Ladera Greek Kitchen — Restaurant in Temecula

Well, I’m starting this review with a celebratory meal from Ladera Greek Kitchen as I was in the mood for something Greek and I’m finally heading toward a closing date so I can move! Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this place as there were a few options, but this one felt like the right decision to make and I’m certainly glad that I did. Now to the breakdown of things:

As always, I start with the “As Delivered” section as I really feel that how things are presented upon delivery is just as important as the meal itself. I started with the three containers of food and found them to be high quality and seemed to hold their heat well. I then opened them to explore the bounty I was about to happily consume! The next three photos are a close-up view on the entrées and side in the containers with Feta Fries being first, The Classic Gyro Pita second, and The Greek Chicken Pita. Now onto what you are looking to read…

First on deck is going to be the Classic Gyro Pita and it did not disappoint. The Tzatziki sauce was excellent! The flavor was there, but just the right amount. I’m picky on this as I have had some versions of Tzatziki that taste like I purchased the whole cucumber! In this case, it complemented the meat perfectly and I found nothing but bliss with each bite. The meat was excellent as it was not only tender, but flavorful and moist! As far as the Pita goes…this is probably one of the best I have had in years!! It was soft, light, and fluffy. It honestly almost felt like I was touching a smooth blanket and most importantly, it held up with each bite of a very well stuffed Gyro. I included two plate angle photos and one pre-bite photo for this one. You cannot go wrong with this one at all and without a doubt you will be full!

The second Gyro I’m going to discuss is the Greek Chicken Pita. Since I already discussed the texture of the Pita above, I’ll just say that the quality is consistent between both Gyros. I did struggle a bit more eating this one as it was definitely packed with Chicken and I had a hard time keeping all the ingredients in when taking a bite. The Chicken wasn’t quite as moist as I hoped, but the flavor was great and complimented the veggies well, which were fresh and pleasantly bright with each bite that came along with the Chicken in the Gyro. You cannot go wrong with this Gyro either and I really feel that you get your money’s worth with this one as well. I took four angle photos and two bite photos for this one.

Now, onto the mystery side of Feta Fries. In ordering this I had no idea what I was getting but figured it would look like a normal “run of the mill” fresh cut stick fry. I was wrong! What I got instead were these lovely, sliced pieces of fried potatoes topped with a fair amount of Feta Cheese. The great part about these is the flavor is excellent with or without the Feta. I further found that the price is quite fair for the amount and even splitting these with the dog, there were still some left. I think you could fairly feed three people with these. I took three photos of these from different angles for a better idea of the product.

Final Thoughts:

The Ladera Greek Kitchen is a small little place that I don’t think many in Temecula know about! Out of some of the Greek food I have consumed over the years (including in Greece) this is right up there in the top by not only value for the quantity of food, but more so in the quality and flavor that you are provided with. I didn’t get to try other items and wish that I could have, but well, the word “Budget” always comes up when I see the total! If you’re looking for a great Greek place, check out Ladera...

I’ve been excited to try this place, but was disappointed. I had my friend place and pickup my order for me. I told her I wanted the falafel pita with an addition to add the “combo” which supposedly comes with a choice of side, a drink, and either fries or a small salad. She apparently ordered incorrectly and told me that “the gal there kept telling me nothing you ordered came with it”. Ok.. so I understand that my friend was mixed up and that’s fine (seems she ended up getting me a falafel combo). But I’ve worked in customer service for 17 yrs and I would’ve at least realized that if a customer continued to ask for things that were not included in that particular item, then I’d either guide them toward something else or at least let them know that there are other options they could make (like what I originally wanted—a pita with combo side). Also, I double checked with their online menu before I called and the only thing that seems a tad confusing is that they call both things combos. So I ended up paying $13 for basically a ton of white rice, some very burnt falafel balls, and a teeny bit of tzatziki sauce, and some “fries”. The fries were cooked well and would’ve been very tasty had they actually come with some seasoning. Their online menu states they come with oregano on top. Mine had nothing. Also, if you’re expecting regular fries, please know that they’re sliced potatoes (which again, would’ve been the star of the meal if they’d been seasoned). So I just wanted to write this review so folks wouldn’t make the mistake I did and order the falafel combo plate.—Very expensive for burnt food and lots of rice. Having worked in restaurants my whole life, I never leave negative reviews because I know that everyone has an off day and I understand. However, I’m leaving this because of what I’ve stated above, and because I called them (after only eating a little of my meal and actually hurting my mouth due to the falafels being so dry and over cooked.-No joke.) I was friendly and courteous and spoke with a friendly young lady on the phone who did hear me out, but did not offer any type of apology or reimbursement whatsoever. I’d like to think if I’d received a call (as an employee) with a customer who wasn’t able to eat hardly anything they’d ordered, and felt confused by the online menu, I’d have offered them to come in again for a meal on the house, or half off, or something? Or maybe a side for free? Maybe this employee didn’t have the authority to do so, but at least put me in touch with a manager? So even though I suppose it’s my fault that my friend was confused, it’s not my fault that I spent a lot of money for bad food. Also, my family are all vegetarians, and I saw online that they only offer two choices for kids meals: either gyro or chicken. My friend says she tried to order the gyro one for my son and asked if they could just put a falafel ball or two in instead of the gyro meat, but they refused. Really? Wouldn’t that be cheaper for the restaurant? Times are hard for everyone now, and this was a special splurge for me as I don’t currently have a job and am a single mom. I’ve only ordered out twice in the last seven months and cook at home to save money. My kids and I were to split the meal, but only one of them tried it and he said he “hurt his gums”, so it was a bust. I saw so many good reviews of this place and I adore Greek and Middle Eastern food so I will have to keep looking for another place once I get a job. It’s a shame too because we...

My wife and are compelled to communicate how absolutely blissful our experience was with George, the owner of Ladera Greek Kitchen. We had a wedding planned at our home, and he took the time to meet with us beforehand to consult over how to order just the right amount of food. We ended up speaking to him three different times as the date approached since we shifted our order to include more items (couldn’t resist), and he was right-on; we easily had enough to feed all and had leftovers to boot! You should know we inquired with four other Greek restaurants in the area and found none to be as easy to work with as George, nor were they as well-priced, nor had food as good as Ladera’s…and if those components weren’t enough to seal the deal, George himself made two deliveries to our wedding site; one for an early private dinner, and then another for group reception later!

Background: On our first visit to Ladera, we ordered quite a bit of food to see what we would like and not-like, and found there was NO “not-like;” everything was so very scrumptious! I mean it’s kind of magic to make potatoes taste wonderful, but the Roasted Lemon-based Potatoes, and the Dolmades were an unexpected delight to consume in addition to the more traditional kabobs (Souvlaki), Gyros, Salads, Pita, and amazing Spicy Feta Dip among others…how can they make such simple things so good? My wife and I will forever be fans of Ladera for how perfect everything worked out with them…and we will eat there continually into the future since we love the food so much. My mouth is watering as I think of their food now; and needless to say, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND them to be your choice for a meal or event...