Sofia's Mediterranean Grill: the Cuisine of Greece showcased in Hasbrouck Heights

“When we were choosing a location of my new restaurant, we found this storefront and thought it was perfect,” says Sofia Youssis, the co-owner of Sofia’s Mediterranean Grill in Hasbrouck Heights.

“We really love Hasbrouck Heights and all our new customers are very nice. They
like having us here in town.” “We enjoy serving people in Hasbrouck Heights,”
adds co-owner Nick Belegrinos. “We like serving good food, with only the freshest ingredients. For people who have never had Greek food before, we want them to come in and say ‘Wow’!

Sofia was born and raised in Greece and comes from a background of working in the hospitality industry. “My father owned a hotel and restaurant in a hot springs resort in the Greek countryside and I worked for my father for as long as I could remember,” Sofia explained.

She moved to this country in 1978 after getting married and settled with her family in Fort Lee, raising her two children.

“After my children got older, I started to work as an assistant manager and then in 1990 bought the restaurant, ‘It’s Greek to Me’ in Cliffside Park. We ran the business successfully from 1990 to 2011 making many improvements and growing the business. After selling it, I figured I deserved a break. When I decided I wanted to open a new restaurant, we started to shop around to see spaces available in various towns and liked the downtown in Hasbrouck Heights. We felt it was the right mix for us.”

Nick was born and raised in New York City. “My father is a chef and has worked in many different restaurants and because of that,  I was interested in the food
service industry.  I had worked for various relatives who owned restaurants and learned the business from the ground up. Then I was worked in a casual dining restaurant in Manhattan when I moved on to work with Sofia at ‘It’s Greek to Me’ and stayed on for three years. After this, I felt that I had learned a lot about the industry and comfortable in opening my own restaurant. I was looking for a new opportunity and Sofia approached me on working with her again.”

“We get deliveries every day,” says Sofia. “We only like to use the freshest ingredients in our menu and everything is homemade, never frozen in our restaurant. We like to present food to our customers that is good tasting and flavorful.” “Our customers have been giving us a lot of positive reviews,” Nick said. “People keep coming back telling us how much they enjoyed their last visit to the restaurant.”

“Sofia and I are here every day and enjoy cooking together. We greet our customers personally and want to keep them happy and coming back,” Nick explained. “People keep saying they are glad we are here. There are
many Italian, Asian and American Cuisine restaurants in this area that are
opening up a Greek restaurant felt like we added to the diversity of the
community. Not many people have tasted Greek food before and there are not many places in the surrounding communities that serve what we serve. The ideas for the dishes on our menu are taken from Sofia’s previous restaurant or from places that we have both eaten at and found the dish very satisfying.”

“We wouldn’t sell our customers anything that we
wouldn’t eat ourselves. Our own families eat here,” Sofia said. “None of our
food is frozen and everything we serve is prepared just for you. Everything is
cooked to order. Our fresh seafood entrees and various salads have been very
popular with our customers. All of our desserts are made on premise and people
have tried items they have never had before like our Baklava Cheesecake. They
like the combination of flavors.”

Sofia’s offers a full menu offering a variety of soups, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, meats from the grill, seafood cooked various ways and entrees cooked from the oven. This is all offered with a selection of sides a la carte that will wonderful addition to the meal. Some of the appetizers offered include a flavorful Shrimp Saganaki, cooked with tomatoes, garlic and broiled Kefalograviera Cheese, Keftedes, seasoned meatballs served with Skordalia, a side sauce.

The Gyros are over-stuffed with onions, tomatoes and Tzatziki, an accompanying sauce and served with Greek fries. Lamb burgers are served with roasted tomatoes, feta cheese and red pepper aioli and the Bifetki in a Pita is a seasoned ground beef with onions, feta, tomatoes, Tzatziki and served with Greek fries. From the grill, some of the popular items include Chicken breast served over Spinach and Orzo and Grilled Lamb Chops, drizzled with lemon and spices and served with roasted potatoes. A whole fresh fish is offered at market price and a wonderful Seafood Combination is sautéed with fresh tomatoes and peppers served in an Ouzo tomato sauce.

Desserts that are baked on premise include a Cheesecake Baklava, cheesecake topped with layers of phyllo with honey and walnuts, a Kardopita, a walnut cake soaked in cognac syrup and served with ice cream and Galactoboureko, a sweet custard cream topped with phyllo and drizzled with syrup. The Baklava is anything but standard here. There is also an extensive catering menu. Please call in advance to make arrangements.

“We want to be that restaurant where people can come and have a good meal and wonderful conversation. We have been made to feel so welcome in the community and we want to welcome everyone to Sofia’s as well,” Sofia said. “We want to serve great food and make our customers happy,” Nick added. “We want people to join us for lunch and/or for dinner and have an enjoyable experience,” Sofia said proudly.

Sofia’s Mediterranean Restaurant

220 Boulevard
Hasbrouck
Heights, NJ  07604
(201) 462-0123