Dear Daphni is a splashy Mediterranean skewer spot from Michael Schulson

Splashy Mediterranean restaurants — the new Mona, Bastia, and Almyra included — are having their moment in Philadelphia. The timing amuses Kareem McCafferty, vice president of operations for Michael Schulson’s restaurants.

“We’ve been talking about a Mediterranean concept for probably three years now,” said McCafferty, whose group’s restaurants are a diverse lot, including Harp & Crown (American), Giuseppe & Sons (Italian American), Alpen Rose (steakhouse), Sampan (pan-Asian), and Double Knot (Japanese).

The Schulson Collective’s next restaurant, Dear Daphni, a 155-seater with a 12-seat bar and landscaped outdoor seating in season, opens Thursday on the 20th Street side of the Laurel, the $350 million condo tower near Rittenhouse Square. It’s billed as Mediterranean.

This apparent influx of Mediterranean destinations brings to mind: What is “Mediterranean,” a region that encompasses nearly two dozen countries and territories across three continents? Almyra and Mona’s menus lean Greek, while Bastia’s focuses on Sardinia and Corsica.

Although Dear Daphni’s menu is “foundationally Greek,” McCafferty said, “we’re trying to showcase different flavors, so we’re spreading out to other countries, too.”

Dear Daphni offers eight main-course kebabs — lamb, lamb kofta, chicken thigh, filet, pork, wagyu New York strip, swordfish, and salmon — all created on executive chef Ryan Lloyd’s custom coal-fired Clay Oven parrilla. They’re served with Turkish pilaf and sauces including adjika, chermoula, and toum, and everyone who orders a kebab or entree gets seven mezze dishes and pita to share.

Prices range from $27 for pork to $78 for the wagyu New York strip. (The skewer-and-mezze pairing is reminiscent of Laser Wolf, Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook’s “shipudiya,” or Israeli skewer shop, across town and in Brooklyn, and Pera, Mehmet Ergin and Eric Tunc’s Turkish BYOB in Northern Liberties.)

Another dinner option is to order for two: a whole branzino ($62), prawns ($48), Tunisian lamb shank ($39), or vegetables ($25), accompanied by seven mezze and pita.

Starters include kousa with tomato, zucchini and beef; snapper crudo with saffron, pistachio, and yogurt; gigante bean tabbouleh with bulgar, parsley, and mint; and Moroccan meatballs with tomato, pine nut, and feta.

Kate Rohrer of Rohe Creative, the design team, said a Mediterranean theme often comes with preconceived notions — “you know, blue and white. We really wanted to try and do something different, a little more colorful, but also really lean into residential comfort — a coziness that Schulson has associated himself with in a lot of his spaces.”

The Rohe team mixed bold patterns and colors and chose homey items like table lamps to soften the space, which has no square edges — every wall surface, the ceilings, and sofas and the furniture are curved. “Everything just feels really soft and flowy and fluid,” Rohrer said. “This ties back that idea of Mediterranean — that easy, breezy sort of feeling.”

The Daphni name is inspired by the mythological nymph whose name is usually rendered Daphne; it’s a play on the laurel tree that she transforms into in her bid to escape Apollo’s unwanted pursuit. (Laurel tree, get it?)

In addition to cocktails (the Birds & Bees has gin, sumac honey, lemon, and honey pearls and the Pomegranate Paloma mixes tequila, pomegranate, grapefruit soda, and za’atar), there are 16 wines by the glass and about 30 bottles from around the world, plus nonalcoholic beverages, a Mediterranean tea program, and Turkish coffee.

Dear Daphni, 125 S. 20th St. Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations via Resy.