Madison, WIMediterranean

Banzo started as a falafel cart and the Wisconsin State Journal traces how it grew, including the immobile home it took on Sherman Avenue. The Banzo itself is a classic Israeli falafel, ground chickpeas mixed with vegetables, herbs and spices, each fritter green inside. It comes as a pita sandwich with hummus, a cabbage, cucumber and tomato salad, chips and pickles, with tahini, yogurt or hot sauce alongside. Order it that way rather than as a plate if you want the cart version.

Owner Dimitri Vranas tells the Wisconsin State Journal that among the thousands of restaurants serving gyros around the country, Parthenon is one of only a handful doing everything by hand. The State Street room has run since 1972, grinding its own beef and lamb and seasoning with ground peppercorn and oregano imported from Greece. The rooftop is the summer draw. Staff ring a bell and call out when they are tipped, which tells you the register the room is pitched at.

The Wisconsin State Journal reviewed Oliva thirteen years into its run on North High Point Road and found it still a standout. The Turkish owners describe the menu as Italian and Mediterranean, and the review notes a sprawling dining room of 4,100 square feet, cheese bread shaped closer to a kringle than a loaf, and a red lentil soup it calls meek. Come for the Mediterranean half of the menu rather than the pasta, and expect prices that stay reasonable.