The Las Vegas Strip is a veritable melting pot of cuisines. You’ve got your choice of countless twists on American cuisine and seemingly limitless steakhouses alongside various entrants from the Mexican, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese genres. But until recently, Mediterranean was a mostly overlooked cuisine with very few options in the resort corridor. That changed with the opening of Cleo, where a polished rendition is offered to visitors of the SLS Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

You are welcomed to Cleo by a towering visage in namesake Cleopatra garb. And entering into a room lined with books—think Indiana Jones meets supper club—with a wood-burning brick oven showcased front and center in the space, you’re quickly immersed in a Middle Eastern experience where authentic flavors await.

Apropos for a Mediterranean feast, a variety of mezzes (the Turkish word for appetizer) await to begin your feast. The lebaneh with feta is a yogurty cheese dip highlighted with the inclusion of the sharp feta; served alongside fresh-from-the-oven laffa bread—think piping hot flatbread with a hint of char—delivered to your table in a paper sheath. You’ll find yourself returning to the dish again and again throughout your meal. And the hummus puts supermarket versions to shame.

Elsewhere in the mezzes is a selection of kebabs with meat-laden skewers ranging from chicken and fish to pork belly and lamb kefta. The chicken kebab is moist and well-flavored, while the wagyu rendition is transcendent; marinated in a combination of Pepsi and brown sugar, the already tender beef cut is imbued with additional complexity hinting at sweetness.

While mezzes are traditionally smaller plates, all of the dishes are intended to be enjoyed by the table and are served in a family setting—even the heartier and more sizeable protein-based options. Moroccan duck bastilla wraps savory red wine-glazed duck in a pocket of light and crispy phyllo dough; a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar across the top offers a foil to the fowl’s richness. The tuna tartare is mixed atop your table with a combination of orange segments, pine nuts, olive tapenade, harissa and avocado for a flavorful dish with Tunisian influences. And lamb tagine, unveiled atop your table, delivers fork-tender morsels with airy couscous bursting with apricots and sesame seeds.

While Cleo’s proteins are memorable, one can assemble a robust meal from vegetarian dishes alone. Garlicky falafel situated atop tabouleh and a tahini base is a fine rendition of the Middle Eastern staple. Smoky Brussels sprouts accented with capers and almonds are finished with sharp red wine vinaigrette. A quartet of fungi— shiitake, crimini, maitake and shimeji—are tossed with dates, hazelnuts and puffed rice. Each bite is an appealing mix of textures and flavors.

In closing out your meal, while sticky toffee pudding may not be a Mediterranean staple, don’t let that deter you from the traditionally British dessert. Accompanied by vanilla gelato, sweet butterscotch and a crisp walnut feuilletine, this rich dish finishes your memorable multicontinent journey. But not before you’ve experienced a world of cuisines in a single sitting.

SLS Las Vegas, 6-10:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 6-11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 855.761.7757