Souvlaki Vieux Grec — Restaurant in Laval (administrative region)

I have thought about writing a review for the last two months based on an experience I had on August 15th. A collegue and I order from Vieux Grec a few times in the summer while Marathon was closed. Because of this we had decided we preferred Vieux Grec in the end, we had planned to only order from them moving forward. We're not huge clients by any means, we order once a week to the office. In any case we changed our minds about who we order from because of the driver who delivered my lunch that day.

I wouldn't ordinarily order a lunch when my co-worker isn't here, as there is a minimum for delivery and by myself I wouldn't normally spend $20 on lunch. However I did on the day in question. My total order was $15.50, with taxes comes to $17.85, I figured I'd just round up by $2.15 to a flat $20. When I went to pay I find the driver had already pushed the buttons skip certain steps and he sets the tip to be a percentage. Look, I hate tipping in the first place, but I definitely don't do tips as a percentage on these POS machines because the way they're set up I would be tipping on the tax too. On the order $15.50 tipping $2.15 is about about 14%. I told him I want to do it by amount. He points to the fact that 15% comes to $2.68. Initially he didn't want to cancel the transaction so that I could put in the tip amount. He says to me "that's close". Well sure it is, but he's talking about my money not his, and it's also about 17.5% tip. I like to travel so I watch my finances carefully, there is no reason for me to give away more of my money just because someone is insisting on a bigger tip. It wouldn't break me, but again, my money so I don't feel like I should need to argue the point.

I wanted to finally share, because in the end I felt you should know that your driver who in the end is a representative of your restaurant is out there doing this and as an owner you may not be aware of the problem. The aggressiveness from the driver wasn't welcome and in the end we switched back to Marathon. Our preference to the taste of Vieux Grec isn't enough to warrant having to deal with a driver who didn't want to take no for an answer. At least now you know and can have...

Niko is the best. I am sure that he serves everybody perfectly. But in my experience, what is different, unusual about him, is that he knows how to "read" the customer. What kind of a person the customer is, in what mood he is, and how to handle him, accordingly. Not taking advantage of him, no, not at all. Just, to serve him the way he will appreciate.

It is a skill.

I think that I also met, surreptitiously, with someone who seemed to be the owner of the place. If that is so, he was a very nice person.

As for the "little sister" of Niko (that's how he presented her to me, at the Cash), she is so good at such a crucial job, that she is destined to run this place at much higher administrative levels. Officially and in all regards, not just in special matters.

The food was fantastic. We savored numerous items on the menu, entrées and main dishes, and they were all very, very good. Fresh, authentic, well prepared and cooked. The real thing. (And I have been in restaurants in Athens and Crete… cf.my reviews about them, in this Google-reviews system… )

This was Athens or Crete, in Montreal. As far as that is possible.

Then again, I have not been to Sparta yet...

The prices are quite decent, in these crazy time when it has become normal to order some pasta plate at 40$ !!

And you bring your own wine (minimum 100$ dollars saved, on your bill…)

The place is beautiful. Well situated, nicely designed, warm and cozy.

No parking problems. A nice terrace, if you prefer to have a drink and/or a drink and/or eat outside, under the porch (in late Spring, Summer or early Autumn... this is Canada !)

The best place in town to have a wonderful family gathering. (Or for any other occasion also, of course, I am sure. But my review is about the moments that I enjoyed in this excellent restaurant. And I always try to talk only about what I know, personally and directly, assuredly).

Niko will know who I am. And we shall meet again, for...

Prices Are Out of Control! Sad to See What’s Happening We've been loyal customers of Souvlaki Vieux Grec for many years — whether dining in, picking up, or getting delivery. The food has always been consistently excellent. Their pitas are honestly some of the best in Laval — fresh, tasty, and just hit the spot every time.

We even made a conscious effort to support them during the tough COVID lockdown days, ordering often and tipping generously because we knew how hard it was for restaurants to survive.

But unfortunately, things have changed — and not in a good way.

While I fully understand that prices everywhere have gone up due to inflation, Souvlaki Vieux Grec has taken price increases to another level. It's gotten out of hand. I still have one of their old menus from just a few months ago, and when I compare it to their current prices, I’m shocked. Plates have gone up $4 to $5 in no time. And now they don’t offer paper menus anymore — I guess it's easier to quietly increase prices online that way.

I'm not the only one noticing this either. Many friends and family who used to love this place say the same thing — the food is great, but the prices are now crazy. And let's not forget — Laval has no shortage of good competition: Andy's, Souvlaki Shop, Marathon, and others.

Sadly, a lot of people I know have already moved on to other spots. If things don’t change, I may end up doing the same. It’s disappointing because we really loved this place.

Great food... but at these prices? Hard to...