This locally-owned restaurant was named best Greek food in the Charlotte area
With strong roots planted by Greek immigrants in Charlotte’s restaurant community, the city is blessed with a bounty of truly delicious gyros, spanikopita, stuffed grape leaves and more. But which restaurant is best?
The CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice Best Greek Food poll set out to find that answer, and now we’ve got a winner.
After seeking out reader nominations for the top Greek favorites around the Charlotte area, we started with 18 restaurants. That list was narrowed down through four rounds of voting, and it’s now finally time to crown the winner and finalist.
Here are the two restaurants that came out on top in the CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice Best Greek Food poll:
Best Greek food winner: The Mad Greek
Location: 5011 South Blvd., Charlotte NC 28217
The televisions are tuned to soccer, the kitchen is turning out gyros and familiar faces fill the tables. It’s a scene that has played out at The Mad Greek for years, helping make the Charlotte restaurant a beloved gathering place for the city’s Greek community and diners alike.
The restaurant has built a loyal following since opening as The Mad Greek in 2008, serving classic Greek fare while becoming a hub for Charlotte’s Greek community. Today, the restaurant is continuing that tradition under owner John Pitsonis, who took over the business with his father, Kostas, about a year ago.
Pitsonis said he grew up coming to the restaurant and watching Greek men’s soccer games there long before becoming its owner.
“As anybody that’s a Charlotte native knows, The Mad Greek is a staple,” Pitsonis said. “We’re very pleased to bring it into the next generation and continue its legacy.”
The restaurant recently underwent renovations following the ownership transition, including a covered patio for year-round seating and additional parking behind the building.
But Pitsonis said the mission remains unchanged: preserving a beloved Charlotte institution while helping it thrive for years to come.
‘You can’t go wrong with the classic gyro pita’
On the menu, diners will find classic Greek fare such as gyro pitas, Greek salads, souvlaki platters, lemon-herb chicken and steak dishes. Pitsonis recommends first-time visitors try the restaurant’s signature gyro pita and Greek salad, as well as the Grecian pork and chicken pitas, which he said are closer to the style commonly found in Greece.
“You can’t go wrong with the classic gyro pita and our Greek salads,” he said. “Those are our most known featured items.”
Beyond the pitas and platters, the restaurant also offers a lineup of desserts, including traditional baklava and a fan-favorite baklava cheesecake that puts a decadent twist on the classic Greek pastry.
“People go crazy for the baklava cheesecake,” Pitsonis said.
The restaurant also recently obtained a liquor license and now serves popular Greek beers such as Mythos and Alfa, along with a selection of wines. Looking ahead, Pitsonis said he hopes to add a full-service bar on the patio, creating another gathering space for customers to enjoy, but emphasized that those changes will happen gradually.
“We have to take it one day at a time,” Pitsonis said.
He also expressed gratitude to the restaurant’s loyal customers, saying their support has allowed the business to continue thriving.
“It really gives me joy when people come in, have a good time and enjoy the food and the experience,” he said. “We’re very thankful for everybody.”
Best Greek food finalist: Illios Crafted Greek
Location: 1514 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 4000 Monroe Rd Ste 120, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 7926 Rea Rd E, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 951 Market St Ste 101, Fort Mill, SC 29708
As you enter Illios Crafted Greek, the sights of the grill and the aroma of rotisserie meats quickly take charge your senses, pulling you in to make tough choices about what you’re about to eat as you browse a variety of flavorful side dishes and toppings.
The highly popular restaurant’s first location opened in South End in 2020, growing from an idea for a fast-casual spot modeled after a similar place in New York. Brothers Angelo and Frank Kaltsounis — the sons of Landmark Diner founder Tommy Kaltsounis — went to culinary school there and met Stratos Lambos, who’d eventually become their business partner after years of working in professional kitchens.
Big sister restaurant Illios Noche actually started out with that customizable meal concept — but Charlotte wasn’t ready for fast-casual in 2003, when Greek food was harder to find. So Illios Noche shifted into the full-service Mediterranean restaurant that diners still love today.
“It was a little too ahead of its time,” Frank Kaltsounis told CharlotteFive.
But the time for Illios Crafted Greek did eventually come, despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought along in 2020. And the restaurant boasting fresh vegetables, house-marinated meats and handmade spinach and feta pies has quickly grown to four locations, with more on the way in Davidson and Indian Land, SC.
“It’s in our heritage, it’s in our backgrounds,” Kaltsounis said.
Traditional Greek food, freshly made
Best sellers at the restaurant include the gyros, of course. But the chicken souvla plate is right up there as another top customer favorite.
“It’s healthy. Our recipes are authentic,” Kaltsounis said, adding that Xenia Hospitality Group’s passion for warmly welcoming customers is “non-negotiable.”
“Hospitality and great service makes the food taste better,” Kaltsounis said.
“There’s a lot of Greek restaurants, and we’re proud to be along with them, but this is our rendition. This is our ... interpretation of our Greek food, and through our experience from traveling to Greece, through our parents growing up — cooking with them, seeing and being around them — being the traditions of the holidays, and seeing the Greek food being prepared in front of us. I think it kind of really set the tone for who we are and represents us at the best that we can be.”
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