CLIO

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★

Mediterranean cuisine

Perfect For: Casual Dining; Drinks; Date Night; Lunch; Upscale Dining

Standout Dishes: All 4 Spreads w/ Pita; Merguez Sausage Stuffed Dates; Chicken Kabob

At Clio, it all starts with the pita.

It might seem odd for bread to be the sun a restaurant evolves around, but once you understand the process that goes into making each fluffy disc, it makes sense why the pita is so important. Between fermenting, portioning, and resting, the dough takes about 4 days to make before it goes into the wood-fired oven.

“Clio is a pita place,” Nestor Robelledo, a Culinary Director at Flagship Restaurant Group who helped open the restaurant, said on the Restaurant Hoppen podcast. “It’s our main ingredient. It’s what we’re known for.”

That’s why Clio goes through nearly 500 pitas a day and you’ll see them on nearly every table when you visit the downtown Omaha restaurant. But it’s the attention to detail and the love of the craft in such a seemingly simple menu item that defines why Clio is so special.

“Our motto at Clio is ‘No shortcuts’, and the pita is a representation of that,” Culinary Director Ben Maides said. “Every one is hand-rolled and portioned by hand. It’s a labor of love.”

Omaha’s food scene has several great spots for gyros and Greek food, but none focused on the grand scheme of Mediterranean cuisine. 27 countries border the Mediterranean Sea, including Turkey Egypt, Greece, and Southern Italy, making it a delicious melting pot of a cuisine. And when Flagship Restaurant Group decided to dedicate a restaurant to this food, they cut no corners.

The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous, with a sleek, modern interior that transports you across the sea. The walls are sleek and white, the bar is bright and inviting, and a giant tree lends a gorgeous centerpiece to gaze upon. The attention to detail, from the shape of the glass each cocktail is served in to the insignia at the end of each kabob skewer, is admirable.

Back to the bread. The pita itself is airy and chewy with a pretty neutral taste, which makes it perfect for sopping up Clio’s delicious dips. The Muhammara, a spread made from piquillo peppers, walnuts, and aleppo chilis, has a rich, smoky, slightly sweet flavor. Baba Ganoush pairs a smoky tang with a wonderful creamy texture, and olive oil supplies a smooth, rich finish. The Lebneh has a distinct yogurt-y tang to it combined with the creamy consistency of a sour cream. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find many restaurants serving Hummus as good as Clio does.

Though it offers large entree plates, Clio encourages diners to share several offerings from its “Mezze” (small plates) menu. The best of the bunch is the Merguez Sausage Stuffed Dates, filled with rich, meaty sausage with a hint of smokiness. Along with the sweetness of the dates, it pairs perfectly with the salty prosciutto and tangy piquillo pepper-tomato sauce (which I highly recommend sopping up every last bit of with the warm, buttery Turkish bread).

And the Turkish Beef Dumplings are supple dough pockets nestled in a harissa-tomato sauce that’s more sweet than spicy.

If you want larger plates, Clio has you covered there, too. The poultry in the Chicken Kabob is incredibly moist and tender, paired with buttery saffron rice and a bright, delicious chermoula sauce (think a cross between pesto and chimichurri). The fish on the Salmon Kabob is cooked perfectly, with firm yet flaky flesh and a nice caramelized exterior and earthy, lemony notes.

The Shawarma Chicken offers several cuts of the bird, each as juicy as the last, along with a rich, savory, slightly tangy flavor and a skin that has just the right amount of crisp.

Clio’s lunch menu features more sandwiches and lighter options. The Sourdough Pita Sandwiches are the highlight, as Clio employs it fantastic pitas as sandwich bread. The Falafel version features falafel as good as you’ll find in Omaha, as the earthy chickpea center is enveloped by a crunchy, salty crust. A garlicky “pita sauce” (reminiscent of tzatziki) is slathered on the pita, and the sandwich is rounded out by a slaw of red cabbage and cooked down onions. It’s a wonderful sandwich; large enough to fill you up, but not kill your productivity for the next several hours.

The Curry Yogurt Chicken rendition is wonderful too, with all the same elements but swapping in chicken thigh, marinated in yogurt to give it maximum juiciness, for the falafel.

While Clio makes a name for itself with wine (and even offers a wine club), its cocktails are no slouch. The Black Sazerac is a little sweet and bitter but definitely whiskey-forward yet smooth as all get out. The Sangria is fresh and fruity, with a light, crisp, tangy profile, complete with citrus notes from pineapple and orange.

The servers are friendly, prompt, and very knowledgeable of the menu, and they’re prepared and happy to make recommendations or answer questions. And with multiple seating options, including normal table, fun circular booths, and a gorgeous sun-splashed patio, you can have an entirely different experience each time you visit Clio.

Ultimately, it’s Clio’s attention to detail that sets it apart from most restaurants. From the servers knowing just when to touch the table to the exquisitely researched and prepared food, no stone goes unturned at this bright, welcoming downtown destination. Even if all you do is stop in and eat some pita, you’ll understand the craft and care that goes into each element of this restaurant, and that’s what makes it special.