Eve Pierpont
| Special to TCPalm
TCPalm tells you where to find food locally on the Treasure Coast
TCPalm’s entertainment reporter Laurie K. Blandford finds the best food, reports on new restaurants and goes behind the scenes to tell their stories.
Mediterranean cuisine is heavily influenced by the region’s history, culture and geography. While each country has its distinct style of cooking, common ingredients and flavors include olive oil, herbs and spices.
The Mediterranean diet is popular due to its health benefits. It is known for mainly incorporating fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains, along with its balanced use of fish and poultry. It contains very little red meat or processed foods.
Mediterranean cuisine is known for using sweet and aromatic spices. Hummus, pita, falafel, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, feta cheese, figs, apricots, nuts, olives and labneh are some staple ingredients and dishes.
Here are the best Mediterranean restaurants in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties:
INDIAN RIVER COUNTYFlames Mediterranean Bar & Grille
The first Flames Mediterranean Grille was opened in Melbourne and opened its Vero Beach location in 2024. It is a family-owned restaurant led by Carla and Zack Nasnas, who both have extensive hospitality industry experience. Zack has operated numerous successful food service ventures. Carla is passionate about her food and recipes and hopes to make Flames one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in the industry. They believe that food is a celebration of life. The dishes are healthy and naturally prepared. Flames’ scratch kitchen honors traditional recipes with new takes on old favorites. The menu includes items such as vegetarian grape leaves, the mama Daloua, shamandar dip, tabouleh salad, falafels, Mediterranean nachos, kibbeh, Baalbek flat meat pies, Flames crispy escalope and ouzi. It offers a wide range kabobs including lamb, salmon, shrimp, tenderloin, escalope, gyro, Da’Mas chicken and kafta meshwee (minced lamb and beef) as well as traditional Mediterranean desserts.
575 21st St., Vero Beach;772-823-5263; website
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
The Swift Grill is family-owned and committed to using quality ingredients. Its dishes celebrate authenticity and nourishment. Menu items include homemade hummus and pita, falafels, tabbouleh, fiery feta dip, a falafel burger, the Transylvania lamb burger, shawarma tacos and loaded fries, a beef and lamb plate, falafel plate, numerous kebab plates and skewers and an array of unique desserts. A Port St. Lucie location will open soon.
901 N. U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; 772-448-8699; Website
Fernando’s first opened in 2014 and offers fresh and authentic cuisine with a Mediterranean and Portuguese flair prepared by chef Fernando Dovale. He has spent many years crafting his authentic touch by cooking all along the East Coast. He has worked at the Hyatt Hotel in Tampa, the Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room in New York City and owned his own restaurant in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Fernando’s has outdoor seating, a Portuguese wine list, a simple atmosphere and is located in a Mediterranean-style building. Dovale emphasizes the food’s presentation. Menu items include shrimp Mozambique, sardines escabeche, monkfish Valenciana, codfish cakes, polvo lagereiro, seabass aqua pazza and the grilled branzino.
2214 S.E. Veteran Memorial Parkway, Port St. Lucie; 772-337-1110; website
MARTIN COUNTY
Fig & Olive is owned by Lorri Roth and her husband, Moe Tan. Roth grew up in Manhattan but also owned charter yachts in Turkey, where she taught crew chefs how to cook. When she moved to Florida, she sold her food at a green market in Hollywood, then opened a booth at green markets in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Stuart and Hobe Sound. Eventually, she opened a permanent location to ensure consistent and high-quality food. The goal is to incorporate as much farm-to-table cooking as possible in her menu, which has daily specials and ships organic grains and fish from Turkey. Menu items include hummus, roasted beets with cashew herb, goat cheese and fig crostini, baba ghanoush, falafel, lentil soup, kebabs, grilled octopus and meat-stuffed grape leaves.
1309 N.E. Sunview Terrace, Jensen Beach; 772-271-0100; website
Port Barna is family-owned and operated and specializes in healthy cuisine with authentic flavors from the Mediterranean. It has a cozy dining experience and serves fresh seasonal dishes with an innovative take on classic cuisine. It has a full bar with craft cocktails and an extensive wine list. Chef and founder Pablo Bouquet was born in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, and has over 30 years of experience cooking international cuisine. He has owned restaurants in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both were known for their gastronomic strengths. Menu items include tapas such as marinated olives and cheese, green flatbread, goat cheese and kalamata, hummus and avocado toast and Mediterranean chicken wings, as well as subs, salads, pasta, paellas and entrees including Mediterranean tacos, Mediterranean olive pork chop, the sailor salmon and chicken avocado.
3478-A N.W. Federal Highway, Jensen Beach; 772-232-6738; website
Tabuleh Cafe is located in Planet Ozone, a green commercial building and gas station. It serves all-natural and organic food from around the world, serving Latin and comfort food until 9 a.m., and offers grass-fed and all-natural halal meats from New Zealand, Australia and local farms. After 9 a.m., it serves Mediterranean dishes, including hummus, baba ghannouj, stuffed grape leaves, tabouleh, a Mediterranean chicken salad, kabobs, a veggie platter, falafel wrap, hummus and tabouleh gyro and a falafel burger. The grocery section offers organic and gluten-free options, imported cheeses and items from numerous areas including the Middle East, Asia and Italy.
1601 S.E. Federal Highway, Stuart; 772-403-2199; website
Eve Pierpont is a freelancer for TCPalm who looks out for the best things to do across the Treasure Coast. Do you have an upcoming event you want to be potentially included in this weekly roundup? Email it to her at epierpont@gannett.com. You can also upload your event to TCPalm’s event page at events.tcpalm.com.