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Dolly Olive
Seasonal Italian-Mediterranean flavors served family-style in Portland's vibrant heart.
4(5 reviews)
$$
italian
italian
breakfast-and-brunch
Enjoy a rotating menu of shareable small plates and entrees crafted from fresh, local ingredients, with dishes like mushroom ravioli and pork chop.
Indulge in unique brunch offerings such as shakshuka and short rib arancini, served in a cozy, family-style setting.
Experience communal dining with recommended 2 dishes per person, designed for sharing and exploring diverse flavors together.
Sip on expertly crafted drinks like gin martinis, complemented by a selection of wines and non-alcoholic options.
End your meal with innovative desserts like non-traditional cannoli or tiramisu, perfect for sharing.
Seasonal Italian-Mediterranean flavors served family-style in Portland's vibrant heart.
No photos available
Dolly Olive is a beloved Italian-Mediterranean restaurant in Portland, OR, offering a unique dining experience with a focus on seasonal, shareable plates. Known for its creative twists on classic dishes like mushroom ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, and shakshuka, the restaurant emphasizes fresh, locally sourced ingredients in a warm, inviting atmosphere. Perfect for brunch, dinner, or special occasions, Dolly Olive provides attentive service and a menu that changes daily to highlight the best of each season. With a 4.6-star rating from over 500 reviews, it's a top choice for food enthusiasts seeking flavorful, family-style meals.
Celebrate milestones in an intimate atmosphere with attentive service and a curated seasonal menu for memorable experiences.
Good spot for brunch. Their take on shakshuka is incredible. The sauce has a rich, deep tomato taste that I haven’t found elsewhere. My problem is that on the menu, it is not really advertised as one. The rest of the food was alright, but felt a bit too rich. More acidity would accentuate the whole dish for many items. The brunch short rib arancini definitely needs that acidic addition. Overall, I would recommend, but mainly the tomato based dishes!
The food and flavors at Dolly Olive were so unique in a good way. Items are served family style and meant to be shared with the recommendation of 2 dishes per person which seems about right. We left feeling satisfied and full but not overstuffed. We ordered everything at the same time, and the kitchen delivered the dishes at appropriate times. We were served the warm, marinated olives and Dolly Caesar Salad at the same time, and both were very delicious. The Caesar salad has some twists to the traditional Caesar that worked well and was not heavy at all. Next up were the mushroom ravioli with a lemon sauce that was divine, and raviolis that had a great balance of pasta to mushroom filling. Our 4th dish was the eggplant parmigiana, and it may be the best version of this dish we’ve ever had. We were trying to figure out how they got the flavors so deep and smoky from the cheese to the eggplant and the marinara sauce. Our last savory dish was the crispy chicken confit which was bursting with such different textures and flavors that one wouldn’t think would go together, but they do. After looking at the dessert menu, we decided to split the cannoli which was plentiful for 2 people. Similar to the salad, it wasn’t a traditional cannoli. The shell seemed more of an Asian eggroll shell, and we couldn’t figure out the underlying flavor in the chocolate filling. When we got a bit of the shell, filling, and caramel topping in one bite — oh my how good. The service was very attentive as we had a main server, but it seems the entire front of the house staff ensures efficient (but not rushed) service. Our food was delivered by 4 different people other than our main server, and we had a 4th person clean our table after our ‘mains’ and before dessert. Everyone seemed focused on ensuring we had a great experience and enjoyed every bite. Our bill came to $125 before tip which we thought was reasonable and a good value.
The portions were small and the food tasted really bad. The meal wouldn't have been worth it at any price, even if it was free. We got the Tagliatelle al Burro which consisted of 4 strands of noodles in a broken watery sauce, the Braised Short Rib Arancini which was mostly a rice ball with the minimum amount of braised rib in the center to still be technically correct, and the Broccoli Raab & Italian Sausage which was a salt bomb. The only good thing about this meal was the service. Our waitress was great and the food came out very quickly.
I took my girlfriend here for a special occasion. Let me just say, it was worth every penny spent! The food was exceptional, flavorful, robust, and deep. We ordered the pork chop on parsnip mash and a fig compote as the main entrée, broccolini, and a ferro grain salad. All of these dishes were served family style, working up to the main course. Every dish served here is all seasonal with a changing menu depending on what is in season and what is available from vendors. The menus are printed daily. The chefs are using every little bit of what they have to make these wonderful meals and the servers/bar tenders were amazing and took the time to talk with you. We left there not feeling hungry nor full but very satiated. The atmosphere is dark but inviting. It does get fairly busy so the noise level does increase a bit which may not be ideal for everyone but we didn't mind terribly. All in all I highly recommend Dolly Olive. Every once in a while fancy dinner spot for sure!
I have a new favorite restaurant in Portland. Visited based on reviews and so glad we did. They serve sharable small plates which is perfect for no leftovers. Started with a gin martini, then Dolly Focaccia which was truly addicting. Crusty, soft, a tad salty with a side of olive oil. The pic only shows half of it! Then Sweet Corn Agnolotti pasta (roasted jalapeno. mascarpone. basil butter. corn brodo), a truly understated wonderfully created dish. Someone recommended the carrots and they were not wrong. Roasted and seasoned to perfection. We opted for the Mugolio Glazed Pork Chop (peach salsa. mint. pine bud syrup) and was that a treat! The chunks of peach were marinated in such a way that it was both sweet and savory and perfectly complimented the pork chop. Finished with tiramasu and ice cream. Yummy! Many compliments to our servers Madison and Aiden. They really made the entire experience a serious treat!
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