Mediterranean Exploration Company

I have spent a lot of time in kitchens over the last forty years. I have come to have high expectations in uppity things like texture, harmony amid contrasts, the element of surprise, the exotic amid the familiar, presentation, and quality of ingredients. Normally, my expectations are disappointed. We cook at home more often than we go out. From that background, I offer my unqualified praise to Chef Burgess and his staff. This place is a gem. Everything they put on the table illustrates their excellence as a team. Each dish has a truly unique character. Each delights with surprises that come from dedication to the craft and a certain genius, not chance. Each is sumptuous. Each offers the unexpected. You can taste the thoughtfulness, the imagination, the vision. What a joy to eat at a place like this. On top of that, the place is unpretentious and warm and the service is lovely. MEC reminds us of what a restaurant can be. Put it on your list of top restaurants in Portland. It is now on mine.

PHENOMENAL food here. Very diverse dishes and wonderful flavors. Loved the options and speed with which everything came of top quality. Faves were the baked feta with pears and octopus. I enjoyed thr Tahiti chocolate chip cookie that I wish came out warm automatically but the staff was friendly about asking the kitchen to warm it up. Our waiter hovered a bit but was super friendly and incredibly attentive. My friend and I wanted for nothing because everything was top tier and the atmosphere was great on a very rainy evening.

Incredible food, good atmosphere, attentive service. We arrived early for our reservation and they were able to seat us. The server made great recommendations. We particularly enjoyed the crispy lamb hummus. Had a nice cocktail and wine selection as well. At the end, they gave us a postcard and mailed it out for us!

Great spot with great food, went here recently with coworkers and got to have a little bit of a lot of stuff. Standouts were the grilled octopus, the crispy lamb hummus, and the pistachio cake! The only thing that wasnt top tier was the baklava which was just ok, but not bad, just didnt have any crispiness to them.

It’s one of the best Mediterranean food I’ve had so far. Some of the best ones we ordered were blistered snap peas, hummus, lamb kebab. Lamb chops and hanger steak was also very good. Ambience inside and outside was amazing so was the service. Highly recommend this place if you’re in Portland downtown. Will surely visit again if I’m in the area.

Always love coming here, one of my favorites. Food is flavorful, fresh and delicious. I always have a hard time choosing just cause I want to eat it all. I noticed a few times there seems to be an issue with entering in items under wrong tables. Food we dont order gets dropped at our table or birthday desserts go out to wrong tables. As well as the last 2 times I visited, I've been charged for things we didn't eat, and luckily, they resolve it easily. But I make a not to check receipts here just cause it's happened a few times here. I wonder if it's a POS system issue or a very busy night.