This place is becoming a regular for me when I want something quick, tasty, and won't make me feel like garbage. My go-to is usually the plate with hummus, chickpea salad, basmati rice, and chicken kabob. The Chicken kabob is perfectly spicy and always tender, the rice is flavorful, and the multitude of fresh vegetable-based sides are a good compliment. I'm a big fan of Chipotle because I can choose exactly what comprises my meal and can add extra protein, and Olive is a great alternative that supports a local business to boot. I would definitely put the food quality above what you'd get across street at Roti. Lastly, the staff is always extremely friendly and personable with great customer service. read more

I really like this place. Because the food is fresh very good and always consistent. Very clean. Service is good. You can't beat the price . Atmosphere is cheery. I love their steak & rice the best. Plus if you go after 3pm buy 1 plate get the 2and for half off read more

This is hands down the best place to go for Mediterranean cuisine. There are so many options and majority of it is veg friendly. The food is affordable and the quality is amazing! I highly recommend any location in the city. read more

I had the OMG package which was very good. I did substitute the dip option with tabbouli which was very fresh. I do recommended the Spicy chicken kabob because it was actually spicy not fake spicy. The Rice was a good addition to the plate. The service was great however if you drive in the parking lot gets kinda crazy. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent food and I always get double portions. Rice always well cooked and the spicy chicken is delicious

Go to couscous or naf naf instead of this place, it's a way better deal. i paid $10 for a falafel sandwich, which normally costs $5 everywhere else. i ordered from Olive because the menu indicates the sandwich includes salad and potatoes, and these were not included in my order - not in my sandwich and not on the side. either they screwed up my order or their menu is completely inaccurate. i would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. i am extremely disappointed at the quality product i got for what i paid. read more

Food is okay. Steak shawarma was particularly tough. Placed an online takeout order and had items missing (highlighted). I called the restaurant and Logan informed me that the manager was not in at the moment and took my email and number. No reassurance of when I will hear from them or when the manager will be back in. Plus, parking lot is shared with a strip of other businesses (Starbucks, NYC Bagel, Kay Jewelers, etc) and it is horrendous. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I usually love Olive - in fact it is probably my favorite Mediterranean places in the city and I've been several times. The spicy chicken kabob is my favorite and I recently tried the new cous cous and baba ganoush which were amazing. However, the most recent time I went in to Olive, the chicken kabob was WAY undercooked. The inside was almost completely raw, as can be seen in my picture. The restaurant gave me a new plate free of charge, but who knows if anyone else had contaminated food. Publishing this more as a PSA than anything to double check your meat here, especially if it is chicken! Also, after a previous time eating here, my boyfriend and I were sick for the next few days. I was skeptical at the time that we may have gotten bad food...after seeing the raw chicken this time, I'm pretty confident that's the case. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Chicken Kabob - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time coming here! Got the OMG PLATE. half hummus half Persian yogurt on the spread. Picked the Mediterranean salad, half couscous half turmeric rice topped with the chicken shawarma and side of pita! GO HEAD GO! read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Omg plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It was sort of mid day, and I needed something more substantial than just a snack but not really ready for dinner either. It sort of reminds me of a Mediterranean Panera Bread. The staff was pleasant, the cashier asked me how my day was going, and we made small talk about the weather. There was no line. It's definitely a fast casual restaurant. You have your choices of hummus, baba ganoush, or a yogurt cucumber sauce. I asked to try the hummus (I'm very picky about my hummus). It was okay, but not like WOW (try Tarboush, one of my faves). Nbd. Then you pick your type of salad, I chose the tabouli. My starch, farro. My protein, Chicken Shawarma. The other chicken options looked D R Y. It has plenty of seating, either against a long booth with tables and a chair on the opposite side, or a communal table when you walk in. Some of the tables still had schmutz on them though, and some napkins balled up on the floor. Needs a little clean up. They have what appears to be a humorous (well, not in my mind, but I get where they're going with it) wall of how the establishment came to be and their ingredients. Ha funny. Kind of. No not really. TV's are vertical instead of horizontal... nothing was on the screens though. They also have one of those Coke machines with the new technology where you can have your Coke with a hundred different options (cherry, vanilla, etc.). I had water. Free water, and they are earth friendly with recyclable cups, napkins, etc. FOOD: The farro was mild and slightly sweet, just the right amount of chew. There was an ample amount of chicken (brownie points +), but the temperature was just lukewarm (brownie points - ). Yogurt sauce is quite garlicky, say HAAAAAAA. lol But I like garlic, so.... Tabouli salad seems more American, less Mediterranean. Chopped size veggies, not small dice. Not enough parsley or lemon either. Hey, but for $10! This meal served its purpose, and there was plenty more chicken than anticipated. Plus, the parking lot has 30 minutes of free parking. So, score! read more

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Came here for a quick lunch. Got a salad and a plate. Very disappointed in no pita chips. What Mediterranean place runs out of pita chips???? Place the tables were quite dirty. We had to wipe down our own table read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Chicken plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

They do one of those Chipotle style line preps, and the meats are all rather tasty. Personally I like getting the chicken shawarma sandwich, and the pita bread is pretty tasty. If you're looking for a quick spot for lunch and like Mediterranean food then this is a pretty good spot to stop and grab a bite. read more

I've never been to this establishment but me and my girlfriend we're visiting the city and she insisted that we come in and try it out. I walked in, absolutely no problems, I really enjoyed what they had on their menu. As I was looking through the menu, I heard a bunch of yelling from the employees and it just grew exponentially worse. My server came up to me and told me that it's normal from of that employee, who's name I found out from our server is an employee name Abigail. I ordered my food and every now and then, we'd glance over there and we see her either belittling the staff and just treating the staff with the up-most disrespect it utterly sickened me. Me and my girlfriend requested our food to be taken to go upon arrival just because we we're disgusted what we saw because of Abigail and it's the reason now we'll never come back and recommend dining at this place. The food was good, not the experience. Never coming back. read more

Love this place! Just moved to the neighborhood and love that there's a cheap tasty Mediterranean spot around the corner. Loved the Turkish meatballs and the buy 1 half off other dinner deal. read more

Love the yummy food! Hot and fresh!!! Couldn't ask for more. Persian yoghurt and chicken kabab were yummy read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yeah yeah yeah. We've heard it: C*******. We get it. But did C******* come up with the assembly-line concept? There's a place where I'm implored to 'Eat Fresh' who's been doing it for a while. But this review is neither about Mexican chains who have cool Super Bowl commercials with Willie Nelson or sandwich chains who unleashed Michael Strahan upon the world. This is about OMG (squee). As you've probably guessed by now, you come here, pick your food, figure out how to individualize it to your particular taste, and then you eat it. Simple. You've done this before. So, if the concept isn't new for you, the most important question is: how does it taste? Answer: pretty dang satisfying. I ordered a falafel pita with chicken (I wanted it my way), tahini and cucumber salad, a side of hummus (with chips) and a blood orange limoncello. Don't judge me. I came here after pulling an all-nighter of packing up an apartment of eight years, loading it up and moving everything out. I was ravenous. I needed comfort food and I sought it out in chickpea form. For what it is, OMG has a pretty good thing going on. The rabid urban explorer within me will always suggest heading to Albany Park to get a Middle Eastern fix, but when in the land of Chixies and fiending for a meal that has a bit of ethnic flavor to it, you'd be hard-pressed to find fault with Olive Mediterranean Grill. This location has a comfortable dining room and plenty of convenient parking lot parking which in this part of town is a luxury. Plus, when you talk about coming here, you get to say OMG! That has to count for something. read more

Fast casual restaurants are like Adam Sandler movies. A new one pops up about every other month and none are quite as good as the first couple that came out. Olive is a Mediterranean edition of the fresh food fast concept that's blown up over the last several years, and although it's no 'Billy Madison' or 'Happy Gilmore' I wouldn't exactly call it a 'Jack and Jill.' It's slightly below 'Big Daddy' which I think most would agree is about Sandler's 3rd best flick. The food is fresh, served quickly, and made with healthier ingredients than some grimey gyro place. The OMG Rice Bowl is a great lunch option. For under 8 bucks you get your choice of salad, some hummus or baba ghanouj, pita bread, and choice of meat all on some basmati rice. For what they have it priced at it's certainly a solid lunch deal. The food's not gonna make you get an Olive tattoo or anything and the portions are a little smaller than some of the other similar spots, but it's definitely a solid place that I'll be returning to if I'm nearby. read more

Friendly, but I hate the trend of Mediterranean Assembly Line...Henry Ford never intended his process to be used for falafeling! (Yes, I verbed falafel.) Making a falafel sandwich, isn't a two person process. Have one person make the damn thing, instead of having two people asking me simultaneously what I want on it, and the cashier asking me to pay. Nobody was even behind me in line! Nice to know this place is here for a quick bite, but I really hate the rushed Assembly Line concept. read more

I love the food and typically eat here with my wife two to three times a month and have always enjoyed the experience. So when I called my wife tonight to see if she wanted schwarma for dinner she jumped at the offer. For starters they didn't have the cous cous she always orders and I was told that I would have to order what they had left over. Granted it was 45 min prior to their closing, but I'm confused that they wouldn't make more since it's not all that expensive. (Mental note not to come after the initial dinner rush) The reason for my review came at the register where the cashier dropped my pita on the floor when attempting to put it in the ToGo bag. Instead of getting me another she picked it up just threw it in the bag. Really! So I took it out of the bag and placed it on the counter and she laughed at me and said "what you don't want the pita?" I replied "not after you dropped it on the floor". She laughed more and turned to her co worker and said "he won't eat the pita because I dropped it on the floor." Speechless, I turned and walked out. What else do they serve that hits the floor? What more do I say? Hope this is an isolated situation I really liked this place read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My favorite Mediterranean place. This place is much more authentic than Roti and the prices reflect that. I love this place they need to open up more locations!! read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Chicken Kabob Omg Plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The garlic spread they put on the sandwiches here is UNREAL. It really is to die for, and the sandwiches are huge. I always get the chicken, but the kafta looks tender and juicy too. I have been to the OMG in the loop, and I actually think this location serves better quality food. It's a great alternative to Whole Foods if you just want to get in and out and don't want to be tempted by anything else. The service is also super friendly, which makes for a dull winter weekend lunch :) Don't forget to get a punch card! read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Chicken shawarma sandwich - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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In a rush? Craving some Medi food? Want a cheap lunch? This is the place for you. $8 for a HUGE plate of food for lunch. I had salad and hummus and falafel. It was pretty decent. I personally have had much better medi food, but in a pinch and in a hurry, this is a great little place to grab a bite. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Falafel plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you don't like onions and looking for clean healthy food, steer away from this place. Everything has onions. With the 2 aides and protein plate, only things I could get without onions was chicken kebab and turmeric rice. Last minute, saw left over what they call "roasted vegetables" so got that too. Turmeric rice tastes like Uncle Bens rice cooked in oil. Chicken was tender but is slathered in some type of wet reddish mild sauce you would find on fried chicken wings. Definitely not healthy. Was expecting healthy grilled chicken kebab. I've eaten at a number of authentic Mediterranean places in the city. Have never seen chicken kebabs cooked in red wet sauce like this. Roasted vegetables were not roasted. Looks more like sautéed vegetables. Also dripping in oil. Likely canola oil. Definitely not roasted in the oven. read more

Random find during lunch yesterday. This spot was really good and fresh and flavorful! The chicken schwarma was delicious, as was the hummus. Definitely a great lunch spot. It's no-frills, and you can quickly add up a bill, but it was really tasty. I am going to recommend it for work take out as well! read more

Quick, casual Mediterranean food...where have you been all my life Olive? I was shopping in the area, and sure enough after spending much of my time (and money, oops) at Sephora, I got hungry and looked to Yelp to find me something quick and tasty before my hunger pangs become HANGRY pangs. I saw Olive was super close by and decided to give it a whirl. This location is relatively small, but the workers greeted me right away and I was glad the menu was simple and straight forward. I ordered their dinner plate and it's Chipotle style where you pick the type of spread, salad, rice and protein. I went with the Mediterranean Chicken. Overall, the dish was very tasty and still warm. The chicken was slightly dry, but it was very flavorful. The portions were pretty big, but I smashed it all! Ha! Convenient location, inexpensive, good food. I'll definitely be back next time I'm shopping in the area. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Nom! - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Just wow! Walked in accidentally and looking at the spread of food was immediately appetizing. Suddenly I had an appetite for dinner. The hummus with a zesty lime hint was delicious and chopped med salad was very fresh. I can't believe it took me this long to finally try! Even better that they have a parking lot. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Nom - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

PLEASE NOTE, I DON'T INFLATE MY RATINGS! Alright fellow Yelpers...Olive Mediterranean Grill is not a bad place. It is not extraordinary, it isn't awful. I am comparing this place to other restaurants who serve similar Middle Eastern cuisine. Their chicken and beef is marinated nicely, it really isn't bad. It's flavorful. I just found the entire sandwich relatively bland. The hummus isn't all that great, I'm sorry to say. While hummus, by definition is impossible to screw up, it's not hard to make hummus fantastic or incredible. No effort. Their pita bread is alright, just alright. Their pricing is excessive for what you get and for the quality of the food. A middle-eastern food chain is a good idea, when the competition moves in, OMG (Olive Mediterranean Grill) might step it up. I can think of other places to go in the city that are better in quality, and price. Try Sultan's Market in Bucktown. read more

After so many excellent reviews, I may have came in with too high of expectations. I got the OMG plate: chickpeas, rice, hummus and sawarma chicken. I felt that the flavor wasn't bad but could have used more seasoning. They were reserved on the chicken and the chicken itself was thin and pretty much dry/ overcooked. In a bind, I will certainly go back because my office is across the street but I hope to find other places of the same genre. I might be spoiled from the halal stands in NYC ;p read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Omg plate, hummus, chickpeas, chicken sawarma, basmati rice - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

On my way into Whole Foods I spotted the OMG sign from the street. I'm a big fan of Mediterranean food and Sultan's has been a favorite of mine for years. OMG is at least as good. Irfan is the founder/business operator and he was a terrific host. I ordered the beef plate, but he let me sample everything and it was all delicious. Great food, atmosphere, and owner. read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - First visit here. I tried EVERYTHING because it looked so good. It was outstanding. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Fast food take on Mediterranean food but very good! I had the plate with chicken kabob, hummus, rice and tabouleh. Everything was really fresh and good. And it was really inexpensive in comparison to some other Mediterranean places in the city. If I am in the area again I will definitely be coming back for lunch or dinner! read more

Olive Mediterranean Grill - Chicken Kabob Plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent food that I highly recommend! I ordered the chicken shwarma and lentil soup and thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the lentil soup. I will certainly be back. read more

The good news was it was edible.... I had the falafel plate with tabbouleh and hummus. It would have been okay if the place was called mediterranean food by people who have never tried mediterranean food. The falafel was squishy (never thought id say that). The tabbouleh tasted like there was cucumber in it but i couldn't find the cucumber. The hummus was acceptable but i cant see how you could mess up hummus. The presentation wasn't the worst. I hope they fix this because we really need clean affordable mediterranean food. read more

Sooo, I am a big falafel fan in general and have been making my way across the city sampling it. Haha, not exactly, but I have been hitting up a lot of Mediterranean places of late. We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday and they greeted us as we walked in. I got the falafel plate or whatever it is called (not the one with the rice) and it was the perfect amount of food. The falafel was super fluffy and light, which I enjoyed. I liked the mediterranean salad (cukes and tomatoes), hummus - yum (but I don't like when they put olive oil on it so I will ask for none next time), and tabouli (which I didn't really like, but I don't think I am a fan of it in general). Next time I will try the chickpea one. My husband got a chicken schwarma and liked it a lot. The thing I like is that it seemed a little healthier than other places that are similar. Less grease, less fat, lighter, etc. Yay for Olive! read more

Olive fell pretty short of my expectations. Walking in, I found very few customers there (around 2pm, which is I guess kinda late for lunch). The people making the food seemed nice enough, but confused and disinterested. I was excited to try the steak. I sat down in my apartment and opened it up. I didn't recognize the green sauce on it, but I liked the spiciness. The steak was very off-putting. It was gamey to the point of tasting like lamb. Very weird. The mediterranean salad was OK but had way too much of one seasoning (I think mint?) overpowering it. The food here just wasn't that good, and it's in the same price range as other fast-casual places like Panera or Chipotle. The problem is, of course, that the food here isn't good enough at all. read more

A very surprising and hidden gem in the heart of Lincoln Park. My wife and I have been to many Mediterranean restaurants and this place definitely ranks close to the top. We understand that this place is more like a fast food place but the quality of their food is a nice treat. From their moist kabobs, to their flavorful baba and hummus and topped with their Mediterranean salad, you can't go wrong. For beginners who have never tried Mediterranean food, OMG is a great place to wet your tongue. read more

Unfortunately, the staff did not follow city's vaccination order. Not taking care of clients health

This is my favorite fast Mediterranean venue. Considering the amount of food, flavor, and quality for a restaurant of this type (counter service, cafeteria style) you definitely get a great meal for 10 bucks. IN THE CITY that is not greasy or fried. Highly recommend this place! It's not a 5 star gourmet restaurant or anything, but 5 star counter service type venue. Plus, the customer service gere is ALWAYS GREAT. read more

I've been here many times to have lunch. The food is always fresh and tastes great. I always get my food to go and this is a great fast food Mediterranean place with healthy options. I would love to come back here again! read more

Decent food but EXTREMELY small portions especially for the price. Just as good if not better Mediterranean out there with much better portion. I got their plate with 3 sides and a protein and I wouldn't even consider it a lunch portion read more

This is a small location in a shopping center off north. The staff and friendly and attentive. They make suggestions based on your preferences and popularity. Typically clean when I come. They offer 30 minute parking in their lot. Pay attention to your time while I was there in two different times I noticed they towed someone's car. They are reasonably priced and pretty healthy. I think the food offerings are delicious. I will return and recommend. read more