If you like Mediterranean food they named this place properly. If a vegetarian, you need to go to this place on Erie. Big plus is the owner is on the premise. All the well known recipes of the region with maybe a subtle Turkish flare. This section of Cincinnati has nose in parking which makes city parking a little easier. The room is large enough so you can bring friends and there is outdoor dinning. I think this qualifies for anyone from a family dinner out for the night to the comfortable date night. Have fun, it is a nice place. read more

Cafe Mediterranean's menu is largely traditional Turkish cuisine, and on my recent visit I found the food to be a mixed bag. We started with the falafel and the cheese borek; while the borek were quite tasty, I've had much better falafel - these were dry and hard. For my entree, I ordered the lamb adana kebab; the lamb was nicely spiced and flavorful, but was served with disappointingly bland grilled vegetables and rice. The desserts proved to be the best part of the meal, both the baklava and knafeh were excellent. Serving them with traditional Turkish tea was a nice touch. We sat on the spacious patio and found the service to be friendly and attentive. read more

Absolutely LOVE this place! The best Mediterranean food in Cincinnati. They have tasty but healthy options that will leave you feeling guilt-free! Delicious desserts and wine options also. read more

Cafe Mediterranean - Chicken Shish Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Great experience all around. Service delivered top notch by our waiter, Ali. Food excellent - fresh and well-prepared. Selection allows you to be as conservative or adventurous as you want. I had the swordfish kabob, something I eyed on the menu but was thinking of the more familiar chicken kabob instead. After hearing the reco ordered the swordfish and glad I did. Tender, flavorful, really great. Hummus and wine to start the evening. Lots of great items on the menu and can't wait to go back. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in all of Cincinnati. I love everything about this place. The owner is so kind and he recognizes me every time I come in. Please support this extraordinary business! read more

I love everything about this restaurant. Been here twice and had carry out. best Octopus I have ever had, excellent vegetable stew, lamb shank was delicious, good lentil soup, good drinks, excellent service. read more

Cafe Mediterranean - Lentil soup and lamb shank, both delicious - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The food was expensive and the quality was very poor. I could only take a few bites of the food and had to throw everything else out because of how it tasted. read more

I am not the biggest fan of Mediterranean food unless it's like street food style, but this place did impress me with their flavor. The place looks clean, not over crowded, relaxing, I liked the little outdoor area too, very pleasant. The owner is awesome. It's always great to meet people who are passionate about their food. You get that foreign hospitality, like you are their favorite people they got to see all day. You just don't get that enthusiasm from your average American restaurants. I got the branzino, one of the better grilled branzino I have had. Moist and flavorful, goes well with all the citrus on the plate. The only part I didn't like, which happens a lot in restaurants serving whole fish, is that they don't pull the gills out completely. Some of the bitterness definitely got on the meat but I am very used to that (asian for the win) so I didn't make a big deal out of it. I can see other people get very grossed out by it tho so please clean the fish throughly. I would go back. Recommend! read more

Very enjoyable visit to the very Turkish Cafe Mediterranean. Shared appetizers were great - spicy salad, borek, all good! Main dishes were very good. I had the Iskander kebab with very flavorful lamb, yogurt and pita. The portions were perfect - just enough food. Good dessert and Turkish coffee finished a great meal. We will be back!! read more

Cafe Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I would be willing to give this place 5 stars because the baklava alone is absolutely amazing however I've ordered via Grubhub 3 times and my order was cancelled all 3 times by the restaurant once being because the restaurant had no delivery driver the other 2 times I have no idea was never given a reason, it's a shame because they really do have the best baklava in Cincinnati, not sure if they just didn't make any or what happened but I can't satisfy my craving for their delicious dessert if I keep getting my order canceled, a little disappointing :( read more

What a great find!!! I just moved to Cinci and stumbled upon this spot. I am so happy I did. It had the most flavorful food. We got the chicken kebab and vegetable entree. It was so good and was a ton of food which meant leftovers. They also had a dog friendly patio which was perfect on a nice fall night! I highly suggest this place and will return when I have visitors in town! read more

If you're in the mood for relatively healthy food, Mediterranean is the way to go. We got the lamb shank and chops plus the baba ganoush! Decent portions and tasty. We arrived at 8:30 PM and was able to still get our food and not be rushed out the door as they close at nine. In addition to have a nice outside patio for the wonderful summer nights! The owner is Turkish and a very hard hard-working man. He came by our table to introduce himself; made us feel very at home. I've been here one other time before and thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. Will absolutely come back! Came back and Fahri remembered us. Brought a new friend. Ordered the lamb shank again, they had a special for grilled branzino, and my friend who had been before ordered the beef tenderloins. All dishes came out amazing! Dishes were cleared with practically no left overs. Fahri was amazing and really took care of us with on the house hummus and dessert and tea. We have such a busy schedule and he was so accommodating even though we showed up again about 30 min prior to closing. Highly recommend! read more

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Great time here. Modern with an authentic Turkish flair. Fresh EVERYTHING! Babaganoush was flavorful and the hummus was on point. Lamb dish tender and full of flavor! Small touches like grilled vegetables as garnish and slow simmered sauce with spices made it so good! Yes the cocktails and wine are plentiful on the menu as accompaniments. We enjoyed our time there and will be back! Our server and owner were very attentive and service was great! Tip: my favorite dish to try was the octopus. Grilled and flavorful meaty pieces not rubbery, great serving size with a delicate sauce and plenty of greens,capers and pickled onions. It was a party in my mouth! We shared it and left a bit. Just enough for the two of us. read more

Wonderful! Meze platter was great! Adana kebab tasted same as in Turkey!!! Deserts were fantastic as well!!! read more

This warm and inviting a restaurant makes me feel at home. My family has been coming here for years and when I visited from Seattle I had to go. Fari treated me and my family like his own and makes us feel special. The food is amazing and always innovating with new dishes. I would recommend this place to anyone that enjoys delicious fresh food and wants to learn "the Turkish way." read more

Cafe Mediterranean - My Aunt and me - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Really good food. Great service. A little overpriced so won't be going often but very good food.

Enjoyed a holiday luncheon with friends at Cafe Mediterranean this week with it being close to the Christmas holiday was surprised there weren't many in the restaurant for lunch. We started with sharing babaganoush which came with fresh baked bread, the portion was enough for three of us to share. A friend enjoyed the soup of the day, another enjoyed falafel and I enjoyed the Turlu vegetable stew, eggplant, green beans, tomato, zucchini, rice. All of the food was good, friendly service and Turkish tea and homemade lemonade, a great healthy lunch in East Hyde Park. read more

Very favorite restaurant in my neighborhood!! Love love love everything including service from their team and owner Fahri. Hardest working man in town and very friendly. Never forgets what you like. read more

The food was a bit disappointing and I did not like how long the wait was for it. I don't have time to set aside 2 or 3 hours for a meal.

Met a good friend to catch up over lunch and everything was phenomenal. We chatted over delicious hot Turkish tea (that was always replenished with fresh tea by the amazing staff) and some salmon and falafel. Everything was great and I look forward to visiting for dinner. read more

My thoughts about an Café Mediterranean are mixed. I appreciate the premiere service that Aly provides each time we visit. The quality of the food is a bit inconsistent. I have had the octopus on two different occasions. The first time I loved it and the second time it was just OK. The stuffed grape leaves are always over-the-top. The salmon entree was not noteworthy. The baklava was over the top! My friends and I enjoyed the Turkish wine. I love a good cup of tea and you can truly have that at Café Mediterranean. The Turkish coffee is always a lunchtime favorite. My inclination is to sit outside weather permitting and indoor dining in a good option. Parking is a challenge to be met by the brave! Enjoy!!! read more

Everything was delicious! Best Mediterranean food we've had in Cincinnati! Found this restaurant from the Foodie Cincinnati Deck of cards!

Such delicious food and the owner brings great charm to the place. We will definitely be back - highly recommend!

I was happy to see a Mediterranean place open up in Hyde Park, but it's definitely not my top choice for Mediterranean food. Food: 3/5 For appetizer, we got an order of hummus to share. The Hummus was okay: nothing special, just a regular taste hummus. The bread was disappointing: they don't serve traditional pita bread, but a normal looking bread (thick slice, toast on the outside) that has some spices in it. I googled to check if it's just my ignorance on pita bread knowledge, but I've failed to find such bread being used for dipping hummus. The Lamb Kebab was good: cooked to medium with a scent of cumin, garlic, parsley and slight citrus. The meat was still moist, and goes well with the tomato. I just wish the portion was more reasonable (highlights under price section). The Doner Kebab was okay: It was flavorful, but definitely too fatty. The amount grease overwhelmed its flavor. We have to mask it with good portion of cucumber white sauce to avoid the oily feeling. Environment: 4/5 The restaurant is clean. had good outside seating with fire to keep you warm. The inside is slightly congested, but enough space to get around. Not the most romantic place, but good for family. Price: 2/5 For the amount of food I got, the price was too high. Lamb Kebab was $19, and you get four 1 - 1.5 oz piece with 4 strings of green beans, 3 - 1/4 slices of cucumber, a half roma tomato, a 1/4 size of green bell pepper, and a small pile of rice (about a the same size as 2 pieces of meat). Service: 2/5 The waiter was very courteous, but also took a very long time to take our orders. Also, they like to take appetizer order, then serve appetizer, then take the entree order. This is fine, except the menu is really large and takes over my side of the table, which is already pretty petite. I needed to place the menu on ground to have enough room to eat. Also, because of this flow of process, the kitchen needed to wait until we are done with appetizer to start cooking our entree, which took about another hour to come out. Just to be clear, we went at 8:00, which is pass the rush. So, I don't the pace was affect by the amount of orders. Tips: 1) Portion is small, so... probably need some appetizers. 2) Ask your waiter to take the order of all courses at one time (except dessert, of course), instead of do it sequentially. read more

Cafe Mediterranean - Lamb Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Very good wine menu with authentic offerings from the food region represented, different from most with no standard "Resturant" options. The food is fantastic, try the hummus you won't be disappointed. The staff is very friendly as I think it is a small family owned business. You truly cannot go wrong here. read more

Excellent experience. Indoor and outdoor seating, attentive service, nice decor. The menu had a good variety, the products all tasted very fresh, and had clearly been prepared upon order and not before. Beer and wine list was chosen well. I have only lived in Cincinnati for a couple of years, but I would put this address in my top 5 restaurants in the city - up there with Sotto, Mitas, Miyoshi, and Zula. read more

I was in the mood for Mediterranean and man so glad I bumped into this gem! The salmon lunch was amazing and packed with authentic, fresh herbs and spices. I loved the oily flavorful blend of fresh veggies and this place reminded me so much of European dishes I experienced in France. Kudos to Cafe Mediterranean and I will definitely make the drive across town to explore more of your delicious entrees. Thank you for serving us amazing food during these tough times. We appreciate it read more

Wonderful hospitality from the staff and even better food. Everything was perfectly cooked and was delicious! The best of all dishes was of course the Iskender kebab. It was definitely my favorite. The well cooked meat with the outstanding tomato sauce was excellent and to top it off there was a phenomenal yogurt sauce on top that just made me smile. The whole experience was delightful and was truly a pleasure. I would wholeheartedly suggest this to anyone that wants great food and amazing customer service. read more

The food here is absolutely amazing! The falafel and babaganoush were delicious! The baklava was the best I've ever had. The service was extremely good as well. Can't wait to come back! read more

Probably the best hummus and chicken kabobs i had in a while. Very friendly service . He brought water for our dog too and we ate outside perfect place to eat good food when weather is nice. read more

There are five restaurants and two pubs clustered along Erie Avenue in Hyde Park. We can walk to all of them. Cafe Mediterranean has become our clear favorite and almost our exclusive choice. Atmosphere and service are nothing short of superior. That said, the food is always a treat. No matter how much we eat, they bring the dessert tray around and we always indulge. The appetizers alone are worth a visit. read more

Wow what a great lunch. The decor is modern and clean. They have acoustic tiles on the ceiling - Thank You! So the restaurant was quiet. Two choices of wine from Turkey. That was fun and the falafel and tabouleh were very good. Great service. Easy parking out front. read more

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Outstanding. Donner kebabs with some Turkish variation on humus (sausage added) and the house bread for it, just superb. Think the entree was around $19 but worth every penny. Dining hall is surprisingly classy. Recessed lighting, tasteful framed pieces, some Med textile art, but honestly, it's the food that sells it here. read more

It's nice and modern inside but not much "Mediterranean" feel. The service is pretty quick and friendly. We ordered hummus as an appetizer- the hummus is good but it came with bread instead of pita bread, I feel like it didn't go well with the hummus. We got the lamb shank for dinner - it's really good - the lamb meat was falling off the bone tender, the egg plant wrapping the lamb was really well cooked and went perfectly with the lamb. The rice was well seasoned but there a couple crunchy uncooked bits. We got the baklava for dessert - so good! Only thing I wished for was more whipped cream :) perfect finish to a great dinner. read more

Not great. I ordered take out from here and am super bummed by what I received. I ordered hummus, a zucchini pancake, and falafel. The hummus was good, which is why this has 2 stars. The falafel had barely any flavor and the Tzatziki had gone sour. I feel so nauseous from the bite I took. I'm wondering how long ago they made it... The Zucchini pancake was.. to put it nicely, disgusting. It was soaked in grease (like it was fried in luke warm oil), super small, came with the same sour tzatziki sauce and was so over priced for what I got. I will definitely not be returning. read more

We liked everything about this restaurant. Great food, nice atmosphere, friendly owner, and impeccable service. Highlights included house-made desserts, well-prepared salmon, and the best tabbouleh I've had. read more

This place is AMAZING! My family came here to celebrate my dads birthday. He is 100% Greek and was craving some good Mediterranean food to celebrate - Cafe Mediterranean did not disappoint! The service was fantastic, and the owner made us feel so welcome. He fussed and brought out a fantastic birthday dessert treat... it was truly special! We will absolutely be going back. Highly HIGHLY recommend! Definitely try the cold appetizer platter - was in love with all of it! read more

Fantastic food. Great times. Stayed way past lunch closing time with no comments. None of us (5) had been there before, and the owner served us sampler plates of just about everything. hummus, baba ganoush, lamb, you name it - and it was all fantastic. The definition of "as good as it gets" is when you can get people together for a meal, have fantastic service, and have a great time. Cafe Mediterranean nailed it. (The baklava was a fantastic ending!) Definitely check them out. read more

Mediterranean food is actually a big catch-all for cooking styles from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and probably several more. Mostly people want hummus, lamb and phyllo in these places, served up with plenty of olive oil and garlic. While I like those things as much as anyone, they don't sum up the style any more than hamburgers and chili sum up American. We wanted a nice place for a Saturday date night, and selected this place for the possibility of lamb kebabs (I know, I just dissed that mindset, but lamb is still delicious). They had a special that night on whole branzino, which is something I had never had, so while DLW did the lamb, I went for the fish. It came beautifully presented, whole as billed, and out waitress, a charming Russian college student, offered to fillet it for me. Too many people shy away from whole fish, either because they don't like looking at the face of the animal, or they think it's too much trouble to eat. While I did still have to pay attention to the pin bones, the meat was delicate and flavorful, with a nice char from the grill. They gave us a little hummus service complimentary as well, so we got the whole Mediterranean experience. Pushing ourselves a little bit away from expectations brought a nice reward. read more

Cafe Mediterranean - Lamb kebab and grilled branzino - Mediterranean Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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I may come back and change this review if we ever get seated. Unfortunately, I don't think the hostess remembers who she tells is "next." We are 50 minutes past our reservation time and she continues to seat people ahead of us. When we asked her about it, she acknowledged that she had no idea who was next. Back and slightly better... we are seated but 2 hours past reservation and no food yet. read more