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Oleana

134 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA | Map it  

02139 42.370500 -71.097100

(617) 661-0505 | View Website

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Review Highlights

ambiance
100%
“Food, service, and ambience were great”
dessert
93%
“like the crab cakes, but the egg lemon sauce was a bit thick and bland.”
drinks
85%
“The wines are reasonable priced.”
food quality
90%
“Our tasting menu started off with a Cucumber Spoon Salad with Sorrel Ice, which was one of the most unique and refreshing dishes I've ever had--perfect for a warm spring evening!”
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menu variety
100%
“Our waiter was very good and the menu was one of the most interesting I have seen in a long time.”
overall
100%
“It is my new favorite restaurant in the Boston area.”
service
78%
“good food, bad service”
value
65%
“don't mind spending some money for a great meal.”
wait time
33%
“We had delicious [white] Sangria--I've never had it that way before. It's expensive, but it goes towards the food quality, apparently. The service was a bit slow (though polite); it” View Less

Reviews for Oleana

bffoodie

Member since Jan, 2010 View Profile
13Reviews
2Photos
Joined 2 years ago
5.0
February 08, 2010

Oleana: Flavors of Turkey and the Mediterranean. The food at Oleana is exceptional. Everything has several layers of spices and flavors that all work amazingly well together and each bite exposes new tastes. The food is unique and fresh and perfectly balanced. In the summer many come for the gorgeous garden, and even on a cool night the lamps keep you warm and blankets are on hand to fight the chill.

Everyone deserves to eat at least one meal here in their life.

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lsarao

Member since Mar, 2009 View Profile
20Reviews
0Photos
Joined 3 years ago
4.0
June 08, 2009

Amazing Vegetarian Tasting Menu. After wanting to try Oleana for a long time, I finally got my wish! My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to score a table on the patio for a terrific spring evening meal! Because we both wanted to try a little of everything, we decided to split the Vegetarian Tasting Menu plus a couple of appetizers. At our waitress's recommendation, we ordered the Lamb & Eggplant Dumpling with Garlic Yogurt & Everything Green and the Spinach Falafel with Tahini, Yogurt, Beets & Cress. Both were absolutely delicious!

Our tasting menu started off with a Cucumber Spoon Salad with Sorrel Ice, which was one of the most unique and refreshing dishes I've ever had--perfect for a warm spring evening! After that they brought grilled asparagus with a honeydew melon salsa and goat cheese. This was hands down my favorite course! Next came a dish of fried zucchini in a creamy tomato sauce. Scrumptious! And then Spicy Fideos & Chick Peas with Green Chard & Orange Aioli. This dish was very complex and almost overpowering. It was actually my least favorite of the tasting, but at that point I was so full I could barely eat another bite--that was, of course, until our dessert came! Sesame Ice Cream, Sesame Cashew Bar & Roasted Pineapple with Pineapple Granité --Oh my god, was I in heaven? I almost swiped the entire plate and at the entire thing myself, it was that good!

For all that, two glasses of wine and two bottles of sparkling water, our bill only came to just over $100! I thought it was a very reasonable price for everything we ate! I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to everyone!

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BostonAshley

Member since Nov, 2008 View Profile
5Reviews
0Photos
Joined 4 years ago
5.0
January 13, 2009

My favorite restaurant. Sit on the patio in the summer and be transported to Europe. Freshest locally sourced ingredients, wonderful staff and amazing Mediterranean food. Love it!

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Eric Grossman

Member since Aug, 2003 View Profile
1k+Reviews
0Photos
Joined 9 years ago
4.5
July 21, 2008

Exotic Mediterranean flavors contribute to one of the city's most innovative menus.. The Scene
Located on a quiet residential street, just off Inman Square, Oleana is the restaurant of choice for Cambridge's bookish, professional types. While reservations are taken (and are a must) for the romantic, earth-toned dining room, those hoping to dine on the lovely garden patio usually join a waiting list and pass the time with a drink in the intimate bar. Service, though consistently knowledgeable and friendly, is often stretched when the patio's open.

The Food

Chef-owner Ana Sortun delves into the ingredients and methods of Armenia, Egypt and Morocco to take diners on a uniquely palatable journey. Typical is an appetizer of fried mussels and hot peppers with nutty Turkish tarator sauce, or an entree of Sicilian swordfish with couscous and rhubarb jam. Don't leave before trying one of acclaimed pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick's inventive creations, like Baked Alaska with coconut ice cream and passion fruit caramel.

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prustitant

Member since Jun, 2008 View Profile
5Reviews
0Photos
Joined 4 years ago
5.0
June 29, 2008

Pure perfection!. The experience I had at Oleana was truly divine! The evening started by chatting with a friendly floor manager (who kindly explained to us the phone line problem that particular evening, which made reservations a bit complicated, but not impossible). While waiting for our table, me and my date enjoyed a lovely glass of wine from the bar area in the back. The restaurant itself is small, cozy, and so comfortable, almost as if you're in a large dining room of a wealthy friend who also has an excellent, reserved, practical sense of decor and design. Our table was placed in a nook at the southwest corner of the restaurant. While it was a little close to the people to my left, the area was extremely romantic, and so perfect for the evening!

All in all the food was surprisingly delicate, fresh, and flavorful! For the pret a manger, we had the spicy carrot puree and the Armenian bean and walnut pate. The pate sounds so simple, yet it is one of the most divine meal experiences I have ever had the pleasure to receive! Then for the appetizer, we had crab cakes with egg lemon sauce. I like the crab cakes, but the egg lemon sauce was a bit thick and bland. For the entree, I had the scallops, which were absolutely perfect. Extremely flavorful and the perfect tenderness. The waitstaff was friendly and professional!! All in all, what a perfect experience!!

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