Olive and Lamb — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Our family’s recent visit to Olive & Lamb in Northeast Minneapolis felt like a warm cultural embrace nestled in the heart of the city. We pulled into the modest parking lot off University Avenue and were relieved to find ample street parking just a short walk away.

Stepping inside, the cozy dining room made us feel right at home. Exposed brick, wood tables, and soft pendant lighting created a relaxed, inviting ambiance—with just enough bustle to feel lively without overwhelming conversation. Ordering is counter-service, which kept things efficient, especially helpful with our kids in tow.

We shared a variety of small plates—hummus with warm pita, feta fries sprinkled with pepperoncini, and sambose. Each was fresh, flavorful, and generous, setting the perfect tone for our meal. For mains, we sampled the gyro platter, chicken pita, and steak kabob. The gyro was juicy and well-spiced; the steak kabob, tender and paired with bright basmati rice; and the chicken pita offered a satisfying balance of textures and fresh toppings.

The lamb shank stole the show. Slow-braised and rich, the meat fell apart under the fork and left a lingering, savory broth that even the kids couldn’t resist dipping pita into. It felt both comforting and a little bit indulgent—exactly what we hoped for in a family treat.

Service was friendly and attentive. Our server, a University of Minnesota student originally from Persia, took the time to explain Persian yogurt drinks and share cultural context for the saffron chicken kebob our teen tried—and loved.

For dessert, the honey cake with whipped cream was lightly sweet and fragrant, a lovely end to the meal. We also tried the baklava, which struck a nice balance of buttery flakiness and honeyed filling.

A few practical notes: the patio fills quickly in warm weather, so arriving before peak dinner time is wise. The dining space is modest—large parties may need to wait or consider takeout. Prices are moderate—most entrees range from $12 to $20—and every dish felt worth it for the quality and flavor delivered.

We left with full bellies and happy spirits. The combination of home-style Persian flavors, warm hospitality, and a relaxed yet vibrant setting makes Olive & Lamb an outstanding family-friendly gem. Highly recommend arriving with appetite and curiosity—you won’t walk away...

My mother made reservations a week in advance for a party of 10 (plus a baby) for my birthday. This was everyone’s first time dining at Olive and Lamb, and we were all very excited to finally try it. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, none of us anticipate returning.

To be clear, we are understanding, patient people. Many in our group, myself included, have years of service industry experience — I personally worked as a server in casual and fine dining for over a decade. I know the challenges of the job and am not quick to criticize. That said, what we experienced tonight was beyond simple mistakes. It felt like intentional disregard.

Service Issues: • From the moment our entrées were dropped (on top of dirty appetizer plates), our server stopped acknowledging our table. • Drinks remained empty, no one was checked on, and no effort was made to address meals that were untouched due to dissatisfaction. • We sat for over 30 minutes without so much as a glance, despite other tables around us receiving attentive service. • When we tried to order dessert, only part of the table was even given the opportunity — including myself, the birthday guest, who never got to order at all. One dessert was ordered but never brought, yet still attempted to be charged. • At the end, we were told payment would be handled at the table, only to then be directed to pay up front. Even then, the server had no checks prepared as we had requested at the beginning and had to ask us to repeat everything. • No itemized receipts were provided, leaving us uncertain if a 20% gratuity was automatically added (as your policy indicates for parties of 10+ and checks over $200).

Lack of Acknowledgment: What stood out the most was not the mistakes themselves, but the complete absence of accountability or even a simple apology. Not for the missing dessert, not for the ignored meals, not for the long waits. Nothing.

For what was meant to be a special birthday celebration, the entire evening ended on a sour note. A first impression like this makes it very difficult to want to return or recommend Olive and Lamb to anyone.

I hope you’ll take this feedback seriously, as I’d hate for other large groups or first-time guests to experience what we did. This was a very disappointing experience for an evening we had all looked forward to...

I had a terrible dining experience here tonight. My husband and I were not treated as well as the other customers in the restaurant. I am 9 months pregnant and was basically ignored the whole time. The food was decent but the service was absolutely trash. When we first sat down nobody greeted us or gave us menus for a good 10-15 minutes, but everyone that came in and sat down AFTER US was greeted and given their menu immediately. We let that go and tried to enjoy our night as we have not been out for a while and didn’t want to be overbearing. However, after we ate we attempted to get the waitresses attention multiple times to ask for our check and to go boxes, after multiple attempts (15-20 mins) one of them acknowledged us and said she would be right there with us. However, she continued to attend to every table around us first, which mind you was 5-6 different tables and getting them what they needed without them flagging her down. This is when I lost all patience, got up out of my seat and went to grab my own to go boxes that I seen at the front register, packed our food and went to the register to speak to the manager about the waitresses treatment of us. The manager made excuses and stated that it was a busy night and tried to brush me off by cutting me off mid speech, apologized and offered me baklavas to go with a fake smile. He did not have a look of concern or empathy. To top it all off, one of the waitresses decided to join in the conversion and asked how the service was, when I replied it was horrible - she literally laughed in my face. That’s when I looked at the manager and said “ see, she’s literally laughing at me. What great customer service is that?!” He did not respond and she had a smug face the whole time. I left and will never be coming back. Who treats their customers this way especially one that’s 9 months pregnant. I HATE to bring up race in this but we were literally the only black people at the restaurant at the time. I will never be back at this establishment and will never recommend this...