There's a little story attached to this review. We had just gotten off the unique ferry cruise around the harbor and we're very hungry. My daughter was craving pizza and I could've gone with pizza. I always like a good pizza. Anyway, we stopped in front of the Olive Café in order to place our order for the pizza place across the street. We are going back-and-forth we'd have to carry the pizza back to our hotel, etc. etc. All of a sudden we looked inside this little restaurant where people were eating. I turned my head, looked at the menu. My daughter immediately canceled the pizza order, and we went inside. The server host owner was phenomenal. The food absolutely outstanding. I am a true lover of Middle Eastern/Greek food and it was phenomenal. The sauce used that tahini was tangy. It was beyond fantastic. read more

We stopped into this Lebanese restaurant for a quick bite between meals, and it was such a great find. We ordered the grape leaves and baba ghanoush, and both were honestly the best we've ever had--fresh, incredibly flavorful, and perfectly prepared. The service was quick and friendly, making it an easy stop while exploring the area. It's conveniently located near the Old Port, and the restaurant itself was clean and welcoming. We'd definitely return! read more

Olive Cafe - Interior dining area - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

See all

A group of 7 of us went for lunch today. It is very casual. You order at the counter which worked well for our group. We didn't need a server. I had the haddock shawarma which was delicious. Everyone else seemed to really like their food as well. The man working the counter (owner?) was very nice and helpful. I would love to go back soon. read more

Wow, food was excellent. Authentic. Hole in the wall kind of place with the owner in the kitchen and is very friendly. We had babaganoush, lamb and chicken kabobs with couscous. read more

See all

This place is fantastic. Went here with some friends and didn't know what to expect. Our server was awesome! And super friendly and helpful. He was in such good spirit. The place is nice and open and we were one of the o lay few tables. We got the pita chips to start which were great. Then we all got the chicken and the beef gyro and I got the chicken shawarma. Everything was so great! Some of the best shawarma I've had in Portland! And everything else was packed with authentic flavors. The fried and sweet potatoe fries are also some of my favorite in all of Portland. We finished off the dinner with the pistachio ice cream and Dubai chocolate which was recommended by our server which was a good end to the meal. Definitely check this place out as soon as possible. It's fantastic and you will not be disappointed in any way. read more

See all

Had a nice casual lunch at Olive Cafe a few days ago. We ordered a salad, shwarma, and a few sides. My husband said the brussels sprouts were the best he'd ever had. My salad was pretty good too. Prices are reasonable and location is great. Service is friendly and excellent. I'd definitely return. read more

Excellent Lebanese food! The hummus with lamb appetizer was great, as well as the feta and watermelon salad. I had the seared haddock and it was cooked perfectly! The Lira (Arak cocktail) was really good too! -We will be back! read more

Absolutely delicious. Had the Greek salad and lamb gyro. Phenomenal flavor. Great customer service as well. We are visiting from out of two so just happened to stop by. If we come back to Portland we will be back here! Comfy chairs too! Nice music read more

Olive Cafe - Lamb Gyro - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

Outstanding dining. Simple small restaurant with incredible Lebanese cuisine. Haddock shawarma has the "yum" factor. I could eat it every day. Fresh fish with flavored additions. So much better than chicken, lamb or other proteins. Flatbreads are also the best I've ever had. Owner is helpful and accommodating. Trying to get him to move to our home city. read more

Lunch time at work and where to go? Started wandering around Commercial Street for something easy and handheld and Olive was perfect and the Gyro pulled me in. I'm a lover of an authentic Gyro and this place looked like the real deal. I was greeted immediately and offered a menu and a drink. I informed the gentleman I was here for to-go which he seemed happy about. The decor is middle eastern in feel with pretty decorations and a fair amount of seating. Did not have to wait long at all and boom it was done. I promptly took my tasty and found outside seating by the water. Oh so DELICIOUS! Everything was spot on! I had not a crumb left when it was all done. I have made a lunch date with a co-worker and we are headed here! If you love a great Guro, seek no more. read more

Olive Cafe - Service counter - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

See all

The owner would not allow us to order the samplers we wanted during lunchtime, so we got three gyros of different types. The pita bread was a bit soggy and undercooked. The haddock was well cooked but could have used more spicing, same with the chicken, and the falafels were not crispy or as tasty as I would expect. Staff was a bit brusque. read more

The owner (or who I believe was the owner) of this business is incredibly sweet. Upon arriving in Portland, we did a quick search on Yelp to find some healthier/veggie eats and Olive Cafe popped up. This little eatery is located in the heart of the historic port district- not too far from the cruise terminal and lots of other popular spots in town. Their menu is very vegetarian friendly with offerings like falafel, baba ganoush, hummus and freshly made fries. Now, let's talk about these fries. They're exceptional! It looks as if they were hand cut in the kitchen (skins and all) and fried to perfection. Cannot recommend them enough. The owner was also very sweet about us having two kiddos in high chairs and navigating the shuffle of little humans. Grateful for this charming and delicious meal to end our day in Portland. read more

Delicious, fresh, Lebanese cuisine. Great menu and wonderful service. Loved everything we tried, from the Beirut Salad and Lamb Shawarma to the Turkish Coffee and lucious baklava highlighted by rose and pistachio. Our new favorite place for healthy middle-eastern food! read more

Ray is a great host...the lamb kabob with rice and salad was outstanding with the lamb cooked to medium rare perfection! I couldn't decide between lamb and kibbeh so it was lamb for dinner and it'll be kibbeh and salad for lunch tomorrow!!! I'll be back!! read more

Delicious, refreshing, and simple. Really enjoyed the meal for nice authentic mediterranean flavours but not too strong for those with milder palate. The beef gyro was delicious with nicely browned beef, refreshing tzatziki, and a yummy pita. Also tried the Kibbeh platter with couscous. Very delicious and a perfect portion. Potentially lacked some acid in both dishes to amplify the flavors. Turkish coffee was a great experience that I highly recommend if you enjoy coffee. Prepared traditionally heating in metal small pot and very aromatic with strong notes of cardamom. Overall, had a pleasant meal. read more

Olive Cafe - Kibbeh Platter - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

See all

What an incredible place. The owner, Ray, provided us with authentic Lebanese cuisine. The stuffed grape leaves were insanely delicious, as was the gyro wrap, pickled veggies, and Greek salad. My boyfriend said his margarita was great, too. Beautiful location by the waterfront, and just an amazing experience all around! Music, vibe...loved it! read more

See all

This place was excellent. Hummus great but the lamb gyro and fries was the best we've had in years. As a first gen Greek American felt a little like Athens street carts. read more

This place has been around forever, but I hadn't gone in years until the other day. The owners are nice, and the food is fresh, flavorful, and affordable. It's a great place for lunch or a relatively inexpensive dinner. read more

Large selection. Excellent falafels, pita and hummus. Friendly service. Causal vibe. Good location.

My husband and I loved the food at Olive Cafe. We ordered the muhammara with pita, Beirut salad and a falafel bowl and everything was absolutely delicious. We finished the meal with tea and the most amazing baklava. The owner was very nice and attentive and the environment was quiet and low key. I highly recommend. Do not hesitate to eat at this restaurant! read more

Just fantastic lunch today, we had the gyro sandwich and the Fatiha bean and chick pea dip on naan. Just fantastic food and wonderful service just the best of Portland Maine right on the waterfront. Recommend very highly and prices were great as well read more

Olive Cafe - Stephanie and Liz at the Olive Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

See all

Food was fantastic! The seafood did not disappoint, exceptionally fresh and delicious!

Delicious food, great service, cozy and casual. The sampler platter was so good! Roasted cauliflower, salad, home made pita and hummus. The owner is very kind and friendly. read more

What a great find! We were visiting from California and decided to stop in rather than walk by. My husband really enjoyed his chicken shawarma, and my Mediterranean Sampler Plate was fabulous! First time I've ever had falafel that was moist inside, and so flavorful. And, the pita---it has to be homemade!! If we lived here, we'd be regulars. read more

first: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options! service was fairly quick, kind, and sincere -- and the wraps we ordered were grand! would definitely recommend if you're in the area. read more

Food wasn't really worth the price and there appeared to be a kitchen and wait staff fight developing while we were dining.

Been wanting to go to this place for years, and today I finally ordered take out food. We ordered lamb gyro and the flavor was good however the food was warm and not hot and fresh. The meat was precook, warmed up and not from a meat cone . The Falafel was ok . The Greek salad was mostly baby spinach and very basic. Being on Commercial St. rent is pretty high and so are menu prices for the quantity and quality of food. It would have been ok if the quality are exceptional but unfortunately it is not. read more

See all

Delicious & expensive LUNCH. Smoky from kitchen. Excellent service. Appetizer platter $18 included spiced bread, thin scraping of hummus, two falafel patties, four pieces of cauliflower, and a few bites of salad. Lamb gyro on naan bread more worth its $13 with tzaziki yogurt sauce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion. DIVINE gluten-free lava cake made in-house + vanilla ice cream $9. Average good tiramisu $9. NOTE: Lunch & dinner use same pricing, and restaurant has different hours on different days of the week. read more

Olive Cafe - Gluten-free chocolate lava cake made in-house $9 and Tiramisu $9 - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

See all

Had lunch here and everything was wonderful for all 3 of us, will definitely be going back for the Baba Ghanoush!

The Olive Cafe was absolutely incredible, we were lucky enough to try both the Mezza and the Mediterranean sample platters. Everything was packed with flavor, the man who works there is so kind and helpful as well. We will absolutely be back, this place deserves all of the attention! read more

Ray is amazing! Always happy, always helpful and quick. Food is out of this world. I've made it a staple to get lunch every week there. All the food is healthy and great price! read more

Delicious food Good service Good environment Lamb Shawarma Coming back again in a week for sure. read more

Olive Cafe - Lamb shawarma - Mediterranean Near Me - Portland, Maine

we called multiple times and no answer. and we went in after the suggested time and they still said 25 more minutes. and after all this has service they didn't even say sorry. read more

There are 7 or 8 tables total in this restaurant...so small. And it isn't a big chain. And it's nice to be able to get something other than just American food. I saw one waiter and one cook during my time there. So they keep busy. Those are the good points. The food is ok. It's not great, it's not bad. It's just ok. We have been a few times. Sometimes the shawarma is delicious. Sometimes it's ok. Our recent trip, we couldn't tell if we got lamb as requested or beef. The beef plate was ok. Rice was good. Salad was plentiful. We also got a side of Brussels. They were great. They were a side dish. We didn't have to wait to be seated which was nice. And it didn't take long to get our food either. Service was fine, bringing us water and utensils at good times. If they are busy, you have to wait outside on the street. Sitting in the restaurant, we could often smell weed. Not sure if coming from outside front or from the back. Sometimes we have gone during posted hours and they weren't actually open. And their hours aren't good for spur of the moment or if you are hungry, as you must match their specific lunch/dinner hours and the day of the week. So this place is okay. It's a nice change. You just won't have a craving for it later or be telling your friends about a great meal. read more

Oh this place is great! I quite literally just visited with some of my family and we all loved it. Great service, the man who was there was super welcoming and seemed genuine. The feel of the place was pretty chill, which I appreciate. And the FOOD! Delicious. I got the beef kabob with fries, both of which were really good. My family loved their food too, and according to my cousin the hummus was-in her words- divine (I didn't try it). I'm genuinely sad that we are only visiting, because this is totally the kind of place I'd visit often. I chose 5 stars with no hesitation! Very yummy read more

Tabouli was made fresh to order. I would have enjoyed more red onion, but it was excellent. Baba ghanoush was smooth and smoky, one of the top I've ever eaten. My wife raved about the stuffed grape leaves. The pita on the side was a nice thin and a bit crispy , very nice. The owner visited us while we were finishing and described how everything was made. We now have a good idea of how to add the smokiness to our homemade Baba ghanoush. read more

The food is exceptional! Wonderful Lebanese spices that expand your Mediterranean pallet from the lamb to the falafel as well as the hummus. Another wonderful place in the Old Port of Portland that is exceptionally clean and welcoming. Rajon (sp?) was a wonderful host and most attentive. We've been here previously and will continue to support our local businesses. We are grateful they survived the pandemic mess! read more

Really nice guy on staff (maybe owner?) and the food was great. Hard to find vegan options this far outside a big city so this was a gem of a find for us. 4 of us had separate wraps and all were delicious! read more

The food is amazing! I'm a frequent customer when I'm in Portland and have tried the lamb kabob, couscous salad and the brussel sprouts are out of this world. Also the shawarma is very good Owner is very friendly and accommodating read more

This place doesn't look like much when you first step inside but oh the food is delicious! I can't wait to go back again! read more

See all