Oliver's Trattoria

Very prompt and attentive service. Nicely decorated interior. I ordered the roasted salmon with citrus-black garlic The salmon was well cooked and the citrus black garlic provided helped cut through the richness of the salmon. The roasted vegetables were also well done. One small suggestion is to add a bit more salt to the roasted vegetables. Overall, I will be returning again to try their other dishes.

Oliver's Trattoria is an upscale Italian restaurant, located at the Quail Hill shopping plaza. The interior is bright, airy and reminded me of a Tuscan villa. Complimentary bread with an olive oil with diced green olives is provided. I stopped by for a weekday lunch with my brother.Polpette ($24) - This dish came with 4 beef tenderloin meatballs stuffed with taleggio cheese and served with an arrabbiata sauce and green peas. The meatballs had wonderful flavor and were so tender and juicy, although I felt this dish was pricey given the quantity. Branzino ($30) - This dish consisted of Mediterranean seabass filet roasted with cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, garlic and fingerling potatoes. The fish was light, tender and had great taste.Gelato ($16 for 2 scoops) - We opted for pistachio gelato, it was nutty, and not as creamy as I had hoped for but still not bad, just ok.Overall I felt pricing is on the high side here, especially for the appetizers and desserts. Service was painstakingly slow here and our server seemed indifferent and not friendly unfortunately. Even though we ordered immediately, the whole lunch experience took over 2 hours from the time we ordered. However I do think the food was good.

Oliver's Trattoria is an Italian restaurant ground in a little corner of an outdoor shopping center. The restaurant is actually really nice, fitted with a warm and romantic ambiance. As soon as my partner and I walked in, we were greeted by the hostess, asked if we had a reservation (we did not), and immediately seated since there were barely any customers. We got seated in a cozy corner, perfect for my partner and I's liking, and a waiters station desk was pretty close by. Service at the start was good, we were provided water and soft, warm bread with a sauce that is more for those who like the taste of olives. One thing that we were not satisfied about in terms of this bread was when we had asked for more. They provided us with more bread, yes, but it wasn't warm and the bread was pretty cold.For our appetizer, we ordered the Calamari. Although it took almost 20-25 minutes to get this first dish, it was actually really good. It was a nice assortment of fried seafood with a pretty tasty tomato sauce. Unfortunately, the appetizer was as good as it got (and I regret not taking a photo of it because it was a decent portion)!We ordered the Boscaiola Pizza and the Tonnarelli ai Crostacei Pasta. Let's start with the Pizza. It took about 30-35 minutes to get this out which is alright, but when looking at the price and size of this pizza, it was not worth it. The topping amount were too light, the bread was thin and very difficult to cut through, and the pizza was just overall so small (especially for the price). It was honestly a disappointing part of the meal. Furthermore, the pizza tasted very bitter. I'm unsure if it was the flavor we chose or if this was a mistake on the restaurants part but everything about it tasted bitter (the sauce, dough, and ingredients). I was only able to eat one slice and unfortunately needed my partner to finish the rest.Next, the Tonnarelli ai Crostacei. Now, this dish claimed to have lobster, and at a price of about $44, the dish barely had any. I did find it adorable that the pasta had a head of the lobster and the tail, while the pasta was I guess forming the body of the lobster, but there were like 8 of the smallest pieces of seafood in there. I also believe that it was overcooked because each piece was tough and also slightly bitter. The pasta itself was the only part that tasted good. This was another disappointing dish that was way overpriced for the amount that you get.One thing I'd like to add on (because it's really important to how I determine the quality of a restaurant) is that the water that they serve here is not the best. There's a tiny bit of a plastic taste to it, which immediately set me off because I expected the water to taste as good as it can get for this kind of restaurant.Overall, I think this restaurant is about a solid 2.5/5. It feels like a restaurant that you really only go to for the vibes. The total price for those 3 dishes was just over $100 which is WILD. I understand this is a more upscale restaurant, but the only thing it really had going for it was the vibes. I wish the food here was a lot more worth the price. I will most likely not be returning, but it was a nice spot to try out once.

(Restaurant responded. The host absolutely did not share the information about a private event; he was dismissive and led me to believe outdoor seating didn't exist.)What a disappointment.It's a beautiful day, heard this place might be worth a try so decided to invest my time and drive out here for outdoor dining.Upon entry I was told they have no such thing. Host honestly made me feel lowly for even asking as I politely stood there in my sun hat and sunglasses.With so many other outstanding Italian options in our community and the cold reception I received today; it's not worth coming back.

Came for a Sunday night dinner and the service was on point. they awkwardly sat us at a small table when other couples were sat at 4 seater tables. This wouldn't really be an issue except the food we ordered couldn't fit on the table...Ordered the beef tare tare with bone marrow 5/5. Highly recommend the bone marrow gives it an extra oompfStrozzapreti alla Norcina - 4/5 truffle pasta with pork sausage. The pasta had good truffle flavor, but truffle themselves didn't. It felt like they added truffle oil to get more truffle flavor.Speck e Funghi Pizza, 3/5 - i'd skip. Pizza was mid and crust was half the pizza.Linguine Vongole - 4/5 solid amount of clams and great flavor paired with the noodles. however, the clams were pretty sandy where every other bite had a crunch.tiramisu 2/5- mid and expensive.The service here is okay, we made a reservation and were seated promptly. Our first round came fairly quick w/in 5min, but then our pastas took about 10-15min to arrive.

Service here was excellent and fast. For example, we'd move our 1st finished entree plate off to the side of the table, and a man came by, grabbed it, and asked if we had another order coming. We said yes and he changed out our utensils and plate immediately. I also messed up on my order and I asked our server a few minutes later if I could make a substitution on my order and he checked in with the chef and they all made it happen.Food and drinks were all excellent and perfectly cooked. The only thing I couldn't stand was the lemon panna cotta - the lemon curd on top was waaay too sour and bitter. The berry was much better.Misc. comments:- Located in a small and spacious plaza so parking wasn't difficult; walk was short- There's an outdoor-ish seating area but (in February) they closed it off and turned on the heaters overhead so you shouldn't be too cold anywhere you sit.

Met up with a few girlfriends to catch up and kick off the new year. Made a reservation through OpenTable, which was easy, but it was pretty light for a weeknight. You might not need one, but best to be safe than sorry just in case.We were seated in a spacious booth seat and us girls decided to share a bunch of items. Started with water and their complementary bread with an olive tapenade. While we looked over the menu, our server walked us through all of their specials for the evening. A few items caught our attention, so our meal was pretty well rounded and hit all levels of the food pyramid.We got two appetizers to start things offs. Chose the Polpette ($26) - signature beef tenderloin meatballs stuffed with taleggio cheese, arrabbiata sauce and green peas. Super tender and buttery mouthfeel. The second item was a daily special for the evening, which included a saffron based risotto with burrata and seasonal vegetables. This was so flavorful and creamy and recommend giving these two items a try.For our mains, we moved forward with another two items. The Mortadella e Pistacchio ($28) intrigued us since we typically think of pistachio as a dessert or sweet item rather than savory. It was very interesting to say the least. Thin crust topped with mozzarella fior di latte, pistachio paste, mortadella, toasted pistachios and parmigiano gave us a mix of nutty, salty and maybe, smoky. It felt like it missing some acidity and the overall vibe was that it was nice to try but prob won't get again. The Agnello Scottadito ($48) was a hit tho! Lamb chops grilled with mint salmoriglio sauce, roasted potatoes and broccolini. We got our cooked to medium rare and it was perfection. Lastly, we couldn't leave without dessert - profiteroles & cheesecake with an almond biscotti crust and raspberry syrup. Some of the profiteroles were stuffed with different flavors such as custard, chocolate and maybe a rum or liquer. The liquer flavored ones were pretty strong haha. Can't go wrong with a cheesecake so a nice way to finish/end a meal. Overall, wonderful space and menu. Wouldn't mind coming back again to indulge in more items.

We recently celebrated a special December afternoon at Oliver's Trattoria in Quail Hill, and it was a fantastic experience to close out 2024 on a high note. This cozy Italian gem is perfect for a relaxed yet elevated lunch.The ambiance was warm and inviting, with a charming neighborhood vibe. The staff were attentive and friendly, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived.The food? Simply outstanding! We started with a fresh and flavorful chicken salad, perfectly balanced with crisp greens and a zesty dressing. The mortadella panini was a delightful surprise, with its perfectly toasted bread and generous, flavorful filling. The eggplant parmigiana was rich and comforting, with layers of tender eggplant and gooey cheese. The highlight of the meal was the roasted branzino--beautifully cooked with a crispy skin and tender, flaky flesh, complemented by a medley of roasted vegetables.Oliver's Trattoria is a true gem in Quail Hill, offering authentic Italian flavors and exceptional service. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a great dining experience in Irvine. We'll definitely be back!

I have enjoyed many meals at the Trattoria but only recently discovered their L'Apertivo Hour [Happy Hour]. It's a great deal and the gregarious bartender not only makes excellent drinks, he provides plenty of smiles and humor too. L'Apertivo Hour is Monday thru Thursday 3:30 to 5:30. When you go, be sure to watch the professional pasta lady behind the glass enclosure while she deftly makes the daily fresh pasta. She is fascinating to watch and you will be impressed with the many machinations necessary to create perfect pasta[s].

Service was impeccable and the food was amazing. Every waiter we saw was very attending and the ambiance was incredible. Definitely a place worth visiting.