Olia is a beautiful restaurant at the western edge of downtown. It's a nice bright space. Very warm and inviting. Spacious. It was pretty busy when we arrived for 6pm, but the tables stayed fairly empty after the diners left.
Our server was terrible: unfriendly, unhappy and unapproachable.
I was expecting more from the food, I felt it was average at best, especially given the $95 price tag. The charred cabbage was a little too charred for my liking. All I could taste was char. The supposed signature dish - the whipped goat ricotta - was pretty disappointing. Too much ricotta for the bread it's served on and we felt a honey drizzle would have been better than olive oil. The tenderloin was well cooked, but too salty. The food came at a good pace until about 3/4 of the way in and then it slowed down to a snail's pace. The best parts were the agnolotti (my friends felt the serving was too large, I had no complaints) and the panna cotta. We had dinner with a lactose intolerant friend and the kitchen did a good job of accommodating her restriction.
Olia is far from being the best Italian restaurant in the city. It's a nice date spot though, especially since it's connected to a cute little bar. The pasta was definitely good, although the tasting menu was filled with more misses than hits.
Free street parking available. read more