Authentic Greek food: new place near LAX?

[diningdivala]

Someone on this thread mentioned a new place near LAX that makes "authentic" Greek food. While we've pretty much decided that there isn't any truly authentic Greek food in LA, this post about one with fresh lamb did peak my interest. Does anyone know of it?

From the thread:
a new greek place with home cooking only has opened by LAX but i don't know its address or name. i understand they make fresh lamb daily.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[ks in la]

Are you thinking of Petros in Manhattan Beach? It was reviewed by the LATimes restaurant critic in March. I haven't been so can't comment on quality or authenticity!

Petros Greek Cuisine
451 Manhattan Beach Blvd., No. B110,
Manhattan Beach
310-545-4100
http://www.petrosrestaurant.com/

[modernist]

my favorite spot in LA is c+k (aka papa christos). i have yet to try sofi, tony's taverna, mama voula's and several other greek spots. i have sampled the greek fare in astoria queens and spent three weeks in athens and the islands with greek friends.

for the price point and location and feel (next to greek orthodox church), and what i normally order (lamb souvlaki) its pretty darn good. the pita is light and puffy like i remember eating. chris is a super awesome dude also.

last time i ordered my coffee in greek (ena frappe metrio me rala parakalo) the guy didnt bat a wink and brought me a coffee and im a young chinese kid!

of course youre never gonna get close to the freshness of the seafood while dining al fresco on one of the islands as the guy rips apart octopus with his hands and throws it on the grill, but it still does the trick for my souvlaki fix...

[CynD]

I'd take a pass on Sofi's. Gave it two or three tries, and was disappointed each time. The patio setting is nice, but not enough to make up for the food.

[Tari]

You may be talking about the place on Arbor Vitae and Airport. I think it is fairly new. It is on the south side of Arbor Vitae.

[young_chower]

Yes, it's called Aliki's Greek Taverna. Here's the link:

http://www.google.com/maps?f=l&hl...

My parents went there, said it is the usual LA greek food. They talked to the owners, and their story is that they were renting the kitchen for catering, and had extra space and decided to open a little Greek restaurant.

[diningdivala]

I'm starting to think your parents should open a Greek resto. When they do, make sure to post about it!!

[upstarter]

Yes, a good Greek restaurant is needed.

[young_chower]

We've actually thought about itm but it's too much work. If I ever become wealthy I'd open one up, even if the place didn't make a profit. If that ever happens, I'll let you know!

[mmmmmd]

Aliki's is fantastic. Best Greek salad in Los Angeles. All the produce is amazingly fresh because they shop the local farmer's markets.

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Aliki's Greek Taverna
5862 Arbor Vitae St, Los Angeles, CA 90045

[TonyC]

wow. talk about bringing a dead thread back. 5 years old..

[diegodad]

As you can find from the link posted by young_chower above, the name is Aliki's Greek Taverna; it's at 5862 Arbor Vitae St., L.A. 90045, 310-645-9555. It's about a mile from LAX, near the car rental areas east of the airport. My wife and I went there 3 or 4 months ago, before they were officially open (I had just seen a banner out front). It's in what was a coffee shop for the past few decades, so the ambience isn't that great, but the food was good, if not exceptional. The owner (Aliki?) came to our table and talked with us, explained what she was trying to do, and in general seem to care about her customers. At the time they didn't take credit cards, but she indicated that that situation would change. Also, at that time they did not have any alcohol, not even beer and wine. The owner explained that the problem was that they only had one unisex restroom; in their infinite wisdom, the ABC (Calif. Alcoholic Beverage Control) board requires two restrooms in order for a restautant to get any sort of liquor license. (Go figure.) She indicated that they plan to add another restroom, and get a license. We plan to go back sometime in the not too distant future, and I will update this post. (We live in the Westchester area L.A., which is where LAX is located.)

[epop]

i think they're closed on the weekend, btw.

+ not much by way of seafood. i haven't been but my understanding is that
it is heavy on the meat dishes, some mezedes//

[CNYinLA]

I've posted about this place in the past as well. They opened earlier this summer and I've been there 10 or 15 times now. Very consistent, fresh, and affordable Greek-American food!

Frankly Im surprised they have managed to stay open. The hours have fluctuated quite a bit while they try to find their footing. They are somewhat unexpected for the neighborhood but the owner claims they do well during lunch time with the airport workers.

The menu is nothing special. You won't find anything gourmet here. Its pretty much composed of every Greek item you would find in any other American diner but there are some nice homemade touches in a lot of the dishes that make you feel like you're having dinner made at a Greek friend's house.

I've been loving the fresh cheese and gigandes appetizer sampler myself. Makes for a nice light lunch. I haven't noticed an emphasis on the meat dishes but they do have a lot of standard diner fare also like hamburgers.

They also serve octopus, which kind of jumps out at you on their menu. Definitely not Daphne's Greek Cafe!

[sushigirlie]

Here's a link to the menu.

http://www.elikioliveoil.com/whyelolo...

It does seem that the menu is pretty basic, but to my tastes, basic Greek food is much better than most food. There's nothing at Providence or Melisse or Spago that's better than bread, olive oil, grilled halloumi, and horiatiki -- to my tastes.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[happybaker]

Love that -

"There's nothing at Providence or Melisse or Spago that's better than bread, olive oil, grilled halloumi, and horiatiki -- to my tastes"

True!

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210