Eleni’s Estiatorio

We eat here frequently. We love Eleni, such a sweet and welcoming authentic personality. We love the tipiti, stuffed grape leaves and arni phyllo. Good selection of Greek wines too.
Go to relax, not if you are in a rush. Take your time and savor the meal.
If you want something different and delicious and you want to take time to enjoy your company, this is the place to go. Nice atmosphere.

Had a wonderful meal with excellent service. Our waiter suggested a few items that we shared, and was attentive with drinks and bread. Will definitely be back.

Good food! We had our server bring us a tapas like meal and tried all kinds of new stuff. Thanks

Food and service was good. 8 bucks for a Jack and coke?
Waiter made large mistake (in their favor) in adding up bill wrong. We had 2 apps and 2 drinks and they make an accidental mistake?

Early dinner Saturday night, it was very pleasant sitting outside on the sidewalk on the last night of August. Really good bread served with olive oil with a few green olives and garlic chips in it. We shared a grilled octopus small plate (really a medium plate, plenty for both of us); then the risotto and moussaka. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the server was very genial and attentive. We each had a glass of wine, both were very good.
The bill came out to $ 68 for the two of us. It almost felt a little high for two smaller dishes and an entrée (& 2 glasses of wine) but it was also a very pleasant environment with good service. Our fellow diners were also better dressed than I usually see around Portland — makeup, hairspray, and jewelry were in evidence without a brewery t-​shirt to be seen so it felt pretty classy!

Negative experience. Lots of waiting. Dishes are tiny by design I suppose (think high-​priced tapas). Waiter told us folks usually order 3 (!) everything is over $ 10 so you have to expect to spend downtown Portland money at a Sellwood restaurant. I was so hungry and and I was disappointed with the experience that by the time my dish came that I didn’t notice that they never brought my other dish until the ride home. They were happy to charge us as if they did bring it. Food quality was good but I can’t recommend this place. We should have gone to the place next door.

I bought a Groupon for Eleni’s, knowing their food doesn’t usually disappoint. I was right, the food was great, but holy hell, the service…
We waited for 10 minutes for the waiter to get our order, then about a half an hour for our Saganaki, which is an appetizer and should definitely not take 30 minutes to make. Then, we waited another 45 minutes after that for our entrees.
The restaurant was almost empty by the time we got our food. Then they brought my boyfriend a dish that was not what he ordered, and the waiter did not fix it, he just made excuses.
Ultimately they were kind enough to give us some free Baklava, but by then we just wanted to get the hell out of there. «Eleni» herself came up and offered some more excuses. I want to like this place and support a fellow Greek, but I think I’ll be going to Alexis next time.

Amazing! Great date night, great drinks, food that comes out hot and melts in your mouth!

Some friends chose this place to meet up. I am a huge fan of their drink called the Labyrinth but I do wish it was served with a sugar rimmed glass like the description said — it would have been even better.
The food was incredible — I did feel like the portions were sort of small but the quality was amazing.
The service was rather nice for us as well but we arrived early. I will say that with the location of our table having the people hovering waiting for tables right by us was a bit annoying but a restaurant can hardly control its rude patrons just like a grocery store cannot control some the person who wants to park his cart up against me. Just a warning though — they look like they fill up pretty fast and hard 6−7ish…so you had better like your fellow man to eat here during the evening.

LOVE the Pearl location BUT not this location. We went here the other night and it was not busy at all. Our waiter was not good at all. We waited for water, waited for wine, then they didn’t have what we ordered so we waited even longer for our bottle of wine then we waited the longest amount of time for our food! Really… The place never got busy (Friday night) and we waited… The food was fine, not as good as the Pearl location and the portions were even smaller then the Pearl. Would we go back to this location? Nope… Sorry

One of the best meals I have ever had!
I went in about an hour before close with my mom after our painting class down the street had gone a little longer than expected. Most restaurants do not always give the most welcoming service to last minute diners, but here the staff went above and beyond in being hospitable and personable.
The food was incredible and easily one of the best meals I will ever have. The feta filo as a starter was incredible with the filo the perfect amount of crispness and the feta flavorful. I had the special of the evening pastitsio and my mom ordered a pasta with prawns. My entrée had incredible seasoning and was something that I would order frequently if on the regular menu. My mom enjoyed her entrée as well and let me sample one of the prawns; it was large and tasted very fresh. Our tab without tip was about $ 50.
Service was attentive without being intrusive. We would have eaten all of or food, only we felt guilty being the only ones there right before close, so we had it boxed up so that the staff could leave. Our server offered us dessert, then as we were leaving the managers and other staff wished us happy holidays. It was a very warm, inviting atmosphere and I cannot wait to return.

Let me get this out there right now, I’m really not a fan of Greek Food in general. At least as it’s presented in the Portland area. This definitely colored my perception of Eleni’s to the point that I dithered nearly six months on if I should write a review or not.
My wife on the other hand, is a huge fan of Greek Food. So we made a second trip.
This time, I think… maybe… perhaps… sorta. that I’ve been converted. Or at least I can eat on the Island of Crete where their webpage claims their food is from. And I can almost totally attribute it to the Ktipiti! On the first visit we went with the Saganaki as the appetizer — because honestly how can flaming cheese be wrong?
Well… it can be. Likely it’s the Kefalograviera that didn’t sit with me very well? Or maybe it was the hint of cognac that didn’t blend with the wine? But spicy feta mixed into a dip? The served with olives? Sign me up!
My wife went with the Melitzanes Yemistes, which she thought was quite excellent. Personally, I think eggplant should be relegated to sick sex jokes, but I did sample the stuffing inside which I found quite tasty. Perhaps if that same stuffing was wrapped in a green pepper or tomatoes, or meat of some sort I’d have been more happy with this dish over all. Yes, sorry, I hate Eggplant.
So I go with the Moschari, AKA, Braised Short Ribs. I wasn’t feeling lamb, and my last meal with the Meatballs (Makaronia Me Soutzoukakia if I remember right,) didn’t really leave an impression on the first visit. But the ribs, have totally changed that perception. I do not know what they braise them in, but it was tasty. I devoured those things like a starving man, and seriously contemplated a second order.
What really impresses me about Eleni’s though, is the service. This town has such a weird hit or miss vibe on service. I’ve seen some places that are well reviewed, where one lone table seems to have terrible service where everyone else has great service. All too often, I’ve been that lone table unfortunately. But Eleni’s doesn’t seem to have this problem at all.
Here is another weird observation, all the patrons seem to be smiling when they leave Eleni’s. Even an dour old sourpuss like myself, found myself smiling afterwards.

What delicious food!
While the happy hour is kind of a misnomer (most of the food is not at Happy Hour prices, though the beer, wine, and mixed drinks are), the food is delicious! We went back to give Eleni’s a second try.
I’m glad we did.
The homemade filo dough with spinach and cheese and cheese and honey is unbelievably good as is the prawns with garlic, and the hummus (called another name) with fresh, warm pita bread. We had three apps (for $ 25) that were enough for dinner.
Service was friendly and attentive.
What a change from our first encounter!

A couple of weeks ago using a Groupon or LivingSocial coupon. They were very welcoming when I called to ask if I could use the coupon without the required reservations. We were seated within 60 seconds of walking into a bustling local neighborhood restaurant.
I bought the coupon in the first place because i LOVE Greek food. Food of any kind. But, Greek is among my top 15 faves. I also thought their prices were very reasonable.
Let me start out with the fact that I am NOT the only self-​professed foodie at this dinner-​to-​be-​reviewed.
Next, I HATE when a restaurant thinks that a dinner service must be DARK. So dark it is nearly impossible to read the menu. This was a dark place.
We started off with the Saganaki. It took longer than I had thought it ought to. It was a beautiful presentation. The downside was that it was not allowed to flame long enough to make the cheese gooey. This left it tasting good not great. Gooeyness is a must for Saganaki.
Bread, especially dry bread, is a basic for this kind of restaurant. It should be easy to come by and replenish. It was difficult to come by. We asked our server then, waited several minutes ticked away. Then, we asked the hostess for bread. Each assured us they would be right back. We were hungry and it was taking a long time to get our food. It took us asking the server, who passed us regularly, no less than four times for bread. It finally came with an explanation that they are busy.
Service was slow. Food was served hot and tasted quite good. We ALL liked the Arni Mi Filo lamb dish most of all. I had the Fried Calamari which, was just a bit too cooked. It tasted excellent. Though, some of the peices were a little too close to getting tough. I know that Calamari can be tricky. I will give them the benefit of the doubt since they were very busy. Every seat was filled.
Two of my partners-​in-​dine were very pleased with the meatball dish, MAKARONIA ME SOUTZOUKAKIA. I thought the meat was very good. I am not a tomato person. We were all very satisfied with the size of our dishes.
Over all, I think we might go there again. Especially, if there is another coupon offering AND I can afford it at the time.

One word, saganaki.
Flaming yummy cheesey wonder. Drama and deliciousness.
OMG.
We had this on an anniversary dinner outing, and it was wonderful.
We also had a big bottle of really good wine, which Eleni recommended herself. I don’t remember what it was, but it was good. Dinner was a shrimp thing with pasta and garlic, also good, and I couldn’t tell you what it was called (probably due to the really big bottle of wine).
This was a fun outing, and a fabulous place for a romantic dinner.

OMG I can’t remember the last time i had such a wonderful time at a refined restaurant. This Affordable eatery gave me a glimpse of my past in Greece and the explosion of flavors from their fine appetizer menu was joyous. I love the Kritikia salata which has a honey balsamic dressing, saginaki (battered flaming cheese), and my all-​time favorite is the Garithes Me skortho (tiger prawns sautéed in a cherry, nutmeg and garlic reduction; these together are heaven. The entrees to look for are the Macaronia Makeema, Kota meskortho, Rack of Lamb and the Mousaka… yummm. You are doing yourself a disservice by not at least trying it once.
And it was pleasant finally having a great server who knew the entire menu and came to check on us at the best time, and on top of it we got to meet Eleni herself. Just a wonderful caring women who i can tell genuinely cares about each person’s dining experience.

Seeing the name «estiatorio» in a Greek restaurant was the first sign. After all, this is Portland, Greek population nil. And I am not sure if even one visit to Greece is enough to rekindle the memory for the Greek word for restaurant, especially when there are more obvious terms like, «taverna.» The use of this word alone made Eleni’s a great beginning in my quest to dine at all Greek restaurants in Portland.
(So what, if there are less than six of them.)
Also, they often have rabbit on the menu. Rabbit Stifado, a rich stew laden with pearl onions, is probably the most common form of eating bunny in Greece. Eleni’s rabbit came braised in a tomato and wine bath on a mound of slightly overcooked rabbit food. Cooking vegetables a little too long is surely a sign of real Greek food. Overall, this bunny was mild, clearly domesticated, with the slightest hint of nuttiness. Let’s be honest, it tasted like chicken.
But let’s rewind from the rabbit and I’ll tell you about the wine. Poor Greek wine does not get much love in the western part of the U.S. Living in Portland for almost two years now, I rarely see it in brick and mortar commerce, and if I do, it’s usually Boutari Moschofilero, which there is nothing wrong with but variety is the spice of life. My dinning partners, wine pros Beau of Beau’s Barrel Room and Becky of Kramer Vineyards and with my lovely fiancé, Justin, and I were ready for something new and delicious. And Eleni’s was ready to give it to us with their expansive Greek wine menu. The best wine to eat mezedes with is no doubt Moscofilero, with its mineral taste and refreshing finish. The salty, gooey saganaki, garlicky revithia, and crispy kalamarakia were all made that much better with the wine.
The onset of entrée envy hit me quickly with Becky’s Arni Me Filo. Chunks of tomato braised lamb leg suspended in a red pepper purée and cheese wrapped up in a giant phyllo packet, represents everything that is awesome in the world.
The Soutzoukakia Justin ordered was stacked. Soutzoukakia is Asia Minor Greek comfort food — meatballs that are twice cooked. Once in the fry pan, and then to the oven in a tomato sauce spa. Eleni’s offers her balls on top of «Crete risotto» or spaghetti. Don’t forget the feta topper to complete the stack. Although, I cannot lie and say this was better than my Aunt Mary’s version, but it was certainly everything that embraces what comfort food represents: rich, soft, flavorful and belly filling. Beau ordered the same, but with spaghetti, so I won’t bore you with almost the same picture.
I don’t usually comment on service, but I will note the service was definitely «Greek Style» in that, once we got our main dishes, our server abandoned us — almost for good. This happens in Greece because you can kick it like a cricket at the table for as long as you want, and the service doesn’t want to hurry you so they do not check on you. But this was probably not the case — they were either short staffed or there was fresh blood in the door needing more attention. Either way, the Eleni’s experience was excellent and I would gladly return after finishing my Greek restaurant quest.

Sorry for the delayed review Eleni’s, I’ve been in a food coma since my last visit.
I adore Greek food so I was stoked to try this place. I spent the entire day staring at the lengthy online menu weighing my options and still hadn’t decided by the time we arrived. They offer plenty of options for vegetarians, especially pescaterians and I think there were a few gluten-​free options too.
We started with the dolmathakia-​grape leaves stuffed with rice, dill, pine nuts, golden raisins, etc. It was served warm which I hadn’t experienced before, but was just fantastic, especially accompanied by their tzaziki. Thanks to Robb W’s review, I knew to ask for the calamari (grilled with lemon), and we were in luck, they had it and we promptly devoured it.
I’m glad I hadn’t decided on an entrée before I arrived because they had Moussaka as one of their specials that night. And, well… Daaaaaaamn. That Eleni has mad cooking skills. Best Moussaka I’ve ever had. We also loved their Manitaria Me Skortho-​orzo pasta with pancetta and mushrooms. We also indulged in the baklava for dessert. Everything was executed perfectly and we enjoyed every bite except those that I was able to squirrel away for leftovers.
I’d totally recommend this place for a blind date because, well, it’s dark. Super dark, but also romantic. And if your date has atrocious table manners or their profile pic was taken from their pre-​meth days, then yeah, the darkness may be your friend. Just download a flashlight app on your phone or bring a penlight like the table next to us so you can read the menu. You can also have fun trying out their extensive list of Greek wines which I’m curious to try on a return visit. Our service was pretty good, but they really won me over when they threw some bread in with my leftovers.
Forget «Get him to the Greek». Get yourself to the Greek-​food!

I adore Greece and Greek food. This is a high-​end Northwestern Greek restaurant. Highly recommend the saganaki — best balance of lemon on the flaming hot cheese. BF had the mousaka which is a staple on the menu, and I had the braised lemon chicken special with potatoes and horta. Chicken crisp and perfect and sauced. Horta a fine mix of spinach, kale, garlic and lemon — healthy too!

I was raised in a Greek household, and I’ve been to Greece a number of times — so, you’ll understand I hope when I say that I hold my Greek food to very high standards.
Eleni’s very much feels like an upscale Athenian restaurant. The menu seems to have a place for fans of mezedes (tapas) and for those wanting their own entrée.
Things I didn’t miss while dining at Eleni’s: overly loud bouzouki music on the speakers, faux-whitewash&blue facades, gigantic placards provided by the Greek Tourism Board, offerings of pizza, or insanely complicated menus.
The owner herself greeted and seated us. I’ve heard some stories about her attitude… and for the most part, she’s a no-​nonsense lady. Then I dropped a single Greek word that everyone here can learn: «Epharisto» pronounced: «EH-​far-​i-​sto», «thank you». Try it, she might give you a smile.
I was mostly very pleased with the food. The cheese dishes we got were very good (although they were out of Saganaki — fail), but it was one dish that really stood out, and something I had never tried before at that: Spanaki Me Stafithes Kai Koukounaria (really good Spinach… sorry, my Greek is quite out of practice). It’s a truly unique dish to someone whose family is also from Crete — and I really loved it. We also got the Schara Kalamarakia (marinated and grilled squid), which was definitely quite tasty and almost undeniably either fresh or quality flash-​frozen.
I’m going to need to go back before deciding on whether or not to give them 5 stars, based partially on whether or not I can get my saganaki, and also choosing a few of the more entrée-​sized selections. Till then, I’d still recommend it!
Edit: Interestingly enough, after going back multiple times, I’ve actually decided there are far better Mediterranean places in town (perhaps not Greek, but close enough to satisfy me).
I’ve downgraded them to 3 stars completely based on service. There is this one waiter there who has twice made me feel like I was imposing on him in asking for the ingredients in a meal. God forbid I’m not completely able-​bodied and have a food allergy, unlike you, eh jerk waiter?
Then he served me cold tiropitakia, which is sorta like eating a cold calzone made of phillo dough, and forgot another one of our appetizers until we reminded him. Now four out of the five times I’ve eaten there I’ve felt like I was being rushed out the door to clear room for more customers (even though there wasn’t a line), and although I think the owner still gets a bad rap and the food is still pretty good most of the time, most of that waitstaff needs to be fired. Until then, off to Ya-​Hala or Hoda’s.