The Best Mediterranean Food in the United States

House-made pita arrives before anything else at this Mediterranean restaurant in north Oklahoma City's Chisholm Creek development, and the table tends to fill fast with hummus, baba ghanoush, and muhammara before the shareable mains show up. The chef pulls from Greece, Morocco, the Levant, and occasionally the Basque Country, which is either inspired range or a very long grocery list. Braised lamb shank and tajine-braised short ribs anchor the menu.

Part cafe, part bar, part gourmet market, Astoria spreads across a bright, bustling storefront in Detroit Shoreway where you can grab a bottle of wine and a wedge of imported cheese to take home or settle in for a full Mediterranean spread. The menu runs long, from mezze and salads to pizza and sandwiches, and brunch keeps the patio and bar seats filled well into the afternoon. It's the kind of neighborhood place that makes you feel slightly smug for living nearby.

A fresh pasta shop and lunch counter that quietly changed hands and then quietly changed direction, Corridor now pulls from the wider Mediterranean rather than just Italy. The vegetable-forward midday menu shifts with the seasons, with poultry and seafood making occasional appearances. The market side still stocks house-made pastas, olive oils, and charcuterie for the take-home crowd.

A Mediterranean bistro tucked into the District at Prairie Trail, a walkable pocket of local shops that feels nothing like the suburban sprawl surrounding it. The kitchen leans into seafood paella, gyros, and generous sharing platters piled with falafel, house-made bread, dips, and roasted vegetables. Worth the fifteen-minute drive from downtown Des Moines, which is apparently how Ankeny earns its keep.

Hovan is a casual, inexpensive Mediterranean counter in Five Points, done up in blue and white, where a weekday lunch line of neighborhood office workers moves fast. Regulars get their order started the moment they walk in. When vegan requests picked up, the owners learned to make seitan from scratch for a vegan gyro, which is a level of customer service most places reserve for hostage negotiations. The catering trays turn up at everything from watch parties to funerals.

Othello is a tapas restaurant in Springfield's Historic District, where pothos spills off the bar and moody pendant lights do most of the flirting. The kitchen leans Spanish and Mediterranean, and dinner starts with a choice of house-baked breads, which is a decision you'll take more seriously than expected. The cocktails go heavy on amari, and the string-lit patio is the move on a mild night, especially for a date.

The gougères come with a side of Comté fondue, because why not gild the lily twice. Barbouzard is a glitzy Southern French dining room from Cédric Maupillier, and it reads more Riviera than Washington, which is the whole point. The deconstructed bouillabaisse and plancha scallops in curry sauce show a chef having fun with the format. At lunch, the K Street crowd fills in around a brisk prix fixe that moves fast enough to make a noon reservation feel civilized.

Moroccan tile and cozy alcoves set the mood at this upscale-casual Mediterranean and Persian restaurant in Adams Morgan. The kitchen draws from Greek, North African, Turkish, and Persian traditions without treating any of them as fixed texts, so gigante beans might arrive tossed in tahini and sumac instead of the expected tomato. Braised lamb shoulder and walnut-marinated kebabs anchor the menu, and the baked rice pudding with saffron syrup lands as a genuine closer.

Byrek are coils of flaky pastry from Albania, and they're the reason to find this small, stylish cafe near Seattle University. The menu covers baguette sandwiches, fries, and salads well enough, but the byrek, stuffed with leeks and feta or beef and onions, arrive with housemade yogurt for dipping and upstage everything else. Save room for baklava or a slice of cake from the counter display.

A former movie theater in the Solaris complex went full Alice in Wonderland and never looked back. Chasing Rabbits is a members' social club open to the public, folding a speakeasy, screening room, nightclub, arcade, and Mediterranean restaurant into one surreal evening. Members get liquor lockers and secret menus; everyone else gets the braised rabbit Bolognese and the satisfaction of finding a nightclub in Vail that actually has a theme worth committing to.

The name means "two hands," which turns out to be underselling it. This elegant Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Aspen draws from the coastal kitchens of Italy and France, and the chef, an Aspen native who spent years at Matsuhisa, brings real finesse to the room. The crowd skews people who have already changed for dinner. Expect polished service and a menu that moves between crudo, whole branzino, and properly cooked chops.

Mismatched tablecloths and cloth napkins set the tone at this cozy Mediterranean-leaning tea room and cafe, where the menu runs to sandwiches, salads, and sampler plates with a light Greek accent. The house iced tea is steeped with clove, and the patio, tucked behind a fountain, manages to feel like someone's backyard despite sitting right off the street. A good spot for a slow Saturday lunch with no particular agenda.

White tablecloths and a room that doesn't announce itself as vegan, even a little. Crossroads Kitchen is a refined plant-based Mediterranean restaurant on Melrose where Tal Ronnen's cooking reads as fine dining first and a lifestyle statement never. The French onion soup arrives without beef broth and nobody at the table notices anything missing. A-list regulars treat the bar like a neighborhood spot, which is either aspirational or just Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Seville is a rooftop Mediterranean restaurant on top of a Hilton, which sounds like a warning and mostly isn't. The menu leans on tapas, pasta, fish, and pinsa, all sized for splitting, so it suits coworkers on the company card and out-of-town friends who just got talked into the Skydeck. The big patio gets you the Loop skyline without pressing your face against glass. The Infatuation lists it among the Loop's best.

Mosaic lanterns cut through the Tysons corporate blur the moment you walk in, and the room stays loud and kinetic from there. Agora is a lively Mediterranean restaurant where mezze plates arrive fast and tables turn on a two-hour clock, which somehow adds to the fun rather than the stress. The Ottoman rice, fragrant with currants and crowned with fried shallots, tends to be the dish people talk about on the way to the car.

Duck on white tablecloths, no apology. Mistral is a full-service French-Mediterranean restaurant in the South End that has been around forever and still packs the room with business-casual regulars alongside tourist groups, both of whom tend to end up with the signature grilled thin-crust pizza in front of them regardless of what they planned to order. The bread is warm and crusty, the service is attentive, and the portions are substantial enough to quiet anyone who finds elegance unsatisfying.