The Mediterranean Review

Every dish we ordered was amazing. One of my new favorite restaurants! I could eat the pita and hummus all day

Was super excited to try this restaurant , bacon wrapped dates were odd(beef bacon?) Hummas was great, pita was out of this world!!! Prawns overcooked...beer good. Staff awesome!!!

The food was good and definitely loved the atmosphere and mood of the place. The reason why I give it 3 stars is that the portions were very small and not ideal for sharing with big groups. If your not that hungry and in the mood for drinking you should definitely check this place out, but dont come for dinner

This spot knows how to take care of their clients. Regularly with a kind attitude. The food is fairly priced, always flavorful and clean.

The food here was great. We came for happy hour and tried almost everything between our little group and didn't find anything we didn't like. Had a little mix up with our check, but they were professional and accomodating. Would definitely eat here again.

One of my top 5 restaurants any where in the world!

Update 9 months after...
From 4 to 5 stars
I was here a year ago and gave this place 4 stars due to some service issues, nothing to do with the food. A week after I posted my previous review, I got contacted by Renee who wanted to get some feedback on my experience and also wanted me to give it a second chance to see if my experience would be better. I was very impressed with the owner's dedication to customer service which is far above the general Portland standards. After living here for more than a year, I find the customer service in general good but not outstanding. Not this place. I decided to come back last week to see how things shape up. I was quite impressed. The food has not changed, I still give it 5 stars. Forget about TUSK, this is the place to try. Our server was Elliot who was very engaging, helpful and really aims to please. I brought my mother in law who is the most finicky person i've ever met to the point of driving me crazy. She ordered the chicken kebab which had a bit spice and she really made it known to everyone that she didnt like it (BTW the chicken kebob was very good). Without us asking Elliot came back with the Moroccan brick chicken customized with what he thinks she would like. It was a winner. This is what sets good vs outstanding service. I always say that service is not defined by smiles and pleasantries, thats just part of it. True service is tested when faced with challenges like a crazy mother in law. This place passed it with flying colors. Portland needs more establishments like this and more owners like Renee who truly understand the impact of customer service. I recommend this place and I will be returning here over and over again even if the the noise level is pretty high :)

The tuna tartare was the winner for that evening!

Original review

Food 5 stars - if it werent for the food this place would have just gotten a 3 star rating from me
hummus with mushroom was unique and very delish
shrimp dish was spectacular
cod dish was ok
ambiance 3 stars, way too loud
service 3 stars. Server barely checks on you.
i might just order to go next time, food is really good
Reservation not accepted unless party of 6 or more,30 min wait on a Thursday night.

I would give ZERO if possible. The worse food ever and will never go back

Great food and service. Plates are meant to be shared. Can be a bit loud.

Amazing food. So much flavour. Lamb tartare is amazing!!!

Amazing food, service was excellent. Great drinks too.

Very tasty food. Service is casual but good. Alcohol prices are kind of absurd, but similar to other similar establishments.

Great restaurant! You can taste the quality ingredients used. Great place for a nice date night.

From the people that brought you Tasty and Alder and Toro Bravo. They really can't go wrong so far. I'm really impressed by their food. haven't had anything I havem't liked yet here.

Made reservations in advance. Got seated right away. Friendly and knowledgeable serving staff. All the house cocktails were unique and memorable. Some have special attributes . Lamb chops and octopus are a must. Everything else, a close 2nd.

Delicious hummus and bread. Really liked the falafel as well. Braised greens were solid. Didn't go with an entree, but still really enjoyed the place. The cauliflower on the labneh was perfectly roasted, so I would definitely consider the cauliflower entree if I came back.

Ambiance - trendy, noisy, rushed
Moroccan meatballs - hard and dense $$$$
Squid - tender, flavorful, and succulent, yum!
Humus - best ever, smooth and creamy and. Fresh, warm pita bread!
Greek potatoes - fantastic in small portions
Sauteed in lemon, garlic, olive oil

This place deserves an extra 6th star!!!

I'm Lebanese and lived my whole life (up until 3 years ago) on the mediterranean. Each bite I had here took right back home in the most unusual and unexpected way. Lebanese food is rarely "twisted" and elevated so when I read the menu I was a little skeptical. Immediately after the first bite though, I knew I was in for quite a ride.

The way the ingredients are mixed together is the work of culinary genius. This was by far the best Lebanese/mediterranean meal I've ever had and probably ever will. So tasty and bursting with flavors, the dishes were executed to perfection.

Starting with the raw "Kibbeh", rather chunky than the traditionally smooth kibbeh, it blows my grandma's out of the water!
The hummus with eggs was the only dish that wasn't spectacular but still good. Personally I'd skip it next time.
The anchovies were the perfect size. Fried but not oily, layered on top of a delicious green sauce and addictive fried onions! YUM!
The octopus is simply executed yet so good.
The grilled peaches are an absolute must! So juicy, so sweet yet tangy, they were the highlight of the meal. If you wanna skip dessert, I recommend ordering the grilled peaches at end of the meal as a replacement.

Even though we were so full after all of the above, we wanted to try some of the desserts. The chocolate Baklava with black tea ice cream is astonishing and the Halva Semifreddo is an absolute must! Also try Tyre Beach cocktail !

I'm definitely coming back to Portland soon, so I can dine again at the Mediterranean exploration co.

PS: Also Kudos to Lianna for being so awesome!

All the lamb dishes are amazing! Must try the roasted eggplant with lamp or the lamp pie. Busy and long waits on the weekend.

Food that makes you want to cry. It's so good. We were told we would have to wait an hour for a table but we only waited about 10 minutes. Great staff. Great service. Even better food.

The drinks and the food were delicious! This is one of the best restaurants that I ve ever been to.

Just one of the best Mediterranean restaurant we've been to in the states. EVERYTHING we ordered was delicious!!!!
And they even managed to get us a table with no reservation on a super busy Saturday night! The place was packed but you could still enjoy a nice conversation without yelling.
If you are in town, you MUST go there!!

Sorry the food was so good I didn't even take a second to take more pics :)

Absolutly wonderful. A great dining experience ill remember.
I tell all my family and friends to go and have dinner at this +10 resturaunt.

Amazing food and service! Servers were all very knowledgeable and gave excellent recommendations. A must visit dining spot in Portland!

Coming from a middle eastern arab. This place knows how to make it better than us. we are embarrassed but Portland is the best.

Truly excellent food, good service, slightly noisy and expensive but worth it. This restaurant is a must try.

Atmosphere is really great- a lot of communal tables which I think can be fine for dates but maybe not first dates? The first table we were sat at was blasting A/C on us so they moved us to bar seating by the kitchen which was the opposite climate but it was fine by me. I did get hit by flying pieces of hot food twice but no serious damage was done so no big deal. The wine (J. Christopher pinot and rose), hummus, and the moroccan baked eggs were amazing. The mushrooms, much less so. The service was really friendly but incredibly slow. I wasn't in a hurry at all but even so, I felt like my time there was dragging.

Very delicious food, small servings. Big wine selection. Nice atmosphere. Will go back there again.

Another hidden gem in the Pearl. You get a wide and eclectic variety of authentic Mediterranean food. We had oven roasted butternut squash, feta and olives, souvlaki, and oven baked persimmons. Each dish was prepared and presented to the finest detail.

The food was amazing. We ordered alot of smaller plates so we could try multiple things, the lamb chops oh the lamb chops.

I went on a date here and was impressed by the food, the atmosphere and the service. My date and I definitely talked, without noticing the time, well past the restaurant's closing time and weren't rushed to leave by the staff. It is a bit expensive, but the food and service are worth it, especially if you're visiting for a special occasion.

Great place to share small plates, food is amazing.

We had heard great things about this place, so we literally googled it and showed up, didn't even think to make a reservation...I mean it's Portland, on a Thursday evening, right? We were greeted with a welcoming hostess who gave us the option of two different seating choices. The layout looked great, with long shared tables and an option to sit looking into the kitchen and very ambient lighting.

The menu is comprised of a wide variety of smaller tapas plates...a good variety of vegetarian and meat dishes, although apparently the menu changes. We only ordered a few things given we did dinner backwards and hit salt and straw before dinner, but the food was excellent!

The lamb tartare was unique and very flavorful, the finely chopped and beautifully set with some bread. The freekeh salad, was not what I had I visioned, but was incredible especially when you put a bite together with squash and chanterelle. The star of the show however, as simple as they sound, were the roasted carrots...simply amazing. The harissa spice alongside the yogurt really made the dish outstanding.

We're looking forward to going again soon and trying a completely different set of dishes!

The happy hour choices tasted amazing. The cocktails we're good as well

GREAT dining experience! My date and I arrived shortly before they started seating for dinner, they took our names and brought drinks while we waited. The wait staff is incredible and more than happy to make recommendations and provide explanations. The waitress also marked up a menu when we mentioned that my boyfriend was vegan. There were still a lot of options, all with creative and delicious ingredients. Would go back in a heartbeat!

Great space. Comfortable (though no huge) bar. Reasonable happy hour with unique cocktails and delicious fare. Fresh and flavorful seafood. Incredible light and tasty pitas. The beef bacon wrapped dates with almond are wonderful bites.

Nice place for happy hour
3 glasses wine 4 appetizers
With tip
$100

Everything about this establishment is top notch. The service from the minute we entered the door was so inviting and warm, and the food was phenomenal.

Food is fine, but you'll need to wait 55 mins to get your food after you order. We actually thought they forgot to put our order in. Our two person table was getting up to simply leave as our food came out. Definitely do not come here if you're on any kind of timer straight or if you're hungry.

Best Restaurant in Portland! Great Food, great service.

Incredible bites and excellent drinks. Try to make it for their happy hour.

Fantastic Mediterranean fare. The service is fast and friendly, but make sure to call ahead to reserve a table.

Ended with my girlfriend and I literally licking the plates clean. Not ashamed. Incredible flavors. Best Mediterranean I've had hands down.

Arguably in my top 5 recommendations for places to hit up in Portland. Everyone I take here is consistently happy with the food, drinks and service. Haven't had a dish I didn't like, but I will get the Warm Freekeh Salad every time, the baked eggplant w/ lamb is also great, and one time I went they talked me into getting the fried chicken....and it certainly shouldn't be missed either.

I stopped by solo to check this out and was not disappointed. Sitting at the preparation bar was a treat, although the actual preparation was a bit out of sight.

I had a hummus appetizer with Israeli Nan Bread as the perfect delivery medium. As my lamb chop delivery was a bit slow, not enough to notice really due to the busy Friday night, a pro bono salad appeared. Much appreciated.

Finally the lamb chops might have been the best I have ever had - grilled to perfection and with a spice payload that made them shine. I order lamb all over the world so this is a big compliment.

Best hummus and pita bread in Portland. I can't stop thinking about the heavenly texture of that pita bread. Will be back to try everything

Made a reservation for my foodie dad and grandparents after many recommendations from others. We were all blown away by the diversity of the food and flavors. The price point is high, so it won't be a frequent experience for our family, but we'll definitely add this to our list of splurge restaurants! I especially loved the hummus, the lamb kabob, and the bacon-wrapped dates.

Cute Toro Bravo kickback! Always busy but never busy enough for bad service. They know what they are doing! Try the mint tea! So addicting! Love this place!

Love love loved it! Like all Toro Bravo restaurants, you re guaranteed a mind-blowing meal. We did the chef tasting menu, and we highly recommend it especially for a first time visit. It s a cheap way to try everything and get a real feel for what this restaurant has to offer. The chefs tasting was served family style to the two of us. I think we literally had like 11 or 12 courses....including
-fennel salad: good but probably our least favorite of everything
-beef bacon wrapped dates: soooooo good!! I ll definitely get one of these every time we return.
-yellowtail carpaccio- surprising flavors that compliment each other masterfully
-braised Greek greens: loved em! But husband not so much.
-beet and tahina with pita bread: oh my goodness!! Y all the pita bread..it s to die for!...and hummus! I can t wait to try all the different kinds of hummus!
-Lebanese baked eggplant: VERY good
-cardamom rice pilaf: this was served alongside our chops. They paired wonderfully!
-Chreime: ok this was SO SPICY I felt like I couldn t enjoy the cod. Not my thing, but definitely an experience.
-Greek lamb chops: This is the most moist, flavorful, melt in your mouth goodness that will ever ever touch your lips. We asked for some extra pita bread to soak up every bit of the sauce.
-Nazareth kabob: delish! And the cinnamon made it very unique, interesting, and flavorful
-chocolate covered pistachios: I don t absolutely love pistachios, but this was much better than expected! High quality chocolate and it comes chilled

Nothing was bad. It was all good, and mostly absolutely great. We also ordered a M.E.C. House made soda (smoked apple cider flavor) which was absolutely excellent! We will return as much as we can!

Great family style dining. Quality food served fast. Falafels and broccolini were my favorite! I would defiantly recommend to family and friends.

We had a fantastic experience at MEC! We stopped in a little early to catch happy hour and beat the rush, and it was definitely the way to go. No wait, and all the faster to get to the delicious food and beverage. The happy hour food and drink ($3 beers!) menu is great, and after 5pm you can order off both the normal and happy hour menus to get the best of all worlds. Favorites were the hummus, the braised greens, and honestly the Israeli pita bread is out of this world just on its own! Do yourself a favor and check this place out next time you need a nice meal in NW.

Great atmosphere. Great service and most importantly delicious food!!

Had over 8 dishes with friends. This place is high class and no dish disappoints no matter how weird it may sound or seem. They know how to make flavors work

Came here for my birthday dinner. I was really hoping that I would love this place after raving about Toro Bravo and really enjoying Tasty N Sons, but was kind of disappointed with MEC. The grilled octopus and crab empanada looking things were my favorite dishes. The octopus was cooked perfectly, not tough and chewy like some other places do--- plus you get a huge octopus tentacle-- it's great! Oh wait, my favorite dish actually was the Egyptian duck confit---- crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside--- I finished the dish by picking off every piece of meat off the bones! The youvetsi- baked orzo and ragu was my least favorite. We got the Lebanese baked eggplant as well, which also wasn't really to my liking

I was hoping to order dessert but they took so long in cleaning up the table after we finished the dishes, and so long in bringing the dessert menus, and SO long in coming for the dessert order that I gave up and we decided to head to a bar for drinks instead. The waitress was occupied taking an order from the table next to us which was taking FOREVER. Ended up going up to a hostess and giving her our cards and paying there. Also, they took so long in wrapping up our leftovers that we left without it as well. That ending pretty much ruined the experience.

Amazing Mediterranean menue. Can't wait to go back.

Food was amazing!! Wait staff is awesome here as well!

Amazing food. Competent wait staff. A bit pricey but in the ballpark for the area and fare

Awsome, oh boy! Delicious. I will already return when visiting Portland

Great atmosphere and great wait staff. Ask for recommendations on what to eat and you'll get the best of the menu

Went in for happy hour and the octopus and the sheep's feta blew my mind so I made a reservation for dinner. Can't wait!

While it is not ideal for a lengthy conversation (usually quite noisy), this restaurant is just what the name promises; a through exploration of Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. The different dishes truly are spectacular, and service is quick and courteous.

This is a fun restaurant with solid food. The King Trumpet Mushrooms were the highlight of the meal. It does get really loud, so conversation got a little tricky.

The food is exotic and delicious. The Wait Staff and Bar Tenders were friendly attentive! This restaurant is one of my favorites in Portland!

Very social restaurant, menu was creative and food delicious, staff professional and friendly. Great dining experience.

Great happy hour.... delicious food.... excellent service.

Amazing food. Great service. Nice atmosphere. What more is there to say.

Very tasty, delicious food, very nice friendly staff without being overbearing upsellers, encountered too often in popular trendy places such as this. Nice low lighting, flattering to everyone. Busy but not a din of noise. The hummus with crispy mushrooms is out of this world, as is the carrots in herbs, and the drinks very good.

We did the chef's choice and it did not disappoint. Wow, was that food good!

One of my fav places for tasty Mediterranean food. Visited on a Thursday. It has a nice interior. Menu is similar to a restaurant in El Paso I liked.

Hummus is outstanding. Food was good. I've had better Mediterranean food, but not in America. Actually in Moscow, Russia. The restaurant is gorgeous inside. Great service. The grilled octopus is amazing. I would definitely go. Expect to spend some money as this place is pricey.

Did not bother looking at the menu, I simply asked for the server to pick for me and surprise me.
All of the food was excellent, the lamb was to die for. Will be back.

As an Egyptian-American, I'm happy that a fancy Mediterranean has opened up in Portland! The food is so flavorful and savory. The staff is helpful. The only problem is the wait time. The wait time can be up to 1 1/2 hours long, and food preparation is rather long. That s really the only draw away. I definitely recommend dining here.