Ilios Crafted Greek- Oakhurst — Restaurant in Charlotte

Picked up to-go dinner on my way home from the office. This was my first time in this new location but it definitely will not be my last.

First off, the manager was out in entry area explaining some of the menu items to another couple. So nice and super friendly. Sharing specials that are there today and others that will be coming soon. Who does that in fast casual restaurants? Well apparently Ilios does! Everyone behind the counter was also super nice and helpful. All the food looked fresh and produce and salads looked picture perfect.

I brought home the Greek plate with falafel, giant beans, beat salad, and then the seasonal salad for tomorrow. Oh and I just had to have baklava. The manager was behind the desk as I made my way to checkout (sorry I missed his name!) and he recommended the mint chimichurri sauce, so I got that along with tzatziki sauce. The mint chimichurri might be an all time favorite. And I am super picky about falafel and this is perfect with a slight crisp outside crust, and a soft but not gooey inside. Nice texture all around. The giant beans are in a fabulous tomato sauce and I could make a meal just on those. And the beet salad was amazing. I won’t eat the seasonal salad until tomorrow but it had a generous amount of walnuts, figs and goat cheese with an ouzo vinaigrette — I can’t imagine any of that disappointing. Oh and the pita was perfect — toasted enough but still chewy and not like a dried cracker at all which you can get at other spots.

I definitely recommend going. I’ll...

First off.....for once in a long time i did NOT feel like i was ripped off on price. Yes, the price was high BUT they gave you a proper amount of protein ao 100% make it worth it! I am very frugal and won't eat at places that skimp on the protein and this place did not! It was an amount that reminded me of how Greeks serve food. In abundance with a smile and a we want you to be happy attitude!

The staff were super nice and easy to work with and were very accommodating, we asked for lentils as a pairing for our meal but despite it needing to be its own thing they did it anyways with no extra charge. Rather than be difficult or nick picky they focused on us having a good experience. We asked to try the hot sauce, which was amazing, alomg with the sauce that came with it and same thing rather than be difficult or charge us extra they just wanted us to experience the Greek foods and hospitality.

The food was rather good to be clear, i am NOT a fan of Greek food, but my wife is. As a treat, i picked this place without telling her, and she loved it, but more importantly, i really enjoyed it as well. I will go back with her or maybe even by myself as i really did enjoy it (been trying Greek food for anout 10 years and this is the first time i have desired to go back to a restaurant)

Even if you are like me and do not care for Greek food i highly recommend giving this place a try or at least taking your partner her.

To summarize the place was clean, people were friendly, and food...

I got the chicken souvla plate and my husband got the lamb plate. For sides I got the lentil salad and the season veg (mushrooms) and he got the fries and a Greek salad. The chicken had a good flavor, but was a little dry, the lamb was good, but the lentil salad and the mushrooms were amazing. I would go back just to have them again. They had a mint-chimicurri sauce that went really well with the lamb and wasnt too minty, and I got a lemony-olive oil sauce to go with my chicken that was also pretty good. The tzatziki was nice and thick and it's more lemon forward than dill forward. Overall, sauces were great. The pita had a good texture, but didn't have much of a flavor on its own. Which was fine because I used it to soak up the extra juice from the mushrooms (10/10 recommend. Lol) We sat inside and it was nice, it just gets a little loud because there's nothing really to diffuse the sound (it's kinda warehouse-y). The outdoor patio looked lovely, but it was a little full. The staff was lovely and helpful and answered all of our questions kindly and succinctly.

4/5 Stars purely for personal preferences. I'm pretty sensitive to loud spaces and would prefer to go back only when I can sit on the patio. Also, for me, it was all just a bit over-salted. But again, that's just me personally. I will probably visit again, if only to try their falafel and spinach feta "pie". And to get more of the lentils. Haha

TLDR: I recommend this place and encourage you to try the lentil salad...