Olive Black Martini and Wine Lounge

Came in between the holidays for a cocktail or two. Ordered a Bombay Sapphire Martini — they were out of Bombay. At a martini bar. Hmmm okay.
Then changed to a Tito’s vodka martini — she also said they were out of that. Hhmm okay then. Guess I’ll go with Goose.
How do you run out of supplies albeit only a couple items that are fairly popular especially in a martini bar?
Gets popular but usually holdover for Paisanos across the street. Hit and miss on the quality. Usually it’s decent but not worth it as a destination.

Held a little holiday Hor D’oeuvre party for 20 and everything went great. Food was good, drinks were good and staff was awesome. I would definitely have another event here.

Service was great and drinks where amazing. Best I’ve had in a long time! First time going last night and definitely coming back!

Feels like I was robbed at this place. The interior is nice, and the waitstaff was also very nice, but I was charged an extra 3.50 per drink to have it on ice… overall I paid over 10.00 for Ice. Next, they upcharge 2.00 to make a martini Dirty for my wife, another 8 dollars for that. Olive in your martini. that’s an upcharge. The place nickels and dimes you for every single thing there. Next, tonight was Improv night, I didn’t see much, since I was with a group of friends in the back trying to enjoy our night, but the improv cast must have had a lot to drink, as one invited himself to join our group a few separate times and make it very well known he was over served.
I’ll return when it is closed to place a smiley face sticker on the out of business sign, I can’t see anyone going there more than once with the tabs.

I love Olive Black and find it a great place to unwind after work or to meet up with friends for any reason. Wendy and her staff will always do the best job they can to make your visit the best. Enjoy the great selection of drinks. I tend to order the dirty martini but have enjoyed plenty of others.

Where is the love?
Service at this place is descent.
The good was so disappointing it made this place feel like nothing more than a polished turd.
We ordered 4 things.
Olives and bread… would be difficult to mess that up, but they managed to accomplish this by serving crapy bread and by under toasting.
The beef scewres where rubbery and over cooked.
We ordered the pork tacos, they where out of tortillas.
And for the piece the resistance; we ordered bourbon chicken which arrived at our table presented on under cooked white rice and sans any flurrish of imagination at all. Just over cooked rubbery chicken… looked like it had been a small breast and rice… no love in presentation nor flavor. @ $ 8!
We where sooooo shocked.
As a customer I felt completely under appreciated.
As a business owner myself, I worry about a place where there is such a lack of imagination at play.

Great food and drink! Excellent tapas and fondue. Best tasting food I’ve had in a long time in this area. I believe it’s new owners since last time I was here. Latin coffee martini is out of this world, as was the Cuban pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. The sauce for the bourbon chicken was excellent but the rice was too al dente for me. Ate it anyway with the phenomenal sauce! Great, sweet service, too!

I returned to Olive Black last night, since it is under new ownership. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS! We were celebrating my sister’s birthday. Not only was she offered a free drink next time she comes back (something they do for all birthdays celebrated there) but the owner gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate. It was so nice and very generous, especially since we were such a small group!
I didn’t mention my bad review because I didn’t want any kind of special treatment, but we got it anyways. I was so impressed. The whole vibe of the place has changed (although it looks the same, so classy and fun!). We noticed it seemed busier and that there were several groups of people who spent the whole evening instead of staying for one drink. The menu looks like its been expanded as well, all the food we got was fantastic. The live music was perfect, and the drinks were delicious.
We are very pleased with the service, drinks, and food, and are planning on returning to try out more of the new menu!

We went in for a nice relaxing drink. The place was empty. We sat down and the waitress came over and told us the sofas were reserved for parties of six, but she would give our party of four «a break» and let us sit there. Very welcoming.
Obnoxious, persistent service followed. Conversations in our group were constantly interrupted by the waitress/​bartender who wanted to know did we want anything, did we want to order food, etc. Did she really think we were so unassertive that we could not raise our hands?
One of the staff members then retrieved his voice mail on speakerphone that was louder than the Sinatra music playing! Nice place, good but expense of drinks, but just dumb, dumb service that makes this a no-​go.

Drinks are great. Nice atmosphere. Food– terrible. Ordered Bourbon Chicken, could not eat it. Tasted like a Tofu paty. Zero flavor and odd texture. Never was asked how it was or why I didn’t eat it. Service was terrible also. Was only one waitress and if a table of eight ordered drinks she would wait at the bar till they were all done. Our glasses were dry for 20 minutes. No plates or silverware are given to you either, for apps. Had a Groupon for here, in which they charged the full amount and then credited the difference despite the waitress crossing out the total and writing the new amount on the check. I’d go for a drink, but eat somewhere else.

Good food and delicious drinks. A good deal with Groupon. Service was a bit slow and they forgot my water and my friend’s drink until we reminded them. We will return with another Groupon, but otherwise might not return.

Do you fancy yourself a Clark Gable-​esque type sipping a dirty martini and nibbling on a few appetizers all night in a cozy but lively atmosphere? Then go to Olive Black.
No? Go there anyway. It’s a great find way out there in the quaint little downtown of Richmond.
The décor is like the 1920’s meets the millennium: modern décor with a classic flair. Bows tie shimmering floor-​length tablecloths to the table leg, old 1920’s liquor advertisement posters placed on the walls, and modern bar and lighting create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
In the 4 times visited, I’ve pretty much tried every martini here, and I like most of them. My favorite is the Just Peachy. For dinner, I recommend these plates three to share with your companion: Trio of Spreads, Caprese salad, and Cajun Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (oh hell yeah, bacon AND blue cheese sauce). Top it off with a dessert martini.
If you don’t want to eat here, it is still great for before– or after-​dinner drinks.
I have two «complaints» about the place. First, the large TV behind the musician platform is weird. And the videos they play on it are weird too. Second, the back patio needs some more «atmosphere» like hanging plants or lanterns.. . something. It’s dismal compared to inside.
But other than that, I love the place.
4.5 stars
Last Visited: 7÷5÷2013

I have loved this place since it opened. The drinks are always soooo good. The atmosphere is very cool, and it is a wonderful place to hang with good friends and have a couple martini’s.

We visited yet again… even when crowded, the service is as quick as making eye contact!
I am definitely hooked. I highly suggest purchasing a Groupon and stopping by! (I have to warn you– you’ll enjoy the small plates, Martinis, wine and atmosphere soo much that you’ll stick around and order a few more items! We just love to slowly graze our way through the menu! Even so, we find it to be reasonably priced for the experience!)
Such indulgence and decadence can not possibly be resisted!

Just got back from dinner and drinks here tonight and I am hooked! This was such a great time, especially because we paid for some of this with a Groupon I bought in December.
The restaurant is in the little downtown area of Richmond, which looked like it would be a really nice time in the summer when you could walk around. We started with drinks, the Barbie-​tini, a peach martini, and a glass of red wine suggested by our waiter. Everyone was really impressed (I’m not a fan of martinis, nor was my mom, but we both loved ours!) and we loved all of the items on the menu. We settled with two small plates, a flatbread, and a meat dish. Our small plates were warmed pitas with three spreads– tzatiki, olive tapenade, & roasted red pepper hummus. This stole the show, the hummus was awesome and the tapenade was out of this world! We also had the signature plate with marinated olives, which was also excellent. The plates were brought to us directly from the chef, which was a nice touch. The Cajun Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin justifies the drive up to Richmond in itself. Pork medallions wrapped with bacon and a bleu cheese sauce drizzled on top… ah-​mazing. Paired with the Pissaladiere flatbread pizza, we were in heaven. Everything was delicious!
The atmosphere was really great here, not to be expected in Richmond but a really nice ambiance! I immediately texted some of my girl friends after we left to let them know that a girls night here needed to happen and soon.
Overall I really enjoyed our night here, I was very impressed with the quality of food for what we paid!

I have been to the Olive Black a few times since coming back to visit family, friends, and special occasions. Each time has been a little different from the last. First time was nice and quaint, enjoyed my Alligator and good laughs with the Bartender. Second time was just as good as the first with giving a bartender a challenge on creating a new drink. Now on my Christmas vacation and I have been their twice. Very enjoyable each time and made me feel like I was back in Cali at the little martini bar I go to there. Highly recommend the Chocolate Covered Banana and XXX martini’s. It is my home Martini bar away from home. Thanks for the laughs, good company, and delicious beverages. Always look forward to saying hello when I fly in.

This was the first and last time myself and my fiancé will ever visit this bar. Things were going great towards the beginning of the night for my friend whom was having a party at Olive Black. However, I noticed something was a bit off when we ordered a appetizer from the menu and over an hour later it still hadn’t been delivered to us. When my fiancé inquired about the delay on the food he was told that, «It was given to someone else in the mix-​up» Also, when our bill came we noted that the amount didn’t reflect 2 drinks. Also, the bill was not itemized but when we asked the waitress to please check and see if the food that had never came to us was on the bill, She replied that in fact it was; when she had originally assured us that she would take it off since we had never gotten the food.
If I could give this place a negative star, I totally would.
I find it ironic that a place that won’t give my friends their deposit back for a party that the bar claims they brought on an extra waitress for; still was unable to get the job done.
We will not be back!

i bought a living social deal for this place knowing it wasn’t located too far from a friend who i seldom see. we made plans to meet up here and i was so happily surprised.
the décor is adorable. although i’ll admit, i’m NOT a fan of the giant TV in the center after a while it does blend into the ambiance.
the martini flights were AMAZING and so beyond the cost of the living social deal. we each had the seasonal flight consisting of: white cake, mint meltaway, some kind of apple and pumpkin martini. YUM! each was better than the next. my favorite was the cake — it LITERALLY TASTED LIKE CAKE! trouble!
the staff here is friendly, inviting, informative and like-​able. i wish i lived closer as this is somewhere i would definitely hang out.
our deal also allowed us two small plates. we ordered the pretzels with cheese and my friend ordered something he thought was pepperoni and turned out to be pepperoncini (too much WHITE CAKE). the small plates were not very good — i found my cheese to be inedible, but the pretzels were amazing and therefore all was good.
i love this place and i will definitely come back if the opportunity ever rises.

Cool little place in an unsuspecting area. Very class décor, hardwood floors with some tables and couch seating as well as seating at the bar. Good drinks at good prices and they have live bands on the weekends. They also have a limited food menu although I haven’t had the chance to try any of it.
The bartenders are very friendly and are great at recommending drinks for you tastes if you don’t know what to get. Great place to start the evening meeting up with friends or you could end up staying there all night because some of those martini’s are pretty intense!

Class Class Class! What else can I say? This is one of our favorite places in the northern burbs to go for cocktails.
They have a modest food menu and a large martini menu. My favorite part about their drinks is that the can make two different size martini’s a small and a large. The nice thing about that is if you order a small, you can have a few more and they shave a few bucks off the price.
The atmosphere is very trendy and urban. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to a ‘Chicago’ bar in the area.