So I've always passed by this place, but could never get around to going... since it was always closed when I'd pass by. According to yelp-ers though, it's great... and they're RIGHT!
Accessibility: The location is actually kind of terrible as far as parking goes. There's probably about 12 stalls (and I'm probably overestimating) for about three restaurants... Thankfully though, you can park at McDonald's or Kahala Mall and walk. It's not very far at all, but you won't be able to see your car from the restaurant if you're the paranoid type. I guess this is a good place to mention that they're only open from 5PM to 10PM, so don't count on lunch, but it's a great dinner.
Ambiance: It's not a fancy place and the decor is very minimal, however, it all works pretty well. The majority of the seating is outside on the "porch" so it feels very much like a cafe in Europe. There are actually some Christmas lights strung up outside, but for some reason it doesn't feel very tacky. They somehow come out feeling very quaint and rather cute. The tables are kind of close together so as to maximize the amount of patrons that can fit, so I hope no one is claustrophobic. Despite that though, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded or like you're sitting with the next table over.
The place is really lively and friendly and the other patrons seemed to be having a really great time (most looked like regulars). Skipping ahead a bit though, when we left, it was a fortunate coincidence for a couple as they scored a pretty good table. They did mention that it was the first time they'd come and got a table so easily as it's usually full and really crowded. When we got there, there were quite a few people there, but a couple of tables were clear. As a note, we got there about 5:30, so it was sort of cheating.
Food appeal/presentation: The plating was very simple. They use oval plates, so everything ends up fitting perfectly. I wish there was a bit more space on the plates though as it made it kind of difficult to cut the food without sending the salad flying. That bit aside though, since it really didn't affect the food otherwise. Everything we ordered more or less looked the same. All of our dishes were served wrapped in pita with sauce and a side salad.
Tastiness: Now for the best part! I cannot put into words how much I liked the food. I will say though, we only got a picture of our hummus... we shoveled our entrees before we remembered to snap a picture........
Appetizer:
-Hummus - Since we were quoted about a 15 minute wait, we decided to order some hummus as an appetizer... I know, twist our arms right? Anyway, it was an easy decision to get the hummus and it was soooooo good. It was your basic hummus served with some warm pita bread. The thing they do differently, and I'm not sure if they do this anywhere else or if it's the authentic Greek way of eating it, but they drizzle some olive oil and sesame oil on the hummus. I've never had it that way before, but it was amazing! I definitely can't imagine eating it any other way now. My only gripe is that there wasn't enough pita bread... but I should mention that I say that every time I get hummus.
Entrees:
-New Zealand Lamb Souvlaki - Haven't had a whole lot of lamb, but this wasn't my first time having it before. This was my first time having souvlaki though. Must say, I really enjoyed this dish. The lamb was cooked perfectly, wasn't tough, chewy or gamy. Very good ratio of meat to pita in this one. Also, I noticed that there really wasn't a whole lot of fat on the meat, but it was still really flavorful. My first bite was kind of chewy though, but that was the only one.
-Falafel - I know Greek uses a lot of veggies, and I always see lots of fresh produce when I see Greece on travel shows, so I was expecting these to be pretty good. They actually really were. I've never had Falafel before, so I don't know what kind of flavor I was expecting. I only had a small piece, so I'm not sure what the spice factor would be if I had had the whole dish. From what I had though, they weren't that spicy, but that could have been the tahini sauce. Even though it was a vegetarian dish, it really was filling and didn't feel meatless. I could definitely eat it if I had to go vegetarian.
-Shaorma - This dish was very similar to my Lamb Souvlaki, but was a lamb patty and spiced. It sorta made me think "if Greek met hamburger". The spices didn't really jive with me, but like a lot of other things I've eaten, it wasn't that it was bad, just not my thing. The patty was actually well cooked though, it was done. It wasn't undercooked in the slightest, but it wasn't done and dry either. The sauce actually worked really well with this dish. In the Falafel, it just tasted creamy, but in the Shaorma, it was nutty and kind of sweet.
Helpfulness: Due to the format of this restaurant, I'm not sure this is really applicable, but the staff was very friendly from my limited contact with them. We didn't really need anything though so this category is kinda without substance behind it.
Price:Expectation Ratio: For the size of the food, it's just a slight bit pricey, but the quality and flavor are definitely worth every cent. I was hoping for more pita bread with the hummus, but it was kind of a lot of hummus.. and like I said, I always end up needing more pita anyway... All in all though, very satisfied with this ratio.
Drink selection?: This place is BYOB, which you might think would be a total drag, but it's not. There is a dollar per person fee for "corkage", but considering it's not per bottle, that's pretty good. Also, the cups they give you for your booze are kinda awesome. They remind me of scaled down empty furikake bottles. Now, you would think it would be a real drag to be stuck at a mall that only has Longs to provide wine, but there's a very "conveniently placed" Greek wine and cheese shop RIGHT next door (Hi marketing tactics, nice to see you again). We didn't check out the place until after we ate because we brought a bottle of wine purchased the night before. I could actually write a whole review on just that bottle of wine, but that's not the kind of blog we're doing here. I will say though, it was a Dornfelder, it was cheap, and it was delicious. As for the "soft drinks", we actually didn't have any. I went with the intention of trying the Ginger Brew, but since we started the wine once we got to the table, the idea of ginger + wine was kind of a no no. I do intend to go back and try it though. Otherwise, they do offer your usual sodas and assorted juices (mango, lemonade, apple juice), but they also serve coffees, teas, and coffee drinks. As I don't drink coffee, you'll have to rely on someone else to review those.
Dessert selection?: There is actually only one item on their "dessert menu" and that's Baklava. I had every intention of trying it, but by the time we were done I was a little too buzzed to think I'd be able to taste it properly. That and I ran out of cash... Will try on my next visit though.
Come-back-ability: Definitely coming back here. I love the crowd and the atmosphere of the restaurant. It really made me feel like I was in a little part of Europe (I say Europe because I've never been to the Mediterranean before and America really does not have a grip on the concept of an outdoor cafe...). I'm dying to try the Baklava and Ginger Brew and I definitely will not be able to pass up the Hummus. I will either end up going for a dinner entree or just doing a sampler kind of thing on the appetizers. Either way, I'm sure I'll be very happy and very full. Last bit I'd like to mention, if you're old enough to drink... and granted that you do consume alcohol... this is seriously a place to bring a good bottle of wine. I am not kidding when I say that every table had at least one bottle with them. There was also a party that sat inside with about 8 people and at least 5 bottles of wine. We witnessed one lady sitting near us smash a whole bottle on her own in about 15 minutes. In order to stop myself from assigning the label of alcoholism, I will attribute it to the cute, tiny booze cups.
Extra comments...
Bring lots of cash. This place is cash only. Thankfully, there's a BOH about a 2 minute walk away and the mall itself has ATMs inside. I'd suggest taking a look at the menu and planning accordingly because believe me, it's a real bummer when you can't order everything you want to. Oh, and you pay when you get your food, not right when you order. Not sure why this is and not like it matters, but just so you know.
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If you would like to take a look at some reviews or pictures of the menu (sadly, they don't have an actual website of their own that I could find) check out their Yelp page. The link I'm providing is a picture of the main and beverage menus posted by Yelp user Pomai S. Part of the board is blocked by the flash, but it's only one or two side dish items.
Olive Tree Cafe's menu via Yelp
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