The Golden Olive

I loved this place. Does anyone know if the owners have resurfaced anywhere else?

Great Greek food, fast and friendly service. Definitely one of the better Greek restaurants in town. Shame it closed.

Great neighborhood restaurant with solid vegetarian choices. My favorite dishes: giant beans, Greek spaghetti, pistachio and mushroom spaghetti, bean soup. The owner is welcoming and clearly proud of her restaurant and cooking. The restaurant is quiet enough for a decent conversation. I also feel comfortable bringing my baby and that he won’t disturb anyone if he fusses. It’s a small space so probably best for small group meals.

A perfect, quite, comfortable hole in the wall, hidden in the Wallingford area. The food was delicious and the service came with a smile. The owner was very sweet to my wife and I, and completely made us feel at home. We ordered most of their healthy options on the lunch menu but look forward to coming back to try the dinner spread. Homemade hummus & fresh tzatziki hit the spot!

Cozy little restaurant with drape-​framed windows in the center of the main Wallingford drag. Found parking easily in the late afternoon on a Friday, but I’ve known it to be a formidable place to stash your car later in the evening especially with the ever increasing commuters heading home to Ballard and Fremont.
We both ordered the gyro plate which is perfectly portioned gyro meat, your choice of white or wheat pita, tzaziki sauce chunky with cucumber, tomatoes, onions and Greek potatoes (read: lots of garlic!). The hostess there is really nice and friendly. The food came out freaky fast, too! Good eats! I like that they give you plenty of pita bread and a choice of wheat.
The downside to the plates we ordered is that they’re not very big for hearty eaters at $ 8.50 each. Most plates were at least a few dollars more to a lot more so it’s possible that the price is proportional to portion. Also, this is not the freshly cut gyro meat you get at restaurants like Kokoras. S said he suspected it was fried and the chef got a little heavy handed with the butter on the potatoes (though I felt I should mention again I *love* all that garlic love!).
Otherwise, a pleasant place to have a filling lunch!

When I lived in Wallingford a decade ago, this was the «Indian Cuisine» restaurant, and my spouse and I LOVED it. Back in town this week, we thought we’d see if it still existed. No, but in it’s place is this Greek restaurant, which we decided to try.
Can’t say exactly why, but the owner woman was odd… not really very friendly, she seemed maudlin and sad. Only one other table was busy on a Tuesday night at 7 pm.
Food was pretty good. Unforunately, out of Moussaka. We ordered Saganaki, which tasted fabulous, but portion was very small. Instead of serving it with a lemon wedge, it came with a small amount of pita bread pieces.
My lamb souvlaki and pasta with Mizithra cheese was super fabulous. My hubby’s Pastitio was also darned good. We ordered glasses of Retsina, and it was a mild, nice one. For dessert we shared a baklava, and it was pretty good.
Atmosphere is bland (the same space was much cozier/​cuter when it was the Indian place), and service was just okay, the owner seemed actually angry and upset.
There are not many places to get Greek food in our metro area… and the food was pretty darned good. Just service and atmosphere not so. Prices are just a tad higher than ideal, but not too bad.

After reading some of the (oftentimes hilarious) reviews of this place, I was apprehensive about trying it out for lunch, but am glad to say that I had a pleasant experience.
My friend had the lunch special of gyro with fries and a drink ($ 8.50). I had the cup of soup (traditional Greek) and side Greek salad (or I thought I’d ordered greek salad, but it came all leafy greens with a vinaigrette dressing… ahh…well, maybe Wallingford Greek? This was $ 7.50.
Oh, but the woman owner performed for you at your table for FREE.
The lady owner who is the subject of much criticism in these Unilocal reviews was quite held back. The restaurant was quite busy at lunch that day, and we didn’t think she said anything out of the super ordinary, except when she explained to us that the fries come with feta, so they don’t provide ketchup (as it’s an unnecessary cost), unless we ask for ketchup «on the side», in which case they WOULD provide it (as it’s an unnecessary cost).
Basically, it was the equivalent of going to someone’s house for dinner and the host announces that they’re serving up veal, but it’s OK, because the veal was on special at QFC that week.
Right.
Classy.
The food was A-​OK, as the stars up there say. It certainly wasn’t anything memorably good or bad. There are plenty of other choices. But for a good quick lunch that won’t break my bank book, The Golden Olive is OK.

It may be due to mental issues, but whoever is running the place/​serving is not worth putting up with.
We stopped in to an EMPTY restaurant in the early evening for a shared appetizer plate and a couple of glasses of wine.
We’d been curious about this place, because it always seemed closed, looked cute from the outside and had been around for a while. Should be good, right?
Well, the empty place should have tipped us off, but it was a hot day and it was really early.
Nothing jumped out at us, typical Greek food, but she had «no white wine left after last night» (we were there on a Saturday evening). She herself dissuaded ordering a retsina white (which she supposedly had) as it would be «too strong flavored». She didn’t ask if we’d tried it before or if I was Greek (which I am). Ridiculous.
So, I ordered a beer. She brought out a glass of white wine («oh, we had enough for you»). She should have checked first, but whatever. The wine tasted like cheap white wine — I highly doubt it was what I had ordered. Also, they are like 2 minutes’ walk from a QFC — they could have bought ANYTHING they were out of at ANY TIME.
The glass my husband was served had a hairline crack — he didn’t mind using it, but it should have been comped.
Oddly, this woman asked us if we were «related». Um, well, we’re married. Then she tells us we look alike. WTF? She kept trying to chat us up, which we OBVIOUSLY didn’t want.
The atmosphere SUCKS. We should have left but it was so hot and we were going to a movie, so we figured screw it.
When trying to order a dish, she kept changing what it said, asking if I wanted x instead of y («salad or potatoes?») And I was like, your appetizer plate says blah, blah, potatoes and then soup OR salad. It was confusing but she was being really persistent and annoying. I figured we’d just see what she brought out.
For $ 14 PLUS A 2 $ SHARE CHARGE («because I have to pay for this place and we don’t get enough customers» — um… maybe you should be open on Sundays?) which means $ 16 dollars plus tax, we received: two tiny triangles of pita bread (warm, tasted fine), a small single skewer of lamb (not really flavorful or juicy, but at least it was tender), a small pile of nondescript overcooked potatoes and small bowl (split) of avogolemono soup (no big whoop — yes my husband is insane for ordering soup when it’s 90 degrees out). I HAD TO REQUEST SOME TZATZIKI and when I did, we got a couple of small sides (about 2T worth).
We were beyond underwhelmed. The pathetic offerings cost us almost $ 40 dollars.
FYI: I have managed restaurants. A plate sharing charge is put into effect to keep people who aren’t there to eat from holding tables/​seats away from higher paying customers. It is NOT an extra charge to slap onto an appetizer platter just because. And frankly, many restaurants waive the charge if the table is ordering enough food, drinks, etc… OR IF THEY ARE EMPTY. Corkage fees are a different matter, but are sometimes also waived if a table orders enough food (didn’t apply to us, but the more you know.)
To compare, the next day we had biscuits, gravy, eggs, jam, and a crawfish/​andouille/​shrimp/​grits plate PLUS a side of amazing fried oysters AND an Arnold Palmer for $ 35. INSANE.
This woman is either literally crazy or trying to shut her own operation down. Invasive, weird, contradictory, rude — what’s not to love? I should have said something, etc., but I’m the loudmouth New Yorker in the relationship and we were trying to enjoy our afternoon, so I let it slide, but only until I could document it here. The place is too far gone to bother informing them and I’m not interested in any comps, etc.
The place was disheveled, cheap looking, etc. Sorry, it’s no Gorgeous George’s or Yanni’s or Kouzina, where the food comes first. Never going back. She did everything she could to make us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. You don’t blame the customers!!! Especially if they are NEW TO YOUR ESTABLISHMENT!!!
And you shouldn’t even bother.
But if you’re looking to rent space on 45^th, keep an eye out…

Used to love this place and would come here regularly, but the owner has become increasingly bitter over the past few months. She complains about her slow business, cauliflower costing too much so she can’t offer it anymore, asking why the Thai and Japanese places always have people, etc.
Food used to be great, but after the last visit, you can tell she’s encountering hard times:
Greek fries — fries used to be homemade but now they’re obviously frozen and the queso over it tasted no bueno.
Mediterranean Scampi — had more of that no bueno queso on top of it and the prawns weren’t even cleaned. I didn’t eat much (which led to being chastised by the owner).
Wine — a couple friends ordered 2 glasses of house wine, she said sure, and then came back with a nice bottle offering it instead. Thought she was being nice and giving us better wine for less, but had actually poured the most expensive wine she had in the house and charged us for it without telling until the bill came.
Greek Lady — I used to actually love how you would encourage me to eat more food but now it’s just depressing coupled with everything else you’ve complained about. Instead of feeling like I’m being served by a family member, I feel like I’m being guilted into handing over X amount of money when I walk through the door. You asked me why people don’t come to your place for lunch anymore and we suggested cutting prices a couple dollars, to an average of $ 6-​$ 8 for lunch instead of $ 9-​$ 12. You were offended by the suggestion and started rambling about costs.
Never going back because of your approach with customers now, sorry. :(You need to chill out and not upsell your regulars and not complain to ANY customers. Business might be tough right now, but it’ll be non-​existent if you keep up your attitude.

This place was… interesting. I went here a few months ago on a date. First off, I’ll say that the food was very good, although nothing amazing. The server was a bit odd. My date asked her which size salad to get, and she recommended that a small would be more than enough with what else we ordered. Then, when she brought it, she asked if he didn’t want anything else, since that wasn’t much food. Um, we asked you that and this is what you said! It was a bit random. We were the only people in there for the whole meal, which was right around dinner time. One other couple came in to pick up take out, but that was it.
In sum, the food was great, service was strange, and atmosphere was very quiet and private due to no other customers being present. Not sure if I’d go back again, but the folks getting take out might have had the right idea…

I’ve wanted to try this place for years and fresh Greek food is a favorite. Sadly, my friend and I had a poor experience. The food was ok, acceptable, portions were decent. The quality of some of the food tasted low and had an old freezer burn flavor.
The worst part of the experience was the server. Now I prefer a fine family run place, but the woman serving was hostile and demeaning. She got angry when my friend asked for ketchup. She came back with the tiniest spot of ketchup. She knocked my silverware on the floor and just set it back on the table for me to use. She seemed beside herself when I asked her to bring me clean silverware. She brought the food but apparently expected me to eat it with a fork she had knocked across the floor and under my feet. She took ten minutes (only one other table of people in the place) while my food got cold in front of me and I encouraged my friend to go ahead and eat his. No apology, in fact she seemed to delight in her rudeness. We finished the meal with coffee, and she interrupted our conversation to lecture us about the coffee in a condescending tone. The only time she seemed suddenly friendly was when it was time for us to tip. Pick a restaurant on 45^th and it is bound to be better than the Golden Olive.

My local Greek spot. 5 stars for the best avgolemono soup I’ve ever consumed in my life. And 5 stars for the cozy service you receive from the cute lady owner.
This place is a gem on 45^th St.

This review is a bit embarrassing on my part, but good for the restaurant. While visiting town my partner and I decided to grab some Mediterranean food for lunch. Our server was kind, and on the spot. She even explained very politely to my partner how to properly drink Greek coffee after my partner asked her how. When my lunch arrived my french fries were missing ketchup and she noticed immediately, I decided to try something different and asked for «Balsamic Vinaigrette» instead of ketchup for my fries (I meant to ask for balsamic vinegar).
Now normally I would be horribly offended if someone had questioned my selection of food but this was different. She had said that the fries were cooked in oil, and there was oil in the vinaigrette and that would be «too much oil» for me to eat. She suggested white vinegar and fresh garlic instead to try. Like I said, I normally would have been offended but she came off as completely genuine, maternal, and caring about a strangers health. I found this heartwarming and it just added to the authenticity of the «mom and pop» feel. I was not offended, but swooned. My care really is in their best interested.
Oh, and the food was DELICIOUS! Absolutely amazing. You’ve won my heart.

Delicious place that we happened to stumble upon. The place is a small mom and pop place, but very home-​y and you would feel very welcomed!
The owner was nice enough to greet us and serve us as well. We ordered the souvlaki, keftedes, and saganaki.
The saganaki was a fun experience there because they made sure the flames were HUGE! unfortunately, we had better since the cheese pieces were a bit smaller than we were used to.
The souvlaki which is the chicken kabob was delicious! It was tender and juicy.
Honestly, the keftedes (the meatballs) were to die for! They were absolutely delicious and found out this was the owner’s specialty. There were enough spices in the meatballs to have a party in your mouth! The tomato sauce on it complemented it as well.
I’d say, yum yum! I would go back! :)

I am originally from Macedonia and am very familiar with Greek food. Some friends and I were in Wallingford and we were looking for some quality Greek food at an average price. We found the Golden Olive here on Unilocal and made the short walk over on 45^th.
The place was empty (at 6:30 on a Saturday night) and looked like it was desperately trying to look like a small Greek taverna.
We decided on getting the food to go since the place was empty and ordered the usual from a new Greek place — Souvlaki, Olive plate, Tzatziki, Mousaka, and a salad.
The food was quite delicious! The chicken souvlaki came with 2 kabobs and (rightly so) a piece of lemon to juice it up. It was well cooked but a bit dry. Tasted great though.
The olive plate was perfect — delicious imported olives, some cut up swiss-​looking cheese, and most importantly, IMPORTED GREEK FETA!
You have no idea how happy it made me to finally find some quality Greek feta at a restaurant instead of that dried out crappy feta Americans eat here.
I never tried the Mousaka but it looked okay. Nothing special.
The Tzatziki looked homemade and was okay, but it needed a bit more garlic and the traditional Tzatziki kick was lacking. You get pita with the Tzatziki and with the Souvlaki I believe.
All in all it was a good place to get food from. The lady that owns the place is your typical old Greek woman — grumpy, snide, and short with people. She even tried to convince me I was Greek! Her son was nice though, and if you eat there I suggest you ask him to serve you instead of the lady owner.
I probably won’t recommend this place to friends that want to go and sit down for a good meal, but I definitely plan on doing take out from here again in the future!

Cozy, homey, a small place, but took care of a ragtag group of six wandering in from 45^th. We walked into a small dining room painted to transport you in a little way out to the Mediterranean. Flowers sat on every table, and we were quickly seated.
A charming waiter with a mohawk and piercings is always a good sign as we search the menu full of both Greek specialties and a selection of pastas. Be not afraid to ask about anything on the menu! There may be a lot of Greek words for delicious, but translations are highly useful.
But the dolmas were succulent and tasty, savory and tender. The souvlaki lamb was cooked to a happy medium and seasoned well. The pasta dishes are nice and big with plenty of fresh feta and sun-​dried tomatoes and sausage. Definitely pass this food around and enjoy a good time.
The last part was an overwhelming curiosity for a particular citrus custard dessert with a long Greek name that we couldn’t leave without trying. And grabbing one was a good choice. It was darn tasty. I don’t remember what it was called, but if you see some custardy dessert on a menu, it’s often a good plan, right?
I’m glad I decided to support local business here. This place is great. :)

Stopped in for lunch this weekend and tried the lunch beef/​lamb gyro… It was pretty good overall! Meat was similar to the texture of sausage compared to other beef slices I’ve tried in gyro before. The lunch specials are great because it comes with salad instead of fries and a beverage :)

My wife and I were looking for someplace with a salad for her and something more filling for me during a day when we were working out of the office and we decided to try this place.
The place has a nice cozy feel with only 7 or 8 tables and it’s inside a nice little slightly darkened room off of 45^th where it’s both quiet and pleasant. It was also nicely decorated with vines, grapes and wine bottles to give it a good overall feel.
I got the chicken souvlaki platter and my wife got the horiatiki salad. They were both good, but not amazing. My favorite parts of my meal were the tzatziki and the «greek potatoes» which were both well above average. I did feel like the portions were a bit small for the price at lunchtime, but it’s possible that the dinner portions would be bigger and the prices seem to be the same.
I’m hoping to make it back and try one of the pita sandwiches and maybe the falafel, but as it stands I wasn’t disappointed, but wouldn’t make an effort to go to Wallingford for this place either.

This place is like going over to your friend’s house to play, and then his Greek mother coaxes you into sitting down for a rustic, home-​cooked meal. I loved it so much, and I’m sad that I haven’t come here sooner.
We stopped by today since Leilani’s Lumpia Land had such erratic hours. Little did we know, this decision was a gift from the gods. We walked inside to a wafting aroma of Greece. So far so good. We were immediately greeted by the «mother» figure, and told to sit anywhere wanted. The ambiance looked very cozy like a house. The prices seemed very fair for everything on the lunch menu (under $ 10).
Everything was really simply cooked, very home-​style. I got the gyro platter and the potatoes were so awesome. If anything, I thought the portions were not enough for me. I craved more-​more-​more.
For billing, we got 10% off our of meal for paying in cash. Understandable. But don’t be fooled because this is just another marketing plow for those «if you use a credit card we’ll charge you 10% more» things that small businesses do. Still, it leaves you psychologically feeling like you got a better deal haha.
Overall, I am definitely going to come back for the motherly service, awesome food, easy 1 hour free street parking, affordable price, and… basically for every reason you’d ever want to revisit a damn good restaurant.

LUNCH: Okaaaay… I went there with my cousin and it was nicely priced around $ 7-​$ 11 per.
PARKING: There really isn’t any private parking lot, so you have to find something on the street in the neighbourhood somewhere.
ATMOSPHERE: It’s a small place. Clean. Nothing spectacular.
SERVICE: During lunchtime, I think there were 3 people working there… waitress…2 people in the kitchen. It wasn’t busy, so we got seated right away and the waitress paid a lot of attention to us.
FOOD QUALITY: I think the menu was more Greek than a full on Meditteranean menu. So, GYROS, HUMMOUS PLATTER… that sort of thing. If I had been really hungry I would have tried the Baklava.
HOTTIES?: We didn’t see any hotties who worked there, but we were there during lunchtime, so I don’t know about dinner.
GO THERE AGAIN?: Maybe. I don’t feel compelled to go there on a regular basis. My cousin doesn’t either. It’s worth a try if you’re hungry.