Mediterranean Fusion Cafe

This place has been closed for years. Why is this still on Unilocal

The problem I guess is with communication. I’ve tried many times to redeem my Groupon and they have not been open, without any signs. Looking into the store, it does look like they’re closed, with tables and chairs all flung around in disarray.
That’s shady! I’m going to see if I can «return» my Groupon, which still hasn’t expired.

I ate here only once and thought the food was actually pretty good. 3.5 overall, considering food, atmosphere, and prices.
The layout needed work.
Several times I *tried* to eat here to redeem my Groupon (must contact Groupon to get a refund) and the restaurant was closed during business hours. Very disappointing. 1 star — eek!
Luckily, there are many great restaurants in the surrounding downtown San Carlos area where we were able to eat instead.
This business is now CLOSED and being split into two new restaurants (how the space was formerly before it was remodeled). One will be Monarca’s Mexican Cuisine, a small upscale Mexican restaurant and the other is yet-​to-​be-​determined.
I wish the new businesses luck in this location.

Came here for lunch today and boy oh boy, we did not know what to expect.
Now. when my coworkers and I decide to hit the town for a team lunch. it is a cultural immersion. We’ve tried it all… and now that we have tapped out our team lunch coordinator’s brain it was all up to Unilocal!
It took my team and my brain-​fried self a good 30minutes to decide on this place and I was not in the least bit disappointed. This place was SUPERRRR bomb! The service was excellent, the owner or man at the register was SO nice. and if you’ve been following me. you know I’m a sucker for exceptional service.
We all ended up ordering the buffet. Did we plan on a buffet? No. Two of us even held off on the buffet because she wasn’t sure about the vegetarian options in the buffet and I… I was just unsure. The man behind the counter was extremely helpful. he was patient and even though we didn’t end up ordering something off the menu, he still brought us some complimentary falafel. BUFFET IS TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Props for all of the following:
The BEETS (holy smokes. the beets were so flavorful, my coworker was so pleased with these beets, she went on a good 5minute monologue on why these beets were the shizz)
The rice with meat and tomatos — batch one was perfection. so many yummy flavors. Batch two was spicy (not too spicy) but had a good amount of tomato-​ey goodness soaked into the rice without making the rice soggy
The stew with potatoes and carrots — THIS STEW IS LIKE THE KIND I MAKE AT HOME… which is pretty bomb. The potatoes were PERFECT. I love potatoes. so i’m a little biased because I think potatoes can do no wrong. (unless you just don’t cook ‘em)
The HUMMUS — Hummus was perfectly nutty with what looked like a kind of spice and oil drizzled on top. Perfectly creamy and nutty for the pita bread that came with.
Cucumber and tomato salad — Seemed like a pretty standard dish you can find at Greek Restaurants. Watch out for the green getting stuck between your teeth…
FALAFEL!!! — If I could make that work size 86 font, I totally would. The falafel was the best falafel i have ever had ever.everever.ever. It was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle with all the flavors you can possibly pack into a meatball sized veggie option. WOW. Falafel.
Pita bread — this can do no wrong either. I love bread. Just don’t burn it.
Overall.this place was wonderful. Excellent service, loved the man behind the counter… super courteous, patient, and treated us VERY well.
Will definitely be back. Heart you!

After reading all the fabulous reviews, I was craving a yummy gyro, perhaps a warm Avgolemono and baklava for dessert!
But alas, even though the building signage says Mediterranean Fusion Café there was a paper in the window indicating its new name is Le Figuro?; a mediterranean buffet ;0!
We were hungry so we thought that we might as well give it a try. The buffet was okay and had flavors that reminded me of a hotel banquet party. Imagine a darkly lit line of sterno heated, rectangular steel banquet warmers. The beef and lanb offerings were tender but nothing to rush back for. I was glad to see hummus and tabouli offered but again was not all too impressed. There was also rice, and Italian penne pasta, greek lemon chicken, rice, an orzo dish, slice beets, and salad mix. The only saving points were that the restaurant kept the barista that designs the cool latte/​coffee drinks and the staff was nice and friendly. I could only hope that they improve their food offerings.

It’s an order first and sit yourself kinda place.
Excellent flavors and large portions! The cappachino art is awesome but it does take a while to get to you as the one guy will do the art. Great friendly service.

For latte/​cap/​mocha this is definitely my local go-​to place. Beans and roast direct from Italy just can’t be beat. Served up perfectly w/​art to boot.
Greek plate came w/​lamb, rice, salad. The meat was good. Rice was not unfortunately.
Charming settings w/​intimate service.
I will qualify my star rating by saying that I dont know about the pricing for this place. I was treated to my experience.
One other thing, consider calling ahead. I have come here several times to find that they were closed unexpectedly.

This place is a really nice café. Their prices seem high but that’s because they use organic meat in their dishes. Because the prices seem a bit steep for a café that is pretty small and casual, I probably wouldn’t have gone here without our
certificate. Anyway, the food is really good and the service exceeded expectations. We were here on a Saturday night and I believe there were only two staff members working there — a server and a barista/​cook. Even though the server was by herself, she was very nice and attentive to all the tables.
I had the falafel pita which came with a salad. The hot sauce in the pita was pretty good… I wish I had more of it.
The café art is amazing! Each in our party had a different design in our mochas and lattes. You get a lot for your money as well — $ 4 without art, and $ 5 with art — and it comes in a HUGE mug. Very delicious café drinks… I think they made my mocha perfectly — it tasted a lot better than Starbucks, who just makes their specialty drinks way over-​flavored. The guy who made our drinks and did the art even came over to our table and asked how we liked the designs… what a nice guy!
The décor in this place makes one feel very comfortable in an artsy/​cozy little area. Their restrooms are surprisingly relatively large (and clean!) for a small joint like this.

We’ve eaten at Mediterranean Fusion 4 times in the last month. That’s how good it is, and we think it is very reasonably priced and healthy. The dishes are light, not heavily oily. Even the pita bread seems to be lighter; I have never tasted such good pita bread. While much mediterranean cuisine tends to be salty, this is not true at this great restaurant. The falafel are yummy and also easy to eat, not hard rocks like other restaurants.
Lastly, finish off your dinner with one of the delightful cappucinos. You will be overwhelmed with the artistry of the friendly owners.
Note that this restaurant is not on the main restaurant row of downtown San Carlos, but is around the corner from the Starbucks at the end of the row. Enjoy!

Yummy!!! This place rocks when it comes to Mediterranean food. Everything on the menu is excellent. (Way better than Pilita grill any day!!!). Plus their café’s are exquisite! Awesome food! You will not go wrong!!!

My girlfriend and I decided to try this spot last night; she had a coupon and either of us had been before. I can’t say I will be back. The food was ok and the service was good but I know I can get much better just down the street at Santorini.
We decided to share two of the entrees which I thought were completely over priced. They do not serve alcohol but we were told we could bring our own. I did just that and we were given little plastic red cups to drink the wine. Come on! What restaurant does not have some wine glasses if you allow customers to drink? We later found out they charge $ 8 to bring in a bottle– the waitress removed it from the bill as there had been no mention of the charge.
I think this place would do very well as a casual sit down Mediterranean place but they are trying to upscale a venue where every seat in the place faces the kitchen and they have a neon «Open» and «Closed» sign out front. I wish them luck, but it won’t be the first place I recommend.

The food and service were both great. It was a little slow but we were warned. My biggest complaint is how expensive the menu was. The restaurant isn’t ‘fancy’ so it just didn’t fit. I’d probably come here again if I had a coupon or for lunch if it’s less expensive.

OK… after reading all these reviews and with help from a
gift certificate, I checked this place out for dinner.
And so, I will speak to the majority of the issues brought up by fellow Unilocalers:
1) Too expensive– ok yes, 15 bucks for a dinner platter that includes a meat dish, rice, and salad is quite steep for a restaurant that appears THIS casual, but
2) The food is damn good and they use natural/​organic foods when possible… hence the rise in cost. I had the gyro platter (lamb/​beef) and I don’t know if it was b/​c I had just worked out but it was gone in like 10 minutes! My friend’s chicken platter was fantastic too, very tender baby cubes of chicken in a delicious sauce (which is btw great when topped w/​the spicy sauce thats at your table and the
3) a la carte yogurt side) … seriously … why am I paying an extra dollar for a small side of something like yogurt, or extra pita, or extra dressing, or olives? that’s kinda strange … or it’s just the recession and san carlos has expensive rent?
3) PITA IS SOOOO GOOD. So the waitress thought it was really odd that we just ordered a platter each and THEN asked for the hummus… she’s like, «dinner?» and i said «appetizer» … hmm … weirdos but ok … what! the platter was so freakin good and not filling enough (i just burned like 300 calories!) so having read that the pita is unique here we had to try it… and yes… believe the hype. No, you can’t make a pocket out of it, boohoo, so slather it on a like a pizza! (Nida-​style hehe) So yea it’s über soft and freshly taken off the grill and tastes phenomenal, u just wanna soak up all the hummus and whatever other sauce is possibly still on the table (great chili sauce btw!).
So the million dollar question… would I go here again?
hmm, probably not… there are far too many more med places to check out ;)

Pita? Very good! Lamb? No, thanks.
At lunchtime (12:30pm) on a Sunday afternoon, Mediterranean Fusion Cuisine was completely dead.
On Unilocal we noticed the $$, but we didn’t realize it would be THAT much more in comparison to Mediterranean Delite a mile down El Camino (albeit closed on Sundays).
Needless to say, we received very friendly and attentive service. The hostess/​waitress noticed I was feeling chilly and closed the door. She was aware we were new to the restaurant and went into extra details about the food preparation and menu.
We ordered:
Appetizer: Hummus & Pita $ 6.99 (–1 star for that price! Ouch!)
— hummus arrived in a medium sized bowl with 8 triangles of pita bread (2 whole pitas)
Gyro Plate ~$ 15.00
Comes with rice, lamb, and salad.
We asked to substitute the rice for pita bread, but somehow there was a miscommunication.
When our food arrived, the lamb, salad, and pita (4 triangles) were there as we had asked, but our bill indicated that we had ordered Extra Pita for $ 1. Hmmm… I didn’t think substitution meant addition (–1 star).
Salad: Tasty, fresh, yadda yadda yadda.
Pita bread: Warm, toasted, soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside! The pita is doughier and moister than other pita breads I’ve eaten. I couldn’t split it open to put hummus or meat inside and that kinda irked me.
Lamb: Although prepared with onions and olives, the meat on the platter appeared to be shavings from a huge lamb meatball. If I had to imagine what lamb lunch meat would look like, this would be it — a solid grayish color with flecks of black pepper, I’m assuming. The taste was good, but it was also oily and gave me a minor stomachache afterward. (–1 star and I’m being generous).
I’m sticking with Mediterranean Delite.

Easily my new favorite Mediterranean place!
I had their chicken pita with a side salad. The pita bread was served warm and the chicken was prepared in a savory sauce that reminded me of an Indian chicken tikka masala.
The staff were really friendly and after speaking with them we learned that they use a lot of organic ingredients, including their meats. This is pretty unusual for most Mediterranean places and we were surprised that it was not advertised anywhere on the menu.
We were there with a party of 5 and they included a tip in the bill. We didn’t mind, but it would have been better if they showed the tip clearly instead of just including it in the total.
One thing that’s a little awkward about the place is that it’s full service (at least for dinner) with prices to match, but it’s really designed to be more of an over-​the-​counter kind of place. So know that it feels like you’re sitting in a café, not a formal dining room.

Came here for lunch with the hubby and some friends. We had been meaning to try the place since it opened, but had been turned off by the high prices. Curiousity finally got the better of us… bottom line is that the food is definitely GOOD, but ooowee, I wish the prices were a bit cheaper. At 11.99 for a falafel wrap and fries for lunch, that’s a bit pricey to make it a regular visit. At 9.99, we’d be all over this place.
That being said, the owner/​manager/​barrista guy was really nice. Gave us some complimentary hummus/​pita bread and a complimentary latte when he figured out we were new. Both were yummy. A bit slow in bringing us our check, but we chalked that up to the European custom of letting you have the table as long as you like.
We’d go again, but I’m not sure how often given the prices. We’ll probably wait until we are really really craving falafels.

This is going to be my favorite Mediterranean place. Service is genuine and warm. The food is excellent! We ordered a sample platter ($ 15.99) which was originally veggie, but I substitute the greek salad with gyro. The hummus was super fresh and tasty with the herbs mixed in perfectly. The yogurt was also delicious. We also ordered a main entrée, Kofta Gyro (~$ 13) with grilled beef and perfectly flavored with spices. Every bite spelled d-​e-​l-​i-​c-​i-​o-​u-​s! I couldn’t even talk after the food came for 15 min because I was too busy stuffing my mouth full. Yes you can get really greedy at that point.
The hot chocolate I ordered afterward was also a delightful surprise. It was served to me with a smiley face in the cup. I really appreciate when the barista took the time to make latte art. The owner is the only person who does all the specialty coffee drinks. He took pride in his work :)
I did minus a star because it is quite pricey, also they need a better ventilation system because I really don’t like to smell like food when I walk out of the restaurant. All in all, this is a great place, and I’ll come back with my sloppy sweat pants next time: p

My co-​worker raved about this place so I swung in one day to try it out.
The owner took my order and was great in recommending something for me. I had the lamb and beef gyro and it was really good! This is probably the best Mediterranean food around this area. I used to go to Mediterranean delite, but they changed owners and the food was never good since then. I’m so glad I found this place.
I also tried their latte with the designs. The design was nice and the coffee was pretty good as well. I was happy it wasn’t gimmicky.
This place has good food for the right price.

I haven’t written a review in awhile. However, this place definitely needs mention. I stumbled upon this little family owned place when I was looking for a good falafel when my dad was visiting me up in the Bay.
The owner is just one of the kindest restaurant owners I have met in a long time. He grew up in Morocco, and lived and worked in Milan for years, and then moved with his family to the US — hence the name «Fusion Cuisine.» And his place is definitely an amalgam of cultural fusions, with the European art on the wall, the Italian opera on the speakers, and the fragrance of fresh falafel on the stove.
When I ordered a falafel plate, I saw him crushing fresh chickpeas and 15 min later my sandwich arrived with piping hot falafels. His dolmas and hummus were great! And you MUST try his coffee — particularly his cappuccino. Since he lived in Italy, he knows how to make a REAL cappuccino! It does not have that bitter aftertaste that I often get from places like Starbucks. He takes his time to serve a cup by heating the espresso for almost five minutes until it is viscous. and yet smooth. and then he always puts an unique design at the top of the cup; my last was an oasis in the setting desert sun… absolutely heavenly!
The best part of the coffee treat was this: after I got my cappuccino for the first time, I asked the owner where I could find some sugar (I’m always used to putting 2 packets of sugar into my cup.). He asked, «why do you need sugar?» «For my coffee,» I replied. He retorted with a smile, «you don’t need any sugar for my coffee.» And he was right — it was the perfect amount of sweetness! I think that he has won several coffee competitions before settling out in the Bay Area — so definitely try his ‘café.‘
I got word that he may be serving gelato and crepes soon… I think that would make a great addition to his fusion restaurant. Definitely visit his place and chat with him and his family — they are great people.
My only critique is that the prices are a bit lofty… enough said.

The co-​worker and I have been seeing the «Coming Soon» sign on this place for months now and our anticipation of the opening was bordering on casing the joint. It had been boarded up with no activity in sight. As we were walking downtown today, we saw a bunch of balloons and a huge grand opening banner. So we walked in.
This place is a mash up of café and sit down restaurant, serving your basic coffee based drinks and a slew of different Mediterranean dishes. A range of kabobs, gyros, sandwiches and burgers. I decided on the beef koobideh plate while my co-​worker went for the lamb kabobs. Both came with a small feta/​lettuce/​tomato, cucumber salad and basmati rice. The koobideh was nice and moist and decently flavorful. The lamb was a bit on the bland and dry side. The rice was light and the salad was decently tasty.
The space is obviously brand new, with a food case, self serve soft drink machine, a small bar looking onto San Carlos Ave and a handful of tables lining the right side of the room with some ability to look into the open kitchen. The clientele seem to mostly be San Carlos housewives and a few tech people here and there. For some reason the «Dolma Curse» has followed us here, where we order dolmas only to find they don’t have them (4^th time it’s happened now). Even so, there are some other interesting items I’ll return to try since, this is just about the closest Mediterranean place to my work now. 3.5 stars