Olivo Bistro — Restaurant in Cluj Metropolitan Area

I am a huge fan of this restaurant, which undoubtedly ranks among my top three dining destinations in Cluj. I dine at this place very often and I really enjoy their food. However, a recent encounter has drastically altered my perception. Eager to enjoy my time in their lovely terrace, we were informed by a tall, blonde waiter that if the rain intensified, we might have to go inside. Nevertheless, he assured us that, for the time being, we could remain on the terrace and proceed with our orders.

However, when we were ready to order, he abruptly instructed us to move inside, seemingly unwilling to serve us unless we complied. Curiously, he was simultaneously taking food orders from other tables situated outside. Despite the persistent rain, he continued to attend to those customers. We asked him why he had not taken our order outside, only to be met with a sudden outburst of RUDE and unprofessional behaviour. His disrespectful conduct, conveyed through raised voices, completely shattered our impression of the restaurant. While I still hold a fondness for their cuisine, I firmly believe that this individual should no longer be employed there, as his interactions with customers tarnish the overall experience and dampen everyone's mood.

In contrast, the waitresses at this restaurant set a remarkable example of courteousness and amiability, showcasing their exceptional...

I went to Olivo and tried the breakfast menu. I did not try their evening menu so this review is based only on the experience I had at brunch. First of, the food was delicious. I had the frittata and it was a zing. For this dish they let you choose 4 ingredients so each time you try it, it's different based on what you choose. For desert I had the wild Lava Cake and it was also good. The only thing I disliked about the desert was that vanilla ice cream served with the cake had tarragon in it, so it comes down to if you like that condiment or not. I drank a flat white made from the Olivo blend and it was ok (I'm picky with coffee and I usually drink a particular brand and the one I had here did not compare). The service was what you expect from this type of place. It was a good experience and I will return to Olivo in the future.

Edit: I went back to Olivo and tried something from the dinner menu. I had the pork tenderloin with mushrooms and it was delicious. I am not a big fan of pork meat but this dish was beyond my expectation. I also had the carrot cake for dessert and that was not very impressive. I did taste the cheesecake from one of my companions and that was amazing. Will definitely get the...

We stopped for lunch here and ordered 3 dishes: the hummus with sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes was mediocre at best, we could only feel the salt. Only the artichokes made it a bit edible. carbonara spaghetti had burnt bacon and a sauce so heavy and with a bitter taste. Also pasta was a bit overdone and last but not least, we ordered the chef's recommended specialty: mangalița pork chop with sweet potatoes and horseradish sauce. This was clearly the biggest disappointment. There was no horseradish taste in the sauce, although spicy flavour was desperately needed, due to the sweetness of the puree and the lack of seasoning in the pork chop. And worst of all, the meat was medium raw, which is something for beef and anyway no body asked if we wanted it like this

We were extremely hungry and ate everything, but we were very disappointed and only glad we hadn't ordered dessert.

I gave 3* because I appreciated the nice staff, albeit service was slow (admittedly, the place was full). The food, unfortunately, was just 1*. I wouldn't...