Kostas Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Buffalo

I wish I had a second stomach so I could eat more here! No lie. I've had takeout from here but today was our first time dining in. Husband had the souvlaki salad - enormous portion that could have fed our family of four, with perfectly cooked chicken, and I had the moussaka, which was well balanced, moist but not overly oily, very tasty. We split the tyrokafteri (sp?) as an appetizer, which was a deadly delicious pile of feta cheese based dip with peppers and pita to scoop it with. We devoured it. I also had the lemon chicken soup with my meal. The pita was good - soft, fresh, and flavorful - the soup was the only thing that was less than 5 stars imo (I didn't detect any actual chicken, and would have appreciated a little more to chew, but it was still good. I've never had better Greek potatoes either. Sadly I couldn't even fathom eating dessert after all that but they looked tempting! I brought more than half my meal home and am actually looking forward to work tomorrow (Monday) so I can eat it. Will most definitely be back, and I intend to show up HUNGRY next time. My only recommendations to the restaurant is a couple minor things. My soup came in a plain diner style soup cup which I think made it seem boring. Just a small upgrade to a prettier soup bowl might help. Also, cloth napkins are always nice. Props to them for the biodegradable takeout containers by the way!

Edit: back again for a second meal today. Hot roast beef, salmon, and we brought the kids who got a reuben and a hot dog. All good! Service was...

Had a great meal here tonight. The Plaki Fish was delicious. I was a little annoyed, however, when the folks at the register told me I couldn’t use the remaining balance of my gift card to tip the waitress (who was excellent by the way). The gift card was $30, the bill was was roughly $23, and I wanted to leave the rest as tip but was told no-can-do. Since I didn’t have cash and really wanted to tip, I had to be rung up separately for one penny and then leave a tip on that bill using my credit card. In other words, I was charged a fee to tip. Why should a customer who has already given money to the restaurant in exchange for a gift card, not be permitted to use the funds on that gift card for gratuity? I’ve been to other restaurants in Buffalo and have used gift cards for both the bill and the tip, so I know it’s possible for a business to choose that policy. Why isn’t Kosta’s doing the same? What if I was from out of town (say Los Angeles), received the card as a gift from a friend, and was returning home that night? There are no Kosta’s in LA. I’d be forced to carry a roughly $7 balance on a gift card that I might not ever have cause to use again. Moreover, assuming I had no plans to return to Buffalo anytime soon, Kosta’s would effectively be taking my friend’s $7 for no services rendered. That isn’t right. And yes, I realize it only cost me a penny to leave a tip. But the whole underlying philosophy and approach to the customer seems bad to me. Love the food and waitress, but the gift card...

It was my first time dining at Kostas and it won't be my last. Our dinner party consisted of 4 and we opted to eat inside instead of the patio. Once we were Inside the hostess greeted us and asked if we'd like a booth or table. We decided the table would be best and we're seated right away. The air conditioning was set for the right temperature and the inside is clean and well decorated. The waitress did not make us wait and we immediately put in our orders. We starred with the appetizer and drinks. The hummus and warm pita were delicious. Homemade hummus for sure. I ordered a blody Mary which tasted refreshing and had just the right amount of kick to it. The three of us ordered the chicken slavaki and one guest ordered the mediterian chicken All 4 plates were heaped full of food and we all had plenty to take with us. The chicken was moist delicious and the Greek potatoes were served in a large bowl. I know I will be getting cravings for these potatoes and I'll have to come back for more! Were were all stuffed to the max but I did order some baklava to bring home. Needless to say I was happy I did because these are your Grandma's baklava. Flaky phylo stacked up high with the roasted nut mixture served with honey on the side. It was a Friday evening when we visited Kostas and it was extremely busy but we did not have a long wait. Our server was friendly helpful and took good care of us. Thank you Kostas...