Welcome to another edition of Foodie Friday! This week, I’m showing some love to George’s Greek Cafe, home of Musician Monday’s and the best Saganaki in Southern California.
Location:
5316 E 2nd St
Long Beach, CA 90803
Phone:
(562) 433-1755
Website:
georgesgreekcafe.com
I’ve been a big fan of George’s Greek Cafe for years, partly because of it’s proximity to the CSULB campus and half off wine by the bottle Monday’s, but mostly because of the delicious, authentic Greek food, huge portions, and reasonable prices (especially when wine’s half off by the bottle). Add this to their casual, comfortable atmosphere, live music (provided by their BAMF resident acoustic guitarist), and very friendly, always helpful waitstaff, and you have a perfect spot for any occasion.
Now a lot of places have great deals on wine throughout the week, but George’s has a great selection of wines, both imported and domestic. The Greek wine’s are always a great choice – because wine is half off on Monday’s, we live large and start with Cava Amethystos (a Greek cab marked at $75/bottle), followed by Amethystos Red (a Greek cab/merlot blend marked at $40/bottle).
*Note: We always start with an expensive wine, then make our way back down to a cheaper, but still good, wine. This way, by the time we have a buzz, we don’t care what we’re drinking. As long as it’s wine. Also, I’m sure you can see why a bunch of college students (or anyone for that matter) would appreciate their 1/2 off wine specials.
A George’s favorite is their Saganaki, which is Kasseri Cheese flambeed with Brandy at your table then doused with Kalamata olives and a squeeze of lemon juice. Seriously. Flaming cheese. At your table. And it’s delicious. It’s served with pita bread and a resounding “Opa!” from everyone in earshot. With it’s crispy exterior and melted, gooey inside, it beats the crap out of mozzarella sticks. It’s such a cool, fun part of the George’s experience, and while their other appetizers are also delicious, there’s something utterly awesome about eating the show that comes with your dinner.
Speaking of dinner, you really can’t go wrong with any of the entrees, no matter which direction you go. However, unless you have a monstrous apetite, anticipate that you’ll bring home some serious leftovers – the portions are HUGE! Seriously, it took my mom and me to finish a combination plate and even at that, I felt like I’d eaten too much (and that was just lunch!). If you’re new to Greek, try something with Gyro (pita sandwich, salad, combination plate – seriously, they’re all good). I’m also a really big fan of the grilled salmon – it’s seasoned beautifully with garlic, dill and lemon juice and grilled to perfection!
Like many Greek places, they’re very vegetarian friendly with great meatless options including classic falafel, dolmathes, Greek salads, spanakopita & tiropita.
Picky eater? That’s okay, too! They have an entire menu of specialty sandwiches including burgers, pastrami and subs, plus the steaks and salads are usually a safe bet for anyone.
Finally, the desserts are fantastic- their baklava is authentic, sticky and flaky, the vanilla custard is light with a beautifully thin, soft and pastry-like exterior, and I fail as a foodie because I can’t recall the name of this last pastry, but it’s filling is similar to baklava, but it is covered in a nest of thin, crispy, almost string-like pastry and drizzled with chocolate. All can be served a la mode, and I’d strongly recommend it!
So!
Reasonable prices, excellent service, huge portions, great ambiance, and of course, the food is delish.
You can check them out on Yelp, keep up with their specials on Facebook and see their full menu and more at georgesgreekcafe.com.
Give them a try and let me know what you think! Make sure to tell me about your favorite OC/LA eateries, too – your pick might make it’s way into Foodie Friday soon!
