If you didn't already know, Aceituna [ah•say•tuna] is the word many in the Mediterranean use to call their beloved Olive.
This savory, nutritious, tiny fruit is the inspiration for who we are.
Our menu is filled with delicious dishes that connect the people to the land and to each other. Like the simple olive, our recipes come from mountains of Lebanon and have been passed down through the generations.
At the core of our offering is the SHAWARMA, a method of slowly cooking deliciously marinated meats on a rotating vertical grill.
This slow-cooked method drains away the fat but allows the meat to stay tender and warm until it is hand-carved to order and served on your plate or roll-up.
Unlike some gyro or doner meat, the chicken breast, beef, and lamb we use at Aceituna is the REAL, unadulterated stuff and absolutely never processed. And because of its versatility, it's great on a bed of rice, atop one of our tasty salads, or the traditional way in a pita roll-up.
Mouth-watering any way you slice it
The roots of the Aceituna Family Tree run deep and it's branches extend throughout a variety of cultures including Lebanese, Palestinian, Italian, Chinese, and Trinidadian.
The flavors here at Aceituna Grill focus on the food traditions of the Levant, where Andrew, our founder, grew up.
Many of Andrew's fondest memories revolve around family meals in the mountains of South Lebanon. He was always eager to assist his mother and aunties in the kitchen, helping them make traditional, soul-soothing dishes like aa'rous bi labneh, tabbouleh and fattoush, hummus with zeit zeitoun on home-made markouk, falafel with tahini, batata harra, and shawarma with all the trimmings. Food has the ability to evoke strong emotions, and the scents of these dishes alone bring him back to those seemingly carefree days around the table with his extended family.
Simply have no rival the world over
Bringing these food traditions to this country and this kitchen was a dream of Andrew’s when he came to Boston. Today we continue the traditions at Aceituna and extend them to you. Let us invite you into our kitchen, into our memories - where fresh ingredients, flavorful spices, and love are in abundance.
In our culture, we say “Sahtein” when we eat - which means “double your health.” In return, we say “al albek” or “to your heart,” and that is the feeling we strive to evoke when you are eating our food. We hope indulging in our families’ recipes makes you feel at home here at Aceituna, because that kind of legacy is truly the best reward we could ever hope for. Sahtein.”
Healthy eating should be delicious & affordable
Food for thought
"Good food is very often, even most often, simple food."
— Anthony Bourdain