From the Neighborhoods of Greece to Pleasanton

I stumbled upon Simply Greek when shopping with my family at Ethan Allen and never thought to go in because we usually go to other Pleasanton favorites.

But as a lover of Greek food and someone who often has a serious craving for gyros and homemade tzatziki (garlicky yogurt sauce), we decided to go in and were transported to Greece!

The place is in a stripmall so it is very low-key, casual and unassuming. The smell is what welcomed us in. We sat down at table near the grill and cash register. We casually glanced and the menu and then ordered. The cashier was so helpful and answered all of our questions with care and it seemed as though he was really passionate about the food.

This casual home-like place is authentic and offers the highest quality food at affordable prices.

We were really hungry because we had been out shopping and doing chores all day. So we ordered a lot of food. My dad and I got two different gyros to sample the different meats and flavors. These were simply amazing. Both gyros were wrapped well and proved to be a good type of food if you were on the run. My father had the traditional gyro ($6.25) which was spit-roasted beef and lamb, sliced and served in a pita with tzatziki, onions and tomatoes.

I had the steak gyro ($6.95) with marinated grilled flank steak served in a pita with tzatziki, onions and tomatoes. These were so good — we would go back just for these!

My mother’s entrée of pasticio ($8.95) which is a beef, noodle and béchamel casserole was flavorful but very dry, which was very disappointing because this one of our family’s favorite dishes at other Greek places.

If you add $3 to the base price, you get a choice of a side of rice or fries plus a salad. This is a very nice complete meal. As sides, we decided to indulge in the fried trio of fried zucchini, onion rings, and of course fries. All three of these sides were $2.75 each.

Sadly we were not blown away by these items — they all needed seasoning and salt on them and the zucchini was not wet when battered and so the breading did not stick.

All and all, Simply Greek is a great place for some fast food Greek style.

We enjoyed the casual atmosphere and the yummy gyros and the always-indulgent fried foods. My family and I would go back for the gyros and would really like to try the Chicken Souvlakia, which is a grilled, seasoned chicken breast skewered with green bell peppers and onions and served either in a pita or over rice or fries.

Plus for dessert, we would like to try the Baklava — a pastry with walnut, phyllo and honey heaven  or in Greek  Yiaourti me Meli, a combination of Greek yogurt, sweet Greek honey, and walnuts.

I hope to go back soon and try the rest of the menu.