Oliverii North — Restaurant in Antioch

Disappointing- Won’t go back to Oliverii north on lake street in antioch. IL

Went with another couple at 6:30 pm on a Saturday. It was very busy as expected. What was not expected is how unprepared, understaffed and poorly trained and managed they were for the dinner rush.

The other couple made the reservation online on Wednesday but did not receive the expected confirmation screen so they called. Host apologized and made a manual reservation. We showed up and the reservation had been lost. They stuffed us in with only a short wait.

We were not in a rush. The young Waiter was very nice and came to the table fairly quickly to get drink orders . A good crispy bread was served and oil was at the table.

Things went downhill from there. The waiter was running to cover too many tables on a busy night and service really suffered as a result.

THe server never could figure out how to get the right item to the right person. Soups, salads, drinks, entrees, checks , etc. were all randomly distributed and then apologetically shuffled to the right person.

We asked for more bread when the salads/soups arrived and then had to ask 4 more times because the server kept forgetting. Similarly- I ordered a glass of wine with dinner and had to remind the server when the salad arrived, again when the entrees arrived and then 2 more times.

When we placed the drink order we asked about the mussels- fresh/frozen, where from and how fresh. The server had forgotten our request when he came to take our order. He then went back to the kitchen and returned to say they were fresh and “locally sourced” but the chef didn’t know from where. Hmmm. We passed on that.

The extra bread and wine arrived as we were almost done with the meal.

The bus staff cleared the tables quickly and kept water glasses filled. Unfortunately, there was a fruit fly in my water glass and it took a long time to get it replaced.

The food was meh. I’d give it a grade of c minus. My Minestrone soup and veal parm were both served at a barely acceptable temp. Fully cooked, Not cold but not piping hot. The soup was tasty and hearty but suffered from the temp. Pasta was cooked perfectly. The veal was lame- as if prepared early in the day and then held in a cooler. Also- given how busy and how overwhelmed the waiter was- I’m guessing my entree sat under a heat lamp for way too long. I think I would have gotten a better veal parm at Dennys. My wife’s chicken piccata was tender and moist and the angel hair pasta was perfect and well sauced but temp was also not as hot as it should be. Salad was fresh but small and uninspired.

The restaurant is VERY loud and tables are jammed together tightly.

Both couples had been to Oliverii in the past but felt it had slipped and the ball was dropped. Sadly, We won’t be going back. Overall- things were pricey and I’d say that the value was low.

I don’t fault the waiter - I think they were in way over their head: too many tables, not adequately trained and supervised, too loud, Tables too close together, food not expedited correctly, etc. Despite service problems , we left a generous gratuity because the waiters are good people stuck in a bad situation.

Things could have been much better if there was an additional waiter or food runners, if the waiter was MUCH better trained and supervised, if there was a manger active at front of house, if the kitchen was better supervised to make sure food was hot and could be delivered to the guest tables in a timely manner.

Update: to their credit, this morning (day after the dinner) I received a message from the owner: “ Response from the owner I’m so sorry if you would email directly I would like to apologize personally and allow us to have an another opportunity Salvatore@oliveriinorth.com “.

I’m going to pass on that because I don’t have anything else to say …. but it’s a hopeful sign that perhaps they are motivated to...

Looking for a real Italian restaurant? Look no further. Located right off the turn on to Lake St in Antioch, Oliverii North is exquisite.

My fiance and I were looking for a nice place to have a quiet dinner for our engagement anniversary and boy did we find it. We loved everything, from the atmosphere and art to the service and company to the delectable authentic Italian cuisine. My fiance has a garlic knot for a heart, so she was in heaven from the start, but I was a little more reserved until the food came out. And shortly after we were greeted and seated by Sarah, our wonderful server, that's exactly what happened. Fresh baked bread was brought to us alongside olive oil and parmesan. According to my fiance, that is one of the truest signs of "the real deal" in an Italian eatery. I felt it was more the light music dancing in the air that reminded me of Martin Scorsese movies.

Next, we took a look at the menu and martini selection. I started w a nice Cosmo and she had a Lemon Lemon that, big shock, tasted like a delicious liquid lemonheads. We then decided on another Italian staple from their menu as Carpaccio and Brushetta. And again, absolutely divine. They put the garlic oil on the bread under the tomato so it fuses together in the oven. It is the best way to have it in my opinion.

Now, I really wanted to go classic spaghetti and meatballs, but honestly, the Scampi e Broccoli was the unseen siren calling me from the back of the sheet. It was perfection. Rich, real imported Italian pasta from Italy, an impressive butter cream garlic sauce soaking diced chunks of broccoli and jumbo shrimp. Bellisimo! And my fiance had a gourmet Veal Parmesana in angel hair pasta and red sauce and cheese that truly tastes like back home in Venice. Cibo delizioso!

Finally, we wrapped up our special night with final martinis and a big slice of Tiramisu. The Peachimo was a fruity and sweet addition and my lady had The Raz which tasted like a lightly sharp and sour Jolly Rancher. They were so good alone, but we tried them together and oh my God, it was like a Starburst cocktail. And the Tiramisu was incredible too.

We thoroughly enjoyed our food and service and practically everything Oliverii North had to offer and told Sal and Guido that we had a wonderful time, thanked them for the delicious meal and promised we would return with more family. It is a very nice place situated on the busier side of Antioch, but it's definitely a place to call home, because when you're here,...

The food was amazing!! Service was horrendous!!! The waitress came to our table only to serve us and bring the check. My better half and I went to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We had 7 pm reservations, there was a little wait (but they were busy and it was no big deal) we were seated and the waitress came over to bring us our menus and get our drink order, she gave us a minute to decide on our meals and left to get our drinks (water and a cocktail). When she brought back our drinks and received our food order she removed our drink menu! ( I had only ordered a water and told her I wasn't sure yet what I wanted to drink). When she came back with our food order (20ish minutes later) my date asked for the drink menu and oil for our bread (she never asked us if we wanted any and never brought it over and that is one of my favorite parts of an Italian restaurant) after sitting there for quite some time waiting for her to come over and check on us so I could order a drink, she never came (she was out in the dining room, made eye contact with my date numerous times went to other tables by this time some of the dining room had left and slowed down). She never came over! My date had to go to the bar which was busy to get the glass of wine I had wanted. Finally, after we were done with our meals (I was still enjoying my bread) the waitress came back to our table to bring us the check she went and got 2 containers for our leftovers and placed them in the containers. While cleaning the dishes off the table she snatched my plate of oil and bread that I had just set down after taking a bite (here I am with a mouth full of bread and not able to say anything and my favorite part of the meal was taken right from under me). She removed all the dishes and took the check for payment, when she came back she only wanted to interact when it was time to be tipped (commenting on how she loved my nails and other things. This was such a disappointing experience and I normally wouldn't post something of this nature. This waitress is not new (to the industry or the restaurant) so she was not overwhelmed by the business of the restaurant or any of that nature. It was supposed to be a celebration and a romantic evening (we were kid-free). Instead, it was very disappointing and I was annoyed, but aside from the service it was a very pleasant yummy experience. I will be returning, even though the waitress was not pleasant it will not detour me from the great atmosphere and...