We went here for a friends birthday dinner. Â The place was nice enough, and the server pleasant. Â The main issue was with their yelp offer. Â If you checked in there you received a free glass of wine. Â There was no mention what type of wine it needed to be. Â At the end of our meal all five of us checked in and had our coupon ready. Â The manager came over to let us know our coupon was invalid as it was only good for a glass of house wine. Â When we questioned why it did not specify on the yelp ad we were told there was not enough room to add that bit of information. Â
Hmmmm while I understand your intention if your coupon is not specific we should not be penalized for your mistake. Â We weren't even offered a discount as a compromise.
If the food had been good I would give this place another chance, but it was bland with little flavor. Â Not to mention my friend later reported a bout of food poisoning off of her meal. Â
Most likely will not return to this establishment.
Service- great. Food-excellent. Management-NOT very smart and shiesty . Tonight my friends and I went to celebrate a birthday here. When the bill came the 4 of us who ordered wine showed the server our "check in" special through Yelp which on this site says "Check in here and get 1 free glass of wine" and the manager refused to take off our wine saying we did not order the right type of wine which was included in the deal. Mind you the Yelp special mentions nothing about the type of "correct" wine that is included in the special. Even the birthday girl did not receive her free glass. For someone who has been in the restaurant business, we all know that you are to honor that "The customer is always right." He chose not to, sending all 6 of us out with a yucky taste of this business in our mouths. Not very smart on his part, $14 was not worth 6 would-have-been potential return customers.
Review Source:I absolutely love this place! I was referred to The Olives Branch from a coworker and I'm happy that he did! I really like that it is near by because there are no Mediterranean restaurants in the area. I have come quite a few times and I was happy to introduce my friends to this place. Â My friends and I started off with a few appetizers of the spicy potatoes (which the flavoring was perfect for my taste buds), the feta cheese served with olives and pita bread, and the baba ghanoush which is the best I ever had. Â For our entrees I got the Chicken Tawook Plate marinated with luscious spices, the plate consumed with basmati rice, creamy delicious hummus, and grilled tomatoes which come with a side of soup or salad of your choice, I got the chicken soup which I loved especially with the cold weather it was ideal. One of my friends got the Omar's Special plate with a side of their house salad. The plate had a combination of everything such as the filet mignon, beef kefta, and chicken tawook served with grilled tomato, basmati rice and of course the delicious hummus. Â My other friend being a vegetarian the Vegetarian Combo Plate was perfect for her. The Vegetarian Combo Plate was served with fried falafel, hummus, tabouly, stuffed grape leaves with a sauce on the side.
We enjoyed the dining here especially with the worm service they definitely made us feel at home.  It  is a must try!
Disappointing, and I really enjoy mediterranean food. Â The kabobs were dry and for my taste, way too much sumac was added to the rice. Â I love basmati rice with barberries or sour cherries, but these were not offered here. Â It was very empty around lunchtime, and this may have to do with the fact that the place is new, but I will not be back.
Review Source:We finally have it in town:) authentic Lebanese food anytime. The Ambiance when opting for a Hooka is very cosy. We went 3 times already and we are always looking forward to visiting again.
Tawook, baba ghannouj, Hummus are my favorites. Tabbouleh is soo tasty Just right it reminds me of Lebanon!! Thanks for always warmly welcoming us. Love it all!!!
I have been looking to try out good middle eastern restaurants lately and this place did it! The staff is attentive and friendly. I ordered the hummus and egg plant dish to start out with and tried the Omars Special Plate which was great since it had a little bit of everything. I'm definitely coming back here again=)
Review Source:Wow! So excited we found that place. Amazing Baba Ganoush, Hummus and  the best Baklava. For entree we had their Lamb and Beef Kafta and Lamb and beef shawarma and we loved it.
The owner was very nice and made us feel like home.
We will definitely coming back with more friends to try more of their food!
We've been looking for good Lebanese food nearby for awhile now. Glad to have this little gem so close to home. Good food, cute atmosphere, great service.
We had the spicy, garlic lemon potatoes on the appetizer plate. Spot on flavor! I wish they were more crispy. They were almost too healthy tasting for fried potatoes--not greasy in the least. Either way, we will order these again.
The hummus was delicious--lots of flavor and very creamy. Loved the garlic mayo sauce! Worth ordering a side or two. Yummy pickled turnips on the plate. We also had the chicken and beef/lamb shwarma. We enjoyed it though looking forward to trying something different next time.
Plenty of food. Decently priced. Wine menu was reasonable too. My husband had a glass of cab that he really enjoyed. They accommodated a toddler and made us feel welcome. I didn't see a children's menu, but our little one enjoys strong adult flavored and happily ate off our plates. We were just happy to have the high chair and the pleasant attitude.
The only thing I didn't care for was the lentil soup. There wasn't enough texture and the flavor wasn't my favorite. My husband's house salad with the tasty dressing was the better choice.
Because of the out of the way, strip mall location I fear this place will go unnoticed. So please give it a try.
Thumbs Up for The Olives Branch. It is by far my favorite Mediterranean restaurant in OC. The food is really good and Authentic. We loved the appetizers which are a MUST have in any Lebanese Cuisine. Like the grape leaves are really tasty along with the Kibbeh; hummus; baba Ghanouge...and yes the Falafel!! Yummy.....also the tabbouleh (Salad) is amazing....As for the Main course; all kabobs are great especially the chicken. Got to try it with the garlic sauce :) :)
The service is really good; fast and friendly.
The hookah lounge area is really nice. The decor reminds me of old Arabian nights in a Moroccan style like ambiance.
As its pretty predictable now ,half way to LA the wife got hungry so she checked for a place thats new so we can try . She found the Olives Branch and we are very glad we found this gem. The food is fresh and tastes great . I dont know the area but I think this will be a perfect addition to the neighboorhood. Its cosy ,the owner is very friendly and the food is authentic. Win . Win. Win .
Review Source:Absolutely love this place! The staff is very friendly and the customer service is superb! In a day and age where great customer service is hard to find The Olive's Branch excels. The owner, Omar, came to our table and made sure to welcome us and make sure we were comfortable, also a nice gesture that does not happen in most restaurants.
When the food came it was hot and fresh. The shwarma was excellent, the hummus was fresh and the garlic sauce (secret recipe - because I asked how to make it so I could at home) is to die for!
I am very happy to be able to take my family to a place where we can be comfortable in a relaxing setting and enjoy the food and conversation.
Thank you Olive's Branch!
Being from Lebanon, I have been living in the LA for the past 5 years before I moved to Memphis Tennessee, for my residency, when I went back to Cali on my Christmas break, I visited this newly opened restaurant, and here is my experience:
Food: great authentic lebanese food, trust me you will love it starting from appetizers including Hummus, ground meat (Kube), falafel, Taboule, and house salad(a must try), the kabobs are great specially the high quality beef kabob, all the food is made from scratch exactly the way it is done in the Lebanon
Service: great service with lots of smiles
WiFi: Free
Hookah: love it, I tried the apple flavor it is bomb
Owner: his name is Omar, very professional guy, who will do  whatever he can to make it an enjoyable visit, and he will take care of you in regard any comment about the service or food.
A previous reviewer was correct that this particular space has been problematic for restaurants in the past, but after dining and absolutely loving the meal we had there, I am hopeful that this middle eastern restaurant will experience much success. Â We need good restaurants in the area and this one certainly fit the bill.
My husband and I brought our two kids (ages 3 & 5) to dinner and the staff was attentive and friendly. Â The owner Omar came to our table to greet us and seemed genuinely happy to have our brood dining with them. Â We asked for some recommendations and were not disappointed with our choices. Â
To start we ordered falafel (piping hot and a favorite of our 5-year old), the baba ganoush (smoky, flavorful and beautifully presented with artful rows of sumac), and fresh feta cheese, as well as pita bread.  What a way to start the meal!  The baba ganoush was the best I've ever had!  It's definitely a must try.  My husband, who has never cared for eggplant, was wiping the plate clean with his pita bread.  The feta was rich and salty and an ideal accompaniment to our other appetizer choices.  The basmati rice that we ordered for the kids was very popular with everyone at the table, especially the little ones.  We ordered the beef  & lamb shwarma as well as the Omar's Special Plate.  The latter is listed on their website but is different that what is on the menu.  There were filet kabos, and chicken tawook but no shrimp.  Whatever it all was, it was great.  My shwarma, however, was beyond great.  It was so delicious that it was a bit ethereal which is not something I would expect to say about lebanese food.  The flavor was so complex, perfectly seasoned and piping hot.  I was so happy with it, and my finicky 5-year old kept asking for more as well.  Both entrees came with soup first, then was accompanied by a creamy hummus and had basmati rice as well a grilled tomato.  My husband's lentil soup was a bit hit.  My chicken vegetable soup was very simple but flavorful and tasty.  Perhaps a few more vegetables next time but with everything else being so good, I'm not complaining.
Overall, I'm exceptionally pleased and excited to have this delicious new establishment open in our neighborhood. Â For all you yelpers, try it for yourself. Â I think you'll enjoy it! Â Olives Branch staff and Omar: I wish you much success!
This has been a problematic space for restaurants over the years--away from the heart of San Juan--and they have all come and gone, even when the food was good. Â
This one is in "soft opening" mode, as we were alerted by the manager (or owner) after we were seated. Â Service was attentive and friendly. Â We were possibly the first customers of the evening, so I don't think the kitchen was in "full swing" yet, and indeed a second chef arrived near the end of our meal. Â
Falafel appetizer was not hot & not sizzling out of the deep fryer, which led me to suspect it was pre-fried and re-warmed for service--definitely not how falafel should be served. Â It was also bland tasting. Â The schwarma (beef & lamb combined) wasn't sliced off of a rotisserie but cooked on the griddle, also not typical in my experience. Â It came with rice and salad and hummus. Â Everything was under-seasoned and bland to my taste. Â
I was really looking forward to having a Middle Eastern restaurant in town at last (briefly, Â there was a Greek place years ago where Ciao Pasta is, and we have NYC Cafe--which has the best pizza in town--that includes falafel on its menu, but it's not very good). Â
Hopefully, Olive's Branch will improve, but the owners better have a bankroll to stay in business until it catches on--or it will suffer the same fate as the other restaurants that occupied that space. Â
There was one novelty:  we paid by credit card, and the waitress brought an iPad to the table with a little swipe tab on it.  I signed on the iPad & clicked to send a receipt to my email address (you can also ask for a text receipt).  I've never experienced that  before, although it is common in Europe and the Middle East for restaurants to bring portable credit card machines to your table instead of taking your card from you.