Olivia's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Gurnee

I am 100% Italian and come from a long line of restaurateurs. I grew up in the restaurant business, working in both my family's and others' establishments, from the back of the house to waiting tables. I'm also a former chef, having graduated from CHIC and worked in professional kitchens. While I have high standards, I am also forgiving--especially for things outside a waiter's control. However, much of what happened during this meal was entirely within our waiter's control, and he never stepped up.

We arrived at Olivia's at 6:25 PM for our 6:30 reservation. The hostess was warm and welcoming, letting us know there would be a short wait and suggesting we grab a drink at the bar. The ambiance was fairly average--nothing remarkable, but not drab either. The space could benefit from brighter colors to make it feel more inviting. The TVs above the bar, while common in casual spots, detracted from any upscale feel, making the restaurant lean more toward a bar-and-grill atmosphere rather than a refined dining experience. While sitting at the bar, we were completely ignored by the bartender, who passed us several times without acknowledgment. Even other patrons noticed. After over 10 minutes, we were seated at 6:38 PM, and I hoped things would improve.

Our waiter, Louis, did not acknowledge us until 6:50 PM, despite passing by our table repeatedly. We ordered cocktails immediately--I got a dirty martini, and my spouse ordered a cosmopolitan. When they finally arrived 15 minutes later, Louis didn't apologize but smirked and said, "Well, better late than never." Frustratingly, the drinks had been sitting at the bar for over 10 minutes. That said, they were absolutely delicious--some of the best we've had in a long time. Too bad the service didn't match.

Salads arrived at a reasonable pace, but Louis never checked if we wanted another round of drinks. At 7:30 PM, I flagged him down for a glass of pinot grigo, which he retrieved without asking what brand or offering options--just grabbed whatever he felt like pouring.

At 7:50 PM, Louis sat down in the booth next to my husband and casually informed us they were out of lasagna--nearly an hour after we ordered. No apology, just an excuse about being busy. Anyone who has worked in a kitchen knows you track portions throughout the night. This was poor communication and management.

Meanwhile, I noticed a table that had been seated before us was just getting their food, meaning they had also been waiting well over an hour. Clearly, we weren't the only ones suffering through terrible service.

At this point, I couldn't help but wonder if our experience felt personal. My husband and I are a same-sex couple, and I started questioning whether that factored into how we were treated. I can't say for sure, but I can say how it felt--ignored and dismissed.

The food itself was average at best. I can't say it was any better than Olive Garden, and as an Italian, I had high hopes wanting a better authentic restaurant in this area. My veal could have been thinner, the sauce was overly salty, and the replacement for the lasagna, a simple fettuccine Bolognese, was fine but unremarkable. The dishes weren't piping hot, which told me they had been sitting before being served.

After we finished, Louis asked if we wanted dessert, and I dryly replied, "No, thank you, we have church on Sunday." (It was Friday.) Not once did he apologize for the delays or acknowledge our patience.

For the first time ever, I tipped only 15%. I usually tip well over 20%, 25% --sometimes 50%--for good service, but this was one of the worst service experiences I've ever had.

At the very least, I expected basic hospitality. Instead, we got: A bar that ignored guests A waiter who avoided eye contact and dodged tables A one-hour delay before being told our entrée was unavailable No apologies, no service recovery, no comped items

I don't expect perfection on a busy holiday, but I do expect acknowledgment, accountability, and effort. Olivia's failed on all counts.

Will I be back?...

This place needs to tightening up. 🤦🏻‍♂️ ok, the food was fabulous; let’s get that right straight away. That said, everything else could use a bit of review and I hope our next experience there will be better. Service started out rather well. Without an appointment on a Saturday night at around 7:30, we were seated straight away. Drinks orders were taken right away, and an offer of appetizers wad made but declined. Some lovely bread rolls were brought out and olive oil and black pepper were available, but no Parmesan or oregano was present, nor was it offered. I’m no expert, but at least the Parmesan in a shaker is offered with bread in most Italian restaurants. Ok, not the end of the world. The drinks order is where things get a bit dodgy. My date’s cocktail came out moments after ordering, however, my wine arrived some 15 minutes after my date’s cocktail. Again, not the end of the world. After a short while, our food arrives. I had the pollo parmigiana and my date had the rigatoni with vodka sauce and sausages. Both meals were delicious, and those sausages were amazing! Unfortunately upon finishing our main courses is where the evening turned sinister! A dessert menu was presented and we chose to share a piece of tiramisu, and I ordered a cappuccino. The cappuccino came and went but no tiramisu! We’re both looking around as I’m drinking my coffee to find the servers and bussers gathered at the hostess stand, and it must’ve been a hot topic of discussion as they were there a while! Finally, someone came to check on us… AND SHOWED US A DESSERT MENU! I’m annoyed at this point. Our server finally comes to check on us about 15 minutes after the second fella brought us a dessert menu, remembers our tiramisu and quick as a flash runs to the kitchen before we can tell her we wanted it to go now because of the delay. This place could be an absolute powerhouse if they can address a few issues and adjust accordingly. My date told me on our drive home that our server explained that it was her first time. On a Saturday night dinner service you start a new server? That’s not great. The bathroom was clean, but I wasn’t crazy about having to touch that manky door handle without anything to protect my hand. I wash my hands frequently, but I’m well aware that others don’t. No, I’m not pointing fingers at staff, I’m only saying that a lot of fellas aren’t hygenic, and would kindly suggest a bin be placed next to the door to dispose of hand towels. I’d like to come back, but we’ll allow a bit of time for the staff to get in line and tighten up. Maybe we’ll just get takeout, but I’d really hate it if this amazing place and delicious food was only available for take away because the staff would rather...

I typically do not write reviews, especially considering that following the pandemic, both service and food quality have, for the most part, seldom meet my expectations so I thought this particular experience was well deserving commentary.

It was our first dining experience at Olivia's Italian restaurant this evening of which the ambiance was that typically found in that of authentic Italian dining. At first we were surprised we had not previously heard of Olivia's, but that's because it was a new establishment opened just seven weeks earlier. We were pleasantly surprised just how personable, friendly and attentive the staff was throughout our entire experience, from the initial greeting from someone I presume was the staff manager, to the dining staff members whose manors exemplified that typically reserved for dignitaries/others of a prestigious class.

Further, the atmosphere was romantic, elegant and classy, something you would only expect to be found in places like downtown Chicago or New York City, albeit comparibly priced with some local food franchised establishments.

I ordered the Pollo Marsala and my fiance - Spaghetti Gamberi. The deep succulent flavors of my spaghetti entree presented in tomato, mushroom and basil smothered in a deeply rich marsala over two generously-sized chicken breasts grilled to perfection didn't disappoint. The chicken was both moist and tender and the marsala ensured everything calmly blended into my pallette. In fact, it was so good that it slipped my mind to take a photo before it quickly vanished before my very eyes 😋

To cap things off, we both shared a melt-in-your mouth lava cake topped with gelato (pictured) perfectly warmed and moistend while encircled with slices of strawberries and blueberries drizzled with rich fudge syrup.

After settling the bill and nearing the exit, we were once again greeted by the staff manager who wanted to ensure we were satisfied.

In summary, if you're in search of an authentic Italian dining experience with elegance at a reasonable price, this in my opinion, hits the mark.

We'll definitely revisit Olivia's in the near future and look forward tasting their other entrees and pastas and hope others have a chance to share similar experiences.

However, if anyone finds an equivalent/better place, do drop a comment so we can...