clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Enter the Mediterranean Splendor of Midtown Global Market’s New Restaurant

Ziadi’s takes over the former Rabbit Hole location

Lush and elegant settings for a new mediterranean restaurant in Minneapolis
Rebecca Slater/Eater Twin Cities

Ziadi’s Mediterranean Cuisine is a vibrant-light filled restaurant newly opened inside the former Rabbit Hole space at Midtown Global Market. Husband and wife team Hassan Ziadi and Samlali Raja, also operate the popular market stall Moroccan Flavors, also in the market, that opened in 2016. This new sit-down restaurant and bar serves a fine dining take on several of the stall’s popular dishes, with a cocktail list and swank space to match.

While the kitchen has remained untouched, the rest of the restaurant has been transformed into a lush, luxurious space filled with velvet cushions, dark wood and hanging lanterns, and mirrors on every wall reflecting the natural light that streams in from the tall, west-facing windows.

All the dishes and art on display throughout Ziadi’s is sourced from the couple’s lifetime of culinary travels, filling the restaurant with color and texture.

The former punk rock space has gotten airy makeover

The most eye-catching piece is the large art piece that dominates the back wall, featuring a door knocker from their home.

An ornate door knocker used as wall art

“Hassan and Raja really wanted this piece to represent all of the love and warmth that they want to fill the restaurant,” shared interior designer and family friend Karen Severson. “This door knocker is a symbol of welcome, of homecoming, of family and friends gathering around a table.”

This sense of warmth and hospitality in the menu that Ziadi draws from both his Moroccan roots and his culinary training in fine-dining restaurants across France, Italy, and Spain.

Much of the seating has been replaced by plush chairs and upholstered benches

Beef tagine shares space with chicken ballantine stuffed with lobster meat and spinach. Braised lamb shank is served over herb-flecked vegetables, and beef kofta is stewed in mini meatball form.

A crowd favorite from Moroccan Flavors is the marinated salads and pickled vegetables available here as an antipasti bar.

It’s possible to almost make a meal just of the antipasti bar’s selections

Open for with a limited lunch menu and dinner, Ziadi’s is now taking reservations through its website.

Chef and co-owner Hassa Ziadi
A more secluded table would make for a nice group dining experience
The owners worked with interior designer Karen Severson to give the room with limited natural light, an airy feel
Many of the items decorating the restaurant came from the couple’s world travels
Spot the door knocker

There are Morroccan dishes mixed with others from around the Mediterranean and Europe, where the chef has worked
Ziadi’s also has a full bar and cocktail list available

Midtown Global Market

920 East Lake Street, , MN 55407 (612) 872-4041 Visit Website