Can You Get Alcohol To-Go At Olive Garden?

Wherever you're eating, dinner and drinks go hand in hand. A tasty sip of wine, beer, or a cocktail can wonderfully round out an evening. And while Olive Garden is best known for its unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks, the chain usually complements the experience with a full bar, too. You can enjoy everything from signature Italian-style tipples to a comprehensive wine menu, draft and bottled beer, as well as sangria, while dining in at locations.

However, if you'd rather enjoy Olive Garden at home, you may wonder if the chain serves alcohol to go. Sure, you could just pick up a budget boxed wine before ordering, but there is an added convenience to simply add boozy items to your takeout order.  Olive Garden does allow alcohol purchases for takeout — just not the entire lineup. Instead, the menu's limited to bottled beer and wine. That means no fruity beverages like cocktails, sangria, or wines by the glass. Across locations, the offerings are fairly consistent, with beers such as Bud Light and Coors, and wines like Red Blend Porta Vita or the Moscato Primo Amore.

What's more, alcohol to-go isn't available at all locations. Even famed outlets like the one at Times Square — which happens to be the world's biggest Olive Garden — sell only nonalcoholic drinks.  Fortunately, the chain offers a variety of nonalcoholic options to quench your thirst, including flavored lemonades, iced teas, sodas, and coffee.

Understandably, spending nearly $30 bottle of wine may not be the ideal takeout drinking experience for you. You could play bartender at home, whipping up Giada De Laurentiis' Italian margarita to accompany the dinner. However, you could turn to chains with more expansive to-go alcohol menus, too.

One example is Applebee's – the chain did attempt to start a neighborhood nightclub, after all. Applebee's offers its full cocktail menu, along with beer and wine, for takeout. Whether you want a margarita packaged like a lemonade or a frosty Shark Bowl, they'll package it for you– as long as you also order food and show ID. Similarly, you could also look towards competitor Chili's for takeaway booze. Among other drinks, Chili's offers its many margarita riffs to go,  including gallon-size batches. As with Applebee's, you must order food, and pickup is required.

To avoid disappointment, keep in mind that local laws apply. Many U.S. states legalized takeaway booze during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; some have kept the rules in place, while others have rolled them back. Furthermore, completely dry counties still exist nationwide, meaning some locations may not serve alcohol at all.