The Olives Branch Fine Lebanese Cuisine — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

Went to this place twice first time terrible experience went for dinner and hookah. Hookahs were ok, waited for coals to start the hookah 10 minutes or so and then when I needed more I asked the server and she said they were on there way. After 2 more asks and 45 minutes later I had coals. By then it was starting to get cold out and no longer enjoyable to sit on the patio so spent all that money to not smoke hookah. :/

Second experience my friend lives down the street so I thought I would give them another try. Looked up the menu online and they have a happy hour food and drinks so I said ok maybe cheaper prices would compensate for their poor service.Get there and ask for the happy hour menu and waitress gave me the drink menu. Then I asked for the food happy hour menu and she said they didn't have one points me to the appetizers section and I pick the item I saw online. She said no that wasn't an item that qualified. I pulled out my phone and she says oh that has not been updated its not included any more. So I asked which ones were included she didn't know and had to go inside to ask, comes out with a receipt paper and reads a few items which are finger foods not like the pizza and eggplant on the menu online. At that point I didn't even want to eat with all the back and forth. So just had a hookah waited entirely too long for the coals AGAIN. After an hour or so the manager/owner Omar comes out to ask how everything was going and I asked about the happy hour not being updated and he tried to say I was looking at the wrong website then I showed him and he said well you should have asked for a manager then. (Not very empathetic or any try to make it right) Got the bill (friend and wife ate food) and prices were not what was advertised on the menu. Long story short, poor service/management, overpriced and zero customer service skills. Wont...

The cuisine here was a journey through a tapestry of flavors and textures that are as delightful to the palate as they are kind to the planet. The first "Koushary" Egyptian dish included a composition of rice and pasta crowned with golden-brown onions and chickpeas. It was a blend of textures and earthy flavors. The rice was cooked to perfection, each grain separate and infused with subtle spices, while the pasta provided a comforting softness, and the crispy onions added a sweet caramelized note. Accompanied by a side of tangy sauce, each bite was a celebration of balance and taste.

The second "Vegan" plate was a vibrant mosaic of Lebanese staples. The falafel balls were a deep golden brown, with a satisfyingly crunchy exterior giving way to a moist, herb-infused interior that was the epitome of the perfect falafel—flavorful, hearty, and utterly irresistible. Hummus, smooth and creamy, served as a luxurious base for the falafel, inviting diners to swoop in for the perfect scoop. Accompanying this was a fresh and colorful medley of pickled vegetables and a robust salad, their crispness and tang cutting through the richness of the dishes. The tahini sauce, a creamy and nutty complement, was the ideal finisher, binding all elements of the plate together.

The last dish was a chef customized spicy potatoes with caramelized onions topped off with a spicy kicker.

Each dish captured both the essence of Lebanese and Egyptian cuisines. A very good choice for plant...

That was the worst dining experience I ever had ! We had to wait for 45 mins to get our appetizers and almost an hour to get our meals ! No one cares to come to apologize until I complained about the waiting time and I asked at least to get the appetizers!

Appetizers “ Cheese Fatayer” was microwaved (frozen inside and hot outside)!!! Not fresh

We ordered 1 Jordanian Lamb Mansaf which came out totally different than the description in the menu ,not seasoned or even Jordanian and when we complained the answer was “ we do not do Mansaf Jordanian way “ we do it “Lebanese way” !! If you don’t do it Jordanian way so you need to remove it from your menus !!!!

and we ordered 1 Moroccan couscous , which also has nothing to do with Moroccan Couscous and very bland not seasoned and lamb was only boiled and the couscous was crumbled and not even fresh ..

The food was tasteless , bland and unseasoned ! Very bad presentation !

It was the first time to return a dish back.

It’s worth to mention that one server she told us that this was not the first complaint she receive on those dishes!

The lady apologized and she was super nice . The Resturant manager as they introduced him to us took the dish’s down our bill ! And apologized!

Finally we did return the “ Chief special’s Dishes “ and the appetizers and left the Resturant !

Unfortunately, bad smell indoors , stains on the furniture as well !

The whole experience was really unpleasant! Will...