Telia Perfect Greek — Restaurant in Wyomissing

I never thought I'd find a fine dining Greek restaurant of any culinary consequence, after I'd spent countless nights over an epic span of almost two decades at Dmitri's in Queen Village; Fitler Square; or Midtown Village, Philadelphia PA. Everyone who has dined at Dmitri's original location in Queen Village remembers checking in with the host or hostess and walking across 3rd Street to the New Wave Cafe for a drink, until someone from the restaurant came over to tell you that your table was ready.

While Telia Perfect Greek in Wyomissing/West Reading, Pennsylvania has a very similar neighborhood and destination vibe as Dmitri's, it's a good deal bigger with a modern, inviting dining room. It also has a full service bar, tasteful outdoor seating, a hospitable and polished front of house, along with an obviously equally adept and talented back of house. The aroma of the wood fired oven will take you back or make a worthy introductory impression of an elegant parlour with a fireplace or an exceptional craft pizzeria in Assisi or Athens.

One recommends that you begin your evening with a smart cocktail at the bar with a hummus featuring noteworthy interpretations of pikilia, or a spreads platter, that's plenty to share, while you look over the full menu of offerings. The bar area includes table seating and opens through vertical sliding glass doors to a well thought out deck seating area in full view of the dining room and bar serving staff. You'll still feel part of the inside scene while you take in a view of a beautifully designed and appointed landscape.

Notable delicacies of a well edited inclusive menu include octopodi, or grilled octopus; caesar salad; spanakopita, or spinach pie; and the lamb shank yvetsi. Next on my list to try on a subsequent visit include the fig salad and the mediterranean shrimp pasta.

A special hello to the husband and wife duo who operate Telia and who paused to make us feel extra-welcome, for a friendly conversation before we left. Their ethnicity and style served them well to design a much needed stylish restaurant and night spot to complement their steakhouse and busy bar across the road, Willoughby's.

While I'll always have a special place in my heart for Dmitri's, Telia Perfect Greek reminds one of fond memories of my little Greek back...

Our table was not ready when we arrived, and the hostess acted as if she couldn't find our reservation. Then she disappeared without explanation. After that someone else started clearing a table near us, then looked at us and said, "This is your table." The atmosphere was crowded, and not as cozy as I had expected- it was too bright. The server was nice, but not very attentive. There were numerous times throughout the meal where I had to look for her and hunt her down. I have been to more than 10 Greek restaurants in the U.S. and this was by far the worst food. Saganaki: The cheese was floating in a sea of oil and served with pita brea that was also sitting in the oil. The pita bread was so saturated with the oil it was just a greasy mess. I prefer my saganaki with bread vs. pita, and have never seen it served with pita bread before. Regular bread is a much better pairing. Requested pita bread from the waitress that wasn't dripping in oil, and that helped. However, the cheese was heavily spiced (oregano?) and made it hard for the true flavor of the cheese to come through. Gyro appetizer: The pepper relish ruined it. The meat may have been good, but it was hard to tell because the pepper relish was so over bearing. Additionally, the tzatziki sauce on the gyro was too thick, had no cucumbers, no dill, and had an unappetizing flavor. Very disappointing as a good tzatziki sauce is one of my favorites. Zucchini "chips": There was very little actual vegetable - it was almost all breading with just a tiny sliver of zucchini. Again, over seasoned (oregano?), which destroyed the flavor. Served with the horrible, thick, tasteless tzatziki sauce, which ruined this dish too. Baklava: I LOVE baklava. I have never met a baklava I didn't love...until I had this one. DRY! It was all dough with very little honey and very few nuts. So little honey that it was dry and flaking, as if it was many days old. Are they trying to save money here? Or they just don't have a good bakery. This was gut wrenchingly sad to me. I was so excited for this restaurant and I was disappointed at every turn. Don't bother. This restaurant gives Greek food a bad name. Now everyone in Berks County who never had Greek food before will have a very low opinion....

My wife and I ate here 10/13/2023. They have done a really create job of converting the old Friendly's Ice Cream building into a very quaint restaurant. We started out cocktails and wine.Then we had the humus, kalamata, and fava pikilia for an appetizer. It also came with some warm lightly toasted pita bread and was accompanied with warm bread and dipping olive oil. It was all very tasty with a great presentation. My wife had the filet telia which was cooked to perfection and melt in the mouth tender. The potatoes were very unique and very flavorful. The asparagus was cooked and grilled and was very fresh, tender, and flavorful. I wanted to get the souvlaki, but had a last minute change of mind when I heard the one special, whole read snapper. My meal and vegetables was just as good as my wife's! Again the presentation was perfect. For desert we had the baklava alamode. It was delicious and the infused honey drizzled over it was outstanding. I guess it would be considered a "finger" baklava because it was tubular in shape and not the "sheet" form I'm used to. I had a double shot of espresso which was also done perfect. The wait staff was helpful and friendly. We did not feel rushed and had a very leisurely meal. Which is good, because you can't rush good food. Overall great ambiance, great wait staff, and great food! Sorry I did not take any photos. I was too busy enjoying the food and...