The Great Greek serves up credible versions of familiar favorites

The last few years have been turbulent ones for Albuquerque’s Greek dining scene.

In 2023, longstanding Greek favorites Yanni’s, Zorba’s and Nick and Jimmy’s closed. Mykonos joined them a year later. And then last month, Nick Kapnison, a giant of the local restaurant scene, died at the age of 93. Kapnison premiered his first Albuquerque restaurant back in the 1950s and went on to open Mykonos, Milton’s and the original El Patron.

Amid the losses, though, are signs of renewal for a restaurant genre that’s existed in the city since 1900. Last summer, Nicole Kapnison, daughter of Nick, launched Dorothea Fine Greek in the old Mykonos space. The Greek dining-adjacent Tula’s opened a second location in January. And earlier this year, the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill debuted its first New Mexico location on the West Side.

It was exciting news for West Siders who’ve long been without a Greek restaurant to call their own. I first heard about it from one of those people, my friend and eyes and ears on the West Side, and joined him there recently for a weekday lunch.

The restaurant is located on the east side of Coors Boulevard at Montaño Road. The two sprawling shopping centers there have become quite a food hub, anchored by popular spots like K Style Kitchen, M’tucci’s Italian and Grassburger.

The Great Greek fills the end of a freestanding building on the south side of the Shops at Andalucia complex. There are parking spaces directly in front, and a large lot just steps away. A few tables and chairs are set up on the sidewalk in front.

Inside, the mid-sized dining room is bright and clean. The whitewashed walls and ceiling amplify the natural light coming in from the front windows. The blue and white design, a convention for Greek restaurants, is enlivened with red metal chairs arranged around two-top and four-top tables. There’s also a banquette along one wall. Customers order at the counter in the back and get a number to take to their table.

The concise menu displayed on electronic board behind the counter is broken up into Appetizers, Salads, Sandwiches and Entrees, along with a few Sides. Many of the classics are available, and everything is under $20. The menu is helpfully marked to denote vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free dishes.

The eight appetizers are priced from $5.95 to $6.95, along with a combo plate of four for $15.95. We had a bowl of Avgolemono Soup with our gyro. It’s slightly cheaper if you get it with a sandwich. Avgolemono — the name means “egg-lemon” in Greek — is typically made with egg yolk and lemon juice. Great Greek’s version was served in a deep bowl. The butter-colored broth was smooth and placid on top, with only a little snarl of dill to disturb the surface. Underneath was a generous amount of white meat chicken pieces and a bed of rice that had softened considerably in the broth. The lemon registered only faintly, making the result taste more like a good chicken and rice soup.

Dips are an important part of Greek cuisine, and Great Greek has a few of the usual suspects. At the recommendation of the server, we tried the Tirokafteri ($5.95), a mix of cream cheese, feta and roasted peppers. The pale orange dip topped off with crumbles of feta and a drizzle of olive oil was tasty. The cream cheese took some of the edge off the feta, and the peppers provided a satisfying afterburn. It was served with triangles of fresh pita fanned out around the bowl. This was my first time trying this, but it won’t be my last.

A couple of gyros, a burger and a salad wrap make up the Sandwiches section of the menu. I was drawn to that day’s special: a Green Chile Gyro ($9.95). It was the first time I’d seen this seemingly logical combination anywhere. The foil-wrapped gyro consists of a 90% beef, 10% lamb mix, according to the server, that is cooked on a vertical rotisserie. A thick, sturdy piece of pita enwrapped the strips of peppery meat, fresh lettuce and slices of tomato. The green chile piled in the middle was not very hot, and so, in the end, the sandwich tasted like a run-of-the-mill gyro, albeit a good one.

The three entrees include Souvlaki Plates with a choice of a skewer of chicken, steak, lamb or jumbo shrimp. The Great Greek Plates offer gyros, salmon or falafel. We got the Mezze Plate ($14.95), a sampler of familiar Greek dishes arranged on a big rectangular plate. Components included two dolmades, a couple of discs of falafel on some greens, a triangle of spanakopita and plastic cups of hummus and tzatziki. This dish offered a terrific overview of Greek cuisine with a variety of tastes and textures. I enjoyed the contrast between the sharp, garlicky hummus and the oily, minty dolmades with their al dente grape-leaf-wrappers and moist, savory rice filling. Also of note: the way the cheesy, earthy spanakopita played off the cool, sour tzatziki. The falafel had the expected herbal, nutty flavor but was a bit dry.

On the lighter side, the menu offers a Greek Salad and a Rice Bowl. The salad delivered a good balance of olives, cucumbers, tomato and onions on greens with a topping of feta. A tangy dressing tied it all together. It was simple but well done, the ingredients fresh and bright.

There is a Kids Menu with items like Grilled Cheese Pita and Chicken Fingers priced from $7.95 to $12.95.

Baklava, Rice Pudding and Baklava Ice Cream comprise the dessert selection. A sampler of all three is available for $11.95. While I was pondering what to order, a woman emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of baklava fresh from the oven. The decision was made. Unusual about Great Greek’s Baklava ($4.95) — the name is derived from the Turkish word for “wrap” or “pile up” — was its size. It was at least twice as big as the typical serving. The layers of crispy phyllo dough at the top gave way to a dense bottom half sopping with honey syrup. A very good version of this familiar treat.

Service was good throughout the lunch hour, during which time the place was less than half full. A couple of young women staffed the counter and delivered the food. Our orders came out quickly. Expect longer waits when it’s busy, based on what I’ve read online.

West Siders rejoice. No more crossing the river to get Greek food. The Great Greek serves up credible versions of familiar favorites from one of the leading restaurant hubs in the city.

The Great Greek serves up credible versions of familiar favorites