Olive Lounge & Grill

The Olive Lounge and Grill is one of those places I hesitate to write about, for fear it will become impossible to get a table there. However, since it is already so popular, perhaps the secret out in any case.The core of this family owned restaurant is Middle East food - the restaurant was started two generations ago by brothers who hailed from Ramallah. They do this cuisine extremely well. But you can also get regular pub fare - Tuesday night is $10 burger night, Thursday is $11 nachos locos. And then there are some outstanding entrees that are not usually associated with the Middle East, like French cut lamb chops with grilled onions and peppers and a choice of couscous, rice, or kidhre. Besides the homey atmosphere, friendly staff (most of whom are family members, who are still hands on at the restaurant), I really appreciate the prices. Although they have gone up a little like everywhere else, they still feel approachable. Thanks, Olive Lounge! We love having you in the neighborhood.

This was our first time trying this restaurant, parking was convenient with a small lot ($5/day) behind the restaurant. They have a nice outdoor dining patio with heaters out back. If you go in the back door off the parking lot and enter through the patio space, you come into the cute bar area. The main dining room is through a hallway and down a few steps. If stairs are an issue, enter through front off Carroll. Dining room is nicely decorated in a Middle Eastern vibe. In winter I can imagine this front area might be chilly, when the front door opens, outside air blows in. We got little chilly on a 60° day as we were sitting near the door. Service was excellent and any questions we asked, she tried to answer to best of her ability. We were a group of 3 and all ordered something different. From prior reviews here with photos, I wasn't sure if I wanted to order a flatbread or app to share. Would it be too much food before sn entree? Well, I should have as I decided to get the chicken Kabob entree. Flavor was excellent, chicken was tender and very flavorful. Basmati rice was plentiful and cooked just right. Only thing was portion size for chicken was very small and I still was hungry, which left room for dessert. My hubby ordered the Chicken Shawarma. His portion size of chicken was great, at first he really liked whatever spices were used in the marinade & cooking process, but he said after a while he grew tired of it & couldn't finish because he started to turn off to the spices. I did try a bite or two and to me, it almost tasted like a "soap" flavor. Not appealing to me at all. My friend ordered the rack of Lamb. The said it was delicious but she came across couple fatty bites that had to be spit out. For me, I noticed it looked rare along the bone. I'm not familiar with how rack of Lamb is cooked or served but couldn't help wonder if it was done.Then we did order dessert. I became a fan of Kunefe from another restaurant that I love, so any place I see it on the menu, I want to try. Although any place has a tough dish to fill. The waitress brought out a nice display tray of what they offer for desserts and she went through them all and explained a couple of them were housemade, Baklava and Kunefe being those and that's what we ordered. I'd say stick to desserts that are not housemade as the Baklava was not good. Out of the 2 served, I only photographed the better looking one. I did get the Kunefe and it was ok, but when comparing to another, I wouldn't order again and even one of my FB friends who is middle eastern & saw the photo, she thought it didn't even look good. I would love to come back as I really wanted to try the Mezze platter and flatbread and also to support a family business. I believe here everything is based on your taste appeal to various spices and everything was enjoyable except for dessert. For those who like specialty teas, the spiced tea (served cold or hot) was delicious, touch of cinnamon in the background. If your not sure, request a sample to try before ordering to be sure. I had it iced and loved it, unfortunately, no refills and our friend received hot with honey which I'm sure was delicious. Once it got busy, service attention did get less attentive as there was only 1 waitress. They do charge different cost for cash vs credit here.

Cute place that is half bar & grill and half middle eastern fare. We were looking for the latter when we came on a weekend for lunch so it wasn't very busy. We ordered the grilled cauliflower, hummus with lamb, and a chicken shawarma pita all to share. My favorite was the cauliflower, it came with a sauce I can't remember well enough to describe except for not being a toum or a tahini like I would have expected. The lamb on the hummus was chunks rather thanground meat (which I was expecting simply because of how an old haunt that used to serve that dish did) and the lamb was very good but i found the hummus quite mid - heavier on lemony or other tart notes than on tahini as I prefer.The chicken shawarma was decent quality but the chicken didn't have the flavor profile I was used to for shawarma and to me seemed bland (though the sauce helps).My husband enjoyed those more than I did, but admitted he too prefers a more tahini driven smooth hummus.I would come back and try other stuff (they have some Latin food among others) if in the neighborhood, but for shawarma and hummus that requires a trek anyway, it won't replace our favorite in Rockville.

Very quaint. Simple straight forward neighborhood establishment that has simple charm. My bartender was very good at making drinks. So I will be back looking for her.

Came here randomly on a Monday and had the best experience! Their Mezza platters are only $15 (normally 27) on mondays and it's really the best deal ever. You get pita bread, a bunch of falafel, stuffed grape leaves, tabbouleh, hummus, baba ganoush, and a Mediterranean dip. It easily fed 3 of us with plenty leftover. Service was fast and friendly.

The happy hour was truly delightful, and the service was commendably swift. The gin and tonic was expertly crafted and satisfyingly strong. The culinary offerings were unique, and I wholeheartedly recommend coming here.

Awesomeness place great food Russell the waiter the nest ! We will be back here! Very family oriented place definitely seems like a mom and Pop place

Cute, little neighborhood bar/restaurant, with an outdoor seating area. My friend and I just stumbled across this bar/restaurant. The food was good. I had the baked stuffed eggplant and he had the falafel plate. The service was not very friendly. The server said she wasn't going to serve my friend any beer because she thought he was drunk. He hadn't been drinking at all, so that was a bad call (and rather rude) on her part!I doubt I'll be coming back. There are plenty of bars where I live and the service there is much better.

I love having this reliable spot in our neighborhood. Their menu is extensive, and while I do love the buffalo wings, the kebab and shawarma is where they truly shine! Check out their website for daily specials too. Staff is always super friendly, and while the front area seems small, there's usually plenty of space towards the back bar down the narrow hallway. I do carry-out from here pretty often as well, and it's always just as good as dining in.

We love this unassuming little nook in Takoma Park! We recently tried the wings, egg rolls, spinach, and rice & chickpeas. Everything was fresh, crunchy, and delicious. Excellent service and cozy atmosphere. Love it