Hey guys, so I have been seeing all of these food posts here in the Hangout, and decided to post my favorite spots for Mediterranean food locally and hopefully get some input from my fellow CF members on your experiences! 1. Niko Nikos (BEST GYROS) 2. Fadis Mediterranean Cuisine off 610 and Beechnut (Better than the other Fadis) 3. Cafe Layal (Midtown or Richmond) I love their Gyros! Also have amazing Hookah selections! 4. Al Basha on Bay Area Blvd and Hwy 3 (Gyros and Hookah yet again! Do you see a trend?) 5. Wael's on Bay Area past Space Center Blvd. (really good food!) 6. Dimassi's If you can find one, go! But just know that it is a buffet, so quality of food is not the best. Any input, other places I may have missed? I look forward to hearing from you guys!
I've been going to Cafe Byzantio lately. It's off Gray, east of Montrose Blvd. John, the old waiter from Biba's (and Zorba the Greek back in the day) is there. Food is great and there is a big patio for hookah smoking.
I don't like Layal much. Ranosh is better but Layal's midtown location is nicer. Arpi's Phoenicia Deli is awesome. Here are several threads on this topic: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=99936&highlight=kasra&page=3 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=173487&highlight=Fadi's http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=170996
Phoenecia has very good food, because it's fresh. I also like Wael's. #1 on #4 on your list are wayyyyyy overrated though, and so is Dimassi's. There are a lot of spots on Hillcroft I have yet to try. Zabak's is very good.
The list of places I want to try are: Bijan, Darband, Garson, Cafe Caspian, Casbah, House of Kebab, Cafe Mezza, and Turquoise Grill.
At least, Niko Nikos has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. So has Cafe Pita (Bosnian). Dimassi's sucks comparatively. House of Kabob gives the best bang for the buck. Their shawarmas are the best. Everything else you can find in those threads I listed.
Hungry's has some pretty good food. Not all of it 100% Mediterranean, but a lot of it is. Big fan of their black bean salads.
Not bad but a little bland. There is an Iraqi restaurant in town now off Richmond and Fondren called Baghdad. I post this so everyone can avoid it. Worst service ever.
Houston is seriously lacking in this cuisine. I favoured Mint Cafe until they closed. Some of the most expensive meals i've had were in Arabic food restaurants, yet Houston has no "high-end, coat & tie" type Arabic restos...strange.
I have been on a quest to find a good Mediterranean restaurant that compares to Big Marina's in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I went up there to visit my now-wife and was floored by how awesome the place was. Gyros were outstanding, they had both menu items and a buffet and both were amazing, Hummus, lamb etc all great. Ever since my wife moved to Houston and we try a spot the reaction is "It's alright, not as good as Big Marina's" and unfortunately, so far she's been right. I frequent Dimassi whenever theres a groupon but yeah when you look at it, it's not really all that great. And they don't have gyro meat...disappointing. Haven't tried Fadi's, Cafe Layal, Mezza but from the looks of it, they're expensive and I'm not willing to go spend money to be disappointed. And even if it's good...is it "empty my going out to eat money for the month" good?
RANOSH end of story. Hands down best lamb plate in the town. And cheap hookah too. And natural coals.
I should probably mention Mo's Knockout Grill & Mediterranean Food near Reliant/Medical Center on Kirby. It's a little diner, which I always like, and the food was good. I would definitely go back again. http://www.yelp.com/biz/mos-knockout-grill-and-mediterranean-food-houston
