Olivia Vågen — Restaurant in Sandnes

I have many positives and only one mildly negative opinion on this place. I will start with all the praise they deserve:

Picture a charming location where the ambience effortlessly blends cosy warmth with a heavy dose of elegance and sophistication. The decor wraps you in a comforting embrace, setting the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. The olive tree right by the stairway was a genius move. It's an item that takes you right to Tuscany and all the olive fields. I had to attentively look to see if it was real or not. I'm very picky with restaurants' furnitures' in Norway, because most of them feel like they want you to sit as uncomfortable as possible so that you don't spend any second more than you absolutely need in order to eat. At Olivia's, you feel like you could be here for hours without realising the passing of time. And that makes me feel like I'm back home in Brazil, where the culture of going out to eat 3x/week is the norm.

The servers, truly deserving of praise, cater to your every need with a genuine warmth in their voices. Your questions about the menu are received with a smile on their end, and they gladly explain the dishes that are served. You feel truly welcome here.

Now, onto the food – the carefully crafted dishes complement the overall experience, adding a delightful note to an evening already filled with charm and attentive care. This restaurant isn't just a place to eat; it's a sanctuary where every detail works together to create a memorable and pleasurable outing. I absolutely recommend a visit here for a romantic night with your significant other or a chill night with your girlfriends.

My partially negative commentary is that their menu caters too strongly to meals that most people wouldn't bother coming out of the house for eating. Pasta and pizza albeit delicious doesn't give you the feeling of "fine dining," which seems to be the point of the restaurant. I'd dare say many feel like they can make the "same" at home. I understand not wanting to give the customer "decision fatigue," but maybe it could be 2 separate menus, as it is for foods and drinks. For those that truly just want a pizza (which serms to me many Norwegians want), they have a separate menu for just pizza. For those looking for more complex meals, one menu that offers the antipasti, primo, and secondi piatti and desserts. When Italy is so rich in delicious secondi piatti, I feel like having a mere 3 options is just not fair.

As it is, I loved the place and am completely open to coming again if invited, but out of my own volition I won't come back any time soon. And that should be a concern for the house chef. Because to survive in this field in this country, you need to create a faithful number of repeat costumers. Trust me, I WANT to be a part of those faithful customers, but the menu is not appealing enough as it is. I understand the higher prices as you're paying for the experience, and that's fair enough. But you want to leave a restaurant satisfied and feeling like every penny spent was worth it. To achieve that, one usually needs more...

Took a quick train ride to Sandes from Stavanger since it snowed last night. Needed something to eat for lunch and decided to check if there was an Olivia around. (We’d gone to the Olivia in Stavanger yesterday.)

This Olivia is HUGE. It’s absolutely stunning inside, and would be great event space. It was definitely not busy at all. The waiter let me know that the weekends get quite busy. He said that they are starting to ramp up in business. He let me explore the restaurant and showed off the rooftop space. Wow. 🤩 I took a video of it - can only imagine the vibe on a sunny day in the summer. They said they are going to host a wedding in a few weeks. Wow. It will be gorgeous. I got lost a bit exploring this restaurant. There are tons of private spaces for renting out. The restaurant is genuinely huge and really pretty.

Overall - solid good Italian food yet again. To be expected at this point from Olivia. The fried artichokes are my personal fave as well as the seafood pasta. Nom nom nom

Oh and the cappuccino to end the meal was perfect!

Soooo if you’re looking for a visually stunning and luxurious Italian feel and ambiance…without having to spend a lot of $$$ this restaurant is it.

Seems like every time I’m in Norway, I find a new...

We are from the USA and our on vacation in Norway. Olivia’s is truly one of the best, classiest, and coolest restaurants my wife and I have dined in the entire world. This was a 10 Star experience, 5 Star is not enough. We have traveled in most countries, so that’s a huge statement but I stand by that. Mattia was one of the best servers we have ever had the opportunity to be taken care of. He’s a class act and knows his food and drinks with his world travels as well. If you read this review write his name down and ask for him personally he’s a freaking rock star and a class act. Now the Food and Drinks WTFreak we had perfect drinks and even the wine glasses and cutlery is first class high end. The pasta we had “Pasta Di Manzo” was all made from scratch and was the best we have had. Me and my wife both agreed!! Now the atmosphere and Restaurant design was an Instagramers Dream!! Coolest restaurant vibe we have seen!! Incredible Vintage lamps , lighting and look!! And to top it all off it’s right on the ocean with a view at the cruise ship drop off!! Come to this restaurant and I promise you will leave this kinda review when you leave!!...