Cafe Olivia

Love this neighborhood spot. Food and service I are great. Ask for Tim and definitely have a conversation with Giuseppe who runs the food. They are both fabulous! Only suggestion is to ask the price of specials before ordering

Phenomenal food!!! We have been here several times and its always been excellent! THE BEST calamari!!!

Celebrated my 26^th birthday there. Great food, atmosphere is a little casual and thrown together. Our table had no light over it or on it so we sat in a very dim area for the dinner. Server neglected to share that gratuity was included which in hindsight leaves a very poor taste in my mouth. Being a service professional its pretty standard to share if a gratuity has already been included, honesty goes a long way. Great food & good cocktails with less than stellar service in an akward atmosphere.

My family and I went here for my birthday and it was a great experience! The servers were very friendly and attentive, the atmosphere was great: not too dark or bright and not loud at all. I ended up getting Imperial Haddock stuffed with crabmeat in a creamy dill sauce. Phenomenal. Can’t wait to go here again! Definitely recommended!

Don’t let its looks deceive you — this place was great! The best part was that all of their pastas are homemade (with the exception of the penne). The server was incredibly helpful and attentive, and I even heard him tell another customer that they could whip up a particular sauce for them if the chef had some tarragon in the back (good sign if the waiter knows his cooking). He started us off with homemade focaccia, which was warm and delicious. It was served with a mild black olive tapenade — something I’ve not seen done in NEPA and it was a pleasant addition to your standard bread and butter fare.
I had a vegetable special (asparagus and carrots) that came with a potato croquete — mashed potatoes covered in a fried panko crust. The veggies were perfectly cooked, but my croquete was cold in the middle, which is why I subtracted a star. I was hungry enough to keep eating it, though. For my entrée I had the house ravioli with béchamel sauce; it was rich and decadent. I enjoyed it. Our table then shared homemade tiramisu (all of their desserts are homemade as well!) and it was amazing. I recently had a TERRIBLE tiramisu at Pasquale’s in Hanover (it was literally dripping with too much espresso and tasted like wet mush) so I was hesitant to have tiramisu again even though I usually love it. Well, it was perfect. Creamy, light, amazing.
I will definitely be back to this place, particularly because I want to try more off the amazing menu. If you need one good reason to come here, it is one word: HOMEMADE.

Café Olivia is truly a hidden gem in the Pittston area. The unassuming exterior and dilapidated awnings are not indicators of the quality of food or service found inside.
We entered in the bar area which has a large horseshoe bar with a few small bar tables at one side. It is dimly lit with an ATM and video poker machine against the far wall. Having never been here before, we questioned if this was the same place that had been recommended to me by several of my coworkers. We took a seat at the bar to wait for the rest of our party to arrive and the bartender was very attentive and quickly took our drink orders. The Blue Moon was served with a slice of blood orange instead which was a pretty cool touch. After the last member of our party arrived, we were a little confused how to get a table in the dining room so we walked in and the server was waiting for us and seated us promptly. The dining room was also very dimly lit but it was just the right level for an intimate dinner. There was a table set near the entrance with various liquors, wines and beers. We weren’t entirely sure what the point of it was and the comment was made that, «It looks like there was a party and nobody cleaned up after». The server poured water for all of us and dropped off the menus. He then gave us the specials from memory and seemed truly passionate about the food. It was refreshing to see a server who actually enjoyed his job and was able to get us excited about the food. A+ for service in my book.
On to the food! We ordered so much delicious food that I can’t remember the entire description of everything, but I’ll try my best.
As an appetizer we ordered the squash ravioli filled with chef’s cheese and topped with a butter based sauce and lump crab meat. It was incredible. The ravioli were made in house and the sweetness of the squash and subtle bite of the cheese contrasted well and the amount of genuine, unadulterated lump crab meat on top left me speechless. Another member of the party ordered the scallops with gnocchi and spinach. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the homemade gnocchi were tender and full of flavor. Our server also brought us a loaf of focaccia bread to share with an olive tapenade and butter. The olive flavor was surprisingly light and subtle in the tapenade which was a nice change from simple olive oil or butter.
For the main course, I ordered the «Veal della Roma» which was veal in a sauce of jumbo lump crab, fresh tomato, baby spinach and artichoke hearts, presented over fresh herb risotto. The veal was slightly overcooked but the sauce and risotto were impressive. An abundance of lump crab and artichoke hearts really put the dish into another level in my mind. The panko crusted chicken breast was ordered by two people in our party. It was panko crusted chicken with prosciutto, baby spinach, roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella over angel hair pasta. A little heavy for my taste but not a bad choice. The cheese ravioli also made an appearance on our table which were served in a tomato bechamel sauce. Homemade and fantastic. (I have no idea why, but their menu didn’t mention that ALL of their pasta except the penne is made in house which is a great selling point for pasta.)
We all split a dessert of homemade Tiramisu. It was just enough for all five of us to have a taste and a little more. A nice finishing touch to a tremendous dinner.
To summarize, don’t be fooled by the outward appearance of the building. It is a true fine dining restaurant with incredible food and great service. I will definitely go to Café Olivia again in the future and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Formerly known as Café Olivia, the now Junior’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill didn’t underwhelm me in the slightest. The food was memorable considering each individual entrée could have easily fed two (they definitely overdo their portion sizes) with distinct flavors and recipes that were clearly crafted by an inventive chef.
But since I’m the first to review, let’s start from the beginning.
I was early to meet my party so I sat at the bar and ordered a Crown ginger. The bartender took such a simple drink and crafted it into something worth noting. He portioned the alcohol to mixer and I remember thinking how delicious it tasted being made properly instead of being drowned by too much ice or not enough liquor.
When the rest of my group arrived, we went back inside the dining room which could have lived up to my expectations more. I don’t blame Café Olivia’s as much as I do the general Nepa area. (Never have I walked into an establishment in the valley and was shocked/​impressed by the interior, so I can’t discredit C.O. because they didn’t fail entirely on their own.) The setup isn’t terrible, but it could definitely use a makeover so that the 4-​star food seems like 5-​star given the overall experience.
The restaurant doesn’t have a menu available online yet, so here is my version of what I ate:
Steak Speidini on a bed of sauteed spinach with a balsamic drizzle and a side of melted Gorgonzola cheese — save the rest to dip your bread in. So savory. Since an appetizer like this is far from being mellow and light, I decided to try the chef’s special for my entrée. Seared orange ruffie topped with lump crab meat served with roasted red pepper infused mashed potatoes and fresh, nutty asparagus on the side. The red pepper potatoes would have been better served in a more traditional manner with a buttery consistency, chives and garlic, and the ruffie had a lobstery-​texture to it but fell short because it was dredged in a breading that didn’t make sense with the pan-​seared preparation.
My brother had the pork chop served medium rare on a bed of roasted potatoes and sauteed peppers. Unreal. The portions were ridiculous too. Two fat pork chops that easily could have fed two people as separate entrees. But no one ever complains about portion sizes being too big… For dessert — crème brûlée and tiramisu. The crème brûlée was too eggy with a texture that reminded me of thick custard, but still indulgent enough that I polished off the entire thing.
To me, having lived in this area for almost my entire life, Café Olivia’s/Junior’s is predominately raising the bar for quality food and inventive dishes. I was surprised at the interesting combinations on the menu, many reminding me of dishes you’d see in any big-​city restaurant which really impressed me. And the food lived up to taste, so if you’re looking for a memorable dinner in this area, definitely consider stopping by here. You’ll leave satisfied guaranteed.