Our Experience At The Spicy Olive
Italian Bar and Grill

We had both heard of the Spicy Olive but had never been there or known anyone who did so we thought we would give it a try. The Spicy Olive is located on 5026 Centre Street just a short walk away from the top of Clifton Hill. Fortunately we were able to find parking on the top of Victoria Avenue. It was paid at $1.50/hour.

As we approached the restaurant we noticed a menu posted outside. I tried to take a picture of it however the glare of the outside street lights made it difficult to see. The menu outside however I think is a great idea. There is a lot of foot traffic down Centre St therefore many people just walking by stop in.

The restaurant itself was pretty warm and inviting. As you can see in the
pictures the lighting is dim and the tables are spacious. There were a few tvs around the bar area and mostly booth seating. I prefer this however people with limited mobility may not be comfortable sitting at the end of a booth table.

At the time we arrived there were only 3 or 4 other people in the restaurant. We were greeted and lead to one of the booths against the wall.

The waitress took our drink order while we looked at the menu. I was very happy to find out they offered non-stop pop! Unfortunately not all restaurants in Niagara Falls offer this.

The menu was quite large with many pasta selections and vegetarian options. We decided to split the nachos and add ground beef.

This was about $17 CDN which we found a little steep in price however not completely unexpected since we were right in the tourist area. As you can see the portions are huge! We could barely finish it! I liked that the vegetables were chopped up really small and nicely seasoned. If I was to choose this dish again I would omit the beef. It was dry and pretty bland.
As we were eating, quite a few more people came into the restaurant.

As time went by I noticed a band bringing in equipment. I wish we would have known this, I love live entertainment! Apparently they showcase local musical talent weekly. After reading a little about the Spicy Olive online, I also found out that every Friday night from 10pm-12am they offer a special tapas menu. For those that are not familiar with tapas,

they are a large variety of items on the menu but are served in small bite-size portions. They are usually only a few dollars each and a great way to try a new menu item. My friends and I have tried tapas at some of the restaurants at nearby St.Catharines (ie. Lina Linguinis and Fresco’s) but now that I know about The Spicy Olive we will have to try them here.

Our server was great and came back to check on us multiple times throughout our visit. We were also offered coffee and dessert after we finished our nachos.

When our bill came it seems pretty reasonable at about $26 CDN including tax. The Spicy Olive is definitely worth checking out. A great location, excellent service and good food.

I would suggest going on a Friday night to enjoy tapas or later in the evening during the week or weekend to enjoy the live entertainment. Overall we were very impressed with The Spicy Olive and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great night out!