The Olive Branch Mediterranean Cuisine

I've been here several times for dine-in, and have had take-out regularly. Always good food.

I’ve eaten here several times and always enjoyed it. I went this week with my SIL and while the food was very good (as usual), the service was just awful. We went after the lunch crowd was over so the restaurant was pretty empty. We were greeted nicely by a women at the register and seated but it went downhill from there. The waitress who we unfortunately got looked relatively young with long brown wavy hair pulled back. First, she smelled like an ashtray, which was very offensive and it was the first time it made me feel like we were in a dirty restaurant. She never smiled or said one pleasantry - just took our order. It was brought out in good time but never once did she check on us. My SIL needed more tea and I looked for our waitress but saw her outside smoking a cigarette (explains the odor). When she came back in, she still ignored us. Someone else brought our ticket, we paid and left. No “thank you” as we walked out despite her and two other ladies standing by the register. It was clear that we were not valued customers that day. Because I like the food so much, I will give them another try. However, if I ever get treated that way again then I’ll sadly take my business somewhere else. Birmingham has several very good Mediterranean restaurants!

I was very disappointed to see them put my soup in the microwave before serving it to me. Worst of all, in a plastic tub. Maybe this is common at restaurants, but either way, it’s not what I expect especially for the prices.

Update Jan 2024 Olive Branch is open! Same great food and tiny space. We found the stuffed grape leaves delicious and the salads huge! We had a lunch special gyro plate and a gyro salad. Both were delicious, presented well and were made fresh to order. Their taziki sauce is good but not your typical sauce. We will def be going back. They really fill up quickly so plan on arriving early. Update July 2023 Sign has been removed and doors are locked. Apparently permanently closed as of 7-24-2023 Nov 2022 We had lunch here earlier today and we enjoyed the time there as well as the delicious Mediterranean cuisine. Service was good and the kitchen was quick to respond. Our server was friendly and helpful. The gyro special is great. Keep in mind it’s a platter and not a sandwich but you can get it as a sandwich (inside a pita) by simply asking. The Greek chicken soup is especially comforting. They also serve wine and beer. It’s a small place so get there early or be prepared to sit on the outside deck which is nice during warmer times of the year. We will definitely be going back. UrbanCowgill Nov 2022

I want to focus on service we had an amazing waitress her shift ended, and she handed us off to a young man who was equally amazing. The problem I had was with another individual I think he was a member of the family which owns the restaurant. It seemed he was trying to rush us to finish our food and leave the establishment. First off, he came over to our table and presented us with the check even though we were still eating. He then returned around fifteen minutes later to retrieve payment, and I waived him off so with that said we will not be returning.

I ordered the chicken soup. The presentation was awful, grey slop. The chicken was SUPER overcooked. The soup itself smelled awful like bad body odor. The worst part was that some of the soup spilled on my sweater and dried and became a disgusting fragrant body odor from hell smell. I kept smelling the nasty soup all day and it even got in my hair and on my phone ... I had to take a shower to get rid of it. Disgusting. The water tasted good though.

Hidden gem.