Five Things To Love About Olivia Italian Restaurant In South Tampa

I went to Olivia Italian Restaurant in South Tampa for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and we had the best time. I can't wait to go back!

It's a relatively new modern Italian restaurant, and the food is spectacular! I'm obsessed with the atmosphere, and everyone who works there is on it!

If you're looking to go out for a date night or a family party or a night with your friends, this is the spot. We went on a Saturday afternoon, and it was pretty packed. I absolutely love Italian food. I've been fortunate enough to travel to Italy, and so I feel like I'm a pretty good judge of Italian food. Their food is so authentic Italian!

The wine list is incredible. They have unique hand-crafted cocktails. You will be so satisfied with your food and your experience.

The appetizers were my favorite. I could have made a meal out of them, but everything tasted too good, and I just had to keep on stuffing my face. Here is what we ordered to start: Truffle Fries with fine herbs, parmesan cheese and sea salt; Goat Cheese Sformato with tomatoes, olives, garlic and crostini; Coccoli Fritto (my personal favorite) with prosciutto, stracchino, fig jam and truffle honey; Meatballs with fontina fonduta foam, pomodoro and basil. For dessert, we actually brought in a cake from Wright's Deli, which was amazing, but I can't wait to go back to Olivia to try their desserts.

I'll tell you more about the vibe and the service as we get into the list, but let's just say that we might have overstayed our welcome (a four-hour brunch), but they were still really cool about it.

Here are some highlights from my brunch/luncheon, which happen to be my favorite things about Olivia.

Even before I made my reservation at Olivia, I would drive by and think, "That restaurant looks beautiful." And you can see in this photo the high ceilings, elegant gold decor and grand wine display.

The drink menu is amazing! You can check it out here. And here, you can see Meredith and I enjoying some tequila.

This one is kind of a joke, because it's just an opportunity to post a funny bathroom selfie. Yes, we were having a good time taking pictures in the restroom! Lol. But seriously, they left know detail unattended to anywhere in the decor, including in the bagno.

Again, time flies when you are having fun! We ate our brunch, dessert, drinks and time just ticked on and on and before we knew it, we'd been there for quite some time. I don't recommend doing that at any restaurant. I'm actually slightly embarrassed now, but the employees were cool about it. One of them said to me, "Okay, Ms. Wilder, should we make a note that when you come in you'll need a table for a straight 8 hours."