For years Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine has been there for late-night meals downtown that don’t taste like last resorts.
Its original incarnation combines a Middle Eastern restaurant with a corner store stocked with imported candy, snacks and array of soft drinks. The standards are higher than the casual setting and 24-hour schedule would suggest, and owner Tarek Madkour even worked in some dishes specific to his Egyptian heritage.
Fried chicken fills a hummus bowl garnished with edible flowers at Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in the French Quarter. Sauces like zhoug and black tahini sauce augment the dishes. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
But he always wanted to do more with the cuisine of his homeland, and so in 2019 he opened a second location on Decatur Street as a full-service version with a resplendent dining room.
That space has been closed for nearly three years in the pandemic but this restaurant is now back, rejoining the more casual edition on Canal Street, albeit with somewhat curtailed hours.
Menu changes, standards
Tarek Madkour first opened Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in 2015 and expanded in 2019 with a more ambitious second version of the Middle Eastern restaurant. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The menu, which is Halal, has changed significantly for its return. Madkour said he’s adjusting to what he’s learned about the French Quarter market, and what his new staff can consistently field. So pita sandwiches are served at dinner now in to addition to the more elaborate plates, and there’s much more seafood with a variety of sautéed fish served with hummus and yellow rice.
Grilled snapper with kebab spices is served with hummus and rice at Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
These are seasoned with a light dash of kebab spices, for an earthy, just-a-little-bit peppery warmth. They pair well with the specialty sauces available on the side, like zhoug, a thick garlic and herb sauce (similar to pesto) or toum, the soft, whipped garlic spread that is good on just about anything.
The staples still get extra attention in the kitchen. Hummus bowls, for instance, are garnished with edible flowers, which add a subtle rose petal flavor to the dip. Hummus bowls with fried cauliflower, fried chicken or za’atar shrimp can stand in as entrees.
Grilled snapper with kebab spices is served with hummus and rice at Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in the French Quarter. Sauces like zhoug and black tahini sauce augment the dishes. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The restaurant makes its pita bread in house and has many vegetarian dishes. That includes the Egyptian breakfast, which brings an assortment of dips, fried eggplant, feta and falafel.
Lush setting
Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in the French Quarter has a richly detailed design of Middle Eastern motifs. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
As before, the setting makes a statement. The address was previously home to the long time Italian restaurant Café Giovanni, which closed in 2017.
The space has been lushly re-imagined with a modern Middle Eastern motif, with arabesque patterns worked into the walls, the light displays and even the custom table tops.
Fried chicken fills a hummus bowl garnished with edible flowers at Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine in the French Quarter. Sauces like zhoug and black tahini sauce augment the dishes. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This second Cleo’s also has a specialty food store next door, with all that imported candy and snacks and a wall of soft drinks. The restaurant serves no alcohol but allows BYOB.
Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine has a second location on Decatur Street in the French Quarter. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This full service Cleo’s has not resumed its prior 24-hour schedule, instead serving lunch through dinner hours instead. The Canal Street spot keeps very late hours, until 6 a.m., but now closes for a few hours in the morning. With more staffing those schedules could expand in the future to return 24-hour service.
Cleo’s Mediterranean Cuisine
117 Decatur St., (504) 218-5874; Tue.-Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
940 Canal St., (504) 522-4504; open daily 10 a.m.-6 a.m.
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