Delicious food and wonderful staff. Must try the chicken shawarma add feta. Cheese pie is also so good. The food here is amazing and the baklava is a great way to finish up. Hidden gem in the old port. read more

Supper yummy Haddock Shawarma in Pita and Naan wraps. Friendly, relaxed and fast service. Tasty baklava to finish off the meal. Will be returning next visit to Portland! read more

You may walk past this place....don't we went there in August. I had the best falafel I've ever had. My husband had delicious chicken shawarma. The owner was very helpful when we were making our decisions. Looking forward to going back read more

Doesn't look like much when you walk past. But boy, they have the best Lebanese I've ever had. Follow the man with a Turkish Coffee (scented with aromatic spices) and a freshly made warm baclava and you are in heaven! read more

this is the best restaurant food ive eaten since i moved to this city! everything tasted so good, really clean flavors, perfect seasoning, fresh fresh fresh. service was excellent, the server was attentive and took the time to point out items that were friendly for my sometimes hard-to-accommodate allergy. ambiance was low key, soft lighting, comfy chairs, intimate but plenty of space between tables. can't recommend it enough honestly! (make sure you try the baba ghanoush and fried cauliflower!) read more

Very good and very fresh. Lots of vegetarian options and some of the best baklava I've ever had and perfect falafel.

We went close to closing time, but server was very nice and very polite. We got couple of things and both were super delicious. Great prices for being on Commercial St. Lamb and haddock we ordered were super delicious, will definitely go again! Isareli couscous that was served with Haddock was something like i have never had before. Yummy!! read more

Found this delicious Lebanese Mediterranean gem of a spot on my first day in Portland and plan to return before I leave Maine. Upon being seated we were served a glass of water. We ordered hummus and pita chips to start. Hummus was VERY good! For lunch I had the chicken gyro in a bowl. The ingredients were very fresh, the dish itself had a nice size serving but to my surprise I inhaled it, and I didn't feel heavy/full. The staff is nice and friendly. The place is clean and chill. This place far exceeded my expectations!! read more

Amazing food ! Everything we had was freshly prepared in an intimate atmosphere. We had a living social but even without it the food was reasonably priced. The fried cauliflower was so flavorful and we enjoyed the haddock wrap and lamb kebab which were cooked perfectly. Highly recommend this if you are tired of lobster read more

Fast, friendly service with a limited classic selection of middle eastern food, nice alternative to a seafood heavy neighborhood. It worked well for the various diets in our party - two on the keto diet and one vegan/gluten free. The fattoush salad was terrific and fairly large, the chicken shawarma was tasty and average size not overwhelming, and the salad with grilled shrimp was also very tasty and on the larger size. The hummus was above average, fine but not off the charts good. Overall I find it compelling and would definitely return. read more

Husband and I both agree that this was a great lunch experience! The lamb gyro and beef gyro were both AMAZING and the best we've had in a long time. Very friend staff, quick service -- great place all around! Highly recommend you stop by! read more

I love this place!!! It's a hidden gem if you like Mediterranean food. Try it you'll love it too

Very nice food. It is a small place but they were able to accommodate a group of 16 people with kids easy. The service was nice and the serving was quick even with such a large size party. read more

Stopped in for lunch today. The lamb shawarma was soooo good -- creamy hummus, sour pickles & deliciously seasoned lamb on a beautiful bed of vibrant greens. I also had Turkish coffee for the first time & a big mug of mint tea. It's got a great vibe inside: middle eastern music, photographs & paintings of Beirut. I sat at a cozy little mosaic table and completely forgot I was on Commercial Street. The rest of the menu looks incredible, too. Definitely coming back for kabob, mezze plate and flat breads. read more

Stopped in for the first time. We had excellent food and great service. Interesting selections as well

I'm so glad we finally tried this place! And then went back again 3 times that same week! Seriously though, what a sweet little hidden gem. I wasn't sure how much I'd like Lebanese Mediterranean food, but I definitely know now that I love it. It's a cozy restaurant, I mean reallyyy cozy. You get quite close with your fellow dining patrons as far as space goes, it's not a bother for us but it may be for some. I always order the shrimp shawarma and sub the side of pita chips for the sweet potato fires with cinnamon and honey, the squeeze usually gets the beef shawarma pizza. The shrimp shawarma is so tasty, with flavors of all variety coming from every bite. The sweet potato fries (which are extra and bump the prices up a little high) are delicious though. Nom nom nom. The beef shawarma pizza is also pretty tastey, I've had a few bites and it's a great thin crust flavorful pizza. A cute cozy environment, friendly staff, delicious food, a definite win in my book! read more

Excellent fresh food and even better service. We had the Greek salad which was amazing. The Chicken swarma in the pita was moist and the homemade. Highly recommend and can't wait to come back! read more

Getting into this Commercial Street hideaway is not always easy or convenient when it comes to parking but we've never once been disappointed with a meal here. Ask about the soup! It's always wonderful. The wraps are great and plentiful. If you're vegan/plant-based etc you have many wonderful options here. The Mediterranean plate is a great splurge. The Beirut salad is amazing. And both contain my favorite thing they do here: the crispy spiced cauliflower bits. I could eat an entire bucket of them, they're just perfect every time. They have nice beverage options too including Eli's root beer. Probably my favorite place to eat in Portland now that Babylon is gone. read more

This is a hidden gem in the old port! The hummus was amazing (best I've ever had), as it was made fresh that morning! Everything I had was very fresh, and tasted authentic and amazing. I was very pleased with the price as well, very inexpensive, especially for the Old Port neighborhood. read more

Hands down some of the best sweet fries I have ever had. They were thin sliced and had a hint of cinnamon. Wonderful. My chicken taco's were good. Not amazing but good. They tasted fresh and overall I'll come back, if for nothing else but the fries! read more

Amazing little middle eastern joint in the heart of Portland's bustling port area. The freshest fish special we ever tasted and spot-on Lebanese favorites in the combo platter. Not to be missed! read more

I had a pretty mediocre lunch experience here yesterday. This place has been on my agenda to try for a couple of years, and I was really looking forward to it. I had the fattoush salad ($9.50), and added falafel to it ($2.00). It was quite small, certainly not what I would expect for the price, and the 2 falafels that came with it were also very tiny. Traditional fattoush has a flavorful dressing with mint and parsley and sumac, but the dressing here was very flat. It also had no croutons/pita, rather about 1/2 a teaspoon of tiny oil soaked pita remnants. There was only one server working and she was overwhelmed. There were enough tables and diners to merit at least 2 servers, and because of this our service suffered (the management's fault, not the server's). My friend had a shawarma and said it was good. I'd be willing to go again to try some more of the menu, but I won't be in a hurry. read more

"I just realized the funniest thing, 'Olive' is an anagram for 'I love'." And there is so much I LOVE about the Olive Cafe: I LOVE the tasty, spicy bean soup-of-the-day I had there the other night. I LOVE the generous portion of meaty mussels. I LOVE the prompt and friendly service. Everything had a lot of flavor! Highly recommend. read more

A group of five of us came in for lunch on a recent Saturday. The menu looks great - lots of delicious choices. I decided on the fatoush wrap. The rest of my party also got various wraps with side salads or a side of fries. The service was HORRIBLE. It took a long time to get our drinks (water and perriers which should take seconds), took forever to order and took forever to get our food. It then took a really long time to get the check. There were two other tables in there while we were, so I don't understand the hold up. I thought the food itself would be better than it was. My wrap was fine, but the hummus was pretty bland to the point of not really being able to taste it. I'm not sure if it's that they put so little of it on the wrap or if it was just totally flavorless. That being said, the food was very fresh and most people seemed to like their meals. I will probably not be back. read more

Wow, this place is great! We came in with me, my wife, and four kids around lunch hour. The owner's who work there are very accommodating. The table was comfortable and the food came quickly. It was delicious. They brought sippy cups for our youngest which was a nice touch that they were ready for kids. I highly recommend this place for your Portland day trips! read more

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*Review in Progress* Figured I'd throw this up for the time being. The review, not the food. This place has promise! I went here for lunch the other day with a friend. I had already eaten, she hadn't. We walked in, immediately greeted by a friendly outgoing waitress/hostess. I had some of the pita chips, which were totally awesome, and only a bowl of their cauliflower soup. It was good, not mind-blowing. Can cauliflower ever be mind-blowing? My friend had the chicken wrap, which she said was delicious. It came with hand cut fries, which were, of course, scrumptious. I will be returning for a proper meal soon, and will revise this placeholder of a review. Don't let three stars discourage you from trying this place!! I think it may be a gem. read more

Went here for dinner with a friend tonight and was very impressed. The Olive Cafe clearly knows that the ingredients are the star, and their authentic, slightly-elevated Middle Eastern fare delivers. First of all, the pita chips were a slam dunk. I could have eaten a plate of those. For appetizers, we had the sampler; I was in love with the cauliflower and eggplant. Solid hummus. The felafel was decent (I make my own all the time, so I'm quite picky- I have to say mine was a bit better). More pita bread next time, please! Since I only had a salad for my main, I'll reserve judgment on the entrees. They looked and smelled wonderful, though. Friendly service, reasonable prices, lots of promos and coupons. read more

My wife and I have been here twice, and every single time the food blows us away! This time though the food was even better! Love this place it really is a hidden treasure read more

Olive Cafe - That was the chicken pizza and the lamb platter with sweet potato fries - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

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What a lovely, charming place! I chose it because of proximity to my hotel, other good reviews, and a brief walk-by proved promising. The waitstaff was especially friendly and helpful. She suggested kibbi, tonight's special. It was heavenly! The beef was high quality, the spices delicate and tasty, the rice aromatic and salad, fresh and delicious. I had an excellent glass of wine and baklava for dessert- perfect accompaniment. I can't wait to bring my husband here. The ambiance is great for date night, but as a solo diner, I also felt right at home. read more

I had the falafel shawarma and my boyfriend had the haddock shawarma and both were delicious. We were starving and this definitely satisfied us. Coming from the Greek places that I've went to they always give you either pitas with olives or some kind of tapa which would have been nice but that didn't happen. The waitress was very nice and the bathrooms and the restaurant were clean. Very dark and romantic, I enjoyed the atmosphere. read more

I have been here twice and loved it! Cozy (only 8 or 9 tables). Good service and great mediterranean food. And it was perfectly ok to just enjoy a quick tapas and a drink. Great way to start the evening with family, friends or a date. read more

My wife and I ate lunch here a few weeks ago. Relaxed cafe that has same menu for lunch and dinner. Good service. We were in a hurry to get to an appointment and we were in and out in less than 1 hour. Had falafel wraps which were really good. Would recommend! For two sandwiches, a beer and a water it was about 26 bucks with tip. read more

All the seafood restaurants around here were packed to the gill. So I had to go with some Lebanese cuisine. The Kibbi was hot tonight. The falafel and hummus were very good and so was the haddock fish tacos. Different kind of food, but everything very good, very great read more

The chicken shwarma wrap was fantastic. The dressing they used was so delicious and the chicken was flavored and cooked perfectly well. The sweet potato fries are fantastic as well. Very cinnamony. However, I was not a fan of the hummus. It was very lemony. Not enough garlic or tahini for my taste. The service is great and you can get free extra pita bread for the your hummus, if you ask. read more

Happened upon this restaurant on one of the hottest days of the year while we waited for our tour bus to arrive. My wife and I weren't particularly craving Mediterranean food, but we went in anyway. Immediately, we were glad we did. The owner was very welcoming and friendly and helped us decide what we wanted. My wife had a flatbread with feta, calamata (?) olives, tomatoes and several other items. She said it was "incredible" and ate every bite. I had a sampler with falafel, humus and pita, and a green salad that was just right and delicious. I also tried Beirut Beer for the first time. Gotta say it was really good. The baklava is beyond description! read more

Small dining space and small menu but it's one of my favorite places on Commercial Street. I've always enjoyed my orders and typically get the Mediterranean plate so I can get a variety of items. A little pricey for the portions but that is not unusual for the area it's located. read more

Very nice little place on a busy center strip of Portland water front. SKIP the shawarma (the beef one was like the old Wendy's commercial asking "Where's the beef?") - the beef was "hard to find". DO get the Chicken Pizza (or similar). The pizza was simply one of the best pizzas we have had. Garlicky, lots of meat, lots of veggies - loved it! read more

A friend and I went to Olive Cafe before a concert. It's a very simple setup inside, and a good amount of seating compared to similar restaurants in town. The waitress was friendly, and when I told her I was having trouble choosing my meal, say said that was common, and that they have a "clean plate club," because everyone finishes their food, and everyone loves it. I settled on the kafta plate, and my friend had a haddock shawarma and a side of Brussels sprouts. My friend enjoyed her meal (though she ate the guts out of it and left most of the wrap), and I swiped a sprout and it was good. My kafta was okay, but the meat was tough and a bit overcooked, and the amount of tahini sauce was very scanty. I would have liked it better if there were more sauce either on the meat or in the rice, but the combination made it a very dry meal. It would also have benefitted from more seasoning. I'm used to that type of food being richly flavorful and aromatic. This meal didn't "pop." I didn't clean my plate! But I did have enough to bring home for another meal. If I were in the area, I would go again, but probably order something else. read more

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This was a nice place it had a lot of average, but it still pleased me and was a good dinner. I went for dinner and it had a great ambiance. Nice tables and chairs and it was fairly empty especially for a Friday night. The wine and beer selection was very limited which was a shame. The water that I got when I sat down was warm which was also upsetting. There was one waitress but she did a great job making sure every table was given enough attention. We got the specials for our appetizer which was the Mediterranean bruschetta as well as the kibbi. They were both very flavorful and good. The menu had some interesting "fusion" items with Mediterranean style pizzas and tacos. I got the chicken shawarma pizza which was a flat bread pizza with a lot of toppings but it worked and tasted good. It's worth the try if you want a nice easy dinner with not much hassle. read more

Olive Cafe - Nice table - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

Having grown up in the Middle East I am always on the hunt for authentic food. This place definitely passed my authenticity test! The food was incredibly flavorful, excellent staff and overall great ambience. The portion sizes are huge too! read more