Cafe Olé

Nice casual Mediterranean fare. Stopped in while in the neighborhood last week and had one lamb shawarma and my mother had the chicken-​both were delicious.
Growing up with a grandmother who made Lebanese and Greek food daily makes any comparison difficult. I would definitely come back.

They should call this Café Hummus. That’s the theme here. This was our first time at the restaurant and the experience was like a roller coaster: It started off on an upbeat good track and it just went downhill, QUICK.
Everything we ordered had hummus. Everything!!! I even think the soda had hummus (JK). I never want to see hummus in my life. The waiter should have informed us of how much hummus were were ordering. How is hummus on the «hot» menu section?
I can admit, maybe we were ignorant to the concept of the food we were eating but it would have been nice to get a warning on how much hummus products we were about to consume.
No refills were offered as well on the soda. And the portions of the non– hummus item (chicken) was very small. I’ll pass.

The lunch time service here is quick and if you decide to sit down to a meal the service is decent. Huge fan of their lamb salad, can’t get enough of it!

Absolutely delicious and dog-​friendly. Great service! They were so friendly. Chicken Shawarma was awesome. Great grilled pita chips. We also got an sampler of several dishes which was a great way to try lots of wonderful flavors. They even give your dog a complimentary water bowl.

I was running some errands and came across this place and decided to try it since they had Mediterranean food. I ordered the Marrakech sandwich and it instantly became my favorite. The chicken was tender and juicy marinated perfectly. The portions were perfect and filling. One of the few places in DC I have actually enjoyed eating. I will definitely be back for more food.

My husband and I tried this place for the first time right in time for a quick lunch. We walked in and it was pretty busy. He ordered a lamb burger (lunch special) while I ordered a grilled lamb plate with rice, hummus and a small salad. When his food came out first, I was surprise to see it was just a bun with a dried «lamb» patty in between with a side of some veggies. 10 minutes later, my plate comes out and it LOOKS appetizing. As I cut my lamb meat, I felt like I was cutting through blocks of rubber. Unfortunately, it also tastes like salty rubber. Some rice grains were also hard and undercooked. Sad to say, the pita chips were the best but even that earned a mere 3.5 out of 5 stars. We were both disappointed with our dishes.

Friend and I checked out this place for the first time early this evening for a light dinner. It was dead (but on the early side for dinner, so maybe that explains it). She got the lamb shawarma and was happy with it though said it was underseasoned. She also got a sangria that was pretty weak.
I got the cold mezze sampler, which is what I typically order at Mediterranean restaurants because I like a little bit of each thing — but the servings on this one were so SMALL. four small bowls for $ 14. seriously? they tasted alright but i’ve had much better and much better variety for less money.
the most disappointing thing was that i wanted a small side salad with my meal, and all their salads on the menu were $ 8+ and seemed like dinner salads. I asked if it was possible to get just a side salad, because really, they’ve got all those ingredients in the back, and I’m willing to spend a few extra bucks for a little salad. the server just shrugged and said, sorry, not on the menu.
Oh come on. I’ve worked in restaurants before. There’s a tab on the POS where you can input an extra random charge. There was literally NO ONE ELSE in the restaurant, and multiple employees just standing around, and I can’t get a little side salad… Please.
Definitely not ever going back to this place.

The catering from here is incredible. My husband loved the chicken shawarma, and I loved the eggplant stew. The loose lentils were as good as my mom’s. The crispy pita chips are incredible. Hummus was some of the very best I’ve ever had in the city. Even the loose, white rice was super tasty. The quality of the food tasted home-​cooked, and I now know why my friends who are in the Event Management/​Planning industry like to cater meals at their own homes from here. Will definitely look forward to visiting in-​person.

I have called for delivery multiple times, more times than not they are «closed». They are frequently closed before the posted hours! There are many new restaurants coming into this area, you would think they would be open when they say they are open. The food is great, the management and customer service is questionable. I am a manager of a local restaurant, this is unacceptable!

While there are probably dozens of bottomless mimosa/​champagne brunches in DC, I doubt that there are any this cheap. I thought the price was a typo, but no, it is REALLY cheap. So, after 8 or 9 glasses of champagne it doesn’t really matter that the food is so-​so. I don’t know if this really qualifies as Mediterranean brunch. For some reason I was expecting something on the Turkish spectrum, and it’s nothing of the sort. But the service is very good, there’s no wait at all (maybe because it’s in the middle of nowhere Tenleytown), the patio is spacious, and the champagne does the trick.

The food isn’t bad… the service is sub-​par and priced higher than most places in the area. They’re currently running a ‘birthday special’ ad for an item on their lunch menu, but that special is ‘sold out’ everyday before they open. Seems like they’re using false ad to attract customers.

Stopped by here today after a long day in DC, their basil pesto and pita chips is to die for! Great patio and outdoors seating for dogs as well, they provide dog bowls for water and food.

We had a quick lunch on a Sunday afternoon, tried their red sangria which was delicious; the Greek salad –was not bad, although the chicken skewers were undercooked. Our server kindly compensated on that.

Decent price for the average taste. Def go try it, but do no get your hopes up for it.

I am here more than I am at home! I love this place. Amazing Mediterranean cuisine with a solid bar. Z certainly knows how to keep his customers happy. If you are anywhere near this stretch of Wisconsin Avenue on a daily basis, you WILL become a regular. The weekends also offer a nice brunch with bottomless champagne. Do yourself a favor and swing my this little neighborhood gem!

Everything was awesome. Lentil soup, shawarma, espresso, crème brûlée. Informal atmosphere, good service, and very authentic and tasty food.

Bistro featuring Mediterranean cuisine. We tried the hot sampler platter and the lentil soup, both excellent. Cocktails were also good. Service was prompt and courteous.

Mediterranean food is one of my favorite cuisines and I was very excited to try Café Olé while visiting one of my best friends at American University. Walking in, I saw the sign on the door advertising BOTTOMLESS brunch! O.M.G. I was so excited at the prospect of heavily drinking this early in a day but then remembered I had lost my ID the night before (from a night of heavy drinking). I had to pass up the bottomless brunch this time, but I will be back.
Food: Everything sounded so good so I just ordered a hot sampler. It came with the Z Provencal chicken, Lamb Tagine, Lebanese Celebration (also chicken), and Eggplant Stew. The plate looked adorable with 4 little portions of each of these dishes and a huge basket of seasoned pita chips. The pita chips themselves were flavorful and delightful to eat on their own. I used them as a vessel for the little dishes and it was divine. Each of the 4 dishes was so unique and delicious. I just alternated different bites and had a party in my mouth.
Service: It seemed pretty empty when we were there which I don’t understand. The place offers bottomless brunch of goodness sakes! Our server was cute and very attentive.
Ambiance and price: The restaurant is very well decorated and well lit. The price was also reasonable. $ 14 for my hot sampler.
I would definitely be back here for the bottomless brunch and to try more of the delicious dishes.

Great place for dog owners even in the middle of winter! Our dog, Obi, really appreciated the water bowl. My friends and I were able to enjoy our meetup in the comfort of the heated, covered outdoor patio in the middle of a very damp, icy, cold day.
The food was great too! Thanks Café Olé!

Great find! Friendly staff but casual in a café style. Service was good though.
Started off with the bread basket — amazing set of delicious bread (Pita chips, Grilled lavash and Focaccia) all pretty awesome. Had that with the best hummus ever — Roasted red pepper with harissa! And it had some spicy roasted chickpea bits on top of the hummus — such a brilliant treat!
For the entrees had the hot mezze — Btw one mezze is enough for one person if you get the bread basket & hummus. We had Lebanese celebration, Tagine of lamb and Eggplant Terrine. I have to say, I haven’t eaten these entrees anywhere — so were very unique for me. I absolutely loved Lebanese celebration which had some really tender chicken with the most awesome sauce ever — garlic lemon pepper aioli. Hard to find food that gives such happiness! :)
Tagine of Lamb was good. The meat was tender but I didn’t care for the other items in the stew much.
Eggplant Terrine was decent as well, not the best but good. Had baklava for dessert which was good.
Overall 4 stars!

10.18.14
Is the adult thing to do to avoid bottomless mimosas? If so, I totally did that and went for a bloody mary instead. Good choice if I do say so myself.
I also don’t know where else I could have ordered eggs benedict for $ 9. And it was delicious.
If it’s sunny, do yourself a favor, park yourself at one of their outdoor tables, and enjoy the early afternoon.
Total damage for two: $ 43.03

Great place for lunch and happy hours. This place might have more outdoor seating than indoor seating. Great little patio and even a tented area. Be mindful it’s on Wisconsin but that’s never been a big distraction for me. Service has been good whenever I’ve been here, especially when you talk to everyone who works there. Very good group.
The food is also delicious! Huge fan of the Chermoula Shrimp which I order pretty much every time I’m here. The Lamb Shawarma is also delicious. The pita is just okay though. The hummus selection is great. I’m not a black bean fan, but a lot of my friends love the black bean hummus. That also goes for the veggie kabob (probably not what it’s called). Just understand that I lean towards the Ron Swanson vibe where vegetables are what my food eats.
Great place to get some food, enjoy some drinks, and have a good time with good company.