Winner: Casablanca

Memphis has become a true home for Aimer Shtaya, owner of the Moroccan-style Casablanca. The Jerusalem-born Shtaya opened his Cooper-Young eatery two years ago with the goal of making his customers feel at home in what is an exotic surrounding for many Mid-Southerners.

“My customers are like a family to me,” says Shtaya. “Their purpose is not just to eat, but to talk and visit. I treat them like a family, I sit down with them.” The restaurant’s cozy interior is filled with warm Mediterranean colors and décor; intricate stenciled patterns add a flourish to walls. Plates are loaded with food to encourage sharing and sampling at the table, and dishes range from hummus platters with fresh pita bread to a grilled rack of lamb with mango sauce.

2156 Young, 405-4419. Open daily 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Finalists: Petra, Bari