Olive Tree Cafe — Restaurant in Honolulu

Olive Tree Cafe is solidly in my top 4 favorite restaurants on Oahu. Moved here from NY as a college kid, and this place provided a lifeline to Greek/Mediterranean flavors atypical of Hawaii's food scene. Fast forward to 2020 - the Olive Tree is a vital part of my family's rotation and conveniently, we live up the street. First and foremost the food is excellent. Vibrant flavors, and the quality is so consistent that I've literally never had an order get messed up or taste differently than the last time, EVER, in like 14 years of coming here. When the cravings hit, as they do every 3-4 weeks, our order is always the same: avgolemono soup, an order of half hummus-half babaganoush with extra pita bread, tabbouleh salad, mussels, and one chicken souvlaki for each person bc no one likes to share. The yeagantes, Greek caviar, ouzomisu, and baklava make their way in too here and there, as does the Wednesday special - lamb shank with orzo. (Omg I'm getting hungry typing this review) The charm of this place is in the vibe. It's a really chill, casual, neighborhood spot. It's BYOB, and it's first come, first served style seating inside and on the patio (although here and there you'll encounter newbies who don't know "the system" LOL). Also there is a store next door that sells wine and gelato. I've always wondered why the Olive Tree doesn't expand into a bigger space but I know I'd be heartbroken if it did and the vibe changed or the quality wasn't the same. Love seeing the familiar faces who work there and put so much heart into the place! 5...

the food is fine but not amazing. the pita is delicious. we tried all 3 souvlaki - lamb, chicken, fish. the tzatziki feels watered down. I’d also call it a plate rather than a platter - it seems on the small side for the price.

my biggest issue is the online ordering system they use - it’s called bringmethat. I attempted to call directly to place my order more than once as soon as they opened at 5p but the line was busy each time. so online I went - when you order online, you are told they are a cash only establishment. sure. but then when you order you need to input credit card info to place the order. so I figured maybe they have since changed their policy so you can pay by card online now. nope. got a call from the restaurant that they had received the order and to bring cash but that i would be refunded the credit card payment in 1-5 days BUT that bringmethat will still take a service fee which will be a separate charge to my card. why utilize such a silly system if you’re cash only? pretty sure there are other ordering services available that don’t charge the service fee. getting charged a $5 service fee for ordering online is a no go for me - these things ought to be made clear to a customer up front.

so don’t order online. if we choose to eat here again, I’ll try calling again but if the line is busy I’ll likely move on to my next...

The Olive Tree used to be our go to mid week dinner place. Now they don’t take phone orders and you have to go down, order, and wait 30 minutes (you cannot dine in either). Too bad, it’s the end of an era. I hope they realize that speed and convenience were key parts of their success.

Update - went down and put in an in-person order. The staff was polite and nice, actually much better than the old guy with the pony tail who ran the register. They are indeed open for dine in. The restaurant is under new ownership. Prices have gone up by about 15% and recipes are similar, but not quite the same. The dressing is off, the pita bread is either old or from a different supplier (not as soft or tasty as the old pita), and the produce isn’t fresh - some of the tomatoes were soft, almost rotten. The new owner seems to have gotten on the buy out an old business and revamp it by cutting costs and quality and doing things on the cheap. Disappointing that a local institution dropped a few notches. But I get it, the old staff, who were also the owners, wanted to move on. Sadly the old saying of “nothing good ever lasts” is true. Original Olive Tree - you had a very good and long run. Aloha O-Tree, akā naʻe...