A Mediterranean favorite is back in Fort Worth. Here’s how to find it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chadra Mezza reopens in south Fort Worth as a small cafe plus events hall.
- Mediterranean (Greek/Lebanese) dishes now make up about 80% of sales.
- Cafe offers shawarma, gyros and pastas for $12–$20; open Wed–Sat.
Chadra Mezza & Grill has returned again to south Fort Worth, this time as a small cafe and takeout counter for Mediterranean shawarma, hummus or pasta dinners along Interstate 35W.
In its 25th year, Chadra is now in its fifth location. But it serves the same Lebanese and Italian dishes by the Elbitar family, this time in a nondescript box-shaped building at 1700 South Freeway on the Near Southside.
When the newest Chadra opened last summer, it didn’t have a sign. It still doesn’t have a real front door. Pull open the industrial steel door to what looks like a warehouse, and inside, you’ll find a four-table cafe plus a catering hall and patio.
It’s not as big as the Elbitars’ old Chadra Mezza restaurant and bar near the Fort Worth Zoo.
But there’s something friendly and cozy about packing around community tables for chef Nehme Elbitar’s gyros, kebabs or spinach-mushroom stuffed “heavenly” chicken Alfredo.
“We were going to reopen on [West] Magnolia Avenue, but every time we looked, the rent was $14,000 or $15,000 a month,” Elbitar said.
Instead, the Elbitars bought a former restaurant commissary near John Peter Smith Hospital and turned it into a large events hall and catering kitchen plus a small cafe.
“We decided to just have a little place — the regulars want to come in and sit.”
Business started slowly last year, while Chadra was doing outside caterings for Dickies Arena or (ironically) for the Central Market staff.
“Now I think the regulars have found us,” he said.
The Elbitars’ unassuming Mediterranean cafe overachieves daily, serving lunches and dinners for $12-$20 with friendly smiles from Christina and Nehme Elbitar.
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One recent day, the chicken shawarma ($12 as a wrap, $16 for an entree) was generous enough for two to split. A chicken gyro was as big around as a rolled-up newspaper and filled with soft, tender chicken, feta and tzatziki.
Both were served with a large helping of crinkle-cut fries with Middle Eastern seasoning.
The Mediterranean menu also includes falafel, ablama, sheikh al-mahshi and a variety of Greek salads.
There’s also an Italian menu with penne alla vodka, pastas with Alfredo or marinara sauce and the signature “heavenly” chicken.
When Chadra opened in 2002, customers all wanted pizzas and nobody wanted Lebanese dishes with the traditional creamy garlic sauce. Elbitar said 80% of sales were Italian food.
Now, the Greek and Lebanese food is 80%.
“Now, there are so many new people here, everybody wants the shawarma, the falafels and the garlic sauce,” Elbitar said.
“When I made it 25 years ago, people were like, ‘Oh, god — this is pure garlic!’ Now, everybody wants it.”
If you remember Chadra’s old pizza buffet, the pizzas are still on the menu. A $15 pizza combo buys a small pizza and soup or a Greek or dinner salad.
The pizzas and strombolis come with a choice of 19 toppings including less traditional items such as capers, artichokes or eggplant.
Chadra Mezza is open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays; 817-924-2372, chadramezza.com.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 4:20 AM.
