Olive or Twist Restaurant - Downtown Pittsburgh Reviews

Was up stairs watching a show,the place is cozy and clean,but the buffet I payed for wasn't that great,was a brunch,just breakfast items only. Not sure how I feel about it.

Great downtown Pittsburgh stop. Bartenders pour a good drink. Cozy atmosphere. Only negative was the waitresses leave rather early and once they start cleaning up, they have no time for you. Even on a busy night. We will visit again.

Fantastic Adult Grilled Cheese & Tomato Bisque. Our waiter Andrew was very nice & attentive.

For how much everyone raves about this place I thought it would be really good. Food was average at best. Fish and chips were soggy, the sauce the calamari was tossed in was cloyingly sweet, the au ju had no flavor and the drinks were okay I guess, they were just very strong. Extremely overpriced for just average stuff. I doubt I'll go back

had great time and they have a separate floor if you reserve in advance

Went for a couple drinks. Was not overly impressed. I ordered an old fashion and have to say was probably one of the worst I've had. Huge orange slice in the drink, that was a first for me. But the girls all enjoyed their martini's

Food is excellent, decent portions for the price, and the drink prices are pretty competitive for a downtown spot. We don't often come for a meal, but we are here pretty frequently for drinks and apps, and it's often where we end up as our last spot on date night. A local favorite of ours.

Some reviews were making me think twice about our reservation, but I'm glad I decided to go. The food was superb, the pricing was great for downtown, and the service was excellent. If you're looking for a good spot near Hines Hall, this restaurant won't let you down.

This may be a good bar to go to if you wear suits to work and shoes that click on pavement. Dim, suave lighting; a second floor with couches; an impressive cocktail menu. I was always tempted to go because of the witty name and its proximity to the Cultural District. I finally made it with a GroupOn in tow, and I'd say I wish I spent my money on drinks entirely instead of dinner. The cocktails were quite good - it is supposedly the best martini bar in Pittsburgh - but the food did not match the quality of the drinks. Not that it was bad. The drinks were just way better. Also, if you're a poor college student as I was, I would say find that sugar daddy or boy who really wants to impress you to take you out for drinks here.

Definitely, one of the best cocktail bar in aspects of taste. Creative and diverse cocktail portfolio of this place will satisfy your taste whatever it is.

Wonderful restaurant find! Sort of a hole in the wall, but a lovely atmosphere. Martinis are so good. I recommend Lavendar Lemon drop martini, so good! Had the poutine as an appetizer and wasn't impressed, but the braised short ribs were delicious. My group also had the blackened salmon and the scallop risotto. All were delicious and beautifully presented. Service was a bit slow at times, but overall decent and very nice. I would recommend. Great place for drinks and/or drinks and dinner before/after a show.

Very friendly atmosphere great service Stephanie was our waitress

We called 5 times and left a voicemail for a reservation. This place is run by people who simply do not care. First no one ever answers the phone. Then when you leave 5 voicemails no one ever calls you back for a reservation.

Excellent martini bar with very good food. A classy bar, restaurant. I had the delicious Mac n cheese entree.

My daughter had her reception here. Everyone loved the relaxed atmosphere. The entire staff was amazing. They made sure my daughter was their first priority. And the food equaled their service. Thank you for making her day so special.

I had the salmon which was cooked medium (I wasn't asked) and a bit cool in the middle. My daughter had the duck confit and enjoyed it thoroughly. She even ate her vegetables because they were soaked in duck fat. She and I enjoyed the chocolate torte.

Horrible experience. Sunday evening and there was zero staffing. Manager was hosting, taking orders and serving. Sat at bar and waited forever for service. Crab cakes sandwich was burnt, lobster mac n cheese was more like lobster, penne pasta and salty red sauce. Waited 35 minutes for food. Never asked how food was. Worst $60 spent.

We made reservations on Friday night before a show at the Byham Theatre. So glad we made reservations because it s not a large place and it filled up quickly. Our server was the BEST we ever had! I wish I remembered her name. She was a young woman with personality plus!! The martinis were spectacular! We each had the grilled cheese sandwich and shared appetizers. The sandwiches were sooooo good! I highly recommend Olive Or Twist!!!

Nice atmosphere, great cocktails and friendly staff.

My boyfriend and I went out for dinner here last night and received the worst service of our lives. The hostess had no record of our reservation and took an attitude with us but sat us anyway. She rushed us to order (hostess acted as server too), saying "have you decided yet, so I can get your food in already?" Despite being on happy hour, she did not apply the happy hour discount to our appetizer or our drinks. When we mentioned this, she said that the calamari was no longer part of happy hour (despite the menu saying explicitly that it was). She then took the check, took off half the price of the appetizer, and ran our card without applying the happy hour special to our drinks.

She was just awful, really. Other servers here are perfectly pleasant and we have had a nice time here before, but we will not be returning.

Amy, our bartender, was awesome and the menu is great! Definitely stopping back in.

Nice bar, excellent service. Food was much better than expected! After spending $200 next door at Butcher in the Rye on overpriced whiskey and small portions of food and then leaving hungry, I went here and glad I did! Their under $10 appetizer completely filled us BOTH up!

Make sure you have reservations, if your interested in getting a table at a normal dinner time. The food and drinks were fantastic and the atmosphere was super energetic, I plan on going back.

Casual dining. Good food and reasonable prices. Located in downtown near all the theatres, PNC Park and Heinz Field.

Great classy and sophisticated restaurant, I went here for a friends birthday party. I recommend this place because it is a exceptional place to have a party for 10 or more people; they will provide a buffet for the party. The only minus is the price unless you go for happy hour and ask about their specials.

Excellent food. Great atmosphere. Very friendly staff and service.

The bar stools are not meant for short people. Food has varied in quality. Good service.

Momma-Mosa drag brunch was the most fun I've had in a long time. One of the best spots in PGH. And Caityln is the best bartender ever.

Was recently in Pittsburgh for a couple of nights and decided to try based on some of the positive reviews. Cool atmosphere, great helpful, friendly bartenders. Enjoyed the cocktails very much. Food, however was quite disappointing, especially considering the price. I had the crab cakes...the crab cakes themselves weren't terrible, but pretty dry. This was a big issue since it came with no sauce of any kind...was expecting a dressing, aioli...something. Veggies on the side were pretty much flavorless. At $20+ for the dish we were disappointed to not even finish them. My husbands salmon on a caesar was OK...nothing we would order a second time though. Hopefully the food prep will improve. Will definitely stop back in for a cocktail the next time we are in town!

It wasn t a bad experience but it wasn t anything that I would brag or recommend. After reading all the reviews we still decided to go before our broadway show. I made reservations & they got us right in! Food service was any normal wait time so no complaint however food & menu weren t anything special, just very eh. Drinks were okay again nothing special even for the price. But I guess it s pittsburgh you would expect that. After we got our food we weren t able to get the servers attention again because he was very busy, I imagine he was the only waiter which sucked because he was really trying. Overall, I would say mediocre at best. Nothing to bad nothing great

This place makes very good but not amazing cocktails. It's extremely roomy and comfortable when the upstairs is open. It can be crowded when the upstairs is closed. I've only had a couple appetizers off of their menu but they were solid and enjoyable. They have an intimate live music setting some nights. I'd recommend a late evening drink with a date on those nights.

Great place for drinks before the shows at the Benedum which is nearby

Excellent food! Try the Brussels sprouts! Food portions and drinks were priced well and service was great.

Great place for a cocktail and dinner or just a cocktail to kick the night off. Live music is worth a visit as well.

I just went to Oliver Or Twist for the first time. Great Place. Nice comfortable atmosphere. Our meals and dessert were very good. The staff was attentive and pleasant, even though the place completely filled. If you haven't been there, give it a try.

Seriously, the worst. This place used to be a place that I loved going to for happy hour. After tonight - I'll never be back again. I tried talking with the general manager about an issue I was having with accommodations and he was completely irrational, so rude and he was raising his voice at me. I planned on having a party of about ten people and they were only able to seat eight of us and I was assured that there wouldn't be an issue with any other people that might arrive if they wanted to stand near the table so that we could all enjoy one another's company. Instead - I was told that my extra party members (three people) had to stand away from us at the bar and not in the dining area. I've never heard of something like this and it was completely inconsiderate. I just wanted to come here to celebrate a promotion that I got at work and instead I was completely embarrassed in front of my friends/colleagues.

This has always been a go-to for me because the well known financial institution that I work for would consistently host holiday parties in the upstairs lounge and it was always an enjoyable experience. I'm not sure what has gone wrong or what has changed but it's certainly not the same. I do not recommend spending your hard earned money at this place because they don't care about your business. So much so that when I said I would take my business elsewhere I was welcomed to do so without any hesitation or an attempt to retain my business.

I wouldn't know how their food was because i sat for 15 minutes before a waitress even acknowledged our existence as patrons of the establishment. We left.

Had the worst experience ever at the bar upstairs, waitress came over asked what we wanted, we had np clue what they had so I asked if they had Angry Orchard bottleshe turned around looked at the DRAFT and said no . .then I asked for drink menu, she came back ordered a draft as I looked over drink menu, then boom Angry Orchard was on the bottled list . .asked again and pointed yo it on the menu under the bottles, once again she said we are out (out on a friday night at7??). She dropped off check with out us asking for it, we ordered another round, I went up to the bar which was busy or we would of sat there and asked bartender about Angry Orchard and boom they had it. We paid check, I nicely informed waitress that they do have it and left. Never will go back.

Great place to grab a martini and the food is always top notch.