Olive Cafe brings Mediterranean Festival to downtown Topeka. Here's what to know

Shanna Sloyer
·2 min read

Olive Cafe will commemorate one year as part of the downtown Topeka business community by hosting Mediterranean Festival July 12-15. Owner Tony Mashaal is offering a 20 percent discount on menu items during the four-day event.

“We will also have free Mediterranean desserts and drinks to give away while supplies last,” said Mashaal.

Festival-goers can sample baklava and petit four cookies, which are butter cookies served during special holidays in the Mediterranean culture, as well as Vimto, a drink made with a base of grapes, raspberries, and blackcurrants, and blended with herbs and spices. The restaurant will be decorated to celebrate the Mediterranean region.

“This is a family event,” said Mashaal. “I have Turkish candy to give away to the kids. It’s something new, and people in Topeka can get an idea about the Mediterranean culture.”

Diners can feast on everything from gyros to baba ghanoush

Traditional Mediterranean food sits on a table at Olive Cafe in Topeka. The restaurant and its owner, Tony Mashaal, will be hosting a Mediterranean Festival in Topeka from July 12-15.
Traditional Mediterranean food sits on a table at Olive Cafe in Topeka. The restaurant and its owner, Tony Mashaal, will be hosting a Mediterranean Festival in Topeka from July 12-15.

Following a soft opening last July, Olive Cafe, located at 935 S. Kansas Ave., held a grand opening event on Aug. 10, and Mashaal said business has been good since.

Olive Cafe serves imported coffee and authentic Mediterranean dishes from scratch, including gyro sandwiches with beef, lamb, or chicken; Mediterranean pizza; and Greek salad.

Vegetarian diners can feast on baba ghanoush, a dish made from finely chopped, roasted eggplant, lemon, and seasonings, as well as falafel and hummus, or dolma, grape leaves stuffed with a seasoned rice mixture.

Mashaal, who grew up and learned to cook in Egypt and Italy, takes his culinary inspiration from those countries, as well as from Greek, Turkish and Jordanian cuisine.

“It’s important to celebrate differences,” said Mashaal. “I want to celebrate my culture because I’m proud of who I am and what I’m doing.”

Mashaal said that as far as he knows, this festival will be the first of its kind in the Midwest to celebrate the Mediterranean specifically.

“I don’t believe there is any Mediterranean Festival in the Midwest. There’s nothing like this in Lawrence or Kansas City,” said Mashaal. “This will be the first of its kind, and we hope to expand in the future because it’s good for downtown Topeka.”

Mashaal said he hopes that hosting Mediterranean Festival will draw customers to other downtown merchants while they’re in the area enjoying food and drinks at Olive Cafe.

“Visit our other great businesses in downtown Topeka while you’re at the Mediterranean Festival,” he said.

Olive Cafe is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Festival hours will follow the restaurant’s regular business hours.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Olive Cafe will host first Mediterranean Festival in downtown Topeka