Ari's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in St. Louis

I've gotten take-out from Ari's several times over the past 10 years. A little pricey but always good. Last night I picked up $70 worth of take-out and LITERALLY every item was terrible. Almost $7 for a side order of fries--there were 8 lonely ones in a box and they were completely under-cooked. Calamari is typically not a great to-go item but their's has always been melt-in-mouth good even 20 minutes later. I live 3 minutes from Ari's and went straight for the calamari when I got home. It was beyond inedible. Pure rubber with weird bits of shell or something attached that I had to spit out. The famous gyro salad (my fave there) was a box of lettuce with one olive, one slice of tomato and a few big chunks of unpeeled cuc. The gyro meat tasted old, like deli meat about to go bad. I ordered a side of tzatziki and pita. About $4 each which is ridiculous but no tzatziki in the order so I had to drive back for it. The server (who I tipped $10) argued with me about it (yes I just spent $70 on food and I've driven back here to scam you for a side of yogurt, mmhmm). The tzatziki was RANCID. Like a strong fermented taste of rotten fruit. I can shrug off an off-night from a good place and I never leave reviews but this review is a break-up letter!! No one was there on a Friday night, maybe it's the end for them. I hate to kick a place when they're down but oh my god, what a rip off.

Editing to add: as mentioned in other reviews, their online prices are way off. Bill was a lot higher than I expected upon pick-up.

Also would like to add that normally the service there is stellar. Perhaps the two women who are usually there went home for...

Columbus Day 2022. I haven’t a bad thing to say regarding the flavor and quality of the food. Gyro meat was the best I’ve had in a while. SERVICE WAS BAD!!!!! As I visually inspected my order prior leaving, I noticed both entrees were wrong. I politely notified the waitress of the issues and told her she rushed my order. Her response was to yell at me with complaints about her having to work the floor by herself, I don’t know or care what she’s going through and proceeded to tell me that she just had a miscarriage. She continued to say that I was insensitive to her feelings. She then further accused me of being a sorry American complaining to get free food after SHE demanded to return my payment. As if I were the problem.

First of all, I was having a great day. I stopped at Ari’s prior to work to pick up a bite to eat. I never aspire to yell at or belittle a waitress for I used to be a waitress myself in my early 20s. I leave my table clean for fast clean up out of consideration every time I leave a restaurant. I also leave an exceptional tip for exceptional service. After enduring her mouth and verbal bullying, yes, I wanted my money back after considering taking the order with me despite the errors. I realize it was a hectic day for her however, sharing personal problems and complaints about your workplace and or environment is highly inappropriate to share with a customer. Did I enjoy my food? No. Based on the poor service I endured didn’t have a appetite for it. Threw it away. Wasted food....

After soaking in the rooftop hot tub for what felt like an eternity, pondering the mystery of how I managed to throw out my back while sleeping, I realized a crucial need - food. My lovely roommate, who found endless amusement in my struggle to navigate stairs up to the hot tub that morning, suggested Greek cuisine. Being a longtime lover of all things Greek, I readily agreed. After a comical struggle to extricate myself from the hot tub and a quick ice pack session, I found myself in the passenger seat of a car headed to Aris Restaurant and Bar, a Greek eatery I had never before visited.

Upon entering, we were greeted by an overly enthusiastic hostess and a soundtrack of authentic Greek music. Seated at a cozy table where I could steal glances at the score of some sport-ball program playing on the TV, we perused the menu and settled on fried mushrooms, a Greek salad for myself, and the traditional gyro for my companion. The mushrooms arrived promptly and were absolute perfection, followed soon after by our generously portioned main courses.

As we indulged in our meal, the conversation flowed and the atmosphere of Aris transported me back to my late-teenage years gallivanting through the Greek islands. The experience was a delightful distraction from my back pain, until reality came crashing back when attempting to re-enter the car post-dining. Perhaps another jaunt to the rooftop hot tub is in order once we return home. Cheers to good food, good company, and unforgettable...