Top Mediterranean restaurants in United States

Abigail Street ★ 4.8

Abigail Street on Vine in OTR is Daniel Wright's Cincinnati Mediterranean small-plates room, with lamb meatballs, spanakopita and Greek wines.

OrderLamb meatballs, Spanakopita

March ★ 4.8

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.

OrderThe full nine-course menu. Anything less misses the regional arc.

TipThe wine pairings (June Rodil curates) are unusually well-judged. Take them.

March ★ 4.8

March in Houston is the Goodnight Hospitality tasting-menu room on Westheimer, chef Felipe Riccio's six- or nine-course Mediterranean menus rooted in one.

OrderThe full nine-course menu with June Rodil's wine pairings. Anything less misses the regional arc.

TipThe menu changes seasonally; ask which Mediterranean region you are eating before you book. Greece in spring tends to be the strongest.

The Antler Room ★ 4.8

Nick and Leslie Goellner's Longfellow room in Kansas City is the chef's-counter pick of the city: Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian small plates.

TipNick Goellner is a three-time James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist. Book the chef's counter for a tasting; the dining room runs a la carte.

Estiatorio Milos ★ 4.7

Estiatorio Milos at the Venetian in Las Vegas is Costas Spiliadis's Mediterranean seafood emporium since 2021, a Forbes-recommended dining room with fish.

TipLunch prix-fixe runs the same kitchen at half the dinner spend; book the 13:00 seating for the produce-market plates.

Rioja ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe artichoke tortelloni and the goat cheese ravioli, both on the menu since opening.

TipSunday 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.

Banzo ★ 4.6

Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.

OrderA falafel sandwich with hummus on the side.

TipClosed Sundays; the food-cart history shows in the quick counter turnover at lunch.

Lupi and Iris ★ 4.6

Lupi and Iris on North Van Buren Street is Adam Siegel's Mediterranean room with views of the lakefront, wood-fired pizzas and Provencal seafood plates.

OrderCharcoal-grilled whole fish for two and the wood-fired focaccia to start.

TipPatio seats face the Calatrava; book sunset on OpenTable two weeks out summer.

Herb and Wood ★ 4.6

Herb and Wood in San Diego is Brian Malarkey's Kettner Boulevard room in Little Italy, a rustic wood-fired Mediterranean kitchen with a courtyard patio.

OrderThe wood-fired roast chicken for two; the charred octopus to start.

TipThe covered patio is the move on warmer evenings; the bar runs full menu for walk-ins.

Dametra Cafe ★ 4.5

Dametra Cafe fills its Ocean Avenue corner in Carmel every night, serving Mediterranean plates and cioppino while musicians work the dining room.

OrderThe cioppino; the house treats it as its proudest plate.

TipOwners Faisal Nimri and Bashar Sneeh built the room around music; expect singing between courses and queues on weekend evenings.

avec ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates; on the menu since opening for good reason.

TipThe communal seating means a walk-up at 17:00 usually beats waiting for a table. Bring a friend who likes elbows.

Abigail Street ★ 4.5

Abigail Street on Vine in OTR is Daniel Wright's Cincinnati Mediterranean small-plates room, with lamb meatballs, spanakopita and Greek wines.

OrderLamb meatballs, Spanakopita

Astoria Cafe and Market ★ 4.5

Astoria Cafe and Market on Detroit Avenue in the Gordon Square Arts District, a Mediterranean restaurant and import shop since December 2016, runs mezze.

OrderA cured meat and cheese board plus three to four mezze plates for the table.

TipWalk-ins seated at the bar; the dining room takes reservations for Friday and Saturday.

Virtù Honest Craft ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe crispy-skin branzino with caper-infused brown butter, a fixture on Osso's changing menu.

TipThe fig-tree courtyard is the seat to request; the tasting menu is the deepest way into Osso's cooking.

Aiona ★ 4.5

Aiona on K Street in downtown Sacramento opened April 2026 as a live-fire pan-Mediterranean room, an open-kitchen grill setup with a 3,000-bottle wine cellar.

OrderWhole branzino from the fire, lamb souvlaki, the mezze hummus and eggplant dip

TipClosed Sunday. Coral banquettes and an art deco mural by Mike Willcox. Advanced Sommelier curates the cellar.

Ladino ★ 4.5

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.

OrderWood-grilled meats and mezze from the Sephardic-leaning menu.

TipGo family-style across the mezze and let the grill section anchor the table. The hummus and the lamb are reliable openers.

Lilac ★ 4.5

Lilac at the Tampa EDITION hotel runs Chef John Fraser's Mediterranean prix-fixe menu with Greek heritage, locally sourced ingredients and an open-kitchen.

OrderThe chef's tasting menu with the whole grilled fish course and the mezze opening.

TipLilac held a Michelin star 2024 and 2025; dropped to Michelin Recommended in 2026 but still serves the same kitchen team.

Lilac ★ 4.5

Lilac at the Tampa EDITION hotel runs Chef John Fraser's Mediterranean prix-fixe with Greek heritage. Held a Michelin star 2024 to 2025, kept on Recommended.

El Five ★ 4.4

El Five in Denver is Justin Cucci's fifth-floor Highland tapas room with floor-to-ceiling views of downtown and the Front Range, a Mediterranean small-plates.

OrderThe wood-grilled octopus and the lamb shawarma.

TipSunset reservations book out a month in advance. The hidden side patio runs walk-ins; the elevator entrance is on Umatilla.

Petra Grill ★ 4.4

Petra Grill carves certified halal shawarma and grills kabobs on West Elizabeth Street in Fort Collins, a family room that feeds the CSU crowd.

OrderChicken shawarma wrap with a side of hummus

TipEverything on the menu is certified halal and there is no alcohol; the falafel-hummus sandwich is the vegetarian sleeper.

The Lazy Goat ★ 4.4

The Lazy Goat sits on Riverplace looking at the Reedy River, Carl Sobocinski's Mediterranean room with hot mezze plates, flatbreads and lamb souvlaki dishes.

OrderHot mezze plates, Duck Duck Goat flatbread, Lamb souvlaki

Azur Restaurant ★ 4.4

Azur Restaurant cooks Mediterranean dinners and one of Key West's favourite brunches from a shaded corner of Grinnell Street, a few blocks off Duval.

OrderBrunch on the terrace, then whatever pasta is on that night

TipAzur takes a long September holiday most years, reopening in mid-October; brunch tables go quickest on weekends.

Banzo ★ 4.4

Banzo on Sherman Avenue near east side, the Israeli falafel spot from Netalee Sheinman and Aaron Collins, serves chickpea falafel and hummus plates.

OrderA falafel sandwich with hummus on the side.

TipClosed Sundays; the food cart history shows in the quick lunch turnover at the counter.

Tre Rivali ★ 4.4

Tre Rivali inside the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel on North Broadway in the Third Ward runs a coastal Mediterranean menu with wood-fired pizzas and seafood.

Cardamom ★ 4.4

Cardamom at the Walker Art Center pours Aegean-Mediterranean plates in Minneapolis since 2023. North African and Middle Eastern accents; vegan menu alongside.

OrderTurkish eggs with chili oil and the lamb kebabs with herbed yoghurt.

TipBook the patio overlooking the sculpture garden in summer. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays; Sunday brunch popular.

Barbuzzo ★ 4.4

Barbuzzo in Philadelphia is Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran's 13th Street Mediterranean kitchen, open since 2010, anchored by wood-fired pizzas.

OrderThe wood-fired pizza of the week; salted caramel budino for dessert, the dish that built its reputation.

TipThe bar counter overlooking the open kitchen takes walk-ups. It is the room's quietest table on a Friday.

Mediterranean Exploration Company ★ 4.4

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.

OrderThe lamb shoulder mechoui for the table

TipFamily-style is the move. Two people order three dishes; six people order eight.

Le Great Outdoor ★ 4.4

Le Great Outdoor grills everything outside in the Bergamot Station yard in Santa Monica, lamb chops and tartines off open fire at long picnic tables.

OrderBlistered lamb chops and the goat cheese tartine

TipThe kitchen is entirely open-air in the arts-centre parking lot; book Resy for dinner, walk in at lunch.

Petra Mediterranean Restaurant ★ 4.4

Petra on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa has served halal-certified Jordanian and Palestinian dishes since 2004, with mansaf and shawarma as the table builders.

OrderMansaf lamb shank with yogurt sauce, the chicken shawarma wrap and the knafeh for dessert.

TipHalal-certified; gluten-free menu available except the pita; lunch special runs until 3pm.

Petra Mediterranean Restaurant ★ 4.4

Petra on Kennedy Boulevard has served halal-certified Jordanian and Palestinian dishes since 2004, with mansaf lamb shank and shawarma as the table builders.

OrderMansaf lamb shank with yogurt sauce and the chicken shawarma wrap.

TipHalal-certified; gluten-free menu available except for the pita; lunch special runs until 3pm.