Cafe Olive in South Lakeland

Great food, friendly personable staff, fair prices, nice location.

We called in as it looked nice from the street when we walked past. Lovely warm welcome and a nice explanation of the food. We ordered food and drinks. Wow we were not disappointed. Amazing food, fresh, hot and amazing tasty. Finished with baklava which was tasty and sticky. From start to finish an amazingly tasty meal, we will be back. Complements to the chef.

Truly a great cafe for breakfast or lunch and almost all naturally gluten-free.

Thank you to Cafe Olive for providing us with an excellent 'feast' take away evening meal for 12. It was delicious!

Lovely little cafe. Came in for a small bite and warm drinks. Staff were so friendly and attentive. Would recommend the fresh juices, turkish apple tea and the figs. Can also buys little turkish bits n bobs for he cooking. All reasonably priced.

Only able to manage one visit on this trip but it was, always bright and busy - for a good reason - the food is stunning and the owners a delightful dynamic duo. We have had lunch here often in previous years and will no doubt do so again. The Lentil soup, teamed with a Borek was perfect and the slow cooked lamb in a Ciabatta roll is another favourite. Thank you again and see you in 2024!

Food,staff and atmosphere..can’t go wrong..absolutely stunning food..got it bang on..loved it

Lovely people and great cutomer service. Every dish was fabulous, fresh tasting and delicious. Really good value, a mezze box goes a long way. Looking forward to next visit

Amazing vegetarian food, best hosts, must visit

We had been to this lovely establishment a day prior and had some amazing tapas. Included was hummus, carrot salad and stuffed vine leaves! Delicious. Today we had two superb latte's which surpassed my expectations by a coffee mile. It was hands down the best latte of my adult life. We also had two vegan boreks, these scrumptious savoury pastries were the highlight of our morning. Thank you for your wonderful service, you are a pillar of the Kendal community. Keep up the good work.

We had a wonderful lunch: delicious, fresh & unusual food combined with brilliant, friendly service. Lentil soup was wonderfully flavoursome, wholesome and tasty. The boreks were so fresh and tasted fantastic and the salads were delicious too. The cafe is a gem; well worth seeking out. One of the best.

Amazing turkish food and cafe. Mostly vegan and vegetarian homemade turkish food.

I’ve met members of my family here on half a dozen occasions now and it never fails to impress with the good quality of the food. The cafe is quite small but instead of this making it feel cramped it makes it feel more intimate and friendly and the couple who run it are more than happy to help with any questions that visitors have. I’ll definitely be back again.

What can I say about Café Olive except... if you're in Kendal, eat here! This was our fourth visit. First, by accident, second, third, and fourth visits by design! It's a treat and a revelation all in one! Go early, though, so you get plenty of choice from their gorgeous menu! Once it's gone, it's gone! Traditional Turkish food, so don't expect chips, but you absolutely won't regret it! Plenty for G Effers, like my chap(GF) to enjoy, too! You feel like you're abroad even on a rainy afternoon in Cumbria! Taste sensations in a relaxed atmosphere with great service! Takeaway offer is also tremendous! Just go!

Lots of the people in this café seemed to be friends with the serving staff, I can see why because they are very friendly! From what I remember of Turkish food, the offerings here are authentic and there’s a lovely range of Turkish deli products on sale too as well as carpets. Get there earlier than we did, if you want to try the Borwick as it had sold out, but my imam bayildi was delicious, and much nicer than I’ve had it elsewhere. My husband liked the place so much that he went there for breakfast and insisted we went for lunch too, which is saying something!

We first visited Cafe Olive as my sister is a gluten intolerant vegan, this ticked the box. I am a dedicated meat eater but still visit every time we visit Kendal. Even as a meat eater would recommend the vegetarian mossaka. The cafe, though small, has a friendly welcoming atmosphere and the owners are very friendly and helpful with hints and tips on what to eat. Definitely our favourite eating place in Kendal

We were looking for a takeaway lunch with a difference on our drive from Kendal up into the Scottish Highlands. The Meze and Borek combo went down a treat as a picnic on the shores of Loch Lomond. The team at Cafe Olive were a great help as we chose from their more than reasonab;y priced menu and made useful suggestions about what made a good combo. Way better than a service station lunch ... hopefully we will be back again soon.

Hands up, we picked this place because of the great reviews - and our high expectations were exceeded! What lovely people too, thank you both for making us feel welcome and able to relax and take our time, even though it was a busy Saturday lunchtime. The food was beyond delicious and we can’t wait for our next trip to the lakes so that we can visit again.

Came here with my wife for breakfast and had a lovely time. Staff were very friendly and approachable. Will definitely be returning!

We were on our way to Scotland for a week and wanted to stop for lunch. I found this on TripAdviser and chose it on the basis of reviews. I had the Mediterranean veg with hummus on Sourdough and my OH had the Lamb Ciabatta. Mine was warm, tasty, filling and honestly delicious. The lamb looked dry when it arrived, and I could see he was a bit worried that he’d chosen badly. I’m veggie so can’t judge but one bite and it was declared superb, tender, moist and really tasty. Not dry at all! Definitely recommend for tasty Turkish and Mediterranean food, with an excellent vegan and veggie choice.

We came across Cafe Olive this morning for breakfast, absolutely tremendous. The coffee and baklava was delicious. And the Turkish breakfast was so good. The service was brilliant and we were made to feel very welcome by the owners. It’s a beautiful little place and I can’t recommend it enough

Should be number one in Kendal, had lovely service and a delicious meal. Wishing this restaurant nothing but success for the future!

10/10 recommend if visiting the Kendal area, wonderful food and amazing service. No faults at all, thank you!

We stopped in Kendal en route to Offa's Dyke, expecting to find a fairly standard lunch offering and were blown away to come across this welcoming, delicious Turkish cafe. The food was a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds : the flavours and textures were sublime. I bought a take away lunch box, which added lunchtime joy to the first two days of our walk. Superb, if you enjoy mediterranean food!

An absolute must visit. Delicious food, tasty coffee, friendly staff. Great for coeliacs with plenty of Gf choices, and the nicest gf cake I’ve had in a long time. The mezze was gorgeous, the carrot and turmeric a highlight!

Called for lunch mid week with my husband and 2 children age 17 & 11. Lovely friendly staff and delicious food. The mezze selection is fab and would definitely recommend. The Baklava is divine. Will definitely visit again.

This food was ABSOLUTELY DELISH!!!! fresh healthy Turkish dishes, plenty of vegan options and all well labelled, I'd be here every week if I was local. Keep up the good work!

The food is delicious, the service outstanding and the setting is spot on. If you visit Kendal, this is the place to visit.

This place is fantastic. Lovely food, excellent service and good value. A must visit if you're in Kendal.

Lovely little cafe. The food is delicious and the service was brilliant. Hoping to visit again on my trip home for some take away hummus!

Superb. We have a light snack. It's friendly informal, food is super quick and is of a very high quality. Soup especially is recommended.

Our first visit here, and it won’t be our last! A delicious selection of Turkish cuisine, including meze, Borek and soup. Generous helpings provided and served by the friendly a d helpful owners made this a lovely lunch experience.

Final visit on this trip and it was fabulous as always. TheLamb Ciabatta is a sure winner but I tried the breakfast Menemem, scrambled eggs but not as we know them Jim! The blend of eggs, delicately sautéed onions, capsicum, courgette and spices. I added...

Not sure why it took us so long to try, however had a really wonderful brunch, great selection of cold Mezes all freshly made on site, served with a nice warm pitta, also a selection of Turkish sweets, I tried the figs which were spot...

I had the lamb ciabatta which was honestly the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. The lamb was plentiful with no fat to be seen and all elements of the sandwich was tasty and top quality. The Mrs had a mezze of cacik,...

Our second visit on this trip and it simply served to confirm our opinion that this is the best place for lunch in Kendal. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Food - just delicious and the only problem is deciding what to have today! I...

I've eaten at Cafe Olive twice now, a year apart. Each time the borek filled with spinach and mushrooms (vegan!) and the babaganoush have been divine. It's so good I took some home with me to Scotland (having been on a day work trip). The...

Loved our visit. We only stopped in for coffee and cake but it was a treat. Good friendly and efficient service. The bathrooms, which are in the basement are a treat - spotlessly clean, lovely cool air and nicely decorated.

great place to visit in kendal, very tasty food and the meatballs was amazing, food was fresh and delicious

Been here several times and the food is always fantastic. Meze always available and very tasty. Meatballs a staple of the menu and very popular in our household. The lamb ciabatta sandwich is also always good. Staff are lovely and friendly.

Excellent food, varied menu, something different for breakfast! Really enjoyed it.

cozy cafe with wide selection of tasty bites.

This is my favourite place to buy food probably anywhere. The staff are so helpful and friendly, they offered great advice on sourcing Tulum cheese for a recipe I wanted to try. The chocolate browine is THE BEST - like sooooooo good. And I do not know the name but they do these filo pastry cheese things and I literally dream about them - I could eat them FOREVER (and ever and ever)

Absolutely everything was 💯 home made and first class, can't believe you can get a mezzie, main course and afters for two people for £33... cant recommend it highly enough

It’s been great to catch up with this regular haunt again. The atmosphere is friendly and the food is fresh and delicious. The Turkish house wine is excellent too.

Wonderful spot for brunch. Friendly and welcoming staff plus a great selection of food both for eat-in and takeaway. Shakshuka is a winner!!

Great, authentic, food and good vibe in a small venue.

I enjoyed a delicious lunch last week at Olive Cafe and felt very welcome and comfortable. The dish of the day, lentil moussaka, was totally scrummy. The take away mezze to eat later were wonderfully delicious also. I arrived at noon for lunch and when...

So glad that this fabulous family run cafe has survived the pandemic. We never look for anywhere else to eat when we travel to Kendal of a day out from Cheshire. All the food is delicious and prepared by Sarah’s Turkish husband. We both chose...

Really good choice of very nice meze and Turkish pies. Will go back.

I loved the meatballs and the desserts , they were the caramel shortbread and the revani cake. And my mummy had the lamb ciabatta and meze and said it was amazing. By Norma age 9

A great place to eat and drink. A fantastic choice of tasty food and coffee. Friendly and well informed staff. Will visit again when in Kendal. 🤗

Just owns always spot on aswell food love coming here see you guys again soon

Fantastic food. A perfect late lunch stew.

I had a good lunch here. Really tasty food for a reasonable price. The staff were very nice also.

The only place for a great authentic Turkish feast. All fresh and all delicious. Great coffee and genuinely lovely owners.

Fabulous meze and wine, this place has everything you need to make your taste buds sing…. Great service outstanding food.

Lovely friendly family buainess, great fresh food. Really good coffee. Fabulous pastries & salads as well as a daily special to eat in or take away. Also a small selection of Turkish gifts/groceries available to buy.

Noticed this place on Tripadvisor which had no poor or terrible reviews. After visiting this place you can see why. Exceptional food and service. Clean, tidy and spacious seating. Would definitely revisit unfortunately not local. Perhaps another visit to Kensal should be arranged.

We visited this lovely cafe in Kendal in half term our visit in lake district. There something for everyone, it has great variety for vegans and vegetarians. We had two different kind of borek which is pastries with meat and vegetarian filling. Also tried the...

Absolutely delicious. I’ve eaten a lot of Turkish food and this is right up there. Great range, lovely ingredients and lovely staff too. The lamb ciabatta and lentil soup were both lovely. Highly recommended.

Absolutely delicious Turkish food. Great value and great staff. Everything was lovely - especially the lentil soup and lamb ciabatta.

Friendly service with excellent veggie moussaka and good coffee.

Had a very good take-away. The meze were superb, especially the fritters and the carrot salad with prunes and apricots - pure heaven. We also had two good main courses but were a little disappointed with the lentil moussaka which had sliced potato instead of...

Small cafe, only had a coffee which was VERY nice. Inviting and friendly, would recommend it.

Whilst staying in Kendal we popped in here just intending a coffee and once we clapped eyes on their amazing meze selection that was lunch sorted. We also ordered the takeawayTurkish feast at £30 for 2 for the following evening. Well wow it was all...

Lovely food, coffe & owners... We had coffee here whilst staying in Kendal. The food looked so nice we grabbed a Meze to share for lunch. It was so nice we had their 3 course takeaway meal for dinner the following day. The food is fabulous and generous portions. Highly recommended and will be back when we stay on Kendal again.

What a lovely friendly little place, great fresh Mediterranean themed menu

Brilliant as before. Great to return

Very tasty, freshly cooked Turkish/Mediterranean breakfast. A husband and wife business. Very polite and friendly. The husband is Turkish and was in the kitchen, doing all the hard work :-) A very welcoming and friendly gentleman. He and the tasty food reminded us of Antalya. They could do with a larger premises, as they were having to turn people away, due to no tables being available.

Lovely hot mezze plates and plenty of hummus and pita bread with a nice glass of wine. Feeling the holiday vibe!

Staying in a self-catering cottage we ordered an absolute feast of a takeaway from Sarah & Farit at Cafe Olive. Great communication, comprehensive instructions (heating, serving & allergens) and well packaged. The borec selection (4 different flavours) was lovely, the 5 mezes we ordered were...

I had a take away for 2- Mezze selection- mains of koftas and pudding of baklava. All were delicious. Really enjoyed it. Can’t recommend enough. Lovely to eat. Turkish Fayre at home.

Excellent, fresh, tasty salad meze with mostly veggie or vegan options. Authentic borek, again with veggie or vegan fillings. Hot main courses. Eat in and takeaway available. Highly recommend a trip!

Fabulous food, lots of veggie and vegan options, all freshly prepared and super friendly staff - what more can you ask for :)

Very friendly staff, highly recommend the bourak

Very friendly and food fresh and delicious.

we had the baked eggs with spicy Turkish sausage and Turkish coffee. Delicious and such lovely and friendly service. Worth a visit.

This establishment serves coffee and other hot drinks as well as cold drinks. They have a very tasty Meze choice for sit down or take away. There are also freshly baked goodies like baklava and semolina orange cake. Majority of menu caters for GF, Vegan , Vegeterian with a small tiny bit for the meat eaters. Friendly service, would recommend.

Always made welcome at Cafe Olive, such lovely people. A great selection of mezze and a most impressive collection of gluten free cakes.

Absolutely delicious food and great service. Would definitely recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cafe Olive - a Turkish, Mediterranean style food eatery - yesterday, by myself, with my 4 Meze selections, pitta bread, 1 Lamb Burek, and Apricot juice in a can, which came to £14.50. All the ingredients had a lot of time, care and love put in to them, and tasted super fresh; very refreshing on a hot summers day. The staff were very attentive to my needs, and did a great job of describing the types of food they had on offer at the counter, as I was a newcomer. Whilst definitely on the more expensive side of takeway/ dine in food in Kendal, I think it was definitely worth the price paid, and had a lasting effect on me, after I’d left the cafe. We definitely need more businesses like this in Kendal, who have a love for good food.

Lovely homemade baklava. I always treat myself to some baklava to take-away on the weekend, these are very authentic. Would highly recommend.

Lovely place lots of Vegan options too. Fantastic coffee as well.

The lamb borek had just come out of the oven, so we just had to try those as part of our take away. The smell was delicious and they didn’t disappoint . Overall we took a selection of borek’s , meze’s and a portion of guvec ( casserole) I would definitely recommend it as a good way to try if you have never had Turkish food before. Couldn’t resist the baklava either. I love that your now selling different Turkish spices etc and bits to use at home. Glad to see your back again, great friendly service.

We were passing through Kendal from the Lakes, fancied coffee and this cafe looked appealing. It was so lovely. The couple running it were great, all the food looked tasty - would happily have tried it all. The non-food items also looked good. Can’t recommend this place highly enough!

Lovely place with fantastic food.

Excellent home made food, the only downside is that we don't live near by. Will definitely go back next time we are in the area.

Milkshake here was out of this world!!

Incredible food. The staff were amazing, the food was delicious and the coffee was wonderful. The cafe is super cute. Will definitely be back.

We’d booked as we were coming from an hour away and had read that sometimes you needed to, would’nt normally for a cafe but wanted to try here because of the very good reviews and as we were in town for a gig at the leisure centre 29/02/20. We were met coming in with a smile from a lovely lady who also went out of her way to explain the menu and the set up for ordering as it’s slightly different to other cafes, the Turkish influenced food was a joy and would highly recommend coming here if you like that type of food. We love Greek food and this is very similar , will definitely come here next time in town,wish it was closer for us.

Following trip advisor reviews we decided to try Cafe Olive. We were not disappointed. Fantastic mezze, followed by lemon tart which was zingy and fresh. I just had to try the baklava...it was amazing.

Lovely relaxed atmosphere with friendly staff. Just a lovely place to sit and enjoy a beverage and food 🙂. I had the Sucuklu Yumurta - spicy sausage and fried eggs, with sourdough. Very tasty.

We only stopped for a light lunch of soup, coffee and cake, but all were delicious. The Turkish coffee was served with Turkish delight, an added bonus!

First time visit equalled first class experience. Lovely food (both mains and Meze), pleasant service and priced reasonably. The place was very busy with every table taken so obviously has a good reputation. Simple but excellent.

Love it here! The staff are always so friendly and welcoming, they serve excellent coffee and the chefs make the most delicious choice of mezes (especially the hummus)

Our favourite place to visit in Kendal. Always the best food and staff pleasant as ever. Excited to go back again

A eat here quite often. Always tasty fresh food and great service. Soup and filo parcel so good and meze choice fantastic. Friday early evening three course meal great value and super food. Highly recommended

So I walk in after wet windly day I had amzing warm welcome coming in cafe I had soup off the day was red lentil soup as well as flat white Which all so nice I hope see you again soon I further with my other half next time

After reading the reviews on Cafe Olive, I decided to give it a try when I was in the area. I opted for the Turkish sausage and fried eggs with sourdough toast. It was absolutely fantastic. Its a very cosy place, friendly staff and very reasonable prices. Highly recommended.