Olenjack’s Grille

I had a couple of firsts tonight. I dig a salad with candied nuts, cranberries, a nice cheese, and a vinaigrette. The Newby salad offers all that plus some country ham and a tabasco vinaigrette that’s nothing short of addictive. The other new one on me was the goat cheese grits that came with the shrimp and grits. The dish was out of control made even better by the sausage and mustard greens. I will happily eat here again.

closed…

Olenjacks is one of my favorite restaurants in Arlington! I threw my college graduation party here in their octagon room, and it was perfect! The waitstaff was on point the entire night, the food was great, and the environment was just what we were looking for — clean, simple, and elegant. The price is a little higher than the surrounding restaurants, but the food is very good quality, and the service is terrific.

This place is a hidden jem in Arlington. I came here with my bestfriend and her family and was surprisingly shocked to find a classy place like this hidden btw a half price books. I of course got a waffle that was really good… and my 2^nd mama got the chicken and waffles. The chicken was moist and cooked very thoroughly. I will make it a point to come back for dinner. Note that dinner is way more expensive than breakfast sooo maybe not a young people date spot unless you got it like that lol. Only complaint was sitting outside will cause you to get attacked by flies. Not their fault but caution to anyone who likes eating on patios.

My girlfriends and I had a great time at Olenjack’s wine tasting last night. Sean Minor, owner of Sean Minor Wines was onsite sharing three amazing bottles, a Pinot Noir, a Vin Gris and a Cabernet. All three were unique and tasted amazing. Olenjack’s Grille now serves Sean Minor wines and I encourage everyone to visit the restaurant. Eddie, the GM was a gracious host and Sean Minor was knowledgeable and friendly as he shared his technique and passion for wine making. After the wine tasting, we had a nice, relaxing dinner. If Olenjack’s hosts more wine tastings in the future, I’ll definitely go back.

Expensive but good.
-
Older crowd here. It’s a white-​tablecoth kinda place, but it’s also in a strip mall area (like everything else in Texas).
-
I had some excellent wine and some excellent steak. I also paid like $ 160. This was for 2 people.
-
Maybe I shouldn’t eat out so often…
-
But if you are looking for something upscale, or if you’re forced to go, make sure you bring your wallet!

Went to Olen Jack’s today for an early dinner. I got the Hibiscus Martini which wasn’t very good. Told my waitress who took it back to the bartender to «fix». Still didn’t like it. My husband got the Manhattan project drink and he thought it was bad too. After dinner, hubby tried the Brandy Alexander which was badly made also. So the drinks were not good. We had the chicken fried oysters which were very good as an appetizer. My husband always orders the Shrimp & grits which is not as good as it used to be. I got the Short ribs mac n cheese. It was bland. Definitely not the food I would expect from a hundred dollar dinner. We were disappointed in the quality of the drinks and meal. I did have the Crème Brulee trio which was yummy for dessert. We will not go there again and that makes me sad. BTW, the waitress didn’t take the drink that I didn’t like off the bill. Bad form.

Great kitchen. Great staff. Very reasonable prices.
Came here after church for Bloody Marys.
We had great meal for 2, 3 BM for Only $ 22 including tax.
Knowledgeable staff, great menu, very reasonable prices.
We will be bringing family and friends.
Outdoor seating is available.

This is one of those places that I’ve probably passed a million times, but never really noticed… and if I did notice it, I probably wouldn’t go. This week, a meeting at work brought me to this restaurant which I think many people would enjoy.
It’s located on the corner of one of the many strip malls located in the Lincoln Square area so the outside looks pretty plain. Once inside, the décor is real nice. Nothing that will blow you away, but real nice… a little on the upscale side. The service was nice as well. The servers were all kind and helpful, as well as the hostess.
The menu has a nice variety of meats and fish, but there aren’t too many options for vegetarians, and definitely not for vegans. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, I would advise you not to come here.
I had Olenjack’s House Greens and a side of broccoli. The House Greens were a pretty decent size. The bowl was filled past the rim with nice green lettuce… onions, only a couple of small tomato pieces at the bottom, some red onion, and the nuts gave it a nice crunch. I loved the broccoli! It was sauteed in olive oil with a lot, I mean A LOT of garlic in it! Sooo good! I definitely had to take care of my breath once I got back to work, but it was worth it!
I’m basing my review on what I had and the atmosphere, so a lot of you may think of this place as higher than a 3, it looks like they have some good things on the menu, so definitely try it out for yourself and not solely on my review.

Be warned. The two partners with Brian pulled majority stock on him and kicked him to the curb after letting him cook the entire holiday season. They even took his name. Brian made this restaurant. SO it is not even on the radar for me any longer. I passed through every time I was in Fort Worth… no longer. How could they treat their partner this way… they don’t even know how to cook! Please let us know where Brian went.

Four stars because of attentive waitperson. If this was only about the food, grade would be 2 ½ stars.
Suggestion to owner/​managers: individual appetizer plates are very small. One fried green tomato slice is too large for it. Diner makes a mess of table top. Second comment: Update your website menus! New customers have most likely checked Olenjack’s website before coming for dinner.
LAST recommendation is to inform the customer that an order of bread pudding takes quite a long time to prepare and serve. A party of six may be on their way to an event and could be held up by one bread pudding order.
My salad with a grilled chicken breast was fresh and the chicken was moist and flavorful.
Our waitperson observed that I was not eating my soup. She asked me if I liked it. I politely said that I didn’t like it and she took it away and deducted it from my check. No doubting me, just quietly removed it .
I want to go back. Dining areas are expansive and uncrowded.

What a great atmosphere and menu. The menu specials change regularly enough to keep you interested. The food is always cooked very, very well. They are very friendly, surprisingly flexible for groups of various sizes, and so very generous in the community.
I haven’t met anyone that didn’t find something at Olenjack’s that they didn’t like. From the pulled-​pork sandwich to the bacon wrapped scallops, you just can’t go wrong!

It won’t let me give zero stars. We went tonight for my birthday. Made reservations in advance for 10 of us. We were there for 45 minutes before we got water. The service was beyond bad. We got up and found a pitcher to refill our water glasses that we waited for. No matter how good the food may be it can not compensate for the terrible experience. Many times we wondered if our waitress had just gone home. They offered to comp dessert. We just wanted out if there. They comped 2 bottles of wine and made an excuse of having a big party and were overwhelmed. I don’t care. You made your problems our problems. Will NEVER be back.

They finally got it right!
I came to try this place out last year as my husband and I were tired of always driving to Dallas to eat great food. The food was extremely salty-​inedible, frankly.
Then, a couple months ago, a friend invited me for drinks there, so I decided to give it another shot-​amazing! The drink menu is unique and would compete with the best hotspots in Dallas! We ordered appetizers that day-​steak cut calamari and shrimp olenjack (I think that is what it was called). Everything was amazing!
I went back again last night and tried the a pear mixed drink, lamb lollipops, chicken fried oysters, and the calamari again… ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS MEAL! The oysters were flavorful and, unlike most fried oysters served at restaurants, you could actually taste the oyster-​not just breading. The lamb was cooked to perfection-​soft and juicy over sweet potato polenta with amazing flavor!
I honestly can’t believe this place exists in Arlington. I will definitely be back!

We had a big group dinner here yesterday for a friend’s graduation and had a very nice time. I had a moscow mule (good flavor, but too much lime — it obscured the ginger beer so was a little disappointing since that’s particularly what I want to taste), the shrimp and grits and the hazelnut cake. My husband ordered the short rib mac and cheese.
I’m having trouble deciding whether I like the mac and cheese or the shrimp and grits better. They were both very good. The shrimp and grits might suffer a little mainly because I can’t help comparing it to the first time I ate shrimp and grits in New Orleans and fell in love with their version. This version was still very good, shrimps cooked just right, grits nice and goat cheesy, with andouille as well, though I’m not sure what kind of sauce they used — maybe some kind of wine sauce? It wasn’t very tomatoey like Í’d expect, but still very tasty. The mac and cheese was very rich, probably my only complaint is the very large slivers of jalapeño — I’d prefer the jalapeño very well mixed in or not there at all, but that’s personal preference. I would order either of these dishes again.
The hazelnut cake was also very good. The portion was a bit small for $ 7 but just right for how much food I wanted to eat.
Overall, it was a good meal and a nice choice if you want an upscale meal in Arlington. I can’t say it’s the absolute best meal we’ve had at this price point in the metroplex — that honor goes to Hattie’s in Oak Cliff, which is about the same price and phenomenal. But, there aren’t too many restaurants of this type in Arlington so it’s definitely a good choice if you want to stay close to home. If you’re not specifically looking for upscale though, I think there is plenty of food just as good and better w/​o the ambience for a lower price point in the area. I think the older I get the more I appreciate these inexpensive but delicious holes in the wall over the fancier and more pricey establishments unless the food is truly spectacular.

The chicken pasta with avocado mushroom and jalapeño in a cream sauce is quite anti-​climactic. After completely enjoying the Black and Blue Mojito to have this pasta which was predominantly bland and lacking jalapeños was very disappointing. The portion size was very good. The sauce lacked homogeneity, and was thin.
The chicken was tasteless and almost boiled. The only textual differences were the soft of the avocado, and a rare crisp of a pepper. I was quite hungry and the service was pleasant, so I didn’t send it back. I will definitely give them another chance due to the Mojito.

Stopped in for a quick dinner and left very satisfied.
I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi with crawfish polenta. it was a nice sized portion (2 filets) and priced at $ 23.
My wife had the Grilled Shrimp skewers with Asparagus and Broccoli and enjoyed that as well. The shrimp weren’t the biggest but they weren’t shrimpy (ha!)
We didn’t do deserts but saw the sample-​tray and they looked like most Hershey-​Foods/​Sysco types of deserts seen at many restaurants.
Service was fast, professional and friendly.
I would have no qualms about returning here on a whim or recommending to friends.

It was tasty. Crab cakes stood out, but the rest was decent I guess.
Service was a bit «meh»

Probably the worst chicken fried steak I’ve ever had. The batter was thick and heavy.
They try to jazz it up by saying it’s aged beef, but go to IHOP if you want a better CFS.

Lincoln Square is a slowly evolving spot in Arlington, and I’m really happy to see a restaurant there that isn’t a huge chain like the rest. I think Olenjack’s has a lot of potential, even if I didn’t really love the lunch experience I had. Perhaps I need to go in the evening when it’s a bit more lively, or sit out on their patio which looked pretty cozy. It may be a better spot for an evening of grilled steak and red wine than for a casual lunch. Sitting in a booth at lunchtime was a bit humdrum.
So, let’s talk about the food! I ordered the Bibb salad which was fresh but a bit too drenched in dressing, and the quail risotto which was rich with goat cheese, garlic, and pancetta. A little too rich, I think. I’d say the dishes I ordered were just okay, but Olenjack’s menu is ambitious and I’m excited about the possibilities; cornmeal crusted oysters, jalapeño cream soup, gourmet sandwiches, shrimp and grits… I’ll definitely come back to give it another go.