I couldn't find any pictures of the Alfredo but I decided to give it a try. Very good flavor! Can't wait to try more things from here. read more

Green Olive Restaurant - Alfredo with chicken. Yum! - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Friendly atmosphere. Great and food and the wait wasn't too bad either. The food was fresh and the vibes were good. I would highly recommended this spot! read more

I love Green Olive! Their food is delicious and they feed you well! Definitely a great place to go when you are very hungry. The food comes out super fast and is always delicious. Next time you're in downtown Columbia, you have to give them a try! read more

This place is amazing. The food is great, the staff is friendly and the atmosphere is great. The wait time to get our food was not long at all and this was during lunch hours. If you like hummus def get it with the pide bread. The Turkish coffee was also very well made. I loved it all. I will be coming here again. read more

I love green olive. Their gyro is top notch. Feta salad is delicious. Always super friendly staff. It's my go to Mediterranean spot in cola.

A wonderful restaurant. Near my office and delicious food. Spaghetti is tasty, even better than chicken and tomatoes. Soup is good, and I like it. read more

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This restaurant serves the best Mediterranean food around! We have eaten here several times, and the food is always fresh and delicious! We have also always had great service. read more

Green Olive Restaurant - Green Olive sampler and the lamb kabobs. Very, very good! - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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We walked into a mostly empty restaurant 2 hours before closing time and waited patiently to be seated. The host ignored us for several minutes before very curtly saying, "I'm the only server here and I'm not seating anybody else tonight. You can just go." I asked him to repeat himself and he did, word for word. I'm generally very patient, particularly on a busy weekend night, but I've honestly never seen anything like this. By the looks of recent reviews, I wasn't the only one who had a similar problem. Y'all should fire this guy today... it shouldn't be too hard to figure out which one of your employees he was. read more

The staff was very nice and accommodating; our waitress gave us salad suggestions as we are people who do not typically go to Mediterranean restaurants and were unfamiliar with many of the menu items. The flat bread appetizer was fluffy and great. The Chicken Shish Kebab I ordered was delicious and well-seasoned, and the basmati rice went with the chicken very well. I also ordered the White Bean Salad and enjoyed it as well. Someone else in our group ordered the Spinach and Feta Pizza and loved it - beware if you aren't a fan of spinach though because the spinach flavor is very strong. Lastly, the booths were very comfortable and we will definitely be coming to Green Olive again in the future. read more

Green Olive Restaurant - Spinach and Feta Pizza - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Really neat place to eat, near the university. I work at USC and did not know about this place, until one day someone suggested lunch. I was very impressed, the decor was nice, the service was great, and the food was top notch. It's Mediterranean food, and they even have shawarma in case you're an Iron Man fan. The food is light, but filling. I will definitely return. read more

Overall Score: 4.33 stars. Summary: We really like this spot. It does not show up in the top 10 in the Mediterranean Category on Yelp, but it really should. We like it so much that two of us mindlessly walked here assuming it was the Olive Grill, which is on our Challenge List and was meant to be the Challenge kick-off. Oh well. Food: Delicious. One of the tastiest Mediterranean options in Columbia. The Turkish menu brings some new options to the table. Service: Engaging - very nice conversations with waitstaff, and drinks stayed full. Timeliness: Slow - it took much longer than we would like for lunch to hit the table. Parking: average - its on campus, and that is rough. Daily Specials - didn't see any. Ambiance - nice enough, though a little sterile and conflicted with the televisions. Bathrooms - Usable - Publican liked them. Intangibles - nothing too notable here. read more

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Good choice near Statehouse and USC campus. Great lunch specials. Appears to be family owned.

WORST server I have ever experienced in a restaurant. I have never written a bad review even when I had a bad experience. this guy topped all my bad experiences. We were very patient with him knowing he was the only server. He said we showed up 30 mins earlier then our reservation and we said take your time but he still did not serve us or acknowledged us until or scheduled time. I DO NOT recommend this place to anyone. My family highly suggested this place, I told them never to give them business again. If you hate your job that much then quit but leave your attitude at home, we are paying customers. read more

As I arrived the staff had just finished setting up for lunch today service. I quickly ordered the lamb curry lunch special at once on the menu instead of beef or chicken and red bean lentil soup instead of salad. It may have been a dollar or two more dollars but I like lamb dishes. The soup had a golden color with small beans shredded up in the bowl with small onions. It was the highlight of the meal, it would be great to try in the middle of winter or on a cold rainy day. Now moving onto the lamb curry, everything was cooked perfect I felt it may have needed something more to make it pop. But anyways I enjoyed the meal and the service. This place is open 7 days a week from 11am to 10 pm except on Sunday's which is 9pm one hour earlier. They are located right beside Wich Wich and right behind the State House. Street Parking is available if you get there early enough before the lunch rush. read more

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***UPDATE**** The owners did what a good business person should, and reached out to me after reading my review. Apparently they staffing issues the night of my terrible experience. Everyone has an off night, but every other time I've dined at Green Olive the food has been amazing. I will return, because the Green Olive Humus with Koftka is one of the best dishes in Columbia (not kidding). I hate to do this (change my earlier rave review), but as good as the food is I had the worst experience ever at a restaurant last night. When we came in, we told our server we had to be at a play in an hour and a half and we were in a hurry. Almost mockingly we were told everyone was headed to said play, but that it would be OK. After being greeted I asked for a beer and wine list, but was only brought a wine list. When asked for the beer list again she disappeared for literally 6 minutes. Then disappeared again. When she came back we ordered everything at once. Never got our app (which was a a cheese plate). We never got our food. My father never got his coffee. When we asked about his coffee 45 minutes later our server said "I'm trying to get them to make more, but we're out." It also took 30 minutes to get my mother's wine, which we were told "it's coming I have to open a new bottle," that was a lie because the malbec came out smelling/tasting like vinegar. Because of the long wait ordered more beers, asked for water and tea refills, and again asked for my father's coffee. We never got it. I kept waiting for the owner/manager to stop by our table and speak to us about the delay. After we expressed that we were agitated no manager came out to see us? I was perplexed that our server didn't even acknowledge that there was something wrong with not getting our drinks, food, appetizer, but she had nothing to say to us. No "sorry for the delay we're busy", no "it's coming out soon", nothing. Just ignored until I stopped her to ask about our drinks (again). After waiting an hour and a half we had to leave to go to the play without eating (we were late to the play by five minutes to make matters worse.) I've never gotten up and left because I didn't get my food. I was dumbfounded. People that came in with us were paying when we left. People that came in after us got their food before we got our drinks? I work a block a way/work out of the state house. I have been bringing business associates here for lunch almost weekly recently because the food was so good. That won't happen again. I know this is their first year open, but know your area. If the Koger Center has something going on you should expect a busier night. Two servers during the dinner rush just reflects poor management? I'm so glad I suggested this to my family before we went to the Koger Center just so we could go to the play without eating. read more

Stopped by during evening dog walk- the waitresses were very welcoming for both my dog and I bringing us both water (his in a dog appropriate dish)! Ordered the Gyro platter and chose the Feta salad (small salad comes with dinner). The salad was small in name only! Generous portion of fresh lettuce, green peppers, olives, tomatoes and feta with a tasty dressing. The Gyro platter had real shaved meat- crispy edges with moist flavorful meat- the real deal instead of the typical pre-formed gyro meat one often gets served. The meat was accompanied by grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms with both on a bed of rice. All in all, a delicious, fresh, authentic and well prepared meal! read more

Best Mediterranean restaurant in Columbia, SC. There are several such restaurants in Columbia and I think the Green Olive as the best tasting food. Pricewise, they are similar to other Mediterranean restaurants. They have a wide range of food choices as well from vegetarian to mainly meat-based dishes. read more

If I could give no stars, I would -- because the overall experience was just that awful. We stopped in for lunch after hearing they had just opened. We walked in and the dining area was extremely humid and hot. I ordered an appetizer and we all placed our order for the main course as well. We waited quite a while and when our food did arrive, it arrived all at once. My side salad, appetizer and main course. Who does that? I was unhappy and said as much to the gentleman that brought out our food and all he said was, "oh, sorry" as he walked away. My salad was a total joke consisting of iceberg lettuce, one tomato slice and two olives. The appetizer was a pleasant surprise and was good. I ordered the "hot" curry chicken and it was not at all hot, but extremely mild and the chicken in the dish was rubbery and all dark meat. I understand people make mistakes and that the opening days of a new restaurant are challenging. But "oh, sorry" and walking away shows me they could not have cared less. They earned this rather unpleasant review all on their own. read more

I will start with the positives first! This was the best middle eastern flatbread I have ever had. It was so fluffy and warm and delicious! The vegetables that came with the lamb kebabs were marinated and tangy and the hummus topped with kofta was tasty as well. Just a few negatives. The salads that came with our meals were kinda weak. They were supposed to be feta salads but the feta was lacking....and the lamb on my skewers was a little tough. Next time I will just go for the bread and hummus! read more

My daughters and I ended up here because Hunter-Gatherer brewery was too busy. It was meant to be. I had the best Gyro I have ever tasted! My daughters got Shrimp kabobs, red lentil soup, Chicken Alfredo and feta salads. I tried a little of everything and it was all so delicious! read more

Such a delicious place!! Very affordable and quick customer service! Food tastes very fresh!

The WORST service and SERVER. The server was a total disrespect to us. We were a party of 6. Understanding all the COVID laws and short of staff it was more the disrespect of the server and lack of training. DO NOT GO HERE!! Aweful service , disrespectful to the guest and we never got our food and drinks. Oh and if you order a dinner entree for an appetizer they will QUESTION you WHY you are ordering a entree for appetizer. Never got our drinks, 6 of us but ONLY got 4 plates. Asked for more plates and hot sauce and server had an ATTITUDE. AWEFUL AWEFUL AWEFUL ...just AWEFUL read more

This is one of those places that has potential, but is not living up to it...yet. The food was very nice! I had a mediterranean chicken salad. Everything was crisp, fresh, and tasty. However, there are a number of things that make this place sub par: The servers are nice, sweet, but seem to lack some basic service training, and it showed in a few ways, in addition to coming across insecure. There were also not enough people working here- either that, or the servers are not active enough. The food also took quite a long time to come out considering there were only 3 or so seated tables. The decor is ok, could be more interesting and warm. Architecturally, there is a lot of wasted space (huge walk way between table areas). They could make better use of this in design. On my salad, I asked for no cheese, and an added side of tahini. Most places I go to (and I eat a lot of Mediterranean) do not charge for a small side of tahini. My bill listed 1.50 for it...now, I don't mind a small charge, but this is quite high for a few ounces, especially since I had feta removed from my salad which saved them money. So, overall- the food is worthy...the wait, the service, overall atmosphere, and billing choices, basically everything else is all questionable and sub par. I say this because I like small businesses and I want them to succeed. Make some changes, and you can be a great! read more

I've been looking for a good Mediterranean place for awhile, having grown tired of Arabesque and still remembering with horror my experience at Persis Biryani, and I stumbled upon what seems like a winner. A friend of mine and I were looking for Moe's downtown prior to a USC baseball game and we happened to see Green Olive. We pulled in, over my feeble objections, and walked in, and let me just say: the Gamecocks lost that day (screw you, Texas A&M), but I think I won just because of lunch. The menu here is a goodish length - it's not too extensive that it presents a difficulty in making a decision, and it's also not too short as to be really exclusive. They address all of the major foods: curry, shwarma, kebabs, and a handful of appetizers (grape leaves, hummus, baba ghanoush). My personal favorite for appetizers is the sigara borek (Turkish filo with feta cheese and chopped parsley). So far, for me, the highlight has been their eggplant Parmesan. I realize that's a "safe" dish, but it's a comfort food, so keep your judgey looks to yourself. Theirs is totally different than anything I've ever tried, and it sets the bar. The reviews on here seem to blast the service, but I had the exact opposite experience. My server, David, was fantastic. He was attentive enough that he kept my glass filled, but had the courtesy not to hover, which is difficult in a mostly-empty restaurant. I hope he sticks around there, because quality service is a huge draw (mostly because it's so damn scarce), and he's definitely quality. The only real downside that I could find is that the food does seem to take awhile to come out: we wound up waiting 30-40 minutes from the time we ordered to the time we got our food. All told, I really loved the place and I will definitely go back. read more

Clean restaurant, friendly staff. I ordered a few appetizers to get a good sampling and everything was great. Will definitely go back!

My wife and I along with a group of friends ate here on a Sunday evening recently. The place was almost deserted except for another group. The menu looks like a near duplicate of Al-Amir's. It took quite awhile (10-15 mins) to get our drinks. One member of our party did not receive her drink when they brought out everyone else's. It took another 10 mins for her to finally receive it. We started with appetizers that we all shared. The hummus and bread was ok and the little fried feta pastries were actually really delicious. The entrees came out in a reasonable amount of time. I had the shwarma and my wife had the curry. Both of our meals were ok, not terrible but not the best. Once the meal was over it took quite awhile to get the bills settled because the waitress disappeared. One other note: the air conditioning system was extremely loud. When it cycled on it was very hard to heard one another. Overall if you want Mediterranean food then I would recommend Al-Amir. If they are full then The Green Olive is a decent substitution. read more

Ordered delivery through Bite Squad the other night... which is typically a weekly occurrence. However, this was my first order placed with Green Olive. I was beyond disappointed! The total order amount came to over $56.00, which included Turkish lamb shish kebab, beef curry (medium spice), grape leaves, sigara borek (cheese pastries), as well as an extra side of grilled veggies. For the entrees, we chose red lentil soup and shepherd's salad as our sides. The entire meal was overpriced and underwhelming. The Turkish lamb kebab was priced at $16.95 and came with a total of only 4 pieces of lamb! The red lentil soup that accompanied the entree had absolutely no lentils at all... only broth! The beef curry (requested with a medium spice level) had practically zero flavor. The "cheese pastries" had the most minimal amount of cheese and was basically wrapped filo dough with chopped parsley. The only dish we were pleased with, also happened to be the most inexpensive... the grape leaves. My family is of Turkish decent so I am very familiar with the traditional dishes... this entire meal fell short. read more

Why on Earth have I never known about this restaurant??? We came here on a Sunday because Hunter Gatherer was closed and were not disappointed. Great parking (so RARE downtown) fast and friendly service, clean restaurant and restrooms. We shared the Gyro Platter with sliced beef and lamb (very tender) with vegetables over Basmati w/tzatziki sauce. Shepherds Salad with tomato, cucumber and mint (refreshing). Tzatziki with Turkish bread with olive oil and sesame seeds. Price reasonably and did not break the bank with drinks. The only thing I would suggest is to remember that couples like to sit alone - bit on top of other guests when there is space (which they accommodated for us), and Mediterranean music a little bit louder. Otherwise a stellar experience! read more

Very good food, you can say that the owner really likes what he is doing. Best Turkish food in SC, very flavorful kebabs, delicious dolmas, amazing delicious bread, real Turkish tea and baklava. This place is really clean. They have only one cook so it takes time to prepare food but waiting absolutely worth it. read more

One of my downtown favorites. The food is always prepared well and tastes fantastic. The staff has always been great. We've always enjoyed the meal and ourselves pre-pandemic and now. read more

Great authentic food! Great friendly service! Reasonable prices! We will definitely be back! Oh - and upgrade your bread to a large. You won't be sorry! read more

Let me start off by saying our server Daniel was amazing!! It was overall 8/10 for the food, the hummus was just a little bland but I got the vegetable kabobs and my friend got the beef gyros entree very delicious! You definitely got a lot of food for the low price it was. Highly recommend. read more

Although my (to-go) order was accurate, technically speaking, the food was subpar compared to previous experiences. The highlight was the falafel, which was good, but the chicken kebabs were very dry and overcooked. That in itself could be forgivable. However, the plate was ordered with no rice and extra vegetables. What I received was no rice and hardly any vegetables, let alone extra. By "hardly any" I mean a total of 4 half slices of zucchini, 4 half slices of squash, and 2 slices of onions. That may not sound that bad, but when you order a delivery, asked for no rice and receive half the food portion you would expect WITH rice, it's rather disappointing. read more

The food here is awesome. I've had the gyro, the sampler appetizer (which is enough food for a meal), the hummus, baba ghanoush, shawarma and pizza are fantastic. My main complaint is the service. You only have an hour for lunch? Don't go here. You want to substitute something? Screw you. You want to them to hold the Tzakis sauce? They will give you extra sauce instead. The waitresses take delight in messing up your order. No problem if you're dining in. If you get a takeout order, open up each and every container BEFORE you leave the building. read more

I would give this restaurant 2 stars, and that's only because of the food. I believe our servers name was 'David' and he was extremely rude. Probably one of the worse servers I have ever encountered. Probably would not be returning. Words of advice, order take out to save yourself the hassle. read more

If I could give 7/5 stars I would! Everything was so fresh and so flavorful. If you're looking for an authentic meal that tastes like someone cares, come to The Green Olive. I had the grilled tilapia with the house salad (phenomenal vinaigrette) and my dad got the gyro platter. Not only were those great, but so was our server, David! Whether you're a Columbia local, a student like me, or a tourist, make sure to make this place a stop on your list. read more

I stopped in at this place at an awkward time, around 3pm on a Thursday, but my server, Christopher, was still very attentive and pleasant. The chicken gyro wrap was delicious. Not too garlicy and the chicken was tender and well seasoned. My side shepherd's salad (a pleasant suprise that I could choose any of the salad options as my side) was also fresh and well seasoned. Tasted just like what I was used to eating when I lived in Turkey. Also, props on the super clean bathroom! That's always a good sign for a restaurant! read more

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My favorite! Yummy baba ganouj with their homemade pita (with sesame seeds). Also the BEST falafel! Service is good.

Meh. Better Greek salads in town. The price was high for a basic Greek salad for what they actually served. Their bread is good, I will give them that. I don't think I'd go back just for the Greek salad. The service was a bit slow. I sat outside just for lunch and had to wait and ask the waitress for a drink refill. read more

The chicken schwarma was wonderful. The hubby enjoyed the lamb schwarma. My son got a small pizza and the cheese was all gooey and warm when it came to the table. My daughter's gyro was fantastic. The restaurant was clean and beautifully decorated. Our waiter was friendly and efficient. Great service and food! read more