Real Olive — Restaurant in Georgia

My husband and I were a little concerned that the restaurant was completely empty when we walked in at almost 7:00 on a Wednesday night but the reviews were good so we decided to give it a try. The two young men behind the counter greeted us immediately and were friendly and helpful. We both ordered the vegetarian platter. When ordering, I requested no cheese on my salad. The cook overheard my request and offered vegan tzatziki sauce if I was vegan. At a time when good customer service is almost completely dead, I was pleasantly surprised that someone was actually looking for ways to be accommodating to his customers. I also asked if it was possible to swap out one of the side items for a different side and it was not a problem. The service was very quick. We waited 5-7 minutes for our meals to be brought to the table by one of the two young men. He was courteous and eager to give us a good experience. The portions were larger than expected and everything seemed very fresh. Potatoes and falafel were piping hot. The falafel was a little too dense and moist on the interior. It had good flavor but could have been better. The baba ganoush was delicious! Hummus was good. Salad ingredients were very fresh.

We were pleasantly surprised by the friendly and prompt service and the quality and amount of food. As a bonus, it was very fast even though we were prepared to dine...

I used to own a Greek restaurant, and we also served some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes as well. For a place that carries a 4.5 star rating I was extremely disappointed! The Gyro platter I ordered was thinly supplied with Gyro, not any more than in a sandwich. (Maybe 8 strips of meat! The dressing for the “Greek salad” was just a tiny cup of balsamic vinegar with no oil, no spices or seasoning! Three olives! For a place called the Real Olive, VERY DISAPPOINTING to say the least. The Gyro meat was very flaccid (obviously not the top brand we used to serve) and barely warm. I ordered Tabouleh and Babbaganoush. They packed up my carry out order and I took it about a mile from the restaurant in my car to my hotel. When I got there, they had supplied two orders of babbaganoush and NO Tabouleh‼️🤬 Having just gotten in from a long road trip, the last thing I wanted to do is go out again to right this wrong! I would have called them and asked them to deliver a correct order, but I have nothing happy to say about Door Dash who is their delivery contractor. The Greek sour cream sauce was puréed to death, and had almost no hint of cucumber or scallions in it. All in all, A VERY UNHAPPY EXPERIENCE, and I could never recommend this place to anyone on several counts. Perhaps the only passable, not great, item was the Babba, but not good enough for leftovers...

After a long day of work and fighting greater ATL traffic, my husband and I decided to meet up in between to find a good Mediterranean cafe because Winder doesn’t have any. I gotta say, Real Olive may be off the beaten path but it definitely did not disappoint! The only thing that would make this place more authentic would be traditional low seating cushions and tables with Persian wall hangings and rugs. We’ve had a lot of Mediterranean cuisine in the past but this has to be the absolute best! So much flavor! The rice was cooked exactly how it is overseas( after taking a bite of rice from my husband’s plate,I bet my him it had saffron and I was right!!…along with cardamom and nutmeg as well ) The staff was so welcoming and friendly and George really helped to make our meal enjoyable with his kindness and pleasant conversation. The sweet young lady working the dining area was a delight to talk with too! It’s so refreshing to visit an establishment where the staff treats you like family and genuinely enjoys their workplace! I would post photos but it was so good, it was gone before I thought about taking any lol I don’t know when we’ll be able to return to the area for dinner but you can bet we’ll definitely be dining...