Nineveh Assyrian Restaurant — Restaurant in Olympia

This place is an absolute treasure and we are so lucky to have it in Olympia. Moving from the DC area, we soon realized a lack of representation for quality authentic global cuisine here and after years of loving the Nineveh food truck, we were so excited to try the new restaurant hearing teasers of more traditional Assyrian sit down family style meals. The ambiance is beautiful and makes you feel like a guest in their home all the way down to the details in the painted plates and engraved cutlery. As you walk through to the lounge you admire the gallery of old framed photos, take a short glimpse at the kitchen, and enter a vibrant yet moody lounge with comfortable seating and full bar. After exploring the menu and excitingly picking out a few plates, all of our expectations were entirely blown out of the water. We decided to go full family style between the two of us and split the lakhma trio dips with hummus, jajik, and baba ghanoush with the house made flatbread which came out perfectly warm and impossibly soft. We went back and forth throughout the meal trying to decide which one was our favorite. I noticed a pomegranate tabouleh special with a pomegranate molasses which we ordered as well as the 1/2 pound grilled kufta which came with pickled vegetables and arugula salad. Everything was so fresh, so flavorful, and the touches of lemon, the herbs, the spice made it feel like a truly special dining experience we won't soon forget. The food and drink menus are ingeniously creative and we simply cannot wait for our next opportunity to explore the rest of the menu. Please do not miss an opportunity to give these folks their flowers and your business, you will surely...

Delicious and beautifully prepared food! Fantastic service and the atmosphere felt cozy and friendly. The open kitchen allowed interaction with the chef and kitchen staff, which was wonderful. Tapas style and small plates unless you order from the grill menu, which was a bit surprising. There were two of us, and we ordered 5 different dishes plus dessert. Everything was wonderful though. The picky chef in my party practically licked the plates clean which is always a good sign. The float dessert was heavenly and lightly sweet. This is the first restaurant experience I've had in awhile where I felt the cost matched the quality of the food. We live an hour away, but will defintely be back in the near future!

• update- visited the 2nd time 4 months later. Quality and food were actually even better. It may have been my anticipation. There are few meals that have invoked happy childhood memories just from the flavor. My brain and body were buzzing with delight. We were in the dining room with a child in our party this time (a picky eater who also loved the food) and ambiance felt like a familiar family. We felt very welcomed by the staff with our enthusiasm and...

Do you love their food truck? This is a different menu, but the food is still delicious! We didn't need a reservation. It's more expensive than their truck menu. Nice spot for a drink, a date night, or to catch up with friends.

I ordered the steak skewers with pickled vegetable salad and feta spread, which was great. The pickled vegetables were really delightful. I got the tamarind cola which wasn't noticably spiced. The float was a good dessert with rose soda. Also tried the tahini pie, which was very rich, so you may want to share it and really love sesame.

Servers were friendly and didn't rush us out even though we took a while to eat and catch up.

The decor is a bit bare, but it's a new restaurant, so they may still be in process of getting it homey. We were close to the door so we were a bit chilly.

Parking might be a challenge but on the weekend you can park by the Brotherhood for free. You could bring kids, but I probably wouldn't. It's more on the expensive side and the food might be a bit adventurous for kids. I don't think they had a kids menu. They did have vegetarian options that...