Which Greektown restaurant??

I recently moved to the South/West Loop, and am going out for dinner tomorrow with my guy and another couple in Greektown. Since I haven't checked out all the restaurants, can anyone make a recommendation - for good food & comfortable (i.e. not too bright!) atmosphere?

For my money, I favor Santorini and Costa's. Many other's enjoy Greek Islands across the street from Santorini.

Santorini has a significantly higher seafood focus than the others, but also offers some excellent lamb preparations. The room is rustic and definitely not too brightly lit.

Santorini
800 W Adams
312-829-8820
http://www.santorinichicago.com/

Costas Greek Dining & Bar
340 S. Halsted (Entrance on Van Buren)
312-263-9700
http://costasdining.com/

Greek Islands
200 S Halsted
312-782-9855
http://www.greekislands.net/

Best,
Michael

I would recommend Venus, which ReneG had previously posted about here.

My dining experience was close to the same- we ordered the meat mezes, although a few of our courses were different and the price was also a few dollars cheaper. On a Saturday night at 7pm the place was only about 1/3 full. Service was very pleasant and we had a table on the raised center platform, which I have been told is used for dancing as the night wears on.

A great value to taste many different menu items, and an enjoyable adventure in Greek/Cypriot wines.

I have not been to any other restaurants in Greektown in a very long time, so I don't have anything to compare my recent experience to.

Venus
820 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL
312.714.1001

They are also part of the Open Table website, if you're in to that sort of thing.

I agree with eatchicago. I'd probably give Santorini a slight edge but that's just my personal preference, I've always enjoyed both. For tomorrow night I'd especially recommend Santorini; the threat of snow (ick! come on Spring!) should make the fireplace at Santorini even more welcoming.

Definitely don't miss Sushi Loop at 810 W. Jackson Blvd if you're in the mood for something non-Greek. They offer both Japanese and Korean cuisine.

I love Greek Islands' food. They import many of their ingredients directly from Greece themselves, and I enjoy the opportunity to mix and match half portions that they offer.

I especially recommend the fried zucchini with skordalia; the grilled octopus, tender chunks of tentacle in olive oil -- add a squeeze of lemon; and the terrific loukiniko sausage, flavored with orange zest.

They're big and noisy and full of tourists -- but they have several different rooms, with varying kinds of atmosphere.

Greek Islands
312/782-9855
www.greekislands.net
200 S. Halsted St. (entrance on Adams)
Chicago IL 60661

Parthenon or Greek Islands..although I have not hit Greektown all that much in the last few years. Its easier for me to go to Greek Islands in Lombard . The food there is just as good as its Halsted location IMO. I will admit though the atmosphere of Greektown itself is lost in the burbs

I just ate at GI for lunch today with a friend, and it wasn't that good. The decor suggests an upscale type of place. I had the pistichio, and my friend had the vegetable platter. Everything was covered in grease and tasted like school cafeteria food. 11 dollars for some bland lasagna(no sides) and 10 dollars for some green beans and okra. Everything tasted the same. I used to pay 1.35 for that every day at school. Maybe we got the wrong things, but the food is definately NOT any more fancy than diner fare. We left still hungry.

I would also highly recommend Greek Islands despite the last poster's negative experience. GI is probably not as upscale as Santorini, but in my opinion, it's not close to being diner or school cafeteria food either.

Most recently, I was there last month w/ my boyfriend for lunch and had a great meal. I would highly recommend their meatballs, the grilled octopus (as LAZ also recommended) and they also make a fantastic feta dip ("tirokafteri").

The interior is nicely decorated to make it feel like you're in Greece, and there's a nice fireplace separating two of the dining areas, which makes it even more nice to visit on a cold, snowy evening.

bnowell724 wrote:I just ate at GI for lunch today with a friend, and it wasn't that good. The decor suggests an upscale type of place. I had the pistichio, and my friend had the vegetable platter. Everything was covered in grease and tasted like school cafeteria food. 11 dollars for some bland lasagna(no sides) and 10 dollars for some green beans and okra. Everything tasted the same. I used to pay 1.35 for that every day at school. Maybe we got the wrong things, but the food is definately NOT any more fancy than diner fare. We left still hungry.

I wouldn't describe Greek Islands decor as upscale. Touristy, raucous, and a tad kitsch, but not upscale. I'm not their biggest fan, but that's where we tend to end up when friends from outta town passively want Greek. Vegetables err to the overcooked, the avgolemeno is pabulum, but the lamb preparations ain't bad, grilled octopus is always tensile and flavorful, I enjoy their taramasalata, and they do a tasty Opa! saganaki(which is saying something since ordering this dish makes me feel like a rube).

I enjoy several places in Greektown but none more than Greek Islands. It's my favorite, hands down.

=R=

bnowell724 wrote:I just ate at GI for lunch today with a friend, and it wasn't that good. The decor suggests an upscale type of place. I had the pistichio, and my friend had the vegetable platter. Everything was covered in grease and tasted like school cafeteria food. 11 dollars for some bland lasagna(no sides) and 10 dollars for some green beans and okra. Everything tasted the same. I used to pay 1.35 for that every day at school. Maybe we got the wrong things, but the food is definately NOT any more fancy than diner fare. We left still hungry.

I know there are a lot of fans of Greek Islands and I have no wish to question their experiences or argue with them -- different tastes and different experiences lead to different opinions. In my own experience, I can honestly say that my meals at Greek Islands have all struck me as mediocre to okay -- I've only returned there when I've had to do so as part of a group and the choice was beyond my control. Perhaps I've had bad luck with what I ordered but, if that's the case, that much bad luck when ordering basic Greek dishes doesn't give me the sense that they are sufficiently on the ball in the kitchen.

My experiences at Santorini (owned, I believe, by the same people) have been very different and I've always enjoyed the atmosphere of the place and the quality of the food has been consistently very good to excellent. Octopus, seabass, bacalà, lamb chops are all things that I've enjoyed there and look forward to going back and having again.

Antonius

Antonius wrote:My experiences at Santorini (owned, I believe, by the same people)

I agree wholeheartedly on Santorini, and it's my favorite place on the strip, as well.

Antonius is also right about the ownership. Santorini is (or was at one time) owned by James Contos (owner of Tempo Cafe), Gus Coushell (Greek Islands) and Nick Giannis (Boston Blackies).

It's funny, some of the comments about Greek Islands (for me at least), because over the last 25 or so years, I've probably agreed with all of them. Loved it/hated it/liked it a little/liked it a lot. I'm not sure what's changed, me or the restaurant.

I do think they have changed the menu a lot in recent years, and one of the things I most enjoy about it, IS the big menu. It provides many ways to sample things, as noted above. Also, there are a failr amoint of things on the menu beyond the cliches. So, even if I do not hit a winner each time, I enjoy the process. I will say that I always have great luck with the garlic cabbage salad.

Right now, I am probably hit GI over other places, but mostly for costs. I generally have had great food at Santorini, and certain dishes of theirs, like the tarmasalata are WAY better than others, but I find the bill to also be way higher.

Pegasus kinda splits the difference for me between GI and Santorini. There are a lot of things on the menu I like a lot, especially the beets with skodalia!. Pricewise it does not quite hit Santorini. It delivers good food and deserves to be mentioned.

Also not mentioned so far is Artopolis. I like everything about them EXCEPT for the lack of valet parking, and I would eat there more often if they had parking. Guilty, rip off pleasure that I love there, the fries with feta and spicy mustard. Pretty much nothing fails beyond the parking.

Parthenon appeals to my love over (very) old school. It is pretty much the Club Lago of Greektown, with all that applies. Some cool things on the menu you will not find elsewhere like Greek heering (which I like), but the overall cooking is, well it's Club Lago, right?

Athena and Costas have not delieved experiences as good as the above for me, but I do like Athena's courtyard on the right days.

For some odd reaason, I have NEVER been to Roditys.

Overall, I love Greektown and find it hard to screw up too badly anywhere.

Christopher Gordon wrote:I wouldn't describe Greek Islands decor as upscale.

Well, more upscale than what we were eating. We did only tried two things off of the huge menu, and there probably are some good things there. My description was a little harsh, knowing what I don't know. But I do stand by the opinion that our meal was equal to highschool cafeteria quality.

We used to joke that Greektown had one big kitchen behind all the restaurants. I think that's changed since the days of It's Greek to Me and Dianna's Opaa, and the different restaurants' menus and food are somewhat more distinctive nowadays. (Artopolis, as noted above, is the most different -- I love that, too -- though except in the bar it doesn't fit the OP's request for not too bright.)

But as VI noted, it is hard to go wrong in Greektown. The only place I'd ever warn anyone against is Athena, where I've found the food undistinguished and was served the single worst dish of moussaka I've ever eaten. That's a pity, because it's a lovely room. And I now realize that it's been several years since I last gave the place a try, so it may have improved, too.

On the other hand, no place in Greektown, or in Chicago for that matter, serves fancy Greek food. Most of the Greek immigrants running restaurants in Chicago became involved in the food business only after they came to the U.S.; I know of nowhere with chefs who came from upscale restaurants in Greece. The erstwhile Papagus was perhaps the most elegant Greek restaurant we had in terms of menu and presentatations (and I haven't been to the surviving suburban branch, so I don't know how closely it adheres to what was served in the city), but even that offered mainly dressed up versions of the essentially traditional, everyday Greek-American fare served everywhere else.

LAZ wrote:The only place I'd ever warn anyone against is Athena, where I've found the food undistinguished and was served the single worst dish of moussaka I've ever eaten. That's a pity, because it's a lovely room. And I now realize that it's been several years since I last gave the place a try, so it may have improved, too.

I think it probably has improved--unless your perceptions and mine are radically different, which they might be, judging from other threads! All I know is that in the last two years I've been there numerous times and had a variety of fish and lamb dishes, always fine, and have enjoyed a variety of appetizers there as well. As noted, it's a way-above-average-for-Greektown room in terms of ambience and decor when you're eating inside, and a wonderful way to eat outside in the warm months. They have a decent selection of decent wines, and our service has always been fun and/or friendly. (But I can't think of a place in Greektown where I've ever had a service problem.) I've never had the moussaka there, though, so I can't do an apples-to-apples comparison with you. I do know that, while it's possible some place in Greektown bests Athena in one department or the other, when I factor in everything (food, wine, service, vibe) Athena ends up being the place we go most often.

The erstwhile Papagus was perhaps the most elegant Greek restaurant we had in terms of menu and presentatations (and I haven't been to the surviving suburban branch, so I don't know how closely it adheres to what was served in the city), but even that offered mainly dressed up versions of the essentially traditional, everyday Greek-American fare served everywhere else.

And blanded down. Very nice execution otherwise, but about 1/4 the garlic, say, of the same dish at a Greektown place. I gave up on it as tourist-district Greek after initially being impressed by the somewhat tonier feel and presentation.

About Papagus (now closed), Mike G wrote:And blanded down. Very nice execution otherwise, but about 1/4 the garlic, say, of the same dish at a Greektown place. I gave up on it as tourist-district Greek after initially being impressed by the somewhat tonier feel and presentation.

Overall, I'd agree, though I think it depended on the dish. The taramasalata was certainly bland, but the fried zucchini and skordalia I mentioned as liking at Greek Islands was as garlicky at Papagus and the zucchini was sliced almost paper thin and arranged like flower.

On the other hand, I understand from people who know Greece well that the strong, rustic flavors we're familiar with at Greek restaurants here are not characteristic of upscale Greek cuisine, which is more delicate. I have not been to Greece, so I don't know this from personal knowledge. I adore Greek-American food as I've eaten it in Detroit and Chicago, but I have spoken to some (non-Greek) Europeans who were quite dismissive. I will say that the single best Greek meal I've eaten in my life was in Stratford-on-Avon, U.K., and I haven't even encountered many of the same dishes in the U.S.

My father got our family hooked on Pegasus -- I heard from him that they are the same family that owns Artopolis. While it may be a little bit pricier than some of the other Greektown restaurants, the food has always been excellent and they have handled large crowds for us easily.

I got hooked on Greektown when I was in high school. Back in the day they would serve roditys to anyone who could pay their bill, regardless of their age. Dianna's Grocery was our favorite place and the first restaurant where I tried octopus and squid. If I hadn't been completely sloshed at the time, I probably would not have eaten it.

Suzy

Hello World Foodies,
This is my first time on this forum and I'm excited to find it.

Just a few tidbits on Greektown: It has changed a great deal over the years and it is difficult to find any food that tastes remotely "authentic". On any given day, any restaurant will be hit or miss.

The standbys for food maintaining a quasi-authentic flavor fall to Roditys and The Parthenon. I have had quite good food at Greek Islands lately as well.

I am not a casual Greek food consumer as I am of Greek background and I have many a relative cooking up a storm on any given day. For authentic flavor, it might be the dish that you want to try rather than the restaurant.

Try baby lamb chops in any of the restaurants in Greektown and I'm sure they will be pleasing, as well as the cooked vegetable dishes.

It is difficult to find a good Greek casserole, so I cannot recommend a good Pastichio or Moussaka at any of the restaurants. You'll have to find a Greek friend to ask their mom to make it for you!

Also, I would like to recommend that everyone takes a visit to the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center. www.hellenicmuseum.org
They are located on the 4th floor directly behind Greek Islands. It is currently a small space, but they soon will have a stand alone building on the South end of Greektown.

After coming to the realization that flaming cheese the only really appropriate follow-up to Cirque du Soleil, we followed the recommendations in this thread, and wound up at Greek Isles.

It was interesting, to say the least - the most edifying part was discovering that my expectations for a place described as "mediocre" were a little high. Not that it was bad, mind you; I'd agree with the assessment - apparently I've had very good Greek food most of the time, as I usually frequent the small restaurants.

The place, on Friday night was PACKED - there was a line (although the wait was short) and the entire staff seemed rushed. We were seated in the room that had the open kitchen, which we like. Our cheese was flamed and dispatched quickly (with a halfhearted "opa!" while putting it out) but was fine, as far as flaming cheese goes. Sparky (God bless him) asked for grilled octopus, which arrived quickly - it was a bit overcooked, but since it had that lovely Greek dressing nobody minded.

Per the recommendations above, I ordered a lamb chop special, which was an enormous portion of little lamb chops that had clearly done time on the steam table, and were extremely lamby (my personal taste goes to the meaty variety.) Uberspouse opted for a quite nice salad, while Sparky got the kid's meal Gyros - which were just meat over some onions, with rice on the side (oddly for a kid's meal, no pita or tzaziki.)

My take - if they got rid of the steam tables, the food would improve a good deal, but I don't know how else they would do the sheer volume they offer. At any rate, we did get just what we were looking for, atmosphere over food, and it was a nice ending to a terrific afternoon.

Having not weighed in before, I will add my two cents. For whatever reason, I like Greek Islands in Oakbrook, but generally avoid the one in the city. My guess is that this is a matter of cooking to the customer - at GI GT this is usually a tourist or conventioneer from Des Moines* I think, but that is just a guess.

Santorini is pretty good, and Artopolis has worked for a quicker, lighter meal.

the most edifying part was discovering that my expectations for a place described as "mediocre" were a little high.

Interesting quote. Personally, I always thought mediocre meant "pretty bad, but I consider myself too nice a person to give them the verbal ***-whipping they deserve for passing that crap off on unsuspecting diners." So my expectations of a mediocre place would not be high at all. Strange, too, because I have been accused of being way too literal more often than not.

*Note: no disrespect meant to our neighbors in Iowa who are fine, intelligent people. But I have found their taste in food differs from mine. I like things with more intense and varied seasoning and, usually, not cooked quite as much. But these are generalizations and assuredly wrong in many instances.

So my expectations of a mediocre place would not be high at all

No, you're right - I'd go there, too - my thinking was, how can you ruin a food if your primary method of cooking is charring it on the grill and dousing it in olive-oil based viniagrette? (Answer: by holding it on a steam table)

And, I should also say, we had a good time - just not very good food. Nothing that I would classify as "inedible swill" or that offended me. I asked for the lamb chops medium-rare and got them that way, steamed flavor notwithstanding. Mediocre. On the nose.

That being said, next time we go to Greektown, we'll be searching out the smaller places that have better recommendations.

As a Greek-American, I have difficulty with most of Greektown in a similar way that some of the smoked BBQ purists here have a problem with baked ribs with BBQ sauce on them. But my grandmother is dead, so we usually save the complicated stuff at home for special events and end up going to Greektown (or the suburban outposts) a few times a year.

There's a style of Greektown food which I call "California Greek." It's not derisive, and in fact I came up with the phrase after having a very good Italian and Californian-influenced meal years ago at Kuleto's in San Francisco. It can be very good, with lighter versions of some dishes, and other dishes that are contrived to use Greek ingredients and more Americanized techniques. An example of this is Costas' angel hair pasta with artichokes, tomatoes, and feta. I am good friends of one of the original owners of Costas' who is no longer involved in the operation, but I shake my head every time I see that menu item.

My basic test meal for Greek restaurants is braised (kokonisto) lamb with rice. It doesn't suffer as badly from steam-table-itis as the pan dishes such as moussaka, but it still requires some technique and a good recipe for the sauce.

I am a fan of Santorini, even though I don't eat a lot of seafood beyond shrimp and calamari (and I think Greeks do a terrible job with calamari). I enjoy Costas', but again I must admit that I'm too biased about it. It's been years since I've been to Roditys and I keep on meaning on going back. I've been to Artopolis a couple of times, never for a full meal, but I've been pleased.

I dislike Greek Islands severely, over probably two dozen meals I've been dragged into over the last two decades - I've never had a meal there that's better tasting than what I can whip up at home, and I'm an assembler and not a cook. One time, my mom and I swore that the leg of lamb had been boiled, but it had probably just been in the steam table for a day or two. And Pegasus was just incredibly unappetizing and unauthentic both times I was there. My aunt calls it the Denny's of Greek food.

Our usual destinations in Greektown are Santorini and Greek Islands and we do enjoy Athena's patio in nice weather. Last night we decided to try a spot we'd never been to and wound up at Roditys. The decor is a bit dated, (and wow, some of those plastic grape vines up near the ceiling could use a good dust-busting,) but we found the place to be welcoming and comfortable. Our server was friendly and we never felt rushed, as we sometimes have at other Greektown spots. Food-wise, we started with some feta and olives drizzled with olive oil and oregano. I had a cup of the egg-lemon soup and Husband had a cup of the bean. Both were nothing special, yet enjoyable. Husband was very happy with his gyros entree. I had the swordfish kebab. It was fine - not as good as I've had at Santorini. The stand-out was my side of greek green beans - a very fine version of the classic dish. We had a bottle of wine and finished with greek coffees and got out of there just under $100 with 20% tip.
I would go back, especially if I was looking for a conversation-friendly spot in Greektown.

Roditys Restaurant
222 S Halsted St
312-454-6126

FYI - They don't take reservations on Friday or Saturday nights. Was not a problem for us, but the Easter holiday could have had something to do with that.

I always thought Pegasus was excellent, but I haven't been there for a couple of years. Anyone been there lately? Is it still good?

threadkiller wrote:As a Greek-American, I have difficulty with most of Greektown in a similar way that some of the smoked BBQ purists here have a problem with baked ribs with BBQ sauce on them. But my grandmother is dead, so we usually save the complicated stuff at home for special events and end up going to Greektown (or the suburban outposts) a few times a year.

There's a style of Greektown food which I call "California Greek." It's not derisive, and in fact I came up with the phrase after having a very good Italian and Californian-influenced meal years ago at Kuleto's in San Francisco. It can be very good, with lighter versions of some dishes, and other dishes that are contrived to use Greek ingredients and more Americanized techniques. An example of this is Costas' angel hair pasta with artichokes, tomatoes, and feta. I am good friends of one of the original owners of Costas' who is no longer involved in the operation, but I shake my head every time I see that menu item.

My basic test meal for Greek restaurants is braised (kokonisto) lamb with rice. It doesn't suffer as badly from steam-table-itis as the pan dishes such as moussaka, but it still requires some technique and a good recipe for the sauce.

I am a fan of Santorini, even though I don't eat a lot of seafood beyond shrimp and calamari (and I think Greeks do a terrible job with calamari). I enjoy Costas', but again I must admit that I'm too biased about it. It's been years since I've been to Roditys and I keep on meaning on going back. I've been to Artopolis a couple of times, never for a full meal, but I've been pleased.

I dislike Greek Islands severely, over probably two dozen meals I've been dragged into over the last two decades - I've never had a meal there that's better tasting than what I can whip up at home, and I'm an assembler and not a cook. One time, my mom and I swore that the leg of lamb had been boiled, but it had probably just been in the steam table for a day or two. And Pegasus was just incredibly unappetizing and unauthentic both times I was there. My aunt calls it the Denny's of Greek food.

Im Greek American myself but have to say I really like Greek Islands. I have not been to the one in Greektown in a long time so I cnat really vouch for it anymore but the one in Lombard is ok by me. I really like the moussaka and dolmades there. The butterflied lamb chops are good as well.
Gotta say ive yet to eat in any Greek restuarant that will be as good as what i grew up on at home or what I can cook . I save the restaurants for the Greek food I like but dont cook or want to bother with cooking.