Deep Ellum seemed like a sure-fire spot for expansion in September 2022, but it didn’t quite work out that way at first. The late-night crowds clashed with Olivella’s operating hours when it first opened in the ever-growing entertainment district. A rebrand was in order. Pivoting to cater to the lunch crowd, it reopened as Olivella’s Italian Deli a couple of weeks before Christmas.
There's a nice bar in Olivella's, which still serves its signature pizza and pasta along with a host of sandwich offerings.
Doyle Rader
All the sandwiches are around $10, which is an extremely approachable price point considering the rising cost of nearly everything. There are eight hoagies to choose from and 11 panini options. Many of the sandwiches are familiar — the Italian Club, Meatball and Chicken Parm — while others, like The Don and the Pinocchio, are loaded.
The Italian Club includes mortadella, ham, prosciutto, capicola, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion and an herb vinaigrette on a fresh-baked hoagie roll. All the bread is baked in-house daily, and a number of the items on the menu, like Mama’s Meatballs and red sauce, are made from scratch.
The Chicken Pesto panini comes with roasted chicken breast, pesto and a deliciously melty house mozzarella. It could use a touch more pesto, but that's a very minor quibble that can be easily remedied to suit anyone’s tastes.
Olivella’s Italian Deli’s straightforward approach to lunch, rather than relying on kitsch, should help it stand out in what is a saturated restaurant scene in Deep Ellum. Given the number of loft and apartment dwellers in Deep Ellum working from home and its proximity to Baylor and downtown, it should attract plenty of eager eaters.
2816 Elm St. (Deep Ellum). Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday.
