Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Dallas

What is Mediterranean Food?

Mediterranean food refers to the culinary cuisine and dishes of countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Of course, each country and even region within the country will have its own variations, dishes, spices, etc. Generally, Mediterranean food is characterized by food ingredients like chickpeas and lentils, olive oil, lean meats, cucumbers, and plenty of other fresh vegetables and dairy. Iconic Mediterranean dishes include hummus, kofta, tabouli, feta, meatballs, moussaka, braised lamb, and more. 

What countries are considered the Mediterranean? 

The Mediterranean Sea bisects Asia and Africa, rounding out the Middle East. A detailed map is below, but often people are referring to Moroccan, Greek, or Lebanese food when referring to Mediterranean cuisine. 

Is Mediterranean food healthy?

As with any cuisine, the health of a dish comes down to what you order and how it’s prepared. Generally speaking, Mediterranean dishes are rich in olive oils, lean proteins, fresh herbs, and vegetables, making them a very nutritious cuisine. 

Best Mediterranean Food in Dallas

1. Open Sesame

Open Sesame is a traditional Lebanese restaurant in Oak Lawn in Dallas. The owner, Mo Kamal,‘s goal is to bring authentic Lebanese food to Dallas. The cook’s family owns a meat business in Lebanon and his expertise is apparent at your first bite of juicy, succulent chicken shawarma.² Flavorful, fresh, reasonably priced, generous portions, nourishing menu, and a warm ambiance, this is one of my favorite places to go eat in the DFW metroplex. 

What To Order At Open Sesame

• Highly recommend the tender, juicy chicken shawarma plate with the fatoush salad as a side. Fatoush is a Lebanese salad made of lettuce, cucumber, and tomato. What sets it apart is the pomegranate molasses dressing with bright notes of lemon. Very refreshing and a great pairing with any type of meat. 
• The tabouleh salad is very parsley heavy, so would definitely recommend the fatoush instead. 
• The sandwiches are fine, but personally feel that the plates are a stronger order here. 

2. Shawarma World

Set in an unassuming strip mall in Irving, Schawarma World is the ultimate neighborhood hidden gem. A very consistent portion of my paycheck goes to this establishment weekly. The food is hearty and delicious with large portions of meat and generous sized salads. The garlic sauce is full of flavor. The rice has cinnamon and other warming spices. The owner, MJ,  is from Jordan, and he weaves traditional family recipes into both the in-store and catering menu. His mom back in Jordan will send local spices to the restaurant, giving dishes an authentic and truly unique flavor. Portions sometimes vary based on who’s working the counter, but any visit to Schawarma World is sure to be satisfying.

What to Order at Schawarma World:

• The chicken shawarma bowl at $11.99 is phenomenal. The chicken is shaved from a hot shawarma spit and served with a delicious garlic yogurt sauce, generous serving of vegetables, and serving of rice. 
• I also recommend the beef shawarma wrap (<$10) if you’re feeling some red meat. 
• My husband loves the lunch special which includes rice, pita, an entire plate of salad and close to ½ lb of chicken (hidden under the pita in the image below). 

3. Bilad Restaurant & Bakery

Bilad is a modest restaurant attached to a Middle Eastern grocery store in Richardson. The original location was actually in Iraq and opened in the late 70’s. The owner and his father and brother made fresh bread daily to sell with their shawarma. In 2010, the trio immigrated to the United States and opened up Bilad Restaurant & Bakery
2” and continued the work of baking bread.³ The founder’s young adult daughter now works the front register, and you can see a faded newspaper article of the founding story on the wall. A visit here feels authentic and heart-warming. 

What to Order at Bilad Restaurant & Bakery

The meat is good. The salad is forgettable… what you’re here for is the BREAD. The Iraqi bread is unique and delicious! It’s light, pillowy, and made fresh at the bakery daily. 

Good Mediterranean Food in Dallas

1. Baboush

Baboush is a trendy Moroccan restaurant in West Village. Dim lighting, live music that’s actually tasteful. There are lanterns hung up all around and a tiled bar in the back of the small establishment. It’s a great date night. Your pictures will look great on Instagram. While it may not feel the most authentic, it’s fun, delicious, and you will feel very on trend. Consider a reservation if you’re going on weekend or for a special occasion. Everything I’ve tried was delicious, if not overpriced. 

What to Order at Baboush

• Fattoush Salad to share: the sumac (spice) was stronger in this one and delicious. I also liked the pomegranate arils added.
• Apricot Lamb Cous Cous: the braised lamb is moist and falls apart on your fork. It’s sweet from the apricot with earthier undertones from the ras el hanout spices. It’s spendy, but a unique dish for Dallas and flavorful. Definitely not something I’m able to make at home. Fun for special occasion.
• Chicken Schawarma is good, but you can get that elsewhere. If you’re coming here, go for the lamb or something more differentiated.

2. Cafe Izmir Mediterranean Tapas

Cafe Izmir has been open in Greenville since 1996. The restaurant is family owned and focuses on sharing delicious Mediterranean tapas based on family recipes handed down through generations. This is a great place to try multiple dishes. 

What to Order at Cafe Izmir

You can’t go wrong here. I enjoy several of the beef dishes and the dolmas. The Dinner for Two ($75) could be a fun option if you come with a big appetite and desire to try multiple flavors and dishes. 

Honorable Mentions

The next two places are both very good, my hang up is that there are other options that are just a bit better. 

1. Food from Galilee 

Food from Galilee is a small restaurant in the cute and quaint Snider Plaza of University Park. This is a great place to go if you want to try various Middle Eastern dishes as all entrees come with a choice of lentil soup or salad. I also enjoyed the cabbage rolls as an appetizer. One differentiator here is that the rice is mixed with short vermicelli noodles, giving it a different texture. The food truly is good. I studied abroad in Jerusalem and many of the dishes are reminiscent of my time there. When it comes down to it though, I’ll almost always choose Open Sesame first. 

2. Kebabs to Go

Kebabs to Go is another local neighborhood gem that actually has 2 locations in Irving, one in Valley Ranch (take out only, true to the “to go”) and South Irving (seating areas available).  You order 1 kebab (chicken, beef, veggie, salmon), and 2 sides (no splitting them, trust me, I’ve tried at both locations) as well as choice of sauce. Your meal is handed to you in a styrofoam container. Meat quality is great. The chickpeas are exceptionally flavored. But to me as a 5’7” woman, the quantity of food didn’t feel adequate, and the ambiance doesn’t feel worth the price of ordering more?

I prefer the South Irving location with the tables, but be warned that it is in a very rough parking lot, bordering on unsafe, so I’d recommend going earlier in the day. The Valley Ranch location is much better, but I’ve found the process to be a bit chaotic and overstimulating due to the crowd gathered there (which does speak to the taste and quality).

If you go on a weekend, order ahead or expect a 45 minute wait. Really great food, but to me, the hassle isn’t worth it. I’d rather go to Schawarma World. 

Missed the Mark for Me

1. Prince Lebanese Grill

Prince Lebanese Grill in Arlington was underwhelming to me. The food was fine, but nothing special. Frankly, overpriced in my opinion, but without the quality, ambiance, unique flavors, or general dining experience to back it up. I went in the summer, and the air conditioning was inadequate. The restaurant was staffed by local high schoolers which detracted from its authenticity for me. I will applaud Prince for their involvement in the community though. They actually have a partnership with the Arlington school district to help provide/sell meals. I love the concept of introducing students to international cuisines and a more whole foods, unprocessed style of eating. In fact, I’d love to replicate the partnership in other school districts. 

2. Beirut Grill

Beruit Grill is another Lebanese restaurant, also located in Arlington. As you can see from the image below, the portions are enormous. The plate below was a single entree, and the dish is broader than my shoulders. My husband and I are both pretty hearty eaters, but this is one of the few restaurants where I think we could split an entree and actually get enough to eat. I ordered the chicken gallaya, a braised chicken cooked in tomato sauce with peppers and onions served over rice. It was tasty, if a bit mild, and actually inspired me to make a similar dish at home; however, my stomach didn’t feel great the rest of the evening or next day. Usually I leave Mediterranean restaurants full and nourished, felt a bit more “blech” here. 

On My List to Try 

1. Shiraz
2. Afrah
3. Chefika
4. The Mayor’s House by Selda

Been to or live in Dallas? What’s your favorite? What do I need to add?  

References:

1. Google Maps (2025) Mediterranean Sea, scale. Available from: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mediterranean+Sea/@38.0149379,15.0967822,5z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x131421b81c473c9f:0x2e93598afeccf840!8m2!3d34.5531284!4d18.0480105!16zL20vMDRzd3g?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUxMy4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D [Accessed 17, May 2025].
2. Dallasites101. Open Sesame. Dallasites101. https://www.dallasites101.com/listing/open-sesame/2958

Plusnick, M. (2020, July 1). Iraqi chef brings cuisine of his homeland to Richardson. Community Impact. https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/richardson/dining/2020/07/01/iraqi-chef-brings-cuisine-of-his-homeland-to-richardson/