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The Guide · Mediterranean

12 Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Columbus (2026)

Twelve restaurants across Columbus. Compare neighborhoods, price tiers and what to order, then read the full reviews.

Amina Warsame
By Amina Warsame Staff Writer · Top of Columbus · Updated October 2026 · How the score is built
12 Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Columbus (2026)
THE COLUMBUS DINING GUIDES 12 restaurants
Compare all 12 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
RestaurantNeighborhoodPriceScoreWhat to order
01 Sababa Mediterranean GrillColumbus$Salad with kalamata olives and harissa
02 Mazah Mediterranean EateryGrandview Heights$$Hummus
03 Pita HouseBexley$Chicken shawarma plate
04 Pita Hut GrillColumbus$Hummus
05 Agape MediterraneanColumbusGreek salad
06 Lavash CafeColumbus$$9.0Shrimp kabob
07 Brassica in the Short NorthColumbus$$Customizable sandwich
08 Olive & Lime CafeColumbus$$Hummus
09 Sumac Mediterranean GrillColumbusHummus
10 Shawerma BiteColumbusChicken shawarma
11 Cafe Istanbul EastonColumbus$$Kebab
12 Z Cucina di SpiritoColumbus$$Short rib

12 restaurants · In guide order

1 Sababa Mediterranean Grill Yelp

Sababa Mediterranean Grill

Mediterranean · Columbus · $

The kalamata olive and harissa salad is the reason regulars keep ordering here, paired with a rice bowl or grilled kebab that travels well on delivery apps. The room stays clean and the counter staff moves orders fast, which makes this a dependable weeknight stop in Columbus rather than an occasion restaurant. Good for a fast dinner without ceremony.

What to orderSalad with kalamata olives and harissaRice bowlGrilled kebab Call Directions Scored from the full review record 6280 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43213 · (614) 321-2476
2 Mazah Mediterranean Eatery Yelp

Mazah Mediterranean Eatery

Mediterranean · Grandview Heights · $$

Hummus, falafel, and kebab anchor a menu built for groups and coworker dinners, and the kitchen holds its quality across busy nights. Mazah has picked up a following during restaurant week promotions, where a several-dish combo makes it an easy value pick. Table service stays attentive even when the room fills, which matters for the Columbus lunch and dinner crowd it draws.

What to orderHummusFalafelKebab Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1453 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 · (614) 488-3633
3 Pita House Yelp

Pita House

Mediterranean · Bexley · $

The chicken shawarma plate with two sides and pita is the order to know, and the hummus gets made fresh daily with a texture regulars call the best in the city. Pita House runs counter service in a plain room, and it has held its regulars for over a decade without changing what works. A dependable Columbus lunch counter, not a special-occasion room.

What to orderChicken shawarma plateGyrosHummus Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2996 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43209 · (614) 236-0000
4 Pita Hut Grill Yelp

Pita Hut Grill

Mediterranean · Columbus · $

Hummus, shawarma, and falafel come out fresh and fast from a storefront wedged between a bar and a cigarette shop, easy to drive past and easy to regret skipping. The plain interior does no favors for the food, which longtime customers rate as some of the freshest Middle Eastern cooking in Columbus. Worth the plaza parking lot for the shawarma alone.

What to orderHummusShawarmaFalafel Call Directions Scored from the full review record 4965 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214 · (614) 433-0996
5 Agape Mediterranean Yelp

Agape Mediterranean

Mediterranean · Columbus

Greek salad, souvlaki, and a build-your-own bowl format make Agape the fast-casual answer for Mediterranean in Columbus, with portions that outrun the price. The ingredient quality reads well above typical counter-service bowls, and a second location in Grandview Heights has widened its reach. Good for a quick, satisfying plate without a wait.

What to orderGreek saladSouvlakiMezze platter Call Directions Scored from the full review record 855 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 · (614) 407-1266
6 Lavash Cafe Yelp

Lavash Cafe

Mediterranean · Columbus · $$ · № 6 on the List
Insider Score9.0

The shrimp kabob draws repeat orders on its own, served with lavash bread and hummus that customers have trusted for years without a dip in quality. Lavash's hot sauce gets a specific mention from regulars: real heat without overwhelming the plate. The staff runs a friendly, consistent room that handles both dine-in groups and steady takeout orders well.

What to orderShrimp kabobLavashHummus Call Directions
Full review & visiting detailsRead the full review & visiting details

Mediterranean Fundamentals Done Consistently Right

Shrimp kabob

The shrimp kabob gives the grill menu a lighter option alongside the usual lamb and chicken skewers.

Lavash

Fresh lavash, the bread the restaurant is named for, sets the tone for everything else on the table.

Hummus

Hummus works as the standard starter here, the dish to gauge the kitchen's basics before ordering further.

Lavash Cafe runs on fundamentals, not flourishes. The kitchen's shrimp kabob comes up again and again as the order to trust, grilled straight and served without fuss alongside rice or salad. That kind of dish either works or it doesn't, and the consistency of the reports here says this kitchen has its grill work down to a routine it can repeat night after night. The lavash itself, the flatbread the room is named for, gets used as it should be: a base for dips, a wrap for grilled meats, a utility player rather than a garnish. Hummus rounds out the table, smooth rather than showy, the kind of dish that either anchors a Mediterranean menu or exposes it.

Together those three items say this is a kitchen more interested in getting the basics right on repeat than chasing a signature stunt plate. That approach fits its role in the city's Mediterranean lane, which runs alongside Columbus's deeper Middle Eastern and Mediterranean threads without needing to compete for novelty. The room reads as a neighborhood option built for regular rotation: moderate prices, a menu that reads clean rather than sprawling, and a floor plan suited to groups who want to order a spread and split it. That combination, casual service and shareable format, points toward families and coworker lunches more than date-night plans. The value proposition here is repeatability.

Nobody is describing a transformative plate; they are describing a shrimp kabob that is good the fifth time the way it was the first, a hummus that doesn't vary, a flatbread that does its job. For a moderately priced Mediterranean spot serving a casual, group-friendly crowd, that is exactly the promise worth keeping. It's the kind of place that earns repeat business through predictability rather than spectacle, which is its own kind of discipline in a restaurant landscape crowded with places chasing the opposite.

Map showing Lavash Cafe© OpenStreetMap
HoursMon: ClosedTue - Sat: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PMSun: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Address2985 N High St
Columbus, OH 43202
Insider tip

Order the shrimp kabob with a side of hummus and extra lavash for the table. It is built for sharing among a group rather than a solo plate.

7 Brassica in the Short North Yelp

Brassica in the Short North

Mediterranean · Columbus · $$

Customizable sandwiches and salads move fast at this counter-service Mediterranean spot in the Short North, where hummus and fresh toppings anchor a menu built for volume. The room gets packed at lunch, seating fills at the bar first, and the pace rewards diners who know what they want before they reach the register. A reliable stop amid the neighborhood's heavier foot traffic.

What to orderCustomizable sandwichSaladHummus Call Directions Scored from the full review record 680 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 867-5885
8 Olive & Lime Cafe Yelp

Olive & Lime Cafe

Mediterranean · Columbus · $$

A platter built for three with hummus, pita bread, and baklava on the dessert end makes Olive & Lime a strong carryout choice for groups. It runs order-at-the-counter with ample dining room seating, and the pita bread draws specific praise from regulars who plan return trips around it. Quick, friendly service keeps the format simple for a weeknight grab or a family meal out.

What to orderHummusPita breadBaklava Call Directions Scored from the full review record 4519 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214 · (614) 826-3020
9 Sumac Mediterranean Grill Yelp

Sumac Mediterranean Grill

Mediterranean · Columbus

Grilled lamb skewers, falafel, and hummus come out fresh in large portions, and customers describe the room's two operators as attentive from the moment guests walk in. Sumac has built a reputation among regulars as one of the strongest Mediterranean kitchens in Columbus, the kind of place people default to even outside their normal routine. Good for a full, generous plate without pretension.

What to orderHummusGrilled lamb skewersFalafel Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1890 Hard Rd, Columbus, OH 43235 · (614) 376-0877
10 Shawerma Bite Yelp

Shawerma Bite

Mediterranean · Columbus

Chicken and steak shawarma anchor the menu, with corn as a side that sells out on busy nights alongside the steak option. Shawerma Bite draws comparisons from customers who have tried other shawarma counters around Columbus and keep coming back to this one specifically. Fast counter service suits a quick lunch or dinner, though a second Easton location gives diners a backup when this one runs short.

What to orderChicken shawarmaSteak shawarmaCorn Call Directions Scored from the full review record 12 E 16th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201 · (614) 456-7249
11 Cafe Istanbul Easton Yelp

Cafe Istanbul Easton

Turkish · Columbus · $$

Kebab, meze, and baklava anchor a Turkish menu built for groups settling in for a full dinner rather than a quick counter order near Easton. The room has drawn regulars back after gaps in visiting, and the menu gets refreshed periodically, which longtime customers notice. Service can slow on busy nights, but the kitchen's Turkish cooking holds up as a rare full-sit option in this lane.

What to orderKebabMezeBaklava Call Directions Scored from the full review record 3983 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219 · (614) 473-9144
12 Z Cucina di Spirito Yelp

Z Cucina di Spirito

Italian · Columbus · $$

Short rib, orecchiette, and meatball make a strong case for a full Italian dinner here, with a kitchen that sends out a dessert for celebrations without being asked. Z Cucina runs a bar-forward happy hour that fills up fast, so arriving early matters if bar seating is the goal. Sports play on the televisions, making it a solid pick for a casual group dinner with a game on.

What to orderShort ribOrecchietteMeatball Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1368 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 · (614) 486-9200
What to know before choosing a restaurant

The top picks: Sababa Mediterranean Grill, Mazah Mediterranean Eatery, and Pita House, with all 12 rooms ranked below.

Columbus keeps its Mediterranean and Turkish tables spread across the city and its counters, from Short North lunch lines to plain storefronts that have run the same order-at-the-counter routine for a decade. This list covers the actual range: hummus and shawarma shops built for a quick weeknight plate, a Turkish room built for a longer sit, and one Italian bar for when the group wants something else entirely.

Frequently asked

What is the best Mediterranean restaurant near me in Columbus?
It depends on which side of the Outerbelt is closer. Pita House and Pita Hut Grill are dependable Columbus storefronts, Agape Mediterranean has a Grandview Heights location for the west side, and Cafe Istanbul sits out by Easton for Turkish specifically. Each entry here was picked on signature dishes and how the room runs, using its Insider Score, and no restaurant paid to be listed.
What is the difference between the Mediterranean and Turkish spots on this list?
Most entries here serve the broader Mediterranean and Middle Eastern lane: hummus, shawarma, falafel, kebab. Cafe Istanbul Easton is specifically Turkish cuisine, with meze and baklava built around a fuller sit-down dinner rather than a counter order.
Are these mostly counter-service or full sit-down restaurants?
Most run counter service built for speed: order at the register, grab a table or take it to go. Cafe Istanbul Easton and Z Cucina di Spirito are the two built for a longer table service dinner, with Z Cucina also running a bar and happy hour.
How were these restaurants ranked?
Ranking is based on each restaurant's Insider Score, drawn from its signature dishes, cuisine, and how the room actually operates according to the public review record. No restaurant pays for placement on this list or for a higher spot.
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The data first, then the verdict

We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →

About the writer
Amina Warsame
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus

Amina Warsame is a Staff Writer at Top of Columbus. Born in Mogadishu and raised in Northland, she grew up between her mother's kitchen and the grocery-cafes of the Somali malls. She writes the guides, sweeps the whole Outerbelt, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.

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