We sat down with Salim Adimi, owner of Fresh Med Mediterranean Restaurant & Market at 3313 Connecticut Ave NW to learn more about the restaurant and his journey.
Cleveland Park residents go to Fresh Med for Mediterranean fare, made daily on the premises with Mediterranean spices and no preservatives. Favorites among customers include hummus, falafel, kebobs (both chicken and lamb), grape leaves, tabouli, gyros, and pizza.
The light and airy restaurant, with pictures of Mediterranean scenes on the walls, provides dine in, take out, and delivery as well as catering for schools, homes, and office events.
Fresh Med’s owner, Salim Adimi, grew up in Algiers and came to the U.S. 25 years ago to attend the University of Maryland, where he studied computer science. He fell into the restaurant business by chance. He worked at Quick Pita in Georgetown and learned from the chef there. He and a friend later purchased it (it has since closed). He opened Fresh Med on the east side of Connecticut Avenue in 2006. “Cleveland Park offered everything I was looking for,” said Admini, “a nice, quiet neighborhood with friendly people and good foot traffic, close to the Metro and the Zoo.”
In addition to the freshly prepared foods, the restaurant carries desserts, beverages, and specialty ingredients from all over the Mediterranean – pickled lemon from Egypt, coffee, halawa, and olive oil from Lebanon, Maamoul from Dubai, za’atar blend from Palestine, and Turkish Delight from Istanbul, among others.
He and his six employees have seen ups and downs as the economy changed, but last year and this year have been good for business. Salim is active in Cleveland Park as a member of the Cleveland Park Business Association. He also supports the community by providing gift certificates for events like local school raffles.
When asked if he had anything to add to our conversation, he said, “Come try us! I think you will love our fresh Mediterranean food!”
Fresh Med is open 11AM-10PM every day (closes at 9PM on Sundays). You can dine-in, or order on their website, freshmed-dc.com, for pick-up or delivery. They also offer affordable catering for groups of all sizes!
