Estiatorio Plaka

Stopped here randomly for lunch and had an amazing experience. I haven't been since the spring and was really delighted to see a lunch special that changes every week. I thought I might just get a pastry but was hungry enough for lunch. The restaurant is huge and I sat in a different location than last time and the sun was shining and it was just so beautiful. I felt like I've been transported to Greece. Nikki was my server and she was ABOVE AND BEYOND. She was so attentive she easily could've just left me alone, but was friendly and really went above with giving me extra napkins and freshly cracking pepper on my burger. It was really an elite experience. I couldn't even finish half the burger as the entree came with a salad. The lunch special was quite cheap and they have one dollar espresso on the menu, which is insane.

What a gem in the heart of Greektown! I've been wanting to try this place out since it opened, but just haven't gotten the chance until now. I love Greek food, but haven't been to a really great Greek restaurant since I lived in Chicago; this place certainly comes the closest.First off, the ambience is lovely. It is a lovely oasis and you forget about the hustle and bustle of Eastern Avenue just outside the doors as you are welcomed by cases of freshly prepared baked goods. The restaurant is just past the bakery and has a very nice bar and well-appointed dining room. We were seated very quickly by a friendly hostess who let us know bread is baked fresh each day, and some would be brought out to our table shortly.True to her word, a basket of hot, fresh,well-seasoned bread was delivered to the table momentarily. Our glasses were promptly filled with water and were never empty over the course of the evening. (I particularly appreciate how quickly and quietly the glasses were refilled, almost unnoticeably, which to me, is a hallmark of exceptional service.) Service was exemplary all around from beginning to end, from every single employee with whom we interacted. I'd say it was every bit as good as the service you get at the Charleston, which is high praise. Five stars for service, unquestionably. I'd actually give this a 4.5 star review if that were possible, but since it wasn't, I had to give it 4 stars. The food was excellent overall, but I couldn't give it 5 stars because there were a couple of glaring misses in terms of dishes that were grossly under seasoned.We started with the traditional dolmades and the plaka mezze spreads. The dolmades were excellent and perfectly seasoned grape leaves stuffed with rice and minced beef; I highly recommend them. The plaka mezze comes with 4 spreads: hummus; melitzonosalata (eggplant dip); tzatziki; and taramas. The hummus and meltitzonosalata were both grossly under seasoned, as in I'm not sure if any salt was put in there at all. I don't think it's possible a chef tasted these after preparing them, because there's no way he/she would send it out if they had. I can't remember the last time I had to ask for salt at a restaurant, that's how many years it's been. After adding salt they were better, but because it was standard table salt, only marginally so. The taramas was outstanding, though, and my friend loved the tzatziki. The pita served with the dips was warm, fresh, and delicious.I ordered the avgolemono soup to start. A very generous bowl came out with more fresh, warm bread. Unfortunately, this too was very under seasoned. After adding salt, though, it was quite good with very nice flavors. (I could see myself ordering this again to-go, taking it home and salting it with kosher salt at home.) I'm not sure if tonight was just an off night for the three dishes that were under seasoned, or if the recipes don't call for enough salt, but these were the only dishes that were misses. That aside, the flavors were still quite good, so if they figure out how to incorporate the right balance of salt, all three dishes would be outstanding.The rest of the dishes were all hits. I ordered the moussaka, which is always my go-to so long as it's made with beef and not lamb. The moussaka was delicious, well seasoned, and a very generous portion. My friend ordered the short rib béchamel, which was also very good. The short rib was fork tender, and again, a very generous portion. I think the moussaka was definitely the better of the two, but both were quite good. We also ordered sides of lemon potatoes, beets, and spinach rice. Portions were very large, and all three sides were exceptionally flavorful and well seasoned. From a value perspective, I think this restaurant might be the best value for your money of any restaurant in Baltimore, or anywhere else for that matter. The portions are HUGE, and the quality is really exceptional, even with a few small misses, which I'm hoping are just one-offs. The incredible service puts this place over the top for me. I'm going to start recommending it to all of my friends as a regular place we should be working into our rotation. They have a brunch menu that looks amazing. The bar is very inviting, so I definitely want to try out their happy hour specials during the week, too.

Came here for a girl night out dinner on a weeknight and was immediately blown away by the ambiance of this restaurant! GORGEOUS inside that captured the vibes of Santorini. Lots of seating available as well. They were accommodating with a high chair which is a plus too. We found out that happy hour is only at the bar, but they had an extensive wine and cocktail menu with some beer and other options too. We got a white and red wine and both were great ($13 per glass). For food we split the dip starter which came with a small portion of 4 different dips and pita. All were yummy. I ordered off the specials menu and got lamb which was delicious. It came with soup and mini desert for $22 which I thought was a good price. Everyone in my party was pleased with their meals! Service was pretty good, but we felt that our waitress didn't check in enough, but nbd. Staff was friendly overall. Will definitely be back!Also do not miss out on the full Greek bakery they have on the other side of the restaurant!!!

Brunch here was a delightful experience. The shakshuka was light and bursting with flavor, and the fried chicken and loukoumades (like chicken and waffles, but with doughnuts) was decadent. There are so many good looking menu items that we're going back as soon as possible. Even the bread was amazing - slightly grilled/charred sourdough drizzled with olive oil. When we were through with brunch we hit the pastry counter on the way out, which has dozens of options. We're coming back to try the rest of those, too.

Great crusty garlic bread offered up before a hello. Great service with a smile from multiple staff. Clean quarters with a high tech bathroom. The toilet see s you leave then flushes. Electric eyes on the water spigots and blow dryers.Portions are large throughout. Greeks don't let you leave hungry. Our monster Greek salad was had feta, onions, tomatoes, olives(watch out for the pits, and cucumbers. One entree was mousaka with ground beef and eggplant. It was excellent, but we had to bring home half of it. Same with the baked chicken. Burnt lemon and a olive oil, butter base for heaps of flavor. Mounds of roasted potatoes. Ate some, bagged the remainder. Then we finished with orange cake soaked in some sweet syrup. Totally hit the spot.In Baltimore's Greek town, I'd move them to the head of the line.

So, I finally got a chance to eat inside the restaurant. Which is funny, because it's right down the street from my house. My partner and I wanted a date night that was close to home because it was raining. From the minute you walk inside, everybody treats you like family. We were seated at a table and didn't really like that option so they quickly gave us another without any problem. All the servers are so friendly! The amount of food you get with a given entree is amazing! I wouldn't have ordered the additional sides that I did had I known one of the meals came with a soup. We had so much food. We were both stuffed. Unfortunately, we were both so hungry we barely took any pictures. I had the fried octopus. She had the octopus special which was served in some type of sauce. She loved it and of course I always love my octopus. I had the red snapper which was the special, along with rice and broccoli. I also ordered a side of sweet potato mash which was amazing! OMG! Let me say again that the sweet potato mash was so good! My partner had the seafood linguine which she absolutely loved. We got some chocolate cake and rice pudding to go. I tasted the rice pudding today and it was Divine. We also took some bites of the chocolate cake when we returned home last night and that thing was Rich! Overall, it was a great experience. Between the food and our servers will definitely be back!

Had a great impromptu date night at Estiarorio and am already itching to go back! The service was so high class and the waitress had a great knowledge of the menu. She was very attentive and checked in on us a lot and offered great suggestions while teaching us about Greek wines. The complimentary bread was great, they offered us more but we wanted to save space for the food. The fava dip could've used a little more flavor and salt but the lentils soup was perfectly seasoned! The short rib special was very good too. The drinks were VERY strong but very yummy!! I wish we had space for some of the baked goods that looked INCREDIBLE! I didn't realize they had a coffee shop/bakery until we got there. Will definitely be back for those one day.

Outstanding restaurant! I know it's sacrilege, but the food is better than Ikaros was. Phenomenal lamb, mussels, Greek salad, fried calamari, grilled vegetable plate, desserts... Plus, perfect service at the front desk and at the table (thank you Ria) and delightful ambience with comfortable seating, festive but not too loud. Surely one of Baltimore's best restaurants.

We visited this restaurant twice in one week. So surprised by what is inside. A cute bakery in the front then a full blown restaurant in the back. Well decorated. Sat at the bar each time. Happy Hour is a nice touch!

We came here for a little date night after hearing so many positive things about one of the newest businesses to join the community in Greektown, and we loved stopping in for dinner! We were impressed by the decor inside, it's all white and very clean and pristine. Upstairs, where we sat, is just as white and pristine, but had a lot less decoration as it seemed to be used mainly for events. To start, I saw the zucchini chips were highly recommended and they were so delicious! We also had the grilled octopus, which was a meaty balance to the light freshness of the zucchini. I had the seafood risotto for my main dish, which was soooo delicious. My husband had the lamb shanks and honestly, by the time I finished half my plate, he had eaten all of his. Our server was very nice and as attentive as she could be in a room that kept getting busier throughout our dinner. Overall, this is a reasonably priced restaurant with delicious, fresh, authentic Greek dishes.