Meh, ordered the lauded meza and the Avogolomena soup. The latter was gluey, not the light bright soup one would expect, also not hot... maybe cake from a microwave? In fact all the food that should have been hot. Felt microwaved, tasted stale. The only thing remotely warm was the tiny chicken drumstick. I'm not sure what went wrong but won't be trying again. Yuck. read more

I was here visiting my daughter after her first successful year in college. My rental had just gotten a flat in front of la Mediterranee. And there she was, Hallie coming to save the day. She asked if I was okay and even after telling her I was in the worst mood she offered to let me use the phone inside. After that I was so captivated by her communication skills that I walked back in for a quick bite. Her recommendations were amazing, the food was amazing, the service, etc. I can't explain how quick this young lady changed my day in a split second read more

The food was jot that good . The rice was very greasy ! From the plate I mostly just liked the skewer kebob but the shawarma was not so good! I preferred if the hummus wasn't mixed with the rice as well! read more

More like a 3.5. Can't believe that in all my years at Berkeley I've never explored this far down College Ave to find this place. We got here around 6 and got seated at one of the last open tables left outside (the inside was super empty). My friend and I both ordered the Middle Eastern Plate except I got Lamb Lule while he got the Chicken Pomegranate. For the side, we both got the soup of the day which was a lemon chicken soup. For one entree, there was a ton of food and they were all so different from each other. My pita bread was kind of stale, guessing it might have been from the day before, so that was a bit of a turn off. The two fillos were really good. I liked the chicken one more, but the pastry portion was super flaky and delicious. The lamb lule was kind of like a meatball and went well with the tomato sauce and rice. The levant sandwich was like a wrap, with a lot of cheese inside. Overall, pretty decent and big enough that I could only eat the lamb, rice, soup, and hummus. The server was super nice and brought us some ice for our water because it was pretty hot outside, but he only came to us maybe twice the entire meal. read more

La Mediterranee - Middle Eastern Plate Dinner - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Food was good nothing too crazy, $50 + tip for two plates no drinks though? Not worth it at all. read more

La Mediterranee - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

We had a reservation and came early. They were accommodating and sat us right away. The food is good but not great. Hoping for more authentic preparation. The restaurant has a nice patio area and the restaurant was full by the time we left. read more

Really good tasty food always. Great for catering! Highly recommended! Very reliable.

This homey spot in the middle of downtown elm wood is a popular restaurant with a mix of patrons from students, couples and families. The food was good - skip the appetizers and go to the entire plates for the best value. The desserts were also amazing - we had a pistachio rose water dessert that was amazing but not pictured here. The wine and drinks list was extensive with a wide variety of deals for weekdays and half bottle pricing. Service was a bit slow but the food is delicious. Parking is street only and easily available. A good options for lunch and dinner - several great budget options for lunch were featured. read more

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La Med's been a go-to for years. During my college years, getting many a dinner with friends in Berkeley; I even used to live around the corner from the SF location and they kept me fed during grad school. The food is fresh, comforting, and plentiful. If you run a Mediterranean restaurant, you gotta do hummus and falafel right, and they do. But I also am a big fan of the kebabs and rice (the pairing of grilled meat with sweet, fluffy rice), as well as the lentil soup, which is bright and refreshing. And the setting is wonderful, whether it's on a busy evening indoors enjoying the energy, or a low key midweek lunch on the patio. The servers are attentive but let you chill and enjoy your meal, there's no rush. They've been around forever (30+ years) and for many people it was their first taste of Mediterranean food. I know these days there are many options for Middle Eastern food around the Bay Area, from different countries, some more divey (I like those places) some that try to elevate the La Med formula (I like those places too). But what sets La Med apart is the welcoming, easy-going atmosphere, in addition to the consistency of the recipes over the years. They have their regulars, and for good reason. Oh, I've also had their catering many times, which translates really well at parties and meetings, especially if you have people with diet restrictions. We usually do Chinese catering in my family but La Med is always an exciting change of pace. read more

La Mediterranee - Chicken Kebab Lunch - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great food, atmosphere, and service. I had the pomegranate chicken. Also, I left my backpack, they saved it for me and got it back to me safely. Very helpful staff. Would go again read more

Delicious Mediterranean flavors! The lamb kebabs are a must-try. Cozy atmosphere and great service!

Air fried falafels- excellent! I enjoyed the falafel sandwich. Friendly staff. Nice vibe in the patio.

I have been to La Mediterranee on several occasions. This was the first time that I came here during the day for lunch. My friend and I had a fun time sitting outside (they have a lot of seating outside) even though there were plenty of seats available inside. Something that got my attention this particular time was the beautiful stained glass scene of snow covered mountains of Lebanon. Also, I didn't realize that there are actually four of La Mediterranee restaurants located in San Francisco. They make their award-winning Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes from scratch daily. That is one of the favorite parts of eating there--how fresh the food is! The pita bread was definitely fresher than any I have ever had. My friend gifted me my lunch for my birthday. She particularly loves coming here because they have so many vegan options. She had a bowl of Lentil Soup with no meat that she loved! We also had a glass of red wine that went well with lunch. The Dolmas were yummy! I so enjoyed the Avgolemono Soup seasoned perfectly. Besides eating there or taking food home, you can have them cater food for a party or even a wedding. I'm sure I will be back! read more

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Just had the vegetarian middle eastern plate ! I was in heaven So filling and satisfying! read more

The food here is delicious. The chicken pomegranate is great but do NOT sleep on the baklava here. It is phenomenal. Always come here for the Persian coffee as well. read more

La Mediterranee - Baklava - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Enjoyed an impromptu dinner on the outside patio with my daughter. She's been there before and has enjoyed each meal. The home made potato salad is probably the best surprise of all! Whatever you order - beef or salmon kabobs - you won't be disappointed! read more

Is the salad supposed to be just a garnish? 14.75 dollars for medium sized chicken drumsticks with thin layer of rice with literally three pieces of greens. What a rip off. Fillmore street one in SF is much better than the one in Berkeley. Extremely disappointed. read more

La Mediterranee - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

This spot has been my go-to Mediterranean restaurant for the past couple of years. I love the variety of their plate options, and always opt for the Middle Eastern Plate- it's a great sampler of fillo pastries stuffed with spinach/feta and chicken, a levant sandwich (similar to a sliced wrap,) your choice of chicken pomegranate or lamb lule/meatball on rice pilaf, hummus and a side! If it's your first time, I would highly recommend getting that or the Mediterranean Meza, which is a tasting of 10 specialty menu items. On another note, this time when I went here it seems like they downgraded their portion size since I last came a couple months ago, which made me a little sad. Even so, it's still a great option for casual dinner with a small group of friends or a date! read more

Sweet place for enjoying the ambiance of the charming College Avenue. They have outdoor and "street" (protected) seating right now, too. My most recent visit was brief - just stopped in with a girlfriend for a beer (which was ICE cold and absolutely what we needed) and didn't order any food. Super friendly staff. Not at all a pretentious place. Feels quite neighborhood-y & I love that! Have eaten here once before and I recall mixed feelings, but too long ago to give an accurate review regarding the menuuuu. Will have to report back read more

La Mediterranee - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Brought my couple-friends to this delish Berkeley classic! Not much crowd around 11:30am Sat. I ordered the lunch plate special with pomegranate chicken, spinach and feta phyllo, lentil soup. Friends ordered Mary's Chicken chicken skewer plate. Food was delicious as I remembered from college years ago (even though few bucks more now). Even friends who didn't usually preferred Mediterranean said it was very good. Dine al fresco, then stroll down for ice cream or dessert. Elmwood generally lovely area to stroll. read more

La Mediterranee - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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5/5 for everything - menu options, food, service, atmosphere. Their menu has something for everyone. My partner and I shared a pomegranate chicken plate and a filet mignon kebab plate and both dishes knocked our socks off. We both chose Greek potato salad as our side options (it's delicious!) and both plates came with hummus on the side (also delicious!). Our server was really helpful with menu questions and made great recos. She went on break toward the end of our meal and the other staff continued to take great care of us. The decor is really inviting and clean. We will definitely be going back! read more

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Decent chicken kebab, nothing special, service was fine nice lady. The location in SF has always been better to me but I live on this side so don't make it to Fillmore St often. read more

Super yummy. It has been decades since we've been here and the place is still great! The plates are full and delicious!

Cute Mediterranean spot near Ashby BART. The dining area is split into a few different sections. The outdoor section has 2-seaters on the sidewalk if you want a bit of sun and dog watching. There is also an inner, covered outdoor space that has 4-seaters. There are lots of good options. On the weekend, there's brunch and lunch menus available. If you check-in on Yelp, you get a free glass of champagne! I got the Middle Eastern lunch plate, where you get to choose 3 items and salad or soup. The lamb lule and chicken pomegranate were delicious! Love the rice pilaf too. I was slightly disappointed by the spinach and feta fillo because it was a bit dry. The lemon chicken soup was pretty good too. read more

La Mediterranee - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Went to La Mediterranee for the first time today, 2/25. It was pretty mediocre. I ordered the Lamb Lule meatball lunch plate. The lamb came out room temperature instead of hot. I assume the meatballs are pre-cooked. They were not hot and that was disappointing. Had the chicken lemon soup as my choice, next time I'll get salad. The hummus is very salty. I won't come out my way eat here again. If you want delicious, fresh Mediterranean food in the east bay hit up Pomella or Wally's! read more

I just received a delivery order through Caviar of two entrees and a large Combo appetizer. Heads up- they do not give you pita and you have to order separately. read more

La Mediterranee - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

Awesome flavors. Good service. Very pleasant experience overall. I had the lamb skewers lunch Serving. Exceptional!

Came here on a Sunday afternoon. No wait, was able to get seated immediately. The restaurant has a pretty ambiance and Mediterranean vibe to it. Our server was very kind and friendly. Ordered the chicken pomegranate and middle eastern plate which were both tasty. I think the chicken had a uniquely tangy taste and the rice was surprisingly sweet but paired well with the rest of the dish. I wasn't wowed by anything. I think they overprice their dishes for very small portions. The pita bread was also hard which was unpleasant. But worth a try read more

La Mediterranee - Bottom: Middle Eastern Plate Dinner Top: Chicken Pomegranate Dinner - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have been coming here since my college years started in 1982. Now I bring my kids. The Lebanese food is delicious and healthy. Super flavorful!!! It is a pretty space, well decorated, airy and open feeling. Always crowded, due to much-deserved popularity. I recommend it, and even though I gave to travel a bit to get there nowadays, the trip is always worth it! read more

A total disappointment - The passion and soul of the original restaurant is gone - which is absolutely crushing because this WAS one of my very favorite restaurants in Berkeley. La Mediterranee is a pale shadow of what it once was and is only a couple of steps away from a Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmare. Backstory: I have been going here since I moved here in 1993. My girlfriend who was a chef at Moose's, Cafe Tiramisu and taught at the California Culinary Academy in SF raved about it being the best Mediterranean food in Berkeley. She took me there, everything was absolutely delightful. It was fresh, homemade, and deliciously authentic. I even liked their baba ganoush which I had never really enjoyed. Fast forward to 2022. I had heard La Mediterranee was up for sale a few years ago but didn't follow up on the news. This was my first visit since 2019 when COVID started. The menu had changed. It seemed like there were fewer items on the menu. We ordered a Large Combination platter, a Falafel plate, and a Falafel salad. The first glitch, the entrees came out before the appetizer. The Falafels were not the same as they used to be. These were not the ones I remembered the fresh hand-made Falafel. They were bone dry inside and had the taste and texture of fine sawdust with no visible herbs. They resembled something you buy in the frozen aisle at Safeway that pretends to be Falafel. I literally had to drench them in Tahini sauce to alleviate the dryness and make them palatable. They were hard to swallow, getting stuck half way down, and gave me the hiccups. In retrospect, I should have returned the dish. The pita which used to be fluffy warm and fresh was completely dry and stale! How is that even possible?!? It's not unless you simply don't care and have no passion for what you do. There used to be a mix of white and whole wheat pita. Gone is the whole wheat. Gone is the Pita magic. Back to the appetizer, I had to flag down a server. Not our original server, she disappeared. She chased down our server and asked about the appetizer. She came back and explained that our server hadn't entered the appetizer "into their system". I was asked if I still wanted it. I said yes the order was put it, but with no rush...and this wasn't during the dinner rush. The place was half empty and it was only 4:30. My wife ordered a Lemonade, I saw them pour it, it was Kirkland (Costco) Lemonade. Not the fresh lemonade they used to make. One more nail in the coffin. The bill came out over $100 for what seemed to be a lot of pre-made Costco caliber food. I was completely disappointed. I will not be going back again, the magic of the original restaurant is gone. What's there now is a couple of steps away from a Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmare. My advice don't go. read more

I have been going to the various locations of this restaurant since 1987. They have solidly good food with good service. It was very nice to sit outside, but the interior is cute too. I almost always get the small fillo filled things as a combination plate. They're always delicious. read more

Just had lunch here today - table of 2 - so admittedly we didn't explore much of the menu, and we won't be returning to try anything else. With that caveat in mind, here are my impressions: The good - front patio is nice. Servers were fine (though kitchen was slow). The bad - the food. E.g. the falafel was TERRIBLE, mushy outside, dry interior, and flavorless. How can a "Mediterranean restaurant" serve falafel that is worse than a packaged falafel mix made at home? It's not that difficult. Salad consisted of wilted spring mix, and rice was a tepid, mushy glob of something that was once a grain. Food generally lacked seasoning and freshness. The ugly - the (open) kitchen is dirty and disorganized, e.g. cardboard boxes lying around everywhere and on shelves. Cleaning products out in the open, visible dust on the stove hood. Inside dining room seemed tired. Owners should give Gordon Ramsay and the Kitchen Nightmares crew a call. This place is not well run and I don't trust the quality of the food and it's preparation. read more

Over the past ten years, La Med has been my go to place for Mediterranean food. Every time I've stopped by, I haven't been disappointed. Today I ordered the lunch plate with a trio of fillos and each piece was distinctly flavorful and delicious, especially the chicken cilicia fillo which was a perfect balance of sweet and savory. If you've never tried the Armenian potato salad from here before, I highly recommend it. Unlike your typical potato salad, the potato salad here is a bit tart. Sounds a little odd, but it's so good! Though the takeout box doesn't look like much, you're getting a lot of food. Definitely stop by if you're in the area. read more

La Mediterranee - Middle Eastern Plate Lunch - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Delicious dishes and Good service with a smile. Convenient parking lot behind restaurant.

Literally my favorite place to go in Berkeley. Service is so-so. Location is awesome and food is so delicious. I love the philo dishes.... They're the best ever!!! Recommended. read more

Service was fine. Ambiance was good However, me and wife order Shawarma Sandwich. The quality of the meat was really bad. Pretty much they put fat in the sandwich, not meat. read more

All during the pandemic, we made a practice of getting takeout from here. Why? The food travels well and tastes wonderful! And it's a good deal. Lots of very fresh veggies and never too sweet or salty, just right! My favorite is of course the bastilla (forgive my bad spelling) but it's that wonderful dish with the flaky pastry, chicken, almonds and cinnamon! I would commit sins for that stuff. Honestly I would. Next favorite is their kofte. Makes me drool just to think about it. In fact... running out the door now! See you all there! PS - I have been going there since I went to college in the 70's. Started in college and haven't stopped. The quality has never wavered! read more

Adorable atmosphere. The service was pleasant. The food was delicious. Would eat here again! The plates cost $$ but to an average person the lunch plates are pretty filling. read more

Great food with a great price! Definitely will be back. ;) Meat is tender and flavorful. Service is good too! read more

La Mediterranee - Chicken Kebab Lunch! Tender & flavorful Chicken! ;) - Mediterranean Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Walked in on a sunday night and our servers were great! Really attentive and friendly. The food was just okay. We got the mediterranean plate and the lamb meatball app. The lamb was nice and meaty and the med plate had a nice portion. Was a bit on the dry side for the chicken and pita wasnt as fluffy as i would have liked it. read more