Oleana — Restaurant in Cambridge

Gosh, where to begin. We were just married at Oleana in their back patio and the day was magical. We first visited Oleana four years ago or so upon the recommendation of a colleague who insisted that we try the vegetarian tasting menu. We did so on New Year’s eve and it was incredible, so much so that the bride then, several years ago, left with a gut feeling that she wanted to get married here. And so we did!

Jenna worked with us at every step for planning our wedding day and Maggie was our point person for the day of. As with many couples, we were originally scheduled to get married last summer but delayed due to COVID and Oleana was super flexible and accommodating. At every point, they provided us with the most up to date information on capacity and safety, to ensure that we were informed and that everyone (both guests and staff) felt safe for the day of.

Jenna and Maggie thought of everything and provided us with tips for our wedding day based on their experience hosting prior weddings and events at the venue. Maggie even performed amazingly at DJing music for the procession (starting upon signal and fading out the music) and ensuring that the music was at a comfortable volume to promote conversation while providing nice background. The staff were so friendly both the day of and when we were able to bring the groom’s mom a few weeks prior. It worked out - we had a 23 person ceremony all outdoors and it was a gorgeous day.

As anyone who has been to Oleana knows, the food was incredible and everyone was so pleased. Eight dishes and dessert spread out over 3 and a half hours left people feeling satisfied. We went with a largely vegetarian menu (all but two dishes) and would have likely gone full vegetarian if siblings of the bride and groom almost didn’t fall over when we said that it would be a mostly vegetarian menu. They and those in attendances that were less initiated into modern vegetarian food and Oleana were floored at how good the food was. Also of note, Oleana was particularly accommodating for vegan and strictly vegetarian attendees - preparing entirely separate dishes as necessary for those guests, which both we and the guests heartedly appreciated.

I don’t think that this (admittedly long) review captures how grateful we are to Oleana and the staff for making our wedding day so special. If you’re thinking about dining at Oleana or having an event there, we highly...

We originally made a reservation at Sarma for Sunday at 8 pm. 10 minutes after being seated the power went out and the restaurant filled with smoke. The manager came by and gave us his card and apologized and asked us to leave because the restaurant was closing for the night. He offered to make us a priority for a re-reservation but that didn't work for us because I had guests in town and specifically made special effort to make this reservation for them a month in advance. I had the idea to go to Oleana, their sister restaurant, who did manage to squeeze us a tiny corner and feed us about 1.5 hours later. However at that point, we were tired and frustrated and hangry and so needed the food to be stunning and it was just... decent. The standouts were the topik and the fatteh. The red pepper dumplings were good but I thought were missing some spice (flavor or heat). They'd sold out of the striped bass at this point which was disappointing (annoyance after annoyance this night!) The lamb shish was decent but a little salty and pilaf was so basic I thought I could make it at home. The sultan's delight was a little too salty but the eggplant puree was very good. And finally the zaatar chicken was good but nothing to rave about. The chocolate sarma was good but not balanced enough for me - a little too heavy and the ice cream didn't cut through the caramel enough. I'm still frustrated that neither Sarma nor Oleana did anything solid to apologize for the bad Sarma experience. Maybe I'm spoiled by other cities but for example after a longer wait than usual, I've been offered a free appetizer with an apology. Oleana did nothing more but I am grateful they squeezed us in at least. I'm no longer interested in trying Sarma and Oleana was just ok so I'll just avoid both restaurants frankly.

I should say our server Mari (sp?) was very nice and attentive. Because they didn't have enough room for us, they squished us in this tiny corner. I know I should be glad they found us a table at all I guess but it was just so small. They did offer to change us later which was nice but at that point it's kind of too late when you've started eating.

TLDR: don't eat at Sarma. Oleana is good but not the standout I...

Well-executed Mediterranean comfort food, but missing some of its old spark.

Returned to Oleana for the first time in over two years, and while the space still had its charm, the experience this time didn’t quite match the impression it left on me back then. On my first visit, it was one of the city’s best Mediterranean restaurants I experienced, and they did a great job in balancing authenticity with creative, contemporary touches. This latest menu felt more pared-down, less daring.

The menu this time felt more simple. Comforting fare with no big misses. My favorites were the Topik and Fatteh. Both were satisfying and well-composed, but the rest of the dishes didn’t leave much of an impression.

Dessert was unfortunately a miss. The Kunefe (already been pulled from the menu) lacked the crisp texture that makes the dish work. Instead, it arrived soggy and overly sticky—worse than versions I’ve had at fast-casual Turkish spots around town.

Oleana still holds a certain authenticity that sets it apart from other well-known Mediterranean places in Boston. But with the direction it seems to be heading, I’m not sure I’d rush back.

2022 Review:

Started off with the whipped feta which was a great representation of how spices are used in Mediterranean dishes. The subsequent hot meze plates - Vermont quail kebob, moussaka, borek, trout spanakopita - were also spectacular. While the spice levels have been compromised to make the dishes more palatable, the subtle scent of different spices was adequate to make them interesting.

For the entrées, we had the lemon chicken and the Istanbul fish stew. Lemon chicken was covered in za’atar which is a mix of different spices, and the cheese pancake underneath perfectly compensated for the slightly dry texture of the chicken. Istanbul fish stew was the only menu that I thought was a tad bland, but it was still a nice introduction to Turkish food.

We finished our meal with their signature baked Alaska which was phenomenal. Under the melted zesty meringue were some coffee ice cream and coconut pastry, and I enjoyed...