Bleu Olive

question. when dining out and the first encounter is the person filling the water glass pours most of it on the floor and slams the glass back to the table and walks away without so much of a glance at you or your guest, you think or should know you are in the wrong place. So much for the Blue Olive. No need for a review of the food. Never again.

Officially 4.5! The food was a 4 because as a vegetarian I had to order an appetizer because pasta isn’t my thing and no protein. So I got hummus. The Scottish salmon was great and generous. My family loved the roast chicken.
However, this was a celebration dinner for my daughter graduating from ncssm and she really enjoyed it. We were a big party and they easily accommodated us at a nice round table.
Service as a 5! I think the charming lady owner served us. She easily changed our single bill into 4 separate bills and was so kind. The drinks were great, service quick but not at all rushed. We had a wonderful time and recommend this place for any reason you want a nice special time!

After an especially prolonged streak of date nights spent on the couch, we were in the mood for something different. We considered many restaurants and numerous menus before ultimately settling on Blue Olive. And, in all fairness, settling isn’t the right word. Several years ago, we had enjoyed a delicious meal at Papas Grille but, as so frequently happens, never made it back before the restaurant closed.
While this particular stretch of Hillandale Road isn’t far from the house, maybe 10 minutes or so, it is just as far as downtown and 9^th Street. Why head up towards 85 when you don’t have to, y’know?
After pulling up the menu online, I was stoked: 1) various meaty options for my date; 2) brunch; 3) a ton of delicious starters; 4) great veggie options for me; and 5) a solid (and reasonably priced) drink menu. So, menu reviewed and previous meal at Papas Grille enjoyed, we hit the road.
After ordering drinks and hearing about the specials, we were off to the races. For me, dolmades to start followed by the caponata, a delicious mix of eggplant, olives, capers, peppers, spinach, pesto, gran padano, and linguine. Though I’m not particularly fond of olives or capers, I figured the chef probably knows best and left ‘em in my meal. Excellenttttt decision. My date started with the baby kale caesar (polenta croutons, garlic white anchovy vinaigrette, and grana padano) before deciding on the shrimp risotto as her main. While she enjoyed the risotto, between mouthfuls of kale and polenta she indicated that she might come back solely for the salad and some baklava. Impressive.
Do yourself a favor and give Blue Olive a shot. Great service. Delicious food. Probably not too far from wherever it is you live.

I come here often with my coworkers. We work close by. I love the turkey avocado and all of their burgers. There are also several healthy options in the menu, including the kale salad. The food is a little expensive, but well worth it. The staff are friendly and accommodating.

I was visiting the area with a co worker from Kindred Hospital. We decided to stop in for lunch. Everything was delish!!! He had the lamb burger w/​fries. I ate the Ruben with a salad. The service was great also. I will add this to my lunch stop whenever I’m in the area. I highly recommend the Bleu Olive.

I’ve been here three times now and it’s quickly becoming a lunchtime favorite. The wraps are fantastic and reasonably priced and it’s a nice casual atmosphere for a long lunch. The service is a little hit or miss — you seem to get better service if you sit inside. The food is great, with the cheesesteak pita being a favorite when they have it (it’s a special). I only wish the list of wines by the glass was longer. There are no Pinot Grigios by the glass, which I find odd. Overall it’s a great option for a long lunch, which very little to complain about overall.

What a hidden gem! Everything here was pretty great. We came on Valentines Day and ordered what felt like one of everything! The mezze was really, REALLY great; definitely akin to what we’ve eaten in Greece. Because I have an allergy to chickpeas and sesame, the waitress suggested we sub the hummus out, and we got extra tirokafteri — awesome move :) The greek salads were simple, but super delicious. I thought the baked saganaki cheese left a little to be desired, but it’s hard to complain about hot, gooey cheese. The calamari were also really delicious; not as crispy as I’m used to, but well-​battered and came with great sauces.
The entrees, though. Oh man. My fiancé got the veal osso bucco and it was just falling off the bone and melting in your mouth. And the risotto it came on was perfect! I got the sea bass, topped with spinach, and sitting on top of orzo. I was so sad I filled up on the mezze because this was so, so good! Definitely two of the best dishes we’ve had in Durham.
We didn’t get any dessert because we were too stuffed, but we will definitely be back!

I LOVED Bleu Olive.
Split the calamari to start off my meal. I’m not usually a fan of sea food, but I enjoyed the textural contrast between the crispy outside and delicate pieces of squid hidden inside. I also loved the balsamic vinegar + olive olive oil blend with added garlic that we were given to dip our bread in as well.
I ordered the chicken stuffed with spinach and feta as my main dish. The skin was perfectly crispy and a joy to eat. The mushroom risotto was flavored extremely well, and complemented the chicken. I almost forgot that the chicken was stuffed until spinach peeked out. It wasn’t too flavored, which was fine since there were so many flavors from the risotto and chicken. I’m also a huge fan of spinach so that helped me not mind too much.
Bleu Olive is a charming mediterranean restaurant, and one of my new favorites in Durham. Can’t wait to return to try their hummus and baba ghanoush!

Outstanding, authentic upscale Greek cuisine. Along with an excellent wine selection. The staff was knowledgable and professional. We were well taken care. The food was very good. Our appetizers and meals were cooked perfectly. The dessert was exceptional — coconut crème brûlée.
Something was missing from the experience. Not sure what… I know I left still hungry. The portions were very small for the price points…

I sat at the bar bc all the seats were taken. I didn’t expect much from this strip mall restaurant and was pleasantly surprised. I chose the bone marrow, beef short rib and carrot cake from the Restaurant week menu. The marrow was quite tasty and served with a small salad and bread. The beef short rib was awesome! I saw the steak-​looking entrée on my plate and requested a steak knife. I ended up not needing it bc the beef was so tender that even my fork alone went right through it. I felt like I could even drank the steak through a straw. It was a little salty for my taste… but still highly recommended. The carrot cake with Greek yoghurt was okay.

This is by far my favorite restaurant in Durham, well, North Carolina really, so I’m surprised that I haven’t written a review of it before now. Don’t let the strip mall location fool you; this is some of the best Greek food and restaurant food you will ever eat, even if you have toured Europe many times. I have never eaten better seafood in NC. Scallops seared to perfection. Delicious local fish and Mediterranean fish specials that are unparalleled here in the triangle. The family who owns it is so invested in quality of local ingredients and the service. We can’t help but adore them – Angelika, aka «Mama» and her sons, Sam the chef, and Yianni, the sommelier and bartender. Their seasonal menu is fun and tasty and also includes lots of locally sourced ingredients. My favorites are kale salad, the mussels with saffron, steak frites, any scallop special, and almost every fish special. This restaurant should also be noted for its impeccable service, unique cocktails, and sumptuous desserts.
We held our next day wedding brunch here for the out of town guests and those who assisted in our wedding. The side room is perfect for such intimate gatherings. This room is also host to some of their wine tastings. Don’t miss them, whether you are a wine aficionado or not, you will enjoy the event and the food pairings. Check their website for the next wine tasting.

Eat at Blue Olive for the first time tonight and every course was superb. Took several pics so you could see first hand the presentation and it tastes as good as it looks. There was four of us tonight and all of us enjoyed and will be back. Great evening!

Great place! I took my wife there for her birthday and I was really please by the attention of our waitress. They really made sure that we had a great evening! and they brought the flowers I requested… Just fantastic! The food was delicious. We started off with some grilled octopus, which my wife and I both enjoyed. For the entrée, I had the paella while my wife ordered the moussaka. Both dishes were flavorful and tasty!
This one is definitely on our list to return to :)

Opted for an after dinner dessert run. Entrée prices were a bit steep for a family of five, so we ate dinner elsewhere, but stopped in for dessert as we could not pass up on their reputation for some in-​house creations that were amazing.
Oh, the hard part was making a decision on all the tasty stuff and must say the portion sizes are «share-​able». The Baklava in design and presentation was as good to the mouth as it was to the eyes. That was the big hit. I had the Chocolate Torte which was tasty but not at the same level as the Baklava.
SaleebScore: Food: 9.5÷10; Prices: ⁷⁄₁₀; Service: ⁹⁄₁₀; Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀;

Came here for dessert with family on a Friday night. Very busy but seated quickly at a comfortable round table. Hostess and server were very friendly and accommodating. Separate dessert menu which was nice. Presentation was great and portions were good. The flourless chocolate and fig was creamy and light. The server explained how the baklava was prepared, not in the pan where the bottom is soggy. Great portions and very well presented. I didn’t taste the baklava. They also have a nice selection of herbal tea. The chamomile and lemon tea was very smooth and they offered extra hot water. I would recommend dressing at least business casual as this is a very trendy restaurant. Convenient parking as well.

I used to live by this restaurant and for the longest time had always brushed it off as ‘probably a really average strip mall joint’, but boy, have I been wrong all this time. My partner and I finally visited this place, after looking to try something new in Durham. Wow, we were blown away!
Ambience and service are both great, but the food is simply stellar. For appetizers, we tried the octopus and fried cheese. My partner initially had his reservations about octopus, but the octopus in this dish was so tender and doused in a delicious vinaigrette of sorts. As for fried cheese, well, that is self-​explanatory ;)
We tried the pepper crusted lamb loin and mousakka (lamb and eggplant casserole) for entrees. The lamb loin was marvellous. Extremely tender, and did not have a trace of gameyness. It came with some mushroom risotto which was also really delicious. The mousakka though, was a bit of a disappointment. I felt that it had too much pastry, and was over-​salted.
The desserts here are heavenly. We had warm chocolate crepes and goat cheese cake with honey. Now tell me if just the names of those desserts don’t make your mouth water. We are certainly coming back!

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love Mediterranean food. With that being said, I know good Med food when I eat it.
Our waitress was super nice, very friendly (she complimented my shirt!), and extremely knowledgable about the menu items. As we were seated she immediately poured our water for us and brought us large fresh bread slices, along with this olive oil dipping sauce (with olives and capers maybe?).
We started off with Tzatziki that came with fresh, warm pita bread. It was great and had the perfect tanginess! The dill to yogurt ratio was optimal. What really impressed me was that they also served the sauce with fresh cucumbers! Very nice touch.
It made me happy when I found out that this restaurant catered to (mostly, I’m not sure about vegans) all dietary paths. On their menu it even says they would be more than happy to accommodate all palates. After scanning the menu for vegetarian options, which there are some, I decided to order the Mushroom Linguine.
This is where I was impressed. The dish came with very tender trumpet, pioppini, and shiitake mushrooms, sautéed baby kale, and was topped off with a decadent mushroom-​fennel jus. Before ordering I confirmed that the jus was entirely plant-​based and not derived from an animal. It would be an absolute understatement to say that this was amazing. The linguine was perfect, the kale (tasted fresh) was very satisfying, and the mushrooms WERE TO DIE FOR. Tasting all of these blissful flavors, along with the mushroom-​fennel jus, was truly and experience.
Now to dessert. My favorite in this cuisine is Baklava, so you can probably guess what I ordered. This is the area where I felt the restaurant was lacking. The Baklava, consisting of walnuts, pistachios, and raisins, fell apart when I bit into it. The phyllo dough shell seemed to peel itself away from the filling, which was unusual. The inside was exceptionally dry and not sticky like traditional Baklava. To put it into perspective, if you have normal Baklava and take out the honey, this is what I paid $ 8 for. If you’re looking for the best Baklava in town, head over to International Delights (1.99 for a huge piece of perfection).
All in all, I have reserved a spot in my heart for restaurants like this that support farmers by using only local ingredients for their food. However, I won’t be able to enjoy this hidden wonder very often due to the price.

Wow, wow, wow… the food here is amazing! The octopus appetizer was truly magical. I was scared to order it, but my partner encouraged me to be more adventurous (as always). It was so tender and fresh, the flavors were out of this world! The Pepper Crusted Lamb Loin was perfect… juicy, tender, and not a hint of gaminess. The Mousaka was very tasty, but we both felt it was over salted. We also had Goat Cheese & Honey Cheesecake and Warm Chocolate Crepes. Both desserts were to die for!

First visit — amazing food! We live 30 mins away and will be back for sure. Started with the spreads and baked cheese, delish and the the artisan salad and special soup (roasted red pepper and crab) — already a lot of food! Packed up spreads for tomorrow. Shared the flounder special — so good!

Disappointed after my previous experience here. The avgolemano soup is still very good, but my gyro has a barbecue seasoning on the meat or onions that overpowered and ruined it. I am Greek and barbecue seasoning does NOT belong on a gyro! Garlic, oregano parsley lemon that does… my father had the salmon which he proclaimed bland. Mom had the spanakopita which was very good. Our waitress also acted like we were a bother from the moment we sat down. We had to ask for the specials, and she disappeared quickly not to return unless she had to. I miss the old Pappas Grill. Never did I feel this way after or while dining there. I felt comfortable and relaxed while now I feel like I just need to leave.