Stopped here for lunch today and thoroughly enjoyed it! I ordered a falafel wrap with some fries and both were delicious. Everything had nice, fresh ingredients and the fries are cut and prepared right on the spot. Omar, the owner of the place, is a nice man who was welcoming and nice to speak with. Will definitely be back! read more

We ordered takeout from here from Doordash, and there was a buy one get one free deal for the bowls and wraps. The shwarma tawook bowl was a good portion for the price, but the tzatziki was spicy, which was surprising since the dish needed a palate cleanser. The shwarma wrap was average but a good size as well. There was plenty of free lot parking in the complex in front of the restaurant, and it was a good takeout Mediterranean option when we wanted to try something new in Irvine. read more

Olives Branch Express - Chicken Kabab Bowl "Tawook" - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Our experience here was not bad, but not good either. I would say walking in we were greeted pretty quickly and had the menu explained to us when we asked, but it seemed that the cashier had an 'over it' vibe- not a super welcoming feeling. The food itself was tasty even without the extra sauce, however the portions seemed very small for the price at 15$ each even considering the extra meat. We got the beef and chicken shawarma and left pretty hungry still. Plenty of outdoor seating and the store was very clean. We'd probably still come back because the food was indeed tasty, but we'd probably hope for larger portions. Either that order a recommendation would be to reduce the plate size to make the food look larger?? Especially if we aren't getting the combo, I think the plate makes the food look small. read more

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Been ordering here for years, both through delivery and take-away. Ordered delivery this evening and was absolutely appalled by what arrived. There was a laughable amount of chicken in the bowl and when I tried to suck it up and make the most of it, I was met with the driest chicken I've ever had. It was completely inedible. Will not be returning after this. Your staff should be ashamed of themselves. read more

Olives Branch Express - Chicken Kabab Bowl "Tawook" - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

The worst experience ever First time I ordered and will be last time I've ordered steak shawarma bowel no salad my order got delivered looking like someone dine in and I got their leftover. I tried to contact the restaurant the worker barely can speak English and was not helping. I never seen such thing out of a restaurant. Will never order again and will never recommend this place even to my worst enemy. Unprofessional read more

This place started off great when they opened but now the quality/service is going down. Initially the owner would be there and was super friendly. But now the food isn't something I would crave, service is hectic, food takes time, and the order almost always doesn't come out right. A reason to go here would be because they have halal option. Chicken shawarma: the portion was small for the price. It was lunch portion but regular price. Chicken was good, but a little tough. I substituted hummus for baba ganoush, but didn't really love the taste. The garlic sauce is what makes the food come together. I wish the pita was a little warmer. The salad and rice were good. I wouldn't really crave this dish. Service: a little slow even at the end of lunch rush. The cashier typically forgets modifications so check before you leave. We saw multiple customers complaining about the wait time. We kept checking in for our food, and he said he would bring it out in a minute. Waited some time before I went in and found out that our food was just sitting there as he was cleaning. Ambience: nice sitting area inside, and there are shaded tables just outside. Parking: plenty in the plaza read more

Olives Branch Express - Chicken Shawarma Entree - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

It was pretty good, location is very convenient when you're looking for parking. I just wanted to kind of eat and leave so I was looking for something pretty quick and they were able to accommodate and the food tasted pretty well, I feel like the service was good but when I went it was sort of empty so I don't know how they are when they are busy. The vibe is pretty cool because they got a lot of so much sunlight from outside read more

I went on this Sunday evening and got the full Greek salad with beef. The salad definitely has more of a Lebanese taste than a traditional Greek salad which is fine but there's wasn't enough beef and didn't fill me up, it was more like an appetizer salad. They also put way too much dressing and then put my side of pita in the dressing and made it all soggy. My husband got the chicken Schwarma plate which was much better. Unfortunately the salad and lack of meat was not worth the expensive cost. read more

The Olives Branch Express is a Mediterranean/kebab style fast food version of the Olives Branch restaurant. As a takeout restaurant, you expect a certain amount of speed and balanced quality. Unfortunately, my experience at this location was a less than brilliant one. In terms of workers, they were doing absolutely everything they could. They had a single worke manning the register and helping with food, prep and expediting, and a single cook. This is the biggest problem. They are severely understaffed for the quantity of business and the complexity of the dishes they are putting together. These guys worked tirelessly the entire time, but an order that should've taken five minutes took Well over 15 minutes. In terms of food quality, it is a 50-50. Everything is tasty enough and well seasoned. You receive a good quantity of food per order: I got the Shawarma plate, which included a small salad, hummus and the garlic dip, a pita, rice and the chicken. It was tasty enough. However, the salad is cut with very mixed sizes so they were huge chunks of onion, mixed in with strangely cut lettuce; the chicken was incredibly dry, and the pita was not good. Additionally, the staff is not Provided cups for water and is encouraged not to offer the standard refreshment cup to have water. The menu itself is a bit misleading, as well. A lot of options are clearly marked as gluten-free, which is great for someone like myself who is gluten free. However, they also include the pita, and upon asking, I was informed that the pita is not gluten-free, (which I expected), but it is not listed as a Gluten item or a separate item within the ordering menu. So that means if you're not really paying attention, and you are celiac or truly gluten allergic, you are receiving something in your meal that you believe you can eat because it's marked as allergy friendly on the menu, but that would actually make you unwell. Overall, this is not a place that I will be returning to for my mid work, lunch needs. read more

First time visiting and they have a lot of choices. 8oz hummus and pita $6.49 - good value. You get 2 full pita cut in half, nice flavorful hummus. The 2oz of Tzatziki was garlicky and a little watery. Beef Shawarma wrap - didn't like the fries inside or the hummus. My bad for ordering this, I'm sure other people really like it. Greek side salad $3.99 had a weird dressing, not a traditional Greek salad. They did not have spinach pie in stock (spanakopita) but they did have stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) that were so good! 4 for $7.99 plus came with a few beets. I should have tried the Kibbie (kibbeh) beef croquettes and falafel, maybe next time! read more

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Salty is all I could say about every item on the menu. It's pricey, salty just a waste of money. It was horrible. I came a couple times to give it a chance that they never failed to salt up the food, which makes it miserable to eat. read more

Love the food but I ordered on door dash and they were closed early but still excepted my order. Unbelievable my door dash sent us a picture of it being closed too. 0/10 for this read more

Chicken shawarma entree 9.94/10- this comes with chicken shawarma (obviously), basmati rice, tomato, pita bread, hummus or spicy hummus, and either salad or lentil soup. this is SO delicious. The chicken is incredibly flavorful and juicy. A faint taste of spice and garlic served over basmati rice. The spicy hummus is really good it's not too spicy and it is incredibly fresh. The pita bread is a bit more hard than how I like it. The soup is a bit spicier than I expected it to be and has the texture of porridge. It is pretty good. They give you a LOT of food for your meal and it's all incredibly flavorful. I definitely recommend. Everything is made from scratch as well and is so fresh, and their service is impeccable. I've had their lamb and filet mignon kebab before which was also very good but I think their chicken shawarma is the best. read more

Olives Branch Express - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Excellent food. Fresh and tasty. I ordered the Greek salad with chicken kabob on top. I could tell it was fresh with crunch lettuce, ripe olives and tasty tomatoes. The chicken was delicious and he garlic sauce on the side was perfect. Will definitely come back. Highly recommend. read more

Came here for the first time the other day. Asked the staff what their most popular meat was and they said chicken and beef shawarma, so I got the Beirut. Also got the braised lamb wrap for my husband. The beef and chicken shawarmas were super dry and salty, and they did not give a lot of meat. Braised lamb was burnt and over cooked. Also dry. The parsley salad had too much lemon - super sour. Hummus and falafel were pretty good. Service was fast. Overall disappointed. read more

The service is exceptional here! Really kind and welcoming. They had the place spotless!! Now to the best part, the food was fresh and hot and delicious!! I cleaned my entire plate!! I got a large order of potato that's a sharing side dish for sure ! Good portions and the price is really good!! read more

Olives Branch Express - Spicy potato - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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I've ate my fair share of Mediterranean food & it's always at the top of my cuisines to eat. It's healthy, flavorful, but dang, always so expensive!! Welp friends... I found THE NEW SPOT. Yup it's Olives Branch!!! I've always seen this place when I visit this popular shopping centre. I never thought about trying it, until one night while doing Postmates, a customer placed an order here, & I was the lucky one to pick up their meal. Of course they had to order chicken schwarma, my weakness!!! Needless to say, I was drooling en route to drop off their meal. I told my man about this spot & we came here for a weeknight dinner. Of course I was gonna get chicken, but wasn't sure if I should go for the plate or the wrap?? Well I ended up getting the schwarma wrap, & my man got the beef wrap. I hate pickles, so I skipped out on those. Got fries as well to go with it. The chicken was SO GOOD. So flavorful!! Not dry at all!! The sauce was fire too. My only complaint? I wanted more!!! This is definitely my new fav spot for chicken schwarma. The price was on point too!! If you're looking for delicious mediterranean food that won't break the bank, come here. I know I'm gonna be a regular. read more

Olives Branch Express - Beef (left) | chicken (right) - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I have eaten at this establishment before. I have also ordered delivery. The food has always been consistently good. The last time I ordered delivery left me wondering whether there has been a change in ownership, or change in management. None of the food I ordered tasted as good as it had in the past. read more

Last last two times here have been awesome. The quality is of the wraps is spot on. The fries are crispy, the chicken tastes fresh, and when ordered without pickles that's exactly how I got it. I am happy with the food here and the service as well now. The ambience is the same and nice as always. read more

retail therapy: BOGO wrap ! $12 for two delicious beef schwarma wraps w hummus, beef, pickles, salad, fries - great deal and yummy filling food w good quality ingredients (s/o to the EVOO my homie) - sweet and helpful workers - solid mediterranean spot from 2 mediterranean lovers read more

Good basic Mediterranean food when you are craving some kebab or falafel or tabbouleh. Pretty decor in the restaurant. read more

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While here the cook dropped his knife on the floor. It was brought to the attention of the person taking orders. She went to the kitchen to talk to him. When confronted he seemed annoyed, but went back to the kitchen grabbed the dirty knife and continued prepping the now contaminated food. If he is too lazy to grab a clean knife imagine what other health violations they are making. read more

We were in the area for Tanaka Farms. We had less than an hour to have lunch. We ordered a grilled veggie wrap, a lamb wrap, chicken and rice, and large fries. It took a little longer for us to receive our order. There was plenty of seating outside (there was some seating inside). The food was fresh and reasonably priced. The lamb was not greasy and everyone was happy with their order. read more

Olives Branch Express - Beef & Lamb Kafta Wrap - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this place. The tabouli has no burgol (whole wheat typical to this dish), and my wrap was stuck to the paper so that I couldn't remove it. They did replace the wrap with another, but it was still mediocre. The restrooms were locked, and no one was at the counter for at least 20 minutes. It was also hot and stuffy on a hot day. read more

Stopped in for a quick bite and I'm very pleased! Olives Branch Express serves up some mighty tasty fixins'. Sunday night tends to be slow for most fast food, so the place wasn't crowded. Nevertheless, the food was fresh and the portions were big - perfect! I ordered the Falafel Plate with no rice or pita. The guy taking my order suggested salad as a substitute for the rice, which worked perfectly. Even better, he offered sliced cucumbers to dip up the spicy hummus. No charge for any of these substitutions. Excellent! I'm a big fan and will definitely return! The staff was friendly, the ambiance was nice, and the food was great! read more

Olives Branch Express - Decor - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Covid-19 era food to-go I came here yesterday, a day after OC declared a decree that non-essential store close inorder to contain the spread of this super highly contagious virus. A lot of people are out of jobs, non-essential business has to close, the market is tanking, the virus is getting more out of control not to mention the unfortunate few who have died because of this virus. During this unprecedented time, I feel like we should do a little inorder to help each other get through this. One of the ways I contribute is to continue ordering take-out at my local restaurants. One of my favorite is this restaurant. We ordered 2 plates: chicken shwarma and beef and lamb kafta; the side we picked was the lentil soup. We've never gotten it before and I'm so glad we did this time. The soup was comforting, healthy, delicious, and surprisingly filling for just beans. My reason for supporting this place: 1. The food is delicious. 2. The price is okay, it's slightly pricey but the quality and quantity for this area is decent. 3. The garlic whip is amazing! But beware they do charge extra for sauce to-go. Weird since if I dine in they'll comp it. 4. This establishment is clean. Please support your local establishments!! read more

Excellent authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. We like the vegan platter, but it's all good. Also, the lentil soup is better than We can make it home. read more

The server is the cashier, and they have a different one there each time I come. Doesn't know the answers to my questions. I know Middle Eastern food. They skimp on the hummus. I ask for a sauce, they go "huh?" And don't give it. Then I ask for the guy in the back, and he knows what I asked for. But his portions are skimpy too. I don't like they play the music to 65 Dec. I just quit coming here. read more

Very flavorful. Very fresh I ordered for the first time and was not disappointed. I got the chicken swarma and will definitely order again. Give it a try read more

The food was good! Super filling. Restaurant was clean and service was quick. Super slow in the area usually so the wait wasn't bad at all

I am Lebanese and I love this spot. The chicken Shawarma sandwich is amazing if you like garlic ask for extra garlic sauce. Also fatty and Chad are amazing chefs presented nice and warm and they had great hospitality amazing place. read more

First time having this place. Don't know if it's a consistent issue but would not recommend online order. Food was told to be ready by a certain time and when I walked in they had barely started making it making me wait near 20 minutes. However, the food was pretty good ! I got the filet mignon wrap and I would get it again. The grilled veggies wrap was also great. read more

Olives Branch Express - Filet Mignon Kabab Wrap - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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False advertisement of coupons on the Irvine retail therapy app. We ordered and tried to use the bogo half off entree and the worker said she "didn't know how to apply the coupon" so she tried to offer a free drink or fries instead?? What the heck! We had been planning dinner around this and we just left and went somewhere else because we're not going to support a business that falsely advertised a promotion. Not sure why the employee couldn't ask anyone how to apply the promotion but management should train her how to do it or don't offer any promotions. Waste of time. read more

Ordered 3 plates to go and they got 1 out of the 3 right. The other two we didn't want and tossed. With prices these days it just sucks...

Pretty delicious food! I'm personally not a fan of their salad dressing but that's just personal preference. The service was quick and the food are decent portions. Parking in this lot can be difficult during busy hours but I always manage to find a spot. I recommend if you're in the mood for this kind of food. read more

Another good Mediterranean restaurant. Don't let the gramatically incorrect name bother you. This place knows that they are doing. We had a coupon for a buy 1 get 1 pita so we both ordered that with chicken shawarma. The pitas were ready very quickly (probably because we arrived for an early dinner). The pitas were a fair size for the cost. Especially with our coupon our meal was a little under 9 dollars. Not bad even for 1 pita. The pitas came with the usual toppings: garlic sauce, cabbage, and pickles. Next time I will pay extra for hummus but we weren't too hungry so we decided to skip it this time. What's great about this location is that it is right next door to a really good boba tea place nearby as well as a mango dessert place so if you looking for an outing with a meal and dessert, this is the place for you! Enjoy! read more

Olives Branch Express - Chicken shawarma pita wrap! - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Food isnt bad but they falsely advertise on here and at the store. Special isnt 5.99. It's still a good price but you shouldn't misinform people. Its listed as 5.98 both here on Yelp and in store but they charge 6.99. On a Monday. The manager was super condescending and rude to me when I told him about this. "Okay buddy it has changed it's still cheaper than mcdonalds" I will be back because I do enjoy the food but hopefully they fix this. read more

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We tried this place for the first time. Ordered the chicken shawarma plate and the taste was just ok. It didn''t even come with pita bread. My lamb wrap was not good. It was pretty bland and the lamb meat was definitely not fresh. It was an overpriced mediocre meal. Definitely would not return or recommend read more

Ready to have the scrumptious mouth watering "Beirito" and it was delightful. Very savory and full of flavor. read more

Olives Branch Express - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

This place tricks you into thinking that they are open and then you drive all the way there to find out they are closed. The hours of operation clearly say Fridays until 9:30 PM. I arrived at the place at 8:30 PM with my son to find two employees cleaning the place and telling me that they were closing early. Really not ok to not stick to the hours of operation. Omar, thanks for the explanation of why you had to close early. I adjusted the review accordingly. read more