Comments (0) Best Mediterranean Restaurant - 2011

Cafe Istanbul and Market

Oh, how we love Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food. The flavors, the colors, the freshness — the varieties of spelling! We like to make Mideast staples such as hummus and tabbouleh at home, but they never taste quite as good as they do when made by the pros at the Valley's several fine Middle Eastern joints. And that goes double for the great food at Cafe Istanbul. This longstanding restaurant gets it right every time, from its ever-popular chicken shawarma sandwiches to its fine lamb and beef kebabs. Really, though, when we hit up Cafe Istanbul, we want to try a little bit of everything, so we have to choose the two-person Al Amir Combo, an expansive and beautifully arranged platter of all that's good about this particular cuisine. Check it: There's creamy hummus, minty tabbouleh, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), chunks of feta, baba ghanouj, mujadara, loubieh, moist falafel, chunks of medium-rare lamb, outstanding chicken, possibly the best kefta kebab in the Valley, and all the soft, warm pita bread you want. At $29.95, this generous plate will fill you up just enough that you'll have a little bit of room left to make you want to peruse Cafe Istanbul's lovely dessert case.