If you order the saganaki at Kostas Café, be prepared to see a performance along with it. Servers bring out the sizzling fried cheese and set it on fire with a brief but high-reaching flame. Of course, there’s also the resounding, “Opa!”. “It’s a beautiful show,” owner Dimitri Ioannides says. “At dinner, we do it about 20 times.” It’s easy to miss this quaint Greek restaurant on Upper Greenville, but it’s been there for 24 years. The most popular dish is the Greek combo, which comes with a variety of Greek staples, including dolmas, spanakopita, souvlaki (pork kabob), broiled scampi and mousaka. Ioannides has a loyal customer base, including two women who ate at the restaurant during its second day open. “They’re still coming every week,” he says.
Kostas Cafe
Greenville & University
214.987.3225
kostascafe.com
Three more spots to cure the Mediterranean munchies
1 Ali Baba
For a lunchtime buffet, this local spot is hard to beat with its selection of appetizers, grilled meats and desserts.
Abrams & La Vista
214.823.8235
alibabacafe.com
2 Café Izmir
Arguably, some of the best hummus in Dallas can be found at this Lower Greenville spot, which has a restaurant open evenings and a daytime deli and market location on the same block.
Greenville & Martel
214.826.7788
cafeizmir.com
3 Cigarz Pizza
Aside from its delicious pizzas, Cigarz devotes an entire menu section to Mediterranean specialties, including dolmas and kabobs.
Gaston & Grand
214.319.0055
cigarzpizza.com
