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  3. New York / Tri-State Area
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  5. Greenwich Village

The Olive Tree Cafe

4.6
4.6
204 Reviews
$30 and under
Mediterranean
Established 1969
Upstairs from the Comedy Cellar - Great food, great drinks, silent movies, chalkboard tables, GREAT FUN!

Make a reservation

2 people

9:30 PM


Booked 11 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Cuisines

    Mediterranean, Comfort Food, American

  • Hours of operation

    Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–1:15 am Fri–Sun 4:00 pm–2:45 am

  • Phone number

    (212) 254-3480

  • Payment options

    AMEX, MasterCard, Visa

  • Dress code

    Business Casual

  • Neighborhood

    Greenwich Village

  • Cross street

    Minetta Lane

  • Parking details

    Street Parking

  • Public transit

    A/C/E/B/D/F/M to W 4th St stop

  • Entertainment

    Live music every Friday evening from 10pm -2am

  • Additional

    Bar Dining, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Weekend Brunch

Popular dishes

What 204 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Sort by

  1. 2sheetshotmess

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food! Awesome place to grab dinner before a show downstairs!
  2. JennaE

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    What a cute spot! It was so cozy and I loved the chalk tables. It was cool to catch glimpses of some of the comedians from the cellar. The food was delicious and priced reasonably. Even with the random health inspection the service was fantastic and everyone was apologetic about the wait. I also loved seeing the interactions with the staff—definitely a group that gets along but it didn’t detract from the service at all. I would absolutely go again.
  3. ErinC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 25, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience4
    Best Hummus and cheesecake I’ve ever had. The chicken kebabs were very juicy and flavorful. You can draw on the tables with chalk and the vibes were cute and old school.
  4. maryhugo

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Monday nights at the Olive Tree Cafe are nothing short of magical. The band is amazing, the food was excellent and the old world ambiance is cozy. Best kept secret in NYC.
  5. YourMom

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Definitely go before a comedy show. We saw many of the comedians there before the show at the Comedy Cellar.
  6. LoriB

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We met after the Comedy Cellar for a special birthday party. The waiter was friendly, the food was delicious and drinks were great, and we really enjoyed eating outside. It was a bit noisy with people lining up but that is to be expected. We were comfortable and out waiter was really helpful.
  7. EwanM

    Angus

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great atmosphere. Nice dimmed lighting, classy interior, lovely ambience. Brilliant for something to eat and drink before a comedy show and friendly and polite staff. Would come back if we are lucky enough to make it back to NYC!
  8. Dora

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 10, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    Our experience at The Olive Tree was very good! We went there before Comedy cellar stand up show and it was a perfect intro to the evening. The waitress was very friendly and professional. The food was tasty but a bit too big portions for us. Also, the choice on the menu is not too big, but good enough. I would definitely go there again and recommend it to frends.
  9. stevenk

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    What an amazing experience. The music was incredible.
  10. DateNight

    Baltimore

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 21, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Great music and wonderful staff. Had an awesome time.
  11. OpenTable Diner

    Orlando

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 20, 2023

    overall3food4service3ambience4
    Family in NYC to see Comedy show below at Comedy Cellar. Been here before Covid and this experience was much different. Uninterested is the word I’d describe service this particular evening. Just OK.
  12. Ed1119

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 24, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    Nice atmosphere. Great apple pie. Nachos and steak were ok.
  13. octogroup

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on January 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This place is amazing. We went there before our comedy show and had the best time. Our waitress Brianne was a darling! Super sweet, accommodating and made sure we are happy. The drinks and food were delicious. Try the Pineapple Martini and Beef Borscht. So good. Thanks again. Till next time!
  14. Jrup1

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 22, 2023

    overall3food3service1ambience3
    Have not been in this place for ages. Still good food and atmosphere. The prices have gone up significally (50-70% up) and it is no longer a great value. Also, our waiter was clueless - did not know the menu, could not answer any question on it and gave us little to no attention.
  15. FannyR

    New York Area

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on January 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Love this place!
  16. RickR

    San Antonio

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Visiting from San Antonio, Tx looked for a legit NYC place to eat and have a few drinks - we got it! This is the place to be. Great historical feel and art to enhance the experience. BTW meal tasted great. Vlad was great taking care of us by rushing our meal so my wife and I could get to the Comedy Cellar in time. Success, we were on the front row. Strongly recommend the Olive Tree Cafe!
  17. JenniferL

    St. Louis

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 15, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our server did an awesome job, and we loved sharing all the mediterranean mezze plates! Yum!! What a great place to grab a good meal before the show! :)
  18. AziziP

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 10, 2022

    overall5food5service3ambience5
    I LOVE the Olive Tree Café, a New Yorker who no longer lives in New York, but comes frequently (20+ Year customer, back when the lamb was roasting in the window lol). I make it my business to grab dinner here every visit, and twice now had the pleasure of bumping into Colin Quinn :) Alex our server was great, but the bar sent us pineapple juice that was rancid and fermented. Tasted like can and as if it was opened a month ago and was continuing to be used. I know the pandemic made things tough supply wise, but any real bartender or bar back knows you can make someone seriously ill using old pineapple juice for beverages; especially when used infrequently and restored for continued use. It should be separated from its can and placed in a proper plastic storage bottle(s) depending on the remaining amount. Our food came, we had no beverages because it took so long to get a remake of the original round. After finishing dinner, Alex questioned the method of payment after she was told twice to charge one card, asked us if we were sure we didn't want to split it? I tried not to laugh, but I think I understood why she asked this and hoped it wasn't because we were two ethnic women. Of course I'll be back, I just hope things improve. The hostess checked on us she was great!
  19. EmilyS

    Philadelphia

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Iconic venue that is a must-do New York destination!
  20. OpenTable Diner

    San Antonio

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 6, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    All of the staff were very friendly and accommodating. The food was good. I had the chicken kebabs, and they tasted great, but they were a little dry. The grilled vegetables were excellent. But the ambience and the house band made up for everything. The house band put on a show that was incomparable. I definitely would recommend going for the food and staying to hear the house band.
  21. Andy

    Vancouver

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 4, 2022

    overall1food2service1ambience3
    Good venue to grab some food before heading to the Comedy Cellar. However, the food came late which caused a delay for us entering the Comedy Cellar and the waitress who promised we could use the inside entrance to enter the Comedy Cellar screwed us over and we had to line up outside to get in.
  22. JanP

    Warwickshire

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on December 4, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great location- comedy cellar below & Cafe Wha? Steps away!
  23. LPark

    New York Area

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 2, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Great ambience and decent food, we booked for a pre dinner before going down to the comedy cellar for a 7pm showing which worked great. Definitely recommended.
  24. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 29, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    It was great experience as always.
  25. Dean

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 22, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent place for a chill meal. I highly suggest the Middle Eastern Platter, the falafel, and the borscht. The Charlie Chaplin films being projected, the chalkboard tables, and sightings of well-known comedians chilling out before they play downstairs at the Comedy Cellar all provide an awesome ambience that accentuates the amazing food.
  26. ClaudiaP

    New York Area

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 29, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    Enjoyed the lentil soup and a beer. Convenient location for comedy club.
  27. CarlP

    Detroit

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 19, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience5
    Very cool spot. Interesting crowd and surprisingly solid food for a spot where you might expect to just see a pub menu.
  28. VinceA

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 30, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Hector was fantastic. The food was great.
  29. JoeP

    Baltimore

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The Olive Tree experience augmented the good time of the Comedy Cellar. Our server was fantastic and could not have done more. The food was very good as well.
  30. KennethL

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 6, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent!! Food was great. Service was outstanding!!
  31. OpenTable Diner

    Norfolk

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 15, 2022

    overall4food5service3ambience3
    Food was really stunning, had the lamb stew and the apple pie. Service a bit slow to start with but friendly. Nice location.
  32. VickiH

    New England

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 7, 2022

    overall3food4service2ambience3
    Food was very good but the menus on line was completely different from the one in the restaurant . Wait staff not very friendly.
  33. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 5, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and service
  34. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 3, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Perfect! Everything was perfect.
  35. JamesR

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 26, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food + saw some of the comedians. Got a picture with Jim Norton who was as nice as could be.
  36. MaryGrace

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    First time going to the Olive Tree. We were pleasantly surprised at how good it was! Great ambiance, food was delicious although a limited menu, great drinks and wonderful service. It was very reasonable for NYC! We would definitely return. Our dinner was early at 6 to catch a 7:30 show. They had several tables of people but it was quiet. I would imagine that later it might get more noisy as it filled up.
  37. Thursday

    Toronto

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 21, 2022

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    Great service from Jacqlyn and the team organizing the after dinner crowd to the Comedy Cellar
  38. PamelaE

    New York Area

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 18, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I have been going here since I was 19. Will always love Olive Tree
  39. Stevechef

    New York Area

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 3, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    Just finished a show at the underground and having read a nice story online about the Israeli chef decided to book in here for our meal afterwards. The combination of Israeli food with some North American influences was great. The medley platter of dips, olives, peppers etc with pita was excellent. The quality of the very basic Israeli salad of tomato and cucumber far outweighs its simple description as it is always a great accompaniment to the flavours and spices of the Middle East. We also had the crab cakes which were very good as well. As a fan of all things stand-up, it was awesome to see many comedians in there (in between sets grabbing some sustenance), listening in on the “workings of the comedy culture” as they bounced ideas off of one another or were just catching up with old comedy friends as they all cross cross the country doing comedy shows. For an awesome meal combined with a hip vibe (I was old In there at 53) and some awesome “people watching” this place can’t be beat. I do have one negative though but it’s combined with an extremely interesting positive……the bathrooms were atrocious. Now, you may be wondering how something so bad could have a good side…..well, to get to the bathroom, one has to walk through the original comedy cellar in the basement……yep, right in front of the stage…..so, you get the nostalgia of being in such an iconic spot and hopefully you don’t get picked on by whomever is on stage! Lol
  40. NadineG

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on June 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great food good prices . Love the Crispy Cauliflower. The drinks are good. The restaurant has been open for a long time and they deserve it.

FAQs

The Olive Tree Cafe is rated 4.6 stars by 204 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

9:30 PM


Booked 11 times today
Google Map for The Olive Tree Cafe

117 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012

Additional information

  • Cross street

    Minetta Lane

  • Neighborhood

    Greenwich Village

  • Hours of operation

    Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–1:15 am Fri–Sun 4:00 pm–2:45 am

  • Cuisines

    Mediterranean, Comfort Food, American

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Business Casual

  • Parking details

    Street Parking

  • Public transit

    A/C/E/B/D/F/M to W 4th St stop

  • Payment options

    AMEX, MasterCard, Visa

  • Entertainment

    Live music every Friday evening from 10pm -2am

  • Additional

    Bar Dining, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Weekend Brunch

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Cookie Preferences
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