Oil Lamp Greek

Delicious!! I've spent a lot of time in Greek restaurants in my life and this is a homey, fresh, traditional and delicious place to eat! Would definitely recommend this restaurant. 

The staff were friendly and served us quickly and diligently. We ordered a touch too much food because we wanted to try everything and we weren't disappointed by any of our choices. 

The saganaki was some of the richest and tastiest we have ever had, I would recommend eating it was slices of tomato. I asked for a plate of sliced tomatoes and they happily brought us a pile of them. Another greek restaurant in Edmonton refused to and said I would have to pay for a salad to do so?

The meat was well marinated and cooked perfectly, we often find  pork can be overcooked and dry but were thankful that it was not. 

Yes, I will be back! 

Food taste and quality: 10 out of 10

Atmosphere and service: 9 out of 10

Ousia - Our favorite restaurant in Edmonton

This is our favorite restaurant in Edmonton. The food is creative, authentic, and DELICIOUS!
We ordered the Saganaki, Lamb, Salad and Desserts and they were all presented in ways we had never seen before. The waitress was just delightful. She was very informative, friendly and fast. The restaurant was a lovely atmosphere and comfortable. I believe it's new, having only been around for a year. We would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes good food and we will definitely go back. It is not the cheapest place, I think it cost approximately $50 for the two of us (however we didn't order any alcoholic drinks). 

Food taste and quality = 10 out of 10
Atmosphere and service = 10 out of 10

Yianni's Tavern

I am always tougher on greek restaurants then others unfortunately due to my history of working in a greek restaurant and eating a LOT of greek food. We had not been recommended Yiannis but it was always busy whenever I walked past so I hoped for the best. 

The place was empty when we went mid week but service was still very slow. For appetizers we ordered Saganaki and Sausages. Both were nice but not very traditional. The sausages were cold and very fatty. When the Saganaki came out I asked for a side of tomatoes as the best way to eat Saganaki is with fresh tomatoes on pita. The server rudely said she couldn't provide them, and if I wanted to order another salad I could. What?!

For our mains we ordered lamb and beef souvlaki's with greek salad and roast potatoes. The meat was very dry and again not very traditional. We happily ate it but I was disappointed. 

The service was what really turned us off. We decided not to stay for dessert or drinks and went up the road instead. 

Food taste and quality = 7 out of 10

Atmosphere and service = 6 out of 10

Koutouki

This was the first greek food we tried in Edmonton, as we had stayed away from the "Fast Food Donair" style places for pure horror at the "meat" hanging in the windows! 

Koutouki has an interesting decor with a ceiling of fairy lights and vines. It does feel very homey and although I don't know how they do it the vines are not dusty at all. 

There was a belly dancer in the long dining room and she was rattling away with bells on her arms and legs. We strategically sat our selves away from her for fear of her dancing up to our table! 

We ordered the usual suspects of Saganaki, Lamb and veggies, Tzatiki and pita and of course a greek salad. Everything was very tasty although a bit more oily then I would have liked. Coming from Australia we can't be too critical of the lamb as we are in Canada the beef capital, however it was quite nice, if not a bit fatty. 

The wait staff were friendly and very helpful. They suggested a lovely white wine that complimented the meal well and everything was brought out quickly and in the correct order, which is actually kind of rare these days. 

As this is a bit further away from our house and there are a few other good Greek Restaurants near our house (Ousia and Oil Lamp) we probably would only come back here if we were in the neighbourhood. I hear there is another Koutouki down the university end of Whyte Ave, so we might give that one a go one day too. 

All in all a nice meal and good service. If you are nearby and feel like Greek food you won't be disappointment. 

Food Quality and Taste = 7.5 out of 10

Service and Atmosphere = 8.5 out of 10

Balkan

Balkan Greek