The menu at Olive Garden for lunch serves a number of specials as well as popular dishes, so it really is ideal for those who like enjoyment of the taste without hurting their wallet. Lunch menus are certainly far more competitively priced than dinner.
The Lasagna Classico is a standout favorite, available at a reduced price of $11.49 during lunch compared to $18.29 at dinner. This highlights Olive Garden’s commitment to affordability. Additionally, lunch portions are approximately 50% smaller, reducing the calorie count from 940 to 500.
One of the best lunch deals at Olive Garden is its unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks that are sold for $9.49, thus saving individuals $2.00 from the usual price of $11.49. The deal is available on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., making it a well-rounded meal that is less calorie-dense, thus healthier and more fulfilling.
Overview of Olive Garden Lunch Specials
Olive Garden offers a wide range of lunch specials that provide great value for money and offer a lot of variety. Lunchtime patrons can enjoy authentic Italian favorites at lower prices. Among the menu highlights are the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, and the Buy One, Take One deal. There is something to please every guest’s taste.
What Makes Olive Garden Lunch Unique
Olive Garden’s unlimited offerings truly set it apart. Here’s what makes these meals special:
- Unlimited Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks: Priced at just $7.99, guests can enjoy endless servings of soup, salad, and Olive Garden’s famous breadsticks.
- Create Your Own Lunch Duo: Starting at $7.99, this option allows you to pair a classic dish with soup or salad, offering a fun and customizable lunch experience.
- Family-Style To Go: For $39.99, this meal serves 4-6 people and includes classic dishes, salad, and breadsticks. It’s perfect for families, providing both convenience and significant savings.
Historical Popularity and Customer Favorites
In 2014, Olive Garden revamped its “Lunch Experience” to appeal to a variety of tastes and dietary needs. Some of the top picks from this effort have remained favorites over time:
- Never-Ending Pasta Bowl: A fan favorite that allows guests to mix and match their preferred pasta and sauces for a personalized dining experience.
- Dinner Duos: For $8.99, guests can pair their favorite pasta with sauces, celebrating classic Italian flavors.
- $5.99 Lunch Special Offer is available from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday Lunch portions of our favorite dishes at an un-beatable price.
The lunch specials, offered by the Olive Garden for affordable prices, thus balancing quality with variety, form a go-to destination for such excellent Italian cuisine minus the price of breaking the bank.
| Special | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Buy One, Take One | $12.99 | All day |
| Soup and Salad Lunch Combo | $7.99 | All day |
| Dinner Duos | $8.99 | All day |
| Family-Style To Go | $39.99 | All day |
| $5.99 Lunch Special | $5.99 | Monday to Friday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM |
Popular Appetizers to Start Your Meal
Starters from Olive Garden make the perfect beginning to a memorable meal. Among the best lunch options within the restaurant, they are depicted by each single appetizer offering unique flavors and textures to excite your taste buds from the first cringe-worthy bite.
Lasagna Fritta
Olive Garden is a stand-out for its Lasagna Fritta. Made from lasagna pieces covered with Parmesan bread, it is served fried to a golden brown color, accompanied by Alfredo and meat sauce, which deliver a savory kick to kick-start your meal. The dish is very flavorful, packing 1,130 calories.
Calamari
You can start with Calamari for a lighter setting. Lightly breaded and fried, this dish will come served with marinara and spicy ranch sauces, weighing in at 670 calories-a seafood lover’s delight.
Fried Mozzarella
The Fried Mozzarella is another favorite dish. This appetizer is great because it has fried mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. With 860 calories, it is full of creamy cheese in a crispy coating and is one of the lunch favorites.
Signature Soups at Olive Garden
Olive Garden has soups that really hit the spot for lunch, and their popular deal for Never-Ending Soup, Salad & Breadsticks at $9.99 ensures everyone gets something they really want, whether it’s a hearty or light meal.
Never-Ending Soup Options
The Never-Ending Soup, Salad & Breadsticks are outstanding lunch menu items offered by Olive Garden. People can receive unlimited servings of soup, salad, and breadsticks for an excellent value of money for a filling meal.
Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli is also a crowd pleaser. A hearty soup combining ground beef, beans, and pasta in a flavorful broth, it serves approximately 150 calories per serving-just light enough for lunch but filling.
Zuppa Toscana
This option is great for those who have a taste for a little spice; the Zuppa Toscana is delicious, made from Italian sausage, kale, and potatoes in a creamy broth that is 220 calories per serving.
| Soup | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pasta e Fagioli | 150 | $10.99 |
| Zuppa Toscana | 220 | $10.99 |
| Minestrone (V) | 110 | $10.99 |
| Chicken & Gnocchi | 230 | $10.99 |
Delicious Salad and Breadsticks
While no lunch is better than the menu at Olive Garden, their salad is really where house salad and freshly baked breadsticks come in-a crisp, fresh salad with the warm, great flavors of warm bread, this makes the ideal combination for every meal.
House Salad Ingredients
Setting the stage to offer a fresh satisfying lunch, packed with various great tasting and textured ingredients, most people like Olive Garden’s house salad. Important ingredients include
- Romaine lettuce
- Sliced tomatoes
- Red onions
- Black olives
- Pepperoncini
- Croutons
- Parmesan cheese
Topped by Olive Garden’s famous Italian dressing, this salad is fresh and light, with an amazing 290 calories. It is the perfect way to begin any of their lunch menus.
Homemade Breadsticks
Olive Garden’s in-house breadsticks are a perfect accompaniment to any meal. Soft on the inside and covered with butter and garlic, they are there to explode in flavor. 140 calories are added per breadstick. They go great as an accompaniment with soup, salad, or main courses during lunch hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday.
| Item | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Garden House Salad | 290 cal | $6.99 |
| Homemade Breadsticks (3 pcs) | 420 cal | $5.29 |
| Weekday Lunch Special (Soup, Salad, Breadsticks) | 400–520 cal | $9.49 |
Classic Entrées on the Olive Garden Lunch Menu
Classic dishes dominate the menu for lunch at Olive Garden, offering sure winners. Among these is Chicken Parmigiana, for which one consumes 1,060 calories for $18.49. Vegetarians might prefer the very same calorie count from the Eggplant Parmigiana, however for a little less $16.99.
Pasta lovers will find plenty of options as well. The Fettuccine Alfredo, creamy and satisfying, contains 1,010 calories for $15.99. The Lasagna Classico, priced at $18.49, provides 940 calories of delicious, layered pasta.
The light and savory option for seafood lovers is the Shrimp Scampi at 510 calories, priced at $20.49. For those who feel like having something richer, Shrimp Alfredo is an excellent choice at 1,450 calories, and it is sold at $20.99.
The Tour of Italy offers three loved dishes in one. This is Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, and Fettuccine Alfredo. In total, the dish costs $19.99 and is composed of 1,550 calories.
An Olive Garden lunch is dived into such classic Italian dishes, each presenting a delicious adventure that makes every visit special.
Exploring the Create Your Own Pasta Section
Olive Garden is also offering the special “Create Your Own Pasta” section so that guests could choose their own pasta, sauce, and topping. These lunch deals give an opportunity to customers for trying different combinations and creating their favorite meal.
Choose Your Pasta
First, choose your pasta. Options include:
- Rigatoni
- Cavatappi
- Angel Hair
- Spaghetti
- Gluten-Free Rotini
This way, everyone can be sure to enjoy something.
Select a Sauce
Next, pick your sauce. Olive Garden has four homemade sauces:
- Traditional Marinara
- Five Cheese Marinara
- Meat Sauce
- Creamy Mushroom
Add a Topping
Last, add a topping. Options include:
- Meatballs
- Italian Sausage
- Grilled Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Fritta
- Sautéed Shrimp
Olive Garden Lunch Prices and Deals
Olive Garden has an array of lunch specials that are affordable and tasteful. It is, therefore, designed for all budgets and preferences to perfectly fit your lunch break. The lunch hours stretch from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, so you won’t miss out.
The Create Your Own Lunch Duo only costs $7.99 to offer both taste and options, and the Unlimited Soup and Salad at $7.99 has unlimited servings included. Such meal deals can surely satisfy lunch-goers’ tummies as they offer wonderful food for unbeatable prices in the lunch time span.
| Lunch Item | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Create Your Own Lunch Duo | $7.99 | 400 – 800 |
| Unlimited Soup and Salad | $7.99 | 300 – 600 |
| Soup and Salad Lunch Combo | $7.99 | 300 – 600 |
$5 Take Home Entrées
Crowd-favorite deal $5 Take Home Entrées will help guests to go home with yet another dish that they have taken for $5. The value of affordable lunches is, however enhanced to stay at the venue even beyond lunchtime while reaping deliciousness from the olive garden, cost-effective as well as saving planning time for another meal.
| Take Home Entrée | Price |
|---|---|
| Lasagna Classico | $5.00 |
| Fettuccine Alfredo | $5.00 |
| Spaghetti & Meatballs | $5.00 |
During lunch, diners at Olive Garden can savor great meals at inexpensive prices. Dining at Olive Garden is not only about good food but about saving money too.
Healthy and Lighter Lunch Options
There are a lot of options on the “Tastes of the Mediterranean” menu for lighter versions of lunch items at Olive Garden. They are designed to be both healthy and delicious. All of them contain fewer than 600 calories.
Grilled Chicken Margherita
A standout option is the Grilled Chicken Margherita: two chicken breasts topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil pesto, and lemon garlic sauce, and at 590 calories, it is very guilt-free and extremely flavorful.
Herb-Grilled Salmon
The Herb-Grilled Salmon is another excellent choice. This has 460 calories, the lowest-calorie dish on the menu. Combined with parmesan garlic broccoli, it includes the flavors of garlic and lemon in a tasty low-calorie meal.
Olive Garden also provides several healthy options. In addition to the Grilled Chicken Margherita and Herb-Grilled Salmon, dishes such as Shrimp Scampi and Linguine di Mare are on the menu. Lighter lunch meals ensure that everyone will have an option to satisfy their palate.
| Dish Name | Calories | Fat | Protein | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Chicken Margherita | 590 | 39 g | 65 g | $14.99 |
| Herb-Grilled Salmon | 460 | 45 g | 45 g | $15.49 |
| Shrimp Scampi | 500 | 18 g | 22 g | $16.75 |
| Linguine di Mare | 570 | 12 g | 16 g | $14.99 |
| Chicken Piccata | 500 | 15 g | 51 g | $13.29 |
Vegetarian and Gluten-Free Options
Olive Garden ensures that every guest finds something delicious to enjoy, no matter their dietary needs. They have a wide range of vegetarian and gluten-free options, which make it easy for everyone to have a satisfying meal.
Vegetarian-Friendly Dishes
For those looking for vegetarian options at Olive Garden, the Eggplant Parmigiana is a great choice, topped with crispy eggplant and marinara sauce and melted mozzarella. Another option is the Cheese Ravioli, filled with Italian cheese and served with either tomato or Alfredo sauce. The creamy Fettuccine Alfredo is also a great pasta dish that is rich and flavorful.
Gluten-Free Selections
Olive Garden is offering gluten-sensitive menus that would allow the guest to safely dine on gluten-free meals. Steps are taken for cross-contamination risk and have gluten-sensitive options to limit the exposure. Brown rice flour-based pasta is available, kept separately, and also cooked to minimize the risk.
Some popular gluten-sensitive dishes at Olive Garden:
- Zuppa Toscana
- Famous House Salad (without croutons)
- Grilled Chicken Parmigiana
- Herb-Grilled Salmon
- Gluten-free rotini with marinara or meat sauce
The Olive Garden provides gluten-sensitive and dairy-free options so their menu now offers more accessible options. Even though they made improvements, a guest should note that cross contact can still be possible. This information can also be obtained from their Allergen Guide.
To stay safe, however, it’s always a good idea to speak with the people at Olive Garden about your dietary needs. They are normally well-prepared to help ensure you enjoy a great and worry-free meal every time you go.
Making Reservations for Olive Garden Lunch
They take away your wait time at Olive Garden by providing it so easily in just one click while saving you your precious time. That’s why the next time, make a smarter decision of getting a lunch booking done at Olive Garden.
To make a table booking online on the Olive Garden website or in the mobile application:
- On the website go to www.OliveGarden.com.
- Choose your favorite Olive Garden out of nearly 900 locations in the United States.
- Choose your date and time to dine.
- Click on ‘Reserve a Table’ and enter your guest information.
- Get a confirmation email with all details about your reservation.
Benefits of Making a Reservation
Many more rewards come with advanced bookings, particularly at the peak time. The advantages are listed below:
- Shorter Wait Times: Bypass the long lines and get seated as soon as you arrive.
- Guaranteed Seating: You can enjoy the meal without any denial when it gets crowded.
- Birthday and Anniversary: Those are more special if you get some reserved seating with extra treats for the birthdays or anniversaries.
- Easy Planning: Reserve a table to organize your day and be on track.
- Catering and Large Party Reservations: Make dining easier for parties of six or more, or orders over $100.
Reserve your lunch at Olive Garden to enjoy a peaceful and pleasant dining experience every time. So don’t forget to book your table for an effortless and delightful dining experience.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Reservations Available | Yes |
| Reservation Methods | Website, Mobile App |
| Confirmation | |
| Benefits | Reduced Wait Times, Assured Seating, Special Occasions, Group Reservations |
| Restaurant Count | Nearly 900 locations in the US |
Conclusion
Booking a table at Olive Garden ensures a hassle-free and enjoyable dining experience. You’ll get to skip the long wait, thereby saving time, secure your seating, and even get exclusive perks for occasions or groups. With its almost 900 locations in the U.S., it becomes easy to enjoy your scrumptious meal either when you are dining alone or celebrating with friends and family. Reservations: Remember to reserve your table, and maximize your visit in every meal stress-free and to your delight each time.
For those on a healthier mission, Olive Garden offers a whole lot. These include Grilled Chicken Margherita and Herb-Grilled Salmon, under 510 calories each. And since the place serves a fair number of vegetarian and gluten-free choices, the option is easy enough to enjoy by everyone. The lunch specials run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays for easy visitations.
Olive Garden’s family-style meals that can accommodate 4-6 people make them ideal for dining in a group. There are Italian-inspired cocktails and desserts, like Tiramisu and Black Tie Mousse Cake, which complete the menu. They also serve a wide selection of soft drinks, such as Raspberry Lemonade. As a restaurant that sells lunch items in a price range between $7.99 and $19.99, it ranks among the best choices. Visit them for their inviting ambiance and sumptuous fare.
FAQs
How do I make a reservation at Olive Garden?
You can easily make a reservation through Olive Garden’s website or mobile app. Simply choose your location, pick a date and time, and fill in your guest details.
Is it possible to reserve a table for lunch at Olive Garden?
Yes, you can book a table for lunch. Reservations are available throughout the day, including lunch hours, and help reduce wait times.
What are the benefits of booking a table at Olive Garden?
Booking a table ensures reduced wait times, guaranteed seating, the ability to celebrate special occasions with reserved seating, and the convenience of planning your day. It also offers smooth reservations for large groups and catering orders.
Do I receive confirmation after making a reservation?
Yes, after making a reservation, you will receive a confirmation email with all the reservation details, including the date, time, and location.
Can I book a table for large groups?
Yes, Olive Garden accommodates large group reservations and catering orders over $100. It’s an excellent option for family gatherings, parties, or business events.
How many Olive Garden locations are there?
Olive Garden has nearly 900 locations across the United States, making it easy to find a nearby restaurant to reserve a table.
Can I reserve a table for special occasions?
Yes, Olive Garden allows reservations for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, or other celebrations. You can even ask for special seating arrangements or treats to make the occasion memorable.