Where to Eat Greek Food in Greater Boston
Where to find grab-and-go gyros, classic Hellenic comfort foods, high-end meze, and more.
Ready to pledge to the Greek life? Allow us to school you with this alpha-to-omega list of the best places to find grab-and-go gyros, classic Hellenic comfort foods, high-end meze, and everything else that’s betta’ with feta.
This guide was last updated in September 2021; stay tuned for periodic updates.
Keftedakia (chicken meatballs with honey mustard and coucous-apricot salad) at Committee. / Photo courtesy of Committee
Committee
There’s a buzzy vibe to this swish, contemporary Greek restaurant in the Seaport. Cool crowds don’t just come for the food—although the cuisine certainly warrants it, from the sea bass grilled whole with lemon, garlic, and parsley to the spanakopita “grilled cheese” with feta and kasseri. They also come for the cocktails, a kicky bunch that includes the amusingly named Boulevard of Broken Memes, basil-infused bourbon with vermouth over a coconut-water ice cube.
50 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-737-5051, committeeboston.com.
Desfina
This inconspicuous street-corner taverna is a little easier to spot now, thanks to the pandemic-era patio out front. Whether you pull up a seat in the homey dining room or soak up the autumnal air outside, there’s familial service to accompany Hellenic comfort food like rice- and herb-stuffed vine leaves drizzled with avgolemono sauce, slices of phyllo-layered spinach pie, and classic mousaka, an eggplant, beef, and potato casserole covered in béchamel sauce.
202 Third St., Cambridge, 617-868-9098, desfina.com.
Effie’s Kitchen
Given that there’s only about three tables inside, this family-run place in quaint Roslindale Village is mainly a takeout spot, so they’re used to speedily packing up containers of amazing avgolemono soup; pita sandwiches filled with beef, chicken, or pork; and super-fresh village salads of cucumber, olives, tomato, and so much feta you might not need to tack a warm feta pie onto your order. (Pro tip: Do it anyway.)
37 Poplar St., Roslindale, 617-942-2247, effiesgyro.com.
Esperia Grill / Photo by Kelsey Cronin
Esperia Grill
This Brighton restaurant has several years’ worth of Best of Boston awards under its belt, but we’d argue it still doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Among other reasons, the value is incredible: The place does not skimp on portion sizes, and its entrées—nearly all of which are twenty bucks or less—come with two hot sides and a Greek salad. Our pick? Moussaka or keftedes meatballs, paired with herb-laden roasted potatoes and sweet corn. Even if you don’t order some delicious baklava for dessert, you’ll wind up with enough food for tomorrow’s-lunch leftovers.
344 Washington St., Brighton, 617-254-8337, esperiagrill.net.
Classic gyros like these and more will be on the menu at Greco in Downtown Crossing. / Photos courtesy of Greco
GreCo
GreCo isn’t just one of the best Greek restaurants in Boston—it’s one of the best fast-casual restaurants in Boston, period. For that, credit the commitment to using top ingredients, many sourced straight from Greece: from the olive oil drizzled on fresh and crisp horiatiki salads, to the merenda, a hazelnut spread used as a topping for delicious loukoumas, which are deep-fried doughnut holes. ( You can pick up some of the same groceries at Agora by Greco, the new market inside Greco’s Seaport location.) Besides fantastic lamb and pork sliced straight off the spit, there’s also delicious dips, such as spicy feta for swabbing up with house baked pita.
225 Newbury St., Back Bay, 617-572-3300; 200 Pier 4 Blvd., Seaport, 617-572-3300 ; 1 Milk St., Downtown, 617-572-3300, grecoboston.com.
Greek Corner
For more than 30 years, this Porter Square-side staple—its interior covered in murals of the Greek coast—has been serving up homespun plates to eager crowds. Skewers of charcoal-grilled lamb, chicken, beef, and swordfish are a highlight, though there’s plenty of veggie-friendly plates: falafel, stuffed grape leaves, and pureed eggplant salad, to name a few. You’ll also find some lovely galaktoboureko, sweet squares of phyllo dough baked with semolina custard.
2366 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-661-5655, greekcorner.us.
Gyro City
It’s all about the namesake pita-wrapped meats at this pair of fast-casual standouts. Warm, tzatziki-smeared pita is filled with rotisserie pork or chicken, plus tomato, red onion, and crispy fries. That said, the Brighton location has a broader menu of hits, including appetizers like the kolokithokeftedes, mint- and feta-filled zucchini croquettes; mains such as pastichio, noodles baked with seasoned ground beef and béchamel; and delicious dips, including melitzanosalata, a smoky eggplant spread.
88 Peterborough St., the Fenway, 617-266-4976; 181 Chestnut Hill Ave,. Brighton, 617-903-4248, gyrocity.com.
Kava Neo-Taverna
There’s a bit of South End-style swankiness to the Greek cuisine here, which offers lamb or Mediterranean sea bass grilled simply but superbly with olive oil, lemon, and herbs; braised beef short rib served over orzo; and eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic, tomato, and springy kasseri cheese. And naturally, given that the South End is such a brunch-heavy neighborhood, Kava is also offering some of its weekend specials for takeout—say, saganaki of baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with feta and bell peppers.
315 Shawmut Ave., Boston, 617-356-1100, kavaneotaverna.com.
Feast of the Gods. / Courtesy of Krasi
Krasi
The Committee crew planted a Greek flag in the Back Bay with this Greek wine- and meze-oriented addition to the neighborhood. It’s loaded with dips (try the feta, whipped with red feta for swiping with crispy chicken skins); seafood, from finely dressed crudos to sublimely grilled octopus; and more standout mains, such as regularly rotating rotisserie meats. Indecisive? Go big and get the Feast of the Gods, a splurge-worthy ($349) splay of everything and then some.
48 Gloucester St., Boston, 617-536-0230, krasiboston.com.
Saloniki’s braised pork pita. / Courtesy photo
Saloniki
Over the last year or so, James Beard award winning chef Jody Adams has been busy leading the charge on restaurant recovery—she’s a cofounder of Mass Restaurants United, a grassroots coalition of operators advocating to support the industry during and post-pandemic. Along the way, her group of Greek fast-casual restaurants continue to hum along, tossing together signature pitas like one featuring honey-garlic braised pork shoulder with spicy whipped feta and one that drizzles fried chicken with Greek-style ranch dressing.
Multiple locations in Boston and Cambridge; salonikigreek.com.
Zo
The hearty soups, in particular, have powered downtown office workers through many a lunch hour at Zo’s Boston locations, which ladle out avgolemono, lamb chili, and fasolada, among others. But the Somerville location at Assembly Row has an even larger menu for dinner hours, including a host of meze: half-pound Greek sausages of ground pork, leeks and orange zest; chargrilled, herb-marinated chicken wings; and zucchini-feta fritters with a goat cheese and dill aioli, to name a few.
92 State St., Boston, 617-227-0101; 3 Center Plaza, Boston, 617-227-0101; 355 Revolution Dr., Somerville, 617-764-2792, zoboston.com.
