Since 2009, Zana Abdulaziz and his brother-in-law Ranj Rebwar have been serving up Mediterranean cuisine in Kent. Soon they’ll be feeding kebabs, gyros, and hummus, and falafels to hungry Seattleites on 15th Ave E.
For a while now Abdulaziz and Rebwar have been wanting to open a second Olive Tree location — on Capitol Hill in particular.
“I like how there’s a lot of restaurants here. I really, really like the vibe,” Abdulaziz said.
They chose 15th Ave E because it is a community-based neighborhood and they hope to find staff members that are oriented that way and will be like family at Olive Tree. They hope to the new restaurant — their second location — open in March.
“We have an amazing product,” Abdulaziz said. “We have an amazing vision of what we’re trying to do. If Olive Tree is to take off, Capitol Hill is the place to make it happen.”
They’ll also benefit from a buildout left behind by Sur 16 as the ambitious project from first time restaurateurs struggled through two years of business after big outlays and long delays transforming the old Bagel Deli into their vision of Latin American-flavored cuisine. “After not finding a solution to the high rent, we decided to sell the space as a business opportunity to a Mediterranean restaurant,” owners Javier Dalzell and Mariana Martos told CHS about ultimately deciding to close up on 15th. “We have started looking into new places for our new project.”
Thanks to its Sur 16 roots, the incoming Olive Tree will have an open kitchen concept and plans to have the options of quick-serve or sit-down lunch and full-service dinner.
The duo’s recipes are their own and they say everything that can is made fresh and in-house with options for vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters. Their cuisine pulls from Greek, Kurdish, Lebanese and overall Mediterranean flavors.
They’ll also drop Sur 16’s full bar. Instead, Olive Tree will feature a wine bar where customers can order wine-based cocktails. “It tastes exactly like vodka, it tastes exactly like whiskey, but it’s made from grapes,” Abdulaziz said.
Abdulaziz said he and Rebwar knew they wanted to do something together and being foodies a restaurant made sense, so in 2009 Olive Tree was born in Kent where they both live. “Kent needed some diversity, some more diverse food,” Abdulaziz said. “… Our first intention was to bring something new to the community. It wasn’t about business.”
Olive Tree opened when the economy was in the gutter, but the duo decided that if the restaurant could make it through the tough years, it would be worth it.
“We have something people need to try. People need to experience (our food),” Abdulaziz said. Now, eight years later business has grown.
Abdulaziz and Rebwar started small with only a 20-seat restaurant in Kent, but last year they moved to a 95-seat location. Abdulaziz told CHS it is always full at dinner.
Olive Tree is planned to open in March at 340 15th Ave E. You can learn more at
UPDATE: A sad side to this falafel sandwich of 15th Ave E Mediterranean food news. The Gyro Cafe has closed after six years of business and its space next to the expanded Teriyaki Madness and the 15/Denny 7-11 is papered over for a new project. More details on what comes next soon. We’ll also try to catch up with Gyro Cafe owner Hassan Izem.
Gyro Cafe closing makes me sad. I ordered a lamb and beef kebab and greek fries at least a dozen times in the year I lived near by.
These things happen, and I’m excited for Olive Tree, but I really wish I had the chance to eat at Gyro Cafe one last time and thank the owner.
I hope they can find a way to draw in people off the street. Something about the blank wall that building presents to the sidewalk makes it really uninviting.
Hassan truly cared about his food and service. If you’re reading this, thanks for many meals and your good spirits.
That’s too bad about Gyro Cafe – I wonder what led to them closing? I’ve been to the Olive Tree in Kent and it was amazing – the owners are very friendly, too. Welcome to the neighborhood!
And farewell, Hassan. :(
OWNERS OF SUR 16: PLEASE MAKE YOUR TACOS AL PASTOR AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE. I will come buy them! I’m sorry you couldn’t sustain that huge space. Your tacos were the bomb. I think about them often. :*(