Greek Islands Restaurant

Wonderful, light tzatziki, for starters. Would love to have it with something other than the fresh bread, so filling. Oh, wait — the spanakopita goes really well with it, not that it needs it. Saganaki fun, too. So much more on the so long menu, I can’t wait to come back. Efcharistopoli!

I was in Chicago for business and I wanted to try some Greek cuisine. I went to the Greek Islands Restaurant based on Unilocal recommendations, and I really enjoyed it.
The atmosphere is casual and welcoming. I loved hearing the staff all speak Greek to each other.
The waiter recommended the Flaming Saganaki Cheese and it was spectacular! A crispy crust with a gooey melted center, and a touch of lemon. A must have!
For dinner I had the Combo Plate. I chose the Roast Leg of Lamb and the Pastichio. The lamb was well cooked, but a little bland. The Pastichio was delicious. It was served with a roasted potato which was also very good.
I had the baklava for dessert. It was a huge portion, but it was good. Not spectacular, but good.
The service was fast and the staff was friendly. Overall I would recommend this place. I would definitely come back.

A friend recommended this spot and as we are both Greek, I knew it was going to be amazing.
Saganaki was great with a perfect caramelized crunch, avgolemono soup (my fave) has a rich lemon flavor that’s not too overpowering, and the Horiatiki salad was fresh (needed more dressing, though).
My friend got Mousaka that he deemed wonderful! The Keftedes, meatballs, we’re slathered in an amazing sauce and had just a hint of mint, not too much. The potatoes were perfect!
Hillas beer is a great companion to the meal, but we couldn’t make room for dessert!
The staff is also amazing. You can see that they have a system to ensure you are always being taken care of, the food came out quickly and out waters were never empty. Awesome place!

I was trying to decide what place to eat at in Greektown. With mixed reviews on the restaurants I found Greek Islands with the best reviews. I was totally amazed on how authentic and wonderful everything was. I dared myself to try grilled octopus (which I am not into seafood) and yet I loved it! Then I got the gyros with pita bread and omg it was delicious as well. Not surprising because I always enjoy gyros. I loved the service as well. Fast, friendly service and a beautiful Greek atmosphere! I couldn’t believe how jam packed busy it was for a Tuesday afternoon! I ate lunch around 12ish so I guess that’s why it was busy haha. Definitely worth the moderate prices (9.95 for octopus and 8.95 for gyros, which yeah isn’t bad at all!) thanks for the fantastic experience Greek Islands! See you again! I will be back!

This restaurant is the best! They offer the best in greek dining… Love the Swordfish Shishkabob, Love the Lamb Hasapa, and the Lamb and Artichokes, and My Father is in love with the vegetable plate they make for him if he asks for it. Yum Yum Yum! My family has been going to this restaurant for many many years, and not one of us has a bad thing to say about it… Valet is awesome, their food is AMAZING!
BTW not only are the photos helpful, but they also make my mouth water ;-)

It’s quite an experience to enjoy the food and the hospitality the way these guys will go out of their way to take care of you.
Their Family Dinner is a feast beyond your imagination and totally affordable.

We had to wait a very long time as they would not seat us untill and unless everyone arrived. I did like the drinks that they were offering at the Bar :)
I had spartan chicken and some pork chops, both of which were amaaaazing. The flaming cheese was a treat. I found the environment very friendly too.

A super duper hit anytime! Food — outstanding; ambience — outstanding; service — outstanding;
The best lamb I ever ate! Chicken was splendid too, cooked perfect with an amazing sauté in tomato sauce.
I am totally in love with this place.

Came here around 1 on a Tuesday afternoon. Here’s the rundown:
Service — a bit on the slow side. Had to ask for more iced tea even though it was slow. However, the server was a bit of a character (in a good way)
Saganaki (flaming cheese) — very good! creamy and well toasted
Bread on the side — good, especially with the olive oil, which was rich and well flavored
Gyros — 2 stars. Meat was ok, but it’s served on that horrible thick massed produced pita. Plain onions, not nearly enough sauce nor tomatoes
Keftedes — the meatballs themselves were 4 stars. The sauce was a bit sweet and I think thickened with cornstarch. Rice was kinda bland, and the potato wedge was like one of those ones sitting out on a buffet line for 4 hours.
Lemon Chicken soup — didn’t try it, looked ok, and the person who ordered it liked it.
Other than the gyros it wasn’t bad, but wasn’t impressive either.

Came here with a big group of people and we had a bunch of food.
Flaming Saganaki Cheese — I thought it tasted OK, it was entertaining watching the guy who served them light them on fire next to us though
Athenian salad — standard fare with feta and olives and greens, nothing special.
Mousaka — ugh did not enjoy this at all, it was weirdly spiced with cloves or something and I couldn’t finish my portion. Usually I love mousakas but I didn’t like theirs for some reason.
Kontosouvli (pork on the spit) — this was spiced well but too dry for my taste
Baklava — best part of the meal (I mean, you’ve got to have good baklava at a Greek restaurant!). I appreciated that they offered coffee to us after the meal.
Service was quick. I wasn’t impressed with the food unfortunately so I won’t be coming back.

All the items on their Saturday Special menu ran out by 10pm, but there was no wait.
Complimentary Bread –cold and hard to chew
Flaming Saganaki Cheese ($ 6.50) — tasty and hot cheese that goes well with the bread, only item I recommend
Med Chicken Breast ($ 13.95) –very salty and lemony, the rice lacked flavor
Bekri Meze (new item on the menu, $ 14.95) — salty, pork tenderloin soaked in a tomato sauce
Quick service ands great ambiance, but the food wasn’t spectacular. Maybe we chose the wrong items to order.

Very busy place on the weekend. Waited 30 minutes in a crowded area by a bar that had a terrible beer selection. Wound up seated close to the kitchen in a high traffic area. The server was attentive but a bit surly. As I’m continuously searching for the best gyros in town, I ordered the dinner plate. ⁷⁄₁₀. I expected better, but wasn’t disappointed and definitely demolished the leftovers around 3am that night (drunk). My overall experience here was, for lack of a better word, strained. My expectations for upscale dining include a level of quality, intimacy, and service that just wasn’t present at the Greek islands. Perhaps, given the hype, I set the bar too high.
Bottom line is I will not, of my own accord, return. I would however recommend the Island’s to friends and out of towner’s looking for solid Greek cuisine.

Luv the free parking, consistently good food and OPA aka Saganaki :)

1. My favorite Greek restaurant in all of Chicagoland.
2. One of my favorite go to restaurants in Chicago period.
Greek Islands is a professional operation from the moment you pull up to the free valet parking curb, till the moment you are waiting at the same curb to pick up your car. This is a large, vibrant, spotless, and attractive restaurant. It is always full of happy people eating comfort Greek food. Large portions, freshly prepared.
I always start with some Metaxa, sets the mood right. But dudes, my gyros was a little dry last night. The meat pie was perfect though.
Opah.

Excellent food and even better customer service.
I brought a group of 27 seniors here on a weekday afternoon and the waitstaff couldn’t have handled the the meal any better.
We dined family style with several appetizers, entrees and desserts. My personal favorite was the Spanakopita. Food was brought out in a very timely manner and drinks were always refilled.
A big shout-​out to Nick, the other waiters and manager on duty for helping me to deal with an emergency situation that arose with one of my guests; resulting in having to call 911. Staff handled the stress so well, all the while helping other guests.
You never want an emergency to occur; let alone at a restaurant in front of a group of unfamiliar faces. The staff at Greek Isles far exceeded their normal realm of duties and really went above and beyond to make a tough situation better.
I’d love to come back… with my husband next time. :)

This has always been my go-​to place for Greek food. Then, a couple of years ago, I decided to try some of the other restaurants on Halsted. And while each has its own merits, Greek Islands is still my favorite.
I thiink one of the best parts of any Greek meal is the sesame bread and olive oil. Their bread always tastes like it just came out of the oven, and the olive oil is perfect for dipping. Recommended bread spreads are the Tzatziki (cucumber, yogurt and garlic), and the Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant).
Since I’ve never been successful at cooking lamb, I often order it out. My favorite dish is their roast loin of lamb, always tender and with a lot of flavor. I always ask them to substitute the potato with Greek green beans, sauteed with olive oil, tomatoes and amazing seasonings. (The green beans aren’t on the menu, but are usually available.)
Since I’ve also never mastered the skill of cooking octopus, another of my favorites is their grilled marinated octopus. Many restaurants overcook this dish, which makes it tough, but Greek Islands always gets it right.
Lots of other pluses, including free valet parking, a good selection of Greek wines, and good service. This restaurant can get packed on weekends and when there’s a big convention in town, so eat early or be prepared to wait in their large bar area.
I like to split a dessert to have with coffee at the end of a meal. If there’s one area where Greek Islands could improve, it’s desserts. (Why do most Greek restaurants offer the same boring desserts?) So after a meal here, we often head a few blocks south to Artopolis, which has a fabulous selection of desserts and coffee drinks. I’ll review that soon.

With so many great Greek restaurants in the area, and sooooo little time, I’d rather leave myself a reminder as to what I loved at this specific Mediterranean eating place, than run down the list of inconsequential vibe and atmosphere concerns.
Free Valet — CHECK!
Complimentary fresh bread and olive oil — CHECK!
Excellent Saganaki — CHECK!
Excellent Taramosalata — CHECK!
Excellent Pastitsio — CHECK!
Friendly service and unique experience — CHECK!
The not so excellent… gyros were good, don’t get me wrong. Seasoned and spiced well, but a bit dry after being over-​cooked on the grill post spit slicing. We tried the shrimp tourkolimano, but I’ll be damned I can’t remember a thing about it/​them.
Definitely grab some apps, a Greek combo entrée, dessert, and coffee. Just don’t leave the AmEx at home!

Greek Islands deserves all the props in the world because I’ve never, ever had a bad meal here! Being my first Greek restaurant here in Chitown and taking many first-​timers to eat myself, it sends me chills every time I hear «OPA!»
My good buddy took me here with his girl when I first came to Chicago. Seeing that it was walking distance from me, of course it’d be a no-​brainer that we come. The first time we came, we did it family style, which comes with appetizers, gyros, some main dishes, and dessert. The following dinner dates have been a la carte with both food and wine, and there has yet to be a time where I didn’t enjoy my experience.
One thing’s for sure, you have to order these two appetizers: saganaki (flaming cheese) and taramosalata (roe spread). If I had just these two on my plate, I’d be good for the rest of the evening. They put on a quick show for you before presenting the cheese, and the roe spread on Bruschetta is to die for.
As for the mains, I highly recommend a plate of their gyros, which taste better and less oily as those chain gyro shops around the corner. Anything with lamb here is another must! The way they braise their lamb meats and stew it is phenomenal. Lastly, I recently had their sea bass, which was incredible! A nice hint of citrus over juicy bass made this the perfect dinner.
Service here has always been friendly and fun, as well as the ambiance. They have a large open patio that is perfect for summertime.
It’s hard for me to try other restaurants in Greek Town because this place is so great. Perhaps I’ll get to them one day, but for now, I am staying on this island for sure.

Weeknight crave for some Greek food led us to Greek Islands. We pulled up & saw they had free valet parking. Sweet!
Walking in, it looked packed but we quickly realized that was the line for the to-​go orders. Phew, I was starving!
We were seated immediately & greeted shortly after that. The dining room was crowded but it seemed there were enough servers to handle it.
I tried the Nostos (Greek) white and red wine. I wasn’t a fan of the white but I loved the red so much, I bought a bottle to bring home.
For our appetizers we had the Saganaki, taramosalata & shrimp tourkolimano. All were very delicious & there was more than enough for the three of us.
For my entrée I had the Gyro and chicken combo plate. The chicken fell off the bone & the gyro was perfect!
We loved our visit & can’t wait to go back!

This place was recommended to me by a local and since I was staying in the Greek town.
They have an extensive menu and we were presented with specials of the day, the roasted lamb leg caught my attention immediately, however I was told that they were out of lamb legs, I tried to get something else and also told they were out of that. I wasn’t able to get my top two choices, which was disappointing!
We ended up getting some other things from regular menu, they were all pretty tasty.

Mon resto grecque préféré à Chicago. À tester absolument: le Roast Loin of Lamb, je né suis pas un grand fan d’agneau mais ce morceau est délicieux.