Olea

Went there Saturday night with a group of 6, Staff was excellent, very expensive and very small portions if thats your thing, two problems where that the waiter suggested the suckling pig and stated it was white pork, which it was not and I didn’t care for it at all. The second was it stated it takes 35 minutes cook, but are dinner came in 65 minutes after ordering. they did give us a round of drinks. Fact was I left $ 150.00 there and hungry. Maybe I ordered the wrong meal and it was the wrong night?

Came for restaurant week 2016 with some friends. We made dinner reservations and had a 3 course meal with wine pairing. This was my first visit to the restaurant and we were seated almost immediately upon arrival. I was very impressed with the décor and the overall vibe as well as the excellent waitstaff service. But the best part was the food!!! There was just enough for each course and they blended perfectly together. It was cooked to perfection! I had the lamb as the main course and the meat just fell apart with the slightest touch. So tender! The wine was paired superbly! I left feeling very satisfied and definitely want to come back for their regular menu!

Stunning Spanish cuisine in a lively atmosphere. Came here for my birthday on the recommendation of a friend — certainly one of the best restaurants in the city. Excellent food, cocktails, atmosphere, and service. Particularly recommend the scallops, the hen, and the suckling pig. The chicken liver pâté, which was part of the charcuterie, was the best I’ve ever had. Highly recommended for special occasions, or for a fancy cocktail at the bar.

They have a really, really, really great modern décor. Great place for a fancy date. Food was pretty good, too! I got some kind of meat, my friend got a pasta, and we got tiramisu for desserts. They were all very good!

Had a wonderful time during Restaurant week. The beet salad was fresh and flavorful, the lamb stew was hearty and delicious, and the desserts were divine.
Best of all was the service– very attentive. The water was always filled, and you could get as many helpings of bread as you wanted.
Because a frost had just hit New Haven, I had a clunky coat on, but it was taken and hung up right upon my entrance.
The atmosphere was modern and elegant. The tables were all filled, and very lively, but the space was constructed in a way that one could still feel cozy.
The beginning started with a potato bite complements of the chef and ended with chocolates-​delicious!

Best Spanish restaurant in New Haven. Less hip but more elegant than Barcelona. Great atmosphere, suitable for for romantic dates. For tapas you need to sit at the bar. Amazing food; seafood (shrimp, fish, calamari) and paella recommended! Awesome cocktails too! Attentive service. I went on a weekday evening and no booking was needed

The best authentic Spanish food creates and presented by chef Romero in such delicate beautiful art form! I enjoyed the food with all my senses, starting with fresh kiwi juice (they have an unique line of beer and cocktail, too!) to appetizers (octopus, light and delicate tortilla, croquet a flavor bust, shishito pepper grill, charcuterie with some unbelievable pâté!)
Entré gets even better: fresh red snapper with zesty sauce, fideua with perfectly seasoned shellfish, lamb chop and steak were simply impeccable… Chef did not waste (and perfectly timed) any time in cooking and we give a big applause to selections on such fresh ingredients.
Let’s not forget the dessert (yes, of course!): if you are not a big fan of overly sweet dessert, these desserts are definitely for you! Chef Creates visually pleasing and convey flavors explosion with chocolate, coconut mousse, merengue, that makes you feel like dreaming to the end.
Seriously, if this place doesn’t tempt you and get your feet up to making reservations, what would?
Love everything about this restaurant, cheers to Chef Romero and awesome floor crews of Olea!!! Can’t wait to go back!

RESTAURANT WEEK REVIEW (and does not reflect their normal menu): We made a reservation for 2 to try their restaurant week prixe fixe lunch menu. They’re usually only open for dinner though, so take note of that when planning your trip to Olea!
THE FOOD: The three courses were the perfect amount and everything was very well executed. For the appetizer, I had the croquetas. I loved the texture of the croquettes and the sauces on the side. Main course and dessert were also on point, but nothing to rave about. A huge shoutout to the bread though. Disclaimer: I’m a huge fan of places that give free bread (calories don’t count when the food is free, am I right?), BUT OMG THIS BREAD. I could go on about it for hours because it was so good. I didn’t even miss the butter/​olive oil that most places give because it was that good. I understand that some of y’all are just thinking «it’s just bread», but you have to try it to believe it.
SERVICE: Excellent service — they called me the day before to confirm the reservation and when we got there, we were greeted and seated right away. Our waitress was attentive the entire meal.
AMBIANCE: Classy, upscale dining option in New Haven perfect for a date night. Absolutely loved it! I also noticed there was a bar area and I believe they serve tapas at the bar!
For $ 18, our lunch during restaurant week here was a steal! They have me completely sold, and I would love to come back and try their normal menu and their tapas menu!

Came for Restaurant Week 2015. My dining partner and I left feeling quite sad — and, dare I say it – bereft. This was for 2 main reasons:
1) Waiting time
We waited 35 minutes for our table to be ready. Our waitress was polite (and quite apologetic) enough to explain that there was a situation and that we could be seated at the bar or at the back of the restaurant right by the kitchen door. However, I don’t make a reservation several days in advance to sit by the kitchen. So wait we did.
2) Exceptionally mediocre food
As another reviewer put it, the food truly was mediocre at best. Prix fixe menus don’t leave me expecting a lot but I expect something halfway decent at least from one of the supposedly best restaurants in New Haven. To review:
Appetizers:
— soup with chicken and chorizo — this came out lukewarm and tasted like chicken noodle
— croquettas with cod fish — this also came out lukewarm and tasted like, well, a fish ball.
Mains:
–We both got the short ribs, which was flavourless and just the blandest hunk of meat I’ve eaten in a really long time.
Dessert:
— Natillas — truly not my thing. It’s a Spanish custard with cinnamon and strawberries. I enjoy cinnamon, but it was as though a cinnamon bomb had gone off in my mouth.
— chocolate + coffee cake — unexceptional chocolate coffee cake drizzled with some subpar quality white chocolate syrup of sorts.
The service was not terrible. The waiters were attentive and we were given an extra serving of chocolate fudge because my friend found a toothpick in her meat (which, as it turned out and as we had suspected, came from holding the meat together and was not from someone’s mouth), but it still not did not make up for the level of mediocrity that we’d experienced.
Much like my experience, just writing this review makes me sad.

Four of us came here for New Haven restaurant week. The appetizers and main dishes were delicious, the desserts were okay nothing to go crazy over. We ended the night saying we would like come back and try the regular menu sometime. We will for sure be coming back !

I feel like this place can compete with some of the restaurants in New York City. Service and food quality top notch. We went on a Tuesday, early evening, so the restaurant was a bit quiet. Everything that we ordered was perfection, including the apple tart for dessert. I can’t wait to go back!

High expectations walking in, but should have known better right from the start.
We walked in and waited awkwardly for a few minutes before anybody came over to acknowledge and seat us. We had an 830 reservation, and the restaurant wasnt exactly super busy. Maybe the hostess called out? Who knows. It started our experience off poorly.
Came mostly for the suckling pig, which we have had in Greece and only a couple other restaurants before. It came out looking beautiful… but it was SO DRY. It literally almost made me choke, and I truly wish I was exaggerating.
The duck, however, was cooked very well and was super tasty. Crsip skin, rare inside.
Other people mentioned liking the pig dish, making me think maybe it is just really inconsistent? For this reason, I probably wouldnt come back or recommend it to friends with so many other good, nearby options.

Phenomenal service, delicious food, and great wine recommendations. The staff (and owner Juan Carlos) were so attentive — the level of service you don’t get at many restaurants. A truly lovely night out celebrating.
We had the ceviche (very good), the fideua (delicious), sea bass (amazing) and quail (so good). Tried 3 desserts and all were great. Definitely recommend for a special night out.

So this is basically Ibiza with new décor and a different name. With that being said, we had an amazing meal at Olea and were pleased with the staff. The food was top notch and they still offer the little «samplers» between courses. My husband and I went for our fifth Anniversary and we had a nice private table and they acknowledged us with a dessert as well.
We started with the Ox Tail Croquettes and Ceviche — both were amazingly delicious. Our entrees were the Duck and Quail — also so delicious. The menu looked so great and anything we ordered would have been good.
We have now been here more than a handful of times, Ibiza was my husbands favorite restaurant overall and it has lived up to that again this time.

10 stars! I celebrated Mother’s Day here with my mom, just the two of us. She had the prix fixed and I went a la carte. I nibbled on her chorizo app while enjoying mouth watering oxtail mushroom croquettes. And vice versa.
Her suckling pig was melt in your mouth good. I had the sea bass. The freshest sea food I’ve had in a long time. I could not say enough about the perfect fingerling potatoes. Everything brought together with a light sauce.
Beautiful ambiance, kind patient staff and warm lighting. Dessert with a decaf of course. Rice pudding was a winner as well as the hazel-​chocolate concoction I can’t pronounce.
Simply perfect meal on a perfect day.

I’ve been to Olea a handful of times since it’s opened and always had an amazing experience.
Each time I’ve dined, the food has been as expertly crafted and prepared by Chef Manolo with an attention to detail that borders on obsessive.
My favorite dish was the cochinillo, or suckling pig. The outside was a little bit crispy, like the skin from a pig that’s been roasting in a pit all day, and was bursting with flavor. The inside was succulent and juicy, and one of the best pieces of meat I’ve ever had. The texture was perfect — it came apart with barely a touch of a fork, but held together on the trip to my mouth.
Accompanied by a unpronouncably delicious potato and a handful of spices and herbs, I’d recommend this dish to anyone that likes food.
The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting, the staff is courteous and mindful, and the bar is stocked with equal parts experienced bartenders and fine wines, liquors, and beer.
I know it seems obvious based on this review, but you should go to Olea the next time you’re in New Haven.

Quality.
That’s what really matters. You can dress it up. You can have it served by the absolutely best waiters in the world. You can put up fine décor and have the best ambient lighting. Your menu can be creative. You can charge a ton or a tiny amount.
But at the end of the day, what matters is the quality of the food you produce. The care that goes into the recipes.
Having finally gone to Olea during Restaurant Week, I have to say: this is some goddamned good food.
Is it startlingly similar to Ibiza? Of course it is. Ibiza never should’ve been shut down. Ibiza was a great restaurant.
I don’t know what anybody else ordered, but I found the food anything but bland.
I started with the alubias de tolosa, which was a nice little soup with red kidney beans, chorizo sausage, pork, and piparra peppers. It was delicious. My date had the ensalada de gamba, which I found slightly less great, but still overall very good.
Next up were the entrees. I had the trout (skin on!). It was excellent. And man oh man the potatoes with it? Succulent. My date had the fried duck (or whatever those fancy pants call it). It was delicious. Perfectly cooked and so flavorful. The cabbage purée was actually much better than I anticipated.
Finally, the dessert: I had the bavaroise de queso, which was delicious, but my girlfriend had the cremoso de chocolate, which was seriously the best thing ever. She literally said it was the best chocolate thing she’d ever had.
That’s how you know a place is good. When you start racking your brain and can’t come up with a single time any other chocolate was better.
The service was excellent Attentive without being oppressive. They even refilled our wine as we dilly-​dallied on one of the courses.
The only bummer was that I had to ask for the check. Not sure if that’s just a sort of Spanish cultural thing, where they’re happy to let you relax and enjoy yourself after the meal. But even so, maybe offer me another drink? Or coffee? Or something?
Weird.
When we first got there, the crowd noise was also pretty impressive. Not sure why, but it was pretty cacophonous. But it died down as the evening wore on.
But overall, a great experience and something I’d recommend to anybody. It’s not perfect, but the food is tremendous. It’s a bit expensive, but I have to say that I was really impressed and will definitely be back.
Especially if someone else is paying.

We came here for a business lunch with a group of people during restaurant week. The food was great, and the service was fine, but really it was the situation at the time of paying our bill that left a very bad taste in our mouths.
First let’s go over IRS regulations that have not changed for decades but are being enforced with renewed vigor starting last year: January 2014.
The IRS (as of January 2014) defines a tip or gratuity as:
* The payment must be made free from compulsion
* The customer must have the unrestricted right to determine the amount
* The payment should not be the subject of negotiation or dictated by employer policy
* Generally, the customer has the right to determine who receives the payment
Anything that is compulsory must be labeled a «service charge» have taxes paid on it, but it is not gratuity. Granted, many menus especially outside of large, metropolitan areas still say «a 20% gratuity will be assessed for parties of N or more,» but generally I assume they are outdated since they are, in fact, illegal and punishable by law.
It did say this on our menus, but when the waitress brought out our bill at the end of the meal, it had «suggested tip» amounts of 15%, 18%, and 20%. We settled the bill among our table and one person put down a credit card for the whole table.
The waitress brings back the bill, and she says «just FYI the tip is included.» So what happened was that she had made a mistake by printing us a bill with «suggested» gratuity amounts and was supposed to charge us a service fee based on the number of our party. She realized this after she took my credit card and then SWIPED MY CARD FOR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AMOUNT from the bill. This is unbelievable.
I pointed this out to her and she said «oh sorry that was my mistake» several times but each time just stared blankly at me, not expecting to do anything to rectify the situation. Finally, she said «I can void this charge if you want and charge your card the previous bill.» We thought this was a great idea and gave her back the bill.
As we are waiting, we discuss at our table how she had been a nice and honest server and that we would still tip her 20% gratuity. Suddenly, the owner of the restaurant comes to our table, literally YELLING AND SCREAMING at us. These exchanges include:
«CAN YOU EVEN READ??? IT SAYS 20% GRATUITY WILL BE INCLUDED FOR PARTIES OF 6 OR MORE!!!»
– «Yes, but automatic gratuity is illegal, it must be a service charge for you to include it.»
«WE FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LAWS ARE, AND THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC SERVICE CHARGE THAT WE HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON!!!»
– «Yes, but the menu says ‘gratuity’ which is not the same thing as a ‘service charge.’ If you charge a service charge, you must be upfront about that, especially if you send us a bill excluding the service charge and included ‘SUGGESTED TIP’ amounts.»
«OH, SO YOU ARE GOING TO PENALIZE HER FOR THIS???»
– «No, we just asked her to bring us the correct credit card receipt for the original bill she brought us. It is also illegal to swipe a credit card for an amount different from the bill.»
«SO YOU’RE SAYING THAT EVERY RESTAURANT IN NEW HAVEN IS OPERATING ILLEGALLY???»
– «If they do not distinguish between a mandatory service charge and non-​compulsory gratuity, then yes, they are not compliant with IRS law.»
Finally she relented, and we were able to pay and go back to work, but the bottom line is, we received relatively good food and service, but we neither expected nor deserved to be YELLED AND SCREAMED at when we asked for the correct bill.
Olea, we are disappointed in your behavior, so we gift you the disappointed dad face.

I don’t see how this place differs at all from the previous occupant, Ibiza, which was a stuffy, overpriced Spanish tapas restaurant. It makes sense, as the old Ibiza chef Manuel Romero decided to re-​envision the cuisine to incorporate influences beyond his native Spanish fare. Now Olea, I was expecting something new and exciting, but with the signature prints of Chef Romero. Sadly, I was disappointed that the food at Olea doesn’t reach far enough and in some ways, feels reminiscent and stale of Ibiza in its last days.
I came for restaurant week and did the wine pairing as well, although the regular menu seemed more inspired. So my dining companion ordered the veal cannelloni and the oxtail croquetas as a starter. The oxtail croquetas with wild mushrooms were quite tasty, although they could have been a touch hotter. The veal cannelloni, however, was completely bland. It was supposed to have a piquillo pepper sauce, but instead it was a tasteless, generic red-​orange sauce that only added a little moisture to the overall dry cannelloni. It was probably the most disappointing part of the meal.
For restaurant week, I ordered the trio starter: brie croquette, anchovy on toast, and a duck rillette. I have to say the oxtail croquetas were better than anything in that trio. Everything was a tasty bite, but nothing stood out. I then ordered the skate wing with squash polenta, and it was bland. The fish was technically properly cooked, but it was sadly underseasoned and didn’t stand up to the other elements of the dish, and the tomatoes didn’t seem well-​integrated. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate mousse, which was overly sweet with random toasted black sesame seeds strewn on the top. It was not good, and we didn’t finish it. It seemed to me a total throw-​away dessert.
So, to sum it up: restaurant week menu was not worth the calories, and the regular menu options weren’t that impressive either. (Sigh), if only we could actually get some exciting (actually) new restaurants in New Haven that weren’t rehashed, stuffy, and overpriced.

Nice spot for fine dining in New Haven though not quite as good as Ibiza which it replaced. The place is much more chic in décor and there are some of the same staff. Overall they were very friendly, accommodating and generous here.
Food is good. I had the cod croquettes which were traditional Spanish tapas and were excellently prepared. I also had the cochinillo (suckling pig) which I found to be okay but not great. It’s certainly elegantly prepared but I found the sauce accompanying it to be way too sweet. The meat itself is very tender and nice. A bit to unfair a place in New Haven to Spain but I’ve certainly had much better cochinillo for less money there but then again there isn’t really many places in the US that can make this.
They were really nice and gave me an amuse bouche to start and a parting dessert. Consequently I’d consider the whole experience to be good though not exactly a steal in value. I’d come back again to try out more of the menu.
It’s definitely a date place or somewhere nice you’d want your parents (or your roommate’s) to take you if they’re in town and offer!