Ann Arbor’s Mediterranean scene runs deep. The University of Michigan pulled in families from Lebanon, Palestine, Greece, Morocco, and Turkey decades ago, and their restaurants became permanent. You’re not choosing between one falafel shop and a chain – you’re choosing between a dozen places, each with a different regional lens, and most of them have been here long enough to outlast every trend cycle. Here’s where to eat.
Jerusalem Garden
Jerusalem Garden at 314 E. Liberty Street has been the answer to “where should I get Mediterranean food?” since 1987 – and it keeps winning the Michigan Daily’s Best of Ann Arbor poll because nothing about it has slipped. The space is small, the line moves fast, and the food hits every time.
Order the falafel. It’s made fresh, the exterior cracks when you bite into it, and the inside is green and herby in a way that frozen falafel will never touch. The chicken shawarma is carved off the spit and piled into a wrap with enough garlic sauce to make your car smell like it for two days. The baba ghanouj has real smoke to it. The lentil soup on a cold day is exactly what you think it should be – simple, warm, right.
Jerusalem Garden is cash-friendly, fast, and doesn’t try to be more than it is. That’s the whole point.
Palm Palace
Palm Palace at 2370 Carpenter Road has been voted the best Mediterranean restaurant in Ann Arbor for over a decade running, and the portion sizes alone justify the reputation. This is a full-service sit-down restaurant – white tablecloths, a menu that runs four pages deep, and a kitchen that handles everything from lamb chops to stuffed grape leaves without cutting corners.
The mixed grill plate is the move if you want to sample broadly – you get kabobs, shawarma, and kofta on one plate with rice and salad. The hummus is smooth and heavy on the tahini. The fattoush salad has that perfect balance of crispy pita chips and bright lemon dressing.
Palm Palace is farther from downtown than most spots on this list – it’s out on Carpenter Road near Briarwood – but the drive is worth it for a sit-down meal.
Spiedo
Spiedo at 307 S. Fifth Avenue calls itself a “Mediterranean-ish rotisserie and griddle,” and that’s honest. The menu pulls from across the Mediterranean basin – spit-roasted chicken with zhoug, griddled flatbread sandwiches, rice bowls with pickled vegetables – without pledging allegiance to any single country.
The chicken is the star. It’s marinated, spit-roasted, and served on flatbread or over rice with enough sauce options to keep things interesting. The falafel sandwich is a strong vegetarian option, and the spiedo hour (4-6 PM daily, $2 off sandwiches and drinks) makes this a reliable quick-meal stop.
The space is casual – order at the counter, grab a seat, eat fast or slow. It’s the kind of Mediterranean food that works for Tuesday lunch and Saturday dinner equally.
Mediterrano
Mediterrano at 2900 S. State Street takes the widest geographic view of any restaurant on this list. The menu pulls from 14 countries across the Mediterranean – Greece, Spain, Morocco, southern France, Turkey, and beyond – and the result feels more like a European brasserie than a traditional Middle Eastern restaurant.
This is the date night pick. The space is warm, the wine list leans Mediterranean (naturally), and dishes like pan-seared branzino and lamb tagine show up alongside Spanish-style tapas. It’s more expensive than the counter-service spots, but the cooking justifies it. The outdoor patio in summer is one of the better dining spots on the south side of town.
Zamaan Cafe
Zamaan Cafe at 865 W. Eisenhower Parkway does Iraqi and broader Middle Eastern cuisine in a casual, family-run setting. The menu includes familiar items – hummus, falafel, shawarma – but also dishes you won’t find at the other spots, like quzi (slow-cooked lamb with rice and nuts) and kubba (stuffed bulgur dumplings).
The flavors lean warmer and more aromatic than the Lebanese-focused restaurants. Cinnamon, cardamom, and dried lime show up in ways that remind you the Mediterranean stretches farther east than most menus acknowledge. Portions are generous, prices are reasonable, and the family running the kitchen genuinely cares whether you liked it.
Star’s Cafe
Star’s Cafe at 2575 Jackson Avenue is a morning-to-evening Mediterranean spot that does double duty as a breakfast cafe and a lunch counter. The egg wrap with feta is a legitimate breakfast option, and the falafel sandwich at lunch competes with anyone’s.
The garlic toum sauce here has a following – people order extra and take it home. The shish tawook (charbroiled chicken skewers) are well-seasoned and come with enough sides to make a full meal. The vibe is family-run, no-frills, and focused on getting the food right. Open weekdays 8 AM to 7 PM, Saturdays 9 AM to 7 PM, closed Sundays.
El Harissa Market Cafe
El Harissa Market Cafe at 1516 N. Maple Road brings a North African angle that’s distinct from the Levantine flavors dominating most of this list. The name references harissa – the Tunisian chili paste – and the menu follows through with Moroccan and Tunisian influences.
The tagines are the standout. Slow-cooked, aromatic, served in the traditional clay pot. The couscous is hand-rolled and light in a way that boxed couscous can’t replicate. The market side of the operation sells imported spices, olives, and preserved lemons if you want to take the flavors home.
This is the spot for when you want Mediterranean food that doesn’t default to the hummus-falafel-shawarma formula. Not that there’s anything wrong with that formula – but variety matters.
Pita Kabob Grill
Pita Kabob Grill is the fast-casual option that hits above its weight class. The kabobs are chargrilled to order, the pita is warm, and the build-your-own format means you control the ratio of meat to vegetables to sauce. It’s the kind of place where you eat at the counter and finish in 15 minutes, but the food doesn’t taste like it was made in 15 minutes.
Good for a quick lunch when you don’t want to commit to a sit-down meal but also don’t want to compromise on flavor.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
The Great Greek leans into the Greek side of the Mediterranean with gyros, souvlaki, Greek salads, and spreads. The menu is accessible and the portions are solid. It’s a reliable option near campus when you want something fresher than fast food but faster than a full restaurant meal.
Aventura
Aventura takes Mediterranean flavors in a Spanish direction – tapas, paella, and a wine list that favors Iberian bottles. The small-plates format makes this a good group dinner spot where everyone orders three things and shares across the table. The patatas bravas and the grilled octopus are the consistent winners.
How to Navigate the Scene
For speed and tradition, Jerusalem Garden. For a full dinner, Palm Palace or Mediterrano. For North African flavors, El Harissa. For breakfast, Star’s Cafe. For tapas and wine, Aventura. For quick and good, Pita Kabob or Spiedo.
The Mediterranean runs wide, and so does Ann Arbor’s version of it. Find all of these restaurants and more on miannarbor.com.
