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    The Black Olive

    3.7 (402 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 9:00 PM

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    THE BLACK OLIVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Black Olive

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    Black Olive Lobster Pasta
    Abigail R.

    I was so excited when I saw Mediterranean seafood on restaurant week 2025. I immediately made a reservation was so excited sharing the menu with my partner. We sat down and ordered cocktails, both of which we struggled to drink. He got the chocolate manhattan and I got the gimlet. We sampled each others drinks and both agreed they we not balanced and too strong. I poured water into my gimlet and it was still so strong it felt like a threat. The appetizers were.. fine. I got the lobster bisque and he got the sardines in grape leaves. We weren't thrilled but we weren't disappointed. The oysters were good! We each had three. Very clean and fresh. The entree was where I really felt the most let down. I ordered the squid ink lobster pasta.. no squid ink pasta came out. Just the regular. No biggie, it's slammed. But then when I tasted the pasta. Let down number two. The pasta was over cooked. There was no dente to be had. The lobster was good! No complaints on that portion. But the sauce and the pasta again. Just left me wanting more. My partner really really enjoyed his lamb. And I agreed. The lamb chops were stellar. 10/10 lamb. Perfectly cooked, a nice char, well seasoned. Really lovely. And the desserts were lack luster. I got the baklava and he got the cacao cake. The cake was incredibly dry and the baklava was pretty standard. The service was good. Very very attentive. I feel like this probably was just an off night. It just really stinks that I had set my hopes so high.

    Yelena A.

    The food was delicious and the service was great!! Ambiance was relaxing and made me feel right at home :) it's a wonderful spot for casual dining . The stuff was very attentive, the only issue was the parking situation can be a little hard to find !! But overall it's definitely worth checking out .Great place!!

    Receipt
    Christia D.

    Beautiful experience; very rustic, very charming, very Balmore. Went for a birthday during restaurant week I believe it's like 2/3 rowhomes combined for a very immersive space. Octopus salad was delicious, Zeus, the Greek beer as refreshing. Seabass was juicy and crispy ! Would go back to again

    Rose and bottled sparkling water
    Julio M.

    We shared the Greek salad and grilled octopus salad as the appetizer. The other dishes were the squid ink pasta with a small lobster tail ( she enjoyed it), the wife had the soft shell crab inside a phyllo pastry ( delicious) and I had the lamb chops cooked medium to perfection ( loved it). The service was outstanding and a perfect place for special occasions. TY:)

    Filet mignon Souvlaki app
    Jess L.

    Fine dining in Fells Point! My husband and I had never been to the Black Olive before and went to celebrate his birthday. While it's a nicer restaurant, people were dressed casually, and many were also celebrating occasions. There is a small bar you could sit at but other than that it was all tables, and many reservations. Our waitress Jeanine was very informative and patient as she explained a lot of the highlights on the menu for us newbies! We split a bottle of wine, got the stuffed calamari, Greek Avocado Salad, filet mignon souvlaki (appetizer size) and the soft shell crab in phyllo dough. Everything was excellent, I loved how the filet mignon was cooked - it was buttery and had a nice sear. But the star of the show was the soft shell crab in phyllo, never had anything like that before. Definitely a special dish here in baltimore - if you like soft shell crab, this is a must get! We are still talking about it! It's stuffed w/ feta and spinach. Absolutely phenomenal. For dessert we split an ice cream and they even put a little candle in it for my husbands birthday. Jeanine recommended several other dishes that we will definitely come back to try! Overall we had a great experience, spent about $200 total (though we did get a full bottle of wine!) and didn't have any leftovers. It's definitely a higher end place but we loved the ambience and how quiet it was. Plus, the extensive menu means everyone will have something to try!

    Bourbon Choco-Cacao Cake
    Spenser B.

    It started off great! The space is very cute, menu for restaurant week was appealing etc. The food overwhelmingly was tasty (dessert aside). My issue with this experience was when we were effectively boxed into a corner (photo attached) once a large party was sat. What was a cute and intimate dinner with my partner then became both loud & unserved...we watched as bussers and servers realized they could no longer reach our table and one after the other turned away. Got lucky when another patron went to the restroom so a busser could grab our old plates & I could ask for more water (had been with empty cups for ~30 min at that point). By the time dessert arrived we were entirely over being ignored in the corner & just requested the check. Food-wise the oysters, scallops were delish. I could have left the lamb meatballs personally. Whole sea bass was yummy - just watch for bones if you order, obviously - as well as the lobster pasta. For dessert we got the baklava ice cream and bourbon chocolate cacao cake - both hard skips. I'm sorry to give such a poor review given how good the food was but being completely boxed into a corner with no service & having to ask another patron to leave their seat just so we could shimmy out was absolutely insane to me. Our overall total time in the restaurant was 6:57 - 8:30.

    Arctic char and roasted vegetables
    LaTia S.

    I actually decided to try this restaurant based on its restaurant week menu. It was my boyfriend's birthday this past week and The Black Olive had so many pescaterian options, I thought it would be perfect to give it a try. The restaurant week deal which runs from 1/26-2/4/24 is a three course meal for $45, some things like the octopus salad and lobster pasta have additional charges. I will say parking is quite challenging in this area, especially early in the evening during rush hour. There are parking garages, but they are a little walk in the cold. We arrived at the restaurant at our reserved time, only to find out our table had been given away. The hostess quickly found a solution, but it was beside a large party and I was bumped twice as soon as I sat down, so I asked to be relocated which she obliged my request. Like most restaurants in Baltimore it was quite quaint. The exposed brick I was immediately a fan of. We decided to order drinks, he had a Manhattan and I had a dirty martini.....very well balanced drinks, they were $16 each. He ordered the octopus salad as his appetizer choice in addition to a half dozen oysters, I chose the grilled sardines and grape leaves, I was disappointed at the portion size only being one, I expected at least two. He was happy with his choices, he said the oysters were very clean, not briney and flavorful. For our entreés we had the arctic char and the rock fish.....all entreés were served with roasted vegetables and this garlic aioli that tasted like garlic hummus, it was amazing. All of our food came out fresh and hot, we enjoyed our meals. We both chose the sorbet for dessert which was a perfect palate cleanser. Overall the meal was delicious, the star deduction was for the seating mishaps. Our final bill with tip was around $250 which included two rounds of drinks. Check this place out if you're in the area, I would come back for sure.

    Strawberry Gelato
    Andrea' C.

    Unfortunately this experience was mediocre at best. Several people raved about this restaurant so I will definitely give it another try when it isn't restaurant week so I can try the entire menu. The restaurant is quaint and has a very intimate feel. We had a party of 6 and so we were tucked away in a nice corner. Our server was Rafael and he was hilarious and did well with our large party. Since it was restaurant week there was a 3 course menu. I had the lamb meatballs, whole sea bass and strawberry gelato. The gelato was my favorite! So delicious. The fish was pretty good as well but the lamb meatballs left a lot to be desired. There were also several flying insects and we had to cover our glasses so they wouldn't fly into our drinks.

    Mediterranean Sea Bass
    Ren H.

    I hadn't been here since pre-Covid but I came here with a friend for dinner. I got their raspberry Bellini to start which was good and then later got the same spicy mock tail my friend got which was also really good. I ordered the Mediterranean Sea Bass that was delicious and ate as much as I could around the bones. I love that it comes as a whole fish for me to pick at. Service though was ok. Our server was pretty absent throughout our entire dinner (had to ask someone else to place our orders, request more complimentary bread, and ask for our check). Besides that though, food was great as I remembered and I will still come back for it hopefully with improved service.

    Grilled Octopus Salad
    Lisa G.

    Came here for dinner before a show. We made reservations but we would've been able to walk in without much wait as we arrived at 6:30pm and there were only a few tables occupied. By the time we left an hour and a half later, it was bustling and most tables were full. The service was good and the food was tasty. We ordered some kind of small fish as an appetizers and they were cooked perfectly. My partner got grilled octopus and I was not a fan but she liked it. We also asked for more of the complimentary olives as they were so yummy. For dinner I got the scallops and she got a whole fish which she really liked. We took home left overs and were quite satisfied. Oh, she also got two dirty martinis, both of which she said were strong.

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    Food was amazing the fish dishes are out of this I would recommend everybody in one hour radius to head down here enjoy this special place

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    Page 3 of 11

    Ask the Community - The Black Olive

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    Ammoora

    Ammoora

    4.4
    (271 reviews)
    0.6 mi
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    Fine dining
    Outdoor seating

    All I can say is WOW. My dining partner and I had such an amazing experience here. First of all,…read morethe restaurant is gorgeous inside. We had an earlier dinner reservation so it wasn't as crowded at the beginning but was quite busy at the end. We tried a couple different cocktails and I loved both of mine - Ashta Affair and Asfar So Good. The Ashta Affair was sweet and creamy and the Asfar So Good was deliciously refreshing. My friend really enjoyed his Old Fashioned Date and had a fun experience trying the El Massaya Arak. For appetizers, we ordered Muhamara and Mousakhan Chicken Rolls. The Muhamara came with pita and was such a great dip. The chicken rolls were equally as good with their own sumac labneh dip we enjoyed. For entrees, we shared the Braised Lamb Shank and Makloubeh. The portions were large and the meat was tender. Neither were over seasoned and were absolutely delicious. We couldn't finish it all and saved the rest for leftovers - yum! We wanted to try their dessert and ending up getting the Ashta Bil Asal and Ruz Bil Karaz. The Ashta Bil Asal had cotton candy which made it a fun dessert to try and the Ruz Bil Karaz had a great caramelization coating. Neither were overly sweet which we preferred. It was such a great ending to our meal. I absolutely loved my experience here. Our server, Miriam, was friendly and attentive. We even chatted with the GM, Iman, who also made sure we were provided a great first experience. I cannot recommend this place enough for anyone who's looking for a boujee but amazing time!

    Ammoora is such a beautiful spot--definitely great for a nice night out. The vibe is upscale but…read morestill really welcoming. We went for my husband's birthday. We started with Arabic coffee and the Harra Wala cocktail--both were really good. The coffee was strong and flavorful, and the cocktail was unique and refreshing. For food, we ordered batata harra, beetroot hadiqa, lentil soup, saffron pita pie, and saffron rice. Everything was solid, but the saffron pita pie and batata harra were probably my favorites. The lentil soup was super comforting too. For dessert, we got the raspberry sorbet and baklava--perfect way to end the meal. The sorbet was light and refreshing, and the baklava was sweet and flaky. Service was great. Our server made sure we enjoyed our meal and was available to explain the menu options and checking on time to time if we need anything. Overall, a great experience. I'd definitely go back!

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    Koshary Corner

    Koshary Corner

    4.7
    (144 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    Best food at R. House!! Fresh and super yummy. I always get their smoothies too. The people there…read moreare so nice! It's right by the benches area so it's my favorite place to sit also

    I decided to stop in R House to get some food. I wanted something that was more on the fresh side…read moreso I decided to go with Koshary Corner. I can't speak on the customer service because I didn't talk to anyone. I ordered at the kiosk and they called my number and that was it. I paid $19.45 for my meal. I order a side of falafels (3) and the street bowl with beef flank, tzatziki, and mild red pepper sauce. The falafels were way too crispy. I feel like compared to other falafels I've tried these were on the hard side. Thankfully I had some tzatziki sauce to dip them in, if I didn't, they would have been a little hard to eat. The flavor was okay but the texture was not appealing. I really wanted to get beef shawarma but they were out so I opted for the beef flank. I wish I would have just gotten chicken instead. The bowl came with rice and a lettuce salad that was underneath the beef. I'm not sure if the lettuce had arugula in it as well, but the lettuce gave sort of a bitter taste which I did not care for at all. Did not taste good so I would add a lot of tzatziki sauce to it to cut down on the bitter taste. The beef was okay, nothing to rave about. I was just very underwhelmed with my food. Not sure if I would give it a try again. If so, I would definitely get something else or build my own bowl maybe. Try it for yourself and see how you like it.

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    Costiera

    Costiera

    4.6
    (101 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Wow! I have always driven by Costiera and been intrigued... it did not disappoint!…read more The service was great and made our experience fun. The restaurant was definitely small, so I would either make a reservation well in advance or come sit at the bar early! When you come I highly recommend the short rib, one of the best dishes I had in a WHILE.

    Costiera went beyond my expectations. I really wanted to do…read morerestaurant week even though the whole north eastern seaboard got slammed with the worst storm its seen in 10 years. With main roads and side streets finally cleared... I booked a RW dinner res at Costiera. There is a parking garage across the street for 5 dollars. We walked over (still icy ugh) but made it in and were seated. Interior was very nicely done up with wicker basket light fixtures and a nice colorful mural above the host stand. Our server AJ took great care of us- they were funny, attentive and very friendly. For restaurant week the menu honestly was fantastic with many options for every person's palate and dietary preferences. I went with the octopus appetizer, squid ink bucatini with calamari, and a pound cake with lemon curd and mint whipped cream. Every single thing I had was delicious. The octopus was grilled perfectly and tender and the bean puree and potato paired nicely. The pasta was umami and not too tomatoey or acidic. My pound cake was tasty with the tanginess of the curd pairing well with the whipped cream. My boyfriend enjoyed his mushroom soup, his mushroom bolognese rigatoni( i tried this, I would absolutely order this next time)and a decadent chocolate tart. If you're reading this and they extended their restaurant week menu, go now and enjoy a fantastic meal.

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    Lebanese Taverna

    Lebanese Taverna

    3.9
    (619 reviews)
    0.3 mi
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    I'm with a co-worker and we have tickets to see Yankees vs Orioles. Before the game I want to grab…read moresomething and a stadium hot dog isn't going to work for me. I start naming a few seafood places but she's not into any of my suggestions. I said I have a great Lebanese spot and we can park in front? Sold! We make our way to Lebanese Taverna. I thought I was being cool with the restaurant suggestion but then tells me her dad is Lebanese? We're greeted by the hostess and shown to a booth. The restaurant beautifully decorated and it's deceiving from the outside. Lebanese Taverna is a huge restaurant with plenty of seating. We're given menus and I sit back and let my coworker order all of the sharable items. We started with Kibbeh: stuffed beef and lamb fritters as well as beef and lamb Shawarma Rolls. I'm getting a thumbs up from my coworker except she said her mom makes both dishes better. Who am I to argue? Mom's cooking is always better! Great spot to dine at the Baltimore harbor.

    It was a very busy Monday night yesterday. I hope that is atypical. The restaurant largely felt…read morepoorly managed. Servers didn't have normal "sections." They were all over the place. It was Mezza Monday ("unlimited") small plates but we were barely able to order a "Second helping" after being there for 2 hours. The first round of food took over an hour. Luckily, we tracked down our waitress for a second round and it took 20 minutes. Worst part was that it was my sister's birthday. While our server Angel comp'ed a second glass of wine for her, it was 2 hours and 15 minutes before we were able to ask for the check and were ready to go so their normal birthday dessert was no longer an option. I usually go for happy hour and have good food service when the dining room isn't busy. I won't go back for a bit, but I hope another dinner time service is better managed!

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    Rudy's Mediterranean Grill

    Rudy's Mediterranean Grill

    4.0
    (470 reviews)
    13.1 mi
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    We ate there Tues the 19th, and were so happy with our meal and dessert, I had the shrimp kabob and…read moremy husband had chicken breast with rice and they were both really delicious. Often chicken breast is dry and chewy, but this was succulent and moist. Their rice is about the best I've ever had, slightly sweet and chewy. I wish I could remember the names of the desserts we chose, but just know that they were excellent too. The iced tea was above average. Will definitely return soon.

    An incredible dinner experience! Held a small gathering of friends in their semi-private room and…read morethey treated us like family. The entire staff made us feel welcomed as soon as we stepped inside. Most of us were foodies, so we did a family-style feast that consisted of shared appetizer platter of both hot and cold mezze: falafel, sigara boregi (fried cheese), mucver (zucchini & cheese patty), hummus (some of the best I've ever had), dolma, and muhammara (slightly spicy and my favorite dip). It was all so good with the bread and pita, this could have been dinner and we would have been happy. But, when they brought out a meat mountain platter of different kabobs, adana, lamb chops, all on top of a huge mound of fluffy rice and pita, we were really to dig in. The stars of the meat were the lamb chops (the best!), lamb patties, and shish kebab, but all of it was so good. Even the chicken was moist and very flavorful. Each meat mountain was enough for about 6 people and most tapped out with so much food on hand. But, we somehow had enough room for dessert: baklava and künefe (fried cheese topped with honey) which were both incredible. What started as a friendly gathering turned into an awesome night, would love to return soon.

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    Estiatorio Plaka

    Estiatorio Plaka

    4.5
    (116 reviews)
    2.1 mi
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    I have been meaning to try this restaurant for over a year. I first noticed it when I was waiting…read moreat the nearby bus station to go to NYC. I can't remember what caught my eye but I knew I had to go eventually. I am so glad I did. The restaurant is one of the most visually appealing restaurants that I have ever been to. I literally felt like I had gone to Greece and the music playing helped create that atmosphere too! Our server was so kind. I was debating between the plaka mousaka and the shrimp linguini. He recommended the mousaka and said if I don't like it he would give me the shrimp linguini. No need to worry, I LOVED it! I'm so glad that he encouraged me to try something new and not go with the safe choice (which I'm sure would've been great too). I can't wait to come back!

    As someone who just came back from Greece, this is about as delicious as you could get. Sure, some…read moreof the dishes are Americanized, but the food and ambiance feels straight out of a restaurant that you could get over there. Just like with Greece, the portions are incredibly generous. You get food, on top of food, on top of food, and then you are full, and then you get some more! It also helps the food tastes super fresh and is worth every penny. Get yourself plenty because it makes the experience even better. They also have a bakery in the front that also offers tasty options in addition to some local favorites. Their baklava is like the size of a small cake! It is definitely worth taking a piece or two home with you. I am happy I stopped here and look forward to eating here again.

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    Avocado Toast

    The Black Olive - seafood - Updated June 2026

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