Olive Mediterranean Grill

"We stopped here for dinner on a long, long, long drive north to the Detroit area. I really wanted to get a small taste of local flavor instead of just eating fast food, and Olive was more or less on our way, so we hopped off the interstate to grab a bite. Now, from some of the pictures of the outside on Yelp, it looks like this is a standalone business with a private parking lot. That might have been the case at one time, but either the business moved or it has a second location that's freestanding and the pics are in the wrong spot, as that's not the case now. This Olive is very much in the downtown-ish area, carved into the ground floor of a much larger building. As such, parking may be a bit more challenging since there doesn't appear to be a private lot. That said, we had no trouble finding a spot on the street within a block or two. Parking was paid for with the Passport app, and it was reasonable. Of course, it might be harder during nicer weather -- not a lot of people out on a rainy evening! We walked in to find the restaurant fairly spacious but almost deserted -- only two other people waiting for to-go orders. Kind of odd for a Friday night, but again...weather. The decorations are kind of sparse but the place, including the bathroom, was clean. We ordered our meal at the counter and sat down to wait. Husband got a gyro and fries, and I got the Shish tawook platter, which came with grilled chicken, a salad, rice, and pita. We also got an order of the Greek potatoes to try out as an appetizer. Service was a little gruff at checkout but gave us a genuine, kind-hearted thank you as we left, so I guess they just had to warm up to us, lol. The potatoes came out first and were my favorite part of the meal! They were clearly cooked fresh. I'm honestly not sure what's Greek about them as they kinda reminded me of hash browns (the cubed, hash kind) with a little squeeze of lemon and maybe some herbs on top...but if it ain't broke, don't fix it! They were piping hot and very crispy. Husband and I enjoyed our meals, too. His gyro was very large and almost over-stuffed with gyro meat. The fries were medium-cut but tasted like McDonald's fries somehow...not complaining. My Shish tawook was very juicy and flavorful. I've had better rice and pita but these were both quite serviceable and I enjoyed a fairly healthy-feeling meal. Honestly, my true rating is maybe more in-line with a 3.5...but I don't have any super severe criticisms and we had a quite pleasant time overall, so I'll just round up to a 4. Seems like they do a lot of carryout / delivery business. I'd recommend this spot for a decently healthy, very fresh Mediterranean bite if you're in the area."

"I've never actually eaten in the restaurant, only delivery. I order a couple times a month to share with my coworkers. We love the hummus and fresh pita chips. Another office favorite is the feta rolls, so delicious. My personal favorite and go to every time is the chicken shawarma wrap. Oh and the lentil soup is the best I've ever had. Hands downs best in town!!!"

"The Schwarma here is excellent. The Baba ghanoush is unreal. Such kind and generous people serving authentic food!"

"I am so impressed with Olive Mediterranean Grill. The staff was friendly and wonderful. I ordered my favorite items, Hummus and Baba Ghanouj with Pita. The small portions were more than enough for 2 people. Both were delicious and I wish I could go back often, but I sadly live 4 hours away. So glad I was able to stop in and try their food!"

"I like to eat Mediterranean cuisine and I liked the food in this restaurant. We tried lamb shank, shish kebabs, chicken shwarma and falafels. Lamb shank was really good, tender, juicy and flavorful. Everything was properly cooked and flavored. Staff was also very kind. I would love to visit this place again to try some new food."