25 editor picks across United States.
25 middle eastern restaurants worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Ana Sortun's Inman Square room has run an Eastern Mediterranean kitchen in Cambridge since 2001. Turkish, Syrian and Lebanese plates from Siena Farms produce.
OrderThe sultan's delight: tamarind-glazed beef on smoky eggplant cream.
TipThe garden patio in summer is one of Cambridge's best outdoor seats. Books out three weeks ahead in season.
Cassie Piuma and Ana Sortun's meze room on Pearl Street in Somerville has run Turkish-style small plates since 2013. Kitchen leans eastern mediterranean.
OrderLamb manti, Turkish dumplings with yogurt and chili butter.
TipOrder the chef's choice tasting; the kitchen will send the best of the night unprompted.
Ana Sortun's Inman Square room runs a tasting-menu Eastern Mediterranean kitchen in Cambridge since 2001. James Beard Best Chef Northeast 2005.
Cara Chigazola Tobin and Allison Gibson opened Honey Road on Church Street in 2017. The eastern Mediterranean mezze room has been a James Beard finalist.
OrderThe harissa chicken wings, the whipped feta with hot honey and the whole lamb shoulder for the table.
TipReservations open on Resy 30 days out and book out the same day. The bar holds walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Calliope cooks modern Levantine food from Southern ingredients on MLK Boulevard in Chattanooga, a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
OrderThe seasonal mezze spread for the table before any main.
TipChef Khaled Albanna's room lands on national lists; book table seating ahead on Tock, or take your chances at the walk-in bar.
Calliope is Chattanooga fine dining at its most current: Levantine tasting plates from 2026 James Beard semifinalist Khaled Albanna on MLK Boulevard.
OrderThe mezze course with whatever bread came off the fire.
TipThe New York Times put Calliope on its 2025 Top 50 list; Tock reservations open ahead and Friday and Saturday sell out first.
Maydan in Washington DC is Rose Previte's James Beard award-winner above 14th Street, a courtyard around a live-fire pit serving North African.
OrderThe lamb shoulder cooked over fire for ten hours, ordered as a family-style bookend.
TipThe booth seats face the fire; ask for one. The pre-shift cocktail flight at the upstairs bar is the value pick.
Cara Chigazola Tobin (formerly chef de cuisine at Ana Sortun's Oleana in Cambridge MA) and Allison Gibson have been finalists for multiple James Beard Awards.
Zhug on Cedar Road at Cedar-Fairmount, chef Doug Katz's Middle Eastern mezze room named one of Esquire's best new restaurants, runs a casual high-energy.
OrderOrder four to five mezze for the table including the namesake zhug sauce.
TipReserve on OpenTable; small-plate dinners run faster than the prix fixe.
Yemen Cafe on Joseph Campau in Hamtramck serves Yemeni cooking in metro Detroit. Halal counter, mandi and saltah are the canonical orders. Priced at $$.
OrderLamb mandi with saffron rice and the bubbling cast-iron saltah stew.
TipOpen from 08:00-01:00 daily; cash is welcome, cards work. No alcohol served.
Yemen Cafe on Joseph Campau in Hamtramck serves Yemeni cooking in metro Detroit. Halal counter with mandi and saltah as the canonical orders.
OrderLamb mandi with saffron rice and the bubbling cast-iron saltah stew.
TipOpen 08:00-01:00 daily; cash welcome, cards work. No alcohol served.
Ladino is chef Berty Richter's Eastern Mediterranean room at the Pearl, built for family-style sharing across mezze, hummus and a wood-fired grill section.
TipGo family-style across the mezze with the grill section as the anchor. The hummus and the lamb are reliable openers.
Yasmine's Cafe on Central Avenue near UNM in Albuquerque is the Middle Eastern counter, with shawarma plates, falafel sandwiches and a long regular line.
OrderShawarma plate, Falafel sandwich
Habashi House in Kansas City's City Market runs a family-owned Middle Eastern counter with halal meats, including beef shawarma and falafel platters.
OrderBeef shawarma platter with rice, hummus and salad.
TipOpen Mon-Tue 10:00-14:00, Wed-Fri 10:00-17:00. Cash works fastest; takeaway is the move at peak lunch.
The bright, plant-forward Middle Eastern room on East Burnside in Portland, open since 2016 with Pacific Northwest produce on every plate. Priced at $$$.
OrderThe slow-roasted lamb shoulder with sumac and pomegranate
TipOpen for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. The covered patio is the best seat in summer.
The plant-led Middle Eastern dining room on East Burnside in Portland, with a chef's selection menu of mezze, lamb shoulder and seasonal vegetables.
TipOrder the chef's selection menu for the table. The covered patio is the best seat in summer.
Evo Kitchen + Bar at the Hyatt Place Old Port opened 2016, with a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu of wood-fired flatbreads, mezze and grilled kebabs.
OrderThe full mezze plate with wood-fired pita, plus lamb kefta off the grill.
TipDaily from 17:00. Reservations via OpenTable; bar seats hold for walk-ins.
Zaytinya in Washington DC is Jose Andres's Penn Quarter Eastern Mediterranean room on 9th Street since 2002, a high-ceiling space drawing from Greek.
OrderThe Greek-style spiced fries with feta; the most-ordered single dish in the room.
TipPre-theatre reservations from 17:00 are the fastest seat; the upstairs bar runs the full menu without the reservation pressure.
Zhug at Cedar-Fairmount in Cleveland Heights, chef Doug Katz's Middle Eastern mezze room named one of Esquire's best new restaurants, runs a high-energy.
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis's Saffy's in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, is a wood-fire shawarma room from the Bestia team. Open since 2023.
OrderLamb shawarma off the rotating spit, with hot pita and hummus.
TipThe bar serves the full menu walk-in; reservations are for the dining patio out back and book three weeks ahead.
Evo Kitchen + Bar at the Hyatt Place Old Port, since 2016, runs a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu of wood-fired flatbreads, mezze and grilled kebabs.
OrderThe full mezze plate with wood-fired pita, then lamb kefta off the grill.
TipDaily from 17:00. Reservations via OpenTable; bar seats hold for walk-ins.
Z Garden plates certified halal Middle Eastern food on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, Muslim-owned and generous with kebab plates, hummus and saffron rice.
OrderMixed grill over saffron rice with garlic sauce
TipPortions run huge; a single mixed grill plate with extra garlic sauce covers two people at lunch.
Galit in Chicago is James Beard winner Zachary Engel's Michelin-starred Middle Eastern dining room on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, with a choose-your-own.
TipOrder the laffa straight off the hearth as your opening course; the warm bread is the anchor for every spread on the meze list.
Falafel's Drive-In has served legendary falafel pita sandwiches from its Stevens Creek Blvd window since 1966, one of San Jose's oldest food landmarks.
OrderClassic falafel pita with tahini and hot sauce
Falafel's Drive-In has served legendary falafel pita from its Stevens Creek Blvd window since 1966, one of San Jose's most enduring culinary landmarks.
OrderClassic falafel pita with tahini and hot sauce
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