Opa Greek Restaurant — Restaurant in Chattanooga

Opa! Is an experience all in its own. It's not just going to a restaurant and eating. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was very comforting, and the service was amazing. We really felt like we were in a Greek villa as we dined. This is not your typical restaurant. If you have just an hour to eat, don't go. Opa! is open from 6:30p-9p, you're gonna be there the entire time if you want the full experience. Reservations are required!

Our experience: Our reservations were for 7, and that's when we got there. We get seated and then served a glass of some fruit infused water. Very shortly afterwards they sat a carafe of wine on our table. There are no menus, the owner prepares a meal and that's what you get. He cooks up different dishes. This means every dining experience will be different from the last. The food was homemade and absolutely delicious. You can tell the owner puts his heart into the cooking. I am not too familiar with the names of Greek dishes, so I will just describe what we had. First course was a Greek salad with homemade tzatziki sauce. The yogurt base was awesome and creamy. The spices were just right and the greens for the salad were fresh. Second course was roasted chicken, with roasted eggplant on pita bread served with a small salad. The third course was roasted lamb with side salad and pita bread. Fourth was the chocolate cake. After our meal was complete (which was around 9pm) they bring a stack of plates to every guest which you get to smash on the stone floor, and of course you have to shout "OPA"!

Overall, I would definitely go back. I've seen some of the lower ratings on Google talking about "poor customer service". I do NOT feel this is the case. The only two people working was the owner and a server. They were busy trying to make sure everyone got their dishes, and the owner was making sure the food was prepared. So, the owner (I'm sorry I keep saying that, but I don't know his name) was very business like; I did not at one point consider him rude or unpleasant. I think American culture has some people feeling like they have to be petted and coddled every time they walk into a restaurant. While, that is nice, it's not necessary (for me anyway). I will liken this to you going to a family member's house for a meal, and they are just busy making sure everyone is comfortable, and them not taking the time to pander to your every need. When you are in his restaurant, you're a guest and a friend. Also, the price does come with a "sticker shock" factor. However, if you break it down to a four course meal (includes dessert), wine (which there was plenty), and YOU GET TO SMASH PLATES, I think the price matches the value of what you get, if not even cheaper than anywhere else.

The only thing I have to say that could have been better (and this is a stretch), was we did not receive our third course like everyone else did. However, when we brought this to our server's attention, she immediately apologized and brought our plates to us. Problem was immediately rectified.

Conclusion: I will be going back, because I want to see what other dishes he prepares, and to have the authentic Greek experience in...

The food is not horrible, the space is unique but does not compensate for the stress of the whole experience. The owner for some reason doe not see the value of simply being transparent in order to avoid all the conflict and unexpected surprises. By adding a menu with a price would fix most of the issues. The way a business normally operates is buy offering goods or service, then the consumer has the option of determining if that good or service seems worth the value, then there you go, you have a mutual agreement with expectations. In this case, a customer walks in, sees that a particular plates consisting of xyz will run them xx dollars, pretty straight forward.

If you take the time to read reviews in the lower star rating realm, you clearly see that this is a consistent issue over and over - unexpected prices and the other is the rudeness from the owner. You can clearly see that the owner in immature and sensitive on the way he responds, by using CAPS to express his anger and telling people he is the best and they are not welcomed, etc. In my mind, his reviews really tell the true story of who he is.

While I dined at OPA, I managed to go about my meal without any issue, yes, I was also surprised at there being no transparency and poor organization, but I see it as part of the theme which I am ok with. I know that lamb is expensive and takes time to cook. I am also from a major city so his prices were not too expensive to what I am used to paying for a meal.

However, the reason for my review is that I witnessed the owner being very rude and harsh to another party and it was pretty aggressive and unacceptable. There was no reason at all for this situation to have occurred in the first place - unwarranted.

I do think that their are circumstances where some folks just don't understand that this style of food does require time to make, therefore, it should not be the cheapest option. Wendy's is cheap because of the quality of product and the rapid way in which it is cooked.

I also see that sometimes these people are not purely upset with the price alone, but with the unexpected price that was never clearly presented.

So, my thought is that the owner likes drama or he does not display the menu to cause confusion and overprice. Not sharing my opinion, but these are the only two options.

My other thought is that with time, maybe a few years down the road, this sort of behavior will not be tolerated for long in such a small town.

This can be fixed with a sign and having less ego. I am a business consultant and sometimes, the small things are what...

Warning: Long review, but worth it!! I had friends visiting from New Brunswick, Canada a couple of weekends ago and we were headed to Coolidge Park to walk around, visit the carousel and walk the bridge. My friend saw Opa as we were heading to park. I've lived here over 2 years and never noticed it. It's such a cute, tiny place tucked against the back of the bigger buildings and, unless you're going to park back near the carousel or walk by it, you'd never know it was there!! Since we all love Greek food and were hungry we decided to try the place. We walked in and saw 3 tables, 2 of which were reserved. The gentleman inside directed us through the small room to another covered open air area with an additional 3 tables and a small lounge area that looked like a delightful terrace in Greece. Two of the tables were full with people finishing their meals and they quickly left so we were alone to experience our meal. And what an experience!! We didn't really know what to expect as there was no menu. Before we knew it a red drink and spanakopita appeared on our table like magic. Speaking of magic...I think the spanakopita must have been conjured because it was the most delicious one I've ever had!! We were told the drink was pomegranate juice, ginger and green tea. Refreshing and absolutely yummy. The only questions we were asked was if we wanted meat or no meat, and if we wanted Greek Wine with our meal. Two of us chose the meat option and one the non-meat. Michael, as we learned our host's name was, got to cooking our meals and brought out huge plates full of incredibly delectable food you won't find anywhere else outside Greece!! He even makes his pita bread from scratch, and that alone could be a meal. My friend and I opted to get the wine since we've never had Greek wine, and it completed the meal beautifully (he not only gave us a glass, but left the bottle). We also mentioned our friend had never tried Ouzo before so Michael gave her a shot to try. To top the meal off exquisitely we had a chocolate dessert that was out of this world, and were given one to go!! The menu changes daily to whatever Michael feels like making so it's a new experience every time and like visiting family. I really, really can't say enough about Opa except GO, GO, GO!!! And say hi...