Mosaic Mediterranean Grill & Cafe

We actively root for new Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants to succeed – most of them, that is. But when we visited Obaid Kitchen in March 2025, roughly four months after the Syrian restaurant replaced The Garden Mediterranean Grill in a diverse and interesting little Foothill Ranch plaza, we left with zero of our typical enthusiasm. Mediocre food, gnats flying around drink dispensers and dessert containers, and incredibly slow, disinterested service gave us the impression that this large, empty restaurant mightn’t be long for the world. Obaid disappeared in December 2025, a year after opening, and in May 2026 was replaced with Mosaic Mediterranean Grill & Cafe, another Syrian spot with a similar menu but seemingly different ownership and certainly better service. A refreshed interior, no gnats, and an aggressive pricing strategy convinced us to give it another try.

We’re glad we did. To set reasonable expectations, note that this isn’t the sort of small- to medium-sized, bustling restaurant commonly found these days in Little Arabia. Mosaic’s large corner unit has a cavernous ceiling that appears to make air conditioning challenging, leaving the owners to rely upon open front doors for modest ambient cooling. When we arrived for a weekend lunch on a day that wasn’t the summer’s hottest, we were the only guests in the place for the duration of our meal – much like our prior Obaid visit – yet offered genuine hospitality: attentive, smiling service, proper plate clearing, and offers of more water and pita bread as needed. That said, the restaurant was on the warm side, not uncomfortable in temperature or humidity, but not far from it. While keeping the doors closed and air conditioning on would likely further improve guest experiences, that might not be practical given global warming challenges; bear that in mind before visiting.

Heavy on large photographs, the new menu uses at least twice as many pages as is necessary to display collections of lunch and dinner options that substantially overlap. Kebabs, shawarma, falafel, and gyro entrees are roughly half of the options; appetizers, soups, and salads constitute the other half. Guests can order a surprising number of items a la carte or in combinations; a uniquely versatile sampler plate choose any four cold appetizers (normally $5 to $10 each) for $20, enabling mixing and matching anything from hummus ($7) to grape leaves ($10) and tzatziki ($7). Beyond representing an extraordinarily good value in today’s economy, each set of four items comes with a basket of thin pitas that can be enjoyed with dips; free pita refills are available.