The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe

With all the fast food and national chain dining establishments in Columbus it can be easy to over look the small family owned and ethnic restaurants in the area. Fortunately I got the opportunity to dine at a new Mediterranean restaurant in Hilliard last week. Located at 3185 Hilliard Rome Rd in Hilliard OH, The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe has been open since mid May 2009.

The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe offers and casual but elegant dining experience with an open kitchen. They also offer all menu items for carryout for those on the run.

Everything I tried was fresh and delicious. Although I certainly had my favorite things.

I started off with appetizers including Hummus, Spicey Feta, Matbucha, Tzatziki and Baba Ghanoj. My personal fav was the Matbucha which is traditional Moroccan blend of ripe tomatoes slow-cooked with roasted red jalapeno peppers, fresh garlic and Olive oil. They offer a sampler of three of their delicious dips that you choose.

Next I enjoyed Falafel which is made of ground chickpeas blended with chopped parsley and Mediterranean spices,and fried to a golden brown. I was told to make sure you eat these while they are piping hot.

Prices for appetizers range between $4.50 and $7.50.

Next I had something called Tabouli. For some reason this salad made of fresh chopped parsley, tomato, cucumber, green onion and bulgar wheat seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice was the freshest my healthy tasting thing I have ever had. This is another great option to start your meal off. But if you come with a few others I’d share some appetizers and Tabouli because it would just be too hard to decide.

And speaking of deciding. For my entree I sampled 2 different choices, Gyro and rice and Spicy Chicken and rice. Both were amazing dinners and I will honestly have a difficult time deciding between the 2 next time I go. Although I am told the Spicy Gyro and rice is very popular, so I may have to give that a shot.

Diner choices range from $7.50 to $13.50

I ended this divine dinner with what else but an assortment of Baklava, a rich sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. At first sight it looked like a piece of fruit cake. Then I tasted it and my taste buds went crazy. Nothing short of a little piece of culinary heaven. Make sure you save some room for the Baklava.

So who is behind The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe? Owner David Mor a native of Herzliya, Isreal has been cooking up Mediterranean cuisine for friends and family for many years. And Chef Johnny Baransi is no stranger to Mediterranean dishes either. Baransi is a native Nazareth, Isreal and has owned and operated several restaurants over the last ten years. So when you eat at The Olive Tree Mediterranea Cafe you know you are getting authentic Mediterranean cuisine.

So if your looking for some unique and distinct Mediterranean flavors I highly recommend checking out The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe in Hilliard.

A Special Offer for TasteCasting and Twitter Followers

Special Offer through June. If you mention TasteCasting and code OTMC you’ll get 50% your second sandwich when you buy the first sandwich at full price. What a treat. Thank you to the Mor’s and the Olive Tree team.

Tagged as: dining, TasteCasting, The Olive Tree Mediterranean Cafe

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