Maggiano's Little Italy

04/21/2008 Posted by hdhicks

My husband and I went for a date night there. I got lasagna and my husband got shrimp pasta. Both dishes were huge so we had leftovers. We also got the spinach salad which was huge! And it was really good. We had bread and dipping oil to start with and we finished with the tiramisu and I had a cocktail. It was definitely a feast. The service was excellent and it had a relaxed feel, even though it's a big place. I think next time we go, we will bring a group for the family style because it would be nice to have a little bit of everything. You pay $25 a person and get a lot of food to share.

04/16/2008 Posted by TJU

Don't show up hungry! For some reason no one seems to be able to get Italian right down south, even in chain restaurants. I was invited to a company dinner with high hopes for Maggiano's after hearing it was decent, but ended the evening sorely disappointed. I ordered a steak medium rare, which to me means it should be red in the middle and warm. What I got was the dark side of medium, COLD and tasteless, as if it had been unseasoned, unattended on the grill, and then sat on some back table waiting to be picked up for 15 minutes. My dish was the last of 9 to arrive to the table so everyone was already eating by the time mine showed up. I would've just eaten it had it been warm but it was borderline boot-leather, so I asked for it to be redone. TWENTY MINUTES later my new dish arrived... cooked MID WELL and barely warm- AGAIN. Keep in mind this was on a Tuesday evening, not exactly a bustling shift. I tried to catch the waiter after 15 minutes of waiting for the second attempt and ask for the order to be cancelled. It was brought to the table by dessert time anyhow but he volunteered to take it off the bill without hesitation. I understand that steak is not a "traditional Italian" meal, but if you fail at steak, why would a customer come back to try anything else? Thus my evening at Maggiano's consisted of sipping a tiny pour of Riesling while nibbling on appetizer salad watching everyone else eat. I will not be back unless another business function forces me to try an encore. Here are the HIGHLIGHTS: attentive waiter, stuffed mushrooms, tiramisu, ambiance. LOW POINTS: flavorless steak, uninteresting menu, lengthy wait times for food, small pours. I'm being generous with 3 stars only because my husband & other dinner companions said their dishes were decent and did not have any issues with their order. According to others, the crabcakes were "okay" and the lasagna was "good".

Pros: Wait staff, stuffed mushrooms, tiramisu

Cons: Flavorless/overcooked steak, wait times for food

04/05/2008 Posted by tnstudent98

Do not go early for dinner unless you want stale bread from lunch served before your meal. Do not order a glass of wine unless you want a laughable pour. Do not go if you prefer quality over quantity. Do not go if you like good service and knowledgable servers. Do not go unless you had been planning on a subpar Italian buffet style meal anyway. Valentino's is great, Caesars is good, Amerigo's is alright, Maggiano's is a huge crummy chain. Avoid it unless you want to loosen your belt and shovel in the slop.

Pros: Nice silverware

Cons: Many

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/27/2008 Posted by cookmaster

The food is okay the portions are very large, my issue was the waitress would not come back to the table and take our drink orders, when she finally brought the bill she spilled a full glass of water on me, so I got to ride home soaking wet! I think Betty Ford is running the bar!

Pros: Portions, wine portions and value, valet

Cons: service is slow and getting a drink is an act of congress, also no reservations after 5:00 pm

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/13/2008 Posted by furrynurse

I absolutely love this restaurant. From the wonderful selection of food to the atmosphere of the restaurant itself you cannot go wrong with Maggianos. It is pretty much a guarantee that you will leave here with a full stomach and a doggie bag. This restaurant is great to bring a group of people to split the family special. Only drawback is the wait time to get in if you don't have a reservation- so definitely make one. Maggianos is always at the top of my list for special occasions.

Pros: Great food and ambiance

Cons: Sometimes have to wait a little bit, even with reservations

11/20/2007 Posted by bmacysu

Bad experience…the food was second-rate; several dishes were bland & tasteless, so the large portions were worthless. The service was just fair, wait staff was not friendly and the tables were so close together they could not “serve” us. Waiters had to reach across people to pour water and we had to pass the entrees we ordered to each other. Guess they expect everyone to do family style. This is very poor quality Italian food certainly not . My Italian mother-in-law can doctor-up Ragu sauces to taste better than this food. We will not go back and could never recommend this to others.

Pros: Big Portions

Cons: Bad Food

11/02/2007 Posted by melba55

Worst Italian I ever ate, won't ever go back. So sad, beautiful building, fairly nice wait staff, but the food is awful. Save yourself the time and trouble - go to Amerigo's instead.

Pros: Not enough to mention

Cons: The food is awful, too heavy, way over rated.

10/13/2007 Posted by dms34

I try not to eat at chain restaurants. I almost didn't eat there because I equated it with the major Italian chain known for their salads and breadsticks. However, we went there for my birthday and were pleasantly surprised. I had a chocolate martini at the bar, which was sweet but not too sweet. The bartender was friendly. We did not have an appetizer. But I ordered traditional gnocchi, and it was just like what I used to eat as a kid in Chicago. I have high standards for Italian, but this "chain" restaurant was delightful. My boyfriend ordered a seafood arribiata, and he loved it. The prices seem high at first for Italian, but then the food comes out. The dishes are 3X the size of what most restaurants in this price range offfer. We brought home leftovers that we literally ate for two days. The waiter was okay, but he was pretyt busy. Sometimes we were overlooked for larger parties. Overall, this place is fantastic.

Pros: Great food~

Cons: None

07/30/2007 Posted by autiger

WOW! This place is amazing. My husband and I went on a Sunday evening (6:00 reservations) to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. The setting was mellow and romantic, perfect for what we were hoping and expecting. The host staff were very friendly and accomodating. Most everything has the option of 1/2 or whole order. I ordered the 1/2 order Garlic Shrimp Linguini. The shrimp were plump and juicy. My husband ordered the 1/2 order Roasted Chicken and Vesuvio Potatoes. We SHARED a 1/2 order of ceasar salad. The food was very tasty and well presented. What amazed us is that we ordered 1/2 of everything, and yet we took home 3 to-go boxes of leftover food! I guess excess food is the Italian way. We were very pleased. For dessert I ordered the Spumoni. THE BEST. This was the highlight of the night! I mean our dinner was perfect but this was the best spumoni I have ever tried: it was a huge 3 scoop serving and it had chunks of chocolate chips and real cherries. We had a pleasant evening and I am already making plans to go back in October for my birthday, taking a group and taking advantage of the family-style menu. The only negative thing I could say is regarding our server. He was a nice kid, but he seemed like a college kid who just rolled out of bed just in time for his evening shift. His hair wasn't well-groomed and he seemed stumped when we asked him the Martini of the Month and the Catch of the Day. But he was nice and took pretty decent care of us. He just lacked in personality. Maybe he was tired. There was a woman (a server's assistant i presume) who brought our bread, olive oil, and kept our water glasses filled and cleared our table. VERY GOOD PLACE TO EAT!!!!!

Pros: ambience, food

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/31/2007 Posted by ugreekmegreek

I loved this place the first time I walked in (Charlotte, NC) and now Nashville boasts the same enjoyment of a "little Italy". The atmosphere is classic Italian. Thick creamed walls lined with wide dark wood trim along with all the music a Godfather movie could compulate. Every dish is huge. Plates of pasta in all shapes and forms with any grandmama's sauce you could imagine, but better. Fresh herbs with thick butter and creams. Fresh vegetables, meats and seafood make every dish "MMWAHH" (a kiss) And the deserts...ahh, perfert paradise!! Prepare to dine like "Vito and Tony". The prices are perfect for the amount, because everyone can share and take extra servings home. Valet is perfect, but self parking in back is just as convenient.

Pros: Romantic, delightful and convenient

Cons: you leave with a full belly

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful