The Mediterranean diet has gotten a lot of buzz over the years for its healthy profile—Harvard cites its ability to combat cardiovascular disease, premature death and type 2 diabetes as key health-inducing features. In Annville, Lebanon County, the recently opened Mediterranean restaurant Room 101 The Med is proving that innate health can come with innate flavor, too.
“You’re messing with all these different ingredients to put out a great dish, and it’s easily way healthier,” says Vito Mannino, owner of Room 101 The Med, which is located directly next door to the Annville Natural Food Market.
The Mediterranean region consists of 22 countries. Room 101 The Med opened in May 2023 and is spending its first year focusing primarily on the cuisine of Greece, Italy and Spain before venturing further. Mannino himself is of Italian descent, but was born and raised in Lebanon County, with much of that time spent in his father’s restaurant, A&M Pizzeria.
With growing up in the restaurant and starting work at the ripe age of 12 years old, Mannino realized in high school that the traditional education trajectory wasn’t for him. He finished out his senior year at Lebanon County Career and Technology Center in the culinary arts program, where he fell in love with the pace of things.
“You’re not sitting behind a desk. You’re always working, moving around, doing stuff, working with knives and fire,” he says without jest.
Mannino went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, working at esteemed restaurants and figuring out what he loved to do—and what he didn’t.
“I love Asian food. I’m happy to go get it anytime,” he says, but cooking it for a living was a different story. “Eight o’clock in the morning smelling soy sauce was not the best culinary experience.” Fortunately, Mannino pursued a fate he could live with—working with fresh pastas, complex salads, specialty pizzas, high-quality olive oils and other mouthwatering ingredients day in and day out.
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In the years since his father’s passing, Mannino ran his dad’s pizza shop for more than a decade. Transitioning to Room 101, he has developed a space that people in Annville can go to celebrate another culture and maybe even feel like they’ve gone on a mini vacation. In designing the homey-but-upscale open kitchen space, complete with deep oceanic green walls and wine cork art, Mannino says he wanted to evoke the feeling of being transported beyond Lebanon County and into a Mediterranean aesthetic.
Perhaps the showstopping feature of the restaurant is the blue-tile pizza oven that’s visible from the dining room. But it’s not just the aesthetics that keep people returning. The crispy lentil salad, Sicilian street food style chickpea cakes, braised beef hoagie and lasagna (which Mannino says is “hands down a really good dish”) are just some of the plates that spark the interest of adventurous eaters as well as those looking for something they’re more comfortable with. Over time, the menu may change seasonally, but Mannino is enjoying garnering the trust of his customers while Room 101 makes a name for itself.
That name, Room 101 The Med, is intentional. “We are an entry-level restaurant to Mediterranean cuisine,” Mannino says.
And on the back of the menus, customers will find definitions of items so they can feel comfortable trying something new.
“Personally, I don’t like going out to eat and not being able to pronounce a dish because it’s listed in a different language, and I feel embarrassed to ask sometimes,” he says. This, he explains, can prevent someone from trying a dish they may really enjoy.
Mannino is the sole owner of Room 101, but he didn’t create everything on his own. His wife, Heather Mannino, has been instrumental. From helping keep everything organized to caring for their son while he spends late hours at the restaurant, he can’t help but recognize her role in it all.
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In the new year, Mannino looks forward to hosting more events in their back room, decorated with shades of blue and lively greenery. The space comfortably accommodates upward of 30 people, with custom culinary offerings beyond what you see on their day-to-day menus.
In addition, Mannino anticipates the arrival of cooking classes such as a course on pizza dough making. He looks forward to answering questions like: How does pizza baking differ in their industrial 700-degree oven versus a 500-degree oven at home or even a mini specialty pizza oven?
Because of its focus on whole foods, Mediterranean cuisine is friendly to those with dietary restrictions, too. At Room 101, all of the pizzas can be made on cauliflower crusts to accommodate gluten allergies, and the menu has vegetarian options as well as vegan adaptability. There are only a few items on the menu that are fried, and most of the dishes don’t have much added salt.
Above all, Mannino wants to provide a memorable experience for his guests, whatever their palate.
“When you come here, you’re going to be treated respectfully and hopefully have one of the best meals you’ve had in the area,” he says
Room 101 The Med
35 W Main St, Annville, PA
FB: room101themed
