Let me start by stating that I am a former resident of New York City and I know excellent Italian cooking. Maggiano's seems to be going the way of The Olive Garden as it pertains to the meals they... More

Let me start by stating that I am a former resident of New York City and I know excellent Italian cooking. Maggiano's seems to be going the way of The Olive Garden as it pertains to the meals they offer: Lots of bland cream sauces and not much food flavor. Oct 9, 2009 a friend and I both ordered ravioli meals. His was the 4 cheeses, mine was the veal and mushroom. Both came with heavy cream sauces garnished with ground basil and sun dried tomatoes. Italian bread was served. I had the chicken and potato soup. The soup had very good flavor and was hot (and getting hot soup) seems to be a problem at a lot of restaurants. The Italian bread: as they say in New York, "Eh." Not much flavor. The two dishes: bland cream sauce, not much flavor, and it could have been Alpo and kale inside the ravioli and I would not have known the difference. The veal and mushroom ravioli was one of the higher priced entrees and to me and had NO discernible flavor. I wasted my money. At this point, I'd rather spend less and go to The Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill (and I don't much like those places). Pros: Friendly staff Cons: Bland Cream Sauces
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we made a reservation fortunately....usually I don't bother...but as it turned out to be prom night......it was good to reserve a table because it was packed. We were seated on time and tho packed... More

we made a reservation fortunately....usually I don't bother...but as it turned out to be prom night......it was good to reserve a table because it was packed. We were seated on time and tho packed it really was not too noisy to carry on a conversation. We chose the family style dinner and a Tuscan red from the very nice wine list....lots of wine choices at reasonable prices. The fried zuchini was as good as I've ever had and the veal mushroom ravioli was superb..... we had several plates of both. Go there hungry and don't expect to lose any weight. The salads were very good...I liked the Maggiano's salad best. We had several plates of Tuscan mussels which were covered with garlic in a light broth....oh man they were good. The pork medallions.... were also nicely cooked and seasoned. For desert I tried desperately to finish the creme brule'....it was rich and sweet....super.....but no room left for me. Service was good and it was not too expensive.....~100 for four without wine. I and my friends were pleased and will be going back again. Pros: food and wine Cons: big crowds
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I met my fiance here for lunch one day recently. We had been here for dinner with our kids several times, and always enjoyed it. But since it had been awhile since eating here, we decided to make... More

I met my fiance here for lunch one day recently. We had been here for dinner with our kids several times, and always enjoyed it. But since it had been awhile since eating here, we decided to make it a lunch date for just the two of us. We sat in the bar area this time, and enjoyed the seafood-stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. For the main course i had the spaghetti and meatball from the lunch selections, while my fiance had the gnocci pasta in tomato vodka sauce. Everything we ate was wonderful, and the waitress was very good about keeping us satisfied without a huge time delay (since we were on our lunch break). The meals here are delicious, and the prices are very reasonable. For dinner or lunch, Maggiano's is definately recommended for a good Italian meal. Pros: Fresh, Traditional Italian Food
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I passed the limit, first half summarized- hostess nice, crowd/ambience nice, appetizer ok, garlic bread premade or just sat in the food window too long. a bit too much vinagrette for me. a... More

I passed the limit, first half summarized- hostess nice, crowd/ambience nice, appetizer ok, garlic bread premade or just sat in the food window too long. a bit too much vinagrette for me. a preference thing though so no biggy We then ordered, the waitress was very kind, but when i ordered the Chicken Saltimbocco, I asked what kind of sauce it was topped off with, and she told me a white wine, and I continued to say a white wine lemon butter sauce and she confirmed it. Since it was a cream sauce I told the waitress that I would just pair it with fettuccine alfredo. (On the menu i thought it was an extra $2.95 for added pasta to pair, this could be my misreading so I'm not going to discredit the waitress for that) When the dishes came out, the chicken was topped off and sitting in a big pool of marsala wine sauce, and in my head I was just like wtf haha. On top of that, she had forgotten about the pasta, so they had to go and make it, bummer. Now that I knew it was marsala wine sauce, in my mind I wanted another pasta, maybe spaghetti pomodoro or penne picchi pacchiu, just something red to go with this heavy brown wine sauce, but I worked as a waiter and i always feel bad for them so I didn't say anything. By the time the fettucine came out, my friend had already finished his Baked ziti which I might add tasted pretty good haha. Before it came out, i believe a manager came by but I didn't feel like causing trouble and waiting more so I just said everything was fine, I'm sure the waitress went to the manager to see if we were mad or something. The pasta came out, it was the full portion meal of it, and very firm(dried pasta, not fresh), perhaps undercooked, and the fettuccine looked like linguine. Once I cut into the chicken, you could tell it was processed and felt like a filet i would get at wendy's. I only ate half and just threw the rest away. This restaurant would be either on par or a bit underneath Grand Lux Cafe, ambience is nice, food is very average at best Pros: Nice crowd, Our hostess and waitress were nice, very casual Cons: Chicken was obviously processed, not fresh, pasta was obviously dried, not fresh, food is very, very average, come for the crowd and the galleria, not for authentic italian food
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Great food comes in large protions, the waiters are a delight, and the managers are very helpful. I highly reccoment making reservations well in advance. I must say I enjoyed the host staff the... More

Great food comes in large protions, the waiters are a delight, and the managers are very helpful. I highly reccoment making reservations well in advance. I must say I enjoyed the host staff the most; they were very affable and sweet. Pros: Spinache al Forno, host staff, amiance, valet parking, large portions, FAMILY STYLE, kids menus Cons: few and far between
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This is our first return to Maggiano's in about 4 years, and not because of any particular reason, just hadn't made our way back to the place. Last night we went out to have a nice dinner to... More

This is our first return to Maggiano's in about 4 years, and not because of any particular reason, just hadn't made our way back to the place. Last night we went out to have a nice dinner to celebrate a birthday, and decided as we drove around the galleria, that we'd try Maggiano's. We are so glad we did!! The place was packed, you could hear the music from the bar area, but it wasn't too loud or bothersome. The wait staff were quick and efficient, and also helpful. As we were celebrating, we decided to order big, and selected from the 'family style' menu for two people. The food was plentiful, very tasty, and the service great. The stuffed mushrooms and calamari were excellent, not to mention the chicken and spinach cannelloni. We also ordered the spinach salad, great flavors! The desserts were great and our waiter was even observant enough to pick up we were celebrating a birthday without anything being said and no outward display of it. We will certainly return to this restaurant, and won't be waiting another 4 years to do so.
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You know - I've been living in Houston for over six years now and have been dining at Maggiano's for almost as long! They simply never disappoint...the food is always great, served in a timely... More

You know - I've been living in Houston for over six years now and have been dining at Maggiano's for almost as long! They simply never disappoint...the food is always great, served in a timely manner, with the freshest ingredients. Their service is prompt and very thourough. the bread w/ the EVOO and spices is a great way to start the meal, and be sure to order the Caesar Salad! And the lasagna is out of this world - as good as my brides, which is saying a lot! They also have a great bar where the bar tender can concoct just about anything your heart desires. If you leave hungry, it's your own fault! Enjoy! Pros: Plenty of parking, including valet, great atmosphere, superb service Cons: Can be a bit hard to have a conversation due to the noise level.
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We had our wedding reception at Maggianos last week. When we booked the room we were told that there has never been an issue with the noise from the party going on in the next room. Boy were they... More

We had our wedding reception at Maggianos last week. When we booked the room we were told that there has never been an issue with the noise from the party going on in the next room. Boy were they wrong! We had to tell the staff numerous times to ask the adjacent party to turn down their music. Every time they turned it down, it would go right back up in 5 minutes. We might as well have opened up the wall between us as we could clearly hear it! This is really disapointing. The Manager basically told us that he did all he could and refused to refund any money for our ruined event. Apparently, the staff is all about selling the events, not protecting your event from loud parties that also go on there. You would think it was a Frat kegger party going on in the room next door, not a wedding! NO CLASS! I'm shocked that Maggianos would rather punish the quite party and let the trash behavior continue! BE WARNED!!!!!!
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How can you beat $15 a person for 3 courses, with two choices each? I have now been 3 times and am planning to take a friend for her birthday tomorrow. We've sampled all the salads, and found... More

How can you beat $15 a person for 3 courses, with two choices each? I have now been 3 times and am planning to take a friend for her birthday tomorrow. We've sampled all the salads, and found no fault with any of them. As for the pastas, we've had the linguini with clam sauce twice, wild mushroom ravioli twice, and the spinach chicken manicotti. Did I mention, these are all refilled upon request. So far we have stayed with the Tiramisu and Creme Brulee, but hopefully will branch out tomorrow. Since we waddle out after the 3 course menu, we haven't even attempted to extend our limits. The food and service have always been excellent. We are all "foodies", and there aren't too many restaurants that have earned this much repeat business from us. Go hungry. Leave happy is my advice. Pros: Food, prices, service and ease of parking Cons: I wish they served a traditional cannelloni, but I can't find one anywhere else either.
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I really like the atmosphere of this restaurant. I am very picky when it comes to Italian food and I was very impressed. The portions are VERY big so if you are not a big eater I suggest getting a... More

I really like the atmosphere of this restaurant. I am very picky when it comes to Italian food and I was very impressed. The portions are VERY big so if you are not a big eater I suggest getting a half order. Our server was excellent, very professional and prompt. I will be going here again soon!
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