Avli on The Park — Restaurant in Chicago

So rare is the disappointment to find oneself so thoroughly underwhelmed by a dining establishment that thought of composing a review becomes an imperative chore.

Sadly, the culinary abomination that dares to parade itself as a purveyor of Greek cuisine, Avli on the Park, serves nothing more than a mockery of hubris disguised as upscale dining. As a Greek Orthodox, I am compelled to shed a tear for my heritage, so shamelessly besmirched by the pretentious facade of this so-called "inspired Greek" restaurant.

Overlooking the interior decor that greeted our arrival, a tragic testament to the misguided tastes of an Instagram-addicted consultant whose knowledge of furniture extends no further than the aisles of a Pier 1 Imports, our meal would only confirm our first impression as we delved deeper into the disappointment that awaited at our table.

Imagine my astonishment when, on a mundane Thursday evening, in a restaurant barely populated, the simple highlights of the menu ---Taramosalata, Kotopoulo Hylopites, and Garides Kataifis---were mysteriously out of stock. Was there an unexpected surge in demand for shrimp during the pre-dinner cocktail hour, or perhaps the negligence of a thoughtless commissar? The mind reels with possibilities.

And then, the spreads arrived. Oh, the Tirokafteri, a masterclass in mediocrity, managing to be both bland and excessively salty in a feat of culinary alchemy. Thus began a tragic symphony of disappointment, as each dish on the menu danced around the essence of its ingredients without ever truly embracing or revealing them to be actually present.

The Moussaka, that paragon of Greek comfort food, reduced to a sorry spectacle of prefabricated cheese-like substance atop thinly sliced potatoes (potatoes in Moussaka, the horror!), smothering a stew devoid of any discernible flavor. The expectation of beef, tomato, and any discernible trace of eggplant was instead replaced with a gruel of reddish paste. How could they so egregiously miss the mark, transforming a humble classic into a re-heated frozen dinner?

And what of the branzino, that laid bare an apparent strategy to deliver a seafare acquired at the lowest possible market price and sold with the highest justifiable margin.

But fear not, for amidst this culinary catastrophe, a lone beacon of hope emerges in the form of Kalamata olives. Yet even they, the shining stars of the Greek culinary pantheon, are relegated to a disposable plastic cup, delivered to the cluttered table as an after-thought.

The staff, while well-meaning and polite, seemed both too numerous and overly eager to clear every the plate and dish before we'd even enjoyed it. Surely the optimization of this menu's composition is reflected in a protocol of accelerating the table turn over and up-selling every selection on the (sold out!) menu. One hardly has to be worldly to appreciate that Greek cuisine is, famously, a familial and relaxed affair, unhurried by the next stimulation, and certainly not one to be hustled through the meal.

How this establishment garners praise from the supposed trendsetters of Chicago is beyond comprehension. In a city teeming with diverse culinary treasures, this misguided attempt at Greek cuisine stands as a monument to disappointment. I can only lament the folly of inviting my Greek mother to partake in such a culinary travesty, a meal that shall linger in our imagination as a cautionary tale not...

Sigh. I don't write bad reviews because I'm always rooting for the restaurant as owning one is so hard. But... here goes, it's long. Pay attention, folks! The upshot? Do yourselves a favor and go to Greek town.

Beautiful location can't mask the truly awful service experience here. First off: we're locals, not tourists. We dined many times over the years at the original location (more on that later).

Here's how it went...a fish ripoff attempt and absolutely horrible service. I'll start from the beginning. No complimentary bread arrived until we'd asked the waiter, Chris, twice, and 2 bus men. It arrived well after our appetizers. We weren't asked nor was it clear that the 4 spread combo was pita OR vegetables. We got default pita, and not enough. That's just being cheap for $23. Each iced tea is also charged, no refills (their cost, about 10 cents: 3 iced tea + 2 diet cokes= $18). Avocado and talagoni arrived cold. We kept having to flag down our waiter to order drinks or any food.

The menu lists fresh fish at MP per lb. We were told no branzino.i pointed out that Lavraki was on the menu as a separate item, and that was branzino: oh yeah, that's right, no lavraki. Ok... what fresh fish do you have? This took no fewer than 4 requests and trips to the kitchen by the uninformed and unconcerned waiter: he didn't know what fish they had or how much they cost. Finally, after tracking him down again after 20 minutes, he reported that there were several options, including mackerel $18/lb, red snapper @ $25/lb, and Dorado @+$$. I asked how big the fish was, so we had an educated price point. He replied that he would bring it out so we could "observe" the fish. What is the preparation, we asked. Oh, nothing, just grilled with salt and pepper. Ok. After another 15 min., he brought out a nice looking fish on a platter that looked to be about 2lbs. We ordered that and medium rare lamb chops to split between 3 of us. Another long gap. Our 4th diner received his moussaka (large portion, very rich), the chops arrive and the waiter starts to debone the fish tableside.

We asked for plates as they'd cleared from appetizers. Four times, as we watched our chops cool. The manager came over and took over the fish prep, adding a lemon sauce and oregano (which was good. But, not as described). Still no plates, even after we pointed it out to manager.

Lamb chops are medium well, and cold. We dare not start over.

The bill comes. The 34 oz.snapper is $102!, priced at $3/oz!! When I point out to our waiter that that is not $25/lb but $48/lb, he literally says, "you are absolutely right", and takes the bill back to be fixed. Another 15 minutes goes by. He returns to tell us that they are trying to fix it and figure out what happened. Uh, that's easy. You purposely overcharged us. The table next to us was complaining about the same problem btw. Eventually the bill comes back with the "right" price.

I was a waitress for 12 years, and my family owned a restaurant for a time. Train your waitstaff. Give them a station size that they can handle. Have timely service. Don't cheat people (and give my city a bad name).

Not our first bad Avli experience (2 in a row in suburbs), but definitely the last. The food tasted fine here, that's not the problem. You've gotten way too big to control your...

It started well, but unravelled with a side order of arrogance. Avli is in a great location and has a fresh look and feel that drops you right into downtown Mykonos. Service was fast and efficient, the amuse-bouche delightful, and the appetizers excellent - especially the grilled octopus. However, at the main course, everything went sideways, and then dropped off a cliff. Two of us ordered the shrimp and feta, which was highly recommended and sounded excellent. Both of us agreed it was very disappointing, with undercooked shrimp and a very mushy mouth-feel that prevented us finishing it. Our colleague ordered medium rare lamb chops, which in any Greek restaurant one would expect to be five kinds of fabulous. They were not. Overcooked and with that slightly dry look that suggests they had been sitting under a heat lamp for far too long, they were also disappointing. We brought this to the attention of the waiter, and a major kerfuffle ensued. The general manager arrived and told us how very upset they were to hear of our displeasure. The chef was summoned, and duly arrived, full of apologies (and a certain amount of umbrage). He insisted on taking a sample away to the kitchen, as if he was going to use it to berate the head of the shrimp department. And then ... nothing happened at all. We ordered deserts, which were fine, but average. A serving of baklava ice cream was presented as a gift, "with compliments". Then the check arrived. We had been charged for the Ice cream, then it had been credited back. Not even one of our unsatisfactory meals was credited, which we found extraordinary, after so much empty fuss had been created around our disappointment. The bottom line was that for three highly unsatisfactory main courses, we received a scoop of ice cream by way of compensation. The bill was $324 for 3, with a bottle of Greek wine, but before tip. The arrogance of this place is breathtaking, demonstrating that they actually don't give a fig leaf what you think when they serve you sub-standard food. I could have cooked identical (but substantially better) main courses myself, for a fraction of the price. This is not the sort of food (or arrogance) I go to a...