Rocco Smith
The city of Chicago is an excellent place to visit. If you’re taking a trip to Chicago, you’ll have a great time checking out the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The Windy City has many fantastic attractions like the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, and Millenium Park.
Furthermore, you will find that Chicago has a substantial Greek population. Illinois – and the Windy City in particular – has the second largest number of Greek people in the United States. In total, 125,000 Greek citizens reside in Chicago.
When you’re done roaming the city and seeing all of its attractions, you might find yourself grabbing some lunch or dinner at an excellent Greek restaurant.
You’ll love trying the tzatziki, kebabs, and more. When I took a trip to Chicago, I adored the fried eggplants, gyros, and other Mediterranean dishes at the many Greek restaurants in the city.
Here, I have put together a substantial list of the best Greek restaurants in Chicago. Check out my list of amazing Greek restaurants in the Windy City below!
Greek Islands
200 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: 312-782-9855
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The Greek Islands restaurant sits a few blocks away from Heritage Green Park and Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
This impressive and traditional Greek restaurant is right on the corner of West Adams Street and South Halsted Street.
The Greek Islands restaurant first opened in 1971 and has served quality and affordable Greek food ever since.
My favorite dishes here were their lamb and beef gyros appetizer as well as their melt-in-the-mouth moussaka. Exquisitely tasty meats fill the gyro pita.
The mousaka includes a combination of creamy baked eggplants, ground meat, and fresh potatoes.
Athena Greek Restaurant
212 S Halsted St #1, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: 312-655-0000
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You can find the Athena Greek Restaurant right next door to the Greek Islands eatery.
Bartelme (Mary) Park stands a few blocks away from the Athena Greek Restaurant, which serves Mediterranean-inspired food and provides both indoor and outdoor seating in a friendly environment.
At this fine dining and rather upscale Greek restaurant, I ordered Tzatziki sauce for my bread and pita, an appetizer of zucchini chips, and a main meal of seafood kabobs.
The kabobs were the best, and I loved the flaky salmon, tasty swordfish, and shrimp. It came with a side of seasoned rice and potatoes that I couldn’t resist.
Athenian Room
807 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: 773-348-5155
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The Athenian Room restaurant sits only a block away from Oz Park. You can find this trendy and comfy Greek restaurant on the corner of Webster Avenue and North Halsted Street.
This family-owned restaurant has been around since 1972, serving delicious Greek food. I loved the brick walls and portraits decorating the building. You can also dine outdoors under an umbrella on a sunny day if you prefer.
I ordered the jumbo shrimp as an appetizer and the tasty king-sized gyro with french fries for lunch. My friends and I also had some iced tea with sweet baklava for dessert.
Taxim
1558 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: 773-252-1558
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The Taxim restaurant stands near an athletic club and Wicker Park. You can find this restaurant right off Milwaukee Avenue and near The Flatiron Arts Building. Urban Outfitters is also right down the street.
I loved trying out the rooftop dining available at this trendy restaurant. Here, I ordered a fire-roasted eggplant salad with pita as well as the wood-grilled lamb chops for my main meal.
The flavorful lamb chops came with a savory pepper salad, wheat pilaf, and fresh grilled lemons. For dessert, I truly enjoyed the sweet chocolate semolina halva, which included a candied mandarin.
Avli On The Park
Multiple locations
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While there are multiple locations for this restaurant, I found the Avli eatery in the Lincoln Park region next door to several bars, a spa, and a running track.
I came upon this restaurant on the corner of West Wrightwood Avenue and North Wayne Avenue.
This fine-dining restaurant offers exquisite Greek-inspired food. The foods are based on the Mediterranean diet, and you can also order Greek wines here.
When I visited this restaurant, I ordered the meatballs as my hors d’oeuvre and the Ouzo Salmon as my main course. I loved the flaky and delicious fish as well as the mouthwatering meatballs.
Artopolis Bakery, Cafe & Agora
306 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: 312-559-9000
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You can find the Artopolis Bakery, Cafe & Agora a few blocks away from the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.
After a delicious meal, you can enjoy visiting the National Hellenic Museum down the street from this cafe.
This cafe was a perfect place to grab some lunch. I enjoyed looking at the indoor stone wall and large Greek flag in this bakery.
Here, I ordered the pita gyro with mouthwatering lamb and beef with a side of french fries. I tried the sweet and creamy chocolate raspberry truffle for a tasty treat. After a day out in the Windy City, it was a perfect meal to enjoy.
Cross-Rhodes Restaurant
913 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Phone: 847-475-4475
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If you’re planning on visiting the American Toby Jug Museum, you need to stop by Cross-Rhodes Restaurant right off Chicago Avenue.
This restaurant is only a few blocks away from Fitzsimons Park. It first opened in 1984 in a beautiful brick building and has a very laidback, relaxing atmosphere.
My friends and I enjoyed our time at this restaurant. I ordered the fried shrimp as an appetizer for the table and then the cucumber and tzatziki salad for myself.
For my main course, I picked the half-chicken cooked in a white wine sauce with a taste of lemons and herbs. It was all decidedly delicious.
Psistaria Greek Taverna
4711 W Touhy Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712
Phone: 847-676-9400
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After strolling through Kenneth Park, take a quick drive to the Psistaria Greek Taverna. You won’t regret it!
This restaurant sits in a more suburban neighborhood, right off of Touhy Avenue. This incredible and upscale family-owned restaurant opened in 2005 and has been serving authentic Greek food with fresh ingredients ever since.
I chose the mini pork kabobs for my appetizer and the chicken breast pasta as my main meal.
I loved the tasty meats with tzatziki sauce and the perfect encasing of pita bread. The spaghetti came cooked in wonderfully creamy garlic and tomato sauce, and the chicken strips were sauteed with fresh vegetables.
Greek Corner Restaurant
958 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: 773-252-8010
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The Greek Corner Restaurant stands in a typical suburban neighborhood with The Boulevard Condominium Homes nearby and the Dollop Bakeshop across the street.
This locale is a very laidback and casual restaurant that serves traditional Greek food.
I asked for the Mediterranean salad and the souvlaki on pita bread. The chicken souvlaki is a charbroiled and tasty piece of meat. It comes with romaine lettuce, onions, and tomatoes on top of pita bread smeared with tzatziki sauce.
I also tried the dolmades. They are delicious, greasy vegetarian grape leaves that my friends and I could not stop eating. For a simple and tasty meal, I suggest trying the Greek Corner Restaurant.
Salonica Restaurant
1440 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-752-3899
After spending a day walking around the Museum of Science and Industry, you can enjoy a great meal at the Salonica Restaurant. This eatery is on the corner of South Blackstone Avenue and East 57th Street.
The food here is fresh and of high quality. I picked the souvlaki sandwich deluxe, served with lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes, as well as a side of fries.
I enjoyed drinking the sweet iced tea with my mouthwatering souvlaki sandwich. Check out the Salonica restaurant if you’re looking for a quick yet delicious lunch.
It’s Greek 2 U Grill
5449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 872-806-2293
If you’re looking for the perfect place for your group of foodies, then check out Greek 2 U Grill.
You can find the Greek 2 U Grill near the corner of West Catalpa Avenue and North Clark Street. The T-Mobile store and a Walgreens pharmacy stand right across the street.
At this eatery, I ordered the egg-lemon soup and the flavorful chicken yeero wrap with a side of savory rice pilaf. To end my meal, I asked for the sweet baklava.
It was the perfect dessert to conclude my day. So if you’re looking for fresh and delicious food, this is the place to see!
9 Muses Bar & Grill
315 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: 312-902-9922
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After strolling through the Bartelme Park, you can walk a few blocks toward the 9 Muses Bar & Grill.
This restaurant sits in front of the National Hellenic Museum as well. Furthermore, the trendy restaurant serves high-quality Greek food with finely crafted cocktails and wines.
In addition, the upscale 9 Muses Bar & Grill holds events where you can spend the night dancing to incredible music played by popular DJs.
At this restaurant, I picked the charred zucchini for my appetizer and the Meditteranean pasta. I loved the creamy pasta with its mix of tomatoes, green bell peppers, garlic, and fresh basil.
Zeus Restaurant
806 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-258-8789
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Zeus Restaurant, which revolves around the ancient Greek Gods, sits near the Sonnets Academy.
You can find the restaurant right on the corner of West Jackson Boulevard and South Green Street, which is in a suburban neighborhood. Bartelme Park is right up the street and a few blocks west.
This small and casual restaurant serves tasty Greek food like gyros and shishkabobs. For a quick lunch, I picked the mixed salad along with the barbecue half-chicken.
The chefs served this delicious roasted chicken with garlic bread, salad, and french fries. My dining party ordered sweet raspberry iced tea with this savory meal, which was the perfect touch.
Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna
4761 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: 773-878-6400
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The Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna sits several blocks away from the Davis Theater. You can enjoy a delicious dinner at this restaurant and then walk to the theater to watch a great movie. Further North, you can roam to the Ainslie Arts Plaza, a gorgeous and colorful walkway.
This restaurant opened up in 1989 and has been serving authentic Greek cuisine ever since.
At the trendy Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna, I ordered the souvlakia as an appetizer and the pork chops as my main meal, which the chefs served with savory rice and Greek potatoes.
Mr. Greek Gyros
234 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-906-8731
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The Mr. Greek Gyros restaurant is also right by Bartelme Park. With restaurants specializing in Greek cuisine nearby (Zeus Restaurant, Athena Greek Restaurant, and more), I started to think of this neighborhood as Little Greece.
This laidback and casual Greek restaurant serves gyros, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, and subs.
I arrived for lunch and picked the popular Gyro plate, which came with a pile of crunchy french fries. The gyro was quite savory and flavorful.
I enjoyed a nice and hefty portion of delicious pound cake for dessert. I loved the huge portions at an affordable price.
Final Thoughts
If you’re spending some time in the Windy City, be sure to check out some of these incredible Greek restaurants after your day of exploration and sightseeing. You won’t regret having a gyro or two at awesome Greek restaurants in Chicago.
Not in the mood for Greek cuisine? Check out this list of the best Indian restaurants in Chicago.
Did I miss a restaurant when making this list? Be sure to leave a comment below, and I’ll check it out next time I visit Chicago!
