OLIVO MEDITERRANEAN FARE — Restaurant in Montville Township

On Thursday, my boyfriend and I decided to visit the location that was formally known as Don Pepe Steak House. The location is under new ownership and is now called Olivo. I remember clearly what it used to look like inside since I had been there a few times. Now all I can say is wow! What was once a caterpillar has blossomed into a gorgeous butterfly! The new owners have totally transformed this location into the most amazing restaurant. From start to finish, my boyfriend and I had an incredible evening. The ambience is spectacular! We arrived for dinner and it was still daylight outside. There are now huge windows in the whole restaurant enabling natural lighting inside. In addition, there is also a skylight in one of the dining rooms. Under it sits and olive tree. It really is a beautiful centerpiece when you walk in and see that. We ate in that dining area, which was right behind the bar. Our server, Miguel was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu and the wines. He suggested wines according to my likes and went over the menu and gave us his recommendations. We decided to try a bunch of appetizers even though I originally went in to try the bacon steak. There were so many apps it was so hard to pick just one. All of the appetizers had were excellent! The bacon steak did not disappoint! The Greek salad was very refreshing. For our main entrees we decided to go with fish and steak. Might as well have the the best of both worlds! LOL! The baked Branzino was very fresh and had a light taste, not fishy at all. The dry aged Porterhouse was huge and they sliced it for us before it came out. I had the filet side and it was super tender and juicy. For sides we had Spanish potatoes, saffron rice and mixed veggies. We had so much food left over! Of course my kids devoured it when we got home. I'm not sure how I had any room left for dessert but as stuffed as I was I just had to try the Burnt Basque Cheesecake which Miguel highly recommended. He was not kidding when he said it was so creamy and unlike any other cheesecake around. When you go to Olivo, please do yourself a favor and have this cheesecake for dessert. You will be hooked. You can thank me later. My compliments to the chef for preparing our excellent meal! The service was as spectacular as the food. Miguel was da bomb and Eduardo, the manager visited with us several times throughout the evening. He made us feel so welcome and at home. He was very gracious and thankful that we chose to dine there. He invited us back and back we will go. My mom is turning 81 and I already reserved a table for a small group of us to celebrate with her. It's a surprise! Shhh... don't tell her! I highly recommend a visit and make a reservation. By the looks of it, Olivo has it all and they will be...

Our family of 5 went to Olivo tonight for dinner. The restaurant is truly BEAUTIFUL inside. They did such a great job decorating and remodeling. It has three sections for seating, all with a diff vibe- small tables, booths by the bar, and bigger tables in a more formal dining room. As a note, we felt a little underdressed in casual nice wear (jeans and a white top for me, a collared shirt and shorts for my husband, our daughter in a dress, and two sons in an athletic tee and pants and sneakers). Most tables had ladies in dresses and heels, not sure if that was because it was Sat night before Easter though. The service was wonderful. All staff was very kind, helpful, and kind, and especially playful and interactive with our 3 young kids. Our waiter Daniel M was especially fantastic. My daughter ordered the clams in a green sauce appetizer but was a little hesitant to eat it because it looked a bit different than she expected (for the record, it looked and tasted exactly how you'd expect. She was just expecting it to be exactly how I make it at home!) and he offered to take it back in, and make a new plate with the clams steamed plain with butter to dip it in. She loved it and ate it all! Food was great. Portions were LARGE, especially the paella. All very tasty, fresh, nicely plated. We will definitely plan to...

THIS PLACE IS NOT A 5 STAR RESTAURANT. Came here for my birthday, and before I rip on the restaurant, I would like to say the staff and service was excellent. I drink a lot of water, and my cup was constantly getting filled. Our waiter was great and there was a lot of staff on hand. The food was really meh at best. Nothing was seasoned. The best thing I had was the $22 stuffed avocado, and for one avocado with a single non-jumbo shrimp cut up on top, that's way too much. Three of us had the paella, 1 seafood and 2 vegetable, and all of it was bland. Also, the seafood came with half of a lobster, and the lobster i got was missing it's claw. It was a very large portion size, and definitely worth the price IF there was any seasoning. 2 people had the pasta with shrimp, where the vodka sauce was water. We also got a steak that was as advertised, and the porkchops were good. The food was mostly disappointing but the atmosphere was also an issue. The room was so loud and you could barely hear the person next to you, let alone someone sitting across the table. We basically had to yell because it was so loud. This place is no better than 4 stars at most. Save your time and money and go to Tavern 73 next door, way better food, or if you want an actual 5 star Mediterranean Restaurant, go to Kervan in...