TOP Restaurants The Bay Area's unsung but prolific Middle Eastern food scene is packed with gems. By Soleil Ho | Updated: April 28, 2021 1:20 PM When I started dreaming up this list, I quickly realized that Middle Eastern food exists in the Bay Area in numerous guises under euphemisms, like "Mediterranean," that obscure its origins. Politically, it's a broad geographic category, encompassing a huge amount of diversity — in cultures, religions and beloved dishes — that tends to get glossed over in this country. I learned so much about the nuances of Middle Eastern food while sampling kebabs at family-run halal markets, swiping fresh pita through hot and cold hummus plates, and asking Arab friends for recommendations for shawarma places that really do it right. Even something as seemingly simple as hummus looks vastly different from place to place. At the three Yafa Hummus restaurants in the East Bay, the chickpea dip, based on the founders’ grandfather’s recipe, comes plain or amped up with piquant spices and pesto. Elsewhere, at the Israeli Hummus Bodega, it’s made without garlic and lemon and served warm with hard-boiled eggs and garlic confit. This list is an attempt to capture a slice of our vibrant Middle Eastern food scene, which ranges from fine dining to the most casual of environs.