OLIO — Restaurant in St. Louis

We visited here on a Sunday evening. At 6:30 pm, there were just a few other tables in there. We did have a reservation. What we ordered: Egg Salad Burrata King of Kings Hummus Local Grains Gyro wrap

The egg salad, like everyone has already said, is awesome. I love egg salad and this did not disappoint. Burrata was really good too. Hummus was great. As others have stated, it IS very tahini-y, but I love tahini, so I had no complains. The local grains salad was very cold, colder than I was expecting. It was definitely a shock. It was fresh and tasty, but I would've personally preferred not so ice cold. My husband said his gyro wrap was really good too. Yes, the portions are small, but that's the point, small plates and sharing and all that. I got the Kissed by a Rose cocktail, and it was delicious. I always worry cocktails may be too sweet. This definitely was not.

The service, well, I wasn't sure what I wanted for the second round of food, so I asked for a few more minutes to decide. The rest of my party went ahead and ordered. I made a choice, but our waitress never came back, not until about 20 minutes later when they brought out everyone else's food. So that was kinda meh. It had gotten a little busier, but I thought that was way too long. I also had to flag someone down to ask for more water after leaving our empty water carafes on the edge of the table for 30 minutes hoping someone would notice.

They do check your personal health information by asking for your vaccination card, which I don't agree with. However, weird, they didn't ask for any of my other vaccinations, just the COVID one. And all their tables are RIGHT next to each other. We all know being vaccinated doesn't mean you can't get covid, you can still most definitely get covid. I am very confused why they would care so much to ask for your vaccination status, but not care enough to space people 6 feet apart. They like, kind of care about looking good, but kind of don't. 5 stars for their food, 3.5 stars for their service, 2 stars for their...

The Place Parking is tricky, be prepared for a short stroll. The entrance was somewhat hidden (a pathway of plants on one side and adjacent business opposite). A nice old refurbished service station with a courtyard*. Once inside the aromas hit you, of spices, fresh baked bread, and the food being cooked. Was almost overwhelmed by it, in a good way. We did sit outside, as inside seemed busy and cramped. Outside was beautiful, an collection of tables spread about on the old lot, surrounded by plants, herbs, flowers, cozy recliner nook. Whether you are here to drink or eat, or both. This place is very.

The food. We ordered several things. We did the 3 for $22 sharables, olives, condensed melon, and the baba (comes with fresh baked pita), baba was good, the pita fresh, the condensed melon was crazy good. I did not try the olives, but none were left. (Be aware olives are NOT pitted, they give you a lil container to place them. Ordered the Israeli toast* I forgot the name..very juicy, very much tomato, I'm not a fan of tomato but I tried it. It wasn't for me but i could see why tomato fans would like it Finally, I ordered the Tunisian Tuna(wrap)... This was good and strange at the same time...it takes a little time for the dish to be prepared. It looked amazing, and it was. Could taste everything in it, olive, tuna, egg, the sauce...and they give you some garnish a spicy pickle thing, a yellow colifower, carrot, and I think leek. I liked the taste and zest of the pickle with the wrap, the rest was not my to my taste, things zinged and tasted off* but I ate them anyways (besides the leek?)

Anyhow, overall we were very pleased. The waitress was super nice and great to explain things on the menu. Also, called our table out that we had service industry workers amongst us. We...

We went to this restaurant a few times when this place first opened up, and recently decided to go back again. I guess this span of time gives us some perspective on the evolution of this dining establishment.

First things first, this place has always been focused on quality food and drinks. It was one of the first places I remember to convert a garage into a dining space. It's always had a hip feel to it. If memory serves me, I remember it being more crowded with less tables, and it seems they have more tables and even an outside area now.

The cocktails are thoughtfully made, but I will say that the two I had this time around were a bit more on the sweet side. They were tasty, but I prefer a bit more spirit forward cocktail when I'm pairing it with food.

The food has always been complex and tasty. I think there are even more vegetarian choices on the menu than when they first opened up. I believe the portion sizes have also gotten a bit bigger, which is a welcome improvement.

We went to this place for a personal celebration and elegant night out. Price-wise, it's not bad for the quality of food and a relaxing, elegant setting. I'd recommend giving it a try if you're in the mood for something...