Sadie and Nizam Issa show a couple of the restaurant’s specialties.

Waco has a variety of restaurants catering to different tastes, but there’s one — D’s Mediterranean Grill — that serves Middle Eastern delights from Lebanon and nearby Greece.

Featuring food made with imported spices, it has carved a niche as a unique destination.

Owned by Nizam and Diane Issa, the business has thrived for eight years at 1503 Colcord Ave., the former site of Dee’s Chicken. Although fried chicken is still available, it’s the Middle Eastern fare that stands out as something different.

Lamb kabob plate with tabouli and baba ghanouj.
Photo by Duane A. Laverty

It might not be the traditional Texas fare many are used to, but the menu offers exotic options that have helped build a loyal and growing customer base. Those who want old standbys such as hamburgers, fried chicken, catfish and chicken-fried steak will find them on the menu. But visitors who venture outside their comfort zone are rewarded with a host of healthy and palate-pleasing options.

Specialties include lamb, chicken and steak kabobs. The meat is tenderloin only, marinated for 24 hours, grilled and served on a bed of rice with two side dishes. The restaurant also offers a seafood kabob of shrimp, scallops and salmon on weekends.

Diane said the restaurant is among those listed as Eat Well Waco restaurants for its healthy food options.

“Everyone is more concerned with eating healthy, and we want to prove that healthy food tastes good,” she said.

Nizam said new customers have visited the restaurant after their physicians recommended it.

“We’ve had some tell us that their doctors told them they should eat a Mediterranean diet,” he said. “Of course, if somebody wants fried food, we have that, too. But we fry it in peanut oil, because that’s healthier.”

Dishes include baba ghanouj, a traditional Arab dish made with mashed eggplant and seasonings and served with pita bread, tabouli salad — made with parsley and tomatoes — stuffed grape leaves and spanakopita, which is a savory Greek pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese.

The restaurant also serves plenty of falafel and gyros (pronounced euros).

“Falafel is the original Middle Eastern sandwich. It goes back over 2,000 years,” Nizam said. Made with chickpeas or fava beans, the sandwiches are popular throughout the Middle East, as well as at D’s.

D’s location at 15th Street and Colcord Avenue.
Photo by Duane A. Laverty

Greek salad with strips of grilled chicken breast.
Photo by Duane A. Laverty

Also on the menu is the shawarma sandwich, which is a wrap; Greek and Lebanese salads; and a host of other items not found at other local restaurants. This includes kibbe, which are meatballs made with cracked wheat and extra lean ground beef — or lamb by request.

For dessert, there’s baklava, a sweet pastry dessert flavored with honey.

D’s imports its spices from the Middle East, and also uses pickles and olives that come from Lebanon or Greece.

The Issas met in the late 1970s, when Nizam was living in Austin. Diane, a Waco resident, visited there to attend Palm Sunday church services.

Nizam was already friends with Diane’s aunt and uncle, who introduced the two. They got married in the 1970s and have three adult children; Wade, who lives in Dallas; Francie, who lives in Colorado; and Sadie, a Wacoan who often works at the restaurant.

Nizam was born in Lebanon and moved to America in 1969 to attend the University of Texas. Diane was born in Waco and attended Baylor University. Her relatives were among the first to emigrate from Lebanon to Texas, back in the 1890s and early 1900s. She said an exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio recognizes her family. Her grandfather came to America when he was 3 years old.

Nizam still has several relatives in Lebanon, including his mother, who he visits when he can — if she’s not visiting Waco.

He said the Lebanese village where he grew up is in the mountains with a beautiful view of the sea. He remembers taking about a 30-minute walk to get to the Mediterranean.

He and Diane said people often envision a desert environment when they think of the Middle East, but that’s not the case in Lebanon. But they did experience desert conditions for three years in the 1970s, when they lived in Saudi Arabia. They moved back to Waco in 1979.

In the 1980s, the Issas bought the building where D’s is located, but they had another business, Fadal’s Aluminum Products, which kept them busy.

“My wife wanted to open a small restaurant, so we remodeled the building,” Nizam said. “She did a show on Lebanese cooking (on local TV) several years ago, and we both really enjoy cooking.”

Diners enjoy Lebanese decor with their meals.
Photo by Duane A. Laverty

Diane said it’s the relationship with customers that makes the long hours worthwhile.

“Our customers always thank us for the food, and we’re the ones who appreciate their business,” she said. “That makes us feel really good that they like the food enough to thank us.”

Nizam said they can’t take much time off, because the customers will worry and miss them.

He said they took a few days off once to visit Colorado for their grandson’s baptism. They left a note on the door telling customers when they’d return. But someone removed the note.

“People were worried that we’d shut down,” he said. “We want to make sure they know we’re here for them, and we appreciate them. Hopefully, in the future we’ll be able to expand a little bit, have a good crew and the restaurant can stay open when we’re away.”

The Issas hope to build a bigger kitchen, which will allow them to serve more customers and add more items to their menu.

“This is something we really enjoy,” he said. “We didn’t start doing it when we were younger, but that’s OK. We’re having fun now, business is good and we’re glad to offer something different to the community.”

D’s Mediterranean Grill

1503 Colcord Ave. • 754-6709

Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday through Saturday.

Prices range from $4.99 for a falafel or hummus sandwich to $14.99 for beef or lamb tenderloin plates. Family chicken combos also are available.