Restaurant review: La Oliva Tapas Bar

In Mexico City, sometimes you need a break from eating tacos. That's when it's time to head to this charming Roma Norte tapas restaurant.

Sep 28, 2024

Mixed cheese and Iberian platter, our go-to dish at La Oliva

Our rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price:💲💲
Cuisine: Tapas and raciones

Pros
✅ Friendly staff
✅ English menu
✅ Good vibe
✅ Quiet
✅ Outdoor seating
✅ Indoor seating (limited)
✅ Popular with locals
✅ Popular with expats
✅ Open Sunday
✅ Open Monday
✅ No reservation required (reservations accepted)

Cons
n/a

Logistics
📱 Website (for reservations)
📍 Address
☎ +525552640805
🍣 Menu—not available online; see photos below.

When friends stayed in our apartment a couple of years ago, they tried La Oliva Tapas bar and recommended it to us. It’s been part of our regular restaurant rotation ever since.

They offer more than 20 tapas (single pieces) and raciones (three to five pieces) for $40 to 50 MXN ($2 to 2.50 USD) or $99 to $199 MXN ($5 to 10 USD). You can get shareable plates of vegetables, cheese, meat, or a mix for $269 to 689 MXN ($13.65 to $35 USD).

Our favorite is the mixed meat and cheese plate, which is a work of art, as you can see above. We’re also fans of the buttered mushrooms and the grilled asparagus.

We almost always sit outside at the small, street-side tables set apart from the road with greenery and string lights. Inside, there are only a couple of tables, but we sat there on a chilly and rainy recent visit and discovered how cozy and inviting their indoor space is.

It’s a nice place to go with a group, because there are so many shareable options on the menu, plus vegetarian and pescatarian options. And, they’re open on Sundays and Mondays, when a lot of Roma Norte’s smaller restaurants are closed.

Plus, while you’re there you can check out their featured exhibit by a local artist—it changes once a month or so.