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A Greek’s guide on where to eat in the Greektown neighborhood of Chicago. Greektown has traditionally been home to some of the city’s best Greek restaurants since the 1960s. It’s located along Halsted street in the West Loop.
Introduction on Where to Eat in Greektown
In this post, I’ll tell you about my favorite places to eat. I’ll be brutally honest in some cases and some will disagree with me, but you can trust me on my judgement – I’m Greek! Sadly, Greektown isn’t what it used to be and I don’t get there as often as I used to, but I’ll do my best. I’ll start from the north and work my way down south. At the end, I’ll put together a ranking of my favorite places.
Greek Islands
Greek Islands is by far the best traditional Greek restaurant not only in Chicago but in the entire USA. I can say that with confidence after visiting popular Greek restaurants in New York, Detroit, and other cities. It’s not consistently one of the highest grossing Greek restaurants in the country for nothing! For traditional Greek food and seafood, it has been the restaurant of choice for my family and the majority of my friends ever since I can remember.
You can’t go wrong with any of their meals. I used to go at least three times a week for lunch (I worked upstairs) and had just the daily soup and a horiatiki salad (traditional Greek salad). For meals with family and friends, we usually do it “family style” and order a bunch of appetizers.
Our favorites are the octopus dishes (both cold and grilled), fried calamari, loukaniko (Greek sausage), saganaki, fried zucchini, fried eggplant, skordalia (pungent garlic mashed potatoes), taramosalata (Greek caviar), tiropita (cheese pastry), and spanakopita (spinach pastry).
For soup, I prefer the avgolemono (lemon rice), fakyes (lentils), and fasolada (navy beans). For individual dinners, I love the kokkinisto (braised lamb), lamb chops, baby octopus, and moussaka.
Athena
Next door is Athena. They have a gorgeous outdoor terrace and I prefer to eat there in the summer, but even in colder months it’s a decent place to go. It used to be much more pleasant with a view of the skyline, but the construction of the Arkadia Tower across the street killed that. The food is usually very good but any time I order something with chicken it’s been hit or miss. Sometimes the chicken is dry or the flavor isn’t there. When I go, I prefer family style appetizers or lamb dishes. They’re excellent.
Spectrum
Further south and across the street is Spectrum Bar and Grill. This may not show up on the radar of many people visiting Greektown, but this sports bar is a nice surprise with their amazing Cypriot treats. Try the sieftalia (Cypriot meatballs), both in individual form and as a pita sandwich. The halloumi cheese is also great. Other foods include regular American style appetizers and sandwiches, pizza, chicken, steaks, and more. They’re open until 4am and great for late night eats. They also have occasional live entertainment including blues every Saturday and frequent Greek music.
Mr. Greek Gyros
Across the street is Mr. Greek Gyros. 24-hour Greek and American fast food including gyros, souvlaki, sandwiches, platters, rib tips, fries, and lots of other greasy delicacies. Never healthy but always delicious for lunch or after a night at the bars. On Saturday nights after the bars close, the line is often out the door.
Meli Café
Meli Café, at the southeast corner of Jackson Boulevard, is an extremely popular breakfast and lunch spot. Yes, they have great food and I’ve been there several times, but I will NEVER eat there again. First of all, some of the dishes are horribly overpriced. Secondly, service can be rude and obnoxious at times. If you want to eat there, be my guest, it’s delicious, but in my opinion it’s not worth the price.
9 Muses
Next door is Meli’s sister establishment, 9 Muses. I’m happy to eat there any time. They have good Greek food, some with a modern twist, and at pretty reasonable prices. It’s gone a bit downhill over the years, such as not giving the same amount of trimmings or eliminating them completely from a meal, but it’s still good. They have amazing pork souvlaki and decent village salads. Try a traditional Greek frappé coffee drink to wash down your meal.
9 Muses is also a place I’ve spent many Saturday nights as it transforms into a Greek nightclub. I used to hate going there in the early 2000s because the doorman was a prick and would often turn my group of friends away with the excuse “private party” even when we were meeting friends there, or “over capacity” when it was clearly empty, but I guess they started needing the money near the end of the decade. The nightclub is a place I have a love-hate relationship with. Sometimes I’m excited to go and see old friends, other times I dread stepping foot inside because nothing has changed since I first started going.
Artopolis
Across the street is one of my all-time favorites, Artopolis. This bakery-café serves some of the best gourmet sandwiches and salads in Chicago and also has an excellent creation of their own – artopitas, which are pastries filled with either meat or vegetables and/or cheese. They’re delicious.
Artopolis also serves great wood-fired pizzas. For sandwiches, I prefer the tequila pollo or turkey melinzana. For salads, I usually go with the Greek country, Mediterranean, or field greens.
Artopolis has a wide array of traditional Greek pastries and other desserts along with a small market selling Greek products, wines, and liquors. My absolute favorite dessert is the bougatsa, but I also enjoy the rice pudding, walnut tart, and the many Greek cookies they make. They all go well with a Greek coffee or frappé.
Philly’s Best
I can’t complete this post without mentioning where to eat at one of my favorite non-Greek restaurants in Greektown. On Jackson Boulevard is a place that burst onto the scene and has been welcomed with a good following. Philly’s Best serves great tasting fast food with a little attitude and has some of the best Philly cheesesteaks outside of Philadelphia. You can choose your type of bread, onions or not, and if you prefer cheese whiz. Try the cheesesteak egg rolls. They also have sandwiches, pizza by the slice, and other treats.
My Rankings on Where to Eat in Greektown
Sadly, the list has been dwindling because of several restaurant closings over the years, but here are my current rankings of where to eat in Greektown:
- Greek Islands
- Artopolis
- 9 Muses
- Athena
- Spectrum
- Meli
Gone But Not Forgotten
As I mentioned before, the list of restaurants disappearing from the Greektown scene is getting longer all too often. Here are just a handful of places that are now just a memory:
Parthenon (Closed September 2016)
The Parthenon was a Greektown staple. This legendary restaurant brought flaming saganaki to the world in 1968, the owners were among the friendliest people you can meet, and for 48 years was one of the most popular restaurants in Greektown. It definitely wasn’t my favorite place to eat, but I always respected the history and contribution to the Greek restaurant scene in Chicago.
Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop (Closed May 2017)
The Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop served Greektown’s best Greek pastries and desserts since it opened in 1974. It was one of the casualties of a devastating fire in 2010 that started at Costa’s Restaurant and took out the pastry shop, a Greek grocery store, and Greektown Music. It was one of the neighborhood’s most beloved shops.
Pegasus (Closed December 2017)
Pegasus had a nice rooftop terrace with decent food. It wasn’t the best in Greektown but they put together a very tasty meal. I preferred going to Pegasus in the summer when the terrace was open, but the bright interior in the main dining room made you feel like you were on a Greek island. It originally opened for business in 1990.
Rodity’s (Closed June 2018)
Rodity’s was way past its prime when it closed. If I had to go there, the lamb dishes were good. Otherwise, I didn’t bother.
Santorini (Closed March 2021)
Santorini closed after 31 years in business. This restaurant had excellent food all around but specialized in fish and seafood. The interior decor made you feel as if you were in a traditional Greek island home.
