The Pomegranate Explosion salad with a side of gyro meat at Eat Greek Gyros in Somerville’s Davis Square. (Photo: Tom Meek)
Greek seems to be all the rage. We’ve got Saloniki, Zo Greek and Greco outposts scattered around Greater Boston to fill your Mediterranean cravings and Cambridge has the OGs of Desfina on Third Street in Kendall Square and Greek Corner out in Trolley Square. Now in Davis Square we have Opa Greek Yeeros, which reopened in February under new management after being shuttered for back taxes and most recently – last week – Eat Greek Gyros, which popped up in the storefront that was the beloved, family-run Out of the Blue seafood eatery. Eat Greek, which has other locales only in Spain but looks to expand here, gives you the gyros, souvlaki and tzatziki you’d expect and some eye-catching changeups to boot.
First, the remake of the dark nook nestled between Rosebud and the original Painted Burro on Elm Street is impressive, an open-grill restaurant as nightclub with ample dining space that includes a community table and a VIP-style section and dramatic Greco-flavored decor – sculpted torsos, fake olive sprigs and theater masks adorn the walls and tables. Second, the folks behind Eat Greek have big ambitions, staying open to 2 a.m. and offering wine, beer and Greek- inspired cocktails. They have the licensing and the bar stock is on the way, and I was told next week is when you can get some good Greek vino.
The food, like the ambition and vibe, is big. A salad is a meal for two. I ordered the Pomegranate Explosion with gyros and expected a fresh salad with gyros atop; what I got was something of a work of art with goat cheese, crisp apple slices and pomegranate seeds on fresh greens with a balsamic drizzle done with a barista’s skill. It looked too pretty to eat. And where was my gyro? Next to my big, fat Greek salad came an ample serving of moist and juicy meat in a bowl. Much of it went home with me. Instead of mixing it with the salad, I requested some tzatziki. (There is also an Eat Greek house sauce that is a blend of mayo and ketchup with a Greek spin.) The salad was top-notch, super fresh. The goat cheese, however, was not your sweet Vermont kind, but had a bit of an acrid, feta bite to it that worked well with the pecans, pomegranate and balsamic. The one thing: The salad is so deep you might need to ask for extra dressing should you get to the bottom.
The Paros bowl at Eat Greek features quinoa and grilled octopus. (Photo: Eat Greek)
Naturally the gyros and souvlaki more traditionally go in a pita, and Eat Greek’s are thick and come warmed from the griddle. You have the option of regular or corn – something I’ve never seen around these parts. You can get your pork or chicken gyros as a club, too, between two pitas with bacon, or as a plate with fries or rice pilaf and pita, and there are power bowls and rice bowls. The base is the difference: The power crew comes with tricolor quinoa. I tried out the Paros bowl with grilled octopus, tomatoes and cucumbers dressed with a Tirokafteri sauce of thick, savory feta. The octopus was near perfectly grilled, flavorful and supple in the middle other than chewy. Like with the salad, the veggies were noticeably fresh and the presentation again was artisanal. The bowl was more a reasonable side portion compared with the salad, and it felt apt dining on octopi here, as one of my favorite offerings at Out of the Blue was their octopus salad.
Most Eat Greek pitas come stuffed with a protein – grilled halloumi cheese is in the rotation – tomatoes, fries and some form of crafted sauce. There are also unique specialty pitas. I was super impressed by The Village, advertised as sausage, ketchup, mustard, grilled onions, tomatoes and french fries. I skipped the ketchup and fries and had a slice of heaven with a zing of mustard. The Sausage Guy can weep, because that is what this is: a glorious sausage grinder gone Greek.
On the sweet side there’s a full menu of loukoumades, the Greek Dunkin’ Munchkin before there was a Munchkin. My daughter, who’s a Munchkin expert, gave a thumbs-up to the traditional version with Greek honey and cinnamon. For the more adventurous there are spins that employ Oreo cookies and the devastatingly delicious combo of sea salt and caramel, as well as savory versions. One comes stuffed with feta.
If the prices at Eat Greek look a bit above bar, know that you will get your money’s worth in quality and quantity. The staff too are all in and super friendly, and the festive vibe is likely only to take further flight once the ouzo and olive martinis flow.
Eat Greek Gyros, 215 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
Dining and Cooking