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Plates of falafel, salatim, hummus, sauces, pita bread, and more at Hamsa.
Houston hotspots like Hamsa celebrate Mediterranean culture and cuisine with a variety of plates.
Kirsten Gilliam

16 Excellent Mediterranean Restaurants in Houston

Indulge in baba ghanoush, tabbouli, baklava, and more

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Houston hotspots like Hamsa celebrate Mediterranean culture and cuisine with a variety of plates.
| Kirsten Gilliam

For those times when a serious craving for hummus or shawarma strikes, it’s fortunate that Houston is replete with restaurants with excellent versions of classic Mediterranean dishes. From hookah bar hangouts to ritzy River Oaks dining rooms, there’s a slew of options for satisfying a craving.

In search of a traditional gyro on the go, potent and rich Turkish coffee, or a lavish Greek feast with wines to match? Consider this map a guide to Houston’s top Mediterranean restaurants.

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Phoenicia Specialty Foods

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This specialty market with locations in Downtown and West Houston is known for its bounty of international goods, but it’s also a great place to score some good eats. Find artisan breads, European pastries, gourmet meats and cheeses, and boutique wines to take home, and then stick around for a crafted beverage like Zohrab’s chai or choco-halva latte from the in-house coffee bar, and some meze, or small dishes, like the spiced hummus, Sicilian olives, and grape leaves.

Albi takes a modern approach to Eastern Mediterranean dishes and combines them with a high-energy dining experience, complete with live entertainers, singers, and belly dancers. Coined Mediterranean fusion, the menu features dishes like shrimp falafel salad, Texas wagyu tartare with harissa, and feta dumplings. Keep your camera-clicking finger ready – cocktails like the rose petal martini are Insta-worthy.

A spread of Albi dishes, including freshly baked bread, rack of lamb, hummus, salads, tacos, tenderloin, and more.
New restaurant Albi is adding to Houston’s growing Mediterranean food scene.
Michael Antony

AL Quick Stop

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Tucked inside a Montrose corner store, AL Quick Stop boasts an extensive menu of Mediterranean eats. Score gyros and shawarmas wrapped in a warm pita, or have the spit-roasted meats in a bowl atop a bed of rice and paired with savory sides like fried cauliflower, stuffed kibbeh, spicy potatoes, or lentil soup. Check out the restaurant’s second outpost in the Heights.

Craft Pita

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With a major focus on sourcing local ingredients, Craft Pita prides itself on offering a fresh take on classic dishes. Score feta and tomato salad, traditional Lebanese kafta that’s made with wagyu, and super-creamy baba ganoush. The menu also incorporates owner Rafael Nasr’s family’s own olive oil from Lebanon into its dishes, resulting in picture-perfect plates of hummus and labneh, perfectly swirled with the fragrant oil.

Craft Pita’s baba ghanoush, labneh, and hummus topped with chickpeas, with a side of pita chips.
Craft Pita offers a variety of dips worth digging into.
Rebekah Flores

Niko Niko's

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Find a hefty menu of Greek plates at this time-honored Houston restaurant with outposts in Montrose, Downtown, and Memorial. Go for a traditional gyro platter, or try something with a Tex-Mex twist like the pita quesadillas with sliced gyro meat. For breakfast, try baklava French toast or a bacon, egg, and cheese pita.

Harry's Restaurant

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Ever since the Platsas family took over this popular breakfast destination in the ‘90s, they incorporated dishes reflecting their Greek roots into the menu. In addition to hotcakes, breakfast tacos, and migas, there is a Greek omelet, yogurt bowl, and grilled baklava French toast, topped with a double scoop of Greek-style yogurt ice cream.

Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine

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Options are aplenty at this Houston institution. With locations in Montrose and Garden Oaks, Aladdin is known for its vast menu of Mediterranean eats. In addition to plain hummus, there are spinach and caramelized onion varieties, too. Add fresh flavors to your lamb gyro or chicken shawarma — here, salads span from traditional Greek to the vibrant beet and jicama.

La Fendee

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Go for the food, which includes favorites like stuffed grape leaves, falafel plates, and meaty gyros — but stay for the hookah. This long-standing restaurant features plenty of Mediterranean staples and a casual, but lively, Montrose patio on which to enjoy them.

Built upon recipes from owner Fadi Dimassi and his mother, Fadi’s has grown to become a cherished local chain with outposts in Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, and Dallas. Fill up on plates that combine kabobs with tahini sauce and pita, or go for a falafel, gyro, or shawarma. Vegetarians rejoice – options like the vegetarian kousa and meatless wrap are tasty alternatives to the meat-heavy menu.

Ekko's Greek American Deli

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Don’t let the fact that it’s housed inside a gas station convenience store deter you — Ekko’s offers quality Greek eats at a budget-friendly price. The menu is simple and satisfying, with fresh Greek salads,  overstuffed gyros, falafel sandwiches, and baklava for a perfect end to a meal.

Mary'z Mediterranean Cuisine

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This family-owned restaurant is tried and true, and beloved for its menu of comfort eats made with recipes handed down over generations. Fluffy pita rounds emerge fresh from the oven and are hard to resist with Mary’z hummus topped with chopped meat. Try feta or ground beef pies, then indulge in a beef shawarma plate complemented with sides like French fries and baba ganoush. 

Helen Greek Food & Wine

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At this Rice Village gem, find Greek taverna dishes built for sharing and an exclusively Greek wine list. Begin with the halloumi cheese or the trio of dips — chickpea, red pepper hummus, and tzatziki all appear together with grilled pita bread — then, splurge on the whole roasted fish, prepared “plaki style”.

From the team behind Doris Metropolitan and Badolina bakery, Hamsa is a modern Israeli restaurant with attractive indoor and outdoor dining space in Rice Village. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant is known for its large selection of salatim, shared small plates, and grilled meats that appear on oversized skewers. Visit on Thursdays for Tel Aviv night, and watch as the restaurant transforms into a big party with belly dancers and live instrumentalists.

Istanbul Grill & Deli

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This Rice Village stalwart is a standout in the city for its authentic Turkish plates and strong kahve, or Turkish coffee. The spotlight is on grilled meats like ground lamb kebabs and beef shish kebab, but there are plenty of vegetarian options too. Try a Turkish pizza, topped with chopped vegetables and baked in the restaurant’s brick oven.

Pasha Turkish Restaurant

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This Turkish restaurant is housed in a charming old home and has been a reliable go-to in Rice Village for nearly two decades. Explore the menu of Turkish pizzas featuring varieties like doner pide topped with ground lamb and Turkish beef sausage, and pair it with a Turkish soda, or a Turkish coffee for a quick pick-me-up. Visit for lunch and take advantage of the two-course lunch for $17.

Kriti Kitchen

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Fulfill your lunch or brunch craving at this charming Greek restaurant, with Spana omelets stuffed with feta, spinach, and parsley; mezze boards with your choice of dips, cheeses, keftedes or meatballs, and dips, and the Mizithrapita, cheese-stuffed pancakes topped with a honey drizzle and nut crumble. Want to take it to go? The cafe offers a host of “heat and eat” options, with Greek favorites like vegan and meat-filled moussakas, spanakopita, plus a variety of dressings and dips to take home.

Kriti Kitchen spread of a vegetable kebab and a wrap plated with spinach and a slice of lime.
Kriti Kitchen
Ajna Jai

Phoenicia Specialty Foods

This specialty market with locations in Downtown and West Houston is known for its bounty of international goods, but it’s also a great place to score some good eats. Find artisan breads, European pastries, gourmet meats and cheeses, and boutique wines to take home, and then stick around for a crafted beverage like Zohrab’s chai or choco-halva latte from the in-house coffee bar, and some meze, or small dishes, like the spiced hummus, Sicilian olives, and grape leaves.

Albi

Albi takes a modern approach to Eastern Mediterranean dishes and combines them with a high-energy dining experience, complete with live entertainers, singers, and belly dancers. Coined Mediterranean fusion, the menu features dishes like shrimp falafel salad, Texas wagyu tartare with harissa, and feta dumplings. Keep your camera-clicking finger ready – cocktails like the rose petal martini are Insta-worthy.

A spread of Albi dishes, including freshly baked bread, rack of lamb, hummus, salads, tacos, tenderloin, and more.
New restaurant Albi is adding to Houston’s growing Mediterranean food scene.
Michael Antony

AL Quick Stop

Tucked inside a Montrose corner store, AL Quick Stop boasts an extensive menu of Mediterranean eats. Score gyros and shawarmas wrapped in a warm pita, or have the spit-roasted meats in a bowl atop a bed of rice and paired with savory sides like fried cauliflower, stuffed kibbeh, spicy potatoes, or lentil soup. Check out the restaurant’s second outpost in the Heights.

Craft Pita

With a major focus on sourcing local ingredients, Craft Pita prides itself on offering a fresh take on classic dishes. Score feta and tomato salad, traditional Lebanese kafta that’s made with wagyu, and super-creamy baba ganoush. The menu also incorporates owner Rafael Nasr’s family’s own olive oil from Lebanon into its dishes, resulting in picture-perfect plates of hummus and labneh, perfectly swirled with the fragrant oil.

Craft Pita’s baba ghanoush, labneh, and hummus topped with chickpeas, with a side of pita chips.
Craft Pita offers a variety of dips worth digging into.
Rebekah Flores

Niko Niko's

Find a hefty menu of Greek plates at this time-honored Houston restaurant with outposts in Montrose, Downtown, and Memorial. Go for a traditional gyro platter, or try something with a Tex-Mex twist like the pita quesadillas with sliced gyro meat. For breakfast, try baklava French toast or a bacon, egg, and cheese pita.

Harry's Restaurant

Ever since the Platsas family took over this popular breakfast destination in the ‘90s, they incorporated dishes reflecting their Greek roots into the menu. In addition to hotcakes, breakfast tacos, and migas, there is a Greek omelet, yogurt bowl, and grilled baklava French toast, topped with a double scoop of Greek-style yogurt ice cream.

Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine

Options are aplenty at this Houston institution. With locations in Montrose and Garden Oaks, Aladdin is known for its vast menu of Mediterranean eats. In addition to plain hummus, there are spinach and caramelized onion varieties, too. Add fresh flavors to your lamb gyro or chicken shawarma — here, salads span from traditional Greek to the vibrant beet and jicama.

La Fendee

Go for the food, which includes favorites like stuffed grape leaves, falafel plates, and meaty gyros — but stay for the hookah. This long-standing restaurant features plenty of Mediterranean staples and a casual, but lively, Montrose patio on which to enjoy them.

Fadi's

Built upon recipes from owner Fadi Dimassi and his mother, Fadi’s has grown to become a cherished local chain with outposts in Houston, Katy, Sugar Land, and Dallas. Fill up on plates that combine kabobs with tahini sauce and pita, or go for a falafel, gyro, or shawarma. Vegetarians rejoice – options like the vegetarian kousa and meatless wrap are tasty alternatives to the meat-heavy menu.

Ekko's Greek American Deli

Don’t let the fact that it’s housed inside a gas station convenience store deter you — Ekko’s offers quality Greek eats at a budget-friendly price. The menu is simple and satisfying, with fresh Greek salads,  overstuffed gyros, falafel sandwiches, and baklava for a perfect end to a meal.

Mary'z Mediterranean Cuisine

This family-owned restaurant is tried and true, and beloved for its menu of comfort eats made with recipes handed down over generations. Fluffy pita rounds emerge fresh from the oven and are hard to resist with Mary’z hummus topped with chopped meat. Try feta or ground beef pies, then indulge in a beef shawarma plate complemented with sides like French fries and baba ganoush. 

Helen Greek Food & Wine

At this Rice Village gem, find Greek taverna dishes built for sharing and an exclusively Greek wine list. Begin with the halloumi cheese or the trio of dips — chickpea, red pepper hummus, and tzatziki all appear together with grilled pita bread — then, splurge on the whole roasted fish, prepared “plaki style”.

Hamsa

From the team behind Doris Metropolitan and Badolina bakery, Hamsa is a modern Israeli restaurant with attractive indoor and outdoor dining space in Rice Village. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant is known for its large selection of salatim, shared small plates, and grilled meats that appear on oversized skewers. Visit on Thursdays for Tel Aviv night, and watch as the restaurant transforms into a big party with belly dancers and live instrumentalists.

Istanbul Grill & Deli

This Rice Village stalwart is a standout in the city for its authentic Turkish plates and strong kahve, or Turkish coffee. The spotlight is on grilled meats like ground lamb kebabs and beef shish kebab, but there are plenty of vegetarian options too. Try a Turkish pizza, topped with chopped vegetables and baked in the restaurant’s brick oven.

Pasha Turkish Restaurant

This Turkish restaurant is housed in a charming old home and has been a reliable go-to in Rice Village for nearly two decades. Explore the menu of Turkish pizzas featuring varieties like doner pide topped with ground lamb and Turkish beef sausage, and pair it with a Turkish soda, or a Turkish coffee for a quick pick-me-up. Visit for lunch and take advantage of the two-course lunch for $17.

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Kriti Kitchen

Fulfill your lunch or brunch craving at this charming Greek restaurant, with Spana omelets stuffed with feta, spinach, and parsley; mezze boards with your choice of dips, cheeses, keftedes or meatballs, and dips, and the Mizithrapita, cheese-stuffed pancakes topped with a honey drizzle and nut crumble. Want to take it to go? The cafe offers a host of “heat and eat” options, with Greek favorites like vegan and meat-filled moussakas, spanakopita, plus a variety of dressings and dips to take home.

Kriti Kitchen spread of a vegetable kebab and a wrap plated with spinach and a slice of lime.
Kriti Kitchen
Ajna Jai

Related Maps