olive branch

we have eaten here several times and the food is just amazing and the service is always on point, personal, and welcoming. the owner often visits the table to see how you are doing to check on how your meal is going, very smart and very welcoming. we rave about the falafels they are the best we’ve ever had, so fresh and full of flavor, the gyro is amazing and we love the way the grill it with some crispy edges a real treat. the chicken dishes are great the chicken is always tender cooked perfect and full of flavor. the steak kabob is one of my favorites, they use a quality cut and it is so tender and full of flavor. the atmosphere is charming and we love it when the weather isgoodbecause they have an amazing patio with a great view of the area. all the staff here is great, but we always ask for jennifer, she’s wonderful and so attentive and knows the menu backwards. and we always say hello to the kitchen staff, with the open kitchen it’s easy to do and they do such a great job!!

the small place reminds me of a nyc restaurant with its small tables and tight quarters. this is a family run place where mama stuffs the squash every day and it shows in the quality of food. frankly, if this was the only time i've been here this wouldn't be the best of reviews as this was not one of the best meals i've had here but i've eaten there many times and know it's a great place.

the stuff squash is a specialty but the gyro, chicken, kibbeh .... it's allgoodserved professionally with a reasonable prices. try their homemade salad dressing or the tabouli. this is agoodplace withgoodfood i highly recommend it.

greek / lebanese - outdoors\ dining. the olive branch mediterranean cuisine
3236 cahaba heights rd
vestavia hills, al 35243
http://www.olivebranchbham.com/

we had a lovely dinner at the olive branch last night. they are located right on cahaba heights rd and while parking in front is limited there is extra parking behind.
olive branch has a large outdoor deck with umbrellas so outdoor dining is available. our server was kara and she was attentive, friendly and quick to reply to requests. the food was great. we had a party of five and after we ordered it was only a few minutes until all our food came out together. we both had the gyro salad which basically their rendition of a greek salad topped with sliced gyro meat. for less than $9 it is a bargain. it also comes with pita bread. our other guests had franks philly and said it was alsogoodand plenty.
they also have agoodselection of wines and bottled beer. we had the meiomi, a california pinot noir that was very smooth and light.

we will definitely be going back, they are also open for lunch.

urban cowgill

bad experience. this place came highly recommended and i couldn't wait to eat here. i had a pretty rough day and i was excited to eat somegoodfood. 1st issue- we were seated right next to another table, my back was touching a strangers back. (not a big place but had plenty of open seats). 2nd issue- ordered an app, came out after our entrée. still, these issues were nothing to write home about. 3rd issue- had to ask for the check 3 times, still nothing so i walked up to the register to pay.
4th and final issue- the one that broke the camels back, our waitress/cashier didn't even look up at me when i ask to pay she grabbed my money and grabbed some extra cash from the office. she placed my change near her behind the cash register and walked off. i had to reach over the counter to get my change and she never said a word. food was fine (not any different than the other greek place right down the road). service was terrible and for this, i will never go here again. i gave them so many chances and they just took it and ran. honestly i feel that i was discriminated against because i was not a rich middle aged woman, sitting there pounding down bottles of wine.

red bike.goodfood, stuffed grape leaves are great, staff is great, i go often, price is right. llike almost all items on menu. you should try it!

consistentlygoodfood and service. great take-out option.

this place is fantastic. i assume the few negative reviews are by people associated with the pita stop, which i think sucks. went to the olive branch today for lunch. had the sampler plate to start. verygoodhummus, but that's no big deal, because i can make it myself easily. alsogoodbaba ganoush, which is a little harder to make than hummus. as other posters have said, the falafel is transcendent. it is crispy on the outside, and succulent, slightly spicy, and intensely flavorful on the inside.

the kafta is also really good. it has fresh lemon and black pepper flavor, very moist and flavorful.

grape leaves, stuffed squash, and gyro are also incredibly delicious.

best middle eastern food in town, by a wide margin.

one of my top five restaurants. nestled on a side road of a side suburb of vestavia pressed up against the swankiest village in the birmingham area is a mediterranean hole-in-the-wall called the olive branch. you could drive buy it thinking it's a dry cleaner or park in front of it thinking it's agoodplace to turn around.

or you could do like i did on accident a few years ago after noticing the coca cola sign out front, step inside to eat.

you'll be welcomed by the owner, a commanding yet delightful woman who most likely will know your name by the end of your meal. you'll then step inside the quaint dining area which is redolent of grandma's living room that seems so grandiose in the memory of your childhood yet average in the bland opinion of adulthood.

the patrons will be diversely dressed. some are on a romantic outing for two, donning elegant dresses with high heeled shoes accompanied by button down shirts with gold plated watches. others are in for a quick bite to eat after work. a few are at the counter in sweatpants and t-shirts waiting for their take-out to be put together.

the food is family style. no, really. it will arrive in pyrex containers. the portions are large and the menu is small. you can have kibbee or you can have gyro. you can have chicken kabobs or you can take one of the three meats and make it a sandwich. it's not a difficult choice. just pick one. you'll be happy.

before you leave, you'll need to sample the best option on the menu, the grape leaves. richly spiced, slathered in olive oil, stuffed with ground beef. they're the best in the city.

when you step out of the olive branch and look ahead, you'll see a fire station. it'll be brightly lit and hopefully without errand. down the road is a gas station and a turn to head into mountain brook or a turn to head back to the hustle of the summit shopping center. but in front of the much-too-dim to be american sign, you'll feel comfortably at home where your belly is always full, the women of the house care about that smudge on your cheek, and your clothes don't reveal any superfluous details about your character.

good greek. i’m not a connoisseur, but they have easily the best taboulleh i’ve ever had. lots of acid from lemon juice, herbs and the nutty cracked wheat combine for a delightfully fresh, scene stealing side. the hummus is second to none. lamb kabobs and vegetables were good, but the rice was mushy, the greek salad a thoughtless plate filler with only 1 olive and a tiny cube of feta. oh, well. it’s still agoodvalue, especially the lunch options. the outdoor patio is comfortable and the service is casual but timely. i hope to be back for the falafel soon. one of my lunch companions ordered the grilled chicken, and even that looked good. what a let-down to trudge back to the office after such a pleasant lunch!

don't waste your time or money. i have eaten here several times and after the last time, decided never to waste my money at this place.
the food was much better several years ago, but not near asgoodnow. the middle-eastern food is 10 times better at the pita stop, less than a mile away.
i ordered the rolled grape leaves and they tasted like they were old and were very mushy with not much flavor. i could swear they had been heated in a microwave, which kills the flavor of foods. i also ordered their tabbouleh salad. it had mushy cucumbers in it that watered down the taste of the salad and again, i would bet it was made the day before. also, i tasted kibbee plate. i have eaten kibbee all of my life. who ever is cooking here doesn't know how to use salt! if you don't use enough salt to bring out the flavor of middle eastern food it doesn't tastegoodat all.
i saw someone else who had a problem send their food back (i wish i had) and the man on the grill looked as if he could kill. i heard the middle aged woman, who is nice looking and kind of thin, who i think is one of the owners, talk about the person who sent their food back, which i thought was very rude.
once before when i was there i saw either a manager or the owner park in the handicap spot, blocking the so-called ramp (a joke for anyone with disabilities) . there was someone in a power wheelchair who could not get to the ramp. he had to park in a spot that was not handicap and had to dodge cars on the street only to find he couldn't get up the ramp.
if i was a restaurant owner and someone has an issue with their food, i would not talk about them, especially in such a small place.

prettygoodlunch. i have had the gyro plate at lunch a couple times within the last month. i thought it was prettygoodnot mind boggling butgoodprice,goodfood,goodservice. the kabobs look serious. hummus is good, salad isgood& fresh, gyro was typical gyro meat. no complaints i will return

on par food, great service. went to eat here because it has one of the highest ratings i have ever seen, and has been rated several times. thought this place must be awesome, or they must be stuffing the ballot box. turns out i was wrong on both. the place is not awesome, it is however, good. it isgoodin every sense of the word. i had no disappointments in the service or in the food. however, it was just good. i wasn't wowed by anything i ate. all that being said, there were a ton of people and no one seemed to be disappointed. having just moved here, i fear there are no truly awesome greek restaurants in birmingham, but this one is the best i have been to thus far.

this was the first time eating here for my husband and i. it was suggested by a friend that has been. the waitress was really nice and fast. we got stuffed grape leaves (first time). they were surprisingly good. very distinct taste. we would get them again. my husband got the gyro special with fries. the sauce was different cause we were expecting the tazaki sauce. it was reallygoodthough and the lamb wasgoodas well. i got the gyro lunch special that came with hummus, pitas, and a side- i picked tabouli. i think i'd rather have a small side of that instead of a large portion and have a greek salad instead. but i just topped a pita off with lamb, hummus, and tabouli with a piece of onion. all together, it was a great lunch. we definitely will be back.

good, again.. saturday my girlfriend and i went to ob for lunch. she had never been (i've been 6-8 times) but had heard the positive feedback, and i'm glad to say, she wholeheartedly agreed. we had the stuffed squash special (stuffed squash, grape leaves, tabbouleh) and also several falafel. everything was quitegoodand the service was also spot-on. the staff is friendly and attentive--something that is very important to me as i treat people kindly and expect the same in return. food quality is quite good, fair value, andgoodservice with a smile. all of these combined tell me that the owners care, so i will definitely continue to support this small but bustling restaurant. give it a try and write a review (i think you will be glad you did both!).

had dinner here last night. the falafel is wonderful! i love it! hummus is reallygoodtoo! try it!


-----22 oct, 2009-----

my husband and i had dinner here a few nights ago. food was really good. i had the falafel plate. it was perfectly done. hummous isgoodand just the right consistency. salad dressing delicious. price was incredible. we will definitely go back!