Olivos Mediterranean Restaurant — Restaurant in Citrus Park

Surprised by quality of food & service at this restaurant of mystery. Because of the bad marketing, dark windows, & jail-like exterior, I expected something other than what I got. I finally worked up the courage to stop by & peak in the door, not knowing what I would find inside. Some things not a surprise like the random TV with a pointless short slideshow of travel destinations none of which reflect the menu & an empty dining room, proof that the cold Restaurant of Mystery aesthetic is not a vibe. Some other things were quite the pleasant surprise actually. The attentive service & dishes were on point.

Those who complain that portions are small or main dishes are overpriced probably don’t appreciate good quality ingredients in a decent restaurant with cloth napkins & what seems like an actual chef in the kitchen. Those others who mention “not in this neighborhood”: there are only so many low quality, shitty food places that a neighborhood can sustain & it’s nice to have an option with REAL food & REAL servers. Although, I found a few items slightly high, what you get does make for a good value. This is not your Tia’s Cafeteria. It’s like a proper restaurant, compared to others in the area. This place uses tweezers to plate tomatoes! At least on IG they do.

Started with a fresh strawberry limeade. To die for. Well, not totally sure how worth dying for at $7+ but tasty nonetheless. Then ordered a churrasco steak grilled to medium temperature & was shocked to receive a churrasco steak grilled to medium temperature. $25+ very fair price for cut & presentation. Came with a perfect side of mashed potatoes & veggies. Polished it off with a flan. $10+ oof but so dense & so good.

Took off a star for these 3 reasons: Extra charges. charging a fee for cc transactions (that should be figured into your prices). It appears really petty to openly pass that on to your customers & shady when essentially you’re encouraging guests to pay cash instead. Why do you want to insist on guests paying with the limitation of cash? I’ve only ever seen this practice at lower-end establishments. I mean, really, what DECENT restaurant do you go to where they charge you for paying them? Read the Florida statutes on charging a fee on debit cards too! Not Kosher. Should’ve taken an extra star off just for this one. Design. First, the window tint. Passé look even more so for a free standing restaurant. So 80s & it really does not entice anyone to come in. In food service, people want openness & transparency, literally. They don’t want you to hide what’s going on. Speaking of which, they redesigned the whole interior from when it used to be Boston Market & missed a major opportunity to have some sort of open kitchen. It’s completely closed off design in the back server area leading to the kitchen is off putting for a modern place. It makes it look more like a retail shop register area. Overall, the inside is 1 bad painting away from looking a little tacky. Right now, it’s sort of plain except for ostentatious epoxy floors & faux wooden tables with no real identity which is better than filled with chachkies & corny crooked pictures. Lastly, the menu is so poorly translated to English, some items are impossible to understand. Overall its badly & cheaply-designed interior pages cheapen the beautiful soft leather cover. Details matter.

Hoping they get a license to serve at some point although not hopeful considering there’s no bar. Will definitely return. Menu is not totally Spanish as they claim, but still good & can’t wait to try other items & have that flan again....

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding my recent visit to Olivos, where I dined with three companions. Unfortunately, our experience did not meet our expectations, especially considering the $225 total bill.

Firstly, we were surprised to learn that water and bread were not automatically provided and had to be requested. As it was our first visit, we were unaware that bread was available, and it was not offered by the waitress at any point, which felt unwelcoming.

I ordered the $30 salmon, FYI PLATE HAD ONLY THE SALMON AND THE MUSHROOM SAUCE ON TOP. and regrettably, the only aspect that had notable flavor was the mushroom sauce on top. The dish itself lacked the freshness and taste typically associated with salmon, leading me to question its value. In my experience dining at various restaurants in Florida, I have not encountered a $30 salmon dish that was so underwhelming. Additionally, I found it puzzling that the octopus was priced lower than the salmon.

We also faced delays in service, needing to request the check twice and waiting approximately 15 minutes for it, despite the restaurant being relatively quiet at that hour.

I understand that Olivos has only been open for two months, and staff may still be acclimating to their roles. However, I believe there is significant room for improvement in both service training and menu offerings. It is also worth noting that the lack of an alcohol license further limited our dining experience.

In conclusion, for a group of four at $225, we expected a much more satisfying experience. I hope you take this feedback seriously, as I believe there are opportunities for improvement at your establishment.

Thank you for your attention to...

I really wanted to love this place even though I knew it was a converted from a Boston Market. From the outside, not much has changed other than the paint and sign. There is still the drive through and window- as it had when it was Boston Market. The inside was definitely renovated but still looks like it’s lacking something. They didn’t do anything to hide the previously drive through window or repurpose it. It’s giving a cheap look with a not so cheap price tag.

Given the price tag, I expected more. The prices are set at South Tampa menus and this is not South Tampa. For the area and quality of the product, it was not worth it. I think they may need to reassess some things.

I ordered the Picanha (sirloin) with chimichurri sauce. The meat was well seasoned but came to our table barely warm as if it had been sitting too long. The mashed potatoes were cold and not just a little cold- they were cold as if they had been sitting on the counter before they plated my meal. The quality of the potatoes was that of powdered mashed potatoes. The potatoes itself was like a dolup, literally not much more than what looked like a tablespoon of potatoes. The meal itself was $25. No salad was offered, no bread was offered. The service was non-existent. The drink I ordered came in a can with a wine glass.

For two people with canned soda and 1 meal each, the bill for lunch was $62 before tip. They charge a 3% fee as a processing fee with no explanation. I probably wouldn’t go back. I know this place is new and maybe they’ll change things in the future, but for now, I absolutely cannot recommend. The meal looked pretty, the steak, even though cold had a good flavor- not worth the price,...