Samos Restaurant

Great food and customer service!

My mother and I were at Bayview hospital and were absolutely famished. The food at that hospital is not very appealing, so after checking with a few nurses, we decided to order from Samos. Unfortuntely, they only deliver catering, so we had to leave the hospital to get our food. My mom had eaten there in the past and remembered the food being very good.
The restuarant is on the corner in a neighborhood and it was very hard to find a parking space because of the monumental amount snow we received over the weekend…30 inches :-o My mother went in while I double parked. A minute later both she and one of the women who work there came out and told me to park in one of the nicely shoveled out spaces that had a place holder. Anyone from here knows that you just dont take a parking space that someone has worked so hard to dig out. In any event, the woman from Samos gave me a sign to place in my windshield which stated ‘Im in Samos, please come in when you arrive and we will move our car”. Or somethign like that. She said that they have an agreement with their neighbors to help their customers out in situations like that.
So back to the food. When we walked in, it smelled incredible. Yummmm! Its pretty small inside and not fancy, but cozy. While we waited for our food, the women in the front were incredibly hospitable. They talked to us the whole time we waited and they shared how they had both been long time employees because they just love working in the restaurant so much. My mother was given a cup of coffee on the house (you give that woman some coffee and shes hooked). While we did not eat in, I wish we had.
We ordered a large Greek salad, chicken gyros and 2 Chicken Souvlakis. The salad was very very fresh. The dressing was a little diffrent than the normal oil dressings you receive with Greek salad. It was creamy, but not creamy. If that makes sense. The Gyros were really really good. The pita bread was flavored very well.
All in all, it was a very pleasant experience. Great customer service, good food and good prices. I will be back soon, and next time, I will eat in to get the full experience.

This place is fantastic. Really great and authentic Greek food. You can tell the difference from their gyros and other places. The best tzatziki sauce!

There are not enough stars to award to Samos. It is outstanding food, exceeded only by the warmth and friendliness of the people who work there. Nick is an amazing guy with an unbelievable work ethic… Cooking 6 days a week for 38 years! Don’t waste your time with the American or Italian food… Go for the sensational Greek specialties. The Greek spreads, spinach and other pies, gyros and salad dressing are particularly wonderful. A favorite place among those in the know… And may be the only restaurant in the world that’s worth waiting in line for a table.

Amazing Greek food! We stopped here on the way to DC since it was conveniently located off of 95. It was super busy during lunch but we were seated relatively quickly.
Everything we ordered was excellent. I can honestly say that they have the best octopus dish I have ever had. Usually octopus can be overly chewy if not prepared well but it was excellent here.
I would also highly recommend the Neptune salad and Gyro. Additionally, the fries were cooked to perfection; golden, hot, and crispy.
I will definitely stop by this place again next time I am in town.

Wonderful grilled Bronzino served with lots of grilled vegetables. I love the rice pudding and crab cakes too.

BYOB, friendly staff, cute atmosphere, and awesome food. There’s really nothing not to like about Samos.
I came with a friend on a Thursday night, and were seated immediately. We ordered the grilled octopus, gyro, and the galaktoboureko (custard dessert).
The octopus was grilled perfectly, super tender, and marinated simply with olive oil, garlic and lemon. The gyro had thinly-​sliced and savory meat (I think it might have been beef), tomato, onions, and tzatziki all wrapped in a soft pita. Very fresh, to-​the-​point, and delicious.
The dessert was pretty darn delicious. It was basically a cream custard, wrapped in filo dough, and baked, then topped with a sweet honey syrup. Crispy on the outside, gooey and creamy on the inside, and not as sweet as I would have imagined. Wow, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I guess that means I’ll need to come back… really soon!

Best Greek Food in Baltimore! Get the Tour of Samos, bring your own wine, sit back and enjoy!

Being near the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs, FL lets me get my Greek food fix. I feel like I’m cheating on my Greek restaurants back home for Samos, and I’m hooked. Wanting something small, I got the Samps special Greek salad with gyro meat. I got a side of the grilled halloumi cheese because another Unilocaler’s picture of it had me salivating. The grilled cheese is salty and has a nice firm texture and is just pure awesome. The gyro meat is delicious, and yes their homemade dressing lives up to high expectations. There was so much food I could only eat half of everything I ordered (so pretty much two meals for $ 13– great deal!). Wish I had saved room for baklava, but that just gives me another reason to come back!

I’ve tried to like other Greek places, but I just can’t. It’s like that badass boyfriend that you keep coming back to. That’s Samos for you. The best Greek food in and around town. Everything is made fresh, it’s a small, family owned restaurant. They also care about their community and employ people in the community. They donate food to local organizations and schools, which is awesome. Considering the fact that you can leave so full with an appetizer, drink and meal for 30 bucks for two, that’s a deal! I love most of their appetizers from domaldes, to pies to their spreads. Their gyros are all delicious and so are their French fries. They also give you large cups to drink, so you don’t need a million refills (take out cups are gargantuan and the eat in ones are still big).
If you don’t like sitting on top of one another, you might want take out. There are about a total of 10 tables in the place, so get there early or just get take out. Or you will wait. Take out is quick as ever– 10 minutes usually (depending on what you get). The waitresses are sometimes cordial and nice, and other times not. But that’s part of the experience, and it’s worth it for the food. Also, be sure to bring your dollar dollar bills y’all. They do not accept credit cards. They have an ATM machine in the back, but be prepared to pay an arm and a leg in fees. So just bring cash. But I swear, it’s all worth it!

Our favorite Greek restaurant from coast to coast.
Their salad dressing is great. We buy a bottle for home when we leave.
Pizza fries awesome.
Pizza awesome.
Grilled octopus awesome.
Gyro awesome.
Hummus awesome.
Lamb chops. Double awesome.
The wait is long on the weekend so expect to wait 30 – 60 minutes.
BYOB. There is a liquor store down the street

Limited vegetarian options so I went with the vegekabob for lunch. It’s actually not a kabob of vegetables on a stick, just a plate of veggies with pita and rice. It was good but maybe a little something extra would do the trick. I’ll give it 3.5 stars. Good, not great but better than Ok.

Had the shrimp gyro for dinner and while it was delicious, it only contained three shrimp and lots of tomatoes. I love tomatoes in general but it was not balanced as well as I would like.
The shrimp would not be so bad if the chef would cut each piece of shrimp into three pieces. Having to do that myself and making a mess was not a desired situation. As a result of this, I did take one star off my review.

My friend wanted to come here and I’m glad I went along. it was close to closing but there were still a lot of people dining and hanging out. The staff seemed sweet, looks like a family owned and operated restaurant.
Ambiance was ok seemed casual with paintings all around and old pots lining the top of the wall.
The food, which is really the only part that matters, was great! We ordered the large Greek salad and the tzatziki appetizer. Both were delicious! I love the dressing for the salad too! For my main entrée I ordered the lamb gyro! it came out fully stuffed and hot! it was probably the best gyro I’ve had, ever! Also the sweet tea is pretty awesome too!
The best part was it didn’t cost an arm and a leg! It came to about $ 13 per person for 4 of us and that’s including tip!
You’re probably wondering why I only gave 4 stars… I deducted a star because even though the food was delicious. The table and condiment containers were sticky and unclean. Not a huge deal for most, but I have a thing about sticky surfaces…

Everything we tried here was tasty, including the Octopus (o.O). The service wasn’t super fast (even at lunchtime during the week), and we didn’t see the no credit card signs (even though we should have, there are several).
We were super happy with our meal and managed to scrape together the cash across our table (ooooops). Definitely got the feeling there are a ton of regulars that the staff knows (and paid a bit more attention to).
Oh, definitely try the lemon soup. It sounds super weird, but was amazing. I don’t know why I’d never heard of it before. I’m totally going to have to see if I can make it myself (Baltimore is kind of a hike for me lol)
Edit: There is street parking, and it seemed plentiful enough.

Well to be the 321^st review doesn’t add much I guess but I care enough about the experience of the fantastic restaurant to do so anyway.
It is BYOB and cash only. No reservations but the wait moves quickly.
In the heart of Greektown, and our first visit, was so impressive. The portions are really large. Dinner for three was $ 79. We chose the brandy flambé cheese, a Trio of spreads on fluffy pitas… so great. We chose a roe spread, tapanade, and eggplant spread. All great and a lot of food. The grilled whole fish with Greek potatoes and veggies was perfectly cooked, the chicken dish enormous, and my son had his first lamb souvlaki. Platters come with a great Greek salad… with anchovies if you like. Finally we packed in a delicious home made baklava. We took home enough for lunch and more.
The service is simply great, seems really just real… authentic…patrons were as nice as those running the place.

This is as good as it gets! I have to state that I am pretty knowledgeable on this having worked at a Greek restaurant for 2 years. ;)
First please note Samos is BYOB. There are plenty of stores in walking distance if you do forget. Bring more than you think cause chances are you’ll be waiting. Especially if you come on Friday or Saturday night. But trust it is worth the wait! They are also CASH ONLY!
Anyway! The gyros are amazing as they have the vertical broiler. The salads are amazing with their homemade dressing. Spanakopita is flaky and delicious and the Moussaka! Yum!
We have called ahead and picked up, the food is always ready hen we arrive.
Make sure you finish with a baklava or galaktoboureko! And order a gyro to go. You’ll be craving it tomorrow around lunch!
Next trip I have to get the avgolemono (lemon chicken soup) but it always slips my mind. The Greeks swear it will cure any cold and I have yet to prove it wrong.
(kalinýchta — good night!)

Visiting for the night and was looking for a great restaurant to go to. Asked around and came across this Greek goddess of lamb decadence. And let me tell you, Zeus just shit his toga!
As soon as we got here we were informed it was BYOB. With coming empty handed we immediately asked where the nearest liquor store was. Not only did they have a liquor menu, they also had a wine/​beer delivery service which was at cost, with no delivery fee. They showed up within 3 minutes from ordering… Awesome!
The food was incredible. We had the grilled calamari to start and both had the lamb chops for our entrees. The calamari was immaculate! Grilled lightly and seasoned perfectly. The lamb was Cooked to perfection and accompanied with potatoes and vegetables.
When I come back to Baltimore I will definitely be stopping here again for a great meal!

The food was incredible! Service was great! Atmosphere was like a diner+, not surprising considering how many diners in Baltimore are Greek-​owned. No liquor license… eep.
Take a look at this food though! The grilled octopus was delicious. A hint of crunchy crust and light and fresh. The Bronzino was amazing. So juicy and flavored deliciously with olive oil, garlic and lemon. The grilled veggies and oven roasted potatoes were great as well.
My dad had the lamb chops which he lived. His medium rare was cooked perfectly. My mom’s Chilean sea bass with spinach and feta was great. Heavier than mine but that’s why I didn’t get it. My grandmother got the dish I liked least but that was because of my mood, not the entrée: Shrimp Plaka. Tomato sauce, feta, pasta, and tons of shrimp. It was delicious and would have been up my alley if I was hungrier.
The atmosphere was fine but I wouldn’t give 4 stars because it help me back from «loving» the place. It was a little bright and a little bland but if that’s what you’re going there expecting there’s nothing wrong with it.
Then the liquor license issue is severely mitigated by the fact that they have menus printed from the liquor store on the corner that will deliver beer and wine to your table and you can even place your order with the waiter. They will order it for you and the liquor store brings it. The selection of beer and wine is no more limited than your average restaurant but there is no liquor to be had.
Overall Samos is a great restaurant. If you want a less expensive version of Baltimore’s new very high-​priced Greek option, this is definitely a place to try. The fact that it is so out-​of-​the-​way in Greek Town and doesn’t have much in the way of atmosphere takes it down a few pegs. HOWEVER, if you go in expecting a great meal with great service at reasonable prices you will not be disappointed.

I was SO CLOSE to giving this place a 5. It was on the tip of my fingers, and then I discovered it was cash only. Fortunately there’s an ATM at the back, but it’s kind of lame that we have to be charged $ 5 extra dollars (between that ATM’s charges and my bank’s) so the owner can save money on merchant’s fees. Clearly he’s still in business, and from what I tasted I can see why. Maybe I’m the only one who cares about the cash aspect? Either way, he’s probably not going to change any time soon, and I’d still go back. So he wins that battle.
The server told us that she’s been working there since 1987, which is pretty awesome. She was happy to give us refills on home made iced tea and lemonade mixed (AKA the Arnold Palmer). I ordered a small Greek salad that we ended up sharing between the 2 of us because it was huge. House made dressing was very tasty. I’d like to learn how to make it, but I’d probably be scared to know the calories.
My hubby ordered a cheese pie, which was also large enough to share. Sadly after this I was full, because thinking I’d just have a small salad and a gyro… here comes this behemoth. A half pound (at least it felt like it) of perfectly seasoned and sliced meat with creamy tzatziki and tomatoes so tender, red and fresh I thought maybe I’d gone back in time to my grandmother’s garden. The pita, was toasted or grilled, but warm and soft, freshly made with some sort of seasoned glaze on it… I was no more good. Full or not, I was going to tackle this bad boy. And the sounds that came from my face were near indecent for public.
By far… the BEST gyro I’ve ever had in my life. And after thought, I decided, that instead of a 4, yes, Samos deserves a 5. Because our server was on top of things, thoughtful and pleasant, the atmosphere was casual but the place was spotless and the food, my god… the food. Om nom. So 5 it is, and deserving of every bit of it. But jeez, guys, learn to take credit cards!!!