Absolute worst customer service experience of our life. We paid $25 for lunch. They only accept credit cards. We tipped 18%. My wife asked for extra pickles. They asked for 81 cents. I offered either my credit credit, a 20 bill, or .75 cents change. The woman who claimed to be the owner lost her temper, turned her back on us, and yelled that "food isn't free." We were stunned. Stunned. Something is seriously wrong with this place. Avoid!!' read more

This restaurant has been my absolute favorite, food is consistently delightful, with the falafel and sis tavuk being particular standouts. I have no doubt I'll be returning for another delicious meal soon. read more

Update 10/13 : No resolution yet from the restaurant - Some one called to "refund" me some money" Nothing yet !!!! - Clear example of how little they care ! Not a good place ( one person I dealt with) is extremely arrogant. They got my take-out order wrong , forgot to put in some sides ----and for 10 bucks worth of stuff, they argued with me for 10 mins on phone. This made my evening stressful and made me feel me feel cheap - for 10 bucks !!!! This not something you expect from any half decent restaurant. I made sure I tipped them well too - 20% on a takeout order !!! Absolutely ridiculous. Server name - renita m Advice to future customers- always check your items before you leave the place. Best to avoid this place ! plenty of options out there... It is safe to say I will never step foot in this restaurant or advice anyone else to go to this place. To top it all- food is average at best !!! Thanks priyadarshi mohapatra Bedford ma 8172478991 read more

Dates and Olives Natick - My check - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

Ordered a variety of dishes and was disappointed with all of them. The pomegranate beef skewers were cooked to death and extremely tough. The lamb Adana was dry. The rice was cold on pickup. Lemon yogurt sauce was like water. Samosas were laughably tiny for the price. The front desk person also gave attitude for ordering through grubhub. It was a very poor first impression and I won't be ordering from there again. read more

Doesn't taste like mediterranean. The roasted cauliflower tasted more like a south asian dish.

Samosas are INCREDIBLY small. I've honestly never seen such tiny samosas so they weren't even good for sharing (three of them make up about one normal sized one). They accidentally gave me just ONE falafel with not a single dipping sauce instead of the full appetizer of them. Good customer service but EXTREMELY hard to reach by phone (if the line is busy you just have to hang up and call again and again and unfortunately it can be that way for over an hour). The food is good but forcing us to have a substitution instead of giving us our money back when they didn't have the dessert we want is wrong, also when they say there's nuts in it without telling us ahead of time on the phone or anything. They should've just given us a refund instead of a substitution without asking us first. I'm really disappointed this time but the first time I went was good so I might be willing to go back again to try to review better. read more

See all

Undoubtably awesome! Just went here for lunch to catch up with a friend and we got the meal for 2 and shared. Definitely a ton of food, we took home a lot of containers for later. The person working there was so nice, attentive and I would say it was the best lunch I've had in a long time. Hummus, Chicken Sharma, pita, cous cous, all of it fantastic and for the price unreal! I highly recommend the mint tea too- its not a tea bag but brewed in a pot and it was absolutely amazing- I don't like mint so I was really surprised! All-in-all, highly recommend which I do not often do! read more

As a quick lunch spot (or dinner in my case) Dates & Olives was everything I wanted. A friend and I stopped there for a quick dinner. I got a salad with tabouleh, hummus, steak, and cabbage. I added a falafel and no regrets! I thought the steak was well cooked and well seasoned. Some of the toppings weren't the most authentic but the ingredients were fresh and delicious. I thought it made for a perfect quick bite. The restaurant was pretty spacious. There were a lot of little nooks which made for a wonderful casually catching up with my friend. read more

What I had was just ok. The chicken was a bit dry. The lamb meat ball was room temperature and hard- but had good flavor. The hummus had a nice texture but didn't have enough garlic. Tabbouleh needed more- more parsley, more tomato, more olive oil. Just more. Prefer bulgur wheat to quinoa. But they have their own take on middle eastern food, which one must respect. Still it has to be juicy and flavorful. The sauces, like tahini and tzatziki are pretty good. Also would prefer real plates and utensils for eat in vs. their take out paper and plastic. Maybe they don't have a dishwasher, but they should get one, if that is the issue. A little tweaking would go a long way to elevating Dates and Olives to excellent rather than just ok. read more

I dined at Dates and Olives for the first time last night, and now wish I lived in Natick (or that they'd open another location by me!). The owner Renita is so warm, professional, and passionate about her craft. I built my own bowl, and was so pleased. Must recommend the house-made pita, hummus, and ganoush! Although truly, every aspect of the meal was lovely. Cannot wait to go back! read more

A hidden gem conveniently located in downtown Natick. I had the Chicken Shawarma which came out hot and fresh, with a side of what I think were beets? Either way, both were yummy. Plus, the portions are large so I took half my sandwich home for later! The worker there, who might have been the owner, was so kind and attentive. I definitely will be coming back! read more

My go to for spanikopita/spinach pie, Corrado's in Natick, was closed today so I tried Dates and Olives. Huge mistake. Cost aside - $6.50 for 4 clearly previously frozen small triangles - these were the most disappointing spanikopita I've ever seen. They were burnt to a crisp and the smoky smell alone made me ill. I didn't think to check the order until I got home. Seeing as they were inedible, I called the restaurant to request a refund. No answer, so I drove back to get one in person. When I showed them to the cook, I was told that's how they're meant to be and that's how the oven is set to cook them (confirming my suspicion that these aren't made in house). So.... instead of admitting this was disgusting and in no way acceptable, even if they were "meant to be that way", to this particular customer, I'm left with no refund, 2 wasted trips, and a whole lot of carbon. Save yourself time, money, and maybe a small sliver of your sanity, and skip this one. read more

Three stars for the chicken and rice which was edible and good. We ate most of it. I would stick with the popular dishes here, which may be fresher than some of the less popular dishes. Roasted cauliflower looked unappetizing, was too mushy, could not distinguish any ingredients, and not fresh tasting. Couscous with vegetables tasred bad and spoiled, soggy, too mushy, not fresh. I tried a few bites and had a bad reaction to it, followed by a stomach ache. The red cabbage slaw was too acidic, too much vinegar. I paid over $60 for the food, for two people, and two drinks. Most of the food did not taste fresh. We tossed everything in the garbage except the chicken and rice. That is ok. We wanted to try it. These are hard times for the restaurant industry, I just would like the restaurant to throw out the old food rather than serve it. I do wish them the best and may try the chicken and rice again, not anytime soon. It is hard to find good fresh healthy restaurant food for a family. We used to love Big Fresh before it closed. Our search for a good Mediterranean food continues. read more

They continue to mess up online orders. When trying to work with them to show the issues on Ubereats, I was told to cancel my order. This is the second time the owner has directly told me she will not fulfill my order. I will not, nor recommend, eating here again due to the poor customer service direct from the owner herself. read more

Order was not complete, didn't realize until home. Food that arrived wasn't great. Very fatty lamb gyro.

We ordered from here via GrubHub. Two items we ordered were cancelled and refunded without an opportunity to replace them. When we called, the woman on the phone was very defensive and complained that GrubHub doesn't pay her for 40 days. What she failed to realize is she wouldn't have gotten our business without GrubHub, and that her arrangements with GrubHub are not our concern. I'm the end, the food was ok for the most part, but the chicken skewers were unforgivable. They looked and tasted like jerky. Tough and chewy as if they had been overcooked by reheating several times. We will not be ordering from them again. read more

I'm newly Vegan and working in EMS it hard to find time for lunch, let alone make it. So I searched for Vegan friendly spots in Natick and this is what I found. I ordered the Tabbouleh salad to go online. First off, super easy ordering platform. Confirmation email sent an option of paying with card or at pick up makes ordering so much easier. Secondly, the service was fast and friendly. And then there is the food. No lack of flavor here, absolutely tasty and filling. I was dreading having a bland Tabbouleh salad but they did not disappoint. Oh, and I'm still working on it the portions are sizable. If you are looking for fresh and new, definitely try this place. You will not be disappointed. read more

A stand out place in Natick. Interesting middle eastern food served with integrity - more like the kind of place you would find in Boston. A go to for take out. read more

Wasn't impressed. Tried the chicken kebab plate and have to say it was severely lacking in flavor. Also the rice were the worse I ever had. I don't mind paying high prices for quality meals, but this was a diaster. The chicken was so dry and didn't even seem like it was cooked all the way. read more

Nice fresh food in Natick downtown. I loved the grilled vegetables and hummus. The falafel on the other hand were not my favorite, a tad on the pasty side. The portions are a good size but at times the food can lack seasoning. The pita bread was very good and they were very mindful of allergies on the table. I got the falafel sald bowl with pickled turnips, carrot salad and pickled red cabbage. Every side was delicious. The downside was the spicy sauce (which came to me slightly frozen and lacked salt) and the lamb gyro that my cousin got. He found it dry and lack lusture. I would recommend the business to ramp up their meat game to stay afloat in the competitive market out there. read more

Tasty and delicious food ! Warm people, great service and Comfortable atmosphere. I recommend the lamb meatballs, and all on the menu is very tasty. I also enjoy the macaroons. read more

The owner is a chef and it shows in the consistency of flavor and composed plates in a fast casual setting. If you see the chef there know that the food will be extra delicious. You won't find better gyros in Natick and the mango lassi is always a crowd pleaser. The gyro is full of juicy lamb that isn't greasy and blends with a creamy sauce and house made potato chips. House. made.chips. On cold days try the lentil soup and for hot summer days gnosh on a plate of mezze. tldr; clean bold flavors with expert owner at the helm. read more

We got takeout from Dates and Olives, it was ok. We were excited to try this place as we like this type of food and there isn't a spot in Natick that offers this. The food is ok, their items don't have a ton of flavor and they are a bit different than what you might expect if you often eat Mediterranean food. It might be better eating there, but takeout wasn't great. read more

Dates and Olives comes across as a fast-casual kind of place that has the potential to be good, but still has execution problems that need to be worked out. I have not been to the other location, which I hope would be better, but for the new Natick center offering I was both delighted and disappointed. I think attention to detail is what is missing. You can tell that the lack of attention to detail not only happens in the kitchen, but also in the management as terribly apparent through the extremely small photos provided by the owner in the photo gallery for this new Yelp listing. The photo of the menu is illegible! I was able to find their actual website that has the menu though. Another party of guests had a lot of trouble navigating the menu, and I literally was stuck behind them for 15 minutes as they figured out their order on the fly at the register. I think that the staff could have maybe handled this better and asked them to step aside and to have someone walk them through the menu and let people who were ready to order, actually order. Anyways, after waiting a very long time to order, I placed my order and went to wait at a table. About 10 minutes later, and after I received some of my order, I was told that the wings that I ordered were not available and that I could pick something else. I was later refunded in cash. Awkward. Food Review: Sambouseh - good flavor, but hot and fried on the outside and frozen cold on the inside. Gross. Staff needs training on how to fry frozen foods correctly. Falafels - OK. They were a surprise. It was more like a mashed falafel that's been fried, versus the typical falafels that have a more crumbly texture. Flavor is OK, but unexpected texture. Not my kind of falafel Tahini for falafels - Good! Well, probably because it didn't require any preparation other than to put it into a sauce cup. Steak tips "Pita Pocket" - OK. The seasoning was good, but the meat was old and rubbery in texture. The pieces of meat were so small it pains me to wonder why they don't just keep it raw and actually cook it on demand. The meat I was served was room temperature and disappointing. Also, the fact that it's called a pita pocket is misleading because my pita was cut into two pieces like sandwich bread, and as you can imagine with a floppy pita full of small pieces of things not bound together in any meaningful sauce, would just completely fall apart when you picked it up, even with the large hands that I have. I guess you could try and eat it completely horizontal but get ready to make a mess. Lamb Meatball - add 1 meatball for $2. it's about 1" in diameter. It tasted like it was precooked and reheated, given how dry it was. The seasoning was pretty interesting but the dryness was too overwhelming. I am quite spendy on food so I don't mind that much about the price because I like to try a lot of different things even if it costs more, but to those seeking value, this would most certainly be a disappointment to you. Greek frappe - disappointing. I have certain expectations for GREEK frappe. I don't know why they call it a greek frappe, there wasn't anything greek frappe about it that I could tell. It was more like an iced latte with sweetener added. Is this place even Greek? Or Turkish? Lebanese? All of the above? It's some sort of weird fusion. I don't like it when fusion places try to sell something that's iconic of a cuisine and then do a bad job at remotely capturing its essence. Just call it iced latte. Mango lassi - OK yes there's also bottled mango lassi here. I'm not sure how it fits into anything else thematically but it's available. It didn't taste that great. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just mango lassi from the proprietor's costco trip poured into smaller bottles, and then resold for 5x the cost. Any hole in the wall 1 star yelp indian restaurant that sells mango lassi would probably have a better mango lassi. Hummus - I don't know. They didn't have any at on a weekday night around dinner time. I don't quite understand why a staple like hummus wasn't available at a key time. Overall food thoughts: I'm left with the feeling that from a seasoning point of view, it's unique, interesting, and tasty, but I can't tell how good the food could have really been because it feels like the staff here just doesn't care enough to do a good job even when there's little to no business happening. I guess it is stunting from a creativity and effort point of view to just reheat prepared foods that probably came from the other location or was made earlier in the day. My thoughts are that the other, original branch, should spend some time here training the staff more. Unfortunately instead of coming across as a hip new interesting middle eastern or Mediterranean or indian all of the above fusion offering, I feel like I experienced a restaurant on its last legs trying to serve yesterday's leftovers. FYI Amex is not accepted here. read more

We came in on a Saturday night when it was not so busy. We soon learned that this is not a mediterranean restaurant as branded. We ordered plates, but found no flavor in any of them. Even the rice was devoid of taste. My partner asked the owner for hot sauce, but she refused to provide it. Needless to say, this was our last visit. read more

I work in the area and decided to call in a side of rice. I called it in at 12:16 pm. Over the phone I was not given the price of my meal, they did not ask for my name, or give me an estimate of time. So I arrived roughly 10 minutes later, and proceeded to wait until 12:45 for my side of rice. The timing is ridiculous without any warning, and in addition while I waited I watched as the woman behind the counter warmly greeted regulars and pushed out several meals, so I suppose this is a 5 star place if you know them. Not for new customers ! read more

Ordered beef kebab it was like car tires. Never go there!!! The place is also extremely dirty!

Good food, fair prices. Definitely going back again! (I can't believe it took me this long to find this gem)

I have been a long time customer of this restaurant but unfortunately after tonight's experience will never be going back. I ordered the pomegranate beef skewers and when I got it home I quickly realized that I couldn't chew any of the beef and it was too tough to chew. Very frustrating and completely impossible to eat. A very nicely called and spoke directly with the owner and was told that there was nothing she could do for me even though she knew how long I had been coming there for. I I was completely shocked at how easily she dismissed me as a loyal customer. I will never be returning to this restaurant. read more

Wow. I literally just had this for the first time and I am amazed - SO good. It reminds me of a better version of CAVA and I am so happy this is my new go to place and what an insanely reasonable price. Can't wait to try everything on the menu (order directly through the restaurant so they don't get charged 20-30%!!!) read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Couscous salad (only like $6!!!) - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

See all

Excellent food. Super friendly staff. Falafel was delicious and the messy fries were YUM. Will certainly return.

Went here about 6 mo ago with my kids and a friend and her daughter. Everyone's meal came to our table about 10 minutes after ordering except mine! Mine took an xtra 10 min. One of the girls who work there apologized twice and said that my lamb meatballs took longer! I don't like spicy food, and the man at the counter assured me that the lamb meatballs weren't spicy. Well, guess what! They were spicy!!! Too much so for me. I couldn't eat them or the fake tabouleH. I will never go back to "Dates and Olives". I thought it was a waste of money & time. read more

First review on Yelp! This place is a great find. Ratatouille Flatbread is quite delicious. Subtle, herby, cheesy, extremely good! Humous and Baba Ganoush are out of this world. Definitely will become a regular detour for me. read more

First time trying this place and it blew me away. Will definitely be adding this to my takeout rotation!

Got takeout and it was really amazing. I got the lamb meatballs and they were so flavorful and had a little heat to them that paired perfectly with the feta and spinach and hummus. I could've eaten an entire side of the hummus alone. 10/10 glad we stopped by. read more

Filthy. Rude. Condescending. Never again. Placed an order online twice. Both times there was no one at the counter and I stood waiting for 10 minutes before the person came out and told me my order hadn't been received. On the second occasion, when I presented the receipt I was lectured about ordering food online. The staff member was rude, relentless, and unbelievably obnoxious. The experience was so bad. I constantly support local small businesses but this is not one I will ever support again. read more

Loved the food. Flavorful, fresh, and healthy. So glad to see some variety in NTK. We had 3 dishes and loved them all. They don't have kebabs right now but should in the future. Plus, the lighting was great and good, authentic tunes. The people working there seemed great and answered any questions. We loved the chicken, and the steak tips. The yogurt mint sauce was good, but will try tahini next time. Good luck to this place. read more

Great place to have bite. Service is fast, accommodating staff. Food as it should be, fresh, flavorful and healthy. Plenty of choices. Couscous was tasty, lentil soup is heavenly created, full of aroma and comfort. Thank you. read more

A joke. They didn't send half my order. When I called, they insisted I had received it. I did not. This is a scam. Stay away. read more

As a devoted aficionado of Middle Eastern food I was excited to try this new venue when it appeared on my local scene. I'm sorry to say that I was quite disappointed by my first visit and have not returned. Interesting menu with variety of choices and the food was okay but the portions were very small, not a good value, and the wait for takeout was unreasonably long. read more