Papou’s

We should have listened to Unilocal.Out of 4 of us, only one of us liked our food. And he thought it was just okay.
On the positive side, the staff was very friendly.

The Athenian Salad is the best. So fresh and delightful. The dressing is spot on. At night they offer Steer Butt Steak which is a huge amazing cut and will definitely leave you busting at the seams. My favorite is also the lunch special on Wednesday of Yia Yia Chicken or the tryopita. Love this place! Great place for lunch and dinner. The staff are so helpful and offer great food and service!

Not sure why more people don’t come here. I had the gyro, it wasn’t anything crazy or a five star experience, but it was a solid meal at a decent price. I would probably recommend better lighting, but it didn’t ruin the experience by any means.

Best spaghetti in Huntsville! Their lunch specials are great too. Love the greek salad and stuffed grape leaves.

Food was fine, small portions and a bit over priced. I got the spanakopita, it was okay but I could clearly taste margarine in the filo. Otherwise, the bars were very flaky and tasty. Also got the orzo, that was recommended and just okay. Tax is included which is a minimum of 9% which might be the kick up in price. Lunch is over though and I’m still hungry…

Thought it might be a well kept secret. Nope, guess should take a hint when you’re the only people in the place. Food was overpriced.

I came here a few weeks ago for my Mother’s birthday. I have had the best greek food to the worse in the world. The Flaming Cheese was probably the best thing I had while dining here besides the bread, which I was told was freshly baked and made everyday, then turned out to be frozen. The Patsitito was okay, I have had better at other places. The one thing that got me was the bill, I think I overpaid for what I got, but then again at the location it is at. Dining at places in my hometown are the same way though. I DO recommend this place if you like Greek food.

I was overjoyed to see that there was a Greek restaurant in H’Ville when we moved here, so it was one of our first Friday nites on the town… made reservations, which turned out was probably not needed… the menu has some typical & some not so typical items — hubby ordered the steak & I went Greek all the way — from Dolmades to Moussaka, whichever where… okeyish. I know Greek food, I lived there, I cooked it & I love it! I was disappointed, I had so looked forward to some good Greek food, but only got okeyish — now I understand the lack of patrons. Will we ever go back, I don’t know — when I can whip up a tzatziki & an order of grilled lamb chops & patates at home — why pay for okeyish

Worst meal ever!
As we approached Papou’s, there was a gentleman standing in front of the door. When my girlfriend made the comment about «how do we get inside», he stepped to the side and we entered. He followed behind us and made a comment about how he’s had enough of the cold weather already. I am not sure, but I think it might have been the owner.
From the moment we entered, my inner «Gordon Ramsay» was screaming to get the hell out of there! I’ve seen every episode of Kitchen Nightmares and Papou’s had ALL of the red flags.
* It was Friday night at 7:30pm and there wasn’t another customer in sight.
* At the front of the restaurant was a glass display case full of knick knacks, printed papers and other strange things.
* The interior looked like something straight out of the 1980s, with these awful blue walls, column stickers and more fake plants than should be allowed by law.
* Overly Loud Greek-​sounding music
Hoping that this was one of the hole in the wall-​kind of wonderful restaurants, I ignored my instincts and we were seated by the gentleman who was standing outside.
Once we were seated, my girlfriend and I browsed the menu and were shocked by the prices. Given it’s lackluster décor, paper napkins, we expected affordable food. But the food ranged from $ 13-​$ 35 for entrees! As someone else pointed out, the offerings on the menu were very NON-​GREEK. They didn’t even offer a Gyro except during lunch! Their specialties included steak.
We decided to start with the hummus. The waiter warned us that it had a lot of green onion and garlic, which we were fine with. But when it came, the hummus was inedible. It had this ghastly green color to it and the taste of onion and garlic was so strong that it kind of burnt my tongue. The pitas that it was served with were ice cold, as if they had just taken it out of the fridge, chopped it into wedges, dusted it with some green «stuff» (not sure what it was) and served it. If you’ve ever had a cold pita, you know how rigid and doughy they taste. The combination of the cold Pita and the awful hummus was a terrible mix. I can’t believe they charged $ 5.93. Speaking of which, where the heck they got that price is anyone’s guess, but everything is priced really strangely, like $ 12.23-kind of pricing. Our waiter said the owner had a 3-​fetish (seriously.)
I ordered the two specialty combo of Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and Moussaka (eggplant casserole). Lisa had the two specialty combo of Dolmades and Spanakopita (filo dough stuffed with spinach).
After 15 minutes, the waiter delivered our food and I was horrified to see that they put this food on this tiny little plate, so the lemon sauce from the dolmades was covering the Moussaka. I wish I had taken a photograph, it was that bad.
I started with the Moussaka and nearly spit it out. I swear to god it had cinnamon in it! Eggplant, Ground Beef, Cinnamon drenched in this powerful lemon sauce. And it wasn’t even warm, let alone hot! I then cut into the dolmades, which were much fatter than traditional grape leaves. They were wider than an egg roll in diameter. The best thing I can say about the dolmades is that they were extremely hot. I kind of wondered if they were microwaved, because they were obscenely hot in the center. The meat/​rice filling inside had no flavor whatsoever. It was almost spongy in texture, which left a greasy aftertaste. And the lemon sauce was so strong that it dominated the entire meal. I love lemons; i’ll eat then whole. But this was too much for me!
My girlfriend’s spanokopita unfortunately suffered the same fate. The pastry was flooded by the lemon sauce. Oh, and it was cold as well! One part of it wasn’t covered in sauce, so we tasted it and was decent, although not very flavorful. And the portion was quite small, perhaps ¾″ of an inch wide slice — for an entrée??? Another reviewer made the comment about how certain dishes seemed like they were from Costco. In hindsight, that could very well have been the case with the spanokopita.
We simply couldn’t eat the food. Each bite was more painful than the previous. After a brief discussion, we tried to flag our waiter down to tell him about our dissatisfaction. I had never done this before, but this meal so bad I felt like I had to. i wasn’t going to spend $ 35+ for this!
it took us about 5 minutes of waving (and me even whistling at him) to get his attention. The restaurant is very narrow, long and dark, and we were seated at least 30′ away from the other couple in the restaurant.
The waiter came, we explained the problem and he took our plates away and said he’d take it off the bill. He didn’t even let me finish explaining what the problem was, so I doubt I was the first (or last) person to complain. How can they fix it if they don’t care/​know what the problem is?
We paid for our hummus and one coffee and left. As we left, a party of 6 entered. I was very much tempted to tell them to RUN! But I didn’t.
Disappointing.

This was my first time at Papou’s and I came in for lunch. I ordered the Friday lunch special Papou’s chicken. The chicken while thank goodness was not under cooked was pretty dry and lacked flavor. In all my experience Orzo pasta is suppose to be fully cooked but yet firm to the bite. This orzo while also under seasoned was very over cooked and lacked any real firmness at all. The green beans were basically drown in balsamic vinegar. I say again this was my first trip and at lunch time. I MAY try them again for dinner to see if they were just having an off day and adjust my review accordingly. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Fantastic food! Always friendly staff. If you like wine, try the «Cava Red». It’s wonderful, and I’m a wine snob. Monday they have «Mousaka» as one of the lunch specials. A+

Despite the fact that, after years of genealogical searching, I have yet to find the least trace of Greek, Italian, Turkish, or anything remotely Mediterranean hanging from the beloved family tree, the allure of their cuisine has beckoned for eons, as if there were indeed a very fundamental, ancestral, even primal drive at the root of it all.
With that in mind, it was time to race back to the Downtown Square to visit Papou’s, along with former theatre sprite-​turned-​adult-​like thespian Jason Graham. Ted Matsos opened Papou’s ~2002−2003 and it remains one of only a handful of Greek options in the area. Papa Gyro’s and Taziki’s Greek Fare are among the other possibilities.
I hadn’t been in a while, though I do love the Thursday lamb specials. Monday’s feature was moussaka, a casserole-​like dish of layered vegetables and meat, of which the most popular variant utilizes eggplant. Let me add the béchamel is a welcome touch, too. It’s that extra-​special something that lingers on the lips like a well-​aimed smooch from Melina Mercouri.
Jason dove into a gyro with a side of orzo that, from where I was sitting, looked quite inviting… but I love moussaka. I’ve even created it from scratch in the past and it proved well worth the investment of time, even if the eggplant, itself, was a little tough (first-​timer syndrome). So, when what to mine wondering eyes should appear was the special on same, the die was cast.
Papou’s did not disappoint. The moussaka is offered with a side of candied yams and slaw, but you can substitute with other side dishes, such as the seemingly un-​Greco black-​eyed peas, which I did. The texture was just right, the spices obvious but never overpowering. And though some may see the peas, along with my mashed potatoes, as tantamount to Slim Pickens playing «Zorba,» they were rather a complementary accompaniment and neither a taste nor a culture clash.
I also opted for a side of tyropita. As a tyrophile, I latched onto this dish many, many moons ago. Wrapped in a flaky filo dough, this multi-​cheese repast is one of the most easily assimilated appetizers, its feta, cottage cheese, and parmesan components typically added to egg to ensure a creamy, addictive filling.
The «Yia Yia’s Chicken» offered on Wednesday, is another easy treat for beginners – baked poultry with oregano, lemon, and garlic. (Yia Yia, incidentally, refers to the grandmother of the family, whereas Papou is the grandfather.) Most any Greek restaurant, or establishment boasting any Greek flair or influence, offers this as basic fare. If you’ve got people who aren’t that adventurous, you can start them off slowly on this… they’ll undoubtedly love it. But should they miraculously find this very straightforward, delicious dish still a bit too daring, for god’s sake, stop going out to eat with them. They will destroy you.
Matsos’ expanded evening menu offers even more for the progressive palate. Avgolemeno, a chicken broth-​based, egg-​lemon soup, is one of my favorite additions and I’ve made versions of this dish, as well. It may remind you a little of egg-​drop soup, but much smoother and with the welcomed citrus kick; just right for this time of year.
Among the entrees, you’ll also find the familiar souvlaki which, like the Gyro, has become so prevalent as a fast-​food/​festival option, that it’s in danger of becoming Americanized. You’ll have no such worries here, of course, and this marinated pork tenderloin (described as «on the stick») can be readily recommended. Seafood lovers are not neglected, we’re happy to say, and will find their favorites offered in three styles: Athenian, Grecian, and Papou’s. It is perhaps superfluous to remind you that yes, Greek and Greek-​styled salads are also available, although we did not partake at this outing.
The wine list is dotted with Greek specialties, of which the most unique is undoubtedly the Retsina, with its typical «piney» — and often acquired — taste. The beer offering is Hillas, a brew hailing from Rodopi, Greece and the recipient of accolades from
, the «Opinionated Beer Page,» and any number of people dancing around you to «Never, Never on a Sunday.»
The atmosphere was calm, even serene, and very azure… a great place to maintain one’s own «celebrated blue period» whilst paradoxically saving on paint.
Long may this family-​owned establishment wave as a downtown mainstay and, if so, we’ll no doubt continue to see the growth in families, partygoers, and tourists to which those on and near the square are becoming accustomed.
…As long as it’s not the idiot who wedged his motorcycle perpendicularly betwixt our vehicle and the one in front of us. It’s enough to make you relinquish your thirty-​minute parking in under an hour… or to treat the pig and his hog as your own personal saganaki.
Three Stars? Because a couple of times my lunches had been reheated… AND had cold centers…
OPA!

I like Greek food and decided to give this restaurant a try. Since this was my first experience at this restaurant, I went with the combination dish. The servings are really large so you won’t go away hungry. However, I was disappointed in the quality and taste of the dishes. The staff, service and price were good.

I’m shocked to find the most established fine dining Greek restaurant in Huntsville missing from the list. When you feel like having table service, great food and being treated like family, go. Or, if it is Friday evening, make a reservation.
UAHuntsville hockey is a good topic for the owner.
Reasonably well behaved children used to eating a the table for family meals should find themselves treasured guests.

This is a family-​owned Greek restaurant right on the courthouse square. It’s in the lower floor of a law office building so there aren’t any windows and the atmosphere isn’t anything to write home about. The restaurant is frequented by mostly courthouse employees and has a lot of regulars.
But the food is great! They offer a daily special along with several other good choices. I absolutely love the gyro — it’s one of the best that I’ve ever had and I LOVE Greek food. The sides are pretty tasty also. I generally get the orzo which is flavorful and complements the gyro very nicely. The service is prompt and the food arrives quickly. It’s a wonderful place to get lunch. I’ve never been for dinner and don’t even know if they serve dinner.
If you are looking for a dining experience with all the trappings, this may not be the place for you. But if you want a tasty and quick Greek lunch, you will not be disappointed with Papou’s!