The short answer: mezza, spelled mezze about as often in English, is a spread of small Lebanese and Mediterranean plates that come to the table together instead of in courses. Cold dips, grape leaves rolled by hand, hot things straight out of the fryer. Everyone shares all of it, most of it gets eaten with torn pita, and at our table in Fresno it often turns into the whole meal.
What Mezze, or Mezza, Actually Means
You will see it written both ways. Mezze is the more common English spelling, mezza is the one on our menu, and both say meh-zeh. Whichever you use, it is not a course. That's the part that catches people out. In a Lebanese house nothing arrives first and nothing arrives last. Plates come out as they are ready, they stay out, and you keep reaching across the table for the next one.
Pita does the job a fork does everywhere else. You tear a piece, drag it through the hummus, follow it with a grape leaf, then go back for the baba ghannouj because the smoke in it is still on your mind. Nobody gets a plate of their own. Nobody asks whose falafel that was.
The pace comes from the talking, not the kitchen. A mezza table can run an hour and nobody notices. That's the whole idea. The food gives everyone a reason to sit still together, and a table covered edge to edge says something a single entree can't say: there is more than enough here, take what you want.
A Lebanese host would rather send you home full than look at an empty tray. So the spread leans wide instead of deep. Something creamy, something bright and green, something crisp and hot, something with a little char on it. You're meant to taste eight things, not finish one.
The Mezza on Our Fresno Menu
Our appetizer list runs to fifteen items, and it sorts into four families. Pick one from each and you have a proper mezza table.
| What to order | What it tastes like | |
|---|---|---|
| Cold plates | Hummus, spicy hummus, baba ghannouj, labneh, tabbouleh, the Flight of Dips | Creamy, lemony, garlicky. Baba ghannouj is the smoky one, labneh the thick and tangy one. |
| Rolled by hand | Warak enab, falafel, kibbeh | Cool and herby grape leaves, or a crisp fried shell with something savory inside. |
| Hot from the kitchen | Fried cauliflower, cheese rolls, Phoenician pizza, hummus shawarma | Golden edges, melted cheese, tahini, warm spice. |
| The sharing platter | The Family Mezza | Eight of the above on one tray, cold and hot together, with pita bread. |
Everything above sits on the full menu with the rest of what we serve.
Mo Hmaidan opened this restaurant on Herndon in 2003, and his son Tarek owns it and runs it today. Tarek sources most of our spices directly from Lebanon, so the allspice, cinnamon and cumin taste the way they taste there. The hummus, baba ghannouj and labneh are made in our kitchen. The grape leaves are rolled by hand and the falafel shaped by hand, every day.
What Is on the Family Mezza
The Family Mezza is our sharing platter. Eight items on one tray: hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, warak enab, tabbouleh, lavash, Phoenician pizza and cheese rolls. Pita bread comes with it.
It's the fastest way to understand what mezza is. The dips give you the creamy base. The tabbouleh cuts through it with parsley, lemon and onion. The warak enab are cool and tightly rolled. The falafel, cheese rolls and Phoenician pizza come out hot, so the tray has crisp on it as well as smooth.
One thing worth knowing before you order it. The lavash on the platter is rolled around kefta, a seasoned ground beef and lamb blend, so the Family Mezza is not a vegetarian order. If the table is vegetarian, order the Flight of Dips with falafel, tabbouleh, warak enab and fried cauliflower instead.
Mezza for a Crowd
Mezza travels better than almost anything else we cook, which is why so much of it ends up on our catering menu. Trays of tabbouleh, rice pilaf, sauteed vegetables and specialty salads travel well and hold their texture on a buffet line. Kebob packages bring the grill along with them and feed about ten.
For a smaller room, the Family-Style Dinners serve four to five and come with pita bread and a four-piece baklava. The Feast serves six to eight. Tell us the headcount and the date and we will put a spread together; the catering page walks through the packages and how ordering works.
Coming in to eat instead? Walk-ins are welcome any day. If your party is six or more, call (559) 261-2747 ahead so we can seat everyone at one table, which is the only way a mezza spread makes sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does mezze, or mezza, mean?
Mezze and mezza are two spellings of the same word, and it names the Lebanese and wider Mediterranean way of eating small plates together. Instead of an appetizer followed by an entree, a spread of dips, salads, rolled pieces and hot fried plates arrives at once and everyone shares from the middle of the table, usually scooping with torn pita rather than a fork.
Is the Family Mezza vegetarian?
No. Seven of the eight items are meat free, but the lavash on the platter is rolled around kefta, a seasoned ground beef and lamb blend, so the Family Mezza is not a vegetarian order. A vegetarian table can order the Flight of Dips, falafel, tabbouleh, warak enab and fried cauliflower instead.
What comes on the Family Mezza?
Eight items on one tray: hummus, baba ghannouj, falafel, warak enab, tabbouleh, lavash, Phoenician pizza and cheese rolls. Pita bread is served with it.
Where can I get Mediterranean appetizers in Fresno?
Phoenician Garden is at 1025 E Herndon Ave #106 in Fresno, at First and Herndon. We serve mezza at lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday from 11am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 8pm. Dine in, pick up, or order online for delivery.
What should I order first if I have never had mezza?
Start with the Flight of Dips, which brings hummus, baba ghannouj and labneh with pita in one order. Add falafel for something hot and crisp, and tabbouleh for something bright. That is a mezza table in three plates.
Can I order mezza for a party?
Yes. Trays of tabbouleh, rice pilaf, sauteed vegetables and specialty salads travel well, and kebob packages feed about ten. Family-Style Dinners serve four to five and The Feast serves six to eight. Call (559) 261-2747 or use the catering page to tell us your headcount and date.
