Olive Tree Country Kitchen

As an Arab American I look for places to have the fusion between Middle Eastern culture American culture in their food and service. This place has both the owner is very competent in his knowledge of Middle Eastern food and American food. As well as the prices are phenomenal and the portions are huge.

Food is EXCELLENT! The hummus and the chicken schwarma are awesome! The staff is very friendly and you get a lot of food for your money. I’d highly recommend trying it!

I’ve been working around the corner from this place for the past 8 years (it used to be «Troy Café») and I had never checked it out. Some of my coworkers always used to get carryout breakfast from Troy Café, which is kind of messed up, as in my opinion things like omelettes and toast don’t hold up for more than about 30 seconds in a steamy styrofoam container. But I am getting off topic.
Recently I noticed that the shuttered Troy Café had reopened as Olive Tree Country Kitchen and I decided to give it a shot. They have the full American breakfast/​lunch diner thing going on but their self-​advertised specialty is Lebanese food. So that is mostly what I have tried here. It’s a market with lots of fierce competition in the Detroit area, but Olive Tree manages to hold their own due to a combination of good flavors, low prices, and large portions.
Here’s what I have tried so far:
Chicken Schwarma — Most places seem to be competing for who can have the chunkiest and juiciest chicken pieces in their schwarma, and I tend to grade them accordingly. But Olive Tree has a different thing going on. In their case, it’s all about the spice blend. The chicken is actually chopped up fairly small, and while it may not be dry it certainly doesn’t jump out as me as being extra-​juicy. I think they chop it up as small as they do to create extra surface area for their crazy delicious spice blend to adhere to. I can’t describe the flavor very well so you’ll just have to try it for yourself, though «earthy» comes to mind. In a good way.
Beef Schwarma — Believe it or not the only time I have ever eaten a beef schwarma is here. So I don’t have a whole lot to compare it to. But it was good, and featured the same delicious spice blend as the chicken.
Falafel — The falafel here is crispy on the outside and green on the inside. To me, this is a very good thing. The best falafel in the area comes from Jerusalem Garden in Ann Arbor and they do theirs the same way (though obviously even better). You can get hummus and/​or tabbouleh added to the wrap and both add quite a bit of character, even if unnecessary.
(Note that all of the above wraps come generously loaded with delicious Lebanese pickles that bring excitement to every bite.)
Bacon Cheeseburger — I was hesitant to order this as burgers from this sort of diner are almost always a letdown. But I saw it on the specials board, tried it on a whim, and it was honestly quite good. First of all, it is HUGE. Half pound of meat and I had trouble finishing it. I asked for it to be cooked medium and it came out much closer to well done but as soon as I took my first bite I didn’t even care. As the outside was crusted with delicious spicy awesomeness. Clearly the patty was grilled on the same grill-​spot seasoned by the schwarma spices and it adds a ton of flavor to a burger that otherwise might be mediocre. I guess if you didn’t like the spice blend, you wouldn’t like this burger. But I’ve been fantasizing about another one ever since.
Fries — They «cheat» here by sprinkling a batter mix onto the fries before frying them, in order to create an illusion of crispy fries (when it is really just crispy batter). Normally I would mark a place down for that, but here it actually kind of works. There must be MSG or crystal meth in that fry batter as they are fairly addictive.
I haven’t tried anything off the breakfast menu yet but when I eventually do it will not be carry-​out.

Absolutely delicious lentil soup. Seriously some of the best I’ve ever had. The chicken schwarma was also very good, with very fresh ingredients. The staff was super friendly and the service fast and efficient. Fair prices and good location right across from discount tire. Great place for lunch.