Whats your favorite Italian food chain?
 

Who do you roll with when its time to get your Italian grub on?


Fazoli’s
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
The Spaghetti Warehouse
Zio’s Italian Kitchen
Buca di Beppo
Olive Garden
Johnny Carino’s
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
The Old Spaghetti Factory
Bertucci’s
Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Little Caesar's

Jfc

If you're going to get Italian... get it from a local spot.

But out of that list.. Zio's. They give you a tonne of shit and they have beer.

None of those places, when you're Italian nothing beats homemade.

Get the Olive Garden off the list. I worked at the one that was formerly on Banister road across from the mall and trust me when I say it was less than sanitary and way over priced for the amount of work that goes into making the food.

/Thread

Hard to top that bottomless salad and breadsticks
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Never heard of it.. is it like an Italian kfc?

I think nearly every chain restaurant has old, dirty, run down stores in its chain.

I try to only eat at newer establishments.
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Chain Italian is bad. Either find a good local place or make your own.

Not a fan of chain Italian.

KFC

Carrabbas.

Maggiano's is the only edible one here...

That's not ****ing Italian food. WTF is wrong with people.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Over under 50 posts?

What dish do you recommend?

Yea, admittedly, I lack your touch and passion when it comes to food threads.
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How do you feel about Fazolis? Is it considered fast food?

I haven't eaten in years, but I remember enjoying their lasagna and breadsticks
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Maggiano’s is my favorite, Carabbas a close 2nd.

I start the meal with the Sicilian chicken noodle soup, and then I go off menu to order the rigatoni campangolo.

I like Carrabbas, unfortunately we don't have those here. We don't typically go to Chain restaurants when traveling but we will hit a Carrabbas.

Carrabas

fyp

Buca di bepo

Ever been to a An Old Spaghetti Factory?

Out of that list? Carraba's. But really not one of them is "good Italian". If you want good italian food in KC one of my favorites is Cascone's. I don't usually go out to eat "red sauce" as you 'Muricans call it, but when I do, Cascone's is boss

Not a fan of Olive Garden.

In the pretty good category:

Carrabba's
Bravo!
Maggiono's
Old Spaghetti Factory

Oh yeah, that's pretty good.

I thought Garrozo's was superb, the one time I went there. Had the Chicken Spiedini.

Buca di Bepo is cougar city in Ahawatukee (Phoenix).

Charles Barkley hangs out at the one in Scottsdale. Jordan too when he is in town. There's a pic out there of the two of them eating meatballs there. Big ****ing meatballs.

Garrozo's has some of the best Spiedini but I am not a huge fan of Speidini. When I do get it, I get it with the Alfredo sauce. Garozo's has a dish called "Frankie's Chicken" that I really like. They also have a dish out here at the one in Olathe, which is closing, that is a chicken breast in a cognac reduction that is out of this world.

The pope room is awesome. Their meatballs are huge. The garlic bread is good too

Ah! I'll remember the Alfredo sauce next time. That was the saltiest food I ever had. ****ing refs. :)

I had Buca do Beppo once.. It wasn't bad, so I'll go with that.

One of my friends acts like Olive Garden is fine dining. It's pretty funny, they (him and his wife) eat there for almost every special occasion.

I go for the bread sticks, such as they are. But they will box up a bunch for me to go. I love breads.

The bread sticks are delish. I'll usually drink a bottle of wine and eat those things for a meal. I'm a bit WT myself.

For the price Zios is underrated. Still prefer downtown Garozzos or Salvatores....but thread was about chains so Zios it is. Carrabas is good but it's pricey for what it is. Every time I've had Bucas I've came away disappointed. Carrabas is better than Bucas.

Carraba's for around my parts. Zio's when I'm back home.

Fazoli's is good for only breadsticks. Back in my youth, my buddies and I took a dozen Fazoli's breadsticks to dinner at Olive Garden. They were not very impressed.

Whiskey Tango so hard

I'm sorry, I don't get it.

LOL. Right on!

Whiskey Tango = WT = white trash

Barkley eats balls?

Helpful life hint: chain food sucks.

Just ate at the Buca di Bepo on the Plaza a week ago Sunday,not bad but I wouldn't rave about it.Like others if I want great spaghetti I'm making it at home my homemade sauce is one of my specialties.

And as for Olive Garden they only have one thing I really like the Pasta e pillowbiterioli soup or chili whatever they call it.

heh it won't let me type fa gioli

I got seriously into cooking because I got tired of my favorite mom-and-pop restaurants always closing after a few years, or selling out to new ownership, or changing the menues or the like. Having done that, I'm much more appreciative of the different tastes people have towards food.

Some chains are good. Some chains aren't. People expecting their mother's food went they go out to dinner need to head on over to their mother's instead of bitching because restaurants designed for mass acceptance aren't catering to their specific taste profiles.

^^^^ That

Maggiano's

This man has got it together.

And I hope it was the original Cascone's on N. Oak.

Shoot, I know it's not Italian, but I really like Fazolis. Breadsticks are great. I really like the Chicken Parm.

Anyone remember that place in Olathe (can't remember the damned name) but it was over by the Cracker Barrel on Strang Line. Now it's a grocery store thingy....but that Italian place had the biggest meatballs I have EVER eaten and the best bread pudding in the world....Damn I wish I could remember the name.......

That is the one by my old house.

Fun story: I sold my old car to one of the Cascone's. Dude called me, I ran up to where it was parked, jump started it because it wouldn't start. It was running when he got there, he introduced himself, gave me $800 and I was gone. He apparently collected Chevy Caprice Classic with the bubble rear window. Didn't feel safe until I moved out of KC.

I've only had a few of them, but of those Carino's was always the most consistent.

Sometimes. Every now and then. Like no more then once a year. It is OK. To go to Olive Garden. And get a Tour of Italy. With the salad and Breadsticks.

Garozzo's.

They have 2 locations so they can be considered a chain.

Actually, there are four. And they are a local chain, so I will move them to the top of my list.

Guido Ballsaccio's FTW!

I imagine that many of the posters here pronounce the fourth word of the thread's title "eye-talian".

http://www.yelp.com/biz/giovannis-it...ta-kansas-city

Giovanni's its not a chain but its very good. I was working a contract at Iatan II coal power plant near Weston,Mo and going out to lunch was a bit of a hassle.Seen one of there roach coaches pull in.
I got in line by the time was my turn most the pasta had been cleaned out by the weasel dick iron workers :). What was left was pizza by the slice and a meatball sub. I got the sub and wow knocked my socks off. Next i got there pizza and once again lunchtime happiness.
We got smart and ate lunch before the iron workers. One of the other crews working off 45 hwy would relay when the truck was nearing plant and give us there order. Got the lasagna with a healthy piece of garlic bread OMG was good. Of course anything beat a bolo or turkey lunch pail anyway.

Ive sense been to the Deli up North its really really good.

Why go to a restaurant for Italian food? It's so easy to make. As Julia Child said, "When I don't want to cook I make Italian."

We have a local joint in town that beats all of that. Bucca di Beppo is alright, though.

Don't have one.

Other than pizza places and Olive garden, I can't think of a single Italian food chain in the places I've lived (Western OR and NE WA). Maybe Old Spaghetti Warehouse, though I haven't seen one of those in years.

I've never been to Olive Garden.

Love Cascone's. I haven't been there in about two years, but whenever I'm back in KC that place is the shit. They have this awesome 90 year old guy, Vito I think, who works in the bar area. He has more energy than me and just shuffles around there whistling and snapping his fingers.

Not any more.....

Garozzo's to close Olathe location this month

http://media2.kshb.com/photo/2014/04....0_640_480.jpg


KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Garozzo’s Italian restaurant plans to close its Olathe, Kan., location later this month.
The award-winning restaurant decided not to renew its lease in Olathe near Sante Fe St. and Mur-Len Rd. It will close on Sunday, June 15.
“Thank you to all our loyal customers for supporting us in Olathe over the years,” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page.
“We plan to go out with a bang with our final JAZZ Sunday in Olathe," the post reads.

The restaurant has three other locations in the Kansas City metro area. They include the original location in Kansas City as well as two others in Lee’s Summit and Overland Park.


http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/...ion-this-month

Gusano's is pretty good

The people in that area will only eat at places with $1.50 bottles and high chance of a bar fight.

I guess we could start calling places like Olive Garden and Favollis Eye-talian and the good local places It-alian.

I'll happily eat Olive Garden. But everybody has to be a food snob these days, I guess.

All the chains on that list suck, but if I had to pick one that sucks the least I'd have to go with Zio's.

No doubt. The best place I get Italian where I live isn't a national chain.

If you want some great Italian take out you should try Dominic's in North KC, its next to a car wash but man their chicken alfredo is out of this world, Nice square pieces of breaded chicken covered in Melted Rigotha (Ricotta prounounced the correct way). I'm eating there tonight.

Any of my family's homes.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill--hands down.