Fairhaven’s Newest Restaurant Stays in Soft Opening Mode

Fairhaven is patiently waiting for the unveiling of Olivia's.

The neighborhood restaurant has been highly anticipated in both the village and surrounding towns. While there was talk of a grand opening this weekend, it appears that those plans have changed.

Earlier this week, Olivia's hosted two nights of an invite-only soft opening.

"It showed us the cracks of the systems that we have in place," Olivia's owner Brandon Roderick said. "It showed us where we need to go with the menu design and the team design. It was exactly what soft openings should show you."

Is Olivia's Restaurant Officially Open in Fairhaven?

Not exactly.

Olivia's, 1 Middle St., is staying in that soft open period until some of those aforementioned cracks can be sealed.  What does that mean?  It means that while they aren't quite ready for a grand opening, they can start by offering limited seating with a limited menu and limited reservations.

"It's all about allowing the kitchen and staff to develop a flow," Roderick said. "We just need to take it slow to start so that we can be a really great restaurant."

The Food at Olivia's in Fairhaven

The opening menu looks pretty impressive.

Not surprisingly, it leans heavily on local, coastal opportunities such as clams, calamari, oysters, swordfish and salmon. There are definitely some land options such as chicken parm, rib eye steak and venison.

READ MORE: Fairhaven's New Food Truck Does What Few Others Do

Olivia's might just have the SouthCoast's bougiest burger and fries on its opening menu at $24, and a bacon mac and cheese also offered at $24.

"When the menu is being served one dish at a time it's great, but when you have 17 dishes going on at the same time? That's what we need to figure out," Roderick said.

For now, the village eagerly awaits Olivia's, mouths watering.