The Fat Greek — Restaurant in Yucaipa

This review is meant to be detailed orientated and thoughtful just like the beautiful family at The Fat Greek.

I found out about The Fat Greek on a billboard on the 10-W freeway and it was the best choice I made in awhile to fall for this advertisement. My girlfriend and I showed up and we were greeted by Nick who is a great energy guy! We were excited to try the Spicy Greek Fries, chicken gyro, steak kabob plate, and Baklava Cheesecake. I will give a concise review of each menu item, but I felt compelled to leave a review of beyond the food because of the kindness and wholesome vibe of this family restaurant. Therefore I am structuring this review with a timeline.

The "Waiting Room": After ordering up front, we sat in a booth and embraced the attention to detail of the ambience. My girlfriend and i appreciated the blue theme, the maps on the table, and just being able to look outside the windows. The peaceful and relaxing setting helped balance the excitement we had to try the dishes we ordered. I lost track of time, but it was not because they took long I just was in deep admiration of the experience I was having. Simran came out and she was excited to bring out the Spicy Greek Fries. See below for the review

Spicy Greek Fries: This is a perfect harmony of fresh seasoned french fries that are nice and soft, the freshest feta cheese crumbles I ever had, and I think the rest of the ingredients were minced garlic and parsley. The serving was huge, but we devoured the pile of fries in no time. Simran saw how much we were enjoying the fries that she brought out tziki sauce for us. I already knew we she brought it to our table that I wanted to pour it all over the remaining fries. My girlfriend liked their tziki sauce by itself so much she left the little dipping cup spotless, it was cute.

Chicken Gyro: This was Vicky's order (my girlfriend) Her first impressions was that the pita bread was the freshest she ever had, the chicken was tender and flavorful, and the rest of the toppings onions and lettuce (Vicky doesn't like tomatoes) just added a nice crunch and texture to her gyro.

Steak Kabob Plate: When my steak kabob plate was brought out I almost wanted to faint from happiness. They served me like the King that I am haha. The steak kabob there is legit. I got what I think looked like huge steak sirloin on a kabob. It was cooked medium and you could just taste the grill and quality of the steak. It comes with the fluffiest pilaf rice, a beautiful salad, and that fresh pita. I don't usually enjoy pilaf rice, but it was delicious and paired well with every bite. The salad comes with beautiful whole olives and again I don't like olives but I took a bite and surprised my self. I still don't like olives, but if I did then I was served the best olives that are out there.

2 slices of Baklava Cheesecake: Originally Vicky and I ordered just one slice at first, but quickly I understood after the first bite that I must order another one! Have you ever had cheesecake just dissolve in your mouth?? Well that's what happens here and although Simran was joking if we were ready for the climax, it was no joke. The baklava topping of the cheesecake was like a slight crunch and texture to the cheesecake base and that was no New York Cheesecake base just so you know.

The Ending: My Fat Greek experience added a new layer of appreciation and connectedness in my life. I don't like taking picture, I don't like posting/leaving reviews, I keep to myself. However, yesterday on February 25, 2024 I opened up my heart a little more and I have Nick and Simran plus the rest of their family working there to thank. I asked to take a picture with them and that's a big deal to me. There's so much more nice conversations I had with them while I was there, but what I want to leave you with is whether you like to look at reviews or really want to try The Fat Greek, my message to you is open yourself up a little more today. I just about reached the character count...

I am originally from NYC now living in IE and I have been hunting for authentic ethnic cuisine from any part of the world. Today I found myself in Yucaipa and took my mom for lunch at The Fat Greek. OMG! I felt like I was back East! The place was under filled and a little further from the heart of the strip but on Yucaipa Blvd. The only reason I can think of why it wasn’t packed is because locals are not familiar with Greek food and afraid to try something new. Fear not. If you don’t know what to order, try a Gyro. The pita bread is so light, fluffy and sweet, you can’t get enough. The pita is wrapped around savory beef and lamb or if you want, chicken. Shedded lettuce, tomatoes and onions are intermingled with your protein of choice and bathed in Tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki sauce is creamy like Ranch but far more zesty and flavorful. It’s made from simple ingredients including strained yogurt (or Greek yogurt), cucumbers, garlic, and sometimes fresh herbs such as dill or mint.

In short, it’s a fat wrap, fully loaded! If you opt for the lamb and beef, expect thin slices cooked rotisserie style and seasoned with spices like cumin, oregano, thyme, rosemary.

I had my gyro with a Sprite and snuck a shot of Uzo … Oooopah! Uzo is a Greek spirit that is sweet but packs a punch. I warmed up more from my shot than the sun.

You can eat in or opt for the drive-thru. Inside are clean tables, chairs and cushy booths. Once seated, you are surrounded by large screens that take you on a virtual tour of Greece while you take in the sounds of Demotiko, Greek folk music. A member of the staff can dance Syrtos, much like “Zorba, the Greek”. With enough patrons attending. I believe he will perform, I encourage all to join in. Greek culture is festive.

If it’s a nice whether day, you can sit outside, cafe style. The have a lattice privacy fence and outdoor heaters in its dark and the cooler air comes in.

I took home a delicious Greek pastry called Baklava. They have other cakes that you may already know but Baklava is something special. It’s made of phyllo dough, finely crushed pistachios, butter, and a simple syrup made of sugar, water, and lemon juice. Phyllo dough is light like puff pastries dough with multiple layers and the syrup infiltrates into the layers ensuring sweetness in every bite!

They do serve other things that you may know, like mozzarella sticks and onion rings but if you bring your kids, you will delicious ways to have them eat spinach and zucchini.

For the healthy eaters, try the grilled veggie pita. For those who can’t live without a burger, have a burger pita. There is something for every palate but I encourage every foodie to try traditional Greek fare.

The staff and service are top drawer and it nice to eat off of a real plate even though my Gyro is wrapped in wax paper and foil. It keeps it warm and prevents dripping.

If you’re in a rush and want to bring home dinner, try the Greek Lemon Chicken or the Lamb Chop dinner. Fun is the Kevin dinner. Your kids will love it!

The next time you think about stopping in at the Del Taco on 10th, don’t. Make an early right just before and eat Greek. If you’re heading West on Yucaipa Blvd, make a U-turn on 11 th and right after Sakura Massage, you’ll see the sign & driveway. Turn in and park, the building is white with cobalt blue trim accents. The colors of the Greek flag.

One of a kind feast that only Greeks can offer. Please patronize area businesses, particularly local family businesses. It’s what makes Yucaipa’s restaurant scene vibrant and not just another strip of franchise fast food...

Ok. So I was SUPER excited to try this place. Honestly, like drove about 45ish min excited. So we get there and the drive through speaker isn't working and it says to pull around to the window. We are greeted by a LOVELY woman who we ask what's good and she tells us gyros are great. So I order a traditional one and my husband orders a Philly cheese steak gyro. She tells us we want to get combos which comes with a side and a.drink.... but she doesn't explain at any point that it is still individually charged. So, we think a combo can't possibly be as much as the cost on the menu... so we say ok, she asks what sides we want I got a salad and my husband got the zucchini. She asked what dessert we wanted and what drinks we wanted. When we were done with our "combos" for TWO people... $72.00. We look at one another as we are in a drive through and my husband says... well you wanted it and hands over his card. We get told it will be out. So we sit for 20min, then 30min then at 45min. The other people in the drive through are yelling at the staff. We get asked to pull forward to a parking spot... which we ask how much longer it's going to be... and we get told just a few more moments. At about an hour we get our food. Mind you at this point I have three Screaming kids in the back of my car because they happily ate their in n out in the car and thought we were going home. So, my husband and I quickly pull out our food to quickly eat and disappointment doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. So, you got a.3x5 card worth of zucchini for $10. The salad was good but not a $7.00 salad. It was smaller then a side salad I'd get from everywhere else. The gyros were the ONE saving grace as they were AWESOME. I told the woman that took our order that I didn't want the baklava because I'm allergic to walnuts and she packaged my husband's and my desserts together... so guess who has to take a pre benadryl to even finish their food or just not eat it at all. That's right me, which makes me ANGRY!! So even though I LOVE greek and I wanted to LOVE THIS place soooo bad. I have to say, their lack of explaining the wait. Not giving us some kind of discount for waiting in line for an hour for our food and cross contamination with an allergy. I won't be back and I wouldn't recommend. Their pricing is WAY to high for the items your getting and I get overhead is a thing... but, I seriously felt like I was getting ripped off. SO... If you want to pay through the nose for greek this is the place for you. But, my husband nor I felt like the portion for the price was worth it for ANYTHING other then the gyro. At $14.99 the gyro was worth the price. Don't get upsold and don't seriously don't order...