Italian Garden
| Address: | 500 Custer Rd #100, McKinney, TX 75071, USA |
| Phone: | +1 972-540-9333 |
| Site: | italiangardenmckinney.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
NI
Nicky Shreve
Average food, ok prices, and mediocre service. This place is great at nickel and diming you left and right. The first time I went, I was charged almost $10 for just a side of vegetables just to add two pieces of broccoli and 4 slices of squash and zucchini to an entree, plus another $5 for a very small side of marinara. The owner also will not let you substitute one cup of soup for another flavor, even though they have it. They make you keep the terrible flavor of the day (which I dont like and by the leftover cups of it on every table, no one else does either, based on every time Ive gone in) and require you to purchase an additional bowl (about $10) of the soup you do want. Ive tried the salad a few times instead and all of the salad dressing flavors or overly sweet and the lettuce has a weird chemical/dirty flavor. Dont waste your money on a slice of pizza either. They just take a slice of cheese pizza, add whatever topping and some cheese and reheat it, so its not good either. A whole fresh pizza is good though. The chicken parm and meatball subs are below average and not worth the money either. The Capellini Primavera (which has the same vegetables I tried to add to another dish) is good, but doesnt have any meat on it. So of course, you have to pay more to add that. Ive been told thats a common request too, so youd think theyd add it on by now and just add a $1 or $2 to the price. The Chicken Aristocrat is also good, but this is one of the entrees youre stuck with getting the flavor of the day or a chemical salad with. Once this place actually has competition other than fast food, they probably wont last long since theyll have nickel and dime everyone out of wanting to go back for food that isnt amazing enough to justify treating their customer like that. I know Im not the only one who has thought that either because Ive heard plenty of other tables and customers walking by making the same complaints.
RI
Richard Pedretti-Allen
I had known it was there for a few years but had never been in. My mistake! Crab Claw appetizer was fantastic and we followed that with a house salad with their signature house dressing. Very good! Entrees were brought to the table including Shrimp Scampi, Lasagna, Chicken Murphy, and a Seafood Combo consisting of fresh mussels, jumbo shrimp, large scallops, with a piquant sauce served over linguine. However unlikely, it wouldnt be hard to convince me that the Seafood Special, the Crab Claws, or the Shrimp Scampi is where the term "Awesome Sauce" originated! Not to disparage the other dishes at all, but these three were simply amazing dishes that kept us going back for one more taste. When the food on those dishes was gone, we kept the plates for a dipping sauce for the fresh garlic bread. It was a simple case of the tongue being greedy. I am not a big desert guy... a couple bites and Im done. I ate every bit of my slice of Cappuccino Ice Cream Cake. The ambiance is lively, casual, and comfortable. The menu is complete without being overwhelming. In any event, should you be unable to decide from the menu, find out what Chef Bennys daily special is. The prices are unexpectedly wallet friendly and you can BYOB, which to me means that I can bring in a very nice bottle of wine and have a wonderful meal without having to worry about missing a car payment. I have a new favorite restaurant and will be talking about this place for a long time.
TX
TX Pride
To be brief, our dining experience began and ended decently. Our hostess was polite and sat my wife and me quickly. The waitress was friendly, took our drink order (got it right), took our food order (got it right). The reasons I am giving only 3 stars: 1. We were left unattended for over 20 minutes during the meal (with 2 empty glasses for much of the time) 2. My order came with "red" sauce that looked as if it had never met a tomato, but rather a brilliant orange color. 3. Five minutes after eating only what I wanted (very large portions), my stomach began giving me a serious pain just about my belly button. Even tonight (3 hours later), after walking around Stonebriar and using the "facilities", I am no better off. 4. The owner (I assume) was wearing only a white Haynes undershirt and black sweat pants; not that the prices were too high or a seriously high-class restaurant, but still...take some pride in yourself. 5. For the first 15 minutes of our experience, I could hear the cooks in the kitchen yelling at each other. Maybe its because I am furious that the mystery sauce may have been the cause for a ruined evening, or I have watched too many Gordon Ramsay shows, but I feel that this list may help ownership/management make some changes for the better...at least thats my hope. TX Pride
A
A Private User
We finally got to try Bennys Italian Garden tonight and were impressed with everything! Even though it was a Thursday night, it was still busy. Even so, we were seated right away, the waitress appeared right away, and the food started coming right away! The garlic rolls smelled and tasted delicious. The salad with the house dressing was excellent...no iceberg lettuce in sight. My husband loved his chicken marsala, and I loved that my chicken piccata was not salty-tasting like other restaurants tend to do. The serving was huge...I could only eat a fourth of it. The only thing not quite right was the tiramisu. It didnt look like the picture (or what you normally see), and wasnt the best Ive ever had. But, that didnt stop me from eating it! Making a reservation is a good idea for a Friday or Saturday night. There were 6 cute young waitresses serving tonight, but another customer said service can be slower at lunch, since there was only 1 server when she went. We definitely will be going back!
SC
Scott Boyer
What a pleasant surprise! The wife and I were looking for Italian near our home and we didnt feel like traveling to our usual spot in Plano. Well, we have a new spot. It doesnt look like much from the outsside as it sits in a shopping plaza. Inside is unpretentious as well. Except for a couple of murals only the smells would tell you its Italian. Ive had my share of Italian food from low rent to big dollar and this may be my favorite, albeit after only one trip. The meals were generous in size and they dont skimp on the premium items like seafood. The wife had the seafood marinara and she absolutely loved it. Although thats not my favorite, it was excellent. I had the Chicken Diane. The chicken was perfect and the sauce was rich without being overbearing. I truly enjoyed our experience and once you hear the kitchen staff speak, you know its genuine!
JO
Josephine Faraday-Roach
FOOD POISONING! I just went there with my family. It was a nice restaurant so I had high hopes for the food. I ordered the Chicken Alfredo and my husband had the Veal Parmigiana. I had the EXACT same meal 5 years ago in Anna, TX at a place called the Italian Villa - right down to the Millenium 2000 plates our food was served on. The chicken tasted frozen and reheated. The alfredo sauce tasted like something out of a can. My husband did not care for his either. Not 30 minutes after I got home, I felt sick to my stomach. After 20 minutes of losing half my weight in the toilet, I started lightly bleeding (Im 10 weeks pregnant). Now Im just waiting for a call back from my doctor - something I should have never had to deal with simply from eating at a restaurant. My husband also got sick. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY!
