I don't write a lot of reviews, but this place is worth it. Greek Islands just feels easy from the…read moremoment you get there. Parking downtown can be a headache, so the valet was a big plus and made the whole night start off right. The service was really solid, friendly and attentive without being over the top. The food is the real highlight. Everything came out fresh, full of flavor, and just really well done. It's a comfortable, lively spot that works for just about any kind of night. I'll definitely be back.

A very cool, authentic Greek dining experience! It's always fun to be a tourist in your own city…read moreand if you go to Greektown, stopping by Greek Islands Restaurant is a MUST. Outstanding service and a solid variety on the menu. Huge portions for a decent price.

Excellent food! Streamlined menu with all the classics. Service was fantastic even on a busy Friday…read morenight. I ordered the braised lamb and my husband got the stuffed chicken. A little loud but very lively!

Heartbreak And Disappointment For Mother's Day…read more FIRST: We were told by the hostesses that our bill could be separated. We asked for 4 checks for a party of 8. The waiter refused and said his boss told him he could not do that and that he would be happy to help us out. He did not. We barely saw him. Upon leaving, we mentioned it to the hostess. She stated she did not know why he refused as this was entirely possible. This led is to think that since the tip is included in the bill, he didn't need to worry about the quality of his service. He was not around very much at all and not personable in the least so, he was right to worry about that ‍ SECOND: The food was sort of edible () but not nearly as delicious as the other establishments in Greek Town. My husbands chicken was pink, my pork chops tough, the rice mushy. For the price point, disappointing . And no, we didn't send anything back, it wasn't a mistake, just not good. THIRD: Nice atmosphere, hostesses are great. Way too loud to have a conversation. Valet parking a plus. ALL staff needs to be fully aware of what they will or will not do Would not recommend!

I've come here with my boyfriend a handful of times and we love it. We like to try different…read morecocktails every time. The mimosa on a nice summer day on the patio is my happy place. The entrees are amazing too. The rice with the chicken skewer is my favorite so far and my boyfriend loves the beef and lamb skewer. The service has always been great as well. We've had the same server a couple times now and she's friendly and gets the job done. (Wish I could remember her name!) The ambience is great. With natural light coming in and the soft lamps, it's calming. Truly a beautiful restaurant.

So disappointed. I…read morecame about 5 years ago and loved my meal, especially the sticky date cake, which lingered in my memory as my favorite all time dessert. This year I was so excited to bring my family and Ema was the only restaurant in Chicago I couldn't wait for them to try. I booked it as our final meal in Chicago and lay awake at 4am being so disappointed in my choice. Our server's greeting was monotone and emotionless, which I realize now, would be foreshadowing the meal to come. Ordered the following 1) Smoky eggplant- arrived appearing as an unappetizing curdled purple grey mush. This was the worst tasting baba ghanouj I have ever eaten. It was acidic and had the texture of cottage cheese. The only redeeming thing about this appetizer was the warm naan. 2) house made stratciatella with side of green falafels- The stratciatella was bland and stringy. I would not order this dish expecting the creamy interior of typical burrata. However, if you like string cheese mixed with heavy cream- you may enjoy this dish. The tomatoes and basil were good. 3) chicken kefta- kefta was bland, rice even blander . 4) short rib with polenta- bland and the meat and polenta had the same texture, which seems impossible but somehow the plating was over complicated by the addition of mushy dates and grapes. 5) buttered noodles- my 8 year old ordered this. It was decent with a good amount of Parmesan and cooked perfectly al dente. By the end of the meal, I was so shocked by how terrible the food was I didn't even want to order the sticky date cake that was my main purpose for returning to this restaurant. Ema, what happened to you?!

Great time and a beautiful place. The table was ready quickly and all the staff were great!…read more The short rib hummus & lamb and beef kefta were both excellent. Seasoned and made beautifully. All the plates were nice sizes for shareables and well worth. Really satisfied, great experience!

This has gone from one of my favorite restaurants, that I'd recommend to all my friends visiting,…read moreto one of the most disappointing dining experiences in the city. The last two visits have been lackluster, but today was horrible. Service set the tone as our server disregarded us most of the evening. Never checked in to see how things were. Our appetizer passed our table multiple times. They couldn't seem to find what table it was for, and they took it back to the kitchen, for it to appear a few mins later, cold. Everything we ate just seemed off today. Lacked flavor. And almost everything was drenched in oil. The salmon kebab and rice was not bad, but like everything else arrived at the table barely warm, borderline cold. Really sad as this was our go-to spot for a few years.

"We stopped at The Purple Pig for lunch and we were pleasantly surprised at how great everything…read morewas. From the impeccable service to the great food, ambience and extensive wine list, we couldn't have been more pleased with our dining experience.

Just an amazing experience all around!! The tuna tartare was exceptional as well as the sorbet with…read moreBailey's. A little tight on seating but no complaints!!

I dined in for dinner at Andros Taverna for the first time recently, and I had a wonderful time!…read moreI've been multiple times for brunch, but this was my first dinner experience, and it will not be my last. My friends and I started the evening with champagne and the Mezze Collection, which is an assortment of spreads and pita. I've had this before at brunch, and it is a REQUIREMENT at Andros. We then ordered a salad, mussels, lamb shoulder, and the whole fish (Andros style) to share. Several of the items were on their specials menu for the night, and they were all to die for. The fish was prepared and deboned at the table, which took out all the stress and work! I can't wait to come back for another dinner experience!

This place has been on my list for a very long time and we got in for a Valentine's Day…read morereservation. I was really excited about the limited menu because I wanted the shredded lamb shoulder. Our reservation was at 5:30... About as early as you can get for dinner and yet they were already sold out of the special so that was really disappointing that they would be so unprepared for one of the most popular dinner date holidays of the year... Alternatively, we went with a bunch of appetizers and split two entrées. Somewhere delicious somewhere very mid and somewhere a let down. Here's the breakdown: - Fried zucchini chips 5/5 - one of my favs in the city - Octopus 2/5 - one of my least favs in the city... it lacked flavor, was a small portion for the price and had a gooey string that grossed us both out - Fish spread that started with an M... haha 5/5 - I can't remember the name, but this was delicious! It was definitely pricey for the portion though especially because it didn't include pita... We had to pay an additional seven dollars for two pieces of pita, which was ridiculous - Oysters - 4/5 - husband enjoyed - Katifi cheese pie 4/5 - very tasty! Sweet and pricey but worth it - On special - fried fish- 2/5 - the waitress described these as small bite-size fish, but that is not how they came out and instead, it was really difficult to debone them and you hardly got any meat out of it. The flavor wasn't bad, but the experience was disappointing. I will say that they comped these after our feedback. - Gyros - 2.5/5 - it's not that these were bad per se... But I've had way better in the city to include fast, casual restaurants, and the price for the portion was pretty ridiculous again. Hardly any accoutrements. - Rockfish with pistachio brown butter - 5/5 - I believe this fish was on special and she described it as being a sweeter fish. They did come to the table and cut it for you so it was a lot easier to eat. The fish was cooked perfectly and had a sweet flavor. I also liked that you could choose your own dressing because the brown butter pistachio was delicious. - baklava froyo 3/5 - i'll bump this up to three because my husband liked it more than I did, but I was very disappointed by this dessert. The Greek yogurt was sour as to be expected, but instead of having actual baklava or pistachio flavor to balance it out, it basically just tasted like they dumped simple syrup on it and it was like a sour ice cream with just pure sugar drizzle... It really didn't come together for me. Overall, the service was really good and our waiter was very sweet. Also, our wine was delicious and the zucchini chips and fish spread were good, so maybe we would come for appetizers and drinks, but I definitely wouldn't return for a Greek dinner with the other options we have in the city.

From the moment you walk in, it's clear that Athenian Room holds a beloved place in the Lincoln…read morePark community! It's a mom-and-pops shop through and through- you'll see homely decor, a simple but well done menu, and people from all walks of life coming together over delicious food. The staff was warm and attentive throughout the meal and brought out delicious complimentary french bread. It's pretty cool that although the restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, staff from the adjacent bar came around every so often and took orders. For appetizers, we started with the feta and olive appetizers. They were good, but I'd probably order something a little more unique next time. I opted for the chicken kalamata dinner for the main event, which came with more french bread and a salad. The salad came out first, and it was pretty simple with minimal dressing. I wished there had been more variety in produce and something besides iceberg lettuce for greens. I'd recommend getting some feta on the side to add some flavor. The chicken, however, was absolutely outstanding. It was super tender, seasoned beautifully with za'atar, and brined in vinegar (I think). The za'atar seasoned french fries underneath were extra crispy and perfectly soaked up the extra sauce from the chicken. For the price, this place is a steal- you really can't beat the quantity and quality of food that you get. Overall, a great experience- I definitely recommend making a stop if you're in the area!

Sadly I found this place right before I move…read more This place is cash only so make sure to come prepared - I do think there's an atm at the bar next door if you do forget. We tried the skirt steak and chicken. The steak is OUTSTANDING. I'm not sure what secret spice blend they use in the kitchen but it's delicious. We always make sure to order a side of pita and Tzatziki to make our own gyros. The chicken is also a great choice, but the steak remains #1. The service here is always quick. We've never had to wait for a table, but if we did the bar connected next door is a great place to hang out in the meantime.

I don't really go out to Greek restaurants often but this place was really good. There were 10…read morepeople in our party and we ordered around 16 dishes. We ordered the breads and the spread and the pita was so warm and delicious! The spicy feta and the tzatziki were a hit. We ordered some horiatiki salata which was a nice and refreshing taste to balance all the heavy meats. If you want to try everything and people aren't picky, family style is the best! We started off with the crispy zucchini and egg plant. These were fried and more like veggie chips. Nonetheless the crunch with the dip was delectable. The waitress was so helpful and she served/cut each plate so everyone got to try one. The saganaki (Greek pan fried cheese) came out flamed! Such a show stopper and really delicious, dense cheese. We also ordered the slow roasted lamb gyros, charred octopus, bouzoukia potatoes, wagyu beef skewer, chicken skewer, grilled lamb skewer, grilled roasted chicken, and branzino. We ordered A LOT of food and every dish was so flavorful and packed a punch. Lastly, we finished it off with dessert with loukoumades which are Greek fried donuts. Such a sweet and warm dessert to end off an amazing meal. Truly impeccable service, vibes were amazing, and 10/10 would come here again!

Don't think greek food should be expensive bc it's just like a skewer meatballs and potatoes but I…read morewas pleasantly surprised Lamb was tender and herbs came through, rly nice char on it too. Meatballs were surprisingly tender for meatballs, low expectations but impressed it was more than just a lump. POTATOES WERE FIRE super crispy and not too oily. Am a fan Tzatziki and yogurt sauce were both delicious and tasted completely different, kinda thought they would be same thing different font.

So, this is not the cute Greek restaurant you visit in Greektown. This is "the walk through the ice…read morecream shop and display cases, to the dark panel traditional Chicago-style bar, back to the rear and up some stairs to chairs and tables in a dining room with TVs on the wall" type of spot. And I was here for it! Great service from our server. Good quality and variety of food. (Hello, octopus?!). The "Greek" dressing on my Greek salad was...interesting. I'll definitely make sure to just ask for oil and vinegar next time. Drinks were a generous pour and didn't take long to be made. Overall, it's what I'd consider a "true Chicago kickback spot"z: No frills, but worthy.

We keep coming back! We recently discovered the grilled vegetables skewers and they're surprisingly…read moreawesome... and make you feel less guilty about the rest of the meal. We usually get take out. One time we dined in (an early weeknight with our toddler) and for some reason the food wasn't as good, maybe it was what we ordered. The burger wasn't anything special and didn't really satisfy my burger craving. When we dined in, we got the flaming saganaki cheese and it was a lot of fun. I wish I had my toddlers reaction on camera- she got really scared. The saganaki was delicious but I def felt guilty eating all that greasy cheese. We'll keep ordering gyro, saganaki sticks, chocolate cake, and vegetable skewers for takeout and will give dine-in another shot. They're very kid-friendly!

Nice atmosphere, great service, and really good food…read more Recommended dishes: Whole fish, octopus, spreads with pita Ambiance 5/5 Service 4.5/5 Food 5/5

I have been going to Avli since they opened their first one in Winnetka. I have been to Avli in the…read morePark several times. When I saw their brunch for Greek Easter, I made reservations me and my son. Aside from the food (which is always delicious) the experience was terrible from start to finish. First, they tried to seat us in the back along the wall even though there were several lovely tables open along the window and bar. When I asked to be seated at one of those tables, we were told they were reserved for bigger parties. (This has actually happened before, but typically one of the owners is there and quickly accommodates) This time, we waited for a manager and literally stood in the middle of the dining room for close to 5 min before a manager came and said they were cleaning a table. The table they sat us at was for 4 people; as were the ones supposedly being saved for a bigger party. I accepted the table because at that point was too frustrated to push back. Our waiter was friendly; however more concerned with asking us if we wanted more drinks, than taking the dirty dishes off the table. He rarely came back to the table. When we finally got our check he informed me that 20% gratuity was included. At that point I was so flustered I did not push back. This gratuity was definitely not earned and explains why he was not inspired to take care of us. Although I love my Greek heritage and want to support Greek owned businesses;this Easter experience was a bust and I will think twice about returning.