Restaurante “L’Olivé”is considered a classic of Catalonian cuisine for now more than 20 years. Located in the “golden square” of Eixample district, compared to the kind places we usually go, this one did create high expectations/.
We went there with a large group of food enthusiasts looking forward to try a cuisine focusing on season product and traditional recipes.
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When passing the door, the sofas, oil bottles and pattern floor makes you understand that you are in a restaurant with high standards, but never becomes pretentious.
The main room is full of light and decorated with the pots that were used to preserve the olive oil back in the time.
The service is a bit serious, but knowledgeable and respectful of your privacy while being always available for you. The staff is overall very professional and caring.
We started our journey through Catalonian cuisine with starters to share. The Cantabrian anchovies (€13.45) with virgin olive oil were tender and fresh the homemade bellota ham croquettes (€2.30 each) were well executed, crispy on the outside and as creamy as this classic should be.
The Padron peppers were fresh but we would have expected something a bit more interesting considering it is a dish that is served in most places in town. The duck terrine with sweet apple, strawberries and Moscatell was dense and the flavour intense
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Until then, we were satisfied but not surprised. That was before the mellow deboned oxtail with mashed potatoes(€17.85) arrived. The meat was truly tender and the sauce was obviously cooked with a lot of patience and attention.
Combined with mashed potatoes that were made “grandma style”, this dish really deserved to be tried, you will not be disappointed!
We overall had all a very pleasant lunch in L’Olivé, the products they use are excellent and there is a lot of precision and experience in the kitchen. We could only suggest a better pairing of the wines with the dishes, that considering the price of this restaurant, could make the experience even better.
If you are willing to try true Catalan cuisine, L’Olivé, which has been there for 35 years, is a guarantee of eating success.
Address
C/ Balmes, 47 08007 Barcelona
Contact
Tel. 934 521 990 | [email protected]
Kitchen opening hours
Lunch:
13:00 / 16:00
Dinner
20:00 / 23:30
Open every day of the year.
Nearest metro stations
Universitat (L1) or Passeig de Gracia (L1-L2)
