SBE’s Cleo Mediterranean Concept Plots Global Domination

Looks like more expansion plans in the works for Cleo, the Mediterranean restaurant with outlets in Hollywood and (more recently) at L.A. Live. According to parent company SBE, you can expect more than a dozen new locations across the Middle East by the end of next year.

SBE’s subsidiary Disruptive Restaurant Group is behind the big expansion, with plans to drop new Cleo locations into the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere. To do that, SBE is working with M.H. Alshaya, the same team behind the similar Katsuya expansion into the Middle East that began in earnest in 2014.

Chef Danny Elmaleh’s Cleo concept has proven to be a competent mix of kebabs, flatbreads, and other casual Middle Eastern favorites, presented in an upscale lounge environment with plush, colorful decor. Now the next time you’re dining at L.A. Live and, shortly after, in Kuwait, you’ll be able to enjoy that same dinnertime vibe.