Oregano Fresh Greek

This is strictly for their oregano burger with feta cheese! I’ve never had a burger with feta cheese and let me tell you I think I can eat 2! Creamy, delicious, juicy, good crust/​char, cooked medium (pink center).
This review is base off of my first experience w feta in a burger, if you’ve never tried it start here. Wednesdays they have it for $ 4.99!
I’ll definitely be a regular for this. Better than Rounds.

I went here because of a Groupon voucher I had. This was the worst Groupon experience I have ever had. I ordered the lamb kebob — worst piece of **** I have put in my mouth, literally. The lamb was more than just burnt and had texture similar to a rubber tire. Who the **** serves **** like that? Fire those overgrown pigs you call «cooks» so you’ll have one less problem to worry about. They just don’t care about the customers which should be the biggest concern of any restaurant.
If only the «cooks» that cooked the lamb kebob were similar to the ones shown below then I’m sure I wouldn’t be complaining.
The lamb kebab is supposed to look like this! Imagine this but put on the grill on full blast for another 10 – 15 minutes. The result? my lamb kebab.
On a side note, I have tried their chicken and original gyro sandwiches and they are freaken delicious. Unfortunately, my most recent dine-​in experience at Oregano Fresh Greek was with the lamb kebob and it was bad enough that I had to rate this place 2-​stars.
I WILL come back to give it another try but I will not be ordering the lamb kebab.

I’ve been to Oregano a couple of times now and while their staff is friendly and the place is nicely decorated, their food is not very impressive for me. Items on the menu I’ve tried are the the falafel, lamb kabob, rice, greek salad, hummus and pita. Out of those items, only the hummus and greek salad were okay. The rice was plain and the falafel was not good. The lamb kabob was served mostly burned (a lot of charcoal) and a very small portion (I guess okay since it wasn’t good anyway). I never understand how restaurants have the courage to still serve something burned to a client. I guess their mentality is that they can save the cost of making it again by taking a chance that the client will just keep it (which I did). But what they don’t understand is that they will likely lose a client (which they have) so they really lose more in the end.
Overall, Oregano unfortunately is just another weak attempt at Greek food. It’s a clean joint but the food is not worth the money in my opinion. For the price paid for my plate, there are other locations that offer a) more food and b) tastier food.

I called today hoping to order a small catered meal for our staff tomorrow. At first the employee who I was talking to said they could not take care of us tomorrow as it was too last second to set up a catering order (it was 6pm on Monday night). I mentioned that I was only ordering for 8 people and then the employee said he could do an order for a small party like ours.
I proceeded to order the chicken kabob platter for 8 as well as a greek salad. He then told me he’d have to call the general manager to see if he could fulfill my order… but he was pretty certain it would be approved (thought this was odd that the GM who is not on sight is the only one who can approve small catering orders).
5 minutes later the employee calls me and says he can’t place the order as they are running a special tomorrow on chicken kababs and they want to make sure they have enough food for tomorrow. Wow.
Here’s my observation. They can’t handle an order for 8 people as they are afraid they’ll run out of food the next day. That means their inventory is next to empty if they can’t handle an order for 8 people. I could understand if I was ordering for 100 people but 8? How much business do they plan for? 10 people a day? In my opinion this is a store that is on it’s way of being out of business. An order for 8 people should not clear out your kitchen.
We buy lunch for our team at least once a month and we are 2 blocks away from store… this was our third attempt to get catering from them in the last 5 months. They were only able to fulfill our order 1 of the 3 times. That’s a shame. We really like greek food and their food was pretty good… but they aren’t prepared to grow as a business and build relationships with local businesses who want their business. If I was them I would have taken the order and if it meant running to the store tonight or tomorrow morning, I’d do so I could gain a customer. Instead I was told we don’t want your business. Sadly we will never call them again. There are a lot of options around here… so we’ll find someone else you wants our business.
I have never ordered food from a company to tell me they can’t handle our order… and sadly it has happened twice at Oregano. Too bad.

So, I came here with my mom and sister to have a quick lunch. I want to like this place because it’s new and I like Greek food. My sister has a small dog so we plan to eat outside already. We ordered and literally haven’t even got our food yet, and as in getting a drink one of the bigger white chefs behind the counter is have a Fit and talking to himself repeating the phrase «get your dog outta here» «get your dog outta here» while moving his fist up and down repeatedly.
I mean c’mon dude, I’m right here, I can hear you ya know. Lol so awkward.

I have been to Oregano Greek for lunch two times and have had a positive experience on both occasions. I love the outdoor patio seating option and friendly staff. The food is fresh and a great alternative to some of the unhealthier options in the Lake Ave area. I usually go there for the lunch special and order the chicken pita wrap, the hummus is delicious. I wouldn’t recommend going there and paying the regular menu prices, as I believe they are a bit on the high side, but the lunch specials are a great value.

Looking for something new to try a coworker and I popped into Oregano. It was about 11:30 and there wasn’t anyone eating inside. I thought that was kind of odd. I ordered the grilled lamb pita wrap along with the hummus and pita bread, and a drink.
I try the hummus, no flavor. The pita bread was good. I give it another shot, it tastes like nothing. I dig into the overflowing pita wrap and the first thought that popped into my head was Gordon Ramsay pissed off, because the food was not fresh. Maybe their other meats are fresh, but the lamb definitely tasted like it had been previously frozen and reheated. It was barely luke warm as well. The wrap overall was lacking. I left a lot of it on the plate and most of the hummus.
I don’t believe I’ll be back, the lack of people coming into the restaurant while I dined there spoke volumes of the restaurant’s future. I hope the owner looks at these reviews and implements changes before the restaurant goes bust.

COMBO DEAL:
I really liked the gyro lunch special that I had here. Keep in mind that their general lunch special posted on the counter and the windows is a better deal than the Unilocal check-​in deal.
KEBAB QUEST:
I also came here on a Friday evening for their steak kebab meal, since I love beef kebabs. For $ 10 you get about 6 chunks of steak and your choice of two sides. Among other things, you could choose stuffed grape leaves or pita & hummus, which were nice options. I got it standard, though, with rice pilaf and salad, which comes with dressing and a yogurt sauce.
Overall, I really liked the flavor of everything, including the beef kebab itself. But texturewise, the meat was a bit stringy, and also on the dry side. Many other places I’ve tried in my Kabob Quest list noticeably seem to have a better cut of beef.
The meal quantity was just satisfying, but I definitely did feel like there was room for dessert or something more. For $ 10, the meal is affordable, but you’ll probably want to add on an appetizer or dessert if you’re hungrier.
PARKING
Parking is, very fortunately, easy because Oregano provides 1-​hour validated parking in the underground garage it shares with the Vitamin Shoppe, Cham, and other adjacent businesses. The driveway to the garage is off Cordova, immediately west of Lake.
GYRO VS KEBAB:
The gyro lunch combo is delicious and great value. I’d definitely come back for this.

I haven’t had decent Mediterranean fare in a while. The closest I get to is Daphne’s Grill or Zankou since there aren’t many Mediterranean restaurants in the SGV. Please PM if I’m totally wrong.
Admittedly, I tried Oregano Fresh Greek, using a groupon, but hey, it worked. It got me in to try it and I have had a repeat visit after the first visit and wouldn’t mind going again. I would def come here rather than Lemonade (aka über expensive salad bar)
I am a huge fan of the Gyro wrap. It’s a warm fluffy soft envelope generously stuffed with warm tasty protein, veggies, and yogurt sauce. Stuffed! I normally wouldn’t think yogurt would mix well with meat but this combo is delicious. I prefer this place over other med places which are normally sit down and cost a little bit more. Oregano is quick, fast, and casual in a clean and modern setting.
I’ve also tried their falafel, rice, and hummus and they were pretty decent. I’d like to their the mousska the next time around.

I would probably give Oregano higher stars If I didn’t feel like the customer service here isn’t the greatest… Came because I had a expired Living Social coupon and based on the rules, I was still eligible for the amount I paid ($ 13). I came in and notified the cashier of my situation and she asked the manager (Michael). He said that we would be eligible for the amount we paid. I looked on Unilocal at the time and noticed a check-​in offer. I showed the check-​in the cashier and she asked Michael if I could use the check-​in offer. Michael said that he wouldn’t be able to honor both coupons. To me, the $ 13 I spent on the Living Social coupon doesn’t even count as a coupon anymore. I paid the full amount and I wasn’t getting any benefit from having it anyways. I don’t see why I couldn’t use the Unilocal Check-​In offer as well. I can see if I came in while the Living Social coupon had NOT expired to not be able to honor both coupons. Either way, I wouldn’t have felt so agitated if Michael had been more cordial about the situation. Walking to the back of the kitchen and not giving us the time to discuss was not expected of a manager.
Ended up ordering the Grilled Lamb Kabob Combo Plate and a side of Pita and Hummus. The lamb kabobs were moist but It was a bit too sour for my taste. The greek salad was pretty good. I enjoyed the cheese crumbles and the dressing. The rice also was pretty good but a little to wet for my taste. The portion was good for the price. As for the Pita and Hummus, the portion of the hummus was huge for the price. It was disproportionate to the amount of pita slices. The hummus though was a bit sour for my taste. The meal was a decent lunch and hit the spot.
The food is pretty good and the parking underground is validated for up to an hour (if i remember correctly). The rest of the employees are very nice and helpful but I was really disturbed by the attitude of the manager.
All in all, the food is decent and the service is, for the most part good and commendable, with the exception of a few folks on the team.

I came here during a lunch break since I was desperately craving some Greek food.
Located down Lake Ave, Oregano reminds me of a fast food restaurant. I don’t mean unhealthy food, but rather if you want to grab something and go, this could be the place to do it.
I ordered a gyro with a soda and fries to go. Ask for extra tzaziki on the side because you will need it. The meat was on the dry side. Also, it was densely packed inside the gyro so all together it was a heavy sandwich. I was only able to eat half of the sandwich, that is how big it was. I’d have to say that the meal was A-​ok, it wasn’t terrible but it could have been better.
If you are in a rush, phone in your order. It took a while for my order to come out.
–Give it a try!

I came by here 2 weeks ago on a Saturday with my husband for lunch since we were in Pasadena. This place is located right next to Jimmy John’s and across the street from William Sonoma & Lemonade. There is a small underground parking lot behind the restaurant (free for the 1^st 90 minutes with validation… so yes this restaurant will give validation) or metered parking all along Lake Ave.
Anyways, there was a small line to order when we entered. The employee behind the register seemed nice. This is what we ordered:
Chicken Gyro ($ 6.99 prior to tax) with side order of Falafel ($ 3.49 prior to tax) — I thought the chicken gyro was pretty standard. The falafel was not as good as I had hope it would be… to be honest, it made me think of it made from a powder and not fresh from ground chickpeas. I am a big fan of falafel and that is what I do to judge how good a Mediterranean restaurant is.
Original Gyro ($ 6.99 prior to tax) with Greek Side Salad (additional $ 2.79 prior to tax) — I can honestly say that I have had a better beef gyro. It isn’t that this gyro was not good, but it wasn’t great. The side salad was a nice side to give this meal an additional amount of fiber.
Overall, food here was just okay (thus the 3 star rating) but not memorable. By the way, there are several small tables and the woman’s restroom was clean. Also no wifi.

Got a Groupon for restaurant and thought we could try it out. Checked the menu online. Nice website. Not sure why they would choose to open up 1.5 blocks from the most highly rated mediterranean restaurant in the area though. One thing they were offering that the other restaurant wasn’t was spanakopita (spinach pie). Been awhile since I had had that so was looking forward to it. We used the Groupon. Plus added variety of other items so we could try everything out. 5 – 10 minutes after we place our order the owner lets us know they were out of spanakopita. Since we were commited already we stayed to try out the rest of their food.
We took a look around the restaurant and decided to sit on the bench seats running along one side of the restaurant. When we got close we noticed the remnants of previous customers meals all along the bench and on the tables. We had to wipe down the bench and table to eat there. They had enough personnel, but they just weren’t interested in keeping the restaurant clean.
Food arrived. We had the Falafel sandwich, Hummus, Fries, and a Gyro. Falafel was good. Hummus was gritty and just ok. Fries were great. Girlfriend said the Gyro tasted processed and wasn’t very good.
Overall this was about a two star experience. But being on a quest for spanakopita I talked my girlfriend into coming back the following Sunday. We asked if they had spanakopita up front because we weren’t planning on eating there if they were again out. We were informed that they had changed the menu. They no longer offered spanakopita as a side and spanakopita as a meal now was half the size and came with rice. WTF!!! So the meal was now $ 6.99 came with the amount that was available previous weekend for $ 3.49 and came with rice. Quest fail…
Took another star away for this moronic change of menu. Do yourself a favor and walk 1.5 blocks to the Mediterranean Café and get much better food in all ways. Except for those fries… :)
Went to Trader Joes and bought frozen spanakopita. Two packages of 12 spanakopita a piece for about the price of one spanakopita at Oregano’s. But then we didn’t get rice. lol.
Response: Thought I would take a few minutes and respond to the owners comments. First off I don’t work for Oregano’s competitor or any of the local restaurants. I work for a large medical company. I spent a lot of time at CalTech through out the years before I moved to Pasadena. In those years I have eaten at all of the restaurants within a few blocks of here.
I spent awhile writing this review and I notice that the owner didn’t dispute any of the facts listed. I tried to be fair and give a snapshot of my experience with this restaurant. As an owner I would have expected his attitude to be one of taking the feedback and doing something about it so the next customer has a better experience. But this owner will just try and have the review removed. Which makes me feel as exasperated as I felt after I gave this restaurant a second shot.

3.5 stars. I really wanted to love this food but, sadly, I did not.
First, let me say that this place is so clean and uncluttered. I love the light and airy feel as you walk in. There is a menu above the register, and you walk up and order. Staff is very friendly.
The combo plate consists of a sandwich, side, and drink — prices vary, but it will cost about $ 10. The original gyro (beef and lamb) is fairly tasty, but it lacked the ‘carmelization’/char that I remember so well from my trip to Greece. Also, the seasoning was a bit bland. The pita bread is very soft and fluffy and was remniscent of what I had in Greece. Thankfully, it is unlike pita bread that you get at the grocery store. The accompanying hummus was good as were the sweet potato fries, but nothing so special or memorable. Everything tasted fresh and healthy — maybe a bit to ‘clean’ for my taste.
I think the attempt at the food is good, but it missed the mark in bringing true, Greek flavors to SoCal.

My sister had a groupon deal with 2 gyros, 2 sides and a drink for Oregano for $ 16. This is a great deal. They accepted the groupon deal. I ordered a chicken gyro with rice pilaf and soda and my sister ordered original gyro and sweet potato fries. Both of us liked our gyros and it was tasty and seasoned well and huge in sized compared to Daphne’s. The staff are nice and the place was very clean on a Sunday afternoon. Free parking in the parking structure.

This is a pretty good place for a commercialized Greek joint. They have quick service and have decent options.
They have a meat gyro that is a combination of beef and lamb that is good. I did enjoy their fries which are really crispy if you are into that.
I came here to try the Unilocal coupon for lunch and I was full and had a decent lunch. If you are looking for an authentic Greek place this is not it, but if you are looking to cure your Greek fix this is the place to come for lunch.

LA is a big city surprisingly devoid of decent Greek food options. Missing the days in Chicago where there were decent Kronos-​serving mom and pop food shops literally every block in the city. While this place doesn’t quite compare, it is a nice take on Greek food with just enough California healthiness to keep the locals happy.
Both the meat gyro and chicken gyro are good, filled with fresh veggies in a nice soft pita. Wishing they would crisp the meat a bit more on the spit before shaving it off, but they seem to make up for it by cutting the meat a bit thicker than say… Daphne’s (which seem to shave off the meat super thin with a veggie peeler lol). I like the tzatziki sauce here as well, as it is watery and definitely how I used to have it in the Midwest. The falafel side dish is quite good here as well.
This place is worth a look for nothing else than the $ 8.99 Unilocal deal which will get you filled up on the cheap. Expect a bit of a wait here at lunch though, since its a newer business and they seem to still be ironing out the order/​pickup operations.

I’m a big fan of trying new places and I’m so glad I came across this place! Great location, modern décor, and great customer service.
Fell in love with the steak plate! Well done but still tender and juicy
Definitely coming back!

So heard about this Oregano via a very cool Unilocaler I know whom happens to be chef here :-) Food is very fresh and meat is savory. The salad on the combo is pretty tasty too. Unilocal has a $ 8.99 checkin deal for the gyro plate which I have yet to try. Place is very open and clean. Good location in the middle of everything on Lake in OTP. Is worth a stop by and try :-) For Greek this is my go to place!

I used to live in Pasadena and still visit often since my parents are still in the area.
Oregano is the new kid on the block located right on Lake Avenue and just north of Cordova Street. (across from Lemonade and same side as the Vitamin Shoppe). You can park off of Cordova and they can validate your ticket or there is street parking (which you need to pay for). After a few weeks of opening, they heard the overwhelming feedback from customers… «too expensive». So they are revamping their menu and prices.
Starting March 2014, Oregano is offering Daily Specials which include more than just the main item and all for under $ 10.00! (wow, they listen to their customers).
Upon entering, the restaurant is clean and bright and modern. There is an open kitchen so you can see your food being made and also restrooms in the back.
Oregano is a comprised of a hard working husband and wife team, and you’ll often find Lucy herself working during the day. Her husband Kelly is Greek and they love authentic Greek flavors. Don’t be shy to say Hello or tell her your honest feedback. They are still feeling out what their customers want and what they like.
If there was a flavor you didn’t like or wish they had a certain menu item, it doesn’t hurt to tell them but keep in mind it’s impossible to please everyone.
I had the original Gyro (blend of beef & lamb) with seasoned fries (they also offer sweet potato fries). I LOVE their Tzatziki sauce (yogurt sauce). It’s creamy and tangy and goes so well with the meat. Their Spanakopita is authentic and you can taste the feta (although it was spinach inside, it almost reminded me of eating stuffed grape leaves). However, my friend didn’t quite like the taste, but I heard they will be changing the recipe to adjust to a more American preferred palate. They will be making it themselves.
They offer Hummas/​hummus as a side (which is not even Greek), but turns out it’s the #1 best seller right next to french fries… LOL
Once 12:30PM hit, the place started filling up inside and out. They are busier during lunch hours (due to all the businesses around) compared to dinner.
I’m giving them a 5 because I truly enjoyed my meal and it didn’t take long to come out. The food was fresh, full of flavor, and the portion was generous. I’m also giving them a 5, because they take customer feedback seriously and are all about continuous improvement.
They are also offering cheesecakes now! (Greek yogurt and Black Cherry)
⁴⁹⁄₁₀₀ Reviews for 2014