Mediterranean Garden Café

Looking for somewhere new to eat at for lunch, I walked a little further away from the office than normal.  My intent was to visit somewhere that I haven't been to before.  While walking down Alakea Street, in the direction of Mr. Frypan, I suddenly remembered the Arcade Building.  With one entrance on South King Street and another on Merchant Street, the Arcade Building has a little row of shops and restaurants on the ground floor, many of which I haven't been to in years. 

Upon entering the little row of shops, the first one that really stood out was the Mediterranean Garden Café.  Guess why?  Perhaps it was the awning that was covered with the heads of horses....  I found it rather unusual, especially since I figured it was a Greek restaurant.

Stepping into the shop, the menu was located right above the counter near the front door.  As I reviewed the menu, people were walking in and out of the shop to place their orders.  The shop seemed to be busy, and the food seemed to be prepared quickly.

Following the routine of the others, I made my way into the shop and placed my order at the counter which was flanked by a stainless steel refrigerator and a drink cooler.  I then sat at one of the four tables for two and waited. 

A couple minutes later, my order was ready.  I was called over to the counter to  pick up my food and I returned to my table by the door.  Today, I had the gyro sandwich with feta cheese (US$7.12 with feta cheese, US$6.99 without feta cheese).   

Served open faced on a piece of pita bread, the sandwich consisted of a mountain of chopped iceberg lettuce, a couple of sliced tomatoes, some diced cucumbers, and a lot of sliced rotisserie-cooked (I think) beef and lamb.  It was all topped with some dressing (it tasted like the traditional tzatziki sauce, I'll have to ask next time), and crumbled feta cheese.

My first impression was that the sandwich was huge -- I really didn't think that I could finish it all (I couldn't).  The strips of marinated beef and lamb, were tasty and well seasoned, but just a little too salty for me.  The crumbled feta cheese added just the right amount of "tangy" flavor to this dish and the dressing made a nice accent, even if there was too much of it on the sandwich (in my opinion). 

Although a little more expensive than my usual lunchtime fare, this was a welcome change for me.  And even though the food was a little saltier than I was used to, I am sure to be back to try some of the other Greek dishes on the menu. 

Mediterranean Garden Café
The Arcade Building
212 Merchant Street Suite 6
Telephone:  (808)533-1677

Comments

[MrsT]

It does look yummy.. and interesting.. and yes.. a change is good..:)

[Julia]

Looks good, Reid. They are pretty generous with the toppings, yeah? :)

[restaurant rhapsody]

MMMMMM. I love Greek/Mediterranean food! Always looking for new spots although my favorite is still the Olive Tree in Kahala. What else do they have on the menu here? Will be sure to eat here soon. Question: What is the secret to getting those great food photos? Any tips you are willing to share? I find it's often difficult because of lighting issues, etc.

By the way, I appreciate the sarcasm in your reply to my Mitsuken post. Thanks!

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

Yes, the change was nice and it was quite good. I just wish there wasn't so much dressing on this and I wish the meat weren't so salty.

Hi Julia,

It was quite yummy if I do say so myself. They are generous with the toppings, although for US$7, they should be don't you think?

Hi restaurant rhapsody,

I haven't tried the Olive Tree in Kahala, but I've heard it's really good. I'm planning on eating there some time soon.

After I've scanned all the menus I've collected, I'm planning on linking them to each individual post, if possible. Other items on the menu here are humus (their spelling), falafel, spanakopita, chicken shawerma, chicken souvlaki, and others. Prices are in the US$6 range.

I re-read my reply to your comment on Mitsu-Ken, and I really must apologize. =(

I replaced "miss" with "find". Sarcasm was not meant in any way, please forgive me. Remind me to double check my replies in the future.

[Linda]

Hi Reid,
1st time at the Mediterrean Garden Cafe, huh? It's one of our favorite places to eat in downtown. I like it more that the other Greek place you reviewed. Although you don't seem like the type for it, they have a pretty good variety of vegetarian plates there. The Hummus sandwich is good, as is the chicken shawerma.

Also, right across the "corridor" in that alleyway is the Fresh Garden Deli. On Fridays they have a huge burrito (chicken or beef) that has people lining up out the door.

[Reid]

Hi Linda,

This is the first time that I've been here since it changed ownership. It was a different Greek restaurant before right? I kind of like this place better than Leo's too. =)

I haven't been to Fresh Garden Deli in a long time, and yes, their black bean burritos are delicious. I was planning on having that sometime next week. =)

[Victoria]

yay, that's the place that sells the awesome and elusive baba ganoush! :) glad to hear their other stuff is good too.

[Linda]

Reid, It's been under the same ownership since I started going there about 5 years ago. I haven't tried the baba ganoush. I'll give it a whirl next time.

[Reid]

Hi Victoria,

Thanks for dropping by. It's good to know that the baba ganoush is good. I'm definitely going to try that sometime soon. Thanks for the tip.

Hi Linda,

Maybe it was an assumption that the ownership changed because the shop looks different on the inside. Perhaps less clutter? In any case, I remember eating kabobs there years ago as well as the falafel and thinking that they were good. This could have been back in 1999 or 2000.