A bit of a warning - to those who don't eat spicy food There might be items that you do not expect to be spicy - but they are! So be careful and ask questions. This was our second trip. We got Muharram and Chicken skewers on rice. The chicken skewers came with a side salad That Side Salad was amaaazing. The olives, the seasoning, the radishes. Everything I've ever wanted in a salad. I couldn't eat the skewers - they were so spicy. I could smell the spice on them. Per others though, they were good. The Muharram was delicious. Restaurant is pretty easy to get to, good parking in the evening. A good spot to stop before an evening at TCAN. read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Muhammara - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

Delicious and fresh ingredients. Simple, nourishing and wonderful. Service was lovely and ambience casual and comfortable. A great place for mindful eating or a healthy, tasty meal with a friend. Perfect for me. read more

We were attending an event in Natick and noticed the Dates and Olives website. The website was nicely done and presented the owner/chef as having been associated with highly regarded restaurants. So, we decided to try the restaurant for dinner. When we arrived, we were very put off by the very dirty windows and glass door. After minutes of discussion, we decided to go in anyway. When we entered, we were surprised to see cafe style dining and not table service. This was not mentioned on the website which presented this as a restaurant with pictures of food served on china plates, etc. We went to the counter and order a lamb giro, falafel and Greek salad, a Chai tea and water. The space is not well lit. We took seats at a counter with stools in the front window. The counter was made of very warped lumber and a flat spot was not to be found. The counter was very sticky lacking proper cleaning. The floor in the area was also very dirty. The counters in the windows seemed like a nice way to watch the happenings on the street while eating, except the windows have a large volume of school children's artwork adhered to them. This and the dirty windows made viewing the street less than pleasant. Our food arrived at the table in a reasonable amount of time. The food looked like something you would expect from a food truck delivered in pressed fiber disposable containers. The giro was rolled and wrapped in paper and foil with fries on the side and plastic utensils. The giro was made with sliced lamb, not the usual seasoned and formed ground lamb. The lamb was tender but minimally seasoned. The presentation was poor. The fries were not even warm, very hard and crunchy. An attempt to season the fries with coarse salt failed and the salt wound up in the box not on the fries. The Chai tea was excellent with a heavy clove taste. The falafel was a bit overdone service with a tahini sauce. The sauce was very watery and ran right off the falafel. The Greek salad had plenty of fresh vegetables, cucumber and tomatoes, etc. It was a typical Greek salad, heavy on vegetables and light on greens. Overall, the appearance and cleanliness were poor at best. The food, except the for the fries (not acceptable) would be marginally acceptable for lunch or takeout. Clearly, not a dinner restaurant. Certainly not what I expected based on the website and the owner/chef's apparent experience. Not recommended. read more

Good service and a pleasant owner, but the food didn't quite hit the mark for me. I ordered the Chicken Rice Bowl with Eggplant Dip, Millet Tabbouleh, and Spicy Zhough Sauce for takeout. The food felt a bit dry overall and the rice was slightly undercooked. The restaurant has convenient parking with ample paid street parking around. There is moderate amount of seating inside which can cater to small and large groups. read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Menu and info - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

Great menu, especially for vegetarians. Today I had the pharaoh with Cale and butternut squash. Fresh, delicious, a little heavy on the vinegar, but I needed something healthy for a summer day, and you can always count on this place. read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

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Stopped in for lunch, service was quick and restaurant looked nice and clean. I got the cauliflower shawarma - it was good, may add a few extra topping next time but overall would come back read more

Leaving another review for Dates and Olives because I think that it's a real hidden gem in Natick and their food is amazing. We picked up food to go the other Monday and brought it over to the common so we could enjoy a picnic dinner and listen to the live music that was playing. We ordered 2 falafel appetizers, tzatziki, cabbage slaw, and spicy hummus. Their food is ALWAYS so fresh and extremely flavorful. Their spicy hummus is INSANELY DELICIOUS and I say that having grown up in a house that made their own homemade hummus. Their pita pockets are thick, warm and delicious. We like to build our own little pita pocket "sandwiches" using the falafel, spicy hummus, cabbage slaw and tzatziki. You can also tear off pieces of the pita and dip in the tzatziki and spicy hummus. OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD. We had enough food to satisfy 2 hungry adults for dinner AND had plenty of leftovers to bring home for lunch the following day. I highly recommend giving this place a try if you have not already! read more

Passing through and found on yelp for lunch. Wonderful little place. Exactly what we were looking for. All dishes were delicious and freshly made, while quickly. The cashier waitress was friendly and helpful. Prices reasonable. Gluten free friendly with ample choices. Just talk to them. Clean, casual, and a place I'd love to have closer to home. read more

Dates and Olives is an Awesome Restaurant. The Mediterian food is made with so much love. Ren has a heart of gold and her love for people and the food at Dates and Olives shows her compassion and love for people and food. There is such a beautiful Ambiance when going to Dates and olives as it feels nice and relaxing place to meet with people and enjoy a healthy meal made with love. read more

Very basic place, not really a restaurant. They have tables and a very limited menu but mostly hand helds. I got a menu and then was ignored for over 10 minutes so I left. read more

The food was fabulous as was the service. Before I talk about the food, I want to highlight how much I appreciate the owner's attention to my allergies which are many and severe. Mendonca listened closely and helped choose a delicious dish I could enjoy without concern. As for my dinner, I had the lamb meat balls with vegetables which was so flavorful and the spices were different than anything I had had before. My friend had the make your own bowl with the lamb balls, pita, carrots and raisin salad and hot Zhoug sauce. The ambiance was good too. The smells were so enticing, the staff attentive and all the diners were engrossed in the own conversation. It was cozy in the best way. I'll be going back soon! read more

Went here for a private event and foods was tasty and the owner generous. It was a great space for a networking event and the food was delicious. read more

My son insisted I give a 5 star review because the food was heavenly and the service was very nice.

Great food and great attention to detail regarding allergy restrictions. Love the compostable containers.

Delicious and fresh food! The place is so cute on the inside with plenty of seating. Everything is so good - the dips are a must try! The sandwiches are excellent as well. Overall it is a great local spot to put in your rotation! read more

Shawarma, falafel, dips, everything here tastes amazing every time. Best Mediterranean food in town, fresh, healthy, and full of flavor.

The food is always delicious and ready for pickup when they say it will be. Highly recommended to anyone looking for quality Mediterranean food in Natick. read more

absolutely incredible. we ordered catering for a party of about 15 people, and the food was a huge hit. very fresh and you can tell a lot of hard work goes into it. highly highly recommend! read more

Great Food! Great Staff Delicious Hummus ! Service was excellent, laid back ambiance and plenty of seating !

Just ordered from here. It came on time. The portions for the salads are small but still tasty I'm told by my MIL. The tzatziki has good flavor and the grilled chicken does as well. My husband got the chicken sandwich and said it was great. Here's the issue. If something is on your menu, you need to list everything that comes with it for people with allergies sake. I ordered the grilled vegetables as a salad. It stated that it came with zucchini, squash, red peppers, herbs and garlic oil. No mention of mushrooms. If it had mentioned mushrooms I would have noted my severe allergy to them and asked for them to be left off. So now, I'll go eat a PBJ while my family enjoys their meals. I hope someone sees this and makes the proper corrections. read more

This place was amazing! The food was all amazing. I got the mezze platter, and the hummus is the best hummus I've ever had. The falafel was green and amazing, especially with the tahini. The butternut squash soup was also fantastic. The service was fast and the owner and staff were all so nice! The food was all amazing and I can't wait to go back. It's really good for vegans, gluten free, and other allergies. read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Mezze with Hummus, Tabbouleh with Quinoa, Muhammara, and Fattoush Salad - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

In my opinion food isn't that great .not many choices service take awhile to get food place could use more style

Truly delicious food and super cute restaurant! The falafel, dips, shawarma and sandwiches are all great. The sweet and sour eggplant sandwich has become a favorite as it's a fun flavor combination with muhammara and cheese that warms you up on cold afternoons. Highly recommend! read more

To answer to the recent response of the restaurant owner about my experience: 1. It is your responsibility for maintain your premises clean and in order at all times not mine. 2. When I placed the order I clearly mentioned pick up time between 4:30 and 5:00. I did wait 1/2 an hour for you to get the food "ready". You never informed me when I placed the order that you cook meat well done. Regardless, you can still cook meat well done and still be good but , the meat you served was of low quality. So bad cooking skills + bad quality products = disastrous food. Talking of standards, I don't understand why you cook the meat well done but, half the chicken was raw, so was the falafel. I did call you right after opening the tray containing the meat and, everything I got were excuses on why your food was terribly prepared. I gave you the opportunity to make it right, to either replace the food or process a reimbursement. You decided that money is more important than taking care of your customer. Your standards as a restaurant are very low,both food quality and service are extremely bad. Of course I will not be back, and the people whom recommended you were very disappointed with your food and your lack of care for long time customers. read more

We order food for 18 people , the food was not ready when we picked up and when we got home and stay opening the trays the chicken was raw and the meet was like rubber and impossible to chew . We called several times and hey keep saying the manager will call, never did until 3 days after, they didn't care about it and they didn't believe us. We kept the food and told Them we could take it back so they can see and they said no. TheSONT CARE ABOUT THEIR COSTUMER . We have a big family and we named sure no one will go back there . read more

Fresh and healthy choices with kind customer service. I really enjoy the mezze platter, pita, and soups! Such a nice addition to Natick. read more

When brown rice is cooked 'beyond recognition' and looks un-appetizing as in the attached photographs - it is time to exit the food business. Did I mention the undercooked lamb balls and the baba ganoush that contained diced tomatoes and looked more like the Indian 'bhaigan bharta'. Why would I want to go back to this place? read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

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Ordered to-go. Got the Mezze box (4 dips): Babahanouj: eggplant dip. Not bad but I've had better in other restaurants. Off the top of my head: Garlic n' Lemon in Allston. Muhamara: roasted red pepper dip. Mexican food vibes with this one but not bad neither. Beetroot dip: beets! I enjoyed this dip. Recommended. It's a thick, vibrant sauce with a nice beety-yogurty flavor that works very well with the pita bread. Labneh: Original yogurt flavor. This is when sticking to the basics really works. I recommend this as well. Whole wheat pita bread was good and goes well with the dips. My only complaint is they should give a pita bread for each dip we brought. We brought 4 dips and it only came with 2. Rice Lamb Meatball with tzatziki, eggplant dip, feta, and millet tabbouleh was good. Meatball was juicy and the right amount of gaminess for lamb. Everything else was basic for restaurants like this. Not bad but nothing special. Lamb kabob was a bit too dried and less flavorful than the lamb meatballs. Chicken kabob was typical for chicken. I didn't taste any mediterranean flavor in this one. Not bad but not special. This did come with a good cilantro mint sauce (forgot to take a picture of this). Fattoush salad was basic and very bland. If salads are boring, this salad would make all the salads proud. In my opinion, the highlight of what we ordered was the beetroot dip and the lamb meatballs. Labneh was good too but it is so simple, I hope other places can't mess this up. Overall, average. I would eat their food if I was hungry but I wouldn't go out of my way for this. Although, I would give this place another chance and eat in next time. read more

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Food is good. Guy checking me out was an asshole. Needs to work on customer service. Staff rude as fuck.

Wonderful catering event! Dates and Olives catered our teacher/school event and everyone raved about the food. The staff created a delicious menu; working with our budget. Several people had recommended them for catering andI'm glad we chose them. We had a great experience. read more

Great fresh healthy food packed with flavor. The cold pressed juices are a delicious treat! This will be my new lunch spot.

I want to rate this restaurant higher, because the food was good and there are not enough Mediterranean spots around Metro west. Problem is; - menu said the Gyro comes with fries and it was dropped at our table without 'em. - portions were small and that's a no-go for me when you order a $13. Sandwich! - there was 1 other customer in the restaurant, 4 employees, and our order took 20 minutes. For 2 sandwiches at lunchtime on a Saturday. Gotta step up your game guys! read more

I ordered the takeout dinner for 5 and had enough for several meals! Great value and great flavor. They offer a very interesting different spice mixture in the sliced chicken that comes with the meal. The dips are delicious and plentiful, which can be eaten with the made in-house pita bread that comes with the meal. I love all kinds of different sauces, and with this meal you get tzatziki and tahini to add to the experience. Not included with this meal, but can be ordered as a side is muhamarra. A delicious red pepper dip that they add a tangy vinegar to which gives the dip a unique flavor. This place has been a wonderful addition to the Natick community. Stop by! read more

Ordered the family meal for two tonight.(for 3 of us) . Food was delicious, fresh and plentiful ( we will easily get a second meal from it!! ) Staff was friendly and courteous. was a bit leary based on some reviews but we very happy. read more

If you're a fan of gyros, this probably isn't your place. The "lamb" tasted more like super tough mutton and the lettuce tasted like a collection of weeds. This was a real disappointment with a hefty price tag. I recommend going elsewhere for a gyro! read more

A friend told me about this place went first time today loved it. The salad dressing was delicious & I asked for unsweetened ice tea they made me a delicious mint ice tea. Friendly service and great food read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Moroccan chicken salad bowl & Moroccan Chicken rice bowl were yummy - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

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Happy to have another lunch option in Natick Center! My husband and I ate a Sunday lunch here. When we walked in we were greeted by the staff. They gave us a menu when we reached the counter and we picked our food. I think it would be helpful to have the menu displayed larger somewhere so that customers can see it right when they walk in. My husband and I split a cup of the butternut squash soup which was very hot and took almost 10 min to be able to eat it, but once it cooled we enjoyed it. We also split the cauliflower shwarma on pita. This was soooooo good and flavorful, with plenty of spice. I will definitely order this again. It's still new and we were there on a Sunday, so it was pretty slow, but I can see this place becoming a favorite spot for locals. I work across the street and will be back again soon! FYI: Accessible entryway, easy for strollers and wheels to get inside! read more

Dates and Olives Natick - Decor at Dates&Olives, Natick - Mediterranean Near Me - Natick, Massachusetts

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I visited this cute little place in natick center today. The lady taking my order at the counter was very warm and spent time explaining the menu to me. I ordered build-your-bowl with falafel, goat cheese, olives, lettuce and brown rice. The quantity was very generous. Falafel was crispy and good. I also tried the cauliflower soup which was a bit watery for my taste. I ordered a takeout and the order was ready in like 10 mins. I will definitely be going back to this place again soon. They give environment friendly compostable takeout boxes which is a huge plus! read more

Awful. Ordered a chicken kebab skewer platter for a party and over half of the chicken was completely raw, with the rest being barely cooked. When we called to tell the owner the next day they didn't believe us and refused to make it right. Will never order from here again. read more

I want to be explicit that service was great and no issue with people. I was so excited to see a Natick Medd food option! I feel kind of terrible leaving a bad review but the salt level on this food was crazy. I have eaten an insane amount of Shwarma and Gyro and have eaten "bowls" resembling the constitution of the bowl I ate 100+ times so when I got takeout from here I was just grateful it wasn't the basic takeout...I couldn't finish it. It was saltier than anything I have ever consumed. I love salt, I use it too much according to most medical experts but this was crazy. My family had eaten before me and were also baffled-Ultimately I want this place to be good so bad because I feel like it would have been without the toxic salt levels!! read more