Mediterranean cuisine is the food culture that wraps the Mediterranean basin: Spain (Catalonia, Andalusia, Valencia), southern France (Provence, Languedoc), Italy (Liguria, Campania, Sicily), Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. These countries share more with each other across the sea than they often share with their own inland neighbors: olive oil as the dominant fat, wheat in bread and pasta and couscous, tomato (post-Columbian) and the eggplant-pepper-zucchini summer trio, fresh herbs (parsley, mint, basil, dill, oregano), grilled fish and seafood, lamb and goat, yogurt, lemon, garlic, and chickpea-and-bean cooking.
The shared techniques tell the same story. Grilling whole fish over wood or charcoal. Cooking vegetables in olive oil until they collapse. Building meals around small plates, mezze in the Levant, antipasti in Italy, tapas in Spain, that arrive in shared waves rather than as a single course. Wood ovens for bread, flatbread, pizza, and roast meats. Slow-cooked stews of legumes and meat (fabada in Asturias, cassoulet in southwest France, fasolada in Greece, hummus and ful in the Levant) that signal home cooking everywhere.
The Mediterranean diet, codified by Ancel Keys's research in the 1960s and inscribed by UNESCO in 2010, is the only major world cuisine to be promoted by global health authorities as a model. Its core, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, olive oil, with meat and dairy in moderation, made it the template for healthy eating worldwide. A 'Mediterranean restaurant' outside the region today usually means this pan-regional small-plates mode: hummus and a tagine alongside burrata and a Greek salad, with the obvious risk of becoming a generic survey. The best practitioners pick one tradition and root in it.
Regional variations
Eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Levant)
Mezze culture, lamb and chicken on the grill, yogurt, olive oil, wheat as bread (pita, lavash, simit) and grain (bulgur, freekeh). The hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, tabbouleh, shawarma, kebab repertoire.
Western Mediterranean (Spain, southern France, Italy)
Tapas, antipasti, pasta, paella, pizza, aioli, bouillabaisse, charcuterie. Olive oil from the Catalan-Provence-Liguria corridor, the world's deepest olive belt.
North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt)
Tagine, couscous, harissa, preserved lemon, ras el hanout, mint tea, the Berber and Andalusian fusion that defines Maghrebi cooking.
Adriatic (Croatia, Albania, Slovenia)
The lesser-known Mediterranean coast. Dalmatian seafood, prsut (Croatian prosciutto), brodet (Adriatic fish stew), pasticada (Croatian pot roast), peka (the bell-shaped lid for slow-cooked meats).
Defining mediterranean dishes
- Hummus
- Chickpea, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil. The Levantine staple, eaten with bread, vegetables, or as part of mezze. Regional variations: Lebanese (smoother), Israeli (often topped with whole chickpeas and parsley), Palestinian (drizzled with olive oil and pine nuts).
- Grilled whole fish
- Sea bream, sea bass, sardine, mackerel, or red mullet, salted and grilled over wood or coals, served with lemon and olive oil. Found from Catalonia to Beirut.
- Paella
- Valencian rice dish cooked in a wide, shallow pan with saffron, rabbit, chicken, snails, green beans, and tomato (the original Valenciana) or seafood (the coastal variant). The Spanish national dish, often served Sunday lunch.
- Tagine
- Moroccan slow-cooked stew in a conical clay pot. Variations include lamb with prunes and almonds; chicken with preserved lemon and olives; beef with quince; vegetable. Served over couscous or with bread.
- Mezze platter
- The shared-small-plates opener across the eastern Mediterranean. Hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, fattoush, labneh, olives, pickles, warm pita, kibbeh, sambousek. Eaten with the hands and at length.
- Bouillabaisse
- Provencal fish stew with multiple Mediterranean fish (rascasse, conger, monkfish, gurnard), saffron, fennel, and orange peel, served with rouille and croutons. The Marseille specialty.
- Greek salad (horiatiki)
- Tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, kalamata olives, feta, olive oil, oregano. No lettuce in the authentic version. The taverna staple.
- Falafel
- Fried chickpea or fava-bean balls, served in pita with tahini and pickles. Egyptian-Levantine in origin; now the global vegetarian fast food.
- Pasta with seafood
- Linguine alle vongole (Naples), spaghetti ai ricci (Sicily), trofie al pesto (Liguria). The Italian Mediterranean's seafood-pasta tradition.
- Mezze cocktail / ouzo / arak / raki
- The anise-flavored aperitif tradition. Ouzo in Greece, raki in Turkey, arak in the Levant, all share the same molecule (anethole) and turn milky on contact with water. The standard mezze drink.
How to order
Mediterranean dining is small-plates-by-default. Order four to six items for two people, eight to twelve for four, and add more as you go. The structure is dips, vegetables, charcuterie or cheese, a grilled item, occasionally a finishing rice or pasta. Bread is the universal vehicle and rarely a side dish in the European sense; expect a basket on the table from the start. A whole fish for two, ordered by weight, is the seafood-restaurant default; ask the waiter to recommend that day's catch.
The rookie mistakes: ordering each person a single main (the format is shared), expecting paella outside of lunch (it's traditionally a midday dish, takes 30 to 45 minutes to make, and serves a group), asking for sour cream on hummus or salsa on falafel (not the tradition), and treating Mediterranean food as 'health food' (the olive oil is generous, the lamb is fatty, the cheese is real). The cuisine is balanced, not light. Eat slowly; the meal is a social event, not a transaction.
What to drink with it
Wine across the Mediterranean is regional and almost always excellent: Spanish cava and albarino, Provencal rose, Italian whites (Vermentino, Falanghina, Greco di Tufo) and reds (Aglianico, Etna Rosso, Negroamaro), Greek assyrtiko and xinomavro, Lebanese (Chateau Musar, Chateau Ksara), and the rising North African wines (Moroccan Domaine Volubilia, Tunisian Magon). Beer is widely drunk but secondary. The anise-spirit tradition (ouzo, raki, arak) is the universal aperitif; serve with cold water and a few ice cubes, watch it turn milky. Mint tea is the universal North African non-alcoholic pour. Turkish coffee is the after-dinner standard from Athens to Tangier.
Where to eat it
Almost any Mediterranean coastal city holds the cuisine at high quality. Marseille and Nice for French; Barcelona and Valencia for Spanish; Naples and Palermo for Italian; Athens and Thessaloniki for Greek; Istanbul and Izmir for Turkish; Beirut for Lebanese; Tel Aviv for the Israeli-Levantine modern reading; Marrakech and Fez for Moroccan. Outside the region, London is the deepest Mediterranean restaurant city in northern Europe; New York holds serious Levantine, Italian, and modern Israeli rooms; Los Angeles for Israeli, Lebanese, and Persian (Persian is a related but separate tradition).
A short history
Mediterranean cuisine descends from the overlapping civilizations of the basin: Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, and the modern nation-states. Olive cultivation, wheat farming, and grape-growing date to the Neolithic. The Columbian exchange (post-1492) added tomato, pepper, eggplant, corn, and potato to the basin's larder, which produced the modern Mediterranean we recognize. UNESCO inscribed the Mediterranean diet on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010, citing Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Portugal as bearers of the tradition.
Frequently asked
Is Mediterranean food the same as Middle Eastern food?
Overlapping but not identical. Middle Eastern food includes Mediterranean countries (Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Cyprus, Turkey) but also non-Mediterranean ones (Iran, Iraq, the Gulf, Yemen). Mediterranean food includes non-Middle Eastern countries (Spain, France, Italy, Greece, North Africa). They share a large Levantine overlap (hummus, falafel, kebab) and diverge from there.
Is the Mediterranean diet actually the healthiest?
Major epidemiological research since Ancel Keys's Seven Countries Study (1958) supports it as one of the healthiest diets globally. The key elements (olive oil as the dominant fat, vegetables and legumes as the dominant calories, fish over red meat, whole grains, moderate dairy, red wine in moderation) correlate with lower cardiovascular disease and longer healthspan. UNESCO inscribed it in 2010.
Is paella the Spanish national dish?
It's the regional Valencian dish that became the national symbol. Authentic paella valenciana uses rabbit, chicken, snails, green beans, and tomato in bomba rice; the seafood version (paella de mariscos) is coastal. Both are eaten at lunch (rarely dinner), often Sundays, and cooked outdoors over an open fire when possible.
Mediterranean by city
Mediterranean$$$little-italy
Costiera in Little Italy marks chef Brian Lavin's return, a coastal Mediterranean bistro plating swordfish meatballs over house-milled polenta.
Signature: Swordfish meatballs, House-milled polenta, Coastal Italian plates
Order: The swordfish meatballs over house-milled polenta.
Tip: It sits where Little Italy meets Harbor East; the patio is the seat to ask for in warm weather.
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Slow-cooked Mediterranean€€€mitte
Katz Orange in Berlin Mitte's former 19th-century brewery cooks the slow-roast Candy on Bone pork shoulder that put the room on the map; the garden runs.
Signature: Candy on Bone pork shoulder, Beetroot tartare
Order: The Candy on Bone pork shoulder, slow-roasted 12 hours; the beetroot tartare is the vegetarian counterpart.
Tip: The garden in summer is the room's best seating. Bookings open three weeks ahead via the website.
Slow-cooked Mediterranean€€€mitte
Katz Orange in Berlin Mitte's former 19th-century brewery cooks the slow-roast Candy on Bone pork shoulder that put the room on the map; the garden runs.
Signature: Candy on Bone pork shoulder, Beetroot tartare
Order: The Candy on Bone pork shoulder, slow-roasted 12 hours, for two diners.
Tip: The garden in summer is the room's best seating. Book three weeks ahead via the website.
Modern Mediterranean€€€€tiergarten
Michael Kempf's FACIL on the fifth-floor glass courtyard of Berlin's Mandala Hotel cooks a two-star French-Mediterranean tasting; the summer terrace runs.
Signature: Brittany langoustine, Pyrenees lamb
Order: The four-course business lunch at €90; the langoustine and the lamb stay on the carte year-round.
Tip: Lunch is the easier entry; the €90 four-course business set runs Tuesday to Friday from 12:00.
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Mediterranean$$$west-loop
avec in Chicago is the cedar-walled Mediterranean wine bar next to Blackbird's old space, with the dates-wrapped-in-bacon plate that has run since 2003.
Signature: Chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates, Wood-oven flatbreads
Order: The chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates; on the menu since opening for good reason.
Tip: The communal seating means a walk-up at 17:00 usually beats waiting for a table. Bring a friend who likes elbows.
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Mediterranean$$$centru
Symposium in Chișinău is the Mediterranean room and wine club on Strada 31 August 1989, with a 200-label Moldovan and European wine list curated as a club.
Signature: Adriatic seafood plates, Lamb with mămăligă, Moldovan wine flights
Order: The Moldovan red flight with a lamb shoulder slow-cooked over mămăligă.
Tip: Ask the sommelier to run a flight of three Fetească Neagră from different Moldovan regions; the kitchen's seafood is sourced weekly from Odessa.
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Halal Mediterranean$lower-greenvilleMon-Sun 11am-4am
A Greenville Ave halal Mediterranean counter open until 4am every night, drawing the post-bar crowd and the neighbourhood regulars alike. Priced at $.
Order: Shawarma plate; the New York street food-inspired halal rice bowl.
Tip: Open until 4am daily, which makes it one of the best late-night halal options in the city outside of Richardson.
Halal Mediterranean$$knox-hendersonMon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8:30pm
A Knox Street Lebanese institution with a full halal certification, serving mezze, shawarma, and grilled meats in a room that works equally well for a quick.
Order: Shawarma plate; the mezze bar with hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush.
Tip: The mezze spread for two is the best value in the restaurant. Order three or four cold dishes to share before the mains.
Halal Mediterranean$lower-greenvilleMon-Sun 11am-4am
A Greenville Avenue halal counter open until 4am every night, inspired by New York street food. Located in Lower Greenville. Open mon-sun 11am-4am.
Order: Shawarma plate. Halal rice bowl with beef and chicken.
Tip: Open every night until 4am. The crowds after midnight are lively; midweek evenings are calmer.
Halal Mediterranean$$knox-hendersonMon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8:30pm
A fully halal Knox Street Lebanese institution that has anchored the Knox-Henderson dining corridor for years, serving mezze and grilled meats in a room.
Order: Mezze spread with hummus and fattoush. Shawarma plate.
Tip: Order three cold mezze dishes to share before the mains; the overall meal works out to better value than ordering entrees alone.
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Mediterranean$$$downtown
Rioja in Denver is Jennifer Jasinski's James Beard-winning Mediterranean dining room on Larimer Square since 2004, a flagship of the Crafted Concepts group.
Signature: Goat cheese ravioli, Artichoke tortelloni, Olive oil cake
Order: The artichoke tortelloni and the goat cheese ravioli, both on the menu since opening, and the olive oil cake to finish.
Tip: Sunday brunch with bottomless mimosas is a Larimer Square institution. The chef's tasting menu changes weekly and is the best way to see Jasinski's range.
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Mediterranean€€€albayzinMon-Sun 12:00-23:30
Ruta del Azafran in Granada works a Mediterranean and Arab-Andalusian menu on the Paseo de los Tristes, with a terrace directly under the Alhambra.
Signature: Arab chicken pie with carrot salad, Sea bass with courgette and coconut sauce, Saffron paella
Tip: Halal and vegan options on the same carte; the riverside terrace fills fast on warm evenings.
Mediterranean€€€beiroTue-Sat 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:30, Sun 13:00-16:00, Mon closed
El Coso in the Plaza de Toros bullring of Granada took over the Ermita space and pairs avant-garde Mediterranean technique with the historic bullring setting.
Signature: Grilled meats over charcoal, Iberian secreto, Cheese and jamon boards
Tip: Closed Mondays; the bullring portico tables are quieter than the indoor room and book up fastest in spring.
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Mediterranean€€€ullanlinna
Elm on Puistokatu in Ullanlinna cooks Mediterranean sharing plates around a wood fire, set in a restored 1880 villa near the Kaivopuisto seafront.
Signature: Wood-fired vegetables, Mediterranean sharing plates
Order: The wood-fired vegetables and a spread of sharing plates for the table.
Tip: Set inside a restored villa near Kaivopuisto park. The menu is built for sharing, so come with a group.
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Modern Mediterranean$$$$montrose
March in Houston is the Goodnight Hospitality tasting-menu room on Westheimer Road from chef Felipe Riccio, with six- or nine-course menus rooted in one.
Signature: Six- and nine-course tasting menus rooted in one Mediterranean region per season
Order: The full nine-course menu. Anything less misses the regional arc.
Tip: The wine pairings (June Rodil curates) are unusually well-judged. Take them.
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Mediterranean$$$crossroads
James Beard winner Michael Smith's Extra Virgin in the Crossroads opened in 2007 as Kansas City's Mediterranean tapas room, with a wood grill and a deep wine.
Signature: Mediterranean tapas, Wood-grilled small plates, House-cured charcuterie
Order: A spread of small plates, the wood-grilled meats and a bottle of natural red from the European list.
Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays run family-style. Mon to Thu until 22:00, Fri until 23:00, Sat 17:00 to 23:00.
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MediterraneanChef Joachim Koerper€125 to €175Sao SebastiaoBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead
Joachim Koerper's Eleven in Lisbon overlooks Parque Eduardo VII, with seasonal Mediterranean tasting menus and a blue lobster course, Recommended.
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Mediterranean steakhousestari-gradMon-Fri 17:00-23:00, Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-22:00
Spajza on Gornji trg below the castle is one of Ljubljana's longer-running fine bistros, plating aged steaks and seafood in wood-and-vintage rooms.
Signature: Aged steak, Seafood pasta, Karst pršut
Mediterranean, handmade pastacenter
Gostilna As in the Knafljev passage pairs Karst seafood and handmade pasta with a 300-bottle Slovenian wine list, open since the late 1980s era.
Signature: Handmade seafood pasta, Karst pršut, Fish of the day
Mediterraneancenter
Allegria works in a rustic Mediterranean register a few blocks west of Preseren Square, pasta, seafood and a long list of Slovenian Istrian wines.
Mediterranean€€center
Allegria works in a rustic Mediterranean register a few blocks west of Preseren Square, pasta and seafood with a Slovenian Istrian wine list.
Mediterranean steakhouse€€€stari-grad
Spajza on Gornji trg below the castle plates aged steaks and seafood in a wood-and-vintage room, family-run since 2004. A TableJourney editor pick.
Mediterranean, handmade pasta€€€€€60-95centerMon-Thu 10:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-01:00, closed Sun
Hidden in Knafljev passage between Slovenska cesta and Wolfova, Gostilna As pairs Karst seafood and handmade pasta with a 300-bottle Slovenian wine list.
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Mediterranean€€6e
Ayla in Lyon's 6e is the Levantine kitchen on Place de l'Europe where wood-fired flatbreads and meze plates run alongside a Mediterranean wine list.
Signature: Levantine mezze, Wood-fired flatbreads
Order: The mezze platter for two with the manakish, then the labneh.
Tip: Lunch is busy with office workers; aim for 13:30 or after.
Mediterranean€€6e
Ayla in Lyon's 6e is the Levantine kitchen on Place de l'Europe where wood-fired flatbreads and mezze plates run alongside a Mediterranean wine list.
Signature: Levantine mezze, Wood-fired flatbreads
Order: The mezze platter for two with manakish; finish with the labneh.
Tip: Lunch is busy with office workers; aim for 13:30 or after 14:00.
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Modern Mediterranean€€€7e
Sepia in Marseille's 7e perches on Puget Hill above the harbour, Paul Langlere cooking instinctive Mediterranean plates with smoked mackerel.
Signature: Tasting menu only, Smoked mackerel garnish
Order: The dinner tasting; the kitchen is at its most expressive across courses.
Tip: Ask for the sea-side table on the terrace; the Puget Hill view is the second reason.
Modern Mediterranean€€€7e
Auffo in Marseille's 7e took over the L'Epuisette site at the Vallon des Auffes in April 2025, Coline Faulquier cooking a Mediterranean tasting menu above.
Signature: Tasting menu only, Daily fish
Order: The set tasting; the kitchen is built around what came off the morning boats.
Tip: Book lunch for the cove sunlight; closed Sunday and Monday.
Modern Mediterranean€€6e
Limmat in Marseille's 6e at the foot of the Cours Julien stairs is Swiss-French chef Lilian Gadola's daily-changing fish and vegetable kitchen.
Signature: Daily market menu, Fish and vegetable plates
Order: Whatever blackboard menu is up that day; the kitchen reads the market each morning.
Tip: Small room, book ahead for evening; closed Sunday and Monday.
Mediterranean€€€8e
Tuba Club in Marseille's 8e is a fisherman-cabanon kitchen in the Goudes village, 80 seats on a rock terrace above the Mediterranean with Sicilian.
Signature: Grilled fish, Provencal marinades, Mediterranean salads
Order: The grilled fish of the day; the cabanon kitchen runs simple and salt-driven.
Tip: Reach by bus 19 from Rond-Point du Prado or taxi; book six weeks ahead.
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Mediterranean€€€€mont-boron
Le Plongeoir in Nice's Mont Boron sits on the helical diving board at Cap de Nice, the most photographed dining room in the city and a Mediterranean menu.
Signature: Loup de mer, Riviera seafood platter
Order: The whole loup de mer for two with Bellet white; the cove and the bay are the dining room's other half.
Tip: Book the sunset service for the bay light. The lounge bar below the restaurant is the cheaper way to sit on the rock.
Mediterranean brunch and lunch€€vieux-nice
Cafe Marche on Rue Barillerie just off Cours Saleya runs Emilie Bargin's morning room in Vieux Nice, the Sunday 11:00 to 15:00 brunch the city's most.
Signature: Sunday brunch, Eggs and toast plate
Order: The Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, jams and honey toast, club sandwich and Provencal salads.
Tip: Open Sunday for brunch when much of the city is closed; arrive by 11:00 for a terrace table.
Mediterranean brunch and lunch€€vieux-nice
Cafe Marche on Rue Barillerie just off Cours Saleya is Emilie Bargin's morning room in Vieux Nice, the Sunday 09:00 to 17:00 brunch the city's most reliable.
Signature: Sunday brunch, Eggs and toast plate
Order: The Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, jams and honey toast, club sandwich and salads.
Tip: Open Sunday when much of the city is closed; arrive by 11:00 for a terrace table.
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Mediterranean$$$center-city
Barbuzzo in Philadelphia is Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran's 13th Street Mediterranean kitchen, open since 2010, anchored by wood-fired pizzas.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Salted caramel budino
Order: The wood-fired pizza of the week; salted caramel budino for dessert, the dish that built its reputation.
Tip: The bar counter overlooking the open kitchen takes walk-ups. It is the room's quietest table on a Friday.
Mediterranean$$$center-city
Barbuzzo in Philadelphia is Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran's 13th Street Mediterranean room since 2010, with wood-fired pizzas and the salted caramel.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Salted caramel budino
Order: Wood-fired pizza of the week; salted caramel budino, the dish locals order by name.
Tip: The bar counter overlooking the open kitchen takes walk-ups. Quietest table on a Friday night.
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Mediterranean$$$old-town-scottsdale
Virtù Honest Craft in Scottsdale is Gio Osso's Mediterranean room behind the Bespoke Inn, a courtyard kitchen with an early James Beard new-restaurant nod.
Signature: Crispy-skin branzino, Handmade pasta, Caper brown butter
Order: The crispy-skin branzino with caper-infused brown butter, a fixture on Osso's changing menu.
Tip: The fig-tree courtyard is the seat to request; the tasting menu is the deepest way into Osso's cooking.
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Mediterranean$$$shadyside
Casbah in Shadyside serves Mediterranean wood-grilled cooking in Pittsburgh. A long-running big Burrito Group room with a serious wine list.
Signature: Wood-grilled mains, Mezze
Order: Mezze to start and whatever is on the wood grill, paired off the by-the-glass list.
Tip: The patio is the seat in warm weather. Reserve ahead; Shadyside fills on weekend evenings.
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Mediterranean$$$pearl-district
John Gorham's Mediterranean room in the Pearl District of Portland, from Morocco to Turkey to Greece in one big family-style menu since 2014.
Signature: Lamb tagine, Octopus mechouia
Order: The lamb shoulder mechoui for the table
Tip: Family-style is the move. Two people order three dishes; six people order eight.
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Mediterranean€€€baixa
Flow in Porto's Baixa pairs a sushi counter with a Mediterranean kitchen across two floors and a roof terrace, set on a quiet Conceicao side-street with a Touriga Nacional flight list upstairs.
Signature: Tuna tartare, Black-rice seafood
Order: The tuna tartare to start, the black-rice seafood to follow.
Tip: Walk up to the roof bar for a Touriga Nacional flight after dinner.
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Mediterranean$$$lazarz
Cucina in Poznań sits in the restored Stare Koszary barracks at City Park, with chef-led Mediterranean cooking, a serious wine wall and a Michelin Guide.
Signature: Makarony, Tatar wołowy, Pieczona kaczka
Order: Hand-rolled pasta with the day's sauce.
Tip: The covered terrace is the room to ask for in summer; it stays useable on cooler evenings.
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Mediterranean$$$pearlDinner, closed Monday
Ladino is a Sephardic-leaning Mediterranean room at the Pearl built for family sharing, where wood-grilled meats anchor a table of mezze, hummus and lamb.
Order: Wood-grilled meats and mezze from the Sephardic-leaning menu.
Tip: Go family-style across the mezze and let the grill section anchor the table. The hummus and the lamb are reliable openers.
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Mediterranean$$$the-mission
Foreign Cinema in San Francisco is the Mission's open-air courtyard room from Gayle Pirie and John Clark, with a film projected on the back wall after dark.
Signature: Pomegranate-glazed lamb, Brunch oysters, Fried chicken
Order: Brunch fried chicken with cornmeal waffle, between a 10:30 oyster start.
Tip: Brunch on a sunny Saturday is the move; book the courtyard, not the indoor room.
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Modern Mediterranean€€€€diocletians-palace
Zoi on Split's Riva is chef Alberto Garcia Perez's rooftop tasting room above the palace cellars, serving contemporary Mediterranean menus by candlelight.
Signature: ECHO tasting menu, Adriatic seafood courses, TERRA vegetarian tasting
Order: The ECHO tasting menu with the Croatian wine pairing.
Tip: Book the terrace for sunset; the kitchen runs the ECHO omnivore tasting and the TERRA vegetarian tasting, both with Croatian wine pairings.
Modern Mediterranean€€€manus-zenta
Dvor on Put Firula in Split is a Mediterranean fine-dining room with a sea-facing terrace looking out to Brac and Solta, in the Michelin Guide since 2018.
Signature: Grilled monkfish, Octopus salad, Pasticada
Order: Whole grilled monkfish with chard and Adriatic olive oil.
Tip: Ask for a terrace table at sunset; the kitchen leans seafood-first, with rotating Plavac mali bottles by the glass on the Croatian list.
Mediterranean€€€manus-zenta
Restaurant Kadena above the Zenta marina in Split is a Mediterranean terrace looking south to the Adriatic, in the Michelin Guide every year since 2018.
Signature: Adriatic fish carpaccio, Black truffle pasta, Whole grilled fish
Order: The whole Adriatic dentex for two, grilled and finished with Brac olive oil.
Tip: Open daily noon to 01:00; the wide terrace catches a sea breeze even in August. Order from the daily catch board.
Modern Mediterranean€€€diocletians-palace
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine in Split's Old Town is a tall-ceiling stone room cooking modern Mediterranean dishes from a wood-burning grill into the night.
Signature: Adriatic tuna tartare, Bone-in steak, Hand-cut tagliatelle with prawns
Order: Tagliatelle with Adriatic prawns, with a glass of Posip from Korcula.
Tip: Late-evening sitting works; the dining room shifts into a wine bar mood after 22:00, with bottle-cellar pours kept until 01:00.
Mediterranean Steakhouse€€€marmontova
Bajamonti on Split's Prokurative square is an arcaded all-day kitchen that runs a steakhouse, a wood-fired pizzeria and a seaside fish house under one roof.
Signature: Dry-aged steak, Wood-fired pizza, Whole grilled fish
Order: Dry-aged ribeye with house ajvar and roasted potatoes.
Tip: Open 07:30 to midnight; the steakhouse menu is dry-aged Croatian beef, and the pizza ovens lit through service from 12:00.
Mediterranean Wine Bar€€€diocletians-palace
Zinfandel Food & Wine on Maruliceva in Split is a 2013 wine-led bistro pouring over 100 Croatian bottles, with 30 wines by the glass on the Pjaca route.
Signature: Slow-cooked octopus, Hand-cut tartare, Charcuterie and cheese board
Order: The slow-cooked octopus with a glass of Korcula Posip.
Tip: Book a courtyard table; live music nightly in summer, and the by-the-glass list is the best way to sample Croatian regions.
Modern Mediterranean€€€diocletians-palace
Bokeria Kitchen & Wine in Split's Old Town is a tall-ceiling stone room cooking modern Mediterranean dishes from a wood-burning grill into the night.
Signature: Adriatic tuna tartare, Bone-in steak, Tagliatelle with prawns
Order: Tagliatelle with Adriatic prawns, with a glass of Posip from Korcula.
Tip: Late-evening sitting works; the dining room shifts into a wine bar mood after 22:00, with bottle-cellar pours kept until 01:00.
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Modern Mediterranean$$$paddington
Soho London-via-Paddington Mediterranean room on Glenmore Road, Sydney. Octo-hummus, the kubaneh bread service and Levantine plates from the open hearth.
Signature: Octo-hummus, Polpettone, Kubaneh bread
Modern Mediterranean$$$marrickville
Yugoslav-Mediterranean diner on Marrickville Road, Sydney. Cevapi, pljeskavica and a long natural-wine list; open Tue-Sun dinner and weekend lunch.
Signature: Cevapi, Lamb shoulder, Spanakopita
Mediterranean$$$barangaroo
Wood-fired Mediterranean on Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo, Sydney. Levantine-leaning small plates, charred Mediterranean fish, harbour patio seating.
Signature: Wood-fired snapper, Hummus with smoked lamb, Octopus
Modern MediterraneanChef Joel Bickford$$$$A$140-A$220 a la cartecbdMon-Sat 12pm-lateBook 2 to 4 weeks ahead
Two-hat Mediterranean room atop Sydney CBD's Shell House. Joel Bickford runs wood-roasted seafood and seasonal Australian produce at rooftop level.
Modern MediterraneanChef Jacqui Challinor$$$$A$110 set; mains A$38-A$65surry-hillsTue-Sat 12pm-lateBook 2 to 4 weeks ahead
Jacqui Challinor's Mediterranean warehouse on Foster Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Wood-fired roasts, house-cured charcuterie, deep local-wine list.
MediterraneanChef Sam Trippas$$$$Mains A$40-A$85cbdDaily 12pm-lateBook 2 to 4 weeks ahead
Swillhouse group Mediterranean room in The Rocks, Sydney. Wood-grilled fish, seasonal pasta and a long courtyard built into the 1840s sandstone walls.
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Mediterranean€€leixample
Habitual on the lower level of Mercado de Colon in Valencia is Ricard Camarena's market food-hall project, a sit-down bistro inside the 1916 modernista.
Signature: Bocadillo de calamares, Caldo de ternera, Arroces
Order: The arroz of the day plus a glass of natural wine; the bocadillo de calamares for a lighter lunch.
Tip: Walk down the stairs at Mercado Colon to find it. Open daily, longer hours than the upstairs market itself.
Modern Mediterranean€€russafa
La Greta on Carrer de Pere III el Gran in Valencia's Russafa is a neighbourhood modern-Mediterranean bistro with a long arroces carte and a strong wine list.
Signature: Tartar, Arroz, Croquetas
Order: The croquetas of jamon and the arroz of the day.
Tip: Russafa locals favourite; reserve weekend lunch a few days ahead.
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Mediterranean$$8005
Inside the Im Viadukt rail-arch market hall in Kreis 5, an open-kitchen Mediterranean room with a garden terrace and the city's best produce sourcing.
Signature: Mediterranean plates, Garden terrace lunches
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