Throwbacks are a quandary. Sometimes, they take you back to a better time or an old memory that brings a smile to your face.
Yanni's is a bit of a old time Greek establishment that could be described as a throwback. It is a small Mediterranean eatery that features classic dishes prepared by a friendly, talkative staff surrounded by authentic decor.
Unfortunately, the throwback status also takes the menu back to a time when everybody eats meat. The appetizers have many vegetarian options (hummus, saganaki, Greek salad, spanakopita, et al.), but the main entree is limited to Greek pasta, the vaguely Italian tomato sauce dish topped with feta to make the dish more Alexandrian. The pasta was good, but it's definitely more ho-hum than the variety of options at places like Happy Greek.
The salad was dynamite. The dressing was exceptionally flavorful, and the vegetables are crunchy and perfectly suited to the dish. The spanakopita is also very good. The saganaki was a great mix of citrus and bubbly cheese, but the small interior eliminates the "opa!" that comes alongside the famous dish being lit ablaze. Most of the appetizers are big enough to share, so also plan accordingly for that.
The menu features a limited selection of soda and low alcohol beverages (i.e. beer and wine). I recommend Mythos lager.
The restaurant is small and it fills up fast. The owner is an absolute treat. He is very talkative, and he provides great service alongside friendly conversation. The meat eaters I ate with enjoyed their dinners, so the best way I can put it is that Yanni's comes highly recommended to omnivores by a vegetarian. However, I'd like to see another vegetarian entree on the menu, or maybe I'd recommend that vegetarians share a bunch of appetizers in order to optimize their experience.
3 comments:
The vegetarian pita and greek salad are both awesome, I have dreams about their dressing!
My wife and I took some family to Yanni's recently. We usually take a group. It was a cold day and my wife requested of the "Owner of 25 years" a table away from the front door so that her 86 y.o Mother wouldn't have to sit in the cold. This started a barage of nasty comments from the "Owner of 25 years" as he titled himself. My wife made no nasty comments to this jerk of an owner, who eventually swore at her and told her to shut up, This restaurant may have decent food. But if you want to support another immigrant who has no more respect for it's customer's or American's than to get irritated and curse at them, please do so at your own risk. I did give the owner my 2 cents on his business demeanor and left to find a good restaurant. THIS BEHAVIOR IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND THIS OWNER DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR BUSINESS NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE FOOD IS. My wife is a sweet person and did not deserve this treatment.
My wife and I took some family to Yanni's recently. We usually take a group. It was a cold day and my wife requested of the "Owner of 25 years" a table away from the front door so that her 86 y.o Mother wouldn't have to sit in the cold. This started a barage of nasty comments from the "Owner of 25 years" as he titled himself. My wife made no nasty comments to this jerk of an owner, who eventually swore at her and told her to shut up, This restaurant may have decent food. But if you want to support another immigrant who has no more respect for it's customer's or American's than to get irritated and curse at them, please do so at your own risk. I did give the owner my 2 cents on his business demeanor and left to find a good restaurant. THIS BEHAVIOR IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND THIS OWNER DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR BUSINESS NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE FOOD IS. My sweet wife did not deserve this treatment!
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