Olba — Restaurant in Brookline

The food was average but the place is a rip off. We got the muhammara which was supposed to be fresh but ended up having frozen olive oil on top. We wanted to add a side of chicken to the salad and the guy charged us $13.49 for that saying he is giving us a shawarma filling with it and charged us for the whole shawarma wrap.

I ordered a chicken shawarma which was supposed to have fries. I didn’t taste a single piece of potato in my wrap. When I asked the guy about it, he said they just add a little bit of fries to bind the chicken or something like that. I tasted on fries in my wrap. The whole place is a scam. The guy at the cash register seemed friendly at first but then asked where my friend and I were from and offended our culture and laughed about it saying he didn’t mean to offend. We ended up paying $50 for just 3 things. Avoid it if you can, Very average Mediterranean food that is...

I stopped by Olba (@olba.me on Instagram) in Brookline and was impressed by how flavorful everything was. The hummus was my favorite, easily a 9/10, creamy, rich, and perfectly seasoned (get it with the shwarma). The muhammara pita cup had great flavor (id recommend getting their party pita cups if you cater with them!) and the Fajita Lebanese sandwich was juicy and packed with garlic flavor.

The spicy potatoes were a bit oily but still totally addictive, a solid 7/10. The kibbeh was golden and crisp on the outside with a savory filling that hit the spot. It’s definitely more of a takeout or catering spot than a sit-down restaurant, but everything tasted fresh and homemade, the kind of food that makes you want to go back for more.

📍 1383 Beacon St,...

Great food, great service! Edit to my previous review:

I’ve been a fan of this restaurant, I really appreciate the flavors and we need a restaurant like this one in Brookline. That’s why I feel it’s fair to also share some constructive feedback.

A couple of times I’ve been disappointed with the portion sizes. For example, the Kafta sandwich I received was very thin, with almost no filling (as you can see in my photo, it looked closer to just a rolled pita). By comparison, the Hummus Topped with Shawarma feels like a much better value at the same price point, since it comes with more protein.

I hope the restaurant considers being a bit more consistent with portions so they don’t lose customers in the future...