Olivia’s Kitchen, a compact 34-seat spot from chef-owner Simona Sbano and her husband, Stefano Feffin, has slipped into Ball Square at 711 Broadway with the confidence of a neighborhood place that plans to stick around. The menu leans hard into housemade pastas and northern Italian regional dishes, with a few curveballs like seafood stew, pork rolls, and a flourless chocolate-almond Caprese paired with vanilla gelato. There are nine bar seats in the cozy dining room, and the name is a tribute to the couple’s dog, Olivia, whose likeness shows up on the logo.
New little room, familiar flavors
As reported by the Boston Globe, Olivia’s Kitchen has taken over the former Taco Party space and stuck with a tight footprint: 34 seats and nine bar stools. That scale helps the kitchen keep its focus on housemade pastas and seasonal mains. The Globe also points to a mostly Italian wine list, eight reds and six whites with several options by the glass, plus pricing that puts appetizers and salads in the roughly $17 to $27 range and pastas and main courses about $25 to $45. The streamlined menu and wine program are designed to feel both homey and intentionally polished.
What to order
The menu steers diners toward regional specialties, including fave e cicoria, a fava-bean purée topped with lemony chicory, and bombette pugliesi, pork cutlets rolled with cheese and guanciale, both shown on the restaurant’s menu. You will also find panzanella, homemade bolognese, seafood stew, and whole branzino, along with weekend brunch pastries and a caprese-style flourless chocolate-almond cake served with gelato. You can check the full lineup and current hours on the restaurant site: Olivia’s Kitchen.
From Turin to Ball Square
Sbano and Feffin bring a northern Italian sensibility with them. Sbano built her culinary career in Turin, where she opened a bakery called Miss Cake before moving to the United States, details that surfaced in pre-opening coverage. The duo later ran Emporio Bakery and Emporio Bistrot in nearby Stoughton, then sold that business and shifted their attention to the Somerville project, according to What Now Boston. Their background in pastry and pantry work helps explain a menu that balances rustic comfort with precise technique.
Bar, brunch and plans
Local reviews note that Olivia’s Kitchen recently secured liquor approval and now serves wine and cocktails alongside the food, a change reported by Cambridge Day. The Boston Globe also reports that the owners are considering a bakery-by-day, restaurant-by-night setup for the storefront, an approach that would lean on Sbano’s pastry roots while keeping the evening menu focused and seasonal. For now, weekend brunch and a small cocktail list round out service in the Broadway dining room.
How it fits Ball Square
Olivia’s Kitchen arrives amid a wave of new openings in Ball Square and offers a more refined Italian option alongside the neighborhood’s longstanding delis and cafés, a trend flagged in local roundups. Boston Magazine tapped the restaurant for a recent list of new spots to try, highlighting its pasta-forward approach. For nearby residents, the small dining room and wine-focused service give Ball Square another choice for date nights or low-key group dinners.
Olivia’s Kitchen books reservations through Resy, and the restaurant lists its phone number and hours on its website, with dinner service Tuesday through Sunday and brunch on weekend mornings. For contact details, menus, and reservations, head to the restaurant’s contact page: Olivia’s Kitchen.
