The Best Mediterranean-restaurants in Clairemont & Bay Park

Also worth your time in Clairemont & Bay Park

These didn't make our citywide mediterranean-restaurants ranking, but they're real local options worth knowing about when you're already in Clairemont & Bay Park.

• Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe

  Clairemont Mesa

  Order: Mixed grill plate with hummus and pita

  A long-running Clairemont Mesa Boulevard room with a large menu and portions built for sharing. Easy parking, quick lunches.

mediterranean-restaurants in Clairemont & Bay Park, specifically

Clairemont's Mediterranean food lives in strip malls along Balboa and Clairemont Mesa, serving a long-established Middle Eastern community rather than a dining-out crowd. That shapes everything: the rooms are plain, the portions are large, the prices are set for regulars, and the grocery-attached counters frequently cook better than the sit-down restaurants nearby.

Which one to pick

Sufi is the sit-down option and the pick when you want a table and a kabob combo — the meat is considerably better than the exterior suggests. Balboa International Market is the local's move: order shawarma at the deli counter inside the grocery store, then shop the aisles for bread, olives, and pastries on the way out.

Before you go

Balboa International Market's deli line is longest at weekday lunch and after work. Both sit in shared strip-mall lots with free parking, and both are a straight shot from the 52 or Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.