Dean's Mediterranean Table Brings Middle Eastern Flavors to Northside

New restaurant expands on popular Findlay Market grocery store with sit-down dining and expanded offerings.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 9:21pm

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Dean's Mediterranean Table, a new restaurant from the owners of the long-running Dean's Mediterranean Imports at Findlay Market, has opened in Cincinnati's Northside neighborhood. The new location offers a full-service dining experience featuring Middle Eastern cuisine, Turkish and Yemeni coffee, and a retail grocery area stocked with hard-to-find Mediterranean ingredients.

Why it matters

The expansion of Dean's Mediterranean Imports into a full-service restaurant concept allows the business to better serve its loyal customer base by providing a space for cooking classes, educational sessions, and a more immersive dining experience around the flavors of the Middle East. It also brings a unique culinary offering to the Northside neighborhood, which has seen significant development in recent years.

The details

Dean's Mediterranean Table, located at 4024 Hamilton Avenue, features 25 indoor seats and an additional 25 outdoor seats. The menu builds upon the offerings at the original Dean's Mediterranean Imports store, with an emphasis on Lebanese and Middle Eastern specialties like mezze small plates, grilled dates, and a selection of Turkish and Yemeni coffees. The new location also includes a retail grocery area stocked with hard-to-find ingredients like chutneys, curry pastes, tinned fish, and freshly prepared hummus.

  • Dean's Mediterranean Imports first opened at Findlay Market in the 1970s after owner Dean Zaidan emigrated from Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Kate Zaidan, Dean's daughter, took over the Findlay Market store in 2014.
  • Dean's Mediterranean Table in Northside held its grand opening in April 2026.

The players

Dean Zaidan

Founder of Dean's Mediterranean Imports, which he opened at Findlay Market in the 1970s after emigrating from Beirut, Lebanon.

Kate Zaidan

Owner of Dean's Mediterranean Imports, who took over the Findlay Market store from her father in 2014 and has now expanded the business with the new Dean's Mediterranean Table restaurant in Northside.

Alex Boland

The chef at Dean's Mediterranean Table who has crafted the menu to showcase the bright flavors and accoutrements of Lebanese cuisine.

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What they’re saying

“It's a huge deal. I grew up in the store. I have memories of, like, sleeping in the back on big bags of lentils, and you know, drawing pictures for the windows and stuff. So it's very much home for me, but it was also, you know, I wanted to put my own spin on things.”

— Kate Zaidan, Owner, Dean's Mediterranean Imports and Dean's Mediterranean Table

“The number one comment I would get from our customers and people in the store is like, 'Oh my gosh, all of these ingredients are so cool, but I just have no idea how to use them.' And so I had to start doing cooking classes for that reason ... because we do carry, I think, some of the best ingredients in the world. But if you don't know how to use them, they're just items on a shelf.”

— Kate Zaidan, Owner, Dean's Mediterranean Imports and Dean's Mediterranean Table

What’s next

Dean's Mediterranean Table plans to add 25 outdoor seats in the future to expand its dining capacity. The restaurant will also continue offering cooking classes and educational sessions to help customers learn how to use the unique Middle Eastern ingredients available in the retail grocery area.

The takeaway

The expansion of Dean's Mediterranean Imports into a full-service restaurant concept in Northside demonstrates the growing demand for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine and hard-to-find specialty ingredients in the Cincinnati area. By providing both a dining experience and a retail grocery option, Dean's Mediterranean Table aims to introduce more people to the vibrant flavors of the Middle East.