What Is Mediterranean Food?

Mediterranean food is the cuisine of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea — think Greece, the Levant, Iraq, Turkey, North Africa, and beyond. It’s built on olive oil, vegetables, legumes, grains, and fresh herbs, with grilled and spit-roasted meats, warm bread, and a spread of fresh dips and salads. It’s the kind of food that’s meant to be shared, and it leans on simple, honest ingredients rather than heavy sauces.

At Shawarma House in Ocean Beach, that means halal-sourced meat that’s spit-roasted and made to order, served alongside falafel, hummus, fresh salads, yellow basmati rice, and warm pita.

What’s typically on a Mediterranean menu

Mediterranean menus vary by country and region, but most share the same core building blocks. Here’s what you’ll commonly find — and what we serve:

• Spit-roasted and grilled meats — like our chicken, beef, and gyro shawarma, carved to order as wraps, as plates over yellow basmati rice with warm pita, or over fries.
• Legumes and grains — falafel (fried chickpea patties, and naturally vegan), hummus, and rice are staples across the region.
• Fresh salads — Greek, fattoush, tabouli, and Iraqi salads, built on vegetables, herbs, and olive oil.
• Dips and sauces — tzatziki, tahini, garlic paste (toum), lemon garlic, greek dressing, and hot sauce.
• Warm bread — pita is the standard, used to scoop dips and wrap meats.

Our signature Cream Chop fits right into that tradition, and there’s a Vegan Cream Chop for plant-based diners. Want the full lineup? See our full menu.

Is Mediterranean food healthy?

Mediterranean food has a well-earned reputation for being healthy, and there’s real science behind it. The “Mediterranean diet” — heavy on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, and lean proteins, with less processed food and red meat — is one of the most studied eating patterns in the world and is consistently linked to good outcomes.

That said, healthy depends on what you order. A plate built around grilled or spit-roasted meat, rice, salad, and hummus is balanced and protein-forward. Load up on fried sides and rich sauces and the math changes — same as any cuisine. The nice thing is that a Mediterranean menu makes the balanced choice easy.

For plant-based eaters, our falafel, hummus, salads, and Vegan Cream Chop are all vegan. Our kitchen is also gluten-free-friendly, but everything is prepared in a shared kitchen that handles gluten, so we can’t guarantee against cross-contact for anyone with celiac.

Mediterranean food in San Diego at Shawarma House

If you’re looking for Mediterranean food in San Diego, Shawarma House is at 4884 Newport Ave in Ocean Beach. Everything is halal-sourced, the meat is spit-roasted, and every order is made fresh when you place it — no steam-table trays sitting around.

You can build a wrap, a plate over yellow basmati rice with warm pita, or a fries-based bowl, then round it out with hummus, a fresh salad, and your pick of sauces. We’re proud to be in the running for the best Mediterranean food in San Diego, and our regulars back that up with 4.7 stars across 650+ Google reviews.

Ready to eat? Order online for pickup, or browse the full menu first.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading: Eating out on the Mediterranean diet · What is pita bread? · What is baklava?