Romano’s Macaroni Grill

Just left from the worst dining experience ever. It was mainly the horrible service which started with no server coming. Someone had to go remind her to come to our table. When I ordered a diet coke she came back and said none was available. No apology. We were all shocked — never heard of that but fine. not her fault. Then, for fun, we asked a busboy for some and he brought it from the bar. Then, she gets two food orders wrong — no apology. And one dish came so late that everyone was done eating and we were waiting for the check. No apology, in fact, she sent someone else to deliver it. First time EVER in my life we left no tip, and I am nearly 50 and eat out a lot.

Nasty bathroom, lack of concern after bringing to managers attention. Service mediocre at best.

Food takes really long time and the server was unsure was about the menu’s details.
Cup was dirty and olive oil spill was all over. I regret not too read Unilocaler’s reviews.

Anytime you can walk into a place on Friday night in DTSS and don’t have to wait there’s something wrong. I got tired of sending things back tonight. They ran out of wine by 7p. Steak tastes like meat flavored bubble gum. Drinks, terrible. Chicken under a brick tastes like chicken hit with a brick. They should tear this place down and build… anything else. It’s that bad. Stay away!!!

Food: I had shrimp portofino, a high recommendation from the waiter. There was nothing special about it. The flavor was so bland. I ended up «re-​cooking» it at the table by adding so many ingredients to it that I created my own dish. I got to taste other entrees and apps from our party of 8 and sadly nothing was flavorful or impressive.
Service: we came at 830. The place was not busy. Not sure if our server was preoccupied or distracted but he kept forgetting to do basic serving things– fill water glasses, bring bread, mix oil with cheese and pepper, check up in us after we got food, and offer dessert. He WAS friendly but just not a good server. For the place not being packed and the simplicity of the meals, I expected faster service too.
Would I eat there again? No. Any other Italian place would taste better.

All right, y’all, I’m about to tell you why I will NEVER eat at ANY Macaroni Grill EVER again. EVER.
This was my third experience at the Macaroni Grill, and while at the restaurant, my previous review held true – so-​so food, a waitress that clearly tried to be attentive but was being pulled in every which direction because it was busy, blah blah blah. I ordered the Italian Bake, and since I was full, I took home leftovers.
The next day, I heated up the food, and in my second bite of sausage, I suddenly felt something hard. Like, almost breaking my molar on it hard. I spit it out, and upon closer examination, it appeared to be a TINY CHUNK OF GLASS.
There was glass in my freaking sausage.
No, I didn’t call them and complain. Since this happened at home, I figured they could accuse me of lying and putting the glass there myself, and I had no proof otherwise. I didn’t want to seem like a litigation-​hungry b*tch. That being said, I feel I am obligated to warn everyone else – DO NOT EAT HERE. DO NOT EAT HERE. DO NOT EAT HERE. Who knows what other stuff is in their food?!

Super slow service even though the waiter was very nice.
Too much salt, too much garlic, too much butter in everything. I wouldn’t do it again.

Have had solid meals here before and went again the other night. Took a little while to be seated, not an excessive amount, but enough time for me to think about it since it was not busy at all.
Got seated and had one waitress come over with the water and say our server would be right with us. 15 minutes go by and no one comes back around. Ask for the manager who takes our order and is somewhat apologetic. Ten minutes later the server arrives with no sorry or anything and wants to take our order…
I would recommend the pepperoni pizza!!! That was awesome. They use this sort of spicy pepperoni and its a nice thin crust without too much sauce or cheese. My gf got the trio (lasagna, chicken parm, and a mushroom cannelloni)
All of these dishes were awful… No flavor, herbs or spices of any kind. No taste!!! The lasagna was the «best» but honestly it was still pretty bad. AVOID those dishes!!!
Also, the name is Macaroni grill, but they do not have any macaroni!!!
The fresh bread is nice, but no butter or olive oil takes it down a notch. There are so many better places to eat in DTSS, avoid!!!

My experience tonight was by far the worst dining out experience that I have had in a long time. Where to start??? When we arrived there was a 15 to 20 minute wait for a table. Ok… Maybe that would have not been too bad except they had almost one whole side of the restaurant open. That should have been a sign to just go to a different place.
When we were finally seated we then waited 20 more minutes before a server ever came to our table. Now what took the cake was that when she finally did show up, she did not even acknowledge or apologize for the delay. OMG!!!
Needless to say that although my meal was actually pretty good, the poor service we received means we won’t be going back any time soon.

Oof. If only I’d checked out the Unilocal consensus before I set up a work lunch here. Seemed like a fine place to bring a big group, with lots of inoffensive options for everybody.
I’m not going to detail all the horrible things about our experience; suffice it to say it was more or less like the dozens of horrible stories below. The crowning ridiculousness, however, was that 4 (of our party of 9) ordered the make-​your-​own-​pasta (has to be one of the very quickest things to make… right? I mean, what’s to fuck up with pasta?). Anyway, our 4 lunches arrived around 25 minutes AFTER the rest of the our table’s. Seriously; half the table was completely done eating and we STILL hadn’t gotten fed. The restaurant was almost completely empty, but our waiter started avoiding us after it became that we were just going to keep asking about our food until he brought it out…
In the end, the lunches were comped, which was the least they could do under the circumstances. There was explanation, not that I can imagine one that would have satisfied me (we ran out of pasta? forgot to pay our bills and the gas got shut off?).
Macaroni Grill, I just don’t understand you. How are you still around?

There is really no excuse for a restaurant in a prime location – in the heart of Silver Spring’s revitalized downtown area – to have such consistently poor service. The siren call is its location (location, location), as a flagship chain anchored at the very top of a row of restaurants.
I made a poor decision to try it yet again today because it was a) freezing cold and b) the kids wanted to go, reluctant to branch out and try myriad different options.
We were behind a party of five – one of the only other customers in the place at noon on a quiet, post-​Christmas Thursday. The hostess took forever seating the first party and so someone pinch hit for her and sat us – in a nearly empty restaurant – in a booth directly behind the party of five, right near the entrance and the rest rooms. I asked if we could switch to a booth deeper into the restaurant, since being right next to the only other customers felt awkward and the proximity to the front door and the rest rooms was less than optimal.
Bad sign Number One: My kids asked if the waitress was «mad» that we changed seats because she seemed miffed.
Good Sign: The calamari appetizer came out fast, hot and fresh and we loved that.
Downhill from there: Mommy’s white wine took forever to materialize from the bar, while the kids had their sodas right away.
Excuse: «We’re really understaffed.»
Really?
I ordered the soup of the day (not yesterday) and the kids ordered basics from the kiddie menu: spaghetti and meatballs and chicken strips.
Tick tock tick tock.
The order took forever to (grudgingly) arrive.
My soup – of the day! – was lukewarm. The kids liked their meals.
The general manager came by to ask how everything was. He was really nice – and seemed to care – but I had to be honest. I said everything was «OK.» He said, «Just OK?» I said yes, and explained that everything had taken forever to get there and the server blamed the delay on being understaffed.
He was clearly not happy with her explanation and told us what we already knew: They were well staffed and there was really no excuse a staff of a chain restaurant couldn’t turn around a very simple lunch order in a timely – and friendly – manner.
By then we were marked. My son (10) asked for ketchup and the server slammed it on the table as she motored past, obviously unhappy with us.
The general manager adjusted our bill and seemed genuinely displeased that we had a bad time.
This restaurant, with its attractive décor and great location, could easily be a go-​to destination for families in Silver Spring. They need to drastically reassess their staffing choices and how they want to be perceived in order to build the loyal following that could be theirs.

Worst service in the history of restaurants. You’re better off buying ramen and eating at home.

Unilocaler Ben Y. and I were greeted with a smile from Nicki Minaj upon entering this Macaroni Grill. Romano must be hiring celebrities now to boost business. She sat us at a nice, secluded booth and stood around to ask us our names, how are day was, etc, just a casual conversation with our hostess.
Soon after our waiter greeted us, who was super friendly. Water is now served out of this fancy pitcher thing with a cork top, and the waiter leaves it on the table for you to refill your own water as much as you wish. I like this.
We ordered the macaroni and cheese balls appetizer, which seems to be a new and amazing addition to the menu. They came with a delicious cheese sauce and were covered in parmesan cheese, and served in this cute little holder with parchment paper, as if we had ordered zeppoles at the country fair. Amazing.
We both ordered pasta dishes. Me, my classic Carmela’s chicken, and Ben the lasagna. Both of us enjoyed our dishes very much, as well as the bread that was served earlier on (rosemary bread with olive oil — works great to dip into pasta sauce).
There was another patron at the restaurant who was really enjoying himself, laughing hysterically the entire night. It really made for a jovial experience.
Great times were had.

I don’t even know where to begin with my experience in Macaroni Grill… Not only their food sucks, their service’s horrible. They forgot to give us plates, water & rarely checked up on us. I had to keep looking for her just to get my utensils. My friend can make better Italian food than this dump.
Lobster-​Stuffed Clams ($ 10) — Can’t taste the lobster. I’d rather eat regular unseasoned clams because the ingredients SUCKED.
Mom’s Ricotta Meatballs & Spaghetti ($ 13) — Beef, Veal & Ricotta Meatballs, romano, crushed red chile. This dish’s just way too oily. The meatballs’re actually decent, however, the spaghetti & sauce are nothing special. I’d rather use canned sauce & make it at home for ¹⁄₅^th of the price.
Overall — Bad food, overpriced & horrible service. That was my first and my last time going there. Save your money and go somewhere else!!!

What a waste of the weekend. Waiter was cold and rude. Even after asking for water couple of times, he never brought it. Soup was served cold without any spoon. Got the spoons after 20 minutes! I had to skip main course and head to nearby restaurant to have dinner. Weekend completely ruined.
Definitely my last time here.

I know. Stop. Don’t. I’m going to tell you why: I was on Facebook, and the little advertising thing on the right hand side took me to another website to twist my arm to order food from Macaroni Grill. It was a picture of a beautiful fried macaroni and cheese ball that did me in. Only I didn’t want to change out of my shorts and tshirt so I thought, I have to order this from carry out.
So — we ordered a bunch of stuff for carry out — the mac and cheese balls and pizza among the hodgepodge. Ordered by phone and then rolled up to pick up my order 20 minutes later, as I was told. When I arrived, this was the conversation:
Me: Hi, I’m here to pick up my order
Them: Oh — um, for the pizza order, we had no pizza, so we substituted a chicken salad
Me: MmmmmKay…
Them: So, is that ok?
Me: Uh, not really — but is it already made? Is everything we ordered ready?
Them: No — we didn’t have your number so we couldn’t call you to tell you about the pizza.
Me: Um. Oh. So — you only made the chicken salad?
Them: Well, your order’s not complete. So, we’ll put in the rest of your order now and it will be ready in 20 minutes
Me: Oh. Um… Silence (my inner monologue goes, «what in thee hell» just like Hank from King of the Hill. It was his voice and everything).
So needless to say I canceled my order.
I still hope to one day try the fried mac and cheese balls, with truffle.

I came here for dinner after picking up my glasses order from MyEyeDr (reviewed). My first Macaroni Grill visit, much to the surprise of the boy:
SERVICE — We came in on a Monday night, but it was still pretty crowded. I didn’t take really huge issue with our server, who was nice enough, but she wasn’t extraordinarily attentive to our table. We waited a little too long to get our water refilled (and also to get more of that yummy bread). Also also, I thought it was strange that she didn’t help us prepare a little dish for the olive oil or offer to grind pepper over anything. I thought it was stranger when I noticed other servers doing just that. Hm.
FOOD — Food was kind of hit-​or-​miss. We tried the lobster-​stuffed clams on their new spring menu, which, while a bit expensive at over $ 1 a mini-​clam, were very very delicious. Beautiful little clams with bits of lobster and savory pancetta, tasty red pepper aioli, served with cracked sea salt over the whole thing and half a lemon on the side. Yum.
I ordered the chicken spiedini, which wasn’t very memorable. I only remember that it wasn’t very well seasoned. I’m perfectly fine with my veggies just tasting like their veggie selves, but I distinctly remember feeling underwhelmed by the dry and very bland chicken. The portion was also much smaller than I was expecting. And despite that, I didn’t finish it.
The boy ordered roasted chicken & arugula flatbread pizza, which was actually quite tasty. I wanted a flatbread of my own, but opted out to add variety to our meal. But that was a pretty tasty bit of food, yes it was.
All in all, it’s not a bad place, but it wasn’t particularly memorable. I was a bit disappointed with my experience, so I may not suggest it as a first choice, but I won’t object to it at all if it’s suggested.

This is by far the worst dining experience I have ever had. The service was horrible. Throughout the entire night my friend and I played, «Where is our waiter.» Seriously, we never saw this guy except for maybe twice. The service was so horrible my friend asked for the manager.
I had the lobster ravioli and my friend had a dish that looked like chicken and cheap Roman noodles. We sent both dishes back and manager personally brought put our replacement dishes. He was very nice. He was honest about the many horrible dishes on their menu.
The highlight of the night was receiving $ 36 taken off our bill. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!! You were warned.

Dear god no. Never again.
Horrible new menu. Horrible new food.
How this place could make me wait 15 minutes for a table for 1 when the restaurant was 75% empty I don’t know.
They also made me hate the bread, which was also my favorite thing ever there.
$ 30 for bread, a salad, a crappy pasta milano, and tax + tip.
Effffffffffff that.

Macaroni grill was the 4^th place I stopped by for early dinner. First place-isn’t ready for opening yet. 2^nd place– moved to rockville. 3^rd place-​hostess made me stand at the door for more than 5 min to find a seat when ²⁄₃ of the restaurant was empty.
Now… I got seated promptly but then the server for our table didn’t show up for almost 10 min. I asked the hostess to move us to a table that has a server. Finally we moved to a different table and a server showed up with a big apology.
— Complimentary bread: Like G K said, it was warm at first but gets dry and hard fast.
— Baked penne with chicken and shrimp: it was ok but like others said, the pasta seemed over-​cooked and a bit over-​seasoned.
— pizza: individual pizza portion. it was OK. Quattro fromage pizza got better flavor with lemon peel and basil.
Now, instead of pizza, I got soup at first because the server made a mistake so the server had to make a new order. then i got margherita pizza instead of quattro fromage pizza. I ended up getting 2 pizza. oh well.
When I got the check, the server got me a complimentary chocolate cake for long wait and wrong pizza. I thought it was nice. I took the cake home. but you know what. The chocolate cake was SO DRY I had to pour some milk over it because it just falls apart and gets crumbly as soon as i touch it.
I think this is it at macaroni grill. NO more.
PS: I actually went to Macaroni grill to get Macaroni but guess what. No Macaroni here!