Oliver's Twist

It's definately not a pick up place. Not a single in sight. Usually couples, or groups of people who are coupled. But that is only a problem if that is what you are loooking for. I really love the kale, tomato soup and grilled cheese, and the truffle popcorn. I like the drinks too. Popcorn hasn't been consistent lately, which is a bummer. But It is still good/ Pros: Popcorn, tomato soup and grilled cheese, housemade tonic Cons: scene more

What to order at Olivers Twist? The answer is simple, a cocktail, however, which one, the choice is a bit cumbersome. Divided into two sections, oliver's twist cocktails aka house creations and the classics. Ranging from the sowerberry composed of gin, elderflower syrup, grapefruit and sweet vermouth to the sykes with rhum agricole, allspice, lime, ginger and housemade pineapple syrup, the drinks are well balanced with defined flavors. Classics such as the french 75 are refined in their own right. Warning these drinks pack punch! Just a few and your cheeks feel a wee bit warm. Olivers Twist also offers a small tapas style menu. The rich roasted fingerlings in duck fat are not to be missed nor the bag of garlic truffled popcorn. You'll find the decor to be equally appealing, an eclectic hipster vibe of sorts, be sure to look at the art/photography that adorns the walls. Ambient lighting keeps the bar dimly lit, perfect for a date or girls night out. On week nights the bar isn't very crowded, so take advantage of their killer happy hour from 5-7 or all night on Sundays, $2 off cocktails (normally $8) and $1 off food. Pros: Drinks, Tapas and Decor Cons: Few Tables more

We've been by Oliver's Twist a million times and finally made it in on a cold night in December. We were... more

We've been by Oliver's Twist a million times and finally made it in on a cold night in December. We were looking forward to comfort food and from the previous reviews we'd seen, though Oliver's Twist would be the perfect spot. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with our experience. \r \r We started off with the garlic truffled popcorn and it was indeed a taste treat,definitely the highlight of our dinner. Next we tried the tomato cappuccino with mini grilled cheese sandwich. Decent tomato soup, but it could have been Campbell's from a can. \r \r We rounded out our tasting dinner with the blue cheese-bacon stuffed dates with marcona almonds and warm tomato vinaigrette. Good lord, how could something with such amazing ingredients go so horribly wrong?!?!? Ugh. The dates were mushy and tasted like a salt lick. You could not discern the bacon, nor the blue cheese flavor. Forget about trying to find the subtlety of the tomato vinaigrette. \r \r Next time, we'll go to Stumbling Goat instead. more

We've been by Oliver's Twist a million times and finally made it in on a cold night in December. We were looking forward to comfort food and from t... more

At first glance, the food menu looks great and, considering the fancy and delicious-sounding concoctions listed, prices look very reasonable. However, once the food arrives, it turns out to be overpriced for what you end up getting - and how much of it. One of us ordered an platter of open-faced mini-sandwiches of ham and tomato relish on toasted baguette slices (I forget the exact name of this dish). The bread was completely dry from the toasting and the texture of the over-crisped bread slices did not mesh well with the tomatoes and smoked meat on top. Definitely not worth $8. My own order, a chocolate-and-marshmallow grilled sandwich, was appropriately warm and gooey for the first few minutes but turned cold and sticky all too quickly, and the bread was way too dry as well. We're glad we found this restaurant, as it was one of the very few places in this neighborhood open after 9 pm, and the three of us were able to sit down, have a snack, and chat... but they could have done a much better job with the food. Pros: one of only a couple of eateries in the neighborhood open after 9 pm on a Saturday night Cons: food quality and value are average at best more

Oliver's Twist lives up to its name with its tasteful atmosphere and clever dishes. True Dickens fans will love that all of the house cocktails are named, appropriately, after bizarre Oliver Twist characters. Others will just love the ambience, music, casual feel and delicious appetizer-sized dishes. I'll give fair warning that this is not a good place to go if you're expecting to get full. While the food is wonderfully presented and delightfully different, this spot is much more condusive to the late-night, cocktail-sipping crowd. Plates are reasonably priced at around $8 and the combinations of flavors on the menu will indeed be an adventure for you to try! I recommend the Rose Maylie cocktail which, while the ingredients are slightly daunting, has a wonderful flavor that is accented by tones of rosemary. Pros: wonderful infusions in food and drinks, friendly waitstaff, cozy scene Cons: parking, no real entrees more

I've been to Oliver's many times since they opened and each time I go I am instantly delighted. This place is perfect for so many reasons...It's comfortable and artful, the food is simply delicious and the cocktails are unique and tantalizing. It's a great spot to hang out in a dark corner with my husband for an hour (while the kid is at home with the babysitter). Yet it's also a fun place to go with my girlfriends after work to drink and laugh and nosh on tasty small bites. The service is always friendly, well informed, laidback and professional. Pros: Food, cocktails, atmosphere more

Went to Oliver's Twist last night for about the third time. They make good drinks and the atmosphere is pleasing in general, but single males are not exactly welcomed with open arms. This is a place that as the bartender told me is a ""chic"" bar. The Duck fat fingerling potatoes and the Kale are both excellent if a touch pricey. Very strange Beer list, but apparently chosen by the owner for flavor, but there are beers from all over the world, but notably weak on selections from the PNW. Service while professionally friendly, is not particularly helpful or welcoming. If you're out in Phinney ridge with the girls, come here, if you're out with the boys, go somewhere else. Pros: Good drinks, nice atmosphere, good small plates Cons: Expensive, slow and inattentive service, SMALL plates more

The only thing I can really say about Oliver's Twist is that its cool. The drinks are cool, the interiors are cool, the food is cool, even the location (Phinney Ridge) is becoming cool. I tried the signature Artful Dodger, which is made with Cynar, a liqueur made from artichoke. It is immaculate looking, and very cool. The drink itself is okay, and I definitely think its requires an acquired (or at least experimental) taste. It is these signature cocktails that make Oliver's Twist such a cool experience - you look at the drink menu and think ""what the hell is that?"" But, try it and see, and you'll feel cool doing it. Pros: Fantastic interior, cool atmosphere, interesting drinks Cons: Food a tad overpriced more

I went on a Monday night with some girlfriends. We had never been but decided to go based on good reviews. The atmosphere is nice and laid-back, perfect for a catching up with friends. But our server was completely inattentive even though it was a slow night (maybe 4 other tables between her and the bartender). When she finally came to take our order we asked her some questions about their specialty cocktails but she just said she wasn't sure what to tell us and it was a matter of preference. Really? Anytime she asked us if we wanted anything else she had an attitude and made it clear we could go anytime. My friends and I work at a local bar & grill so we know the biz, we were not rude and even tipped more than 20% but I won't go back. Pros: Cute atmosphere, great food and interesting drinks Cons: Bad service more

I went with a small group of other mom's for a ladies night out. Whenever the conversation turned to the food the waitress would suddenly appear to comment on what we were just talking about....case in point one of my friends got the popcorn and was commenting on how it was good but pretty greasy and along comes the waitress from across the room to tell us she didn't think it was greasy. The she added her tip to the tab and when we were wondering about it at the table amongst ourselves she again came over from across the room to explain why she'd added the tip to the tab. I wonder what else she heard during out evening? It was a slow night but even if you hear the conversations happening at your customer's tables at least have the dignity to pretend you don't hear! The food was fine, not something I'd do often but the service was terrible! Pros: Nice romantic atmospher Cons: Nosey Service! more

I think our server may moonlight as a circus clown, because he certainly didn't seem to have the energy to be attentive or informative. Yet, he took great pleasure in letting us know REPEATEDLY about how much everyone loved him and how funny people think he is. ??? Barely saw him, and he actually brought the check when we didn't even finish our drinks! I had to address the fact that we were going to order food and he was offended that his ""assumption based on what we looked like"" was wrong. AWFUL interaction. The food (and we tried about 4 items) was horrendously greasy and not fresh. We nibbled a bit of each, as much as we could tolerate since we were starving, and decided to go elsewhere. Our server, again, couldn't be bothered to check on us, and when we tried to ask about one of the ingredients he was outright pretentious and annoying. No wonder the place is always empty! Don't waste time or money here. Gorgeous George's, Carmelita's, Stumbling Goat, Wild Mountain etc etc etc, are in the same area and GOOD! Pros: we found none. Cons: parking, service, food quality, dirty floor and seating. more

Great design, great menu and great service combine in one of those unique spots that you can tell a lot of thought went into -- and it really shows. For anyone complaining about portion size -- go pig out at Claim Jumper and leave more space for the rest of us to enjoy Oliver's Twist. Pros: Lighting, ecclectic artwork, KALE! Cons: The secret is out... more

OK, I really, really, really want to love this place. I mean, I live nearby, the drinks are fantastic and totally innovative, the food (especially the truffled popcorn, comes in an old-school popcorn bag!) is delicious, the staff is friendly, the atmosphere is chill. But I never come here, because it costs too much money every time. The cocktails are so delicious that I knock 'em back fast and at $8 a pop, that's not good on the wallet. The food's more like snack-y food, not really filling, and also expensive. Oliver's Twist, lower your prices a few bucks and the neighborhood will come to you! Pros: The Artful Dodger is the best drink on earth Cons: Who can afford it very often? more

Average drinks, not as good as those at Thaiku, Sambar or Hazelwood. No ventilation, my date and I were there for less than 30 min and came out smelling like the onions that were being cooked in the kitchen. The food was ok, nothing special. more

I'm a long time downtown resident and met a Phinney friend there last night, 1/25, who wanted me to check out this spot. I was pleasantly surprised to find a relaxed urban bar/lounge atmosphere without the usual downtown scene. This is clearly not a restaruant, so be warned that you'd need multiple ""small plates"" to make a meal, but those small plates are indeed tasty. I like the mini-anchovy pizzas the best. The kale was perfectly sauteed with the right amount of garlic and the tiny grilled cheese w/""Tomato Cappuccino"" was good as well and reminded me of a smiliar app. served at BOKA at the Hotel 1000. The drinks were acceptable and they have an interesting menu of cocktails to choose from. While our server was very nice, friendly and responsive from the moment we sat down, I'd have to agree with other reviewers here, that it did slow down as the evening went on, even as the crowd thinned. I would definately go back to this new neighborhood addition. It reminded me a bit like Black Bottle downtown, but on a smaller scale, less noisy and with smaller portions of food (for a similar price.) Pros: An urban feel cocktail lounge in a relaxed neighborhood. Tasty snacks/good drinks/friendly service Cons: Small space/smallish portions. Service can be slow at times. more

As a resident of Phinney Ridge, I was very excited to have a classier bar/lounge open in the neighborhood. I have been to Oliver's Twist a few times now and have really enjoyed the food and drinks. But, the service has been very mediocre every time I've been there...even on slow nights my friends and I sat with empty glasses for too long. Most of all, the ventilation in the place is horrible! Over the holidays the place was so stuffy inside and the smell of the truffle oil (used on the popcorn) permeated the interior and my clothes! I cannot go back anymore because I don't want to have to take my clothes to the cleaners after each visit! Pros: good food Cons: mediocre service, bad ventilation more

OH YEAH! The drinks are amazing and the food is awesome. This is the perfect place for just about any night out. You can go there to get the ball rolling. You can go there to cap the evening off. You can start there, and you're likely to end there. The drink selection is more than plenty. They have all the classics, the best beers, good wine and totally original cocktails. The plates are small, but perfect. Every time we go, we try at least two plates. It's absolutely mandatory you order the chocolate gelato on a bed of caramel with sea salt. I don't think I need to explain. more

Wow, I'm not sure what the previous reviewer was expecting, but I found Oliver's Twist to be a great new addition to the neighborhood. Warm ambiance, friendly service, inventive & delicious food, wide variety of unusual drinks. It's more lounge than restaurant, but the food is so good it's hard to call it just a bar. Pros: food, ambience, drinks, service Cons: pricey if you're very hungry more