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Home > Restaurants > Oliva

Oliva

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

161 East Houston St., New York, NY 10002
at Allen St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-228-4143 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    6.1 out of 10

    7 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Seafood, Spanish/Tapas
View Slide Show
Photo by Carmen E. Lopez and AJ Wilhelm

Hours

Mon-Thu, 5:30pm-1am; Fri, 5:30pm-2am; Sat, noon-4am; Sun, noon-1am

Nearby Subway Stops

F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.

Prices

$12-$19

Payment Methods

American Express

Special Features

  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Delivery
  • Late-Night Dining
  • Live Music
  • Take-Out

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Recommended

Delivery Area

Canal St. to 14th St., Ave. B to Broadway

Profile

We might have missed a Jimmy Choo or two under the tiny, painted tables. But it seems that Oliva is full of youngish dressed-for-comfort East Villagers here for the fabulous Basque cooking, not for a teeny martini and a lettuce leaf. Don’t miss the pintxos plate, a collection of savory two-bite tapas. Share the txangurro (stuffed crab) or tender calamari bravas to start, then shrimp, mussels, clams, and hake in a sea-tinged tomato bath. As the evening progresses, soft jazz and flamenco get more electronic and the bar heats up. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Note

Come Sunday through Thursday after 8:30 p.m. to catch the live music and party atmosphere. People are known to dance around their tables.

Reader Ratings

6.1 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review

Go somewhere else

theoldreprobate from 10012 | Posted on 4/9/09

Overall Reader Rating: 3 (Not Recommended)
Food: 6
Service: 1
Décor: 6
Value: 2

Why is this place a critics' pick? The service is terrible -- the hostess seated us at a banquette then asked us to move to a cramped center table, at which point the wait staff decided to completely ignore us -- and the...Read More

Disappointing

jhkim from 11358 | Posted on 2/17/09

Overall Reader Rating: 5 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 7
Service: 3
Décor: 5
Value: 3

I went to Oliva after seeing it as a critic's pick. But the experience was disappointing from the start. It was nearly empty, but we were seated next to the door (cold, windy day). We had to ask to be...Read More

Read All 7 Reviews >>

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