The '90s Italian Restaurant Chain Known For Writing On Tables And Endless Bread

Picture it: You're a '90s kid actually in the '90s, not just wishing for one last taste of the decade's most popular snacks. Maybe you just won your little league game, or you're gearing up for the TGIF primetime lineup, when your folks say the family's going out for dinner at casual family restaurant Romano's Macaroni Grill for endless free bread and a little casual graffiti.

Romano's Macaroni Grill first opened in Texas in 1988, placing it squarely in the Millennial kiddo timeline. It also had a lot of appeal for those youths since tabletop crayon drawing (on white paper, not, say, wood) was a matter of course, not something that required a special request for Crayolas. The complementary bread, a vestige of simpler times, would also have made it a favorite for kids who preferred to stick to carbs and maybe a bowl of plain noodles.

The rest of the menu was populated by Italian-American classics not unlike what you find in modern times, including cacio e pepe, mushroom ravioli, and fettuccine, plus mains such as chicken Parm, shrimp Portofino, bistecca alla Fiorentina, and plenty of pizza. Romano's Macaroni Grill kept growing into the next millennium, but stalled enough by 2024 that, for many of its earliest visitors, it's but a nostalgic memory rather than a staple they continue to visit into adulthood.

While Romano's Macaroni Grill once operated more than 200 restaurants, only a smattering of those still exist. If you happen to be near its remaining few California, Texas, or Orlando, Florida, locales, you can sample some of Macaroni Grill's famed complementary carbs, which we ranked at No. 6 on our list of the best free chain restaurant bread. The rosemary peasant loaves are also available on Macaroni Grill's catering menu, should you be tempted to plan a larger throwback affair off-site.

Romano's Macaroni Grill still gets a fair amount of love for a place with such dwindling numbers. Its children's menu makes a showing at No. 8 on our list of the best chain restaurant kid's menus. You can choose from items such as pizzas, chicken fingers, and pastas (including good ol' buttered noodles and Parm), plus a drink with free refills and dessert. Kids might be amused enough by the papered table top to take the entertainment off the iPad, just like '90s kids used to do.