Andrew F.
Yelp
Souvla's problem is, in terms of the food, the whole being less than the sum of the parts. The individual ingredients are of good quality, but the food, by and large, disappoints. There's also a quirky rigidity to Souvla's menu, which I'll explain in a moment.
First, the food is kind of greasy. My wife had the chicken sandwich and her pita bread had a curious film of grease on the outside. Similarly, my pork sandwich was also a little on the greasy side.
Second, the flavors are kind of lacking. Souvla is supposed to be Greek, or at least Greek-inspired, but it's so highly americanized as to be stripped of the distinctive flavors (lemon, oregano, etc) of the country its supposed to reflect. You're really just eating california cuisine. That would be fine, I suppose, if the flavors were distinct. They are not. The food -- qualify ingredients notwithstanding -- is bland.
Third, the biggest disappointment are what the menu terms "Juicy potatoes." It needs to be renamed "potatoes sitting in pool of oil," which won't sell as well, but at least provides an accurate description. Again, greek flavors? No. Grease? Yes. Maybe that's it. It's "Grease" food, not "Greece" food. But... big disappointment on the potatoes. Bland, oily, and lacking in the anticipated flavors.
Finally, the menu is foolishly rigid. Seems logical that the options would be salad, sandwich, or a bowl. The same meat that goes into the sandwich ought to be available over rice in a bowl. But, hey, that's their choice. I won't criticize Souvla for the alternate universe of products they aren't selling. However, while the ordering system is awfully solicitous of people's food allergies, should they want to skip dairy or onions or whatnot, you can't swap what kind of meat you want with the various sandwich accoutrements. If you want chicken, you're stuck with the sandwich that comes with the canned mandarin oranges in it (the oranges were not good in a sandwich, btw). So, the ordering system is flexible, but not on the meat, which seems curious to me.
Anyway, Souvla is long on hype, but short on delivery. It's bland and there's nothing I've tried there in a few attempts that provide a hook by which to drag me back. "Oh, let's go to Soulvla and eat __ again!" I can't find a single item on the menu that would cause me to say that. Greek food lovers, keep searching.