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El Olivo
Categories: Restaurants Spanish Restaurants Basque Spanish, Basque [Edit]
2115 31st StAstoria, NY 11105
Neighbourhood: Steinway
(718) 932-4040
- Nearest Transit:
-
Astoria - Ditmars Blvd (N, Q)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for El Olivo
16 reviews in English
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Review from Chris R.
Astoria, NY
Updated - 9/25/2011
We went back again the other night, it was every bit as good as last time... But add the clams in green sauce!
Really love this place, even more after the red sangria!
The table must have the Paella on it somewhere with at least one carafe of the red sangria....1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/16/2011
Food was fantastic, the paella was plenty for 2 ($22 + 4 for second plate) and a doggie bag.
I knew I… Read more »
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Review from Kristine R.
Astoria, NY
10/27/2007
According to a recent Daily News interview with NYC Councilman (and future mayoral candidate, I'm sure) John Liu, El Olivo is one of his favorite restaurants because of the paella, which he declares the best in the city. So if it's good enough for Councilman Liu, it's good enough for me!
Well, okay, I didn't really eat here because of Mr. Liu's endorsement. I actually read the interview weeks after my first visit to El Olivo, but I do have to agree with his assessment that the paella is pretty darn good (perhaps not "the best" but when's the last time you really trusted a politican anyway?).
I helped my bf move the last of his stuff to his new apartment in Astoria, and by the time we were ready to eat, it was almost 11pm on a Saturday night. We knew there wouldn't be a whole lot of options open in the nearby vacinity, but we walked up the block and decided to give El Olivo a try. We lucked out since they don't close until midnight on weekends.
It was mostly empty by that time, with a few patrons at the bar, and a couple families having their late dinners too. The staff was pretty friendly and helpful, if at times a little absentminded (we had to remind them to bring us water a couple of times). With the white tablecloths, waiters' outfits and Spanish armor on the walls, I feel like El Olivo's is reaching for a refined elegance vibe but not quite getting there. I appreciate the effort though.
As I said, the seafood paella was very good - and generous! We were wise and only ordered one to share, plus some appetizers to round out the meal. There were easily four large portions of paella in the pot, and we only managed to eat our way through half of it. The shrimp in garlic sauce app was also surprisingly generous (about 8 pieces, I think) and tasty, while the stuffed mushrooms were only okay. Generosity was the word of the night, as we noted the complimentary chips & salsa AND bread platter that they plopped on our table upon sitting down. As if that weren't enough food, we shared a flan for dessert, which was very tasty.
The other surprising thing about El Olivo was the price - everything on the menu was comparable to what you'd pay in a Manhattan restaurant. I'd be tempted to deduct points for that, but considering the convenience and proximity of a good restaurant to my boyfriend's new pad, I'd give the points right back. So I guess Councilman Liu is pretty trustworthy after all.Listed in: A Manhattan Princess in Queens
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Review from Dennis C.
Flushing, NY
1/7/2009
I thought that almeria s. was just being snobby, but after checking this place out, I have to agree it's pretty horrid. I feel slightly bad about giving it a low rating because the wait staff were very friendly, but I gotta be honest.
First red flag: chips and salsa as an appetizer. At a Spanish (not Mexican) restaurant. I'd never seen that before.
The paella was also not made in an actual paella pan, and was not really paella. It was just rice with stuff in it, all steamed together. I'm fairly certain there was no saffron in it either, just yellowish food coloring.
We also got an appetizer that turned out to be marinated red peppers with a mayo-based imitation seafood salad stuffed inside, and that was not very good either. -
Review from Blake W.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/15/2007
If you have a craving for Paella and a glass (or pitcher :P ) of Sangria you must give this place a try! The food is delicious. It is some of the BEST Spanish food I have eaten (outside of Spain) for Manhattan or Astoria.
I have only eaten here in the evenings although they are open for a short time for lunch. Usually brought to my table are these complimentary tasty and warm tortilla chips with a strange, but delicious mild and warm salsa, they taste excellent.
In addition, a generous salad and plenty of bread to enjoy while you are waiting for your order. The appetizers are excellent, but not recommended, if you plan on munching on the chips and salad brought to you beforehand.
The service is excellent.
The wait staff are very helpful, friendly, and patient (I clumsily spilled my sangria one evening all over the wall and tablecloth..the waiter couldn't have been more kind about it)
The decor is simple (however, there is some classic Spanish armory up on the walls) ,but somehow you feel like that is almost appropriate for a Spanish restaurant. Nevertheless, the mood and setting is dim and pleasant.The room is set with white table cloths (there are usually large tables for big parties, whom I think frequent the place often) The ambience is perfect for a happy couple or a large family to enjoy.
Two people can share a Paella Vallencia (without lobster and there is a plate charge for sharing) with a small pitcher of Sangria for around $42. This isn't necessarily cheap. But for a nice evening with great service and food that is $25 a head, which is not unheard of. Plus, my girlfriend and I take the leftovers home and toss it in a frying pan with some eggs for an El Olivo Paella breakfast! Yum:) One order of Paella is about 4 individual servings. That's a pretty good value. -
Review from Miah M.
New York, NY
8/1/2009
This place deserves a mixed review. I can't say only bad stuff since they do have some good tasting items in their menu. But there are also a few disappointments.
Here are the warnings first -
1. Not very authentic, not very Spanish. They serve chips and salsa! The salsa is some sort of Spanish/Mexican sauce that barely resembles salsa or any Spanish sauce.
2. The sad looking free salad. It better be free because I'd never pay for that. They also serve French dressing on the side with the salad!
3. It's a great environment if you're 55 or over. I literally felt like I was in a geriatric dinner party. But if you're into that ... you found your joint! For a moment I thought I was transported into a bizarro world. But taking it with a grain of humor I observed the crowd and their conversations and found myself entertained in a discovery channel way. We were the only young people ... well there was a 9 year old with his grandparents!
Now once you get through all of that, the real food from the menu is actually not so bad. From the appetizers the chorizo, stuffed red peppers (cold seafood and tropical fruit stuffing - look in the special menu), and the stuffed mushrooms are quite good.
Their paella is good and probably the best you can find in this vicinity even though I have had better in other places. Sometimes I order one paella for delivery since it's enough for two people, relatively cheap and good enough to give you the paella fix - if you're hankering for some.
Their shrimp entrees are OK. Chicken and meat dishes are wonderful.
The red or white sangria is not bad but I don't usually taste the alcohol in it. They have a full bar with mixed drinks and good after dinner drinks. My wife ordered a Mojito and I ordered a Mexican Mojito (?). Both were great and it turns out some crushed Jalapeno pepper is why it's called 'Mexican'.
I'd recommend this place but you should set your expectation right so you can get over the few bad things and enjoy the food. Maybe ordering in is not a bad idea. -
Review from HARVEY C.
Queens, NY
4/30/2011 7 photos
100th REVIEW~!!!
So recently my friends A & L became engaged and it was time to have a meal with them. They chose El Olivo as the setting tonight (Friday) and it was a very good choice...
Here's what we ordered:
1) red sangria
2) fried calamares
3) mussel appetizer
4) fish with Spanish fried potatoes
5) free chips with a thin bean sauce
6) paella valenciana (rice, chicken, sausage and seafood) for $21: added lobster(half a tail and a 1 claw) for $3 more & it was a shared entree for $8 more (see below). The shared entree now costs a total of $32
7) paella marinera [seafood and lobster(half a tail and 1 claw)] for $24: also a shared entree for a total price of $32 as well
8) sorbetes: dessert filled in a hollowed out fruit
Here's what I liked:
1) service: EXCELLENT~!!! They were very helpful with natural smiles and discreet with table maintenance.
2) paella service: the paella pots are rolled out on a cart and they assemble a dinner plate for you on the side. That was very nice I felt and the plate was beautiful! (sorry...no pics of that as they came out poorly in the dim lighting)
3) paella: the clams, mussels, and shrimp were juicy
4) fried Spanish potatoes were tasty
5) cute desserts! (that's what she said!!! as men don't speak like this...)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
6) very spacious place
7) not noisy
8) clean restroom
Here's what I did not like:
1) the place is too dark: look at my pictures and see for yourself! They need to make it a bit brighter with candles or different bulbs.
2) the interior is drab: if they fixed the lighting, it would help a lot though
3) fried calamares: the marinara sauce was uneventful
4) mussel appetizer: sauce looked great. But it was kinda bland and lacked TASTY
5) fish: SEO said that it was pretty ordinary
6) paella: the rice was a bit tougher and dryer than I'd like. But the worst thing was the let down of dry lobster when it should have been the highlight of the whole entree!
7) sharing charge: I'm not exactly sure about the policy and will have to verify, but i have to put it out there at least. I believe on the bottom of the menu it says there will be a charge for sharing any entree. I asked the waitress what would happen if a paella was shared because usually it's too large at most places and a guaranteed doggy-bag. That's when she informed me the paella would be made larger to serve for 2 and it would cost $8 more. But I wonder how much larger it really was...
Summary: El Olivo was a comfortable place for our dinner and the food was pretty good. The only thing missing was an extra oomph in its TASTY levels. As a result, I will have to give them 3 stars for now. But since the staff is so nice, I'm definitely looking forward to giving their paella one more try and possibly trying their:
1) Shrimp Ajillo - Garlic Sauce
2) Clams/Mussels/Shrimp with Green Sauce
3) Clams/Mussels/Shrimp with Creole Sauce
4) Shrimp Diablo
I'll write an update for y'all soon~! -
Review from Janey M.
Long Island City, NY
2/16/2010
The staff is great and so nice and accommodating and the food is absolutely delicious and authentic! If you are in the mood for something traditional, and non-adventurous/ Spanish, like a filet mignon, it is still some of the best steak you have ever had. Melt in your mouth flavorful, amazing.
They have a tapas menu at the bar that is reasonable. They have great drinks as well, reasonably priced wines, sangria, and a nice speciality cocktail menu. The bar is small but very stocked, a lot of high end and/ or unique liquors.
You can't go wrong by eating here! -
Review from Lexi M.
New York, NY
3/29/2011
Definitely the place to go for traditional Spanish food.]My Boyfriend brought me here, as he's bragged about it for a while. Loved the mussels in green sauce.Tons of salad, bread, potatoes, everything is huge. Be prepared to pace yourself! Great for an authentic meal!
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Review from Jeff E.
ASTORIA, NY
5/26/2011
The staff alone makes me rate El Olivo with five stars. They are genuinely friendly and make me feel at home every time i am there. The pimiento del piquillo appetizer is amazing. They always have fresh queso manchego. the Pulpo El Olivo style is the best octopus in town (which says a lot for a Greek town like Astoria). Great drinks too. I wish that they'd bring back the stuffed shrimp entree.
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Review from Michelle M.
Astoria, NY
4/23/2009
Although not very authentic i think the food here is tasty and well prepared. I never eat at the restaurant because it's very dreary and kind of depressing. I rather go pick up my food or have it delivered (when delivery is available which is not always). Points lost because some items on the menu are overpriced for what they are. I like the paella w. chorizo, Arroz con pollo, and the fish with the green sauce and from what i've heard they have a great lunch special.
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Review from Angela C.
KEW GARDENS, NY
3/27/2010
This place is really nice, the service could improve a little...I really don't like to call the waiter just to get a water refill. The food , mmm I had the paella marinera and it was really good. BUT not as good as the camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) after tasting it, I wanted to change my paella order for the shrimps. It was so tasty, the garlic sauce was great , not over seasoned just perfect and the shrimps cooked perfectly!
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Review from Amanda T.
Long Island City, NY
11/9/2009
I have came to this restaurant a few times considering I live down the block. The owner is an extremely nice man and his daughter is a sweet heart.
Every time I come here I have the same exact thing. Planters with rice and chicken. The rice with chicken is simply the best on this earth. Especially considering it is a huge pot that you can actually take home later on for only eight dollars. This is a good bargain!!!!
If you have allergies I suggest you come here also. My friends mother has allergies and she always buys there salmon. They cook the fish just right and take into consideration that she has allergies.
People come on and give this restaurant a try. They defiantly do have delicious food and the best staff.... -
Review from Chris H.
Astoria, NY
3/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I ate here for the first time and was not disappointed. The food was amazing. We had the octopus olivo and the stuffed peppers as an appetizer and the fra diavolo Dish and paella Valencia as main courses. Both were delicious. The warm toasted bread they kept serving us was amazing to dip into the diavolo sauce. Dessert was delicious as well. The sangria was very sweet, almost like it had a bit of fruit punch in it but was still pretty good. All together with 2 appetizers, 2 soups, 2 main courses and 4 desserts (there were 4 of us), 2 pitchers of sangria and a piña colada, the bill with tip came out to 56 per person. A little pricey but most of it came from the alcohol (about $65 worth). Will definitely eat here again
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Review from almeria s.
Long Island City, NY
1/21/2008
I'm from Spain, and this restaurant is insulting. Not only is the food not Spanish, but I had food poisoning for 2 days after. This place might be Colombian or Puerto Rican, but not from Spain. And I hate the fact that people would go to this restaurant and think they are having Spanish food from Spain. I guess the people that reviewed El olivo never had Spanish food. If you want to taste food from Spain, visit Tia Pol in the city, its the closest thing. I was born and raised in Spain, and it's a shame that this restaurant is giving us a bad name. I wish that they would simply say it's a Latin flavor cuisine. Not only is the decor awful, but i was served stale bread, and mozzarella sticks was on the menu. Give me a break, do I need to say more.
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Review from Sam K.
Astoria, NY
8/13/2007
My boyfriend and I tried El Olivo out on Saturday night. We're not really into fancy restaurants and I get a bit nervous when I see older diners dressed up a bit, but figured it was worth a shot. The waitstaff was very attentive, and it put me on edge a bit whenever they came over to pour my beer into my glass (glass? beer? meh, I usually chug), but I have to say the food was excellent. We had clams casino for an appetizer, and it was amazing. There was either ham or chorizo mixed with the breadcrumbs. I had paella, and honestly was so stuffed with the complimentary salad & my clams that I took the majority of it home (plus, the portions were huge). My boyfriend had the veal relleno, and that was so frigging good that I kept stealing tastes. I guess my one major complaint was that they do not list the drink prices (cocktails, beers). We'll definitely go back with friends and family.
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Review from Mike Z.
Astoria, NY
1/19/2011
Great spanish food. Service is always fine . Ambience could use a makeover but overal the food makes this a great restaurant.
