It’s no secret that mom-and-pop family restaurants are fading away. Even diners are closing at an alarming rate. It’s harder and harder to be an individual operator of a restaurant here in our state.

The good news is that some of the national chains have come up with some pretty good menu ideas and very good food. One of those chains is growing on the East Coast and now boasts three New Jersey locations.

If you like Mediterranean food, you would love Mezeh. They have tons of locations in Virginia and Maryland and some in D.C., North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

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Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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They now have two locations in New Jersey with a third coming soon to Rockaway, Morris County. Over the weekend. I visited the Mount Laurel location. The food was very reasonably priced, fresh and delicious.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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They finally recently opened their Hamilton location on Marketplace Boulevard. Their long-awaited grand opening was earlier this month.

Mezeh is a word that can mean taste, flavor, nibble, relish, or even small plate in several different countries in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean.

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Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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The restaurant chain is the brainchild of Saleh Mohamadi, Steve Walker, and Tai Chiao, who wanted to provide customers with fresh, created-in-house daily, exceptionally crafted Mediterranean food at a great price in an environment that pushes the fast-casual envelope.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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You can choose from bowls, pitas or flatbread wraps. The menu comes with plenty of their concoctions, or you can build your own.

The best way to describe it is sort of a Chipotle, where you line up and choose your food as the server puts it together for you. The atmosphere is casual Mediterranean.

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Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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It would be unfair to call it fast food because it’s just so darn good! Service was friendly and efficient, and we will definitely be going back. It might not be a fine dining establishment, but the food and the service get an A+.

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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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