Olive Tree Cafe in New York
Site: http://www.comedycellar.com/
- Monday:11AM–2:30AM
- Tuesday:11AM–2:30AM
- Wednesday:11AM–2:30AM
- Thursday:11AM–2:30AM
- Friday:11AM–4AM
- Saturday:11AM–4AM
- Sunday:11AM–2:30AM
I have always loved this restaurant and I loved it’s Middle Eastern club of great live entertainment for many years and I love the comedy cellar below! Of course Café Wa remains Historically legendary.Decades later, the Olive tree café continues to run under excellent management. The staff is so gracious and the food is absolutely delicious! Valerie and Beth know how to run a business owned by the great Naom, The amazing Son of the great previous owner and may he rest in peace.The decor remains the same, With the beautiful original artwork of Ava, throughout the entire restaurant with its beautiful Tiffany lamps and amazing Charlie Chaplin movies. I have never been there a single day when there was Even a single technical difficulty with this Audio visual! Love the entertainment weekly but that has been postponed due to Covid for a little while longer. Still, so enjoyable! A great place to have a party and it’s also a great place to come alone because she will always feel welcome!The only thing that has changed is the menu and I loved it prior and I love it now! The Caesar salad is like at any fine Italian restaurant! I love the new cauliflower dish which I just tried for the first time this past week! I love the pasta in walnut pesto! I never eat burgers except for here because they are delicious! Their desserts are the best! Everything on the menu is really delicious so I can’t even think of what to recommend! Love the chicken wings. Wish they still had the Sriracha chicken wings though because that was really my favorite! I had nachos there for the first time in a long time and it is also divine! And of course the Kefta platter and Middle Eastern platter are superb!! A brand new hummus is on the menu and you will love it! Love the grape leaves —EVERYTHING EVERY TIME!!!
Reserve in advance to the comedy cellar. The olive tree bar is a great spot to hang out before the show. Great experience!
Make sure you book your tickets for Comedy cellar before enjoying dinner here!
This is a classic with the Comedy Cellar down below the Olive Tree is always a great place to get a bite. Right down the street from Washington Square Park theres always a buzz going on
Great food, nice staff, nice decor, old movies playing on the wall, kids can draw with chalks on the tables, so much fun !
I have not visited this place for over 4 years. The atmosphere is still nice, but the food is gotten really bad.
Love their grilled chicken with cous cous and asparagus
I’ve been coming here with my husband for over 20 years. It’s always been our “go to” place. However when I went yesterday I was asked for proof of vaccination in order to eat inside. I was so turned off and disappointed. I turned around and went somewhere else. I still supported them when they changed their menu years ago for the worst but this I can’t do.
Great place. Clean, Great atmosphere. Healthy food. Great service and deserts. Great Live music on Fridays and Saturdays nights after 9:15 P.M. If you like comedy. They have a comedy room in the basement. Here is where they choose all the cast of Saturday Live before they become famous. Get there early or reserve a table on line. Youll keep coming back again and again. Drinks are a bit expensive so drink water or soda instead and drive home safely. Enjoy.✌
I had nachos and beef borscht.Nachos - big plate , worth the priceBeef borscht - small, only two chunks of beef.Very few of cabbages, carrot.Meat is very good tho. Not worthThe price.Our waitress was very very annoying.She came to our table like 9 times!!! Saying if we were done while we were EATING !!Cant she even see ??It would have been nicer if she just ask us to leave asap if we are not ordering more.We werent sitting for long and no people waiting to be seated.Very uncomfortable place to eat.
Cute place, a little bit loud but probably because I was seated immediately next to the music. Cant complain too much though, the live music is great, and they have very tasty food. I especially loved their truffle fries and hummus!
Trashy place.Old damaged furniture, awkward unprofessional staff, poor menu selection. 👎
This is the restaurant that is above the Comedy Cellar in the village. It really is a place you must go to if you are visiting New York City or if you reside here. I initially went because Im a fan of the show Crashing on HBO. I came on a Friday night and I was so excited to see a bunch of my favorite comics just sitting around waiting to perform. The service was great, and the food was pretty good as well. This is definitely a place I recommend.
Food is great, service is great. I love the silent movies playing in the background and the chalk board tables. I used to come here for the boozy warm beverages. Theyll still make them, there just not featured on the menu.
Awesome food. Hard to believe its been.
Was here yesterday with a drawing on location class, and they welcomed us into their quaint little space and took such great care of us by going above and beyond. Not only were they kind enough to allow us to work in their club downstairs, the owner even offered us coffee, snacks, and delicious finger foods from their kitchen. Having never been to this cafe before, I was so delighted and impressed by the experience, that I am planning on going back for lunch or dinner soon with my boyfriend. This is the reason I enjoy supporting local establishments that know how to treat everyone who walks through the door with kindness and respect, which is the right way to run the kind of business I feel compelled to support!
I love this cafe. Weve been coming here for the past 2 decades. Great food and atmosphere.
The food here is amazing, and you can write on the tables with chalk. Downstairs is the comedy cellar, which I definitely recommend that you attend. but dont forget to make reservations for comedy cellar because it fills up quick but its really awesome because random celebrities will show up to do sets.
Great goulash soup. Prices about 14 and above for main course.
Was not impressed. The location is great and the place looks hip and cool enough. They even play some Charlie Chaplin movies on a screen in the main room. But in the end its about the food and service.I had the fried chicken sandwich and my companion the Spinach Quiche. Mine was over cooked and hers was microwaved and not baked, there was no crunch.The waitress was non existent, only came back to fill water glasses at bye end of the meal. I dont think I will visit again.
Although there are no happy hour specials here, the prices are reasonable enough to still make it a go to place after work. Their borscht is really yummy, and is a satisfying meal; it is very meaty with large chunks of beef and veggies and warms the body nicely on a cool day. Of note, this cafe is directly above Comedy Cellar, where the shared restroom is located, one which you have to cut across the club. If you dont time your visits appropriately and need to make a pit stop mid-show, be prepared to be publicly heckled by the guy on stage.
Went there for lunch because we walked by and thought it looked rlly cute from the outside. I thought the food was just okay, nothing to die for. They had decent prices though and you could get a sandwich for as little as 4$. The chalkboard tables were fun and it was a cool little ambiance inside. Its probably better later in the day when the vibe picks up or maybe when theres a comedy show going on.
I HAD NO IDEA ID LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! Delicious food, chalkboard tables, and silent films on a projector!!! Was taken here as a birthday surprise along with Comedy Cellar afterwards. I assumed, Eh, the food might be ok but its all about the comedy show! WOW was I wrong. They have an amazing location but the food was SO DELICIOUS. My burger, my fries, the Mediterranean salad, the kebab...amazing selection of food and all of it was TOO GOOD, good thing we shared!! Portions are very large. I was sad I was full, I wanted to keep eating! Also they have hilarious silent films playing on a projector (Charlie Chaplin went to the circus as I ate my fries) so I got a simultaneous experience that I ate at this great place and watched a funny movie with my dad!!! We left an enormous tip because of how delicious everything was and how funny the waiter was! Afterwards they let us take a back-door into the show. What a night, what a great restaurant! This is somewhere Id NEED TO TAKE VISITING FRIENDS to show them HOW EXCELLENT NEW YORK CAN BE!!
Average food, below average service at best.
First ate here about 30 years ago. I was in the village and thought ah, lets get nostalgic!The bar was buzzing with a crowd and really noisy. The TV screen was still playing old movies. Slate chalkboards still make the tables fun but there was 2 stubs of chalk and no refill so the tic tac toe game didnt last very long.The waitress seemed overwhelmed and not really enjoying her job- she didnt give her name just took the order and brought the food-plopped it down and went on her merry way.The location is great and the place still has its beautiful wooden bar and stainless glass windows. A star of David is at the front of the bar,I had a salad which came with tomatoes when I asked to delete them and substitute with another veggie. Also ordered the Spinach Quiche, it was microwaved and soggy, All I could taste was the scrambled egg.I can wait another 30 years to return.
Came out of a presentation at NYU and needed a quick bite. We were not disappointed. The service was fast and good. As part of the group we ordered the borscht, chicken cutlet and calamari. All of them were excellent.
Stopped in here last night before heading to the comedy club after a bad experience at another restaurant and ordered the chicken kabobs. They werent bad at all and the rice that came with it was pretty good when mixed with the veggies. I was under the impression I wouldnt be able to take the food to the comedy club with me so I was trying to eat fast since the show was about to start. The waitress, which I wish I could remember her name, was kind enough to inform me that I could and within a few minutes of getting downstairs, she dropped it off at our table. Good customer service goes a long way. If I ever make it back to the Big Apple (Im from Philadelphia), Id definitely return to this cafe.
It has a busy environment which I thought might put me off; but everything over compensated for it. The food was great, the drinks were great, the lady who served us Arielle was very diligent and on the ball. And best of all it was worth my money.
I went there tonight with a party if 7, we have been customers for over 10+ years, but due to the change in menu items we did not frequent the establishment for about a year. So it happen an acquaintance looked at the menu online (which did not coincide with there menu at the restaurant), and it did not have any fish items on the menu, which is why we stopped patronizing the establishment, due to the added fish, crab etc..When we arrived and browsing through the menu, lo and behold fish is on there. We politely spoke with our server Adam regarding the menu items and he was most irritated.Long story short the only item that taste good was the buffalo wings. Everything else on this new menu does not taste the same anymore.VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Food was ok, they would not serve us a second bottle of wine because we where attending one of their comedy shows. But then had a 2 drink minimum inside the comedy show, soo many rules, just let people make their own choices, how hard is it.
The once wonderful place has changed into a commercialized ghost of its original. New management is rude and indifferent. Manager is very rude to old customers who have supported it for forty years. Prices are up and old staples are removed. Manny who was the owner would be appalled to see what they have done to his original dream of a great place for artists.
I started to go there in 1984. One of my faves in NYC. Back then the best middle eastern good. Certainly the best sangria. I brought there every friend from my years in NYC . After I moved out on NY I made it a must-stop-by place everytime I visited the city. Since the reno its just not the same. The changed the menu, which, to me, was their strongest selling point. Very disappointing. I no longer stop by when I visit New York.
This restaurant has some wonderful ambiance and pretty good middle eastern food - nothing to write home about. The prices were reasonable as well. The most memorable thing about the restaurant was the chalkboard tables - that led to a bunch of fun while we waited for our food
We came to drink something while we waited to get into the comedy cellar. The staff was friendly the prices ok, great cocktails, and the chalkboard table was fun! You can book a table for the comedy cellar if you ask the bartender.
I have been going here since the early 1980s. There were 4 things I could always count on there: Chaplin films, chalk to draw on the table , yummy kabobs and a wait to get seated.Last night my wife and I dropped by at around 7:30 pm.All the other restaurants on the block were overflowing. Not the Olive Tree. Plenty of seats. Booths too. No films playing either.Then we looked at the menu. WTF?!? Only one kabob entee and its chicken. Other items added including paninis, but thats not why I go there.After close to 40 years, Im crossing this place off of list.
You can eat delicious dishes (be careful that are not greedy and dish size is big), watch Charlie Chaplin movies and make drawing or sketches on the table. Highly recommend!P.S. Be Ware for the standup show one level below ;)
The food is wonderful as always and cant wait for it to open inside and enjoy the Charlie Chaplin movies. Definitely miss the Comedy Cellar.
Love this piece of old NYC. Dimly lit, chill, antique throwback with fabulous food and a great bar. Love the chalkboard tables!
Nice atmosphere, very nice and casual for date night. The tables are chalkboards and food is pretty good, and affordable. Definitely recommend the chicken skewers.
This place is popular with the young folk who come for the live music. The tables are made with a chalk board table top, complete with chalk for the imagination to run wild. Play as kids would play with side-walk-chalk, but here, you can do it as you sip on cocktails. Cocktails were unfortunately hit or miss.
Ive been going to Olive Tree cafe & Bar since 1980, So you can imagine how much I love to eat middle eastern food there while watching Charlie Chaplin movies on their projected screen. Very cool
This place is a joke. They NEED to figure out the bathroom situation, thats the funniest thing about being here, other than the $14 play skool food. You literally have to walk behind a locked door and follow multiple doormen to be led IN FRONT OF an active comedy show.
The food was ok, if a little boring. Good ambiance. They need to sort out a toilet, for the restaurant diners and dispence with the digital locks on the two doors , before you can have a pee. Mental !!
THis place is really nice! Their tables have chalkboards. You can draw your friends face there! ahhaha Overall, a really good place to eat and go to the comedy show downstairs.
Been going to this place 20+ years; aside from the comedy they HAD the best Mediterranean food around; Falafel, Shish Kabab, Humus, etc.Recently they renovated the kitchen and some genius thought it would be a good idea to become the only Med restaurant known to NOT serve Falafel.I was astounded. Asked the server what would rationalize such a decision, she didn’t say a word, walked to the bar and said out loud “Another Falafel guy”; and returned with a card containing info where I might lodge my compliant.As if this was some sort of common occurrence; and if it is, how far exactly does management have its head up its humass?Haven’t been back since; will give’em them a bit to come to their senses. As if there were not countless other places to eat within a 2 block radius; including Med places that actually have a full menu.High hopes.
Prices are more than fair, the dishes to choose among are very different. Nice place inside and outside, and you might find stand-up comedy downstairs, but not for free. Ask for the bathroom to take a peek!
This place has amazing mac and cheese its simply extraordinary. For the kids they give you chalk and youre able to draw on the tables They also play charlie chaplan episodes on the walls of the restaraunt. In the basement they have a comedy cellar which chris rock and aziz ansari always go this place is amazing
Liked the slate tables and chaplin movies which made for a really pleasant atmosphere.The prices are attractive but you get what you pay for. The falafel was pretty good but the burger bap was burnt and had to be returned (no apology). Macaroni cheese was also nothing to write home about.Red cockail may have had too much coloring - tongue was starting to tingle and go numb! Going to the bathroom is something of an adventure.
Great spot for a bite and drink, especially if catching a show downstairs at the Cellar. The food is great. I had the chicken cutlet and it was one of the best Ive ever had.
Pretty good food, one of the best on Macdougal. At night, you might get a glance at famous comedians waiting to go onstage downstairs at Comedy Cellar.
Pineapple martini is nasty. Sorry guys. But... yes gets tje job done. Also.... also...wishes granted. Great music, the band is interactive and takes song requests. Thanks to everyone.😊
I was really disappointed with the food, which has gotten ridiculously expensive and nothing like the old menu at all. The waiter was attentive, but I wont be visiting again anytime soon.
The servers are always really helpful though busy. The food is great! Good place to scope out your favorite comics too!!
It used to be pretty good. I’ve been there a few times now and it’s just consistently bad. The food is...okay? But the service is just terrible. So rude. Bad vibe and really not worth it when there are so many good places to eat.
Came here during the day. Good airco, friendly people, reasonable prices. What more can you want from a cafe. Also you can write on the tables with chalk which is fun.
Great place to hang out. The food is good and the friday ewe went there there was live music. Not loud sing along music and you can have a conversation . The vibe the food the service .Just a great place.
Off the beaten path. Well worth the trip. Lamb Chops, vegetables and mashed potatoes were excellent. They great burgers as well.
First time here, I was very pleasant surprise with how authentic there food is. If your looking for a great Greek restaurant this is the place to go.
Great place for food, drink and live music. Cool, comfy and casual atmosphere. Excellent menu. One of my favorite places in the Village.
Lite Mediterranean fair and some delicious borscht. Theyre associated with the comedy cellar so stick around to check out world class comedians.
Wonderful place with very cool vibe. I have been going there for decades. Food is not exotic or adventurous but rather consistently good.
Had borscht and a Mediterranean platter. Decent but not great. Has the vibe of a dive bar.
We truly enjoyed our dinner there. The Borscht was to die for, and the chalkboard table tops were fun.
It pains me to give this place any thing less than five stars. I have loved this place all my life. However they no longer have falafel and they no longer have schwarma..
UPDATE: Went on New Years day and all the people working were so rude. I had also went on Christmas-Dan was very pleasant, helpful and not rude! 💪Get the borscht 👌
Amazing vibes. The band Shackles performed when we went there. Ordered a pitcher of Sangria, some light snacks and danced the night away
Honestly pretty terrible. I know it sounds like Im just bitter, because the food was okay, but the service was just awful. Took me an hour from when I finished to get my check payed, despite the place being empty. So not worth it.
Upstairs from the Comedy Cellar. Decent food. Many notable {if not always famous) comics frequently hang out here in the evenings even when not performing.
Its okay. I had the hummus and Mediterranean platter and it was mediocre at best. And the prices were just not as good.
Shared a deconstructed Greek Salad and s panini. Both were delicious. Server was excellent.
Although primarily a Mediterranean restaurant, the chef is Ukrainian. Try the borscht for some of the best youll ever have.
Has improved from the last time i waz there. Try the chicken kebob plater and a shot of passion and heat. Careful it as a kick.
Had an amazing evening!Great music 🎼 delicious food and good service !!!We will be back again ♥️
What a wonderful Restaurant. I have been here twice and will be there again when i vist New York next time. Amazing Concept!!!
Love this spot.Mac n Cheese is pretty tasty and cozy to chat with friends and partner.
Finally the cellar is open with so much fun
Frequenting old haunts on a hot day. Stopped in for a cold drink and a bite to eat. Food was good and the server friendly.
Went here with friends, we literally ordered one of each dessert, no regrets! Everything was great!
Ive been eating here for over 12 years and Ill never stop....love this place!
Great drinks and food. They were shooting for a Comedy Central show while we were there.
Lost the Magic!!! The Menu changed!!!!!! Now its like a dinners menu. Doesnt feel the same. Its not worth the trip if you looking to have a tipical Middle Eastern food.
Been going here for 40 yrs. New mgt. changed menu. Extremely disappointed with change. No longer interested in returning. Found out that others feel as I do.
A city classic. Hasnt changed all that much in 30 years (although I do miss the shawarma!!) and hopefully never will.
Great spot. The music was good. But the cocktails were not drinkable
Total reviews rating 4.3
159 Reviews for Olive Tree Cafe 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-07Cozy cute place in W4 area.Tried their hummus and heat and passion drink, both were very good!
Review №2
2022-08-31Home made food with vegetarian options. We had deep fried califlower and falafels.
Review №3
2022-07-06My boyfriend and I stopped by for some bites hoping to squeeze into a show at the Comedy Cellar and googled here which is the only place to Google if you plan to go to a show. We ordered wings and chicken shawarma sandwich which is perfect if you aren’t looking for super spicy (I like spicy/bf not so much) our server, Jess, went above and beyond to accommodate us and make sure we got our food promptly and also on time for us to get a spot for the show. Without her our trip to NY would have been a 180, so thank you to her for going outside to check if it was worth lining up for tix and the kitchen staff for the yummy food, even the dude who I think was about to go on his break and greeted us, overall good vibes and I hope everyone and their best friends mom comes here for food and a show. Also no pics because we ate it all but rest assured it was delicious
Review №4
2022-06-20Delicious food, healthy portions, and fun silent movies on the walls. Moderately priced. Best part is the chalkboard tables. Very entertaining.
Review №5
2022-07-19I would like to say I used to go to The Comedy Cellar and the Olive Tree years ago and it was always a nice time. Last night, we went to get some wings at the Olive Tree restaurant upstairs. There is no restroom on the restaurant floor so we had to walk down where there the comedy show was going on to use the restroom. While I wanted for my gf, a lady, the manager Val came over and told me I was trying to sneak in to watch the show. I told her i was waiting for my girlfriend to come out of the restroom to go back upstairs. She went ahead and told me SHE KNEW what I was trying to do! With the comedian doing a good job on stage, I smiled and reitterated I had walked Milu down to the restroom and was just waiting for her to come out to go back up to oir restaurant table. She told me not to force her to to have to get security. Uuum? So i started to walk towards the door leading back up to the restaurant and walked back to our table. When Milu came up 2 minutes later, she was like why was the lady being so rude.. and why did you leave me downstairs?Ive been to the comedy cellar more than the manager Val can imagine. I was there when Dave Chapelle, Marlon Waynes and Chris Rock were on stage till 5AM one night. So I understand this is a unique place. But....
Review №6
2017-12-02Was there last night with my girlfriends and we had the best time there. Love the chalk board tables the Borscht was amazing so was the salad the Buffalo wings and lime sauce and my chicken kebab and of course the truffle fries.We ate everything and were happy with everything. The staff is incredible. Our waitress was nice and attentive but did not over crowd us. Im still thinking about the kebab and how flavorful it was.This is place i will coming back to for great comfort food.
Review №7
2019-03-03I would come back only because of fantastic borscht!Steak was cold and tough. Tables are tiny, but waitress brought all dishes together(isnt soup has to be served first, and then entrees?).
Review №8
2022-03-22Love this restaurant been coming here for years. Gave it only 3 stars this time bc we made an early reservation for dinner (5pm) and they werent even open when we arrived. When you look on Google their hours are wrong and you have to hunt for the hours of operation by going through their website, that directs you through the comedy cellar, then to open table to find out they open at 5pm.Then on top of it the kitchen wasnt open until after 530.All in all I love this place but I will reconsider coming here in the future if have plans after the meal.
Review №9
2022-08-23Going there for years after the shows at café Wha.Great place,very NYC🙌The only thing is that they took the Tabouli plater from the manu😥.
Review №10
2019-08-17We love coming to Olive Tree Cafe right by NYU and Washing Square Park. The place itself is a relic of New York. Continuously playing old videos and live bands on the weekend cant be any better.Over here we got the hummus platter which comes with all the sides making it a perfect shareable plate. Olives, hummus, tahini, salad and the perfect toasted pita chips.Also, came two chicken sewers that for a little extra adds to the flavor of a true Mediterranean dish. They have a full bar as well so best get a drink!