Last night Kathryne and I had the pleasure of meeting Lior Zelzer, owner of Olivia, a long time favourite Isla Mujeres establishment that opened in November 2008. 

The first time we were in that space was in 2006 when it was a place called Manolo’s. That restaurant had good food but lacked ambience. When Manolo’s closed Lior and her partner Yaron decided to open a new Mediterranean restaurant in its place. They set to work, taking a machete to the over grown bougainvillea, pruning it back to discover a whole lot of space they hadn’t even realized existed. The couple did an amazing job on designing the indoor dinning room, with its heavy wooden tables and Moroccan tile floors creating a Mediterranean atmosphere.

Even lovelier is the courtyard, full of lush greenery and low lighting featuring a large table in the very back under a thatched roof. Our family and friends have enjoyed many a dinner at that big table. In the slower season Olivia uses this table for communal dinning events. A chance for diners to come together and meet new people. Being a sometimes solo traveler, I so appreciate this concept and would take full advantage of it.

The beautiful tranquil space may have lead to the preconceived notion that Olivia is for romantic dinners and special occasions. While it’s perfect for both, it’s also a great place for a more casual dinner. 

This Israeli couple, longed for the taste of home and decided to introduce their traditional flavors to the island. They knew they had a winning formula with the recipes of their grandmothers, whose backgrounds are Bulgarian, Moroccan, Greek, and Turkish. Lior told us that she will send the family recipe for a dish to anyone who wants it, saying they are for sharing. 

It’s not easy to recreate the flavours of a place 7,000 miles away. Lior explained that some of their spices come from a market outside of Tel Aviv. Her description of the spice lady from whom stall she orders, painted a picture that added an additional enjoyment to the dishes for me. All the ingredients at Olivia are made from scratch, except for the painstaking phyllo dough and couscous. Both are far too labour intensive and comparable to the store bought. Lior joked that you should see her grandmother in Chedraui roughhousing the produce looking for just the right fruits and veg. Olivia strives for authenticity, even though you can’t source Israeli couscous on the island and the avocados are different from those in the Middle East, they create great tastes with what they have.  We sisters are no experts, but Kath having traveled through Israel and Jordan, and I having travelled through Turkey, and both of us having been to Greece, felt we were re-experiencing the tastes of those countries. 

We started our evening with small plates, as one does in that part of the world. The Moroccan tapas featured garlicky baba ghanoush eggplant dip, lemony couscous tabbouleh, a zingy carrot salad, and matbucha tomato sauce with roasted peppers, garlic, and chili. Each bowl was even better than the one before. Loved the tastes! This was all served with a basket of warm pita bread. 

For main I had the pastilla, layers of phyllo pastry filled with ground chicken, onion, ginger, saffron, parsley, and roasted almonds. It was crispy and full of rich flavour. Served with a simple side of tomato chunks and onion in a light vinaigrette. The dish was so delicious!

Kath opted for the Chicken in Olives, two bone-in legs and thighs braised in a rich tomato red wine sauce. It features olives and warm spices and is served over couscous. Kath kept “oohing” and “ahhing” over the complex flavours and the tenderness of the chicken. The portions were abundant leaving each of us with “to go” boxes containing tomorrow’s lunch. 

The menu is well rounded. A good selection, but not overwhelming. Lior noted that items like the short rib and beef kabob, are popular with folks who are looking for something that may be more familiar to them. There are nice salad options for gluten free and vegetarian diners. The wraps provide a very economical option. 

We very much enjoyed the service, especially our server Larry. The whole team was welcoming and friendly without being overly formal or fussy. Lior added that it is important that the staff enjoy their interactions with the patrons and that was obviously the case. 

Insider’s tip: The Chicken in Olives could easily feed two. Order a dinner salad and share both.

Kath’s quote: “Mediterranean food is a symphony of flavours, each element playing its part in perfect harmony.“-Authour Unknown

Love never fails.

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