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Categories: Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop, GreektownUIC-Halsted (Blue)
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Only slightly less Disney-riffic than Greek Islands, but still servin' up cold Saganaki. The place is OK, but it ain't worth writing home about. The salads are ok and the small plates were tasty, but the entrees came swimming in oil and quite bland.
The dining room is big and open and can get pretty loud during dinner hour- this is not the place to bring your nearly-deaf grandmother, for sure.
I went to Costa's last nite for dinner. We drove around a couple times trying to find parking on the street before realizing that they have free valet parking. The valet sign is a bit hard to see. But it's nice that they have a small lot behind the restaurant where they park the cars.
Inside, the place is HUGE! It didn't look that big from the outside. Nicely decorated too making me feel like I'm in Greece, not that I've ever been to Greece.
We were going to order the TZATZIKI, but since a couple of us ordered the Gyro Platter, the waitress saved us a couple of bucks by telling us that the platter includes the Tzatziki sauce. Very cool! Bonus tips for the waitress. We also got the SAGANAKI cheese. This I was a little disappointed in. The "OPA!" from the waitress is a bit underwhelming. It's not so much a yell, more like a little whisper. Come on! I want a show! =) The cheese wasnt' very melted at all. It's still pretty solid and chewy. I'm used to the saganaki cheese being softer, stringier, almost melting out of its breaded shell. I'm sure if she'd yelled the "OPA!" louder, the cheese would have tasted better. I'm sure of it!
The gyro platter is HUGE! The onions were sweet and strong! Plenty of gyro meat for two. I couldn't finish it all. It's pretty standard gyro. I've tasted better and I've tasted worse. I should have gotten some other lamb dish but I wasn't in the mood to deal with cutting, dipping, chewing last nite. =)
All in all, an ok restaurant in Greek town.
Costa's is one of the less kitschy restaurants in Greektown, yet it still provides that distinctly Greek restaurant experience. My fiance (who is Greek) finds their food superior to many other of the Greektown establishments. On a recent visit with two other couples, we were very pleased with the service and the quality of the food. Recommended: moussaka (ask for it without the red sauce over the top for a more authentic taste), horiatiki salad, any of the lamb dishes. Don't forget to try the galaktabouriko, my favorite Greek dessert!
Free valet parking makes it a great value for an evening on the town!
After my cousin married "George, the Greek" we all knew we were in for something good. At family parties which generally consist of beer & italian beef sandwiches, we were now being given Greek potatoes & Baklava. Lord help me, I'm a sucker for Greek food. I figured out quickly George was not my husband & I wouldn't be indulging in such tasty delights frequently, so I asked him what his favorite Greek restaurant was. He told me Costa's, so I knew I had to try it.
The Lemon-Chicken Rice soup is delicious. Just enough lemon to give it a bit of a *zing*, but enough chicken taste to make it savory. Delish! I then split a Greek salad, which was okay. I was in Greece for 2 weeks & let me tell you, they do NOT put lettuce in their salads-just tomato, onion, and cucumber, so get that watery lettuce outta there Costa's! I then had a chicken dish & cannot remember the name, but it was the type of Chicken that melted in your mouth & left the buttery-garlic-herby taste. Yum, yum!
I know that there are many other restaurants around this area, but if my Greek cousin says it's his favorite then it's gotta be legit. Too legit to quit, hey hey!
My friend refers to this as his favorite restaurant in Greek town.
Walking in, I was excited because it smelled delicious and I couldn't wait to eat.
We started with Saganaki (I always want this at Greek restaurants) but it seemed a bit too salty for my liking. I ended up ordering the shrimp dish with feta and tomatoes over rice. I'm not sure what I expected but it was almost similar to a Marinara sauce with shrimp over rice. It wasn't horrible but definitely different. I'm not sure if I would order it again but the shrimp were definitely huge and delicious. Dessert was fairly simple, creme caramel, and I have yet to find a restaurant that can't make a decent creme caramel. A delicious way to end the evening.
Service was fantastic. I was a bit surprised they were so empty. And bonus points for free valet.
There were two rather positive highlights of my meal -- a fried zucchini appetizer (but how hard is that, really?) and a lemon custard phyllo dessert.
These bookended a doomed entrée resembling a boxed "chicken helper" dinner. The sauce was a sort of thick pinkish-orange snot congealing resignedly over a generous portion of tough chicken and overcooked orzo. I would have gladly exchanged the large plate for something skimpier and more refined. And I'm usually a big portion whore.
Like Thomas R., I was also disturbed by the loud thumping noises above. It was distracting, and I saw people at other tables looking up and inquiring with their servers out of annoyance mixed with a hint of fear. Our waiter unsympathetically told us that "they dance in a 'what-you-call it' studio from about 7:00 to 8:00." Must be some corpulent sows attempting ballet. For serious!
Costa's = overpriced mediocrity.
Costa's seems a little bit more upscale than some of the other Greek restaurants along Halsted. I went there for dinner with my friend (who is Greek and says it is her and her family's favorite) and it was a very nice meal out.
I had the combination platter for dinner which included all the traditional standbys (dolmades,spinach cheese pie, moussaka, pastichio and gyro) and the portion was tremendous and made for a fantastic lunch the next day.
Apparently there are coupons on their website? Did not know this but I will check them out for next time!
Great service, great salads, great appetizers, and one day a week (I think Tuesday?) they have these great gigantic white beans with dill as an appetizer.
I've been to Costa's about four times, and the first three were pretty great.
Last time around, I got whitefish. Usually that's a home run at a quality Greek restaurant. This time, it was not good. The fish tasted unfresh and it was overcooked (probably because it wasn't the freshest piece of fish).
I hate to knock two stars off for one bad piece of fish, but these places in Greektown (not so much Costa's, but Greek Islands, Santorini, and Pegasus) are the go-to restaurants, the old reliables, and most of them are able to consistently deliver. I don't feel that way about Costa's.
Following a Greektown business meeting last week, my boss and I were treated to lunch here. I must say that I'm really impressed with Grecian hospitality and restaurant architecture/design-- no matter how huge the space, they manage to make it feel like a cozy, unassuming taverna.
Our server was on the ball with iced tea refills (I was a tad hungover from the previous evening's beer garden event) and made several recommendations. Still, I already knew what I wanted: gyros. Simple but robust alcohol-absorbers. I only put a small dent in my dish though I felt as if I had eaten miles and miles of tasty gyro. The tzatziki was cool and tangy deliciousness. My only grip? They could have supplied a bit more pita to compensate for the almost cloyingly huge pile of meat.
One of the women in our party ordered the dolmas and the presentation was fantastic! Even though I wasn't paying, I noticed this Greektown establishment is more expensive than its sister restaurants. This covers the cost of the atmosphere, however, which is indeed charming.
All these people with their 3 and 4 star reviews need to go back and try it again. Costa's is definitely a 5 starer. I go here all the time. My dad is really good friends with the bartender and this is definitely my favorite greek restaurant in Chicago. I have tried all the others, being that my dad lived in greek town for many years, and this one is by far one of the best.
It is not your touristy place. It is very authentic and definitely know how to please my stomach. First off, I would recommend that you try the cold calamari appetizer, it is calamari stuffed with cheese, AMAZING. As for your main meal I would recommend everything. I am not usually one to sway away from my usual but my dad and brother are and they have tried everything on the menu. I usually get the combination plate because it has the best of everything.
The service is always good and the staff is very friendly. I would recommend this place if you are looking for good greek food and don't want to get caught up in the touristy joints.
I just threw a surprise party here last night for my boss and everything went great. When I was planning the party everyone was great in accommodating my needs of sending me stuff while my boss wasn't in the office. Then on the actual party, they were great in helping letting all our guests know that we were there so they could all get their "SURPRISE" timed right.
I wasn't in the main dining room, we in a private room but it appeared to be full. Our private room was an amazing. The layout was perfect for our party or even a wedding reception or rehearsal dinner. I highly recommend it if you need to throw a private party. The food I hear was great. I was too busy talking to people to really get to eat but what I did get to eat was tasty. The price was right as well, so that can't really be beat.
The only complaint I had was one of the bartender's we had in our room, he's was just so grumpy, almost even rude. But the party was great and everyone seemed happy so we didn't really worry about the bartender.
I'm really loving Greektown these days! Free valet parking, tasty food, and reasonable prices...what's not to love? I have to admit that I've yet to visit a restaurant in Greektown that I don't like, but Costa's is among my favorites.
I was here with 2 of my friends this evening and found the service to be excellent. We placed our order, the waiter turned around, and came back minutes later with our food...and yet the food still tasted very fresh!
We started with the feta cheese spread (I can't remember the actual name of it) that I couldn't tear myself away from and couldn't pass up their delicious Greek salad. Then we split the gyros, which may have been the best gyros I've ever tasted and a chicken dish. The chicken was pretty mediocre, but everything else was outstanding!
The best party was the bill! All that food came out to $14/person. I can't remember the last time $14 tasted this good!
Our food was just ok, nothing spectacular. We ordered the fried zucchini which was great, and the saganaki which was too salty. Our entrees were a little subpar - disappointing since I ordered the "specialty plate" that came with all of their signature dishes. Not great.
We were very disappointed with the service. Our waiter barely looked us in the eye, and when we asked for a recommendation for an entree he acted like we were from another planet. We asked for a side of tzatsiki sauce, which never came. Then at the end of our dinner he dropped off the check without saying another word.
With all of the other restaurants to choose from in Greektown, this one will remain at the bottom of the list.
A very good Greektown establishment. I was attending a rehearsal dinner, so we were situated in a private room, right off the main dinning room. Since the room had a private bar, we got the evening rolling with some beers and mingling. Dinner started with fresh bread and some type of garlic and vegetable spread that was amazing. Then came the saganaki, which was good, but not the absolute best I've had. A standard, but very fresh Greek salad with feta came next. The main course was shrimp and beef kabobs. The beef was spectacular and the shrimp were huge, but slightly fishy, which is not to say they weren't fresh. I've noticed that shrimp in a lot of Greek places are like this, and I'm used to it. Desert was lemon sorbet.
I would definitely go back to sample the actual dinning menu. I'd be interested to see what these guys can do with a lamb. (Get your minds out of the gutter)
made a return to this place after a several yr hiatus from greektown
...break up with a greek and amazingly it sours ur taste for the food too lol...
but anywho i absolutely luv the decor and set up of costas...it seems quaint unless u get a view of the back room...the bar is elevated in its own lil corner...theres plenty of window seating...the waiters are really very attentive (almost to the point of being annoying) but the cute one with the accent who served my party made up for them all haha
sagnaki was amazing...bread was delicious...portions are omg huge, everyone luved their meals but i wasnt too pleased with the pastichio
downsides...the incessant banging from upstairs
o and free valet parking...how can ya beat that???
I'm officially an honorary Greek, Yamas!
Costa's is a wonderful restaurant with delicious food. I'm loving Greek food. It's not my favorite in Chicago, but up on the list. Their stuffed calamari was so good, I had to order a second....
I love the warm, rustic, traditional feel... And of course the boisterous crowd..
I went to Costa's for the first time for a family dinner just after Christmas. My brother recommended it, and since I know he's picky, I trusted his judgment. Needless to say, he was right. I judge a Greek restaurant by their avgolemono (egg lemon) soup, and Costa's was excellent. And believe me, I've had some tired avgolemono.
As John M suggests, get several appetizers and entrees and share everything. The saganaki was good, and the waiter divided it for us, which was a big help. I'm a fan of taramasalata (fish roe spread), and theirs is very light, and not salty or oily, which it can be. The grilled octopus is terrific.
We didn't split entrees, but I had the combination plate, which was huge. My sister and uncle both got the pastitsio (Greek "lasagna"), which some restaurants serve topped with a tomato sauce. My uncle knew to order it without the tomato sauce, but my sister didn't. Even so, the waiter took her order away and brought he back a plain order (just topped with the bechemel cheese sauce) in no time, and without complaint.
The food here is great, but the service is really what makes the difference. The restaurant was packed, and there were several large parties, but the servers are quick and attentive. It's always nice to go to a place where the waiters aren't out-of-work actors!
First, I'll say that Costa's is no Greek Islands - the benchmark by which all Greek restaurants are measured.
The atmostphere is nice, though not 'in-your-face' Greek. The service is ok, too, though the water and soft drink refills came a really slowly. One thing that I guess was nice but I didn't like was that the waiter took the liberty of splitting our Saganaki appetizer evenly among all at the table. How does he know how much each of us wants?
It's just ok, really. Three stars is the perfect rating for Costa's - it's not bad, but they're not worthy of four or five stars. I'd probably go back if I had a good coupon or a gift certificate, but that's about it.
This is Costa's in one word: Meh. It was okay. Nothing spectacular. I had just your typical gyro. It tasted like a gyro, which was fine with me. My husband, however, had a meal that reminded us a lot like Hamburger Helper--funny how another review listed below had said something similar. Unfortunately, neither one of us can remember the name of the Hamburger Helper meal, but we do recall rice, meat sauce, and that unforgettable H.H. scent/taste. We did enjoy the saganaki, however.
Wow! I hadn't had Greek food in years, but after heading to Costa's this weekend when we called the Taste of Randolph on account of rain, I'm wondering how I can live without it.
We had various spreads for the bread - the eggplant one was best, and didn't taste at all of eggplant, mostly yummy garlic. Great saganaki too. I had the gyros (cheesy, I know, but I like them) and the meat was so flavorful. My husband's lamb was probably the best I've ever tasted, and our friend's combination plate included the best damned peas you'd ever have.
Service was a little weird - we asked for one wine and were essentially told no - wine nazi anyone (NO WINE FOR YOU!)? The server also had NO sense of humor - despite several jokes by my husband and our friend, he didn't once crack even a smile.
For all the Greek restaurant in Greek town, this one is my fav. To start the free valet parking lot right next to the restaurant is a bonus. The restaurant is decorated very nicely and service is always excellent.
I wanted to order half moussaka and half spanikopita, and the waiter definitely made it happen for me. My friend had lamp chops and it was really good. We went on a Thursday night, it was relatively quiet, and we lingered at our table long after our meal was finished. They kept checking in but didn't bother us at all.
In the past, I have had the whole grilled snapper, grilled pork dish, taramasalata, grilled octopus. All were sooo good.
I definitely recommend this place!
I'm a simple girl when it comes to Greek cuisine. This place was trying too hard and missed the boat for me. Starting with the saganaki, the flavor was just off. Tasted honestly more like a blue cheese than the usual Kasseri cheese I adore.
For my entree, I had:
ATHENIAN CHICKEN
The "original" broiled chicken, basted with fresh lemon juice and oregano, served with roasted potatoes.
um, I don't know what I actually got. My dish was swimming in a thick juice - didn't taste lemony to me at all. No lemon flavor in the potatoes either.
I adore Greek food, but prefer other choices in the area (Greek Islands, Rodity's, etc).
Great food and atmosphere!! I love the swordfish..the piece you get is HUGE! One of my greek town faves!
My other friends love this place, but I think it's average. They have some decent chicken and sea food dishes, but can't get the red meat right. The ambiance is nice and the service is good.
I was very disappointed with my latest meal there. I ordered the fillet kabob. I think the took the wasted pieces of meat and shish kabobbed them. The also poured some weird gravy over the whole thing. Yuk.
Greeks don't get the idea of medium rare when it comes to meat. They only understand well done and burnt to a crisp.
This is one of the more consistently good restaurants in Greek town. I always tend to order the pastistio, which is my judge for how good the food is :-) Some places serve the pastistio without much sauce or rather dry. Costa's was perfect! We also ordered the calamari - tasty and crispy. Oh and I cannot forget the tzatziki - the perfect amount of garlic (I wasn't aiming for good breathe that night ;-)!
I usually do take out for lunch when I do Costas but it is great food. There are a lot of options in the immediate area and I like the food best here. I say try it. The food is good, service is good, and price can't be beat.
Let me start of by saying that I know nothing about Greek food. That said, Costa's is a lovely restaurant. It manages to maintain a homey feel even though it is pretty large. I've come with and without reservations and always feel taken care of; the staff is very knowledgeable. And they light things on fire and yell "opa!" They also have a party room you can rent out. I've been there while there was a rehearsal dinner or something going on and everyone seemed to be having fun.
The braised lamb was great as was the saganaki.
The finest Greektown dining experience, hands down. I went here with a large family group of about 12 people last night for a pre-Bull's game munching. (p.s. I can't believe they lost!). I arrived late because I had a prior engagement, yet the host and hostess were gracious and directed me to my table. As soon as I sat down, I was asked for a drink and food order, since everyone at the table had already received their drinks. I don't find it necessary to go into detail how great the food is- just go there and experience it yourself. One piece of advice, order appetizers AND entrees at the same time, and just pass them around and share! It's a great family-style restaurant plus you will want to try everything.
Had a great dinner at Costa's over the weekend. We all got shrimp dishes plus an appetizer and drinks, so the bill added up quickly, but the food was definitely worth it. The portions were huge and the service was great. Definitely one of my favorites in Greektown!
Loved the fish and service here. This is a good place for a great dinner. Its not my favorite but its definitely a great place to have food and fun!
I have to say I've never been a huge fan of Greek food, so when I had to go for a work thing I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try it again and give it a chance. There were some good things and some not so good things. The adorable staff with their authentic accents brought *flaming cheese* - that's right FLAMING CHEESE (perfect food). The appetizer sampler was exactly what the newbie needed and was really good. I had to get lamb, so I ordered expensive chops medium rare, but they came well done and a little dry, hence, 2 stars... my colleague got the the musakas (the only dish I really know I like) and it was so over meated - we couldn't even really find the eggplant :( Chocolate covered baklava or a lemon custard with flaky yumminess on top was pretty good... I wouldn't go back, but that's because there are probably a million other places in Greek Town, right? And they better know how to make lamb chops...
Great Greek food. My friend brought me for dinner here and we both absolutely loved it. It was pretty slow that day, but the service was spectacular and the food was sooooooooo good. One of the best that Greektown has to offer.
There's a series of about a half dozen restaurants in Greek town that are all about equal in food quality and price (entrees range from $12-$20). I don't see how the food is of any lesser or greater quality than Greek Islands, Pegasus, or Parthenon. That said, Costa's is my favorite. It seems to go the extra yard for service, presentation and quality of food.
A cozy, homey restaurant in Greektown, Costa's was one of my favorite dinner places during college. It doesn't hurt that it's also the closest one to UIC. Favorites include the lamb chops and the Athenian chicken. The saganaki is pretty good (and quite the sight) too. Plus, hearing all the waitstaff say "Opa!" when someone drops flatware/diningware is hilarious.
The only thing extraordinary about my dinner here was the noise generated by the dance studio directly above the dining room. There's a dance school upstairs. Being prone by nature to paranoid catastrophic imagery, I was frequently distracted by the noise and possibility that the ceiling would collapse and kill me.
Costa's fits nicely into the category of restaurants in the $40 - $50 per person price range that cater to people who don't ever go to better restaurants.
The chicken dish I ordered was:
KOTA ME KOUKOUNARI
Chicken breast sautéed in olive oil with pine nuts, lemon and oregano, served with our "meat orzo" and pine nut stuffing.
The portion was gigantic and was comprised of ONE singular blended flavor - salt/cheap wine/corn starch/lemon. The 'oregano' used was dried.
The chicken had a suspicious pink vein in it that further egged me on to a low-grade panic.
The feta olive spread appetizer was nice enough.
Costa's was recommended to me by my Greek friends as one of their favorites in the area. Our food was good - but our service was not. The entire time I was there I kept wishing that the other waiters would take over for ours. Our waiter had no personality, made no recommendations (yes, we asked) and never smiled. He would drop plates off food off at the table and not even tell us what they were. He also didn't let us know when he lit the Saganaki so we could see the big ball of fire. Our tab was close to $200 and I was so disappointed in the service that I doubt I would go back. There are many other Greek restaurants in the neighborhood that I know can beat the service and quality I had at Costas. What a shame...
cheap, fast, tasty, and greek. i recommend it! be sure to bring cash though--it's all they take.
Mon 1/2 off bottled wine &…
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Food specials Mon.-Thurs.
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Near West Side
Category: Greek
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