Olivero
Restaurant · Wilmington ·
Italian-Spanish fusion with house pastas & wood-fired mains
Italian-Spanish fusion with house pastas & wood-fired mains
"Fresh off a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist co-nomination for Best Chef Southeast, Olivero chefs Sunny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey continue to churn out incredible homemade pastas and a bevy of grilled items fired right on the wood-burning grill in the open kitchen. Menu highlights include the beignets with mortadella, a lasagna made with an octopus bolognese sauce, and coal roasted local fish. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, though the expansive bar might be the place to be for its take on a classic martini (with Spanish sherry) and a bowl of warm dates with nduja." - Matt Lardie
"Sunny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey are named with this Wilmington restaurant as 2025 James Beard Foundation semifinalists in the 'Outstanding Chef presented by Hilton' category, signifying recognition for their culinary work there." - Erin Perkins
"Opened on the corner of Castle and South 3rd Streets, this long-anticipated restaurant is the personal project of chef Sunny Gerhart (of Raleigh’s St. Roch) and his chosen co-executive chef, Lauren Krall Ivey. It explores Gerhart’s Italian and Spanish roots with detours to New Orleans through a menu that blends coastal North Carolina ingredients with Mediterranean techniques: standout plates include a beignet served in fontina fonduta with mortadella and Calabrian hot honey, a lasagna made with an octopus Bolognese and Spanish chorizo, mafaldine with sweet corn and North Carolina crab, and agnolotti stuffed with butter beans and mascarpone. The kitchen turns out housemade pasta daily on a custom Arcobaleno extruder and centers around a large wood-fired grill that produces grilled ribeye, local fish and smoky vegetable preparations—reflecting Krall Ivey’s wood-fire expertise. The interior pairs retro, red-sauce-joint tiles and leather booths with a shining zig-zag bar and marble bistro tables, while a cocktail-forward bar program emphasizes sherry and Mediterranean flavors (including a fino-sherry martini and a sherry-based boilermaker with Basque cider) and a European-leaning wine list heavy on sherry and vermouth. Personal touches—framed family photographs rescued after Hurricane Katrina and careful restoration of a historic neighborhood building—tie the design and menu back to Gerhart’s family story and coastal roots." - Matt Lardie
"Set in a renovated building at Castle and 3rd Street, Olivero is chef Sunny Gerhart’s second restaurant and draws from his Spanish and Italian backgrounds; Gerhart — a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast and a native of nearby Jacksonville — frames the move as a homecoming and aims for a late 2022 or early 2023 opening, intending to add to Wilmington’s dining experience and appeal to both locals and visitors." - Matt Lardie
A Spanish‑Italian ode with house pastas and wood‑grilled mains led by acclaimed local chefs. Named one of USA TODAY’s 2025 Restaurants of the Year and recognized by regional press; reservations recommended.