Greek Islands Restaurant

Wife and i came for a late lunch and wanted to try Mediterranean food, strolled thru this spot and never looked back. Best Greek food I have had so far. For real!

The food was AMAZING!!! My partner and I took a weekend gateway and found this cozy restaurant across the street from our hotel on June 5^th! What a GEM! We ordered the Chicken & Lamp Gyros, Greek Salad and fries… WOW!!! We love food, but we especially love GREAT food and this was the place! Our entire weekend was amazing, but this food was one of the highlights! I highly recommend it. Only recommendation would be better customer service. The owners are wonderful, but the waiter could have been a bit more customer service oriented.

Food was very good (saganaki, salmon, gyro), atmosphere was nice (music a little loud), but service from our waiter on a not-​very-​busy night was pretty mediocre. Not much attention. Would repeat, but would love to see a better attitude…

Nice Greek restuarante in Palm Springs. The outside patio is very nice for evening meals. They had a guitarist the night I went so it gave a nice ambience to the place.
Food is very good! Big Greek salad, plus some good appetizers. Main dishes were good as well. I had leg of lamb my wife had the mousakka.
Will definitely go back!

First of all, I really liked the atmosphere of this restaurant. I had dinner with a close friend. The restaurant was quiet and peaceful and gave us the chance to enjoy conversation. It’s unfortunate because I really wanted to like this place but between the service and the food, I will not be returning.
I ordered the lamb dish. It was overcooked and the meat was super tough. I didn’t eat much of it. Not because I was full but because I got tired of trying to chew. I had my friend and husband also try it and they were also disappointed.
What also made he experience bad is that our waiter Josh was rude. He can off to us as sassy. He would look right a dirty dish on the table and walk away. The host did ALL the bussing of the table. He was not attentive to us throughout the meal and said several snarky things throughout our meal. He was also eating the restaurant’s food right in front of us. We found this to also be uncomfortable and unprofessional.
I don’t know if it is just because it was slow that we got bad service and subpar food but I will not be returning.

Ordered TAKE OUT for two people on our last night of vacation in Palm Springs: Dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita (spinach awesomeness in puff pastries), small traditional Greek salad and moussaka.
(I can’t speak to dining at the actual restaurant, but it did not… hmm…overwhelm the senses when I went to pick up the food.)
We put half of everything on each plate and just gnoshed our way through it all until we had to come up for air or the plates were completely empty, I don’t remember which happened first.
Food was REALLY, REALLY good. The spanakopita were even better than some we had in the Greek islands during a cruise (which may not be saying much given the port town cattle calls).
If you’re looking for really good Greek food for take-​out, give ‘em a shot! We’ll definitely be back.

the food was not fresh at all. I ordered chicken skewers plate and it was not cooked at all. they re-​cooked it twice but was still raw and fishy! disappointed

I stumbled upon this place while walking around, looking for a place to have lunch after a morning of hiking at Joshua Tree NP. I love Greek food, and after seeing the generally good reviews for it on Unilocal,I went for it.
Waiting for a table when there were plenty available for lunch on a Sunday took way too long. It was at the point were I got really annoyed that the servers saw me standing there for about 8 minutes while being ignored. I considered leaving, but I was really hungry by then.
My waiter was okay, he forgot what I ordered though (dolmas and lamb gyros with rice), but the food itself was pretty good. The dolmas have good flavor and the tzatziki sauce was delicious. the wrapping for the dolmas was a loose on some of them so they fell apart when I was trying to eat it.
The gyros was absolutely delicious. The meat was seasoned well and very soft; the rice was also really well seasoned.
I had some baklava and Greek coffee for dessert and the coffee was delicious, but the baklava wasn’t very good. There wasn’t enough nuts in it, and the honey syrup made the phyllo soggy.
I would go back for another lamb gryo and a coffee, but the others I can go without.

Here is my take on this restaurant.
Atmosphere: Nice but in need of a bit of renovation. B+
Food: Excellent A
Service: Simply awful. If you stay with their pace which is designed to turn tables I suspect service is good. If you want a slower pace they lose track of you or simply ignore your requests. F

Food was good however portions were small. Unilocal stock photos were deceptive. Prices are on the higher side for the amount of food you get. Service was mediocre at best. See stock photo of appetizer and see actual. I was disappointed.

Delicious! Great varied menu. Something for everyone. Vegan, GF, vegetarian, meat-​eaters extraordinaire… served on a lovely patio (2 patio options, actually), or inside, if preferred.
Dishes were flavorful, made to request, and served with smiles. Great staff, Greek wines, and authentic desserts if desired!

Overall, disappointed by our meal. The appetizers are good. If I had to order again, I’d do appetizers only. Nice wine selection. Had a very good Greek white wine that was suggested by our server. No full bar.
Ordered the Branzini. The waiter forgot to tell us it takes ½ an hour. There seemed to be some confusion between the server, kitchen and the runner. The table next to us also ordered a Branzini and got there’s way ahead of ours despite ordering way before them. I have the feeling our meal went to their table. Waited and waited. Told the server we would order another appetizer while waiting and he said our food would be right out. That didn’t happen.
Turned out to be a long wait (40 minutes) for a mediocre meal.

Food was one of the best Greek food I have ever had the pleasure of dinning. It is quaint that the best Greek food I had is in the beautiful Palm Springs, it was unexpected and a lovely surprise. The calamari was the best grilled calamari I’ve ever had, the dinner continued on amazing till dessert. Thank you for this wonderful experience. Your hospitality and culinary skills are deeply appreciated and I will always remember this special place in my both my heart and belly

Dear Hometown Greek Restaurant,
We need to talk. I’m not sure how to tell you this, so I’m just going to say it. Rip off the band-​aid, you know? I cheated on you. It was while I was on vacation, so it wasn’t a place you would know. It was just one night but, man… what a night. The bright yellow exterior was the first thing I noticed about it and the color just seemed to draw me in. There was this little courtyard that felt just how I imagined a restaurant on the Greek Isles would feel, a man playing classical guitar, and… the best lamb gyros I. Have. Ever. Tasted.
Please don’t think this is about you – it’s not. You’re a great restaurant and I still love you. I still want to visit you and eat your food. But – now, I’m just being honest here, because that’s the kind of relationship I think we both want – I can’t promise that every time I eat your food I won’t be thinking of Greek Islands Restaurant. Or their garlicky tzatziki sauce. Or the honey-​cinnamon sweetness of their baklava…
Sorry. I didn’t mean to make this more awkward or difficult for you. I just thought you should know.
Love,
Me

Omg this place is amazing! Came from the Bay Area for a convention and this place is conveniently located .2 miles away from the convention center (also walking distance) and fulfilled all my cravings for authentic Greek food. The owner came and greeted us and seemed like he was originally greek.
Our waiter. Friendly guy! He reccomend us s lot of good food but I went with the gyro platter (chicken) with a red sangria. Amazing!!!
I wish I had more words to rave about this place but I don’t have the words. My tastebuds are definitely happy campers :) as am I. Highly recommend this place !

O M G — everything was delicious! Absolutely will return. I am already partial to Mediterranean region food. We had a party of 6 people everyone ordered something different and we all shared. No one left unhappy. I recommend you check it out for yourself.

Nice patio. Spanakopita was not crisp on top. Falafel was a bit too dense. Gyro was good but the lamb meat inside was not quite warm.

Horrible food! I don’t think I’ve ever been this disappointed…
The lamb gyro didn’t taste like meat at all. The chicken souvlaki was drowning in watery sauce, the dinner salad looked old and sad, the mousaka was uncooked.
Very disappointing indeed.
Our server was friendly however he seemed like he was overwhelmed by too many tables to cater to, so that made it difficult to provide any good service.
The outdoor space is cozy, too bad the important things (food and service) lacked majorly.
I would not recommend this place at all.

Went for lunch on a Friday. The ambiance of the outdoor patio is lovely. Our server was fine, and a manager came by to ask how everything was and if we needed anything else. So top marks for service. David had the lamb gyro lunch special with salad and he pretty much raved about everything, including the salad which was very generous and included kalamata olives and nice chunks of feta. I got the chicken gyro with a side of rice, and while it was good, my gyro and especially the portion of rice were a bit small. I was left wishing I’d had a little more food. You definitely want to go for the salad at lunch. The parking lot behind the restaurant is unpaved and many of the spaces are dedicated to other businesses or apartments. But there is plenty of other parking nearby.

Um mal etwas Abwechslung in unseren Speiseplan zu bringen, wollten wir griechisch essen gehen. Leider ist dieses Restaurant wirklich nicht zu empfehlen. Alle 4 Essen haben nicht geschmeckt. Der Geräuschpegel war sehr hoch und von gemütlicher Atmosphäre keine Spur. Als wir dann noch die total überteuerte Rechnung bekamen, war die Laune im Keller. Schade.

I would never have known about Greek Islands without Unilocal.It’s hidden on a small, narrow side street sandwiched between Palm Canyon & Indian Canyon in a section of town that reeks of of «old Palm Springs» where the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s movie stars came to get away from Hollywood & play in the desert. Greek Islands itself is housed in a bastardized Spanish Mission style building with stuccoed walls & red tile roof and a patio with canopies and a huge shade tree to protect from the blazing day time sun.
One wall is frescoed with a painting of Thera/​Santorini showing the blue, blue Aegean, steep ridge of a sunken caldera upon which rest white thick walled homes & churches with blue domes as blue as the Aegean Sea. There is an outdoor bar in back that’s kind of rickety and casual used mostly by customers waiting for a table to open on busy nights. The night I was there it was balmy & the air was still with clear night skies punctuated by starry light. Sitting in the patio made me feel that I was in a little taverna on Mikonos or maybe even Santorini. On rainy or extra cold nights, there is indoor dining although I have no idea how extensive the dining room may be.
Ordered the Gyro (yee roh) Platter which was flat, thick, cushy pita bread, slices of fork tender roasted lamb that seemed seasoned with possibly garlic, touch of oregano, cumin & was soft textured. There was a yogurt based Tzatziki (cha chee kee) with inflections of sliced cucumbers, sliced purple onions to add complexity and a sulphur based funkiness to augment to the meaty savoriness of the lamb.
The Greek salad seemed like romaine lettuce with 2 slices of tomato, small rectangle of Feta/​goat cheese, one small brined Greek olive. cucumber, purple onions. The Greek salad was a nice textural palate cleanser to the meaty garlicky Gyro «sandwich». The Greek potatoes were like thin «home fries». Some of which were over fried & tasted bitter. For me, the potatoes were a pass. Overall, this Gyro was better than what I could have gotten in the few Greek restaurants in the L.A. area. The Gyro makes a good filling meal for most people.
I was curious about the Moussaka: «layers of sautéed ground meat, egg plant, & potatoes that is topped with Béchamel sauce & oven roasted.» It’s kind of like an Italian lasagna, but layered with the potato/​eggplant instead. The Béchamel sauce was a nice dairy rich, creamy, buttery, & possibly infused with cheese to add even more savory which pepped up the more earthy flavours of the ground meat, potatoes, & eggplant.
The searing of the Béchamel added a browned «skin» that added a nice leathery texture contrast. Rice was bit too soft, but the basic flavor seemed to be broth based for more Umami. The standard string beans & tomato with herbs were very good here, again having some fond de cuisine/​broth to make the string beans seem more meaty. Also the chef had the sense not to over cook the beans to a bland mush which most L.A. based Greek eateries do.
Rudolfo suggested that I have dry red wine from Naoussa region 2009 by Boutari Winery As quoted from Boutari,
«Boutari Naoussa 2009
90 points Wine Spectator
A hint of orange peel to the lively dried raspberry, date and green fig flavors, which hang together with the support of vibrant acidity and medium-​grained tannins. Complex and savory, with an alluring finish of sandalwood. Xinomavro. Drink now. 27,778 cases made.»
I was impressed that Greek Islands would be so conscientious as to present high quality wine to its patrons when most other SoCal Greek eateries give out plonk.
My Eastern European waitress was friendly and sometimes a bit forgetful, but had good intentions. Rudolfo was the manager, and he looked after me on occasion since he seemed to sense I was a newbie at the restaurant as well as my having curiosity about Greek food. So at the end of the meal, he came over to almost debrief me about the restaurant being owned by a Greek couple from Santorini & the Peloponnese along with their son. We talked about the Greek food. Then he went on to say that he was planning a trip to Greece since he loved working at Greek Islands so much & would also swing by Catalunya since half of him is from there.
Such a convivial restaurant with its welcome mat out & ready to receive guests with a happy smile and amiable talk. This may probably be the best Greek in all of Southern California. 4+ Unilocal stars for the food & congenial, happy staff. As some of the patrons would say, «OPA!».