Sofi Greek Restaurant & Garden
Category: Greek and Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mid-City West8030 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 651-0346
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu 5:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Fri-Sun 5:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
27 reviews
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
"Upstairs 2 is literally upstairs from the wine gallery, so it's no wonder where the name came from. There is a parking lot, though I always…" read more »
39 Reviews for Sofi Greek Restaurant & Garden
One of my favorites places to eat in LA. It reminds me of the little spots I liked best on my vacation to Greece. My favorite is the Gigantes (giant beans) appetizer and the pita is awesome.
Yum!
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wowie wowie! This was delicious! I've been talking about it all week. I'm too poor to eat at a joint like this where two entrees + appetizer + tips run us more than 70 bucks, but it was a fun thing to do just for something special. lamb & fish (i don't know what they're called in fancy greek language). so delicious. just melted in mouth unlike anything i had eaten. ridiculously full after wards.
the servers were a little weird. just a tad. and no hummus. i wanted to cry. aside from that, it was my first experience with greek food aside from baklava -- i found it here on yelp. thanks guys! you never steer me wrong and i always impress my guest :)
PS: guys, wear a collared shirt or something. if you dress to casual, you might feel out of place in dimly lit night setting. just a heads up!
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This place is soooo romantic, dining in a small cozy garden. It can get a little loud..live band going around. Make reservations or there is a wait. Food is good~
Sofi is an oasis in the midst of the craziness that is 3rd Street. Wander back through the doorway and emerge into a lovely patio area with an outdoor bar. The inside of the restaurant is painted with sort of cheesy murals of Greece, but everybody's so friendly here, I had already checked my sass at the door and totally soaked it up. That and the huge basket of fresh-from-the-oven pita bread they presented us with. I definitely soaked that up. YUM. Sofi's not the most authentic Greek restaurant around, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but it's pretty kickass for WeHo. They have a great Greek salad and I can't wait to try the flaming cheese next time. I had serious dinner envy for the guests next to me who got it. It's too close to my house not to join my restaurant rotation so I'll be back soon!
Ambiance - Good. Food - Good. Live Greek Music serenading you - Good. Wine list - Good. Service - Good. Loved the wine recommendations and also the attention to detail when something appeared to fall short (ex: pita bread, waters, drinks, etc.).
Awesome place to take a date!! Great outdoor patio with romantic lighting. I'd definitely back again :)
Very good food, but I personally had terrible service. I went with three friends, and when we sat down, we had to wait for 15 minutes for water or bread. We were seated under a tree, and leaves kept falling on our table because animals were shaking the branches. Every time we needed something, we had to ask more than once before it was brought to the table. Meanwhile, an older couple next to us who had ordered an expensive bottle of wine was receiving excellent service.
I am sure that their service is generally good, and the food was also very good, but I couldn't bring myself to give a higher rating because we had such a bad dining experience.
I would recommend trying it for yourself. Hopefully your service will be better than the service we received.
This is such a great little garden restaurant... a few doors west of AOC, you walk down a narrow hallway and are transported into this lovely place. They also have a large indoor room as well, but this time of year the garden is beautiful. (Note: people can smoke outside so if that doesn't work for you, book inside)
They recently remodeled and it looks great. Fun bar to sit up at too, and sometimes I pop in for some quick meze by myself. The staff is nice and the food is delicious. Best tzatziki in the universe, and the appetizer portion of spanikopita is amazing.
This has been a staple of mine for 10 years. The outdoor patio is beautiful and romantic. The spanikopita,feta, calamari, dolmades,gyros...
It's all fantastic. It's comfortable and welcoming. The service is always great.
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I've been in the pursuit of authentic Greek food in LA, and found a good contender in Sofi last night. The stuffed pepper and tomato entree was exactly like it is in the fatherland. The olive tapenade and pita were heavenly. The kalamata olives were so tender, they fell right off the pit. Those of you who expect your veggies to be "al dente" should give it a pass, as they melt in your mouth - truly Greek-style. Yumbolino!
It was rather brisk, so we sat inside, which was also chilly - bring a sweater to be safe. The outdoor area was very lovely, though. The waiter was actually Greek, which is awesome, and also cute, which is awesomer. He said Fri and Sat are usually very busy and there is cheesy music. I went on Sunday, which was not busy, and got full attention.
I would take off a star for this next point, but I don't want to skew the ratings for those for whom this doesn't matter: the wine and beer are crazy expensive. A Heineken is $7! Greek beer is $8.50! The cheapest glass of wine is $8. I beseech you, how can one eat these delish Greek specialties without copious Mythos to wash it all down with?
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I ordered this place on Saturday night and I was with some friends from Montreal. They were complaining about how LA has no truly good Greek Food. My girlfriend Ariella recommended this place and we decided to keep it low key at home and do delivery. They work with a delivery service called whycook.com whic has not only very knowledge but also very (they said it be only 45 minutes, and i think they managed it in 30) yea...
We had a sampling from the menu from salads to meats. The grape leaves were delicious and I probably had the best greek salad in LA (I think i even dreamed of it last night so that sayd alot). It was super fresh with the tastiest feta along with cucumber, green peppers and tomatoes. The pita was homemade, fluffy and just dense enough. I also tried the lamb (incredible!) and a cheese/filo thing (really tasty). Think the tzatiki was so good it tasted like flufed cucumber sour cream... never had anything like it.
I am excited to actually to go to the restaurant. My girlfriend says that the patio is great for a low key yet intimate place.. will have to work on the date part first.
Minus one star for the cost, although we got A LOT it was pretty pricey considering.
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Delicious Greek food. Great ambiance (big outdoor patio as well as indoor seating). The wait staff is super friendly. Great for a date. Or a bday party. Well, it's always great. They have live Greek music at some point during the night too. I recommend a reservation.
I really love the outdoor garden at Sofi. Its just such a great atmosphere. The portions are also very generous. I must say though that other than their heavenly saganaki their food is not really thaaat great... I am Greek... their food is good but you can definitely get much better Greek elsewhere. I really pity all these people giving this place 5 stars and saying its "authentic" and "amazing" because they clearly just don't know better. I am going to Papa Cristos next time.
On a cold, wet night on a Monday night, three buddies set out in search of food. Mario's, to our dismay was closed. It was on to Plan B - Sofi. We were mistaken that the place was closed for the night because another restaurant along 3rd that shares its frontage was closed. Good thing we checked with the valet because the meal was very satisfying. The staff was friendly and even let us sit outside so that we could smoke. I don't think our paltry meal paid for the gas on the two heating lamps either. Food? Oh yeah... got the lamb kebab and the souvlaki. Great stuff and the never ending pita bread was fantastic. There's something to be said about sweet, semi-crisp, pita bread on a cold night. Thank you Athena.
The food was good and the atmosphere outside nice, but man the trainwreck of guitar and synthesizer was too much. There is a difference between creating ambience and providing entertainment. I wouldn't exactly call the music entertainment, but it was too loud and cheesy to be ambience. Maybe this was an authentic greek experience, I really can't say, but they should really reconsider the muzak.
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Definitely the best and nicest Greek restaurant in LA. The outdoor seating area looks hot, and the overall ambience is fun and laid back. Their saganaki appetizer is awesome - they pour a shot of brandy (I think) and light the cheese on fire. I also highly recommend their appetizer platter dish which comes with a variety of things - hummus, yogurt dill, stuffed grape leaves, etc. They have the most amazing eggplant dish (musaka? or somethin like that) but the side green beans were soggy as fk. I bet they were frozen green beans which were over-sauteed. The server was extremely nice but f'd up on my order twice. I was starving by the time he brought the 2nd wrong dish that I just kept my mouth shut and ate it. It was aight....I asked for lamb stew but ended up with lamb skewers which I probably wouldn't order again. Overall, I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice Greek restaurant with very reasonable prices.
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On my last trip back to LA, I was shocked, and quite disappointed, that Sofi's has put up a sign now! I found this place about 10 years ago, and it was a hidden gem! Do people not value the concept of exclusivity anymore?
In anycase, amazing restaurant. The food is made with great care and attention to detail. The flavors are brite and exciting, nothing is too heavy, even the mousakka.
The atmosphere is low-key, quiet, unpretentious, warm and inviting. I would recommend sitting outdoor. I used to always think that was the only seating they had, given that the front of the restaurant is the garden and that I never saw anyone sitting indoors.
One last thing, I would have to greatly disagree with people suggesting if you have a large party to come here. This is NOT the place to bring a large party, partly due to the size of the venue, where most patrons there are probably wanting to avoid the Bucca De Beppo vibe. So please, in respect to the locals and other patrons, please leave this place for smaller more intimate parties.
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I guess growing up in the Tampa Bay area where we had an amazing Greek community in Tarpon Springs has spoiled me on Greek food for life.
I give the place one star for the ambiance, the patio is very cute with the trees and lights and one star because the food wasn't bad, per se, but I just wasn't impressed. I honestly couldn't find one thing on the menu that I must must have. I tried their version of the greek salad and asked for no tomatoes and it arrived heaped with (you guessed it)
tomatoes.
There was no hummus, the gyro platter my friend ordered looked rather boring and the only true culinary star of the night was the tzatziki sauce - rich, creamy, flavorful. I was putting it on everything. The glass of wine I ordered was also very nice, they do have a good wine by the glass selection.
The server was on top of us so much I almost felt the need to invite her to sit down and join us -- you know when you are hovered that you begin to feel rushed/pressued? Well this server acheived this with maximum efficiency and it really bothered me because we were there specifically to have a quiet, conversational meal.
Overall it was OK but I won't be going back.
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Opa!
Have a group of about 15? Want to sit outside in a picturesque garden, with smoking (if you want), drink exceptional house wine, and get excellent, witty (sometimes sycophantic) service?
Take your group to Sofi's. This is an absolutely lovely spot on 3rd St. (between crescent heights and fairfax).
My little brother got accepted to both Berkeley and UCLA (Huzzah!- who can do that these days, anyway??) So my other bro and I took the teenager sibs, our friends, and their friends, to Sofi.
And it was tremendous.
Trust the staff: They know how to please the confused - if you say "dude, this menu has way too many unpronouncable Greek words in it - what should I get??" They've got all the right answers.
Gyro platters for the newbies! (My friend asked me to sing the Bette Midler hit. I, being the set-em-up and knock-em-down girl that I am, said "What hit?" He answered, "you know, "Did You Ever Know That You're My Gyro!" - he wanted me to keep that quiet, but I had to tell the whole table, obviously.)
The little sis got the flaming cheese, mostly because she thought it was so damn funny. It was pretty good!
I got some shrimp thingy. I prolly shoulda stuck with the Newbie Platter. It was good, but somehow...too home-cooked...does that make sense?
A little baklava cake for the graduating genius.
And a picture-perfect way to entertain a crowd of 15.
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There are many dishes to choose from at Sofi's: from large hearty meat dishes to small, sharable plates (like Greek tapas, if you will).
As will most Mediterranean fare, there are lots of veggie and fish options on the menu. The vegetarian meze was surprisingly above average: they served the creamy flesh of a whole roasted eggplant instead of a dip. It was so fresh and delicious. Also the spanikoptia's texture was crips. (no microwaves here!)
Next, we had the moussaka which was absolutely perfect: The eggplant is creamy but solid, the cheese and potato topping, crisped just right from under the broiler. (yay for texture!)
Another winner is the broiled octopodi appetizer--so tender, not rubbery -- and, as with all their plates, they are big enough to share. The taramasalata could do with more fish roe --but it still tastes great with their warm pita and olive paste. The kefedes ( like a meat falafel ball ) are well-spiced and moist.
You'll want to linger in Sofi's Mediterranean-styled courtyard. Mature trees and bougainvillea provide a soft canopy; fairy lights twinkle and the well spaced tables ensure a private setting. The ambiance supports both a casual or "date" experience and the service is always friendly.
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I had my birthday party there and it was GREAT!
The food was great, as always, but beyond that, they split it up well, brought out all of the trays to each side of the table, made sure everyone was getting a taste. bread, wine, etc. Plus, the outside area was an amazing place to have a party. I loved it!
Another good restaurant in my 'hood. My boyfriend and I have walked past this place probably 150 times in the last couple of years (300 if you count round-trips!) and we never stopped in until last weekend. What a mistake.
Sofi confused me for a while because the sign is right by some sort of breakfast place that is seemingly never open when I walk by it, so for at least a year I though Sofi WAS that empty breakfast place. It is not.
Good greek food. We like to do just appetizer tapas, so we tried out the veggie dolmadas (excellent flavor and firmness), spanikopita (fine, but not mind-blowing, as really good spanikopita can be), meatballs (not really my thing - they are large meatballs, and I'm just not that into meat), gigantes (large white beans in tomato sauce - delicious!), and the flaming cheese (yum!). I'd like to go back and try a few more things. The tsatziki sauce was tasty and light. The pitas were warm and fresh. The greek wine was flowing nicely. 4 stars for food.
The restaurant is really nice too. It is about half patio seating, with a new patio bar area, which was really cute. The other half is indoors and I didn't go inside, but it looked cozy and inviting from the patio. 4.5 stars for an actual patio area that isn't right on the street in LA! A rarity!
Also we had a cute greek waiter. I love going to restaurants with cute greek waiters! 5 stars for the cute greek waiter.
The cute greek waiter (have I mentioned he was cute enough times yet?) mentioned that they are getting ready to do some improvements to the patio and they plan to have live music on weekend nights during the summer. It was a bit odd to me that we were there around 7:30 on a Saturday night and the place was pretty empty. Hopefully they get crowds in the summer for the awesome patio, because I'd hate for this place to close down now that I've finally figured out it's here! Minus half a star over fear that there's not enough business to keep Sofi around.
And minus a sort of random half star for not having hummus on the menu. I'm ruined on hummus because of the secret recipe of a place I love in Dallas, but still I like to test it out always Just. In. Case.
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Greece offers many examples of the greatness of the human spirit; the country has contributed countless works of art, given a name to the geometrically intuitive Pythagorean theorem, and played host to such wonderful events as the 2000 Olympics, and the Peter Gallagher movie "Summer Lovers." But perhaps nowhere does the brilliance of Greek culture shine so brightly as in the creation of saganaki, a dish that combines two of the most awesome things in the universe: cheese, and fire. Whoever thought to combine these two things was nothing short of a genius, and the restaurant that can master this dish is a restaurant that will forever be in my heart.
God bless you, Sofi, for although your entrees may have cost more than what I wanted to budget for in the evening, your dishes were gifts from the heavens, your service was warm and inviting, and your atmosphere was refined without being stuffy.
My only complaint is that the bathroom was a little tiny, and my elbows kept hitting the walls. For a man who likes to keep his elbows in pristine working order, this is a bit of a problem. But once the food coma sets in, everything else is forgotten.
Sofi my love, may I dine with you again soon.
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I might have eaten more of my dinner had I not single-handedly devoured an entire basket of warm, chewy pita. They serve butter with their pita, which happens to go really well in tandem with the olive tapenade. The tzatsiki is outstanding, as are the Greek meatballs, mainly because they come with more tzatsiki.
I had the shrimp and rice. Very plump, juicy shrimp and grilled just so. They were good. A little bit revolting because I was already so full, but good.
My companion had the Pastisio. This is usually a really, really sexy dish: pasta layered with ground beef, tomatoes, and bechamel, then baked to a bubbling goodness. I didn't like it. It was dry and it was bland. A fluke? Dunno. He thought it was just OK.
I'll tell you though, someone at the table next to us ordered the whole deep fried fish and it looked FANTASTIC. What's more, after it's brought to your table your server very gingerly debones it for you! Leaving two, perfectly intact fillets! I'm not a fan of bone-in fish but I'm all over this next time!
Dessert was delicious--phyllo pasty with cinnamon sauce and vanilla custard. I wager the apple phyllo pastry is even better.
Very cute restaurant, both indoors and outside, on the patio. Next time I'm going for the fish or just plain souvlaki with a GRIP of pita. Glee!
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tPP says: Capable food, delightful patio setting, but with service for those that have time to smell the roses.
Mgt & Service: I visited Sofi with a party of 20 for a business lunch---meaning we wanted to be in-and-out within 1.5 hours. The waitstaff was polite and friendly, and had prepared our tables in a beautiful corner of the patio. Then it all went downhill when we realized that they were understaffed. One poor waitress tried to handle all of us: everything from tending to our drinks to taking orders, to serving; it was just a sad, pitiful experience. Food came out slowly. It came out cold. Some did not come out at all. She was miserable. We were miserable.
The simple expectation with reservations is not only to secure a dining spot for yourself and guests, but to provide the management a heads-up for staffing and preparation. Poorly executed.
Food: Was okay; fairly solid. Given our numbers, we were able to sample many of the menus dishes. Portions were appropriate, if not generous. The cold appetizers were consistently tasty. The hot dishes were of inconsistent temperature (granted... they were understaffed and brought them out s-l-o-w-l-y). Of all things, the gyros struck me as odd: they appeared to have been sliced from a meatloaf and grilled. All-in-all, it was okay.
Ambiance: An outdoor patio with nice decor and flora in the middle of this 3rd-street area? Great find. I'm sure this place would be great in the summer evenings.
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You gotta love a Greek restaurant in LA that maintains its integrity and doesn't spread itself thinly as a Mediterranean restaurant. This place is Greek. Mmmm, Greek wines. This dcor is slightly upscale and the staff were awesome. Mmmm, dolmades. Then I went for the vegetarian Mousaka. Being one of the last vegetarians who dislikes eggplant is tough in LA. Sofis is the kind of place that makes you appreciate eggplant. This mousaka was so rich and unforgettable, it makes you wonder why this place was so empty on a Monday night.
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Ah, this is gonna be a tough one, but I'll be a man, promise. Sofi gets three stars from me, because:
1) The restaurant looked elegant and understated for a change, thank God, as opposed to looking like some interior designer gone wacko. I felt like I was staying at someone's glamorous Bel-Air home.
2) The wait staff was nice and easy-going, that always scores points with me.
3) The food was delicious and the Greek wine was tasty.
Sofi docked two points because:
1) I thought the portions were way too big. I ordered the stuffed pepper dinner and got two (2) stuffed peppers that were enormous and the sides were huge, too. I could have been served half the portion and been just as happy. The food was very, very heavy. Three bites and I was ready to call it a night. Not a terrible thing, but again the portions could have been smaller and I would have been happier and thinner.
2) The entire wait staff looked like the Peter Gallagher Fan Club. It would have been nice if there was female service, you know a Sandra Bullock or an Anne Hathaway-clone waitress. Are Greek girls an endangered species?
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Sofi offers great food, and a beautiful, casual place to dine (inside or out on the patio). Service is genuinely friendly, though at times a bit on the slow side. The menu is relatively traditional and the flavors deliver. During the summer the patio is a great place to meet for happy hour, or to have a group lunch with your pals from the office. The traditional mezze that they offer are all good bets to start - my favorite is the taramasalata and entree wise, if you're a fan of lamb, don't miss it here.
My father-in-law is Greek ... born and partially raised. His family owns their own restaurant in NYC and everytime my in-laws are in town there are two place that we take them ... Sofi and Papa Cristo's.
Sofi is the kind of magical place that makes you feel as though you're sitting in your own backyard and being served by the most attentive staff. It's just lovely and the food ... where to start. With all the times we've visited, we've tried just about everything on the menu and never been disappointed.
My husband and I have dined here ... just the two of us, we've brought his family (a party of five), and I've thrown dinner parties here (for 12+). Each time ... the vibe and the food are perfect.
I've never seen it super crowded, but most definitely on a weekend if you want a specific time and to sit outdoors (which I highly recommend due to the lights and the flowers) ... a reservation would be recommended.
The staff is truly first rate. They treat you as if you're a guest in their home -- it is positively impressive without being annoying in the least.
As for how to dress ... you can dress up if you want to go romantic, but when my husband and I go on the spur of the moment we're total LA casual and fit right in. There is no pretension here ... just great food and fabulous service.
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Is there a Greek word for Yummy? If not I will just assume it's Sofi, seeing as how this place is delish, yummy and really just plain fantastical. If you drive too quickly down 3rd you are sure to miss it, but if you follow those, those, what are those called, oh yeah, speed laws then you will find a doorway offering a peek at twinkly lights just down a hall. Once in, "Take a deep breath, say Awwhh and prepare for a very Sofi meal."
Our waiter Rafeal(sp?) was amazing and oh so very helpful. As a newbie to all things Greek, I still have a lot of questions and he was more than happy to answer them for us and even gave us a crash course in Greek wines. He let us taste a couple til we found the glass that was just right and humored me after I had a mini panic attack when I thought I ate cinnamon. (Gotta love deathly allergies)
We decided to try two traditional Greek dishes and they didn't dissapoint.
The first was the Pastisio: Thick pasta layered with ground beef, tomatoes, herbs served with bechamel sauce
and the second was the Arni Bouti: Sliced leg of lamb roasted on the bone with garlic and oregano
Both were HUGE and made for a lovely dinner.
I highly recommend this place for a date or a dinner where you actually want to talk and hear each other. It would also be great for a small bday party.
Enjoy!
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B.Y.O.F.(Bring your own food)
Ever feel invisable? If not,try this restaraurant.We arrived 09/08/06 at about 7:p.m.We where greeted and seated in the dining room.The table crew brought over the water and some warm pita bites.
Then,we dissapeared.We counted five times the waitress came to the floor,serving two other tables.We sat in plain view during this for twenty minutes.We had time to kill and was not in rush,so we where curious how long it would be until we became visable.It never happend.So,we decided to leave.We walked out towerds the door but the greeter had dissapeard to! We stayed by the entrence for about five minutes to announce our goodby but could not .I hope she does not think we had bad manners.
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Go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Guns, Germs, and Steel. It is a book that attempts to answer why Spaniards with horses and guns landed in south American and conquered the indigenous tribes, rather than the other way around. One of Jared Diamond's major points is that the region known as the fertile crescent had vastly more crops and animals the early human population was able to domesticate. This lead to a better immune system, which lead to an agrarian society, which resulted in longer survival rates, and spawned cities, artisans, and technologists. The fertile crescent gave rise to the Babylonian empire, the Assyrians, the Persians, and what is now Israel and Syria. These early civilizations spread their farming technology across the region, due to similar climates and farming abilities. Language and technology spread across the longitudinal meridian and voila, the Mediterranean cuisines all have a similar GUI. Greece appropriated a lot of this long pre-history and claimed it as its own. Turkey, Macedonia, and Italy all have an antagonism towards certain aspects of Greek society for this reason. What is true Greek architecture? True Greek art? It's like asking what is American. Greece was the dominant civilization of its day and appropriated the world into itself. But Greek food does taste different from middle eastern and Persian food, even though so much of it looks the same. Sofi's is one of the few true Greek restaurants in the city, with both traditional seafood choices, as well as poultry and beef entrees. They make a wonderful Avgolemonu, a lemon-egg soup that is a sublime balance of tart and creamy, with tender chunks of chicken and orzo. They fish is stupendous, as are the traditional moussakka and lamb dishes. They have a splendid outdoor patio, but it's usually populated by ugly smokers. Two people can dine for thirty dollars.
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okay. so. fran likes the greek. they invented windex afterall, right? and man they use that stuff on everything! just check out "my big fat greek wedding" if you haven't already.
now if only that movie had come out when bill clinton was in office and taking in interns. history would have turned out alot different.
but i digress. a couple of weeks ago i was craving greek food and so where do i turn to for advice? why YELP of course! soon after i find out some of my favorite yelpers have been to this spot and hey, if i can't trust my favorite yelpers, then who can i trust?! god?! ha! too busy running the universe.
so, this place is tops. the ambiance is dimly lighted. perfect for that hazy-i' ve-drank-too-much-wine-and-everything-l ooks-fuzzy feel. you know what i am talking about! don't be coy!
parking sucks here. i tried to find some and had to eventually park valet. $4.75 but what the hell? whatever. it's worth it. you go through this long corridor to enter that leads to the restaurant. you step into another dimension once you're on the other side of the corridor. and it's a good one.
good service. good wine. good vibe. there is heated outdoor sitting and a really long bar outside. very cool for gatherings. however, my friend and i opted for inside and it didn't dissapoint. our server was very thoughtful of my friend's lack of experience with greek food. besides gyros anyway and we were given plenty of wine choices based on what we ordered.
i went with stephy's recommendation and ordered the pastisio: thick pasta layered with ground beef, tomatoes, herbs served with bechamel sauce. man, that stuff is GOOD. you know i am all about the sauce! thank you stephy!
my friend tried the lamb souvlaki: grilled marinated lamb and fresh vegetables on a skewer. pretty damn good as well.
guys: definetely a place to take your date. it's very date-y. oh and since mother's day is around the corner too: take your mom here. she deserves it. plus she'll love you and forgive you for forgetting mother's day last year (dude, how could you?!)
make a reservation online:
www.sofigreekrestauran...
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Absolutely the finest Greek food in the LA area I have ever had. Any random summer night in LA, you'd find me here. Yet another one of those cozy, patio places, beautiful interiors done from a house-to-restaurant renovation that WeHo/Bev Hills can boast about. Sofi had a vision 20+ years ago, and it still works. Authentic Souvlaki, hummus, tzatsiki, kalamata, feta, melanzanotasalata, choriatiki, and all the fixings. There is nothing short of wonderful at this restaurant. I highly, highly recommend it.
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Hidden, adorable restaurant on Third that has delicious Greek food. It's right near AOC, you'll see the black and white Sophie's sign, walk through the corridor into a candlelit courtyard. You can also sit indoors, but outdoors is the way to go. The pita bread they bring you to start is unbelievable. I had no idea pita could taste the way this does...so fresh, warm and flavorful. The chicken gyros plate was huge and just great. Tons of chicken gyros, more pita, tzatziki, asparagus...just delicious. And definitely try the Greek beer. Overall the ambiance, food and service was great.
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If you want great Greek food in a sublime, but casual atmosphere AND without the plate breaking, belly dancing, and guys walking around with tables in their mouth, Sofi's is the place. Parking is tough (as with all the restaurants in the neighborhood), but its definitely worth it. Pretty much standard up-scale 3rd street prices, but you can't beat the patio for late afternoon and evening dining. Friendly waiters and they look like Greek demi-gods even to me.
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A large group of us were planning a dinner at papa cristos on Friday night but were saddened to find they were closed, why so early! we were all craving Greek though so we decided to check out Sofi.
Now some of the said group are poor grad students and planned on having a cheap meal at papa's so they were very nervous after seeing the menu prices at Sofi but by the end of the night they were won over. Everything we had was delicious as well as traditional, their saganki is perfect, not too thick. The tsatziki was creamy and great with the pita which they kept coming along with this tasty olive spread. The dolmades sofi were less impressive but my horiatki salad was great as was the bf's gyro's plate. All the dishes had large portions and we were stuffed by the end. Service was excellent, I don't think my water glass was ever less than half full, and they had no problem accommodating our large group. Can't wait to go back! too bad parking sucks on 3rd street.
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PITA PITA PITA!! I could have eaten the whole basket but I didn't want to look like a pig. :) I ordered the half chicken baked with lemon sauce and herbs. It was a good sized portion that came with rice and Greek green beans. I ate everything because it was that good!! My friend decided to order dessert so of course I had to get one also. I had the bougastsa which is a thick vanilla cream with apples in filo. It was so warm and wasn't too sweet. The night was a little chilly and a cute server (who wasn't even our server) went out of his way to sandwich us between two heating lamps. There was a man playing the guitar who went up to each table to serenade you while dining. By the end of the night, I told them that they had to carry me out of there because I was too stuffed to walk. Our server (who by the way is really great) said that she could find someone to do that. But of course she's joking. Too bad. It would've been nice to have one of the cute guys carry me out of the restaurant. Anyways, it was good food and a wonderful environment. I am definitely going back!
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my favorite restaurant in town. i love this place.
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