When customers step up to the cafeteria-style counter at Mary’s Mediterranean Cafe & Grill, they will find a variety of cuisines available, including Turkish, Moroccan, Lebanese, Syrian and more, co-owner Adil Naouazili said.

“We have a lot of healthy items,” Naouazili said. “There is a chicken kabob, which is a chicken breast marinated and grilled. We have 12 salads and dips to choose from.”

Naouazili opened Mary’s Mediterranean Cafe & Grill in 2015 with a former business partner. He purchased the business in 2019 and co-owns the business with his wife, Najat Belatar.

On the menu

In addition to the chicken kabob, other popular protein options are beef and lamb kabobs.


“Kabobs are very flavorful and tender with Mediterranean spices,” Naouazili said. “The beef kafta kabob is popular. It's ground beef with some spices, onion and parsley. We grill it on a skewer, and so it's more of a shish kabob versus just a kabob.”
Beef kafta kabob with three sides ($17.99) is a design-your-plate option. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
Beef kafta kabob with three sides ($17.99) is a design-your-plate option. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
Rosemary baked chicken and fish filets are also crowd pleasers.

A variety of design-your-own plate options are available and allow customers to choose a protein and different sides. The eatery’s veggie sampler platter and falafel platter are vegetarian options.

“Mediterranean [cuisine] is popular for healthy foods right now,” Naouazili said. “People come here looking for high quality, healthy and flavorful food.”

What else?


Naouazili said he and his wife are from Morocco. When creating recipes for the restaurant, not only did he incorporate family recipes, but he also wove in recipes he learned while working in kitchens of Mediterranean restaurants for 10 years.

Belatar makes the sweets, including baklava, cashew lady fingers, date cookies and more.

Naouazili focuses more on the savory dishes and said some Moroccan dishes such as tagine, a popular North African slow-cooked stew, are only available as a catering dish due to the length of time it takes to prepare.

Making an impact


A sign featuring the word "welcome" in multiple languages is displayed at the front of the cafeteria-style serving line. This sign is a tangible representation of Naouazili’s goal of creating a welcoming atmosphere.

“My favorite thing about owning this business is to be able to cook the items I want and meet people from different backgrounds and get to talk with them,” Naouazili said. “We get people from all over the world—different backgrounds, different countries. We want to make sure we are welcoming them with their own language.”