User:TeddyKats/sandbox

You found it somehow – it’s a Greek restaurant you read about in a review or one you stumbled across while out for a walk. It doesn’t matter what type of Greek restaurant it is – home-style cooking or elegant dining; there will always be ways to tell if it’s great.

A Greek restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in Greek cuisine. Several types of Greek restaurants exist. Going out to eat is "part of the local culinary culture" in modern Greece even in times of economic crisis. Greek restaurants in the United States tend to be moderately priced, and they vary in terms of types of service, cuisine and menu offerings, table settings and seating arrangements. Greek restaurants may also offer dishes from other various cuisines on their menus. The Smells and Sounds of Greek Food is truly is as filling to sense and smell the food as it is to stomach...In any Greek Restaurant the aroma is intense. It wont be quiet either, its nearly impossible to enjoy a night out in pure silence. With out culture comes great food and taste. it doesn't matter if the dishes come in a restaurant style Boat meaning a paper dish or a fancy plate they will all be authentically Greek. as far as the Ingredients go people are amazed. Fresh is Paramount....Greek is Paramount. From fresh Olive oil to homemade Pita. this list goes on...Greek Cheese (Feta), wines etc.

Estiatório
is a restaurant that serves cooked foods from the oven called magerefta but it can also have grilled to order foods called tis oras, and even fish, as well as appetizers (mezedes), and salads. You eat in these places day or night. Some are only open in the day. A good example of an Estiatorio are the two restaurants side by side in the Plaka on Kydatheneon street called Byzantino and Plaka Taverna, The estiatório (plural estiatória) is a type of modest restaurant in Greece. They have been described as "something of a vanishing breed". This form of eatery was more active during the early 1900's of Greece. losing such a village like eatery its led to many new and exciting enedevours. An estiatório may incorporate dishes such as casseroles, meat and game stews, baked meat and fish, macaroni pie and mayirefta in the form of moussaka.

Gyradiko
Giradiko(or giradika) restaurants purvey the popular Greek dish gyros. Gyro's is your traditional on the go fast food like meal In Greece. As for the United states the Gyro sandwich is an American delicacy people line up to taste one of these Highly honored Greek Dishes with a lightly toasted Pita & Tzaziki Sauce on the side. As for Greece the Gyros prepared differently typicallyin Greek Culture the Gyro is prepared using spiced ground pork shoulder meat on a nicely done pita with Tzaziki sauce, while in the United States they are commonly prepared with ground lamb sliced from a vertical rotisserie spit. [2]

Meze restaurants are known as mezedopoleío (singular) or mezedopoleía (plural), and serve appetizers known as meze or orektiko (plural mezedes/orektika) to complement beverages. Some mezerestaurants simply serve whatever has been prepared that day, not offering menus. Very fashionable they have sprung up everywhere and most are not as vulgar as those in Psiri and spend their energy on making good traditional mezedes without the festivities. If you go to an island like Lesvos or a town like Volos or Thessaloniki with a rich tradition in ouzo and mezedes, finding a good ouzerie is easier than finding a bad one. In Athens its more tricky,

Meze restaurants are known as mezedopoleío (singular) or mezedopoleía (plural), and serve appetizers known as meze or orektiko (plural mezedes/orektika) to complement beverages. Some mezer estaurants simply serve whatever has been prepared that day. Places like this offer no menus. The type of Dining is very Fashionable, these types of eaterys have sprung up everywhere in Greece especially in Psiri. Many Meze spend their time making traditional mezedes without regular festivities.

Ouzeri
Specialize in smaller dishes which you eat with ouzo, though they serve wine and beer too. Many of these have stretched the definition to include larger dishes and even pastas like some of the more fancy ouzeries in Psiri which are not really my style. In the ouzeries of Psiri there is live electrified music, often two guys and a drum machine, and waiters trying to pull people off the street. Its actually hard to find a traditional ouzerie in the neighborhood that is known for them.

Establishments known as ouzerí are a type of café that serves drinks such as ouzo or tsipouro, are similar to mezedopoleio and souvlatzidiko restaurants, and also provide similar foods and service. A tsipourádiko is a "local variant of an ouzerí".

Souvlatzidiko
which serve gyro and kebabsand take in more of the tourists money than all the other types of restaurants combined. But that does not mean that Greeks don't eat there too and sometimes the best meal can be a souvlaki, some fried potatoes and a beer. At the end of Metropolis street in Athens, where it empties into Monastiraki Square are a couple very popular souvlaki shops where tourists are most likely to eat, that need no advertising and there are also smaller shops scattered all around the city.

Taverna:
Usually has a smaller menu and specializes in something and are mostly for nighttime, long meals, lots of wine and conversation. In a taverna anything can happen. I have gone for a quiet dinner at Taverna Psiri when the entire place erupted into dancing, singing and plate-smashing, beyond what you could imagine. It was like mass-insanity but beautiful. But most Taverna are quiet neighborhood places and everyone has a favorite taverna.

 Cafetarias: 

In many of the major squares you will find large cafes that also have food which they call cafeterias. These will have some typical Greek main dishes and appetizers mixed in with dishes from many different countries including of course different pastas, maybe a hamburger, and even something Mexican. Mostly people just hang out and drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and talk about their problems. But some of these mega-cafes can have a very creative chef and in particular some very interesting salads. If you are looking for variety and are tired of Greek food then these are an option and you will find them anywhere there is room for a lot of tables and chairs outdoors.

Greece
A view of small restaurants along a street in Athens, Greece

In many Greek restaurants in Greece, it is not considered impolite for guests to enter the kitchen to see what is cooking before ordering, although this may not occur in fine dining and hotel restaurants. After this, a waiter may be notified of guest choices. Table service is often relaxed and laid-back, and patrons may need to flag down wait staff to order and request items. Wine is commonly consumed during lunch and dinner. Ouzo is typically available in Greek restaurants. There is usually not a steam table with food on display though you may be able to look at their meats which are raw and on display in a glass counter. In a psaro-taverna (fish taverna) you can ask to see the fish too and make sure it is fresh. In fact it is sort of expected of you. If you don't know what a fresh fish looks like, first of all if you act like you know what you are doing they won't even show you the fish if it is not fresh. After everything is all said and done you can sit down with your fellow Greek Friends & Family and talk for hours while the sun goes down on the terrace. Most people ask for Greek Style coffee and after you finish drinking it the hostess or waiter will tell you your fortune. If your in Greece and you ask for Turkish style coffee...the owner will personally throw you out.

United States
There are many Greek restaurants in the United States, with 3,100 categorizing themselves as such, and at least one exists in every U.S. state. In the U.S., Greek restaurateurs may provide authentic Greek cuisine and customs. They may also offer dishes from other cuisines. Many Greek restaurants in the U.S. were started by immigrants from Greece, some of which began due to new health codes in the U.S. during the early 20th century that limited or restricted food carts. Per these restrictions during this time, some people opened Greek restaurants instead. Additionally during this time period, many Greek confectionery and sweetshop businesses declined due to an increase in manufactured candies and sweets. Many of these companies transformed their businesses into lunch rooms, and later, restaurants. It has been estimated that approximately 7,000 Greek restaurants existed in the U.S. by the beginning of the Great Depression. A Greek restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States It has been suggested that the first documented Greek restaurant in the U.S. was the Peloponnesos in Manhattan, New York City, in the Lower East Side, which may have opened "as early as 1857", although it has been stated that its opening date was "more likely in the 1880s.

During the early 1900s, some Greek immigrant restaurateurs expanded their operations into chain restaurants. Greek restaurant chains during this time period included (by location):


 * Chicago – Katsivalis Family owned 15 Restaurants and 6 Hotels with Restaurants in them.
 * New York – Foltis, Stavrakas, Litzotakis
 * North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia: Lambropoulos

In 1913, there were "several hundred Greek-owned lunchrooms and restaurants in Chicago".

In the 1930s, many Greek restaurants in the U.S. went out of business, in part due to problems that occurred during the Great Depression. During this time, competition increased due to an increase of affordably-priced lunch counters opening in various types of stores, such as drug stores and department stores. Additionally, more patrons could not afford to eat out in restaurants during this time.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the number of Greek restaurants increased, and by the 1970s they were a significant pillar in the U.S. restaurant landscape.

Of note is that Greek immigrants in the U.S. also opened other types of restaurants, such as restaurants serving other cuisines, diners, luncheonettes, pizzerias and coffeehouses. Some immigrant-owned Greek restaurateurs opened restaurants that specialized in other ethnic or national cuisines, such as Italian cuisine.

Appetizers and light meals
A pikilia variety platter with a variety of mezedes served at a Greek restaurant

A tavérna or estiatório may offer a meze as an orektikó. Many restaurants offer their house pikilía, a platter with a variety of various mezedes that can be served immediately to customers looking for a quick or light meal. Krasomezédhes (literally "wine-meze") are mezedes that go well with wine; ouzomezédhes are mezedes that go with ouzo. Psomi oretiko is a bread appetizer that is common in Greek restaurants.

Main courses
In Greece, main courses may be ordered directly from the kitchen, from a menu board or from menus. In coastal Greek restaurants, fish dishes may be weighed and sold by the kilogram, which occurs prior to cooking. Frozen fish is sometimes used, which may be described on menus as katepsigmenos. Seafood dishes that are staples include swordfish, octopus, squid, sardines and prawns.

 SOURCES :

https://www.greecefoods.com/restaurants/types.htm

https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2013/01/08/greek-american-restaurants/

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/reclining-and-dining-and-drinking-in-ancient-greece/

https://forgottenchicago.com/features/chicagos-shoreline-motels-central/

https://www.greecetravel.com/greek-food/restaurants/index.htm