Chez Olivier Le Bistro

This restaurant makes me wish I could give half stars (to make this a total of 3.5 stars) but just for the ambiance. I really want to love this place because the second floor makes me slightly homesick, reminding me of NY in the winter. Damascus wallpaper, heavy velvet curtains, cozy and old… Just like home… But then there is the food…
We have now been here twice and have not found anything spectacular on the menu. Okay, that’s really subjective as my bf thought that the onion soup and beef bourguignon were great, but I personally thought everything was average (my mom’s is way better).
And then there is the smell…
I haven’t quite been able to put my finger on it but there is a strange smell when entering… mold, halitosis, whatever it is, it is unpleasant and better ventilation is required.
Step up your game Chez Olivier. I want you to be more than you are.

Came here for an anniversary dinner, and had a great experience. This is my favourite kind of pricey/​intimate dining experience.
A small, dimly lit place that sits over two floors that is decorated minimally but cozily, like an intimate friends’ old house. All the staff are French, and greet you happily and smiling in French first followed by English. You feel right at home as soon as you walk in.
We had a nice table upstairs, and over two hours and 2 bottles of wine, we had escargots/​onion soup to start, and a filet mignon/​steak wrapped in prosciutto and topped with foie gras for mains.
Now, I NEVER order escargot/​snails or eat foie gras. I can’t stand the stuff. But given the vibe, authenticity of the place, and the feel of our lovely waitress, I went for them, and I am so glad I did. It was a fantastic, intimate, perfect anniversary meal.
Of course, all this comes at a price. But it is one I am willing to pay for the experience, and I would definitely return on the right occasion.

Je Suis… Oui Oui… Paris
I really have not been exposed to much trench cuisine as you can see above. Chez Oliver is a very cool French restaurant with a casual appeal. The décor is very homely and the toilets have felt dogs on the wall.
The hospitality is magnifique, besides forgetting one dish (which they comped anyway) they were super polite and accommodating.
I had the steak frites which was perfectly cooked medium rare with garlic butter on top. The frites tasted like they were cooked in goose fat. Overall the dish was pretty good but did not blow me away. We had snails and cooked mussels for entre, these were way overcooked in my opinion.
I skipped out on desert but my café au lait was strong and well done.

There are a myriad of restaurants in South Yarra/​Prahran and yet somehow I find myself wondering where to eat (first world problems indeed!). After mulling over the same restaurants over and over again it seems that my stomach gets drawn back to Chez Olivier time and time again. There is something about the homely feel of a little French bistro far enough away from Chapel Street to not be busy and yet close enough to home to be convenient that makes it feel like the perfect extension to my living room.
And like my living room there is no shortage of french wine either when dining alone with a good ebook or with company.
The food is typical French Bistro food and of course, being Australia, you have to be prepared to pay a small premium (like your left leg) because it’s considered ‘international’ and ‘chic’. That’s okay though because you know that when you’re walking in and you wouldn’t expect any different of Greville Street.
The wait staff are wonderful too, if you are polite and kind then they will absolutely allow you to practice your Francais with them, regardless of how experienced you are (one quiet night when I was working from the little back corner while quaffing a bottle of burgundy the maitre d’ even helped me edit a couple of business emails I was sending to Marseilles — c’est magnifique!).
Don’t rush your time here, sit back, enjoy a bottle of wine and soak in the ambiance.

Dine at the lovely Chez Olivier every few weeks with work colleagues. Every time the food is great, friendly service and the desserts are definitely not to be missed! One of my favourites :)

Authentic French bistro experience with tasty, classic favourites done very well. Good wine selection too. Chez Olivier offers good value for money.

Chez Olivier is a consistently reliable, cosy little French bistro. It is modestly furnished in the typical French bistro-​style of bare tables and pervasive tones of earthy browns. It is where MoMo & Coco can practice le francais, and where the wait staff are most welcoming, helpful, and importantly, not condescending towards ignorant diners. And if we may add, Chez Olivier has one of the best menu of irresistibles — including the rarely-​seen on dessert menus, ile flottante, café gourmand and claufotis.