Olly

Reviews

• Jamie S.

  star star star star star 10 July 2026

  Had a great Wednesday night dinner at Olly. Loved my tequila rhubarb cocktail. The cheese ball is a great snack to start. We ordered the Wednesday night special - lasagna, a big stack of homemade noodles, beef, and plenty of cheese. Speaking of cheese, the broccoli salad is 40% cheese which means very very delicious. Ricotta gnudi was probably the favorite of the night. I finished every drop of the concentrated sauce. We were given good guidance on wine selection and were
  surprised to enjoy merlot when we usually don't.
  
  Cute corner neighborhood spot with outdoor seating and will soon be launching an attached pizza place.

• Warren W.

  star star star star_border star_border 3 July 2026

  Olly was not 'A-OK.' It was alright.
  
  I was here to sample a tasting menu. The group (it was mostly twosomes and foursomes) was informed that everything on the menu were things in regular rotation at Olly and also things that the chef felt best showcased the restaurant's style.
  
  Chris D'Ambro, the chef, came out between courses to talk about what was just served as well as general chit chat. He seems like a very enthusiastic, down to earth, 'every guy' type man who really enjoys what he does. And so he must with 2 other restaurants-Southwark and Ambra- to his name.
  
  The tasting event hostess, not associated with the restaurant and whose name I did not get (and if I had, I'd want to have forgotten it) treated the room like she was Sister Strict Nun and we were all unruly charges. When she wanted to talk, she would ring a loud chime and then comment on how 'good' or 'not good' everyone was in quickly ceasing conversation in order to hear her blab. By the end of the evening, I wanted to throw a pitcher of ice water on her and suggest she go back to the imaginary convent to do penance for her lack of social grace. Again-please note-she is not an employee of Olly.
  
  The venue is a corner location, small, bright (lots of windows) and full of plants and knick knacks. The colors are restfully neutral but the acoustics are horrible. Kalaya, also a new kid on a block not too far from Olly, is the same as far as having a space that holds unmitigated, high level noise. I shared a table with 7 other diners and by the second course, even those of us sitting right next to each other were shouting and straining to hear the person on either side. Maybe that is the new trend in small South Philly restaurants. It does not make for a relaxing dining experience.
  
  The tasting started with hush puppies filled with corn and shrimp. I found them dry with one corn kernel and nothing else (not a speck of crustacean) in the several I ate. They were served with a side of quartered lemons. The juice from the citrus was all that made them moist. They were served with aioli but not enough of it. Not at all greasy or heavy but not worth the calories, either. My fellow diner took one bite of hers and left the rest. Enough said.
  
  Following those bites came charred pole beans in a black pepper vinaigrette with pecorino cheese and basil. I just don't like beans. These needed a lot more char and a lot less pepper. The starch of the beans and the heat of the black pepper was all I could taste. The occasional bite of basil was refreshing but not enough to save the dish.
  
  The shining course of the evening was charred broccoli ceasar salad. It was supposed to have chicken in it, though there was none found in all the polite, discreet fork hunting I did as I served myself. This had a fish sauce or anchovy funk that danced well with the skillfully charred broccoli. Had I not been in company, I would have just pulled the serving platter over to my own personal space, eaten every morsel of every component, then licked the platter clean. This is something I have been mentally reconstructing so I can enjoy it again at home.
  
  The next course was Blue Bay mussels in a buttermilk broth. These missed the mark for me, too. The mussels were plump and well cooked but the broth did not taste like much more than salty water. I love buttermilk but this had none of the tang or the creaminess that makes it a special ingredient. The dish was garnished with Olly's house baguette toasts and even soaking the toasts with the broth did not satisfy my search for the lovely acidity buttermilk brings to food. I was glad I'd managed to keep the lemons from the hush puppy course as they at least added the acid I was missing but unfortunately did not save this dish.
  
  Another gripe I had was with Olly's servers. No one was given fresh plates with new courses. The tables were set with small, round plates that had a lip. Basically tasting plates. Fine for one tasting course but we were expected to try new things with the same soiled plates. A big no. My neighbor, who was a light eater, had so much barely touched food on her plate that she was having a tough time piling a new serving on top of the prior courses. She asked, then I asked for her, that a clean plate be brought out. Never happened.
  
  Lamb meatballs with cucumber and tomato baba ganoush was the last savoury course. They were so salty I left them all and concentrated solely on the excellent mix of greens and herbs they were nested in. Another miss.
  
  The meal ended with carrot cake which made me groan inwardly with disappointment when I saw it on the menu. Happily I was wrong. This proved to be light, creamy and delightful with a raisin puree on the side.  A heavy, hackneyed dessert blissfully reinvented. Yes!
  
  Would I go back? No. I wish Olly and Mr. D'Ambra well but with only 2 good-ish dishes out of the 6 that I had, as well as the awful acoustics, this was not a dinner outing I'd want to repeat.

• Jordan B.

  star star star star star 1 July 2026

  We went for a special tasting menu event. All 6 courses were amazing. Dishes had: Hush puppies, Charred Pole Beans, Broccoli Caesar Salad, Blue Bay Mussels, Lamb Meatballs, Carrot Cake.
  
  I want to bring special attention to the Charred Pole Beans and the Caeser Salad. I personally don't care for Caesar salads or pole beans, but these dishes were my favorite of the night.
  
  Service was top notch despite some hoops we asked them to jump through.
  
  Great ambiance, but keep in mind that the space can probably get a little loud. We didn't get a chance to look at their bar though, so that might be different.

• Chelsie O.

  star star star star star 29 June 2026

  My husband and I came here for our anniversary this year and it was such a fantastic experience. The place was packed by the time we got there for our reservation, but everything ran smoothly. The staff was great, drinks fantastic and the portions of food were far more than expected! We had such a lovely evening and would certainly come back.

• Evan H.

  star star star star star_border 24 June 2026

  Checked out Olly with a couple foodie friends based off recommendations from one of my GFs co-workers.
  
  The carpaccio was a great starter for the table. I went with the fried chicken and my GF went with the mushroom lasagna. Both were delicious!
  
  I would give 5 stars, but service was not up to par. Our waitress was a little slow and very disinterested in our dining experience. We sat outside, which I know can be challenging for the waiting staff, but I definitely expected a little more since this new restaurant is still trying to prove itself.
  
  Tough location to open a restaurant like this right off of busy south street, but I hope they crush it!