Does Olive Garden Typically Have A Bar Area?
From silky bowls of chicken Alfredo to refreshing peach Bellinis, there's a little something for everyone at Olive Garden. This popular Italian-American chain may lure you in with its never-ending supply of soup, salad, or breadsticks, but there's much more it can offer too. One particularly underrated aspect of Olive Garden is its full-service bar.
If you're new to this chain, you're not the only person wondering, does Olive Garden really have a bar? The answer is yes — with some exceptions. Not every Olive Garden location comes complete with a full-service bar, although the majority of locations do. If you're seeking that lounge experience with the added presence of some Italian-American fare, Olive Garden could be the place for you. Still, you should check with a location near you before making any concrete plans just to be sure, as some locations have a smaller alcohol selection and no physical bar. (If you're worried about the selection, you can even bring your own wine to Olive Garden, although they will charge a small corkage fee.) Call ahead at your location or check online to find out what your local restaurant has to offer.
Even if there isn't a bar at your local Olive Garden, the restaurant will still serve drinks, so there's no need to panic. If you do find yourself at one of the lucky locations with full-bar service, however, here's what some customers say you can expect from the experience.
Digging into the Olive Garden bar experience
While every Olive Garden location looks a little different, many of the bar areas feature the same rustic atmosphere as the rest of the establishment. Olive Garden restaurants are modeled to resemble Tuscan architecture and feature textures such as heavy stones and inviting brick archways. The bars themselves also come with some additional flair including satisfying backlighting and sleek seating areas.
Each Olive Garden bar comes with plenty of options for beer, wine, or cocktail enthusiasts. As far as how the experience goes, the restaurant states that "The bar offers a tidy array of beverages, including gourmet coffee, smoothies, ice tea and as well as cocktails, beer and an impressive wine list [sic]." One blogger claimed that the bar at a Virginia location was very neat and often offered good drink specials and happy hours. They admitted that Olive Garden's bar wasn't quite the pinnacle of the nightlife scene, but they said it was still a good spot to chill with a nice drink and a good meal.
Some of the most popular picks form Olive Garden's bar
From classic Italian cocktails to Olive Garden's very own house wine, this chain's drink menu is quite extensive. However, some of the options that really stand apart the most are the cocktails. From a bright Italian rum punch to the iconic peach Bellini, there are plenty of options to try. Another unique choice is the Sicilian sunset, which is a mixture of pear lemonade, pineapple juice, and vodka, or a strawberry limoncello margarita, which is a fruity twist on the classic cocktail we all know.
Mixed drinks aside, white, rosé, and red wine are also available by the glass or bottle. If you want to try a little something in between, you can even request a "grande pour" for a little more wine in your glass. Finally, draft beers, both domestic and imported, and many different types of canned seltzers are also available.
There are plenty of other non-alcoholic options available here too, from sparkling water to a shot of espresso, so there really is something for everyone at Olive Garden's bar. Try it out for yourself the next time you've got a hankering for cocktails and breadsticks.