Four Olives Cafe

My wife and two year old daughter joined six other people a the Four Olives Cafe this afternoon for a little brunch. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised by the art deco atmosphere and happy to see our reserved table waiting for us. However, that's pretty much as good as it got, other than the laughs we had making fun of the horrible service and constant blunders of the wait staff. We ordered pretty quick with a few tweaks to our selections like, "no cheese on the omelet" and "sub x for y," etc. And then the wait began. At first we were like, okay, this is a little bit longer than I'm used to, but then other people who had come in after us started getting their food. We didn't get angry, we just got more hungry so we asked the waiter for some bread. Apparently we were the first people ever to request such an extravagance because what we got was a single slice of bread cut up into six tiny pieces...for 8 1/2 to share. After waiting about 45 minutes for our food (and at this time the restaurant had pretty much cleared out except for us) we asked our waiter where our food was. His response, "It should be ready in about fifteen minutes." What?!? At least he got something right because yes, it took about fifteen minutes more to receive our food. I had the chicken club. Sounded pretty good in the description, not so much in real life. It was drenched in garlic mayo. They said, "mayo" in the menu, they did not say, "big hunks of chopped garlic mayo." My breath still stinks five hours later as I write this. The bread, a walnut bread, was dry and lifeless. My wife had the bagel sandwich..with runny whites, again, not quite the way they described it on the menu. One of our party ordered an omelet with no cheese. Can you guess what she got on top of her omelet? Our unapologetic waiter did ultimately take 20% off the bill, which meant I ended up paying the same as if he didn't. Pros: It's pretty? Cons: Everything else. more

In search of something new to satiate my midday hunger, I explored internet listings to hunt for interesting bistros around my work area. One catchy name caught my eye right away: The Four Olives Cafe, and coupled by interesting descriptions and rave user reviews, I decided to try the place. The deco design and menu gave a notable first impression; it has a serene pleasing atmosphere, with a diverse menu selection of sandwiches, pastas, meats, and beverages. Unfortunately though, my hopes were quickly dashed by the sub average service my party received. The waiter lacked zeal and even seemed uninterested, key ingredients for my order wasn?t in stock and I had to be asked to choose a replacement, and worse of all, the wait time for our meal was confoundingly long considering we were the only customers in the place. The elongated wait time was partially explained by the meal presentation: the plate seems to be designed to unnecessary detailed perfection, as if it is meant to satisfy the eye and not the palette. My meal was satisfactory and even recommendable, but it would have been better if the place concentrated more on quality service and excellent tastes over pretentious aestheticism. Good service and good food is what matters; artistic design is secondary. Pros: Ambience and location Cons: Service more

After reading a plethora of rave reviews about his hidden gem in long beach, I couldn?t resist to try this place out. Sure enough, the place was hard to find, but the warmly artsy interior made for a pleasurable lunch. The service was average. Although my meal took more than 20 minutes at lunch (12:00 pm), the waiter was attentive and polite. The meal was more of a rollercoaster ride. The food presentation pleased my eyes, garnished to perfection. I ordered the ?grilled? chicken club sandwich with pasta salad. The sandwich (again beautifully made) was chocked full of bold flavors and interesting textures; the avocado and bacon paired excellent with the crunchy texture of the walnut bread. The only complaint I have, with the meal, is the unpalatable pasta salad. I would not recommend it. The pasta salad had a HARD texture, extra andante, and it tasted terrible: bland, uninviting, and boring. If this place wants to send a message that they care about their food, they should remove this pasta salad from the menu or reinvent it. Overall, the restaurant is enjoyable but its flawed pasta salad has made me question my return. Pros: Art deco., live music at night. Cons: Long wait for food. more

This place is small and cute! Not your big overdone chain restaurant at all. The staff couldn't have been better, I felt like I had made new friends after we left. We are trying to set up dates with our friends there because everyone NEEDS to know about this treasure. I couldn't believe that there wasn't a long line waiting to get in. WE FOUND OUR NEIBORHOOD HUB and we'll be their best customers from this day on. They change the art work on the walls every month and some of it is really oustanding work! We've seen some of the best Blues in the world play, (Doug McLeod) and we couldn't believe this world famous artist would play at this little place but he loves it! This place is a 10 out of 5! Pros: Great wines, great food, great service Cons: when it's full it's a bit loud. could be a bit larger more