The Most Delectable Mediterranean in Philadelphia

Barbuzzo

★★★★☆ 4.3 (3327) • $$

"After two days in Philly, this was our favorite spot in the City of Brotherly Love. The location was charmingly perfect. Right next to the bustling cute corner of Sansom and 13th Street, the energy here is fantastic. The interior is hip, cozy, and warm. While we had table seating, I'd love to try the bar seating on our next visit. The energy of the kitchen was palpable. Favorite dishes were:1. Olives2. Watermelon Salad3. Meatballs 4. Tufoli5. Cavatelli6. Margarita Pizza"

Estia

★★★★☆ 4.1 (892) • $$$

"Estia was a proximity and availability dinner decision. It was getting late and my team was exhausted so we were looking for something nearby. I open my Open Table app and filtered for 5 people, tonight, and a few options came up. My coworkers opted for Greek, so that is how we got to the decision of Estia. Our local colleagues mentioned it was a good pick. The restaurant looked upscale and dim lit. There were some couples at the corner tables making out when we were entering, so it's probably also a date night spot. They provided complimentary bread and my team shared a recommended Estia Chips ($20) and Spread Pikilia ($18) which comes with pita and 3 spreads in which we picked the Htipiti, Melitzanosalata, and Potato Skordalia. For our entrees, my team ordered the Moussaka ($26), Tuna Tartare ($21), Arugula Salata ($16) with added Grilled Chicken (+$7), and Lobster Linguini ($45). I had their Chilean Sea Bass Plaki ($50). The group seemed to really enjoy the food. I actually liked the appetizers more than I liked my entrée. I love sea bass and tend to order it when I see it on the menu but this sea bass was really acidic with the sauces and the portion size was small from being the most expensive thing ordered. The staff here is obsessed with clearing your plate, sometimes before you're even ready. When this lady was trying to grab one of the appetizers, my coworker said she was still working on it and the funny thing is that they took my coworkers individual plate away. Struggles. We were like, I guess you eat off the serving plate? And then when she was clearing my other coworkers plate, she threw their fork and knife into my plate. I wasn't done lady. Sigh. Fine, take it away. For a high end fine dining priced restaurant, I don't like feeling rushed with the food getting cleared before I'm done with it. This place has potential, but they have some things to work on."

Isot Mediterranean Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (552) • $$

"10/10 for the service and food! I have been here a few times before for dinner but unfortunately never wrote a review. We went on Saturday night to just have desserts - ordered the Kunefe and the Oven baked Rice pudding. Both were DELICIOUS! Sorry no pictures this time, we couldn't wait and dug in as soon as they were served. I can very well see it becoming my go to place to get dessert."

Zorba's Taverna

★★★★☆ 4.3 (589) • $$

"I couldn't find this on the menu and it could be a creation of leftovers that work well enough together. In this case, meatball links with seasoned potatoes and buttered rice. The bread had a nice texture to it and the rice mixture was like a "Greek spaghetti". I liked this item, but I didn't feel like it was something I'd initially pick because unless it seemed super decorative with all kinds of pizazz ingredients with pictures reaming my psyche in, as I'd want to try something else in a Greek style at a Greek place probably since I'm so used to the traditional Italian style.I feel like if I paid regular price for this, I would have given this place 4 stars instead but since it was through TooGoodToGo, it was a great value. Staff is friendly here and restaurant is very casual. The entrance looks slightly divey for the area and reminds me of take out at Souvlaki in South Philly too. Does Zorba take cash only for take out as well?Looks like the calamari here is a hit."

Aroma Mediterranean Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.2 (606) • $$

"I always know of the existence of this restaurant, but for some reason we just never came here until tonight. It turned out better than I expected. Although the entrance looks unassuming, the interior is tastefully decorated. Service is friendly. Food is properly priced with decent portions. We had the mini sampler, a chicken wrap and a lamb bowl--all taste great. Overall, we are satisfied and plan to come back again in the future."

Smiley's Cafe

★★★★★ 4.5 (473) • $

"The employees of this restaurant are so sweet and friendly when you walk in, definitely made me feel welcome. I tried the hummus and tabbouleh pita sandwich and it was good. Nice and light and healthy but filling. Next time I'd try a side of one of their sauces with it as well. Cant wait to try more menu items!"

Fattoush

★★★★★ 4.7 (365) • $$

"Fabulous food and warm and friendly service. We were looking for a light summer meal and found a winner! The restaurant was bustling with business and it's easy to see why. You won't go wrong with this authentic mediterranean cuisine. It's BYOB so don't forget your adult beverages! And even if you do, there are places very close by to pick up what you like! Enjoy!"

Apricot Stone

★★★★★ 4.5 (372) • $$

"Finally went to try this place after several friends recommended it. Reservations were easy to get, we were outdoors in a well heated patio setting. Service was super friendly. Parking situation was very hard. Mostly street parking that we saw and not much available. Uber/Lyft or carpool if you can. Now on to the food! I love Mediterranean food and was excited to try this place. My favorite entree was the manti. The skewers were ok, lamb was gamey and beef was dry. The sides we got were good. Falafel was also ok. The desserts I really liked though. The Khaitaif was sweeter than the baklava and I would have probably really enjoyed it with a strong coffee. Some fellow yelpers recommended going with a larger group so that more dishes could be shared. With just 2 of us for dinner, it was hard so would try with a larger group next time."

Cafe Olé

★★★★☆ 4.2 (424)

"What a charming spot in the old city. Bright yellow colors and friendly service made Cafe Ole a favourite of during a recent trip.The Chai lattes were incredible! I especially loved the Vanilla Chai and the Spicy Chai.The prices are extremely fair as well! Big portions of delicious food. The brie sandwich and vegetable shaksuka were sooo good. I would make this a regular spot if I lived in town. Grab a table outside and enjoy all the people watching."

Talia's Grille

★★★★★ 4.7 (299) • $

"This place is such a hidden gem! I had been going here for a while for my morning bagel and coffee and the owners kept telling me to come for lunch some time... I'm SO GLAD I did. Against what I would normally order I got the falafel, shrimp with tomato and basil pasta, and the baklava with pistachios. All of it was amazing the shrimp were huge and the red sauce they came in was so good. The baklava was some of the best over ever had. Would rate 1000 stars if I could! And the husband and wife who run this are so kind to their customers, they appreciate every person who comes in the door"

Sahara Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (386) • $$

"I was headed to the Academy of Music for a 7:30 PM show, and this was a convenient choice that was right around the corner. Luckily, it was the middle of the week, so it was easy to just pop in.This is a pretty basic place, no fancy bells and whistles, with one guy pretty much handling all the front of house duties. He was fast, congenial and answered questions.Since I wasn't starving, I opted for a simple beef schwarma wrap. It hit the spot. Next time if I'm hungrier, I'll get some other appetizers."

Ali Baba

★★★★☆ 4.4 (319) • $$

"There's something different about a family run restaurant, isn't there? The experience is different, and subsequently, the review must be different. It's impossible to rate a dinner at a friend's home against the same criteria as dining out. And so I'm rating my experience at Ali Baba as if Khalid, Imad, and the rest of the family were personal friends because that is what they became by the end of the evening. Traveling to Newark frequently for work, I kept passing by and promising to make this a stop on my next visit. This week, I kept my promise and was happy I did. Environment is always important to me, and I enjoyed the aesthetic that complimented the Middle Eastern influenced menu. Service was warm and prompt. Portions were large enough to share with a few others, and I enjoyed the abundant but balanced use of herbs and spices. Flavors were as strong as you'd hope but not in an overwhelming way. The Moroccan chicken was recommended as the family favorite, and it was falling off the bone tender and I enjoyed it as I got to know each of the fine folks who worked there and were kind enough to chat with a solo traveler.Next time, I look forward to the Bastilla, which is hard to find, especially in my home city, and which can be customized with the protein of your choice. One request I'd make is to consider a different situation for the music. It was constantly interrupted by loud commercials, which felt a bit abrupt and distracting from the rest of the experience."

Figs

★★★★☆ 4 (329)

"Visited this hidden gem in Fairmount on a whim for Saturday brunch. The place is very cute and quaint with Moroccan decor adorning the walls. The brunch menu features some American classics but with a Mediterranean flare. The food was great and the woman who was the server for the entire dining room was fantastic. I'm not a big turkey bacon person, but it was cooked very well and didn't have the typical rubbery texture I've had elsewhere. Oh and did I mention it's BYOB?! Can't wait to come again to try the dinner menu! Just keep in mind they're cash only, but there is an ATM outside."

Greek Lady

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (513) • $

"Simply delicious. No frills. Had the chicken shawarma, fully loaded with fries. EXCELLENT. UPenn students (and others) are lucky to have this place at their fingertips!"

Paprica Modern Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 4.4 (271) • $$

"Excellent food! I just went to Türkiye in May and the food here was as good as our best meals we had there. Our server, who is from northern Türkiye, was very friendly and helpful. We started with the lentil soup and the stuffed grape leaves; both were excellent. Lentil soup was a staple pre meal on our Türkiye trip & the grape leaves were covered in a dressing that made them even more delicious than usual. For our main, we split the manti and the Turkish meatballs platter. The manti were the best part of the meal, delectable little dumplings smothered in yogurt and paprika. They are a MUST. The meatballs were delicious as were the accompanying sides of salad & rice. They play Turkish music inside & the restaurant is decorated with greenery & pictures of Istanbul. It's a great spot that we will certainly return to soon."

Kanella

★★★★☆ 4 (325) • $$

"I am KICKING myself for taking this long to check out Kanella. The service, the food, the price point... it is all worthy of 5 stars. On a Friday night, my friends and I decided we needed a GNO so we made a reservation at Kanella and brought our own bottles of wine. We sat inside because it's been disgustingly hot out, but they have outdoor seating, too! We opted to try the tasting menu and I am so glad we did. We were a group of 5 people total, so we got one of each meze. For our mains we did ground lamb, spanakopita, falafel, and chicken shish. For dessert we got one of everything and two kunefes.. because obviously. My meze favorites included the shepherd salad, hummus, muhammara, seared halloumi, and cyprus potato chips. The chicken shish was the best main by a long shot. The desserts were all hits, but my favorite was the kunefe.I loved this meal so much that on Saturday night I ordered takeout because I needed more of the hummus, shepherd's salad, and chicken shish.TLDR: Kanella is amazing, a BYOB, and worth every penny. Come with a group and try the tasting option so you can have one of every meze and most of the main options."

Kabab Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (312) • $$

"Food was excellent Pepsi is a plus Service amazing and friendly Ambiance was okay. Table had a serious wobble."

Effie's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (353) • $$

"Dined here on a beautiful September Saturday night. Effie's was doing a brisk business and had outdoor tables both in their courtyard and on the sidewalk on Quince street. Tables were a good distance apart. There was hand sanitizer on each table. Servers wore masks and used gloves.I ordered the Chicken Souvlaki Plate with Tzatziki, rice and vegetable of the day. It was very good and the chicken was grilled nicely. My dining partners had the Octopus and the Grilled Lamb Chops. I had some of the lamb and it was quite good, with very tasty seasoning.Service was friendly and attentive all night."

Cilantro New Mediterranean Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.7 (197)

"Egyptian neighborhood restaurant no frills but gets the job done.I split an order of the Falafel platter which consisted of six falafel balls, ample saffron rice, hummus, and a salad. The Saffron rice was amazing, it came out piping hot and they could not make it any better, truly fantastic. There was just enough hummus for the six falafel balls and it filled my girlfriend and I up. I tried what is described on the internet as a Lebanon Soda, "Laziza", this is a malt hop beverage but does not have any alcohol in it. You can get it with alcohol in it but not at this restaurant. It was decent, I like it better than most flavored sodas and would recommend you try it to branch out if you're getting tired of the usual soda line up in your repertoire. I wouldn't mind stopping back in here to try their Eggplant Moussaka and a few of their other dishes in the future. Beware in some of their menu's and online it says they have a brunch menu Sat-Sun 9am-1pm, they no longer offer brunch.As always people SYOY!!!"

Al Zaytouna

★★★★☆ 4 (261)

"Great little Tunisian resto on the border of Philadelphia's Little Italy. Mediterranean cuisine is featured with a Tunisian spin on many dishes from that region. The service was very friendly, efficient; the food coming reasonable quickly when you consider some items are made from scratch. Give this place a try as it is interesting when you compare similar dishes from other countries you may have had."

Scannicchio's

★★★★☆ 4.2 (235) • $$$

"Been going to this restaurant for years and their food is really good. The portions are a nice size and the service is always really good. The prices are fair esp because it is a BYOB. A South Philly gem I highly recommend Scannicchio's if you want great Italian food in South Philly. Place is small and kind of loud so not a great place to go to have serious convos though."

Desert Rose

★★★★☆ 4.1 (245)

"Do not come here in a rush! Everything is cooked to order and you must allow extra time - which for us was worth it. 2 pita sandwiches (One Sabich and One Falafel) to go took 25 minutes and ran close to $27.Nothing is cheap these days - but the quality here is wonderful. Big stuffed pitas with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage slaw and amba. Luscious char-grilled eggplant.Classic Sabich and so tasty!Again - slow service but worth the wait."

Elia Greek Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (186) • $$

"A recommendation from a sweet lady at the Keswick Theater. We got seated immediately. Our sever was attentive. （）We ordered Beet salad, lemon chicken soup, and dolma. If I had my ukelele I would definitely strum a Love Song about The Beet salad being so amazing. Very special very flavorful fresh and delicious. The dolma was served hot. It was so very delightful. Perfect shape. Delicious taste! The chicken soup had perfect amount of lemon. I've never had this before and I was so happy to try it. I loved it.Delightful Greek decor . The tiles are quite charming. The owner came by and let us know that his wife makes the desserts . Of course. I'm so delighted to try some thing she created specifically. We ordered baklava."

Bistro La Baia

★★★★☆ 3.6 (261)

"I came here as part of Center City's Restaurant Week & here are my takeaways: Ambiance: the place is small and intimate. I got there at 6pm and there were only 6 other people in the restaurant. I was seated right across from the door, which I didn't mind for the most part but I did get a chill anytime the door was opened. The place started getting full around 7 PM. Service: the staff were great. Very attentive and checked in on me periodically to make sure I was doing alright. There were only two people working, which was fine, but did cause a bit of a slowdown when the place began filling up. Food: I started off with the polpette (meatballs) and they were good and a good size for an appetizer for one person. The gnocchi pesto was delicious. The gnocchi are perfectly made and the pesto was great, not too oily. The portion of the gnocchi was also very gracious and I had leftovers to bring home. Now to the star of the show: their homemade tiramisu. Probably the best tiramisu I've had in Philadelphia. Overall, I think I just found my new favorite Italian restaurant in Philly!"

Pita Chip

★★★★☆ 4.4 (171) • $$

"Got take-out here recently with my wife and daughter on a quick one-night stop in Philly. Great meal and exactly what fast-casual should be: reliable (we were a bit lost in a new city; many nearby restaurants were a bit dodgy), large portions (we ate leftovers for two days), and not too pricey.My wife and I each got a chicken shawarma bowl, which were yummy and huge; we easily could have just shared one. Tons of chicken and rice, plus they really loaded up the toppings for us, so we ended up having a good amount of vegetation. We got chicken fingers and fries for my toddler, which was also huge and very satisfying for her. Service at this location was very helpful (we hadn't been to a Pita Chip before)."

Bishos

★★★★★ 4.6 (153) • $$

"Stopped in here on a Friday early evening for dinner. You order at the counter and then they call you when your order is ready. I thought the prices were very good for the portions you got. I enjoyed a hummus bowl that had veggies in it and falafel. I got a meal so i picked a salad and a bottle of water to go with it. There was so much food! My boyfriend liked his dinner as well!The restaurant looked fairly new. Nicely decorated and clean. I will be back for another hummus bowl!"

Opa Vera's Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.6 (153)

"Really good, fresh flavors and great service. I had the salad with gyro meat. Crispy greens, yummy meat, delicious sauce. Will definitely go back."

Àrdana Food & Drink

★★★★☆ 4.4 (166) • $$

"Went back for dinner with 2 other couples. We all enjoyed our choices from one of the best grilled octopus we've had in awhile to various salads. Entrees ran from delicious lamb chops to different pastas.The Eggplant Milanese was both different and delicious with it being cooked to a fantastic crispnessWorth returning to try other entrees including pizzas."

Pera Turkish Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (149) • $$

"Excellent service and food! This place is super cozy and inviting. The meat was cooked perfectly and not dry. The serving size was also excellent. The cheese rolls were crisp, and a really yummy app. The salad was a nice balance for all the meat we ate. definitely give them a try!"

Zesty's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (201) • $$

"Fantastic food and service. This was a 5 star dining experience for me. I recommend a night out on the the town to include dinner here. Definitely worth a revisit."

Bonu Cafe Express

★★★★★ 4.6 (126)

"We had a failure to communicate and I ended up with a very good cheesesteak omelette. I was hoping to get the cheesesteak omelette on a long roll. Nice fluffy eggs. It had a great flavor. The homefries were very tasty. I got two meals out of my cheesesteak omelette. Thank you Acme and last weekend's 12 bagels for $6 weekend."

Opa Opa

★★★★☆ 4.1 (158)

"The gyros here are top notch. It's everything you'd want from a gyro food cart and more. You can get a fresh and decadent salad instead of fries for a few extra bucks. I know the gyros look really skinny in the foil but they are camera shy. They are actually massive once you get them out of their shiny shell. They are growers (not showers)Food is made to order so I always call ahead, this way my food is waiting for me upon arrival. Nothing beats a well timed dinner pick upPlenty of parking too if are driving in from the burbs"

Nova Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (121)

"Finally tried this place, I am sad it took me so long to get there. Delicious chicken lemon soup & for entree, had the house-made sausage rice bowl (forgot the name!) Very friendly service, look forward to trying more dishes."

Cafe Baladi

★★★★★ 4.7 (89) • $$

"This place would be easy to drive right by in this busy plaza, but the food is too good to miss! Beef tahini salad was chopped up and made right behind the counter and was very fresh. The sfihas were AMAZING!! So much flavor! You can tell everything is made by their family with love."

Judah Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (121)

"We went out to eat the other night with some folks who only eat Kosher. Judah was the closest (and only) Kosher restaurant nearby, and the reviews looked good, so we figured what the hell, let's give it a shot. We were intrigued by the menu, which is full of Israeli favorites like schnitzel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus, etc. The shawarma in particular looked awesome in the Yelp photos and I was excited to check it out. I have been on a somewhat melancholy journey in the US over the last few years in search of authentic shawarma, which I loved when I lived in the Middle East. Most places that offer shawarma actually serve a rendition of gyro meat, which is not shawarma at all. Anyway Judah came through big time! The spice profile was spot on and the succulent and slightly crispy lamb was great! My family went with kufta kabobs and reported that they were great too. Overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. Even the little ones ate well!I do have to mention that this place is somewhat expensive for what it is, even considering the good food. It's basically a casual, unpretentious shawarma/falafel joint, but the entrees were close to $20 each which I felt was high. Not insanely high, but still high. In the end though, I was pleasantly surprised to find this great restaurant and despite the steep bill I really enjoyed the experience. Four stars and a solid recommendation from me."