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    The Black Olive

    4.3 (162 reviews)
    ModerateItalian
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    The Black Olive Photos

    Business Info

    THE BLACK OLIVE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - The Black Olive

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    Veal parmigiana with pasta marinara.
    Alicia M.

    We enjoyed an appetizer of calamari (forgot to photo), veal parmigiana with a side of pasta and sauce, and I tried the trio of chicken parmigiana, lasagna (this tasted more like eggplant parmigiana) and side pasta with sauce. Everything was delicious and we ended up,bringing most of it home,e to enjoy as another meal. I highly recommend going to The Black Olive in jonesborough TN. The only downside is sitting in a booth where the seats have bad springs. The restaurant would benefit from updating their booth seats. Otherwise it was a worthwhile visit.

    Outside
    Rachel G.

    Nice Italian option: the lasagna looked amazing, but I had a full day of meetings after so I opted for the grilled chicken salad. The chicken was well seasoned and lettuce was in good condition. Dressing was creamy and there was just enough. Nice staff and fresh fast service. Would definitely go back if I was in the area.

    Cheese Calzone
    Tabitha H.

    Walked in and were immediately greeted and sat. The waitress was super nice and efficient. We ordered the fried mushrooms as an appetizer. They were average. The house salad was good, would have liked fresh croutons instead of packaged but they did add banana peppers for me. The calzone was 12" of deliciousness. The cheese was gooey and the marinara was flavorful. The spicy chicken was full of flavor from the beginning of the bite to the end. Definitely could taste the cayenne pepper, it definitely timely has spice. The bread with it was super fresh. The food was served hot which is an anomaly where I am from. The restaurant is a mix of casual with a flair. Definitely recommend if you are in the area

    Joy S.

    Our hotel front desk recommended this Italian place to us and it was very good. We were seated right away. Our server was friendly and accommodating. We started with fried mushrooms as an appetizer... Yum! Then we both added a $2 side salad to our meals. It was simple.. Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cuke slices, and a few red onion slices. Everything was fresh and crisp and their blue cheese dressing was creamy and delicious. I ordered the chicken Milan, substituting the fettuccini Alfredo with zoodles to lower the carb count. I appreciated having that option. They were not a bit mushy, but definitely needed salt and parmesan to enhance the taste. The chicken was tasty and the portion generous. My husband got the Olive Special with chicken parmesan, lasagne, and spaghetti. We both had way more food than we were able to eat, so it'll be another meal for us. Feels like a family-owned and operated business and I'd love to go back to try some of their other options, too.

    Italian Garlic Knots
    Eugene R.

    I go here for the Italian nachos but plenty of other dishes to choose from. My experience has normally been pretty good even in busy nights, but I guess we hit a nerve last night as my party of 5 had late lunches so we decided to go a little lighter with with some cheese knots for the table, simply the nachos as a meal for me and my elderly parents splitting the appetizer combo as a meal and then the other two light eaters choosing to split a pepperoni role. It didn't take long to notice our waitress was perturbed with our light order and sitting close to the hostess area I was able to hear the complaint. Now what she didn't know we were saving a little room for a couple of the $9 desserts and I normally tip a little more % when we don't have full meals as long as service is good. Empty drinks for most the meal. Walked away still tipping 20% but probably out of societal pressure as the service was definitely not worth a tip at all. We'll be back but may be a minute.

    a plate of food and a bowl of sauce

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    17 days ago

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    24 days ago

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    22 hours ago

    Top quality food when I was working at the hotel near to them I would always recommend them because I knew they would never disappoint

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    6 days ago

    Black Olive in Elizabethton is not my cup of tea. Pasta is watery, and has no flavor. Price is high for what you get. Service is okay.

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    9 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Delicious Meal ! Ate their with my Brother while he was in from Southern California and we Really Enjoyed our Meal !

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    5 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

    I've been wanting to try this place and I was not disappointed! Food was really good and the server was exceptional. Give it a try!

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    3 months ago

    Best Italian restaurant we have been to in a while. The best marinara sauce i ever tasted. Can't wait to go back.

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great burger at a good price. The bar tender new his stuff and had not a problem pointing out his best wines available.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Black Olive's food is always consistent and delicious. The waitstaff is friendly and helpful. Try the garlic knots!

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great bar and bartender made perfect dirty vodka martinis. They served an excellent veal parmigiana. Generous portions.

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    2 years ago

    Food is delicious!! Service is great! Lacks ambiance. I could eat there at least 3 times a week.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food is very good as well as the prices. The service has always been good. The ambiance is good but we go for the food and prices.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - The Black Olive

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    Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza - CINNAMON KNOTS (WITH ICING) - Our homemade dough knots with butter and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon. Topped with icing.

    Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza

    4.3(105 reviews)
    6.2 mi
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    Located along a busy main business road, entrances to the parking lot are easy to find. This is a…read moresmall shopping center with plenty of parking although it is a bit tight to maneuver. There is one other restaurant as well as several businesses using this parking area so there is always traffic. Handicapped parking is limited with a couple spaces near their entrance and a couple more spaces further away from the door. You'll need to look for a ramp if needed as there is not one by their entrance, but that is not their fault. Walking in for lunch, there was a sign to seat yourself. The restaurant was slightly less than half full. Seating is a mix of tables and booths. There is a low wall on the left with tables on the other side which may be a bit more private or less busy. Most of the booth seats we passed need recovering and the general decor is older and could use a freshening. There is also a small bar in rear with about six stools. There is some background music noticeable but at a low volume which did not interfere with conversation. The temperature inside was rather cool and we left our coats on during our meal. Our waitress came by within a few seconds of us sitting down. She took our drink order and brought the drinks back within a minute. We asked for a few minutes to review the menu. After about ten minutes she returned, apologizing for getting distracted with bussing tables and taking other orders. It appears the restaurant was understaffed and our waitress was performing many tasks. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees. One appetizer dip came out piping hot in about ten minutes. The Buffalo Chicken dip was very good. There is distinct Buffalo flavor without significant spiciness. The majority of the included chicken was shredded as expected but there was one very large chicken piece in the middle. This needed a fork and knife to break apart to eat. The accompanying pita-type chips were warm, crispy on the outside and little puffy inside. The remaining appetizer was delivered about five minutes later, with the two entrees about five minutes after that. The Fall special Four Cheese Bruschetta dip was good. Three of the cheeses were well mixed and the mozzarella was layered on top in the middle of the bowl. Once this cooled a bit it was difficult to use the pita chips to dip any of the mozzarella so a fork was used. The fresh basil and roasted cherry tomatoes were nice garnishes. The Johnny's Special sub was fine but not really special. There was enough meat, lettuce, and tomato to feel it was a decent value but the flavor was overall bland. The onion, mayo, and Italian dressing were minimal to non-existent, at least as far as flavor was concerned. The bread was nicely toasted with a crispness without bordering on hard. The bottom of the sandwich did get soggy by the time the first half of the sandwich was eaten but it did not fall apart. The accompanying French fries were very good, crispy outside and tender inside. The Syracuse Stuffer Calzone was another decent value with adequate ingredients to make a complete meal. The steak was decently flavorful but there was also gristle (possibly grill scrapings) included which took away from the experience. The accompanying marinara dipping sauce was underwhelming. While the recipe ideas and flavors are interesting, the execution was lacking. The kitchen had an issue with the timing of sending out the different parts of the order although the entrees did arrive at the same time. Our server was obviously good at her job but was saddled with additional tasks beyond any reasonable expectation of being able to handle while still serving the customers. The overall potential of the menu does merit another visit.

    Omg the calzones were so good. Blue cheese dressing was on point and the pizza sauce was to die…read morefor. Definitely coming again!!!

    Photos
    Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza
    Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza - MINI GARLIC KNOTS - Our pizza dough rolled and tied into knots, baked, then smothered in melted butter and fresh garlic...

    MINI GARLIC KNOTS - Our pizza dough rolled and tied into knots, baked, then smothered in melted butter and fresh garlic...

    Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza - LASAGNA - Always a classic! Layers of seasoned ricotta, mozzarella, sliced meatballs & crumbled sausage baked in our marinara...

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    LASAGNA - Always a classic! Layers of seasoned ricotta, mozzarella, sliced meatballs & crumbled sausage baked in our marinara...

    The Black Olive - italian - Updated September 2026

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