Restaurant Review: Pinelopi’s Greek Kitchen

For my restaurant review, I decided to visit Pinelopi’s Greek Kitchen with my mom, dad and brother. When we entered the restaurant we were greeted by an enjoyable atmosphere: cool, calming and classy. The space in general is well lit, very clean, and comfortable. Being a Greek restaurant, the interior design followed a Mediterranean theme. The walls were a lovely blue, with accents of a light brown. On the walls were beautiful paintings of locations along the Mediterranean Sea. The restaurant is small and cozy; however each table still maintains an intimate atmosphere.  I found the interior to be very pleasing to the eye.

Immediately when we entered, the waiter guided us to our table. I was a bit surprised that he did not introduce himself, considering the rest of his service was excellent.  He informed us on the specials for that day (a buy one get one half off—in celebration of their two year anniversary). He asked us what we wanted for beverages, and my parents and brother ordered wine. When they were asking questions about types and recommendations, the waiter was extremely helpful and knowledgeable on all the various characteristics of the wine and how they enhance the flavours of different meals. My parents were impressed! He then came back with our menus and we decided to share a small appetizer, Spanakopita (a personal favourite).

Spanakopita is french spinach and feta cheese with herbs, wrapped in phyllo pastry and oven baked. The phyllo pastry was very flaky, and the filling was very flavourful. It was exactly what I was looking forward to, however I felt that the dill was a bit too overpowering. The other three people at the table, however, did not agree.

When the waiter returned to take our orders for the main course, I asked him a few questions about the restaurant and menu. He told me that they try their best to buy locally, especially when the produce is in season; however their main supplier is located in the United States. All of the food is prepared fresh in house; the only things that come packaged /frozen are two desserts and one item in the lunch menu. He also told us that it is an entirely run family restaurant—from server to the cooks to the owner. At the end of the meal he brought his chef/owner/mother out from the back of the kitchen and she took some time to answer any additional questions and tell us about the restaurant.

We then ordered our meals, and once again he was very knowledgeable on all of the menu items. I ordered Pasta Pelopennese: it had zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and mushrooms in a garlic aioli sprinkled with feta cheese. I thought it needed more feta cheese to add more flavour, because whenever I ate a bite without cheese, I found it to be a little bland. Other than that, I liked the dish, especially the combination of flavours and the way they grilled the zucchini.

My mom ordered Moussaka, which is eggplant, potatoes and meat sauce, layered and topped with a béchamel cream sauce, then oven baked, and served with Greek salad. It was very rich, and the potato layer was too thick compared to the rest of the Moussaka. It had a nice flavour however the texture of the béchamel sauce was thick as well. The flavours were great, only the ratios and textures need work.

My dad ordered the Santorini Chicken: a boneless chicken breast, stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, lightly dusted with flower, baked and topped with a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. It was served with rice and vegetables. The sauce was creamy and flavourful, and the chicken had a nice and crunchy coating. The chicken was very moist, and the dish was still piping hot when it was served! The meal was very appetizing, except for the beans were a little overcooked.

Lastly, my brother ordered four oregano scented charcoal grilled lamb chops, with and olive oil and lemon drizzle. He did not care for the lamb chops, which probably more of a personal preference rather than the quality of the food.

For dessert, we had a lovely Balklava, made with layers of phyllo pastry, walnuts and honey syrup. The phyllo pastry was nice and flaky, and they got the ratio of walnuts to honey and pastry juts right, none of the flavours over powered each other. It was very enjoyable!

All in all, the meals were very tasty and it was obvious that they were authentic, homemade Greek dishes prepared with care. One thing they can definitely improve on is their portion sizes. The portions were extremely generous. This may depend on the consumer, but my mom and I both could only finish less than half of our meal. We ended up boxing it up and bringing it home in an effort to not waste food. Our overall experience was very enjoyable, and the service was outstanding!

*** For a peak at their menu and contact information, visit Pinelopi’s website