Aliki's Greek Taverna — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I am from the Far East (Philadelphia). I am on a never ending quest for the best of the best.....of the best to borrow from a writer who borrowed it from someone else. Greek joints are in abundance around Philly. Many of the local “Real Deal” Diners are Greek owned and operated. Which is how I am going to qualify myself in this critique.

1st off: I called my order in to someone I could not understand at all, which is the first sign of awesomeness!

2nd: He in turn did not understand ME. Second indication of Badassery!

3rd: I called my order in because only the Almighty Zeus can find parking on Saturday. In my mind, this is the Holy Triple of a Spirituually life changing meal.

Conclusion: I arrived to pick up my meal and it was’nt ready (but the smells and the atmosphere made me want to sit down and wish I would be staying). I watched these people working like elves on Meth trying to meet the gargantuan desire for their food. Not one negative feeling at all. I felt like I was waiting for something Gramma making special for me. The Front end cashier was frantically trying to get my order together and answer my stupid questions, as I misidentified the Baklava. I felt so pampered in the middle of Chaos. She said my name at least 3 times trying to assuage any impatience I might be building on. Minutes later, she popped up behind the counter and “ your order is ready”! Clearly she had know Idea how sated I was just watching this group of commandos making Greek fare. I took my food and despite my pleasure level so far, I was sure that, I probably did not get the extra pita I asked for and there were going to be tomatoes on my sons meal and I prepared for his noise when I returned home. BUT NOOOOOOO! Everything was perfection.....the Tzatziki was creamy joy and the hummus was better than our homemade. My souvlaki was cooked perfect (with extra pita) and my sons Gyro had no tomatoes. My wife could not get her salad in her mouth fast enough. We were crying with delight at this Greek food that rivaled......nay......SURPASSED ALL THAT THE EASTERN GREEKS COULD DO. Sorry Philly, this place is going in the book. Thank you sooooooo much for making I and my family so happy. We are new to Los Angeles and your Taverna has given us new reason to stay..God Bless...

One of the best greek restaurants around! Certainly the best place to eat around LAX. It's a little difficult for the parking until you realize that you can park at the adjacent hotel, in the back alley. The place is basic and excellent -- there's a deli counter and coolers full of hummus (?) as well as the Greek mezes like tzatziki and taramasalata (ταραμοσαλάτα). The menu is enoromous -- The Ant and I shared the spanakopita (σπανακόπιτα), which was flat out the best I'd ever had, even in Greece, and then the classic grilled lemon chicken breast marinated in olive oil, lemon and oregano; served w/ rice & vegetables, which reminded me of Astoria, Queens restaurant i visited once in the misty past. even though it's summer, I jumped at the chance to get Lahanodolmades me avgolemono (αβγολέμονο), cabbage leaves stuffed w/ ground beef & rice and topped with the the egg-lemon sauce, which should be more available in LA, I wish it were, it's a common eastern Mediterranean sauce. I usually eschew Greek salad because of the acidic overtones that show that the salad is an afterthought, but there is a great attention to details here, and it was excellent, very well balanced, with light dressing and fresh feta and tasty olives, certainly the best Greek salad I've ever had. Next time I go I'll get the Keftedes and Paidakia (marinated lamb) -- but the Grilled Tsipoura (Gilthead Sea Bream) looks liek a specialtiy, and I've never had that. And I'd start with the Gigandes (giant beans baked in a mild tomato sauce with herbs and extra virgin olive oil) or the Horta (braised greens with fresh lemon and extra virgin olive oil), which appetizers along with the dolmas show some very tasty vegetarian options -- and not to besmirch the Skordalia (garlic dip made with mashed potatoes, raw garlic, extra virgin olive oil and spices (which promises a strong garlic...

Aliki's has a very down to earth and homestyle feel from the moment you walk in. The people are very friendly and try to greet you the moment you arrive.

As soon as we were seated, the server brought us water. When we were ready to order, the cook noticed we were waiting and called over the server. Without hesitation, the server came over to take our order. The communication in the restaurant seems to flow very well whether it is catering to a full restaurant, or simply a few patrons.

We started off with the Spanakopita appetizer and salad. The spanakopita tasted fresh and homemade. The filo dough was deliciously crispy, fresh, and it did not taste as if it had been previously frozen. I have tried the traditional Moussaka and the High Protein Moussaka on different occasions. The Traditional Moussaka has a very creamy bechamel sauce and is absolutely delicious. The High Protein Moussaka takes out the potato and cheese sauce for a lower carb option. The server will always ask if you would like feta cheese on top and it compliments the High Protein entree very well. Both versions come with pita bread. We finished off our meal with Greek Coffee and Baklava. The Baklava also tastes homemade and not previously frozen. The filo dough is crisp and the syrup is not too sweet. The coffee and Baklava go very well together.

Over all, we love this place, have been repeat patrons, and will continue to return. The service is laid back and polite, the food is wonderful and the atmosphere is rather traditional. I would definitely recommend trying out Aliki's if you are in the mood for traditional and delicious Greek Food, with good customer service, or if you're just in the mood for a cup of Greek Coffee and some Baklava :-)...