About us

Levon Der Bedrossian opened La Méditeranée Berkeley with his cousin Garbis Baghdassarian in 1982. After finding success with his two San Francisco locations (Fillmore in 1979 and Noe in 1981), chef Levon thought that Berkeley seemed the perfect place to bring his signature Mid-East and Mediterranean Meza dishes, inspired by his Armenian and Lebanese family recipes. Serving award winning hummos, baba ghanoush, chicken cilicia fillos, and kebabs, all made from scratch daily, the restaurant quickly became a local favorite.

Over the years, “Cafe La Med” began to also offer catering delivery and pickup. Grabbing a table on their large heated outdoor patio became a weekend tradition for generations of family and student diners. Together with a team of veteran cooks and servers, “Cafe La Med” became known for it's commitment to serving good food, in a pleasant and relaxed environment, at reasonable prices, with warm and friendly service.

Following Garbis' retirement in 2018 and Levon’s in 2020, Levon appointed long-time San Francisco manager Trevor Ledergerber as the new owner of the Berkeley location. Alongside his wife, Skylar Ledergerber, and the new front-of-house manager, Cole McLean, La Méditerranée Berkeley embarked on a new chapter of service.

Now celebrating the company's 43rd year, La Méditeranée's family-owned and operated restaurants are proud to be part of the Bay Area Community. As a company motto, it is “the smallest things that make the biggest differences!” and “Anoush Ella!” (May it be Sweet!)