50 Best Mediterranean Restaurants near Laguna Beach

“Literally a hole-in-the-wall, but with GREAT Mediterranean food. Limited seating with an ocean breeze. Pricey, but worth it!

Parking: Don't drive to this place. Make your plans to enjoy Laguna Beach on foot, parking in one of the paid garages, and walk to this place. It's worth it!“

“Great food Great atmosphere“

“Absolutely amazing experience!
The soup, the meatballs, the kebabs — everything was delicious! The flavors truly reminded me of authentic home-style Turkish food from the Aegean coast. The staff and servers were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and even the owner was kind and attentive.
Great food, great people, and a warm atmosphere — I’ll definitely be coming back again.
Highly recommend this place to anyone who loves real Turkish cuisine! 🇹🇷❤️“

“Always like coming here for a quick, fresh lunch while I’m working on UCI campus. I especially like the salads - falafel on a Mediterranean salad is delicious. Very friendly staff!“

“It was my first time to the restaurant and I was hesitating between different bowl options. Ellie, the staff at the counter, was very helpful and pointed out the burrata bowl option (I love burrata!) Feeling thankful already for the friendly service, I told her that I was ready to pay-- and then to my utter surprise, she told me that my meal was FREE and not to worry about it! My jaw dropped and I said-- no you don't have to do that!-- but she said it was her pleasure since it was my first time there. Wow! And the food was amazing too! Highly recommend!“

“Authentic Italian cuisine at its finest! The pasta dishes are homemade and divine. The service is top-notch and the staff is friendly. Can't wait to go back!“

“My dinner was excellent and the waitress’ service was outstanding“

“Exelent servís the food is exelent“

“The food was delicious and well presented. Service: flawless. Good prices, especially for Newport Beach. The indoor seating looked nice, but we sat outside, which was comfortable but a little loud from the busy but not quite visible road 30 yards away. Plenty of parking.“

“I love coming to this location. My go to meal is the chicken and koobideh plate. Every time I order it it taste so good and fresh. Their service is great, they have a good attitude and the food is always ready pretty fast.“

“Very good kebab wraps ( falafel or beef/lamb with salad. The garlic aioli was pretty delicious and tasty too. Staff are friendly and helpful.“

“This place is a hidden gem! The food is affordable and delicious with good portions. But what stood out the most was the staff, they’re very friendly. I accidentally ordered Tzatziki Salad when I meant Tabbouleh and they gave me a portion anyway. Just very kind family owned vibes here. Would definitely recommend!“

“I highly recommend that you stop to eat here whenever you can. Amazing five star food. Staff is amazing, welcoming and friendly and helpful. Amazingly clean restaurant too. You will not be disappointed unless you pass them by and don't stop in.“

“Healthy food that is actually very tasty! It is clean and the service friendly and professional.“

“Best of the Best Bravo Avo Greek & Mediterranean Restaurant! Great food and Excellent service 👏❤️❤️👏 RECOMAND 🎂🎉🍨🎊“

“Excellent Little Restaurant in Newport Beach. I had the Ground Beef and Ground Chicken Kabob. Was Awesome. Their Garlic Sauce they served with my meal was really good. The folks in here were super friendly. Thank you for a great experience and meal.“

“Great food! Great service! This is one of the best places for lunch in Irvine!“

“Buen servicio de Alex 👍🏼 y la comida muy rica“

“The food quality here is outstanding! While the pricing is on the higher side, the generous portions and food quality make it well worth it. Easily some of the best Mediterranean food we’ve had in Orange County. We’ll definitely be ordering again!“

“Alright, Cava, you’ve done it again. I’m trying to watch what I eat, and you’re over here making it impossible with your ridiculously good food. Seriously, every single time I come here, I end up getting more than I planned because it all just looks and tastes too amazing to resist. The customizable bowls are my downfall – so fresh and flavorful!

And don’t even get me started on the staff. Always so friendly and helpful, even when there’s a huge line. They make the whole experience even better, which is dangerous for my diet. I swear, they must be trained to tempt people into ordering extra toppings.

Since it’s the closest location to me, Cava has become my go-to spot, which is both a blessing and a curse. My taste buds are happy, but my wallet and waistline? Not so much. I just wish they weren’t so good at what they do!“

“I Loved The Chicken Very Tasty & Yummy I Wish They Had More Locations Here In California“

“Food was excellent! One of the best tasting lamb shank & baghali polo I've had, and I've had this dish at a lot of Persian restaurants. Although my meal didn't include it, but my friend's order included freshly baked naan-like bread. Highly recommend this casual eatery. They also offer family style food at a reasonable price. Perfect for those nights you want to serve a good healthy meal to your family, without having to spend hours in the kitchen.“

“Very nice outdoor seating, great food, music. Nice place and close your o the surrounding neighborhoods!“

“The food is the best thing that happened to Irvine. It is fresh, crisp, clean eating. Thank you and keep it up!“

“Nick the owner is a great guy and the staff are super friendly and nice. Food portions were big and fresh. Thanks again for everything coming back everytime we go back to Cali! 👍👍“

“This is the find of the decade! Virtually hidden on a tiny street adjacent to the Coast Highway, the eclectic, artistic interior is as welcoming as the attentive and super friendly staff. Indoor and outdoor dining options, comfy furniture, a hip buzzy adjacent bar lets you know immediately you are in for a uniquely Newport Beach experience that you won’t want to leave. But all of this is nothing compared to the cuisine. The wide variety of ostensibly Middle Eastern menu items are comprehensive to meet virtually any dietary needs from vegan to Ketovore, but the competency across the board is astounding!! Lentil soup, yellow veggie curry, kabob, steak Diane - everything shines on its own merit. I planned to have one of the divine sounding desserts but alas, the portions were so generous that we had to take a rain check. Here’s hoping for a downpour!“

“Better than Halal Guys. Yeah I said it. Go taste for yourselves.“

“The Kabob Shop never disappoints! The food is always fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. Big shoutout to Rayna for her amazing customer service—she was super friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. Highly recommend!“

“Great Greek salads. Get the Chicken and fried pitas.“

“Great value to flavor ratio. We visited on a busy Saturday evening and service was a little spotty, but the food more than made up for it. We were first given some housemade naan with butter. From the dining hall you could see a staff rolling out the naan dough and placing them in an oven, so I was excited to try it. The naan was sweet and fresh, my own qualm is that when it cooled it became stiff very easily, and would have preferred a house special dipping sauce over the butter.

The portions are huge, so we ordered one appetizer and one entree which was the perfect amount for two people. This restaurant has really gotten the texture of meat right; both dishes stood out for the tenderness of the protein. The koobideh was juice and soft, and the lamb neck was completely fall off the bone. The appetizer had a great smoky flavor, and the heaven stew had a rich tomato base. I think one area of improvement for me might be the diversity of spices; the eggplant was a good dipping sauce but had a slightly too overpowering garlic flavor and the pepper and tomato could be flavored with condiments other than salt to add layers, and I would have preferred the stew to have a slightly thicker consistency to condense the flavor.“

“I Loved The Chicken Very Tasty & Yummy I Wish They Had More Locations Here In California“

“Might just be the best restaurant in the area if not all of OC… Every dish we tried was sublime. From the Ratatouille to the Pistachio Soup (a delicious bisque) to Signature dish the Airline Chicken, we didn’t leave a morsel on our plates. Then there was this unique confection… Baclava Cheesecake!“

“It's a simple menu, but there is a ton of variety with food choices. This has become our go-to lunch place whenever we're in the mood for something healthy. The food is delicious, the prices are very reasonable, and the service is great. We often see the same staff every time we come and they are always attentive, friendly and professional.

SAJJ is especially great if you're vegan or vegetarian as it's way more than just a salad, there's so many options you can choose that you can have something different every time you come. I also like that you get a lentil soup with your meal too. Such a great added bonus.

The portions are generous, and I often get filled up. If you come during the peak lunch rush, expect to wait a little and you may not find a table. But the line moves quickly and there's plenty of public seating around the restaurant as well.

Signing up for the app got us occasional discounts so you may want to check that out, and we always return regularly, but especially when there's a promotion. Enjoy healthy eating!“

“Al Fresco Dining at Aveo Table + Bar located at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Loved the 7 Curry Pancake and Local Fisherman's Halibut. They need to bring those Apple Fritter donuts on the menu!“

“I love the food and I highly recommend“

“Wow wow wow, my first time here, I had beef Soltani, it was the best Soltani i ever had, brave owner and staff“

“Best Tacos in Town! Love this place for tacos and burritos!“

“Small place cooking Mediterranean food which was both affordable and quite good in taste. Kind of fast food restaurant that you are pleased to discover.I personally recommend this pace.Quality of ingredients: 4*Taste: 5*Ambiance: 4*Service: 4*Price/quality ratio: 5*“

“This food truck is tucked in the same lot as George’s Episcopal Church. Pro tip: map the church so you don’t get lost. There are several eateries in that lot, but don’t get distracted just look for the green food truck and you’ll know you’ve found the right spot!

I came here right after my workout and ordered food to go. OMG, I had no idea the tacos were humongous! They are literally the size of my palm spread out! Jeeesuz!

I ordered three tacos:

Gobernador: I didn’t get to it until the next day, but the shrimp were so big and juicy, and that Chipotle aioli? Pure genius. I could put that on everything!
Octopus: The only one I ate fresh that day and oh my goodness, flavor explosion! The melted cheese, the seasoning, the texture… everything about it is 10/10!
Spicy Shrimp: I accidentally doubled up on shrimp tacos so I saved this one for the next day too, still delicious, still worth it.

Service can take a little while since there’s only one person taking orders and they’re cooking everything fresh in the truck, but trust me , it’s absolutely worth the wait!

Who would’ve thought a little food truck could make such a big impact? Don’t sleep on this hidden gem please come and taste the goodness for yourself!“

“Don’t like the fact they raised the prices, but the food is still the bomb though!“

“Food at this location is so dang good! I went in on Saturday the 9th of April around 3pm and I was amazed. I got the half chicken and half falafel pita and it was really good. My wife got a bowl with falafel as well and both of us were amazed at how fresh everything was. The cook made us fresh falafel and was very nice to us. The chicken was so good next time I am getting double chicken and falafel! My wife said the rice was very well made and that she enjoyed her bowl. Cava for the win!“

“Out on date night and the wife found this little restaurant on IG that caught our eye on the pasta flight. Nestled in Laguna Niguel, the Italian restaurant is a cute little spot for a date night. We tried to find the flight on the menu, but it wasn’t as clear on the menu to look at. Nevertheless, we fought our hunger addled brains and were able to find our pastas that hit our hearts content. I ordered the basil babe and the wife got the veggie power which both were stellar. I will definitely be saving this place for a follow up.

Let’s go!!“

“Wow. Had some truly special food here. The Koobideh was juicy, and almost perfect. It was served with a little spicy aioli that brought the whole dish to another level. The babaghanoush had some lovely balsamic that elevated it elegantly and the Tzatziki had pickles instead of cucumbers and it was the best I’ve tasted. My wife had pita fries and they were genius and delicious. Do not leave without trying the saffron pistachio and/or pomegranate/chocolate ice cream. Service and ambiance were matched to the food, just right.“

“Best food I’ve had in a long time!!“

“YES YES YES YES! A million times YES!

I am Lebanese and this is probably one of the best authentic middle eastern Lebanese places I’ve ever been to!

Flavor was on point, customer service was amazing, food was WOW and the ambience was very nice.

Come here with your eyes closed and don’t worry about a thing. You’re gonna have a great experience!“

“Amazing food and the staff were so incredibly nice! I keep telling everyone about it. I’m coming BACK.“

“This restaurant is absolutely phenomenal. The atmosphere is warm and friendly which is evident from all interactions with every staff member. The food and service are excellent in every sense of the word. The bread and baklava were made fresh! The Turkish Delights were phenomenal. The owner and staff went to great lengths to make us feel comfortable and welcome, explaining the menu items in detail. We are so excited to have come across this gem!!! It is the type of culinary and cultural experience that my husband and I treasure. We will be coming again soon, both with and without friends! We can’t wait to try some of the items on the patio grill. :)“

“Great service and reasonable prices“

“It was my first time here, and the food is delicious. Love the simple & quaint decor. Definitely will be back!“