A local recommended Ollie's and I thought I would try it out despite all the negative reviews. I went in with a positive attitude and no one was rude, the service was extremely prompt and overall I recommend it. I arrived at about 5 pm which is early for dinner so I had no problem getting a seat. By the time I left at 6:30 pm it was packed. The staff lines up against the wall and whoever notices that you need help comes over right away. They are very well staffed. It is a well oiled machine as another reviewer commented! As for the food, I thought it was pretty good. Perhaps it used to be better, but I'm pretty picky and I thought it was fine. They have dozens of choices, perhaps a hundred. There are dozens of vegetarian options and a special section of ""healthy"" choices. My one complaint would be the over use of sauce. My tofu and veggies were absolutely swimming in a sweet sesame sauce. It was delicious, but the left overs were oversaturated with the salty sweet sauce. Next time I might ask for the sauce on the side. The portions are quite large and include white or brown rice, which I appreciate- most places don't offer brown rice. The spinach wonton soup is good but for some reason they put an enormous amount of noodles under the wontons. I would prefer a few veggies and no extra noodles, but I suppose noodles are a cheaper way for them to beef up the portion size. In summary the food and decor are decent and the service is speedy. The location at 116th and Broadway near Columbia makes it a ""must try"" for students and locals who are on a budget.
Pros: Good food, vegetarian options, speedy service, fair prices
Cons: Very crowded by 6 pm
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