For many years, it had been the dream of siblings, Dixie & Baby Mabanta, to put up a casual restaurant serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine and making it accessible to the Filipino consumer. They invited Marla Tañada to invest and manage the business. Marla's background was in the corporate world, having handled marketing and public relations of one division, then research and product development and quality control of another division.

On Nov. 19, 2005, Cafe Mediterranean, or Cafe Med, as it is so fondly called, opened its first branch in Greenbelt 1. Shortly after, Robinsons Galleria opened in the Movieworld area, and then, the Podium, which is a favorite of the Asian Development Bank employees.

Shortly after celebrating its 10th year anniversary, Cafe Med started to franchise. Its first branch was in SM Mall of Asia. In the second quarter of 2006, Alabang Town Center was set up to serve residents of "the South (Manila)." In early 2007, Cafe Med ventured out of Manila and is now operating in Boracay. And soon to open in Davao, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.

Every quarter, specials are offered to excite customers with new tastes. The menu caters to every taste - including vegetarians and the sweet-tooth. Of course,there are the regular favorites like gyros (one customer said: They are the best shawarmas he's ever tasted!), the Roasted Vegetable Soup (for whose recipe, one American lady begged Marla to give her the recipe - in exchange she'd give up her first born son, she kidded). A favorite light dessert is the panna cotta, and for the chocolate lover, try the Tartufo. Always with hands-on supervision, the quality of the food is always exquisite!