Black Olive

This place is great. A real gem. Great food, great service. Interesting menu. Great choices. The whole fish is terrific. Same goes for the lamb.

We had a reservation at 7:15pm. It is 7:45pm and still don’t have my table. Reservation is a joke!

Still waiting for my table, can’t even get a drink at the bar, better service in Greece. … glass of wine the size of a tasting? And the couple with a later reservation then gets their table (better, by a window) before me and my daughter? Food is sumptuous, and while I’ve been here before, I’m not sure I’ll be back. Pretentious Old World chauvinism gets old quick.

We ate at the Black Pearl because one in our party had an excellent meal here 8 years ago. Sadly, it was not the same experience. This restaurant has all the signs of a place on the slide: mediocre food, pricey for the quality, and lackluster service. The grilled octopus was flavored nicely but the texture was «mushy». One slice of tired spinach pie was $ 16. Ouch!
Dinner for three incl tip was $ 105. and the only beverage we had was tap water.

In the bar centric neighborhood of Fells Point in Baltimore, Black Olive is an expensive representation of the city’s Greek heritage. While the food was quite good, it wasn’t earth shattering and except for the fixed price lunch, eating at Black Olive can be very expensive. My fish soup was excellent, but far from the best I have eaten. All the fish is fresh, but prepared in the simplest manner, a poor indication of the exorbitant check. What was most concerning was the slow service, an epidemic infecting most of Baltimore’s restaurants. We ordered the fixed price lunch and waited and waited and waited… The restaurant was close to empty, and yet we waited, and waited and waited… Whether it was the fault of the kitchen or the service is besides the point, as we waited and waited and waited. After two hours we crawled out of Black Olive with restaurant rigamortis, an affliction caused by dining service that takes longer than a papal election.

I was disappointed by the food. We dined on the back garden deck and it was very nice. The staff was well informed, helpful and attentive. But the food was average at best and certainly not worth the price. My wife had the filet at the price you would typically see, but the cut of meat wasn’t as good as it should have been (a bit fatty). I had fish kebab and it was well prepared but had a sauce all over it that looked like it had quite a bit of butter and oil that overpowered the fish. Both of us had mixed vegetables as a side and they were terrible: mushy and also sitting in that sauce. The presentation of the food on the plate was completely uninspiring. Too bad. We had high hopes but the food did not measure up to the space or prices.

The black olive is like stepping into a local European restaurant. The décor is beautiful, and the staff is welcoming and accommodating. Our waiter gave us a tour of the «catch of the day» display — a wonderful array of fresh, organic fish. Our waiter also filleted the fish I ordered at our table before serving me and my fiancé. The grape leaf-​wrapped sardines were to die for, and the black sea bass and lamb were exquisite. Will definitely be coming back! Also, a huge shoutout to our waiter– he was knowledgable and enthusiastic. He really made our experience! Thank you, black olive!

I was looking forward to Sunday brunch on the roof. My Mom travelled 4 hours to spend the afternoon with me. I made reservations 2 days ahead of time. The weather was great. I was confident I had made the right choice… until we were turned away at the hostess stand. They booked a private party and failed to either; a) not accept my reservation to begin with or, b) call me to cancel. I was embarrassed. One of the staff members apologized (clumsily) but what on earth could make up for that? He didn’t even offer to comp me parking. I won’t bother again. Shame on you, Black Olive. Bad manners won’t compensate for a view of the harbor.

After reading some of the reviews on here, I think I either got very lucky with service or they have changed some of their staffing! I went here with my boyfriend for a birthday celebration dinner on a Friday night. We had a reservation and were greeted and sat right away. We say in the back room which had very dim lighting but I found it quaint and romantic (I do wish I would have known about the outside seating because it was a beautiful night and it looked so cute out there!).
As far as service, our waters were continuously filled all night and the waiter was attentive but not too much so. One issue I did have was they did not come to check on us or see if we needed any more bread or oil (which we would have wanted but by the time our food came it was too late really). The bread and oil they did bring was delicious! I had to stop myself from eating too much — it is a black olive bread and the oil has seasonings and sesame seeds which I found very different and delicious.
The menu is definitely is a mix of mezze plates and entrees so you could probably order a couple small plates instead of entrees and have a great meal! We ordered the stuffed, grilled calamari as an appetizer. It was very good, but very small and overpriced for what we got. I would definitely recommend it but also would love to try some of their other menu items!
For dinner we ordered the beef tenderloin filet and fish of the day. I do have to say that they were out of a lot of the entrée menu items but maybe this was because we went to a later dinner? The fish came out cooked whole and they filleted it at the table for you! It was absolutely delicious, flakey and fresh and cooked to perfection, smothered in a lemony butter sauce. The side that night was some sort of zucchini, cut into strips and I thought it went perfectly with my fish! My boyfriend’s filet was cooked perfectly and was tender and flavorful. He felt it was too small of a portion and probably would have wanted a bigger side, but he generally is a much bigger eater than me to begin with.
We got the baklava ice cream for dessert which was delicious! I definitely recommend it.
Overall I had a great birthday experience and am 100% planning to go back! You probably just want to note the prices before going to make sure its what you’re looking to spend because it was definitely an expensive meal but I felt it was well worth it!

I will split the rankings into two categories.
First the food side. The seared octopus salad starter was excellent. The meat was perfectly prepared with no hint of «chewiness» that can occur. The fish of the day was also very good.
The service was kit what you’d expect. Our server Earl was attentive but too much so. He was not reading the signals from the table and must have asked us four times if we were ready to order. We were in the midst of a business discussion and enjoying glasses of wine. A more sophisticated waiter would have been sensitive to the vibes. I finally said «we will flag you when we are ready.»

What a sad place of a restaurant. Six of us are here tonight and the owners has the audacity of eating (sucking lamb chops) at the bar while we waited and waited and waited for our our food. The service couldn’t have been worse, food was average and the bar service was horrendous. We overpaid for this sad experience. The last couple in the restaurant also complained having waited forever for their doors while the owners say at the bar and were waited on by our green-​horn waitress.
Never will return. Understaffed and horribly overrated. Did I mention the owner came to our table to check on us while chewing HIS meal? So disrespectful.

Really bad service. I booked two people table for me and my boyfriend. After we sat down, we waited more than 40 mins and no body ask us what we want for food or drinks. Then my boyfriend go to one of their staff and asked for help. But there is still no one service anything for us. Then we paid valet fee and left. We really had bad time tonight.

This restaurant has gone downhill since the first time we were there several years ago. We went on a recent Friday at 8:45 pm. It was nearly empty, which should have been a sign.
We ordered an appetizer and two main courses; it took us one hour to receive the appetizer, and then another thirty minutes for the main course. The server forgot what we’d ordered. When we ordered a glass of wine, she forgot that, too.
The food itself was virtually inedible. A fish soup was effectively canned minestrone with two pieces of fish dropped in. Cheese stuffed grape leaves were dry and tasteless. The grilled fish was decent, but overpriced, and came only with a salad.
When we complained, there was no apology. Finally, we got the check shortly after the main course arrived and promptly left. Again, there was no apology and we paid full price.
Avoid the Black Olive at all costs! It’s a waste of money, and the food and service are the worst I’ve experienced in Baltimore.

*Preface: I hate to give a «Baltimore staple» only one star, but my experience here on a recent Friday evening was simply terrible.*
This was my second dining experience at the Black Olive. I dined here during restaurant week last year. The place was packed and the food was pretty good. This time, things went awry.
My husband and I arrived at approx. 7:45 on a Friday. The place was practically empty. We were seated in the small backroom and it was FREEZING cold. I never took my overcoat off.
It took 45 minutes for us to receive one drink and one overpriced appetizer. 3 different waiters took our order (we had to keep explaining that someone else had already taken our order).
AND the drinks that managed to make it to our table in that 45 time frame were so terrible, I took one sip and almost spat it back into my glass. We had each ordered a martini — how hard is it to make a martini?!
We asked for our tab and, when they asked us if everything was ok, we politely explained our dissatisfaction. They still charged us full price for everything.
We promptly left and headed elsewhere.

I went here during a quick trip to Baltimore. It had been listed in «Best of Baltimore» and I do like authentic Greek food, so gave it a try.
Location is very cute. Feels like you are eating in a cozy, rustic cottage instead of downtown Baltimore. Menu is split between whole fishes, roast lamb, and a lot of mezze dishes. We opted for mezzes which ranged in price from $ 10 – 20, a bit pricey as the portions are on the small size, even for small plates.
The olive bread they give you when you sit down is amazing. Before I realized it, I had eaten three pieces. Luckily the waitstaff was very attentive and kept refilling the bread basket and water.
We split a traditional feta and tomato salad which was well seasoned and delicious. The tzatziki was a bit too creamy for my taste. We also split manouri cheese in grape leaves which I loved as it was a fresh departure from standard grape leave dish. I got a piece of the Greek Pie (standard veggies in philo dough) that was slightly burnt and nothing special.
We got the baklava ice cream which was amazing! It was the right amount of sweet and savory and tastes exactly like baklava. How do they make this dish as I need the recipe! Highly recommended!
I world definitely make a return trip especially for the bread and baklava ice cream!

My co-​workers and I ended up here for a team lunch one day and the place was completely empty. That being said, I can’t vouch for what this place would be like if it’s packed or at dinnertime, but as a nice lunch it was pretty good!
Our waiter was attentive and nice. Everyone really enjoyed their meals (most people got some form of salad and the potato leek soup which they raved about). We started with an appetizer made up of hummus, tzatziki, eggplant spread, and some form of olive spread. Everyone loved the spreads and most people seemed really psyched for the grilled bread that came with it, but I found the bread disappointing since I’m not fond of a burned taste in the middle of my appetizer. For my meal I got the Greek Village Pie which I would highly recommend. It was delicious, a decent portion, and not half bad for $ 14.
Overall, this place is great as a nice treat if you’re craving Mediterranean, but be prepared to spend a few extra bucks than you probably normally would on lunch.

This is absolutely stupendous seafood.
The real treat at the Black Olive is being able to choose the fish for your meal — based on incredibly informative recommendations by the server — and have it grilled to perfection. I had the bronzini, which was spectacular. The quality of the fish overall is predictably excellent, and the atmosphere is romantic but uniquely Baltimore. Suffice to say, I’m a fan.

Service was very slow, server distracted and pricy.
We dined here for two.
The atmosphere was good but each dishes comes extremely slow and every server easily forgot what we asked (refill water, bread…)
Food was not bad but a bit pricy.

My wife and I visited for lunch after our commencement ceremony. Our families flew in from Texas and Florida to attend, and they wanted to take us to eat afterward.
The restaurant was mostly empty, but it took over an hour before anyone even refilled our drinks. We were ready to walk out, I got up and tracked someone down to ask for water.
Once the food finally arrived, the presentation was sloppy and the taste was average. The portion sizes were small. Not worth the wait, and certainly not worth the poor service.
They ruined our graduation lunch with our families. We won’t be back.
Edit: After they knew we were upset, they included an automatic 20% tip. Laughably terrible.

This was a great lunch spot that my friend and I visited. Good Mediterranean and seafood mix.
Food:
— the black olive bread that comes out for free was amazing. so addicting with the pieces of olive in it… yum and the olive oil for dipping isn’t just regular but has sesame seeds, dried oregano, black pepper for extra good flavor!
— lamb kleftico: first time trying this and the waitress recommended it. it was REALLY good. it was cool how it was prepared in parchment paper. the cheese mixed with it was flavorful and overall it was great taste. try this!
— seabass: friend wanted some fish and got this and wasn’t disappointed. seasoned well and cooked well, the soft fish flesh was very tasty.
a little pricey, but it wasn’t too bad because we went for lunch.
i would recommend this place!