Dates and Olives

I am so happy that I chose Dates & Olives to cater my birthday celebration! Renita was such a pleasure to chat with about the menu and I was so impressed with her attention to detail as we decided on the catering order together. She explained how she always considers the variety of flavors and colors. She was able to assure me that my friends with various food allergies would be able to safely eat the food. They were prompt to set up the food at the event and even gave us serving spoons and extra containers for guests to bring home leftovers. There was so much food for everyone to enjoy- vegetarians, vegans & meat-eaters. We all loved the food and the day after the party I got many messages from friends saying how much their families loved the leftovers too! I highly recommend Dates & Olives if you are looking for a caterer for an event or if you are curious about checking out their delicious restaurant!

I have eaten here many times and gotten takeout, and the food is consistently flavorful and fresh. I love the build your own pitas with falafel or lamb meatballs. The restaurant has a comfortable atmosphere which makes it a great place to meet for lunch or dinner, and it's affordable. My kids love it when their school groups cater from Dates & Olives!

Mezze selection with four dips was delicious. Lamb Shawarma was heavy with meat. Chicken platter was fresh with rice salad and sauces was delicious.

I was quite disappointed in the food. We got the dips and bread - the ratio of bread to dip was off. Too much dip and a single bread. We got the Adana kebab - rice was delicious but the meat balls themselves were hard. There was a single person managing the orders and she was super overwhelmed. I don't think we'll be back.

My family recently went to Dates and Olives and had a great experience. The staff was very friendly and made several very good suggestions. The food was extremely fresh and you could just tell the quality of ingredients was top notch. We love Mediterranean food and this is some of the best we had. We absolutely loved the hummus and babaganouj. I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. I would highly recommend.

The warm and inviting atmosphere at Dates and Olives was matched only by the incredible flavors of their garlic, hummus, falafel, souvlaki, and feta - each dish expertly prepared and bursting with the authentic taste of the Mediterranean Restaurant.

The garlic hummus was creamy and full of flavor, the falafel was perfectly crisp, the souvlaki was tender, and the feta was wonderfully salty. Dates and Olives truly delivers some of the best Mediterranean food I’ve tried, and the prices are very reasonable. I’ll definitely be back.

We chose this place by random and everything we ordered: the spicy hummus, the crispy falafel, mixed kebab platter, exceeded our expectations at this restaurant, truly showcasing the best of Middle Eastern Food in every bite. All the taste buds were engaged! Would recommend

Shawarma, falafel, dips, everything here tastes amazing every time. Best Mediterranean food in town, fresh, healthy, and full of flavor.

Great menu, especially for vegetarians. Today I had the pharaoh with Cale and butternut squash. Fresh, delicious, a little heavy on the vinegar, but I needed something healthy for a summer day, and you can always count on this place.

Leaving another review for Dates and Olives because I think that it's a real hidden gem in Natick and their food is amazing. We picked up food to go the other Monday and brought it over to the common so we could enjoy a picnic dinner and listen to the live music that was playing. We ordered 2 falafel appetizers, tzatziki, cabbage slaw, and spicy hummus. Their food is ALWAYS so fresh and extremely flavorful. Their spicy hummus is INSANELY DELICIOUS and I say that having grown up in a house that made their own homemade hummus. Their pita pockets are thick, warm and delicious. We like to build our own little pita pocket "sandwiches" using the falafel, spicy hummus, cabbage slaw and tzatziki. You can also tear off pieces of the pita and dip in the tzatziki and spicy hummus. OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD. We had enough food to satisfy 2 hungry adults for dinner AND had plenty of leftovers to bring home for lunch the following day. I highly recommend giving this place a try if you have not already!

Good service and a pleasant owner, but the food didn't quite hit the mark for me. I ordered the Chicken Rice Bowl with Eggplant Dip, Millet Tabbouleh, and Spicy Zhough Sauce for takeout. The food felt a bit dry overall and the rice was slightly undercooked. The restaurant has convenient parking with ample paid street parking around. There is moderate amount of seating inside which can cater to small and large groups.

absolutely incredible. we ordered catering for a party of about 15 people, and the food was a huge hit. very fresh and you can tell a lot of hard work goes into it. highly highly recommend!

Passing through and found on yelp for lunch. Wonderful little place. Exactly what we were looking for. All dishes were delicious and freshly made, while quickly. The cashier waitress was friendly and helpful. Prices reasonable. Gluten free friendly with ample choices. Just talk to them. Clean, casual, and a place I'd love to have closer to home.

Very basic place, not really a restaurant. They have tables and a very limited menu but mostly hand helds. I got a menu and then was ignored for over 10 minutes so I left.

My son insisted I give a 5 star review because the food was heavenly and the service was very nice.

Delicious and fresh food! The place is so cute on the inside with plenty of seating. Everything is so good - the dips are a must try! The sandwiches are excellent as well. Overall it is a great local spot to put in your rotation!

The food is always delicious and ready for pickup when they say it will be. Highly recommended to anyone looking for quality Mediterranean food in Natick.

Great Food! Great Staff Delicious Hummus ! Service was excellent, laid back ambiance and plenty of seating !

Truly delicious food and super cute restaurant! The falafel, dips, shawarma and sandwiches are all great. The sweet and sour eggplant sandwich has become a favorite as it's a fun flavor combination with muhammara and cheese that warms you up on cold afternoons. Highly recommend!

To answer to the recent response of the restaurant owner about my experience: 1. It is your responsibility for maintain your premises clean and in order at all times not mine. 2. When I placed the order I clearly mentioned pick up time between 4:30 and 5:00. I did wait 1/2 an hour for you to get the food "ready". You never informed me when I placed the order that you cook meat well done. Regardless, you can still cook meat well done and still be good but , the meat you served was of low quality. So bad cooking skills + bad quality products = disastrous food. Talking of standards, I don't understand why you cook the meat well done but, half the chicken was raw, so was the falafel. I did call you right after opening the tray containing the meat and, everything I got were excuses on why your food was terribly prepared. I gave you the opportunity to make it right, to either replace the food or process a reimbursement. You decided that money is more important than taking care of your customer. Your standards as a restaurant are very low,both food quality and service are extremely bad. Of course I will not be back, and the people whom recommended you were very disappointed with your food and your lack of care for long time customers.

We order food for 18 people , the food was not ready when we picked up and when we got home and stay opening the trays the chicken was raw and the meet was like rubber and impossible to chew . We called several times and hey keep saying the manager will call, never did until 3 days after, they didn't care about it and they didn't believe us. We kept the food and told Them we could take it back so they can see and they said no. TheSONT CARE ABOUT THEIR COSTUMER . We have a big family and we named sure no one will go back there .

In my opinion food isn't that great .not many choices service take awhile to get food place could use more style

Food is good. Guy checking me out was an asshole. Needs to work on customer service. Staff rude as fuck.

Wonderful catering event! Dates and Olives catered our teacher/school event and everyone raved about the food. The staff created a delicious menu; working with our budget. Several people had recommended them for catering andI'm glad we chose them. We had a great experience.

Great fresh healthy food packed with flavor. The cold pressed juices are a delicious treat! This will be my new lunch spot.

Ordered to-go. Got the Mezze box (4 dips): Babahanouj: eggplant dip. Not bad but I've had better in other restaurants. Off the top of my head: Garlic n' Lemon in Allston. Muhamara: roasted red pepper dip. Mexican food vibes with this one but not bad neither. Beetroot dip: beets! I enjoyed this dip. Recommended. It's a thick, vibrant sauce with a nice beety-yogurty flavor that works very well with the pita bread. Labneh: Original yogurt flavor. This is when sticking to the basics really works. I recommend this as well. Whole wheat pita bread was good and goes well with the dips. My only complaint is they should give a pita bread for each dip we brought. We brought 4 dips and it only came with 2. Rice Lamb Meatball with tzatziki, eggplant dip, feta, and millet tabbouleh was good. Meatball was juicy and the right amount of gaminess for lamb. Everything else was basic for restaurants like this. Not bad but nothing special. Lamb kabob was a bit too dried and less flavorful than the lamb meatballs. Chicken kabob was typical for chicken. I didn't taste any mediterranean flavor in this one. Not bad but not special. This did come with a good cilantro mint sauce (forgot to take a picture of this). Fattoush salad was basic and very bland. If salads are boring, this salad would make all the salads proud. In my opinion, the highlight of what we ordered was the beetroot dip and the lamb meatballs. Labneh was good too but it is so simple, I hope other places can't mess this up. Overall, average. I would eat their food if I was hungry but I wouldn't go out of my way for this. Although, I would give this place another chance and eat in next time.

Just ordered from here. It came on time. The portions for the salads are small but still tasty I'm told by my MIL. The tzatziki has good flavor and the grilled chicken does as well. My husband got the chicken sandwich and said it was great. Here's the issue. If something is on your menu, you need to list everything that comes with it for people with allergies sake. I ordered the grilled vegetables as a salad. It stated that it came with zucchini, squash, red peppers, herbs and garlic oil. No mention of mushrooms. If it had mentioned mushrooms I would have noted my severe allergy to them and asked for them to be left off. So now, I'll go eat a PBJ while my family enjoys their meals. I hope someone sees this and makes the proper corrections.

Fresh and healthy choices with kind customer service. I really enjoy the mezze platter, pita, and soups! Such a nice addition to Natick.

When brown rice is cooked 'beyond recognition' and looks un-appetizing as in the attached photographs - it is time to exit the food business. Did I mention the undercooked lamb balls and the baba ganoush that contained diced tomatoes and looked more like the Indian 'bhaigan bharta'. Why would I want to go back to this place?

I want to be explicit that service was great and no issue with people. I was so excited to see a Natick Medd food option! I feel kind of terrible leaving a bad review but the salt level on this food was crazy. I have eaten an insane amount of Shwarma and Gyro and have eaten "bowls" resembling the constitution of the bowl I ate 100+ times so when I got takeout from here I was just grateful it wasn't the basic takeout...I couldn't finish it. It was saltier than anything I have ever consumed. I love salt, I use it too much according to most medical experts but this was crazy. My family had eaten before me and were also baffled-Ultimately I want this place to be good so bad because I feel like it would have been without the toxic salt levels!!

Awful. Ordered a chicken kebab skewer platter for a party and over half of the chicken was completely raw, with the rest being barely cooked. When we called to tell the owner the next day they didn't believe us and refused to make it right. Will never order from here again.

I ordered the takeout dinner for 5 and had enough for several meals! Great value and great flavor. They offer a very interesting different spice mixture in the sliced chicken that comes with the meal. The dips are delicious and plentiful, which can be eaten with the made in-house pita bread that comes with the meal. I love all kinds of different sauces, and with this meal you get tzatziki and tahini to add to the experience. Not included with this meal, but can be ordered as a side is muhamarra. A delicious red pepper dip that they add a tangy vinegar to which gives the dip a unique flavor. This place has been a wonderful addition to the Natick community. Stop by!

Ordered the family meal for two tonight.(for 3 of us) . Food was delicious, fresh and plentiful ( we will easily get a second meal from it!! ) Staff was friendly and courteous. was a bit leary based on some reviews but we very happy.

If you're a fan of gyros, this probably isn't your place. The "lamb" tasted more like super tough mutton and the lettuce tasted like a collection of weeds. This was a real disappointment with a hefty price tag. I recommend going elsewhere for a gyro!

This restaurant has been my absolute favorite, food is consistently delightful, with the falafel and sis tavuk being particular standouts. I have no doubt I'll be returning for another delicious meal soon.

I want to rate this restaurant higher, because the food was good and there are not enough Mediterranean spots around Metro west. Problem is; - menu said the Gyro comes with fries and it was dropped at our table without 'em. - portions were small and that's a no-go for me when you order a $13. Sandwich! - there was 1 other customer in the restaurant, 4 employees, and our order took 20 minutes. For 2 sandwiches at lunchtime on a Saturday. Gotta step up your game guys!

Happy to have another lunch option in Natick Center! My husband and I ate a Sunday lunch here. When we walked in we were greeted by the staff. They gave us a menu when we reached the counter and we picked our food. I think it would be helpful to have the menu displayed larger somewhere so that customers can see it right when they walk in. My husband and I split a cup of the butternut squash soup which was very hot and took almost 10 min to be able to eat it, but once it cooled we enjoyed it. We also split the cauliflower shwarma on pita. This was soooooo good and flavorful, with plenty of spice. I will definitely order this again. It's still new and we were there on a Sunday, so it was pretty slow, but I can see this place becoming a favorite spot for locals. I work across the street and will be back again soon! FYI: Accessible entryway, easy for strollers and wheels to get inside!

A friend told me about this place went first time today loved it. The salad dressing was delicious & I asked for unsweetened ice tea they made me a delicious mint ice tea. Friendly service and great food

Absolute worst customer service experience of our life. We paid $25 for lunch. They only accept credit cards. We tipped 18%. My wife asked for extra pickles. They asked for 81 cents. I offered either my credit credit, a 20 bill, or .75 cents change. The woman who claimed to be the owner lost her temper, turned her back on us, and yelled that "food isn't free." We were stunned. Stunned. Something is seriously wrong with this place. Avoid!!'

I visited this cute little place in natick center today. The lady taking my order at the counter was very warm and spent time explaining the menu to me. I ordered build-your-bowl with falafel, goat cheese, olives, lettuce and brown rice. The quantity was very generous. Falafel was crispy and good. I also tried the cauliflower soup which was a bit watery for my taste. I ordered a takeout and the order was ready in like 10 mins. I will definitely be going back to this place again soon. They give environment friendly compostable takeout boxes which is a huge plus!

Samosas are INCREDIBLY small. I've honestly never seen such tiny samosas so they weren't even good for sharing (three of them make up about one normal sized one). They accidentally gave me just ONE falafel with not a single dipping sauce instead of the full appetizer of them. Good customer service but EXTREMELY hard to reach by phone (if the line is busy you just have to hang up and call again and again and unfortunately it can be that way for over an hour). The food is good but forcing us to have a substitution instead of giving us our money back when they didn't have the dessert we want is wrong, also when they say there's nuts in it without telling us ahead of time on the phone or anything. They should've just given us a refund instead of a substitution without asking us first. I'm really disappointed this time but the first time I went was good so I might be willing to go back again to try to review better.

Undoubtably awesome! Just went here for lunch to catch up with a friend and we got the meal for 2 and shared. Definitely a ton of food, we took home a lot of containers for later. The person working there was so nice, attentive and I would say it was the best lunch I've had in a long time. Hummus, Chicken Sharma, pita, cous cous, all of it fantastic and for the price unreal! I highly recommend the mint tea too- its not a tea bag but brewed in a pot and it was absolutely amazing- I don't like mint so I was really surprised! All-in-all, highly recommend which I do not often do!

Ordered a variety of dishes and was disappointed with all of them. The pomegranate beef skewers were cooked to death and extremely tough. The lamb Adana was dry. The rice was cold on pickup. Lemon yogurt sauce was like water. Samosas were laughably tiny for the price. The front desk person also gave attitude for ordering through grubhub. It was a very poor first impression and I won't be ordering from there again.

Doesn't taste like mediterranean. The roasted cauliflower tasted more like a south asian dish.

This place was amazing! The food was all amazing. I got the mezze platter, and the hummus is the best hummus I've ever had. The falafel was green and amazing, especially with the tahini. The butternut squash soup was also fantastic. The service was fast and the owner and staff were all so nice! The food was all amazing and I can't wait to go back. It's really good for vegans, gluten free, and other allergies.

I dined at Dates and Olives for the first time last night, and now wish I lived in Natick (or that they'd open another location by me!). The owner Renita is so warm, professional, and passionate about her craft. I built my own bowl, and was so pleased. Must recommend the house-made pita, hummus, and ganoush! Although truly, every aspect of the meal was lovely. Cannot wait to go back!

A hidden gem conveniently located in downtown Natick. I had the Chicken Shawarma which came out hot and fresh, with a side of what I think were beets? Either way, both were yummy. Plus, the portions are large so I took half my sandwich home for later! The worker there, who might have been the owner, was so kind and attentive. I definitely will be coming back!

They continue to mess up online orders. When trying to work with them to show the issues on Ubereats, I was told to cancel my order. This is the second time the owner has directly told me she will not fulfill my order. I will not, nor recommend, eating here again due to the poor customer service direct from the owner herself.

Was looking forward to trying their food. We ordered takeout: Beef Kabob Plate, Chicken Kabob Plate which came with a small marinated salad with a liberal amount of olives. I was surprised how small the chunks of chicken and beef were. They both were overcooked and very chewy. The dipping sauces they provided helped with the dryness and added to the taste. There was a good helping of rice which was light and delicious. I honestly don't think I'll be coming back again. Best of luck.

Update 10/13 : No resolution yet from the restaurant - Some one called to "refund" me some money" Nothing yet !!!! - Clear example of how little they care ! Not a good place ( one person I dealt with) is extremely arrogant. They got my take-out order wrong , forgot to put in some sides ----and for 10 bucks worth of stuff, they argued with me for 10 mins on phone. This made my evening stressful and made me feel me feel cheap - for 10 bucks !!!! This not something you expect from any half decent restaurant. I made sure I tipped them well too - 20% on a takeout order !!! Absolutely ridiculous. Server name - renita m Advice to future customers- always check your items before you leave the place. Best to avoid this place ! plenty of options out there... It is safe to say I will never step foot in this restaurant or advice anyone else to go to this place. To top it all- food is average at best !!! Thanks priyadarshi mohapatra Bedford ma 8172478991

Order was not complete, didn't realize until home. Food that arrived wasn't great. Very fatty lamb gyro.

A stand out place in Natick. Interesting middle eastern food served with integrity - more like the kind of place you would find in Boston. A go to for take out.

Wasn't impressed. Tried the chicken kebab plate and have to say it was severely lacking in flavor. Also the rice were the worse I ever had. I don't mind paying high prices for quality meals, but this was a diaster. The chicken was so dry and didn't even seem like it was cooked all the way.

We came in on a Saturday night when it was not so busy. We soon learned that this is not a mediterranean restaurant as branded. We ordered plates, but found no flavor in any of them. Even the rice was devoid of taste. My partner asked the owner for hot sauce, but she refused to provide it. Needless to say, this was our last visit.

I work in the area and decided to call in a side of rice. I called it in at 12:16 pm. Over the phone I was not given the price of my meal, they did not ask for my name, or give me an estimate of time. So I arrived roughly 10 minutes later, and proceeded to wait until 12:45 for my side of rice. The timing is ridiculous without any warning, and in addition while I waited I watched as the woman behind the counter warmly greeted regulars and pushed out several meals, so I suppose this is a 5 star place if you know them. Not for new customers !

I have been a long time customer of this restaurant but unfortunately after tonight's experience will never be going back. I ordered the pomegranate beef skewers and when I got it home I quickly realized that I couldn't chew any of the beef and it was too tough to chew. Very frustrating and completely impossible to eat. A very nicely called and spoke directly with the owner and was told that there was nothing she could do for me even though she knew how long I had been coming there for. I I was completely shocked at how easily she dismissed me as a loyal customer. I will never be returning to this restaurant.