We booked a table for two at dinner and it didn’t start on the right foot. After having being unwarmly welcomed by the manager allegedly for being slightly late (but we called in advance to let them know) we take our seat in a half empty restaurant on a Saturday night. We ordered “spaghetti alla Bottarga” (bottarga is salted mullet roe), a well known traditional Sardinian cuisine plate, but unfortunately the only traditional thing was the name, since the spaghetti were filled with a creamy sauce which was entirely covering the taste of the Bottarga. More unpleasantly the spaghetti came completely overcooked (not “al dente”) and were ready five minutes after having been ordered, suggesting that they were already (half?) cooked.

The main course was Cod with Lentils, but came with a massive amount of garlic sauce. I think it is a common feature of “wannabe” Italian restaurants to fill their food with an excessive amount of garlic (which is certainly used in Italian cuisine but with moderation), but we were not expecting it from a self-proclaimed traditional Sardinian restaurant. Except for the unpleasant arrogant and rude behaviour of the manager, the service was ok but nothing over average. The real negative note of the dinner, however, came with the bill, far too much and too pricey for what the place actually offers. Absolutely not good value for money.

I got exactly what I wanted at Olivo. We had been greeted by wonderful friendly smiles and then given a great table in the window at the front of the restaurant. In someway it’s a simple menu but with fabulous variety. The food and wine were both superb.


I would have expected to have paid a lot more for this kind of quality. It’s very rare that I would consider recommending a place to eat. I would definitely revisit Olivo next time I’m in London.

The food at Olivo was really good: well presented, well prepared and well served. There was delicious fish and a great wine list.



The staff are kind but the owner is arrogant and rude. Olivo is the only place in London where he welcomes clients by saying "what do you want?"