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Mediterranean Deli is as authentic as Greek/Middle Eastern food gets in Chapel Hill. The owner, Jamil, is originally from Palestine , and started cooking at a young age. He enjoys sharing his passion and background through food into the amazing Chapel Hill/Carrboro community. All of the appetizers, entrees, and desserts are of amazing quality, and you can really tell that all a lot of hard work and care went into making everything. We had a delightful experience at Med Deli, and highly recommend it to anyone in the area looking to try something new.
Christian:
When you walk into the deli, you do not get a formal feel as you order at the counter. Yet, you still have plenty of interaction with the friendly staff who are constantly ensuring that the customers are served and happy with their meals. Overall, the eating experience was fantastic and the menu is diverse yet consistent in quality.
To begin with appetizers, the grape leaves (cold) are a timeless Greek classic that should not be passed up to share with the table. They bring a nice refreshing taste that will warm up one’s taste buds. The real winners on the appetizer menu, however, are the lamb fatayer, cauliflower, and the Muhammara with pita. The lamb fatayer is perfectly cooked, with the crust providing phenomenal, crisp texture that compliments the juice from the fresh tomatoes. The cauliflower is a nice healthy touch that brings a moist, spice-filled component to the appetizers, which is great to put Muhammara on. The Muhammara may be the best dip I have ever tasted; it has the texture of hummus, but the flavor is much deeper and explodes in the mouth. I personally buy a half-pound and take home the rest to be used as a dip for anything I have at home. It works very well with most entrees as well.
Next, with a more limited selection of entree dishes, there is only one I wish to highlight, the Chicken Souvlaki. The chicken is cooked to perfection, and is brought out on a skewer with the smell of citrus from its marination. It is as succulent as can be, and the Tzatziki that comes alongside is a perfect combination of creaminess to coat the chicken. The pita that comes with is great, and the sliced tomatoes are fresh; nonetheless, the only warning I would give is that eating it like a sandwich will be extremely messy. Cut the pita, chicken, and vegetables to make into one-biters.
Finally, the desserts are a great representation of how everything is cooked in the home bakery as they are fresh and unique. The dessert that shined the most was by far the Med Deli’s interpretation of the common Italian delight, tiramisu. The strength and quality of the coffee on top of the dish provides just enough of a kick to bring the dish to life, and there is a perfect proportion of mascarpone and cocoa. After you are all filled from the meal and are eating this cold delicacy, I would highly recommend a warm, soothing Moroccan tea which is perfect for the Southerner who cannot get enough of sweet tea, or the camomile-lover who enjoys a relaxing drink to be on their way.
The Mediterranean Deli is perfect for family gatherings and hangouts with friends who are all comfortable sharing a couple appetizers and desserts, as these are imperative for a good experience. The owner puts forth an inclusive and powerful message through his restaurants diverse selection of dishes, and easily takes the top spot for Mediterranean food as a whole.
Alex:
Mediterranean Deli is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Chapel Hill. There is a wide range of items on the menu and all of them are authentic and delicious.
We started with a wide array of appetizers: fatayers (flatbreads), different hummuses, salmon, and many of their other side options. My all time favorite side from Med Deli is the mango pineapple salad. The fruit is always extremely fresh and flavorful. They add dried cranberries and shredded carrots to make the perfect balance. I have to order this dish everytime I eat at the restaurant because it is so good! One of my other favorite dishes was the sweet potato mash. The texture of the sweet potato was super smooth and they added walnuts for a crunch element. There was also a nice hint of cinnamon which complemented it perfectly. I absolutely love sweet potatoes, especially when their cooked and seasoned correctly, and these definitely were. My other favorite appetizer was the kalamata olive hummus. I am a pushover for kalamata olives, so I thought the bitter olive taste really enhanced the basic chickpea dish. I also really enjoyed the Moroccan rice, which reminded of rice pilaf, with a little added sweetness from dried cranberries. The eggplant was very bold, and I don’t even like eggplant, but the dish at Med Deli is sweet and a little smoky and I actually enjoyed it.
Although I enjoyed most everything we tried, there were some appetizers that were not my favorite. I am not a huge fan of quinoa, and I didn’t really enjoy Med Deli’s rendition either. It was too tomatoey, and didn’t really have much of any other flavor. I also didn’t love the cauliflower, as it tasted a bit sour. The cabbage had nice flavor, but it was a little too mushy for my liking. The hearts of palm salad was light and refreshing, but there were too many tomatoes in it. I would’ve loved more hearts of palm to balance the flavor.
Next we had a small selection of entree items. We chose dishes that may not everyone has tried, and stayed away from the classic gyros that everyone orders at the Bottom of Lenoir. I really liked the Lamb Shawarma and the Chicken Souvlaki. This was my first time trying both of them, and I was very pleased. The Lamb Shawarma is more of a wrap filled with lamb meat, tahini sauce (made from roasted sesame seeds), sliced Lebanese pickles, grilled tomatoes, parsley, onions and green peppers. The meld of flavors was awesome, and I would definitely recommend this dish to someone who wanted to try something new.
The Chicken Souvlaki was an amazing dish. I wasn’t sure what I expected; how good can a chicken dish really be? I underestimated it completely. The Chicken Souvlaki is by far my favorite chicken dish on the menu. It is not cooked like the regular chicken is that the serve in gyros. It is marinated with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and greek spices. The chicken is served on a skewer and comes with the traditional ingredients you would find inside of a gyro. If you typically go for I chicken gyro, I highly recommend trying the Chicken Souvlaki and you won’t be disappointed.
We also tried the Falafel Pita. This is a great option for vegetarians and vegans. You can choose either spicy or regular. Falafel is chickpeas combined with spring onions, parsley, Middle-Eastern spices and fried. The pita is served with lettuce, tomato and tahini dressing. I have had the falafel many times from Med Deli, and I really enjoy it. At the Bottom of Lenoir location you can also order just the falafel as a side and it comes with tahini sauce.
The one dish that tried for an entree that I was disappointed in was the Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese. Sounds simple, so where could you go wrong? It was just not as crispy as I hoped, and that really defeated the dish for me. I was disappointed because I was really looking forward to it! If you want to try some really good Spanikotia, oddly enough I would recommend the kind from Costco in the freezer section.
Overall, I really enjoyed the food we tried at Med Deli. I got to experience a lot of different dishes that I hope you’ll try too!
MED DELI AT BOTTOM OF LENOIR
I am ambitious, food-loving, and freshly arrived to UNC-Chapel Hill. These three
conditions contributed to my decision to undertake what is arguably one of the most daunting
feats ever attempted in UNC school history: I decided to taste every single menu item in the
Bottom of Lenoir Mediterranean Deli.
You read that right. All sixty-some dishes in that shiny glass case, and I have never had a
single thing twice (except for the potato salad on accident). I used up almost a whole semester of
Plus Swipes trying both good and not-so-good dishes, so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
See the rundown below.
MUST-EAT:
Spicy. Falafel. Sandwich. The ever-famous crunchy chickpea patties are squashed and layered
with fresh tomato before they are doused with tahini sauce and spicy green zhug, an Israeli salsa,
and then swaddled in warm pita. It’s GOOD. If you’re anti-spice, the normal falafel will suffice,
but nothing compares to the flavor explosion from the bright notes of the zhug, the fried falafel,
and the nutty tahini.
Baba ghanoush. Looks gross, tastes good. But then again, when has baba ghanoush ever NOT
tasted good? This one is delectably gloppy and packed with the smoky aroma of perfectly-over-
roasted eggplant. So good I didn’t even mind that it was put in the main compartment of my to-
go box. I ate every bit.
Turkish kisir. Kisir is like a couscous that packs a powerful tomatoey punch with tomato paste
and herbs. It takes the blandness out of eating carbs. That, and make it Med.
Spanikopita. This is the kind of dish that some Ancient Greek lady probably invented, and in
recognition of its unhealthiness, decided to add spinach, which somehow made it even more
delicious. (Who would have thought?!) Feta lovers and pastry lovers alike flock to this work of
genius. The delicately crunchy phyllo layers slide apart in the mouth, aided by what I would say
is olive oil but can’t be anything other than butter. Order it warm, and thank me later.
Veggie and lentil salad. With a balanced flavor from a perfect symphony of chopped produce,
this dish also boasts the substance to keep you full for the rest of the day, unlike your typical
iceberg lettuce salad.
Tabbouleh. Med Deli’s version of the classic Middle Eastern dish is a perfect balance of
chopped parsley and bulgur wheat, dotted with a gracious plenty tomatoes and cucumbers and
lots of lemony goodness. If you love parsley, you’ll love this. If you don’t love parsley, try it
anyways. If you have an unearthly aversion to parsley, I will concede the cabbage-spinach salad
as a worthy substitute.
Greek grape leaves (dolmades). So much Extra Virgin olive oil it makes me forget that TOL
uses margarine. Alas.
THE “BEST-OF” AWARDS:
BEST SAMMY
Chicken souvlaki pita. (NOT gyro!) The aforementioned tabbouleh plus warm, juicy chicken to
satisfy the carnivore in you, drenched in lemon tahini sauce. If you need chicken, get this and not
the chicken gyro, which is disappointingly dry and actually mostly romaine lettuce.
BEST FATAYER
Gluten-free veggie (or gyros) fatayer. This is basically pizza under a different name, so my
fancy self ordered it only reluctantly, but loved it. Trust me and get gluten-free: its delightfully
nutty and crispy thin crust forms a perfect base for an ample load of zucchini, feta cheese, and
summer corn. Meat-lovers do equally well with the savory gyros fatayer (also gluten-free).
BEST DIP
Pomegranate muhammara. This North African dip is a blend of walnuts, pomegranate
molasses, tomato, and spices. It’s marvelously complex and makes an awesome swimming pool
for that warm foil-wrapped pita bread the Med Deli man smilingly handed to you.
BEST VEGGIE SALAD
Armenian roasted vegetables. I am a self-professed veggie maniac, but I’m picky with them: I
don’t like my veggies steamed, boiled, or fried. Basically, I don’t like anything that doesn’t take
advantage of their complex flavors. This dish rose to the challenge. Each veggie is perfectly
roasted, lending a decidedly delectable char to the brightness of red bell peppers and lemon juice.
BEST PASTA SALAD
Sun dried tomato penne. I view pasta and carbs in general as a way to dilute perfectly good
flavors and fill me up without much particular enjoyment. But in true character of sacrifice, I
tried all of the pasta salads for you and this one takes the cake. You get a taste of the sun-dried
tomato throughout, so it’s not just generic pasta and oil.
BEST SALAD-SALAD
Spinach and chickpeas. The first thing I tried in BOL, so it will always have a special place in
my heart.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
I know it’s a lot, but this still cuts the menu by about half. It’s like picking a favorite child out of
64 of them.
• Tomato salmon salad • Spinach and chickpeas • Potato spinach salad • Beet salad • Cauliflower
• Fennel-orange salad • Cucumber-feta salad • Eggplant squash stew • Kale salad • Broccoli-
quinoa salad • Moroccan couscous • Green beans • Sweet potatoes • Lebanese cucumber salad •
The famous peach salad • Apple-quinoa salad • Tomato mozzarella salad • Harissa or cilantro
hummus •
AND, THE ONLY NEVER-EAT:
I don’t even know what it’s called. Think burnt shredded wheat swathed in mayo. I tried so hard
to like it but it’s straight-up nasty.
And there you go, a comprehensive review of the BOL Med Deli. I hope my gastronomic
escapades encourage you to order with the adventurous naïveté of a freshman. You’re more
likely to strike a culinary jackpot than you are to eat burnt shredded wheat with mayo. Trying
new foods makes lunchtime an experience not of hassle-filled grab-n-go, but of mindful
appreciation of the precious fuel we put into our bodies, and of the pure joy it is to do so. Taste it
for yourself, and you’ll know what I mean.
תגובות