IOS Greek Kitchen

Thank you to my new friends at IOS. It was my first stop in Charlotte and I had a wonderful experience. Everyone was extremely nice and the food was delicious. Special shout out to my awesome host, Brent and compliments to the chef for an added special touch on the dishes. Hope to see you all again soon.

I made reservations a week in advance for a party of 8 for a Saturday night dinner. On the Saturday afternoon, I called to confirm the reservation. When we arrived, there were no other customers and our table wasn’t ready! When we finally ordered drinks, it took another 30 minutes to get our cocktails. We asked to speak to the manager, and she was incredibly polite and told us our tab would be 50% off. We were instantly more happy with our sub-​par service… until we got our bills. The waitress brought our checks at full price, and we had to tell her the manager was giving us a discount (by this point, there were 4 other customers at best, so there is no excuse for the waitress being out of the loop). Then, the waitress only comped us at 15%, so we had to talk to the manager AGAIN, at which point she told us that they were only going to discount us at 15% (our entire party clearly heard 50% off, so shame on the manager). I am thoroughly displeased with their customer service and would not recommend IOS to anyone.

This is the first time EVER where I walked out of a restaurant. Also want to say that I worked in a restaurant as a hostess and server for 5 years.
Came in at 2pm on a Sunday for lunch. Ordered a calamari appetizer and two gyros. After 20 mins later we asked for an update on the calamari since calamari really doesn’t take that long. Server said it was gonna be another 5 – 10 mins. After another 15 mins later it was obvious it wasn’t even close to being cooked. Kitchen was right in front of us and I can tell it was so chaotic. The expediter looked like he was so stressed out. There were 4 servers including the bartenders all running around. Still no appetizer. I look around and see 5 tables still waiting on food. We were there for 40 minutes and still no calamari and in between that time, only two tables got their food. Ridiculous. Everyone was waiting but they really wasn’t that busy. Including the bar and the inside of the restaurant, it was maybe 80% full. Horrible management. We finally told the server that we were leaving and he apologized and said the kitchen was backed up. 40 minutes for an appetizer is crazy. I wanted to talk to the manager but he was so busy. I finally stopped a female server before we left and asked if he was the manager who was expediting and she said he was one of them. And I told her to tell him that it is crazy to wait so long for an appetizer. Her pathetic excuse was «kitchen was backed up. Where were you sitting?» That is a horrible excuse and what does it matter where we were sitting? She didn’t care and she probably won’t even tell the manager. But hopefully he reads it here. Never coming here again. They aren’t even worth a second chance!

Stopped in for a drink and app. before heading over to Time-​Warner for a concert. The bar has sliding glass doors that open to the outside-​giving it a relaxed/​casual vacation feel. Unique Greek offerings-​we had the grilled octopus and it was excellently cooked.
We were introduced during the Charlotte Eats tour and sampled the gyros, Greek salad, and Greek fries. All were delicious!
Would give it 5 stars but the bartenders were a bit disorganized.

Great location. Waitress a bit slow, but to her defense looked like she was on her own. Food wasn’t half bad, a bit salty on the lamb. Overall had fun and would still consider coming back.

Everything was perfect … but 1 thing when you tell me you’ll be right back to take my order then go away for ten min then tell me when you come back you’ll be right back to take my order its an over promised under delivered position and I would typically deduct a star …

I was staying near by and figure I would try IOS to take a break from BBQs.
Ordered their lamb pita with a side of Greek salad. This I think it’s the same as the lunch special mentioned by other reviewers.
The portion size I would say is actually like a normal Greek portion (not the crazy American size meals). I have no issues with that tho it would seem «small» after seeing the standard American portions for so long.
Pita tasted ok, lamb tastes ok. Did it tasted like what I thought a Greek lamb pita would taste like? No.
Greek salad side? Again tasted fine as far as being a salad goes. Was it a Greek salad? I would say no. At least not in a traditional sense (there is lettuce in there, that’s not a real Greek salad).
Growing up in Australia, we have a lot of Greek food around us. This I would say is the Americanized version and not an impressive one either. The lamb sausage was under seasoned, and the feta used in the salad was also surprisingly mild. The saltiness of feta and sharp bite of onion that usually combines with sweetness in tomato was all together missing.
Perhaps other items on the menu is better, but I would give the pita combinations a miss.
The restaurant itself is in a very nice location and the open air bar area is nice to sit and drink at. And service wasn’t the fastest but the servers were very friendly and courteous.
Note: I decided to order the Greek crispy chicken wings to go (there were some good reviews on that)
Of the items I tried at IOS, this dish actually has the best flavor. There is 10 pcs to the serve so for restaurant pricing, this is reasonable (still on the pricey side for wings but given the epicenter location I will let it go. There was one fundamental flaw here — there are no wings at all! All drumlets only. So incorrectly advertised.

Fantastic lunch spot.
First lets talk about the décor. It’s amazing, and believe me, I am the LAST person to comment on something like this. Usually I am all about the food and that’s all. But the ambiance literally puts me in a better mood, it weird. I feel like I’m in a Mediterranean sea town.
The food is also fantastic don’t worry. The falafel pita is fantastic with generous potions, but with light taziki and red spouts. The bread itself is very delicious as well. The French fries are very very very good (that is 3 ‘very’s). Maybe it’s just my cup of tea, but I LOVE skinny fries. They are light but gluttonous at the same time.
The service is always great, the food is out timely and the people are nice. Manager stops by to check. Their ‘plates’ are wooden cutting boards! How cool is that! (not super cool, it’s a novelty and not a big deal, but it’s just like damn, these people designed a really cool/​nice Greek place)
Usually it is pretty empty, but don’t let that deter you! It’s one of me and my wife’s favorite places to eat lunch.

Nestled into the bowels of the Epicentre in downtown Charlotte, IOS has created a trendy spot with open air and space for diners with a taste for modern Greek cuisine. You really gotta love a place where you can sit and eat inside the restaurant, but still be outdoors — so the location and ambiance of this place is on point!
Ate here for lunch and had the spicy lamb pita with fries. I am a big fan of obscenely salted fries, and let me tell you, these are up there with the best of the options that fit that criteria. My lamb pita was also pretty good, although I have to say that presentation was a bit unappetizing. It honestly looked like the lamb had been rolled into a hot dog, making it appear a bit… inappropriate for those of us with the maturity level of a 12 year old.
The big drawback to my experience, unfortunately, was the poor service. No one greeted me as I walked in. I sat down after confirming with someone behind the bar that it was okay to do so, and even then, no one acknowledged me. Waited a good 5 minutes for the server to come around the first time, and then, despite a restaurant I would estimate (based on the empty tables) as being about 20%-30% full, my lunch took over 30 minutes to come out. The food was good, and I will gladly wait a little longer for good food, but for a pita and fries during a lunch rush on a weekday? it’s a bit of an issue for us busy folks who have to go back and sleep during our afternoon meetings.

$ 12+ for a Gyro Platter? Ok. I buy it and it has 3 items. Small Pita bread, a couple strips of Gyro meat, and crappy fries. Oh and a small thing of sauce. No onion, no tomato, no cheese, etc. Definitely the worse Gyro platter I have ever had. Not sure if I can get some authentic good Greek food here in Charlotte but trust me… this ain’t the place. Pass.

Had lunch here and Gyro was delicious. It was so good that I could have eaten 2 sandwiches. Anyway, I loved it and the side salad was perfect as well.
I ate some of my friends french fries and it was ok — needed more salt and just flavor, but definitely edible.
The décor is nice, fast table service, and friendly. If you are in the mood for Greek food and are in this location, I would definitely recommend trying this place. I was pleasantly surprised and glad we came.
I am still a little hungry so the portion sizes could always get bigger :)

Three of us ate here on Valentine’s evening while we were on a Convention trip. Had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, but wow was it worth it.
The food was absolutely delicious. Every dish was amazing. Can’t recommend this place too highly. A must try.

2 stars seems so stingy. I feel so bad. Oh well… I’m over it.
My experience here was truly unimpressive. The Epicenter is starting to get on my nerves because it just seems like the quality of food/​service is suffering but that is just my observation.
We started with the trio dip which consisted of hummus, carrot purée and greek yogurt. It was decent but both the hummus and carrot purée were bland and tasteless. I could taste the garlic in the hummus but the portion was so small that I didn’t really get a chance to enjoy it. The fried pita chips were interesting and tasty although I’m actually glad they only gave us 6 because those things could be a hazard to your hips!
I ordered the traditional greek salad and traditional it was not. There were 3 pieces of lettuce. Count ‘em.I, 2,3. That’s right…3 pieces of lettuce in a salad. It was primarily tomatoes and feta. There were a few onions and I added chicken. Parts of the chicken were not cooked through. The salad was small and it was basically like bruchetta. Not a fan.
Others ordered the wedge salad which was challenging to eat because of the big wedge of lettuce on the plate and everything else sliding off the plate. And one person ordered the chicken pita with fries and some other side. No one was impressed. We all left unsatisfied and felt that we overpaid. I was very disappointed.
The food took forever to come out and we were the only ones in the entire restaurant. The service was fine but the whole experience was just not good. Sorry IOS… not for me.

So, there’s some good (food), in a great location (epicenter), with medium to high prices for this kind of Greek food, with some room for growth in service and food offerings. More good that bad though…
I was fortunate enough to have been invited to an event at this new restaurant in epicenter. This is great venue with a terrific layout that made socializing easy! I was so very appreciative to have been invited and was floored that the restaurant closed their doors for us. Thank you Nikki and thank you IOS. Overall, the food was good but I have a little constructive criticism as the restaurant works on continuing to develop.
I really loved their chopped salad with their «green goddess» dressing along with a slice of the pita bread. Mouth watering good! I was disappointed to see a few things — the setup was done in a way where they only we’re able to put out a little at a time, and it was all in a few small trays on a side table, which meant a very long wait to get to taste their yummy food. The wait could have been greatly alleviated with a larger set up — maybe something to keep in mind for the next time IOS does a large event. I was also sad to see they frequently ran out of dishes — seemingly just as I was about to get to try them (as I was queued up in line.) Additionallu, they «ran out» of hummus. Which, was just odd — considering its a staple food in any Mediterranean restaurant. Then, we looked over and noticed they were making to-​go orders and had a large tub of what appeared to be hummus.
In their defense, I suspect they allowed a certain amount of food for the event and that amount had been used up. They likely had reserves because they were going to work in the kitchen on to go orders. Still it was disappointing to not get to have any when my 40 min wait was up in line.
Now, I was lucky enough to try a few bites of their main proteins — chicken and lamb for gyros. The chicken was good — clean white (not fatty or poorly trimmed) chicken breast. Now… The lamb, OH MY!!! The lamb was juicy, moist, and incredibly well seasoned/​marinated. It was great — I could really see myself going back for that along with the salad and green goddess dressing.
I would have liked to sample a more diverse menu with a larger offering — but what we tried (salad and proteins with pita) were good.
The general manager and sales manager also greeted our group and told us about IOS.
Here’s the scoop:
IOS Is a new trendy Greek restaurant on the lower level of the epicenter. It just opened in May. It has a small footprint, but that still affords plenty of seating. They also have a nice full service bar. I cannot speak to their drinks, I went with diet soda during my visit.
They also offer takeout, delivery if you work or life nearby, ms if you’re staying at the ALoft hotel, they bring you their dishes for room service. The epicenter has parking for at least $ 10, BUT (TIP!!!) if you go across the street it’s half price parking.
I thought the food was good — overall. I thought their chopped Greek salad with green goddess dressing, and their lamb was indeed memorable. For the event, I would have liked to see a different layout — one that reduced waiting time, a more consistent flow and volume of food for the number in our group, and was sad when they ran out of meat as well as hummus.
Would I recommend IOS Greek kitchen, yes! I think it’s a great new restaurant with a lot of potential.
I sincerely hope my honest review has helped some. And for those who haven’t been here yet, give a try… Definitely worth a lunch trip or take out (or delivery if you’re local).
Hope this review was useful to some.

Our waitress really let down the side here in a huge way. While the food was great, it was very apparent when we were waiting 25 minutes between our starter and our mains that she’d forgotten to put in the second part of our order. And then we were waiting and waiting to catch her eye to get a check. It’s not that big a restaurant, but she spent at least five minutes with her back to us watching the bartender making drinks and there was no one else we could get for her attention.
We had the parmesan fries to start and they were excellent. Crispy, hot, fresh and lots of parmesan on there. Big portion.
For mains, I had the falafel wrap with a greek salad. Tasty and delicious, the wrap had all the right stuff in there and the salad was much more «stuff» and very little lettuce. Very good. My daughter had the crispy chicken wing starter, but as her main. She enjoyed it — they came out very hot and very crispy. Nice.
But wow, the service.

Very small portions for the price. The Greek salad appeared large until you realized it was mostly cheese and onions and very little lettuce. The lamb skewers were pathetic. You get two for 9.50. It tasted like cheap frozen meat. And they were so small, I could of ordered 4 just to have a filling meal. On the bright side, the chicken gyro was large and flavorful. The Parmesan French fries were good. But not so special .
With that said, I cannot recommend. I would look for other options if you are looking for Greek cuisine. I might add the two others in my party agreed. And did not care for their food.

I was wonderfully surprised at 1:20 am that this place was still open AND serving! One of my biggest fears after a night out is that I am going to have to go to bed starving!
We were sat down immediately and told to stay as long as we’d like. Even better! Although they were out of their amazing Parmesan garlic chicken wings (bummer), it forced us to think outside of the box.
We ordered the pita nachos and the gyro sampler. Both were absolutely amazing but I must say the lamb was phenomenal! Very tender and well-​seasoned, a must-​try!
You’re welcome.

Meh. I love the ambiance of indoor/​outdoor eating, but the food is pretty average. The DIP TRIO is strange, with one a fairly flavorless yogurt and another a carrot purée. Served with fried (hard and greasy) pitas, this is not an item I’d try again.
The PITAs are decent. FALAFEL is fried nicely with a good flavor and texture. The SOUVLAKI CHICKEN is flavorful. But the pitas… Not that great. I’ve consistently found mine to be hard and almost stale. I typically end up eating only the insides of the pita. The lunch french fries have been hit or miss for me. One time they were pretty good, another they were stale and cold. The chipotle dipping sauce is great as well as the goddess dressing.
Service is another area that’s not quite up to par. Don’t expect to be greeted by a hostess right away, and the interior set up is confusing about where to even find a hostess. I’ve eaten lunch several times here without any napkins or silverware on the table. One time my husband and I shared silverware that he snagged from a different open table for the entire meal because we couldn’t get the attention of any servers.
I will continue to eat here because I like the ambience and the food is an interesting new addition for uptown. But I really hope that some of these problem issues get resolved or I’ll be moving onto the next new thing.

My friend and I came and tried this new joint at EpiCentre last Thursday at the end of AA5, and I was pleasantly surprised.
First, I like the set up and the décor. We sat at the bar, which is half inside and half outside (we were at the «outside» part of it). It’s nice, low key & causal, and that’s a breath of fresh air for EpiCentre. We sure do not need another snotty «lounge.» It’s funny that we looked out and up and we’re bathed in the neon light of CVS Pharmacy & Gold’s Gym.
Second, I was happy to see that the prices of the menu weren’t too crazy. I ordered a lamb pita sandwich (with a choice of salad or fried) for $ 9. My friend loves calamari, and her fried calamari was of good size and $ 11. They had a drink special for $ 3. We walked out $ 13 each, which isn’t bad for uptown.
Lastly, the food quality was great. My lamb was well seasoned and juicy. The calamari was fried just right, not over done, not too chewy, and has a great seasoning as well.
Service was good, our bartender was attentive, and he interacted with us (gasp, he actually talked to his patrons!).
It was an overall great experience, and now all I ask for is to keep up the good work!

Brand new Greek THEME restaurant in the Epicenter. We were ALL very excited to learn that a new Greek joynt is opening in the Epicentre! Great location and vibe. Greeted by a friendly server and he explained the menu… for those not familiar with Greek food. HE was the one who emphasized the «theme» part of Greek. The menu looks Greek but this is NOT authentic Greek food. Not saying it’s bad just not true Greek.
So my usual lunch crowd all order different things. Most got some form of Gyro. I asked if it came off the rotating roaster and the Chef said yes but they keep it in the back. I opted for the Gyro Platter which csme with… a…GULP…bland iceburg salad! Huh? No flavor no taste. Thankfully the lady Manager noticed my horrified look and offered to substitute a real Greek salad, which was FAR better. But really IOS you absolutely need to dump that terrible tasteless iceburg disaster and make the Greek salad standard!
Finally the gyro. The Manager came by and explained that IOS goes thru great pains to flavor the pressed lamb and beef mixture. It was good. But those of us at the table who have lived in Toronto, New York, Chicago, LA, Boston… etc…all said the «amazing flavor» wasn’t. I must agree. Dont get me wrong it WAS good, just didnt match up to how it supposedly was prepared. Sorry. The kicker was that the serving portions were very small. Our standard sources of comparison are The Mad Greek and The Greek Isles on South Blvd… both FAR better than IOS.
Overall…good. Look they JUST opened so I’ll give them a mulligan and come back and retry in the near future. But IOS just needs a few adjustments and they’ll be a much better restaurant.