Olive Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint-Gilles - Sint-Gillis

We ate there on a Sunday and arrived around 12:30 p.m. The restaurant was empty when we entered. The waiter and the chef came in right behind us (they turned out to be sitting outside across the street because when we left, one of them was sitting there again).

We ordered the Gaza's tapas (29.50 EUR) and a Shrimp bowl (21 EUR). The shrimp were the smallest size you can find in a supermarket and were not fried but rather cooked in the tomato sauce they were served in. The dish lacked flavor. I even suspect that part or all of this dish came from the microwave. According to the menu, Gaza's tapas consists of Musakhan roll, hummus, mutabal, Gaza's salad, Mujaddara, mulukhiyah soup, served with bread. They didn't have the mulukhiyah soup, but we didn't see any alternative to replace it. The hummus from Delhaize tastes 10 times better than this one. The thin slices of bread served with it were also tasteless and came from a large bag that was stored behind the counter in the restaurant. More industrially made than artisanal, in other words. I don't know whether tzatziki is a Palestinian or Greek side dish. This one also lacked authenticity and was definitely not homemade. The Ansolive tzatziki from Aldi is much better which, unlike this one, I CAN recommend. The only thing that had any flavor was the Musakhan roll, but ultimately that's just chicken and onion in a roll. You wouldn't travel 30 km for this like I did, or even 100 m...

You would expect better food from a restaurant that has a score of ~ 4.8/5 on Google.

One more thing: the toilet is downstairs. When the ‘kitchen’ door is open, you can see how many microwaves there are. The toilet floor was slippery and the soap dispenser was empty. How hard can it be to check that the toilet is in order before guests arrive at lunchtime, especially when the restaurant is empty?

In response to the owner's comment. I agree with you on one point, which is that I should have taken photos of what we ate. I didn't take any photos because it wasn't worth taking photos of. I looked through the photos on my phone and found a photo of the interior that I took at 12:42 p.m., before we were served. Perhaps you will now claim that the photo was not taken by me? I have no sympathy for any party involved in that region. You are turning a culinary review into a politicl review. I could just as easily claim that your positive reviews were posted by pro-P., but I won't. I base my opinion on facts. You would do better to use this feedback to review your cuisine...

Very good food! The portions are generous and there are good options to choose from although the menu is small (but that's a sign of quality, too). The tastiness of the food was all about the spices for me. Hopefully there will be new additions on the menu so that people who've been there before have something new to try in the future. I would have some suggestions for improvement: To give more bread for the tapas, especially if more than two people eat, as almost all tapas are dips. To give small plates from the beginning in groups that share food. To give small spoons when serving the tapas. To not have the music too loud or have the speaker more far away. The owners to be less time on their phone in front of the customers. To add some beer in the menu, if possible. Lastly, to add some explanations on the menu (eg what each tapas is as there are some foreign names that need you to Google it). Overall, I would definitely go again to try the rest...

I had such a lovely dinner at Olive Restaurant in Saint-Gilles. It's a cozy spot serving food inspired by Gaza, and as a vegetarian, I was really impressed by how many flavorful and satisfying options there were.

Everything I tried felt fresh and homemade, like real comfort food. The stuffed vine leaves and msakhan rolls were packed with flavor, and the vegetarian maqlouba was honestly the highlight—fragrant, hearty, and beautifully spiced. Even the little things, like the fresh tabbouleh and dips, were done with so much care.

The staff were super friendly and welcoming, and the whole place just had a relaxed, down-to-earth vibe that made the evening really enjoyable. It’s the kind of place where you can take your time, share plates, and feel at home.

If you're looking for something a bit different and full of heart, especially as a vegetarian, Olive is definitely worth checking out. I’ll absolutely...