Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna — Restaurant in Baguio

UPDATE JULY 2024: Second time to dine in and now with my family. Intended to have our Baguio farewell lunch here. We feel so INSULTED with the service. We asked if we can buy a cake slice & requested for a candle & a little singing for my child's 5th birthday. The servant taker seemed not to believe and asked for my child's ID as proof. I brought out my child's passport to show her bday was just 2 days ago, reason why we spent it in Baguio. The waiter did NOT even look in the ID. Then he just brought out the cake slice to us without NO SINGING at all. We understand they are busy but they could have told us they can't sing now (when they just sang 10mins ago to another lil boy from the other table). I sang alone to my baby by myself because my child was already expecting the same treatment. It was so disappointing, it was not only me who was pissed off but also 4 other members of my family who felt the same. How can you make my child such a disservice. Similar to my 2023 review, the food is not also good. Dry and tasteless. Just go here for the review but not for the food or service.

MY REVIEW MARCH 2023: Eat here for the ambience and views. If you want a full sumptious heavy meal, do not pick this place(unless you order more than usual). Greek food are best for health conscious people. They have a wide variety of food on the menu but as a Filipino who's not really familiar with Greek food, I would have hoped that there are photos on the menu or somewhere in the restaurant as a reference. I needed to look at Google Place Reviews to check out how the actual food looks like. They were served hot but since weather in Baguio is at 15 degrees at the time and it was also chilly in the area because it's an open dining area, the food went cold very quickly.

My favorite was the Beef Souvlaki, the one with the (burrito) wrap and sauce which seems to satiate me enough. The Greek Salad we initially thought was a small serving but in the end, it was big enough for the four of us dining.

I noticed that the dining people were mostly drinking liquor here and situated near the balcony which is a good drinking spot. I wasn't able to taste the Baklava as we ran out of budget to buy for dessert :( The restaurant is pricey but somewhat worth it for the price considering the lovely overlooking location. It is also near the famous Glass House...

2.5/5 ⭐

This restaurant was recommended to me, and I decided to give it a shot since we're staying in BCC, it was a 5 minute drive. Prices are very reasonable, but I've got some gripes with the food.

My thoughts:

Had the evia salad, started out strong with this one, it was crisp, fresh, and bright. Would recommend.

Next up, the dish I wanted to try the most. Grilled octopus. Oh boy.... The octopus was chopped up into small bits. The texture was super mushy and not chewey-tender. It was like eating old cheap squid. Barely any flavor was present in it. Stay away from this one.

For pasta, ordered the Mediterranean Pasta. This was a 50/50 for me. The dish was served like the cap of the Kraft Parmesan Cheese fell off and covered the entire bowl in grocery bought parmesan cheese. Even with the over abundance of parmesan cheese, the dish lacked flavor, it was dry (maybe from the cheese sipping the oil), and needed 2 wedges of lemon to give it life. The best part about this though was the amount of olives and capers in the dish. The squid in the pasta was 1000x better than the octopus too.

Got the Angus beef kebab, it was decent at best. Nothing to wow you, but the flavors are on point.

For the next protein, I got beef, chicken, and lamb souvlaki. It was pale, bland, and lifeless. The proteins were dumped on top of the bread. I didn't know if I was eating beef or lamb. They were both GRAY. The tzatziki was amazing, the hot sauces were spicy, and the bread was okay, given that it was soggy already.

The deserts are something I would go back for. Baklava was on point, the yogurt with honey and thyme was out of this world, and the ekmek was good. It was good that we ended on a good note.

The bill came like 15 mins after we checked out. We had to do several follow ups. Service was a 6.75 /10.

Also, here in Google, it says they are open from 8am to 5pm. Asked the staff about it, they said just follow their Facebook schedule since they can't change it (????) after I called their attention on this.

Such a nice place with a homey vibe. How I wish I felt like that upon entering. I don't know if I came on a bad day, but plenty of things were off.

Give it a shot if you want. I definitely will especially because of the deserts. The place is worth...

Lemon and Olives is one of the most talked-about restaurants in Baguio, known for its Greek-inspired cuisine and stunning ambiance. My husband and I visited recently, and while the place has great potential, there are aspects that need serious improvement.

Ambiance & Customer Service The restaurant’s interior is fantastic, offering a cozy yet elegant atmosphere with a beautiful view. Upon arrival, the staff were very attentive and welcoming, which gave us a good first impression. However, once we were seated and placed our orders, getting their attention became a challenge. We had to keep calling them whenever we needed something, which took away from the overall experience. That said, I’d still rate their service as okay—there’s room for improvement, but the staff were polite and accommodating.

Food & Service Timing This was the biggest letdown of our visit. Despite it being just the two of us, our meals were served separately. My husband had almost finished his dish by the time mine arrived, and unfortunately, both were served cold. The delay and temperature of the food made the experience far from enjoyable.

Greek Cuisine Authenticity The most disappointing part was the octopus dish. In a real Greek restaurant—whether in Greece itself (Santorini, Athens) or even in Dubai—the octopus is served whole or in larger portions, allowing the customer to slice it themselves. Here, it was brutally chopped into unrecognizable pieces, which is far from authentic Greek dining. It felt like an unnecessary compromise on the dish’s quality, and to top it off, it was served cold.

Final Thoughts Lemon and Olives has a great setting and a strong brand presence, but the food quality and service timing need urgent attention. A proper Greek restaurant experience isn’t just about the ambiance; the food should reflect authenticity and be served at the right temperature. The restaurant has potential, but I strongly suggest they invest in proper training for their kitchen staff and refine their service to ensure customers leave satisfied—not just with the view, but with the food as well.

Would I return? Maybe, but only if they improve. For now, it feels more like a hype than a truly great...