The Mediterranean Café is the epitome of an old school Soho restaurant, small, family run, tackily decorated and cheap. Tourist trap or authentic gem? Only you can decide.

The Venue
The myriad of elements on the wall of the Mediterranean Café include Moroccan fez hats, brocade off-cuts hanging from the ceiling, posters of West End shows used as wallpaper and much more. Unfortunately, the overall effect is more of a visually disruptive pastiche rather than quirky mix-and-match. The diminutive front room is simply furnished with small square tables, two of which placed on the pavement outside during good weather. Towards the back, the busy kitchen is clearly visible but while the noise of sizzling meat may reach your ears, magically no smell will reach your nose.

The Atmosphere
The Mediterranean Cafe seems to have a crowd of regulars with whom the staff has a real relationship. Here it’s not unusual to hear the manager say, “Your brother has been here three times last week,” and this familiarity is one of the great assets of this small restaurant. On the other hand, though, you have the feeling that some customers are just confused tourists who have lost their way and would have much preferred stumbling on a real English pub or Indian restaurant. One way or the other, the conversation is lively and there is a good buzz to the place.

The Food
The food could be described as pan-Mediterranean with a slight predominance of Middle Eastern flavours. Within the hot starters (£3 - £4.50), the mixed meze (hummus, tzatziki, cheese borek, falafel, taramosalata) is a generous portion which makes the dolmades (only 4 or 5 leaves for £4) and tabouleh (cold starters £4 - £4.50) look like they're not great value for money. Within the mains (£7 - £12.50), the smoked salmon and avocado salad (£10) is an unlikely lucky choice. The portion is generous, the avocado really fresh and the salmon tasty, although you might wish that the bed of shredded iceberg lettuce – with a slice of tomato and cucumber, predominant in this type of restaurant and, sadly, so past its time - could be swapped for young spinach. The falafel and hummus are both tasty but unexciting. In a sea of hummus covering most of the plate, there are three round falafel and in a small corner, the ritual shredded iceberg with tomato slice covered with some dressing. For dessert, you’re back to the continent with banoffee pie and apple tart.

The Drink
The drink list is a standard affair including a few beers (£3) and over thirty wines, unfortunately only available by the bottle (£15 - £25). In keeping with the Middle Eastern food, four are from Turkey, enough to make the geographical wine connoisseur happy. The list of soft drinks (£1.50 - £2) is quite disappointing. There is nothing beside Coca-Cola, apple and orange juice and water and from the list of hot drinks, the only appealing thing is Turkish coffee.

The Last Word
This type of restaurant is quickly disappearing from Soho to be taken over by more polished eateries often part of large chains. The Mediterranean Café, however, has a loyal clientele that are a part of its old school appeal.

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