South Texas boomtown rolls out the breadsticks for its first Olive Garden
At long last, unlimited breadsticks are on the menu in Edinburg, the Rio Grande Valley boomtown that just celebrated the grand opening of its first-ever Olive Garden.
This video created with the assistance of AI.
Last Friday, October 30, leaders from across the four-time All-America City gathered for a ribbon-cutting for the Olive Garden located at the Shops at Rio Grande Valley , the sprawling retail center off of Interstate 69-C.
Shown is the interior of the new Olive Garden restaurant in Edinburg, in the Rio Grande Valley. Local leaders held a ribbon cutting for city's first-ever Olive Garden on Friday, October 30, 2026. (Courtesy Edinburg Chamber of Commerce)
"We are excited to welcome Olive Garden to our growing business community and celebrate another great addition to Edinburg's dining scene," the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce said in a Facebook post shortly after the ribbon-cutting.
The popular fast-casual Italian chain, owned by Darden Restaurants, has been in the works for just over a year. As MySA first reported , plans for the $3 million, 7,825-square-foot restaurant were well underway by October 2025, when a filing with the T exas Department of Licensing and Regulation first revealed that Olive Garden was headed to the Valley's fastest-growing city.
An Olive Garden restaurant is under construction immediately north of the Shoppes at Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas, as seen on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Dina Arévalo)
Construction got underway at the Shoppes in February, with the Olive Garden being built as a standalone building nestled between an Academy Sports + Outdoors and one of the busiest Ulta Beauty stores in Texas . By June, when MySA visited the shopping center, the restaurant's exterior walls had already been veneered with Olive Garden's iconic Tuscan-inspired fieldstone facade.
Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa and his wife, prominent injury attorney and fashion influencer Leah Wise, were among the city leaders who attended the ribbon-cutting. Ochoa quipped at how long it took for the Valley's third-largest city to finally get one of its own.
"Who would've ever thought that we would have a medical school in the city of Edinburg before we had an Olive Garden?" Ochoa said, referring to the UTRGV School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class of students in 2016.
"But we're so proud to finally have an Olive Garden right here in the four-time All-America City," Ochoa said.
Last Friday's ribbon-cutting served as a sort of sneak peek for city leaders and local dignitaries. The restaurant officially opened its doors to the general public on Monday, November 3.
Find it:605 E. Trenton Road, Edinburg, TX 78539
This article originally published at South Texas boomtown rolls out the breadsticks for its first Olive Garden .
