The Little Greek

This place has a limited, but yummy Greek menu. We went for lunch today and there was a single person taking orders and cooking the food. When we arrived, he did warn us that there would be a 20 minute wait for food, but not that we would stand at the counter for almost 10 minutes just to place our order. This was with no one in line in front of us. He was not very pleasant. I ordered the standard gyro sandwich with Greek fries, and my husband ordered the gyro platter. All of the food we received was at proper temp and tasted very good. Yes, the lettuce seemed to be from a salad bag from the grocery store (random pieces of carrot). However, that did not negatively impact the taste of our meal. We plan to go back and I hope the service will be improved next time.

When I read the sign that says «Authentic Greek» food I must admit that I was skeptical. As a Greek who grew I up enjoying mother’s cooking, I can usually find something I think can be improved upon at most Greek restaurants. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Greek salad & Pastichio to be truly authentic & outstanding for such a small place. It would be nice if there were a few more choices. A good Greek (village salad), for example, would be a welcome addition. I would also suggest to the young man serving us, when a patron asks to talk to you for a second, that you find the time to do so no matter how busy you may be. Yassas — Á

Food was fresh and flavorful. Décor is tasteful and inviting. The menu is pretty parred down but has all of the Greek classics. We will be back!

Ryan, who co-​owns it with his dad is extremely energetic and friendly. We went for dinner last night and the atmosphere is cute and inviting. The lamb shank (a weekly special) was the best I’ve ever had. And the gyro was delicious. They have a classic Greek movie playing and once in a while have a movie night where they turn down the lights and you can watch the movie while eating… Super fun! The food is phenomenal, this is a great local restaurant!

Omigid! Friend and I come to the door at 7:45 never in our wildest dreams do we think the place is going to close at 8 p.m. on a Friday night. Owner doesn’t let us come in, yells at us that they’re closed We’re surprised just a lil bit, put out,. he tells us how he designs restaurants in the daytime and is trying to work two jobs and can’t be staying late just so we can eat. when we feel like it. Mutter mutter… Let’s go!
So, we’re heading back to the car, the guy comes out the front door and follows us to the car and says «WHAT did you say?» Whoa! is restaurateur looking to have a scrap? «No, no just a little misunderstanding… .good night!» (and let’s get out of here!)
This is the «father», whom others here have remarked upon as being a little irascible and touchy. Well, chute! With a welcome like this for his new customers, — giving them the boot! — I don’t think I want to risk confronting him again!
As for closing at 8 o’clock… Our mistake. close at 5 o’clock if you want. But when I had a store, if people came in 15 minutes before closing time I’ll be thrilled to stay open just a little bit longer and serve those customers and try to give them a good experience. Making a bit of extra money on the evening is a good thing, too. Good experiences are cumulative. Happy customers come back and say and post, GOOD things about ya! … Not possible in this case!

Restaurant closed
I have been eating here from the when this establishment first opened. I generally find the food to be very good. This restaurant is a small operation and I rarely see more than three people working in here at one time. It is also a cash only operation but they do take checks. There is no bathrooms available except in a common area outside the restaurant. Hence my four-​star rating. It is a good place but there are some inconveniences. Also, do not come close to closing time unless you want to take out. Many restaurants will take sitdown customers until their actual closing time and will do a full service meal. These guys will not, but they are small operation. All of the dishes are authentic and good. I’ve seen some complaints in the other reviews and all I can say is there was always a time where YMMV. Yanni and Ryan are good hard-​working people, but perhaps at times the harried pace they keep up with shows. I have had everything on the menu at one time or another and always enjoyed it, but the moussaka or pastitsio are my favorites. An added plus is that they are willing to prepare meals for take out that you can cook at home. I have ordered single portion dishes prepared in such a way and with instructions that allow me to cook it or reheat at home later. Very few restaurants will accommodate this. This is definitely the best Greek place on the Eastside. They serve dessert, wine and beer is now available, the décor is nice, and you will often get Greek music or Greek themed movie on the TV screen. As to the service you order at the counter. If the place is full the staff may seem a bit more harried. However, it will never be like to Saturday Night Live sketch where John Belushi will shout, «no Coke Pepsi,» or Bill Murray’s character will look at you with a blank stare, and after you’ve ordered for four people will ask, «cheeseburger? «After a while, the owners will get to know you and will even remember the names of your pet fish.

And an update on the review below. Ryan, the son of the owner, approached me over Facebook messages and issued an apology that was professional, sincere and well-​worded. I could tell he was very concerned about what had happened and was going out of his way to make this right. So, I’ve decided that fair is fair, and that I’m going to reflect the whole story. The only reason you are seeing only three stars is that I have not yet eaten at The Little Greek, and am not sure that it will be possible to issue a full review in light of the personality issue between myself and the owner. If father follows son and apologizes himself and they offer me to try the food, then I will give a full, equitable and comprehensive review of my experiences. They do seem to understand that there are some problems and are making full-​force efforts to resolve them.
An update. The following is the message I received from the business owner over Facebook because I panned his establishment. I’ll redact his name, but the following content is what I was subjected to this morning. I’ll let his unprofessionalism and at best dubious grasp of literacy stand on its own.
«Business owners Be for warned, this women is an unstable human being that when having a bad day and is told that we are out of a particular menu item and after several attempts to redirect her to other items that she might enjoy, responds with «I’M HAVING A BAD DAY AND I ONLY HAVE 50 DOLLARS AND IF I ORDER THE LAMB SHANK WILL YOU BE OUT OF THAT TO!!! at which point I told her I’m sorry your having a bad day, however I would not like to have one as well– this flake tells her friends see will wait in the car. Next time you want to bash an establishment in the name of customer service you should read the qualified reviews written by lagit critics, not hack Unilocalers.
NEVER AGAIN is right you will never be aloud in our establishment with your nasty sarcastic dis-​functional drama…»

Really cute restaurant doesn’t accept credit cards. But the staff try really hard and are extremely enthusiastic great way to support local business and enjoy yummy affordable food. Opa!

It’s pretty darn good food here! Hubby got the small gyro ‘salata’ and said it was the best gyro meat he’s ever had! He said it was beautifully seasoned and moist. I got the small chicken ‘salata’ and although it was good, I wish it had been seasoned more. The pita bread was to die for and the tzatziki sauce was good, but not great (I’ve yet to find chicken and tzatziki sauce that can beat Pappoule’s in the food court). The place is small but very homey and cute and the father/​son team were very friendly! We will definitely be back again! Closed on Sundays and they do NOT take plastic!

Had a ton of work errands and ended up at Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things when I realized I was starving. Rather than get the usual prepared salad from TJs, I decided to try Yanni’s for a salad to bring back to work to sadly eat at my desk.
I was greeted in a most friendly manner by what must have been the owner. He was so pleasant and helped me make my selection — the Greek salad with grilled chicken kabob. I walked around the little plaza for a few minutes while my food was prepared and came back to pick it up and pay.
When I opened my styrofoam clamshell back at my desk, I was quite happy with what I found. Super fresh ingredients, delicious grilled chicken and soft, warm pita bread. I’m not a real fan of creamy salad dressings but the traditional dressing served on the side was tasty.
Good place — stop in and try them.

Great food at great prices. My husband loves the lamb shank– best in town. I always get the chicken. Small restaurant and I really appreciate the personal attention. Give Yanni’s a try, you won’t be disappointed.

The food is ok. Most you can tell is not homemade, just stuff from a restaurant depot. The real problem is customer service and cleanliness. The people here are RUDE. They don’t know much about business. I called one time 5 minutes before they opened and the son refused to take my order.
Worse — the father dropped his thongs on the floor, wiped them and still kept cooking with them. If he did that with me watching I don’t want to know what they do when people aren’t at the cash register. That’s a healthy code violation!!!

FANTASTIC food. The bf and I have found our new gyro place! This joint may be small, but the father-​son team here has the recipes down cold. We loved the dolmades and may eat them every time we come. Gyros flavors are very complex – you can tell they import all of of the authentic spices and seasonings. Cooks the meat on a doner kebab machine! Tzatziki sauce is made with sour cream – not Greek yogurt – for extra creaminess. The shrimp souvlaki is fantastic, and is a great option if you’re not in the mood for lamb that day. A fresh pan of baked moussaka was just coming out of the oven as we left. I am definitely trying that next!

I had the vegetarian lasagna. No pasta, no simple carbs and ooh so yummy! Yum Yumm! The place is simply decorated but has that feel of an authentic Greek Taverna. The tables had not been wiped down, and there was no sugar in the sugar thingy, but the owners were SO friendly, and helpful, and wonderful! The food was FABULOUS! And I felt VERY comfortable there. I’ll be back for sure.

I hate to see local places fail like this. I can’t fathom the experience we had other than to say it was someone begging for a chance to be on one of the restaurant rehab shows.
My girlfriend showed up about 8:25 — 8:30 and asked for a table for two. She was told they close at nine and asked whether that would be enough time to eat. Really? Do you want us to scarf down our food? I was meeting her within minutes. She sent me a text as I was walking up from Trader Joe’s. We decided to go for it. That was an unfortunate decision.
We ordered at the counter with the smug junior taking our information. He got out order, and then I decided to add a salad as I love a Greek salad. While I had to pay for it, it never made the ticket for the kitchen «staff». The staff equates to an awesome and hardworking 17 year-​old girl (Junior’s comment to another table) that turns out really good food and has a great attitude.
The guy running the show on 3÷29÷2013 needs a reality check. He’s the one who didn’t get my salad order in. It was later found out, after all the other food was at our table, that they didn’t have the goods to make my salad. Rather than letting me know this, he rushed off to Trader Joe’s in a huff to get some sort of bagged salad ingredients. For a $ 7 salad, I don’t expect and will not accept any bagged ingredients. Still, I had no idea but l let the cook know I’d rather just have the salad removed from our ticket. UGH! He didn’t even bother to say or ask anything about options for not having the salad.
They couldn’t give me my iced tea because he didn’t want to make a full pot when they’re about to close. It’s a simple brew pot with maybe 10 Lipton tea bags at most. Instead, I was offered a soda or raspberry lemonade. I opted for the diet soda and got a can of diet coke. Whatever, this is a wash overall.
We had no silverware at our table. We had no silverware delivered with our meal. We had to ask for forks after the food was on our table. We got two forks for our efforts. My girlfriend couldn’t eat her spanakopata without a knife. I had to get up and look for one as nobody had come by to see how our meal was or how things were progressing. Junior was now too busy being pissed about refunding my salad order and after slamming through the swinging doors with the salad goods, ended up back out front pacing and talking on the cell phone.
In the midst of all of this, at about 8:35/8:40 pm a family walked in. They were greeted by junior with, «Are you here to pick up a to go order?» When the male responded that they’d like to dine in they were told they close at 9 and wouldn’t seat anyone after 8:30 pm. As the mad was was saying, «I guess you don’t want my business…» junior said over him, «Thanks fro coming, have a great evening».
Our meal was mediocre at best. All I can do is hope the father gets wind of this review and cares. If he doesn’t want to replace or correct his son’s behavior, this place is finished.
On the plus side, the girls working the kitchen was great and had a great attitude trying to make everything right. She was hamstrung by the douche son. I hope she can get work in a great place with quality and customer experience at the forefront rather than a place like this with junior unable to wait for his time to leave.
I shouldn’t have to worry about some douchey manager/​owner taking my $ 43 dollars at the walk-​up order register. and then giving me one of the worse dining experiences I’ve had in years. If he had plans, as he made apparent with his phone calls and comments, he should have made accommodations. It’s not like he didn’t know he would have to cancel plans to keep the restaurant going.
The cook who had to deliver our food was told we’d rather just have the salad taken off the order. Apparently this was too late as junior was already running to TJ’s to get the bagged salad. When he finally got back and caught wind of my request, he told her to just box it in a to-​go pack. Some additional exchange occur ed, he went to the register, pulled out $ 7 ($ 6.965 for salad + tax) and slammed it on the counter. Never offered it to me. Never apologized for not having the goods to make the order.
Chef girl handled this well. As I had to search for a knife for my GF to eat her Spanakopita, she met by where I saw where they finally pulled the forks from and gave the $ 7 apologetically. Overall
I’ll never eat here again and I’ll tell everyone I can to never go here. With the exception of the girl cooking the food (and delivering it to us b/​c junior was too busy to help out) nobody cares about your experience and you should feel honored to be given the opportunity to dine in their restaurant.
I don’t know the dynamics of this business but if John Kranis is trying to make this successful, he needs to get rid of Ryan.
If you want a gyro on the east side, hit up the place just west of Camino Seco on Broadway on the N. side of the street.

We gave The Little Greek 2 chances and that will be all. On our first visit (with out of town guests who are both Greek and restaurant owners), we were abruptly informed that the restaurant was closing in 20 mins so we had to eat fast or take out. We opted to take out. The Spanikopita was salty and there was a long blonde hair in one Greek salad and no dressing in the second salad. You might ask why we returned for a second visit… probably because we support local small businesses, as much as possible. Second visit was fine. The gentleman behind the counter is a tad abrupt. Yes, we already knew it was a cash or check deal and we are capable of reading the sign. The food was fine, but the vibe was not. I wish this establishment well, but can’t tell other Unilocalers to make it a priority for Greek food in Tucson.

Stellar service and great Greek food! I love this place! The spanakopita with rice pilaf is delicious. The owners are very friendly and make you feel at home.
If you are a fan of Greek food, this is a must try!

This is was a weird one for me. We came to eat here soon after it opened. The menu is limited and there’s nothing too special on it.
The Greek salad was served on plain ol’ disappointing iceberg lettuce. The Gyro Sandwich was ok, I’ve had better.
We saw two parties of 3 come in, look at the menu and walk out. As we ate our dinner, a woman stood up and showed the chef her Greek Salad and said it was one of the worst she has had and refused to pay for it.
Don’t know if its worth another shot. I’m all about supporting local but, this one may be an exception.

Delicious Greek food! It was my first time trying Greek food and I loved it. The restaurant is a small and decorated well with great music. The service was great! Very friendly and welcoming. The only downside is they don’t accept debit/​credit, so make sure you have cash.
I had Spanakopita with rice pilaf, warm (delicious) pita bread, and tzatziki. For dessert I had a piece of baklava, wow! Everything was so good. I absolutely loved every bite.
I recommend this restaurant to everyone! I know I will be back.

The food: the Gyro sandwich was no better-​no worse than any we have had in Tucson, same with the french fries; expensive at $ 8.95. It was served fast-​food fashion in a plastic basket. The cheese entrée (forget the name, sorry!) was tasty, but not flamed at the table. Four small pieces of pita, a slab of cheese about three inches square for $ 7.95. At least it wasn’t served on styrofoam. The Greek salad was a simple salad with a few olives and feta cheese. Certainly nothing special and to us certainly not worth the price. The vegetarian Gyro was simply pita bread with the Greek salad placed inside. Again, expensive for what you get.
The restaurant and service: the owner/​chef/​server was pleasant enough but very frazzled and the restaurant had only a few customers. You order and pay up at the counter so it really is not a full service restaurant. The dishes and glasses were fast-​food style. The restaurant is extremely noisy so forget about a pleasant conversation. They are trying hard here, but it remains an upgraded, expensive fast-​food experience. The single consolation is that it is BYOB and there is no corkage fee. But you will be drinking your wine in a paper cup. The seating is cramped.
There are better Mediterranean and Greek restaurants in Tucson that also are a better value and more pleasant atmosphere.
Addendum: after receiving an extremely nasty email from Colin B. of Denver re my review during which he insulted my age, appearance, and taste, I will at least answer his question: «what are better Greek restaurants in Tucson?» Zayna, Fronimo’s and Ali Baba all are better in the opinion of our party. Update ¹⁄₁₃: you can add OPA to this list as well. It served us a memorable lunch for the same price as this fast food greek place.