Mythos Greek Taverna

Brand new and located on Montrose, just west of Damen. I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet and was wondering if anyone here has.

Mythos Greek Taverna
2030 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL
Moderator edit of name and address

I think it's called Mythos - in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Effe. I haven't tried it yet, but walking past it looks like they went with a more upscale decor in the remodel.

White table cloths definitely in evidence. Looks like a nice room, though quite a large one to fill for the location. I've passed by a couple of times and couldn't find a menu in the window. (It was night, so I may have missed it.) Though last night I noticed the addition of a ginormous banner saying "NOW OPEN!", to they have clearly felt the need to get the word out more strongly. It would certainly be nice to have the Greektown style up north, if that's what it turns out to be.

Haven't tried it yet, but I was peering in the window a few days before they opened and the owner (apparently) walked out. She told me to come eat there "with my mistress" when they open.

When someone goes, please tell me if this place somehow, unlikely as it may be, makes my fondest food wish come true.

A few years ago, there was a place in Naperville called Mythos in a place that is restaurant death. It lasted maybe a year, but they served a dish they called "Real Gyros," that I called Carnitas ala Grecque. Crispy bits of lamb served with pita, sauce, etc, all the same trim as the ground meat stuff.

But this stuff was great, and I still miss it. So, just maybe, this Mythos is the same folks and that dish will be available there...

Either way, if anyone knows of a place that serves real Gyros, not made from ground meat, please, please let me know.

I'm really interested in trying this place. Any idea what parking is like in that neighborhood?

dicksond wrote:Either way, if anyone knows of a place that serves real Gyros, not made from ground meat, please, please let me know.

Parthenon.

Beverator wrote:I'm really interested in trying this place. Any idea what parking is like in that neighborhood?

Street parking should be fairly easy in the area. If not on Montrose directly, then definitely on one of the side streets.

I had a wonderful meal at Mythos this past Saturday. There were no prices on the window menu, so I wasn't sure how expensive it would be. It turned out that most entrees were about $14-$22 and the chef makes all the food fresh to order, which made it well worth the price. I had the roasted leg of lamb special and it was delicious (sorry no photos), it came with excellent rice (I don't normally get excited about rice, but I was raving about it) and peas in tomato sauce. All entrees come with avgolemono (egg lemon soup). My boyfriend had the Grecian chicken breast, and it was very tasty also, his came with potatoes as well as the peas I had. Other tables around me ordered the pasticcio, which was baked in individual casserole dishes. I think I'm going to have to try that next time.

In addition to great food, the hostess was very warm and friendly. I overheard her telling another table that she is the chef's sister.

Overall, I'm very excited to have this place in the neighborhood.

raydle - thanks for posting your experience.

Mythos got a nice mention in this week's Dish

I forgot to add that Mythos is BYOB and has a $7 corkage fee, which we joked cost more than the bottle we brought with us, but again, the food was well worth it.

I finally had the chance to dine at Mythos. I’ll state a disclaimer that I generally am not a big Greek food fan based upon my Greek-Town experiences at Greek Isles and Parthenon. My only exception is Santorini. I really enjoy their grilled fish and octopus. Back to Mythos...

The Good.
• Given it’s location on Montrose, it’s not too hard to find parking.
• The interior is very warm and inviting, much different than most Greek-Town places. It’s a bit upscale, but not so much that you wouldn’t wear jeans there.
• I had the Greek lasagna (or whatever the real Greek name is). I was informed by the owner that it would take 25 minutes since they cook each individually. It was well worth the wait as the pasta stayed somewhat al dente rather than a soggy mess that I’ve had before. The béchamel was nice. The carmalized top was wonderful too.
• The gf had snapper which was well prepared, if not just a little boring. Side of peas w/ tomato sauce was decent. Greek potatoes were standard, but good.
• Pan fried zucchini appetizer was done perfectly
• The owner. By the time I left I thought she was my aunt. Just a very nice lady trying to do her best and provide a good meal in a good atmosphere. I wish here well.

The not-so good
• They are still training up the staff. Our waitress was definitely new and probably new to the industry. Personally, I can handle it as she was trying to do well, was nice, and was pretty attentive. But, don’t expect your silver-tongued, pro wait staff al la a big steakhouse.

So, I’d definitely recommend Mythos for those who want a quality Greek meal outside of Greek-town.

Had an excellent meal tonight at Mythos. Would agree with all the previous comments made above, and stress that the thing that stands really stands out here is the commitment to quality ,fresh ingredients and the genuine warmth of the two owners/sisters, Toni-hostess/front of house and Chef Vikiki( oh, and the byob doesn't hurt either).

We started with an appetizer of zucchini pan-fried in olive oil for $7(no deep fryers used here)a very generous portion that came with a bit of garlicy dip on the side-pure heaven. None left on the plate. The included egg-lemon soup was "meh" , did not think it was exceptional or maybe I'm just not used the the tart lemony flavor of this soup? For my entree, I had the marinated pork tenderloin( $20) in a mustard sauce , came with sides of spring peas in tomato sauce and rice pilaf- all of it was outstanding. Pork very tender and flavorful, large enough portion to take some home. I really liked the peas,sauce had dill and a hint of cinnamon. I dont know how they do the fluffy white rice with sprinkle of parmesan and romano on top, but I want more soon!
My friend had the grouper with a lemon sauce($25 market price), which was very light, tender and delicious . No room for dessert, corkage fee $5 tonight . Our server was capable, maybe a little green but did a nice job. The long lag time to get the check after we said we were finished would be my only minor quibble.
Overall, a lovely, inviting room, tables nicely spaced apart, soft Greek backround music , delicious food and owners that made me feel welcome and looking forward to my next visit. Lots of buzz in Redeye and Metromix- my feeling is they will do well and a they are a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

My wife and I went to Mythos a few weeks ago on a Sunday evening. It was the weekend when the weather was in the 50's and I am sure all restaurants where busy that weekend. The owner greeted us and saw we had our 4 month old and said I have a great table for the baby, We got a nice corner banquette near the door. She said were slammed last night and they had to turn people away! I realize it was Sunday and they are closed on Monday's but the amount of items they were out of was crazy! We wanted the octopus appetizer,the braised lamb and the Greek chicken and we went 0 for 3! Out of all! Since we had opened our bottle of wine we ordered the taramasolata, a greek sausage appetizer and a pork sauted in wine with greek spices. All were very good but it was not what we came for. Everyone was extremely nice and our corkage fee was only $5. It is a nice addition to the neighborhood but for us, I think when we are in the mood for Greek we will go to Greektown which we love to do.

As much as I am on the side of new restaurants keeping their purse-strings tight, I think waiving the corkage fee would have been in order in this instance.

-I got into a discussion with a friend recently-about the corkage fee here. While I half-heartedly tried to defend it, I realized that I know of no other place in town that is byob, and charges a corkage fee-much less $7.00. Does this seem out of whack to anyone else?

stewed coot wrote:-I got into a discussion with a friend recently-about the corkage fee here. While I half-heartedly tried to defend it, I realized that I know of no other place in town that is byob, and charges a corkage fee-much less $7.00. Does this seem out of whack to anyone else?

Yes, it's unusual to charge any corkage fee at restaurants that don't have a liquor license. Restaurants without liquor licenses are not supposed to profit from alcohol, and a corkage fee could be interpreted as a violation of that rule. Technically, the restaurant can supply glasses, but should not be opening the wine or pouring it.

Along with a couple of friends, I tried Mythos last night and will be happy to return.

If there was one word I would use to sum up my meal, it was "fresh". Everything tasted fresh, as though prepared just as it was ordered. From the not-too-garlicky Tzatziki to the wonderfully aromatic Horiatiki Salad and the Feta Saganaki, the appys were wonderful. The Avgolomeno had just the right mix of flavors, though I wouldn't have minded a bit more seasoning, and the three entrees - Chicken Breast, Salmon and lamb Chops - were all moist and perfectly prepared. Even the sides were nice, especially the peas - yes, the peas.


While some have posted or commented elsewhere about the time it takes between courses, I felt that what we enjoyed was a fresh leisurely meal, eaten at a wonderful pace. Service was appropriate -- attentive but not intrusive. As one of my dining partners commented, it felt nice to have dinner at a busy spot on a Saturday night and not feel like we were being rushed.

I'll look forward to a return.


Mythos
2030 West Montrose
Chicago
773-334-2000

Myhos needs some LTH love! I went back last night after not having been since March, and there were only 3 tables occupied from 6pm -8pm. I can only hope maybe it was the bad weather and impending snow storm that bypassed Chicago.
Food was as good as I on my previous visits;we had delicously light fried zucchini to start,entrees of Greek meatballs, amb chops grilled a perfect medium-rare and juicy Grecian chicken breast. All came with sides of roasted potato or rice pilaf( both good) and Greek-style green beans with the curious addition of corn niblets-unusual, but still very tasty. Service was attentive, courses well-paced and entrees all arriived together. We received 3 chocolates on little paper cups with our check, a nice touch.
The 2 sister hostess and chef team spent the better part of the evening sitting with guests at one of the occupied tables. I thought it wasn't typical for them not to come over at all to see how the other 2 tables were doing, as in the past they have been very customer-focused. Other than that, it really is a lovely place for a nice, relaxed neighborhood byob dinner, and it's worth being back on the LTH radar.

I went with some friends early on a Friday night in January. It was pretty empty in there, but again, it was early. We had wonderful food, the taramosolata was excellent, not fishy at all the way it can be sometimes. The bread they give you is so good, crusty on the outside but warm and soft on the inside, piping hot too! The saganaki was missing something (perhaps the table-side flame and "opa!"). I guess I missed the sizzle on the plate!
We had the lamb chops entree as an appetizer, they were very flavorful, and, I would say pricey, but that's to be expected, right? The owner/hostess was very accomodating, opening the door a little for us as we were steaming like clams in there. Her sister, the chef, whom we recognized as the cook from the Blue Stem, came over and talked with us for about 15 minutes. They were so friendly, and the food was SO good, I can't wait to go back! The BYOB helps too, given the semi-priciness of the entrees. There is a bit of a wait on the food, but, as the menu explains, they cook things to order, so give them some time, have a glass of wine while you wait, and you will be rewarded!

HT70 wrote:
• I had the Greek lasagna (or whatever the real Greek name is).

Pastichio.

Had dinner at Mythos on Saturday night. My dining companion and I showed up at about 7:30 without a reservation and we got in immediately, though it was nearly, if not completely, full the entire time we were there. As has been noted elsewhere, parking was not a problem and the hostess/owner was effusive and welcoming.

My first instinct was to start with the zucchini, but we ended up choosing the calamari. It wasn't bad, but I should've stuck with my initial instincts. The breading was not greasy or overcoated, which was nice, but it was also lacking in the flavor department, which was not as nice. I thought the meat itself was a little chewier than I've had other places. Pretty nonplussed about this dish.

I ordered the Pastichio, which our waiter warned us would take 40 mins. It's pretty big and I liked the ratio of noodles/beef/bechemel. Because the bechemel plays such a prominent role in this dish, I wish the meat or tomato sauce was spiced a little more aggressively, but you wouldn't have heard those complaints at the time from my happily busy mouth. Man, that bechemel is tasty--a sail of rich, silky topping on a boat of noodles and ground beef. My DC got the Brizolakia, which I snagged a bite of--super tender fillet medallions with light char on the outside and melt in the middle inside. Came with green beans and potato (or rice) which I didn't taste but looked adequate.

Prices are reasonable: Pastichio=$17 (worth it). Brizolakia=$22? (mostly worth it). Calamari=$10 (not worth it).

I want to note the noise level, which hovered at my ideal the entire night. I was impressed at how there was a pleasant buzz (only of sound, I wasn't drinking, or that would have been two pleasant buzzes) that smoothed over any silence but didn't overwhelm what I was saying. I'm not someone who usually notices noise level unless it totally interrupts my meal by its extreme nature one way or the other, but I found myself noticing how nice it was here.

Still searching for Greek food to love in Chicago, I headed to Mythos last night. It was a nice experience, but the search continues. The owner/ hostess could not have been more welcoming and gregarious, but the food was a bit lackluster. Skordalia just tasted like a cold potato. Tsatziki just tasted like thick yogurt. Chicken reganato tasted like standard American dry breasted, 180-degrees-in-the-thigh roast Purdue. Spanakopita was the best of the lot, with pleasantly strong dill flavor and a very flaky crust.

A group of us headed to Mythos on Saturday night. The prospect of BYOB was appealing as we had just tasted (and bought) a bunch of great wine at Taste Food & Wine in Rogers Park. Proximity to the Folk & Roots Festival was another attractive feature. We put together a family style meal for 7. Our meal consisted of Mediterranean combo (tzatziki, taramosalata and skordalia), fried calamari, Horiatiki salad (sun ripened tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, red onions, green peppers & kalamata olives topped with greek feta cheese extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette), pork soulvaki, braised lamb shank, and pastichio. Everyone enjoyed the food and thought the price was very reasonable. The lamb shank and the pork soulvaki were my favorites. The restaurant was nice enough to comp a piece of cake as we were celebrating Mr. X's birthday. Wine tasting at Taste, dinner at Mythos followed by some music at Folk & Roots in Welles Park made for a great day!

fyi in re Mythos:

MYTHOS
A WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST JANUARY 4, 2008

The ancient Greeks gave us hyperbole and enthusiasm, two words which happen to describe the clutch of restaurants in Halsted Street's Greektown and the promotion which accompanies them as one restaurateur tries to out do the others.
Mythos, the newest Greek restaurant in Chicago is different. For one thing, it is at 2030 West Montrose, not Greektown. Secondly, it has, a noticeably more mannered style than its more prominent cousins.
Two sisters opened Mythos about a month ago. One does the cooking, the other runs the front, greets guests and sets a very welcoming tone. So does the menu, including its listing under specials for pastitsio, like mac and cheese with meat, Greek style. The menu listing called it "an absolute must have".
Made to order, it came out about 25 minutes later in a clear glass bowl, something different to be sure. I took a taste, and then another. There was a burst of expected flavors, less aggressive than they might usually be. Abundant meat I learned later was ground Black Angus steak, clearly an upgrade from the more usual mix of lamb and beef.
For seafood, fresh broiled red snapper flakes well, with mild flavor tucked in virgin olive oil and lemon juice. A side of roasted potatoes has a crisp, flavorful glaze.
Among appetizers, zucchini and cheese keftides, much like fritters are light and fresh with a side of skordalia. The garlic flavoring was gentle, the understatement that seems to be Mythos' culinary theme.
We also tasted gigandes, beans in a tomato and clove sauce with simmered onions, equally delicious. Not so incidentally, the bread comes from a nearby bakery, but is finished in the restaurant's ovens, for a real home made fresh touch.
Service is affable, but needs a little polish, not surprising for a restaurant this new. And, without valet service, parking can be tight. Expect to spend about $60 a couple plus tax and tip.
By the way, mid meal, Mythos' hostess and co-owner asked how I liked the pastitsio, and I responded positively that it was everything the menu promised. "Oh, I wish you were a restaurant critic!", she exclaimed.
Mythos, at 2030 West Montrose is BYOB and has a K/RATING of 18.5/20

AMBIANCE 3.5/4 HOSPITALITY 4.5/5 FOOD 10.5/11
(773-334-2000)

No offense but this restaurant has been open for over 2 and a half years. i would hope they have worked out the service miscues by now, or at least not blame it on being new.

You may have missed the date that this review aired on WBBM radio -- January 2008. The poster's profile gives his occupation as "wbbm newsradio 780 and North Shore Magazine Restaurant critic." Just why he is posting dated information without further comment, I don't know.

It's an interesting reference point, why not?

He's certainly someone who's eaten at a few places.

As the first reply to his post makes clear, it was easy to miss the original date. A brief introductory comment would have been nice.

critic780 wrote:There was a burst of expected flavors

Truly, a volcano of the counted on; a temblor of the mundane; a detonation of the quotidian. I have never been bowled over so thoroughly by something so foreseen as at Mythos. It was like being clubbed by Carlos Zambrano.