New Orleans, LAMediterranean

James Beard Award-winning chef Alon Shaya's modern Israeli restaurant on Magazine Street, built around blistered wood-fired pita that arrives puffed and warm from the oven. The kitchen sends out shareable spreads like smoked labneh with charred chili vinaigrette, hummus, and vegetable mezze meant for the table. Reservations go quickly for this Uptown dining room.

A Mediterranean grocery and counter in the Central Business District serving kabobs and shawarma nearly around the clock. Beyond the standards, the kitchen turns out an octopus salad dressed in sweet chili, and the attached market stocks pantry goods for takeaway. It draws a late crowd looking for a quick, well-priced Middle Eastern plate downtown.

A Metairie Mediterranean restaurant paired with a juice bar, known for pastitsio, the baked Greek casserole of pasta, spiced ground meat, and bechamel that plays like a Mediterranean lasagna. The menu runs through gyros, grilled plates, and Greek classics, with fresh-pressed juices on the side. A neighborhood spot for a sit-down Greek meal in the suburbs.

A Westbank Mediterranean spot in Harvey noted for its spicy muhammara, the roasted red pepper and walnut dip, and grilled quail served with vegetables and rice. The kitchen leans into Levantine cooking with mezze, grilled meats, and house dips, filling a gap for the style on the Westbank side of the river.

A Metairie kabob house known for a Friday-only special of mansaf, the Jordanian dish of lamb simmered in a tangy fermented-yogurt gravy and served over rice with pita. The rest of the week runs on grilled kabobs and Middle Eastern plates, but regulars plan their visits around that weekly lamb.