Yahoo! - Recommended Restaurants: Mediterranean

Recommended Restaurants: Mediterranean

Price Guide: $ = less than $15, $$ = $15 - $35, $$$ = $36-$50, $$$$ = over $50

Price estimates are based on an average dinner for one, excluding drinks, tax and tip.
Listed restaurants accept major credit cards unless otherwise noted.
Symbols: L = lunch, D = dinner, BR = breakfast, B = brunch, R = reservations required, V = valet parking, W = wheelchair accessible, P = private room, BQ = banquet facilities.
Star Guide: 4 stars = superlative, 3 stars = excellent, 2 stars = very good, 1 star = above average. (Note: No stars will be assigned to a restaurant until it has been newly reviewed.)

Bay Wolf: 3853 Piedmont Ave., Oakland MapIt!
(510)655-6004
$$$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W
This gorgeously restored Victorian-style former residence near downtown Oakland has for twenty-two years been a fixture of the East Bay dining scene. The spacious covered patio is a particularly pleasant place to dine, a little roomier than the pair of indoor dining rooms. Experience favors appetizers over entrées, especially the rich, ethereal duck liver flan. Caesar salad is good, too, as is a carefully put-together selection of antipasti. The best entrées seem to be fish. Desserts are homey and satisfying rather than architectural. Good service and very nice ambience.
Citron: 5484 College Avenue, Oakland MapIt!
(510) 653-5484
$$$/D daily
Simple can be one of the hardest things to do well, but the folks at compact, cordial Citron have figured it out. From the understated decor to friendly service and the accessible, seasonal menu, everything works in a way that makes you want to come back week after week. And many do. Citron doesn't do lunch, and maybe that's one of the reasons both the food and the staff always seem so fresh.--Diablo
Faz: 5121 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton MapIt!
(510) 460-0444
$$-$$$/Br/L/D daily/W
Faz Poursohi's success with Mediterranean food in the Bay Area may be unmatched. In this Pleasanton adventure, he has added American favorites to his well-known Italian and Middle Eastern specialties. Mesquite-grilled hamburgers and a one-pound New York steak are solid choices, as are the various kabobs. Try the spit-roasted chicken too, served with buttermilk mashed potatoes. And what could be more American than an iceberg-lettuce salad with bleu cheese?--Diablo
Faz Restaurant and Bar: 600 Hartz Avenue, Danville MapIt!
(510) 838-1320
$$/L Mon-Fri/D daily/W
There's something larger than life and utterly dependable about Faz in Danville. The dramatic building, all wood and windows, is surrounded by redwoods, and the tables spill out onto a sprawling and always-packed patio. The menu is long, strong on Mediterranean specialties and grilled, smoked, and spit-roasted meats. Try the salmon smoked over alder wood, or the pizzas that emerge crisp from the wood-fired oven.--Diablo
Hawthorne Lane: 22 Hawthorne St., San Francisco MapIt!
(415) 777-9779
$$$/L /D /R /V /W /P
Chefs Anne and David Gingrass inventively bring Mediterranean and Asian influences to the same table. Highlights include an exquisite sautéed foie gras and a top-notch bar menu. Don't miss the delectable desserts concocted by Nicole Plue.
Johnny Angel's: 2033 North Main Street, Walnut Creek MapIt!
(510) 939-6949
$-$$/L Mon-Fri/D Tues-Sat/W
Chef Marcy Keeler prepares her distinctive interpretations of Mediterranean cooking, including risotto, pastas, and paella. The paella is for two or more, but for a Spanish delight so delicious it shouldn't be hard to round up a couple of willing partners.--Diablo
Lalime's: 1329 Gilman St., Berkeley MapIt!
(510) 527-9838
$$/D /R /W
This bright, light-filled two-story space serves eclectic Mediterranean cuisine with French, Italian, and Middle Eastern accents. Prix-fixe dinners are offered nightly.
Lalime's: 1329 Gilman Street, Berkeley MapIt!
(510) 527-9838
$$-$$$/D daily/W
Lalime's is the kind of restaurant you wish there were more of, a neighborhood spot with great food, a warm welcome, a daily changing menu, and the kind of comfort missing in so many newer-age places. Mediterranean-influenced cuisine is served in a split-level dining room. Choose from the á la carte menu, or leave yourselves in the hands of the chef with the prix fixe menu.--Diablo
Taheri's Mediterranean Restaurant: 2999-A Oak Road, Walnut Creek MapIt!
(510) 933-1000
$-$$/L Mon-Fri/D Mon-Sat/W
You'll find the regulars jockeying for one of the outside tables here whenever weather permits. But don't neglect the casual, comfortable interior, with its exhibition kitchen and wood-burning oven. The menu's focus is Mediterranean, with pizzas and pastas and tender kabobs high on everyone's list of must-try items Desserts are homemade, including the baklava.--Diablo
Zax: 2330 Taylor St., San Francisco MapIt!
(415) 563-6266
$$/D /P
At this handsome North Beach bistro serving rustic Mediterranean cuisine, you'll find inviting variations on the French and Italian theme: goat cheese soufflé; warm frisée salad with smoked bacon and poached egg; swordfish with olives, capers, roasted peppers and arugula.