OPA Greek Cuisine

Unfortunately, this very nice Greek restaurant has closed. Seems more and more that downtown Greensboro is less than a thriving restaurant scene.

I have been here several times for lunch. I’m not that knowledgable about Greek food, but I really enjoy their lamb gyros, the hummus, the avgolemono, and their feta cheese/​olives and their dolmathes appetizers. That’s the extent of what I’ve tried, but the food’s always been very delicious.
The problem this restaurant has is the haphazard service. Sometimes it’s spot on, other times, the patrons are ready to revolt. I’ve actually witnessed customers throwing very vocal «F”-bombs about waiting forever for their checks, and I’ve seen people leave without eating because they’ve squandered 75% of their lunch hour waiting for food to arrive or for service. The last few times I’ve been, though, the service has been more prompt and I haven’t had to wait long for my food. So perhaps things are improving.
The restaurant has a large bar, but I’m not sure about the bartending skills here as I’ve only had wine… and the chardonnay by the glass is semi-​horrid, by the way (but heck, it’s a Greek restaurant so chardonnay’s not really their game anyway, and I get what I deserve). The place is painted out with those typical Greek-​restaurant murals of blue water and islands, etc. There are several tables inside and a few outdoor tables in a roped-​off section of sidewalk real estate. Nothing fancy. Decent place for lunch.

Maybe I’ve become a Greek cuisine snob but this was some of the worst food I’ve ever eaten. And waay overpriced! They had live music playing which would have been nice if it wasn’t so loud — I couldn’t understand a word the person across from me was shouting. Major buyer’s remorse. I hope this place hires new chefs or retrains them.

Friendly, lively atmosphere! Authentic Greek cuisine served with a smile. The owner comes out to greet his customers and the wait staff is likely to break out into dance. Live music and dance lessons on certain nights.

I had not eaten here in well over a year, but I will not wait that long again. The restaurant was pretty empty while we ate dinner, which is most unfortunate. The food here is stellar and of great quality. I’m sure it is a labor of love to keep Opa open and food costs, especially with downtown rents, don’t come cheap. So yes, maybe they charge for extra pita (complaints of other reviewers). But, I don’t mind paying for quality and Opa is quality. I thought the food was delicious and the costs overall were very reasonable. Their delectable moussaka is currently $ 13 for dinner and is a huge portion. I got a fresh delectable piece of grouper, covered in cucumbers, tomatoes and feta (see photo) for $ 17. We also thoroughly enjoyed the Opa! appetizer starter — a great way to try a variety of flavors.
As we were leaving, the Greek band was setting up and we were told «the Greeks» are a late crowd and the party really gets going around 9pm on Fridays with the live music.
Our waiter was helpful and attentive (although almost humorously stiff and formal) and the restaurant itself is a visual treat, with murals of seascapes and potted plants lining the walls. One downside, the bathrooms are a trek, back down a narrow, winding hallway. But just think of it as an opportunity to walk off some of the food. :)
I put up a bunch of pictures (the Opa! sampler, saganaki, moussaka and the fish) and as they say — pictures speak a thousand words so check them out.

I’m giving this place a positive review for the good combination of location and affordability. The interior is simple and reminds me of a plain old-​fashioned eatery like you would have found downtown 50 years ago. The menu was very reasonably priced in comparison with the pricey, fancy-​schmancy places on Elm Street — $ 5 for an appetizer plate of stuffed grape leaves, $ 10 for a souvlaki platter. We ordered the beef & lamb souvlaki and the pork souvlaki. Our food was bursting with flavor. The rice had a nice subtle flavor, and the mixed vegetables were perfect — not too crunchy, not too squishy. The meat on both platters was a little dry, but not off-​putting, and the portions were just the right size — not enormous, but we didn’t leave hungry, either. Our waiter was helpful with choosing wine and kept our water glasses full, but there was a point when I had to wait several minutes before he came back so I could order more wine.
I will definitely go back again because the restaurant is so much less expensive than the other options nearby. It’s a great place to go on a casual date or go with friends, and the location is perfect for dinner before a play or going to night clubs.

I eat here for lunch once a week. The chicken souvlaki plate is top notch. Grill chicken, vegetables, rice. Their pita is also very fresh.
The wait staff seems to change fairly often so they are not too knowledgeable and they have started to skimp a bit. When I started eating their, I would substitute my rice with hummus and it wasn’t a problem. The hummus portions started getting smaller and smaller and then last week, they told me their would be a 1 dollar up charge. Not too happy about it. The food is still good.

It’s nice to more variety in downtown Greensboro. The restaurant features a small sidewalk eating space in addition to the main dining room. Décor is reminiscent of Greek courtyard and feel light and airy. One drawback is the lack of sound dampening. The room is very «live» and can be a bit loud at times.
The menu is relatively short presenting a balance of traditional Greek Foods including gyros and souvlaki. I sampled some Tzatziki with pita for an appetizer. Great quality, just wish more pita was served; however the waitress was happy to bring me more. For the main course I had a Mediterranean pasta. Very tasty and modest quantity. For dessert I had baklava. It was OK. A rather small slice, but with plenty of flavor.
P. S. The live music is wonderful! Very fun and festive.

Went to Opa Taverna for the first time a couple of Fridays ago and the place was packed. My boyfriend and I had to sit outside cause the tables were taken or reserved inside, which I was actually glad about, because they had band playing inside that was fairly loud (I don’t really enjoy loud music while I am trying to eat and converse with the people I am with).
We started off with an appetizer on the specials menu, the Caprese salad, which was good but they put just a little too much dressing on the dish. For the main course my boyfriend tried the Spanakopita and I had the Opa Greek Chef Salad with sliced Lamb on top. The Spanakopita was good but I must say the buttery vegetables served with the dish were the best part! The tzatziki sauce added a nice flavor to the Spanakopita as well.
My Greek Chef salad was really good with tons of feta piled on top. They also piled a nice portion of Lamb on top (I got the tzatziki sauce on the side so that I could dip the lamb in it, Yum Yum). The portion was just right to feed my growling belly.
The only compliant I would have is that Opa is a little over priced and they need to work on the look of their menu. The whole feel of the menu is as if you were at a Greek diner, which I know is not what the owners are going for.

My visit to Opa Taverna was a disappointment. I found the prices too high, the portions too small, and some of the food to be mediocre.
I ordered the chicken souvlaki ($ 10). Unlike most area Greek places, salad and a bread basket are not included (a side Greek salad is $ 3.50 extra, a basket of bread is $ 2 extra). My order arrived after about 20 minutes, with the souvlaki plate including a side of vegetables, a spoon of tzatziki sauce, rice, and a laughably small piece of toasted bread (let’s call it a croûton).
The chicken was tasty, moist, and nicely seasoned. I could have eaten more of the rice, as the rice portion was small, but I was thankful the vegetable portion was meager; the veggies were clearly of the steam-​in-​bag variety, and nearly flavorless.
Given that you can get better Greek food at a more economical price in Greensboro (e.g., Mykonos Grill on West Market Street), I would pass on Opa Taverna.

I can’t believe no one has yet reviewed this place. It is awesome!
My bud and I popped in last night, a Friday, and they had a little two-​man band playing upbeat Greek music. The interior décor was really cozy, just nice vibes all around, and the place was packed. We opted to sit outside — they have 4 or 5 tables on the sidewalk of Elm Street — prime position for people watching, but on a busy Friday night you’re also breathing in fresh car exhaust.
Our server was none too knowledgeable — said she hadn’t tried the garlic spread appetizer so she couldn’t describe it. But the food was excellent! I got the spanakopita. I wouldn’t say it’s the best span I’ve ever had (I like it when there’s a tinge of tangy, like from lemon juice or nutmeg), but it was mondo delicious — cheesy but not too cheesy, and a little over greasy. And the portion was generous. I got the entrée span ($ 10 — also comes as a $ 7 app), which was served with steamed buttered veggies and the best tzatziki sauce I’ve ever had for reals (I think there was feta in there).
My bud got a large Greek salad ($ 8.50). It was a nice size portion, and the dressing was great, very light, and you could tell it was just a few ingredients — oil, vinegar, dried herbs. (Sometimes when the dressing is too complex or flavorful you wonder what all the hell is in there, and you tend to forget about the salad ingredients altogether, and you’re grabbing anything you can find to dip into your dressing — bread, fingers, napkin. That’s when you know you aren’t eating salad at all, you’re having dressing as your main course, and you know your mama wouldn’t approve.)
Oh, also the chef came outside and asked how our meal was, which we both appreciated. And she gave complimentary dessert to the table next to us because they’d had some mildly unpleasant experience with the hostess or something. Very nice.
Opa’s prices are a little higher than most Greek joints around these parts, but you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. It’s a classy joint in a great location with a nice chef and excellent food.