Reviews of Olivia’s Lunch/Dinner
Read prices, menu items, and more
Menus at Olivia's Cafe
Reviewed by Susan Kowalski Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
I'm a big fan of Disney's Old Key West resort. I was over there for the Conch Tour and decided to stay and have lunch at their full service restaurant, Olivia's. Everything in Disney has a backstory, so I researched Olivia's Cafe and thought the story was interesting: Olivia Farnsworth lived in a small cottage along Turtle Krawl, upwind of the strip. Almost daily, she would invite curious passersby who smelled her cooking to come on in and pull up a chair. People loved her vibrant flavors and earthy personality, and, before long, she found herself setting more tables. Eventually, Olivia opened the doors to her eponymous cafe, which has been a haven for locals and a must-visit for out-of-towners ever since.
The restaurant decor is very appealing - light and airy, just like I would expect in Key West. It was chilly the day I was there so I opted to sit inside, but they do have a very nice patio as well.
There was no wait to be seated and my server came to the table right away. After taking my drink order she left me to peruse menu which had a wide variety options, but a bit pricier than I expected. I decided on the Southernmost Buttermilk Chicken ($19) which comes with Mashed Potatoes, Southern Gravy and Seasonal Vegetable and boy, was it was delicious!! The portion size was just right - I was full without being overstuffed.
If you are planning to eat at a full service restaurant on property, I would recommend Olivia's Cafe.
Pros:
Good food with both indoor and outdoor seatingCons:
None that I can think of 🙂Reviewed by bethocindigo Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
The conch chowder was more like their 'Baked Potato' soup. Huge chunks of potato and the conch had been ground up into teeny pieces smaller than ground hamburger. How the heck is a person supposed to taste it I'd like to know.
Well, my husband LOVED his prime rib which was perfect and the Lamb was even more delicious than Pot Roast. I had the Crab Cakes which were absolutely excellent with large chunks of white crabmeat.
Our desserts tasted absolutely delicious. My husband had the flour-less chocolate torte and our son had the bread pudding.
Everything was great but we would've liked better options for our son to eat because he's in that in-between age of older than 9 but not wanting to order from the kids menu.
Fabulous service and a great entree' selection. If we ever decide to stay here again, we would definitely choose to eat at O'livia's.
Pros:
delicious entrees'Cons:
nothing for a child over 9 to order on the menuReviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 12/14/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
We always make Olivia's a place for breakfast and dinner. Out first night we planned on dinner. I ordered a medium prime rib at a cost of over $30. They plate and served a bloody, grizzled piece of meat lesser restaurants would not serve. When the waitress returned she was also surprised at the poor quality. That steak went back immediately. I ordered the tomato salad that was great but not free. They offered me another steak but I declined. Over all our dinner experience was good but the raw prime rib after a poor check in experience just added to my frustration.
Pros:
Friendly and usually on pointCons:
less than 'prime' ribReviewed by NikkiBell Review Date: 07/06/2022
Rating: (7) Recommended
Great breakfasts! Lunch and dinner are fairly average. Eating inside will offer a super relaxed atmosphere. You can also order to go which is a plus.
Pros:
Kind cast members Old time Florida vibesCons:
Limited offerings for gluten free and allergy folks Can be slow service at timesReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
was good if you like the kind of food offered.I was not impressed with the offerings
Pros:
good serviceCons:
did not like the offerings but that is just me..Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/14/2021
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
We were told that the southern fried chicken was the staple dish of the restaurant, so we both decided to order it. The gravy was very bland with little to no flavor. The gravy is supposed to be salty/seasoned. We also ordered the crab cake, and for $12 we were expecting a big crab cake. This was maybe the size of a half dollar, covered with veggies. Tasty, but definitely not worth the price. Heard nothing but great things heading into Olivia’s, but was wildly underwhelmed.
Pros:
Cool atmosphere, nice staff.Cons:
Too pricey for portion size, food not great.Reviewed by jannielane Review Date: 12/13/2022
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
I had been looking forward to eating at Olivia's for over a year, based on the fond reviews posted by members of DVC. I was shocked at the exerable experience that I and my traveling companion had at the restaurant. Initially, the two of us were seated next to a very large party of very loud people; we requested to be moved, and were placed at a table in another room, which was quiet for about 15 minutes, after which another large party was seated next to us.
Then the food: The menu is tiny and the choices are mundane. I have disliked fried chicken since childhood, so that was out. Other choices were not appealing, so I ended up ordering the vegetarian coconut curry. It was inedible, not only because the taste was terrible, but also because if was full of woody asparagus and broccoli and burned tofu, in a sauce that tasted like packaged brown gravy. Our server saw that I was not eating and allowed me to exchange my meal. I ended up with a burger. I never eat burgers, but it was the least offensive item on the menu. I was also gifted a crab cake, which was touted as very good, but I found it full of filler and flabby, with an unappealing sauce. Someone really needs to re-evaluate the menu. I will never return, since this experience was so awful.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Bad food; extremely noisyReviewed by No1Dream Review Date: 09/01/2021
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Been going there at least twice a visit for over 15 yrs
Late august 21 visit was the worst Grilled chicken salad had cold dry chicken
Signature conch fritters were bland and looked like made by machine vs visit in May 21 when they had flavor and each shape was unique. Fry oil appeared old
Dinner rolls were stale and like cardboard (used to be pineapple with artisan butter up to a few years ago) Butter for rolls was horrible tasting Hamburger cooked right but roll was dry and without flavor. Fries were cooked in old oil also
Crab cake was ok
Pros:
Servers tried to make it rightCons:
What used to be good regular dining is now below standard fareReviewed by Momof4 Review Date: 01/11/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
What happened to Olivia's??? This was my absolute worst dining experience at Disney in 22 years!!! Our waitress was the worst I've ever had in Disney. She was rude the entire visit- threw straws, napkins and coasters at us. It was my husband's birthday and she didn't acknowledge it even after we reminded her at the table. She rolled her eyes! (It was on my reservation and he was wearing his birthday button.) The food was mediocre at best. The burgers were okay but the shrimp pasta was terrible and the ribs were very fatty. The desserts were all terrible and non of us really could eat them. Of course, our waitress didn't care because we were on the dining plan and she simply tacked on her 18% to our party of 11! Never, ever again will I waste my time going here!! Our positive aspect of the meal is that now we sit at our dinner table and throw things at each other and laugh about how horrible this experience was!!!
Pros:
????Cons:
Waitress, foodReviewed by resjudacat Review Date: 11/10/2017
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Olivia's was one of my favorite Disney eateries, what happened? A friend of mine and I went there for lunch yesterday. Our appetizers, conch fritters and crab cake were good, although the dips they give you for the conch fritters amounted to about a teaspoon of each! Asked more, but our server ignored our request. My friend had the Scallops, which used to be good..they changed how they prepare and serve this, and it looks like slop! She got about 6 scallops about the size of a quarter, buried in a pile of polenta, with some other things. The polenta was inedible because it was loaded with salt. I ordered the Duval Street Burger. This used to be MY favorite! It was bone dry, after I ordered it medium, the roll, was not fresh as it was awfully dry. Not even edible. This used to be an 8 oz. burger on a beautiful FRESH roll! They cut the size down, but are still charging a high price for a hamburger. This seems to be a trend in Disney restaurants. They are serving smaller portions, but still charging the same, or in many cases MORE! IF you want a great burger go to Deluxe Burger in Disney Springs. But Olivia' is no longer worth your money or time.
