Antik Greek Kitchen — Restaurant in Fairfield

We went to Antik for the first time tonight for my birthday. The look of the restaurant was very cozy and welcoming. The hostess (who I’m going to assume was one of the owners, an older lady) seemed very short and abrupt-somewhat friendly. We arrived at 5:45 and there were three other tables sitting, all of which pretty much had their meals. The waitress was kind and greeted us within a few minutes and took our drink order relatively quickly. She brought our drinks and took our order-we got an appetizer and two entrees. In the meantime, the table behind us had some kind of issue of something they ordered was supposedly gluten free but actually was not and this turned into a whole situation. The older lady/hostess unfortunately berated the waitress a bit in front of those customers which was unnecessary (the fault clearly was in the description on the menu of said item). The waitress then came to us to chat and was made to look foolish again by the older lady because we didn’t have pita bread on the table. The waitress walked away and started to complain to an older gentleman near the kitchen (I assume the other owner) about how angry she was at the situation happening. Several moments later the husband of the upset couple went to speak to the older gentleman about all of this, while the waitress was speaking to the wife for over 15 minutes at the table. 45 minutes had gone by at this point and we STILL did not have our meals, let alone our appetizer that we ordered. After another several minutes, all of our food came out at once. The appetizer was lukewarm, while our meals were a bit warmer. My husband wanted another cocktail and had to wait another 10-15 minutes for it-by this point we were finishing our meals. I would’ve liked dessert (again-it WAS my birthday) but seeing what we just experienced, I didn’t get anything because God knows how long it would’ve taken. We finally got boxes for leftovers as well as our check-we were paying with a card. The waitress never came back to pick up the check so I voluntarily brought it up to the front register hoping that SOMEONE would see me standing there. The older lady came up and was less than friendly-I did most of the chatting and even complimented how delicious the food was (indeed it was tasty). We paid and just about ran out because now it was close to 7:30 and we were aggravated.

I’m on the fence about returning honestly. Again, the food was quite delicious but the way the place is run and the clear hostility between staff and servers (which by the way-the other waitress was drinking wine at another table of people she seemed to know, instead of maybe seeing if she could help us or the other waitress out) and the serious lack of communication between everyone makes me reconsider another trip or if the place is going to survive that long anyway. Pretty...

Antik in Fairfield took over the building where the former Charlie Brown stood. The interior of Antik is very white and sparse, erasing any memories of Charlie Brown but the décor is pretty bland. Surprisingly the food is far from bland and plentiful but the tasty food and large portions can't take away from some major problem Antik has. If they can fix these problems, the restaurant will start to have a good word of mouth among the local area. The issues arise with the service. It's problematic when you sit down at 6:30pm for dinner on a Saturday night and don't finish until after 9pm because the service is way too slow. It took my party almost 30 minutes to place our order. Our waiter was very friendly and apologetic but seemed confused, especially when we asked if there were any specials, which he didn't present at first, and had to go back to the kitchen to find out. Because the service is far too slow, a star was dropped from this review.

If a restaurant's bathrooms aren't clean or the paint is peeling from the walls, including the bleach and cleaning products out in plain sight for your customers to see, that also drops a star from this review.

I can't complain about the food, which is a little pricy. Antik tries to be high end dining, but it really isn't. I prefer Stamna Greek Taverna in Little Falls, which is more reasonably priced, but then again Antik's portions, I guess for the price are worth it.

Their salads are big enough to share between two people. I ordered the PATZARIA SALATA- Roasted Beets, Arugula, Walnuts, Dry Figs & Greek Yogurt Vinaigrette (shown below). It was plentiful but a little dry. For my main entrée, I got the KALAMARI SKARAS- Grilled Whole Calamari (show below). You get a whole lot of Calamari and ride, which is enough for two meals. Again I wish it had some more spice because the flavors were a bit underwhelming for me. For dessert I had the GALAKTOBOURIKO- Greek Custard & Honey layered in Phyllo (shown below). It was a simple dish that was solid but nothing too amazing.

Antik is a place that needs some work especially with their service. Also the décor needs some more splash, as well as a good cleaning because of the state of the bathroom. I can see them having regulars, but as for growing their business (maybe when they get their liquor license), that is questionable. I may stop back in for lunch, but if I want a more homey feel with speedy service and a more reasonable priced menu, I will stick with Stamna Greek Taverna. Antik is more a 2 1/2 stars...

UPDATE - June 3, 2023

If you are looking for delicious, authentic Greek cuisine and homemade desserts, look no further than Antik Greek Kitchen.

Situated on the former site of Charlie Brown off of Fairfield Road in Fairfield, my partner, our friends and I were a party of six, and some of us made a repeat performance yesterday for dinner to celebrate an early birthday at this family-owned establishment after 6 months. Upon entering, we were greeted by the owner, Maria. The interior remained upscale, clean, comfortable, and we waited a few moments to be seated at our table. Nicole, our server, took good care of us.

The menu has about two dozen Greek entrees from traditional home cooking, pasta dishes, seafood, meats, and platter combos. Complimentary warm sliced pitas with beet and olive tapenade started our meal. As a meze or appetizer, we shared Saganaki (crispy coated pan-fried Vlahotyri cheese flambe with Metaxa brandy), Dolmadakia (homemade stuffed grape leaves with ground beef, rice, Greek herbs, and spices, topped with Avgolemono sauce), not drowned in oil, and Spanakopitakia (homemade spinach pies with fresh spinach, dill, and Feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough). As an entree, we ordered Spanakopita (homemade spinach pie with fresh spinach, dill, and feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough, served with salad), Karpathian Makarounes (whole wheat cavatelli pasta topped with delicious caramelized onions, EVOO, and imported grated Mitzithra cheese), Lavraki Fileto (branzino filet grilled with herb-roasted potatoes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and spinach), and Beef and Lamb Gyro Greek Platter served with rice pilaf or lemon potatoes, tziki, salad, and pita salad. For desserts, we sang Happy Birthday with Portokalopita (orange cake soaked in an orange zest syrup, topped with a scoop of ice cream) and complimentary homemade Greek powdered cookies.

The food was fantastic, and the portions were huge. Plan to spend maybe an hour or more from the time you order, as this is a freshly prepared meal just for you. The owner would check occasionally to ensure everything was top-notch. The service was impeccable, and the staff really do treat you like family. We felt like we were in their home and had an excellent dining experience, which we...