Yaya Mas Greek Kuzina — Restaurant in Chicago

Very nice concept. Everything seems to be imported from Greece. Mostly vegetarian and healthy from what I could tell. The man who greeted us (seemed to be the owner) was friendly, knowledgeable and informative. They didn't have what my date wanted to order, but he helped us narrow down her choice for the Pastitcio. I already knew I wanted the Spinach pie which arrived nice and hot. It came a few minutes before hers in a black plastic to-go container which is their serving bowl. After a few minutes, the server arrived with my date's food. We have a tradition of serving each the first bite from each other's plate. Just as she scooped me up a bite, the server swooped in and grabbed her container saying that's not your order. She took it to a different table. Had I been paying close attention, I would have realized it wasn't Pastitcio, but I didn't. The other customer was more observant. My date saw him point to his container as if to say; "I didn't order this" and swears he didn't touch it. Maybe I'm being extra, but I would not want my food served to me if I knew it already came in contact with someone else. The fork had already penetrated the food. I wouldn't have accepted it if I saw that occur before getting served. The orders were switched, but ours was untouched. His not so much, but it was saucy so unnoticeable. Our pita and beverages were served a little later. Hers was not the mango we ordered, but the peach 🍑 was good. We enjoyed it anyway. Overall, everything was ok and from what I can tell, the customers are enthusiastic. The split second switcharoo decision put a bit of a damper on my experience, but I know there's a genuine desire and effort from this business to do...

We were looking forward to trying this restaurant because the menu descriptions and photos looked amazing. Unfortunately, the food we received just did not live up to expectations as you can see from the photos.

The portions were very small, everything arrived lukewarm, and the overall quality felt more like frozen or microwaved food than freshly prepared. The “rigatoni with tomatoes and oregano” turned out to be penne pasta with plain marinara—no cheese, no seasoning, and nothing close to the dish described. The wood-fired bread/pizza tasted more like something frozen than baked fresh, and the vegetable briam was just soggy pieces of eggplant, zucchini, and potato in tomato sauce, nothing like the vibrant roasted dish pictured on the menu. Even the hummus was bland and slightly off in flavor, with just a single olive placed in the middle. It looked and tasted like it was taken out of a Sabra hummus container and placed in their own plastic container.

For the price point (over $80 for everything), we expected much more in terms of flavor, freshness, and presentation. The menu and photos suggest beautifully prepared dishes, but what arrived didn’t match in taste, quality, or appearance.

Unfortunately, we won’t be ordering from here again. We could barely get a few bites in from each dish before...

So, I finally checked out this new Greek spot I’ve been eyeing on my Instagram for a while. The Sunday was beautiful, perfect for trying out a new place. I had to walk and take a bus to get there, but the excitement kept me going. As I approached, I heard cool tunes from a DJ, which got me even more pumped. But things took a turn when I found out they were out of both moussaka and another item I wanted. Ended up settling for the eggplant Papoutsaki. ( Tender roasted eggplant halves, filled with a savory mixture of seasoned soy, tomatoes, onions, aromatic herbs, all topped with a layer of creamy béchamel sauce.) When the food arrived, I was ready to snap some IG stories, but what came out was a shocker. Served in those black containers you find frozen food in, with the plastic film still on. I couldn’t believe it. Also, my food had beef, which is not what I ordered. (see image below) What if I was vegetarian? Didn’t want to cause a scene, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I mentioned it on their Instagram, and all I got was a generic response about standing by their food. But c’mon, “Yaya’s Kitchen”? I doubt Yaya would approve of serving microwaved meals. Overall, not the relaxing Sunday lunch I...