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Photo by Kevin A. Roberts
Eggplant caponata
Eggplant caponata topped with chopped almonds and sweet and sour sauce
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Kevin A. Roberts
Olio
Olio
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Kevin A. Roberts
Egg salad tartine
Egg salad topped with white anchovies, fresh lemon zest and chopped chives
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Kevin A. Roberts
Pan con tomate
Marinated blistered tomatoes over toasted garlic bread and fresh basil
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Kevin A. Roberts
Zucchini Carpaccio
Roasted, then marinated zucchini topped with fresh herbs and spices
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Kevin A. Roberts
Olio's patio
You may choose to love Olio because you love old buildings and old neighborhoods. Chef-owner Ben Poremba made his restaurant a savior of both, taking a 1930s-vintage gas station and turning it into an eclectic set of scenes that bear no small resemblance to the painting Nighthawks after dark. Coupled with adjoining restaurant Elaia and the charming Chouquette across the street, Olio has helped Poremba put the Botanical Heights neighborhood back on the map, transforming a previously neglected urban corner from vacant to vibrant.
You also may choose to love Olio for its worldwide adventures in wine. On any given night, by-the-glass offerings are just as likely to be made from Öküzgözü and Bogazkere grapes as from merlot or Shiraz. At one time, Olio also offered one of the best wine flights in modern memory, with glasses of fully mature Bordeaux and California cabernets, something that many wine lovers may never experience properly. (We’re hoping that flight will reappear soon.) In addition to the wine list, the beer list is curated exceptionally well, with both hard-to-find imports and aged examples of small-batch bottlings from St. Louis’ best craft breweries.
If you go simply for the food, Olio will keep your attention tightly focused, with a series of modestly sized portions, primarily of a Mediterranean bent. The “famous” egg-salad tartine is illustrative of Poremba’s approach. The open-faced sandwiches are topped with egg salad that’s so finely chopped, it takes on a custard-like consistency. For a $3 upcharge, you can add white anchovies, something we hereby nominate as the new bacon.
Cured meats star in many of the dishes here—not surprising, considering Poremba was one of the founders of Salume Beddu, the cured-meats shop and lunch counter that Forbes once proclaimed the best salami in America. Olio’s menu offers Salume Beddu specialties like the acclaimed speck, Gruyère, and preserved lemon sandwich, as well as the best from other providers, such as a finely sliced, nutty-flavored plate of Fermín jamón ibérico (cured Spanish ham from Iberian pigs). Among other notable noshables: a nut-enhanced hummus and an eggplant caponata that uses Sicilian food legend Giuseppe Coria’s 500-year-old agrodolce recipe.
Even brunch has its own adventures, such as shakshouka, a North African and Middle East-ern dish with poached eggs atop a stew of chickpeas in a cumin-laced tomato sauce. Olio pushes cocktails for breakfast, and its exotically spiced bloody Mary is bloody marvelous.
In addition to the wine list, there’s an exceptionally well-curated beer list that includes both hard-to-find imports and aged examples of small-batch bottlings by St. Louis’ best craft breweries.
When you visit, be sure to look for the fixed and in-motion art. And if the weather’s nice, don’t miss the mobile herb garden and other appointments on the charming patio.
The Bottom Line: Every detail is important—and probably has an interesting story behind it—at this distinctly European-style gathering place.
1634 Tower Grove
Botanical Heights
314-932-1088
Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat,brunch and dinner Sun
Average Main Course: Small plates average $10 each.
Reservations: Only make them for six or more.
Acoustics: It’s moderately loud at full capacity.
Chef: Ben Poremba
