The 3 Olives

Closed for good

Wow, based on first impressions of the outside of the restaurant, I thought this place would be just OK. Boy, was I wrong. What a great place!
Although a little hard to find, you should make the effort because the food and service are top notch. I had the Alfredo. It was excellent. I had a nice glass of riesling to go along with it. The waiter was very helpful and recommended several wines with the meal without acting like he was better than us for having a wealth of grape knowledge.
My one complaint would be the view. There isn’t one. But, that probably doesn’t matter too much because you’ll most likely be staring at that amazing food!

Overall, the food would probably get 3.5 stars, but I am bumping it to 4 for the service.
This place is in a strip mall just off of Lawrence and Cumberland. Not my usual stomping grounds, but my grandfather was recently waked on a Sunday night at the funeral home across the street. By 8:30, when the wake had ended, my family was drained and hungry. So we decided to take my grandmother for a bite at Three Olives.
I should mention by «we,» I mean my whole family. I should also mention that by «my whole family,» I mean a crapload of people. There’s a lot of us.
When the crapload of people (aka my fam) walked in at 8:45 on a Sunday evening at the end of the New Year’s weekend, the staff could not have been nicer. They immediately pulled a bunch of tables together for us, and the manager reopened the kitchen for us and got some calamari out quickly. The much-​needed wine also came quickly and the waiters (yes, plural) kept the glasses full.
The food was hot and tasty. Under the circumstances, I don’t know if anyone particularly remembers the food, but I know we were all impressed with the great service.

I visited 3 olives based on some recommendations and I wish that I wouldn’t have! We ordered lasagna and it was way below average for an Italian restaurant. The menu is small and very overpriced. No wonder it is tucked away in a strip mall:) please choose some where else for dinner!

My favorite italian spot… kinda weird as I live in the SF Bay area. Everytime I go back to Chicago I make sure to visit 3 Olives. Consistantly great meals and service at a fair price. Highly recommend this spot. Dont let the stripmall feel fool you, it is as good as it gets.

Tucked away in the corner of a strip mall at the corner of Lawrence and Cumberland is The 3 Olives Restaurant. Hard to find but once you do– you will be surprised at the friendliness of the staff and the tasty food.
A friend had suggested it to me so I stopped in the other night. Actually– I spent a few minutes cruising up and down Lawrence as I wasn’t expecting it to be located in a strip mall where many tenants are out of business and the signage to be so discreet.
As I pushed open the door– the hostess warmly greeted me as did a table of people just past her (manager? staff?) and as I sat at the bar one of the friendliest bartenders around (Lindsay)asked me my name and what I wanted to drink.
I looked around to check the place out. While I expected «old school» Italian, what is there is more «1980 contemporary». There are olives and martini accents around from wall hangings to 3 actual stuffed plush olives behind the bar. There is also a private banquet room in the back. To me the décor was secondary to the wonderful smells wafting out of the kitchen area.
My friend arrived and since we were in a bit of a hurry to catch a show at the nearby Rosemont theater– we chose to eat at the bar.
The food was quite good and very reasonably priced. We started with the beef carpaccio which was perfectly plated. Slim slices of beef drizzled with oil and capers served with spinach. I started with the soup special of the day which was like a creamy tomato bisque with a hint of garlic. Delicious! I also had the chicken vesuvio which was an entire half of a chicken with peas and oregano served over potato wedges. And my friend went with the 8 finger cavatelli that was great (at least the small taste that he let me have) with pink sauce, peas and fresh mozzarella on the top. Too bad we weren’t heading home after as there was certainly enough for at least another meal.
Our total bill with drinks came to about $ 48 which was cheap for all the food we had. And since the mall that it is in has a lot of vacancies– there is plenty of free parking right outside the front door!
Great service, friendly people (every staff member who walked by said hello– felt like I was in a small town) and tasty food. You can’t ask for much more than that!

I’ve eaten a LOT of Italian food and this is not a place I’d go back to. The food is honestly just average. The manacoti was the best out of all the dishes I tried. I ordered simple here and got the fettuccine Alfredo. I figured you can’t screw up creamy buttery pasta but honestly sadly just didn’t impress me. I went with a large group and this is a good place to sit a large group but it’s so quiet inside that you feel awkward being louder at dinner time. That was our experience anyways. I might recommend this place for a date night. Get a booth, try it out and let me know how it goes.

If you would have told me that my new favorite Italian restaurant would be in a strip mall in Norridge, I wouldn’t have believed you. But wow, it is!
As other reviewers say, was put off slightly by the strip-​mall location. Inside ambiance is ok — «fireplace» (electric I think, but it wasn’t on/​not working), tile floor, open space that looks over to the bar and the «piano bar» area. I think there was another area further back for additional seating /​banquets, etc.
But now for the good stuff — from the great service to the olive appetizer (plus these garlic rolls that were hot and amazing) to our entrees, it was delish. I had the Arribiata sauce on raviloli and my hubby had the Volcano Risotto, which was some sort of balsamic vinegar infused risotto dish. Loved mine but his was SO delish, I kept taking bites from him! Tiramasu was in this huge bowl — plentiful portion for even 2, tho it could have used a little less whipped cream and more liqueur. But overall, excellent experience and terrific food.
Entrees typically range from $ 11 – 17, with a few higher meat options. My martini, medium sized, was $ 8. Didn’t try it, but it looked like they had a decent bottle and by-​the-​glass wine list.
Ambience is the only thing that knocks this down from 5 stars to 4. We were drawn there by a
certificate and the reviews on here. We’ll be back!

This place would get 5 stars if it weren’t for the 80s hairband playing at a louder-​than-​usual volume, and the slightly trashy (yet entertaining and knowledgeable!!) waitress. Now, this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy my fair share of Poison, but when I dine at a little Italian place, I expect something different. (Although maybe the stripmall location should have warned me.) We did, however, ask them to change the music and they were happy to do so. The food itself was outstanding and reasonably priced. My group tried a wide array of entrees and we all loved our dishes. I only tried the canoli’s for dessert, but they too were wonderful (and I’m picky about my canoli’s!!!). I definitely plan on bringing other people here; highly recommended!

I don’t know if the free appetizer of mixed olives was only offered for dinner, but I seemed to have mixed it. In any case, the service was great as our waitress was friendly and helpful. We had the clam appetizer which was delicious. I had a fish dish that was ok, and my friends seemed ok as well. It’s not the kind of place you would think exists in a strip mall, but it’s nice place to get away for a meal. The prices are reasonable and they do offer specials. The portions are good sizes as well.

Our new fave Italian restaurant. Me and the fam came here for the first time and were quite impressed. My dad loved the free appetizer of mixed olives, and my carb lovin ass devoured the bread basket. From there we ordered from all over the menu, and everyone was happy with their dishes. Although the prices are high, you definitely get what you pay for in terms of amazing service, and the quality and quantity of food. And by quantity of food, I mean enough to fill my father, so enough said.

Great food and definately a great lunch buffet. The service here is excellent and if you go on nights when a band is playing it just makes the restuarant even better. Sometimes it’s good to just go in for the entertainment in the «jazz area» which I think they call the «Martini Room», but I could be mistaken.

This should be a first choice for an mid to slightly upscale Italian restaurant. Don’t be put off by strip mall location or bar-​like exterior — itt is huge inside with a lot of seating options. Nice free appetizer of mixed olives. Gracious and solicitous service. The pasta dishes are all wonderful here as are the desserts. High prices are somewhat justified by enormous portions — if you order an appetizer as well as an entrée you will almost certainly need a doggie bag.