olive branch

in the lunch rotation. the olive branch has made it in the lunch rotation. basics like gyros and pitas are all good. however, i really like the kafta lunch special...comes with rice, pita, humas and greek salad. also, the gyro salad is a favorite of many. just wish they'd cut the salad ingredients up so i don't have to. also, one of the few places i have to order sweet tea.

oh, and the new deck is nice thistimeof year.

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 onlytimei'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 all good served professionally with a reasonable prices. try their homemade salad dressing or the tabouli. this is a good place with good food i highly recommend it.

just went to the olive branch for the firsttimeearlier this week for lunch. small place. excellent food. get there early for lunch or you will have nowhere to sit. i ordered the steak in sack with a wrap instead of the pita pocket... mistake, but only because it is a juicy fans the sauce is hard to contain in the wrap. otherwise, the sandwich was excellent. the steak slices were tasty and tender. overall, it appeared that the lunch specials provide very generous portions. going there again today for round two.

this is the best greek resturant in all of birmingham! i literally eat here 2-3 times a week! i've never had one thing on the menu bad! franks philly, gyro deluxe, it's all amazing! def. best kept secret gem in birmingham area! never is there a wait even friday night primetime:)

lunch at the olive branch. sampler platter appetizer
gyro plate with tabouli
falafel
i'm a firsttimevisitor to the olive branch and i can honestly say of all the mediterranean places i've eaten, this is one of the best! the falafel was the very best i've ever had! they were amazing. i will for sure go back.

great gyros!!!. my sweetie and i ate lunch there today for the firsttimeand we love it! we both had gyros, he had fries and i had tabbouleh both were great. we were satisfied after eating only half the gyros so we also have gyros for dinner and we got baklava to go, all 3 flavors. when we got home we made coffee and enjoyed the baklava which were a little sweeter than i've had before so i really loved them, so flaky and juicy at the same time! our hostess was very gracious, seating us where we preferred and our waitress was very welcoming and willing to educate us as we decided what to order, brittany, i think, was her name. we loved everything about the place and we're thankful our sweet daughter recommended it! :)

best grape leaves in town!. you can get stuffed grape leaves, or dolmades, at many places throughout birmingham, but the experience is often hit or miss. this delicacy can suffer from mushy rice, being served cold, or not including any meat. not so at the olive branch! everytimeyou order stuffed grape leaves here, they are fantastic, and supercede any other grape leaves served locally. they also have stuffed squash, a rad, spicy gyro, falafel with a kick, the delectable steak-in-a-sack sandwich, and excellent humus. skip markarios, the pita stop, and the purple onion. come to the olive branch for great mediterranean food, and attentive seervice!

don't waste yourtimeor 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 as good now. 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 taste good at 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.

this was the firsttimeeating 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 really good though and the lamb was good as 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.

poor food and service. i had not eaten here in a long time. i remember my wife and youngest loved their tabouli but for some reason there has been a big gap intimebefore my visit for dinner last night. i picked up a couple of groupons on the 1st. i bought two $14 lunch and two $20 dinners. we arrived early, about 5:30 and were one of the first customers of the evening. place started to fill up before we left. the atmosphere is pleasant, a bit small. nice patio but was too hot to eat out yesterday. booths sit you too high for the table.

anyway, the meal ended up being a disaster. i ordered the gyro plate (over priced for sure at $13.50, small portions). i saw the gyro pit operating so when my plate was delivered and the meat was room temperature, i was confused. i called our waitress over and she was pleasant and apologetic. i watched her bring the two plates to the cook. he scowled when she delivered our message, said really, and although he had on plastic gloves he proceeded to grab the meat off our plates with his hands and throw it back on the grill. i was freaked, had eye contact with him and objected from a distance. the manager came over at this point and i explained what had transpired. the new plates came out, and, i swear on all that is good, the meat was room temperature. we looked at each other, decided to deal with it and pushed on. with the plate, they serve a spicy yogurt sauce instead of hummus or taziki. taste was good but it was too watery. barely any rice, which at its cost, you would figure it would be abundant. the salad was mostly iceberg, which is not cool. i had another conversation with the manager and asked if the gyro was pressed beef and lamb. i was told yes, although before that conversation i thought i had figured out that there was no lamb in the meat, the meat was not as tasty as i am used to.

the meat was limp, think of picking up a traditional piece of gyros with your fingers. the olive branch meat just broke in half. fresh gyros right off the pit has a nice fire burned crust on the outside, which provides a subtle crunch as you bite into the moist uniquely blended beef and lamb. i have had much better gyros at the pita stop, now just around the corner from them, al's, purple onion, and sinbad's. i called groupon today and they refunded me on the other unused coupons. we were $58 with a tip for three. left feeling like we had been taken. my boy still liked the tabouli, but they lost us for good.

killer mediterranean.. went back to the olive branch for the firsttimein years today, and boy am i glad that i did. this place does it right. the tabbouleh is top-rate and probably the best in the city, as well as the lamb kofta--which was unbelievably succulent and flavorful. no kidding, this place is right up there with some of the best kebap establishments i've eaten at in istanbul. can't wait to go back!

first off, i have to say this place is totally amazing and if i could've found a better way to express my satisfaction with my limited vocabulary and imagination, i would! the food and staff were top notch. do not and i repeat do not let the exterior of the resturaunt decieve you, inside, you will find a staff or friendly people and heavenly food that you would treasure. the food is seasoned just right. not too flavorful nor blend, but just right! i had an amazingtimethere. the environment was warming and comfortable. you will leave this place with a smile and a belly full of goodness! take care and may we all have a delicious delightful experience.

bacon or gyro meat?. we stopped in for a late pick-up lunch this afternoon and ordered the gyro lunch special. expecting some flavorful slices of the within view gyro rotisserie meat we were thoroughly disappointed to find none the such. while the help was courtious and the quaint atmosphere inviting in the setting afternoon sun. dried out slices of meat that more resemble bacon than gyro meat is unacceptable. especially when the owner?/person in-charge is the one to package your meal. we were however happy that the wild rice was steaming hot and delicious, but if we wanted a steaming pile of wild rice we would have ordered from winn dixie the uncle ben's special. coming right up! please take note of this. when ordering food in the middle of the afternoon from any establishment it seems the common trend is for the customer to have to be the last line of defense for his/her own dining experience because we have found more often than not the establishments are not at the top of their games at these hours. better luck nexttimeolive branch.