First Look: Tech Center Tokyo Joe's Has Been Transformed Into Oliver's, an Italian Escape

What: Oliver's Italian

Where: 4950 South Yosemite Street, Greenwood Village

When: Beginning Monday, October 30, Oliver's will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

For more info: Visit oliversitalian.com
What we saw: "This idea of wanting great food and nice cocktails and good wine at an independently owned restaurant — we don't get a lot of that in the suburbs," says Sean Huggard, owner of Shucking Good Hospitality, which operates Blue Island Oyster Bar. "That's where we come in."

Blue Island originally debuted in Cherry Creek, adding an outpost in Lone Tree in 2021. "Having the success we've had down there has been amazing," Huggard notes. So when looking for a space for his new concept, Oliver's Italian, he opted for an unlikely location: a Denver Tech Center strip mall that's anchored by a King Soopers. "The one thing that suburban markets have that is the best? Free parking, and a lot of it," he notes.

It's the kind of place that's typically filled with chains. In fact, the Oliver's space, which will officially open on October 30, used to be a Tokyo Joe's. But there's no trace left of that fast-casual concept.

The front windows at Oliver's are intentionally covered with graphics that tease what's inside without giving a clear view into the dining room; they're meant to create some mystery and intrigue. There's also a connected indoor/outdoor terrace running along one side of the building — a project that took some convincing to get approval for from the landlord and the city, Huggard notes. "At night, the terrace just glows. It's beautiful," he says.
Inside, the main dining area is spacious, with plenty of tables and booths (including one extra-large "Mafia booth," as it's been dubbed), as well as a bar in the back of the room. FAM Design is behind the look, which is meant to evoke the feeling of being outside, complete with pistachio-hued walls, string lights and a tree in the middle of the space.

"We're channeling the spirit and romance of Italy," Huggard says, adding, "I'm also from Boston and I went to school in New York. ... I'm very inspired by American Italian restaurants," so the menu includes items like chicken parmesan ($28) and meatballs with ricotta over polenta ($16).

Many dishes stick to Italian traditions, though, including the carbonara ($26). It's made using a recipe Huggard and executive chef Jeffrey Mahony got from an employee named Lorenzo, who is from Sorrento, Italy; he shared his grandmother's technique.

The pastas, in particular, are all about showing off quality, simple ingredients. The pasta limone ($21), for example, is made with just lemon juice, butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, but the resulting dish is decadently creamy.

In addition to its all-day menu, which includes oysters sourced from Blue Island's boutique oyster farm, small plates and appetizers, salads and a handful of larger mains, Oliver's offers brunch on weekends, happy-hour deals from 2 to 6 p.m. daily and a three-course lunch deal that's available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For $29, guests choose a starter, a main and a dessert. Your choice of three boozy spritzes can be added for $8.

Along with the spritz flavors, which include blood-orange Aperol, strawberry-limone and ginger-Bicicletta, the drink menu is centered on five types of Negronis, which can be ordered as a sampler of three for $18.

Other cocktails, which range from $14 to $15.50, include another winner for lemon lovers, the gin-based limonata. "It's got everything that's good about a lemon — limoncello, lemon curd, which brings this really beautiful, creamy texture," says general manager Joey Vosveld.

There are also twenty Italian wines available by the glass, several beers, and housemade Italian sodas.
What surprised us: The pinsas ($19-$24). Denver's in the midst of a pizza boom, and all kinds of styles can now be found in the Mile High, but Oliver's has managed to bring something new to the scene. "All pinsa is pizza, but not all pizza is pinsa," Huggard explains.

The style originated in Rome. For a Neapolitan pizza from Naples, "the fermentation happens fast, the dough is made the day of, pizzas are stretched quickly, they're cooked super fast," Huggard notes. "Those are pizza makers." Romans, he adds, are bakers, leading to a very different process.

Oliver's uses three types of flour for its pinsas: rice, wheat and soy, and the dough is fermented for five days. "During that process, all the gluten is almost completely eaten up, so if you have a gluten intolerance, this is actually okay for you. But it's also super digestible," Huggard says.

The texture is "almost ciabatta-esque," he adds. "It's airy inside, and the outside, from the rice flour, is super crunchy."

There are eight pinsas currently on the menu at Oliver's, including a classic margherita and combos like sausage and broccolini, or salami and Castelvetrano olives. For a real treat, opt for the one loaded with thinly sliced mortadella (aka fancy bologna), pesto, fior de latte mozzarella, pistachios and roasted garlic crème.

From the pinsas to the pastas, Oliver's is serving up elevated comfort food that would be a welcome addition in any neighborhood — but especially in the DTC, where options for high-quality Italian fare are tough to come by. We just wish more grocery store shopping centers included a place to grab an afternoon spritz.