Pete's Central One — Restaurant in Denver

We love Greece and Greek cuisine. We had a great dinner tonight at Pete's Central One!

Pete's was a lovely change from the humdrumness of our recent food routine. My husband and son had moussaka; I had a gyros plate. we had tzatziki and pita as a starter. The dinners came with a choice of salad or soup. We had salad, and I know adding lettuce to the classic Greek salad is not Greek...but the salads were delicious. Think of it, with the price of tomatoes and cucumbers going up, how often can you afford to make a Greek salad like they make in Greece? Nevertheless the salads were delicious, and fresh and they had good kalamata olives and feta. The gyro plate was savory with plenty of tzatziki, tomatoes, and pita. The moussaka's layers were potato (yes, that is traditional) and beef cooked with tomato sauce, bechamel, and grated cheese. Baked until they came together harmoniously. One thing that makes this place so special is the way the customers are treated: like friends and family. We didn't have wine or drinks with dinner, but we hoped to cap off the evening with a Greek brandy (Metaxas). This they couldn't do so they offered us ouzo on the house. Many thanks! To our health! ευχαριστούμε πολύ!! υγεία μας! Efharistoume...

For the longest time, this has been one of my family’s staples. Pete’s Kitchen is of course a classic, but Central One always provided excellent food for both the new and native Greek food enjoyer.

During the pandemic and in its aftermath, I thought Central One took a step back, and lost some of its quality. The vegetables were sad, there were poor cuts of meat, and the service was strained. I will say that I was worried that they’d be just another victim of age, disease, or simple entropy.

However, in my last few visits, I’m happy to say that Pete’s Central One is back to being downright delicious. The chicken soup appetizer (Avgolemono) is among the best recipes in town. For anyone looking to try something that just makes sense, get the Loukaniko sausage, the orange peel doesn’t sound good…. Until you taste it. Otherwise, a Gyros plate or Souvlaki won’t disappoint.

Get a shot of Ouzo (Oppa!). Enjoy the beautifully simple art on the walls, and enjoy this classic...

Pete's Central has been my family's go-to for years. It's about the closest thing I've found to an old Chicago neighborhood restaurant in Denver. The portions are so huge (try the lamb or kitchen chicken salad) that I usually end up taking half home. Also, the green beans... yeah, I know, who writes about green beans? Just try them. These green beans make me so G*d d@&n happy.

But what makes Pete's Central so incredible goes beyond the food and atmosphere-- it's the staff. Go a few times and you'll start to feel like you have a second set of family and friends there. Takis, the manager, seems like he's always there (does he live there?) and makes the rounds to ensure that the customers are happy. The servers are fast and friendly and they remember your favorite drink quickly. Alex, the chef, will even come out to say hi. This is my second home-- a home with plastered walls with Greek murals, kind voices infused with Greek accents, and good,...