We were in the area visiting some of my husband's family on Friday and found ourselves looking for a restaurant around 8:30 at night. I was surprised at how many were closing soon. We picked Olive Branch based on their hours, menu and reviews. We were seated quickly and chose inside dining as there was a band outside and we were not in the mood for that on this particular evening. Though everyone out there seemed to be enjoying themselves. George was our server and he really was the best thing we experienced here. He was personable and quite funny. He did a nice job taking care of us. We started with their fresh bread with dipping oil and it was quite good. We each had the Mediterranean side salad with our entrees. You get a choice of three salad options with each entree. It was very good and fresh. I had the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce. It was very tasty but not warm enough. I didn't want to fuss this late at night so didn't say anything, but would have eaten more if it was served hot. The hubby order chicken Alfredo fettuccine, but they were out of fettuccine so he had the dish with linguini instead. He was a little disappointed. We also had beer and wine. It was a very casual environment with indoor and outdoor seating. Full Italian menu with a lot of options. read more

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Local restaurant that has been on my list to try for some time now. I was surprised how quiet it was on a Friday afternoon with only a few small tables. We did come after the typical lunch hour, around 2pm. The service was great and the food was fresh and flavorful! We had the French onion soup and the fried mozzarella to start, and for entrees, I had the Mediterranean salad and chose to add Cajun salmon! My fiancé had the off menu open London broil sandwich. Everything was delicious! Will definitely be back. read more

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Loved this place! Ordered a simple salad and Mediterranean appetizer and loved them! Tasted great, friendly service, outdoor seating...definitely coming back next time we are in town. read more

Olive Branch - Mediterranean sampler appetizer - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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It's always good! We go there once a week, and have never had anything bad! My husband always has the eggplant parmesan.

Sorry to say that we had a terrible experience. The bruschetta was not edible and the raviolis could have been better out of can. I'll never be back !!!!! read more

Bottom Line: I thought we were settling but it turned into a great choice! We got to Mt. Dora after a long drive We were staying at the nearby Lakeside Hotel. I had really wanted to go to one of the popular nearby restaurants that night but they were closed. We went ahead and sat outside at the Olive Branch. They weren't very busy which we were afraid was a bad sign. It turns out we were just early. The place filled up around us as the night went on. We had Renee as our server. She was fantastic. Not only was she very knowledgeable about the menu but she believed me when I told her that I needed ALL the Bread! She was very attentive keeping an eye on our cocktails as well. We never had to look for her - she was always nearby keeping one eye on us. The complimentary bread was delicious and is served w butter and there is also an oil option. I had a standard pasta dish off the regular menu and it was very good. My companion had a special Snapper dish with a light Lemon Sauce that was on the specials menu. It was so so good. I confess, I ate mine and then when my companion said she was too full to finish hers, I finished hers off too. Even though I was stuffed - my mouth couldn't stop shoving the deliciousness of the sauce and the fish into my mouth. It was served over a pasta which was a great vehicle for that sauce. Bottom Line: This place is now going to be one of my favorite places when I am in town. read more

Olive Branch - Fish and Pasta in Lemon Sauce - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

The acoustics in the entire place are horrible. I was at a party it wS impossible to converse. We were denied desert on a prepaid menu. They had 2 parties& no manager or owner was there... Not a good experience.... read more

We arrived at Mt. Dora close to 9pm. This was after working all day and driving the 3 hours it takes to get there. We were tired, hungry and needed somewhere to get some carbs as my boyfriend was doing a bike ride early the next day. We checked some places on Yelp, most of them had already closed but, Olive Branch was open until 10pm. So instead of going to our AirBnb as planned, we drove directly to the restaurant. There's a free parking lot about a block away from the restaurant, which was very convenient. We were at the door in no time. Inside smelled delicious but it's a small place and the chatter from every table made it very loud in there so we asked for an outside table. They have two areas, one had like music and since we really wanted some relaxed/ quiet atmosphere we opted for the outside seating in front of the restaurant. No music, no loud noise, just as we wanted it. Our server came out with waters and after telling us the specials allowed some time to look over the menu. While we waited, freshly baked bread with olive oil was brought out, and the house wine (on happy hour special) I ordered. I went with their Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Portion was big, very creamy but a bit bland. I added some salt and pepper and it was fixed. The Spaghetti and Meatballs looked good, and sauce was delicious but the meatballs were a bit under-cooked for our taste. This also was a big portion. Each dish came with either soup or salad too. Overall we were satisfied and happy with the great service. Nice place to enjoy an outside meal and people watch. read more

Olive Branch - Spaghetti and meatballs - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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Very good tasty restaurant. We went there for lunch today and had the gyro platter which was excellent- Greek salad and pita bread with taziki was delicious. read more

What a lovely place for lunch. The menu is varied and prices not too high for lunch. I had the spinach pie with a small salad. I thought the delicious pie was missing feta cheese. My daughter enjoyed the pasta primavera. My only complaint was that they were short handed in the kitchen. We had a long wait. Our server did let us know what was happening. I think they should have offered us something small, some toasted pita was it was a long wait and we were hungry. In the meantime, I'd go back read more

This meal was amazing, great service great flavor &BTW...this pic was my leftovers! The plate was double the size of this pic, the only thing was I ate all the broccoli & added veggies from another dish. The ambiance was lovely. We had a water view from our table and our server Brad made our meal special. Told the owner on our way out what nice experience. read more

Stopped here before our boat cruise for a quick lunch. We both had the Gyro lunch platter. It was amazing!! Tzatziki sauce on the side so you can do your own portion control. Flavorful meat, Pita was warm and perfectly home made. Great atmosphere, great waitress. Will be stopping here again in the future for sure. read more

Olive Branch - Gyro Platter (Lunch) - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

The food was horrible!!!! Burnt, out of a can sauce. Congealed gravy in the supposed Marsala. The shrimp cocktail was rubbery and old. Pork chops were raw , mashed potatoes were bland and cold. Do better!!! It is such a cute location!!! read more

I've been there twice now. First with my family of five, featuring my 6 year old grandson. We all loved everything we ordered and we devoured it all. Food was delicious and creatively prepared. Service was excellent and we enjoyed the lively and warm ambiance. Second time was with my other daughter who had just moved to the area. Same treatment and results! read more

Olive Branch - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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Servers first words were a list of items they were out of, wine list did not match wine ordered (gave me some story about grapes being planted in WA because of CA fires), one guest ordered stuffed fish & server said, "that will be served dry and bland, is that okay with you?" The proceeded to tell us a list of things not to order. Icing on the cake was there is a surcharge for using a credit card, though that is not disclosed anywhere. Never again! read more

If you like authentic Mediterranean/Greek food do not waste your money here. The moment we walked into the restaurant, we were questioning if we should stay or leave because it was filthy. We decided to stay and we sat near the window that was completely disgusting. Food splatter, dirt all over the window windowsill. Plus the floor and table was sticky. We should have left, but we decided to stay because we were hungry. Menu was very weak as they didn't offer much but we started off with a hummus trio, which was decent. We both ordered a gyro as well for our entrees. What a waste of money. It was basically cold pita bread with three very thin slices of gyro meat topped with Romain lettuce, tomatoes, and a side of tzatziki and cold slaw. The coleslaw was definitely store-bought from a large manufacturer. It was $17 for the gyro!! One of the worst places I've ever ever been to! read more

The lasagna and pasta primavera were amazing. Super flavorful and the service was great too. We also got the bruschetta and espresso martinis which were so good. read more

Olive Branch - Lasagna and pasta primavera - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

This was my first visit to downtown Mt. Dora, and there are so many restaurants to choose from! Olive Branch ended up being the winner for the day. The specials of the day grabbed our attention as we were walking by. It was such a beautiful day, so we decided to eat outside. We had a very pleasant experience, and all the staff was quite friendly. We got the London Broil and Mediterranean Salad with Salmon. We were pleasantly surprised, as everything was pretty tasty. May not rush back before I try a few other spots in the area, but I will definitely include Olive Branch on my recommendation list. read more

Olive Branch - London Broil - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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We were here a few years ago for lunch and decided to go for dinner while we were in Mount Dora. We sat outside and the table was good sized for 2 with an umbrella for the sun. I tried the Grapefruit Collins which I enjoyed - not sweet, but with a distinctive taste. My eggplant Parmesan was delicious - the sauce was fresh with chunks of tomato and there was plenty of melted cheese on top. My husband's spaghetti and meatballs was generous and he really enjoyed it! The service was attentive and the server was pleasant and upbeat. read more

Olive Branch - Eggplant Parmesan - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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We went the other day for lunch..I have been here a few times before so I picked this place for friends and I to dine since they have a nice menu and something for wveryone..they sat us and were very attentive in getting our drink and food orders..food came quickly as well..Penne a La Vida was one of the meals ordered and I had the Chicken and Broccoli Franchese and there was also an order of French Onion Soup and a Tortellini dish..she said the French Onion Soup was delicious and the Penne as well, the Tortellini dish was not hot, my meal, the Franchise was different from other places in it's preparation, it was lukewarm, I did not bother saying anything, usually I will address, but it was edible, it was like it sat back there waiting for other food to get finished..I personally will pick another place to dine next time in Mount Dora..got to commend them on the service once again, very good service and very attentive... read more

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Indoor and outdoor seating. Ambience was great. Waitress was excellent making sure we were satisfied and had everything we wanted Had tortellini Alfredo which was excellent. Would definitely have again. A little pricey read more

Went here on New Years Eve for dinner. They have lots of outdoor seating. The service was outstanding from start to finish. We got the calamari for an appetizer. It was good and the marina sauce was good, I though the portion was small for the price. We were a party of four, two of us got chicken dishes and two got eggplant parmigiana. Everything was cooked just right and seasoned with good flavoring. The meals also come with salad and a side of spaghetti. It was a very positive overall dining experience. read more

This is a very quaint mom and pop place. I loved the vibe and the outdoor musician. It was a beautiful night to enjoy dinner. I suppose it was very busy because of the holiday. Our server was Dillon and he was so apologetic of the wait and the inability to make any changes to the menu. I had the chicken piccata and it was good. It came with rice and a salad. My husband had the chicken parm and my daughter had the beal parm. The red sauce was good and they loved their dishes. Perhaps the food would be more hot and more timely during non holiday rush. We understand this and would come back again and ask for Dillon if we were ever visiting again. read more

The best thing we had amongst 3 entrees and apps were the tomato basil soup; the rest was bland especially given the cost of the meal. The server was nice but the restaurant seemed understaffed; the food took quite a while to come out (about 45 minutes after ordering) and they didn't come back to check on the table to refill drinks. Because of the rain, we chose to eat indoors and it was a bit loud and hard to talk to each other. The atmosphere outside was nicer though so maybe stick to drinks and outdoor seating, or try one of the other restaurants in downtown Mount Dora. read more

Went back again and enjoyed another meal on their patio. We decided to walk through downtown Mount Dora Friday night and live music was being performed in the patio area of The Olive Branch. Enticed by the music and our previous positive experiences there, we stopped to grab some dinner. We started off with an order of their bruschetta and it was delicious! The tomatoes, red onion and basil were so fresh on top of the crisp, toasted bread and it came complete with a heaping portion of cheese in the middle. It was amazing and I'd highly recommend trying it if you're there! For my entree I got the pasta amatriciana and it was so GOOD! The flavor was incredible and the pasta was cooked to perfection. During previous visits I've had the shrimp and scallops pesto pasta which was also good but I think the amatriciana is my new go to! The service, as always, was impeccable and I'll be sure to visit the Olive Branch again soon! read more

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Good food and service. I would go back for sure . The bar tender was unfriendly and short with us when we sat down at the bar to have a drink before dinner. It was like she was annoyed we were there so early. read more

This was the perfect place for our dinner that kicked off our Mount Dora Christmas Weekend. The owner came over to light the heat lamp by our table which just added to the ambiance. The food and service was exceptional. I had the Mediterranean Seafood dish and my husband had the shrimp and scallops with original pesto. Our server Candice was a perfect accent to our evening. I highly recommend the Olive Branch. read more

Just passing through on business, looking for something light and fresh. What I found wasn't light, but not to worry, it was more than I expected! I had the pork chops, thinking I'd get 2 thin chops. I instead got a double thick on the bone chop. Seasoning was perfect. No salt or anything needed. It was cooked perfectly. Juicy? You bet. Tender? Yes and hot throughout. The veggies were seasoned well and the tomato basil soup was very tasty. I sat outside and never ran out of drink and wasn't questioned constantly. The wait staff was there when needed and didn't hover when not needed. I'd love to go back to try other dishes! read more

Olive Branch - Double pork chop with rice pilaf and veggies. - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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I like this place quite a bit. I find their food to be fresh, with flavors that are reflective of being made in-house. Service has always been up to par. When the weather allows the patio area is pleasant. read more

The service was just fine and the outside seating is nice. However, the food was not good/ lackluster. The side salad was just fine. The French onion soup was served lukewarm. The lasagna was served lukewarm with a lack of seasoning. The pasta primavera with chicken was very odd. The chicken on top appeared to be like a grilled chicken add on that would come with a cold salad. It wasn't appetizing to the person eating it. The tortellini bolognese was just fine, nothing great nothing bad. The chicken teriyaki wrap was overly filled with teriyaki sauce to the point where a mouthful was unappetizing to the one eating. The chicken Cesar wrap was good and French fries were nicely cooked and seasoned. read more

We got a table quickly and the pita bread was warm. Those were the only redeeming qualities. It's hard to mess up salads. The "dressing" was oil, zero flavor. The "chicken" for the salad was glorified rubber. To quote my friend eating the gyro, "It's ok, but it's not lamb." Outdoor patio is nice, bathrooms need some work. Overall, they need to do better. read more

My partner and I are visiting Apopka, and it was suggested to us that we visit Mt. Dora. We came across Olive Branch, and decided to try it. We were seated right away, which was nice. Not many people were inside, and noise levels were fine. We had a nice server, who was good to us throughout the night. We ordered the bruschetta to start, and it was okay - not remarkable. It ended up being the best thing we had. We waited a bit longer for the two pastas we ordered. The place didn't feel so busy and yet it took a long time to get our meals (perhaps understaffed, which is understandable). My partner ordered the Rigatoni Carbonara (sans prosciutto, as we are vegetarian) and I ordered the Penne Pesto. The dishes we got, sadly, did not resemble anything akin to a standard carbonara or pesto pasta. The carbonara was much closer to a bowl of cooking wine with some pasta and sundried tomato, and the penne pesto seemed to have no actual pesto at all - just some greens and some sundried tomato. Both were incredibly disappointing and really difficult to get through, just given how bland they were. The establishment was otherwise good to us, but to be honest, pasta should be hard to mess up - and what we got was just outright bad. A Google Search for a standard carbonara or penne pesto recipe - or even store bought premade sauces - would yield better results (I don't say that to be mean, I say it to be honest). Very unfortunate for a restaurant in an otherwise quaint and pleasant town. To close, I ordered a Malbec and it was fine. EDIT: Less than 12 hours after going here, I got food poisoning. So, something was definitely off about what we got at this place - sorry to say. read more

This was the most delicious gyro I ever ate, tender with the right amount of spices. Our waitress was friendly and very Attentive read more

Olive Branch - Gyro with coleslaw - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Menu is decent and the ambience is alive and energetic. Service was good. Food quality is good. Noise outside is too loud for dining. The live music could be turned down a great deal. Speakers/Amplifiers aren't needed for such a small area. The loud noise upstages what people want to do when they dine out, SOCIALIZE. If I can't hear my partner and my partner can't hear me, what's the point? read more

My fiancé and I ordered the Mediterranean Penne Pesto and the Cajun Salmon. The pasta was decent, but average. Noodles kind of over cooked and I felt the only thing adding flavor to the pesto was the tons of Sundried tomatoes. Pesto seemed watery. The salmon had no flavor. Mashed potatoes were pretty lumpy and flavorless. Salad was fresh and yummy and minestrone soup was pretty good. However, I do want to give credit to the service, as all the employees were friendly and helpful. I enjoyed the live music as well. Overall, this was a kind of expensive, very average meal though. I wouldn't recommend it. read more

Very good food! Been here twice, the Mediterranean salad is to die for! Husband has penne alla vodka, also to die for read more

Olive Branch - Carrot cake - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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Delicious surprise! We love authentic Italian food and we were not disappointed. Tried something new: sweet & savory beef and cabbage soup. Tasted like my grandma's recipe. The French onion soup was perfection. Mediterranean style pork chop was perfectly prepared and not overdone (easy to get it wrong with pork). Seafood Fra Diavlo had plenty of fresh seafood and was perfectly flavored. Service was great and outdoor seating offered a gorgeous view. read more

Olive Branch - French Onion soup - Bars Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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The customer service was great but the food was not. I placed and order for pick-up and they did a great job with getting it right. I ordered the baked ziti and it was awful the sauce tasted like vinegar and sour. I even tried to eat it the next day and it didn't get better (like most tomato based sauces). I will never eat here again. Sorry! read more

We really enjoyed the food here. They brought hot bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before our meal. We had a wonderful view of the lake and sunset. We saw a band was about to start playing outside. We didn't get dessert but the pasta dishes were all very good. I would just recommend a little more cleaning of the window sill. I avoided some dishes because they are made with heavy cream. We loved their marinara sauce though. read more

For my husband to say it's THE BEST FRANCAISE he's ever had is saying so much for an Italian from the Bronx. He loved it so much he had to call his mom and tell her about it. I had the broccoli chicken rigatoni with garlic and oil. Perfect!! The apple tart with caramel gelato was out of this world The atmosphere was amazing sitting outside looking at the lake on a beautiful day. Thanks for the great memory, Olive Branch! read more