will have a better experience and you will be supporting local businesses

[@9UaYXxB]

This website is pitched at the herd.... not at the thoughtful individual. It's high gloss hype.

[@Nonduality]

Better yet, learn to cook Italian at home.

[@michaelancona1120]

My family would dismiss any Italian chain restaurant outright. My dad refuses to step foot in an Olive Garden. The best are independently owned and found in Brooklyn, NY.

[@wasabiluver]

I ate at an Olive Garden once about 20 years ago, and I've never forgotten it. Just awful.

[@jacobjones5269]

NY is definitely gonna have the best pasta… Similarly, the bread in NY delis is always gonna be the best, specifically because of the alkaline water.. I live in Austin (boooooo), and I’ve been craving an Italian hogue for like 2 weeks, now, but I don’t know where to goooooo!..

[@nickdeliso7026]

Ponte Vecchio, Gratto, too many to mention!

[@cristinabuffington9659]

I agree on the Olive Garden front. However, the best American Italian food I have had is in Rhode Island

[@nickdeliso7026]

Absolutely. I miss Brooklyn restaurants, and can’t wait till my next visit back home.

[@andrewmiller6009]

Olive Garden... Never fresh, always frozen.

[@realtalkfbs]

Carrabbas is our favorite! But now I gotta try Maggiano

[@HPLA25]

Fazoli's breadsticks are better than Olive Garden's and you didn't even mention them.

[@Sunshine4]

SO TRUE! I miss that place, they closed down in my area 🥺

[@Fattony6666]

can't please every complainer on the web

[@pj8761]

Maggianos is the only place on this list I would ever even consider. They are ranked #1 on this list, and they would still only be as good as the WORST Italian restaurant and pizza place in my town.

[@tomcallahan7677]

The last time we ate there they gave my wife and I food poisoning. I will eat canned pasta before returning there again.

[@alexxxxxxxx709]

@@tomcallahan7677 my parents got food posioning there once too!!

[@caseyhayes4590]

Maggiano's is still very good, but it was ridiculously good before taken over by Brinker Intl conglomerate. I waited tables at original location and they used to encourage us present a free shot of sambuca to tables with their dessert whenever we wanted, not for problems just for fun. The specials and the wine list were incredible too. I still think it's great, it's authentic NYC Little Italy Italian, not authentic Italian, and in that respect it is the best version in pretty much every city outside of NYC where they have a location.

[@Frame_Late]

Yeah, me and my mother love American-Italian food and Maggiano's is up there along with some local restaurants. Our favorite is Mama Cucina's. Their Veal Parmigiano is fantastic.

[@taraupchurch9389]

Never order chicken at Olive Garden. I was served chicken parm that was still refrigerator cold in the center. Never went back.

[@paulking962]

They lost my business.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

OG as a whole is for retirees 👴🏻👵🏼 and people who are on a budget, do not want traditional 🇮🇹 fare. I rarely go to Olive Garden maybe 1, 2X in 5yr.

[@HateDietPepsi]

Ordered chicken marsala there once. Chunk of overly charcoal tasting chicken with a teaspoon of marsala sauce. Much worse than all chicken marsala TV dinners.

[@KKEM641]

Keep in mind that Fazollis is fast casual, along the lines of the Panda Express of Italian Food. Is it great, for from it, however for fast food Italian it is not that bad.

[@MysticWanderer]

Except Panda is hands down better Chinese than Fazollis is Italian.

[@stevem390]

One of my 1st jobs was working as a bus boy in Carrabbas...to this day their Fettuccine Alfredo is the standard to which I judge all other Alfredos against, lol

[@1computernew]

I used to love Macaroni Grill's penne rustica even though it had only three shrimp. They decreased the shrimp from three to two. There was still a generous portion of chicken and it tasted very good. service was inconsistent; sometimes good, sometimes bad. I don't know what happened but all of the Macaroni Grills in my area went out of business.

[@Abunai50]

The original Maggiano’s in Chicago is outstanding!

[@sueshannon896]

The last time I went to our local Olive Garden is probably the last time I will ever go there. I love meatballs so I ordered a side of them, took my first bite and almost spit them out. I have had frozen ones from a bag that were better then what I ordered. Maybe it was just that location, not sure if I would ever try a different location.

[@shawncho5217]

I worked at the olive garden as both a line/prep cook and you are correct. They are the McDonald's of Italian. Everything comes in a bag frozen. Even the items that are made "fresh" all come in a bag frozen and are made which isn't the worst thing ever but I think is the overall atmosphere and emphasis on speed over quality. Nothing is cooked with care. You just are encouraged just to throw shit on the plate regardless of how it looks or how it's cooked and get it TF out on the window where it sits for awhile because usually there's no expo. The servers are usually their own expo.

[@gadci4400]

@@shawncho5217 If everything is frozen there then you ain't a line cook, You're a microwave assistant 😆

[@bagotoetags801]

​@@gadci4400He may have been a 'defroster, first class'

[@lindayoungs4292]

Fazollis is great love everything I tried

[@patriciacrosson2209]

Very good

[@tacitus7797]

LOL ... Romano's Macaroni Grill where they shove the tables too close to each other and drinks get dumped on you as a results and the management doesn't give a tinker's damn.

[@kathleenkendalljacksgrandm6902]

The old spaghetti factory⭐️

[@KittySnicker]

I love Carabba’s!!

[@belindabell2]

Depends on what state..

[@daniel.d.roberts6850]

I remember back in the 2000s when I had Johnny Carino's in Wichita, as for Maggianos' Italian Kitchen, I've went there.

[@msp_isyourteacher6139]

Fazoli’s and Spaghetti Warehouse are iconic lol! Nostalgia!!!!

[@grahamhannah2108]

Never eaten at or heard of the #1 choice, but totally agree with Buca di Beppo and Carrabbas which are both delicious.

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

Your crazy if you think buca and carrabbas are good. I wouldn’t even call it good American-Italian food

[@grahamhannah2108]

@@Thedominator-tr2su Let me guess. Olive Garden is your go to Italian restaurant!!

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

@@grahamhannah2108 hell no that’s even worse

[@grahamhannah2108]

@@Thedominator-tr2su We are still dealing with chain Italian. Buca’s and Carrabbas are pretty good for chain restaurants.

[@Thedominator-tr2su]

@@grahamhannah2108 you ask any Italian they’ll say the same about them. And not an American born Italian someone from Italy

[@Ko-kf6lc]

Carabba's is my favorite. Buca de Peppo is probably best though

[@notvarris5753]

I miss Bravo. I used to work for them and they really tried to make good food in house. The inconsistency comes from the nature of them trying to make good real food that wasn't from a bag. If the recipes were followed the food was really good but getting every cook to do each recipe exactly every time is hard. Unlike Olive Garden that cooks most of it from frozen. Sadly Bravo got sold to a new parent company and that parent company has HORRIBLY mismanaged the restaurants. Covid likely will be the death stroke for Bravo now.

[@crazymofoalex]

Holy shit I didn’t expect you to come out the gate roasting these places hahaha

[@mikeperry6794]

All the Carrabbas in my area closed. I loved their food.

[@buttonsbebe]

I love that Maggiano’s always sends you home w a complete entree for free.

[@alexmullen27]

I worked at Carrabba's in the early 2000's, & goddamn the food was delicious.

[@clydekimsey7503]

Carrabas rocks!

[@theresehopkins1581]

Since I'm allergic to additives and preservatives... your channel helps me find safe places to eat!!! Thank you!!!❤🎉😊

[@brianedmonson3776]

The best Italian run restaurant is one when the grandma is cussing when things is going bad

[@mariissaak]

When she said you shouldn't be ashamed of loving Olive Garden. She was speaking to me.

[@jenpaulhome1]

Last time I was at Olive Garden it was 75 bucks, 2 pasta dishes, 1 appetizer, 2 drinks. Time before that they were serving a expensive meatball sub on a bread stick with teeny tiny meatballs, no joke. Never Olive Garden again because it just sucks. Best Italian is my house. Cheaper too.

[@mrmarvellous5378]

I live in Sydney Australia, we don't have most of the outlets you suggest, but I still commend you on your forthright commentary.

[@jtp2007]

I like Olive Garden and I am Italian. I feel like they have stepped it up on some things recently. Like with any other restaurant, it depends on where you are as each chain can be different

[@carolharris2357]

I'm glad you were charitable to the Olive Garden. I've never been but my mother loves it.

[@matthewoesch2364]

I agree Carrabbas has great food, but the service I had on my most recent visit was poor.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I ate at Carrabbas in the past, 2000s. I rarely go there now but it's not bad.

[@kevinmaxwell9539]

Which one did you go to? I know some people may have complained recently about some stuff at the Carrabba’s I work for, but when you only have one car side person in the building and several orders coming in, you can’t expect your order to be done in 5 minutes or less. At one point, both our car side people were running catering orders.

[@matthewoesch2364]

@@kevinmaxwell9539 my bad service in Orlando Florida was from a waiter who didn’t get the order correct, didn’t refill drinks for a very long time, and wasn’t stopping by the table at all.

[@kevinmaxwell9539]

@@matthewoesch2364 as an employee with the company, I sincerely apologize for your lack of quality service. Our customers deserve the best, and I’m sorry you didn’t get that. I hope you’ll come back and give us another chance to redeem ourselves. I’m a host at a Carrabba’s in a different city in Florida, and hoping to see you one day.

[@matthewoesch2364]

@@kevinmaxwell9539 thank you I’ll definitely still go back. I live in the Tampa/ St. Petersburg area now.

[@miltoncallan1471]

I agree!

[@mike6845]

I agree. For all the chain Italian restaurants mentioned, Maggiano's is the best.

[@michaelancona1120]

For the ones mentioned, I agree

[@travisr5694]

I had a feeling Maggiano’s would be #1. I always recommend the chicken and spinach manicotti and rigatoni D. And the chocolate cake is enormous and the apple crostata. Plus if you have 4 or more people they do family style. Huge portions. Gets my vote!!

[@U2WB]

Mediocre at best.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

Yeah alright, relax fatty it's just food.

[@curveball1318]

I can't figure out why macaroni grill went bust. That place was truly awesome. The bread that they served before the meal was stellar. You really have to wonder why something so great can fail.

[@mattbosley3531]

A lot of restaurants went under during Covid. Macaroni still exists, they just don't have a lot of restaurants any more. Only a few in some major cities.

[@marcysikes]

I love Carrabbas!

[@puritychalice]

Maggiano's ignited my love for Italian food.

[@lennoxtvthingy7408]

I’m not disappointed that olive garden is in the middle. I kinda expected it.

[@samd1405]

"food at Olive Garden will taste the same every visit" because they are microwave meals, duh

[@eudaenomic]

They boil the shrimp regardless of the dish.

[@lisab3685]

Bland bland bland

[@roseflowers7641]

Old Spaghetti Factory has been my favorite for many years, I have never had a bad experience dining there.

[@johnjohnmcclane1818]

Carrabba's calamari is about the best I've had.

[@richeerich561]

Little ma and pa place in Redond Wa, Tropea.. best italian I've ever had.

[@Ted_david95]

Bertucci’s is actually pretty good it did fall off over the past couple years but overall solid

[@markdombrowski9619]

I’ll always support the local mom and pop places, but Maggiano’s is the shit. My wife and I ate there on our honeymoon, and we go once or twice a year. I get the same thing every time, and so does she. She gets gnocchi , I get the baked ziti. Fried mozzarella ( sometimes I’ll get sausage and peppers or calamari too). Creme brûlée for dessert.

[@mattcohen261]

The best Italian restaurant anywhere in the US is the Chicago Pasta House in Moreno Valley, California. Wonderful stuffed pizza and great pasta. All family owned home cooking

[@Crispycremes20]

There’s no way somebody from the East Coast would walk into a spaghetti warehouse

[@kingofshade4927]

I didn’t know there was more than 1 Italian chain restaurants

[@edkeaton6360]

"There's nothing more romantic than Italian food." - Elisha Cuthbert.

[@belindabell2]

Italian food is cheap to make

[@clydesalley]

Olive Garden decided they wouldn't have the Never-ending Pasta Bowl anymore. So that special was given the boot. Permanently.

[@vicemayorskeletonmeat]

"it' also yummy that nobody's taste buds are complaining" a good read

[@RyanS32]

that maggiano's garlic bread is so incredibly good!

[@jasonbean2764]

Olive Garden in North Tampa gave me a salad sprayed with pesticide once.

[@spiritualempress6691]

I’m sorry I worked at the first opened carrabbas and hands down my favorite Italian chain. Learned how to make all their dishes too!!

[@sammysoppy3361]

drop that recipe for spino de mare

[@spiritualempress6691]

@@sammysoppy3361 ya just have to get the lemon butter right 🥰

[@bagotoetags801]

What a great video on Italian restaurants. Little did I know about the one's to stay away from. So glad, though, my favorite, Carrabbas Italian Grill, made the top five. I cannot get enough of their lasagna with extra sauce. I want to bring in a one gallon jar and have it filled with the red sauce but it propably won't happen. We once went to Applebees and I ordered meatballs in pomodoro sauce. It was very tasty although Applebees is not considered an Italian Restaurant per se. Thanks for your video.

[@markpettigrew542]

I love Olive Garden. The cannolis there are great too.

[@stevedecata462]

Olive Garden is the McDonald’s of Italian restaurants. The last time I was in a OG was for a work thing and that was 15 years ago

[@shelbykeller2931]

The pasta house should also be on this list. Super good

[@pattyrick99dad]

il Mulino will always be my favorite Italian chain restaurant.

[@Themfeels101]

My only choices are Olive Garden and Carrabba's. Might try Carrabba's after seeing this.

[@adarian]

Carrabba's is certainly better than Olive Garden so you should be happy with that choice.

[@CRuf-qw4yv]

Carraba's is not good. Expensive, small portions, outrageous drink prices, and you do not even get a salad with your entre.

[@6plastic]

@@CRuf-qw4yv yes you do get a choice of soup or salad with your entree..your server didn't offer it

[@joememphis1571]

Maggiano’s is very magnificent as is Buca Di Beppo. Fazoli’s is better than most people think.

[@geraldbrienza4474]

They left off Carmine’s.......the only Italian chain worth a visit.

[@kyletroknya2419]

Rock and Roll Macaroni Grill!

[@garymiller7087]

Carmines, best Italian chain restaurant

[@mikewrasman5103]

Wrong on Fazoli's , Olive Garden and Spaghetti Warehouse. My top three Italian restaurants!

[@thomascool1335]

it makes me cry seeing so many carbonara served with chicken

[@timstradley5819]

The true barometer of a good Italian restaurant is their linguini and clams

[@georgesitgraves8474]

I made that for dinner last night. Mine wasn't authentic as I added shrimp. They were on sale and I went crazy

[@timstradley5819]

@@georgesitgraves8474 sounds like a solid addition!!

[@LoyaFrostwind]

Also can be said of a good seafood restaurant. Shellfish must be served fresh!

[@brendacapestany2518]

I agree with the top two. I love Karaba‘s but won’t turn up my nose at Maggiano’s.

[@lawrenceprichard9363]

I live in Akron, and we have two really good ones. Dececcos and Luigi's..

[@samharrodiii2427]

Biaggi's Ristorante is a Great one, based in Bloomington, Illinois

[@JayHelms]

Love Fazoli's, honestly.

[@bradleykramer316]

Buca di Beppo is legit. Big portions, very delicious, great atmosphere.

[@Macabre0007]

Merci pour le partage, maintenant on sait où il ne faut surtout pas allez manger ... !

[@patriciaaturner289]

I’ve never heard of most of these places, and the only ones within 30 miles of where I live are Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive Garden. Are they East Coast chains?

[@j.d.6915]

No, Spaghetti Factory is a chain out of Portland and is in select US States (no clue how they choose them, but I assume the states have a low population of authentic Italian places), Olive Garden is a big chain that probably is in any city over 100,000 people (but that's just a guess)

[@novacentorium4943]

@@j.d.6915 I think he means the other chains

[@skylershank9309]

One thing you won't get at these places is homemade pasta. Quantity over quality is a given.

[@rocky723]

I am married to an Italian and I agree with most of this list. the exception is Macaroni Grill. I have only been once, a few years ago, and still want my money back. I order Chicken Marsala and I think they used frozen chicken breasts with some sort of jarred wine/gravy concoction over day old pasta. A frozen dinner would have been better.

[@duanehellier2147]

Akron, Ohio here and I couldn't agree more. It tasted like thaw and heat food to me too.

[@caliado]

Oh man, now I want Buca's

[@thomascefalo938]

yes Maggiano’s is very good to mangia!

[@davidinwashington]

I've really only had Olive Garden - the chicken parm is great and the breadsticks are fantastic.

[@MRIGUY11]

That’s all that is good is breadsticks and salad

[@fritzvon1046]

I've only ever heard of two of the restaurants on this list.

[@BigJon410]

Yep, only Olive Garden and Bertucci's.

[@trevvrun]

Same. Olive garden and Bertuccis. I live in Rhode Island.

[@likithsolasa]

These guys don’t seem to know pasta past al dente if they call squishy pasta bad (don’t at me I like al dente too)

[@mattbosley3531]

I find that small, family-owned places tend to be better than chain restaurants.

[@mattbosley3531]

I do like Buca di Beppo, though. Haven't been there in years because there isn't one anywhere near me.

[@TheKEVIN3151]

I Want Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.

[@yesthisisvic]

Most of these places don't have a location within 300 miles of Philly. And believe me... none of us think we're missing anything either.

[@petuniasevan]

7:05 The Old Spaghetti Factory! I have a story to tell.... this is at the Portland Oregon location, mid-1970s. My family was on vacation and we had heard good things about this restaurant chain. So we walked in and were seated, but as usual my brother (on the spectrum) ran off to the restrooms. Apparently on his way back he saw a back door marked Emergency Exit. Yes, he just HAD to open it. Our parents wanted to disappear under the table in embarrassment. I can't even remember the meal but I sure remember that fire alarm sounding and disrupting the other patrons' meals.