Lexington dining guide: Where to find hummus, gyros, kebabs and all foods Middle Eastern

Thanks to endless self-help books and websites, most of us know that a Mediterranean diet is the best way to a healthy lifestyle. While this diet is sort of a hybrid of Mediterranean and Californian, there is another Mediterranean cuisine – an authentic one dating back thousands of years.

This Mediterranean cuisine spans the Eastern Mediterranean – from Greece to the area broadly defined as the Levant. Specifically, in terms of cuisine, the Levant encompasses Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt, but there are also influences from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan and Syria.

Fortunately, Lexington has a smattering of restaurants offering the delicious dishes of the Middle East. Most offer meat that is halal, Arabic for permissible – the equivalent of Kosher for Jewish food.

The Bridge Eatery & Bar

342 Romany Road, 859-554-5656, thebridgeeatery.com Everything is made from scratch at this Romany Road spot specializing in Turkish cuisine. The menu offers favorites such as stuffed grape leaves as well as some dishes less familiar to American diners. One such dish is shakshuka, known in Israel as the Breakfast of Champions, although it’s delicious any time. This one-skillet dish is made with gently poached eggs placed in a simmering mixture of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, spices and fresh herbs.

You should also try lahmacun (Turkish flatbread with ground beef, lamb, tomatoes and spices; a vegetarian version substitutes minced vegetables for the meat) and baba ghanoush, eggplant, mashed and cooked with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings.

If you have a finicky eater in the family who is not quite ready to expand their food palate, the Bridge also offers a selection of pizzas.

Oasis Mediterranean Restaurant

837 Chevy Chase Plaza, 859-269-6440 oasisrestaurant.org Noted for healthy Mediterranean dishes, especially those from Lebanon. Mezza is a traditional tasting, and if you are still a novice in the food of the Levant, try the Oasis Sampler. For $12.95, you get hummus, baba ghanoush, three falafel, three veggie grape leaves and tabouli. Oasis is also popular for its kabobs – beef, chicken and various meats. Aficionados of Middle Eastern cuisine give high marks to their shawarma (thin slices of beef and chicken grilled on a skewer and served with roasted garlic sauce.) End your meal with a cup of Turkish coffee, thicker and richer than the American variety.

Sahara Mediterranean Cuisine

3061 Fieldstone Way, 859-224-1138, sahara-lex.com This no-frills spot in a strip shopping mall on Fieldstone Drive off Harrodsburg Road offers something to please everyone, from spit-roasted meats to vegetarian options.

Nefertiti

1301 Winchester Road, 859-280-9138, facebook.com/nefertitilex/ Although the name of this restaurant in the Eastland Shopping Center suggests Egyptian fare, the menu is primarily Greek, with plenty of gyros and baklava for dessert, although a featured dish, shish tawook (skewered chicken) is authentic Lebanese.

Mr. Kabob

2901 Richmond Road, 859-266-5222, mrkabablexington.com Platters – whether skewered meats or shawarma – are the specialty here, along with Greek salad, cucumber yoghurt salad with garlic and tzatziki, hummus, falafel, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves and other Middle Eastern staples.

Gyroz Mediterranean Eatery

393 Waller Ave Suite 16, 859-254-4976, gyrozeatery.com As the name implies, the gyro is king here, whether as a sandwich ($6.99) or a platter ($8.99). If you opt for the combo platter ($11.49), you get a side and a drink. They offer a daily lunch special. facebook.com/Gyroz-Mediterranean-Eatery/

Taziki’s Mediterranean Café

117 Southland Drive, 859-286-3082, tazikis.com This Southland Drive spot may be a chain, but we included it because of its special dinner for four (available as a to-go order only and must be ordered in advance.) Choose an entrée from grilled chicken, lamb, beef, shrimp or grilled vegetables. Each is accompanied by Greek salad, roasted new potatoes or basmati rice and pita bread. For dessert, try their baklava from Hellas Bakery.

Athenian Grill

31 South Ashland Ave. and 120 East Main, 859-303-5048 and 859-309-9020, atheniangrill.com With a wide selection, this is the place for traditional Greek food. Among the dishes to try are tzatziki (Greek yoghurt with fresh cucumber and dill) or htipiti (roasted red pepper-feta cheese dip) for appetizers.

A good soup choice is avgolemono soup, a traditional soup of chicken broth, arborio rice, egg and lemon. Then try the spanakopita (spinach pie with feta cheese in a phyllo) or dolmathakia (grape leaves stuffed with basmati rice and spices.)

Habibis Sweets & Pastries

2417 Nicholasville Road Suite 100, 859-554-9899, facebook.com/habibissweetsandpastries/ While not offering a full restaurant experience, this is the place to go to satisfy your sweet tooth, Middle Eastern-style – either by the piece ($1.00-$1.60); a small tray ($26) or a large tray ($45.50-$52.)Along with the more familiar baklawa or filo rolls, they offer bukaj, a Lebanese sweet (your choice of cashews, walnuts, almonds or pistachios in a bowl of filo dough, baked and coated with syrup), or warbat, originally from Jordan (layers of thin filo dough filled with custard, covered in syrup and garnished with pistachios).

This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 9:57 AM.