Panos Kleftiko

I just found out that Panos had closed and I’m crushed. This place was so great. The food was incredible, of course, especially the kopanisti (I doubt that Lola does it as well) but on several occasions Panos sat at our table, drank wine, and told stories about Greece and cooking. A really special place that will be sorely missed. I really need that kopanisti recipe. I dream about that cheese crack.

Super sad to learn that this place has closed down. I loved coming here since the early 90’s. Seattle is basically blowing it, and while I was born and raised there, I’m not feeling the slightest bit bad about having moved to Los Angeles.

Am a fan! Some of the best Greek food I have had!
Went here on a Friday evening and we were a total party of 3. We arrived here by around 9 in the evening and the place was still bustling with guests. Planos is family run restaurant with the husband and wife running the show. The place is located on 5^th avenue right opposite the QFC.
The things to try out are — kopanisti, tzatziki, and the pita bread for starters and
kota spanaki, kota kopanisti and arni kleftiko sto psomi for entrees and the local greek wine for your dinner drink.
The hosts, their liking for their food, the you are at home and like family attitude all make you feel very welcome and set you up for an enjoyable dining experience.

There simply is no better Greek restaurant in Seattle as far as delicious fare.
The best dish is the lamb that comes is a sour dough bowl.
They do that sizzling cheese dish with ouzo fire.
The place is cozy as in small but comfortable.
If your lucky you will meet the owners .
Closed Mondays and sometimes they close for like a month for family vacation.
They do have a room for bigger groups in the back.

Always a fantastic meal with family and loved ones. Order as many appetizers as you can to share and ask for suggestions. Delicious, delicious Greek in a cute, authentic setting.

I rarely give out 5 stars but this little Greek joint deserves it. My wife and I stopped here while vacationing in the great city of Seattle. Great Greek food and more than one kind of Retsina, perfect.

Greek food is my favorite and I have been to Greece twice — Athens and the islands — so I consider myself qualified to evaluate its authenticity. This place is great. They bring the taverna atmosphere and cuisine to the PNW. Our food was very tasty and the menu varied and authentic. If you’re looking for falafel and pita, you won’t find it here. They have real mezes and entrees like Lamb Kleftiko and Moussaka. Make sure to get the cheese saganaki which comes with a table side flambé with Ouzo and a cry of «Opa!»
The only reason I did not give it five stars is I wasn’t blown away by any of the food like I am in Greece, and the place is a little stuffy inside. But that is authentic taverna atmosphere, so maybe they nailed it!

Best Greek restaurant in the city (that I’ve been to).
Oh man, where to start… Okay — the wine. The wine list is almost completely Greek; at least Greek inspired (may be made in Cali though). We got a bottle of the Hpakahe Hercules wine; Red, Dark, Fruity, Dry, Great. Aside: This is my favorite type of wine, deeply flavorful and gets better by the glass; the type of wine that you makes your breath intoxicating and gets you bleary eyed. We then made a meal out of appetizers — Meatballs, Giant Butter Beans, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Baked Feta, Eggplant Purée and Pita. I list pita bread separately because you have to pay for it separately — a little off-​putting that you could order a plate of hummus and then be asked if you would like pita as well for extra. All of these items were great.
*A entrée can be made into an appetizer and it takes 2 bucks off the price but I have a feeling that this is, let’s say, economically unfeasible.
What is great, too, is the atmosphere. First is the penetrating smell of the food, you can’t get away from it (even if you wanted to), immediately it feels like it is clinging to your hair and skin and clothes — I like this. Items are tacked to the walls and hanging from the ceiling, the décor is warm — the kind of ambiance that makes you feel intoxicated before the imbibing — I like this too. Our waitress was very nice and busy; prompt service without being overly attentive — waited for us to look ready before initial approach.
Why not 5 stars? The pita issue and the baklava. I have a Jordanian relative and my staggeringly beautiful girlfriend lived in Istanbul for a bit so perhaps we are a bit critical but this baklava was very «meh», maaaybe a bit lower than average to be honest.
However, we will frequent this establishment. I have the feeling that getting a large group together in the back room (a little more secluded and away from the street) is the way to really appreciate this place — wine stained mouths eating too much and talking too loudly. My next meal will be the baked pot of lamb (Arni Youvetsi) and calamari. And wine, obviously. Lots of wine.

Came here for dinner with a girlfriend and was not disappointed. By dinner, I mean a bunch of appetizers.
Their pita bread is crunchy. A bit oily but so tasty. It went perfectly with the tzatziki and this eggplant hummus dish (that I can’t find the name of on their online menu).
We also ordered the Fassolia Salata (bean salad), which was refreshing and spiced just right. It meshed well with…
The Loukaniko Lemonato (seasoned sausages). Yum! Juicy, tender and a whirlwind of flavors.
I’d like to go back for a proper meal the next time around, but Panos left a great first impression!

My mind raced as I scanned the large four-​page menu. «Not a single vegetarian entrée? Pfft, this place won’t do.»
Our party had divided our group into meatatarians vs. vegetarians. Four of us in the latter group sat together in the hopes of sharing a divine family style dinner that worked with our diets. At first, we were dismayed given that there were absolutely no entrée options. The waitress stepped in to inform us that the majority of the appetizers were vegetarian.
So we ordered a lot of appetizers. Maybe 8 – 9 for 4 people. It was AMAZING. The hummus was uniquely flavored, everything was absolutely fresh (especially good eggplant and salad dishes), it surpassed all my expectations. Also, baklava. Get it.

Such a great little place for real Greek food!
I have been here several times and loved everything here! I recommend getting a few appetizers for sure. I usually go for the pita with babaganoush or stuffed grape leaves (amazing come with a good amount a tzatziki sauce), and baked feta. All I highly recommend getting.
I usually go for the Greek Salad when there (usually a good size with lots of tomatoes and cucumbers). Its really filling, and delicious. My friends have gotten the lmb there and say its fantastic. Pairing this with a glass of wine, perfect for a easy and nice Greek meal.
The staff are super nice and love explaining and questions you may have about the menu.
I def will be going back to try more things on the menu.

yummmmmmmy! I loved my meal.
The staff is super friendly, the food is great, the prices are pretty good. Try the baked (and lit of fire) feta as an app and then have lamb for dinner.
enjoy

What a nice, cozy, Greek-​feeling restaurant. You walk in and you feel like you’ve been transported to Greece.
Here’s the food we tried:
Starters:
Melitzana Psiti Feta — Roasted eggplant with tomatoes and feta cheese. This dish was ok. It could have used a little more flavor, and I’m not a huge fan of the texture of roasted eggplant. I wouldn’t order this dish again before trying some other starters.
Tzatziki — Very garlicky, which means very good. I definitely recommend trying it.
Baba Ganoush — This was also tasty, and if you are a fan of baba ganoush, this one is worth a try.
Their pita bread is stellar. Tastes like Greece.
Main course:
Arni Psito — Lamb with garlic, thyme, olive oil, lemon and other spices. Being a big lamb fan, I have fairly high expectations for how lamb should turn out. This dish had great flavors and spices, but the lamb itself was too dry for me. It was like a pot roast in texture, and just. too dry. The orzo was good, though. Next time, I’m going to try the rack of lamb, which looked fabulous.
Kota Piperati — Chicken breast with roasted red pepper purée. My wife ordered this, and I liked the flavoring, especially the roasted red pepper purée. However, the chicken was a bit dry, as chicken breast can easily be.
The service was spectacular. We were waited on by an incredibly friendly and hospitable waitress, and that made a big difference.
While the food wasn’t all knock-​my-​socks-​off, there were definitely glimpses of brilliance in the flavor profiles of the dishes. Not only did the food remind my wife and I of Greece, but the whole restaurant screamed it, and we liked that. :) We’ll be back for more.

I’m giving them 5 stars because this was absolutely the best Greek Salad I’ve ever had. It’s an authentic village salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, virgin olive oil and oregano.
Nestled snuggly in a quaint little neighborhood, it’s tiny but the food more than made up for the space. The décor was sweet and this is the only restaurant I’ve ever been to that actually encourages it’s patrons to linger. Most places are into turnover. Get them in and get them out. The colors and décor almost gives it the feel that you are in someone’s house. It has a great feel to it. This place is nearly as perfect a Greek restaurant as you will ever find anywhere and we will be making it a point to go back.
In the future I’ll be trying some other menu items and continue to update the review here. In the meantime, my opinion is that this place is excellent!

The feel is a little crowded when this place gets full, but the food is ohhhh so good. The slow roasted lamb pretty much melted in my mouth. It was the richest, most flavorful lamb I can recall having, hands down. The yigante beans in tomato sauce are also tasty. Everyone at the table loved the flaming cheese as well, it was a big hit! Parking is difficult most nights, but keep at it — the food is worth it!

Date night delectables!
We shared the stuffed grape leaves, skordalia and baked feta. I loved the latter but not really the former. I think it is just my own personal tastes that turned me off from it because the bf loved them. My main meal was the feta and tomato salad, which was perfect. You can’t believe how hard it seems to be to find a simple peasant salad! Anyhoo– I think this place was pretty good, I loved the location and service but I am picky about my Greek food. Come for a simple meal and for some retsina, it’ll be worth it.
The waitress was such a gem and such a pleasant conversationalist!

On vacation in Seattle on May 10, 2012 my wife and I stopped in late after a day on Whidbey Island, and I had possibly the best restaurant dish I have had in years, maybe ever.
The dish was called Arni Kleftiko Sto Psomi; it was slow roasted lamb with onions, garlic, oregano, spices, and feta cheese baked in a loaf of sourdough bread that was brushed with garlic, herbs, and butter. It was seriously heaven and I can’t think of a single meal I have ever enjoyed more.
Rewinding, we ordered hummus as an appetizer (which was great) and the pita bread was just perfect — a bit of crisp on the outside, soft inside and fresh out of the oven.
Since we didn’t get there until 9:15pm there was only a couple of other guests in the entire restaurant, so we didn’t get a feel for the ambiance, but make this place a destination for the food alone. I guarantee we’ll be back next time we’re in Seattle.

Cozy, homey, authentic Greek cuisine. wonderful spot tucked away in Queen Anne. Lovely servers are warm and know their menu well. Had a delicious Arni Aliada — slow-​roasted lamb, broiled with garlic aioli. Lamb was well-​braised, succulent and flavorful. Friend enjoyed the Kota Souvlas, chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, oregano and spices — simple but satisfying.
Would return, recommend visiting.

I was a little skeptical of this place even though it has an average rating of 4.5 stars because most of the reviews said the food was pricey and the portions on the small side. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the portions were great and the prices reasonable!
PROS:
1. Excellent food. Typical of Greek food, the flavors were rich in olive oil, lemon, onion, and herbs. My bf and I shared two appetizers and an entrée: the red pepper purée with feta + pita bread and spanakopita to start, followed by this baked lamb/​orzo/​cheese dish in a ramekin as the entrée. The entrees all come with a huge salad and a side of rice (with chickpeas) and a veggie (tonight it was carrots). It was perfect for us and we definitely did not leave hungry.
2. Great service. We were greeted right away, the waitress was pleasant and attentive, and the food came out fast. Only unusual thing was that rather than serve you water, they present you with a pitcher of water to serve yourselves; kind of family style, I guess. My bf didn’t mind b/​c he is always thirsty.
3. Good prices. $ 35 (not including tip) is great for two appetizers, an entrée, and a side of pita.
CONS:
1. Pita should be free.
2. No pasta options.
3. Not many vegetarian options. Byzantion in Cap Hill as well as Kostas in Fremont both have a Vegetarian section clearly marked on their menus.

I still have dreams about Panos’ Taverna. And frequent cravings. Here in Detroit, Greek restaurants are industrial sized operations, and the food, while sometimes tasty, is never very fresh. We have no Tavernas, which is unfortunate.
I went to Panos prior to going to Greece, and it was quite similar to what I would come to experience throughout the country. When I was in Seattle, it was very hot, and the fans were going strong at Panos. Still, the taverna was full of people eating happily and slowly, and we were treated very well. We had a whole slew of mezes at our table (baked feta, spanokopita, and more), which were all very tasty. It was an oasis of sorts, and I look forward to returning when I’m back in the area.