I'm impressed. While looking for somewhere for a light meal and a beer we happened upon Oliver's Twist. Reminded us of that Jamie Oliver TV show on Food Network. I vaguely thought I remembered a review of this place but that was the extent of knowing anything. Nice find! Happy hour get you a buck off drinks and plates. What a great selection of small plates for foodies. The fingerling potatoes cooked in duck fat, Serrano ham! on a toasted baguette. White anchovies, garlic-truffle oil popcorn. My mouth is watering just writing this. Cute decor and ambiance, fine service and reasonable prices on top of everything else. read more

Had a good experience. They made hot toddies even though they're not on the menu (and they were REALLY yummy). All the drinks are strong.... the Bull's Eye is great if you like just the right amount of sweet and fizzy. The interior is worth seeing at least once. Someone put on their quirky hat and decorated! I tried the truffle popcorn (great), the kale (awesome), and the chocolate ice cream (pretty good). The bathroom was a highlight :-) The service was satisfying, too. I'll definitely be going again! Street parking, can be loud in there, on the spendy side. Yet, totally worth it. read more

Excellent cocktails. I recommend the Giles. Cozy atmosphere. Currently (as of December) all decked out for Christmas and very enjoyable holiday music playing. Suitable for an older crowd. read more

I'm IN LOVE with several of items are the menu. What has me coming back time and again when in Seattle is the garlic truffled popcorn and the tomato cappuccino. The service is always stellar, prices are excellent for the quality of the food...and the drinks are good too. I love that they use herbs, and highly recommend the Miss Nancy (tarragon lover!!!) and Sowerberry. read more

Oliver's Twist is surprisingly packed for a Wednesday evening! The wine and cocktails were great and the potatoes, chicken liver pate, and grilled cheese were all great. The olives weren't our favourite but uniquely spicy. A new neighbourhood standby! read more

**I have decided to begin yelping my weekly exploits. Not because I'm explicitly trying to indulge my narcissism; but because as I get older I can no longer recall the finer details of my dining experiences. This will serve as a sort of personal food diary. Now back to our regularly scheduled review.** I came to Oliver's Twist on a few recommendations from friends, and I have to say they did not let me down. The bar is well laid out with a selection of different seating arrangements depending on your group size. Great use of space with out it feeling cluttered or busy. The cocktails were well made and balanced but nothing that blew my purple argyle socks off. I had the "Old Sally" which in the dim light I read as "Old Salty"... Once I re-read the name the very fruit forward drink I received made much more sense. (I am a sucker for sage so that is what drew me in.) I followed that up with the "New Pal" which was much more suited to me and was a nice take on the Old Pal cocktail. For food all I tried were the Brussels sprouts. They were absolutely fantastic, I would order them again in a heartbeat. I will definitely return for more of their food. The service was just right. I was engaged in conversation and never felt intruded on, but I was able to flag someone down when needed. As the night rolled on the lights got dimmer, the music louder, and the bartender was having a good time conversing with his regulars. All good things. Bonus points for the pin-up wallpaper in the men's bathroom. read more

5 star cocktails, 4-5 star appetizers, depending on the one you ordered. I would give 4.5 stars if possible, but i'll just go for 4 stars - I rarely give the full 5 star review. Keep in mind that this place has a bar (yeah, I know, tapas bar) feel than a restaurant. It's lively, a great place to drink and snack (you'll have to order about 5 tapas to fill your belly), but not a place for intimate conversation with a date. read more

Great bar - low lighting and lots of funky decor add to the unusual atmosphere. Speaking of funky decor, check out the women's restroom! I thought it was neat they did the extra bit to keep the restrooms in theme with the rest of the place. The cocktails were inventive and the bartender we had was very helpful with suggestions. The four of us managed to snag seats at the bar, the place was crowded though. Did not try the food - will have to come back! read more

The drinks were over priced and tasted watered down. The ambiance felt like i was being watched by the bartender in a very creepy way. And the food did not live up to the price i spent on it. Overall, this has been one of the worst places i visited in Seattle. The bartender seemed to just push for getting a tip and really sacrificed good service for making a quick tip. Overall, don't go here if you don't have 15 dollars for one mediocre drink. Only go here if you are a millionaire read more

This place is my favorite bar in Seattle. Go here for happy hour. Now I love whiskey for pete's sake, used to hate that booze. They muddle and mix it with syrups and who knows what else. The result is a perfectly mixed, ice crystalized sweet yet potent concoction that will make you say "Thank you" outloud. Order the dates, truffle popcorn, and fingerling potatoes and when your boyfriend asks you why you don't finish his home cooked dinner later on that night, smile and say you ate a late lunch. He'd be way to jealous if he knew the truth. p.s. Unless you have this lovely server with long curly Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman hair, be prepared to have to wave down other servers to get served. read more

A fun, but crowded atmosphere. I went with some girlfriends on a Friday night, and we were lucky to even get a table. We opted for desserts and drinks...and the desserts get 5 stars, and the drinks...3 stars (but there are TONS of cocktail options, so I'm sure there's some great ones). Had the peanut butter, chocolate gelato. UHHHHH-MAZING!!!!!! Also sampled the berry sorbet...also very refreshing with a crisp, berry taste. Had a few bites of their famous S'mores dessert - YUMMMMMY! (but the chocolate gelato was my favorite). :-) Service was friendly! Truffle popcorn delectable! And atmosphere frenzied but fun! read more

I went to this place before a show because I wanted to see what a little place like this would offer, and I was hungry but didn't want to eat that much. I'll preface this with the fact I don't go to a whole lot of bars. Plenty of restaurants, but not bars. If I was a bar going type, I'd love going here. They have a very charming decor, and dizzying mixed drink selection, as well as a decent wine selection. They also have a healthy selection of little bites for sharing or just yourself. I think we had about half of the ones on the menu and all were amazing. It's probably a great date place. There was one going on next to me. Music also went very well with the rest of it, and the wait staff was fun and friendly. The only problem I had was I spent way too much in here. Then again it's a bar, it's easy to spend a lot, but you get what you pay for here. Fancy food and drinks for fancy cash. read more

Truffle popcorn is pretty good but only 1/5 bites had enough flavor. Cocktail wise: the Giles and the Bullseye are both very delicious! Love the atmosphere. $6 for a happy hour drink is a great deal! read more

Duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes. Waterborne, buoyant, tasty and cute avian creatures. Is there nothing they cannot do? Oliver's Twist top notch. EXCELLENT bartender, great for dates and hanging out with the best friends ever. Will be back, many times (fair warning to the good and decent proprietors). read more

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Drinks - 5 Stars Food - 3 Stars Service - 4 Stars Ambiance - 5 Stars Don't come here hungry, but do come thirsty. Their classic cocktails are spot on. Each drink is made with care and they have some creative "Twists" on classic cocktails. Try anything with bourbon and you can't go wrong. Go early for a happy hour snack and drinks. I agree with Shannon B that the small plate are very underwhelming. Sexy food that tastes mediocre is still....mediocre. Once the appetite is revved up, mosey on down to Red Mill for some real food. read more

I loved this place! It was so inviting and comfortable. The drinks were amazing and secretly strong. I found the jack rose to be my favorite, more of sour sweet drink.The truffle popcorn is something I need to figure out how to make on my own since it was so yummy! I can't think of a single bad thing about this place. I know some people complained about the seating, but I love how they set it up in this place and I love the decor. I also love how the place was named after the owners son Oliver who, apparently on some nights, will come in. Can't wait to go back! read more

I am a little biased, as I am related to the contractors who built the place, but I've been back time after time even after the family perks wore off. First off, the drinks are fabulous. I've never had one I didn't love -- and I'm picky. They are all named after Oliver Twist characters, which is pretty cute, so that helps. The food is AMAZING! The grilled cheese and "tomato cappuccino" sounds a little fancy, but it's total comfort food. I definitely suggest ordering that, a bag of garlic truffle popcorn, and topping it off with the ultimate s'more: chocolate brioche with marshmallow fluff. It really doesn't get any better. I'm actually making myself hungry just thinking about it. :) read more

yummy and crazy cocktails! if you're a fan of oliver, like me, you should go here. FUNFUNFUN and cute to boot! oh yes, the bartenders and servers are so great! happy hour prices were alright, i guess. it's a good place to get something super fancy before you really go out on the town with your friends. read more

I'm typically more of a beer drinker, but have to say the cocktails at Oliver's Twist are amazing! Everything on the menu sounded interesting, which usually is a very good thing or a very bad thing. Here it was a very good thing. Had 2 drinks myself (don't remember which ones) and my friend also had 2 - all of them were GREAT! Their food - very small plates. I guess it was my fault for going there hungry so i was a little disappointed with the quantity of food. The truffle popcorn is to die for! Must try (but be prepared for a lot of oil in that one!) Their grilled cheese sandwich with a cappuccino tomato soup was also awesome. The sandwich was good but the soup was extraordinary! Again, be prepared for a ton of oil on the sandwich. The other two dishes we had were unremarkable. One was the blue cheese, fig, almond, something or another, which was just too blue cheesy for me. I forget what the other one was. The atmosphere is a nice surprise - feels upscale but laid back at the same time. Definitely a nice place to hang out with friends on a weekend. The day I was there it was ridiculously crowded and loud, but I think that's because there was a large bday party in the back. Overall, I'd definitely try this place again read more

First time my wife and I went here and we were impressed. We live in Ballard and the Traveller had been our place when it first opened. The owner mixed the drinks and it was a great place. Now he is gone, and the place has lost its luster. Thank god we found Oliver Twist. This place makes great cocktails. What do I mean. My wife likes a simple Lemon Drop. Its not a hard drink to make (you would think) and not too exciting. But at OT, they make the best I have ever tasted, and I never order one. Thats how good it is. I had a Remember the Maine and it was awesome. Well mixed, well balanced, everything a good cocktail should be (and at times some folks just cant get it right) I haven't tried their food so thats why I can't give it 5 stars but the cocktails alone are enough for 4. We look forward to many happy returns. read more

Awe man this place is awesome! Spendy but awesome. Took the lady here for a spontaneous date and it turned out to be a great pick!! I will start off how ever that if you are hungry this place does not have large meals. So we get there some what late on a friday night around 8-9ish and its packed. We find a seat in the back next to a group of 3. Tables are super close to each other that youre almost in the same group. They were friendly though!! We were hungry butbthe menu is small and mostly snackyz stuff. We ordered a tomato capaccino with grilled cheese, truffle pop corn which is addicting and a kale & beet salad. ALL THE FOOD WAS FANTASTIC!!! OK drinks which is more of what this place is for. I ordered a moscow mule that came in a neat copper mug. This is before that I knew that this drink is the new kraze. It was impeccable, not too sweet not too strong and extremely cold and refreshing just the way I like!! We also had another drink but forgot the name. It sounded like it would be a girly fru fru drink but that also turned out to be just a great medley of fresh ingredients. I can tell you that they were not using "mixers" to make these cocktails!! So for the exceptional quality it is worth the price. Its not even overly expensive just slightly. A great date night for sure!! Our server was also very nice, knowledgeable and attentive! Ambience is a bit loud for 2 maybe better for a group. Seemed everyone was hackling and howling. But hey have a good time right!!! read more

From a bartender (classic, dive, reinvented, nightclub, sports bar, fine dining) of 35 year's: Really? Tax expressive cocktails? Bartender who "helps" deliver food, but won't look at a ticket with names on it and instead puts on the "I Smell a Baby Diaper" Face and begins barking the food name to anyone who will claim it. A very justified need to hold credit cards for a tab is communicated in a fashion that resembles a rebuke. That same need can be conveyed in a much clearer and smoother fashion. While it's no longer 1960 or even 1990 it certainly isn't 2026 either - a ten dollar cocktail that doesn't even name a brand? (meaning, it's your well). Nah... Clearly, you've been open for 5 years +/- so there must be some douchebags who visit enough to keep your rent paid but I never see enough people here to pay the light bill, let alone the owner exorbitant rent, which explains your product pricing. The music was awesome The walls don't absorb the din Some food was mediocre and some food was strange and frightening - the wine, beer and cocktails were uninspiring. If I never return there will be lots of room I and my friends aren't taking up that the douchebags who love this place can stretch out in. read more

This is my favourite place for a cocktail in the city! The Sourberry or the Malie are devine. Robert and Kim the bartenders are great and Robert got me to like gin with his amazing sourberry with extra elderflour. DE-lish! Not to mention the truffle popcorn. I'v been known to put away 2 of them. read more

Great place to go for a drink and an appetizer. It was a little dark inside but that's alright. The service, drinks and good were all good. I had the French 75 and it was very tasty! I also sampled the truffle popcorn (could have been a little more truffly) and the fingerling potatoes with aioli (yummers!) I will return soon! read more

We've been by Oliver's Twist a million times and finally made it in on a cold night in December. We were looking forward to comfort food and from the previous reviews we'd seen, though Oliver's Twist would be the perfect spot. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with our experience. We started off with the garlic truffled popcorn and it was indeed a taste treat,definitely the highlight of our dinner. Next we tried the tomato cappuccino with mini grilled cheese sandwich. Decent tomato soup, but it could have been Campbell's from a can. We rounded out our tasting dinner with the blue cheese-bacon stuffed dates with marcona almonds and warm tomato vinaigrette. Good lord, how could something with such amazing ingredients go so horribly wrong?!?!? Ugh. The dates were mushy and tasted like a salt lick. You could not discern the bacon, nor the blue cheese flavor. Forget about trying to find the subtlety of the tomato vinaigrette. Next time, we'll go to Stumbling Goat instead. read more

I love the atmosphere at this place: wrap-around couch seating complete with pillows, right next to giant windows. They have a whole array of delicious cocktails but my favorite is the murderous flower (not on the menu), which is made with their habenero-infused vodka. Spicy and delicious! read more

Very nice tapas restaurant. Very cozy atmosphere and all of their small plates are very tasty and reasonably priced. Not cheap but not outrageously expensive either like a lot of the tapas restaurants tend to be. Very decent drinks menu as well and friendly service. read more

Fantastic specialty cocktails served in creative glassware. Thus was a perfect spot for my girlfriend's and I to meet for a happy hour after work. We all tried different drinks, and loved them all! Tapas are tasty and gn. Popcorn comes UN a retro popcorn bag, and the dates and potatoes were gone in seconds. read more

This place is amazing. Great drink selection, good music, friendly bartender. The food menu may be small but dont let it fool you, it packs a big punch when it comes to taste. I came in on a whim waiting for traffic to clear, ordered the Sautéed lacinato Kale, purely amazing! Will definitely be coming back! read more

Oliver's Twist - New American Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I walked into Olivers Twist eager to try things I don't normally drink. Craft beer are my preferred lubricant however I was drawn to the creative cocktail that littered the entire bar menu. I settled for a rather modestly ambitious beverage(presbyterian) combining ginger ale and bourbon to great effect. Only down side is that it wet my palate to three more beverages at 8 dollars a piece, which were very good and almost worth the price for consumption. Try the mixed beverage(name forgotten) with absinthe, gin, maraschino cherry and lemon, chocolate gelato with salted peanut caramel and fantastic oil cured olives. Good atmosphere, service will bring me back, this is one bar worth checking out, just make sure you got a ride home. Dont worry, I walked, read more

I love Oliver's Twist for a few reasons: the blue cheese bacon stuffed dates(I find myself dreaming about the blue cheese dates weekly), their drinks that have ginger in them(like the bullseye), garlic truffled popcorn and the chocolate gelato with peanut butter caramel and salt. Holy crap I'm in heaven! I love the atmosphere though it can get a bit loud, well, loud. Since I can't do a 1/2 star I will round up to 5 but I would really give it a 4 1/2 because the last time we were there the popcorn was cold and the Salumi salami plate I had ordered came with olives on it, like on top of the meat, and I HATE olives. It was not noted on the menu that it had olives which in my opinion was just plain stupid so I sent it back and got the ham tomato and garlic sandwich which was good but the sandwich is pan-fried so it is super crunchy and rips up the top of your mouth the way Captain Crunch does. It was also super garlicky, which I don't mind, but if you are not the biggest garlic fan do not get this sandwich. I think they took raw garlic cloves and rubbed the outside of the sandwich with it. Fun times at Oliver's! read more

Went here last night and was not disappointed. This is one of those places that I've always walked by and said, hmmm...this could be fun but tends to be overshadowed by other hot spots in the neighborhood. So as for the details, the food was fabulous. I do agree with Vanessa H. though it's a bit pricey for what you get but Iexpected the small delicious plates. We dined on red wine - the Malbec for me was to die for and figs stuffed with blue cheese and bacon. Yes bacon, if it has bacon in it I'm sold. As for the vibe, great scene with an assortment of people. It's one of those places that makes you feel like you are at a really amazing place without all the crowds. I will definitely be back and highly recommend at least one visit. Enjoy! read more

I am so glad that I got introduced to this place. I don't make it over to Phinney Ridge often enough, and it is always great to try somewhere new. This was a cool little date spot given the cozy seating, eclectic wall art, and dim lighting. The drinks were fantastic. I started with a gile that was sweet and frothy with just enough peach bitters. I am not a scotch drinker, but my friend's blood and sand was pretty tempting. All the food was great as well. We were surprised that the castelvetrano olives were warm (I enjoyed them that way) and the salumi salami was fantastic, as usual. The cheese and apple plate was the best part of the meal and I definitely would recommend it. My one complaint was that the servers were not attentive. They were friendly, but it just slow. Our first drinks took probably 20-30 minutes to arrive. I felt like they only came over if we worked to catch their attention. read more

I went there twice. The first was a solid 5 stars, 2nd was closer to a 3 or 4, so this 4 is a compromise. Went on Sunday both times, because of their extended happy hour, which gives you discounts on both food and drinks. The drink menu was 1st rate both visits. Very creative and intriguing cocktails, and I am generally a beer guy, so it was nice to step outside my comfort area. The wait staff is very knowledgeable, and able to direct you towards drinks that you will find appealing. The tapas is where my review is more mixed. 1st time around was excellent. I had warm olives (great deal), and a couple others including the Kale. Well presented, and very good, in addition to being a good value during happy hour. My favorite though was the grilled cheese and something I think was called a Tomato Cappuccino, which was very good Tomato soup. The second trip, both the Olives and the Kale disappointed. The olives weren't as magical, and the Kale was dumped on a plate with less to eat with it. The Tomato Cappuccino was just as good however. I think they must have had different "cooks in the kitchen" or something. But definitely worth a Sunday Happy Hour Trip. read more

I would consider this my local. I'm kind of done with dive bars, and this hits my chi-chi bone just right. That said, I don't consider myself posh, or a snob of any kind. Fantastic drinks. I've tried many of the drinks on the menu, and have yet to find one I don't swoon over. I even drank an entire cocktail based on scotch, and that is saying a lot, for me. And I enjoyed it! Fun little plates of food, just enough for a snack or as an app course before going elsewhere. However, the star attraction here is the drinks in a welcoming, cozy, slightly quirky aesthetic. They have candles on the bar. It makes me want to camp out on a weeknight after the crowd leaves, and write until I start blurring the words on the page. Once, I sat on one of the stools at a table facing the wall (never my preferred seating arrangement) for the duration of two drinks, and was actually comfortable the whole time. Love. I am finding myself here more and more often. Everyone I bring with me is happy to find it, and excited to come back. read more

It's tapas! Small plates for sharing over drinks. The cocktails were fantastic - I really enjoyed the barrel-aged Manhattan ( great to pair with the blue cheese stuffed dates and the mole salami from Salumi) The atmosphere was great - someone was rocking a pretty sweet 80's goth/new wave mix tape, the seating was relaxed, the restaurant wasn't too packed, everything seemed to be in place for an evening of catching up with an old friend. I do not recommend the pulled pork sliders - the sauce was sweet and comopletely lacking the smokey or rich or tangy aspects typical of the barbecue genre. Ketchupy. I feel like they put this on the menu as a trick to separate the true tapas lover from the derpy tourist who expected a full dinner menu. Everything else we shared was fantastic. (we were just HANGRY so we added the sliders for bulk.) Service was timely but frigid. Usually I can coax a smile out of a server at least once in a visit? I pride myself on being a nice guest, not sure what was going on that night. Maybe she had the sliders too. Best thing: Ladies room decor. Next visit? I'll sit at the bar. read more

Great food. Can't say I'm an experienced partaker of tapas, but I really enjoyed all of the plates that my friends and I shared. We all chose two different plates and had a great time trying a bit of almost everything. The atmosphere was vert nice, although I was surprised how small the kitchen looked. Waiter was nice, but a bit slow and aloof. Great cocktail, although my friends peppered bourbon whiskey manhattan was a bit heavy on the pepper flavor. My scotch whiskey manhattan was excellent. Happy hour prices were nice! read more

Oliver's Twist is one of Seattle's best kept secrets. The drinks are always on par and the food is great (the tomato soup and grilled cheese never disappoint and the garlic truffle popcorn is the stuff dreams are made of!) What really makes OT so great is the owner and the bartenders. Karuna and his team are second to none and some of the most genuine people I've had the pleasure to meet. Always friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and have a true passion for their work. OT is one of my favorite spots in Seattle and you're missing out if you haven't been! read more

Decent food, lackluster service. We would go again if we couldn't think of anywhere else, but probably won't make it a destination spot. The cappucino tomato soup and grilled cheese was very good, the bleu cheese dates good (but can't compare to the Cheap Dates at Tango Tapas). The Arugula and pear salad didn't have garlic in the menu description, but garlic seemed to overwhelm any other taste in that salad. Server was nice, but didn't ever ask how we were liking the food and our wine sat in plain sight for maybe 5 minutes before she brought it. In her defense, I think they were unexpectedly busy tonight, but when I've been in other busy restaurants, the servers exhibit some sense of urgency. read more

Fantastic hidden gem! I went here with a girlfriend for happy hour before we headed to a cooking class and the food and service were both excellent! We were able to order several dishes and drinks in the short time we were there. Our server was very attentive and the entire staff was friendly and always happy to help. The bar has a great vibe and interesting artwork; great conversation pieces. They also are very open to experimenting with the menu: we saw the bartender carving up a pumpkin and, upon inquiry, found out that he was using the squash to concoct a festive drink for Halloween. We will definitely be back! Highly recommend the tomato cappuccino and grilled cheese - it's a perfect plate for fall! read more