Veranda Greek Cafe

This week, my sister and I decided to try out a little Greek restaurant located right by her apartment in Las Colinas. It is one of those restaurants tucked into a shopping center that you could drive by a million times without actually noticing it. Sarah had remembered seeing it there, we decided we were in the mood for some Greek food and wanted to give it a try. I liked the atmosphere as soon as I walked in. It had a very Mediterranean feel to it with photographs covering the walls. The pictures were taken all over Europe and Frank Sinatra music was streaming over the radio. The restaurant was not very busy, so we were seated promptly by our server who seemed Greek himself.

We started by ordering some pita and tzatziki ($4.95). If you have never tried tzatziki, it is basically a mix of yogurt, cucumbers, and spices. Coming from someone who is not a huge fan of yogurt, this does not sound appetizing, but don’t be fooled by the description because it is delicious! Our tzatziki at Veranda was definitely a win. The dip was creamy and flavorful and the pita was warm and soft.

Sarah and I then decided to share the gyro plate ($12.95) as our entrée. We definitely made the right decision to split the meal because we still managed to stuff ourselves and take home leftovers. The plate included a Greek salad, rice, green beans, pita bread, and gyro meat. The salad was your typical Greek salad: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and Greek dressing. When I say typical Greek salad, I must add that I mean your typical American Greek salad. A few years back I was able to order a Greek salad at a café in Greece itself. Much to my surprise, when it arrived at the table I found that there was no lettuce in the salad at all. It was a bowl of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and Kalamata olives, topped off with a big square of feta cheese and some olive oil. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but not what I was expecting when I ordered a salad.

Anyway, back to our entree. The gyro meat at Veranda is a mix of beef and lamb. While it was not the best gyro meat that I have had, it was still crispy and flavorful. The green beans were alright, with an interesting spice on them that I could not quite identify. The rice was on the bland side, but there was plenty of pita and tzatziki left to mix with the meat.

Overall, I am not jumping up and down with excitement over Veranda Greek Café, but I found the meal enjoyable and decently authentic. Not to mention our dinner for two totaled $20, worth it for a huge meal in a quaint restaurant. My love of Greek food would be enough to bring me back to Veranda just to try some more of my favorite Greek treats. Did I mention that the Mediterranean diet is tied to reduced risk of heart disease? So get yourself out there and eat some flaming saganaki and some baklava!

Veranda Greek Cafe
5433 N. McArthur at Walnut Hill in Las Colinas
Irving, TX 75038
(972) 518-0939

Price: $$
Rating: