Oliva

my husband and i were walking along the sidewalk trying to decide where to have lunch. the aroma coming from this restaurant was our decision maker.......and we are happy with our decision. upon entering we noticed a beautiful mural on the west wall which brings you into the feel of italy. the menu contains a variety of choices. we each picked a pasta dish and were very happy to find them full of flavor. we started with a very crisp fresh salad & garlic bread. the price was right and the portions large, so were were able to bring half of each dish home. oliva has a wide variety of wines and beer choices, reasonably priced as well. what a wonderful gem to find when out on a saturday walk........ more

this place has incredible service and a delicious menu. the prices are very reasonable given the location. definitely worth checking out. more

Our service was great and the waiter was adorable. Ambiance was romantic and definitely recommended. For the music,,,I would recommend jazz or house and the people were cool. Portions were good. more

I have been driving passed Oliva for years and a friend just recently recommended it. A group of us went for dinner last night and the food was to die for. I never knew a place like this existed outside the city area. The ambiance was so cozy, felt as if you were dining in Florence. The service was wonderful. The food was delicious. Great for a romantic date or a group of friends. Pros: Fresh pasta made daily, cozy ambiance more

I've been to Oliva's Trattoria twice, and have loved it both times. The food is great (I had the linguine and clams last time), the service is really good, and its authentic Italian food. Be careful of the specials, as there's no prices on the specials menu, and the food can be twice was the regular menu prices are. Certainly would recommend going though, and enjoying the atmosphere. Feels like an old taste of Italy, where Mama is in the back making your pasta! Pros: Good food, valet service, reservations available Cons: Street Parking is ough, packed house on weekends more

Our party of four was rushed through dinner. Plates were cleared before everyone was finished. At a point just under an hour and a half, the person who appeared to be either the owner or maitre d' asked us to leave, so he could give our table to another party. One of us had not yet finished dessert! The owner offered to send us to the bar for a drink, but the insult was such that we had no interest in remaining. A better course of action might have been to offer the next party drinks on the house in the bar until we were finished. Suffice it to say that we will NEVER patronize this establishment again. Pros: Good food, reasonable prices Cons: Terrible treatment more

we have been coming here for a while now and they know us by name and treat us like gold we have liked them right from the start the food is great everthing is good you can not go wrong with this menu what ever you chose you will like and crave it again that is what makes us come back again and again, the staff there is great the chef is the best in town and the food is amazing, the place is nice very romantic and the prices are great you cant go wrong here, If you did not try them out yet YOU HAVE TOO !! Pros: best food ,prices are great, friendly staff Cons: none what so ever more

On Christmas eve 2009 we ate here. Had a nice meal until we went to get our car from their valet service. Somehow the valet stuck the wrong key into our door and then screwed up our alarm. We had to be towed home. The alarm ended up OK, but the car had to be re-keyed for $125.00 on Christmas day. The valet's insurance company denied our claim in just 5 days and would not return phone calls after that. The owner of the restaurant was notified and he took no responsibility for a service he contracted. He offered us a free bottle of wine the next time we came in. Not likely we ever will eat there again. Be warned if the valet screws up your car, you will not be paid easily. Definitely not good business practices for the restaurant or their valet service. Pros: Decent food Cons: Bad PR more

Great little spot. Really good food and not expensive. more

If you are one who understands TRUE Authentic Italian Cuisine, GO TO OLIVA!!!! I go specifically for the worlds best Lasagna, brisket, fresh scampi, lobster pasta special...The list goes on. It's funny as I read another review from EVELinLA she's a person who clearly dosen't understand TRUE ITALIAN CUISINE. THEY DON""T make Lasagna in Northern Italy with Pasta...they make it with the most delicate delicious Crepes just as the owner does at Oliva. They don't use mascarpone cheese, they use Beschamel. Their Lasagna is TRULY AN AMAZING PARTY for the Mouth!!! TRY THE BURRATA, fresh creamy mozzarella that melts in your mouth! TIRAMISU is better here than ANY restaurant in LA. 10+ for not americanizing the Italian in Italian food!!!!! BRAVO!!! Pros: FOOD, FOOD, FOOD, Service, Decor Cons: NONE I CAN SEE more

Okay - I've been here before and enjoyed the seafood and my husband loved the brisket. Maybe we thought the experience was better because we didn't pay but the server had 'attitude'.\r \r This time, it was far worse. The waiter (also host) was yelling at a busboy in the middle of the restaurant. My lasagna came out and the noodles were like mushy glue. I called the waiter over and he explained this is the way it's served - they don't dry the pasta after making it so it comes out this way and also said 'you aren't the first and you won't be the last who doesn't like it'. Okay - I understand but the attitude was disappointing. They finally prepared a new dish but my husband was done eating. \r \r We won't be going back. Pros: bread & brushetta Cons: atmosphere & staff more

I love this place! Not only are the Italian waiters/waitresses charming, but the food and service are extrordinary! The Cecca and pizza bread that you get when you sit down is so delicious! You have to try their Italian Beef Brisket...It's amazing. Best Tiramisu in LA and amazingly enough every time I've been there I've been in the company of many well known people in entertainment. I guess the secret is out! This place is the Best! Pros: Food, Service, Decor more

Fantastic food. One of my two favorite Italian restaurants in the valley. My favorites are the salmon with lentils, the spinach salad with warm goat cheese, and the gnocchi. Their tiramisu is so yummy too and tonight we got it for free with the GrubHub coupon. Mmm! more

I just moved to the area and was really excited to get some wonderful Italian food. From the looks of the place, I was expecting some good things. It does have nice romantic feel to the place. However, from the moment I called to make a reservation all the way to waiting to pay my bill, there was nothing but one disappointment after another. Our waiter treated us more like he was doing us a favor by serving us and not giving a welcoming feeling at all. Then 25-30 minutes after we ordered, our server comes and tells us that ""the kitchen"" is having problems, and he didn't know what I ordered. Then I thought to myself, maybe he should of wrote it down 30 minutes ago when I ordered instead of coming over and asking me. Then 5 mins later, he comes over and says, ""that HE FIXED it for me"", almost as if he had corrected a mistake that I had made!? Are you kidding me? So from the time we ordered to the time our food was on the table, was about 45 minutes. I had practically lost my appetite by that point and was on the verge of walking out. After all this, I was thinking maybe the food is gonna be great. Well what another disappointment that was. I could of made a better pasta dish and eggplant at home by myself. All in all I would never torture any of my friends or family to go through this experience. Do yourself a favor and cook at home!!! Pros: Ambience Cons: Food and Service more

The worst experience! After waiting for more than an hour for the service? the food was wrong, and they try to over charge! The total time for this dinner experience! was close to three hours!!! Make your self a favor DO NOT GO!!! We were celebrating a birthday; we did not have even an apology! Cons: Bad service, not frendly more

I love this restaurant. First of all, their tomatoes (checca) that they serve as a sort of bread basket are AMAZING. I could eat those as a meal! They have great fish, although not many options...just salmon and a special. The restaurant itself is very comfortable yet almost always crowded. Service is lovely, and prices are pretty reasonable. Definitely recommend. more

This place has good food, and reminds me of trattorias we visited in Italy. The bruschetta starter is excellent, I also recommend their tomato soup and calamari appetizers. The main courses I've had here (ravioli with sage sauce, chicken) are also excellent. Only problem is that it's a modestly sized space, and gets very crowded & loud on weekends. Make a reservation and come early! more

Oliva Restaurant has to be the ?BEST? Italian Restaurant in Sherman Oaks; in fact it has to be the best Italian Restaurant in Los Angeles. My wife and I when there a few weeks ago and recently went back there with our kids and it is great for an intimate date for two or for a family get together. They have meals for practically any taste pallet if you are in the mood for pasta or seafood. On the other hand if your kids are young and picky and simple they have great PIZZA! The food is great and you will NEVER leave hungry or dissatisfied. You will leave FULL, HAPPY and feel that you stepped into a TRUE Italian Restaurant as if you were in Rome itself. It was a treat in every sense of the word. Oh! And not to mention the Tiramisu is to die for. \r \r Leave the cooking to the PROS! Leave it to OlivA! Pros: Food Excellent! Service wonderful. Cons: parking so-so more

Oliva was great! The food was just wonderful and so was the service. In fact they bordered on giving us too much service. Our main waiter was very helpful, but he had a thick Italian accent (I am unsure if it was a real accent or he's an actor working in his accent). Either way it made it a bit hard to understand him when he listed the specials. The mood was excellent and this restaurant has a ton more character than the chain Italian Rastaurants. Pros: Food, Ambience Cons: Parking more

Amazing food but the customer service was the worst I have ever had. I ordered food for pick up and was told it would be ready in 20 minutes. Upon my arrival, it became clear to me that my order was never put into the kitchen. We ended up waiting for over an hour at the restaurant. The hostess never admitted their mistake and kept telling us it would only be a few more minutes. The management never came over to us to offer us complimentary anything while we waited and basically just ignored us. Upon recieving our order almost an hour after it was supposed to be ready, I asked to speak to a manager. The manager was very condescending to me when I asked why management never came over to speak to us. He told me that they dont like to ""make the situation worse"" aka they want to try to ignore it. I explained to him that I used to work in food service and understood delays in the kitchen but I dont understand bad service and management. They never even offered us compensation for having to wait so long. The manager never took responsibility nor did he formally apologize. I hope that this was just a bad night for I have been there before and never had a problem. I hesitate in ever returning to this restaurant because of the disrespectfully way that I was treated. Pros: Food Cons: Horrible and disrespectful customer service more