I went to Olive by accident while on a date that started out in the restaurant connected to this bar. Â The restaurant was closing as we came in, so they suggested we go 'round back to the bar. Â It was very intimate and full of people, but comfortably full, not crowded.
I couldn't really say much as far as their beer selection or whatnot because I don't remember, but I definitely thought the atmosphere was cool and it was a real hidden gem. Â I'd definitely go here again with friends.
Seating is super limited!!
I still like this bar, but unfortunately the rest of the world has discovered it (sad face) Since around November, getting a seat at this place, even on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, has been difficult. Â It is way too crowded. Â If there were some way for them to expand the space a bit... Â two new bars/restaurants are scheduled to open up in the next year, I hope that alleviates some of the congestion. Â I miss the days when I could get a seat.
Review Source:It's perfect for when you want a place to hang, drink, and eat bar food. The staff is friendly and I've never waited to be serviced. BUT I will no go back, and I only live a 5 min walk away. The last time I was there a mouse ran right over my girlfriend's foot to get to its hole that it chewed in the wall.
We didn't freak out, just exchanged a look. We finished our beers, paid our bill, and decided to never go back.
Things I look for in a bar:
- good beer selection
- a space to sit AT the bar
- dark and divey
- small space that is "full" but not crowded
- good food
- friendly bartender
Let me then say, that trying to find this place is a bit confusing as it is in the back of a grocery/mediterranean restaurant and it doesn't (in my memory) have a real sign. However, this is GREAT because it is a small place that was full but not crowded, and I'd like it to stay that way. Olive Lounge hit all of my requirements for a great bar.
The food, which is the same as Mark's Kitchen up front, is awesome - the bartender told us we were crazy when we ordered (so much food), but couldn't help it! I like nervy bartenders so we took this as a challenge and ate it all anyway! Soccer was playing on every TV, which I think would be my biggest complaint - variety, people!
Neat rotating taps and a bunch of bottles to choose from. As I said when I bellied up to this particular bar, "No reason to EVER go to RFD again!" Â
So GO! Or, you know, don't. Because I like to get a seat at my bars!
The perfect little neighborhood bar, right down the street from my apartment. Â Great selection of beers, cozy atmosphere, friendly bartenders. Â A home away from home. Â The only thing that is keeping me from giving a fifth star is that I'm not a huge fan of their wings. Â They are a bit under-seasoned. Â Other than that, I love this place and will come back for more.
Review Source:Our favorite neighborhood place - our choice when we don't feel like cooking dinner & fancy some adult refreshment and good company after work. Â The Cheers of Takoma Park, except with good Meditteranean options & yummy wings. Â Cozy atmosphere, excellent beer selection, and the friendliest staff you could ask for. Â Silas & Nadal are The. Bomb.
Review Source:I'm not sure that I'm going to add much new information in this review, since everyone seems to have the same opinion, but this place is a really nice neighborhood beer bar with some good happy hour specials. The bartenders are friendly and the crowd is pleasant and relaxed. The food is solid and they have a good selection of all kinds of beers. Check it out!
Review Source:Don't expect too much from the grub, but as a local watering hole it is a solid 5 star place. Everyone is friendly and the service is very good. It's a great place if you live in the area and want to get to know your neighbors. Difficult to find, but that adds to it's appeal. If you do order food, try the stuffed burger, wings or falafel.
Review Source:Bar area is hidden in the back and pretty small. Difficult to get anyone's attention for a refill, and a bit loud.
Decent selection of draft beers and ok prices. Good deal on pitchers. Their sweet potato tater tots are pretty good, but their calamari were surprisingly really good. In fact better than anywhere else I can think of, and I used to live in Europe! Good job on that guys!
I'm only reviewing the bar. It's a pretty cozy little place with a decent beer list, and ok happy hour specials - it's also really the only bar in Takoma Park so there isn't a lot of competition. I had a happy hour here and we were drinking pitchers of Dale's for $14, and I think it i was $3.75 by the pint. LandShark, and IPA and Scottish brown were also on tap, for different prices. They also had high end bottles like Chimay and delirium for slightly over $10. The food is that they have is a mix of typical bar food and middle eastern cuisine. I had onion rings and we shared a middle eastern platter. Both were fine, though nothing exceptional. There was a pretty good mix of people in here for 6-8 on a Thursday. Everything from professionals after work to families with their kids. We had a 2 year old with us and it was no problem. Mostly just a comfortable, unpretentious space, but it is really small so I can imagine easily not getting a seat. I won't come to Takoma Park to go back here (next happy hour will be in the city), but it is a nice neighborhood bar if you are already here.
Review Source:After moving to Takoma Park, one of the first things I did was scout a good "local" within walking distance. Olive Lounge, I'm proud to call you my "local"...
The food, is a mix of your basic pubgrub with a handful of items from the related business (located in the front half) Middle Eastern Cuisine I highly recommend their: Mediterranean dip which is a delicious combination of Hummus and Baba Ghanouj; sweet potato tots; the steak and cheese sandwich; buffalo wings (several sauces from which to choose) and falafel.
Service is speedy quick and friendly with friendly, engaging locals.
Rotating taps, with a wide range of bottled beer/cider and wine to choose from. Great happy hour prices too.
I was here with a friend on a Sunday night in August when everything else around was closed. The good news is that the food is fine. The bad news is that I couldn't hear a word my friend was saying. Not a big deal, you say? Well, he was sitting only a foot away. Next we sat shoulder-to-shoulder to hear each other. We finally resorted to shouting into one another's ears to be heard.
I'm in my late 30s, so it's not like I'm dead yet, but my ears literally hurt from the ambient noise. We had to leave after hastily eating and chugging down our drinks.
If you want to go out for drinks and talking isn't a priority, go here--or if you're 29 and you don't care if you're deaf by the time you turn 30. The college-age kids and folks in their mid-20s fit well here, so the good news is that the 20-somethings have a place in Takoma.
If you're over 30 and want to have a drink and/or late-night dinner while enjoying a conversation, go somewhere else.
You don't go to the Olive Lounge for great cuisine, but it ably fulfills its role as a neighborhood bar and hangout - as seen by the fact that it's often jam-packed. The menu is strangely wide-ranging, focusing on bar favorites (burgers, cheese sticks) along with some additions from the Mediterranean restaurant's menu and a smattering of other entrees. Everything is tasty, the service is friendly (although at times slow), and it's a great place to spend time with friends as long as it isn't too hot outside (which means it's even hotter inside the Olive!).
Review Source:Ok. Â You gotta read my review for "Middle Eastern Cuisine" b/c this review is the same for both of these places. Â The food was great here (to say the least). Â The staff was friendly, food came up quick, tv's on (to watch the games). Â Cool spot! Â If you happen to drop in here, I STRONGLY suggest trying the STUFFED BURGER! Â It was LITERALLY "finger-lickin' good!"
Review Source:Good, diverse bottled beer list. 4 beers on tap but they seem to rotate them at a good pace. Prices are reasonable. They seemed very accommodating to the wine drinkers bringing out bottle after bottle for them to try before buying. Buying a bottle seemed to be reasonably priced venture as well with most under 30.
The food is good. Nice selection of vegan and vegetarian options for a "lounge". I've had the falafel and several of their dips. All what I am expecting. The prices make it inexcusable not to buy a snack, or a tapas like dinner. I come for the veg Middle Eastern food always so I can't comment on their "grill" items, but the chicken wings smelled great.
The atmosphere fits the neighborhood. You can sit down and have a conversation, a drink, and a snack. All very adult. You don't come here to do much else. The decor is pleasantly warm and moody. You don't have to talk over too loud of music and most of the noise comes from people talking and having a good time. All the while the vegans, older new age folks, and groups of young (but not too young) adults intermingle in a very Takoma way.
The service was good even for the extremely picky couple that sat behind us.
There Happy Hour prices will bring me back after work I suspect.
Takoma is very family friendly. But it is nice to see there is a local place for the adults to go and enjoy a drink now and again. It gets a 5 instead of a 4 for serving a niche well in a community that should take advantage of it.
Good beer. Great Service. Â Everyone is very friendly and down to Earth. Â The food is good, but it is not fancy. Â Pub grub plus some Mediterranean noshes. They are vegetarian friendly.
I have been equally happy with the service here while reading a book and having a beer by myself after work as I have been taking a group out to celebrate.
Best thing.... after walking out on terrible service at a fancy place in DC on my boyfriend's birthday, we came here and one of the owners brought out a brownie with a candle in it for him. Â These are great people! Â Go give them your business!
Great low key and tasty middle eastern food. For the price, you really can't go wrong. Will be one of my go-to neighborhood spots in the future. Everyone was very friendly, atmosphere in the front wasn't much to write home about but I haven't tried the lounge. Good for takeout or quick bite between errands.
Will check it out and update my comments.
This is the cutest place ever in Takoma Park. I originally went to the Middle Eastern restaurant for take out, but the lady informed me that they were closed :( But she suggested that I try the lounge in the back....huh? Lounge? Really? I didn't even know it was there! It's hidden in the corner. ..who knew? So I walked in the back and stumbled upon this cutest little low key bar with beer and wine. I'm not a beer drinker but I do love my wine and they had a great selection!
I ordered a veggie burger w/fries. The staff was so nice, they even asked if I wanted to have a drink while I wait for my food. I would have stayed but I had to get back home. But I will definitely be back. I love finding small low key spots just to chill. It's a great place to have a casual hang with friends and have a bite to eat.
Oh and the veggie burger was one of the best I've had! You could tell that it was homemade, not like the frozen kind. I hope this place does well. I love their slogan, "eat local, drink local"...very cute!
There are a lot of reasons to like the Olive Lounge.
First, it's a small, cozy space with a nice bar and a table section. Â It's a pleasant place to eat dinner, but also a good place to sit at the bar and talk, watch tv, read, whatever you like to do while you drink. Â For a place as small as this, the tv and talk are surprisingly unintrusive while you're having dinner just a few feet away.
Second, it's a nice local spot. Â People are regulars, they're friendly, and the owners and waitstaff are as well. Â Even if Takoma were not a nightlife desert, this would rank as a decent place on its own. Â The beer selection is decent and there are choices on tap.
Third, good food. Â The ingredients are largely the same as in the attached, and larger, Middle Eastern Cuisine, but they're deployed in totally different dishes here. Â The burgers are tasty and interesting. Â Everything is fresh and is Mediterranean style but not restricted to traditional dishes.
Finally, it's nice to see this sort of place open up and do well. Â It's entrepreneurial on the part of the Middle Eastern Cuisine owners, and they've thought through what they wanted to try here. Â It's responding to a need in the community, and grown out of a successful local business. Â It's not your local branch of some giant chain. Â Go small business!
Olive lounge is great. Just what the area needs-a chill laid back little bar where you can meet up with your friends, or have an after dinner drink.
It is tiny (maybe 25 people max) but that makes it feel cozy and intimate. The lighting is a little bright for a bar (got to make it a little more divey for my tastes) and the food is just OK really (go to middle east in the front if you want good food) but overall it is a great place.
I love love love Olive Lounge. Â It's a tiny bar in the back of Middle Eastern Cuisine (also awesome restaurant), and it's just what Takoma Park needed. Â They have at least 20 beers, with more on draft, rotating out different interesting beers, as opposed to just like Sam Adams or Stella or other typical beers you find on draft. Â The beers are also fairly reasonably priced.
The place has a great feel to it. Â It has a nice mix of the older hippies from Takoma Park (who knew they went to bars) with some of the younger, kind of alternative crowd, that live in the area. Â It's very social, you can sit at the bar (if you can get a seat) and enjoy yourself, or go with a couple friends.
2 reasons for 4 and not 5 stars: Â the space and the food. Â Because it can probably only hold about 25 people, it can be hard to get a seat at the bar or a table. Â Wish it was a little bigger. Â Secondly, the food is kind of mediocre, especially given that they share a kitchen with Middle Eastern Cuisine, which has amazing food. Â It's just generic bar food, but not too hot. Â They should just extend the Middle Eastern menu back there.
Overall, this place is definitely worth going to. Â Maybe it will even spur more bars in Takoma Park.
Just what TKPK needed! Great beer, good food, awesome people & a comfortable environment.
For lighter fare, the house salad w/ grilled chicken, feta cheese & olives is great. Also enjoy the kibbeh, tradaitional Mid-East grub, bbq chicken quesadilla & stuffed burgers. Some tasty specials lately as well (cured beef sub & delish crab cakes). Definitely going back soon.
Drink Local!
Just FYI, they ARE open weeknights now (as of this posting), so no more waiting until Thursday night to get your fix.
Olive Lounge is everything you could want out of a local bar - it's small, in downtown Takoma Park, has great food, and best of all, it's cheap. Happy hour has half-price appetizers and $3.50 draft beers, but even without the extra discount, nothing on the menu will make a serious dent in your budget. The food is all good quality, Mediterranean style fare, for very reasonable prices.
It's a teeny little place (maybe enough to seat 25-ish people?), but it's always just right in terms of crowd - you can get a table, but you're not the only ones there. It's not a happening night-life joint, but it's perfect for grabbing a few drinks with your neighbors and friends.
There is a BAR in Takoma Park! It serves actually *alcohol*!!! Â If you are a young(ish) person and have lived in TKPK for any length of time (like me), you will have been lamenting the fact that there are no bars here. Â But now, finally, there is actual alcohol here. Four beers on tap, some wine, and maybe 15 other beers in bottles at the bar. I would totally live at this place if they offered martinis. I mean, martinis in TKPK? No, I'm not an alcoholic, but I do like me a martini every now and then, and I don't like going out in Silver Spring and I'm too lazy to go to DC. Â Anyway.
In any case, the space is tiny, but cozy. There was one waitress and one bartender/owner (?) and they were very friendly. Â Everything is reasonably priced. We had falafel with hummus and pita, fried mushrooms, a burger, Â and two beers for $22, not including tip. Not bad for a Friday evening! And I absolutely cannot believe they have fried, breaded mushrooms, which are one of my favorite bar foods of all time, and which I can never find around here. It's like his place was made for me (minus the martini!).
I will definitely go back, and hopefully often. I like the idea of  a bar I can take the bus home from. Nodol (sp?) told us that they stay open anywhere between 11:30 and 1a.m., depending on how many people are coming through. They also have a deal where you can become a member, more or less, for $40 a year and you get cheap beers all the time.  I'm thinking about it, even though I don't love beer...I'd like to support this place.  We were there at dinner time, so I don't know what the crowd is like when it's later, but this does not seem the place to come and par-tay  or come looking for a hookup. Â
Go TKPK!
Food: The beer selection was good, with about 4 of them on tap. Â They also serve smoothies and savory lassies. Overall, the food was delicious. The salmon burger was nicely cooked and the bun was perfectly toasted. I would have a preferred a more strongly seasoned sauce, but I presume they were trying to preserve the salmon flavor, hence the mild red pepper sauce. The highlight of the meal was the onion rings - THE BEST onion rings I have ever had. Â They were battered and fried to perfection with just enough onion inside. Â The burger came with about 6-7 huge ones. Let's just say I ate all of those plus a third, oh wait, maybe a half of my friend's (hold me back!). Â She had "steak n' sak", which turned out to be a good choice despite the awkwardness of the name (um, yea). The "sak" was actually fluffy pita bread and its contents included thinly sliced steak and loads of fresh vegetables and sauteed bell peppers. Â Did I mention the prices? Â A-mazing. There was nothing on the menu over $10 except the mezza platter. My burger and rings ran me up $7.
Service: Friendly and relatively quick. Â Worth the wait at any rate!
Atmosphere: Â A surprisingly delightful cross between a lounge and a diner. Very intimate. Walls colored in warm, earthy tones. Â Diverse selection of music played at a perfect, low-ish volume. Â
All in all, a very satisfying and affordable dining experience!
I love love love this tiny hole in the wall bar. I stumbled across it during it's first week being opened by accident. After a long, tiring road trip I returned home and headed to Mark's for dinner. Walking thru the parking lot behind Mark's we noticed the once back door where we would normally see people taking smoke breaks had been converted into a storefront for a bar!! We bailed on our plans for dinner and decided to check out Olive instead.
Olive is mega tiny, has great beer and cheap, decent food. What more can you ask for? Right now it is one of like two bars in Takoma right now, so it is a much needed addition to the neighborhood, my only complaint is the size. It can get very crowded, very fast and can be tough to get a seat if you show up later in the evening. Last time I checked they were only open Thursday-Sunday, so hopefully they will expand their hours of operation so that those of us that need a cold one after tough Monday nights can do so. But until then, I will take what I can get.
A cozy, little bar that serves decent food. Offers a nice selection of beer and wine. Stays open past 9:00 p.m. And provides a warm, welcoming place for friends and neighbors to gather. Something like that is exactly what sleepy, downtown Takoma Park has desperately needed, at least since Taliano's closed in the dead of night three years ago. Luckily that's what it now has in the form of Olive Lounge & Grill.
Located off a parking lot in the rear of the building that houses Middle Eastern Cuisine & Market, the intimate Olive Lounge & Grill is an ingenious use of what had until now been an underutilized space. In its first six weeks the place has proven to be a whopping success. It was hopping when I arrived the other night for my first visit. Not an empty table or stool in sight.
One element of Olive Lounge & Grill's overnight success has got to be the good-natured, friendly service offered by brothers Chris and Nadol Hishmeh. The two will be familiar faces to patrons of Middle Eastern Cuisine. In that well-established, popular, family-owned eatery, they've served behind-the-scenes roles as cooks. Here they take center stage and prove to be every bit as cordial as the rest of the clan.
Another highlight of the Lounge is its extensive beer and wine selection. Twenty-eight beers on the menu are joined by six rotating brews on tap. (OK, maybe I can't speak to the size and scope of the wine options, not yet, anyway.) And then there are the happy hour prices; half-priced appetizers and drafts from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. each night.
Don't overlook the rest of the menu either. It features such long-time Middle Eastern Cuisine favorites as the Mezza Platter. Covered with mounds of luscious hummus, smoky baba ganouj, Kalamata olive-based Mediterranean dip, and delectable stuffed grape leaves and warm, crunchy falafel, it's always hard to pass that plate up. But consider checking out items unique to the bar, such as a stuffed burger filled with feta and jalapenos, one of several tempting combinations.
Not pretentious by any stretch, Olive Lounge & Grill is the type of neighborhood place you can come as you are and stay as long as you want. Chances are you'll bump into more than a couple people you know, and you may make a new acquaintance while you're there. Given its rapid popularity, the only problem I detected is that it's understaffed. Most of the evening, Nadol was on his own. Oh, and one more thing to note, at this point Olive Lounge & Grill is open only five days a week, Thursday through Monday, although I have a feeling that will change.
With the eagerly anticipated arrival of Avenue Ovens--the latest creation of Colorado Kitchen's Gillian Clark and Robin Smith--and Roscoe's--a gourmet pizza spot akin to 2 Amys and Pizzeria Paradiso--things are starting to cook in Takoma Park. This neighborhood gem is the first installment of a new, more vibrant downtown. One I'll be returning to often!
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