★★★★

A growing number of restaurants serve organic food in the city of Medellin, yet few are as invested in serving sustainable food for both the earth health and human health as Pizzeria Olivia. This place, which opened its first establishment in Envigado, has its own orchard and gardens to harvest the ingredients used in their dishes. Pizzeria Olivia sells organic food transformed by hand, with care for the environment. In addition, nothing they use is made of plastic, even their straws are made from bamboo. In their eight current locations, their goal is not only to be eco-friendly but also serve delicious food and care for the costumer’s well-being.

Even though the restaurant is called Pizzeria Olivia, they offer a variety of Italian-based dishes ranging from pizza, pasta, and lasagnas to bowls, salads, and mixed dishes. The mixed dishes are categorized as their specialties and are either a protein accompanied by a pasta and a salad or a seafood pan. A recommended mixed dish is the “Sarten marinero al ajillo” because of the different tastes it provides. The octopus, mussels, squid, and prawns are marinated with garlic and butter which contrasts with the taste of the seafood. Saffron is infused with cheese in the same pan to add a mellow taste. The plate is similar to Romero’s “Maremonti pan” yet the “Sarten marinero al ajillo” provides more seafood ingredients for real seafood lovers.

For a more classic order, the pizza “Il Giardino” is one of the best options. The strong taste of the serrano ham combines perfectly with the neutral taste of the arugula. Both are complemented with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese accompanied with an olive and balsamic emulsion giving the pìzza another contrasting taste.

Another recommended dish is the Tason de Pollo. The bowl is enormous, yet so delicious it’s easy to eat it all. The magic about the ingredients are the contrasts they create with each other. The plain taste of the quinoa, sesame, asparagus and kale mix are broken up by the juicy chicken breast, and the soft, slightly bitter taste of the stracciatella as well as the sweet Greek yogurt dressing. The flavors in the plate are so different but end up blending marvelously. Unlike other organic places such as Gautama, who focus too much on health and end up serving insipid dishes, Pizzeria Olivia combines their organic ingredients with a variety of flavors to achieve the perfect taste for the customer.

Desserts are the cherry on the top. They range from traditional European desserts like pannacotta, creme brulee, chocolate pizza, dolce Fiore, and panini ice cream to classic desserts like cookies, brownies and chocolate volcanoes. The most famous dessert is the chocolate chip cookie which comes in a hot pan with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Its chewy texture is complemented by the crunchiness of the walnuts and pistachios inside the cookie. Don’t forget to eat the leftovers stuck to the pan.

Olivia is a pretty place to eat at because of the fairy lights covering the restaurant and the plants surrounding it. The smell is amazing and the waitresses are constantly following up on your orders but sometimes the service can be very slow. At Crepes & Waffles, the service is extremely fast no matter how much food your order and this makes the customer want to go back again. Nonetheless, Olivia cares about their customers and accepts complaints to improve.

Pizzeria Olivia serves appetizing food while taking care of the environment and the consumer. The variety of the options makes it worth to spend your time and money on and it’s almost impossible to get tired of going again.