Grecian Gardens Pizza & Restaurant

They say that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Well, this is true of Grecian Gardens in Clifton Park. My fiancée and I decided to meet up here with her friend and her friend’s husband; apparently, this is her friend’s husband’s favorite restaurant.
Right away, I could tell that this place needs a makeover badly. It looks like it hasn’t had a touch up since the 80s, which isn’t necessarily an indicator of poor food, but it just sets a scene that isn’t necessarily ideal.
The food wasn’t bad. I had their Grecian Gardens specialty pizza and my fiancée ordered the Eggplant Parmesan. The serving sizes were plentiful and the food was piping hot. It also came with warm bread and butter, which were good. But we both agreed that the food was just «ok,» nothing special. I don’t want to seem like I’m unnecessarily knocking this place, but the experience was, as Unilocal describes a 2-​star review, «meh.»
I wasn’t a fan of the fact that the server handled our drinks by the top, handing them to us by grabbing them with his palm over the opening of the glass. He also took my empty glass at one point without asking whether or not I’d like something else to drink.
I’d give this place another shot, especially if we had more Entertainment Book coupons (we ended up getting $ 16 off of our bill), but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Don’t go here! Food was small portions and not good at all. Owner and staff were rude. Save aggravation and $ and go somewhere else!

So disappointed. Grecian’s used to be one of my favorite local places to go. Went late afternoon on a Friday when it’s not very busy. Server was nice enough but super slow. She forgot our appetizer, remembered after our food was served. We both order off the «specials» menu. Stuffed sole tasted like it was from a box. The steak was SO tiny. Salads were made of iceberg lettuce, two tomato slices, croutons and a ton of onions. The house dressing is still really good. Had to flag the server down to bring our check.

My family and I have dined at this restaurant on multiple occasions. For some reason we usually end up here on Sundays. We found out they have specials throughout the week including chicken parmigiana, veal parmigiana, spaghetti and meatballs, and prime rib Sundays. Last year’s price for prime rib Sundays was $ 14.99. It has been a whole year later and now it is $ 15.99. Still the price is not bad and it includes a baked potato with a side of sour cream and butter, a green salad or soup, and rice pudding for dessert… a three course meal for a decent price. So now you know that I did not rush back to this restaurant after last year’s visit.
No, I don’t expect fancy service or very fancy food, as this establishment is a very casual, family style kind of restaurant. Actually it feels kind of like a diner. Grecian Gardens may have been around for many years now and they have renovated the entire restaurant within the past year or so. My family and I have dined here more than a handful of times and have tried their pasta, pizza, and some Greek specialties. We found the food pretty solid and everyone could find something they liked. This evening’s visit showed us the new décor, new plates and silverware… and also some new staff, but new doesn’t always mean good.
Hmm. Where to begin. This evening we settled for the prime rib special which included a choice of soup or salad, baked potato, prime rib, and rice pudding. Our server Emily took our orders for medium rare. I have never had any issue with this in past visits FYI. First we received our drinks, then the salad/​soup, then our entrees, then bread, then the check, and finally the rice pudding. As you can tell, the order of deliverance was kind of weird. Oh well. The frustrating part was when I was brought my prime rib and au jus was dripping off the side of the plate and onto my jeans and handbag. Whoops. Our server redeemed herself by bringing me club soda and a towel to see if it would help get the au jus out. At that time I just felt sloppy all over. The au jus was overflowing from the plate and I was frantically reaching for paper napkins to soak it all up. Anyway, in my photos, you will see a prime rib from last year on an old oval plate, and then you will see the prime rib I had this evening on a new modern square plate. The difference is huge. I asked for medium rare but what I got was well done. When our server asked us how our meal was we were honest and said it wasn’t like before. The prime rib was tough and chewy. Then came the best thing you’ll hear for the evening, that it was what is expected from ordering prime rib. That almost sounds like a sin and we were totally at fault for ordering it medium rare. Whoops again. The rice pudding really was the saving grace. Dreamy and cinnamon sprinkled within, the whipped cream atop this creamy rice pudding made me want more. The noise level was also on the high side as the tables are quite close to each other. We had some waitstaff and customers chatting loudly with one another right behind our table (we were seated close to the bar entrance) which I thought was quite unnecessary.
If you take anything away from this review, take that the pasta, pizza, and rice pudding are solid. The prime rib special is just not that special. Would I come again? No not by myself or with my friends, but if my family still insist. Maybe I should just stick with the simple comfort food or the Greek specialties. After all, it is name Grecian Gardens, right? So really I’m giving 2.5 stars for inconsistency and its because it was better in the past and has so much potential for improvement.

Really good garlic bread and strip steak my whole party was satisfied. The waiter was super nice and it’s a great spot to go after the great escape. Defiantly recommended.

My wife and I went to GG a couple of weeks back on a beautiful summer evening. Arrived at 6pm and the place was fairly busy. We asked to be seated outside and our request was granted. There were 4 available tables out there, so that was good. The other outside seating filled up in less than 10 minutes.
Took a long time for the serve to come out and get a drink order. We were the only table she had out there. Ordered the sodas and she arrived back with them in about 10 minutes. Finally took our food order but the other people who arrive after us already had their drinks and dinner orders taken.
I ordered a small pizza with pepperoni and my wife ordered spaghetti and meatballs. Food seemed to take a long time and it was as if the server had forgotten we were outside. Once we got the food, it was pretty good. Server never came back to refill our drinks which is a big no-​no in my book. Should never have to ask for a refill, especially when it is sunny outside and 80 degrees. When she did come back out, we just asked for the bill and a couple of boxes to go for the food we didn’t eat.
Food gets 3 stars and the service 0 stars. I am not once to complain but the service stunk. Will think twice about going back the next time. Plenty of other places in Clifton Park to eat.

I love eating meat on a pita with no sauce or condiments… not. Apparently don’t order To-​go here cause the basics don’t come with the meal.

Positives:
— Locally owned, appears to be family run, non-​chain
— They were accommodating allowing us to dine with our two small dogs — outside. [We asked first.]
— Accepted Entertainment book coupon without issue or hassle.
We were there for lunch on Sunday and it appears they were a bit understaffed — one primary waitress for the whole place. The service was good, but slow. Granted we were seated outside (at our request) and were the only people outside.
Food was OK, not exceptional but not bad. Given this place was called Grecian Gardens we went with Greek-​like selections including a Gyro and Grilled chicken soulvaki salad. Both were good, but not exceptional.
We probably will return if we are in the area but would not make a special trip to go here.

This was the worst food ever. I would not give it a single star…
We tried to gracefully inform the owner that the food was over salted and not edible; her response was even worse than the food… she shouldn’t be in the restaurant business, clueless about customer service.
Stay home and cook rather than submit to this over priced food that isn’t even worthy of being called «Greek food!»

I don’t get why people bash on this place! Best Italian food in the area and great pizza as well! They are also one of the only locally owned food spots in Clifton Park. Huge plus when you’re surrounded by chains.
They are also one of the few places that can make a Grasshopper. Major kudos there as well.
The prices are very reasonable and the wait staff is pretty awesome if you go in the evening. I’ve not had very many good experiences with the wait staff during the day time. There are usually only these two older women working during the day and they both act like you just seriously ruined their day by walking through the door. Makes you feel completely unwelcome. So I just avoid going during the day.
Instead we go there at night and get the awesome wait staff! I sure wish I knew their names, one is a younger red head, another is an older woman with reddish brown hair that’s ALWAYS smiling, and the other is a very serious looking younger guy. They all are amazing to my boyfriend and I.
This is easily one of my favorite spots.
The only con I would say I agree with from other reviews is the décor, yeah it’s not fabulous. But it could be a lot worse. And hey, at least its clean!
They just remodeled and it looks a lot better then it did.

Basically this is a Greek/​Italian diner with a fancier inside than most diners have. The food was not bad but if you are looking for exclusively Greek or Italian you’ll find limited menus for each type of cuisine. My fiancée and I went there on a Saturday night around 630PM and it was really busy but we were seated right away. She had the chicken marsala with angel hair pasta and I had the chicken souvlaki salad. She liked the chicken marsala but felt that the sauce was a little too buttery. My salad was really good. The meat was tender and well done, veggies fresh, and the sauce was tasty. Also, it was lined with pita bread triangles which were also very good. The service was pretty slow with our whole time spent in there clocking in over an hour with about 20 minutes of that just waiting for the check. From what I could tell most people were in there to eat the pizza which looked phenomenal. They have a regular crowd that goes in there so it may be worth your time to check it out at least once. If I go back I’m definitely sampling the pizza.

So, what happened to the Grecian Gardens? Brought friends there today, and it was terrible… first our waitress rushed our order, never asked us about refills, never smiled, flipped our containers to us, then rushed us out… I saw our food on the counter for at least 10 min… why? I also saw anothers club sandwich on the counter for the same amount of time… why? Our salads — ends of iceburg, nasty tomatoes, two olives, etc… This place has really gone downhill… last time we were there, my club sandwich, was so small, you had to look for it… as a plus, their fries are great… Overall, hit the diner before here — will be a much better experience… maybe time for a makeover… cooks & staff…

Glad to see the remodel very nice! I just hope the prices don’t go up.
If you like Pizza they have the best pizza in town!!.
as far as the Greek dishes I was really disappointed, not like the authentic food I am used to. Chicken tends to be dry like it is cooked ahead of time and microwaved and same for the bread it gets hard quick as if it was microwaved.
My suggestion would be to please use romaine lettuce for the salads not head lettuce that is brown and old looking. And some of the waitstaff need some training on their people skills, some act as tho they are doing you a favor by them waiting on you and not realizing we are their paycheck so wear a smile and be attentive. especially the lunch servers. There are a couple servers there that are outstanding and you can tell they love their job. Bob and Kim.
Overall the food is good and if you are looking for some great deals they have daily specials that are good especially the Prime Rib!

I really love coming here. The food is alright, and I like the Greek/​Italian combination menu. I grew up on Italian food, so I’m particular, although when it comes to the food here, It’s not bad and it’s not amazing. it’s just good. Some of the reviews I’m reading seem to suggest that it’s lousy. I disagree. I’ve never really had a bad meal here, although their pasta sauce could use some work… overall, it beats a lot of the other area restaurants offering the same. PS, the pizza is really good.

A cozy friendly atmosphere at the old Grecian Gardens. If your looking for a swanky nice restaurant, Grecian Gardens is not for you. I personally enjoyed the old outdated style of the restaurant. But that’s not the story, the food was where it was at. Starting out with the warm fresh bread at the beginning, the starter salad with dressing on the side was impressive. I ordered the chicken souvlaka and it was delicious. My wife ordered the chicken medititeranian and that very tasty as well. The portions are generous, so you will not leave hungry. I can kind of see how the other reviewers knocked the place. It kind of has that diner feel and there is a lot of variety on the menu, but that all works for me.

Meh. Went here after rock climbing at The Edge. I’m vegan, so I know it’s hard to find places with vegan options, but I’ve usually had good luck at Greek Places. The main issue I had was that items on the menu didn’t have descriptions under them. Who knew that the Greek Salad Wrap contained chicken (I asked before ordering)?? Perhaps it should be listed as «Greek Salad Wrap with Chicken», just a suggestion.

As someone that grew up with diners on every corner AND amazing Greek/​Mediterranean restaurants, I had high hopes due to the «Grecian» part-​name of this place.
So…it’s like a diner… but not quite. It’s like an Italian joint… but not quite. It’s like a Greek place…(sensing a pattern?)… This is definitely an oddball place: Italian/​American/​Greek. If you’re looking for Greek food (which I was) — there is a limited selection of real, authentic Greek stuff. I asked the waitress (who was fabulous — I’ll get to that later) if they had baba ganoush or taramasalata, she had no idea what I was even talking about. So, I settled for grape leaves (surprisingly VERY good) and the chicken souvlaki platter (came with a greek salad and fries). The salads were fresh and crispy with a hearty portion of not-​too-​salty feta cheese. The house dressing is served separately in large carafes, so you can drown your salad or use it sparingly. I enjoyed the fries… but I rarely meet a potato in any form that I dislike. The chicken was served inside one of those nice thick pitas, but, unfortunately, was cold and dry. The tzatziki sauce (served in small, covered plastic cups) was the perfect lubricant to get the chicken down.
One of the guys at the table had the potato skins — he loved ‘em. Two others had a small cup of the house soup — which they both enjoyed as well. The other main courses were Moussaka and Eggplant Parmesan. These dishes are HUGE portions, so there were some leftovers. Everyone enjoyed those choices — one of the folks at the table said that the Moussaka’s consistency was a bit too soft for her taste. but that the overall flavor was good.
They served us 2 baskets of white «italian» bread — which was warm and toasty when it came out, but got a bit hard after sitting for a bit (kinda like what happens with microwaving. but I have no idea if that’s what they do).
FYI — a table near us ordered pizza that looked really good.
None of us had any gullet space left, but we still managed to order and choke down some baklava. Big pieces (I prefer the smaller ones that are drowned in that honey-​sauce-​deliciousness) but it was still quite good.
The interior of this place could use an overhaul. Everything feels dated and just «not quite right». That said, the food is decent and we had the best waitress ever. (I did say that I was going to get to that…). I don’t think we got her name but she said that she’s pretty much there all the time. She’s attentive, funny and very quick witted (our group is particularly hard to keep up with)…she absolutely made the night.

The food here is pretty good. I brought my mom here for lunch, we each had soup and a sandwich. The portions were huge and everything was warm and delicious. I used to live in Clifton Park and have had their pizza a few times and it was always great as well.
I only have one complaint. My mom is (obviously) blind and uses a service dog. Upon greeting us the woman seating us told us the dog wasn’t allowed in the restaurant. I explained that he is a service dog and she still balked. Finally she agreed but said she would seat us away from the other customers. We ended up in a previously unused section that had the lights out and no other patrons.
After a while I asked the waitress about the woman who sat us and she said she was the owner. She inquired as to why, I informed her of what went on upon our arrival. Ironically the next 6 groups of people that entered the restaurant were sat within feet of us, filling up the previously vacant area. That being said, I’m glad the error of segregating us was alleviated. I’m just sad that it came after informing the waitress that I intended to publicize the events on here.

Not really Greek Food (or at least truly a Greek restaurant), not very good food overall.
Cheapish, not great. I have lived in Clifton Park many years, GG always leaves me wondering why we went. As Ian noted they have some cheap arse specials and they seem to draw a crowd of regulars.
The inside is kinda cheapish and at least once I remember it feeling a little grody, like it needed a scrub.

The Grecian Gardens is a good family restaurant offering a Greek-​Italian-​American menu including appetizers, salads, pizza, grinders, sandwiches, Grecian specialties, Italian entrees, seafood, children’s menu, and desserts. Daily specials that were offered (in Sept. 2007) include $ 4.99 Spaghetti & Meatballs on Mondays and $ 6.99 Chicken Parmigiana on Wednesdays. The restaurant has a cocktail lounge with TVs, the dining room has table and booth seating with a «cool» fountain in the center of the hardwood floor dining area, and there’s outdoor patio seating out front.
My friend and I stopped at the Grecian Gardens for dinner recently. We’ve been here on separate visits for the good pizza and Italian dinners, but we wanted to try the Grecian specialties on this visit. We started out with Diet Cokes ($ 1.99 each). My friend had the Greek Style Boneless Pork Chops ($ 13.99) served with Greek potatoes, broccoli, garden salad, and bread. The garden salad had lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onions and dressing. The complementary bread was toasted and warm. The two juicy pork chops were marinated with Greek herbs & spices, were tender with good flavors. The roasted potato chunks tasted salty and the broccoli was steamed.
I ordered the Moussaka ($ 11.99) served with a garden salad and bread. The Moussaka (layers of meat sauce, eggplant, potatoes, & topped with bchamel sauce) was a good heavy brick portion, served like a thick Greek lasagna and had good flavors, hot outside, warm inside. I perused the dessert menu which offered pies, cheesecake, ice cream, sundaes, shakes, peanut butter pie, baklava, tiramisu, chocolate cake, Oreo cookie bash, and rice pudding. I decided on the Rice Pudding ($ 2.25) which was served cool and topped with whipped cream, sweet taste and creamy texture.
We used an Entertainment coupon ($ 10 off two entrees) and the check was reduced to $ 22.21 before tax and tip, a great value for two diners. The service here was good on this visit with timely delivery of food and drinks. The waitress checked up on our table often asking if we needed anything else and offered free soda refills.