This please is amazing! Food was wonderful. Lots of Turkish influence. I had Turkish Delight cocktail which was nice, I had expected something mediocre, but it was great. We ordered several Meze and one entree. It was great. Turkish coffee wasn't real turkish coffee it was more egyptian like (heavy on the cardamon), still nice though.
Kubane is my best.
Lamb is very special.
Very good food. Try to share and browse the different taste. Excellent service, also good for bigger groups.
Amazing! Everything we had was absolutely fantastic and the staff was so kind and accommodating!
Really love this place and their food. Really hope they could expand the size of the Restaurant.
great wine list, the menu is awesome as well. happy hour is priced properly and the location is great. no negatives on this restaurant other than it gets pretty busy and I wish they are open for lunch time too!
One of my preferred places for mediterranean food. Prices were good for how much you get.
Great food but noisy. Was not conducive to a business or a date dinner.
Transcendental Mediterranean food. Lowering my review because I went back a second time and they were out of two things I ordered, I basically got stuck eating nothing but several different forms of carbs and roasted chickpeas.
Excellent food, great taste and some unique dishes.
Every single thing, and we ordered quite a bit, was superb.
The food was absolutely amazing. It was a little pricey. Their customer service was good, and if you are waiting for a spot, they have a text option when something is ready for you, or you can sit at the bar or a table area up front and they get your drinks started. They are very efficient. We were told our wait would be an hour to an hour and a half, however, they had us seated 45 minutes later :)
The waitresses and waiters will bus the tables as youre done with your plates. And they even wipe the table if there is anything on it so you always have a clean eating area.
They made AMAZING baklava I would definately come back
Price for food is not cheap my order was big but delivery bag is the cheapest tiny Brown bag with no handles. Very disappointed and can't recommend!
Literally the best Mediterranean food I've ever eaten. The falafel and the hot Turkish tea are must trys!
We had bacon wrapped dates, hummus, falafel, octopus and Nazareth Kebab. Everything tasted excellent! Food presentation and flavors are great, very good service too! Be ready to get in line and then go have a drink somewhere nearby while you get a table, the wait is long but worth it. I would definitely come back.
Great food! Usually have to wait a while if you come in the middle of the dinner rush but its worth it!
A super consistent staple in my PDX restaurant rotation. Extensive menu meant for sharing. Top notch food quality and a sweet (slightly loud) space.
Beautiful place,nice atmosphere, and delicious Mediterranean Food. However, I think that their prices is kinda over priced.
A little pricey but a fun experience as you get to order a wide array of items and really get a taste of Mediterranean cuisine! Definitely can be enhanced more by the server you have (ours was less than helpful whereas the table being served next to us had a very informative server).
Everything was fantastic. The rice, lentils, and fried onion dish was amazing. The lamb chops and brick chicken were great.
More like the Amazing Exploration Company! This place features the best food and drink from, literally, all over the Mediterranean! Try the scallops!
Excellent food, cramped seating. I'd rather pay more and face my dining partner
Probably the best service I have had in Portland! The food is exquisite. And should you want an experience, choose the chefs menu.
The hummus dish with the mushrooms is my favorite thing ever. And the pita comes out hot. Get two.
Fantastic food and service. Gets pretty busy so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time.
Delicious. We weren't planning on coming here but very glad we did. The tapas are spot on. The roasted peaches are the best! Expensive but worth it.
I've been to Mediterranean Exploration Company (MEC) many times over the course of the last year. Generally my views have been positive and on some occasions it was a five star experience. The waitstaff was great, the food fantastic, but the last few times I've visited, I haven't been as pleased. The inconstancy of service and food leaves me a bit mixed in my feelings.
Ordering the chef's choice meal has been wild ride where I've had some amazing assortments of food, and other times been disappointed at the quantity delivered, and the choices made by the chef. On the high notes, they hit some of the best dishes while folding in some items we woudn't have normally ordered, but should have. At other times, we get an odd assortment of dishes that seemed like they just wanted get rid of some extra plates of X, Y or Z. Mentioning any sort of personal distaste for a particular ingredient also doesn't seem to make it to the kitchen. A friend wasn't able to enjoy a few dishes due to avoiding beef. Had we known, we probably would have just ordered dishes on our own and avoided the issue to begin with.
Also, be prepared to wait! this place usually has a waitlist which can last for a while, especially if you have a large group. Make a reservation if possible for larger than parties of 6, or be prepared to wait up to 2 hours.
Best place in Portland...period.
-Fried Chicken
-Hummus
-Lamb Chops
-Raddichio Salad
-Baked Orzo
-Bacon Wrapped Dates
Hit the bar for happy hour and go right into dinner.. AMAZING!
This place is great, I have been here twice now and get the chefs choice, where they bring you different small plates to eat.
They are very helpful when it comes to wine pairing and have a nice selection.
I also tried a white ale beer rom Satorini which was tasty.
The service can be a tad slow, but that is because it's been extremely busy both times I have gone
Everything was delicious. Highly recommend the octopus
Excellent food, good selection of wine, good service and of course you have to do it family style!
Expensive, hard to get a reservation but great food. Sounds like a cliche, but everything there was delicious.
Pricy but kind of neat experience. Family style and with do different kinds of foods. Definitely worth a trip to explore.
Don t let the unusual name give you pause; this is among the best restaurants in town. Mediterranean cuisine can cover many parts of the world, from Southern Europe to North Africa. This particular specialty is focused on the Middle East, with Grecian specialties thrown in for good measure. While not inexpensive, it s also not overpriced, an excellent value and rare in Portland. Excellent vegetarian and vegan options, but also plenty of non-vegetarian choices to suit your taste. The one downside? It s so popular that parking can be a challenge.
I don't even like this type of food, and everything is still amazing. You really can't go wrong here.
Last night we went to this restaurant called Mediterranean exploration company... have been there once with the group before and it was my second time..
I must say that place is like food heaven!! It serves middle eastern type cuisine in tapas style which is ideal for sharing! Every single dish is executed to perfection! Absolute burst of flavour for ur tastebuds! It ends up being a bit pricey but totally worth it in my opinion! We had the fried calamari, lamb kebab, lamb chops, bacon wrapped date, and the kanefah for dessert which was absolutely mind blowing! The turkish delight cocktail was also top class! Please try out this place once, twice, thrice... as many times as you wish... Highly recommended :)
The food was good, but the added request for a "kitchen tip" on top of everything else was ridiculous.
One of my favorite places in Portland. Food is really great (but drinks are alright). Pretty spacious but can get busy/packed quickly. Come for happy hour! $4 beer! For Happy Hour get the radicchio and the feta cheese. Their pita is served hot and fluffy.
mediterraneanexplorationcompany.com
