Olivia's Bistro — Restaurant in Newton

From the moment we opened the doors, we were embraced with open arms and a warm welcome that took some of the anxiety from being in a new restaurant.

The dim-lighting and contemporary artwork painted a picture of what was to come, and we were actually looking forward to the experience, considering it was an out-of-the-blue evening decision.

Service was great! The appetizers were even better, and I definitely recommend the Mussels and Fries to start off with - great, powerful flavors that make the mouth salivate and desire for more.

We were also offered bread with olive oil as we decided on what to get, and I do wish the slices of bread had been toasted - just for the extra taste profile, but that didn't deter us.

Our entree, the Roasted Chicken, was good also - however, the appetizers were the HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT with their complex flavors while being simple dishes.

As for the De Pasquele's Pizza we got - too many toppings which weighed down the pizza, and the thin crust didn't help, which caused the slices unmanageable with one-hand grab.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to visiting soon enough to try...

We took our neighbors here tonight, all of us for the first visit, and Olivia's exceeded our expectations! So great to have a place like this in Nonantum, which I must say has certainly ramped up in culinary choices in the last few years. Our server was extremely good, and she made our visit especially memorable by replenishing my glass of wine (and then the rest of is as well) after I clumsily knocked it off the table during animated conversation. Now that's really classy (her, not me lol).

Our food choices didn't disappoint. I chose the squid ink pasta, which was full of calamari and shrimp, on a bed of perfectly done (and nicely spicy) pasta. Loved it. One of our party had the lamb shank, which was superb. My wife said her duck breast (the night's special) was good, but not exceptional, preferring my pasta. For dessert we shared the limoncello cheesecake, which was fantastic.

I highly recommend Olivia's as a nice change of pace from other Newton restaurants. See...

Here we are ...Olivia's Bistro, only three years + after it was recommended to us...really? Walking in and first impression...sweet. Seated and our waiter wisked in with water and bread...NB Iggy's but still Iggy's. Wine arrived 'decanted' at the table...a little fussy for a bistro, no? Metal chairs slightly military mess hall ...but you want to hear about the food. Mussels with oven crusted bread to start perfect with the bubbles and not afraid of garlic...this dish alone will bring us back. The sauce should be offered as take out! Salmon with mashed potatoes and lemon poblano ... portion small, seasoning a little salty...mashed seemed a little too blended and very buttery, but hey, we ate it all. Bolognese rigatoni with veal and beef slightly al dente sauce 'over the top'...we'll have that again...really. What cost a star was the drink costs...really. Perhaps, a great meal overshadows the cost of the drinks sitting on...