Osteria Oliva Nera

Unbelievable food and unbelievable service. The home made lasagna was excellent– maybe the best I have ever had, and my spouses gnocchi was perfectly cooked with a delicious fish and artichoke sauce. Dessert was superb and we had the best limoncello ever (homemade). And the service was even better. They made sure we never lacked for anything without being annoying. We only regret we did not have time to eat there again. Hard to find (you will get lost in Venice) but well worth the effort.

Very charming space. Very classy and kind staff. They accommodated me as a walk-​in, which I appreciated. Love the dessert menu being drawn out and the surprises in the end.
I loved the black pasta dish to start. Delicious! And the olives. And the wine.
I didn’t love the seafood fry — it was too much — heavy, greasy, etc. Everything else looked good.
I felt a little (a lot) strange as a single person here. But that’s on me!

Don’t was time on the pasta (although the lasagna was pretty darn amazing), focus on the mains — life changing lamb chops (I am not sure I will ever again have lamb this fantastic), a veal chop the size of your head, and the swordfish (my sister thinks it was the best she has ever had). Restaurant is owned by Venetian lady (who speaks french, german, and english), and is pricey.

This are my friends in Venice and I’m getting ready to spend some times there and visiting Italy again. Oliva Nera a great place to eat.
Great place, beautiful country, lovely people and superb culture.

My husband and I visited in July of 2015 and were sat away from the restaurant in a small piazza of sorts. It was actually rather pleasant and the servers never forgot about us. The food was very good. My husband had the fish of the day and ate every bite. I ordered the lasagna which was very yummy, but different from what I’m used to in the states. It was very soft, the noodles not al dente. Nothing wrong with that though, it was still extremely tasty, just a heads up if mushy isn’t your thing. The servers were very pleasant and entertaining, the house wine was very good and pricing was moderate. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant for a hefty dinner.

1^st time in Venice and could not have found a better place to have dinner. Lovely staff. Amazing food. All around great restaurant. Try the lasagna or the zucchini blossoms. Wonderful

We just loved it! Beautiful patio and great experience.

What a great restaurant & service! Went here for my moms birthday & they took such good care of us & made my mom feel so special. Food was fantastic! Get the zucchini blossoms!!!

One of the best in Venice. You will not regret a meal here. One of my top choices when in Venice. The private label wine is wonderful and worth every penny. Lasagna is out of this world good as are the lamb chops. A perfect dinner experience.

Visiting Venice and loved this restaurant enough to do something we never do while traveling abroad, return to the same establishment two nights in a row for dinner. A bit pricy but with it.
Polite, precise, accommodating and great food. The first night we had the home made meat lasagne, the spaghetti with bottarga (not to be missed even if you ask for just a half portion) the local collection of fish (shrimp scollops anchovies lobster) fried in a very thin batter, two salads, fresh berries with ice cream and the warm chocolate fudge cake with ice cream, both worth the calories. Tonight lamb chops, the Bigoli with in salsa (anchovy paste) the turbot fillet. Everything was just as it should be with a bit more anchovy in the Bigoli than I expected. For desert the cream brûlée which competes with Commanders Palace in New Orleans (our absolute favorite). Nice wine selection and good advice.
I might not travel across all of Venice for dinner but we felt really lucky to be this side of San Marco and to find this spot.
P.S the overflow site across the side ally from the main location offers a quite relaxed setting without the hubbub of the main room.

Everything was delicious — Lasagna was out of this world — grilled sea bass amazing. Isabella and her daughter were wonderful hosts. Recommend highly.

The tasty of food is normal, far below my expectation regarding the rates in Unilocal and their price level. A normal pasta cost 20 euro and fish dish go to 30 euro is higher than the normal price level of other restaurant in Venice, but the taste is even not so good as others. The service is good!

I will definitely NOT recommend this restaurant. It is our last choice as the Osteria alle testiere and osteria alla staffa are both fully booked. This restaurant opens at 19:00 and when we arrived at 19:30, seems we were the earliest table. We ordered the sea baars，cutterfish and spegetti. I would say the taste is less than average, and not worth 29 euro per dish. They also charge cover fee 4 euro per person. The total meal costs us 90 euro, for that price (even in Amsterdam) we expect much higher quality of food. It is our first meal in Venice, and i assume that the two restaurants we missed are much better and that’s why they were fully booked. I gave 2 stars for the food and price, 1 more star for the nice service.

What a wonderful experience! The restaurant and staff ooze personality and charm, delicious food, great wine selection — this was our favourite dinner during our time in Venice. I recommend getting a reservation as the restaurant is small.

Wonderful place to eat with excellent food and friendly and attentive service. Everyone in our party raved about the food. The lasagna was outstanding as were the fried zucchini blossoms, calf’s liver, and lamb chops. They also served a seasonal mushroom soup that was terrific. The owner has a great personality and was very helpful in explaining her dishes.

Mit hohen Erwartungen reserviert und schließlich auch sehr zufriedenstellend erlebt. Wie meistens in dieser Stadt stellt sich nach dem Genuss
nochmal die Frage «Wäre es nicht auch ein bisschen günstiger gegangen?» Ich denke schon, aber offensichtlich geht’s ja wohl nicht preiswerter … Liegt vielleicht an den Mieten hier, den Lebenshaltungskosten für Einheimische …
Jedenfalls war der Wein — Weißburgunder aus Südtirol — sehr gut. Lasagne, Pasta, Gemüse — alles richtig spitze. Dann der Nachtisch: die Tochter der Chefin malt am Tisch die Auswahl auf. Tolle Idee, aber richtig umwerfend sind die Deserts dann, wenn sie auf dem Tisch stehen. Es hat uns alles gut geschmeckt, aber bei den Deserts haben wir nachgeordert.
Letztlich: es war alles 1A, trotzdem ein bisschen zu hochpreisig.
Es wird vor allem Englisch gesprochen hier. Die Chefin kann die Speisekarte aber auch in Deutsch erklären — weitestgehend.
Die Oliven vorab — und ja auch namensgebend — sind super!

With so many choices in Venice it was hard to decide where to dine on our last evening, but after reading the reviews about Osteria Oliva Nera I had a good feeling about this place. I knew from the moment we arrived that we had chosen the right place. We were greeted and seated promptly. I can’t say enough about the service. We were treated very special. Almost all of the reviews bragged about the fried zucchini flowers, the lasagna, and the Tiramisu. I knew I was was going to try all of them. We started with a bottle of Valpolicella which was excellent. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the fried zucchini flowers because I don’t usually care for fried foods, however the coating was so light and crispy and the flavor of the zucchini seemed to burst in your mouth making this an excellent choice. The lasagna was the best I have ever had. It melted in your mouth (literally). When it came to dessert we were told of 8 different choices. We chose the Tiramasu and the Panna with raspberry sauce and shared a glass of dessert wine recommended by our wait staff. Needless to say, this would be a place I would highly recommend. I would suggest a reservation to be sure to get a table.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: Schedule your vacation around getting a reservation here for superb food, excellent wine and exquisite service by Isabella!
We were wondering around looking and planning our next meal and walked passed Osteria Oliva Nera and planned to have lunch the next day. Luckily hubby was smart and immediately got a reservation,
We were greeted by Isabella with her charming personality and I knew that this would be a wonderful and memorable lunch.
I noticed that there was a lei in a frame on the wall and had to ask Isabella where she received it. The lei is from Hawaii during a visit she made with her family. The «Aloha spirit» is alive in Venice!
We were given a bowl of a beautiful assortment of olives.
We decided to have Isabella select our wines by the glass.
A bottle of Osteria Oliva Nera extra virgin olive oil was brought to the table and displayed on a stand. Fantastic taste very light and pure.
* Started with a nice glass of Chardonnay which was wonderful.
This is what we ate:
*. Linguine and anchovies — a subtle taste of anchovies and pasta.
*. Squash blossoms stuffed, battered and fried to perfection. A tempura batter that is light, airy and crisp.
*. John Dory fish was excellently prepared delicate and moist with flavor. Served with a tomato sauce and vegetables.
*. Lasagne with aged cheddar cheese. The lasagne is heavenly rich with flavor topped with the aged cheddar cheese which adds another level of deliciousness. It is the best lasagne I’ve ever ate!
Isabella is a woman of many talents — she will creatively draw on a piece of paper your dessert options.
I choose the tiramisu and it was so divine! Light as a cloud and creamy served with a yummy heart shaped cookie and the entire plate dusted with powdered sugar. What a great touch. I had a glass of pink bubbly which paired well with the tiramisu.
*. Fresh assortment of berries in sauce with a cookie and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
We had such a wonderful time on our last day in Venice! Aloha & Mahalo nui loa to Isabella! See you in Hawaii!

Our first night in Venice and I’m not sure we need to eat anywhere else after tonight’s meal. Small, nicely intimate and cozy. The waitstaff spoke English well and were extremely pleasant. My husband and I both enjoyed the lasagna. It was like no other we have had before. Piping hot, with a little brown crust on the top and smooth and creamy in the inside. We had the tiramisu for dessert, it was heavenly. Perfect meal. They do take credit cards and they do charge a cover charge.

We found this restaurant based on a recommendation from a local merchant. What a treat. This is a family establishment with Isabella, her husband, and daughter all playing a wonderful part of our excellent meal and evening. The food was exceptional. I particularly liked the squid ink pasta. Whatever you do, take Isabella’s wine recommendations. She won’t let you down.

Recently had a perfect evening at this intimate family restaurant. We agree with NY Times that is best in Venice.
Best Crème Brule we ever had. Owners are quite visible and involved .
Don’ t miss it
J& P