This Olive Garden Sister Restaurant Is Perfect For Fancy Seafood Lovers

While Olive Garden doesn't serve traditional Italian cuisine, it's a popular place to enjoy a hearty meal. From the endless breadsticks and unlimited soup and salad to the meat-rich and cheese-laden entrees, a diner would be hard-pressed to leave Olive Garden feeling hungry. But even the biggest Olive Garden in the country — located in Times Square, New York City, incidentally — is still a casual dining establishment. When you want something fancier, O.G. has a sister restaurant chain that is a luxury seafood brand specifically targeted at affluent adults.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood offers multi-course meals set to a background of live jazz music, featuring top-quality seafood flown in fresh daily from around the world. Hand-cut, specialty-aged USDA Prime steaks and a world-class wine selection are menu highlights, and you'll also encounter delicacies like Royal Ossetra Petrossian caviar, Norwegian salmon, and roasted South African lobster with beurre blanc (one of the essential butter sauces, for the uninitiated). Even the children's menu has upscale offerings, like a 4-ounce filet mignon for the kiddos.

While you can hit up Olive Garden in a T-shirt and jeans with no problem, at Eddie V's — nicknamed "The Modern-Day Gatsby" by parent company Darden Restaurants — you'll definitely want to wear something fancier. Like, a lot fancier. Yes, folks, there is a dress code. "Business casual" and "resort evening wear" are the suggested attire guidelines (per Eddie V's). If you show up in something like athletic shorts, a sports bra, a sleeveless shirt (for the men), clothing with anything the establishment deems offensive, or clothing that smells bad, they will not let you in.

The acquisition of restaurants like Eddie V's Prime Seafood became a departure for casual-dining giant Darden Restaurants. Eddie V's and some other brands under the company's umbrella, like The Capital Grille and Seasons 52, are part of Darden's Specialty Restaurant Group, which is a portfolio of more upscale, fine-dining brands targeting younger and higher-income demographics.

The move to bring Eddie V's onboard seems to have worked out well for Darden. When Darden acquired the brand back in 2011, eight Eddie V's restaurants were in operation. Under Darden's management, the franchise has blossomed to include 31 restaurants spread from coast to coast, as of February 2026, with two additional Florida locations slated to open in spring 2026. The acquisition, which included the purchase of an associated seafood brand, Wildfish Seafood Grille, cost Darden $59 million. In 2023, Eddie V's was hailed as the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America in terms of sales per unit, and the brand was bringing in $9.2 million in annual sales per restaurant, as of 2022.

Founded in 2000, Eddie V's marked its 25^th anniversary in 2025. The restaurant was founded in Austin, Texas, by restaurateurs Guy Villavaso and Larry Foles, who had their sights set on establishing an upscale destination where diners could enjoy artfully plated, top-quality cuisine in a glamorous setting. The atmosphere-enriching inclusion of live jazz music was a key focus in creating the throwback, Gatsby-esque vibe the chain has become known for. Prohibition-inspired cocktails are another facet of creating that jazzy, Roaring '20s-reflective ambience.