First of all, we LOVE dining at Olive Garden. The Ankeny location off Oralabor Road can get very busy during prime dining times, so I'd suggest you plan accordingly. We arrived on Saturday, April 30th at about 12:20pm and was told there would be about a 30 minute wait, which we expected. Now, here's where I'm going to "ding" Olive Garden 1/2 star for this visit. (You'll see my rating is a 5) ... but let's take off 1/2 for the fact that a bench that could have held 5 to 6 patrons while they waited had a table in blocking it, and servers were putting to-go orders atop the table for people to pick up. Seems to me that these orders could have been placed elsewhere, and more patrons could have had place to sit while wating for a table. But, the GOOD news was that our 30 minute wait was only about 10 minutes! Our server was awesome. My wife had Ravioli with meatsauce, and I had the 5 Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells (pictured.) We each had salad and breadsticks to go along with the meal, and were VERY satisfied with our dining experience. We will certainly return soon! Oh yeah, 5 stars for the condition of the restrooms too! By now, if you read my reviews, I try to include a check on the restroom (well, the men's room, anyway!) as I think it's an indication that the establishment takes the extra step to look out for the customer!

Olive Garden is such a good place for a laid-back dinner. We didn't have to wait in line. The waitress was so lovely and kind. She was great. The food is good and the drinks are really delicious. It's family friendly and fun. Such a nice time.

We all know what the Olive Garden is. I hadn't been there for years because I just didn't felt the need. However I had the opportunity to stop for lunch with some business associates. We went for the soup and salad and absolutely enjoyed ourselves. The salad was fresh and crisp. The breadsticks we're smothered in garlic and butter. And all the soup I had was just excellent. Unlimited cheese on top of everything. The atmosphere was light and refreshing.

We had the best experience at Olive Garden. Thank you to Zander and the manager for helping us have a fun evening. The food is delicious and we had leftovers for a couple of days. Great value!

Had angel hair pasta with shrimp and a garlic sauce and salad w/breadsticks of course! Very good!

The food was great. I got the 6. Oz Sirloin with fettuccine, and it was really good. The breadsticks were freshly made

One of the best dining experiences I have had in a while. Our server Savanah was very attentive and professional. It wasn’t the normal rush your order and don’t see again for 15 or 20 min. She kept our drinks full and brought us our orders hot and fresh.

Mom and I almost had a heart attack when the server returned to tell us they were out of salmon. PTL when she returned with menus so we could choose something else the salmon came in!!! We love the salmon and broccoli at Olive Garden. The bottomless salad and bread sticks are always a bonus. Now that I eat healthier, pasta is out and they stopped serving zucchini instead of pasta so salmon is all that's left. Thank you for making amazing salmon and broccoli. And my sister couldn't even eat all her lunch size chicken Alfredo which she said was really good. We had a wonderful server too.

Overall it was a good experience, the server we had was fantastic. The salad was not as fresh as it could have been as it had some old lettuce mixed in. Had drink refills brought to us without even asking.

Great location! They were able to seat our group of 7 quickly on a Saturday night. Our waitress handled special requests and dietary needs really well. The restaurant environment was never overwhelmingly loud even though it was busy. The food was delicious and prepared as ordered.

The food is always delicious and the servers are always great! It's the hosts at the front taking names who are rude. I understand at times it gets very busy but that gives them no right to just be rude to a customer and then talk about them seconds later as they are walking away from the host stand. I will still continue to come here, but the hosts can be way more friendly.

Best service we have had. Our server came to check on us multiple times and was so nice to our two young girls! Very pleased with our food as well.

Always really busy. Always really crowded. With staffing issues seeming to affect every business nowadays, wait times are longer than they used to be. That being said, our waitress did an AMAZING job, considering we had 2 small children who were not behaving halfway through dinner. She was so very gracious and calm. The food was Olive Garden standard. Always gotta have the breadsticks. Salad has been heavy on the dressing lately. But, it's better than dry salad. If getting Alfredo, anything Alfredo, and the goal is to have it as leftovers, know that the sauce separates. Becomes very oily. It's really hard to get it to go back to the same consistency, unless you actually heat it on the stove.

What can I say except the obvious? Olive garden is always reasonably priced, good quality Italian food with a warm, welcoming and friendly atmosphere. A great selection of starters, entrees, drinks and desserts. The staff here are always lovely and incredibly helpful whenever I am in Ankeny visiting my fiancé and family. If you're ever lucky enough to have Joshua J as your server, then you are DEFINITELY in for an entertaining and engaging evening. I can't recommend Olive Garden in Ankeny HIGHLY enough, if there was a six star option then best believe they'd be getting it. Always a great experience and tasty tasty food to eat in or to go ❤️

Tony is absolutely amazing! Every time I visit Olive Garden, I make sure to ask for him as my server because he always goes above and beyond to make my dining experience exceptional. His attentiveness and friendly demeanor are unmatched, and he always makes sure that everything is just perfect. From the moment I walk in the door, Tony greets me with a warm smile and makes me feel like a valued customer. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and always has great recommendations for what to order. He takes the time to answer any questions I have and always checks in with me throughout my meal to make sure everything is to my liking. Tony's attention to detail is truly impressive. He never lets my water glass go empty and always ensures that my food is prepared exactly how I like it. He even takes the time to make sure that my table is clean and tidy throughout the meal. Overall, Tony is a fantastic server who truly cares about his customers. His attention to detail, friendly demeanor, and excellent service make him stand out from the crowd. I would highly recommend Olive Garden to anyone looking for a great dining experience, and I would specifically recommend asking for Tony as your server. He is truly the best!

Absolutely great! Ordered the ravioli carbonera which is amazing. Only complaint would be I wish they had more options for dressings for the salad.

Always enjoy the Olive Garden experience. We didn’t have to wait to be seated. Plenty of parking. Food met expectations. I think they have adjusted some portions because I actually cleared my plate for the first time. I was in a party of 7 so the service was not as great when I visit with just my wife. My drink was not refilled until I was finished eating. The lighting when we visited between 5-6pm was not dimmed so the atmosphere was not as intimate. I highly recommend Olive Garden for when you want to experience good Italian and can afford all the calories!

We had lunch here for Veterans Day. Thank you for supporting veterans with a special meal. The chicken parmesan was fantastic! My wife had the ravioli with meat sauce and minestrone and it was delicious, too. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Overall this was a great experience.

Tonight we had a group go and have dinner to celebrate our son’s birthday. The majority of the meals were never ending pasta or soup. We were lucky if the food was lukewarm. It took over a we half hour to get a second refill and by that time we were over it. Don’t get me started on the dirty dishes that were not picked up as our meal went or the empty beverage glasses that were never refilled. We told our waitress that it was our son’s birthday but she couldn’t even acknowledge with a smile let alone tell him happy birthday. Over two hours later and we left and still hungry but we didn’t have another hour to spare.

Had a nice family dinner at Olive garden! The waiter was skilled and really provided exceptional service. The never ending refills were a nice perk. Everyone enjoyed the food !

Everyone was GREAT tonight. Server was super friendly and prompt. The "Tea Test", I don't have to ask for my 2nd glass of tea. Server either brings it without, or asks me if I'd like a refill) SUCCESSFUL! Food was really good, better than normal, and hot! Very pleased 😁👍✌

This is the best Olive Garden in the Des Moines area in my opinion. The food and service is always exceptional. It was about a 20 minute wait for a table, so my friends and I decided to just sit at the bar. The bartender was super nice. We all made the comment that he looked like he needed a break but he never let it show. He was very sweet and attentive to us and the others at the bar. Even with the waiting staff coming to get table orders he was always very polite and apologized a few times for taking so long to get the drinks ready. I think he did AMAZINGLY! Thank you Cody K. It was a fabulous experience!

We went on a Monday afternoon for the never ending pasta deal. Wasn’t busy in the slightest. When we tried to get our second bowl of pasta, our waitress kept talking over us and trying to get us to pay the bill. When she finally listened to us, she didn’t even ask if we wanted different combinations (which we did). All of us felt shamed that we even dared to ask for more pasta. It was very uncomfortable. This location is usually very nice. Perhaps it was just one of those Mondays.

I don’t really like the food here. Would much rather go to the Latin King. My grandma wanted this for her birthday though. I gave it four stars because of the staff. They were friendly and attentive. The food isn’t terrible but it lacks the flavor.