Dallas–Fort Worth, TXMiddle Eastern

This West Village spot blends Lebanese and Moroccan cooking inside a Marrakesh-market-styled dining room from the team behind Medina Oven and Bar and Farnatchi. Standouts include baba ganoush, fattoush, chicken shawarma, and merguez lamb sausage, all built for sharing over wine in a room that leans into its North African theme.

Bilad slices beef shawarma from a rotating spit and layers it onto soft Iraqi bread with tahini and fresh vegetables. The kitchen also makes hummus and tabbouleh, while the adjoining family grocery has been part of the operation since 1978.

The Turan family, who relocated to Dallas in 2012, run this ocakbasi-style Turkish grill on Bryan Street, where chefs cook over charcoal in full view of diners at the counter. Charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, and beef anchor the menu alongside fresh pide and lahmacun.

Nehme and Christina Elbitar serve Lebanese and Greek dishes from a small South Freeway cafe and catering hall. The Fort Worth kitchen makes chicken shawarma, gyros, kebabs, and falafel, with Italian pastas still on the menu. Its four-table room opened after several moves over more than two decades.

Cafe Izmir opened on Lower Greenville in 1996, built around the recipes of Mama Nazy and her family. Its menu brings together Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, and Persian dishes in a small neighborhood dining room. The family story is as central to the place as the home-style cooking.