The rumors you heard are true: Olives in Charlestown has finally reopened. Two years after a grease fire shut it down, this Mediterranean eatery is making a comeback with a redesigned menu, staff and setup. If you’ve never eaten at Olives before or you’re a skeptic of change, I’m about to tell you why it is essential that you make this Todd English venue the location of your next date night.
1) Bigger Bar
Think back to the restaurant’s bar setup before “the incident.” There were 15 seats crunched into the center of the room. 15 seats. That holds about the same amount of people as an elementary school classroom or an ice cream truck (if you had really small people or even little people, maybe). Now, imagine 15 more seats and add 15 TO that 15. (That’s a whole lot of little people.) That’s right, Olives now has a 45-seat bar stretching through the middle of the room that boasts a wider collection of alcohol than ever before. Cheers!
2) Lighter Portions
All-you-can-eat buffets should come with a warning. You know, “Enter at your own risk,” or “Caution: unhealthy foods are closer than they appear,” or something because the second you walk into one of these places, you immediately want to eat everything in sight and when you do that, you feel really guilty afterwards and then not only do you feel like a whale for eating 5 pounds of macaroni and cheese but you also feel bad about yourself and everything turns into one giant, miserable mess. Luckily, Olives has come up with a way to remedy the situation by creating dishes with perfect portions that are just large enough to quench your appetite but small enough to erase that bloated funk.
3) Updated Menu
What venue combines high-class menu items like Charred Pistachio Mortadella with down-to-earth classics like Macaroni and Cheese? You guessed it. At this Todd English restaurant, you can find dishes to fit any occasion. From pre-fire menu hits like the Tuna Tartare to some new additions like the Beef Carpaccio, this redesigned menu is sure to make your taste buds melt.
4) Spacey Renovations
With a bigger bar and a bigger menu, it only makes sense to have a bigger space to hold it all. The new Olives has higher ceilings (in case any giants wanted to stop by) and a wider center space to accommodate larger parties. No more squeezing through hoards of people or dodging boisterous crowds to get to your seat! How delightful!
5) Fresh Food
Remember the steaming, hot dinners that Mom used to make? The kind that frolics on your taste buds and contains foods unlike any you’ve ever ingested? Well, imagine that, only 10 times better. Complete with a genuine brick oven and a kitchen fully-stocked with all the freshest ingredients, this restaurant is sure to one-up even your favorite dinner destination. And not only are the foods here bound to taste better, but you can be sure they will look better too. Using their culinary mastery, the chefs at this Charlestown spot can craft meals that look almost too good to eat.
Good food, good company and good drinks? If you’re not on the phone right now making a reservation at Olives, I suggest you re-read the above paragraphs and rethink your decision.