A Taste of Greece Festival

We’ve been to Taste of Greece two years in a row. All and all, it’s small but fun. I’m not certain if we’ll be back a third year, but if you haven’t gone, definitely check it out!
This year, we went inside the main church to get food and were faced with a long line. Yes, while I’m aware this is not a cheap festival to attend, I thought it was really disappointing that such small portions of food were served at such high prices. Me & my date ended up ordering only the moussaka and the baklava sundae to share. Both were just alright. I liked the moussaka because it was cooked well, but it needed just a little bit more salt. The baklava sundae was different than expected — sweet syrup with a few shreds of baklava over ice-​cream. I thought it was quite underwhelming.
When we went outside to the main festival area, we were still hungry so we got an order of the Greek fries & Saganaki. The greek fries definitely hit the spot & the Saganaki wasn’t bad either. There was some entertainment & booths lined up. It didn’t seem well coordinated so didn’t stay very long.
Don’t forget if you do go, sign up on their website to get free tickets!

Ever since moving into our home in Chandler, we have driven by this festival plenty of times. We always mean to drop by but we always end up side-​tracked. I was determined not to miss it this time.
Go to their website and enter your email to get two free tickets into the festival [Normally $ 3 per person]. While $ 3/​pp really isn’t that bad, realize that this is a really small event. Like, it’s held in the back parking of a church small. So while $ 3 isn’t much, I say just enter your email and take that $ 3 to spend it on food!
They have lamb shank dinners, pastitso, moussakam spanakopita, loukaniko, gyros, galatoboureko, et cetera. They even have a little beer garden sectioned off for you to imbibe on some imported Greek beer, Ouzo, and Mataxa! The reason I stopped by the festival was for the saganaki [flaming cheese — Ouzo-​induced fried cheese that’s extinguished with fresh lemon]. My Unilocaler homie found it herself but I couldn’t find the booth [which is weird because the place is really small]. Utter heartbreak. I enjoyed some kafeino and loukoumades on that warm Saturday afternoon so I was content. With free tickets though, I’ll be back to hunt for some saganaki again. Food runs from $ 2-​$ 16, small bites to dinner plates!
Don’t be a fool, come to this festival!

As you step onto the festival grounds you are greeted by an amazing smell. There is tons of food to eat including: moussaka, pastitso, spanakopita, gryos, dolmathes, and saganaki (flaming cheese!) The list of delicious treats can go on and on but let’s hear it for the baklava. Do not leave without getting a piece of the buttery honey soaked filo pastry treat.
The festival is not very large but utilizes both the indoor and outdoor areas of the location.
Every hour on the hour church tours are provided. The church is stunning. The artwork on the walls and the beauty of the structure can easily be appreciate by all people of any background.
The outside area of the festival does not offer much cover from the sun so I would highly advise keeping that in mind while dressing for the occasion, using sunscreen, and/​or bringing an umbrella to use for shade to avoid over exposure to the sun.
However, the outdoor eating/​entertainment space is covered by a large tent so you can take a rest in the shade to enjoy the dancers in traditional clothing and listen to some Greek music.
Overall the event is a fun way to spend a few hours getting stuffed on delicious Greek food. Maybe in the future there could be some more interactive areas to the event. Perhaps even be a place to break plates?! Could be fun! Opa!

This event was small but fun. The roasted lamb was incredible!

A great way to spend a few hours each season. This year the organizers got smart and put a large tent in the center over the band and communal eating/​seating area.
A friend plays in Grecian Express, the resident Greek band. They are always fantastic. The dancers from different churches and organizations on the hour are great as well. I especially love watching the community dance together and bring in some of us non-​Greeks! (weekend Greeks!)
Next year I will get smart and bring in a water bottle or Big gulp, since water and soda are $ 2 each and its hot outside! Never enough beverage. It was also cool that the beer tent had the Cards game on.
The food is always great. The pork souvlaki was tasty, as was the saganaki and the loukamades. The vendors are friendly, and the wares fresh. A bit pricey, but worth it.
What I wish there was more of is traditional vendors. There was a lot of unrelated junk, such as Mexican junk toys, cable service and some taxi service. I liked the traditional clothing, olive oil and honey. Every other non-​food booth was really unrelated to the event.
All in all, you should take an hour or two to check this out and enjoy the culture and fun!

Very small affair. Food overpriced, as expected, but not any better than restaurants where you’ll get more for less. Mostly booths selling stuff, including timeshare! Yes, timeshare! I thought that was kinda tacky.
There are some dance exhibitions, but not continuous. About every 90 minutes. They have 5-​yr old kids who can’t really dance (they’re only 5!!). They’re relying on the cute factor, but I’d rather have seen some real dancers.
Greek coffee is interesting.
Fortunately I had a coupon so didn’t have to pay the admission. They’ve been doing this a long time, and it seems everybody has heard of it. But I was mostly underwhelmed.

This is a cute little festival. It is held in March. Went there in March 2013. The food is good. It is simple, but nice.

This was my first festival action in Arizona and it had mixed results. Admission was free with my coupon, but only $ 3 per person normally, so not too bad. The festival is behind the church, parking is limited, but plenty of street spots within about 3 – 4 blocks of all the action. Most all the vendors and even the patrons at this greek fest were really friendly. There was music (live band), greek dancing (alot) and plenty of food and drink all at really reasonable prices. The church was also open to the public and about 75% of the food was served indoors in the gym. Now, i talked to a few organizers and these recipes are from somebody’s grandmother at the Big Fat Greek restaurant chain. Well, I think granny might have been drinking too much wine that night because there were a few unusual varieties of the greek staples.
Mousaka — the twist — red pepper flakes, unexpected and had some good heat, but not sure that belongs in this dish. Still, the best thing we sampled at $ 4 a chunk.
Spanakopita — the twist — cottage cheese thrown in with the normal feta and spinach. Not bad, but unusual. Huge slice for $ 5.
Dolmathes — not good at all, leaves were tough and unable to cut through and filling tasted like unknown meat.
Saganaki — slightly overpriced at $ 6 per cheeese slice, this was a great and greasy treat. Fried Cheese with brandy and some lemon juice. Top notch, but needed to be more well done.
Rice with Lemon Sauce — Excellent
Baklava– the twist — too much cinnamon. Not the best ever, but a decent ending.
Bigger festivals might have more choices, but this place is great because it remains small and inexpensive and its a fun way to spend about 2 – 3 hours.