Oliveto Trattoria — Restaurant in Edmonton

I tried for years to get my wife to go here as she assumed that because it was 'in a strip mall' it wasn't going to be decent. She could not have been more wrong and as would be expected she was annoyed with me that it is now one of our favorite spots to go in the neighborhood. We are always greeted at the door by the manager (owner?) every time we come, who also does a quick check in during the meal to make sure everything is going well. Always a nice touch. They really do make excellent pasta with delicate sauces, not the heavy out-of-the-can stuff you'd get at a boston pizza or spaghetti factory. As for the starters we've had the artichoke salad, which was basic, but then again it doesn't need to over the top to be good and we quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the Cesar salad is not recommended as their house-made sauce is really quite thin and lacking flavor. It is also fairly void of the additions to a Cesar that most are used to. Not a turn off but unfortunate if you like Cesar salad. Some have complained that the prices are a little steep, and I'd argue that they are on par with restaurants of similar quality. I've also seen portion size as an issue but that is absolutely not the case and I feel like most of the people that complain about that are used to frequenting Denny's. More money does not equal more food in decent restaurants, it's better quality, which you definitely get here. They also have a decent selection of appropriately priced wines. I was actually quite happy to see that I don't have to pay $120/bottle of wine if we want one, which we typically do. For dessert my personal favorite is the chocolate pate. So good. All in all this compares to some of the higher end locations downtown but without the travel. The friendly and attentive staff along with the cozy atmosphere and great food has made this one of our favorite spots to come for a nice night out. Definitely...

We were at Oliveto Trattoria today as part of our monthly South West Edmonton Seniors Association (SWESA) lunch group to support different unique local restaurants Edmonton. Our group of 14 they had prepared for but we had extra people show up last minute, which they accommodated without any hesitation. Service was prompt, friendly and extremely attentive. The owner was slammed as he had some staff which called in unable to work that day, he was serving table, answering phones and taking orders. A real leader exacting the best of his team under trying circumstances to provide the service the guests deserved.

I ordered Tagiatella beef tenderloin pasta in a heavy cream sauce which was perfecto, the beef was extremely tender with wonderful flavour and the pasta was cooked al dente the way it should be but many restaurants fail to provide. A minor side note was the lack some seafood items due to supply issues which all restaurants appear to be plagued by these days, blame Covid, staffing , war or Russia, you pick a perfect storm.

Others from our party enjoyed Zuppe minestrone soup, Penne shrimp, Tortellini with diced chicken breast, Angel hair Pasta with tomatoes in chicken broth and an superb dessert of chocolate cake adorned with fresh strawberries and decadant mounds of whipping cream.

All in all a wonderful experiance, to be treasured again in the future as this is a keeper, generous portions, fair prices and compliments to the kitchen staff which provided prompt delicious mounds of magnificent Southern Italian food. There is a excellent wine list which was extensive although somewhat pricey. All in all we left stuffed to the gills, having eaten much too well for our senior diets but what is life if one does not indulge sometimes and forget the diet.

The James...

Highway robbery. For $25 (half order of pasta) I got a cup of spaghetti, 3 shrimp, 4 rings of calamari that were 1/2 inch round and less than 1/8 inch thick plus a bunch of baby clams that came out of a can, all cooked not with fresh garlic but dried garlic chips. When I inquired I was told the kitchen did not use fresh garlic and there was none on the premises. The dish was supposed to include mussels and scallops, when I asked where they were the answer was they ran out! They did not tell me that when I ordered and of course did not even offer to make it up somehow. The food tastes ok most of the time but it depends who is cooking. Waiting staff service is always good. But the aggressive pricing and money grabbing can be annoying. On one occasion my green salad was dry so I asked for some more dressing. When the bill came it had $2 extra for that. The dressing is simple oil and vinegar! Have you ever seen a restaurant charge for a little more oil and vinegar dressing for your salad? I had eaten there many times with friends and family and noticed the trend towards skimping on ingredients and serving size. It is not a pleasant feeling. Besides, what kind of italian kitchen doesn't use or even have one clove of fresh garlic in sight?! Will not go back again. If you know your Italian cuisine and don't like to be ripped off, find...