By Zach Mandeville
One of the more pleasant sentences uttered the past two months has been, “Have you tried the new Assyrian food truck?”
It’s always great when a new food place opens in Olympia. What makes Nineveh so exciting, though, is the intelligence and focus the owners are bringing to the business. They serve delicious food, and fill a niche needed in downtown, but they also have the heart and discipline to turn Nineveh from an exciting new food truck into a long-loved establishment.
Named after the ancient neo-Assyrian capital, Nineveh is the creation of siblings Lisa and Jacob David. Originally from Ohio, Lisa moved to Olympia 14 years ago and Jacob came over this June. Lisa had wanted to open an Assyrian restaurant for a long time, seeing a void downtown for good Middle Eastern food. With the ease of location and low startup costs, a food truck made the best sense, so this summer they purchased a truck in Michigan and Jacob drove it over.
“What we have in the Nineveh truck is our interpretation of Assyrian street food,” Jacob says. “Assyrian cuisine is basic middle eastern fare, but with a few twists here and there in the spices used. There are also some dishes that are specifically Assyrian that other Middle Eastern cultures and people don’t really have.”
This means shawarma, sabich, and falafel; tabouleh, fattoush, and feta salads; baklawa, baba ganoush, dolma, and fried cauliflower.
Their menu is the right amount of overwhelming — just enough to entrance but not intimidate. Kept to a single page, it’s a mix of intriguing sandwiches, salads, sides, and dessert. The menu is built for discovery, like the Kinks discography or a library reading list. You’ll find the one item you want to eat again and again, and then slowly branch out to the less familiar, but equally delicious, dishes.
The entry point for me was the Shawarma. Made with superbly marinated lamb/beef or chicken, they stack the meat, layer by layer, onto a spit, cook it in a vertical broiler, then shave the outer layer onto a pita. It’s then piled with a mix of pickled and fresh vegetables and a garlic aioli. I do not have much experience with Assyrian food, and so my first taste of the shawarma was wonderful and baffling in equal measure. The vegetables (cucumbers, beets, turnips) were more colorful than I was expecting. The flavor combinations were bright, new, and addicting. The shawarma felt like a great mixtape with no track listing. You may not know exactly what you’re experiencing, but you know each part has been lovingly made and all of it arranged to woo you.
Besides the fantastic food, the truck is just operated smartly. The hours (Mon to Sat, 11 AM to 8 PM) are convenient and consistent. The vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are as delicious and interesting as the meat dishes. The price ($6 for sandwiches, $8 for most salads) are appropriate for a truck and quite a deal given the quality of food. They buy locally as much as possible and support other local businesses like the farmer’s market and the co-op. Their drink selection is stellar, offering both Kazouza, a delicious line of Lebanese soda available nowhere else in town, and Olympia’s Magic Kombucha.
Nineveh is run by people who know what they’re doing, and are deeply familiar with the food they’re making. “We’re both part Assyrian and grew up on this food,“ Lisa explains. “These are dishes our grandmother, aunts, uncles, and father have cooked us all our lives.”
The restaurant business is a family tradition as well. Lisa and Jacob’s parents own a deli in Toledo, and they grew up in the restaurant. “We’ve been working together for as long as we could walk,” Jacob said. In high school they even operated their own farmer’s market stall, selling homemade infused vinegars and hot sauces.
A lot of care, consideration, and work went into this truck, and Olympia seems to be paying it back in kind.
“The reception here in Olympia has been spectacular,” Jacob said, “Everywhere we go people are telling us how much they love the food and the truck. We couldn’t have asked for better support from the Oly community and we thank everyone tremendously.” Olympia knows when it’s lucky, and we are definitely lucky that Nineveh is here. ◙
You can find Nineveh on the corner of 4th Avenue and Plum Street, in the lot next to California Tacos.