The Fat Olive
6/F, Silver Court Complex, 228 Xizang Nan Lu,
Luwan
near Huaihai Lu, Metro Line 8
西藏南路228号6楼
近淮海路,地铁8号线大世界站3号口
6334-3288
Open Mon-Wed and Sun 11:00am-1:00am, last order 10:30pm; Thu-Sat 11:00am-late, last order 12:30am
Price Y100-Y199 per couple
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- City Weekend says
This casual, velvet-decked wine bar from David Laris is perfect during al-fresco drinking season (aka spring and summer). If you're around Xintiandi and want to unwind with some tasty Greek finger food and an affordable glass or three of vino, check out the Fat Olive and its open air patio.
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After I read some bad reviews about THE FAT OLIVE, I was hesitant to go to this place. However I was drawn in by hearing the deal of 25rmb per glass of wine on thursday evening through a friend.
So i gathered my friends together on a thursday evening to check this place out. Because of the rain that evening the bar was quite busy inside (because the terrace was closed) but even so the manager and his staff took time to greet us very warmly upon our arrival.
As we were looking at the selection of wine we were pleasantly surprised about the variety of wines that were offered, to our surprise there was even sparkling wine in their selection.
The atmosphere was very cozy and nice, I was able to have a good conversation with my friends without the sound of music drowning out our voices. The couches were very comfortable and offered a great view of the pudong skyline.
This bar is highly recommended if you want to go out and have a nice relaxing night in shanghai or if you want to have a drink before you and your friends hit the clubs. If you are coming with a big group it is advisable to make a reservation in advance.
The food was superb and the view amazing. We sat out on the patio and froze but the staff gave us blankets. On a balmy night it would be lovely sitting out on the patio. The only complaint we have is that for a wine bar they had very limited wine. A pet hate of mine is when a restaurant does not have the wine available that is on their menu. 5 bottles of wine that we asked for from the menu were not available and the red wine was chilled. Quite absurb for a wine bar really. In saying that, the staff were amazing. It's not their fault their stocks were low - or non-existent and they tried their best to give us something to drink. I can't say that I would rush back - I love a nice sauv blanc with my food but the food was amazing and the alfresco area cozy. I do think with the limited indoors seating they could have some outdoor gas heaters available and I would actually expect more from David Laris but we still had a fun, but dry night!
Our favourite Sunday Spot - big props to Themis and the Crew who have great service , lovely food, wonderful wines and simply the BEST place to be for Summer 2010...
Cheers from the Chinatown Crew!
I like the balcony with the Shanghai neon light night view there! It is a good place to have wine with frinends after dinner. I had a really enjoyable memory there, having friends beside, wine in hand, and breeze around. By the way, cheese and ham are wonderful there!
Recent comments suggest they seem to have improved. Will go to check it out and report back here soon.
Really happy with everything we ordered. The eggplant dip for the pita and the frozen yogurt were particularly surprising in terms of how much I enjoyed them; everything else was solid if not mind-blowing. The one complaint of the night was that one of the dolmas was still frozen in the middle (staff apologized). Didn't get to fully see the views because a birthday party had reserved the entire back of the restaurant, but the glimpse I caught looked pretty good. I'd definitely be willing to head here on a date or go with friends again. Full review and pics at: http://blog.57575777.com/thediningsecretary/2010/03/06/putting-on-pounds-at-the-fat-olive/
best lunch deal in the area - delicious food and great terrace - check it out
We had a party for about 40 guests at the Fat Olive on Saturday 24th October and had a brilliant time. The manager Themis was so helpful when we were organising the event and gave us great options on food and drinks. All our guests had a fantastic time and like us were impressed by the venue, service and stunning view. We would definitely use this venue for future parties and events and also highly recommend it for drinks and dinner.
Nick (zammo),
Only those tables outside is asked to be make a reservation, and Fat Olive doesn't have as many tables inside as outsite. Therefore, when comes to bad weather, you are just not that lucky enough.I think they just presumed you know that.
Anyways, It doesn't justify their bad booking system and services, and they should at least apologize for it over phone.
Fat Olive is a good place for two or three good friends having a drink or eating dinner...
Good luck.
Eva Gao
I booked a table here for a Friday night. I booked three days in advance. Friday afternoon at 5pm they called and told me I couldn't have my table because it was raining. They didn't apologize. I asked to be moved inside and they said it was already full. So why bump me? When I called to reserve my table I didn't ask for a table outside. They didn't tell me my table was outside. I wonder how they choose which reservations to honor and which to throw in the garbage with almost no warning? Forget it, Fat Olive. This is no way to run your bookings.
This place has really had some very mixed reviews from friends and associates. It seems that nearly everyone has been there and has an opinion. I have been about a dozen times now, as it is close to my office, and although it won't blow you away it is affordable and the food is step up from the normal element fresh or wagas fare.
Really not somewhere for a date or an important dinner, but fine for lunch or a few bottles of wine with friends on the weekend.
bad experience on services & food.
waiters are rude & not friendly. menu choice is small & food taste like can food.
location good & renovation is tasteful however only 1unit leaking air conditioning for whole restaraunt making certain area not comfortable.
this is a good place to chill out with friends, have a couple of drinks, enjoy good time.everything is good nothing amazing just good.
I like the place a lot. nice vue, the service is getting better but the food is such a disapointment specially with the name behind the menu. sorry but the feta cheese salad is a shame... anyway, a great place for sunday afternoon (not brunch)
whats the deal with canned food served here???? laris' signature on it?!?!?!
Simple place & simple food, simple is good! a good place for friends hang out in relaxing air.
did someone pay for those unfair reviews about laris service? had been in FO when it first opened and then at least twice afterwards with different groups of people, the service had been consistently stellar.
oh, and from what i can tell, the restaurant is ALWAYS packed. hey, if it ain't good, then it won't be the way it is. actual performance trumps words.
The Fat Olive is my top choice as a summer drinks venue. There is a wide selection of reasonably priced wines to choose from and an appetizing tapas menu although the desserts could be more enticing. The view on the balcony of the WFC and Jin Mao Tower is awesome and the ambiance can be described as relaxed chic. I'm surprised that people have complained about the service, as I've been there numerous times and have had good experiences on every occasion. I brought my friends who were visiting from Melbourne (which is a pretty fabulous city too) and they thought it was affordable yet tres cool. The Fat Olive is one of very few bars that has pulled off the outdoor drinks concept - it's a must to at least check it out.
My friends and I went to the Fat Olive twice this week and enjoyed that a lot. First time we went there just to check the place out and to have some drinks but the very next day we booked the table and on Thursday we went for big night! We all are quite capricious, but the evening there was perfect. We all are very satisfied.
Fat Olive just gets it. In a town like Shanghai where often retaurants try to overcharge you just b/c they can, Fat Olive is refreshing. The view is quite stunning and coupled with the loung-ie deck it is my ideal place to do wine and light food with friends. The wine list is extensive and really reasonable for this city which I didn't expect for the location and high-end image of Fat Olive- glasses starting at 30RMB and bottles under 150 RMB. I call that a good deal. The food is simple and delicious and compliments the setting perfectly. Great dips, kebabs, salads and other small plates. People talk about the service being bad but I've always come here to lounge, enjoy the view and be with friends so I'm never expecting prompt or too engaging service. I suggest going there with that attitude and you won't be disappointed! And did I mention the view is spectacular?!?
I’m quite surprised that Fat Olive has gotten such bad reviews on this page. The 3 times I’ve been to FO, I’ve had nothing but a great time. I’ve always had attentive and great service, right down to when I ask for a glass of water to when I ask for blankets for the colder windier days on that rooftop.
The food is great and it’s is a nice change from the usual SH offering. Their version of a burger is great and what I would consider carb friendly (friendly enough anyways!), dips are yummy and salads are yum. The calamari was a tad too crunchy for my liking. I haven’t tried the lamb or chicken, so can’t really comment.
And boys if you are reading this take note. I went there recently on a Wednesday and the outdoor area was just filled with women! Decent ones to boot!
Lunched there yesterday on a perfect Shanghai day. Food and service was good and the white couches very comfy too! A good place to spend your hard earned RMB if looking for a venue outside and with a view.
Went there yesterday at 6pm. Just me and my friend and we were told that place was fully booked however inside aswel as outside were totally empty. Not even possible to have 1 drink .... Fat chance we go back there!
Go for the view, not the service or the food. I went with a group of 7 people, and the service was terrible. I expected more from a restaurant that has David Laris name on it. The food is overpriced, and the meat we ordered (Lamb Kebabs) was very overcooked and tough. Not edible at all, when we spoke to the waiter about it, he wasn't apologetic and didn't even take it off our bill!!! Shocking service, I won't go back.
The wait staff didn't give us the time of day. The manager was impertinent. Mr. Laris was right beside me and didn't do anything when my friend and I were waiting for his wait staff to give us a menu. Such horrible service!
awesome outdoor location, reasonable priced drinks ( thank you) and nice food. We went with a big group of 15 friends and had a wonderful time. Service was friendly and helpful. Good job Laris.....
I agree with upper 2 reviews....
A few days ago, I call out some friends for an afternoon gathering. We went to Fat Olive as we’re nearby area and my friends haven’t try this place.
I’ve been here 2 times but very short time though....We decided to have a few glasses of wine and some foods.
We all like the colour and decoration but…after I tried a glass of sparkling wine-very flat..like a normal white, our good image becoming flat too.
Anyway I asked to change to another red wine and an ill-mannered waiter changed to another red but it tasted like they open the bottle very long time ago.
Afterall, I just stayed with it and we ordered some Pita burger, Baked potatoes, Pizzini(?), Meatballs and Calamari. Burger was ok, but potatoes were wholly burnt, Meat balls looked like I made at home by mistake, Calamari was too much oily and Pizzini was so so.
The ill-mannered waiter never cleaned the table and only wanted to pick up the menu and I asked to leave it on the table, then he almost threw the menu back to the table! I didn’t want to ruin our gathering so I just kept calm. But how disappointing!!
There’s only good set up and deco without quality.
Disappointing, indeed. Everything substandard, service, food, ambiance.
Kitchen couldn't get the food going. Champagne by the glass had gone flat.
Total time needed for a simple lunch nearly 2 hours. Kitchen turned out food at random. Customers were happily in a good mood, so most people were just laughing about it.
Portions were tiny, food itself uninspired, and our souflaki lamb had probably died of natural causes several years ago, beyond edible.
Suggest Mr. Laris to close the whole thing, re-train everyone, organize the kitchen, have a deep and long look at food quality and presentation and only re-open if he is sure that everything works properly.
As is, this restaurant is an embarrassment.
Disappointing. Nice views but you could do better anywhere on the Bund. The limited food offerings was not very exciting and served in small portions. Music was too loud. On the upside, the wine list was very good with lots of affordable options.
Better for drinks with a big group than dinner.
The Fat Olive was mentioned in CW's Drinking Al Fresco story. Read up about this venue and more to make the most out of your summer.
Went there yesterday to meet up with friends, and all 16 of us sat at one of the beautiful white tables and couches on the patio overlooking Luwan and enjoying the last drops of sun. The wine list is extensive and affordable. We tried many of the different rose wines, and were happy. Try some of the snacks, like pita and kebabs, or pta and hummus!
You can't beat the view Fat Olive has with its outdoor patio area. It's always an enjoyable time there. They don't have the most robust selection, but what they do is superb. There isn't too much to be said about the Fat Olive that hasn't already been discussed. Mad props all around.