The Mediterranean, West Chester
150 W. Gay St.
West Chester, PA
610.431.7074
Rating: 3 silver spoons out of 5
Overview: Long time West Chester mainstay offers well-prepared, traditional Greek cuisine (and BYOB!).
Food: Classic Greek fare such as souvlaki and flafel highlighted with homemade hummus and grilled pita. The menu at The Mediterranean does not change often and rarely pushes the envelope, but it is consistent and tasty nonetheless. There are several excellent starters, most notably the roasted sweet peppers, served on grilled French bread. Want to try something different? Go for the “meat pie”, a pizza-like concoction topped with meat and spices… excellent to share. The hummus is also excellent, but since most entrees come with the chickpea spread on the side, it is best to avoid the appetizer. Perhaps the best main course offered is the strangely appealing “Kibbi Platter”, a meatloaf (for lack of a better description) of ground lamb, beautifully spiced and served with a mild, creamy yogurt dipping sauce. All the flavors play off each other beautifully. Souvlaki (Greek Shish-Kabobs) is available with lamb, beef or chicken, and is simple but very good. My only complaint with a recent order of the lamb version was that the cubes of grilled lamb were a bit skimpy.
Ambiance: Classic, far from trendy. Small and sometimes cramped. I still haven’t found my way upstairs.
Value: The folks who run the Mediterranean recently raised the prices for the first time in many years, taking most of their entrees into the upper teens. As a relatively new customer, this seemed to be a reasonable and fair increase, but some long time customers have not been as positive. That said, a casual, well-cooked meal with BYOB for around $25 per person seems like a decent value to me.
Details:
# of times we’ve eaten there: 2
Reservations: Yes
Bar: BYOB
January 15, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
My wife and I have dined at Mediterranean at least once a month for the last several years. We like just about everything on the menu, particularly the seafood specials that Joe has available on most nights. The menu is broader than Greek, including items from “all around the Mediterranean Sea.” Service is warm and friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. From time-to-time, filets of free-range beef are available – a real treat. Save room for the marvelous baklava or Margaret’s great apple pie! Nice people running a nice restaurant!
June 15, 2007 @ 10:22 am
We have found this to be a decent lunchtime destination (I agree, the baklava is delicious), but it just doesn’t compare to the dinner competition around downtown West Chester.
We attempted to have a dinner group meet there once (approx. 8 people), and, even though we were the only customers there at that time, they were short-staffed because someone had lost (??) our reservation. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume this may have been a one-time goof up (and they were very friendly and apologetic about the therefor slow service), but I’ve no doubt it tainted everyone in our party. To say we waited for a long time for our food is a kind understatement.
February 24, 2008 @ 7:14 am
It was my first time to the Mediterranean and it will be my last. The service was incredibly slow. The restaurant is extremely crowded and they offer no waiting room. The crowd that continuously wandered in off the street was very intrusive and might as well have sat on our table or knocked our glasses of wine over. Our waitress was very inattentive and impolite. I thought the lamb shish kebab I ordered was very, very undersized. It looked like something off of the Kids menu. The food is tasty, but not worth returning. There are very few restaurants that I go to that I feel genuinely insulted by the service. I usually do not expect to feel insulted when I spend 120.00 between three people and they don’t even thank you on the way out the door, not that it would have made a difference because our waitress hardly even acknowledged our existence the whole time we sat. I will never go back to this place again.
February 24, 2008 @ 7:15 am
It was my first time to the Mediterranean and it will be my last. The service was incredibly slow. The restaurant is extremely crowded and they offer no waiting room. The crowd that continuously wandered in off the street was very intrusive and might as well have sat on our table or knocked our glasses of wine over. Our waitress was very inattentive and impolite. I thought the lamb shish kebab I ordered was very, very undersized. It looked like something off of the Kids menu. The food is tasty, but not worth returning. There are very few restaurants that I go to that I feel genuinely insulted by the service. I usually do not expect to feel insulted when I spend 120.00 between three people and they don’t even thank you on the way out the door, not that it would have made a difference because our waitress hardly even acknowledged our existence the whole time we sat. I will never go back to this place again.
April 30, 2008 @ 5:08 am
I’ve had the honor to eat a “Greek Salad” at this restaurant. Greek Salads are my favorite food IN THE WORLD!!!! It was like being in Greece/a taste of heaven. Its one of the most amazing tastes i have ever had.. I am a VEGETARIAN so its hard for me to try new plces an they actually have what i want and the way i like it. It runs about 12.5 but its the only thing ill buy when i got out to lunch on Gay st.and i have the “i have to have it right now” tastes in my mouth for it 3 or more times a week. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!1
March 9, 2009 @ 8:47 am
Recently spent about $60 on takeout here for 2 couples and kids’ dinner. I’ve dined here many times but found the takeout to be a sad facsimile for what I normally enjoy. Pita was cold and stale, falafel similarly cold and very dry, and in general all felt that ordering a couple of pizzas from Benny’s would have been a much more positive dining experience. I won’t order takeout there again.
April 30, 2009 @ 10:27 am
My favorite restaurant. Hands down. This is really a Middle Eastern Restaurant- I am pretty sure the owners are Lebanese. We really all came from Greece anyway… I eat here at least once a month and have yet to be disappointed. The food is delicious and authentic. Tastes like my moms tabouli. Hummus is fresh. Any of the lamb dishes are amazing. I always end up getting the falafel shrimp YUM! All of my vegetarian friends love it because of the variety of vegetarian options. Desserts, I always end up taking mine to go because I fill up on dinner. The place is on the small side but most of West Chester is and I think it just adds to the character. Added bonus is that it is a BYOB. The staff have always been very accommodating and attentive in my opinion. Very down to earth. If you weren’t getting the service you were expecting you probably were waiting for someone to read your mind. GO- You won’t be disappointed.
May 7, 2010 @ 6:05 pm
Ed and I discovered this intimate and warm setting at least 12 years ago and it has remained our favorite restaurant ever since. We both have agreed that though we are of Polish Heritage, coming to dinner feels like going home to Mom’s or Grandma’s!
The food has always been fresh, and a culinary delight for our palates.
My Surprise 50th Birthday Party rates as one of the top memories to share with family and friends thanks to Joe and Margaret’s delectable feast. In addition to the lovely Baklava, Margaret’s Strawberry Shortcake is simply over the top.
We will always consider the Mediterranean “Our Little Place”.