Olive or Twist

Berwyn, United States

4.1

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 708-484-1808
Address:
6906 Windsor Ave, Berwyn, IL, 60402
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
540 ftBerwyn
0.3 miHarlem Avenue
0.6 miLaVergne
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Intimate
Noise Level
Average
Music
Background
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Tue, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Has TV
Yes

Today

Today 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Open now
Local time (Berwyn) 4:48 PM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Wednesday 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Thursday 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Friday 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Saturday 4:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Olive or Twist is very welcoming, cozy, romantic (with) nice dark wood, exposed brick and soft lighting. The menu is very wide-​ranging. You can get everything from upper-​level entrees to sandwiches or salads — have a very elegant dinner or have a basic sandwich type meal.

We have an inventive list of martinis. Whether you’re in a classic dirty mood, a chocolate mood or a fruity mood, they have your cravings covered!

History

Established in 2010.

No sooner had Chef Robert Nava earned national recognition for his Depot American Diner, than he’s again reshaping the Berwyn area scene by partnering with Marty and Regina Mendicino to expand their martini bar into Olive or Twist «The Restaurant,» featuring American regional dishes for lunch and dinner.

The 6-​year-​old bar is known for dozens of martinis and microbrew bottled beers from around the country.

Meet the Business Owner

Robert N.

Business Owner

Robert Nava has over thirty years of experience in the hospitality industry, working in Country Clubs, Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts. Robert has won numerous awards including «Chef of the Year» Double Tree Hotels, Silver and Bronze Medals «M.B.I. Classic» Food Show, «Manager of the Year «Hard Rock Hotel.

Robert has worked in France, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile and across the United States in Restaurants and Hotels. Robert was chosen to head the culinary team at the 1988 Republican Gala in New Orleans and at the Lee Iacocca New Car show in Reno, Nevada in 1989.

Robert was the Executive Chef at «The Signature Room at the Ninety-​fifth», he was the opening Executive Chef at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago and at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston, IL. Robert was most recently the Concept Chef for Restaurants America responsible for the opening of all new restaurants.

Currently Robert Owns and operates «the Depot American Diner» a nationally acclaimed diner located in Chicago, IL

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Vicinity

Near this location:
80
ft
Wishbone
6908 Windsor Ave
80
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Wishbone Berwyn
6908 Windsor Ave
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6908 W Windsor Ave
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Curio Corner Antiques
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Riddles Comedy Club
6910 W Windsor Ave

20 reviews of Olive or Twist

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Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Great neighborhood bar that offers great martinis. I grew up in Berwyn, but only go out downtown. So it was a nice surprise to find good drinks in town!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Best martini place ever! Expect great service from the awesome and attentive bartenders. I went on a Friday and the bar was chill but in a good way. I also love that it attracts diverse groups of people. Overall, if you are looking for a place that serves wonderful martinis and not your average loud bar, this spot is perfect to hang out with friends.
Place rating: 5
Palos Park, IL
Worth a visit. Drinks are good and the atmosphere is cozy. This has become one of my favorite local bars. The cosmopolitan has freshly squeezed juice, which really gives it a nice tart taste. If you go there more than once or twice, the bartenders will remember your choice of drinks. It gets crowded after 9pm on the weekends, so come early!
Place rating: 3
Bellwood, IL
My review is 3 years too late… I just came back to see has this place gotten any better because I wanted a martini. After reading that they took out the food… I honestly understand why… despite not coming here in three years. I still remember very well two things about this place.
One. The drinks were GREAT!!! Haven’t had a dirty martini or chocolate almond martini like that ever, (It’s actually the reason how I started to drink almond liquor and experimenting with more and different flavors.) The draw backs to the drinks are they are $ 10+, expensive but great. I think when you spending $ 10 for a drink you expect to either be A. Downtown or B at a steakhouse./fancy restaurant.
Sadly the 2nd thing I really remember is having to send my pasta dish back not once but twice not because it didn’t taste good but it was COLD! (the only conclusion I could come up with was that most of my table ordered meat type dishes and my pasta waited before all the food came out at one time, but how do you bring back the same dish cold a 2nd time? the 3rd time the dish was steaming… lol. I personally hate seeing people nick pick over little things in restaurant so for me to have to do this TWICE! The owners or manger did apologize for the mistake and seemed to really want to correct it which is why it’s getting 3 stars and not 1.
I guess it works as a local lounge if you don’t want to drive downtown but it’s hard for me think of this place without the restaurant and what it could have been.
Place rating: 4
Brookfield, IL
Came here for drinks with my husband several days ago and we were not disappointed. First impression of the bar is its very welcoming with the exposed brick wall. Pleanty of seating. I ordered the Hawaiian martini which was ok. And then I ordered the chocolate covered strawberry which was out of this world. I’ll be coming back for that drink. Service was good and price was good as well.
Place rating: 5
La Grange, IL
omfg… stop at this place!
That’s all I can say…
I mean great… Perfect Martini’s!!!
Place rating: 5
Schaumburg, IL
Delicious. I love this place. I don’t get the previous comment about the Triple Sec. The only martini I saw with Triple Sec in it was the Cosmo… Which calls for Triple Sec. You can tell the people here put all their effort into making yummy martinis and giving friendly and welcoming service.
Place rating: 3
Maywood, IL
It is a martini bar … They use Triple Sec in most of their Martini’s … not acceptable for a Martini Bar. Good Booze = Good Drinks.
Place rating: 5
Berwyn, IL
Martinis are great… I love the Habanero martini. The bartender is always so nice and friendly. Well mantain and clean. Good spot to have a drink and relax :)
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Reaalllllyyyyyy good Martinis! Great service! I’ll be back.
Place rating: 4
Grandville, MI
Delicious Tapas and great drinks. Very friendly and helpful staff too. Just wish they had someone playing the piano on a Friday night.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I like this place. I had a good negroni and the décor and service was really pleasant. It was pretty busy on a Saturday night, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I will come back for sure!
Place rating: 4
Lombard, IL
Just killing time in beautiful Berwyn!
To quench my thirst I decided on the lemon martini. It was quite delicious, but since I was unemployed at the time, I couldn’t afford more than 1 since they cost around $ 10.
Our waiter was entertaining and very knowledgeable.
I would love to come back when I could afford to drink more.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Although this place no longer has food, it was still AMAZING! I was on part-​2 of my celebration of my 21ST birthday, and my friends wanted to check this spot out. Eric the bartender makes the best martinis ever! So many delicious martinis to choose from, along with plenty of beer for the people who want to stay away from the fancy martinis! I enjoyed the watermelon and the orange oasis martinis! A much older crowd, but deffinently a hidden gym right outside the Chicago area! Check this place out. :)
Place rating: 3
Chicagoland, IL
Stopped early on a saturday night for a quick drink. The drinks were quite colorful and tasty, although I wish martinis weren’t 10 bucks or more.
The waiter was very nice and quick with a joke.
I would come back, checking out the drink specials first in the hopes of a slightly cheaper buzz.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Popped in here briefly, BRIEFLY (like one drink) latenight last week. Super pleasant place, nicely designed and in close proximity to the Berwyn Metra stop. Anything that saves a suburb from homogenity and creates ambiance around a train station or city center is a good thing in my book.
This joint is great. The bartender could not be more charming and friendly. I’d come back here any time. Oh, I had cider to drink. Crisp. Tasty. Cold.
Place rating: 4
Berwyn, IL
This review is long overdue for an update, as things have transpired.
The big change is that «the restaurant» is no more. I feel sorry for the ownership that it didn’t work out, but otherwise I’m glad it’s gone The food was overpriced and failed to deliver. It had the appearances of of *trying* to be a restaurant, but without any of the artistry. (The restaurant space has been replaced with a pop up branch of Wishbone, which I’ll review separately.)
Now with that distraction out of the way, Olive or Twist has been able to focus exclusively on its excellent cocktail lounge operation. The bar is always well-​staffed, and the bartenders are always friendly. The space is small, but never feels crowded. More than enough room at the bar to sit there if you want to. There’s also a few tables, and a nice comfy chair nook in the storefront window.
Olive or Twist specializes in «girly» sweet drinks (chocolate martinis, etc.), but they also have decent liquor and mixers for any number of traditional cocktails. The beer selection is also very nice. Only one beer tap (usually a good local seasonal), but lots of great bottle selections. I usually drink beer when I go here and never get bored of it.
On New Year’s Eve my wife and I ate a late dinner at Wishbone and then moved over to the bar for a few hours of Olive or Twist. We had a great time with a fun local crowd. (I enjoyed a glass of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15, which I don’t think I could have gotten anywhere else in the area.)
Olive or Twist is one of the very best bars in the area, and a great place to go for cocktails.
Place rating: 1
Oak Park, IL
Olive or Twist is NO LONGER A RESTAURANT! I discovered this AFTER I had checked with Olive or Twist’s website, which describes it as «The Restaurant» and includes a menu, and AFTER I bought a
certificate (thanks for the alert).
Now they’re just a martini bar, that will have an incoming Wishbone next to it. I would have preferred the scrumptious meals described, rather than another chain restaurant.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I’ve been here 1 time for an after work happy hour with friends.
Atmosphere: The area is a dimly lit, well decorated space. This is a perfect upscale place hidden in Berwyn perfect for happy hour and dinner!
Food: My food was excellent! I ordered the spinach artichoke dip and the Reuben. The martini list is extensive and yummy as well! However, some of my friends were unhappy with their steak salad they ordered b/​c the greens seemed old. The steak, itself, was tasty.
Price: Reasonable for the atmosphere.
Overall: I don’t know why I don’t come here more often. This is a perfect place for happy hour if you’re wanting a martini. I’d recommend this place to anyone who happens to be in the area.
Place rating: 5
Willowbrook, IL
YUMMO! I had checked this place on Unilocal,and I thought it was going to be quite small. However, I was shocked by the space inside. It was an average size restaurant as opposed to the small martini lounge that I had expected. It was dimly lit, which was nice for the time of night that we were there.
I was able to enjoy the tomato basil soup and the portabello burger. Both were delicious. They were fresh tasting, and quite enjoyable. This is definitely a hidden gem in Berwyn.