Aceituna Grill in Cambridge - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Fresh and delicious food, excellent flavors and very courteous staff

Aceituna catered my daughter’s engagement party, and everyone enjoyed the food so much that there were no leftovers! Everything was delicious! Additionally, the catering staff (Chris and Gina) could not have been more helpful and patient with me! I would totally recommend Aceituna for a delicious memorable event!

Can I spoil myself once a week here? Yes!! Do you like crazy spicy? Get the spicy potatoes. They are atomic and awesome. I mostly prefer the chicken shwarma plate. Don't get the regular chicken, get spicy. Ironically, the spicy chicken is not spicy, but rather more flavorful. Pro tip, get the garlic sauce (don't pay extra, they have a pump) and mix it with everything including your two delicious sides. The only weak part of this place is the lame pita. Saloniki's pita rocks in comparison.

They've gotten so expensive, they've really shrunk the falafels to almost nothing, and they keep leaving things off my order. One nice thing, their worsening value and quality has gotten rid of the long lines they used to have.

Lousy food, among the worst Mediterranean fast food I’ve had

They have the rotating thing for the meats, good sauces, and it's reasonably priced. Overall solid and now I don't have to go in to Boston for good shawarma.

The best chicken shawarma in the world. This is my favorite dish. They also have kunafa. They also have other types of food.

Great place for a casual Mediterranean lunch.

In 2024 it's consistently horrible. Used to come here all the time years ago. They don't even slice the chicken shawarma when you're ordering anymore. They exclusively give you cold dry chicken sliced hours or a day ago. More options in the area now. Goodbye cold dry 15$ chicken.

This was the first time at the Newbury location and the food dis not fail to tease our senses. The salads were all fresh with a good choice of sides . The beef/ lamb option was moist and delicious . The babganoush had a nice smoky flavor of the charred eggplant .The serving sizes are well proportioned. The bread was soft and melt in your mouth quality . I grew up eating this type of food and this comes a close second for a delicious and healthy fast food option.

Food was below average (average at best). We went to the one at Newbury street. Ordered rice + chicken shawarma + baba ganoush and spicy potatoes. The spicy potatoes were too sour and so was the baba ganoush. Rice and chicken were below average in taste. The chicken was dry and tasteless. Except for the rice, everything was cold. Shawarmas always come with a garlic sauce which was missing here. I was asked my choice of sauce but the only garlic based option given to me was garlic mayo and that really didn't work well. We kind of struggled to finish it. I won't recommend it.

A lot of what should be hot was cold.. roasted cauliflower at refrigerator temperature and chicken was at room temperature.. cold pita.. concerned about food safety tbh, what kind of Mediterranean is this? 🤣

This is a very good, casual and inexpensive Mediterranean restaurant. Service is quick. My rice plate was quite good and very filling.

Clean, spartan decor with counter service with food displayed on steam table. White rice bowl with spicy chicken with 2 sides, pita bread and a side sauce for $15 plus tax was a good-sized meal. Could have been hotter temperature-wise as often happens with steam tables. Thin, thin slices of chicken were not really very spicy. French fries could have spent a bit more time in the Fryolator. Pita bread could have been fresher. And I learned something, please forgive my ignorance: Middle Eastern moussaka is a vegetarian dish served cold unlike the heated Greek version with ground beef. In spite of my tough critique still much better food with real ingredients than one would get by spending the same amount at McDonald's or another fast food chain. Probably not a bad place for lunch for those who work in the area.

Food was good for how the place looked.

Love the food at Aceituna, been coming here for over a decade, delicious!

The meet is very dry and tasteless. The place itself is not very clean and has a feel of a public foodcourt

Food quality and choices were very good 👍🏼

The food was delicious. I was treated well and the place looked clean, but some hours after eating the food from here, I was throwing up so much. I was feeling completely fine before. I came to the conclusion that I had a severe case of food poisoning from here. The food was uncovered and it wasn't being watched properly as there were not many employees that I saw, and the ones that I did see were talking to other employees. I advise to be cautious eating here. I ate a shawarma (a Pita roll-up). Please don't eat the shawarmas please.

Love this place. You walk in, select your meal type and sides. In and out real quick even on the busiest days. Incredibly tasty. I usually go with the rice and beef plate with spicy potatoes and fattoush. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Be sure to get the garlic/spicy mayo sauce too!

Food isn't what it use to be. Got chicken rice plate and spicy chicken rice plate. No garlic sauce given with chicken (nor was I asked if I would like that sauce which traditionally comes with it). Spicy chicken is no longer marinated, they now just add a spicy sauce on top of the regular chicken. Salads (fatoush and Greek) no longer have lettuce in them, just way too much green peppers. Baqlawa was dry.

Great tabouli and very good shawarma!!!

It was closed by 2 pm today. Please update Google maps in such cases so it we'll warn us

The quality recently took a dive. I got a chicken shawarma plate and the meat was mostly skin.

Upon receiving my Uber eats order from aceituna grill kendall, I opened my bag and was very excited to enjoy my lunch at work, the chicken was literally raw, and the baklava was super dry, the falafels were the size of olives, and the chicken made me absolutely sick and I instantly threw up after, it was an absolute horrible experience, first and last time

This was some of the best shawarma I’ve ever had. Very creamy and zesty garlic sauce!

Love the Shawarma chicken plate and falafel roll up. Food is always fresh.

Overall not a bad place to eat. We came on a Saturday one hour before closing and they were getting ready to shut down the operations. The Chicken meat was precut instead of being cut directly from the rotating block of marinated chicken on the shawarma stand. The tabouleh tasted okay. Again, it was the end of the day and I am sure that if you came for lunch or during busy times the food might be fresher.

This place has been going downhill for a while. Have returned to this location after 3~ years. Chicken pieces size is pretty big, sometimes the inside might not be cooked properly or spice’s doesn’t get in, tastes very bland. I hope the old aceituna that I used to salivate returns soon. Also gotten pretty expensive

I dont like to give one star , but really what happened to this place use to be clean and tasty food , miserable employees and the food just ok , very disappointed

They arguably have the BEST sauce in the whole city, it is a spicy pink creamy sauce (not too spicy!). If you visit any of the locations in the city, be sure to get an extra side!

It’s pretty good for a quick stop, food was tasty and was good for when you need a quick light healthier stop while in a rush

About as mediocre as it gets. Food wasn’t even hot.

Great place for Mediterranean food , the food very tasty and clean

Very crowded during lunch, but there are places to eat outside. Food is great.

Great service, good food, very noisy and busy at lunch, better seating outside across from restaurant

Great lunch spot around KENDALL SQ and M.I.T. East Cambridge and the galleria mall greek Mediterranean and middle eastern foods very busy but the line moves quickly… great service from a very attentive owner/ manager definitely recommend

Amazing place, great unique flavors. Packed with so much for what you’re paying for. Absolutely worth going to

The food was cold, meat was chewy, haven’t been in this place for a few years but we went back again to check it out again recently and it was a big disappointment The working staff were nice and attentive.

The best Mediterranean food nearby!! So fresh, unique and right balance of spices.

For fast food, its good. The restaurant does not look clean.

Nice relaxing place good food, great place to meet up for lunch and or simply to enjoy a quick meal. I do recommend!

Very poor and bad experience this olace is not like before order spicy chicken plate it's cold rice with a cold and dry chicken and tasteless sauce as spicy hummus is definitely the worst ever i was always happy when i visit but definitely something big changed i think they can't handle more then one branch the only good thing the guy behind the counter Mohamed he try to help as much as he can but actually there's nothing to do

Very poor and bad experience this olace is not like before order spicy chicken plate it's cold rice with a cold and dry chicken and tasteless sauce as spicy hummus is definitely the worst ever i was always happy when i visit but definitely something big changed i think they can't handle more then one branch

Was in town from DC. Stopped for lunch incredible.

Chicken rice plates and great for your Med diet

Some of the best cauliflower I've ever had, and incredible food all around!

Went there with a friend. I got so bummed since I highly recommend it, but this place is NOT the OLD Aceituna. They must have changed owner, definitely never going there again!!! I got chicken rice plate and my friend got beef rice plate. Chicken was dry and tasteless and the beef looked like a cardboard, she didn’t even finish it. Humus tasted weird out of can like taste, I got extra tzatziki which they charged + $2, and it didn’t taste fresh ☹️ I remember this place was vibrant and sparkling clean, not anymore! Dusty windows, employees didn’t look happy, everything looked miserable 😩 I have never given negative reviews, but this place needs to step up the quality quite a bit.

Best shawarma I’ve had in the US! Such an amazing find!

Simply the best. Delicious food, friendly staff, and a great location for a healthy and quick lunch. Quality and service that is unmatched and always exceeds expectations!

I’ve tried so many shawarmas in Boston, this place has the best chicken shawarma in Boston 🫶 if you want to try the authentic shawarma taste, order it this way: spicy chicken (it’s not too spicy but has a better flavor than the regular chicken) add fries, pickles and garlic sauce, nothing more, definitely no salad in the shawarma 🙃 try it and enjoy the best chicken shawarma in Boston 🙏

Would eat here again! It is an informal counter service restaurant perfect for a healthier workday lunch. I got the chicken shawarma pita roll which was fantastic. Really recommend the garlic sauce! I went on a weekday during lunch time and the place was super busy. I felt a little rushed while ordering but everything else was great.

Delish beef and lamb with light seasoning. Fast service and pricing is comparable for the Kendall area.

Great place to have a quick bite with many Mediterranean healthy options. Lots of great food combinations, and even though it gets busy at lunch time, the line goes really fast.

To dry lamp and and not freshly vegetables and food they serve from yesterday night in second day or may be before it.

Meat was very dry. Left a lot to desired in the taste

I came on a Saturday, everything tastes like leftovers from days ago.

Shawarma was very dry with no sauce present aside from at one end. There were barely any veggies despite having selected multiple veggies options, and fries were disappointing. Chicken felt dry and old.

Food was good, except the fried cauliflower was very cold.

My goto place in Kendall Square. Healthy, tasty and fine priced

Aceituna is absolutely fantastic! I'm a huge fan of their restaurants for lunches during the work week along with their catering. We used them last night for a larger event (60) people and they knocked it out of the park with food and service. Will definitely use again!

Great Middle Eastern variety and high quality in a make it like you want it setting. Service is fast and friendly.

Excellent quick service restaurant for shawarma and similar fare. Great service and helpful staff.

Food quality is good and it's halal. However, food is cold usually.

Tasty, but the meat was so over-tenderized it instantly dissolved in my mouth. I tend to buy food to enjoy eating it. Not sure if I'll get the beef/lamb shwarma again. The moussaka is delicious.

The meat is completely dry and cannot be eaten without drenching it in one of there sauces. This is by no means representative of Turkish food. MA does not have any quality Turkish food. NY is the closest place you can enjoy quality Turkish food. This place was embarrassing. I felt like I was eating cardboard. The people working there are nice, kind and friendly people - nothing against them.

Use to eat here when I worked nearby, chicken shawarma is great! Just like I remembered from 8 years ago.

Not sure how this place is getting rave reviews. I ordered the steak and lamb rice plate. The pita bread was not warm and chewy (at least 3 days old) and not worth the effort. The steak and lamb had an off taste. There is a unique flavour and taste when one orders lamb and meat, this was gross along with the sauces. Taziki wasn't refrigerated and also had an off taste. I had it to go and not worth the effort to return and find parking, i chucked after a few tastes. Very disappointed. Not at all Mediterranean food.

Got the beef and lamb rice plate, sides were spicy potatoes and veggies with cucumber and green peppers, (I forgot the name) it was flavorful and delicious, served on a line cafeteria style. Quick

I love their shawarmas. I consider myself a shawarma connaisser having grown up in the Middle East and Aceituna's shawarmas are by far the best I've had in the Boston area. They even put french fries inside the wrap if you ask them. The sauces are excellent as well. Very fast, casual and family friendly.

Average at best. Beef and lamb was dry and barely heated. Already fried falafel was reheated for 10 seconds in hot oil. Portion sizes we’re skimpy.

Been here a number of times for takeout, always good food and quick. The Shawarma is delicious.

Excellent overall. Really enjoyed the food. Great for lunch.

Always a lovely place for lunch. They may have increased their prices, but that’s to be expected with Kendall Square rent and inflation.

Friendly staff and great menu of chicken, beef and falafel dishes. Hummus with pita and several salad choices.

Good mediterranean food, good quantity

Good food and it's fast and easy. Usually you can get through the line quick. There aren't a lot of options here though. Regardless, it's a spot to pop in time to time.

Good place to take out but don't forget to ask pita bread when you order the plate.

Finally, shawarma that its meat tasted somewhat like what you eat in Lebanon.

Very friendly staff especially the one who helped us. Chicken shawarma was good but the meat one so chewy and hard way too far from the real shawarma.

great place to grab something quick. out of the three options i liked better the wrap they have, also thin the lamb/beef is better than the chicken dishes. On sides usually the french fries are fresh, liked the falafel and moussaka. Is not the best place for this food that i have tried, but is good., Will go back.

Warning: this is a somewhat weak 5/5. BUT! It's a very solid option for shawarma in the area, in a wasteland construction site of a town which seems to be completely devoid of good shawarma. So, here's to you Aceituna: the meetup and hookup spot for all engineers at MIT, and the home of a very solid quick meal option with great value and portion sizes.

Average Mediterranean fast food place. Got the beef & lamb rice plate with moussaka and fried cauliflower. Both beef and lamb were too dry and it would've been impossible to eat them without moussaka on the side. The sides on the other hand were great compared to the meats.

This is my favorite restaurant in Cambridge, and I often have my birthday meal here. I've lived in NYC for a few years and I've been to Turkey. Still this is the best chicken shawarma I've had!

Great food, service and management, very clean space 👌

Such an excellent lunch spot (though be warned the portions are large, I can go the rest of the day without eating). But seriously, great spot in Kendall Sq that usually has lines out the door on the weekday lunch crowd. I am religious on getting the spicy chicken shawarma rice plate (rice pilaf). The hummus is super authentic and I usually get the tabbouleh or the fattoush. I wish the fattoush was a bit more crunchy / crispy but still great. The best part of this place though, is there sauces. I can’t just choose one I go all in on the tahini, the house special pink spicy sauce, and their garlic sauce which you can usually just douse on top. Great place for Middle Eastern cuisine and fast! Follow me on IG for more recs @sophiaeaaats !

The food was terrible. Maybe it was because of my timing. The lamb was cold and sour, the rice was stiff, and the moussaka was iced cold.

Consistently awesome food and friendly folks :)

Whatever you order, top it with the garlicky spicy pink sauce. If your main dish isn't falafel, order a side of falafel.

Amazing Food however new worker hires do not add in the same amount of meat as the previous workers even when charged for extra meat so maybe just mention that to them, other than that 5 stars

My favorite middle eastern restaurant in Cambridge and Boston 😋

Excellent shawarma. Very clean and hospitable

I missed Aceituna lunches since shutdown. Just found out they deliver to the suburbs! And they delivered. Make sure you buy the extra pita for hummus if you're getting the meal for 2.

Its a good place for Mediterranean food.. if you are looking for shawarma or Arabic rice with yummy babaqanooj and delicious tabooleh this is the place for it 🥰👍🏻

I come here whenever I'm in the area for work. I really like their Greek salad with the beef and lamb Sharma. The spicy potatoes are really good too.

I absolutely love Aceituna. I've been to both locations - they are clean, trendy, and in great locations. The food is amazing and every time I go I am shocked at how fresh the ingredients are. The lines can be long at peak hours but they move VERY fast as the line is efficient. I always recommend this place to my friends!

This is a nice fast-casual lunch spot. Did online ordering and the food was ready on time. The place was empty when we walked in; our order was ready on a table by the door and there was a path marked to the exit so as to stay socially distanced. The inside of the store was very clean and we had a completely contactless pickup. We got a falafel plate with a side of cauliflower and spicy potatoes; it came with rice and a pink aioli-type sauce. While this isn't something we would eat regularly, it hit the spot for a quick lunch on the go.

Good food for a decent price. The baba ganoush wasn't very good though.

I got shawarma with lamb/beef. It was ok.

Delicious & healthy mediterranean food with friendly staff.