The new restaurant, Black Olive Greek Restaurant, located in Voorhees, is a rare gem.

The restaurant, which is on Haddonfield Berlin Road at the corner of a strip mall, is in a prime spot. The restaurant is a very short walk to the Carmike Movie Theatre.

The other restaurants that have been in the same location have not had the best luck. The last few restaurants that have occupied the same spot as Black Olive have closed within a year of them opening.

Black Olive is another story. The other restaurants located at the ended of the strip mall had mediocre food. Black Olive’s food far exceeds any of the other Greek cuisines in the area.

The restaurant, while casual, does have a high quality feel to it. The space is very open and has mostly tables with a few booths. The chairs for the tables were small and made out of a type of straw, which was very uncomfortable. Loud Greek music played over the stereo, but not so loud that it was difficult to have a conversation. The restaurant was actually quiet for the most part. The quietness was mostly likely due to not many people dining at the restaurant. The cream colored walls were not adorned with much décor, which gave the restaurant a boring feel.

The friendly staff made up for the place’s appearance. Our waitress, Brianna, was very knowledgeable about the menu and the specials. She was very interactive with her customers and made very helpful recommendations about the food on the menu. The menu is fairly small, with only a handful of items presented for each course. The prices are lower than expected for such high quality food, ranging from two dollars for a soda to twenty-eight dollars for the lamb chops.

The food promises to be authentic Greek cuisine, and it is. The food tastes fresh and different than most Greek restaurants. The textures and flavors of the food are refreshing and unexpected.

The bread was okay; it was burnt and not very tasteful. But the olive oil was delicious. The oil tasted homemade and was very enjoyable.

The spanakopita came to the table in the shape of a loaf. The phyllo dough was very crispy and the layers of cheese and spinach inside the phyllo were very creamy.

The appealing plate of grilled calamari was adorned with onion, pepper and lemon. The calamari was chewy and well seasoned and grilled. This is among one of the best calamari dishes that I have ever had. Unlike most calamari dishes, the food was easy to cut and was very tender.

The lemon flavored roasted chicken was also a great dish. The chicken was perfectly spiced and juicy. The chicken came with lemon potatoes, which were the highlight of the dish.

Not everything was as delicious as the other meals that came to the table. The soup of the day, seafood, felt tasteless. The soup had chunks of fish, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. The soup was an ordinary tomato broth but lacked enough spice. The dish was too salty and not worth getting, considering that it was a special.

Overall, Black Olive is the best Greek restaurant in the area. It can definitely stand out with its delicious food. The interior may need to be redecorated to actually attract customers. Hopefully Black Olive will not follow the previous restaurants in its location and go out of business. The restaurant is truly a hidden gem within the many restaurants in the area.