Ollo — Restaurant in Malibu

Here for dinner on a Saturday night with a few friends. We sat on the patio. The atmosphere out there was quite pleasant - no TV, music wasn't terribly loud, lighting was bright enough (it was dark), tables were spaced enough that it was easy to get in and out around your neighbors. We had a reservation so were seated right away and our order was taken fairly promptly. Food arrived - portions are small for the price (but it is Malibu) but mostly delicious. Except - The mashed potatoes with my dish were very lumpy - I thought maybe that was meant to be 'rustic' and done on purpose but usually when places do that they also leave the skin on or mention it in the description. In this case it just seemed rushed, it did not complement the dish or it's presentation, which was very neat and not 'rustic' at all. Companion got a pasta dish, which was excellent, but no bread at all with it. We didn't expect some endless basket like some kind of big family chain/feeding trough type of restaurant but I've never actually been anywhere that didn't give at least 1 piece of Italian bread or a small roll with a pasta dish. Slow to bring our check and there was no offer of anything else or dessert before that. The portions were small, I kind of wanted dessert. Even slower to pick it up again. When the server did notice the check still at the edge of the table she was surprised, apparently she thought she'd already gotten it? The place was emptying out at that point, felt like we had been forgotten about. Table next to us when we arrived had a little kid who dropped a bunch of fries on the ground. They were never swept up, not even when those people left and that table was empty. Noticed it when we left as I had to avoid stepping on them and having potato stuck to my shoe. In the end I left feeling like they had not really wanted us there, like we weren't the type of clientele they were hoping to cultivate so they didn't care about...

Don't try the Impossible Burger. All Impossibles are NOT the same and theirs is terrible. They either buy the pre-formed patty (the best restaurants buy bulk and form their own) and then cook it dry. I mentioned this to the manager not so much as to complain but hoping they fix it so I can enjoy an Impossible there. I will not order it there again until I see a note from management that they changed their preparation. It should be thick, loosely formed and wet not flat and dry:)

UPDATE AFTER SPEAKING WITH MANAGER I just verified with Impossible that they do sell both pre-made 1/4 lb patties and bulk. I also verified with the manager of Olli in Malibu they use pre made patties, yuk. She said it is a matter of preference and that some people prefer the pre-made patties (including herself). Wow, that was surprising as you mostly taste the toppings and bread with a flat, pre made patty. To each his own. She let me know Cheesecake Factory uses the bulk product and makes thicker handmade patties, yum. I'll be visiting Cheesecake soon. She said it was impossible to get Impossible and as such they are using Beyond for their plant based option. But... unbelievably it is still their opinion the flat pre made patty is the way to go....

We stopped in for our first time this past Saturday for brunch and both had a great experience. Located in beautiful Malibu right off the PCH this shopping center always has a ton of free parking, which was really convenient given how most other restaurants in LA don’t have as many free and available spaces. Service was fast and friendly and we were able to be seated right when we arrived for a 10:30 brunch. They have indoor and outdoor tables but most people choose to sit indoor, which was our choice as well.

They have a very large menu filled with all sorts of great options. Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast dish so when I read all the positive reviews of their Crab Cake Benedict I knew I had to try it. I can confirm it was very good. The eggs were perfectly runny, and the crab cake itself had great flavors. We also ordered the Huevos Rancheros which came in a huge sized portion surrounded by one large tostada shell curved on the edges. That was a really nice touch because we used the shell to soak up the rest of the juices/food.

Overall a solid breakfast option in Malibu. It was not as cheap as local diners but still not overly expensive, especially given...