Olives Mediterranean Grill

Owner/​manager is rude… but food is good had the chicken kabob. Waitress was nice but then I sat there forever waiting for my bill.

— high quality ingredients
— healthy recipes (good fats, low sodium)
— plenty of vegetarian options
— pleasant atmosphere for dinner
— excellent service

We have not had food this fresh since, I can’t remember when! We had the feta cheese and olive plate with the most incredible pita bread we’ve ever tasted, to start. For our entrees, my husband and I got the lentil soup, a Greek salad and the grilled salmon with saffron rice and a side of zucchini. We could not criticize anything! It was all delicious! They are a family owned restaurant and want very much for their customers to be happy. The chef speaks with those at each table, to be sure they are satisfied. He is very welcoming and friendly, but not in a hovering or intrusive way. The restaurant itself, is an older building that’s updated just enough of to be tasteful, but they left a lot of character in the old details as well. You must try this place! You’ll be glad you did!
BTW-it’s BYOB (or wine) :)

Delicious! Chicken and salmon are fresh and made to order. Greek dressing very tasty. Hummus is perfect and the pita is homemade and warm. Love this place and service is good too!

Hummus — good
Tomato basil soup — good
Gyro — good
Pita bread — good
Greek salad — okay
Would recommend.

These is a small moms and pops restaurant that is huge on service and flavor, but easy on the budget.
I’m dining here second time in a week, because first time was great experience. Second time they did not let me down neither.
I had two different soups in here-​and it was good both times. First tomato basil, second lentil-​and I really enjoyed it!
I got a gyro sandwich here with a side salad –it was awesome. Just the right side, super fresh. Had good variety of ingredients and delicious dressing.
Gyro sandwich was prepared to order and was one of the best I ever tried.
Service was fast and polite, owner of the place is cooking himself and putting his heart in to it!
Great place highly recommended!

I hate writing this review. It makes me truly sad to do so.
Olives was my family’s go-​to place for fast, delicious meals once or twice a week since we moved to Arlington in Feb ’15. I’d go here for lunch when I worked from home, and it was my favorite meal to look forward to each week, until they changed management last month.
Food taste is subpar to the recent management. Recipes have changed. Service is horrible!
Be warned, if you call in an order, and they tell you it will be ready in 15 minutes, and then you arrive 15 minutes later, you can expect to wait an additional 15 — 30 minutes for your food.
My last experience was as follows: I call in my family’s order and am told that our order will be ready in 15 minutes. I arrive 15 minutes later, and they haven’t started my order. I wait 30 minutes in the restaurant. The manager comes out and I tried to explain that my family comes every week, if not twice a week and this wait happens every time, and he apologizes, and offers to throw in a couple of extra meatballs on my son’s meal. I told him, I’d rather him resolve the issue, then receive anything and he just walks off. When the food comes the server hands me the bag by the handles (that were tied, but in a single loop, not in a knot). I take the bag by the untied knot, and guess what happens? It falls to the floor. The waitress just looks at me like I’m stupid. No offer to help or pick up, much less replace the order. By this point, I’m pretty upset. I pick up the bag, leave and go home.
I’ve calmed down a bit by the time I get home, and I call the manager to tell him this happened and the tone of his voice is more «i don’t care» than anything. I told him I won’t be returning to his restaurant, and he said «OKay. No worries».
I won’t be going back. It saddens me, but this was the last time. I’ll have to get my Gyros elsewhere.
Good luck to you should you go to this restaurant.

They must have a new chef here. The last couple times I’ve been here the hummus tastes different, very bland. The chicken in the souvlaki was over cooked and the fries were soggy. I’m disappointed because it used to be one of my favorite places to go. Now I need to find a new Mediterranean restaurant.

I visited Olives a few weeks after they opened. I was really hoping this place would be great because it’s so close to my house.
First, the rice was blah. Very bland, and dare I say, had a slight dishwater taste to it.
I ordered falafel, which came with five pieces. I took a bite, and the center was cold. I broke another piece in half, and the center was also cold. I told the waitress and she took it back to the kitchen. I was expecting to get back a new order of falafel. What I actually got back was the same falafel, heated up longer – only, missing the ½ piece I already took a bite out of.
So, I paid for five pieces, and only ended up getting 4 hot pieces and a ½ a cold piece. Lol.
I can understand a new place working out some kinks, but they should do a better job of going above and beyond after making a mistake. Mistakes can be easily forgiven if the employees show you they really want to make it right. I left the place feeling like they didn’t care.

So I really wanted to love this place since it is so close to my parents and we love Mediterranean, but mehhhh…(constructive right?). The restaurant itself was cute, like something you would find in Fort Worth off of 7^th or Magnolia St. (I remember when it used to be a seafood restaurant then a Tex Mex place, and now this). I was mostly disappointed at how many things they didn’t have on their menu because they were out… like specialty dishes, and tahini sauce. Really? There is no tahini sauce? Just basic things that any mediterranean restaurant should always have. We came on a weeknight so it was pretty dead. Drink specials looked okay if you like domestic beers. The hummus was okay. The babaganoush wasn’t spectacular. The pita was good. My carbatarian daughter enjoyed that. My dad’s eggplant and beef dish kinda tasted like my daughter’s tomato basil soup. I did enjoy the greek salad, which was pretty fresh surprisingly, and falafel, so it wasn’t a total bust. Next time I’m in Arlington and craving Mediterranean, I’ll probably just head to Beirut for some lentil soup or International Food Land to binge on baklava.

If not for the very nice décor this place would get 1 star, Maybe they hired a professional?
Sooooo, hummus was just not good. No flavor, small portion, big Ding! Another ding for prices and menu options, or lack thereof. It’s the smallest menu I’ve ever seen. So I got the kabobs because my only other option is sandwiches in 3 ways.
I don’t eat gluten so I asked to sub veggies. Lol they gave me 3 carrot sticks and 3 celery sticks. The meat was good. 2 kabobs with 5 pieces on each, a small hummus, and the «veggies» for $ 15 AT LUNCHTIME?
Maybe my waitress was disgruntled by lack of business here (do to high prices and no choices) but that doesn’t make up for zero customer service or politeness. If your not at least a friendly person you don’t need to be in the service industry,
So Meh. I will not be back. I would eat here over the dreaded Prince down the street because of some sanitary frights, but that’s only if Beruit Café were to go out of business. I just really don’t get the hummus more then anything? Isn’t hummus suppose to have plenty of olive oil and lemon juice? Really wanted to like it… NEEDS A WOMANS TOUCH!

I will defiently give them five stars. So i just left this place i did take out. and i got the beef gryo sandwich and greek salad. Delicious. I cant wait to experience dinning in. When i called they were a little dry over the phone i said thank you after odering they just hung up. so i guess customer service over the phone can be improved. But in person the young lady was very nice. so yesyesyes. Will defiently be going back

Greek is one of my favorite cuisines, so I was very excited to see a new restaurant was recently born. I have passed by this location several times when it was a Mexican restaurant, and just recently found out that it was converted to Olive’s.
It is a very quaint restaurant, and a perfect place for a date. I absolutely love these types of establishments. I find that you get the best food and service… Olive’s didn’t let me down. We walked in and were immediately greeted and seated by our waitress. She was attentive and very nice.
The food was amazing! We started with the baba ganoush with fresh pita. Yum! It was some of the best that I have had. The taste of the smoky eggplant was so delicious. Next came the Greek salad. It wasn’t memorable for me and they were skimpy on the dressing (we asked for additional). For my entrée, I had the beef souvlaki (I’m salivating as I think about it). It was perfect cooked, tender and beefy perfection. It was served with a cool tzatziki. I didn’t get to try dessert because I was stuffed, but I will be back soon enough.
The only thing that I didn’t like about the restaurant was the mirrored walls in the booth. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to look at myself stuffing my face. That might just be me though.
On this particular night the A/​C was out and it was pretty warm in the restaurant. I only mention this to tell you how well the service was. Our waitress stopped by our table multiple times and apologized. Honestly, the food was so good that it didn’t bother me that much.
I hope lots of people find this hidden gem — and I will certainly send all my friends that way. I think Olive’s is going to be one of my new favorite places!

I cannot believe I’ve only just tried this place! What a bright little café in decidedly dull west Arlington. The interior is exceptionally clean and inviting. Service is super friendly and the food is freshly prepared and delicious. I will most certainly return.
My first experience was actually with their takeout service and I have no complaints. The food was carefully packaged, ready when I arrived, and STILL warm when we sat down to eat. Huge portions, which may or may not be a good thing. We tried their hummus (with pita) and falafel (with tahini sauce) for starters. I give higher marks to the falafel because I’m something of a hummus snob, but truly, both were good. For my entrée I picked the salmon with sauteed veggies and a greek salad. Although my salmon was not prepared medium rare, it was close enough. Still moist and flavorful. My companion said his chicken souvlaki with saffron rice was the bomb.
Looking over their menu I spy MANY things I look forward to trying soon (Spanakopita, Mediterranean Meatball Sandwich, Moussaka…). Family owned and operated and it shows!

What an incredible hidden gem in west Arlington. I had driven past the restaurant several times but had never stopped until today at lunch. The décor is very understated and inviting. I decided to try the Mediterranean Meatball sandwich accompanied with a Greek salad.
The sandwich was served on pita bread with 4 nice sized meatballs. Oh my goodness, the meatballs were so delicious and moist. They were bathed in a wonderful tomato sauce. On my plate, there was a side of their delicious tomato/​olive sauce. The side Greek salad was a perfect size for lunch and was laced with a delicate Greek dressing.
What an incredible restaurant. I regret it’s taken me this long to discover it. I can’t wait to stop in again real soon and try some of the other menu items.

This is the type of restaurant my father would absolutely love. You can taste the freshness of each of the foods, the texture, and the absence of any spices or salts or pepper. So yes this indicates that the food was rather bland not bad just blend for my taste. They have a wine selection, with about eight beers. Two of which were new to me a Palm and Spaten Optimator. I chose the Spaten Optimator, A moderately dark beer, with good flavor and a mild bite. For lunch I started with their soup of the day a tomato basil, which was very very light a bit on the watery side and very bland. Once adding salt-​and-​pepper the overall was pleasurable dining experience.
For the main course I had their chicken potatoes salad sandwich with a side Greek salad. One thing that is definitely in this place’s favor is that the portions are generous and very filling. You can guess the next line. After adding salt and pepper I found the dish to be pleasurable although not one I will try again. There pitas are nice and soft fluffy even a bit on the thick side. The Greek salad was a bit underdressed for my taste, but the vegetables were tremendously fresh even the ends of the lettuce were crisp and the tomatoes had crunch to them you could tell that it was a salad made with care.
The price point of the lunch was really reasonable and a real value add when you think of the amount of food. Lastly, the service is excellent. Heather, who was my waitress was upbeat positive and provided recommendations. She returned to the table often, and was very efficient with getting my check to me. Even with running six tables and two take-​out order simultaneously she consistently maintained a smile.
The food alone gave this restaurant the three-​star rating due to what I consider to be a bland meal. Once adding in the quality of service the quantity of food and the price point gives the four star.

I had the best, most enjoyable lunch the other day at Olives Med Grill. I think it’s the type of place that’ll be quick to create regulars, and the reasons are obvious: the food is amazing, the prices are right, the owners and staff are wonderful, and you’ll feel welcomed during your entire visit. All these factors lead to many happy returns.
The menu here is simple, clean, and gives you just what you need. It’s only two pages and that includes apps, lunch, and dinner. I definitely appreciate that — quality over quantity always wins in my book. Hummus, dolmeh, soup and salads, sandwiches, and great entrees like gyro, souvlaki, meatballs, and curry.
I decided on two appetizers to make up my meal and ordered the Feta Cheese & Olive Plate (sans pita) as well as the falafel (which I was told is gluten free). So straightforward and classic, the ingredients speak for themselves. Thick slices of beautiful and tart feta drizzled in a bit of olive oil and peppered with herbs, plus a few olives on the side. The falafel, which was a gorgeous green on the inside from fresh herbs, was the perfect texture. Hot, dense, fragrant, and served with bright red tomatoes. I was able to taste their tomato soup as well, which was absolutely fantastic. Creamy and rich without feeling too heavy. I could eat it all day.
I had a great $ 6 glass of Pinot Grigio that really complimented my meal, and the house wines are only $ 3.75 each. Be sure to check out their happy hour from 3 – 6 PM Monday-​Friday where they serve ½ off all appetizers with $ 2.50 beers and wine! Seriously, an amazing deal.
My waiter was very attentive, sweet, and helpful with the menu. I was also able to speak with the owners — a lovely and warm wife and husband duo. Olives is a very relaxed restaurant, so don’t expect anyone to be running around rapidly. It’s a leisurely experience. If you’re in a mega-​rush, I’d let your waiter know from the start that you’re short on time.
Aaaand of course I know want to talk about the physical restaurant! The building itself is quite unique… seems to be entirely made of wood with sharp angles and high ceilings. The ceiling inside is incredibly tall, so while it looks like a small venue from the outside, it’s very spacious on the inside. The walls are all made up of wooden beams, painted a calming sage green, and there are so many windows. The natural light inside this place is insane — it instantly brightened my mood. The atmosphere overall is really lovely; airy, cheerful, and extremely casual and comfortable. I can see having a romantic date in the evening or bringing your entire family. I had a perfectly wonderful time on my own.

Visited this restaurant for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised! They are family-​owned and the food is handmade and absolutely delicious.
We started with an order of falafel and hummus. I am a big fan of hummus, and their hummus is the best I’ve ever had! It was very flavorful and made with high quality oil.
My friend ordered a greek salad and added salmon, and i ordered a meatball sandwich. The veggies were fresh and did not have that prepackaged taste that comes from bagged salad. The portions were generous and they didn’t skimp on the kalamata olives or feta cheese either. Salmon was delicious and a huge portion worth the cost. The meatballs were a little tough but obviously homemade, as was the pita bread.
We ordered baklava to go. They cut two generous portions that didn’t last long because we ate every crumb.
I love eating at small family owned startups like this one. They have remodeled the inside of this place to make it beautiful, chosen a manageable menu, and are serving awesome homemade food. I will definitely be going back!

Stopped here on an impulse, to pick up dinner to go tonight. Only three tables occupied but had to wait about five minutes before anyone acknowledged me… sitting on a bench, reading the menu.
The girl came and took my order… I pointed to stuff on the menu as well as naming the items, so I was quite surprised to find my order incorrect.
I started with the Mezza platter, than ordered the gyro sandwich and the falafel sandwich. Both with Greek salads. The waitress came back quickly to present me with the bill… awkward since I hadn’t even gotten my food yet. I told her I had forgotten to order extra tzatziki sauce and asked that this be included.
When I got home, I looked at the food, then at the bill. Instead of the gyro sandwich with a Greek salad ($ 7), I apparently received the gyro dinner which came with saffron basmati rice and the Greek salad ($ 12). No tzatziki sauce in sight, which really irked me. So, at home, with some dried up looking meat, some pita halves (think store bought) and no sauce. Luckily, I had some bottled Greek vinaigrette dressing, which I put on top but it was still a wicked lame sandwich. The sandwich was to come with sauce, onions and tomatoes, which I think would have made this basically edible.
The falafel sandwich was wrapped in foil and looks ok… just have to wait for hubby to review. The appetizer had a small scoop of baba ghanouj, humus, a chicken/​potato salad thing and three dolmeh. I still don’t know if the chicken/​potato salad thing could be put on bread like a sandwich or if I should eat it on the side, like potato salad… hrmmmm.
Overall, it was about $ 34 before gratuity which I think is wicked expensive for some mediocre take out food. Might give them a another shot and dine in and see if that changes the quality.
Didn’t even take pictures because I was so… done…with…it!

My fraternity brothers and I came here because of the good ratings but were not impressed. Service is good and décor is nice. It’s bigger than other mediterranean restaurants but overpriced and portions are not big. It took quite awhile to get our check as well.
This is not a bad place but I like to get the biggest bang for my buck. I love mediterranean food but sad to report I will not return.