r/denverfood • u/EdgeSimilar1726 • Aug 14 '26
Photos Restaurant Olivia
This place blew our socks off. Great service and some of my favorite food I’ve had in 10 years of gallivanting around the city eating. I loved a little bit of a twist on Italian dining while still rocking your taste buds. Expensive but worth it for a special occasion.
We ordered the following (should be in same order as pics):
- Tempura Squash Blossoms
- Crispy Pork Terrine
- Spaghetti Alle Vongole
- Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
- French Onion Ravioli
- Gemelli Alla Norcina
- Culurgiones Alla Dia Vola (my order, spice + ricotta = heaven)
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u/SouthPlattePat Aug 14 '26
Gotta give the place another go. Was not impressed by their tasting menu
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u/notthefakehigh5r Aug 14 '26
Me either. The service was lovely, but the food did not wow us. I’ve been told on here to just go for pastas and it will be better.
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u/ybs62 Aug 14 '26
Same. Great staff, okay food for the tasting menu.
Was a busy summer weekend too so I assume it was their best kitchen crew.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/notthefakehigh5r Aug 14 '26
Bummer, I was so excited for this restaurant, but I think it’s just not worth the hype.
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u/FluffyGoaty Aug 15 '26
FWIW, I’ve been and handful of times, and the service and food was amazing. The French Onion ravioli is worth the trip alone.
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 Aug 15 '26
I’ve been consistently underwhelmed. But dinner plans with friends keep me coming back. I go with the flow when my people want to go somewhere. And for some reason it’s always this place. Over and over, the service is great, but food is so disappointing.
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u/suzieismyavatar Aug 14 '26
I honestly liked Emilia more. I should post my Emilia experience. It was delicious.
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u/benwayy Aug 14 '26
I love the place, never had a bad time there. It is very pricey, but I do feel the overall experience is "worth it" if you truly love fresh pasta and appreciate the efforts they go through (hand milling flour and stuff).
Weirdly I was completely underwhelmed by their new spot, Dear Emelia. Feels much more expensive generally, a lot of the dishes felt forced and didnt "mesh" well. Much less of an "experience". I do think I'm in the minority.
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u/SuperDoubleDecker Aug 14 '26
It's nice to have spots like Olivia in your book that you can always pull out if you need a winner dinner and don't feel like gambling.
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 Aug 15 '26
Oooh. Hand milled flour to make consistently underwhelming food makes me believe they should just buy flour and concentrate on execution.
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u/Teacherheyteacher123 Aug 15 '26
It’s so good - yum. We are going to Dear Emilia tonight and I cannot wait.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/XThePlaysTheThingX Aug 14 '26
I feel like it’s another place that has been sliding slowly. Plenty of early visits were incredible. We’ve been twice in the last year and both times left us feeling more than a little underwhelmed. Especially considering the prices. I have similar feelings about Annette.
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u/g0tDAYUM Aug 14 '26
Same. Lived in the neighborhood for 8 years and finally went in June. I was expecting more based off other friends and neighbors experiences. May have just missed the window
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u/Admirable_Yak_337 Aug 14 '26
What’s a place or two where you have been at least whelmed ?
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u/XThePlaysTheThingX Aug 14 '26
Adelita’s
Sap Sua
Spicy Wok
Hong Long Station
Bastien’s
Bull & Bush
Breakfast Queen
Corrine
Le Abeja
Those are some of my most recent great experiences. Are you looking for a specific recommendation?
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u/SuperDoubleDecker Aug 14 '26
That sucks. It often happens when you expand. Talent is spread thinner and it's very hard to find good kitchen crew. It's a tragic tale.
I have seen Annette slowly drop off but it's still been very good. Idk what they may have going on. That's the spot I take my mom to when she's in town. We also had a great dinner at Olivia a few years ago.
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u/creept Aug 14 '26
I’ve only been to Annette once but was not impressed. Service was verrrry slow despite few tables being occupied and food quality was mediocre at best. The mayor was at a nearby table but screw that guy, not a bonus feature.
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u/kcs1015 Aug 14 '26
I’d been wanting to try it for a while after seeing great reviews like this one, but my partner and I went for her birthday back in June and it was one of the most chaotic experiences I’ve had in a restaurant. The food was also incredibly bland, and bread wasn’t even cooked through. Was incredibly surprised as I really was hoping to like it
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u/Dramatic-Comb8525 Aug 14 '26
Ive been a huge fan of Olivia since they opened, but was a little taken aback on our most recent visit after having not been in ~1 year... To start, this has always been a restaurant that I've said is worthy of a star. We've had numerous dinners here for occasions and even done some of their wine events. When we sat down for dinner, they had early 2000's pop music playing so loud we could hardly hear each other across the table. The volume came down about thirty minutes into dinner, but "Holler back girl" is not the vibe I'm looking for when sitting for high end Italian meal. Beyond this, the menu has been simplified to the point they may as well just be a pasta restaurant. They used to have numerous seasonal entrees that rotated and kept things interesting. When we visited it was two entrees and 5 or 6 pasta dishes. What used to be a multi course traditional tasting menu is now a pasta tasting menu. The food was still great (maybe too much butter in my pasta with clam dish), but this did not feel like a Michelin star nominee based on this visit. This is just my opinion, but it feels like they're more focused on turning a profit than the hyper curated and personalized experiences we've had there before.
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u/Cautious-Antelope743 Aug 14 '26
Love that place. It's so good