Cafe Mediteranee

During a recent discussion of our favorite places to eat at in Davis, Nick and I tried to come up with our top three.

#1: Thai Bistro
#2: Seasons
#3: ? We couldn't decide between Zen Toro and Cafe Mediteranee. Nick says it depends on my mood.

According to daviswiki, Cafe Mediteranee is a Middle-Eastern eatery, and it has a lot of things on the menu that I like, including shawarma and kabobs. The food that is to die for there, however, is the rice. Just like the naan at Kathmandu, I swear this is the food of the gods. I don't know what they flavor the rice with, but my best guess is chicken broth and butter, along with some other spices I can't quite put my finger on.

It's an order-at-the-counter type of restaurant, with customers taking their numbers back to their tables to await food brought out to them. Silverware and water is self serve, and you sit wherever you want: any of the rooms inside, the back patio, or the cute wrought-iron tables in front.

I usually get the same thing: a chicken kabob plate. Plates here come with rice, a pita, and a choice of two sides from a selection of nine. They are about $9 to $10, but with all the food it comes with, I think this is well worth it. I like the yogurt and cucumber dip and the pasta salad. My plate also comes with about 6 pieces of chicken pieces that have been grilled, with edges slightly crispy but the meat still moist. The pita comes warm and ready to dip. You can also order other sides a la carte for $2.50 with a pita.



Nick varies his choice between the beef lule kabob plate and the half chicken plate and invariably gets the babaganoush and the three-bean salad. The beef lule kabob comes as two little logs of ground beef that has so much more flavor than you're expecting from how they look. Nick compares it to beef koubideh he gets at an Iranian restaurant back home. It's delicious and a must-try. The picture below has the babaganoush and the potato salad.


The quality of the food has been consistent over all the visits we've made over the last few months. Because of this, I think of it as comfort food. When I want something satisfying, simple, and guaranteed to make my stomach feel good, I go here. The rice is worth it alone.


Cafe Mediteranee
113 D St.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 759-7007

Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 10am-10pm