Gardens of Salonica

This restaurant was rated as the best Greek restaurant in MN so we tried it. We love Greek food and go to Greece yearly and Greek restaurants often. It was very good. Some unique dishes that I hadn't seen before, and a large menu. The service was good and the server was knowledgeable. The restaurant decor was very casual and not fancy. There wasn't much Greek decorations. The walls were covered with art by a Serbian artist who bends wire and uses a lot of rocks. According to the owner, they don't need Greek decorations, because in the restaurant "you are in Greece". It didn't feel that way to us, but we enjoyed the food and would come back.

Dinner at Gardens of Salonica, we haven’t been back since before the pandemic. Had the shrimp appetizer - unfortunately no picture - it was delicious grilled, bathed in butter and oil with a drizzle cheese. Enjoyed a glass of Greek white wine. The gyro was good with potato slices. Had the Pistatis a lamb noodle dish with a creamy texture - hard to explain, I liked it - but might not be for everyone. Service was good, steady flow of clients.

RealTalkGeo visits Gardens of Salonica Gardens of Salonica in Northeast Minneapolis isn’t just the best Greek restaurant in the Upper Midwest… it’s a place rooted in memory, culture, and soul. We’ve known Anna Christoforidis, the owner, for years, and her presence is at the heart of everything here. She remembers faces, stories, favorite dishes — and somehow makes every visit feel like a return home. This isn’t street food-style gyros — this is fine Greek cuisine, the kind that’s slow, layered, and deeply intentional. We began with the Combo Plate, a trio of vibrant starters: • Tyro — a whipped Greek feta spread, creamy and sharp with a briny depth • Patzaria — earthy marinated beets in vinaigrette, chilled and tangy • Fava — a smooth purée of yellow split peas with a touch of lemon and olive oil Then came a lineup of mezze that stole the show: • Fillo-wrapped feta, deep-fried until crisp on the outside, gooey in the center • Saganaki, flambéed right at the table — dramatic, yes, but more than that, intensely savory • Grilled octopus, tender and smoky with a bright kiss of lemon The main plates continued the story: • Greek fries, seasoned simply with lemon, sea salt, and herbs — no ketchup needed • Spanakorizo, a soulful dish of spinach and rice, humble and comforting • Grilled lamb riblets, marinated in Petimezi (Greek grape molasses) — sweet, sticky, and packed with flavor • Pork gyro, not your standard fare — this version is made from pork shoulder butt and cheeks, rich and marbled, served with two sauces: a traditional tzatziki and a sharp, cooling yogurt-mustard We paired it all with carefully selected Greek wines — a mineral-driven white and a bold red — and Benedetta, my daughter, enjoyed a sparkling Greek grapefruit soda that added a bright citrus note to the meal. For dessert, we shared: • A Greek yogurt mousse topped with rose petal marmalade, floral and light • A chocolate chocolate chip cake, made with couverture chocolate — rich, deep, and deeply satisfying Beyond the food, the atmosphere is just as special. The space is full of warmth, adorned with expressive, natural sculptures by Zoran Mojsilov. These aren’t just decor — they’re art that grounds the space with an ancient, organic voice. And many don’t realize this, but Anna also hosts curated events and special dinner nights that create opportunities for real connection — the kind where strangers become lifelong friends. She caters weddings and corporate events as well, bringing her vibrant flavors and sauces to tables that usually settle for boring sandwiches. I always recommend her catering — it adds elegance and intention to any gathering. On top of that, every once in a while, Anna organizes a group trip to Greece. I haven’t made it yet, but I’ve met people who have — and every single one raves about the experience. They say it’s not just a vacation — it’s a knockout cultural immersion, deeply personal and unforgettable. As a real estate professional working in Northeast Minneapolis, I’m here often — and I always make time to stop by. This time, we were filming a business spotlight for our YouTube channel, RealTalkGeo. If you’re curious to see the experience for yourself, just search the video on YouTube. Gardens of Salonica is where I come to reconnect — with food, with people, with memory. If you come hungry, you’ll leave with more than a full stomach. A lifelong friend, Geoffrey Serdar

Their Mousakas was divine. Everything was fresh and delicious. The service was helpful and patient with our group. Many asked a dozen questions. The grapefruit soda was a big surprise, bursting with flavor and refreshing. Try to leave room for dessert. There are a dozen intriguing options. The apricot cream pastry melted in my mouth. I wish I had brought some home. We all enjoyed time and handmade selections. I will be back. K

A lot of mixed feelings after our recent visit for a birthday. First off, our server was great. I felt bad that she had to memorize so many specials. They had about 7 specials going that she had to recite. She was very attentive and good about answering our questions. So the service was great, no complaints there. Now onto the food. We ordered the following : appetizers were saganaki with mushrooms, dolmades with tzatsiki, and a sample of the octopodi. The saganaki was bland and the few small pieces were lost in a sea of mushrooms. It came with pita-which was pillowy, soft and warm-but trying to top a pita with the scattered pieces was awkward. The dolmades were good and the tzatsiki was good but I have had better at other places in the city. I know that ordering octopus is risky, and I have liked it before so I thought I’d try it here, since they offer a sample. I’m sad to report that it was terrible. Drenched in olive oil and not much else, it tasted fishy and the texture was weird, kind of like a canned oyster. It needed lemon, salt, garlic. It just didn’t seem to be of good quality or well prepared. For our entrees we ordered the pastisio, and the cod which was on special. Comes with soup or salad for an extra $5 as opposed to being on its own, which seemed a bit odd. The pastitsio was good. Drier than I remember and the amount of meat was excessive. But it was probably the best thing we had. The salad came before the cod and it was really not good. Wilted lettuce, 2 pitted Kalamata olives, mealy tomatoes, a lot of cucumber and vinaigrette that tasted bottled. I dint even finish the tiny portion. The cod was cooked in lots of olive oil, onions and garlic. It was a decent portion and was cooked well enough, although a little chew in parts. The dominating flavor was roasted garlic. I liked it but didn’t love it. At the end, after we ordered two boughatsa to go, we were given a birthday baklava at the table. I can appreciate the gesture but…we just ordered two desserts to go because we were too full to eat more. We took a bite out of courtesy and found it dry and overwhelmingly seasoned with clove and/or cinnamon. I’m sad to give a mediocre review for a place with so much history in the neighborhood. Mpls sorely lacks good Greek places and I can’t recommend this either, as Gardens of Salonica does feel tired.

The service and food were both mediocre. Matching and laying out the physical menu and online menu would help a lot. Also, if the person who gave us menus would have told us we had to order online that would have been nice. Cool building though! Highly recommend walking by.

Wonderful service and delicious food. The prices were very reasonable and the portion sizes were good (not super large, which was nice). The Feta Se Fillo was AMAZING and I can't recommend it enough.

Gardens of Salonica has a pretty large menu compared to most Mediterranean restaurants I've been to. The lunch menu had a decent array but I'd like to go back for their dinner, which I assume has more entrees to choose from. It was hard for us to decide what to order, everything was great though.

Wonderful food is a fresh open setting. Always a favored place in Nordeast. My daughter attended Aveda and it was a great place to meet her for lunch.

While I forgot to take photos, the meal at Gardens of Salonica was well worth the visit. We let our server know we had a deadline due to seeing a film. They were accommodating with my non-dairy and meat-free issues. My dining partner and I both took advantage of the specials that day.

Homey humble long standing Greek joint with really good flavors and fresh local ingredients.

An underrated gem for sure! Made a reservation over the phone for dinner on a Saturday night. We were seated right away as there were plenty of tables available. Service was generally pretty slow, but our server was incredibly knowledgeable about wines, the dishes, and made great recommendations. Food came out as it was ready which for us was fine since we shared everything. We ordered the octopus, tyro, artichokes, and beets. The tyro is my favorite and I will always order it! Our entree was the small platter with gyro meat, chicken, and the mousakas. I think I'd order everything except the octopus again! I didn't love its texture. The restaurant is beautiful. I especially love all of the rock sculptures!

A true hole in the wall. I walked in asking if it was a new restaurant, with a response of it being open for 31 years! It is an impressive, authentic Greek restaurant whose food will blow you away. The menu is handcrafted by the owner Ana, who travels to Greece twice a year to glean new inspiration for the cafe. If you are itching for an amazing gyro or homemade baklava, look no further!

Food is amazing: healthy, creative including its sauces and desserts. Very complete Greek wine selection. Must try the Lemonade!

Gardens of Salonica is the *only* place in the Twin Cities worth your time if you want to go beyond classic Greek gyros/fries/street food. Thats actually their tagline: Greek food, not street food! Its a hole in the wall thats been around for 30+ years. Small tables, quiet, indoor fountain, has interesting wall sculptures/art... Its giving your "SINK* aunt's house." They don't really advertise much beyond word of mouth (as far as I can tell) and they hardly look open when you pull up, yet the owner Ana and her staff are warm and wonderful to interact with. Every time we dine here we always leave saying, "WOW". Dont Miss: Tarama & Melitzana dips, whatever the "special" is, and the greek instant coffee ice cream. Word to the wise: Call ahead - since covid their hours online (google) haven't always been reliable, but I could never knock them a star for that! *SINK: Single Income No Kids

Our neighbors recommended this restaurant and we were so pleased we listened. We had the braised lambshank and mushrooms, several "salad" offerings, fresh pita, and a Greek Salad with fresh feta and a red wine vinaigrette. Everything was delicious-the lamb was tender and braised in a delicious sauce of tomatoes and herbs. Dessert of whipped Greek yogurt with shredded carrots in a white wine reduction was absolutely delicious and the Frappe was as tasty as the ones I had in Athens. Simon, our waiter, was amazing and gave us so many wonderful suggestions and even telling us about the artwork that decorated the ceiling and the walls. We loved the atmosphere! Can't wait for another meal!

This place is extremely underrated. Food is great and price is reasonable. Unpretentious vibes. simple restaurant where you can enjoy your food and company. Not for social media clout chasers which is great.

Gardens of Salonica New Greek Cafe is over 30 years old, so it's not exactly new. However, it's a place my wife and I had never tried before and we are trying to visit some of the "classic" restaurants we have somehow missed. The first challenge was finding the restaurant. I knew where the areas was, but finding the actual restaurant was a challenge. I thought this was perhaps one of the ghost restaurants you read about. It was dark and the restaurant has a subtle painted sign on it. My GPS was spinning my car in circles, as if I had entered the Bermuda Triangle. It's on 19 Fifth St NE, to the left of the VERY visible Conga Latin Bistro (whose address is actually on Hennepin and Fifth. We passed by G of S five times before figuring it out. The restaurant is in a very old building with squeaky floors that appears to be from the early 1900's. I say this in a good way, because it was charming and kind of romantic. We got a table by the window and fortunately there was a heat vent there, which kept the chill off of us from a front door that refuses to stay completely shut. We started with the house salad, which was included with our meals. It was much better than usual, with a good variety of ingredients and a mild feta cheese and it was very tasty. There are a number of specials and entrees not on the menu, so be sure to get the low-down from the waiter. I ordered a special (Makaronia Thalasina) that had lobster, shrimp, and scallops, with garlic and onion served on linguini ($32). According to their website, this is a regular extra entree, but it normally comes with clams instead of lobster (really about a quarter of a lobster tail). The waiter didn't volunteer prices on these additional items, which I found annoying, but he pulled out a notepad with prices after I had asked about prices (his first response to the seafood special was that it "was in the 30's"). The seafood and linguini were cooked well (the seafood tasted fresh and the linguini was just the right amount of "al dente"). It was flavorful, but the most interesting component was thin chips of caramelized garlic, which gave it a kind of nutty taste. I recommend a bit less of the butter sauce under the linguini and I'm a big fan of butter. Nonetheless, it was very good. My wife had the Makaronia Me Souvlaki, which is the Kabob plate with chicken ($18 for one skewer). It was also served on linguini (instead of the usual rice). It comes with a little bowl of shredded sheep's milk cheese, which was really good and not at all overpowering. She enjoyed the kabob. For dessert, we split a piece of Baklava ($4.50), because I can never resist that dessert. It had a more pronounced clove flavor than usual, but was very enjoyable. Lots of great honey, but I did not taste the orange zest promised by the menu. The service was good, but very restrained. The waiter checked with us and answered questions, but seemed a bit bored. This is an old family restaurant and those places are fun to go to. You certainly don't have that "chain restaurant feeling" and I'd say it's a great date restaurant. The prices are in line and the quality of the food is good.

Ana has been making incredible food for over 30 years. The Greek culture she brings the neighborhood is wonderful. Thank you to all that work at Gardens of Salonica

Truly authentic Greek food, plus some innovative options and specials. the owner is very personable and the wait staff very friendly and accommodating. this is a small place, but not to be overlooked. Excellent Greek Wine selection and desserts!

We came in with a big party (9) on a Saturday, they were able to quickly seat us. The food arrived much quicker than we expected, and all was excellent. Highly recommend the gyros with French fries, and the Greek blended coffee. Keep in mind you do have to order on your phone, but it wasn't an issue for us.

I've been here so many times, and the reason I come back every time is the food. Servers are ok, very knowledgeable but on the slow side. But the food is amazing, only possibly better Greek food is in Greece. Many cool sculptures and art within the restaurant. Even a water fountain sculpture. Overall, food amazing 10/10, ambiance 7/10, service 7/10. But food makes it a 10/10 5/5 stars.

We had the combination platter starter and then the beef/lamb gyro and chicken gyro. The beef/lamb meat was good. The chicken was mediocre. And the starter was too garlic flavored - even for Greek food. I also thought it was overpriced for the quality and quantity you receive. If you want gyros, I'd do Naughty Greek over this place 10/10 times. But you can still enjoy a meal here. The interior felt old and charming which was nice.

Amazing! We went in on a weekend and it was so peaceful. The food was delicious and the service was incredible. They also have Greek books throughout the cafe that we enjoyed paging through. We will absolutely be going back!

I have never really been a fan of take out, but we are doing it twice a week to local restaurant (only) all around the cities. This week's "date night in" was Greek. That had a romaine gyro that did not have me missing the gluten pita bread that my husband have. Best gyro meet in the Twin Cities. We had Greek fries (think of thinly cut wedge fries with Greek seasoning) and a eggplant dip that was to die for. He also tried a feta filled pan slider, which he was drooling over. The only that gives this 4 instead of 5 was the painful ordering over the phone process. They use door dash for online ordering, but I know door dash takes a cut that I have heard is steep, so I like to order direct. But it was too loud in the restaurant kitchen for the person to take the order and what should have been a 3 min call for almost 10. The other thing was how few fries you get(which is probably better for portion size) but still soooo yummy.

Walked in on Valentine's Day....on a Friday...without reservations... and we were seated immediately! Immediate bonus points for accommodating us on such a busy night of the year! Retsina is a Greek white resinated wine and I decided to go with the Retsina flight. They offer 3 very different pourings. At first, I was a bit turned off to the most resin infused wines but in the end I was happy with my choice. One was great for sipping while we ordered and waited for our food while the other two went well with our meals. For February, the special was the duck and since I can never say no to duck. I was so happy with my choice! The meat was tender and full of flavors. As always, the pita bread was warm and I could just eat it on my own with nothing else. My friend went with the Lobster pasta special - it came with a Lobster tail with additional pieces of lobster chopped up in his plate. It wasn't a very heavy dish (as many pastas are) and he was happy with his choice. Service was much better this time around! The staff are always pleasant and happy to answer questions.

"30 years plus family owned and operated based on local and organic food sources; Zagat rated since 1993; a GOODFOOD100 certified restaurant". We've had take out a handful of times, but tonight was our first time dining in house. Wow. What a terrific experience. We sat at the bar & were lucky enough to have Anna, one of the owners as our server. Everything was incredibly delicious. We are lucky to be part of the neighborhood within walking distance. I will 100% be a regular from here on out. The appetizers all sounded amazing. We chose the combination, which is a sampling of 3 of your choice with pita. We opted for the Skordalia, piaz & the Tyro All amazing. John rarely orders anything but the Pastitsio & theirs is always fab. I got one of the evenings specials, the half chicken, came with your choice of soup or salad and Greek potatoes. So divine. And I have half of the meal left for my lunch tomorrow. I tried a few Greek wines. Incredibly delightful. For dessert we ordered what Anna recommended. I cannot recall what it was called but it was basically the most diving rendition of warmed baklava, instead of the traditional diamond shape with heavy Phyllo little nuts it was a "coil" heaven on a blend of like 4 or 5 nuts. Served with house made ouzo ice cream. Holy moly. Insane! Get here. I was blown away by the friendly staff and amazingly delicious food.

Food was pretty good but there were lots of items not on the menu that were on the website and lots of specials that needed plenty of explanation. Once we got past that the food arrived quickly. I would suggest you take your time and understand what you are ordering because the items are complex.

The food here is quite good. I came with twelve family members for my Mother in law birthday. The service on the other hand was almost self serve. Ordered Shawarma, chicken skewers, lamb shank, pork sausage type of thing, mousaka, and a lot of other stuff. Drinks too of course. Everything was between good and really good. If you get a better wait person than mine, it will be awesome.

This Greek restaurant gets rave reviews and is purported to be the best in Minneapolis. Me thinks the Twin Cities needs more Greeks. Well, at least more Greek restaurants. Gardens of Salonica was okay at best. Nothing tasted bad, but nothing tasted great. Saganaki was bland, and the presentation not fun. That's one of the reasons a diner orders Saganaki. We want flames baby! The Dolmites (Stuffed Grape Leaves) were bland but the Yogurt sauce was refreshing. Because the kitchen was out of a lot of items, we settled for the omnipresent gyros sandwich. This restaurant's version was just okay again. Gyros has become as commonplace in America as Subs, Pizza, and Hamburgers. With that much competition, a kitchen better do something special. Gardens of Salonica was not "special." Service was so lackadaisical, there were times I thought the kitchen closed, and we were dining alone. Our server gave "laid back" a special place on the "downer" scale. Lithium would have energized her. It was quite disconcerting, and our meal was as vacant as the service.

Married to a native Athenian, we love this restaurant. The ambiance transports us back to Greece along with the delicious food. This place uses organic ingredients and has elevated Greek cuisine. We love any specials, lamb shank is amazing, sea food, vegetarian options are abundant, and the wine options are always a nice compliment to the great meals. Like a true Greek, family owned restaurant, you must enjoy your guests company as this place does not hurry you along, service is slower than most of us is are used in the USA. Order apps and beverages right away and settle in for a nice meal.

I have been eating here for 30 years and last night I think I had one of the best meals ever. They just get better and better. The mousakas was perfectly spiced with a delicate custard on top. The calamari yemista , lamb shank in lemon sauce with artichokes and asparagus and the spinach rice dish were equally well seasoned and cooked to perfection. We started the meal with morels and baked cheese, delicious, and it just got better from there. Highly recommend and do not shy away from their specials.

This is a lovely, cozy cafe that's minimal in decor, but gets tons of sunlight, which makes it feel really inviting and familiar. I really like the atmosphere here, first and foremost. It's also the only Greek restaurant I've been to that has labeled vegan food. Granted, you have to read the descriptions carefully, as the "vegan friendly" disclaimer is buried in the text of the menu, rather than marked with a bright green "V". I had a leek-lemon-garlic Boughatsa ($1.95 for a small one) which was a phyllo dough pastry filled with potatoes and a mash of leek, lemon and garlic. It was quite tasty and would make a great appetizer to go with wine or beer. I also had a "Yigandes" ($8 a la carte) which consisted of lima beans baked with other vegetables/herbs in a tomato sauce. This was one of two vegan entree options. Normally the dish comes with either a soup or a Greek salad, but none of the soups were vegan and the Greek salad has feta. Strangely, they wouldn't allow me to substitute a vegan salad, of which they had four or five different options. The Yigandes was really delicious and simple---lots of olive oil, garlic, onions and a really fresh, home-cooked flavor. It seemed like an excellent sauce more than anything else and I wondered why they don't serve the dish with fettuccine or some kind of egg-free noodle; on its own, the dish is tasty, but feels insubstantial in quantity and needs a starch component. It's definitely a small portion and therefore, at $8, a bit on the pricier side. On a whole, though, I liked the food and atmosphere here. I think they could make a few adjustments to be more vegan-friendly (like adding a couple more dishes and soups, allowing for substitutions of vegan salads, and offering a vegan dessert) but it's still a great, unusual place in the Northeast.

This was the sixth and final stop on the NE Walking/Eating Tour. We tried the Baklava, the Lemon Cream Boughatsa, and the Chocolate Hazelnut Boughatsa. The Baklava was the piece I'd saved for last, as I've eaten many, many over the years. The Lemon Cream Boughatsa had no lemon flavor that I could detect. I was disappointed by this, as I LOVE LEMON! The Chocolate Hazelnut Boughatsa wasn't for me because of the chocolate. I don't like chocolate. For those who do, there were a lot of yums and OMGs around the table. As expected, the Baklava was delightful. What I enjoyed most is that it wasn't too sticky or overwhelmed by honey. I could have eaten a pan of that all by my lonesome. Will have to return to try the rest of their menu, as I do love Greek/Middle Eastern food.

Went with old faithful, the gyro. Wifey had the vegan dish of consisting of fava beans and such. It was delicious. My neighbor had the green bean, fingerling potatoes with tomateo vegan special. Also outstanding. The wine selection was priced well and if you and a guest plan on each having 2 glasses of wine, you may as well get a bottle. While it is in the heart of NE, it seems out of the way just enough that the place won't be packed.

One of my all time favorites! Chicken Soulvaki and Braised Octopus are my top pics. Great service, clean bright and cheery atmosphere. I have been going here since I was 15 years old practically 30 years.

My first and LAST time here. The service was so poor that it took over a hour to get our meals. Even then our food was lukewarm and had hardly any flavour. WORST experience dining out, and I have eaten all over the world!

Really great experience at Gardens. LOL at people complaining about service during COVID. Sorry they didn't have a full staff to take care of you. Portions are a tad small but that's what Mediterranean food is. Tons of flavor and you get the opportunity to share plates and figure out which meat or veggie calls your pallet.

I've had two Greek dinners at Gardens of Salonica. The first time I ordered their leg of lamb special, which was really expensive (did not check the "special" price before ordering). It was also really, really good. And a ton of food. You get a salad or soup and pita bread with the entrees--by the time I get my meal I've been full already so I end up with leftovers (ha!... I would if I wasn't such a champ). Last week I ordered the moussaka (greek "lasagna"), which was yummy but not as tasty as that lamb from the first visit. The lesson is that eggplant will never be lamb. My BF ordered the cabbage rolls, which come stuffed with meat. It would have been a lot to handle as a meal (very rich). I need to learn to make that avgolemono sauce they were sitting in though. It's a traditional lemony-egg soup that they've turned into a sauce. It is so good I could cry. The baklava is also noteworthy but doesn't bring tears.We liked the 1/2 carafe option for house wine, since we didn't want a whole bottle. The service was phenomenal on Friday (it was slow the last time). They had a private party in the main dining room, so everyone was in the cafe side. Our table was right by the kitchen, which most people wouldn't have loved, but we got the best service we've had in a long time! The wait assistants filled up our water glasses before they were ever empty AND the server was friendly AND he brought out our food to the table right away (we could see it come up in the kitchen).

Horrible service. Are there owners? Mangers? Anyone who cares? We did not see any adults on duty to help us when ignored for 15-20 minutes. Please do a customer service training before you go out of business. So weird having 4 servers on our side of the resturant-not even that busy and no one helped us.. even after we asked if we had a server. Customer service 101: Acknowledge your guests Bring wanter right away or at least say I'll be right with you. Get to the table to take a drink order within a minute or two.... not 20 or more (we left so not sure how long we we could waited) Do I need to go on??? Seems pretty basic.

This is our go-to Greek place in Minneapolis. Not only is their gyro is amazing, but they have a great menu of other authentic Greek dishes we like to try each time. I could also eat the feta and tzatziki everyday.

Pretty good Greek place. The meats are pretty flavorful. We had two vegetarians that enjoyed the beets salad and the veggie starter sampler. It's a pretty solid eatery, but don't expect anything amazing or unique. Wait staff was pretty attentive, but not especially helpful with recommendations for beer and wine. A few cons are the drink list is a little short, and the tables are of the stickyish variety.

It took 15-20 minutes after being seated for anyone to acknowledge us, staff kept walking past our table and looking at us but never said a word it was like we were invisible. There were 6 seated tables in the restaurant with 3 servers, a server assistant, a host and 2 other staff that seemed to be owners I understand if they were busy but this not the case. I see now why there were not busy. The food was good but portions small. We had to ask for our check so we could leave, server still would not stop when we had our card sitting on the table and had stacked the plates for her, she would just pass by and look and walk past. When did get our check we were over charged $4, we tried to explain the mistake to our server but she did understand after multiple attempts so we just payed it so we could leave. Restaurant has a good atmosphere and has great potential but the owners and staff need to participate in customer service training ASAP.

Three of us had a nice lunch today--first time visit. First of all, this place is a little hard to find. They have a small beige colored sign that projects out from the building. This is in stark contrast to Conga, which is on the opposite corner and marked with huge letters and super bright colors. STARTERS: We had Lentil Soup, Cod Soup, Ambelodolmades, and Octapodi. All of it was very good. I'm not a big fan of sea food...but my friends liked the Cod Soup and the Octopus. LUNCH: We had Gyros with Home Cut Fries, Stuffed Calamari, and 1/4 Chicken with Spinach. Again, everything was very good. SERVICE: Our service was first rate. Our server was very nice and--BTW--very funny. The atmosphere was also nice; warm and intimate. A little on the pricey side. We dropped 95 bucks for two apps, two cups of soup, and three lunches (plus tea, coffee, and lemonade). There's a huge sculpture hanging above the dining room that we all decided looks like a giant calamari! -Daddy Maxx Retro

This is closer to a 3.5, but we did enjoy our night with Santa & mrs. Claus here tonight hah! We were both impressed with our waitress off the bat as she rattled off extensive details of their many specials. They all sounded good but we ended up trying the combination plate, grilled saganaki, gyro sandwich and a spinach feta boughatsa. The pita, saganaki, tzatziki, and gyro were quite good and id like to come back on a Friday for their fresh gyro. The boughatsa could've been fresher and we felt the bill was a bit high ($5 for a bottle of nordeast after they were out of our first two choices!), but overall this is good Mediterranean fare that I would consider coming back for.

Gardens of Salonica is a pretty good restaurant for Greek food! I enjoy most of their menu, the souvlaki is very good and reminds me of the real deal in Greece. The staff and owners are very friendly to patrons. I think my favorite part about gardens of Salonica is the decor and interior. There are some interesting sculptures and good lighting, along with a nice bar inside, although it is a bit small.

This restaurant is confused. It wants to be (and charges) like a fine dining restaurant but the menu, food and set is like a casual, quick dining place. The menu is limited, they do have some interesting items. The octopus sounded good, but it came in cold and tasted like cold cartilage or fat. I was informed that everything in their appetizer/ deli section were served cold. It did not say that on the menu. The lamb shank was good, but almost $30 bucks, i expect more (it did come with a soup, which was forgettable) . The gyro's needed more meat and felt flat. Overall the taste was good, but there are other Greek places in the twin cities.

I've only gotten takeout from here so I can't review the service or interior. Ordering was simple and the food was ready in 20 minutes. Everything tasted great and good sized portions. What we ordered: -Gyro (w/o fries): this some of the best gyro meat I've ever had!!! It was very fresh and you can tell it was freshly shaved and cooked. The tzatziki was perfect and it was huge portion that was overflowing with meat. -Moussaka: The eggplant was cooked perfectly and the bechemal sauce was perfectly rich. My only complaint would be that I wish there was more seasoning to cut the richness. The greek salad was good, albeit a bit small. The pita was soooo good and buttery. Overall, very happy with Gardens and looking forward to trying their platters that you can only order dine in.

I attended a wedding here the past weekend and it was excellent. The venue was so cute and cozy (they have a back party sort of room) and the food was delicious!! For starters - Hummus, pita and this spinah puff thing a all were excellent and the pita was so warm and soft. Entrees- Lamb chops were one of the best I've ever had! Chicken was moist and tasty too. Dessert - An assortment of baklavas... All were so good especially the pecan ones. They also had awesome servers and bartenders! Highly reccomended this place - I already can't wait to go back!

Sad to say I can only give two stars based on my visit last night. I usually base my reviews mostly on the food but the service was so poor and the food only mediocre. Took a long time for someone to come to our table, then he had to leave because he didn't have something he needed to take our order. What? You can't take a drink and appetizer order by memory? Then server visited several tables before coming back to us. Sorry - you get your new table going before you ask others about dessert. We ordered drinks, app, and placed entree order too - because we were SO hungry! Drinks came quickly enough, via bartender (thank you) then soup came out before app. What? App came about 2 minutes later - okaaay - followed almost immediately by entrees. No. I asked server to please give us time to enjoy our appetizers. When food came back, it was - as I had feared - simply warmed over. I had a pasta dish, totally dried out. Seriously, how hard is it to whip up some fresh linguine? I guarantee they've got a pot of pasta water going in the kitchen. Everything mediocre, not bad, just OK. I had to jazz up my chicken & pasta with leftover olive oil & artichoke bits plus skordalia from app - then it was not too bad. My friends pastitsio looked overdone the FIRST time it came out. To top it all off, they were out of gyros for the night! At a Greek restaurant. On a Saturday. Yeesh. Disappointed. I ate here several years ago and remember a very good experience. Alas, no more.

What a surprise to find this family owned Greek restaurant in my neighborhood. A friend and I were there on a Wednesday night so we were seated in the non-bar area. Not a lot of ambiance on that side but saw the bar side and it was really quaint and romantic. I guess that side is open when more customers are there. The food was really good. My husband loves skordalia which I tried. I'm heading back this evening with him in tow to order up some more and try out the Gyros.

I ate at this restaurant with my close friends. very enjoyable atmosphere. the young lady with green hair went above and beyond for us. however our server didn't greet us until 10 mins of us being here and he made me feel awkward. the food was very good. over all worth the trip and the money.

My wife and I were so excited to try this place. Unfortunately that will never happen. We came in, were seated, and waited about fifteen minutes without even being acknowledged. My wife eventually said something to one of the waiters. Waited another five minutes as they continued to walk past us without saying a word. Walked out. Save yourself the trouble and go to spitz a block away.

Do not go here. I don't understand why people like it so much because it sucks. Pros: Interesting rock sculpture things outside. Cons: Weird layout. You walk into an empty room. There are chairs and tables, but no one there. Then you realize you have to walk across the room into another room where they actually serve food. Maybe it's an IQ test. Slow service. I know the slow food movement is gaining momentum, bu it took the server forever to get us menus, get us food, refill my water, and so on. I had to get up from my seat to let my server ask when my check was coming, after he told me ten minutes before he'd get it right away. And I am pretty patient. Have you even seen recreations of dinosaurs getting stuck in tar pits? Replace the dinosaurs with the servers and the tar pit with Gardens of Salonica. The food sucks. Everything was filled with a lot of raw garlic. I understand that garlic has healing properties or something, but you can't avoid OD'ing on raw garlic here. My stomach hated me for two days and even then, I could smell it coming off in waves from my skin. The gyros were ok, but nothing to rave about. I hate that I spent money here. I hate that I could have spent it on a box of Hot Pockets and enjoyed myself more.

There was this one time where I had the weirdest, most awkward dining experience of my life. This was at the Gardens of Salonica. We were on an early afternoon bike ride, but needed fuel to continue our trip.We walked into the deli side, a little shocked that it was empty. An awkward hostess came up to us and took us to the other room which was the actual dining area, I guess. It was sparsely decorated but nice. A long church pew sat on one side of the room with tables and chairs. The thing that was the most eerie was that there were about 4 other couples in the restaurant and nobody was talking. At all. Everyone just stared awkwardly at each other. Of course, this made me laugh. We thought there would have been a lunch menu. But there wasn't. So the entree prices averaged $15-20. I got a small salad and then we ordered some.... beef wrapped in cabbage. Yup, that's about what it it was. Pretty bland and forgettable. At least the pita was soft and good? The service was quick but I don't think I'd go back again. It was just a weird experience. Or maybe I'm awkward too. Ha ha.

I will go ahead and agree wholeheartedly with the widely-accepted opinion that this is the best Greek food in the Twin Cities/Metro area. I got to our reservation early so I poked around and learned a bit about the history of the restaurant. It turns out that the owners, a husband and wife, opened this restaurant 21 years ago when they moved here from Greece and the authenticity of it's owners is well communicated through the deliciousness of this restaurant's food. We went there for a celebratory family dinner which was a great idea because we ordered a ton of different things and shared. For an appetizer, I would recommend getting the sampler plate - it comes with 3 homemade spreads and an endless supply of warm, fluffy pita bread. We got a roasted eggplant puree, split pee puree with olive oil, onion, and lemon, and a roasted red pepper/feta blend. Needless to say, each one was so good that we used our pita bread to mop up ever last drop because to waste any of it would have been a shame. Moving on to the main courses. My favorites that we ordered were the Ambelodolmades, (little pockets of seasoned rice wrapped in grape leaves - get it with the egg sauce for sure!), Vegetarian Mousakas, and of course, the Gyro. Also, the Greek Fries were sooo flavorful and an definitely a different take on a dish that we Americans are very familiar with. Side note: I remember thinking it was really funny that the menu specified that the fries would NOT be accompanied by ketchup. And my favorite part of any meal, dessert, was simply divine. We got Baklava (of course) which was decent, but I liked the other two desserts a lot better. Correction: I adored them. One was the Rizogalo, a warm greek-style rice pudding with hints of lemon, sugar, and cinnamon. The other was an Apricot Cream Boughatsa, which was a combination of apricots, cream cheese, honey, and spice nestled inside some light, flaky filo dough. The absolute perfect flavor finale to a delicious meal. Not everything about the dining experience was absolutely perfect, I regret to say. The service was the only negative aspect of our evening because the wait staff was very lethargic, almost droid-like, and did not seem to possess a passion for the food they were serving, the history of the restaurant, or the overall dining experience that they are there to foster. Oh well, I'll still go back! If you like Greek food, this is the place to go. Even if you don't like Greek food, you'll definitely become a fan after eating at Gardens of Salonica!

Greek food has always been a favorite category of mine and I consider Gardens to be top notch in the Twin Cities. I would give it five stars but the service is so slow I can't even handle it. Every time I come here I have to plan on leaving an extra 45 minutes of buffer time because I never know how the service will go. One time I swear it took 25 minutes for feta cheese and pita bread. They must have been milking a goat in the back to make some fresh cheese. Regardless, Gardens keeps me coming back because of the authenticity of the food, flavors in the entrees, and freshness in the ingredients. It's very obvious they don't cut corners and that they put care into the food they make. Love: spanakopita, gyro, souvlaki, Plaki fish dish with tomato wine sauce, greek salad, moussaka, and skordalia potato garlic dip, house fries Loathe: Nothing!