Opened in 2000 and located at the corner of East Houston and Allen, Oliva has been a popular destination for Spanish fare and top shelf wines and cocktails for nearly ten years. Oliva’s intimate yet lively setting caters to a diverse clientele of New York City residents. The Restaurant’s unique charm, which includes live music, lends itself to groups of all sizes. Oliva is owned and operated by Christian Bari and Julio Dominguez.
Julio Dominguez was born in Mexico city, he arrived to NYC in 1998 pursuing his passion as a film director. In 2002 he started working at Oliva by mistake as his friend Camarena, an Oliva bartender, had a job opportunity in Ecuador, and asked Julio to fill in for him. That’s the way everything started in Oliva, Julio became very close to Eduardo Fontan (the original owner). Since Eduardo was simultaneously running a lounge adjacent to Oliva, called Carnaval, upon Cam's return he was moved to the new place and it allowed Julio to keep the job.
Christian Bari, a native New Yorker, was also an employee at Oliva, having starting there shortly after it's opening in 2000. Christian was no stranger to the restaurant business. Having been working in NYC restaurants since age 16 through owning and operating a Long Island cafe, he was never too far away from the business. Christian and Julio became fast friends, and when the opportunity arose in 2006 to purchase Oliva, it was too good for either of them to pass up.
Realizing what a gem Oliva was, both decided that they would keep with the concepts and principles that had made Oliva so successful. They would continue to provide quality food and drinks in a fun, exciting environment. They brought in more live music, improved the wine list and added some exciting menu items, and renovated and improved the look of the place. To this day Oliva remains a popular destination and a fixture on the corner of Houston and Allen on the LES.