Olea
“For dinner we had some tapas at half-price for happy hour which of course forces you to order more.”
“From the Spanish pizza, to the lamb balls and goat cheese balls; it was heaven on a small plate!”
“Also worth noting: we shared the goat cheese croquettes (served as 3 pieces) and bacon wrapped dates (served as 5 pieces).”
Olea
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Service was pretty bad, and someone kept dropping dishes in the restaurant when we were there. The food was just okay for the price. There was always something missing, like more seasoning. The best dish we got were the dips. The beet dip was sweet. The branzino was dry on top but good on the back when we flipped the fish over (maybe it was left out too long). We also had the seafood paella, it needed more seasoning. It was also very liquidy. Just alright food for the cost.
Came here for brunch on a Saturday at 130. We were 6 so was told the wait was going to be an hour. It was actually only 30 minutes, whew. Unfortunately though they do not accept ressies, so there might be a wait. The resto is small and line for a wait can be long. The menu has a ton of options and is very diverse- but perhaps to a detriment. The service was soooo bad. The food took forever to come out and 5 out of 6 people got their food a good 5-10 before.. after waiting nearly an hour, that is bad. Plus, they should have spaced our meals out properly. They didn't even apologize for being slow, or not serving everyone's food at once. Big fal. Hardly ever refilled coffee or water. And on top of that, they automatically charged us grat… probably to avoid how terrible their service was. It's fine to be backed up but some kind of communication or apology would have been appreciated.
As far as the food. Not bad, but not the best either. I got the Spanish chorizo manchengo sandwich with fried peppers on a toasted ciabatta, with a green salad and patatas bravas. The potatoes and salad was ok. The sandwich meats and contents were good though I didn't each much of the bread. My fiance and I shared a small VIllage salad which had really good whipped feta, cucumber, olives, onion – the usual. He ordered the Turkish breakfast which looked kind of small; came with a tzatzski spread, pita, green/parsley type of egg scramble, eggplant, salad.. My friend also got this with the Merguez sausage. Seemed good – inventive and healthy. Another friend ordered this.
Others had the Spanish omelette, and the lamb hash (dish that took long). Two of our friends also shared the lamb meatballs.
Think brunch came to $25 a pop. They serve strong and good coffee here. I wouldn't come back.
Hands down, Olea has some of the best damn paella I've ever eaten.
Olea bills itself as a Mediterranean Taverna, and their menu appears to be Greek inspired with some Spanish influence. They don't take reservations, so my party of four arrived around 9pm. The restaurant is located in a fairly residential area, and definitely has a small neighborhood vibe going on. The decor is eclectic and reminiscent of your Greek grandmother's house. There are tchotchkes and plants everywhere!
My sister and her boyfriend have been here a few times, so we were happy to let them take the food and wine lead. On the menu (family style):
Spanish Pitza – The quince paste really threw me off and I wasn't a fan.
Sauteed Halloumi – So delicious, we sopped up every last bit of the romesco with bread.
Tuscan Kale Salad – Light and bright.
Cauliflower Puree – We needed more veggies.
Paella con Cerdo y Pollo – The menu says you can order this with either chicken or pork, but we asked for a combo and they happily obliged
Paella de Mariscos – OMG, the squid ink shrimp!
A couple bottle of a spicy red from Lebanon
The paella was seriously amazing and came out in super hot pans. Both paellas were loaded with goodies from the land and sea, and ridiculously flavorful. Party in your mouth! The best part was how crispy some of the rice was due to being cooked in such a hot pan, which provided a nice juxtaposition of soft and crispy bites.
10/10 on the paella.
Came here this morning for breakfast.
Love the gypsy/Mediterranean style decore. We sat at this corner table and I was able to put my legs up and chill. Loved it.
So although the waitstaff are really nice and definitely willing to help, I found that they may have been a little pushy and too eager. My waiter asked if we're ready to order not even seconds after we had sat down. I know it's the small things that count. I just feel like he should have let us breath for a moment before jumping over to us.
When we were finally ready we ordered the Green Eggs And Lamb and I ordered the Eggs over easy with homefries. We did get free refills on our coffees and the coffee was great. The food though, was pretty mediocre and not much to write about.
Our bill was quite cheap. I expected it to be more being that it's in Fort Greene but pleasantly surprised. And the best part, is really the parking. Found sweet parking outside.
Although I wasn't a fan of the food this time, I'm hoping to come back and try the dinner menu.
I went here with some friends on a Saturday night and I was really happy with the food and drinks we all choose. We had the three dip starter with hummus, and two other really tasty dips. I then shares some tapas with my bf. We had the goat cheese croquets, fish and meatballs. All three were really good but I would go back just for the goat cheese. My only complaint is the restaurant is tiny so we had 5 people at a 4 person table. It is worth going back to though.
I went in here with pretty high expectations due to what I'd heard from friends and from the wait times that I'd quoted in the past. I'm happy to say that I was not let down at all by the experience.
I went for brunch around 11:30 on a Saturday morning. As luck would have it we only had a ten minute wait for our party of five. There seemed to be a lot more people waiting as we were leaving, closer to 1pm.
The ambiance is adorable. There all this cute stuff on the walls and it has a very homie feel. I sat on a bench seat by the window that was adorned with many little pillows, it was very comfortable. The wait staff is attentive without being all in yo face.
By far, the best part about this place is the food. I had the best brunch food I've ever had in my life. I'm not exaggerating. Everything was perfect. I highly recommend the Lamb Hash. It's served in a hot cast iron skillet and is smothered in sauces and fresh herbs and spices. The Green Eggs & Lamb is also pretty good. I had a look at the salmon Omelet and it looked amazing and my friend said it was good. The Bloody Mary's were on point, not complaints there. Like yea, I have had better bloody Mary's in my life, but that's only because some places put bacon and shit in them. These are solid, they just don't go overboard.
To wrap this up, when I have friends or family visiting, this will probably be the brunch spot I take them to. It's top of my list (for food – boozy is another brunch list).
Had this place bookmarked for awhile and finally stopped by to try. I like that this restaurant is pet friendly. Saw 3 tables sitting outdoors with their dogs.
The inside decor is super cute, lots of green plants around and vintage furniture. The table booths by the walls have cushions so it definitely felt home-y.
Tried the patatas, polenta w poached eggs, and poutine. Patatas were nicely fried potato cubes with some aioli sauce poured over. I hope i got the sauce right. Its good, but definitely filling
Polenta w poached eggs comes w bread and salad. I enjoyed it.
My sis didnt really like the poutine becos it was not what she expected. She was hesitant to try the lamb.. But i believe the lamb dishes are what they're known for. Definitely should've ordered lamb dishes..
Overall, cute brunch restaurant. We jus didnt know what to order. Hopefully next time we come back we would be able to try their lamb dishes!!
Attentive & friendly service and a great outdoor dining spot (if you're able to snag one of the 3 tables). Everything is good, but the tapas are definitely the standout on the menu. The bacon wrapped dates in particular were awesome, as were the goat cheese croquettes. The falafel/artichoke sandwich is also great if you're there for lunch.