Oliveto Café & RestaurantDelicious Italian FoodI dined recently at Oliveto Restaurant. I had lunch in the upstairs restaurant on a Tuesday afternoon. My party had the pan roasted chicken leg (akin to cooking under a brick) which was served with young broccoli and a earthy polenta. The chicken was outstanding with a crisp skin, flavorful, juicy meat and a judicious topping of a salse verde. We also tried the penne bolognese, which came with al dente winter wheat penne and a wonderful meat bolognese. The wines were great and well priced. The service was impeccable from start to finish.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMOliveto's DelightsI was pleasantly surprised to visit Oliveto's after many years away (for no particular reason other than tha abudant culinary choices throughout the Bay Area). I had the Hen Egg, Asparagus, and Morel Mushroom appetizer while my wife had the navel orange, avocado and frisee dish---both were perfect, tasteful, elegant and exceptionally well prepared. Each bite was a celebration of the superb combination of ingridents. We had the agnolotti dal plin as an intermediate dish, and the halibut as the main dish---our dessert (the Strawberry ShortCake Sundae---that's my name for it) was outstanding, creative and satisfying. We will re-visit Olivetto's next month just to make sure we weren't dreaming!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of the best restaurantsOne of the best restaurants in the east bay. Delicous food, top notch service, and elegant. Had a wonderful experience that I will not soon forget.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMSophisticated food with first-classSophisticated food with first-class service and an exceptionally well laid-out wine list make this a favorite.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMWatch the salt!This is our 3rd visit to Oliveto this year (one regular dinner, one Whole Hog, this Hen Dinner) and two have suffered from SEVERE oversalting on the vegetables. Not the starch or the meats, just the veggies. Whoever's doing that station need to have their salt-shaking hand whacked with a wooden spoon, LOL. Mgmt handled it nicely, gave us a credit offset on our bill. Otherwise, Hen Dinner was very good to excellent. Duck and goose liver starters were amazing; closest to foie gras you can get now. Guinea hen roulade and roast pigeon were very good. We love to finish with Oliveto's perfect cappuccinos and housemade biscotti, which redefine what biscotti should be but so seldom are. Expensive place but worth the splurge.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's all in the foodWhen all the variables of linen, service, flash and presentation are summed up, the quality and essence of the food, ingredients and cooking still is what counts.
The 'bird dinner' with guinea hen at the center was beautifully put together. A liver dish on toast, another with home made boudin blanc sausage set in peas and fava beans was among the best sausage I have had, ever. Wood fire cooking of duck breast and the guinea hen had a deft touch of smoke without killing the delicate meats.
Each of the 5 dishes we had were perfect.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMStarted with the daily cocktailStarted with the daily cocktail special. I usually only drink wine but after the excellent waiter told us about this drink we had to have it.
Delicious. The appetizer selection had so many interesting things it made it hard to decide but with help again from the server we made two excellent choices, quail and Burratta with spring vegetables. Next two pastas done to perfection, and then dessert. Our waiter was knowledgeable about each dish and made the dinner that much more enjoyable.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMa great restaurant with innovativea great restaurant with innovative menu and lots of fun. bit costly but worth it!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWent with a group of 6 andWent with a group of 6 and very much enjoyed it. Started with cocktails at the bar downstairs - all were good. Then went upstairs for dinner. Appetizers were good but nothing special - we had halibut with sea urchin, an avocado and frizee salad, their smoked sausage, and a cold scallop and citrus dish. They all just lacked a little something to make them special. However, the entrees were delicious. Everybody was incredibly pleased. Desserts were spotty - some excellent, some just good. But with cocktails, 3 bottles of wine, and a 3-course meal we spent ~80 per person. Not bad for all of that and a very good time.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMI have been wanting to eatI have been wanting to eat at Olivetto's for years, boy do I wish I had gotten there sooner. The food, staff, ambience was all a 10!
I can not wait to go back. What a memorable evening. If you have not tried this restaurant I recommend you get yourself over there pronto!4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous! I can't wait to return.I had not been to Oliveto for several years, having been hugely disappointed in the food on past visits. However, I needed to find a special place for a reunion dinner with an old friend. I requested a quiet table, and the hostess seated me in the perfect spot. Our server was well-informed and gracious, as well as patient - with the length of time we needed for catching up before ordering and with my special need for food without garlic. The food was incredible! It is the best meal I have had in months, at a price that was no higher than many mediocre meals I have eaten elsewhere. I was blown away. As was my guest, a foodie from the Boston area. I can't wait to return!4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have dined here in theWe have dined here in the past. As always the food and service are always superb.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were seated on time andWe were seated on time and our server was right there to give us her insights into the menu and wine list. She was very knowledgeable and friendly.
We chose 3 starters and 3 pastas to share among the 6 of us. Each of these dishes were well prepared, presented and tasty. The entrees were delicious.
Wee had a great time and hope to return soon.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMI like the atmosphere of theI like the atmosphere of the restaurant. It was very romantic and just a nice place to have a delicious dinner. The waiter was kind and helpful, and gave us everything we needed. Food was amazing. It's on the expensive side for me, but worth it for my beautiful girlfriend.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful ExperienceThe food was amazing; I had the porterhouse. The server was friendly and the drinks were well made.
I would definitely come back.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMOliveto is our go-to specialOliveto is our go-to special occasion place. The food and service are always outstanding, and this time was no different. We order course by course, and take out time dining. They understand this, we have never felt hurried or any pressure to "turn" the table. The food is fresh, excellent, and the constantly changing menu is always full of new delicious finds.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMThe greatest part about theThe greatest part about the food at Oliveto is that everything is fresh and local. The taste of each item is vibrant. I love the pasta dishes here. At first I was a little disappointed that they no longer offer to make the pasta dishes larger for an entree. But it worked out well since we ordered two pastas and shared one entree for two people. This allowed us to taste more dishes. We ordered the scallop carpaccio with blood oranges and squid ink as an appetizer. It was ok, but not one of my favorites. The squid ink and orange flavors were too strong and masked the sweetness of the scallop. But, overall, the food is very good, although a bit pricey. The portions were the perfect size for us. The ambiance and wait staff are always nice.4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was our first experienceThis was our first experience with Oliveto. Everything about it was excellent. The food was fantastic, our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and the ambiance was lovely. It was a bit pricey, but the quality of the food and service made it worthwhile. We will definitely be back.4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMFood and service were excellentFood and service were excellent overall. Menu is varied and had something for everyone at the table.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMThe grilled, under a brickThe grilled, under a brick chicken, was superb. It was delightfully seasoned and paired w/polenta. Lovely chicory salad and marvelous desserts. I would go again ASAP4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMAll perfect and we especiallyAll perfect and we especially appreciated the enlarged appetizer list which was fun to explore.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was delicious. ServiceThe food was delicious. Service very timely and we had a good meal. We will both return.
I do not want my email or name attached with the review. I do not want spam. thank you3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMHighly recommend theSundayHighly recommend theSunday evening "Farm House dinners". The food is consistently good at this restaurant. You can always be sure you will get a inventive and delicious meal.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMAll the parts of the mealAll the parts of the meal came together very smoothly producing an excellent dinning experience. The food was very good, the staff superb.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother outstanding eveningAnother outstanding evening at Oliveto. They have their mojo back. Pastas were especially outstanding, we might well have been in Rome or Ferrara. Service has reached a very high standard after many sub-par years. Our new go-to place for very special occasions.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMOliveto: Still Top NotchBeen trying to get to this restaurant for many years now, to eat at what was one of the original leaders in the California cuisine revolution. It's nice to see they've remained current and popular! Delicious food, great service, and definitely a good dining experience!3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMGood as AlwaysAlways great!
A treat for those who like rabbit and salumi plates.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMFriday was my first visitFriday was my first visit to Oliveto. We arrived early--but were immediately seated in the upstairs dining room. The room was open but still retained a cozy feel. I started perusing the wine list and was immediately struck by the prevsence of outstanding vintage Italian wines.
I ordered the veloutute of sunchoke soup which arrived looking like an artist's palette, with a heap of farro in the middle and rosemary nettles scattered around the top. It was delicious. My partner ordered a salad that was also beautifully composed. My main course was a smoked trout and asaparagus with sea shell past in an herbed cream source. It was also very tasty, although the trout did overpower the mild sauce.
The service was very good.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMYes, fabulous, but they didYes, fabulous, but they did mess up our order and we got out of there $300 later...3/8/2013 12:00:00 AMGo Italian, Go BigOliveto's continues to be one of the best restaurants in the East Bay2/13/2013 12:00:00 AMwondeful and creative Italianwondeful and creative Italian dishes, pricey but well worth the quality.2/6/2013 12:00:00 AM