I have been here a dozen times or so, today was my first time post-remodel/ name change. Wow, the place looks snazzy! Food seems the same to me. I'm such a sucker for tzatziki and pita bread. I could subsist on these two items alone. Today I had the chicken aioli wrapped in a pita, which was pretty good. My friends got salads, they commented that it was a bit off today. Maybe the winter veggie thing? I was happy with mine. The service I have experienced is really good. Maybe because they kind of know us there...but the one waiter with the long ponytail is always on his A-game (lunch time is when I always go). And the chef/ owner is extremely nice, I once lost my wallet back in Aesop's reign and he was soooo accomodating. PS they found it for me :) Iced tea here is mmm mmm good.
(3)
Laura R.
Great business lunch location, also good for bringing the folks and in-laws when everyone converges on your home (as mine have been known to do!). The dolmathakia, avgolemeno soup, and Greek salad are all excellent.
(4)
Brent N.
Don't know why I keep going back to this place??? Just had Beef Slouvacki (sorry butchered spelling) sandwich again. They dropped the size of the beef cubes in about half. Service was the worst. I even asked for a manager and she never came. What happened to this place? It was once OK. $14 for lunch and it was a waste.
(1)
Nitsa J.
I recently came here for an engagement party. They had the outside patio reserved, everything was set up great (appetizer table), the servers were attentive and helpful, the lighting was just right, and the tables and chairs were setup quite nicely to fit a large group. This is one of the better Greek restaurants in San Diego. Everything I had was delicious. Everyone loved what they ordered and no one had any complaints on their food. The service, food and ambiance were all winners for me.
(4)
Benjamin W.
I will start by being nice...The food isn't BAD by any stretch of the imagination. I went there a long time ago for appetizers, and I only had one food complaint. The grape leaves were horrible, they tasted like greasy alcohol laden soggy balls of bad brown rice in a nasty ass grapeleaf. Real grape leaf rolls are wonderful, these were lacking to say the least. The rest of the appetizers were very good, and the hummus was above average. The second time, the food wasn't bad either(how hard is it to make a ceasar salad). However, when you pay 24 dollars for a green tea and a half a chicken ceasar salad, it's unacceptable. Who charges you for each cup of hot water they bring you for the same tea bag? That's ridiculous. $4 (i think, it's been a while though so I could be wrong), to add a chicken breast to a half a salad? Is that even possible? Bad service. I got the guy who decided it was "hit on the asian girls at the next table day", and needless to say, he was an idiot. He wasn't even good at flirting with those poor girls, and the crap they talked about him each time he left was hilarious. As such, I got zero service, which i really didnt care about until he dropped my basket of pita bread on the ground, picked it up then set it on my table instead of taking it back in. All I could say was "You're kidding right?" he looked at me like I was from a foreign country, and trying to kill him. He got more from the kitchen, but I was tempted to beat his face in with my coffee mug. Finally after he set down my tea cup so hard some of it splashed out on my shirt, i gave the guy a talking to. In fact I almost kicked his ass. I ended up tipping him, because i felt bad for him, he needed some hair implants, and my 4 dollar tip went towards the cause I'm sure. I also didn't want him taking out his obvious frustration ont he next poor customer. Bottom line: the ugly skinny guy with little to no hair on top of his head that's probably in his early thirties and works during the day...Is a clown. Food is acceptable, but pricey. I would skip it, and if you are really craving strip mall style greek, try daphne's, at least you won't ruin a shirt with twice charged green tea. EDIT: The Mexican busser, was a real gentleman about the poor service, and tried to make things right, I give kudos for his attitude, in fact i gave him a seperate tip for helping me, when my waiter was too busy trying to fix his combover to realize the asian girls sitting next to me were already gone,a nd he could go back to actually waiting table (non plural, because it was only me in the section he had).
(2)
Randall G.
Went with a party of six for dinner. Entrees come with rice and stewed tomato and zucchini. For an extra $3.25 or so you get bread (pita) and choice of a small salad or cup of soup (egg-lemon or rice-tomato). I chose the lamb kabob entree, which unfortunately was dreadful: the lamb chunks were so tough they were almost impossible to cut, and the flavor was unpleasant. However, the other members of the group enjoyed their selections (moussaka and gyros). No one asked if we enjoyed the meal or if the food was OK, and when our waitress cleared the plates she didn't ask why I'd left all my lamb, so I don't know if they'd have tried to remedy the situation. It's possible I was given the worst lamb, or perhaps it was because I'd requested mine cooked medium rare, or maybe it's always that bad and most people don't care. My salad was average, not especially good nor bad. The stewed tomato and zucchini was acceptable (it could have used some more seasoning but wasn't unpleasant).
(2)
Jill H.
To be honest, I miss Aesop's Tables, the original owners, and I think this restaurant's sister restaurant, Cafe Athena, does a better job with the cooking. I do l iike that this restaurant is convenient, never too busy, is quiet with a nice atmosphere and has a great staff. Some of the prices are high, but I've seen worse. I wish they'd bring back the Aesop's original menu though, and I think it's worth saying twice here!
(3)
Connor Y.
The food is prepared quite well, but the service...not so much. My girlfriend and I came her once hoping to use a Free Humus coupon on a plate of tzatziki instead, priced at $6 and $4 respectively. HMMMM, be: A) unaccommodating, completely unreasonable and quickly deny the request at the risk of pissing off a customer or B) save your restaurant an extra $2 and make the customer happy by fulfilling a simple request. You can figure out what happened, and understand the annoyance that ensued when she continued to keep up her disingenuous attitude of friendliness. Service aside, the chicken riganato and chicken kabob were very delicious, the riganato topped with flavorful herbs with a side of house potatoes that were equally tasty. My girlfriend loves their spinach pastitsio too (a spinach caserole type dish baked with cheese). Get this place to-go to avoid the hassle of dealing with dimwits.
(3)
Kevin K.
I went with group of my friends to eat lunch. I was excited because I was really hungry. The food was found to be very authentic. I liked the quality of the food. i loved how the interior looked like. I think the place is little pricey. The service is great. Very friendly staffs.
(3)
stella m.
Good food, but really horrible service. Example: We had a coupon for a free appetizer of hummus. We asked if we could substitute this for an order of tzatziki, which happened to be CHEAPER than hummus. We were flatly denied by our waitress, who didn't even ask the manager or even look like she cared to ask. After this request, our waitress was awful and practically invisible for the rest of the time, to the point where we decided never to come back for a sit down meal. If you order from this place, order TO GO, and avoid any hassle with the staff.
(3)
Arakel K.
This is one of the best greek restaurants i have ever been to. The Feta cheese is delicious, the hummus is Supurb, the Kebabs are just indescribable this place is just delicious.
(4)
Ryan C.
This place has really improved since the remodel and name change. The prices are very good for the lunch sandwiches and so forth, with some nice atmosphere and service. The only bother is there are some annoying big-screen TV's everywhere, but that's so common these days. The dishes are very well executed and it's a great find for a La Jolla strip mall.
(4)
Vijay S.
I have been to this restaurant about 4 times and its with good reason. The ambiance is fantastic. The price is right for the food. The food is good. I have had all their veggie entrees and all of them are extremely tasty. The service is good and centrally located. Its one place where you can take any one and will be liked by all..
(5)
Mel N.
3.5* Service was quick and friendly. The restaurant is nice and clean, plenty of seating and a good vibe. The food was tasty and plentiful. it's good greek food, not the best i've had but certainly worth the price.
(4)
Christine B.
I have been enjoying there since they were Aseops Tables (which is the name I still prefer to use). I personally have never had a bad thing on their menu. I love their greek salad, their pita bread is amazing and not greasy and the briami is heavenly. My boyfriend has had almost everything on their menu (we used to go to here once a week) as he far more adventurous than I am. I also like to bring visitors there. I will say when they remodeled, changed the name, and got rid of the crayons that you could color on the table, they also increased their prices which is also a negative for me, hence 4 stars over 5. Do I still go there? Yes. As often? No. All in all, I would recommend it.
(4)
Bill C.
I have a friend who works nearby this place and she loves it, but it really just doesn't do it for me. The food is pretty good, but it's nothing special. The thing that I really hate about this place is the service! They are verrrry slow, even when we go in at 11:30 for an early lunch and there is hardly anyone there. One waiter (dark hair, goatee) is great, but we always end up with this blonde girl who gets pissy with us when we want to split the bill. Ugh! If you're having a craving for greek and you've got some time, give it a try, but if you're in a hurry or want something 'special', skip it!
(3)
Lisa D.
It's about time that I write a review about Apollonia. I order food from here at least once a week. I've never eaten in though so I can't comment about the service. The chicken kebabs dinner entree. The chicken is tender, the rice pilaf is delicious, and the briami is also very good. Add a small Greek salad to your meal for $3.99 -- it is delicious and a great size (though you are pretty much stuffed at the end of this meal). I will get the gyro sandwich every now and then which is good. The chicken couscous was great also. The chicken was sooo moist. Apollonia is the sister restaurant of Cafe Athena in PB. I was against liking this restaurant for a long time because of the negative Yelp reviews but after eating here every week for the past few months, I can't really hide my like for this restaurant.
(4)
Amanda S.
I have always had great food here but have noticed that the service has definitely been lacking. I think that the previous owners which more friendly. I do have continue to go because it is convenient for work meetings and I love Greek food.
(3)
Brooke S.
yummy!! i ilved in greece for a few months so have a high standard for greek and mediterranean food. Apollonia met my expectations and provided a great meal, albeit lacking in atmosphere. Delicious hummus, kefthedes and babba ghanoush. I had the Moussaka....delicious eggplant and zuccini smothered with lamb, bechamel and cheese. I also had bites of the moroccan chicken (deeeelish) and flaming cheese (why can't i remember the greek word!?!?) gracious service, good prices, great food....a great place for a weekday dinner.
(4)
Joan S.
I went here for lunch today with a friend and my 14 month old daughter. The food was decent and the prices were ok, but the service (or lack of) really turned me off to this place. We were seated directly behind the check-in area, and we had a high chair for my daughter- the host haughtily informed us that we needed to pull the chair in as closely as possible because we were creating a fire hazard. Did they not realize this when we asked for a table and a high chair? We certainly could've been seated elsewhere because there were other open tables. Secondly, we attempted to flag down our waiter to no avail, then had to give our order to another waiter who conveyed it to our actual waiter. Our waiter said approximately 7 words to us throughout our entire meal and seemed to be avoiding our table as if we had the plague. Lastly, I ordered a milk for my daughter. They brought it promptly enough, in a GLASS. Um, she's 14 months old. She's going to break real glassware. Thankfully I had a plastic sippy cup to transfer the milk to, but I really couldn't believe that they didn't have a plastic kid's cup to put the milk in considering they have a children's section on their menu. Needless to say, I was underwhelmed. The food was fine, but the pathetic service we received gives me absolutely no desire for a repeat visit.
(2)
Holly H.
We were a group of 7 last night having dinner at Apollonia. We ordered a few items that all had chicken in them. Nothing deviating from the printed menu - just some salads. For some reason, they all came out minus the chicken! Initially, our waiter said something about a problem in the kitchen and that he was working on it. A few minutes later he said that someone else took his chicken and that the chef was making it fresh for us and it would be "one or two more minutes." Time passed and we had all finished our food, and the chicken was finally brought out with no real explanation. All our waiter offered is that he was sorry. When the bill came, there was no adjustment made and nothing offered by the manager, even though he was the one who eventually delivered the chicken to our table. He was very aware that there was a major problem in the kitchen. This service was abominable! We have all agreed that we have eaten there for the last time. Too bad Aesops is no longer in business.
(2)
Raul Duke W.
Zeus wouldn't eat here, but I'm not Zeus. I love how ouzo changes color when poured over ice! It's clear when it's warm, but pour it over ice and it becomes white-ish. When you do this, it almost becomes a totally different drink right in front of your eyes. In this way, the service at Apollonia is somewhat like ouzo. Sometimes it's warm, but sometimes, almost unpredictably, it changes and becomes cold. In the 6 or 7 times I've been here, the service has never been terrible per se, but it's hit or miss. The food, in my opinion, is better than the service. The gyros here are no better than those at Daphne's, and a little more expensive. However, some of their other dishes are quite delicious. I like the Kefta plate when I feel like meat with tomato-ish sauce. When I want soup, their avgolemono is hot and Greekish--and goes very well with Mythos, which is cold and Greekish. Many of their dishes are moderately priced and offer a range of choices for people of the meat-loving and vegetarian persuasions. I will continue to come here until they piss me off or raise their prices...
(3)
Rebecca E.
I came for an early lunch one day and was seated on the patio before the rush started. It was very cozy and our waitress was nice, and prompt--in the beginning. As the rush began, the service became slower and slower, which is understandable. I ordered the Grecian Feast with an appetizer of the regular Hummos. The Hummos was great, I loved the consistency. This is the first time I'd tried Greek food, so when my plate came out, I was a little confused as to what everything was. Our waitress took the time to explain everything, and for this I am appreciative. I LOVED the Dolmathakia, Gyros, Briami and rice Pilaf. The Moussaka, however, was wayyy too salty. I'm not sure if this is how it's usually made, but I definitely will not be ordering that again. All in all, I plan to return.
(4)
Cindy G.
There used to be a different Greek restaurant in the same location, and then they remodeled, renamed it, and apparently re-priced all of their food. The food is good, but my coworkers and I all agree that it is a bit over-priced. While the old place was on our weekly lunch rotation, we probably only make it to Apollonia once every couple of months. Good, but not overwhelming.
(3)
Prasad N.
Never disappointing. I always take visitors to San Diego to this restaurant.
(4)
W L.
I was visiting from LA and ate there for lunch with my husband, sister and 2 yr old on Monday around 1:00 during the New Year week. So business wasn't that busy. Everything was OK until my son started crying because he didn't want to eat the food. And then all of a sudden a waitress walked by and told us that we need to take my son out because he was bothering other customers. First of all, she didn't stop at the table to tell us this. She walked pass the table and just told us that we need to take him out. Second, she blamed that the other customers were bothered by it but there were really only 3 other tables and 2 of them have kids of their own, they looked more busy trying to feed their kids than to worry about other kids crying. Third, she didn't ask, didn't say please, didn't ask if there is anything she could do. Just basically that he needs to leave because he was crying. What kind of messed up service is that? If she had stopped by the table to ask nicely, we would have gladly take my son out to relax. It was rude, impolite and unacceptable. So if you have kids, don't bother going there unless you don't mind being ordered out of the restaurant when the kid misbehaves.
(1)
A R.
My boyfriend and I went to Greece last year and he is still talking about the food. So when we decided to try Apollonia I figured the food would never compare. We were quite surprised, the feta blocks were great, pita was fresh and since we went at happy hour everything was incredibly inexpensive. Nonetheless, it is located in a strip mall, but if you live in UTC you're used to that.
(4)
Orlando C.
I just had lunch at Apollonia, and unfortunately I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. I ordered the chicken cous cous. The chicken arrived, was cooked, but was cold to the touch ! This means that it was probably prepared the day before and was supposed to be reheated. It took me 10 minutes to get the attention of anyone, and I finally flagged down the manager. She took my dish back to the kitchen. When the dish was returned it is clear that they had merely popped my plate, as-is in the microwave. After thinking about the notion that my chicken was not freshly cooked, I decided to not continue eating it. Neither the server or manager ever returned to ask if the chicken was prepared to my liking. ** Note: I use Daniel and PerSe as my industry benchmarks for the Yelp Five Star Rating. To Date, I do not believe San Diego has any restaurants that warrant a Five Star rating **
(1)
Meredith R.
I am still searching for tasty Greek food in the San Diego area. This place was OK for restaurant week, but honestly not worth the drive or money. The Saginaki, however, is excellent (though my boyfriend claimed it made him sick to his stomach the next day... I had no problems). The hummus is mediocre, and the service was terrible. Maybe we just hit them on a bad day, but it didn't seem overly crowded, so I don't know what the deal is.
(2)
Sushant P.
The ambiance is fairly ordinary Service was sub-par. We were in a hurry and had to wait for about 50 minutes to get our food after ordering, and nobody came by for 10-15 mins. at a time to serve an area with at least 10 tables. There was no mention of waiting time before we ordered and we were pretty frustrated till the food arrived. The food quality is ordinary at best. It was far from satisfactory: the pita sandwich was especially dry and the casserole was barely satisfying. I suggest Daphne's, a fast food Greek restaurant very close by with a much better quality of food.
(1)
Alexi H.
I love this restaurant. Everything I've had on the menu, so far, has been tasty and well presented. The atmosphere is a huge improvement over the previous Aesop's Tables, with a nice combination of modern wood, glass, and granite along with some required (sorta cheesy) art that reflects the greek culture. My favorite dish is the Vegetarian Phantasia which is large enough for two. I must say that I have not had a problem with service which was friendly but could be a bit on the slow side, which may not be a bad thing when you are enjoying a leisurely dinner (and shouldn't it be leisurely in a Greek diner?). It's on our list of "regulars" which is a pretty good review in itself.
(5)
Joy K.
I have to agree with Kate M., this place was a lot better when it was Aesop's. The decor in this place is super tacky. The service definitely sucks. Our waitress would make eye contact with us, but then not come over to refill our drinks or bring the check. It was almost like she just hated us. I ordered the falafel pita which was barely okay. All in all, I'd never eat here again.
(1)
erica j.
I was really excited to eat here especially since it is downstairs. I ordered the hummus, the calamari and moussaka. We sat outside for lunch on Saturday. Its a great vibe/ area to eat. The hummus was good but the calamari was just standard. I had eaten moussaka in Athens and was psyched about eating it there after the waiter told me it was excellent. Boy was I disappointed!!!! It was NOTHING like the moussaka in Greece. I didn't even want to keep eating it.... I won't be returning because I know an excellent place in LA with authentic greek food.
(2)
ryan n.
Apollonia has some of the best Greek food in SD. You can't go wrong with the kebab and moussaka.
(5)
Jonathan G.
I'm a falafel lover who has finally found a decent place for falafel in La Jolla. It's a little bit pricey for what it is, but what are you going to do. In an ideal world, falafel is something you buy at a cart on the street, not a fancy sit-down restaurant like this. But in a non-ideal La Jolla world, this is only place I've found decent falafel. The falafel at Whole Foods is ridiculous, like it was made by somebody who read a second-hand account of what falafel is. The falafel at Renaissance Produce was tasteless and microwaved. The falafel HERE was perfectly spiced, perfectly fried, light and crispy, not heavy. The hummus was yummy and presented perfectly, with a drizzle of olive oil and dusting of paprika.
(4)
Andrew C.
yes. yes yes! cafe athena and apollonia are part of the same business, yes? because i went to both of these places and the menus were identical. i tried different things at these places so i could get a different feel from each. at apollonia i had the spanaki lemonato. not exactly what i expected (even though i didn't really have much experience with greek food before). buttt, still good! i kinda expected a super creamy spinach dip, but got a less creamy vegetable dip with a tangy twist. i actually liked how it went with the bread, although i felt it could've been better with crackers or something i also had the falafel wrap, which is something i get often at greek places. it was satisfactory, although not better than some of the other fast greek food places i went to. (probably because they specialize in that, whereas apollonia is more meant for entrees) i will come back again, since it is right behind costa verde. all in all, i would probably rate a 3.5-3.75... but since there is none, they get a 4!
(4)
Vu N.
Ok, I'm not a Greek food lover but this place is one I would definitely go to. Food is good, place looks nice and prices are reasonable.
(4)
Sue L.
The last time we were there, we got stuck with one of the worst servers in the world. He ignored us, mumbled profanities under his breath the whole time loud enough for us to hear as he walked by, and then over-charged us on the bill. We were so horrified, we never ate there again. The food is good... but the service has really gone downhill. Not only was the service sub-par, it was also super slow... it should never take two plus hours to dine in when the restaurant is not crowded at all. I will be ordering to-go from now on if I get a craving for their food.
"you know how long I've been on ya? since prince was on Apollonia since OJ had Isotoners don't act like I never told ya..." --- that's what i was chanting the entire night. and the next day. but i digress... working across the street from Greek Town (chicago) had its ups & downs. the "ups" of course being the fact i could swim in authentic (in every sense of the word) greek food whenever i desired. the huge "down" is that i do not work across the street anymore. i am across the country in fish taco land, craving savory dolmathes, saganaki, mousaka, & avegolemono. along came apollonia ("you know how long I've been on ya? since prince was on Apollonia/since OJ had Isotoners/don't act like I never told ya..."). this is the most authentic food i've found here in SD. try everything (except the shrimp). be sure to wear clothing with ample stretch. you get a LOT of food. get seated in James' section. his chakras are totally aligned and will make your eating frenzy even better.
(4)
Tara B.
My boyfriend and I tried this place on a whim. I'm so glad we did because it turned into our favorite place. The food is delicious and the house iced tea spectacular. We love this place so much that when we decided to get married we thought of Apollonia to cater for us.
(5)
Tom H.
My favorite local neighborhood restaurant. Food is consistently high quality (once in maybe 20 visits was something overcooked) and they have a good selection of healthy food. Usually I take my kids and sit int he bar section too have a lite dinner while watching the Padres play on he big screen TV. If I have visitors in town I can always feel comfortable bringing them to the restaurant.
(4)
Nathan M.
I went there for a work lunch and got the Gyros Plate with an appitizer of hummas. I gotta say, it was pretty good. The best part of the Gyros plate was that it came with this sort of marinara sauce on the side. I really liked the decor too.
(3)
Carol S.
We've eaten here for years and always find the food excellent. My brother-in-law is first generation Greek and when he visits he always requests a meal here. He takes over the menu and orders for all of us. He particularly likes their soups.
(4)
grey h.
Their food is quite tasty- I loved the Briami- a "Greek Ratatouille". Their falafel balls are ok- not as good as Falafel's Drive in (in San Jose). Service is excellent- they have a good size restaurant that can fit about 60 people or so, and although they do not have that many waiters- all of them are very attentive to your needs. Their hummus is very homestyle with just the right amount of oil and lemon juice, but it doesn't beat out the potato/fish roe dip in the Mezedakia appetizer which includes a combination of different appetizers (dolmas, hummus, spanakopita, tzatziki, feta cheese, and a few others.) For the main course I tried the Kefta entree- a beef meatball dish that was topped with some grilled diced tomatoes, onions, and parsley. The cubed potatoes that accompanied them were just crispy enough, but after absorbing the briami juices were even more tasty!!! They have very generous portions for the prices-1 entree may last for 2 meals.
(5)
Andrea N.
had a birthday lunch here a few months with co-workers. despite the remodeling, i found the place quite pleasant. i had been here before when it was aesop's tables and found it decent, but nothing worth running back to. apollonia's tho, is DEEEELICIOUS. the quality was quite good and the service was great. the air conditioning was a tad high but i get cold easily. this place was fairly busy, despite the remodeling, so that in and of itself demonstrates the good quality of food.
(4)
Jazmin R.
i came here with a group of people for the first time last night and i have to admit, their food is pretty darn good. we had the appetizer (definitely don't remember the name) but it was fava beans with pepper, lemon juice, and some other things. it came with warm pita bread, and it was really good! it was kind of pricey though, around 7 dollars for a little bowl of beans. for my meal, i got the gyros plate. it came with a big portion of gyro meat, pieces of pita bread, rice, twaziki sauce, and this tomato vegetable thing, which suprisingly i really enjoyed! the dish was fairly priced, i think it was $12. if i could change anything about it, the one thing i didn't enjoy that much was that my meat was a little chewy and cold. maybe it had been sitting, i don't know. their service was also pretty slow, considering there weren't even that many people in the restaurant at that time. but they do have good greek food, way better than daphne's that's for sure.
(4)
Joe S.
Apollonia has good "date decor," but the food leaves a little to be desired. I had the gyro sandwich once, which was good, and a decent size, but probably would not have been back, except the boss took us there for a holiday party. I got the falaful (sp?) sandwich this time, and it was tasty, but goodness, it was about 5 oz of food! It was so tiny. I couldn't believe they were charging $6 something for this vegetarian meal made of beans. This was not a kobe beef sandwich. I wasn't too incensed because boss was footing the tab, but if I had gotten this with my own money I would have been pissed! Coworkers loved the flaming cheese, but it looked a little scary to me so I abstained. Pita bread was pretty good. Overall, food was good enough, but the value is not there - might as well go to Daphne's to get a whole combo meal for the cost of a sandwich here, and the taste won't be any different (unless, that is, you're in date mode).
(2)
Carrie S.
We used to go here when it was Aesop's Tables, but quit after a huge cockroach crawled out of my husband's napkin one night as we were seated. Ick. When it became Apollonia we hoped that bad bug demons had been exorcised and we would have a tasty Greek place to go to. Well, the bugs are gone but there are different demons now- the servers. We gave Apollonia a few tries...the first couple of times they were great. Fabulous waitress, tasty food. The next few times the food was meh but the service was glacial. The last straw? We went around 7 pm on a Saturday night. Not too busy...a group in the private room, a few tables in the dining room, a few tables on the patio. The host made us hang out for several minutes while he finished tidying up the host stand, then had us wait a while longer while he "checked" if there was a table available on the patio. Finally seated, we hung out at the table for a while before a server made an appearance. Snippy little college girl who seemed irritated to have us there and tried to bolt before we finished ordering. Salad, pita and hummus eventually arrived and the wait for entrees began. Salad, appetizer, and glass of wine long gone we were wondering if the entrees would ever appear. For that matter, where was the waitress? Could we at least get our water glasses refilled? When she finally reappeared after 20 minutes and we asked for water she actually rolled her eyes and huffed. Are you kidding me??? After an hour and no entrees we went inside to talk to the host, as the waitress had not been seen since we troubled her for water. We told him we wanted to cancel our order as the wait was unacceptable and would gladly pay for the salad, appetizer and wine. He tried to convince us not to leave and explained that there was a party of 40 people in the private room. We pointed out that it's a huge restaurant and mostly empty, despite the private room, which indicated some sort of staffing problem. He agreed to let us pay for what we had received, then tried to charge us for the whole meal. My husband again explained that the reason we wanted to leave was because we hadn't received the entrees after an hour wait. He then tried to charge us just for the entrees and we once again explained that we were happy to pay for the appetizer, salad and wine BUT NOT the entrees. While this was going on the waitress came out of the kitchen with our entrees, looked at us, rolled her eyes and huffed again and said, "What do you mean, you're leaving?!?" We finally got the bill settled and bailed. We haven't been back.
(1)
Briar G.
the Moussaka is to die for!
(4)
Rob D.
Went here for lunch yesterday and the place was completely empty. The waiter seemed like he would rather be anywhere else. There was spectacular destruction as he approached the table and dumped both plates against the wall and onto the floor. Picked them up, dropped them, more smashing. Tahini and broken plates everywhere. Hey, accidents happen and frankly it was very entertaining. Eventually got to the food (the appetizer came pretty fast actually) and found that while the falafel was okay and the baba ganoush was decent, the pickles were gross - soggy and limp - and my falafel sandwich was speckled with tiny tiny pieces of foil. Even down at the bottom of the sandwich. I showed the waiter and he looked at me like I was full of shit - I showed him the one on my finger and he said "looks like parsley to me". He offered to bring me another one like he was doing me a favor and I declined suggesting that maybe they should just look into this problem they have. If I'm a waiter, I mention this to the manager at this point, but we never heard another thing about it. I wasn't looking for a free meal - just maybe an apology for feeding me metal. I won't go back here.
(1)
Tevita M.
Greek food...it's alright, just kidding. I had the chicken aioli and it was VERY delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice. its not too bright nor too dark, very good lighting very classy like. the food is set at a good price, i thought it would be expensive but its not. it also has a nice outdoor seating area that i thought was a good layout for the place. They also have a full bar which by the way i wanted to get a couple drinks but someone would've been upset, just kidding. Anyway, the staff seem pretty friendly especially the hostess, she's very nice. she says her hello's and goodbye's to everyone that walks in and out of the restaurant. My server at the time had very good customer service, but tell me why when i asked for an Arnold Palmer which is half iced tea and half lemonade and they didn't have neither of them, no just kidding, my server was just trying to crack a joke. I have to give management a plus in my book for hiring good employees. So yeah, like i said earlier, the staff are very nice people and they know how to keep a customer happy. The location of the restaurant is ok. a restaurant like this should belong somewhere in old town or Balboa Park maybe even near the Prado. Overall, this restaurant is a plus in my book, Very good, Very nice!!
(4)
Justin F.
By the looks of the place, I thought it was going to be pricey. After looking at the menu posted outside I found that it was not the case at all. It was lunch time and the place was moderately busy, I sat in the bar so that I could watch the game. I'm not familiar with greek food other than the standard gyro so I asked my server for a recommendation. She suggested a chicken aoli sandwhich which she said was her favorite or the masadonian sampler. I opted for her choice of sandwhich since I was not extremely hungry. The sandwhich had a pesto sauce, chicken and sundried tomatoes and came with a garlic sauce, The food was amazing and the service was great. I'll definately be going back, I have to try the sampler she recommended.
(5)
Gail C.
We went during Restaurant Week and it was so good that we went back a second time! We enjoyed wonderful vegetarian options, including the very best dolmas/grape leaves. The rice pudding and the baklava were perfect desserts. The portions were quite ample. The service was friendly and attentive. Our first time we were in a group of seven and then returned in a group of four. Each time we were seated in an area that was perfect for conversation and a bit of sharing the delicious meals. There is easy parking in the adjacent lot.
(4)
Martin K.
A can't say enough about this please the food, quality and every thing is amazing and the prices not bad too
(5)
TianChee S.
I'll bump it up to 2 stars for their general manager getting back to me and apologizing for the quality and service. Cudos for them for taking initiatives to improve the quality and process but I'll still reserve else where to eat.
(2)
Scott H.
I got Apollonia to go on a Friday night. The place was about half full, maybe a little less. Great space, large, lots of nice tables and big comfy booths. There is a nice bar area as well. Very impressive and comfortable interior. I called my order in, but still had to wait about 5 minutes. I didn't mind, meant they were preparing my food fresh. The gyro is about average size for gyros I've had. I've had bigger, but I've also had smaller. You get quite a bit of fries with the order, but I felt they needed to be fried longer. Only a couple of them had any crispiness, and they all needed more seasoning. They are larger crinkle cut fries, which are usually good, but they were soggy. I know I got them to go, but I tried one before I got into the car, as a trip in the car always softens fries. They were still soft when they were fresh at the restaurant. The gyro was also a disappointment. The pita needed to be toasted a little longer, and the onions were limp. It was like they weren't fresh. Also, for some reason, they left the tzatziki off of the sandwich. I had asked for extra on the side, as I like more than places usually give you. So, they gave me the side, but none on the sandwich. I called to see if I was charged for the side, and I was. The woman was very apologetic, which was great, but the blunder meant my sandwich wasn't as "sauced" as I like. This affected my opinion of the sandwich, as I had to basically take it apart to get sauce on it. The meat didn't have as much seasoning as I expect from gyro meat. I have never made the stuff, so I have no idea what goes in it, but this was blander than I'm used to. To be fair, I'll likely return to eat at the restaurant. Maybe the fact that I took it to go (although it was a short drive) affected the quality. Or, maybe it was an off night. The employees I dealt with were friendly.
(2)
Raquel N.
Very bad service, very regular food! We got to the restaurant at 9, so we were rushed by the server to order quickly, in a rude manner, when we asked for how big where the portions she said "big Is big and small is small". Food overall was mediocre, wouldn't come here again. The prices are very expensive for what you get.
(1)
Kim L.
I'll be back!! If only for the Saganoki!!!! The salmon was cooked perfectly and was wonderful in the entree but I would be just as happy with it on a salad.
(4)
Kurt C.
My wife and I went to Apollonia Bistro last week while in San Diego. We were first time visitors. We tried the Macedonian Sampler and a Greek salad with Chicken. The Greek salad was the best I have ever had, creamy, not overpowering but high quality ingredients. The Macedonian Sampler was good too. The shrimp was a bit dry, but overall it was good. Service was excellent. The waiter was constantly keeping an eye on our needs and progress but was NOT interruptive or annoying. He just took notice of us as he walked by and took care of things as needed. We will definitely return.
(4)
Vicki C.
I infrequently eat at Greek restaurants even though I like flavors from all over the Mediterranean region. I tend to make my own grilled veggies, spanikopita and hummus but have been to Appolina three times with clients or parties. My husband's holiday party was held at Appolina this year. For starters we had hummus, grape leaves and flat bread which was followed with a Greek salad and meat kabobs, salmon or veggie entrees. We also had some sort of rich dessert pastries. The hummus tasted fresh and had a nice visual display with a bit of oil and garbanzo beans on top, it was a great starter with some flat bread. I am not a fan of stuffed grape leaves but they were vegetarian and I tasted one. The cold, ricey, vinegary flavor was not for me. Greek salad on the other hand was right up my alley. Feta cheese, Greek olives, lettuce and onions gave this salad life, but the December the tomatoes were hard. I really wanted the saganaki but could not figure out how to order a flaming cheese plate without attracting too much attention. This decadent cheese dish covered with lemon and brandy is really the number one reason that I would go Greek. The devious side of me wanted to order one but that would have attracted way too much attention, my husband has only been with this company 6 months and I have never met any of his colleagues. It was torturous to know that Saganaki was so close but yet so far away. My plate was salmon, It seems like all fixed menus with fish have salmon, which is coincidentally my least favorite type of fish. It was prepared correctly and has some really nice veggies and rice to compliment it. The dessert looked nice, they served us some baklava and another decadent pastry and my husband had no trouble eating all of them. Our server offered us drinks and filled my wine when it got empty and everything was served hot. Appolina was a good location for a holiday party, I may be back and if so I will get that flaming saganaki.
(4)
Raelynn T.
This review is long overdue! I came here not too long ago for the first time with some of my family members. The waitress was very sweet and brought us a free appetizer the second we mentioned that it was our first time dining at Apollonia. She was also very patient when some of my family wanted to ask questions about ingredients due to dietary restrictions. The food was also delicious and well worth it. The chicken gyro was absolutely stunning with simple and very fresh ingredients. Their salads are also a must have too since all of their veggies taste so incredibly fresh.
(5)
Stefania G.
I went there during the restaurant week so I got this special menu at good price, and it was good . I only give them 3 star because it was nothing soooo great, but I appreciated. The location is very nice and elegant and the waitress was nice. I suggest you to go if you are in utc area.
(3)
Matt H.
I've been a fan of PB's Cafe Athena for years. Their sister place, Apollonia in UC is similar but somehow lacking in the personal touch arena. The food is good (better than Daphne's down the street) and the atmosphere idyllic. All in all, I recommend it - however, would definitely prefer that they improve their wait staff and management. The PB location literally feels like you're getting your money's worth even before you've ordered (lots of attentiveness and orderly service). But this is supposed to be about Apollonia, so here goes... We had an experience/observation not far back that I wanted to share. We'd ordered the hummus plate but it arrived without bread. Later, we ordered dessert but it arrived without the Turkish coffee. The coffee arrived 15 minutes after the dessert and only then after tracking down the waiter(!). That said, that night there was one particular standout employee who, on a recent visit of ours, was working at least three people's jobs - Anthony. I was so impressed that I had to share. In contrast to his non-stop service though the rest of the staff seemed to be on vacation. I had not seen such a poor display of management or teamwork in a very long time. Luckily (or maybe consequently) the place was nearly empty although it was just after 7pm. If you're in the area and would like Greek, again, the food is great - but ** definitely ** try Cafe Athena in Pacific Beach if you're willing to make the additional drive.
(4)
Kristin N.
I went there last night (2/18), with 9 girlfriends. We had a really good experience. Our server was attentive, but not overly attentive to the point of annoyance. He made sure all of our food came out at once. We had Anthony as our server Anthony split the checks for us - we requested it prior to placing the order. He was happy to do it! He warned us to bear with him if it got busy, but the food came out just as ordered. We were all given the right food and when Anthony brought us the bills, he handed each one of us the right bill (this is not something I experience everywhere). Besides the service, the food was good. We ate as much of it as we could and then took the left overs home. Can't wait to come back!
(5)
Craig E.
Our dinner was awesome. I had the rolled grape leaf appetizer that was very good. My wife had a salad with terrific tangy dressing. We both had the steak and chicken skewers (souvlaki plate). For desert the rice pudding couldn't be better. Our waiter Eric G was very gracious and quick to assist. We will be back
(5)
Gordon W.
We used to come here all the time when we lived close by. The food was always great but the service was often slow as if they were understaffed. We used to try to eat @ the bar just to insure that we'd get refills of our water or iced tea quicker. We happened to be back in the area and decided to eat there again...Wow! What a big difference in the service. Ben (our server) was great! We got their famous lemon soup and shared the Macedonia Sampler. I would recommend this restaurant to everybody. I even took my parents there and they don't even like Greek food. They loved it too! GW
(5)
Christine D.
My family and I decided to have dinner at Apollonia seeing that it seemed like a nice restaurant from the outside. We wanted to dine indoors since it was a bit chilly that night. Let me tell you that it was so cold inside the restaurant it was almost as if we were sitting outside nonetheless we dined here anyway because we were starving. The service here was very much lacking and what made things even worse was to be sitting right by the front where the hosts were stationed only to be watching employees just standing around chit chatting while our orders haven't been taken or water been topped off. I have had to call servers to our table several times which is such a pain since I myself hate to be such a difficult customer. I didn't think that the restaurant was that busy that night either it was a weeknight. We got straight to the point and ordered a few entrees the gyros plate, kefta plate, and shrimp scorpio. To those we added either a soup or salad for an additional 3.49. The portions were pretty large in my opinion but the quality of food left me underwhelmed. The pita bread which was advertised as warm came out cold and pretty hard. The hummus was okay nothing really special. The gyros on my plate tasted old? The shrimp scorpio was average I liked the fact that they used prawns though. I did enjoy the tzatziki which was soooo creamy and delicious. My favorite dish was the kefta plate which had good flavor and the tabouleh was fresh. In my opinion Apollonia is a bit pricey for the quality of food and service. Our server was nice but she just seemed bored? In all honesty, I'm not quite sure if I would even come back to try any other dishes. As sad to say the whole experience here at Apollonia was far from par.
(2)
Holly B.
Food here is definitely fresh. Good but not great. There aren't a lot of great greek restaurants in town (to my knowledge), so when i have a craving, this is where i go. Spanikopita is good as are all the gyros.
(3)
Addy F.
Delicious! Staff was very friendly and on top of everything! Atmosphere is great and outdoor patio with heaters. The feta bruschetta was to die for! Sooo good! And it was large, 6 pieces, so pretty filling. Big portions of food. Highly recommend it!
(5)
Shir D.
My husband loves Greek food and talks me into going to a Greek restaurant every once in awhile. I don't care much for it but to make him happy I go with him. I usually get an American dish, which is offered in the Greek restaurant we usually frequent. The restaurant is wonderful as far as ambiance, very romantic. There are violinists and lots of candles. In the winter, the fireplace is lit. This adds a little extra to the romantic side of the evening. The waitresses are very professional and since we go there quite often, know us when we arrive. They make sure we have everything we need to have a great evening.
(5)
Chris F.
I really enjoy this place! I'd give it a 5 star if service was a little more attentive. I've seen the current owner cut some corners with ingredients but the food is still top notch!
Food is worth the visit, service not so good. Go with ample time they take a very long time to even acknowledge you are there.
(3)
Kris Daniel U.
Amazing greek restaurant with great ambiance. You can chose to either sit inside or outside on the patio, can't go wrong with either selection, I typically sit outside to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. The service has always been great, the staff is very polite and very prompt to take your order. They have a very extensive and delicious menu. I have tried almost everything they offer and have been extremely satisfied with everything I have tasted. I am not as familiar with their drink menu as I am with their food but with the few drinks I have had I can't complain about anything. My go-to food items: - Mezedakia - Saganaki - Chicken Aioli - Grecian Feast - Macedonian Sampler Great bistro, great food and great staff. I highly recommend Apollonia Greek Bistro
(5)
Adam K.
I decided to take a few clients of mine to this Greek restaurant that had been recommended to me by some of my colleagues. The ambience was perfect, soft music playing, and it was quiet enough to hold our discussions. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, with rustic furniture just lending more class to the restaurant. We ordered the chef's specials of the day which were grilled octopus, stew, with a white bean soup and rice pudding. It was the first time that we all tried octopus and my clients were thrilled with how it tasted. I myself enjoyed it a lot, and thought it was perfectly cooked. The rice pudding was unlike any other I had ever tasted. The white bean soup is a very traditional dish, and is sometimes known as the national food of Greece. The restaurant really seems to capture the essence of Greek cuisine. The service was fast, and the all of the food was hot when it reached the table. My clients were very happy with this choice of restaurant and I personally thought it was very sophisticated, yet the setting helps you relax and enjoy your meal. I'll definitely be coming back here with my family as well.
(5)
Amaelia R.
What a wonderful place! First off, it's bigger than it looks from the outside. When I walked in through the door, I was surprised at how much space they had and very impressed at the decor. I think I spent most of the wait time looking at the little statues set up around our table. We started with some hummus and pita along with some Bourekia (lamb and spice inside pastry). The bourekia was scrumptious and I only wish we could have tried all the other hummuses. Then, out came the main courses and let me just just say the portions were huge! Even without having filled up on appetizers, it probably would be two meal's worth of food for me. We definitely had delicious leftovers afterwards. It was just too bad we were so full from all the good food to try any dessert (at the time, you got a simple dessert as a yelp check-in offer, I believe that now it's hummus!). Excellent service all around, the servers were very friendly and willing to answer our questions about the food. The prices were excellent as well! I expected to pay more for the quality and quantity of food. Apollonia is hands down the best Greek place in the area!
(5)
Carmen V.
Upgrading because of personalized efforts to make sure we all see their customer service has improved and it is par with the beautiful setup, decor, ambiance and food. I went back today after a not so good first impression, even though one of my best friends and customers of Apollonia insisted that I should try them again to realize it is very good. She is a vegetarian and finds here all her Mediterranean needs, besides she is a neighbor. For me, it took a while to come back but the gift certificate received was very well spent in a calamari appetizer for me and eggplant entree for Irina. We had a good, quiet time, celebrating little things in life and the server was very attentive to us. A much better overall experience and I will come back, especially because there is no noise (other than people talking, but there is nothing loud in this place) and the inside is very appropriate for big gatherings.
(4)
Anna P.
I love greek food. This is my fav in San Diego, along with their sister store Cafe Athena. I have been to many partys catered by them. I have found all of their food to be delicious, fresh and flavorfull. The manager Tim at the Cafe is also really hospitable when helping me cater my first event recently.
(5)
Monika C.
This is one of my favorite lunch spots near my office. There's an option to dine inside or out on the patio, the food is great, the service is good, and the last time I came here I was with a Greek friend who approved of everything we ordered. Hey, gotta put ethnic food to the authenticity test! Food: Great Service: Good Ambiance: Good Value: Good Parking: Lot parking, gets packed but you can find a spot Don't forget to check-in on Yelp! Last time I got a free dessert! I think a different time I checked in on Foursquare and got a free appetizer.
(4)
Bob W.
As a vegetarian, I can't comment on their meat dishes. Overall it's a mixed bag. The surroundings are beautiful, with interesting paintings and sculptures all over the place. Personally I found the food we got to be no better than any average Greek place, even though the prices are higher here. The menu is pretty comprehensive, with many specialty dishes that aren't commonly seen. The avgolemono soup was excellent, one of the best versions I've had. The falafels were only average and to me tasted like they were made from a dry mix instead of from scratch. The tahini dipping sauce that came with them was yummy. The hummus and tabouleh were pretty good but I think the tabouleh at Troy's is better. The pizza was decent but pretty small for $7.99. I did like the very thin pita bread served with the food, but it was underneath most of the other items and therefore got soggy quickly and the soggy parts were unpleasant. Better to just serve it in a stack on the side. The worst dish was the stuffed grape leaves, which had almost no stuffing - mainly just rolled up grape leaves with a tiny sprinkling of stuffing. Plus they were served cold, which I think is wrong for a full-service restaurant. At Country Kabob they are served warm with a lemon sauce on top. The service was adequate; just the bare minimum required. Personally I'm not likely to go back here, I'd be likely to choose Troy's or Country Kabob if there is a choice.
(3)
Ali T.
Nom nom- licious!!! Wonderful, I would eat here every night if my waistline would allow it.
(5)
Zach C.
As usual, food was amazing. The staff, especially my server Vickory went above and beyond to make sure my meal was the most important meal she would serve all day And the spanikopita is out of this world.
(5)
Kerri R.
Make sure that you do NOT go in anytime within closing. We actually had our server walk up and say "Welcome...I am so glad you are here because we are closing in 30 minutes." What a nice way say "You have 30 minutes to eat and leave" Then when we asked for a second glass of wine she says "We are closed so if you get one that is it." My dinner date asked if she would like us to leave at this point. She says "No, why do you think what I said was offensive?" If you have to ask if you are offensive, you most certainly are. When we approached the manager about the situation she just said she was sorry.....did not listen to a word we said, just "soooo sorry, i cannot say sorry enough." Don't waste your time.....service is horrible and food is just ehh.
(1)
Aria F.
Tasty Greek food at a good price. I always get the gyro sandwich when i come here and it's always great. The price is also great. These days if you find any good food under $10 you gotta be thankful and that's what apollonia does. Most of the servers are very nice, although there is one lady who always seems to be grumpy. Overall great place to go for lunch and a group dinner
(4)
Anna N.
My friend and I came here for dinner on Sunday, 3/4/2012. My friend and I like coming here since it's a good place in UTC to go to for Greek food. The decor is nice and gives you a nice homey feeling. The outdoor seating is nice and on a colder day, the heat lamps and plastic "windows" to block the wind are amazing. The servers are nice and friendly, but the place is big and it might be hard to hail a server when you need them. Also the portions are good as well. My friend and I shared the lentil soup, which was delicious. The broth had a nice flavor to it and I really enjoyed the chunks of noodles and soft lentils. The kefta wrap was filled with soft and flavorful kefta. which was complimented by the grilled spring onions, pickle, and grilled tomatoes with a nice slight char to it. The chicken pesto wrap was packed with yummy cubes of chicken breast which tasted delicious when smothered with the garlic and herb pesto and complimented with the crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and spring greens. The white sauce on the side was good as well and had a mayo texture to it. Overall, the place is close by, has nice decor, good atmosphere, good portions, good food, and friendly service. I will be back here again when I crave Greek food in UTC.
(4)
Jeremiah D.
I totally thought I would be disappointed by Greek food because I lack a cultural taste for food (I'm working on it really hard right now :P) and I've only really experienced crappy Greek food from fast food type places like the one on campus at UCSD. Getting a gyro here and there from those places is not the same, not nearly. Please go to an authentic Greek restaurant like this place and you will be amazed. The tazitki(?) sauce is delish, and all the meats are so good. The gyros here are far superior to any other place I've tried. I didn't get the gyro though, I decided to try the chicken plate. The sauce it was bathed in was so amazing (I wish I could remember the name of the plate). The fried mozzarella cheese appetizer was so good, I can't believe I've never had that before, and I love cheese!
(4)
David G.
Very friendly, fast staff. Got the chicken kabob, date got the chicken couscous. After a morning of swimming in the Pacific and other activities I was extremely hungry. The food was very tasty. It wasn't my first choice, the first two places didn't open till 5pm on a Sunday afternoon but I would come back for sure.
(4)
Matt V.
Service is good, atmosphere is great, but food is just so-so, we were disappointed. I had the salmon, which was fine but a bit overdone, my wife a chicken dish which was way over done (hard to eat!) and not much taste. The sauces and breads were quite good, however. We're not normally picky & don't like to complain, but they've got some work to do here to be better - maybe it was an off night? I think it was a Thursday & the place was only 25% full...
(2)
Genevieve C.
Two words: huge portions! I have been wanting to here for some time and finally did tonight. I always thought it was a tiny place; however, I was impressed with the size and decor of the bistro. We had a coupon for a free tzatziki or hummus app with the purchase of 2 entrees. Chose the tzatziki which was delicious and came with a bunch of pita bread. I ordered the gyros plate and my boyfriend ordered the Kefta plate. Check out their website for full descriptions of what these entrees come with, it's a bunch of food! Our entrees were $12 and $14 dollars. When the plates came out, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was soooo much food! Everything on the plate was very delicious and visually appealing. At the end of the meal my boyfriend and I EACH filled up and ENTIRE to-go box. I have lunch and a snack for tomorrow! Excellent! To finish off the evening, we ordered baklava. Make sure to check in on yelp because you can get this or a pudding dessert for free! And thank goodness it is for free, because it isn't that great. Mine tasted like it had been out for some time..it was stale and not deliciously crunchy and flaky like baklava should be. One more tiny complaint, is the service was very slow. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating; however, they just did everything at a slow pace. Good thing the food was good, because I will definitely be back!
(4)
Ferdi E.
greeky.
(3)
Mehrdad A.
The food was extremely good, I had CRETAN SALMON, it was delicious and the service was great. Overall was a great experience for me.
(4)
Sheella E.
My sister has been raving about how great this place is, so I finally decided to check it out with her for dinner. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with both indoor and outdoor seating. When we came it was around 5pm and still pretty empty. For appetizer, we ordered hummus and pita bread. And for my meal I got the gyro plate. Both were really good. The gyro plate was a pretty big portion. It's more than enough to feed two people! There were so many other things I wanted to try on the menu, but I wanted to play it safe for the first time and of course go with the gyro plate. The service was great, always refilling our drinks, asking us how we were doing, etc. Just a tip, if you check in on Yelp you get a free dessert (however, I didn't use it because I was so full at the end of my meal I couldn't even think of dessert) I dunno what is and why the area is always so busy in regards to parking, but they do offer underground parking.
(4)
Brandy C.
My mom and I love this place!!!!!! I expected this place to have around 4-5 stars, but surprisingly they only have 3 stars. Whatever, we really love the food here. We got some leftover, and it was still amazing. I really recommend this restaurant. One thing that I didn't give 5 stars because my mom saw the server was cleaning the window and organizing forks, knife, and spoon while customers were eating! My mom doesn't like it. She considers that as dirty! Otherwise everything is perfect. P.s. They have free wifi!!! Check-in to get 1free dessert!!! :)
(4)
Cindy W.
My husband and I came here this past weekend for Restaurant week. We've been here before with a friend for lunch, but apparently it wasn't anything worth remembering because I didn't know it was the same place until I got to the area. We got there and we were asked if we wanted to be seated inside or out in the patio, I said inside since it was late in the evening and getting a little breezy. We were seated in this little room, with wine cellars up against the wall. Across from us was a group of about 10 people, business dinner, apparently, a few of the men were from Japan. There was one man who had the laugh of a hyena. No joke, he laughed like one and it was the most annoying laugh in the world. On top of that, it was really really really loud! I had to figure out when to talk around his laughs, he did it every 10 seconds too. Our waitress arrived with our waters and to hand us the menus, she was clearly eyeing my husband. Hey, I'm not a jealous person and if you want to check out my Greek husband, go right ahead. I'm sure she was wondering "why would a Greek man marry her!?!? an asian woman?" because she was clearly just nice to him and me, not so much. Fine, I get it. You're bitter, now go and pout, but while you're at it, get me my food. We went straight to the restaurant week menu and instead of 3-courses, we got to choose 4-courses, not bad. I was rather pleased with that since I was famished. For appetizers, the husband got Dolmathakia, while I got 1 piece of Spanakopita (yeah, what's up with that?). Usually, it would be the other way around, since I love grape leaves, but he was craving it and he's the Greek, so I let him get first dibs. It was excellent. I had a bite of the dolmathakia and it was delicious. I would have loved it steaming hot, but it was warm, served with yogurt. For our second course, we got to choose between a Greek salad or the 3 soups they had listed. I got the tomato basil while the husband had Avgolemono, which were both fantastic. During this time, the table across from us was getting a little quiet since they were stuffing their faces as well. We decided to order a bottle of wine, Naoussa Boutari, never had wine from Greece before, so it was fun to try something new. It was a rather dry wine and was suggested with the falafell my husband ordered. For our entrees, I had the moussaka, since I love lamb. My husband, like I said earlier, had the falafel with pita bread. The pita bread was very rough and we're syrian bread snobs, so I had wished I brought some from home. The ones we get from Trader Joe's are so much better than these. It was terrible. The Moussaka was ok, it wasn't the best, not quite like how my husband's grandmother makes it, but it was still good. My husband wasn't a big fan of the Falafel but he finished his plate anyway. For dessert, I got the Saragli and my husband got the Medley since he wanted some baklava. My waitress came by to check on us and again, clearly showing interest in just how my husband was doing. I smiled to myself, it was amusing, I'll admit. I was rather shocked with some of the reviews for this place about the service because our waitress was on point and while this place isn't the best, it was very good.
(4)
Betty A.
We ate there last evening. Love the Greek food. We ordered dolmathes as appetizer and shared Kefta platter. Wow, so good! It comes with roast potatoes, hummus and tabouli. Between the 2 of us, we had difficulty finishing the platter. We look forward to returning soon. We also ordered baklava for 2 to go. The atmosphere is so nice and the best Greek food in San Diego!
(5)
Lalo G.
I stopped by Apollonia for lunch with my co-workers and as usual, the food was freaking awesome. I ordered the Greek salad with chicken and an order of falafel as an appetizer. Yum! To wash it all down - delicious iced tea! I love iced tea and always appreciate when the quality/consistency of a beverage as simple as iced tea is on par with the food. Good job! Over all, this is a great little hidden spot that's definitely worth a try. Everything was fresh, the food tasted great, and the service was fast. There's not much more to ask for when you're in a hurry to get back to work. And yes, the prices are a bit high... but you're in La Jolla! What do you expect? Cheers!
(4)
Chad R.
Service can be slow at times...and food is just OK. Ambiance is nice though!
(3)
Jenny C.
Twice I've been here for restaurant week. The amount of food they give you for a $20 dinner is kind of ridiculous. The first time I came I didn't even touch of my entree because i was already so full. The food is good though. Definitely good for the price for RW, not sure about regular pricing.
(3)
Jenny S.
Update: Loosing stars because of the petulant child fond of giving the stink eye that acts as hostess. Sorry asking to change to a booth is akin to shooting your dog. Food is consistently good, regardless of what have had. Not too greasy, authentic flavors. Wait staff are typically great, but it can be hit or miss.
(3)
Anh N.
Since this was my first time having moussakka ($12,95) - I have nothing to compare it to. I suppose its pretty hard to go wrong with grilled eggplant and ground lamb smothered and baked with cheesy goodness. Did I mention, it was huge?! The rice here was also really flavorful and well cooked. We came in here for lunch - though it's a busy shopping center, Apollonia's is a pretty spacey restaurant, so we were seated immediately. The server was friendly - our water was always filled - and the food came out quickly. Prices were a little higher than the usual greek places - but it's more of a sit-down restaurant than a deli-style greek place, so the prices are understandable. This restaurant is sectioned off into multiple areas and rooms - making it an ideal place for group lunches, mixers, and company events. They even have a nice semi-outdoor seating area.
(4)
J C.
The food here is great! I am a huge fan of Cafe Athena in PB, so I was really excited to learn that the two restaurants are related. We ordered the hummous and beef/rice dolmathes for apps. Both appetizers were delicious. The dolmathes here are served warm which is a far cry from the cold, deli ones or ones found from tins. I'd also recommend the salmon dolmathes. They're also delicious and not a typical dish found at similar restaurants. For mains, we ordered the gyro plate and the Imam Biyaldi, an eggplant dish. Both were super tasty. The gyro plate is so generous, we ended up taking leftovers home. Service was very good and their sizable outdoor patio is nice. Definitely recommend this place!
(5)
Lori N.
Oh man, you gotta try the Papoutsakia, a pita bread sandwich with eggplant filled with seasoned ground leg of lamb and tomato sauce, topped with basil and Feta cheese ($7.59). It'll knock your socks off! I wish the sandwich came with some pita bread & hummus or fries, or any other side. For the price, I think i deserve a little something extra. Apollonia is definitely a nicer greek restaurant with plenty of seating for big groups, or small intimate groups if you prefer. I guess the upscale setting is proportional to the upscale price. My main gripe with this place is that their service is incredibly slow! Granted we had a pretty large group for lunch (10 ppl or so), but there wasn't a single other customer in the restaurant, so there's no reason why it should take over an hour to get our food. Not only that, our food came one by one with way too much time in between. I could have finished my meal before the next person got their food. Gosh, it was painful. I understand the whole European laid back lunch culture (I lived in Spain once), but come on people, this is America, we have work to do!
(3)
Samuel K.
This place is a good high end greek restaurant. My boys and I come here once in a while. The take out, however, isn't the best. It seems like they give you the leftovers. But if you actually sit down and order, you'll get the best gyros meat in town. The price is a bit too high though If you come here on a date, make sure you get the patio.
(4)
Emily S.
never been one to go "oh, yes...today I think I'm craving Greek food." just never been a go-to for me. but when a friend suggested we meet here for lunch how could I say no? everything we had was delicious and the portions were good size. had enough to take home and eat later.
(4)
Jorgeanne C.
Best Greek restaurant in town next to the el cajon all you can eat buffet. A much fancier place I must admit and a bit pricier than other Greek places, but worth it. Their tomato side dish that comes with the gyros plate is amazing. You can't miss out on their spanokopita either. Service is a bit slow but that doesn't deter you from enjoying their good food.
(4)
Rachel S.
Expensive but delicious. I've probably had about half the menu and enjoyed it all, especially the roast lamb and kebabs. Don't remember the name but their egg roll-like appetizer is great and their chocolate mousse is to die for.
(4)
Miguel B.
My friends and I first came to this place because of SD restaurant week and we have returned many times since then. I really enjoy the atmosphere and food they have to offer. My personal favorite is the gyro plate and the the falafels they have here. The portions are great and the price is decent for the amount they give you. With one plate I was full and had some left overs for later. My favorite part is the patio seating because they have bench seating with pillows! So once you finish eating you can sit comfortably and take a nap. Once again this is a really nice restaurant with good service and good food.
(4)
Karen L.
Ended up coming here for my roommate's pre-graduation dinner after we were told the Melting Pot was booked all night. It was pretty busy so obviously the service lacked a bit. Appetizers took awhile to come out but another waitress quickly came to pick up the slack, which was greatly appreciated. I love skordalia so I ordered that to start. It was good, but I think they should call it mashed potatoes, not skordalia. It had a nice smooth texture and just tasted like garlicky mashed potatoes with a tang. The calamari here was surprisingly tasty! It was seasoned well and had a good crunch. It was served with a small cup of skordalia for dipping. The hummus was average, I've certainly had better. Apollonia's hummus is a bit heavy on the tahini so it's got a great consistency but the flavor was a bit drab. The Athena's pizza was yummy! Decent sauce, but even better toppings. I especially enjoyed the kalamata olives and artichoke hearts. A good choice for getting your daily serving of vegetables. For my main, I had the chicken kebab. The portion for the dish as a whole was decent but I was really surprised that it only came with 1 skewer! The chicken was a tad dry but the kebab had a delicious charred flavor. I thought my roommate's lamb kebab was amazing! The lamb was so juicy and tender. The beef kebab was not bad either, but again ONE skewer?!? The tzatziki sauce was really good. Creamy, cucumber goodness! Perfect for coating the kebabs. The rice was ok and the vegetable medley... I don't think there was anything Greek about that haha. I had the smallest bite of the chicken couscous dish so can't really comment too much on it other than the hot sauce that comes with it is DIVINE! Super spicy flavorful sauce. Yum! For desert I had to go for one of my all-time fave treats, baklava! The baklava filling was oh so tasty and perfect for my sweet-tooth but the baklava itself was too dry. It would have benefited from a few extra soakings of syrup in my opinion. I like my baklava ooey-gooey and moist. All in all, good food but nothing spectacular. For the price point, I'd honestly rather have Daphne's over Apollonia. It's a quicker and cheaper option with comparable flavors. Based on my experiences with Greek food, albeit admittedly limited, I'd say this place is far from the best Greek food around.
(3)
Ortal L.
The first time me and my husband went there we discovered that that have in their menu a falafel in pita bread and since we love falafel we diceded to take the risk and to ordered it. And it was do good that after few days we came back again!! :) for my opinion the price is a little bit high for the course but... It's good.
(4)
Kim P.
Four stars because I am indeed a fan! The prices are super low compared to other fancier places in UTC. Yes, it's in a mini-mall, so that kinda sucks, but if you don't think about it you won't really notice it... too much. The inside seating feels like a Shoneys or a Dennys for some reason. Just feels like a weird cafeteria. But the patio is much nicer and more comfortable. Yes, the food is sorta mundane and you could prolly get it in the frozen food section, but it's worth a go. Do what I did and take someone you like so you totally don't even notice it's right next to an escalator and a grocery store
(4)
Grant S.
Really enjoyed eating here for dinner on Saturday night. They extended their San Diego Restaurant Week specials beyond the event itself. I opted for the three-course deal, and got a glass of Coppola Pinot Noir from Monterey, which was delightful. To start, I got their dolmathakia, which were wonderful. One order is three pieces, so this would be a great appetizer for one person. For the main course, I had the Souvlakia Plate, which included a skewer each of grilled chicken and beef, veggies, and rice pilaf. This plate was delicious. The chicken went well in the tzatziki sauce. The real star of this plate was the beef. I couldn't believe how tender and flavorful this grilled beef was. It was delicious with or without the tzatziki sauce or without, and the wine went well with the plate as a whole. Finally, I had the Filo Medley for dessert. These three small pastries were delectable and a sweet way to complete my meal. The wait staff was pleasant and prompt, and the price of the food is certainly reasonable. The restaurant itself is nice, it's just a shame that it is located in a shopping center, which detracts from the ambiance somewhat (I ate on the patio). I will almost certainly be taking my girlfriend here when she visits. This was a really positive experience.
(4)
Carin S.
Came here because it's always been in my face/around the corner/close to where I live and wanted to give it a try. Yays: Free dessert with a Yelp check in! Nays: Calamari appetizer was disappointing. The entrees weren't bad! I think that's where all, if not most, of the stars in my given rating come from! A friend and I first ordered an appetizer. The Calamari was absolutely NASTY. It definitely looked appealing though... fried calamari rings and mini octopus-like parts. The instant I bit into it though, it was not crispy, it was EXTREMELY chewy... to the point where even after five minutes of chewing, I wasn't able to actually eat it. My jaws were in pain after a several pieces from chewing so long... The seasoning on it was fine though... such a tease. Good taste, so close to the stomach, but will only stay in the mouth and have to spit out. Seems like some very old squid they used there. It came with a delicious garlic paste (?) though... too bad I couldn't eat the calamari with it... For the entree, I ordered the Gyros sandwich because I felt like I couldn't go wrong with that. It was also pretty inexpensive compared to other items on the menu. It was absolutely delicious though! Can taste the lamb in the gyros (A PLUS!) and they put a lot of meat in the gyros. The sauce they gave (sort of like a sour cream or cream cheese?) was delicious with the gyros, too! Maybe I'll come back for this. The complimentary dessert we got was the rice pudding. (You can choose between that or the baklava.) It was okay. I feel like I could have made it myself. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon so I didn't like it much but after scooping out the cinnamon, it wasn't bad tasting. Maybe next time I'll try the baklava? Our check didn't come out to be expensive either... ~$24 for 2 BIG sandwiches/gyros, calamari (not worth the $$), and a dessert! Service was not too shabby either, came and refilled some water, asked how everything was but my friend did not like how the guy who sat us down was chewing gum obnoxiously (friend found it rude), but I guess I didn't notice that since I was thinking of what food to get.
(2)
Fanny L.
I wanted to take my brother out since he's usually a homebody and we chose Apollonia because it was close by and he wanted to try Greek food. Now, I'm a huge fan of Greek food, and I didn't want to disappoint him. The decor was more on the fancy side, with sculptures, paintings and displayed wine bottles. We chose to sit outside since it was a nice night. The patio was lovely. However, we were seated near the squeaky escalator and the heat lamp went out mid dinner. Since it was restaurant week, we decided to try out that menu. Our server came to check on us every so often, but took a long time between each visit. We finally ordered-- my brother had the spanakopita, souvlaki plate and the rizzogalo; I had the dolmathakia, horta plate and filo medley. The portions were HUGE. The appetizers were both delicious. My brother said the beef and chicken kabobs were cooked well, and the meat was tender and nicely flavored. (He ate it all!) My horta plate was a sampler of 3 of their vegetarian dishes, and I was barely able to make a dent in it. It was way too much food. But, I tried a bit of each one and they were all tasty. The desserts were also yummy. My favorite was the baklava. None of them were overly sweet, which I was so happy about! I've had baklava in the past that were just drowned in honey and made it too sweet. The rizzogalo was great with the cinnamon on top, just the right amount of sweetness. Overall the food was good, the service though was very slow. Our first course took a long wait and each successive course took quite a bit of time as well, our dinner was almost 2 hours! We will most likely return.
(3)
Lorna R.
I've heard this place is a good one for large parties and groups, but believe me, it is also great when dining alone. wanted a quick dinner after a movie on a weekday evening. sat in the heated patio area with a great view of My Sister's Closet LOL, although I preferred looking at quiet tree-shaded Genessee Avenue with its dearth of traffic (it was early in the evening). had an acceptable gyros sandwich, and a cup of divinely delicious lentil soup. that, with a glass of Pinot Grigio, capped off my evening excellently. service good, a great place to dine, alone or otherwise.
(3)
Brandon C.
"I'm not impressed by your performance."
(2)
Simon J.
This place is okay. It's a little bit more than I expected in terms of time to get our food. The portions were okay, but I expected more for the prices we be paying. Alternatively, the prices could be cheaper. I have to admit, I like this place better when it was under former management.
(3)
Craig Y.
The hostess was visibly irritated that we needed to add two people to our reservation, even though the place was not busy. The lunch service was quite slow, and this is in an area where a lot of people are out on their lunch break. The food was good, however. I had the chicken kebab and enjoyed it. The chicken was cooked well; it was tender and tasty. I might eat there again, but hope for an improvement in overall service and attitude of the staff.
(2)
Aidan C.
This is my favorite Greek restaurant in SD and while the prices are a little higher than I like, the place has a very classy feel to it and the staff are always very professional. Outdoor seating is available complete with heat lamps (as if there's actually weather in SoCal) while the interior strikes just the right balance of lighting and intimacy. And now the food. The tzatziki is the best I've ever had, and the thinly sliced seasoned meat is just waves of bliss waiting to become a food coma. And while plates do run into the $12-15 range, the platters are simply loaded with food. I came here for a friend's birthday once and the sample dessert platter was incredible. One of the desserts was a phyllo dough wrapped orange cream which was fragrant and sweet without being overbearing. Can't say too much about their bar since I haven't been back since turning 21, but never fret, I'll be back soon for an update.
(5)
Jonathan H.
I promise I am not a picky patron. The service here was terrible, especially when compared to the prices. The server had to be flagged down for a water refill, and even after this extremely friendly reminder (I had a much less cordial way of saying it in my head, after waiting ten minutes for water), it still took him three passes by the table before the spark of reminder showed on his face and he grabbed the pitcher. I also asked for pita bread during the flagging down event requesting water. He failed to bring the bread when he brought the water. It took him three more passes and ten more minutes to bring me the five slices of cold, spongy bread. The prix fixe menu is really the only reason I would come here. It saves you about ten dollars depending what choices you order for each course. Unfortunately, the portions appear slimmed down for this menu, so maybe you are not actually going to save any money versus food volume. There were two servers, a hostess and two bussers passing through the section I was in, and still it felt like their collective dedication to their jobs equaled about one to two Ryan Reynolds in the movie "Waiting."
(2)
Kiki H.
Very average Greek food. Chicken kabob was fresh but nothing out of the ordinary or mind blowing. Hummus was a little too oily, as was the baba ganoush. Service was also pretty slow. OK in a pinch but not my first choice, especially for Greek/middle eastern food. (helloooo Fairouz's!)
(2)
Diane L.
I came here for lunch with some of my co-workers. Surprisingly it was very very busy for lunch! We were seated promptly in the patio and our orders were taken in a timely fashion. We ordered: -babaganoush (eggplant dish): I normally don't like eggplant, but this was pretty tasty. It doesn't come with a lot, so I wouldn't share with more than 3-4 people. -Lamb plate- huge portions! -lamb gyro -falafel wrap -tabouli salad Everything that we got was very tasty and had good portion size. Although, I do think that the price was a little higher than what i would normally pay for. It wasn't too overly priced, but I've had cheaper before. It was definitely better than Daphne's, and had more options, so take that into account since it's more of a restaurant than fast food place. Overall though, it was a good experience with good service. We were in and out within the hour and back to work just in time.
(3)
Kimberly R.
I love the food. If I only ordered takeout from them, I would give them 4 stars. Alas, such is not the case. I have a group of friends and we go out to dinner every Friday night. We don't go to the same place each week but we have a steady rotation which, until last week, included Appolonia. For many years we had the back room at Trophy's in the same shopping center and the waiter there treated us like royalty. And we tipped accordingly. We have been doing this for years. Sometimes we have 7 people, sometimes 20. When we have more than 5 we call and make a reservation in order to ensure that the restaurant knows we are coming and can accommodate us. Sometimes it's a birthday, sometimes not. Each time we have gone to Appolonia's the series of events are the same. Disappointing and dismal. The food can take forever and they always forget at least one or two things. Also, they never refill the water without us asking. They add in the gratuity at 18%, and yet I have never found that the service garners more than the required 15%. Once they knew they had brought me the wrong meal and yet it wasn't until I pointed it out that the waitress said, Oh yeah - sorry about that. Again, the food is great and for takeout I would say, go for it. But check your order before you go. We aren't fancy. We want friendly service,adequate seating, the ability to divide the check at least by parties of 4 or 5 (we don't expect individual checks for 20 people) and the hot food hot, the cold food cold and the drinks refilled. Having waitress-ed my way through college and law school I know how it works and I don't expect anything more than what I could provide myself. It's hard work, you kind of have to like people and you have to want to see them happy. Also, at least when I waitress-ed, the customer was ALWAYS right. Last Wednesday (April 11, 2012) my friend called and made a reservation for 20 people for my birthday for Friday April 13. We arrive and have to wait to be seated. This isn't usually an issue - sometimes they just need a minute or 2. Not that nightfall we get shown to our table and the next 10 minutes are what prompted me to write this review. The waiter says, you have 2 tables to choose from. So I think he means, there are 2 setups for 20 and we get to choose which one we want. So I choose and I sit. Then I count the seating - it's for 10. I get up and ask the waiter, "Where are the other 10 seats?". He says over there and points to the other table. I say, no we had a reservation for 20 people are you telling me we have been separated? And this is where I decide I am never going back because the waiter responded by saying: "We have 2 large parties in the side room and then you guys." I thought, what does that mean? You didn't even answer my question. So I ask it again. He says: "Yeah we have 2 other big parties so we divided you up, why?" So I said because we are one party of 20 not 2 parties of 10. We wanted to sit together. And then he says the thing that makes my head spin...."What's the big deal?" I said, because we want to sit together, if you couldn't accommodate us, then why did you take the reservation? If you weren't sure about the seating, why didn't you ask if it was okay to separate the table. When we walked in why didn't ANYBODY say - Hey by the way - it's 2 tables of 10 not one of 20. And he said ,"What's the big deal?" It's not. But it's probably a big deal that I and my group of friends will not come back.
(1)
Shannon S.
I had dinner here with my friend about two months ago. The food was absolutely delicious with a very reasonable price and big portions! I'll definitely come back for it. :)
(5)
Chris O.
I had lunch here Saturday. I ordered the Cretan Salmon and a Tabouleh salad. I only wanted a side order of the tabouleh, but it only came as an entree sized serving for $7.29. It was served with 5 wedges of warm pita. (really?) I asked for more pita and was not informed that my salmon would come with pita, nor was I informed that there would be an addional charge for more pita. The total for my meal, pre-tax, was $23.97. My dining partner order the gyros sandwich and asked if he could substitute fries for the rosemary potatoes that it comes with. We were told that was no problem. We were then charged for a "side" of fries. If there is a charnge, it should be mentioned by the server. Bottom line, expensive and mediorcre. Next time we will go to Dino's. The food is better and much more reasonable. I will not return, which is a shame as I live closeby.
(2)
B C.
I always get excited to find a Greek restaurant. It's one of those kinds of food (like Mexican) that is best when kept simple, but can be surprisingly complex and fun in the hands of a skilled and creative chef/cook/grandmother. Unfortunately, Apollonia is nothing to get too excited about. The menu choices are solid, but unimaginaitive (you won't find grilled octopus or taramasalata on this menu), as the menu seems to be very "gringo-ized" for the shopping mall crowd. The service is competent and friendly, in keeping with the casual atmosphere (think somewhere between fine dining and Bennigans) . The wine list is OK, but they certainly need more Greek wine choices by the glass (I think there was one red and one white, both very unremarkable "grocery store" quality Greek wines. The dining room is brightly lit and fairly noisy considering its relatively small size; the covered patio is generally a better option for ambience. The waitress suggested that I try the "Moroccan chicken" (an interesting non-Greek choice) but then we found out they were out. I ended up with a mixed grill of chicken, lamb, and sausage which was a typical kefthe/souvlaki sort of combo. It was unremarkable but not bad (I've had better on a street corner in Montreal). I'm in La Jolla frequently on business, and I may be back if I have a burning desire for a lamb shank and glass of merlot at a reasonable price, but it won't be on my list of destination spots for the area.
(3)
Brian R.
I'm a big fan of Greek/Mediterranean food! The service first of all was great, good service adds to the dinning experience. I had the Greek salad which hit the spot, but my friend ordered the Hummus and Baba Ganush appetizers and they were very good. We ate inside the restaurant since we had a large party going, but they have a very nice patio which I have eaten on before too. I definitely recommend this place to tourists and locals for a pleasurable dinning experience.
(4)
James K.
First time here in a very long time. I actually didn't know if they were still in business and was pleasantly surprised to see how they have grown over the years. The last time I was here it was a rather small business but they have expanded to include a large outdoor covered patio area and the inside is quite beautiful. They are located in a moderate sized strip mall with plenty of parking. I went at lunch time and didn't have a problem finding parking. When I walked up, the outdoor dining area was completely empty and I wasn't 'sure if they were open. But as soon as I opened the door it was clear they were open for business with the restaurant a bit more than half full. Plus, it was raging hot outside so I can't imagine why anyone would be outside on their patio, but it really is very appealing as was the interior. I was greeted immediately and taken to a small booth. Again, I noted how many people were here and most looked to be professionals on their lunch time. The menu had the typical Greek/Mediterranean menu items and I was tossed between a Gyro sandwich and Chicken Kebab. I decided on the Gyro sandwich with a side Greek salad. Gyro sandwich is pretty much a stable of this type of cuisine and sort of sets the pace for the quality of food. And for a starter, I ordered an appetizer of hummus. My server told me I could get a small side or order the full appetizer. Wanting to really sample it, I ordered the full appetizer and hoped it wasn't too large but suspecting I wouldn't be able to finish it all. I would say I was a bit disappointed at the appetizer size of hummus as it was fairly small. It was more than enough for just one person and would be enough for two people, but more than two people you need to order more. I was surprised because most places I know serve a much larger portion. The hummus itself was good. Not great, but good. The bread that came along was also a bit disappointing. Kind of plain and questionable whether it's store bought. Let me emphasize, the hummus was good and I do recommend ordering it, but I've had as good hummus at Luna Grill and I was expecting more from such a nice appearing restaurant. I ordered my iced tea and it was quite good. It tasted fresh brewed and even had a hint of a fruit flavor to it. They refilled it often and honestly it was very good. They brought out my Gyro sandwich on a nice platter and a side plate for the Greek salad. I started in on the Greek salad and this was exceptional! The dressing was traditional but far better than most. It was just traditional greens with a slice of feta cheese decorating the middle of the salad, traditional Greek olives and just the right amount of dressing covering the salad. I want to go back again just to order a full size Greek salad with the grilled chicken! Maybe I'll go tomorrow! The Gyro sandwich looked very fresh and was quite big. There was a side of the Tzatziki sauce so I could put on as much or as little as I wanted. The sandwich was full of gyro meat, lettuce, tomato and onion wrapped up in a warm pita bread. I poured in some of the sauce and took my first bite. Well, it was far more appetizing looking than tasting. By no means was this bad. And while the meat tasted like traditional gyro meat, it had a dried out, sort of old taste to it. The meat tasted as if it had been cooked yesterday and reheated today. That's the best way I could describe it. And the pita bread it came in, similar to the pita bread that came with the hummus. Not very flavorful and detracted from the taste of the sandwich. Combined with the old meat taste, not a very good gyro sandwich. I certainly know places that serve worse but I also know places that serve far better. Overall, a very attractive restaurant and great for groups, business meetings and just out with friends. Surprising though, as nice of an appearance as this place has, they use paper napkins. Seemed so odd when you consider the decor and the atmosphere they create. All that and then they use paper napkins. Very disappointing. Actually, the utensils are wrapped in a napkin like you would expect at a fast food restaurant. I only comment on this because if you see this restaurant, it looks like you are dining at a 5 star restaurant... and then they hand you a paper napkin wrapped around utensils. But I did enjoy the food and I really want to go back and try the Greek salad with the grilled chicken. And I'll also try the Spanakopita... another Greek favorite of mine. Last, I will say the prices are very fair. I was very surprised when I saw the final bill and thought maybe they left something off. Very good prices!
(3)
Danielle F.
We used to come here a few times a month. We'd sit at a bar table and have a nice dinner. Usually we were served by a woman bartender/waitress who knew exactly how I liked my drinks. The last time we were there for dinner it was not so pleasant. There was a male waiter who just runs around like his pants are on fire. From the tables, to the bar, to the kitchen.....run, run, run. It does not lend itself to a relaxing evening. We stopped back twice and he was still running around....we left. The sushi restaurant next door has become our new choice. Great avocado and mango salad and the sushi is very good.
(2)
Jessica G.
Apollonia Greek Bistro is a solid meal. I work in the area and have ordered take-out a few times. Greek food is such a good lunch! The Gyros sandwich is exactly what I'm looking for when I'm craving an American gyros. Lots of delicious gyros meat, creamy and cucumber-y tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a warm and fluffy pita. My friend I decided to dine in this past week and enjoyed our meal. The service was super friendly and attentive. Our hummus starter was great - I am a huge fan of the fluffy pita bread! We also ordered the avgolemeno soup, which was the right amount of lemon-y flavor accompanying a great texture and consistency. We split the Grecian Feast as our entree. It was a large platter with gyros meat, rice pilaf, moussaka, dolmades, and bourekia. The rice pilaf was nice and buttery and accompanied the gyros meat well. The moussaka had a lot of ground lamb, chunks of eggplant, and a very well flavored bechamel. The nutmeg blended perfectly with the delicious lamb and eggplant. The dolmades, one of my favorite greek dishes, were good and satisfied my craving. The bourekia, ground lamb in filo dough, was a very nice surprise! I would definitely order it again. All in all, Apollonia Greek Bistro satisfied my Greek food craving.
(3)
Dan B.
This is a hidden gem. The atmosphere is ancient Greek with marble statues and great paintings. Larger than expected indoor seating area and a great outdoors patio area. The food is great and they have lots of vegetarian dishes. The prices keep me coming back. Very reasonable. The location is a little hard to find. It is hidden next to the escalator going up to the boxing club. You can not see it from a major street, but it is worth the effort to find. Great restaurant!
(5)
Mel J.
Mezedakia is a tasty assortment of Greek starters at Apollonia for $15.99, and is big enough to share. The Taramosalata surprised me with a kiss of lemon that accented the delicious salty flavor of the Greek salmon caviar. The Spanakopita and the Bourekia were hot out of the oven, with a nice flaky, crispy pastry with savory fillings. The spinach in the Spanakopita was delish with the extra feta cheese sprinkled on top. The meat in the Bourekia tasted marvelous with the spices and the sprinkle of powdered sugar. All of these items are included in the Mezedakia. And that's not all! The Mezedakia also comes with the best feta cheese I've had ANYWHERE...fresh and moist with that famous salty tangy flavor of good feta. Plus there were olives, bread, and marinated artichokes that were tender and with a hint of garlic. The stuffed grape leaves were ok, but not my fav. I'd like to thank Nabila for such welcoming and attentive service. I hope I can have her as my server on the next visit as well! I was impressed with the quality of the food on this visit to Apollonia. Everything was well prepared, using high quality ingredients, and the food was very tasty. I'm definitely moving Apollonia up higher on my list of favorite Mediterranean restaurants!
(4)
Martin G.
Very good service! Food is better than other Mediterranean place I've gone to. Nice dim setting and decor.
(5)
Jocy C.
I've been to Apollonia Greek Bistro twice so far. Both times, it was in a large group setting (party of 10 and party of 25). The service is great at Apollonia for large groups. Both times I got the Gyro Platter. Delicious and the portion size is large. ENJOY!
(3)
Hank S.
We dined Appllonia tonight and it was a mistake. We ordered a calamari appetizer which arrived quickly and luke warm. It was tougher than shoe leather and obviously reheated from the lunch business and dry as could be. We also ordered Moussaka and Athenian Sea Bass. Both dishes came with rice pilaf which was, in reality seasoned boiled rice. The Moussaka was edible as was the Sea Bass but it didn't live up to its description in the menu. Apollonia is definitely off our list of restaurants.
(3)
John F.
My wife and I discovered Apollonia a couple of years ago. I'm here to tell you that the gyros is about as good as it gets, and I'm from Chicago, where the Greek community knows how to make them. The pita is uniformly fresh, the right temperature and right consistency. The meat and other contents are perfectly proportioned. I have tried gyros all over town and have not found one better. I tend to be a creature of habit, but maybe I'll try something else next time! The restaurant itself is nicely decorated with a nice large bar area and outdoor seating. I have seen families there, but it seems the majority of the patrons are residents of the nearby elderly facilities and their middle-aged sons and daughters. The wine list is a little thin, but you can always find something decent at a decent price. The service is always friendly and prompt. We'll be coming back soon!
(5)
Shayne C.
HAPPY ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY !!! This means FREE lunch from our awesome supervisor !! We all agreed to try something different and GREEK it was !! Ambiance: Plenty of parking - outdoor open parking lot and parking structure Very spacious and well-decorated Great for groups and a nice date Seating available outdoor/indoor- We opted for the patio/outdoor since it was a nice day You may want to dress up a little. Leave your beach attire and flip flops at home Food: BABA GHANNOUJ (say that 10 times fast)- Great starter and we all wanted to try this ! Broiled eggplant, mashed with garlic, parsley, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and sesame sauce with pita bread. I LOVE EGGPLANT !!! This was a winner ! GRAPE LEAVES - YALANDJI -Another appetizer, with filling of rice, fresh tomato, red pepper, onion, mint and pomegranate molasses. Served chilled. Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy this. Personally, I thought it had a weird taste. Like vinegary and not that fresh. It didn't even have vinegar in the ingredients list. Maybe the pomegranate ? I don't know, but I didn't like it. Pass. OLYMPIC salad - Roasted eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and sweet red pepper over cool fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes without the feta cheese. Served with basil-balsamic viniagrette. I realized after my meal that they forgot to include my pita bread. Grrr...It was a decent portion and I was satisfied after. Flavor-wise it was just okay. Nothing special and I wish they had more grilled eggplant since I'm a sucker for that. I liked how the dressing is on the side. I found that I didn't need too much of it on my salad since the marinade from the veggies was good enough. Hot green tea and a slice of lemon was nothing special. Just tea bag and honey if you choose to have. Service: Overall, it was quick and attentive. They did provide another pot of hot water for my tea, but not with another tea bag. ehhh..thanks but no thanks ? haha Verdict: Three stars ! Not my first option, but if you're in the area and need a quick bite to eat that doesn't feel so casual and fast foody then this is a decent spot.
(3)
Stephen D.
Did not choose to go here, rather I met people here. I have always been intrigued by this place, wondering if they were pandering as "high end greek" in a location that fits the bill, or if they actually served quality Med. Cuisine. The former fit the bill- Pandering. How do you say- boring? lowsy? uneventful? lack of flavor? Greek restaurants are the ONLY places I will order chicken on a menu because the Greeks do it so well. Copious amounts of quality Olive Oil, along with more fresh lemon than a meyer tree in-season, Oregano, all cooked to perfection. Potatoes par-boiled, finished in the oven with ample seasoning. Crisp exterior, moist pillowy interior. Spanakopita with delightfully crusty phyllo, warm gooey spinach & bursts of salty-tang from the feta. Oh wait, I was describing "Greek Food", certainly not my experience here. Chicken- Dry, must have ran out of Oregano, I suppose lemons are more expensive these days cuz there was not a hint of lemon. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (the only virgin in the house would be that young buck who brought his date here hopping to score afterwards, only to find she was so dismayed by the dinner she just consumed). Potatoes- Crispy ext, dry interior Spanakopita- Not quality feta and the phyllo just did not do it for me What you will find- Overpriced, uneventful American Fare, with the ambiance of hip/hop music & greek architecture. Bummer
(2)
Stacey M.
I was pleasantly surprised with this place before walking in the door I thought it was going to be a small place. The place is actually very big lots of tables good looking bar and interesting art work. I ordered my food and was blown away by how much chicken they gave me in my wrap well worth the money.
(5)
Andrew R.
Singularly mediocre. Running errands in the Costa Verde shopping center. Didn't want fast food and Roy's was more $$$ than we wanted. Entered this cavernous and nearly empty restaurant around 6:15 on a Monday night. Server was pleasant but did not write down the order ( maybe in an empty restaurant there is no need) and then made an error. I had changed my mind from a bowl to a cup of lentil soup. She brought the bowl and then told me I ordered a bowl. Note from the doctor ( Notorious MD): write the order down and your less likely to mess it up! Hummus appetizer was small and lackluster. Pita bread was ok. Lentil soup was average. Greek Salad with grilled chicken: dressing so tart our eyes squinted shut. Chicken was over cooked. Had a similarly average chicken pita sandwich for lunch here a few months back. Should have known better after first experience. Prognosis for having a great meal here is guarded to poor.
(2)
Chang L.
The office decided to order lunch from here and I sampled many of the dishes. Yalandji (grape leaves over rice and other veggies)- this was decent, definitely not the best I've had. It was just lacking in flavor for me. Spanakopita- didn't get them in the familiar triangles but instead came in rolls like the Bourekia. I'm not sure it was because of the shape but it didn't turn out super crispy and flaky. Feta mezes (feta cheese, basil, garlic and tomatoes)- this was actually pretty delicious. It's very refreshing and tangy and fantastic on pita bread. Falafel- these were too dry and nobody ate them. Imam bayaldi (Italian stuffed eggplant)- this was quite good, but I am a pretty big fan of eggplant and tomatoes. Spinach pastitsio- this dish was like a baked lasagna with spinach and pesto covered with cheese. The pasta was over cooked for me and it lacked flavor. I also noticed the roux was not distributed well so I got big chunks of it. :( Skordalia- surprisingly delicious with pita. I've never had potatoes that were tangy (think about it...) and aside from the carbs on carbs issue I loved this little spread. Overall it was an ok lunch, but I'm not rushing back anytime soon to order more.
(3)
Mario P.
I've been to this Greek Bistro many times and I simply find it okay. Probably my biggest concern is the inconsistency of their service. Their food is okay and would probably give it a three star rating but I'm rating them on the entire experience. I'm a big fan of greek food and really hope they improve.
(2)
Jenny L.
So confused why this place doesn't have higher stars. Both take out and dining in experiences are so good. Maybe people aren't ordering the correct items. The Horiotiki Salad with lentil is 10/10. Never can go wrong with this. The Fava Bean dish is so filling and healthy, you will have plenty left over for the day after. The babaganoush is the best I've ever had. The food is always fresh and most the dishes are healthy. Great accommodating service, even when you order 10 minutes before closing. The waiters are so professional, the ambiance is clean, and it's a favorite among all the locals!
(5)
Luis R P.
Great dishes and convenient location with a parking garage next to it. The food is good. Some dishes seemed better than others tough. The portions are generous. Overall, I will repeat. The service is good but my dish too a while. If going with a large group, plan for an hour or more not to be rushed.
(4)
JT F.
After first tasting their food, I was thinking about 4 stars. I then tried their Beef Kebab (marinated chunks of sirloin, char-broiled to your liking) and I was SOLD on 5 stars. So tender, juicy and flavorful. Love this place!
(5)
Juliana P.
Came here for work with a really big group and I was pleased with their attentive service and flexibility. I've never had anything but my Mom's Avgolemno soup and I was so excited they had it on menu! That and the Taboleh salad did not disappoint. It made for a pretty nice light lunch since most of the other options seemed pretty heavy. Not the cheapest place, but I enjoyed it. The only complaint I heard from anyone is that they thought that their salad was too small and they were given the wrong one by mistake.
(4)
Lattimore C.
This place is very relaxing with friendly professional servers and staff. The food is great and the portions are nice.
(4)
Haley S.
I've been here for lunch several times and some items are very good, while others are just alright. The restaurant itself is much bigger than it appears when you first see it outside. They have a great outdoor patio area, parking can be difficult, but the service is always great, the food gets out quickly, and it's not the best Greek food I've ever had, but it's good enough. Check in for a free appetizer!
(4)
Elixa S.
I was in town for a week with friends and we really had a taste for Greek food, so this place was suggested. The decor was relaxing and it wasn't too crowded which was nice. I was immediately startled by how rude the server was right from the beginning though. She seemed bothered by our presence as if she didn't want to assist us. I stated my order with no substitutions and she actually made a comment about my choice as if there was something wrong with it. Now if it was out of stock then I could understand, but it wasn't and I think I can decide what I'd like to eat. I didn't see the point in matching her rudeness so I just smiled and stuck to my choice. My friend had a question about a menu item and the server was rude responding. The server later returned with food, silverware, and a huge side of rudeness as we thanked her. Never in my life have I dined anywhere and gotten that kind of reaction to a thank you. No one was asking for anything or complaining about anything, we were just happy to see our food and wanted to continue enjoying our day. She never came back to check on us, which didn't surprise me, but we were fine. In fact we all really enjoyed the food. The temperature was good, the portions were generous, and everything was well seasoned. We figured we'd experienced the last of her rudeness until we went to pay. She stated they don't offer separate checks, which was fine. We just divided the bill among ourselves and each paid our portion. Apparently this really set her off because she proceeded to complain about each of us giving her an exact dollar amount and a method of payment. Now if we were a group of like 30 people I could understand. However it was only a handful of us, they don't offer separate checks, and we did all the math for her. All she really had to do was push a couple of buttons on the cash register. Then she went on a tirade about what she deserved as a tip. At this point even her coworkers were staring at her like she had 3 heads. I understand life as a server is challenging. The pay is often low, the shifts are busy, your feet hurt, and some customers are horrible. However, no one forces you to work there. The least you can do is what you're hired to do, which is provide a service in a professional manner. If you would like a tip, especially a generous one, then behave as such. Excessive and unnecessary rudeness and not being available to your customers won't get you that. The wonderful food just can't excuse the awful service here so I won't return.
(2)
Kelly V.
The decor was nice, the prices were decent, the food was good, but the service was lackluster. Our server was inattentive and a little bit rude. I'll probably go again and hope for a better server as I really did enjoy the food.
(3)
Tiffany K.
It was a great birthday dinner. The food and service was excellent! I will be back.
(5)
Marissa T.
This is where the traditional ouzo is popular, along with the restaurant's own specialty wine. We ordered baked lamb with tomatoes, and a potato salad. The food was presented well and was delicious with generous portions as well. The servers and host were polite, though it felt like they were working too hard because there seemed to be too many people, and too few servers. This place had a party going on at a few tables and it was boisterous and noisy. You had to shout to be heard and that did not have a relaxing effect in any way. So this is not the place for a lazy Sunday lunch. Visit it to have fun!
(4)
Rebecca F.
Great food! I haven't been disappointed in anything we have ordered! Great Happy Hour deals on appetizers.
(5)
Marcy M.
They still got it! When I visit San Diego this place is my first stop every time. I live in L.A. and I have yet to find a place as good as Apollonia. My fave menu items are: *GYROS!!!!!! - Lamb & Beef *SO DARN GOOD! A must Have. Best I Have Ever Had* *Papoutsakia Sandwich - Eggplant Filled With Ground Lamb Tomato Sauce and Basil *Taramasolata - Red Caviar Potato Dip *drool* *Spanaki Lemonato - Lemon Spinach Dip *yum* *Baba Ghannouj - Eggplant Lemon Garlic Dip *best baba ghannouj I've ever had* *Bourekia - Filo Dough Filled With Ground Lamb and Onion *more drooling* Enjoy!
(5)
An Y.
A fancy/nice/spacious restaurant. Good service. I approve for special-er occasions. Expensive. APPETIZERS: * Feta Bruschetta (garlic bread + tomato + balsamic vinegar) - very delicious. Highly recommend. * Tzatziki (pita bread with yogurt cucumber dip) - good, but doesn't compare to the feta bruschetta. ENTREES: * Riganato - chicken breast + potatoes. Kinda boring/just okay. * Macedonian Sampler - looked good, would order. * Shrimp Scorpio - smaller entree than the others. Looked good, but I'd get something with more sides. * Beef Kebab - looked good, would order.
(4)
Amir A.
My company has been ordering dinner for the past few months so I've had the choice of picking a few times around. I've tried several of their dishes. Greek food isn't really my thing since it doesn't have a true food identity to me. Freshness is reserved for California/Mexican cuisine and the poultry they prepare is either Asian/Middle-Eastern influenced or contemporary. Two plates that did stand out were the Gyros Plate and Riganato. The one true "go-to" item for Greek places is usually gyro and this place serves up a plate full of it with great sides for a reasonable price. My favorite dish however, is the Riganato. It is a well prepared, juicy, piece of chicken breast that is perfectly seasoned. The potatoes are soft, the veggies are delicious, and the garlic dip it comes with is overpowering, yet seems to complement the dish well. I highly recommend this dish if you like chicken. All in all, everyone who gets their dinner seems to be happy and the service is great.
(4)
Olya K.
Had the gyro it was delicious. I'm a sucker for Greek food and I do like the food here.
(5)
Natalie M.
We have never had a bad experience. But ask for salad dressing on side so much dressing. Grape leaves are yummy. The only let down are their "fun" drinks. Haven't found one that I enjoy so I get wine
(4)
Manami Y.
Seafood night! We ordered the Aegean swordfish sandwich, swordfish kebabs, the shrimp scorpio, and the Apollonia medley for dessert. Everything we had was yummy and totally filling! I think my favorite dish was the shrimp scorpio. It reminded me of a paella, but instead of a seafood medley it was mostly shrimp. Both the swordfish kebabs and sandwich had the same spicy, lemon herb marinade. It went well with the swordfish. The grand finale was the dessert medley. We were too stuffed to eat it right after our meal so we didn't get to it until a couple of hours after our dinner! It consisted of 2 pieces of baklava, a generous portion of rice pudding (rizzogalo), 2 filo pastries filled with custard and orange zest (galacto-boureko), and another filo pastry filled with chocolate, raisins, and pistachios drizzled with raspberry sauce (chocolate saragli). I loved the chocolate saragli! So yummy! Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for the baklava. I've had better. My bf's favorite was the galacto boureko. Neither us really touched the rice pudding. I never equate rice with dessert.
(4)
Charles J.
Loved this place. The food was high quality, the prices were very reasonable, and the atmosphere was perfect with what you'd expect for La Jolla. We sat on the patio and it was heated well enough that we didn't have chilly shoulders. Saw several large tables but it didn't impact our service which was friendly, prompt and accurate.
(5)
Rainier T.
This is one of our favorite Greek restaurants in UTC. It consistently serves delicious food!
(5)
Maria C.
Happy Hour is from 330-630p. I scored on a glass of Riesling for $3. The Riesling was ehhh. I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're a win-o; however, there was only 1 selection. I don't normally eat Mediterranean food, so I ended up ordering an entree I was familiar with. -Gyros Plate, which came with Gyros meat served with pita bread, Briami, rice pilaf and Tzatziki sauce. The portion was certainly generous. I took half my entree home. I really like the set up of this restaurant. There is patio seating outside, spacious seating indoors with a room to hold a private party, a bar and open seating throughout the restaurant. The parking could be troublesome since it shares a lot with other stores/restaurants. (Next to Bristol Farms) They could have done better with the service. It was a weeknight and they were slow. Therefore, there shouldn't be excuse to not come around more often.
(2)
Mischelle M.
I tried the tomato soup which was nice. I followed it with the Olympian salad that was delightful. The pita served was fresh and warm. I checked in and showed the waiter the 10% off yelp check in offer but it wasn't added to the bill. I'd suggest to come for happy hour.
(3)
Julia L.
I walked in to have lunch at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the receptionist kind of looks around with a wrinkled nose and said well I could put. You at a bar seat or way in the back. Wherever that is. There's a booth clearly inside right by the front desk. I asked her is that table reserved? She fumbles around and says I can have it , she didn't want to give it to me because it's the last table for four people available. Clearly lunch hours almost over. I'm certain someone else would've been leaving in a few minutes. No one else was waiting. I told her never mind And I walked out next door to the sushi place. No problem getting seating or having them take my money
(1)
Debapriya R.
Nice place.. Service is slow slow though . Perfect for lunches. Food is nice and filling .though be ready for a long wait if there are many patrons.
(4)
Abhi S.
I live in the neighborhood and I'm surprised people don't seem to go here pretty often! I've thoroughly enjoyed the food every time I've been here. These are my favorite items on the menu: VEGETARIAN PHANTASIA - a platter with pretty much all the vegetarian items on the menu. SPINACH PASTITSIO - a baked pasta dish. GALACTO-BOUREKO - a light and flavorful dessert: pastry filled with orange zest and toppped with rose water.
(4)
H L.
My friends brough me here for dinner one night. The food and service was outstanding. The portions were very large and I had to take half my meal home with me. My father loves Greek food, so I thought I would bring him here for dinner. We had a table six without reservations, they were happy to get a table ready for us in minutes. We ordered the Saganaki which is flamed at your table for our appetizer. My nieces loved it. Most of us ordered the gyro plate (which was too much food for one person to eat). My niece ordered the Shrimp Scorpio which looked amazing. For dessert we ordered the Galacto-Boureko and the Rizzogalo.
(4)
Adrienne M.
I'm not a particularly big fan of Greek food, but when a friend suggested Apollonia for dinner, I thought "why not?" I'm really glad I discovered this charming place. The ambience is nice, casual and welcoming, and the service was top-notch. Those things wouldn't matter, of course, if the food wasn't good--and it was more than that; it was great. My friend ordered her favorite, Chicken Couscous, while I had a vegetarian dish, Spinach Pastitsio. All I can say is yum! Plus, we both had leftovers to enjoy the following day. I heartily recommend this bistro to those who love Greek food as well as those who are experimenting with a new cuisine.
(5)
Ashley R.
So good, fresh and authentic (for a Daygo girl). Chicken Couscous, saganki and happy hour are all great. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. The only reason they didn't get 5 stars was the dry and flavorless Falafel Gyro, but I still come here often.
(4)
Sheva L.
My boyfriend and I went to Apollonia for the first time (for lunch) & we had a very positive experience. For starters: I really like the ambiance of the place. They fuse classical sculpture with modern architecture, and warm accent colors. A lot of the Greek family-owned restaurants I have been to are hokey--with awful curtains, decor, cheap posters of Greece in ugly frames, and peeling blue & white paint that is a pathetic attempt to conjur up images of Santorini. Apollonia is not like that at all. It's classy, very clean, tastefully decorated, and super spacious. And, no chintzy music. They had contemporary music (ie: Grammy-winning Sam Smith) playing, and it was at the perfect volume, ie: it was just background music. A lot of places miss the mark on that & it's annoying to be in a restaurant when you can't hold a comfortable conversation with your family/friends/date. Re: service--we found all of the staff to be very polite & professional. Our waiter checked in with us at appropriate times, cleared our dishes in a timely fashion, and did not rush to stick the bill on our table---which is really refreshing to find in an American dining experience. Especially in an area like UTC, where most of the restaurants are crappy chain restaurants with staff rushing you out the door before you've even finished your meal. On the contrary, we asked for the bill, instead of it being slid on our table ridiculously early. That SELDOM happens in American dining experiences. It was nice not to feel rushed. We sat, we talked, we enjoyed our meal. We thought the food was tasty & reasonably priced. Our soup had fresh parsley on top, our dolmadas had fresh sliced green onions as part of the presentation. Those little details are missing from cheap places that cut corners & don't care about presentation. We enjoyed a satisfying meal, and will certainly go back to check out the dinner options. I think Apollonia would be a terrific space to host an event, because of how huge the place is---both outdoor dining patio with heat lamps & several indoor rooms. They also have a nice bar area & a wine room. For UTC, I think Apollonia is a diamond in the rough (the "rough" being all of the crappy chain restaurants), and I hope they maintain enough business to stick around!
(4)
Volkmar S.
Came in here for dinner. I had the 1/4 Rosted chicken, It was great. Good fresh food. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth a visit if you have a little while to sit down and enjoy a meal.
(4)
P J.
I've been here with family on a whim web we got hungry after shipping. I loved the food. Service is fast and they don't try to kick you out after you finish your meal! Prices are also reasonable and it's close to utc so it's great for nice dinner before a movie.
(4)
Lisa W.
My bf wanted Greek food, thought we tried this place since we live like 2 blocks away. Cute little place in a small plaza. I got the gyros plate, I love their gyro meat, it was thick and delicious! the white yogurt sauce was creamy and had a good touch and thickness to it. My bf got the chicken couscous which he said was okay. Chicken was dry but when you dip it in the sauce they gave you, it gave it a little zing. Service was really good, until the end. They like totally forgot about us or something, we didn't even get our bill until like 30 minutes later after we were done with our food waiting and waiting. They need better servers/waitresses if they ever want this place to get the recognition it should. Other than that this place will get no more than 3 stars.
(3)
Brian G.
Moussaka - yum! Whenever I am in La Jolla this is a must visit for lunch. Yes I am addicted to the moussaka. Always flavorful, hot and satisfying. Love this place.
(4)
Sandra F.
I've been coming to this restaurant for a long time, since it was named Aesop's Table and prior to the redesign. I really enjoy the food and the outdoor patio. Fair is fair, and in San Diego, this is the best Greek I've eaten. However, I'm giving a less than stellar review because the last handful of times I've been here, the waitstaff have been rude and curt. Especially, the women who was my server today during lunch. I understand they move quickly during lunch, but a pleasant, friendly attitude doesn't have to be sacrificed to move quickly with lunch service. I've also had less than great experiences at dinner lately. The bartender seems to have changed. Last time I came for dinner, my husband and I had the pomegranate martini and it was too sweet. Finally, they seem to have issues with debit cards. My account is in good standing order and twice at this restaurant I have had my card declined. When I called my bank, in a panic to investigate, they told me it was merchant error and everything was fine with my card. Something is wrong on their end, not mine. I came back to the restaurant and told my server that I called my bank and they told me it was merchant error. Perhaps something is up with their machine? I told her this had happened before and it was merchant error then as well. She gave me a condescending attitude and obviously thought I was trying to save face. No, actually, I think there is something wrong with your machine! Just trying to save others the unnecessary embarrassment. Maybe she's rushing to quickly?! She didn't want to hear it. I like the restaurant and enjoy the food. I wish the waitstaff were more personable and took their time a bit more with their customers.
(2)
Kent H.
This place was rather empty, granted we arrived around 5:45 on a monday evening. Even as we left there weren't very many patrons. Could this have been a sign? Probably, because the food was only okay. So I ordered the chicken kebab and tried a sampling of the Moussaka. The chicken kebab was average, not overcooked and not too dry. I would have preferred long grained rice as opposed to soft rice pilaf. The vegetables on the turned out to be a very interesting tomato, pepper, mushroom stew. It was actually pretty good. Albeit a little oily. The moussaka, although I didn't have much of it, looked to be very heavy. The ground lamb at the bottom topped by many layers of vegetables. The majority of it was topped with Vlahotyri cheese. Similar to that of the english sheperds pie, but cheese instead of potato.
(3)
Susie G.
I affectionately refer to this restaurant as the Kalamata Olive Garden. Lots of vegetarian options and a great place for a family dinner, we were well accommodated when we came here. The baba ghanoush was particuarly good. The decor's a little cheesy, but for a big group of people who each have different preferences for food, this was a perfect fit. Something for everyone. (A little tough to find.)
(4)
Chad B.
I would consider myself a Greek food lover and came to this place with rather high expectations. As we were seated to our table we noted at how empty the place was for a Saturday night. There were maybe 8-10 other tables in the entire restaurant that had people at them, with 80% empty. It was also cold inside the dining room. Onto the order: I ordered the moussaka (one of my staple Greek dishes), my buddy ordered the sampler plate. Also tried the stuffed grape leaves. The grape leaves were delicious, no complaints whatsoever. They arrived after a long 10 minutes, but we didn't mind the wait given how good they were. Our entrees came out another 10-15 minutes after this, with out server not attending to our empty drink glasses- this part was annoying. My moussaka was covered in an outer cheese layer, something I normally did not encounter. It was soggy, and had an unusual texture compared to what I've experienced in the past. The taste was okay, but this dish was way too heavy with its molten layer of cheese. The sampler dish was okay, with some sides being better than others. A major red flag we noticed: they don't even make their own pita!!! WTF kind of Greek restaurant can't even make such a simple, yet highly important, staple?!? The service was all around slow, and non-attentive. Our server seemed like she had a long a dull day. The bill came to $45, and all things considered I would rather have gone to Daphen's Grill for a fraction of the cost. This place sucks!
(2)
Huong T.
My friend and I went here for lunch. I ordered the salmon and he ordered the bass. Both were pretty bland. I used the check-in offer to get the free hummus and even the hummus wasn't that great. I think the best thing was the rice pilaf and the decor. I wouldn't come here again.
(2)
Brian K.
Pita: Dry and stale; I should have bought some Wonder bread which would tasted divinely better. To rub salt in our wounds, they had the audacity to charge $1.29 for 12 quarter pieces.12 divided by 4; wait, that's 3 whole pieces. Either give this crappy pita to me for free or charge me something that will not insult my intelligence. Extremely aloof, careless waitress. Ohh wait, there was no need to us any service; "GRATUITY WAS AUTOMATICALLY ADDED FOR LARGE GROUPS = GUARANTEED TIP = SO WHY GIVE GOOD SERIVCE (since she's going to get 18% anyways. She was slow yet the fastest thing she did was to take our cash and credit cards. The birthday cake was cut but where the hell was our forks? We wait and wait and for Heaven's sake, it's Mary's birthday, let the girl have her cake and eat it too. I had to get up and ask for forks. Oh wait, they add an automatic gratuity so why give good service? The steak kebabs were burnt to a crisp. The chicken was semi-moist but had been sitting out way too long. This is a good example how NOT to train your staff. This is simple Restaurant 101 material: You always treat larger parties with superior service; big groups are the cash cows. Last time I counted, I needed to use two hands to count to 10. It doesn't matter if it's a bunch of high school punks in a prom group or if it's a group of investment bankers; big groups needed to be given a lot of attention, one sign of a great restaurant.
(2)
Melanio F.
No - for 80's fans, this is not "the Apollonia" that starred with Prince in Purple Rain, but a greek city named after Apollo, the god of music, poetry and oracles. And no, not Apollo Creed from Rocky I and II. This place was chosen for our once in a month lunch outing for work because our initial choice was unavailable to handle 16 people at noon. And what a great choice (made by me of course). I never have been to this place before but it was absolutely perfect for a large group. I made reservations at noon and when we arrived (at least half of the group first), we were seated immediately. The service is quick with the water and the soft drinks or any other beverage. The menu is very big for a bistro. It has all the standard Greek dishes you would order and with a large group, you know there will always be different tastes and it worked. Appetizers - saganaki, hummus and tyropita. The flaming cheese was as expected. You have to enjoy salty cheese to enjoy this dish and I do, it reminds me of the old quesong puti (carabao milk cheese) that we use to fry for breakfast. Hummus was nice and creamy. Tyropita was something different and was good, the oiliness of the cheese and these dish can overwhelm someone so order only one of these. Entrees - Mousaka - enjoyed by my co-worker, very rich and plentiful. I enjoyed a gyros plate, with ratatouille complete with tzatziki sauce and replaced the rice pilaf with fries, yumm yum The fries were just right, the gyro not too dry and the sauce perfect for dipping the fries and the gyro meat. I didn't finish it so next time just the sandwich would be sufficient for me but I do have leftovers for dinner. My other co-worker ordered the Shrimp scorpio which looked like a Shrimp paella with rice pilaf instead of saffron rice. 0 Overall, everybody enjoyed their meal and it was a very good experience. The room was decorated simple with greek murals of gods and goddesses without being too gaudy. Pricing is reasonable because you can find appetizers or sandwiches within someone's price range. I will definitely go back again for the other dishes and definitely recommend the place and it will bring out the Greek god and goddess out of you!
(4)
Erin H.
Gotta have the Saganaki (flaming cheese!) The cheese is pretty much why we came back here the other day because we've been dreaming of it for over a year. I had the Riganato for lunch and I can't recall why the better half had. I'm not much of a Greek food fan and I think this is the only Greek place I've eaten at. They really do have great food but just okay service. It was a slow Sunday but the Chargers game was on so I was surprised it was as dead as it was. We ate in the bar so we could watch the game and there was only one guy at the bar and one other table with people eating. Our bartender/waitress was very nice but I do remember last time we were here we had the same issue (most likely a different waitress) but slow service all the same considering it wasn't busy that time either.
(3)
Gesselle C.
It was horrible experience. I went for lunch with a friend and her 2 year old child. I ordered the swordfish sandwich and roasted potatoes. The server was very nice but the food was bad. The potatoes were cold and under-cooked and the swordfish was cold and over-cooked. My friend's order: The salad was blah and the falafel had too much cumin. A manager never came out to say anything to us. At then end, I received the bill and they charged me $3.00 for an unsweetened ice tea which would have been okay, if it was served in an ice tea glass but it was served in a rocks glass (explanation: They served me two sips of ice tea versus a pint size). I will never return to this restaurant and neither will my friend.
(1)
Pauline P.
I had this for lunch the other day, and it was very good. I love Greek food, and so have eaten at many Greek restaurants and this one rates near the top. I had the Athena pizza for an appetizer, and it was amazing. I highly recommend it. For lunch, I had the gyro. I ordered the lemon chicken soup on the side, but it never arrived, which accounts for the 4 stars out of 5. Especially since they charged me for it, which I didn't realize until I had already left. I didn't say anything because I had been in a hurry, and I figured that the waitress had only wrote down the gyro for me. No matter, I'll have it the next time I'm there. Highly recommend this place.
(4)
Lloyd W.
Greek is now up there with Thai on the list of my less Favorite Cuisine.. I'm sorry! Nothing wrong with the restaurant!! I'd give it a 4-Star.. but.. I'm not a Fan ~ Everything on the Menu is New and Refreshing to me Service, Atmosphere.. you can't go wrong with this place Too Bad I don't Crave for Greek food.. But if you're looking for Greek food in SD.. look no further~!
(3)
Alan R.
Great atmosphere for a date night with the wifey! Excellent food at a reasonable price. Will definitely be back!
(4)
Brendan W.
Large gyro but just standard. I've had better. Orders to go are nice, yet finding parking is tough.
(3)
Mrs. S.
I really like this place, although I have to say, I only order one thing over and over again. The chicken couscous is the bomb here. The best I've found in San Diego. I give it four stars because I've never tried anything else, but the people I come with have always liked their food. I don't know that they LOVE it, the way I LOVE the chicken couscous dish, but they've never ordered the chicken couscous. I spent time in Morocco, and this dish actually reminds me of food from Morocco, even though it's a Greek Bistro. Maybe one day I'll order something else, but then I run the risk of it being not as awesome as my favorite chicken couscous. The meat is really flavorful and just falls off the bone. The sauces are perfect - not too salty, very delicious. The couscous is just right, as are the onions, zucchini, and carrots that come with it. It's a perfect combination and consistently well done. Bravo. Keep it up and I'll keep coming. And oh yeah, the service is good, the atmosphere is good with very comfortable, clean, and fashionable indoor and (heated at night) patio seating... it's a great lunch time and dinner spot. I definitely recommend it.
(4)
Joanne B.
I went here for a business lunch yesterday and there's nothing better than a free meal, right? LOL! Of course we had to talk shop during the hour and a half we were there but it's all good since I really like working with this specific Account Manager that was paying for our meal. =) We arrived early before the lunch rush got there and got seated in the corner table in the smaller room. It was perfect since we needed some place quiet so we can discuss plan design changes, implementing the recent federal regs, blah blah blah. During all this, I was inhaling the hummus we started off with before my cup of lemon soup came out. Needless to say, I was h-u-n-g-r-y and needed fuel to stay focused. The soup was good, but it wasn't hot-hot like I wanted, it came out warm so it sorta forced me to finish mine first before it got too cold...I know, lame excuse to inhale my soup. When our dishes came out, I was surprised to see how ginormous my Mediterranean salad with grilled salmon was. I've ordered similar salads with grilled salmon at other restaurants and you'd get half the size of the salmon. For $15 bucks it was worth it, but the salmon could have used a little bit more seasonings. My boss ordered a wrap of some sort, it looked good, but I'm glad I ordered my salad. Would I go back? Yes indeedy! Our server was awesome and he was consistent with our drink refills and checking in on us. This restaurant is pretty, very clean and spacious which makes it a great dining option for those that work in the area such as myself. =)
(4)
Katrina L.
I have mixed experiences with Apollonia because my first time here was stellar, while my second time here was "meh". My deciding factors for this rating are: 1) Service 2) Price 3) Food taste The first time I came here with a friend and no one was in the restaurant so we had excellent, attentive service. The second time I came here was for a networking dinner with a large group of people and we only saw our waitress about 3 times. I know big groups can be difficult to attend to. But in conjunction with the price of the entrees at Apollonia, I'm not sure I would come back here. I ordered the Moussaka which came with a side of rice pilaf. It's in a small casserole dish and i found myself hungry an hour after we had finished dinner. The taste was about 5/10 - so I'm not sure I would come back.
(3)
Escondido C.
Great service, atmosphere and food. Definitely going back. I had the Cesar salad. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because there was too much Cesar dressing in the salad. A little more attention to detail would have earned them my 5 stars.
(4)
Daphna F.
This is my go-to Greek restaurant. I've had a ton of stuff on the menu (live very close to here) and it has always been delicious. They use very fresh ingredients and the restaurant itself has a nice ambiance.
(5)
Marcia K.
I've eaten here many times. Today I met a friend for lunch. I ordered the Feta Bruschetta and my friend ordered the chicken suvlaki. Both were delish. We had a great waitress who was fun and attentive. Even though it was very crowded when we first arrived, we took the only table available on the patio and it was just fine. I've had the Spanokopita several times and it was always great. I finished my meal with a Greek coffee and it was tasty and perfect. It's a pretty restaurant and it's right next door to Bristol Farms. Woo Hoo!!!
(5)
Erika H.
Apollonia is a nice, pleasant little restaurant. I like the remodel they did from when it used to be Aesop's Tables, but there are some interesting, gross water stains on some of the office style drop ceiling tiles, so don't look up. In general, the food is good, but not the best Greek/Mediterranean food I've ever had. I really like the chicken kabobs and the falafel plate here. The appetizers seem a little over priced for what you get, such as $5.99 for some hummos and pita bread; it's such a simple, small dish. The service is okay, but I have never been impressed by it. Tonight, our waitress sternly commanded us to "Save room for dessert" right after we ordered. The way she said it was annoying. Plus, it took forever to pay the bill at the end and we had to wait by the door to get her attention. In any case, I've already been here many times and will continue to return as long as they are in business.
(3)
Teresa P.
Surprisingly delicious place hidden in the Costa Verde strip mall. Love that it's easy to get to, reasonably priced, and quite delicious! We got the tzatziki with pita bread (great deal on happy hour menu), moussaka (lamb casserole), and spinach pastitsio (spinach pasta casserole). Tzatziki was standard, and both entrees were stellar in their own ways. Kind of like lasagna....GREEK style. If you want some greek food that's not the fast food gyro or your typical Daphne's, give this place a try. You might never eat Italian lasagna again. Shoot, I'm looking up Moussaka recipes right now. I just need to slaughter a lamb first.
(4)
Sandra B.
When I booked the table I specify that if was for a birthday of a six year old that loves Greek food. When we arrived on a Sunday for lunch the restaurant is basically empty, maybe 5 table in total and the place is huge. I tell the hostess there is one extra person, and she acts like it's a problem, then she need few minutes to set the tables (again, the place is empty)! Waitress took a while to arrive, bus boy brought only one water to the person that asked for water, and we had to specify "for the whole table"...water and ice teas were never refilled, we had to ask during lunch. We ordered the food, it was ok. Beef was very tender. Then at the end the waitress asks if we want any dessert, I remind her we are there for a birthday and ask if they have any cake to sing happy birthday. She said yes, we can do that! After one minute she arrives with one piece of baklava on a small plate, no candle, not even the slightest decoration (even powder sugar would have worked...) and put in front of the child and left. Now, we didn't expect anything special, but at least one candle!! $100 bill for 3 adults and 4 kids....not worth it!
(3)
Aaron L.
The food is a little pricy, but well worth it for a nice building and good location. The food has always been amazing, and the waiters are very knowledgable.
(5)
Anh V.
large space and a wee slow service. my moussaka was ok but maybe it's because we started so late that i was starved. the gyro diners had much less luck. it was dry and chewy. those who ordered the chicken said it was dry as well. hopefully just an off night. big portions but can be hit or miss.
(2)
E J.
Food is good but service is not. And they have the stinkiest bathrooms. I complained and they said it is something in the pipes. Gross. Totally inattentive wait staff despite empty restaurant. Not worth the money.
(3)
Joseph B.
LOVE IT. There's not one bad thing on the menu. Try the mezedakia.
(5)
Mary W.
Passable Greek food, with less than ideal service. Nice environment with outdoor seating, and located in a nice shopping plaza- with ample parking. Prices are decent, but not worth the quality of the food. Ki Sushi right next door is much better!
(3)
Heather W.
the large amount of mixed reviews for this place had us intrigued so we thought we would check it out and hope for the best. It appeared that those who gave bad reviews went for lunch...well, anywhere in the costa verde shopping center at lunch is madness. i try to avoid that area at all costs! we went for dinner on a friday night around 8:30 and i thought it was a very nice experience. our server was very attentive and friendly and i really liked the atmosphere and interior decorating. i thought they really stepped the place up from the days of Aesop's. their tzatziki appetizer was scruuumptious and the greek salad has a generous amount of feta and greek olives. one thing i do not recommend is pointing to the menu instead of trying to pronounce the food you want. i got the wrong sandwich out of the pointing confusion i made. the server was totally cool about it and got my correct order from the kitchen in probably 5 minutes. i forget the name (not surprising since i couldnt pronounce it!) but it was chunks of chicken, pesto, sun dried tomato, and mixed greens with a garlic type sauce. i thought the pesto and garlic was a bit overpowering and wouldnt recommend it. there were tons of great sounding choices on the menu, however, and ill definitely go back to try something else. probably the chicken kabobs since i always love that wherever i go!
(3)
Konica M.
I just went for drinks and apps at this place and it was amazing. The service was fast and attentive, there were a lot of people but still room at the tables near the bar which was nice. This is the best Greek food I have had in awhile. I will be revisiting in the near future :)
(5)
Donald G.
My favorite Greek restaurant. The Mousaka is awesome!
(4)
Dan K.
Decent Greek food, Dreadful service. Yet, another Restaurant Week adventure for me with two of my friends. We came upon Apollonia because 1) I like Greek food and 2) it's so close to where I live, so why not? The food itself was not bad at all. Appetizers: - The Dolmathakia: Grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, herbs, and rice. Served with Tzatziki sauce. THESE WERE REALLY GOOD. You'd be surprised at all much flavor a grape leaf can add to the already jam-packed flavor of the seasoned meat, rices, and herbs. - Spanakopita: Spinach, feta cheese, onion, egg, and basil in a flaky fried turnover. If you like Samosas, you may be very familiar with this already. Just a different flavor. - Hummus and Pita: Your standard hummus and pita. Nothing special. The waitress was nice enough to bring us more pita bread. But she brought us extremely chewy, cold pita bread (they probably just took it out of the package), instead of the warm, toasted pita they had brought us before. Winner: Dolmathakia Entree: I had the Moussaka. It was a casserole with eggplant, zucchini, and seasoned ground leg of lamb. There was a cheese and sauce layered all over it. Also, a side of rice pilaf was served. It was an extremely heavy dish. So if you're looking to not get too full, or looking to lose weight for that matter, I would stay away from this dish. Nonetheless, I thought the ground lamb had great flavor and the eggplant was HUGE. But everything was delicious and I was satisfied. So here's why I give it 3 stars: The service was slow, maybe because we sat in the patio. The waitress wasn't rude or bad. It's just that she would hardly show up or take upwards of up to 15 minutes to bring certain things. Several times, patrons around us would turn around and scan the patio for our waitress. I could feel the tension in the air. She would always come back with a great big smile and apologize. She must have apologized at least 5 times while we were there. Don't give me your petty apologies! Give me faster service! She didn't bring out my wine until the entree (Although I ordered it 15 minutes before the appetizers came out). She didn't bring the extra pita until we were halfway done with our entrees (by then, we became disinterested in the appetizers). She took forever with everything. And for someone who doesn't have 3 hours to spend at dinner, that's unacceptable. But at least the food was good.
(3)
Mo O.
This is the best greek food in San Diego county I have had and inside is real nice and clean. Parking like every other place can get annoying but you will enjoy your time and food.
(4)
Jennifer B.
We decided to take a trip tonight from N. County for what sounded to be liked authentic greek and mediterranean food and... it was! The atmosphere was contemporary and inviting. We were sat immediately. The menu had ample choices and we actually had a hard time chosing. We decided on Dolmathakia, which is rice and ground beef rolled in grape leaves. They were very good especially in the tzaziki sauce! I had Horiatiki; basically a chunky chopped salad. The server suggested to have it with the lentil pilaf and it was really best that way. I appreciated her suggestion for sure with each delicious mouthful. My date had the Chicken Kebab plate and the chicken was nicely seasoned and cooked. The service was excellent. Everything was timed perfectly so we were able to enjoy a nice meal and each others company. We will be back for sure!
(5)
Max M.
Food was mediocre, felafel lacked crunch, and overall it was as generic as its strip mall milieu. And the service was really atrocious, like unbelievably bad. Had to ask three times for pita bread and hot sauce and it took a half hour, eventually had to get up and ask someone else for it.
When we first came in we were strangely greeted. The greeter at the door more or less stared at us for a while before speaking to us. Then she said something to us that I forgot, but the vibe I got from her was that she didn't actually expect two college students to be eating somewhere as luxurious as a bistro. That kind of attitude extended to the service that we got once we sat down- a little bit cold and distant, which made me feel out of place. I ordered the spinach pastitsio. It was standard cheese, pasta, and spinach. It was okay-tasting, though I can't say I was wowed by the flavors; if anything, it was a little too heavy and creamy for me. This food would've been something I expected from someplace that was not a bistro. Not offensively bad, but not great either.
(2)
Olivia M.
It was delicious. I had the shrimp scorpio dish and I loved it enough that I took it home, also it was a huge dish. The baba ghanoush was also very good. I would definitely go there again.
(5)
Ahmad K.
Over-priced version of Daphne's..... ...an ordinary, humbly portioned gyros pita sandwich and beer will run you about $18, including tax and tip...and that is during lunch.....the crooks even charge you extra for a side of tzatziki.... ...and to make matters worse, they laggggggggg..... I don't really have anything good to say about this place.
(1)
Sonja Z.
Pretty steeply priced for what you get but so far the closest to authentic Greek food I had in the US. The retsina was so so but the mezze were decent and the portions more than sufficient.
(3)
Stephen R.
Delicious food and a very nice atmosphere! My favorite Greek restaurant in San Diego. It's a little more expensive than some competitors, but it's a nice treat once in a while.
(5)
J M.
My favorites were the greek salad with great tasting dressing. The hummus as an appetizer and the chicken/beef kabob with rice pilaf. Everything looked clean and well taken care of and staff checked on us but not so often to be annoying. The staff were also very friendly. The pita bread is fresh and warm. I gave it a 5 star because price matched quality.
(5)
ian F.
Beautiful restaurant in the utc area serving up really good Greek food. I would recommend this place to a friend any day. They are using the best feta cheese I have ever had. The feta bruchetta is awesome and so is the hummis. Today I had the sword fish scewers with rice and the red stuff that I can't pronounce. the swordfish was cooked perfectly and so was the rice. Give this place a shot if you're craving greek in utc.
(4)
Carnation L.
My son & I enjoyed this restaurant. I agree it was very spacious, love the decor, waitress was very gracious. My son had a vegetarian dish he said it was delicious. I had the lemon soup and a shrimp w/pasta dish. I don't remember the name but it was so delicious! I would definitely return.
(4)
Andrea Y.
Really good Greek food! Fast, friendly service. I highly recommend it. My husband and I went last night and we are going back again today:)
(4)
Kate G.
First time here for lunch. It's not a place you would come across accidentally, as it is tucked away in a strip mall. But it seemed pretty busy - so I guess people have found it. Tried Hummus and Skordalia. Both of which were tasty. I had the Falafel sandwich, which was also good, although I would like a bit higher salad to Falafel ratio - that's just me - vegetable worshipper. I wish they had a lunch menu - Greek food is ideal for snacking. And the mixed plates were really too big for our party of 3 to share as an appetizer for lunch - so an appetizer-sized sampler plate is missing. Inside is pretty well decked out for a strip mall, and they have a nice outside patio that is tented in, so again you don't have to know that you are actually sitting on the edge of a parking lot. Other people have complained about the service - but we didn't have any problems.
(4)
Donna A.
Great place second time here recommended highly. Check in on yelp and you'll get a free desert.
(4)
Bailey C.
Took a date here last Friday and had a great time. We sat out on the patio which was great considering the weather, but a little noisy with it being right next to the sidewalk. Our waiter was very attentive and even offered to bring us extra plates when he heard my date and I discussing sharing our meals. I had the Kefka plate and she had the beef kabob. Both were delicious and came with plenty of sides. Reasonably priced at around 15 a plate, I would definitely suggest it to others.
(4)
Carrie M.
A few of us in the office came here for happy hour in May. My rating applies more to the happy hour than the lunch or dinner experience. We had a lovely time. Service was a little slow for hitting the place before the rush, but we enjoyed ourselves and the happy hour prices. The spanakopita and feta-bruschetta were absolutely delicious, the best part of the meal in my opinion. The hummus and tzatziki were also great. They have a decent wine selection. We ended up staying for dinner. The greek salad is huge! The chicken couscous was alright. i had the moussaka casserole, which was had great flavours but was also very very rich.
(4)
Carrie H.
I have been here twice for work lunches, once in December and once in July. Overall it is a good place to go for lunch... it does get fairly busy with the workday crowd on weekdays but it is fairly big so there is plenty of room. Both times we sat on the patio which was very pleasant and I noticed they do have heaters in case it gets too cold. The service was good and I did note that they were very conscious of vegetarian options and informing our party that the tomato soup was from a chicken stock. My biggest complaint is the pricing... It is a bit overpriced I feel especially the sandwiches which you have to pay $3 extra to had fries, salad, or soup. I really would rather they came with the sandwiches as a combo. I had the greek salad which was delicious but a bit heavy on the dressing so I would recommend getting it on the side. I have also had the vegetable sandwich which was also good but a bit bland... they serve it with a garlicky spread which spices it up a bit. In the end I would return here as the ambience is very comfortable and the food is very good.
(3)
B G.
The food is very authentic, much better than getting Daphne's again when I wanna go Greek. Lot's of comfortable seating on the enclosed patio. The gyro pita was amazing! The baklava however was not. It was tough and chewy, not my idea of a good baklava, it did have a great flavor though. This place is a bit upscale and pricey but it could be well worth it.
(4)
Dale A.
I grew up not far from Greek Town in Chicago so really like good Greek food. Apollonia isn't it but isn't far from it. I had the Macedonia Sampler so I could get a sampling of their offerings. My wife had the Moussaka. Both of us enjoyed the meal and thought it was better than average. My only complaint was that the server wasn't really on the ball. Perhaps she was just having a bad night. The second time we went was for lunch and both had Gyros sandwiches. They were excellent, well stuffed and the TzaTziki sauce was among the best I've had. Overall, 4 stars and I'd recommend lunch over dinner.
(4)
James F.
Dinner with the family - we got a variety of entrees and sandwiches and most of us ended up with happy tummies and some leftovers! For an appetizer, we split some falafel and hummus. Tasty stuff, served pleasingly. I got the Riganato, which is a roasted half chicken. the chicken meat fell off the bone in most places, and it was good. the Briami (think a vegetable ratatouille) was ok, and the roast potatoes and garlic aioli were tasty. I had a bite of the Tabouleh that came with my wife's Kefta Plate - it's definitely one of those heavy on the parsley Taboulehs.. yum! Others in our party got the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich, and the Chicken Aioli sandwich, and they seemed to go over well. And my brother had a nice big gyro plate which looked good. Overall, service was good, although not super quick from order to getting food. Nice dining environment.
(4)
Rachel C.
This place is delicious! My friends and I usually sit at the bar, although the restaurant can accommodate small to large parties. Great appetizers and entrees, and a nice, open atmosphere. Since finding this place, I have visited 2-4 times a week. Super good find!
(4)
Julie B.
This is the best Greek food I have had in San Diego. Their Greek chicken salad is my favorite. The dressing is so good. The hummus and pita are always my starter. I have used this restaurant multiple times for lunch catering and they have so many options and deliver and set up the food for you. The owner is always so friendly and even sends me a fifty dollar gift card for every $1,500 ( I think) that I use them for catering. Sooooo yummy.
(5)
Robin L.
Why is Greek food so damn expensive? Sure, it's totally delicious, but I don't see what it is about it that makes a gyro plate $10+ dollars. It's some rice, some pita bread (so...I guess we're already up to abut $1...) and some lamb. Are we paying for the relative age of the food? Or that lambs are WAY more adorable than cows, or pigs? Are we paying for a cuteness factor? "Awww....your kabob is so precious!!" Apollonia is very, very delicious. But I think it's more the type of food than the venue. It's a nice restaurant, and they do have some slightly less expensive options, but it's definitely not a recession-buster. If you do end up here, I'd highly recommend the gyro plate, and a friend of mine swears by the appetizer with grape leaves (I don't remember the name of it for the life of me). Good food, not so good prices. A-OK, indeed.
(3)
Caren L.
I just received an email from the owner, Tony R., apologizing for the bad customer service our group received when we were at the restaurant. For that alone, I am changing my previous rating from two stars to three stars. I do realize that you cannot control your employees all the time, but the fact that customer feedback is important to them is a plus. That, and a whole lot of customer service training for the staff! I will give this restaurant one more try and will visit again someday. Hopefully, my rating will only go up, not down.
(3)
Mike M.
Tucked away in a hard to find corner of a strip mall (it's north of Bristol Farms), Apollonia is a pleasant surprise. The interior is modern and clean and appears to have just been redone recently. We were seated immediately on a busy Friday night although there was lots of room at the bar and on the heated deck (it was raining). The menu is enormous. Too much to choose from. And after tasting the food, I will be back to try many more of the dishes. Starting with the flaming Saganaki - a tangy melted cheese treat with fresh soft pita. Delicious. I also had a craving for Dolmas and found the serving of six in the appetizer section to also be too big to finish. The Dolmas are served warm and with only a hint of olive oil making them more like the Ukrainian cabbage rolls I grew up with - but fantastic none the less and even better reheated the next day. M opted for the Kefta plate - a ground beef kabob served with hummus and rice and delicious rosemary potatoes and a s mall side of tabbouleh salad. I opted for the Macedonian sampler that included skewers of tender beef and chicken souvlaki, spanakopita and tyrokapita (phyllo filled with feta and mint - mmmmmmmmm). Way too much food. No make that way too much good food. Enjoyed a full meal and still took home two plates to savour the next day. I will definitely be back
(4)
Sarah S.
We eat here all of the time and it is really good. The entrees can be a little expensive and as well as adding a salad but their sandwiches are well priced! Delicious appetizers and the best value for restaurant week when it rolls around!
(4)
Charlie L.
I usually adore yelp and more or less agree with the ratings... but I have to question the sanity of a mere 3 star average for this fantastically yummy, fantastically decorated bistro. First of all, food dominates my eating experience (such a rebel, this Charlie-Ann). So the slightly-odd-waiter-with-a-poor-command-of-the-ÂEnglish-language-and-bad-hair-who-generally-does-Âa-fine-job-but-can-be-a-tad-slow-on-the-uptake doesn't bother me all that much, and certainly not enough for me to subtract stars. What matters to me is that Apollonia serves the best chicken souvlaki on this side of the Atlantic. For anything better, you'd have to hop the pond. The Whole Pita (in Santa Ana) still has the best pita bread, but that in itself is hardly worth the drive. Apollonia is definitely the place to eat Greek in SD. In fact, if you must eat a souvlaki anywhere in SoCal - this is the only place to be! I'd also highly recommend the Salmon Dolmas... it's got a green garlicky dipping sauce that is a little slice of heaven. To top it off, the bistro is gorgeously renovated with warm inviting colors, well appointed decor, and classic artistic touches. The patio area is clean, comfortable, and airy. I can't imagine anything short of catastrophic service blunder to mar its 4 to 5 stardom. Boo to the poopie people who gave it subpar ratings!!
(5)
Josh M.
I was never an Aesop's Tables partisan, with I think three or four meals in several years (oh, those Entertainment coupons!) so it didn't bother me much when the space became Apollonia. Now, I'm kind of nostalgic for the old place. I was absolutely fiending for Greek food, so I stopped in for lunch. The pita with saganaki was decent, and it'd been ages since I'd had it, so that part really hit the spot. Ended up taking a lot of it home, which is just beneath Alfredo sauce on the top-ten list of dishes that are never good after time in the fridge. Deciding even part of the Saganaki plate was unhealthy enough for one week, I tried a "heart healthy" selection of aioli (with pesto) chicken wrap. One again, bold sauces are used to cover for mediocre cooking; the chicken was both tough and dry, just above the threshold where I'd have sent it back. The prices are ok, but there's much better greek to be had around town. Leave Apollonia to the UTC-area business lunch crowd.
(2)
abc d.
I went there and will never go back there again. I ordered a salad and a side of gyros. What I got was cold gyros on my salad and the fat from it was starting to harden. Gross. The gyros was hard and I had to place it on a side plate. Only took a couple of bites and that was it for me. The serve was poor as well. We gave instruction on how to charge for the meal and she divided meal incorrectly. Then she said she could not go back and re-ring the bill correctly. Never again will I go there. IF you want Bad Food, Bad Service, and BAD Experience, this is your restuarant.
(1)
Ashley P.
Expensive but tasty. I wouldn't return unless I was in the area and on a date and wanted med food. Nothing terribly wrong with the place. Just nothing to write home about.
(3)
Mia E.
Maybe this should be a 3.5. I think the food is good but maybe not worth the price. I should add that I'm not of Greek or Mediterranean decent so what do I know about authentic Greek food. However, I like the food. The moussaka is good. Nice blend of meat and eggplant; not too cheesy. Oh, and it has a hint of nutmeg...yum! I usually get the gyro plate. It's a little greasy but not drowning. Mix it with the rice and it's all good. I appreciate the sauteed veggies that's served with it. If you don't want the rice, you can request couscous instead. Hummus is extra as an appetizer and to me, is a bit pricey. What I mean by pricey is that lunch with 2 entrees and 2 ice teas, and an occasional appetizer will run us $40-45 including tax & tip.
(3)
Caryl A.
In general, reliably good food and reasonably priced. Also, they make a good Negroni (Italian drink: equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth) that can take the edge off a rough day. As I recall, there are also good Happy Hour prices on wines/beers.
(4)
Rachel S.
Despite the mediocre reviews on here, this is probably my favorite Greek place in San Diego. We come here often (mostly for carryout, which is always ready quickly and made correctly). The times that we've dined in, the service has been totally fine. My only real complaint (and it's a small one), is that the gyro sandwich doesn't come with feta. If you're feeling indecisive, try the appetizer sampler (mezedakia). It's a lot of food, but it's a great combination of some of the best small bites on their menu.
(4)
Michelle R.
Food is okay. Nothing great. Meat was over cooked and tough.. Food took forever to arrive and our waitress was not the brightest... I think our experience was a bit tainted because we were seated behind a family with a SCREAMING 2 year old. The child would not shut up and for over 30 minutes we had to listen to this horrendous sound while the parents tried to amuse the child with lame songs and dance. The hostess and wait staff occasionally looked over at us in pity, but apparently not enough- otherwise they would have offered to re-seat us (the restaurant was not crowded, so they could have done so easily)
(2)
Rory L.
I was surprised about how affordable the food was, considering that it's in La Jolla. The restaurant is really swanky, and even had a beautiful Christmas tree set up by the bar. The ambiance was really nice and class (not to mention the women's bathroom was impeccably clean). The wait staff was also incredibly friendly. We sat on the patio, which was heated by lamps and had the right amount of lighting where I didn't have to squint by candlelight to see my menu. I had a falafel sandwich with a side of rosemary potatoes. The falafel was fair, not the best I've had and not the worst and the potatotes were pretty good. My friend had the spinach lasagna-esque dish (forgot what it was called) but said it was really tasty and my other friend had the Greek salad with the gyros and also enjoyed it.
(3)
Caitanya M.
Okay, so i vacillated between giving it one or two stars, but i decided to be lenient. I'll get to the point: I went to this restaurant with my family and some relatives from out of town. I'll give you the good aspects first (the things that earned the second star): ambiance, and everyone liked the food (except for me, i'll get to that part). Now for the things that made me want to give this place a solitary star: Firstly, the service was slow--just like a lot of other people have said who have reviewed this restaurant. Secondly, the television was playing this horrible program so I asked an older woman, who is perhaps one of the higher managers or perhaps one of the owners? if the channel could be changed. She told me she had been wanting to turn off the tv and shut it off. It was pretty obvious that i didn't want the tv turned off and i told her, "i'm going to be bored" and her response to me, "well, that is too bad." Now, i am a fairly easy-going person but let's get this straight: take about a real lack of customer service. About five seconds later, she realised what she had said but it was too late in my mind. It would have been one thing if she said it jokingly but it was definitely not said in a light-hearted tone. Thirdly, and tied for worst, was that i ordered the grilled vegetable sandwich because i am a vegetarian. I get the sandwich and what do i see? A huge piece of chicken in the middle (the sandwich comes cut in half). Oh, another thing that raIsed the number of stars to two is that they gave me an extra side of the (cold) rosemary potatoes. My advice: get the food for take out ... if you have the time to wait
(2)
Kayla C.
Service was fast.. Design is nice... had the eggplant dip with pita bread...i found the dip VERRRRY DELICIOUS and the pita bread wasn't dry or anything... i also tried the beef kebobs which were very delicious as well...the rice wasn't dry, however not a big fan of the tomato sauce with whatever they put in there that came with the dish. the beef itself wasn't salty (which is a plus, i hate too salty marinated meat) and i think i would definitely come back and try out some other dishes!
(3)
Darren S.
Maybe I need to branch out and order something else next time. On every visit to Apollonia I have ordered the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich and the falafel with hummus and tzatziki sauce. My last Souvlaki had kebab meat that was a bit too charred and dry. Fortunately, the sandwich was saved by their great tzatziki sauce. Looking around every other dish appeared to be more appetizing.
(3)
Arlene P.
I've only eaten here a couple of times, but in essence it's just not that memorable and nothing really compelling to make me want to try it again... Sorry that I don't have more to say. I pass it several times in the week, but nothing in me makes me want to revisit.
(2)
Jenny W.
I'll be the first to say that 1) I don't know a lot about Greek food 2) I don't eat a lot of Greek food because it has lamb, but having been to Apollonia, it has actually made me like it a lot more. I went back yesterday night (2nd time there) and the food was just as good as I remembered the first time. I got the chicken couscous which seems pretty standard and safe. The chicken was quite moist and I loved the veggies with it. I also enjoyed the couscous with raisin a lot. The waiter was initially very attentive, but the service kind of slowed down near the end. No one at my table got a water refill and often had to wave down the waitress to get her attention. Everyone was super happy with the food and we even got the dessert platter. It was of course super sweet (honey to the max) but good in small bits. I'm definitely coming back to try some more dishes. =D
(4)
Brad H.
This will be short and to the point. I met my woman here last night. My mom. We were happily sat in the patio area and started with some pita and humus. Honestly it was the best part of our meals. I had the Spinach Pastitsio, it was filling but lacking a lot of flavor. Mom had some other vegetarian item and it had a salmon bone in it! We both looked at it and it was clearly a very thin bone attached to a bit of meat. Here is the worst part, the waiter took it back to the kitchen for the cook to take a look at it. The cook claimed it was a part of the red pepper in her meal!! How ridiculous is that!? It was clearly meat attached to a bone and they wanted to try and lie to the customer about it to save face. We were both surprised and did not think we could do anything about it. Of course I told her instantly after that, "mom, don't worry, I'm gonna Yelp those bitches." Bam, 1 star, you have just been Yelped.
(1)
Karen F.
i am newly obsessed with this place. everything i get is delicious. the prices are totally legit (10ish per person if you're doing salads or sandwiches), and the outdoor patio is just lovely. here are some tips though- -you have to ask for splenda -get the horiatiki salad over the greek salad -the lentil soup is better than the avogolemono -order the baba ganoush -park in the underground parking area. you're welcome.
(4)
mindy d.
We have had take-out from here and enjoyed it, and decided to eat in here Saturday night. It was almost empty inside, probably because it was 8:45. We had the hummus appetizer, imam bayaldi (eggplant dish), and chicken cous cous. We also had a glass of the retsina (Greek wine, different taste, interesting but wouldn't have it again) and the split of the sparkling wine. Total was $43. The food was really good and served at a good pace. The server was attentive and service was good. Appolonia continues to do well by me.
(4)
Dee D.
Excellent food! Very tasty, not the cheapest but worth it! I can't vouch for the atmosphere, as we did takeout and my assistant picked it up. Very good food!
I love this place...they have a great patio and plenty of seating inside too. When I sit inside, I prefer to be in the back because of the gigantic tv in the bar area. I always think I'm going to try something new...but my absolute favorites are the moussaka and the horiatiki salad with warm lentil pilaf. YUM. Living in UTC, surrounded by chain restaurants, this has become our favorite date night place.
(4)
Richard B.
Five Reasons Why Apryl and I Like Apollonia 1) It's very close to our place. 2) Prices are reasonable. 3) Good for take out. 4) Great tasting, fresh food. 5) Decent service.
(4)
susan r.
I went to Apollonia with a group of 9 and don't plan on returning. The food I did like, the service and price I did not. There really was no service and the price over all was too high. The feta cheese on the appetizer plate was so yummy and a big hit with our table. The hummus got mixed reviews .. I was not a fan .. it was whipped too much and I didn't think it had much flavor. I recommend Dapne's (a fast food greek resturant) much better value and service .. really!
(2)
Lauren L.
In the sea full of mediocre corporate delis, sports bars, and chain restaurants serving bland "mall food," Apollonia is the one decent, if not delightful, restaurant I can truly boast of in UTC. Don't be mistaken, you will not find the typical greasy "street meat" gyros or dry falafel at this joint, which, post-consumption, tends to make me feel like a brown bear who has been shot in the ass with a tranq. I have tried at least five dishes on the menu and can say that all are light, fresh, and delish. The avgolemono soup, tzatziki, spanakopita, greek salad, Aegean swordfish sandwich, and Cretan salmon were all amazing. So if you work in UTC and are looking for a decent, moderately priced restaurant that you can get in and out of in your lunch hour, this is the place to be. And remember, sit on the patio!
(5)
Annie W.
In the past four years, I've passed this place countless times without ever stopping in. Finally, one day out of the blue, a friend and I decided to try the place out. So we walked across the street from her apartment, pass the Bristol Farms and pass the Baskin Robbins, entered the restaurant and were promptly seated in the patio area. It was a nice, sunny day, perfect for a Greek lunch in a covered patio. We ordered wraps and a soup. The tomato based soup we had was very flavorful and chunky (in a good way). My roasted veggie wrap was also very tasty and was stuffed full with a variety of deliciously roasted veggies. My friend enjoyed what ever wrap she ordered and we both had food left over for a second meal. Prices were agreeable and I would definitely come back again.
(3)
Kelly F.
There are definitely some good items on the menu - but nothing amazing. I enjoy their roast chicken and potatoes the best. The chicken is always moist and the potatoes have this nice lemony flavor to them. My friend had them do a catering order for her son's birthday party, and they did a great job. She was able to pay over the phone before the party and the food was ready prepared and in big boxes right on time.
(3)
Dustin L.
Easily some of the best food in the area. I ate there yesterday for the umpteenth time and it was just as good as the first time. The hummus is amazing and the prices are great. So, why four stars and not five? Well, the only thing as consistent as the quality food at Apollonia is the horrible, slow service. Honestly, I don't know what it is about this place. You think that of all the times I've been there I would have had at least one server who was decent. Nope. I've learned my lesson: don't go here when you're in a crunch for time. If you have some time to kill during lunch and want a great meal without having to travel to far, this is the place.
(4)
Nadia R.
Disappointment after disappointment. My boyfriend and I like to go here because its walking distance from our apartment and the food is okay. We like greek food, but at the price and the customer service level (or lack there of) its just not worth it. Last time we ordered take-out, it took them TWICE AS LONG as they had quoted us to get us our food. We ended up getting to the restaurant and standing around for half an hour before they figured out where our food was. When I asked the manager, very politely, if he knew the reason why our food took so long to get out, he said, "we had a dinner rush and it got busy, so that's what happens".... SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS? Rude. You're supposed to be a manager and care about your clients. Just really threw me off and after all of the mistakes they have SO OFTEN made with our food for take-out, a bad attitude is the last straw on the camels back. Never going back there again. I'll take International Market Persian food over mediocre, FAKE Greek food any day.
(2)
Pauline E.
"I know you can be overwhelmed and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?" "I think you can in Europe." Or at Apollonia. This is a place I've been occasionally going to since before it was Apollonia (the name of it before escapes me at the moment). It's a Greek restaurant up the street with quite good avgolemeno soup, which is the plus side, but the downside is that Daphne's Greek Cafe isn't much farther and it's cheaper and pretty good, too. Apollonia, in my opinion, is just an okay restaurant. I'm not blown away by it, but at the same time, it's not a horrible restaurant. It's just your standard place to go to if you want a slightly nicer sit-down place with Greek food. The prices are about what you'd expect for this kind of place and so's the quality. The service is decent (although one time, my chicken was practically still bleeding, so I had to send it back--it took a while to come back and I swear they just popped the chicken back in the oven to cook, then brought it out to me). There's nothing in particular that stands out to me, except the avgolemeno, which could be because I love avgolemeno soup. Other than that, just another restaurant in the crowd. So add Apollonia to the list of places you can be whelmed at.
(3)
Christine D.
I had a wonderful dinner here with my parents last week. The food was wonderful, very fresh and the service was so nice! Thank you for taking such great care of us, Blessings, Christine
(5)
Tati R.
I went to Apollonia after running some errands with my parents. I had a Greek salad and my parents each had a sandwich. The food was good. The soup my mother ordered was amazing but my salad was decent. The dressing on the salad was not very good but the beer I ordered made it better. The waitress was pleasant but there was only one for the whole restaurant which made everything go much slower.
(3)
Sara S.
There are some good Greek places in San Diego and this place is pretty decent. The service sucks though so I won't be returning, which is a shame. I don't care how good the food may be, if you get pissed off by being there it's not worth it. My coworkers took me here for a birthday lunch and it was the first time we had been here. There were 8 of us in our party and we arrived at 11:00 am since we know how crazy places in UTC can get for lunch. The lady at the front, whom I'm assuming to be the manager, asked us if we had a reservation. We didn't have a reservation - we had 8 people not 20 and it was lunch not dinner! She made a big deal about us not having a reservation and then proceeded to look around like she didn't know where to seat us. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE RESTAURANT! That just pissed me off right there. My coworkers and I just looked at each other like WTF. Our waitress was nothing to write home about; she handed out the typical lackluster customer service you get accustomed to. We had to wait forever for our food, in fact someone had to just take their food to go because they were so slow. Maybe it was punishment for not having an f'ing reservation in an empty restaurant. If they would have been more efficient we would have been out by the time the lunch crowd got heavy and they could have had their precious tables back. They won't have to worry about me or my coworkers taking up real estate in the restaurant again. It must be nice to not need repeat business.
(1)
Sophia G.
Kali orexi? Methinks not. One of the main reasons I'm proud to be Greek is that our food is out of this world.... if you know how to prepare it. First of all, there's not a single Greek working in this restaurant. The waiters are generally nowhere to be found and are very unhelpful with everything on the menu. I ordered the moussaka, as this is how I rank my Greek restaurants, but it couldn't even compare to anything I could get at home, church, or even make myself. The vegetarian dolma were dry and just nasty. You have to pay for the pita and the retsina is priced like fine champagne. Apparently they didn't get the memo that retsina is the poor man's wine of Greece. I don't mean to be harsh, but this establishment is a bit embarrassing to real Greeks. You'd do better to drive a bit farther to Zorba's.
(2)
Alessandro M.
Good food, nice service, nice restaurant, good price.
(4)
Shelly Jontilano B.
We loved their dolmathakia, which is always hot and tasty, pita bread is yummy, and pretty much anything you get on the menu is good. The atmosphere is clean, spacious, and decorated with many Greek statues and art. We have been to this restaurant about five times. The first time we had the best service, but subsequently each visit the service was on the decline. One visit, they got my order wrong and the server asked me if I was sure they got it wrong. Another time, our water glasses were not filled unless asked. But the last time we visited, I was 8 months pregnant and starving. Our server took our order and she was no where to be seen for the next half hour. We had to ask for bread and water, our food arrived after an hour, and did not receive any sort of apology for the lack of service. Expect great food and marginal service.
(2)
Vanessa y.
When I first saw the menu, everything looked so delicious that I wasn't sure how to order. The menu has everything a Greek lover could possibly ask for. Unfortunately, the food was a let down. The hummus was a little dry & needed more oil. The pita bread was warm and fresh. My companions thought their food was just okay. One guest asked that the beef kabobs come medium rare and the waitress said that was standard. They came well done. My Greek salad had dressing dumped on it like a kid was painting, I thought it should have been tossed. Then it just had a brick of feta on it. I had to chop and toss the salad before it was edible. The service was horrible from the hostess stand all the way to the waitress and the long wait for the food once it was ordered. Thought it had potential, but mostly a let down.
(3)
Karen B.
I am a fan of this place. The food is sooooo good that I can overlook that the service here is awful every single time I've been, and I've been here a lot. I have never been served a bad meal here. My favorite is a Greek Salad and a chicken kabob. Yesterday I got a Greek salad with a side of gyros and a side of tsaziki. My friend and I split an appetizer of some meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves. The meal came with a generous portion of pita bread. Everything was fantastic. The location is also a good one. We sat in the outdoor seating area and watched people walk by. The service was very slow and the server was not as attentive as she could have been but the food makes up for the bad service. My advice is don't go when you're in a hurry.
(4)
Sarah M.
Let me tell you: I really love Greek food. Let me also tell you: I really love this Greek food. I don't feel like I am in a strip mall and I have always have excellent service. Great pita, great gyro meat, and I really love the chicken couscous. Such a delicious, tender, flavorful dish! They also have great hummus and tzatziki sauce. I enjoy sitting down here, but also taking out. They have reasonably fast and friendly service. Plus, I can walk there :) Always a bonus!
GREAT dining experience. We had a couple of questions about the Greek wine. The server answered them by bringing us a sample. We both had Greek wine. We started with saganaki. It was prepared perfectly and came with more pita than we could eat. Next we had lemon-chicken soup - delicious. It came with more pita. The Macedonian sampler was an outstanding combination. Reasonably priced, way above average in quality and outstanding service.
(5)
Hollan M.
Previously, I was addicted to Aesop's Tables for the "Ouzo Flaming Cheese" appetizer for many years. First, at the old location. Then, they moved and I found them! They changed the name and feel over to Appollonia's. It has taken about three years for a full conversion and remodel (including a whole new menu). It's really beautiful now (the bar, the private dining room -with affordable fixe priced menus, the bathroom -- all I saw was the woman's though -- hee hee). Now, after lunch yesterday with my mum, I can recommend them to you! We had a really nice lunch in their outdoor area. Of course, ordered their flamin' cheese first. Ordered a few glasses of greek wine. Lastly, shared the gyros dish. Perfect proportions, affordable and d-licious! So glad there is another great dining choice in UTC-La Jolla area.
(5)
Nikki J.
I love the place. The Greek salad is wonderful, and so was the gyro. Love the patio seating for summer afternoon lunches with my best pal Judy :-) Good food, service, and reasonable price for lunch.
(4)
Jennie R.
Although not the best food, it is definitely worth it for a quick fix. Sometimes the food seems like it was sitting out or it's a little stale or something, but other than that, the food is GOOD. The salmon dolmas are a must-have. SOMETIMES the food can be a little salty, but other than that, there are great flavors.
(3)
Ruby D.
I wasn't really impressed with this place, mostly because the service was annoyingly slow. The drinks came out fast, which set me up to expect fast service, but the food took a long time to arrive (good thing I wasn't starving!) The check also took a long time to arrive, so when it finally did, my fiance quickly slipped in his card and shoved it towards the end of the table, thinking that would hurry up the process. After another looong wait, we just decided to pay with cash instead and finally leave the place. *I dont know if that other review was talking about me-- but we asked the waiter for the check as soon as we saw him--which was a long wait, he gave it to us, and never came back or even walked by to get the card. I don't expect waiters to read minds, but I do expect them to be available
(2)
Helaana C.
Yes the service is slow. I admit it. BUT this place has the BEST Greek salad dressing in all of San Diego. HANDSDOWN! I work down the street so we usually call in our order ahead of time since we know that they enjoy the leisurely lunch here and unfortunately I only get an hour. The only lunch item I ever order from here is the Greek Chicken Salad because of the dressing of course but the chicken on the salad is delicious as well. I'm also a fan of the hummus starter and the tzatziki with the warm fresh pita bread. YUM. Reasonably priced and for sure my favorite Greek place in San Diego.
(4)
Cris H.
Good Greek food, friendly service, good prices, full bar. Their Lamb Moussaka is delicious!
(4)
Hayley H.
It's sad because food here is pretty decent, but customer service was some of the worst I have ever received. Our waiter seemed very detached from his work, unengaging, and often forgot to take our order and check. I had received a coupon for a free app, and wasn't told until we received our check that my large salad with an added chicken breast at like $14 didn't count as an entree....$14 was more than about half the so called "entrees" cost and certainly more than the sandwiches they called entrees as well. I guess I couldn't depend on the manager to consider that. What made our experience even worse was the waiter took away my 1/2 eaten salad without asking if I was finished or even if I wanted it to go. It would have been nice to have left over salad, but I guess not! THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF (!!!!!) we had probably 3/4 left of out tzatziki and pita app which we had to pay for and we asked to get it to go. So what does the water boy (because our waiter had left us) bring us? One of those tiny condiment cups you get a Quiznos to put your pepperoncini's in. I looked at him and started laughing. You have got to be kidding me! Apollonia needs to reconsider the ineptitude of their waitstaff because God knows neither I or my roommate, or anyone who asks if I would recommend it, will ever return.
(1)
Chupacabra S.
I have mixed feelings on some of these reviews but overall I like and this is one of my favorite nearby places to eat out. I have been coming for years and the place has been through changes, some good some bad. The service tends to be hit or miss. The skinny cute brunette is really good. So is this other blonde girl, very bubbly and attentive. Though there's one older guy who I got twice who was a total retard and I even considered not coming back or at least finding out if he was working the nights he was so I could stay out of his area. Luckily I haven't seen the doofus in months. The quint creepy moustache and skirt wearing transvestite dolls that used to adorn the walls are gone, and now the place does resemble Cesar's Palace in Vegas a bit. Anyone for ouzo bottle service? lol The feta cheese blocks are as good as ever. I get several extra in my salad when I go. They used to give them to me for free, but now charge. Oh well. Shit happens. The new salad dressing is not as good as the old Aesops Table dressing which I totally craved! They dumped my addict ass like a two fiddy ho and I never found a substitute. If anyone knows what dressing they used or ingredients to create it you would fulfill my lifelong dream of having it again. I would give it 3.75 stars but I can't so I'll round up to 4. They do take-out which is handy since I work at a high rise near by. But their people had to ask if I wanted utensils once. No... I'll just suck this down with my fingers............ :p This place is definitely no good for kids. Especially ones that make a lot of noise. I hear there are sharks under the tables. You should leave them at home.
(4)
Angee P.
Great happy hour prices! Food was fairly good, and priced fairly. I was with a large group tonight and we had two waitstaff for about 50 people, and they did an excellent job of staying on top of drinks and meals, despite everyone being spread out around the place. Parking is a little tricky if you get here around happy hour, and it looks like the parking garage is your best bet. All around decent value. I would visit again!
(4)
Matthew M.
3.5 (why aren't there half stars on this site?) The service is good, and the food is good as well. I mean, I can't really think of any way it stands out among the other greek restaurants I've been to, good or bad. The big downside is that the menu is a little pricey relative to what you get.
(3)
Anna S.
I work near by this place and I always get their Gyro and hummus appetizer and i am always impressed. They never mess up my order and it always taste amazing and the prices are great too.
(5)
J L.
Would have gave them a zero if I could have. Food isnt all that and the service sucks royally. Will never go back. If you think you deserve a decent service from a restaurant, DONT GO HERE. ESPECAILLY NOT with a family or kids!!!!!
(1)
John N.
We took advantage of Appollonia's participation in San Diego Restaurant Week twice this past week - it was so good the first time that we had to go back a second time for the experience. Restaurant week pricing was outstanding but they topped it by offering 4 courses for $20. BTW, it's still on until Friday night. We ordered the taramasalata as an additional and it ranks as our favorite. Greek is one of our favorite ethnic foods and this tops the list in San Diego as far as we are concerned. Natasha, our server, added to our experience with outstanding service and a very engaging personality. Checked the menu out and prices for the size of the serving are great -- many entrees in the $12-$15 price range. Some very unusal appetizers and mezes or small plates that could suffice for a dinner.
(5)
Ryan P.
Definitely recommended! Tasty Greek food with a very reasonable price tag. Their Kefta Plate is an absolute favorite of mine (in fact if you ask the waiters most of them will tell you that this is their favorite dish too). It is a pretty large portion of food for only $13. The hummus that comes with it is pretty tasty and the meat patties are so yummy they melt in your mouth. The sandwiches are a bit smaller in portion but also good. I've tried the Gyro Plate and Gyro and Kefta Sandwichs as well and they were all good. For appetizers, I've had the Feta Bruschetta. It was pretty good loaded with a TON of feta cheese. The Fassoulia was also good, with a good balance of lemon juice; definitely a much smaller portion than the Bruschetta though. Overall the atmosphere is good and the staff are friendly too. Outdoor patio is never too cold and there is plenty of space in the restaurant for parties.
(5)
Denise F.
The low rating is for lousy customer service. The food is good and the atmosphere is peaceful. Other than that it is super slow and the waitstaff make it clear they would rather be doing something else. So if you MUST go here, do not be in a hurry, do not go during peak lunch or dinner hours and under no circumstances ask for anything extra (like bread with your soup). Every question you ask, the answer will be "No."
(2)
Theresale L.
the firt time i come to eat apollonia i like i come 1weeky i eit 2 time they the food is great but my daughter come home we at her come to apollonia is the food great .but on the way home she have food poisoning we have to go hospital, we call the manager but they say his not here go back and forth and he dont call back.but it don/t be on in my list. let post for the area is bad apollonia
(1)
trina e.
First of all the 5-stars are for the awesome food! The hostess service is about a 3 and the service gets a 4.5! On the weekends, my fiance and I usually frequent this restaurant for lunch. However, we decided to take his parents there for dinner on a Saturday night around 6:30pm. The entry area was packed with people waiting but there were more than just a few empty tables; when I asked the hostess how long was the wait she said about 45 minutes. We could deal with that since the food is amazing and the service has always been good. But when I asked why there were so many empty tables she snapped at me and said that they were out of SILVERWARE! Ummm, ok. I would never tell my prospective patrons that I was out of silverware. Nonetheless, we decided to have cocktails and wait the 45 minutes. I asked the hostess (mistake) if it was ok to wait in the bar area since we were having cocktails and she said that they were going to be seating the bar tables, so...no. As my fiance and his father brought over our drinks, we perched them on a wall adjacent to the bar. Well, I felt really silly looking over the wall into a half-full bar while sipping my cosmopolitan so I made a beeline to an empty high-top and signaled my 60-something future in-laws and my fiance over to join me. Ultimately, no one came over to ask us to move but the hostess came by and gave us the stink eye and I smiled. We were seated about 15 minutes after that. So, to the staff at Apollonia: Your food is awesome but the customer service skills need some polishing. Oh yes, hope you bought some additional silverware and extra plates for the ones that I may throw next time I have too much ouzo and decide to finish with a loud OPAH!
(5)
Tom H.
Love this place! Great drinks and food...always good service.
(4)
James H.
This place has some great greek food. I sometimes get the lemon soup and gyro and I'm satisfied. However they have some other great dishes like grecian feast or gyro plate. Overall this place is amazing.
(4)
Monica S.
Pretty good for the price! Various greek sandwiches in the $6-$7 price range. Good lunch spot if you work in the UTC area but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here!
(3)
Robert B.
This place use to have charm, elegance and great food when it was known as Aesop's Table. It is now known of course as Appollonia Greek Bistro. I think the original owner sold the place but I'm not certain. I do know that the "bistro" has had a major redecoration. (I liked the old design much better). Too bad they didn't spend the money on maintaining the quality and service that Aesop's was known for. I went here recently with my kids and the food quality was poor. The pita bread was stale, and I had a small bug crawl out of my lettuce.
(1)
Mohit D.
After reading the reviews , I didn't know what to expect from this place. After having lunch there today, I'm a fan. Menu is extensive - a lot more than the typical Greek place. Service was very good, from initial greeting through our final check. The ambience is nice and somewhat upscale. And the food was very good - wouldn't quite say excellent but very good. I would go back again.
(4)
Kships J.
So the service sucked. I swear we waited for SOOOOOOOO long and we were starving by the end. They didn't even tell us how long the wait would be so we just sat there for practically an hour. And when they finally served us, it was like nothing was wrong! No apologies for taking so long or anything. But the food was alright, the spinach casserole was pretty good, but you can't eat the whole thing by yourself because it's just spinach and a lot of cheese with a little bit of pasta. The sandwich was a disaster - super dry, and pretty tasteless. If you're seriously hungry, I would recommend going somewhere else instead. Otherwise, order something besides the pita sandwiches.
(1)
Amber G.
I walked in at 5:45 and requested a table for one. The hostess gave me a funny look and asked, "Just you?" "Yes," I clarified, "Just me." She told me she'd have to check and see if they'd be able to seat me and that it would take a couple of minutes. I took the opportunity to use the restroom. It was clean. I returned to the hostess station and was told that Friday nights are typically really busy for the restaurant so if I wanted to eat alone I'd have to eat at the bar area. It's a perfectly nice area (though she said it as though it were engulfed in flames) so I took a seat. Unfortunately as soon as they sat me they forgot about me - maybe if they had let me sit in the actual restaurant with the real people they would have remembered that I was there. But I guess the sight of me eating alone would have made the other diners lose their appetites. My waiter finally arrived and took my order and he was friendly enough. The falafel plate was ok but definitely not the best I've had. And for the price ($12) it should have come with french fries for sure. My pineapple juice ($4) was delicious. After I finished I placed my napkin on top of my plate and pushed it to the side to signal that I was done. When that didn't work quickly enough I switched to making pleading looks with my eyes at every waiter and busperson who walked by. Then I started loudly slurping the remains of my pineapple juice but even that wasn't enough to get my waiter's attention! After 20 minutes of attempting to use subtle tactics, I gave up and asked the hostess to get my waiter. He returned and finally granted my request to bring me my check. To the restaurant's credit, they were really busy, even at 6:00. I was seated very close to the hostess station and I heard numerous parties receive the sad news that without a reservation they would have to sit outside or in the bar area. I didn't hear anyone get it delivered in quite the same manner I did though. The food isn't bad but I wouldn't seek it out. The service, however, is something to avoid. If you must have Greek food and you can't travel far, come here but get take out.
(2)
Ray O.
I have to give 5 stars because of the Appetizers and the lamb! Love them both.
(5)
Doug R.
Vanessa is the best. Waitress !! The food was all great. I will be back soon!
(5)
Robert P.
I've been here a few times for lunch, and the food is quite good. I like the kefta wrap (some sort of ground meat patty) and the gyros, and the hummus is decent. The calamari aren't bad either. Overall, the food is nothing amazing, but it's consistently good. The service, on the other hand, is really inconsistent. Sometimes I've been well attended to, and other times it takes forever for the waitress to appear to take your order, forever for the food to come out, and then you basically don't see another employee until you have to go fetch someone so you can pay and get out of there. The patio is pretty nice considering it's in a strip mall, but the inside dining room is terrible. It oddly reminds me of some cross between an outdated museum cafeteria, and a greek-themed las vegas casino. I don't care for it at all.
(3)
Lee F.
Fortunately, it seems they've ironed out some of the wrinkles that Gloria and her friend had to suffer through. This place has been massively remodeled since its days as Aesop's Tables. I *love* the layout here. The space is open, airy, and winding. It really lends a casual, clean, friendly, old-world feel to this solidly upper-middle-class location. The patio is fairly large and boasts upscale chairs and booths with cozy pillows. The color scheme is purty, the menu design is solid, the interior design is spot on. The bathroom is very clean and modern. I came here for lunch with a coworker (whose review is, I'm sure, pending). If you stick to the sandwich or salad sections of the menu, the prices are reasonable. If you want an entree, be prepared to spend $15-$20 before you walk out. I got the only "clever"ly named menu item, the Aesop Pit-za (pizza on a pita, get it?!). It was pretty tasty, and generous with the feta. Perhaps that's why it was so salty. My compatriot got a falafel sandwich preceded by soup and seemed quite pleased by everything, especially the soup (tomato basil, I believe). They're building what looks to become a bar. I can see this becoming a night spot for greasy Europeans in light tan suits over unbuttoned white blouses in the near future. But I mean this as a compliment. It lends a certain credibility that I can soak up over lunch while avoiding the hair gel and gold jewelry.
(4)
M. M.
Met up with a few friends on a Friday night. Ambiance was very nice....unfortunately that was about ALL that was very nice. Service was 'ho-hum' -- I've seen worse for sure, and I've seen better. As for the food....I'm not Greek food critic. But I've had better Greek food than this before. It's better than the imitation stuff you get at Daphne's but I've paid the same for a lot better Greek food than this. Food wasn't terrible, but I expected better. The glass of wine I ordered tasted a little old. Too bad it was a bit of a dud....because it's a great ambiance to take a group of 8 or 10. I'll be trying something else the next time I want Greek food.
(2)
Sarah M.
I went here for a work lunch the other day, and overall, wasn't SUPER impressed. I was expecting a lot with the elegant layout of the restaurant, but was terribly disappointed by the service. It took forever to get our food, and once we did, one of the dishes we ordered had a hair on it, which we sent back. Overall, our meal took 1 hour and 20 minutes, which was annoying for me because I was forced to take an extra long lunch break, hence, I had to stay at work longer. About the food, I ordered a spinach dish which had cheese, spinach, garlic, and pasta. It was pretty good. The first few bites, I was enjoying it a lot, but once I got toward the middle, it got kind of old. I also ordered some dessert, it was custard with an orange zest covered in a fried wrapper. It was also pretty good, but a little disappointing because I was expecting custard, but got something not smooth and creamy, but of a cottage cheese/bread consistency. I don't really know if I'd come back. I'm not a huge fan of Greek, and with the not-so-great service and the food not being AMAZING, I don't really have enough reason to return. The place is aesthetically pleasing though, I give them credit for that. :)
(3)
Niraj P.
The food is mediocre. I actually like greek food and went with a friend who is greek... he also thought it sucked. I guess you can't expect much from UTC. Everything in the area is overpriced and not very good. This is no exception. The place is pretty fancy and the service is decent. The food is overpriced, not very good and many of the items are pretty small portions. The worst part is that they charged for extra pita bread that they bring out for the table. WTF? Not very classy for a restaurant to do that. I don't know any good greek restaurants in SD, but I recommend you keep searching elsewhere.
(2)
Kate M.
I liked it better when it was Aesop's tables, but way back in the day. Aesop's last few years weren't too good, as they tried to become classier and classier. The decor at apollonia is nice indeed, but it feels so FAKE. Kind of the feeling you get when walking through Caesar's palace in Vegas. So incredibly fake and done up. A greek restaurant is supposed to make you feel sunshine and rocks and studly men with blue eyes. This place tries for that old world feel, but ends up feeling rather stuffy. I'll admit the sandwiches and salads are good, but just about everything else is over priced. Their feta cheese is some of the best I've had a restaurant (not as good as Trader Joe's sheep milk's feta, but what is?) The service here sucks. Not only is it ridiculously slow: 5 minutes before the wiater introduces himself, 10 minutes before he brings your drinks, ANOTHER 10 minutes to take your order, and good luck with how long your food will take to bring. Each time I've come I get this overly polite but incredibly dense guy who's all smiles but can't keep an order straight and forgets that he has customers out on the patio. Bottom line is, I keep coming back but only because the next best thing is all the way in PB.
(3)
Allison T.
Normally I am a fan of Greek food. Normally I am also a fan of customer service... Back in the day, when Apollonia was Aesop's Table, I would order food from them for meetings at work. Everyone loved the food so I thought to myself: "self, I bet the actual restaurant is pretty cool beans." I don't know whether it was the name change or what the service was like when it was Aesop's, but after checking it out twice during the lunch hour with co-workers, I was really dissappointed. The food was pretty good, but the service was dismal. Our server took FOREVER to refill water glasses or take our order. It was like we had no business tying up his day with our presence. I would be happy to chalk it up to just that particular server, but the second time we went there for lunch we received the same treatment. Now on the flip side, I was taken there for dinner and the experience was a complete 180. The server was attentive, recommended wines, let us try samples of wines to assess our taste, and was prompt with our food. I think based on the fact that the service is such a crap-shoot, I will do one of two things: either only go there for dinner, or just try a different Greek place all together.
(2)
vanessa f.
I've been on a hummus kick lately. Some hummus and pita bread from the grocery store and viola! instant dinner! Apollonia offers a few more options besides hummus, as well as a very satisfying dessert menu. Also a nice place to read a book while lingering over a glass of wine.
(4)
Carina F.
My friends recommended this place - said they loved it...So we went with them and I like how they remodeled the place. There is a nice big patio to sit at outdoors with nice seating and decorative pillows. Inside there is a large circular hostess stand with the waiting area built in around it. Sort of an interesting concept. It looks like there is a bar under construction that might be nice when complete. The walls are painted more in Tuscan colors than Grecian, but it's tasteful, and the walls are adorned with replica Greek statues, sitting in wall cutouts. The design is definitely well-done. First time I went, our server was kind of odd. He was sort of mumbly and may have been foreign, just because of his sentence structures which didn't make much sense and kept us very confused. Food: Warm pita bread, it was OK, can't tell if it was store bought or homemade. We started with the Meditteranean salad - it's large and had gorgonzola, candied walnuts, and sundried tomatoes. No problems with the salad. I've since gotten it again if that says something. Ordered the mahi mahi (it was recommended by my friend). It was good, but heavy, sort of in a Spanish tapas way - topped with a buttery lemony sauce. Don't get me wrong, it was a large piece of fish and it was well-prepared. It came with rice (but looked like Rice-a-Roni) and a side called Biundi (???) that tasted like a reduced minestrone soup - basically bell peppers, zucchini, and onions with whole tomatoes. **Note: this was almost a $20 dish. Should have been closer to $15** The guys with us ordered the same thing, the Macedonian Sampler. That was HUMONGOID and has basically one of everything you'd want to try at a Greek restaurant. They gobbled that up so I *think* they liked it! Second trip back, I went with different people. This time we sat on the patio and it was quite pleasant. No flies and the seating was comfy. BUT this time we got a WEIRDO waiter. He was a slouchy-backed, pony-tail sportin', slow weirdo that dissed the kitchen and blamed the hostess for seating too many people in his section. That part didn't make sense either since there were 3 other tables but they were all wrapping up. I think he was just slow. And this may be his first serving job. Our salad and entrees took forrrrrrrrrrrrrrever. If we hadn't had been enjoying our convo, we'd have been a lot more irritated. Anyway, this time I got the hummus as an appetizer which came with warm pita bread. Nothing wrong with that. I ordered the Chicken Aioli sandwich this time and it was very flavorful and would get it again. Nicely priced right under 7 bucks. Kind of informal though for a restaurant since it was wrapped in a paper-backed foil that you would have gotten at Extreme Pita or something. I'd order this for lunch again.
(3)
Liko H.
I've been here for lunch and also for their new champagne brunch, which I am a huge fan of. They just started it this August so I hope it continues. You get a lot of food for the price ($20) and unlimited champagne so you can't go wrong. Otherwise I think the food is reasonably priced (mainly due to the setting) for a nice sit-down restaurant. Everything I've tried so far was very yummy. The vegetarian moussaka was my favorite, but also anything with lamb is good. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming, even outside on the patio. It's very relaxed and comfortable. Come early on a Sunday and sit outside for brunch and chill :)
(4)
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Address :8650 Genesee Ave,Ste 106
San Diego, CA, 92122
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Greek food is a fine melody of the finest pressed olive oil, fresh fermented bread, colorful vegetables, juicy meat, sea food all cooked in spices and fresh rosemary. The people from Greek were great scholars who aimed to excel in everything they do. The results are quite visible in their food as they are the inventors of olive oil which is beneficial to health. Greeks also made different type of wines from the best quality of grapes fermented in controlled environment.
Today, you can find hundreds of restaurants offering authentic Greek food or popularly termed as Mediterranean cuisine in New York city alone. People wait in line to taste the exotic Greek dishes like saganaki, taramasalata, souvlaki, loukoumades, spanakopita, moussaka, and many more. One thing which most people like about these authentic Greek dishes is abundant use of lemon juice, olive oil, fresh rosemary and sea salt. A smart mix of few ingredients can virtually take you on the pebble streets of beautiful city of Greece.
For those who don't have time to enjoy fine dining should try tasting the famous souvlaki with pita which is type of meat dish, also a trademark Greek fast food. For those who are vegetarian, or vegan can try different versions of Greek Salad. So, if you wish to enjoy a hearty yet healthy meal that tastes divine then try dining at the best Greek restaurant in your city. Greek cuisine not only tastes good but also help maintain your body in a natural way through healthy diet.
Kristen M.
I have been here a dozen times or so, today was my first time post-remodel/ name change. Wow, the place looks snazzy! Food seems the same to me. I'm such a sucker for tzatziki and pita bread. I could subsist on these two items alone. Today I had the chicken aioli wrapped in a pita, which was pretty good. My friends got salads, they commented that it was a bit off today. Maybe the winter veggie thing? I was happy with mine. The service I have experienced is really good. Maybe because they kind of know us there...but the one waiter with the long ponytail is always on his A-game (lunch time is when I always go). And the chef/ owner is extremely nice, I once lost my wallet back in Aesop's reign and he was soooo accomodating. PS they found it for me :) Iced tea here is mmm mmm good.
(3)Laura R.
Great business lunch location, also good for bringing the folks and in-laws when everyone converges on your home (as mine have been known to do!). The dolmathakia, avgolemeno soup, and Greek salad are all excellent.
(4)Brent N.
Don't know why I keep going back to this place??? Just had Beef Slouvacki (sorry butchered spelling) sandwich again. They dropped the size of the beef cubes in about half. Service was the worst. I even asked for a manager and she never came. What happened to this place? It was once OK. $14 for lunch and it was a waste.
(1)Nitsa J.
I recently came here for an engagement party. They had the outside patio reserved, everything was set up great (appetizer table), the servers were attentive and helpful, the lighting was just right, and the tables and chairs were setup quite nicely to fit a large group. This is one of the better Greek restaurants in San Diego. Everything I had was delicious. Everyone loved what they ordered and no one had any complaints on their food. The service, food and ambiance were all winners for me.
(4)Benjamin W.
I will start by being nice...The food isn't BAD by any stretch of the imagination. I went there a long time ago for appetizers, and I only had one food complaint. The grape leaves were horrible, they tasted like greasy alcohol laden soggy balls of bad brown rice in a nasty ass grapeleaf. Real grape leaf rolls are wonderful, these were lacking to say the least. The rest of the appetizers were very good, and the hummus was above average. The second time, the food wasn't bad either(how hard is it to make a ceasar salad). However, when you pay 24 dollars for a green tea and a half a chicken ceasar salad, it's unacceptable. Who charges you for each cup of hot water they bring you for the same tea bag? That's ridiculous. $4 (i think, it's been a while though so I could be wrong), to add a chicken breast to a half a salad? Is that even possible? Bad service. I got the guy who decided it was "hit on the asian girls at the next table day", and needless to say, he was an idiot. He wasn't even good at flirting with those poor girls, and the crap they talked about him each time he left was hilarious. As such, I got zero service, which i really didnt care about until he dropped my basket of pita bread on the ground, picked it up then set it on my table instead of taking it back in. All I could say was "You're kidding right?" he looked at me like I was from a foreign country, and trying to kill him. He got more from the kitchen, but I was tempted to beat his face in with my coffee mug. Finally after he set down my tea cup so hard some of it splashed out on my shirt, i gave the guy a talking to. In fact I almost kicked his ass. I ended up tipping him, because i felt bad for him, he needed some hair implants, and my 4 dollar tip went towards the cause I'm sure. I also didn't want him taking out his obvious frustration ont he next poor customer. Bottom line: the ugly skinny guy with little to no hair on top of his head that's probably in his early thirties and works during the day...Is a clown. Food is acceptable, but pricey. I would skip it, and if you are really craving strip mall style greek, try daphne's, at least you won't ruin a shirt with twice charged green tea. EDIT: The Mexican busser, was a real gentleman about the poor service, and tried to make things right, I give kudos for his attitude, in fact i gave him a seperate tip for helping me, when my waiter was too busy trying to fix his combover to realize the asian girls sitting next to me were already gone,a nd he could go back to actually waiting table (non plural, because it was only me in the section he had).
(2)Randall G.
Went with a party of six for dinner. Entrees come with rice and stewed tomato and zucchini. For an extra $3.25 or so you get bread (pita) and choice of a small salad or cup of soup (egg-lemon or rice-tomato). I chose the lamb kabob entree, which unfortunately was dreadful: the lamb chunks were so tough they were almost impossible to cut, and the flavor was unpleasant. However, the other members of the group enjoyed their selections (moussaka and gyros). No one asked if we enjoyed the meal or if the food was OK, and when our waitress cleared the plates she didn't ask why I'd left all my lamb, so I don't know if they'd have tried to remedy the situation. It's possible I was given the worst lamb, or perhaps it was because I'd requested mine cooked medium rare, or maybe it's always that bad and most people don't care. My salad was average, not especially good nor bad. The stewed tomato and zucchini was acceptable (it could have used some more seasoning but wasn't unpleasant).
(2)Jill H.
To be honest, I miss Aesop's Tables, the original owners, and I think this restaurant's sister restaurant, Cafe Athena, does a better job with the cooking. I do l iike that this restaurant is convenient, never too busy, is quiet with a nice atmosphere and has a great staff. Some of the prices are high, but I've seen worse. I wish they'd bring back the Aesop's original menu though, and I think it's worth saying twice here!
(3)Connor Y.
The food is prepared quite well, but the service...not so much. My girlfriend and I came her once hoping to use a Free Humus coupon on a plate of tzatziki instead, priced at $6 and $4 respectively. HMMMM, be: A) unaccommodating, completely unreasonable and quickly deny the request at the risk of pissing off a customer or B) save your restaurant an extra $2 and make the customer happy by fulfilling a simple request. You can figure out what happened, and understand the annoyance that ensued when she continued to keep up her disingenuous attitude of friendliness. Service aside, the chicken riganato and chicken kabob were very delicious, the riganato topped with flavorful herbs with a side of house potatoes that were equally tasty. My girlfriend loves their spinach pastitsio too (a spinach caserole type dish baked with cheese). Get this place to-go to avoid the hassle of dealing with dimwits.
(3)Kevin K.
I went with group of my friends to eat lunch. I was excited because I was really hungry. The food was found to be very authentic. I liked the quality of the food. i loved how the interior looked like. I think the place is little pricey. The service is great. Very friendly staffs.
(3)stella m.
Good food, but really horrible service. Example: We had a coupon for a free appetizer of hummus. We asked if we could substitute this for an order of tzatziki, which happened to be CHEAPER than hummus. We were flatly denied by our waitress, who didn't even ask the manager or even look like she cared to ask. After this request, our waitress was awful and practically invisible for the rest of the time, to the point where we decided never to come back for a sit down meal. If you order from this place, order TO GO, and avoid any hassle with the staff.
(3)Arakel K.
This is one of the best greek restaurants i have ever been to. The Feta cheese is delicious, the hummus is Supurb, the Kebabs are just indescribable this place is just delicious.
(4)Ryan C.
This place has really improved since the remodel and name change. The prices are very good for the lunch sandwiches and so forth, with some nice atmosphere and service. The only bother is there are some annoying big-screen TV's everywhere, but that's so common these days. The dishes are very well executed and it's a great find for a La Jolla strip mall.
(4)Vijay S.
I have been to this restaurant about 4 times and its with good reason. The ambiance is fantastic. The price is right for the food. The food is good. I have had all their veggie entrees and all of them are extremely tasty. The service is good and centrally located. Its one place where you can take any one and will be liked by all..
(5)Mel N.
3.5* Service was quick and friendly. The restaurant is nice and clean, plenty of seating and a good vibe. The food was tasty and plentiful. it's good greek food, not the best i've had but certainly worth the price.
(4)Christine B.
I have been enjoying there since they were Aseops Tables (which is the name I still prefer to use). I personally have never had a bad thing on their menu. I love their greek salad, their pita bread is amazing and not greasy and the briami is heavenly. My boyfriend has had almost everything on their menu (we used to go to here once a week) as he far more adventurous than I am. I also like to bring visitors there. I will say when they remodeled, changed the name, and got rid of the crayons that you could color on the table, they also increased their prices which is also a negative for me, hence 4 stars over 5. Do I still go there? Yes. As often? No. All in all, I would recommend it.
(4)Bill C.
I have a friend who works nearby this place and she loves it, but it really just doesn't do it for me. The food is pretty good, but it's nothing special. The thing that I really hate about this place is the service! They are verrrry slow, even when we go in at 11:30 for an early lunch and there is hardly anyone there. One waiter (dark hair, goatee) is great, but we always end up with this blonde girl who gets pissy with us when we want to split the bill. Ugh! If you're having a craving for greek and you've got some time, give it a try, but if you're in a hurry or want something 'special', skip it!
(3)Lisa D.
It's about time that I write a review about Apollonia. I order food from here at least once a week. I've never eaten in though so I can't comment about the service. The chicken kebabs dinner entree. The chicken is tender, the rice pilaf is delicious, and the briami is also very good. Add a small Greek salad to your meal for $3.99 -- it is delicious and a great size (though you are pretty much stuffed at the end of this meal). I will get the gyro sandwich every now and then which is good. The chicken couscous was great also. The chicken was sooo moist. Apollonia is the sister restaurant of Cafe Athena in PB. I was against liking this restaurant for a long time because of the negative Yelp reviews but after eating here every week for the past few months, I can't really hide my like for this restaurant.
(4)Amanda S.
I have always had great food here but have noticed that the service has definitely been lacking. I think that the previous owners which more friendly. I do have continue to go because it is convenient for work meetings and I love Greek food.
(3)Brooke S.
yummy!! i ilved in greece for a few months so have a high standard for greek and mediterranean food. Apollonia met my expectations and provided a great meal, albeit lacking in atmosphere. Delicious hummus, kefthedes and babba ghanoush. I had the Moussaka....delicious eggplant and zuccini smothered with lamb, bechamel and cheese. I also had bites of the moroccan chicken (deeeelish) and flaming cheese (why can't i remember the greek word!?!?) gracious service, good prices, great food....a great place for a weekday dinner.
(4)Joan S.
I went here for lunch today with a friend and my 14 month old daughter. The food was decent and the prices were ok, but the service (or lack of) really turned me off to this place. We were seated directly behind the check-in area, and we had a high chair for my daughter- the host haughtily informed us that we needed to pull the chair in as closely as possible because we were creating a fire hazard. Did they not realize this when we asked for a table and a high chair? We certainly could've been seated elsewhere because there were other open tables. Secondly, we attempted to flag down our waiter to no avail, then had to give our order to another waiter who conveyed it to our actual waiter. Our waiter said approximately 7 words to us throughout our entire meal and seemed to be avoiding our table as if we had the plague. Lastly, I ordered a milk for my daughter. They brought it promptly enough, in a GLASS. Um, she's 14 months old. She's going to break real glassware. Thankfully I had a plastic sippy cup to transfer the milk to, but I really couldn't believe that they didn't have a plastic kid's cup to put the milk in considering they have a children's section on their menu. Needless to say, I was underwhelmed. The food was fine, but the pathetic service we received gives me absolutely no desire for a repeat visit.
(2)Holly H.
We were a group of 7 last night having dinner at Apollonia. We ordered a few items that all had chicken in them. Nothing deviating from the printed menu - just some salads. For some reason, they all came out minus the chicken! Initially, our waiter said something about a problem in the kitchen and that he was working on it. A few minutes later he said that someone else took his chicken and that the chef was making it fresh for us and it would be "one or two more minutes." Time passed and we had all finished our food, and the chicken was finally brought out with no real explanation. All our waiter offered is that he was sorry. When the bill came, there was no adjustment made and nothing offered by the manager, even though he was the one who eventually delivered the chicken to our table. He was very aware that there was a major problem in the kitchen. This service was abominable! We have all agreed that we have eaten there for the last time. Too bad Aesops is no longer in business.
(2)Raul Duke W.
Zeus wouldn't eat here, but I'm not Zeus. I love how ouzo changes color when poured over ice! It's clear when it's warm, but pour it over ice and it becomes white-ish. When you do this, it almost becomes a totally different drink right in front of your eyes. In this way, the service at Apollonia is somewhat like ouzo. Sometimes it's warm, but sometimes, almost unpredictably, it changes and becomes cold. In the 6 or 7 times I've been here, the service has never been terrible per se, but it's hit or miss. The food, in my opinion, is better than the service. The gyros here are no better than those at Daphne's, and a little more expensive. However, some of their other dishes are quite delicious. I like the Kefta plate when I feel like meat with tomato-ish sauce. When I want soup, their avgolemono is hot and Greekish--and goes very well with Mythos, which is cold and Greekish. Many of their dishes are moderately priced and offer a range of choices for people of the meat-loving and vegetarian persuasions. I will continue to come here until they piss me off or raise their prices...
(3)Rebecca E.
I came for an early lunch one day and was seated on the patio before the rush started. It was very cozy and our waitress was nice, and prompt--in the beginning. As the rush began, the service became slower and slower, which is understandable. I ordered the Grecian Feast with an appetizer of the regular Hummos. The Hummos was great, I loved the consistency. This is the first time I'd tried Greek food, so when my plate came out, I was a little confused as to what everything was. Our waitress took the time to explain everything, and for this I am appreciative. I LOVED the Dolmathakia, Gyros, Briami and rice Pilaf. The Moussaka, however, was wayyy too salty. I'm not sure if this is how it's usually made, but I definitely will not be ordering that again. All in all, I plan to return.
(4)Cindy G.
There used to be a different Greek restaurant in the same location, and then they remodeled, renamed it, and apparently re-priced all of their food. The food is good, but my coworkers and I all agree that it is a bit over-priced. While the old place was on our weekly lunch rotation, we probably only make it to Apollonia once every couple of months. Good, but not overwhelming.
(3)Prasad N.
Never disappointing. I always take visitors to San Diego to this restaurant.
(4)W L.
I was visiting from LA and ate there for lunch with my husband, sister and 2 yr old on Monday around 1:00 during the New Year week. So business wasn't that busy. Everything was OK until my son started crying because he didn't want to eat the food. And then all of a sudden a waitress walked by and told us that we need to take my son out because he was bothering other customers. First of all, she didn't stop at the table to tell us this. She walked pass the table and just told us that we need to take him out. Second, she blamed that the other customers were bothered by it but there were really only 3 other tables and 2 of them have kids of their own, they looked more busy trying to feed their kids than to worry about other kids crying. Third, she didn't ask, didn't say please, didn't ask if there is anything she could do. Just basically that he needs to leave because he was crying. What kind of messed up service is that? If she had stopped by the table to ask nicely, we would have gladly take my son out to relax. It was rude, impolite and unacceptable. So if you have kids, don't bother going there unless you don't mind being ordered out of the restaurant when the kid misbehaves.
(1)A R.
My boyfriend and I went to Greece last year and he is still talking about the food. So when we decided to try Apollonia I figured the food would never compare. We were quite surprised, the feta blocks were great, pita was fresh and since we went at happy hour everything was incredibly inexpensive. Nonetheless, it is located in a strip mall, but if you live in UTC you're used to that.
(4)Orlando C.
I just had lunch at Apollonia, and unfortunately I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. I ordered the chicken cous cous. The chicken arrived, was cooked, but was cold to the touch ! This means that it was probably prepared the day before and was supposed to be reheated. It took me 10 minutes to get the attention of anyone, and I finally flagged down the manager. She took my dish back to the kitchen. When the dish was returned it is clear that they had merely popped my plate, as-is in the microwave. After thinking about the notion that my chicken was not freshly cooked, I decided to not continue eating it. Neither the server or manager ever returned to ask if the chicken was prepared to my liking. ** Note: I use Daniel and PerSe as my industry benchmarks for the Yelp Five Star Rating. To Date, I do not believe San Diego has any restaurants that warrant a Five Star rating **
(1)Meredith R.
I am still searching for tasty Greek food in the San Diego area. This place was OK for restaurant week, but honestly not worth the drive or money. The Saginaki, however, is excellent (though my boyfriend claimed it made him sick to his stomach the next day... I had no problems). The hummus is mediocre, and the service was terrible. Maybe we just hit them on a bad day, but it didn't seem overly crowded, so I don't know what the deal is.
(2)Sushant P.
The ambiance is fairly ordinary Service was sub-par. We were in a hurry and had to wait for about 50 minutes to get our food after ordering, and nobody came by for 10-15 mins. at a time to serve an area with at least 10 tables. There was no mention of waiting time before we ordered and we were pretty frustrated till the food arrived. The food quality is ordinary at best. It was far from satisfactory: the pita sandwich was especially dry and the casserole was barely satisfying. I suggest Daphne's, a fast food Greek restaurant very close by with a much better quality of food.
(1)Alexi H.
I love this restaurant. Everything I've had on the menu, so far, has been tasty and well presented. The atmosphere is a huge improvement over the previous Aesop's Tables, with a nice combination of modern wood, glass, and granite along with some required (sorta cheesy) art that reflects the greek culture. My favorite dish is the Vegetarian Phantasia which is large enough for two. I must say that I have not had a problem with service which was friendly but could be a bit on the slow side, which may not be a bad thing when you are enjoying a leisurely dinner (and shouldn't it be leisurely in a Greek diner?). It's on our list of "regulars" which is a pretty good review in itself.
(5)Joy K.
I have to agree with Kate M., this place was a lot better when it was Aesop's. The decor in this place is super tacky. The service definitely sucks. Our waitress would make eye contact with us, but then not come over to refill our drinks or bring the check. It was almost like she just hated us. I ordered the falafel pita which was barely okay. All in all, I'd never eat here again.
(1)erica j.
I was really excited to eat here especially since it is downstairs. I ordered the hummus, the calamari and moussaka. We sat outside for lunch on Saturday. Its a great vibe/ area to eat. The hummus was good but the calamari was just standard. I had eaten moussaka in Athens and was psyched about eating it there after the waiter told me it was excellent. Boy was I disappointed!!!! It was NOTHING like the moussaka in Greece. I didn't even want to keep eating it.... I won't be returning because I know an excellent place in LA with authentic greek food.
(2)ryan n.
Apollonia has some of the best Greek food in SD. You can't go wrong with the kebab and moussaka.
(5)Jonathan G.
I'm a falafel lover who has finally found a decent place for falafel in La Jolla. It's a little bit pricey for what it is, but what are you going to do. In an ideal world, falafel is something you buy at a cart on the street, not a fancy sit-down restaurant like this. But in a non-ideal La Jolla world, this is only place I've found decent falafel. The falafel at Whole Foods is ridiculous, like it was made by somebody who read a second-hand account of what falafel is. The falafel at Renaissance Produce was tasteless and microwaved. The falafel HERE was perfectly spiced, perfectly fried, light and crispy, not heavy. The hummus was yummy and presented perfectly, with a drizzle of olive oil and dusting of paprika.
(4)Andrew C.
yes. yes yes! cafe athena and apollonia are part of the same business, yes? because i went to both of these places and the menus were identical. i tried different things at these places so i could get a different feel from each. at apollonia i had the spanaki lemonato. not exactly what i expected (even though i didn't really have much experience with greek food before). buttt, still good! i kinda expected a super creamy spinach dip, but got a less creamy vegetable dip with a tangy twist. i actually liked how it went with the bread, although i felt it could've been better with crackers or something i also had the falafel wrap, which is something i get often at greek places. it was satisfactory, although not better than some of the other fast greek food places i went to. (probably because they specialize in that, whereas apollonia is more meant for entrees) i will come back again, since it is right behind costa verde. all in all, i would probably rate a 3.5-3.75... but since there is none, they get a 4!
(4)Vu N.
Ok, I'm not a Greek food lover but this place is one I would definitely go to. Food is good, place looks nice and prices are reasonable.
(4)Sue L.
The last time we were there, we got stuck with one of the worst servers in the world. He ignored us, mumbled profanities under his breath the whole time loud enough for us to hear as he walked by, and then over-charged us on the bill. We were so horrified, we never ate there again. The food is good... but the service has really gone downhill. Not only was the service sub-par, it was also super slow... it should never take two plus hours to dine in when the restaurant is not crowded at all. I will be ordering to-go from now on if I get a craving for their food.
(1)Abby Q.
I had an absolutely terrible experience at this restaurant! The service was incredibly slow, and after all of that my chicken kabab platter was raw (the chicken was pink inside). I send it back, and there was no apology but waitress said that they would bring me a new dish. Even after 15 minutes and all the people in my party were finished with their food the new dish still hadn't arrived. I spoke to the manager politely asking him not to charge me for this dish. He replied telling me that the chicken was not raw and I should be more patient for the new dish to come while giving me this annoying smirk. Needless to say I never got a new entrée. This is probably one of the worst restaurants I have ever eaten at! Do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else unless you have countless hours to kill and fancy for getting E.coli.
(1)Steph F.
"you know how long I've been on ya? since prince was on Apollonia since OJ had Isotoners don't act like I never told ya..." --- that's what i was chanting the entire night. and the next day. but i digress... working across the street from Greek Town (chicago) had its ups & downs. the "ups" of course being the fact i could swim in authentic (in every sense of the word) greek food whenever i desired. the huge "down" is that i do not work across the street anymore. i am across the country in fish taco land, craving savory dolmathes, saganaki, mousaka, & avegolemono. along came apollonia ("you know how long I've been on ya? since prince was on Apollonia/since OJ had Isotoners/don't act like I never told ya..."). this is the most authentic food i've found here in SD. try everything (except the shrimp). be sure to wear clothing with ample stretch. you get a LOT of food. get seated in James' section. his chakras are totally aligned and will make your eating frenzy even better.
(4)Tara B.
My boyfriend and I tried this place on a whim. I'm so glad we did because it turned into our favorite place. The food is delicious and the house iced tea spectacular. We love this place so much that when we decided to get married we thought of Apollonia to cater for us.
(5)Tom H.
My favorite local neighborhood restaurant. Food is consistently high quality (once in maybe 20 visits was something overcooked) and they have a good selection of healthy food. Usually I take my kids and sit int he bar section too have a lite dinner while watching the Padres play on he big screen TV. If I have visitors in town I can always feel comfortable bringing them to the restaurant.
(4)Nathan M.
I went there for a work lunch and got the Gyros Plate with an appitizer of hummas. I gotta say, it was pretty good. The best part of the Gyros plate was that it came with this sort of marinara sauce on the side. I really liked the decor too.
(3)Carol S.
We've eaten here for years and always find the food excellent. My brother-in-law is first generation Greek and when he visits he always requests a meal here. He takes over the menu and orders for all of us. He particularly likes their soups.
(4)grey h.
Their food is quite tasty- I loved the Briami- a "Greek Ratatouille". Their falafel balls are ok- not as good as Falafel's Drive in (in San Jose). Service is excellent- they have a good size restaurant that can fit about 60 people or so, and although they do not have that many waiters- all of them are very attentive to your needs. Their hummus is very homestyle with just the right amount of oil and lemon juice, but it doesn't beat out the potato/fish roe dip in the Mezedakia appetizer which includes a combination of different appetizers (dolmas, hummus, spanakopita, tzatziki, feta cheese, and a few others.) For the main course I tried the Kefta entree- a beef meatball dish that was topped with some grilled diced tomatoes, onions, and parsley. The cubed potatoes that accompanied them were just crispy enough, but after absorbing the briami juices were even more tasty!!! They have very generous portions for the prices-1 entree may last for 2 meals.
(5)Andrea N.
had a birthday lunch here a few months with co-workers. despite the remodeling, i found the place quite pleasant. i had been here before when it was aesop's tables and found it decent, but nothing worth running back to. apollonia's tho, is DEEEELICIOUS. the quality was quite good and the service was great. the air conditioning was a tad high but i get cold easily. this place was fairly busy, despite the remodeling, so that in and of itself demonstrates the good quality of food.
(4)Jazmin R.
i came here with a group of people for the first time last night and i have to admit, their food is pretty darn good. we had the appetizer (definitely don't remember the name) but it was fava beans with pepper, lemon juice, and some other things. it came with warm pita bread, and it was really good! it was kind of pricey though, around 7 dollars for a little bowl of beans. for my meal, i got the gyros plate. it came with a big portion of gyro meat, pieces of pita bread, rice, twaziki sauce, and this tomato vegetable thing, which suprisingly i really enjoyed! the dish was fairly priced, i think it was $12. if i could change anything about it, the one thing i didn't enjoy that much was that my meat was a little chewy and cold. maybe it had been sitting, i don't know. their service was also pretty slow, considering there weren't even that many people in the restaurant at that time. but they do have good greek food, way better than daphne's that's for sure.
(4)Joe S.
Apollonia has good "date decor," but the food leaves a little to be desired. I had the gyro sandwich once, which was good, and a decent size, but probably would not have been back, except the boss took us there for a holiday party. I got the falaful (sp?) sandwich this time, and it was tasty, but goodness, it was about 5 oz of food! It was so tiny. I couldn't believe they were charging $6 something for this vegetarian meal made of beans. This was not a kobe beef sandwich. I wasn't too incensed because boss was footing the tab, but if I had gotten this with my own money I would have been pissed! Coworkers loved the flaming cheese, but it looked a little scary to me so I abstained. Pita bread was pretty good. Overall, food was good enough, but the value is not there - might as well go to Daphne's to get a whole combo meal for the cost of a sandwich here, and the taste won't be any different (unless, that is, you're in date mode).
(2)Carrie S.
We used to go here when it was Aesop's Tables, but quit after a huge cockroach crawled out of my husband's napkin one night as we were seated. Ick. When it became Apollonia we hoped that bad bug demons had been exorcised and we would have a tasty Greek place to go to. Well, the bugs are gone but there are different demons now- the servers. We gave Apollonia a few tries...the first couple of times they were great. Fabulous waitress, tasty food. The next few times the food was meh but the service was glacial. The last straw? We went around 7 pm on a Saturday night. Not too busy...a group in the private room, a few tables in the dining room, a few tables on the patio. The host made us hang out for several minutes while he finished tidying up the host stand, then had us wait a while longer while he "checked" if there was a table available on the patio. Finally seated, we hung out at the table for a while before a server made an appearance. Snippy little college girl who seemed irritated to have us there and tried to bolt before we finished ordering. Salad, pita and hummus eventually arrived and the wait for entrees began. Salad, appetizer, and glass of wine long gone we were wondering if the entrees would ever appear. For that matter, where was the waitress? Could we at least get our water glasses refilled? When she finally reappeared after 20 minutes and we asked for water she actually rolled her eyes and huffed. Are you kidding me??? After an hour and no entrees we went inside to talk to the host, as the waitress had not been seen since we troubled her for water. We told him we wanted to cancel our order as the wait was unacceptable and would gladly pay for the salad, appetizer and wine. He tried to convince us not to leave and explained that there was a party of 40 people in the private room. We pointed out that it's a huge restaurant and mostly empty, despite the private room, which indicated some sort of staffing problem. He agreed to let us pay for what we had received, then tried to charge us for the whole meal. My husband again explained that the reason we wanted to leave was because we hadn't received the entrees after an hour wait. He then tried to charge us just for the entrees and we once again explained that we were happy to pay for the appetizer, salad and wine BUT NOT the entrees. While this was going on the waitress came out of the kitchen with our entrees, looked at us, rolled her eyes and huffed again and said, "What do you mean, you're leaving?!?" We finally got the bill settled and bailed. We haven't been back.
(1)Briar G.
the Moussaka is to die for!
(4)Rob D.
Went here for lunch yesterday and the place was completely empty. The waiter seemed like he would rather be anywhere else. There was spectacular destruction as he approached the table and dumped both plates against the wall and onto the floor. Picked them up, dropped them, more smashing. Tahini and broken plates everywhere. Hey, accidents happen and frankly it was very entertaining. Eventually got to the food (the appetizer came pretty fast actually) and found that while the falafel was okay and the baba ganoush was decent, the pickles were gross - soggy and limp - and my falafel sandwich was speckled with tiny tiny pieces of foil. Even down at the bottom of the sandwich. I showed the waiter and he looked at me like I was full of shit - I showed him the one on my finger and he said "looks like parsley to me". He offered to bring me another one like he was doing me a favor and I declined suggesting that maybe they should just look into this problem they have. If I'm a waiter, I mention this to the manager at this point, but we never heard another thing about it. I wasn't looking for a free meal - just maybe an apology for feeding me metal. I won't go back here.
(1)Tevita M.
Greek food...it's alright, just kidding. I had the chicken aioli and it was VERY delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice. its not too bright nor too dark, very good lighting very classy like. the food is set at a good price, i thought it would be expensive but its not. it also has a nice outdoor seating area that i thought was a good layout for the place. They also have a full bar which by the way i wanted to get a couple drinks but someone would've been upset, just kidding. Anyway, the staff seem pretty friendly especially the hostess, she's very nice. she says her hello's and goodbye's to everyone that walks in and out of the restaurant. My server at the time had very good customer service, but tell me why when i asked for an Arnold Palmer which is half iced tea and half lemonade and they didn't have neither of them, no just kidding, my server was just trying to crack a joke. I have to give management a plus in my book for hiring good employees. So yeah, like i said earlier, the staff are very nice people and they know how to keep a customer happy. The location of the restaurant is ok. a restaurant like this should belong somewhere in old town or Balboa Park maybe even near the Prado. Overall, this restaurant is a plus in my book, Very good, Very nice!!
(4)Justin F.
By the looks of the place, I thought it was going to be pricey. After looking at the menu posted outside I found that it was not the case at all. It was lunch time and the place was moderately busy, I sat in the bar so that I could watch the game. I'm not familiar with greek food other than the standard gyro so I asked my server for a recommendation. She suggested a chicken aoli sandwhich which she said was her favorite or the masadonian sampler. I opted for her choice of sandwhich since I was not extremely hungry. The sandwhich had a pesto sauce, chicken and sundried tomatoes and came with a garlic sauce, The food was amazing and the service was great. I'll definately be going back, I have to try the sampler she recommended.
(5)Gail C.
We went during Restaurant Week and it was so good that we went back a second time! We enjoyed wonderful vegetarian options, including the very best dolmas/grape leaves. The rice pudding and the baklava were perfect desserts. The portions were quite ample. The service was friendly and attentive. Our first time we were in a group of seven and then returned in a group of four. Each time we were seated in an area that was perfect for conversation and a bit of sharing the delicious meals. There is easy parking in the adjacent lot.
(4)Martin K.
A can't say enough about this please the food, quality and every thing is amazing and the prices not bad too
(5)TianChee S.
I'll bump it up to 2 stars for their general manager getting back to me and apologizing for the quality and service. Cudos for them for taking initiatives to improve the quality and process but I'll still reserve else where to eat.
(2)Scott H.
I got Apollonia to go on a Friday night. The place was about half full, maybe a little less. Great space, large, lots of nice tables and big comfy booths. There is a nice bar area as well. Very impressive and comfortable interior. I called my order in, but still had to wait about 5 minutes. I didn't mind, meant they were preparing my food fresh. The gyro is about average size for gyros I've had. I've had bigger, but I've also had smaller. You get quite a bit of fries with the order, but I felt they needed to be fried longer. Only a couple of them had any crispiness, and they all needed more seasoning. They are larger crinkle cut fries, which are usually good, but they were soggy. I know I got them to go, but I tried one before I got into the car, as a trip in the car always softens fries. They were still soft when they were fresh at the restaurant. The gyro was also a disappointment. The pita needed to be toasted a little longer, and the onions were limp. It was like they weren't fresh. Also, for some reason, they left the tzatziki off of the sandwich. I had asked for extra on the side, as I like more than places usually give you. So, they gave me the side, but none on the sandwich. I called to see if I was charged for the side, and I was. The woman was very apologetic, which was great, but the blunder meant my sandwich wasn't as "sauced" as I like. This affected my opinion of the sandwich, as I had to basically take it apart to get sauce on it. The meat didn't have as much seasoning as I expect from gyro meat. I have never made the stuff, so I have no idea what goes in it, but this was blander than I'm used to. To be fair, I'll likely return to eat at the restaurant. Maybe the fact that I took it to go (although it was a short drive) affected the quality. Or, maybe it was an off night. The employees I dealt with were friendly.
(2)Raquel N.
Very bad service, very regular food! We got to the restaurant at 9, so we were rushed by the server to order quickly, in a rude manner, when we asked for how big where the portions she said "big Is big and small is small". Food overall was mediocre, wouldn't come here again. The prices are very expensive for what you get.
(1)Kim L.
I'll be back!! If only for the Saganoki!!!! The salmon was cooked perfectly and was wonderful in the entree but I would be just as happy with it on a salad.
(4)Kurt C.
My wife and I went to Apollonia Bistro last week while in San Diego. We were first time visitors. We tried the Macedonian Sampler and a Greek salad with Chicken. The Greek salad was the best I have ever had, creamy, not overpowering but high quality ingredients. The Macedonian Sampler was good too. The shrimp was a bit dry, but overall it was good. Service was excellent. The waiter was constantly keeping an eye on our needs and progress but was NOT interruptive or annoying. He just took notice of us as he walked by and took care of things as needed. We will definitely return.
(4)Vicki C.
I infrequently eat at Greek restaurants even though I like flavors from all over the Mediterranean region. I tend to make my own grilled veggies, spanikopita and hummus but have been to Appolina three times with clients or parties. My husband's holiday party was held at Appolina this year. For starters we had hummus, grape leaves and flat bread which was followed with a Greek salad and meat kabobs, salmon or veggie entrees. We also had some sort of rich dessert pastries. The hummus tasted fresh and had a nice visual display with a bit of oil and garbanzo beans on top, it was a great starter with some flat bread. I am not a fan of stuffed grape leaves but they were vegetarian and I tasted one. The cold, ricey, vinegary flavor was not for me. Greek salad on the other hand was right up my alley. Feta cheese, Greek olives, lettuce and onions gave this salad life, but the December the tomatoes were hard. I really wanted the saganaki but could not figure out how to order a flaming cheese plate without attracting too much attention. This decadent cheese dish covered with lemon and brandy is really the number one reason that I would go Greek. The devious side of me wanted to order one but that would have attracted way too much attention, my husband has only been with this company 6 months and I have never met any of his colleagues. It was torturous to know that Saganaki was so close but yet so far away. My plate was salmon, It seems like all fixed menus with fish have salmon, which is coincidentally my least favorite type of fish. It was prepared correctly and has some really nice veggies and rice to compliment it. The dessert looked nice, they served us some baklava and another decadent pastry and my husband had no trouble eating all of them. Our server offered us drinks and filled my wine when it got empty and everything was served hot. Appolina was a good location for a holiday party, I may be back and if so I will get that flaming saganaki.
(4)Raelynn T.
This review is long overdue! I came here not too long ago for the first time with some of my family members. The waitress was very sweet and brought us a free appetizer the second we mentioned that it was our first time dining at Apollonia. She was also very patient when some of my family wanted to ask questions about ingredients due to dietary restrictions. The food was also delicious and well worth it. The chicken gyro was absolutely stunning with simple and very fresh ingredients. Their salads are also a must have too since all of their veggies taste so incredibly fresh.
(5)Stefania G.
I went there during the restaurant week so I got this special menu at good price, and it was good . I only give them 3 star because it was nothing soooo great, but I appreciated. The location is very nice and elegant and the waitress was nice. I suggest you to go if you are in utc area.
(3)Matt H.
I've been a fan of PB's Cafe Athena for years. Their sister place, Apollonia in UC is similar but somehow lacking in the personal touch arena. The food is good (better than Daphne's down the street) and the atmosphere idyllic. All in all, I recommend it - however, would definitely prefer that they improve their wait staff and management. The PB location literally feels like you're getting your money's worth even before you've ordered (lots of attentiveness and orderly service). But this is supposed to be about Apollonia, so here goes... We had an experience/observation not far back that I wanted to share. We'd ordered the hummus plate but it arrived without bread. Later, we ordered dessert but it arrived without the Turkish coffee. The coffee arrived 15 minutes after the dessert and only then after tracking down the waiter(!). That said, that night there was one particular standout employee who, on a recent visit of ours, was working at least three people's jobs - Anthony. I was so impressed that I had to share. In contrast to his non-stop service though the rest of the staff seemed to be on vacation. I had not seen such a poor display of management or teamwork in a very long time. Luckily (or maybe consequently) the place was nearly empty although it was just after 7pm. If you're in the area and would like Greek, again, the food is great - but ** definitely ** try Cafe Athena in Pacific Beach if you're willing to make the additional drive.
(4)Kristin N.
I went there last night (2/18), with 9 girlfriends. We had a really good experience. Our server was attentive, but not overly attentive to the point of annoyance. He made sure all of our food came out at once. We had Anthony as our server Anthony split the checks for us - we requested it prior to placing the order. He was happy to do it! He warned us to bear with him if it got busy, but the food came out just as ordered. We were all given the right food and when Anthony brought us the bills, he handed each one of us the right bill (this is not something I experience everywhere). Besides the service, the food was good. We ate as much of it as we could and then took the left overs home. Can't wait to come back!
(5)Craig E.
Our dinner was awesome. I had the rolled grape leaf appetizer that was very good. My wife had a salad with terrific tangy dressing. We both had the steak and chicken skewers (souvlaki plate). For desert the rice pudding couldn't be better. Our waiter Eric G was very gracious and quick to assist. We will be back
(5)Gordon W.
We used to come here all the time when we lived close by. The food was always great but the service was often slow as if they were understaffed. We used to try to eat @ the bar just to insure that we'd get refills of our water or iced tea quicker. We happened to be back in the area and decided to eat there again...Wow! What a big difference in the service. Ben (our server) was great! We got their famous lemon soup and shared the Macedonia Sampler. I would recommend this restaurant to everybody. I even took my parents there and they don't even like Greek food. They loved it too! GW
(5)Christine D.
My family and I decided to have dinner at Apollonia seeing that it seemed like a nice restaurant from the outside. We wanted to dine indoors since it was a bit chilly that night. Let me tell you that it was so cold inside the restaurant it was almost as if we were sitting outside nonetheless we dined here anyway because we were starving. The service here was very much lacking and what made things even worse was to be sitting right by the front where the hosts were stationed only to be watching employees just standing around chit chatting while our orders haven't been taken or water been topped off. I have had to call servers to our table several times which is such a pain since I myself hate to be such a difficult customer. I didn't think that the restaurant was that busy that night either it was a weeknight. We got straight to the point and ordered a few entrees the gyros plate, kefta plate, and shrimp scorpio. To those we added either a soup or salad for an additional 3.49. The portions were pretty large in my opinion but the quality of food left me underwhelmed. The pita bread which was advertised as warm came out cold and pretty hard. The hummus was okay nothing really special. The gyros on my plate tasted old? The shrimp scorpio was average I liked the fact that they used prawns though. I did enjoy the tzatziki which was soooo creamy and delicious. My favorite dish was the kefta plate which had good flavor and the tabouleh was fresh. In my opinion Apollonia is a bit pricey for the quality of food and service. Our server was nice but she just seemed bored? In all honesty, I'm not quite sure if I would even come back to try any other dishes. As sad to say the whole experience here at Apollonia was far from par.
(2)Holly B.
Food here is definitely fresh. Good but not great. There aren't a lot of great greek restaurants in town (to my knowledge), so when i have a craving, this is where i go. Spanikopita is good as are all the gyros.
(3)Addy F.
Delicious! Staff was very friendly and on top of everything! Atmosphere is great and outdoor patio with heaters. The feta bruschetta was to die for! Sooo good! And it was large, 6 pieces, so pretty filling. Big portions of food. Highly recommend it!
(5)Shir D.
My husband loves Greek food and talks me into going to a Greek restaurant every once in awhile. I don't care much for it but to make him happy I go with him. I usually get an American dish, which is offered in the Greek restaurant we usually frequent. The restaurant is wonderful as far as ambiance, very romantic. There are violinists and lots of candles. In the winter, the fireplace is lit. This adds a little extra to the romantic side of the evening. The waitresses are very professional and since we go there quite often, know us when we arrive. They make sure we have everything we need to have a great evening.
(5)Chris F.
I really enjoy this place! I'd give it a 5 star if service was a little more attentive. I've seen the current owner cut some corners with ingredients but the food is still top notch!
(4)Laura D.
I've been here two times now because my parents really like this place and both times I haven't been impressed at all. The first time I ordered the gyro plate but the gyro meat was dry and chewy. I also had the tomato and basil soup which tasted like marinara sauce from a jar. It was horrible! It was chunky like a sauce, I was honestly expecting a smooth soup but this wasn't it. Today I went back again because my parents wanted to go. We ordered a salad as an appetizer. It was good but then again its hard to screw up a simple salad. As the entrée I ordered the moussaka thinking it would be better than the gyro. The moussaka was ok, it was nothing special really. What I really had a problem with was the rice that the moussaka came with. I could tell that the cooks put too much water because the consistency of the rice was just wrong. It was way too thick! Now for the service, while I don't think it's bad I don't think its outstanding either. I don't know this restaurant is just disappointing in my opinion, everything is just ok.
(2)Jewels P.
Food is worth the visit, service not so good. Go with ample time they take a very long time to even acknowledge you are there.
(3)Kris Daniel U.
Amazing greek restaurant with great ambiance. You can chose to either sit inside or outside on the patio, can't go wrong with either selection, I typically sit outside to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. The service has always been great, the staff is very polite and very prompt to take your order. They have a very extensive and delicious menu. I have tried almost everything they offer and have been extremely satisfied with everything I have tasted. I am not as familiar with their drink menu as I am with their food but with the few drinks I have had I can't complain about anything. My go-to food items: - Mezedakia - Saganaki - Chicken Aioli - Grecian Feast - Macedonian Sampler Great bistro, great food and great staff. I highly recommend Apollonia Greek Bistro
(5)Adam K.
I decided to take a few clients of mine to this Greek restaurant that had been recommended to me by some of my colleagues. The ambience was perfect, soft music playing, and it was quiet enough to hold our discussions. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, with rustic furniture just lending more class to the restaurant. We ordered the chef's specials of the day which were grilled octopus, stew, with a white bean soup and rice pudding. It was the first time that we all tried octopus and my clients were thrilled with how it tasted. I myself enjoyed it a lot, and thought it was perfectly cooked. The rice pudding was unlike any other I had ever tasted. The white bean soup is a very traditional dish, and is sometimes known as the national food of Greece. The restaurant really seems to capture the essence of Greek cuisine. The service was fast, and the all of the food was hot when it reached the table. My clients were very happy with this choice of restaurant and I personally thought it was very sophisticated, yet the setting helps you relax and enjoy your meal. I'll definitely be coming back here with my family as well.
(5)Amaelia R.
What a wonderful place! First off, it's bigger than it looks from the outside. When I walked in through the door, I was surprised at how much space they had and very impressed at the decor. I think I spent most of the wait time looking at the little statues set up around our table. We started with some hummus and pita along with some Bourekia (lamb and spice inside pastry). The bourekia was scrumptious and I only wish we could have tried all the other hummuses. Then, out came the main courses and let me just just say the portions were huge! Even without having filled up on appetizers, it probably would be two meal's worth of food for me. We definitely had delicious leftovers afterwards. It was just too bad we were so full from all the good food to try any dessert (at the time, you got a simple dessert as a yelp check-in offer, I believe that now it's hummus!). Excellent service all around, the servers were very friendly and willing to answer our questions about the food. The prices were excellent as well! I expected to pay more for the quality and quantity of food. Apollonia is hands down the best Greek place in the area!
(5)Carmen V.
Upgrading because of personalized efforts to make sure we all see their customer service has improved and it is par with the beautiful setup, decor, ambiance and food. I went back today after a not so good first impression, even though one of my best friends and customers of Apollonia insisted that I should try them again to realize it is very good. She is a vegetarian and finds here all her Mediterranean needs, besides she is a neighbor. For me, it took a while to come back but the gift certificate received was very well spent in a calamari appetizer for me and eggplant entree for Irina. We had a good, quiet time, celebrating little things in life and the server was very attentive to us. A much better overall experience and I will come back, especially because there is no noise (other than people talking, but there is nothing loud in this place) and the inside is very appropriate for big gatherings.
(4)Anna P.
I love greek food. This is my fav in San Diego, along with their sister store Cafe Athena. I have been to many partys catered by them. I have found all of their food to be delicious, fresh and flavorfull. The manager Tim at the Cafe is also really hospitable when helping me cater my first event recently.
(5)Monika C.
This is one of my favorite lunch spots near my office. There's an option to dine inside or out on the patio, the food is great, the service is good, and the last time I came here I was with a Greek friend who approved of everything we ordered. Hey, gotta put ethnic food to the authenticity test! Food: Great Service: Good Ambiance: Good Value: Good Parking: Lot parking, gets packed but you can find a spot Don't forget to check-in on Yelp! Last time I got a free dessert! I think a different time I checked in on Foursquare and got a free appetizer.
(4)Bob W.
As a vegetarian, I can't comment on their meat dishes. Overall it's a mixed bag. The surroundings are beautiful, with interesting paintings and sculptures all over the place. Personally I found the food we got to be no better than any average Greek place, even though the prices are higher here. The menu is pretty comprehensive, with many specialty dishes that aren't commonly seen. The avgolemono soup was excellent, one of the best versions I've had. The falafels were only average and to me tasted like they were made from a dry mix instead of from scratch. The tahini dipping sauce that came with them was yummy. The hummus and tabouleh were pretty good but I think the tabouleh at Troy's is better. The pizza was decent but pretty small for $7.99. I did like the very thin pita bread served with the food, but it was underneath most of the other items and therefore got soggy quickly and the soggy parts were unpleasant. Better to just serve it in a stack on the side. The worst dish was the stuffed grape leaves, which had almost no stuffing - mainly just rolled up grape leaves with a tiny sprinkling of stuffing. Plus they were served cold, which I think is wrong for a full-service restaurant. At Country Kabob they are served warm with a lemon sauce on top. The service was adequate; just the bare minimum required. Personally I'm not likely to go back here, I'd be likely to choose Troy's or Country Kabob if there is a choice.
(3)Ali T.
Nom nom- licious!!! Wonderful, I would eat here every night if my waistline would allow it.
(5)Zach C.
As usual, food was amazing. The staff, especially my server Vickory went above and beyond to make sure my meal was the most important meal she would serve all day And the spanikopita is out of this world.
(5)Kerri R.
Make sure that you do NOT go in anytime within closing. We actually had our server walk up and say "Welcome...I am so glad you are here because we are closing in 30 minutes." What a nice way say "You have 30 minutes to eat and leave" Then when we asked for a second glass of wine she says "We are closed so if you get one that is it." My dinner date asked if she would like us to leave at this point. She says "No, why do you think what I said was offensive?" If you have to ask if you are offensive, you most certainly are. When we approached the manager about the situation she just said she was sorry.....did not listen to a word we said, just "soooo sorry, i cannot say sorry enough." Don't waste your time.....service is horrible and food is just ehh.
(1)Aria F.
Tasty Greek food at a good price. I always get the gyro sandwich when i come here and it's always great. The price is also great. These days if you find any good food under $10 you gotta be thankful and that's what apollonia does. Most of the servers are very nice, although there is one lady who always seems to be grumpy. Overall great place to go for lunch and a group dinner
(4)Anna N.
My friend and I came here for dinner on Sunday, 3/4/2012. My friend and I like coming here since it's a good place in UTC to go to for Greek food. The decor is nice and gives you a nice homey feeling. The outdoor seating is nice and on a colder day, the heat lamps and plastic "windows" to block the wind are amazing. The servers are nice and friendly, but the place is big and it might be hard to hail a server when you need them. Also the portions are good as well. My friend and I shared the lentil soup, which was delicious. The broth had a nice flavor to it and I really enjoyed the chunks of noodles and soft lentils. The kefta wrap was filled with soft and flavorful kefta. which was complimented by the grilled spring onions, pickle, and grilled tomatoes with a nice slight char to it. The chicken pesto wrap was packed with yummy cubes of chicken breast which tasted delicious when smothered with the garlic and herb pesto and complimented with the crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and spring greens. The white sauce on the side was good as well and had a mayo texture to it. Overall, the place is close by, has nice decor, good atmosphere, good portions, good food, and friendly service. I will be back here again when I crave Greek food in UTC.
(4)Jeremiah D.
I totally thought I would be disappointed by Greek food because I lack a cultural taste for food (I'm working on it really hard right now :P) and I've only really experienced crappy Greek food from fast food type places like the one on campus at UCSD. Getting a gyro here and there from those places is not the same, not nearly. Please go to an authentic Greek restaurant like this place and you will be amazed. The tazitki(?) sauce is delish, and all the meats are so good. The gyros here are far superior to any other place I've tried. I didn't get the gyro though, I decided to try the chicken plate. The sauce it was bathed in was so amazing (I wish I could remember the name of the plate). The fried mozzarella cheese appetizer was so good, I can't believe I've never had that before, and I love cheese!
(4)David G.
Very friendly, fast staff. Got the chicken kabob, date got the chicken couscous. After a morning of swimming in the Pacific and other activities I was extremely hungry. The food was very tasty. It wasn't my first choice, the first two places didn't open till 5pm on a Sunday afternoon but I would come back for sure.
(4)Matt V.
Service is good, atmosphere is great, but food is just so-so, we were disappointed. I had the salmon, which was fine but a bit overdone, my wife a chicken dish which was way over done (hard to eat!) and not much taste. The sauces and breads were quite good, however. We're not normally picky & don't like to complain, but they've got some work to do here to be better - maybe it was an off night? I think it was a Thursday & the place was only 25% full...
(2)Genevieve C.
Two words: huge portions! I have been wanting to here for some time and finally did tonight. I always thought it was a tiny place; however, I was impressed with the size and decor of the bistro. We had a coupon for a free tzatziki or hummus app with the purchase of 2 entrees. Chose the tzatziki which was delicious and came with a bunch of pita bread. I ordered the gyros plate and my boyfriend ordered the Kefta plate. Check out their website for full descriptions of what these entrees come with, it's a bunch of food! Our entrees were $12 and $14 dollars. When the plates came out, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was soooo much food! Everything on the plate was very delicious and visually appealing. At the end of the meal my boyfriend and I EACH filled up and ENTIRE to-go box. I have lunch and a snack for tomorrow! Excellent! To finish off the evening, we ordered baklava. Make sure to check in on yelp because you can get this or a pudding dessert for free! And thank goodness it is for free, because it isn't that great. Mine tasted like it had been out for some time..it was stale and not deliciously crunchy and flaky like baklava should be. One more tiny complaint, is the service was very slow. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating; however, they just did everything at a slow pace. Good thing the food was good, because I will definitely be back!
(4)Ferdi E.
greeky.
(3)Mehrdad A.
The food was extremely good, I had CRETAN SALMON, it was delicious and the service was great. Overall was a great experience for me.
(4)Sheella E.
My sister has been raving about how great this place is, so I finally decided to check it out with her for dinner. The restaurant itself is pretty spacious with both indoor and outdoor seating. When we came it was around 5pm and still pretty empty. For appetizer, we ordered hummus and pita bread. And for my meal I got the gyro plate. Both were really good. The gyro plate was a pretty big portion. It's more than enough to feed two people! There were so many other things I wanted to try on the menu, but I wanted to play it safe for the first time and of course go with the gyro plate. The service was great, always refilling our drinks, asking us how we were doing, etc. Just a tip, if you check in on Yelp you get a free dessert (however, I didn't use it because I was so full at the end of my meal I couldn't even think of dessert) I dunno what is and why the area is always so busy in regards to parking, but they do offer underground parking.
(4)Brandy C.
My mom and I love this place!!!!!! I expected this place to have around 4-5 stars, but surprisingly they only have 3 stars. Whatever, we really love the food here. We got some leftover, and it was still amazing. I really recommend this restaurant. One thing that I didn't give 5 stars because my mom saw the server was cleaning the window and organizing forks, knife, and spoon while customers were eating! My mom doesn't like it. She considers that as dirty! Otherwise everything is perfect. P.s. They have free wifi!!! Check-in to get 1free dessert!!! :)
(4)Cindy W.
My husband and I came here this past weekend for Restaurant week. We've been here before with a friend for lunch, but apparently it wasn't anything worth remembering because I didn't know it was the same place until I got to the area. We got there and we were asked if we wanted to be seated inside or out in the patio, I said inside since it was late in the evening and getting a little breezy. We were seated in this little room, with wine cellars up against the wall. Across from us was a group of about 10 people, business dinner, apparently, a few of the men were from Japan. There was one man who had the laugh of a hyena. No joke, he laughed like one and it was the most annoying laugh in the world. On top of that, it was really really really loud! I had to figure out when to talk around his laughs, he did it every 10 seconds too. Our waitress arrived with our waters and to hand us the menus, she was clearly eyeing my husband. Hey, I'm not a jealous person and if you want to check out my Greek husband, go right ahead. I'm sure she was wondering "why would a Greek man marry her!?!? an asian woman?" because she was clearly just nice to him and me, not so much. Fine, I get it. You're bitter, now go and pout, but while you're at it, get me my food. We went straight to the restaurant week menu and instead of 3-courses, we got to choose 4-courses, not bad. I was rather pleased with that since I was famished. For appetizers, the husband got Dolmathakia, while I got 1 piece of Spanakopita (yeah, what's up with that?). Usually, it would be the other way around, since I love grape leaves, but he was craving it and he's the Greek, so I let him get first dibs. It was excellent. I had a bite of the dolmathakia and it was delicious. I would have loved it steaming hot, but it was warm, served with yogurt. For our second course, we got to choose between a Greek salad or the 3 soups they had listed. I got the tomato basil while the husband had Avgolemono, which were both fantastic. During this time, the table across from us was getting a little quiet since they were stuffing their faces as well. We decided to order a bottle of wine, Naoussa Boutari, never had wine from Greece before, so it was fun to try something new. It was a rather dry wine and was suggested with the falafell my husband ordered. For our entrees, I had the moussaka, since I love lamb. My husband, like I said earlier, had the falafel with pita bread. The pita bread was very rough and we're syrian bread snobs, so I had wished I brought some from home. The ones we get from Trader Joe's are so much better than these. It was terrible. The Moussaka was ok, it wasn't the best, not quite like how my husband's grandmother makes it, but it was still good. My husband wasn't a big fan of the Falafel but he finished his plate anyway. For dessert, I got the Saragli and my husband got the Medley since he wanted some baklava. My waitress came by to check on us and again, clearly showing interest in just how my husband was doing. I smiled to myself, it was amusing, I'll admit. I was rather shocked with some of the reviews for this place about the service because our waitress was on point and while this place isn't the best, it was very good.
(4)Betty A.
We ate there last evening. Love the Greek food. We ordered dolmathes as appetizer and shared Kefta platter. Wow, so good! It comes with roast potatoes, hummus and tabouli. Between the 2 of us, we had difficulty finishing the platter. We look forward to returning soon. We also ordered baklava for 2 to go. The atmosphere is so nice and the best Greek food in San Diego!
(5)Lalo G.
I stopped by Apollonia for lunch with my co-workers and as usual, the food was freaking awesome. I ordered the Greek salad with chicken and an order of falafel as an appetizer. Yum! To wash it all down - delicious iced tea! I love iced tea and always appreciate when the quality/consistency of a beverage as simple as iced tea is on par with the food. Good job! Over all, this is a great little hidden spot that's definitely worth a try. Everything was fresh, the food tasted great, and the service was fast. There's not much more to ask for when you're in a hurry to get back to work. And yes, the prices are a bit high... but you're in La Jolla! What do you expect? Cheers!
(4)Chad R.
Service can be slow at times...and food is just OK. Ambiance is nice though!
(3)Jenny C.
Twice I've been here for restaurant week. The amount of food they give you for a $20 dinner is kind of ridiculous. The first time I came I didn't even touch of my entree because i was already so full. The food is good though. Definitely good for the price for RW, not sure about regular pricing.
(3)Jenny S.
Update: Loosing stars because of the petulant child fond of giving the stink eye that acts as hostess. Sorry asking to change to a booth is akin to shooting your dog. Food is consistently good, regardless of what have had. Not too greasy, authentic flavors. Wait staff are typically great, but it can be hit or miss.
(3)Anh N.
Since this was my first time having moussakka ($12,95) - I have nothing to compare it to. I suppose its pretty hard to go wrong with grilled eggplant and ground lamb smothered and baked with cheesy goodness. Did I mention, it was huge?! The rice here was also really flavorful and well cooked. We came in here for lunch - though it's a busy shopping center, Apollonia's is a pretty spacey restaurant, so we were seated immediately. The server was friendly - our water was always filled - and the food came out quickly. Prices were a little higher than the usual greek places - but it's more of a sit-down restaurant than a deli-style greek place, so the prices are understandable. This restaurant is sectioned off into multiple areas and rooms - making it an ideal place for group lunches, mixers, and company events. They even have a nice semi-outdoor seating area.
(4)J C.
The food here is great! I am a huge fan of Cafe Athena in PB, so I was really excited to learn that the two restaurants are related. We ordered the hummous and beef/rice dolmathes for apps. Both appetizers were delicious. The dolmathes here are served warm which is a far cry from the cold, deli ones or ones found from tins. I'd also recommend the salmon dolmathes. They're also delicious and not a typical dish found at similar restaurants. For mains, we ordered the gyro plate and the Imam Biyaldi, an eggplant dish. Both were super tasty. The gyro plate is so generous, we ended up taking leftovers home. Service was very good and their sizable outdoor patio is nice. Definitely recommend this place!
(5)Lori N.
Oh man, you gotta try the Papoutsakia, a pita bread sandwich with eggplant filled with seasoned ground leg of lamb and tomato sauce, topped with basil and Feta cheese ($7.59). It'll knock your socks off! I wish the sandwich came with some pita bread & hummus or fries, or any other side. For the price, I think i deserve a little something extra. Apollonia is definitely a nicer greek restaurant with plenty of seating for big groups, or small intimate groups if you prefer. I guess the upscale setting is proportional to the upscale price. My main gripe with this place is that their service is incredibly slow! Granted we had a pretty large group for lunch (10 ppl or so), but there wasn't a single other customer in the restaurant, so there's no reason why it should take over an hour to get our food. Not only that, our food came one by one with way too much time in between. I could have finished my meal before the next person got their food. Gosh, it was painful. I understand the whole European laid back lunch culture (I lived in Spain once), but come on people, this is America, we have work to do!
(3)Samuel K.
This place is a good high end greek restaurant. My boys and I come here once in a while. The take out, however, isn't the best. It seems like they give you the leftovers. But if you actually sit down and order, you'll get the best gyros meat in town. The price is a bit too high though If you come here on a date, make sure you get the patio.
(4)Emily S.
never been one to go "oh, yes...today I think I'm craving Greek food." just never been a go-to for me. but when a friend suggested we meet here for lunch how could I say no? everything we had was delicious and the portions were good size. had enough to take home and eat later.
(4)Jorgeanne C.
Best Greek restaurant in town next to the el cajon all you can eat buffet. A much fancier place I must admit and a bit pricier than other Greek places, but worth it. Their tomato side dish that comes with the gyros plate is amazing. You can't miss out on their spanokopita either. Service is a bit slow but that doesn't deter you from enjoying their good food.
(4)Rachel S.
Expensive but delicious. I've probably had about half the menu and enjoyed it all, especially the roast lamb and kebabs. Don't remember the name but their egg roll-like appetizer is great and their chocolate mousse is to die for.
(4)Miguel B.
My friends and I first came to this place because of SD restaurant week and we have returned many times since then. I really enjoy the atmosphere and food they have to offer. My personal favorite is the gyro plate and the the falafels they have here. The portions are great and the price is decent for the amount they give you. With one plate I was full and had some left overs for later. My favorite part is the patio seating because they have bench seating with pillows! So once you finish eating you can sit comfortably and take a nap. Once again this is a really nice restaurant with good service and good food.
(4)Karen L.
Ended up coming here for my roommate's pre-graduation dinner after we were told the Melting Pot was booked all night. It was pretty busy so obviously the service lacked a bit. Appetizers took awhile to come out but another waitress quickly came to pick up the slack, which was greatly appreciated. I love skordalia so I ordered that to start. It was good, but I think they should call it mashed potatoes, not skordalia. It had a nice smooth texture and just tasted like garlicky mashed potatoes with a tang. The calamari here was surprisingly tasty! It was seasoned well and had a good crunch. It was served with a small cup of skordalia for dipping. The hummus was average, I've certainly had better. Apollonia's hummus is a bit heavy on the tahini so it's got a great consistency but the flavor was a bit drab. The Athena's pizza was yummy! Decent sauce, but even better toppings. I especially enjoyed the kalamata olives and artichoke hearts. A good choice for getting your daily serving of vegetables. For my main, I had the chicken kebab. The portion for the dish as a whole was decent but I was really surprised that it only came with 1 skewer! The chicken was a tad dry but the kebab had a delicious charred flavor. I thought my roommate's lamb kebab was amazing! The lamb was so juicy and tender. The beef kebab was not bad either, but again ONE skewer?!? The tzatziki sauce was really good. Creamy, cucumber goodness! Perfect for coating the kebabs. The rice was ok and the vegetable medley... I don't think there was anything Greek about that haha. I had the smallest bite of the chicken couscous dish so can't really comment too much on it other than the hot sauce that comes with it is DIVINE! Super spicy flavorful sauce. Yum! For desert I had to go for one of my all-time fave treats, baklava! The baklava filling was oh so tasty and perfect for my sweet-tooth but the baklava itself was too dry. It would have benefited from a few extra soakings of syrup in my opinion. I like my baklava ooey-gooey and moist. All in all, good food but nothing spectacular. For the price point, I'd honestly rather have Daphne's over Apollonia. It's a quicker and cheaper option with comparable flavors. Based on my experiences with Greek food, albeit admittedly limited, I'd say this place is far from the best Greek food around.
(3)Ortal L.
The first time me and my husband went there we discovered that that have in their menu a falafel in pita bread and since we love falafel we diceded to take the risk and to ordered it. And it was do good that after few days we came back again!! :) for my opinion the price is a little bit high for the course but... It's good.
(4)Kim P.
Four stars because I am indeed a fan! The prices are super low compared to other fancier places in UTC. Yes, it's in a mini-mall, so that kinda sucks, but if you don't think about it you won't really notice it... too much. The inside seating feels like a Shoneys or a Dennys for some reason. Just feels like a weird cafeteria. But the patio is much nicer and more comfortable. Yes, the food is sorta mundane and you could prolly get it in the frozen food section, but it's worth a go. Do what I did and take someone you like so you totally don't even notice it's right next to an escalator and a grocery store
(4)Grant S.
Really enjoyed eating here for dinner on Saturday night. They extended their San Diego Restaurant Week specials beyond the event itself. I opted for the three-course deal, and got a glass of Coppola Pinot Noir from Monterey, which was delightful. To start, I got their dolmathakia, which were wonderful. One order is three pieces, so this would be a great appetizer for one person. For the main course, I had the Souvlakia Plate, which included a skewer each of grilled chicken and beef, veggies, and rice pilaf. This plate was delicious. The chicken went well in the tzatziki sauce. The real star of this plate was the beef. I couldn't believe how tender and flavorful this grilled beef was. It was delicious with or without the tzatziki sauce or without, and the wine went well with the plate as a whole. Finally, I had the Filo Medley for dessert. These three small pastries were delectable and a sweet way to complete my meal. The wait staff was pleasant and prompt, and the price of the food is certainly reasonable. The restaurant itself is nice, it's just a shame that it is located in a shopping center, which detracts from the ambiance somewhat (I ate on the patio). I will almost certainly be taking my girlfriend here when she visits. This was a really positive experience.
(4)Carin S.
Came here because it's always been in my face/around the corner/close to where I live and wanted to give it a try. Yays: Free dessert with a Yelp check in! Nays: Calamari appetizer was disappointing. The entrees weren't bad! I think that's where all, if not most, of the stars in my given rating come from! A friend and I first ordered an appetizer. The Calamari was absolutely NASTY. It definitely looked appealing though... fried calamari rings and mini octopus-like parts. The instant I bit into it though, it was not crispy, it was EXTREMELY chewy... to the point where even after five minutes of chewing, I wasn't able to actually eat it. My jaws were in pain after a several pieces from chewing so long... The seasoning on it was fine though... such a tease. Good taste, so close to the stomach, but will only stay in the mouth and have to spit out. Seems like some very old squid they used there. It came with a delicious garlic paste (?) though... too bad I couldn't eat the calamari with it... For the entree, I ordered the Gyros sandwich because I felt like I couldn't go wrong with that. It was also pretty inexpensive compared to other items on the menu. It was absolutely delicious though! Can taste the lamb in the gyros (A PLUS!) and they put a lot of meat in the gyros. The sauce they gave (sort of like a sour cream or cream cheese?) was delicious with the gyros, too! Maybe I'll come back for this. The complimentary dessert we got was the rice pudding. (You can choose between that or the baklava.) It was okay. I feel like I could have made it myself. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon so I didn't like it much but after scooping out the cinnamon, it wasn't bad tasting. Maybe next time I'll try the baklava? Our check didn't come out to be expensive either... ~$24 for 2 BIG sandwiches/gyros, calamari (not worth the $$), and a dessert! Service was not too shabby either, came and refilled some water, asked how everything was but my friend did not like how the guy who sat us down was chewing gum obnoxiously (friend found it rude), but I guess I didn't notice that since I was thinking of what food to get.
(2)Fanny L.
I wanted to take my brother out since he's usually a homebody and we chose Apollonia because it was close by and he wanted to try Greek food. Now, I'm a huge fan of Greek food, and I didn't want to disappoint him. The decor was more on the fancy side, with sculptures, paintings and displayed wine bottles. We chose to sit outside since it was a nice night. The patio was lovely. However, we were seated near the squeaky escalator and the heat lamp went out mid dinner. Since it was restaurant week, we decided to try out that menu. Our server came to check on us every so often, but took a long time between each visit. We finally ordered-- my brother had the spanakopita, souvlaki plate and the rizzogalo; I had the dolmathakia, horta plate and filo medley. The portions were HUGE. The appetizers were both delicious. My brother said the beef and chicken kabobs were cooked well, and the meat was tender and nicely flavored. (He ate it all!) My horta plate was a sampler of 3 of their vegetarian dishes, and I was barely able to make a dent in it. It was way too much food. But, I tried a bit of each one and they were all tasty. The desserts were also yummy. My favorite was the baklava. None of them were overly sweet, which I was so happy about! I've had baklava in the past that were just drowned in honey and made it too sweet. The rizzogalo was great with the cinnamon on top, just the right amount of sweetness. Overall the food was good, the service though was very slow. Our first course took a long wait and each successive course took quite a bit of time as well, our dinner was almost 2 hours! We will most likely return.
(3)Lorna R.
I've heard this place is a good one for large parties and groups, but believe me, it is also great when dining alone. wanted a quick dinner after a movie on a weekday evening. sat in the heated patio area with a great view of My Sister's Closet LOL, although I preferred looking at quiet tree-shaded Genessee Avenue with its dearth of traffic (it was early in the evening). had an acceptable gyros sandwich, and a cup of divinely delicious lentil soup. that, with a glass of Pinot Grigio, capped off my evening excellently. service good, a great place to dine, alone or otherwise.
(3)Brandon C.
"I'm not impressed by your performance."
(2)Simon J.
This place is okay. It's a little bit more than I expected in terms of time to get our food. The portions were okay, but I expected more for the prices we be paying. Alternatively, the prices could be cheaper. I have to admit, I like this place better when it was under former management.
(3)Craig Y.
The hostess was visibly irritated that we needed to add two people to our reservation, even though the place was not busy. The lunch service was quite slow, and this is in an area where a lot of people are out on their lunch break. The food was good, however. I had the chicken kebab and enjoyed it. The chicken was cooked well; it was tender and tasty. I might eat there again, but hope for an improvement in overall service and attitude of the staff.
(2)Aidan C.
This is my favorite Greek restaurant in SD and while the prices are a little higher than I like, the place has a very classy feel to it and the staff are always very professional. Outdoor seating is available complete with heat lamps (as if there's actually weather in SoCal) while the interior strikes just the right balance of lighting and intimacy. And now the food. The tzatziki is the best I've ever had, and the thinly sliced seasoned meat is just waves of bliss waiting to become a food coma. And while plates do run into the $12-15 range, the platters are simply loaded with food. I came here for a friend's birthday once and the sample dessert platter was incredible. One of the desserts was a phyllo dough wrapped orange cream which was fragrant and sweet without being overbearing. Can't say too much about their bar since I haven't been back since turning 21, but never fret, I'll be back soon for an update.
(5)Jonathan H.
I promise I am not a picky patron. The service here was terrible, especially when compared to the prices. The server had to be flagged down for a water refill, and even after this extremely friendly reminder (I had a much less cordial way of saying it in my head, after waiting ten minutes for water), it still took him three passes by the table before the spark of reminder showed on his face and he grabbed the pitcher. I also asked for pita bread during the flagging down event requesting water. He failed to bring the bread when he brought the water. It took him three more passes and ten more minutes to bring me the five slices of cold, spongy bread. The prix fixe menu is really the only reason I would come here. It saves you about ten dollars depending what choices you order for each course. Unfortunately, the portions appear slimmed down for this menu, so maybe you are not actually going to save any money versus food volume. There were two servers, a hostess and two bussers passing through the section I was in, and still it felt like their collective dedication to their jobs equaled about one to two Ryan Reynolds in the movie "Waiting."
(2)Kiki H.
Very average Greek food. Chicken kabob was fresh but nothing out of the ordinary or mind blowing. Hummus was a little too oily, as was the baba ganoush. Service was also pretty slow. OK in a pinch but not my first choice, especially for Greek/middle eastern food. (helloooo Fairouz's!)
(2)Diane L.
I came here for lunch with some of my co-workers. Surprisingly it was very very busy for lunch! We were seated promptly in the patio and our orders were taken in a timely fashion. We ordered: -babaganoush (eggplant dish): I normally don't like eggplant, but this was pretty tasty. It doesn't come with a lot, so I wouldn't share with more than 3-4 people. -Lamb plate- huge portions! -lamb gyro -falafel wrap -tabouli salad Everything that we got was very tasty and had good portion size. Although, I do think that the price was a little higher than what i would normally pay for. It wasn't too overly priced, but I've had cheaper before. It was definitely better than Daphne's, and had more options, so take that into account since it's more of a restaurant than fast food place. Overall though, it was a good experience with good service. We were in and out within the hour and back to work just in time.
(3)Kimberly R.
I love the food. If I only ordered takeout from them, I would give them 4 stars. Alas, such is not the case. I have a group of friends and we go out to dinner every Friday night. We don't go to the same place each week but we have a steady rotation which, until last week, included Appolonia. For many years we had the back room at Trophy's in the same shopping center and the waiter there treated us like royalty. And we tipped accordingly. We have been doing this for years. Sometimes we have 7 people, sometimes 20. When we have more than 5 we call and make a reservation in order to ensure that the restaurant knows we are coming and can accommodate us. Sometimes it's a birthday, sometimes not. Each time we have gone to Appolonia's the series of events are the same. Disappointing and dismal. The food can take forever and they always forget at least one or two things. Also, they never refill the water without us asking. They add in the gratuity at 18%, and yet I have never found that the service garners more than the required 15%. Once they knew they had brought me the wrong meal and yet it wasn't until I pointed it out that the waitress said, Oh yeah - sorry about that. Again, the food is great and for takeout I would say, go for it. But check your order before you go. We aren't fancy. We want friendly service,adequate seating, the ability to divide the check at least by parties of 4 or 5 (we don't expect individual checks for 20 people) and the hot food hot, the cold food cold and the drinks refilled. Having waitress-ed my way through college and law school I know how it works and I don't expect anything more than what I could provide myself. It's hard work, you kind of have to like people and you have to want to see them happy. Also, at least when I waitress-ed, the customer was ALWAYS right. Last Wednesday (April 11, 2012) my friend called and made a reservation for 20 people for my birthday for Friday April 13. We arrive and have to wait to be seated. This isn't usually an issue - sometimes they just need a minute or 2. Not that nightfall we get shown to our table and the next 10 minutes are what prompted me to write this review. The waiter says, you have 2 tables to choose from. So I think he means, there are 2 setups for 20 and we get to choose which one we want. So I choose and I sit. Then I count the seating - it's for 10. I get up and ask the waiter, "Where are the other 10 seats?". He says over there and points to the other table. I say, no we had a reservation for 20 people are you telling me we have been separated? And this is where I decide I am never going back because the waiter responded by saying: "We have 2 large parties in the side room and then you guys." I thought, what does that mean? You didn't even answer my question. So I ask it again. He says: "Yeah we have 2 other big parties so we divided you up, why?" So I said because we are one party of 20 not 2 parties of 10. We wanted to sit together. And then he says the thing that makes my head spin...."What's the big deal?" I said, because we want to sit together, if you couldn't accommodate us, then why did you take the reservation? If you weren't sure about the seating, why didn't you ask if it was okay to separate the table. When we walked in why didn't ANYBODY say - Hey by the way - it's 2 tables of 10 not one of 20. And he said ,"What's the big deal?" It's not. But it's probably a big deal that I and my group of friends will not come back.
(1)Shannon S.
I had dinner here with my friend about two months ago. The food was absolutely delicious with a very reasonable price and big portions! I'll definitely come back for it. :)
(5)Chris O.
I had lunch here Saturday. I ordered the Cretan Salmon and a Tabouleh salad. I only wanted a side order of the tabouleh, but it only came as an entree sized serving for $7.29. It was served with 5 wedges of warm pita. (really?) I asked for more pita and was not informed that my salmon would come with pita, nor was I informed that there would be an addional charge for more pita. The total for my meal, pre-tax, was $23.97. My dining partner order the gyros sandwich and asked if he could substitute fries for the rosemary potatoes that it comes with. We were told that was no problem. We were then charged for a "side" of fries. If there is a charnge, it should be mentioned by the server. Bottom line, expensive and mediorcre. Next time we will go to Dino's. The food is better and much more reasonable. I will not return, which is a shame as I live closeby.
(2)B C.
I always get excited to find a Greek restaurant. It's one of those kinds of food (like Mexican) that is best when kept simple, but can be surprisingly complex and fun in the hands of a skilled and creative chef/cook/grandmother. Unfortunately, Apollonia is nothing to get too excited about. The menu choices are solid, but unimaginaitive (you won't find grilled octopus or taramasalata on this menu), as the menu seems to be very "gringo-ized" for the shopping mall crowd. The service is competent and friendly, in keeping with the casual atmosphere (think somewhere between fine dining and Bennigans) . The wine list is OK, but they certainly need more Greek wine choices by the glass (I think there was one red and one white, both very unremarkable "grocery store" quality Greek wines. The dining room is brightly lit and fairly noisy considering its relatively small size; the covered patio is generally a better option for ambience. The waitress suggested that I try the "Moroccan chicken" (an interesting non-Greek choice) but then we found out they were out. I ended up with a mixed grill of chicken, lamb, and sausage which was a typical kefthe/souvlaki sort of combo. It was unremarkable but not bad (I've had better on a street corner in Montreal). I'm in La Jolla frequently on business, and I may be back if I have a burning desire for a lamb shank and glass of merlot at a reasonable price, but it won't be on my list of destination spots for the area.
(3)Brian R.
I'm a big fan of Greek/Mediterranean food! The service first of all was great, good service adds to the dinning experience. I had the Greek salad which hit the spot, but my friend ordered the Hummus and Baba Ganush appetizers and they were very good. We ate inside the restaurant since we had a large party going, but they have a very nice patio which I have eaten on before too. I definitely recommend this place to tourists and locals for a pleasurable dinning experience.
(4)James K.
First time here in a very long time. I actually didn't know if they were still in business and was pleasantly surprised to see how they have grown over the years. The last time I was here it was a rather small business but they have expanded to include a large outdoor covered patio area and the inside is quite beautiful. They are located in a moderate sized strip mall with plenty of parking. I went at lunch time and didn't have a problem finding parking. When I walked up, the outdoor dining area was completely empty and I wasn't 'sure if they were open. But as soon as I opened the door it was clear they were open for business with the restaurant a bit more than half full. Plus, it was raging hot outside so I can't imagine why anyone would be outside on their patio, but it really is very appealing as was the interior. I was greeted immediately and taken to a small booth. Again, I noted how many people were here and most looked to be professionals on their lunch time. The menu had the typical Greek/Mediterranean menu items and I was tossed between a Gyro sandwich and Chicken Kebab. I decided on the Gyro sandwich with a side Greek salad. Gyro sandwich is pretty much a stable of this type of cuisine and sort of sets the pace for the quality of food. And for a starter, I ordered an appetizer of hummus. My server told me I could get a small side or order the full appetizer. Wanting to really sample it, I ordered the full appetizer and hoped it wasn't too large but suspecting I wouldn't be able to finish it all. I would say I was a bit disappointed at the appetizer size of hummus as it was fairly small. It was more than enough for just one person and would be enough for two people, but more than two people you need to order more. I was surprised because most places I know serve a much larger portion. The hummus itself was good. Not great, but good. The bread that came along was also a bit disappointing. Kind of plain and questionable whether it's store bought. Let me emphasize, the hummus was good and I do recommend ordering it, but I've had as good hummus at Luna Grill and I was expecting more from such a nice appearing restaurant. I ordered my iced tea and it was quite good. It tasted fresh brewed and even had a hint of a fruit flavor to it. They refilled it often and honestly it was very good. They brought out my Gyro sandwich on a nice platter and a side plate for the Greek salad. I started in on the Greek salad and this was exceptional! The dressing was traditional but far better than most. It was just traditional greens with a slice of feta cheese decorating the middle of the salad, traditional Greek olives and just the right amount of dressing covering the salad. I want to go back again just to order a full size Greek salad with the grilled chicken! Maybe I'll go tomorrow! The Gyro sandwich looked very fresh and was quite big. There was a side of the Tzatziki sauce so I could put on as much or as little as I wanted. The sandwich was full of gyro meat, lettuce, tomato and onion wrapped up in a warm pita bread. I poured in some of the sauce and took my first bite. Well, it was far more appetizing looking than tasting. By no means was this bad. And while the meat tasted like traditional gyro meat, it had a dried out, sort of old taste to it. The meat tasted as if it had been cooked yesterday and reheated today. That's the best way I could describe it. And the pita bread it came in, similar to the pita bread that came with the hummus. Not very flavorful and detracted from the taste of the sandwich. Combined with the old meat taste, not a very good gyro sandwich. I certainly know places that serve worse but I also know places that serve far better. Overall, a very attractive restaurant and great for groups, business meetings and just out with friends. Surprising though, as nice of an appearance as this place has, they use paper napkins. Seemed so odd when you consider the decor and the atmosphere they create. All that and then they use paper napkins. Very disappointing. Actually, the utensils are wrapped in a napkin like you would expect at a fast food restaurant. I only comment on this because if you see this restaurant, it looks like you are dining at a 5 star restaurant... and then they hand you a paper napkin wrapped around utensils. But I did enjoy the food and I really want to go back and try the Greek salad with the grilled chicken. And I'll also try the Spanakopita... another Greek favorite of mine. Last, I will say the prices are very fair. I was very surprised when I saw the final bill and thought maybe they left something off. Very good prices!
(3)Danielle F.
We used to come here a few times a month. We'd sit at a bar table and have a nice dinner. Usually we were served by a woman bartender/waitress who knew exactly how I liked my drinks. The last time we were there for dinner it was not so pleasant. There was a male waiter who just runs around like his pants are on fire. From the tables, to the bar, to the kitchen.....run, run, run. It does not lend itself to a relaxing evening. We stopped back twice and he was still running around....we left. The sushi restaurant next door has become our new choice. Great avocado and mango salad and the sushi is very good.
(2)Jessica G.
Apollonia Greek Bistro is a solid meal. I work in the area and have ordered take-out a few times. Greek food is such a good lunch! The Gyros sandwich is exactly what I'm looking for when I'm craving an American gyros. Lots of delicious gyros meat, creamy and cucumber-y tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a warm and fluffy pita. My friend I decided to dine in this past week and enjoyed our meal. The service was super friendly and attentive. Our hummus starter was great - I am a huge fan of the fluffy pita bread! We also ordered the avgolemeno soup, which was the right amount of lemon-y flavor accompanying a great texture and consistency. We split the Grecian Feast as our entree. It was a large platter with gyros meat, rice pilaf, moussaka, dolmades, and bourekia. The rice pilaf was nice and buttery and accompanied the gyros meat well. The moussaka had a lot of ground lamb, chunks of eggplant, and a very well flavored bechamel. The nutmeg blended perfectly with the delicious lamb and eggplant. The dolmades, one of my favorite greek dishes, were good and satisfied my craving. The bourekia, ground lamb in filo dough, was a very nice surprise! I would definitely order it again. All in all, Apollonia Greek Bistro satisfied my Greek food craving.
(3)Dan B.
This is a hidden gem. The atmosphere is ancient Greek with marble statues and great paintings. Larger than expected indoor seating area and a great outdoors patio area. The food is great and they have lots of vegetarian dishes. The prices keep me coming back. Very reasonable. The location is a little hard to find. It is hidden next to the escalator going up to the boxing club. You can not see it from a major street, but it is worth the effort to find. Great restaurant!
(5)Mel J.
Mezedakia is a tasty assortment of Greek starters at Apollonia for $15.99, and is big enough to share. The Taramosalata surprised me with a kiss of lemon that accented the delicious salty flavor of the Greek salmon caviar. The Spanakopita and the Bourekia were hot out of the oven, with a nice flaky, crispy pastry with savory fillings. The spinach in the Spanakopita was delish with the extra feta cheese sprinkled on top. The meat in the Bourekia tasted marvelous with the spices and the sprinkle of powdered sugar. All of these items are included in the Mezedakia. And that's not all! The Mezedakia also comes with the best feta cheese I've had ANYWHERE...fresh and moist with that famous salty tangy flavor of good feta. Plus there were olives, bread, and marinated artichokes that were tender and with a hint of garlic. The stuffed grape leaves were ok, but not my fav. I'd like to thank Nabila for such welcoming and attentive service. I hope I can have her as my server on the next visit as well! I was impressed with the quality of the food on this visit to Apollonia. Everything was well prepared, using high quality ingredients, and the food was very tasty. I'm definitely moving Apollonia up higher on my list of favorite Mediterranean restaurants!
(4)Martin G.
Very good service! Food is better than other Mediterranean place I've gone to. Nice dim setting and decor.
(5)Jocy C.
I've been to Apollonia Greek Bistro twice so far. Both times, it was in a large group setting (party of 10 and party of 25). The service is great at Apollonia for large groups. Both times I got the Gyro Platter. Delicious and the portion size is large. ENJOY!
(3)Hank S.
We dined Appllonia tonight and it was a mistake. We ordered a calamari appetizer which arrived quickly and luke warm. It was tougher than shoe leather and obviously reheated from the lunch business and dry as could be. We also ordered Moussaka and Athenian Sea Bass. Both dishes came with rice pilaf which was, in reality seasoned boiled rice. The Moussaka was edible as was the Sea Bass but it didn't live up to its description in the menu. Apollonia is definitely off our list of restaurants.
(3)John F.
My wife and I discovered Apollonia a couple of years ago. I'm here to tell you that the gyros is about as good as it gets, and I'm from Chicago, where the Greek community knows how to make them. The pita is uniformly fresh, the right temperature and right consistency. The meat and other contents are perfectly proportioned. I have tried gyros all over town and have not found one better. I tend to be a creature of habit, but maybe I'll try something else next time! The restaurant itself is nicely decorated with a nice large bar area and outdoor seating. I have seen families there, but it seems the majority of the patrons are residents of the nearby elderly facilities and their middle-aged sons and daughters. The wine list is a little thin, but you can always find something decent at a decent price. The service is always friendly and prompt. We'll be coming back soon!
(5)Shayne C.
HAPPY ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY !!! This means FREE lunch from our awesome supervisor !! We all agreed to try something different and GREEK it was !! Ambiance: Plenty of parking - outdoor open parking lot and parking structure Very spacious and well-decorated Great for groups and a nice date Seating available outdoor/indoor- We opted for the patio/outdoor since it was a nice day You may want to dress up a little. Leave your beach attire and flip flops at home Food: BABA GHANNOUJ (say that 10 times fast)- Great starter and we all wanted to try this ! Broiled eggplant, mashed with garlic, parsley, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and sesame sauce with pita bread. I LOVE EGGPLANT !!! This was a winner ! GRAPE LEAVES - YALANDJI -Another appetizer, with filling of rice, fresh tomato, red pepper, onion, mint and pomegranate molasses. Served chilled. Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy this. Personally, I thought it had a weird taste. Like vinegary and not that fresh. It didn't even have vinegar in the ingredients list. Maybe the pomegranate ? I don't know, but I didn't like it. Pass. OLYMPIC salad - Roasted eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and sweet red pepper over cool fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes without the feta cheese. Served with basil-balsamic viniagrette. I realized after my meal that they forgot to include my pita bread. Grrr...It was a decent portion and I was satisfied after. Flavor-wise it was just okay. Nothing special and I wish they had more grilled eggplant since I'm a sucker for that. I liked how the dressing is on the side. I found that I didn't need too much of it on my salad since the marinade from the veggies was good enough. Hot green tea and a slice of lemon was nothing special. Just tea bag and honey if you choose to have. Service: Overall, it was quick and attentive. They did provide another pot of hot water for my tea, but not with another tea bag. ehhh..thanks but no thanks ? haha Verdict: Three stars ! Not my first option, but if you're in the area and need a quick bite to eat that doesn't feel so casual and fast foody then this is a decent spot.
(3)Stephen D.
Did not choose to go here, rather I met people here. I have always been intrigued by this place, wondering if they were pandering as "high end greek" in a location that fits the bill, or if they actually served quality Med. Cuisine. The former fit the bill- Pandering. How do you say- boring? lowsy? uneventful? lack of flavor? Greek restaurants are the ONLY places I will order chicken on a menu because the Greeks do it so well. Copious amounts of quality Olive Oil, along with more fresh lemon than a meyer tree in-season, Oregano, all cooked to perfection. Potatoes par-boiled, finished in the oven with ample seasoning. Crisp exterior, moist pillowy interior. Spanakopita with delightfully crusty phyllo, warm gooey spinach & bursts of salty-tang from the feta. Oh wait, I was describing "Greek Food", certainly not my experience here. Chicken- Dry, must have ran out of Oregano, I suppose lemons are more expensive these days cuz there was not a hint of lemon. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (the only virgin in the house would be that young buck who brought his date here hopping to score afterwards, only to find she was so dismayed by the dinner she just consumed). Potatoes- Crispy ext, dry interior Spanakopita- Not quality feta and the phyllo just did not do it for me What you will find- Overpriced, uneventful American Fare, with the ambiance of hip/hop music & greek architecture. Bummer
(2)Stacey M.
I was pleasantly surprised with this place before walking in the door I thought it was going to be a small place. The place is actually very big lots of tables good looking bar and interesting art work. I ordered my food and was blown away by how much chicken they gave me in my wrap well worth the money.
(5)Andrew R.
Singularly mediocre. Running errands in the Costa Verde shopping center. Didn't want fast food and Roy's was more $$$ than we wanted. Entered this cavernous and nearly empty restaurant around 6:15 on a Monday night. Server was pleasant but did not write down the order ( maybe in an empty restaurant there is no need) and then made an error. I had changed my mind from a bowl to a cup of lentil soup. She brought the bowl and then told me I ordered a bowl. Note from the doctor ( Notorious MD): write the order down and your less likely to mess it up! Hummus appetizer was small and lackluster. Pita bread was ok. Lentil soup was average. Greek Salad with grilled chicken: dressing so tart our eyes squinted shut. Chicken was over cooked. Had a similarly average chicken pita sandwich for lunch here a few months back. Should have known better after first experience. Prognosis for having a great meal here is guarded to poor.
(2)Chang L.
The office decided to order lunch from here and I sampled many of the dishes. Yalandji (grape leaves over rice and other veggies)- this was decent, definitely not the best I've had. It was just lacking in flavor for me. Spanakopita- didn't get them in the familiar triangles but instead came in rolls like the Bourekia. I'm not sure it was because of the shape but it didn't turn out super crispy and flaky. Feta mezes (feta cheese, basil, garlic and tomatoes)- this was actually pretty delicious. It's very refreshing and tangy and fantastic on pita bread. Falafel- these were too dry and nobody ate them. Imam bayaldi (Italian stuffed eggplant)- this was quite good, but I am a pretty big fan of eggplant and tomatoes. Spinach pastitsio- this dish was like a baked lasagna with spinach and pesto covered with cheese. The pasta was over cooked for me and it lacked flavor. I also noticed the roux was not distributed well so I got big chunks of it. :( Skordalia- surprisingly delicious with pita. I've never had potatoes that were tangy (think about it...) and aside from the carbs on carbs issue I loved this little spread. Overall it was an ok lunch, but I'm not rushing back anytime soon to order more.
(3)Mario P.
I've been to this Greek Bistro many times and I simply find it okay. Probably my biggest concern is the inconsistency of their service. Their food is okay and would probably give it a three star rating but I'm rating them on the entire experience. I'm a big fan of greek food and really hope they improve.
(2)Jenny L.
So confused why this place doesn't have higher stars. Both take out and dining in experiences are so good. Maybe people aren't ordering the correct items. The Horiotiki Salad with lentil is 10/10. Never can go wrong with this. The Fava Bean dish is so filling and healthy, you will have plenty left over for the day after. The babaganoush is the best I've ever had. The food is always fresh and most the dishes are healthy. Great accommodating service, even when you order 10 minutes before closing. The waiters are so professional, the ambiance is clean, and it's a favorite among all the locals!
(5)Luis R P.
Great dishes and convenient location with a parking garage next to it. The food is good. Some dishes seemed better than others tough. The portions are generous. Overall, I will repeat. The service is good but my dish too a while. If going with a large group, plan for an hour or more not to be rushed.
(4)JT F.
After first tasting their food, I was thinking about 4 stars. I then tried their Beef Kebab (marinated chunks of sirloin, char-broiled to your liking) and I was SOLD on 5 stars. So tender, juicy and flavorful. Love this place!
(5)Juliana P.
Came here for work with a really big group and I was pleased with their attentive service and flexibility. I've never had anything but my Mom's Avgolemno soup and I was so excited they had it on menu! That and the Taboleh salad did not disappoint. It made for a pretty nice light lunch since most of the other options seemed pretty heavy. Not the cheapest place, but I enjoyed it. The only complaint I heard from anyone is that they thought that their salad was too small and they were given the wrong one by mistake.
(4)Lattimore C.
This place is very relaxing with friendly professional servers and staff. The food is great and the portions are nice.
(4)Haley S.
I've been here for lunch several times and some items are very good, while others are just alright. The restaurant itself is much bigger than it appears when you first see it outside. They have a great outdoor patio area, parking can be difficult, but the service is always great, the food gets out quickly, and it's not the best Greek food I've ever had, but it's good enough. Check in for a free appetizer!
(4)Elixa S.
I was in town for a week with friends and we really had a taste for Greek food, so this place was suggested. The decor was relaxing and it wasn't too crowded which was nice. I was immediately startled by how rude the server was right from the beginning though. She seemed bothered by our presence as if she didn't want to assist us. I stated my order with no substitutions and she actually made a comment about my choice as if there was something wrong with it. Now if it was out of stock then I could understand, but it wasn't and I think I can decide what I'd like to eat. I didn't see the point in matching her rudeness so I just smiled and stuck to my choice. My friend had a question about a menu item and the server was rude responding. The server later returned with food, silverware, and a huge side of rudeness as we thanked her. Never in my life have I dined anywhere and gotten that kind of reaction to a thank you. No one was asking for anything or complaining about anything, we were just happy to see our food and wanted to continue enjoying our day. She never came back to check on us, which didn't surprise me, but we were fine. In fact we all really enjoyed the food. The temperature was good, the portions were generous, and everything was well seasoned. We figured we'd experienced the last of her rudeness until we went to pay. She stated they don't offer separate checks, which was fine. We just divided the bill among ourselves and each paid our portion. Apparently this really set her off because she proceeded to complain about each of us giving her an exact dollar amount and a method of payment. Now if we were a group of like 30 people I could understand. However it was only a handful of us, they don't offer separate checks, and we did all the math for her. All she really had to do was push a couple of buttons on the cash register. Then she went on a tirade about what she deserved as a tip. At this point even her coworkers were staring at her like she had 3 heads. I understand life as a server is challenging. The pay is often low, the shifts are busy, your feet hurt, and some customers are horrible. However, no one forces you to work there. The least you can do is what you're hired to do, which is provide a service in a professional manner. If you would like a tip, especially a generous one, then behave as such. Excessive and unnecessary rudeness and not being available to your customers won't get you that. The wonderful food just can't excuse the awful service here so I won't return.
(2)Kelly V.
The decor was nice, the prices were decent, the food was good, but the service was lackluster. Our server was inattentive and a little bit rude. I'll probably go again and hope for a better server as I really did enjoy the food.
(3)Tiffany K.
It was a great birthday dinner. The food and service was excellent! I will be back.
(5)Marissa T.
This is where the traditional ouzo is popular, along with the restaurant's own specialty wine. We ordered baked lamb with tomatoes, and a potato salad. The food was presented well and was delicious with generous portions as well. The servers and host were polite, though it felt like they were working too hard because there seemed to be too many people, and too few servers. This place had a party going on at a few tables and it was boisterous and noisy. You had to shout to be heard and that did not have a relaxing effect in any way. So this is not the place for a lazy Sunday lunch. Visit it to have fun!
(4)Rebecca F.
Great food! I haven't been disappointed in anything we have ordered! Great Happy Hour deals on appetizers.
(5)Marcy M.
They still got it! When I visit San Diego this place is my first stop every time. I live in L.A. and I have yet to find a place as good as Apollonia. My fave menu items are: *GYROS!!!!!! - Lamb & Beef *SO DARN GOOD! A must Have. Best I Have Ever Had* *Papoutsakia Sandwich - Eggplant Filled With Ground Lamb Tomato Sauce and Basil *Taramasolata - Red Caviar Potato Dip *drool* *Spanaki Lemonato - Lemon Spinach Dip *yum* *Baba Ghannouj - Eggplant Lemon Garlic Dip *best baba ghannouj I've ever had* *Bourekia - Filo Dough Filled With Ground Lamb and Onion *more drooling* Enjoy!
(5)An Y.
A fancy/nice/spacious restaurant. Good service. I approve for special-er occasions. Expensive. APPETIZERS: * Feta Bruschetta (garlic bread + tomato + balsamic vinegar) - very delicious. Highly recommend. * Tzatziki (pita bread with yogurt cucumber dip) - good, but doesn't compare to the feta bruschetta. ENTREES: * Riganato - chicken breast + potatoes. Kinda boring/just okay. * Macedonian Sampler - looked good, would order. * Shrimp Scorpio - smaller entree than the others. Looked good, but I'd get something with more sides. * Beef Kebab - looked good, would order.
(4)Amir A.
My company has been ordering dinner for the past few months so I've had the choice of picking a few times around. I've tried several of their dishes. Greek food isn't really my thing since it doesn't have a true food identity to me. Freshness is reserved for California/Mexican cuisine and the poultry they prepare is either Asian/Middle-Eastern influenced or contemporary. Two plates that did stand out were the Gyros Plate and Riganato. The one true "go-to" item for Greek places is usually gyro and this place serves up a plate full of it with great sides for a reasonable price. My favorite dish however, is the Riganato. It is a well prepared, juicy, piece of chicken breast that is perfectly seasoned. The potatoes are soft, the veggies are delicious, and the garlic dip it comes with is overpowering, yet seems to complement the dish well. I highly recommend this dish if you like chicken. All in all, everyone who gets their dinner seems to be happy and the service is great.
(4)Olya K.
Had the gyro it was delicious. I'm a sucker for Greek food and I do like the food here.
(5)Natalie M.
We have never had a bad experience. But ask for salad dressing on side so much dressing. Grape leaves are yummy. The only let down are their "fun" drinks. Haven't found one that I enjoy so I get wine
(4)Manami Y.
Seafood night! We ordered the Aegean swordfish sandwich, swordfish kebabs, the shrimp scorpio, and the Apollonia medley for dessert. Everything we had was yummy and totally filling! I think my favorite dish was the shrimp scorpio. It reminded me of a paella, but instead of a seafood medley it was mostly shrimp. Both the swordfish kebabs and sandwich had the same spicy, lemon herb marinade. It went well with the swordfish. The grand finale was the dessert medley. We were too stuffed to eat it right after our meal so we didn't get to it until a couple of hours after our dinner! It consisted of 2 pieces of baklava, a generous portion of rice pudding (rizzogalo), 2 filo pastries filled with custard and orange zest (galacto-boureko), and another filo pastry filled with chocolate, raisins, and pistachios drizzled with raspberry sauce (chocolate saragli). I loved the chocolate saragli! So yummy! Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for the baklava. I've had better. My bf's favorite was the galacto boureko. Neither us really touched the rice pudding. I never equate rice with dessert.
(4)Charles J.
Loved this place. The food was high quality, the prices were very reasonable, and the atmosphere was perfect with what you'd expect for La Jolla. We sat on the patio and it was heated well enough that we didn't have chilly shoulders. Saw several large tables but it didn't impact our service which was friendly, prompt and accurate.
(5)Rainier T.
This is one of our favorite Greek restaurants in UTC. It consistently serves delicious food!
(5)Maria C.
Happy Hour is from 330-630p. I scored on a glass of Riesling for $3. The Riesling was ehhh. I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're a win-o; however, there was only 1 selection. I don't normally eat Mediterranean food, so I ended up ordering an entree I was familiar with. -Gyros Plate, which came with Gyros meat served with pita bread, Briami, rice pilaf and Tzatziki sauce. The portion was certainly generous. I took half my entree home. I really like the set up of this restaurant. There is patio seating outside, spacious seating indoors with a room to hold a private party, a bar and open seating throughout the restaurant. The parking could be troublesome since it shares a lot with other stores/restaurants. (Next to Bristol Farms) They could have done better with the service. It was a weeknight and they were slow. Therefore, there shouldn't be excuse to not come around more often.
(2)Mischelle M.
I tried the tomato soup which was nice. I followed it with the Olympian salad that was delightful. The pita served was fresh and warm. I checked in and showed the waiter the 10% off yelp check in offer but it wasn't added to the bill. I'd suggest to come for happy hour.
(3)Julia L.
I walked in to have lunch at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the receptionist kind of looks around with a wrinkled nose and said well I could put. You at a bar seat or way in the back. Wherever that is. There's a booth clearly inside right by the front desk. I asked her is that table reserved? She fumbles around and says I can have it , she didn't want to give it to me because it's the last table for four people available. Clearly lunch hours almost over. I'm certain someone else would've been leaving in a few minutes. No one else was waiting. I told her never mind And I walked out next door to the sushi place. No problem getting seating or having them take my money
(1)Debapriya R.
Nice place.. Service is slow slow though . Perfect for lunches. Food is nice and filling .though be ready for a long wait if there are many patrons.
(4)Abhi S.
I live in the neighborhood and I'm surprised people don't seem to go here pretty often! I've thoroughly enjoyed the food every time I've been here. These are my favorite items on the menu: VEGETARIAN PHANTASIA - a platter with pretty much all the vegetarian items on the menu. SPINACH PASTITSIO - a baked pasta dish. GALACTO-BOUREKO - a light and flavorful dessert: pastry filled with orange zest and toppped with rose water.
(4)H L.
My friends brough me here for dinner one night. The food and service was outstanding. The portions were very large and I had to take half my meal home with me. My father loves Greek food, so I thought I would bring him here for dinner. We had a table six without reservations, they were happy to get a table ready for us in minutes. We ordered the Saganaki which is flamed at your table for our appetizer. My nieces loved it. Most of us ordered the gyro plate (which was too much food for one person to eat). My niece ordered the Shrimp Scorpio which looked amazing. For dessert we ordered the Galacto-Boureko and the Rizzogalo.
(4)Adrienne M.
I'm not a particularly big fan of Greek food, but when a friend suggested Apollonia for dinner, I thought "why not?" I'm really glad I discovered this charming place. The ambience is nice, casual and welcoming, and the service was top-notch. Those things wouldn't matter, of course, if the food wasn't good--and it was more than that; it was great. My friend ordered her favorite, Chicken Couscous, while I had a vegetarian dish, Spinach Pastitsio. All I can say is yum! Plus, we both had leftovers to enjoy the following day. I heartily recommend this bistro to those who love Greek food as well as those who are experimenting with a new cuisine.
(5)Ashley R.
So good, fresh and authentic (for a Daygo girl). Chicken Couscous, saganki and happy hour are all great. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. The only reason they didn't get 5 stars was the dry and flavorless Falafel Gyro, but I still come here often.
(4)Sheva L.
My boyfriend and I went to Apollonia for the first time (for lunch) & we had a very positive experience. For starters: I really like the ambiance of the place. They fuse classical sculpture with modern architecture, and warm accent colors. A lot of the Greek family-owned restaurants I have been to are hokey--with awful curtains, decor, cheap posters of Greece in ugly frames, and peeling blue & white paint that is a pathetic attempt to conjur up images of Santorini. Apollonia is not like that at all. It's classy, very clean, tastefully decorated, and super spacious. And, no chintzy music. They had contemporary music (ie: Grammy-winning Sam Smith) playing, and it was at the perfect volume, ie: it was just background music. A lot of places miss the mark on that & it's annoying to be in a restaurant when you can't hold a comfortable conversation with your family/friends/date. Re: service--we found all of the staff to be very polite & professional. Our waiter checked in with us at appropriate times, cleared our dishes in a timely fashion, and did not rush to stick the bill on our table---which is really refreshing to find in an American dining experience. Especially in an area like UTC, where most of the restaurants are crappy chain restaurants with staff rushing you out the door before you've even finished your meal. On the contrary, we asked for the bill, instead of it being slid on our table ridiculously early. That SELDOM happens in American dining experiences. It was nice not to feel rushed. We sat, we talked, we enjoyed our meal. We thought the food was tasty & reasonably priced. Our soup had fresh parsley on top, our dolmadas had fresh sliced green onions as part of the presentation. Those little details are missing from cheap places that cut corners & don't care about presentation. We enjoyed a satisfying meal, and will certainly go back to check out the dinner options. I think Apollonia would be a terrific space to host an event, because of how huge the place is---both outdoor dining patio with heat lamps & several indoor rooms. They also have a nice bar area & a wine room. For UTC, I think Apollonia is a diamond in the rough (the "rough" being all of the crappy chain restaurants), and I hope they maintain enough business to stick around!
(4)Volkmar S.
Came in here for dinner. I had the 1/4 Rosted chicken, It was great. Good fresh food. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth a visit if you have a little while to sit down and enjoy a meal.
(4)P J.
I've been here with family on a whim web we got hungry after shipping. I loved the food. Service is fast and they don't try to kick you out after you finish your meal! Prices are also reasonable and it's close to utc so it's great for nice dinner before a movie.
(4)Lisa W.
My bf wanted Greek food, thought we tried this place since we live like 2 blocks away. Cute little place in a small plaza. I got the gyros plate, I love their gyro meat, it was thick and delicious! the white yogurt sauce was creamy and had a good touch and thickness to it. My bf got the chicken couscous which he said was okay. Chicken was dry but when you dip it in the sauce they gave you, it gave it a little zing. Service was really good, until the end. They like totally forgot about us or something, we didn't even get our bill until like 30 minutes later after we were done with our food waiting and waiting. They need better servers/waitresses if they ever want this place to get the recognition it should. Other than that this place will get no more than 3 stars.
(3)Brian G.
Moussaka - yum! Whenever I am in La Jolla this is a must visit for lunch. Yes I am addicted to the moussaka. Always flavorful, hot and satisfying. Love this place.
(4)Sandra F.
I've been coming to this restaurant for a long time, since it was named Aesop's Table and prior to the redesign. I really enjoy the food and the outdoor patio. Fair is fair, and in San Diego, this is the best Greek I've eaten. However, I'm giving a less than stellar review because the last handful of times I've been here, the waitstaff have been rude and curt. Especially, the women who was my server today during lunch. I understand they move quickly during lunch, but a pleasant, friendly attitude doesn't have to be sacrificed to move quickly with lunch service. I've also had less than great experiences at dinner lately. The bartender seems to have changed. Last time I came for dinner, my husband and I had the pomegranate martini and it was too sweet. Finally, they seem to have issues with debit cards. My account is in good standing order and twice at this restaurant I have had my card declined. When I called my bank, in a panic to investigate, they told me it was merchant error and everything was fine with my card. Something is wrong on their end, not mine. I came back to the restaurant and told my server that I called my bank and they told me it was merchant error. Perhaps something is up with their machine? I told her this had happened before and it was merchant error then as well. She gave me a condescending attitude and obviously thought I was trying to save face. No, actually, I think there is something wrong with your machine! Just trying to save others the unnecessary embarrassment. Maybe she's rushing to quickly?! She didn't want to hear it. I like the restaurant and enjoy the food. I wish the waitstaff were more personable and took their time a bit more with their customers.
(2)Kent H.
This place was rather empty, granted we arrived around 5:45 on a monday evening. Even as we left there weren't very many patrons. Could this have been a sign? Probably, because the food was only okay. So I ordered the chicken kebab and tried a sampling of the Moussaka. The chicken kebab was average, not overcooked and not too dry. I would have preferred long grained rice as opposed to soft rice pilaf. The vegetables on the turned out to be a very interesting tomato, pepper, mushroom stew. It was actually pretty good. Albeit a little oily. The moussaka, although I didn't have much of it, looked to be very heavy. The ground lamb at the bottom topped by many layers of vegetables. The majority of it was topped with Vlahotyri cheese. Similar to that of the english sheperds pie, but cheese instead of potato.
(3)Susie G.
I affectionately refer to this restaurant as the Kalamata Olive Garden. Lots of vegetarian options and a great place for a family dinner, we were well accommodated when we came here. The baba ghanoush was particuarly good. The decor's a little cheesy, but for a big group of people who each have different preferences for food, this was a perfect fit. Something for everyone. (A little tough to find.)
(4)Chad B.
I would consider myself a Greek food lover and came to this place with rather high expectations. As we were seated to our table we noted at how empty the place was for a Saturday night. There were maybe 8-10 other tables in the entire restaurant that had people at them, with 80% empty. It was also cold inside the dining room. Onto the order: I ordered the moussaka (one of my staple Greek dishes), my buddy ordered the sampler plate. Also tried the stuffed grape leaves. The grape leaves were delicious, no complaints whatsoever. They arrived after a long 10 minutes, but we didn't mind the wait given how good they were. Our entrees came out another 10-15 minutes after this, with out server not attending to our empty drink glasses- this part was annoying. My moussaka was covered in an outer cheese layer, something I normally did not encounter. It was soggy, and had an unusual texture compared to what I've experienced in the past. The taste was okay, but this dish was way too heavy with its molten layer of cheese. The sampler dish was okay, with some sides being better than others. A major red flag we noticed: they don't even make their own pita!!! WTF kind of Greek restaurant can't even make such a simple, yet highly important, staple?!? The service was all around slow, and non-attentive. Our server seemed like she had a long a dull day. The bill came to $45, and all things considered I would rather have gone to Daphen's Grill for a fraction of the cost. This place sucks!
(2)Huong T.
My friend and I went here for lunch. I ordered the salmon and he ordered the bass. Both were pretty bland. I used the check-in offer to get the free hummus and even the hummus wasn't that great. I think the best thing was the rice pilaf and the decor. I wouldn't come here again.
(2)Brian K.
Pita: Dry and stale; I should have bought some Wonder bread which would tasted divinely better. To rub salt in our wounds, they had the audacity to charge $1.29 for 12 quarter pieces.12 divided by 4; wait, that's 3 whole pieces. Either give this crappy pita to me for free or charge me something that will not insult my intelligence. Extremely aloof, careless waitress. Ohh wait, there was no need to us any service; "GRATUITY WAS AUTOMATICALLY ADDED FOR LARGE GROUPS = GUARANTEED TIP = SO WHY GIVE GOOD SERIVCE (since she's going to get 18% anyways. She was slow yet the fastest thing she did was to take our cash and credit cards. The birthday cake was cut but where the hell was our forks? We wait and wait and for Heaven's sake, it's Mary's birthday, let the girl have her cake and eat it too. I had to get up and ask for forks. Oh wait, they add an automatic gratuity so why give good service? The steak kebabs were burnt to a crisp. The chicken was semi-moist but had been sitting out way too long. This is a good example how NOT to train your staff. This is simple Restaurant 101 material: You always treat larger parties with superior service; big groups are the cash cows. Last time I counted, I needed to use two hands to count to 10. It doesn't matter if it's a bunch of high school punks in a prom group or if it's a group of investment bankers; big groups needed to be given a lot of attention, one sign of a great restaurant.
(2)Melanio F.
No - for 80's fans, this is not "the Apollonia" that starred with Prince in Purple Rain, but a greek city named after Apollo, the god of music, poetry and oracles. And no, not Apollo Creed from Rocky I and II. This place was chosen for our once in a month lunch outing for work because our initial choice was unavailable to handle 16 people at noon. And what a great choice (made by me of course). I never have been to this place before but it was absolutely perfect for a large group. I made reservations at noon and when we arrived (at least half of the group first), we were seated immediately. The service is quick with the water and the soft drinks or any other beverage. The menu is very big for a bistro. It has all the standard Greek dishes you would order and with a large group, you know there will always be different tastes and it worked. Appetizers - saganaki, hummus and tyropita. The flaming cheese was as expected. You have to enjoy salty cheese to enjoy this dish and I do, it reminds me of the old quesong puti (carabao milk cheese) that we use to fry for breakfast. Hummus was nice and creamy. Tyropita was something different and was good, the oiliness of the cheese and these dish can overwhelm someone so order only one of these. Entrees - Mousaka - enjoyed by my co-worker, very rich and plentiful. I enjoyed a gyros plate, with ratatouille complete with tzatziki sauce and replaced the rice pilaf with fries, yumm yum The fries were just right, the gyro not too dry and the sauce perfect for dipping the fries and the gyro meat. I didn't finish it so next time just the sandwich would be sufficient for me but I do have leftovers for dinner. My other co-worker ordered the Shrimp scorpio which looked like a Shrimp paella with rice pilaf instead of saffron rice. 0 Overall, everybody enjoyed their meal and it was a very good experience. The room was decorated simple with greek murals of gods and goddesses without being too gaudy. Pricing is reasonable because you can find appetizers or sandwiches within someone's price range. I will definitely go back again for the other dishes and definitely recommend the place and it will bring out the Greek god and goddess out of you!
(4)Erin H.
Gotta have the Saganaki (flaming cheese!) The cheese is pretty much why we came back here the other day because we've been dreaming of it for over a year. I had the Riganato for lunch and I can't recall why the better half had. I'm not much of a Greek food fan and I think this is the only Greek place I've eaten at. They really do have great food but just okay service. It was a slow Sunday but the Chargers game was on so I was surprised it was as dead as it was. We ate in the bar so we could watch the game and there was only one guy at the bar and one other table with people eating. Our bartender/waitress was very nice but I do remember last time we were here we had the same issue (most likely a different waitress) but slow service all the same considering it wasn't busy that time either.
(3)Gesselle C.
It was horrible experience. I went for lunch with a friend and her 2 year old child. I ordered the swordfish sandwich and roasted potatoes. The server was very nice but the food was bad. The potatoes were cold and under-cooked and the swordfish was cold and over-cooked. My friend's order: The salad was blah and the falafel had too much cumin. A manager never came out to say anything to us. At then end, I received the bill and they charged me $3.00 for an unsweetened ice tea which would have been okay, if it was served in an ice tea glass but it was served in a rocks glass (explanation: They served me two sips of ice tea versus a pint size). I will never return to this restaurant and neither will my friend.
(1)Pauline P.
I had this for lunch the other day, and it was very good. I love Greek food, and so have eaten at many Greek restaurants and this one rates near the top. I had the Athena pizza for an appetizer, and it was amazing. I highly recommend it. For lunch, I had the gyro. I ordered the lemon chicken soup on the side, but it never arrived, which accounts for the 4 stars out of 5. Especially since they charged me for it, which I didn't realize until I had already left. I didn't say anything because I had been in a hurry, and I figured that the waitress had only wrote down the gyro for me. No matter, I'll have it the next time I'm there. Highly recommend this place.
(4)Lloyd W.
Greek is now up there with Thai on the list of my less Favorite Cuisine.. I'm sorry! Nothing wrong with the restaurant!! I'd give it a 4-Star.. but.. I'm not a Fan ~ Everything on the Menu is New and Refreshing to me Service, Atmosphere.. you can't go wrong with this place Too Bad I don't Crave for Greek food.. But if you're looking for Greek food in SD.. look no further~!
(3)Alan R.
Great atmosphere for a date night with the wifey! Excellent food at a reasonable price. Will definitely be back!
(4)Brendan W.
Large gyro but just standard. I've had better. Orders to go are nice, yet finding parking is tough.
(3)Mrs. S.
I really like this place, although I have to say, I only order one thing over and over again. The chicken couscous is the bomb here. The best I've found in San Diego. I give it four stars because I've never tried anything else, but the people I come with have always liked their food. I don't know that they LOVE it, the way I LOVE the chicken couscous dish, but they've never ordered the chicken couscous. I spent time in Morocco, and this dish actually reminds me of food from Morocco, even though it's a Greek Bistro. Maybe one day I'll order something else, but then I run the risk of it being not as awesome as my favorite chicken couscous. The meat is really flavorful and just falls off the bone. The sauces are perfect - not too salty, very delicious. The couscous is just right, as are the onions, zucchini, and carrots that come with it. It's a perfect combination and consistently well done. Bravo. Keep it up and I'll keep coming. And oh yeah, the service is good, the atmosphere is good with very comfortable, clean, and fashionable indoor and (heated at night) patio seating... it's a great lunch time and dinner spot. I definitely recommend it.
(4)Joanne B.
I went here for a business lunch yesterday and there's nothing better than a free meal, right? LOL! Of course we had to talk shop during the hour and a half we were there but it's all good since I really like working with this specific Account Manager that was paying for our meal. =) We arrived early before the lunch rush got there and got seated in the corner table in the smaller room. It was perfect since we needed some place quiet so we can discuss plan design changes, implementing the recent federal regs, blah blah blah. During all this, I was inhaling the hummus we started off with before my cup of lemon soup came out. Needless to say, I was h-u-n-g-r-y and needed fuel to stay focused. The soup was good, but it wasn't hot-hot like I wanted, it came out warm so it sorta forced me to finish mine first before it got too cold...I know, lame excuse to inhale my soup. When our dishes came out, I was surprised to see how ginormous my Mediterranean salad with grilled salmon was. I've ordered similar salads with grilled salmon at other restaurants and you'd get half the size of the salmon. For $15 bucks it was worth it, but the salmon could have used a little bit more seasonings. My boss ordered a wrap of some sort, it looked good, but I'm glad I ordered my salad. Would I go back? Yes indeedy! Our server was awesome and he was consistent with our drink refills and checking in on us. This restaurant is pretty, very clean and spacious which makes it a great dining option for those that work in the area such as myself. =)
(4)Katrina L.
I have mixed experiences with Apollonia because my first time here was stellar, while my second time here was "meh". My deciding factors for this rating are: 1) Service 2) Price 3) Food taste The first time I came here with a friend and no one was in the restaurant so we had excellent, attentive service. The second time I came here was for a networking dinner with a large group of people and we only saw our waitress about 3 times. I know big groups can be difficult to attend to. But in conjunction with the price of the entrees at Apollonia, I'm not sure I would come back here. I ordered the Moussaka which came with a side of rice pilaf. It's in a small casserole dish and i found myself hungry an hour after we had finished dinner. The taste was about 5/10 - so I'm not sure I would come back.
(3)Escondido C.
Great service, atmosphere and food. Definitely going back. I had the Cesar salad. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because there was too much Cesar dressing in the salad. A little more attention to detail would have earned them my 5 stars.
(4)Daphna F.
This is my go-to Greek restaurant. I've had a ton of stuff on the menu (live very close to here) and it has always been delicious. They use very fresh ingredients and the restaurant itself has a nice ambiance.
(5)Marcia K.
I've eaten here many times. Today I met a friend for lunch. I ordered the Feta Bruschetta and my friend ordered the chicken suvlaki. Both were delish. We had a great waitress who was fun and attentive. Even though it was very crowded when we first arrived, we took the only table available on the patio and it was just fine. I've had the Spanokopita several times and it was always great. I finished my meal with a Greek coffee and it was tasty and perfect. It's a pretty restaurant and it's right next door to Bristol Farms. Woo Hoo!!!
(5)Erika H.
Apollonia is a nice, pleasant little restaurant. I like the remodel they did from when it used to be Aesop's Tables, but there are some interesting, gross water stains on some of the office style drop ceiling tiles, so don't look up. In general, the food is good, but not the best Greek/Mediterranean food I've ever had. I really like the chicken kabobs and the falafel plate here. The appetizers seem a little over priced for what you get, such as $5.99 for some hummos and pita bread; it's such a simple, small dish. The service is okay, but I have never been impressed by it. Tonight, our waitress sternly commanded us to "Save room for dessert" right after we ordered. The way she said it was annoying. Plus, it took forever to pay the bill at the end and we had to wait by the door to get her attention. In any case, I've already been here many times and will continue to return as long as they are in business.
(3)Teresa P.
Surprisingly delicious place hidden in the Costa Verde strip mall. Love that it's easy to get to, reasonably priced, and quite delicious! We got the tzatziki with pita bread (great deal on happy hour menu), moussaka (lamb casserole), and spinach pastitsio (spinach pasta casserole). Tzatziki was standard, and both entrees were stellar in their own ways. Kind of like lasagna....GREEK style. If you want some greek food that's not the fast food gyro or your typical Daphne's, give this place a try. You might never eat Italian lasagna again. Shoot, I'm looking up Moussaka recipes right now. I just need to slaughter a lamb first.
(4)Sandra B.
When I booked the table I specify that if was for a birthday of a six year old that loves Greek food. When we arrived on a Sunday for lunch the restaurant is basically empty, maybe 5 table in total and the place is huge. I tell the hostess there is one extra person, and she acts like it's a problem, then she need few minutes to set the tables (again, the place is empty)! Waitress took a while to arrive, bus boy brought only one water to the person that asked for water, and we had to specify "for the whole table"...water and ice teas were never refilled, we had to ask during lunch. We ordered the food, it was ok. Beef was very tender. Then at the end the waitress asks if we want any dessert, I remind her we are there for a birthday and ask if they have any cake to sing happy birthday. She said yes, we can do that! After one minute she arrives with one piece of baklava on a small plate, no candle, not even the slightest decoration (even powder sugar would have worked...) and put in front of the child and left. Now, we didn't expect anything special, but at least one candle!! $100 bill for 3 adults and 4 kids....not worth it!
(3)Aaron L.
The food is a little pricy, but well worth it for a nice building and good location. The food has always been amazing, and the waiters are very knowledgable.
(5)Anh V.
large space and a wee slow service. my moussaka was ok but maybe it's because we started so late that i was starved. the gyro diners had much less luck. it was dry and chewy. those who ordered the chicken said it was dry as well. hopefully just an off night. big portions but can be hit or miss.
(2)E J.
Food is good but service is not. And they have the stinkiest bathrooms. I complained and they said it is something in the pipes. Gross. Totally inattentive wait staff despite empty restaurant. Not worth the money.
(3)Joseph B.
LOVE IT. There's not one bad thing on the menu. Try the mezedakia.
(5)Mary W.
Passable Greek food, with less than ideal service. Nice environment with outdoor seating, and located in a nice shopping plaza- with ample parking. Prices are decent, but not worth the quality of the food. Ki Sushi right next door is much better!
(3)Heather W.
the large amount of mixed reviews for this place had us intrigued so we thought we would check it out and hope for the best. It appeared that those who gave bad reviews went for lunch...well, anywhere in the costa verde shopping center at lunch is madness. i try to avoid that area at all costs! we went for dinner on a friday night around 8:30 and i thought it was a very nice experience. our server was very attentive and friendly and i really liked the atmosphere and interior decorating. i thought they really stepped the place up from the days of Aesop's. their tzatziki appetizer was scruuumptious and the greek salad has a generous amount of feta and greek olives. one thing i do not recommend is pointing to the menu instead of trying to pronounce the food you want. i got the wrong sandwich out of the pointing confusion i made. the server was totally cool about it and got my correct order from the kitchen in probably 5 minutes. i forget the name (not surprising since i couldnt pronounce it!) but it was chunks of chicken, pesto, sun dried tomato, and mixed greens with a garlic type sauce. i thought the pesto and garlic was a bit overpowering and wouldnt recommend it. there were tons of great sounding choices on the menu, however, and ill definitely go back to try something else. probably the chicken kabobs since i always love that wherever i go!
(3)Konica M.
I just went for drinks and apps at this place and it was amazing. The service was fast and attentive, there were a lot of people but still room at the tables near the bar which was nice. This is the best Greek food I have had in awhile. I will be revisiting in the near future :)
(5)Donald G.
My favorite Greek restaurant. The Mousaka is awesome!
(4)Dan K.
Decent Greek food, Dreadful service. Yet, another Restaurant Week adventure for me with two of my friends. We came upon Apollonia because 1) I like Greek food and 2) it's so close to where I live, so why not? The food itself was not bad at all. Appetizers: - The Dolmathakia: Grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, herbs, and rice. Served with Tzatziki sauce. THESE WERE REALLY GOOD. You'd be surprised at all much flavor a grape leaf can add to the already jam-packed flavor of the seasoned meat, rices, and herbs. - Spanakopita: Spinach, feta cheese, onion, egg, and basil in a flaky fried turnover. If you like Samosas, you may be very familiar with this already. Just a different flavor. - Hummus and Pita: Your standard hummus and pita. Nothing special. The waitress was nice enough to bring us more pita bread. But she brought us extremely chewy, cold pita bread (they probably just took it out of the package), instead of the warm, toasted pita they had brought us before. Winner: Dolmathakia Entree: I had the Moussaka. It was a casserole with eggplant, zucchini, and seasoned ground leg of lamb. There was a cheese and sauce layered all over it. Also, a side of rice pilaf was served. It was an extremely heavy dish. So if you're looking to not get too full, or looking to lose weight for that matter, I would stay away from this dish. Nonetheless, I thought the ground lamb had great flavor and the eggplant was HUGE. But everything was delicious and I was satisfied. So here's why I give it 3 stars: The service was slow, maybe because we sat in the patio. The waitress wasn't rude or bad. It's just that she would hardly show up or take upwards of up to 15 minutes to bring certain things. Several times, patrons around us would turn around and scan the patio for our waitress. I could feel the tension in the air. She would always come back with a great big smile and apologize. She must have apologized at least 5 times while we were there. Don't give me your petty apologies! Give me faster service! She didn't bring out my wine until the entree (Although I ordered it 15 minutes before the appetizers came out). She didn't bring the extra pita until we were halfway done with our entrees (by then, we became disinterested in the appetizers). She took forever with everything. And for someone who doesn't have 3 hours to spend at dinner, that's unacceptable. But at least the food was good.
(3)Mo O.
This is the best greek food in San Diego county I have had and inside is real nice and clean. Parking like every other place can get annoying but you will enjoy your time and food.
(4)Jennifer B.
We decided to take a trip tonight from N. County for what sounded to be liked authentic greek and mediterranean food and... it was! The atmosphere was contemporary and inviting. We were sat immediately. The menu had ample choices and we actually had a hard time chosing. We decided on Dolmathakia, which is rice and ground beef rolled in grape leaves. They were very good especially in the tzaziki sauce! I had Horiatiki; basically a chunky chopped salad. The server suggested to have it with the lentil pilaf and it was really best that way. I appreciated her suggestion for sure with each delicious mouthful. My date had the Chicken Kebab plate and the chicken was nicely seasoned and cooked. The service was excellent. Everything was timed perfectly so we were able to enjoy a nice meal and each others company. We will be back for sure!
(5)Max M.
Food was mediocre, felafel lacked crunch, and overall it was as generic as its strip mall milieu. And the service was really atrocious, like unbelievably bad. Had to ask three times for pita bread and hot sauce and it took a half hour, eventually had to get up and ask someone else for it.
(2)Sarah B.
It's my birthday month and I'm a bit spoiled as I take it all up to the notch!!! One of my favorite parts of my birthday is actually spending the night of my birthday out to dinner with my mum and dad. I get to choose a restaurant to go to and we go. Yes even at the rip old age of 38 I quite enjoy being treated to a nice dinner by the parents. So this year I choose a fun Greek restaurant in the University City area, Apollonia. A friend had recommended and I thought why not. The restaurant is located at the bottom of the Costa Verde mall next to a very busy and packed sushi place. Apollonia was a wonderful surprise. Once inside the restaurant is warm, bright, clean and very inviting. The décor is that of Greek status and appropriate paintings in a very tasteful presentation, not the gaudy décor you will find at some Greek restaurants. We were quickly seated next to the fire and had a great view of the entire restaurant. A wonderful wine list, mum and I decided on a bottle of the Red Diamond Merlot from the Washington State area, a hit with the entire party. The best part of the wine was no headache this morning; sometimes wines do that to me...so I'll defiantly be enjoying RD again. We started the meal with an appetizer of pita bread and Baba Ghannouj, my dad preferring this over Hummus made a wonderful choice. The Babba Ghannouj tasted with just a hint of spice and was exclaimed over by my mum as one of the best she's ever tasted. Dinner was served I ordered the Gyros plate and wished I had instead ordered the Lamb Kabob...but I am always so weary of Lamb as it is usually very gritty in restaurants. NOT APOLLONIA...my dad ordered the Lamb Kabob tasting a little bit of it I defiantly will be back to order it myself. YUM! It was lightly spiced, tender and not a hint of grittiness....PERFECT!!! Mum ordered the shrimp Scorpio which was a huge hit for the entire table. I noticed a lemon berry cheesecake on the menu desert and was quickly enticed, but I was gravely disappointed in the desert. It was not cheesecake in the least! It was a wonderful cake with a lemon and blueberry sweetness, it reminded my mum and I both of a lemon blueberry muffin. I was quite disappointed that it was no were close to a cheesecake...I wanted cheesecake after all!! Overall it was a wonderful experience, tasty food, great service, knowledgeable staff and welcoming environment.
(4)Michelle T.
When we first came in we were strangely greeted. The greeter at the door more or less stared at us for a while before speaking to us. Then she said something to us that I forgot, but the vibe I got from her was that she didn't actually expect two college students to be eating somewhere as luxurious as a bistro. That kind of attitude extended to the service that we got once we sat down- a little bit cold and distant, which made me feel out of place. I ordered the spinach pastitsio. It was standard cheese, pasta, and spinach. It was okay-tasting, though I can't say I was wowed by the flavors; if anything, it was a little too heavy and creamy for me. This food would've been something I expected from someplace that was not a bistro. Not offensively bad, but not great either.
(2)Olivia M.
It was delicious. I had the shrimp scorpio dish and I loved it enough that I took it home, also it was a huge dish. The baba ghanoush was also very good. I would definitely go there again.
(5)Ahmad K.
Over-priced version of Daphne's..... ...an ordinary, humbly portioned gyros pita sandwich and beer will run you about $18, including tax and tip...and that is during lunch.....the crooks even charge you extra for a side of tzatziki.... ...and to make matters worse, they laggggggggg..... I don't really have anything good to say about this place.
(1)Sonja Z.
Pretty steeply priced for what you get but so far the closest to authentic Greek food I had in the US. The retsina was so so but the mezze were decent and the portions more than sufficient.
(3)Stephen R.
Delicious food and a very nice atmosphere! My favorite Greek restaurant in San Diego. It's a little more expensive than some competitors, but it's a nice treat once in a while.
(5)J M.
My favorites were the greek salad with great tasting dressing. The hummus as an appetizer and the chicken/beef kabob with rice pilaf. Everything looked clean and well taken care of and staff checked on us but not so often to be annoying. The staff were also very friendly. The pita bread is fresh and warm. I gave it a 5 star because price matched quality.
(5)ian F.
Beautiful restaurant in the utc area serving up really good Greek food. I would recommend this place to a friend any day. They are using the best feta cheese I have ever had. The feta bruchetta is awesome and so is the hummis. Today I had the sword fish scewers with rice and the red stuff that I can't pronounce. the swordfish was cooked perfectly and so was the rice. Give this place a shot if you're craving greek in utc.
(4)Carnation L.
My son & I enjoyed this restaurant. I agree it was very spacious, love the decor, waitress was very gracious. My son had a vegetarian dish he said it was delicious. I had the lemon soup and a shrimp w/pasta dish. I don't remember the name but it was so delicious! I would definitely return.
(4)Andrea Y.
Really good Greek food! Fast, friendly service. I highly recommend it. My husband and I went last night and we are going back again today:)
(4)Kate G.
First time here for lunch. It's not a place you would come across accidentally, as it is tucked away in a strip mall. But it seemed pretty busy - so I guess people have found it. Tried Hummus and Skordalia. Both of which were tasty. I had the Falafel sandwich, which was also good, although I would like a bit higher salad to Falafel ratio - that's just me - vegetable worshipper. I wish they had a lunch menu - Greek food is ideal for snacking. And the mixed plates were really too big for our party of 3 to share as an appetizer for lunch - so an appetizer-sized sampler plate is missing. Inside is pretty well decked out for a strip mall, and they have a nice outside patio that is tented in, so again you don't have to know that you are actually sitting on the edge of a parking lot. Other people have complained about the service - but we didn't have any problems.
(4)Donna A.
Great place second time here recommended highly. Check in on yelp and you'll get a free desert.
(4)Bailey C.
Took a date here last Friday and had a great time. We sat out on the patio which was great considering the weather, but a little noisy with it being right next to the sidewalk. Our waiter was very attentive and even offered to bring us extra plates when he heard my date and I discussing sharing our meals. I had the Kefka plate and she had the beef kabob. Both were delicious and came with plenty of sides. Reasonably priced at around 15 a plate, I would definitely suggest it to others.
(4)Carrie M.
A few of us in the office came here for happy hour in May. My rating applies more to the happy hour than the lunch or dinner experience. We had a lovely time. Service was a little slow for hitting the place before the rush, but we enjoyed ourselves and the happy hour prices. The spanakopita and feta-bruschetta were absolutely delicious, the best part of the meal in my opinion. The hummus and tzatziki were also great. They have a decent wine selection. We ended up staying for dinner. The greek salad is huge! The chicken couscous was alright. i had the moussaka casserole, which was had great flavours but was also very very rich.
(4)Carrie H.
I have been here twice for work lunches, once in December and once in July. Overall it is a good place to go for lunch... it does get fairly busy with the workday crowd on weekdays but it is fairly big so there is plenty of room. Both times we sat on the patio which was very pleasant and I noticed they do have heaters in case it gets too cold. The service was good and I did note that they were very conscious of vegetarian options and informing our party that the tomato soup was from a chicken stock. My biggest complaint is the pricing... It is a bit overpriced I feel especially the sandwiches which you have to pay $3 extra to had fries, salad, or soup. I really would rather they came with the sandwiches as a combo. I had the greek salad which was delicious but a bit heavy on the dressing so I would recommend getting it on the side. I have also had the vegetable sandwich which was also good but a bit bland... they serve it with a garlicky spread which spices it up a bit. In the end I would return here as the ambience is very comfortable and the food is very good.
(3)B G.
The food is very authentic, much better than getting Daphne's again when I wanna go Greek. Lot's of comfortable seating on the enclosed patio. The gyro pita was amazing! The baklava however was not. It was tough and chewy, not my idea of a good baklava, it did have a great flavor though. This place is a bit upscale and pricey but it could be well worth it.
(4)Dale A.
I grew up not far from Greek Town in Chicago so really like good Greek food. Apollonia isn't it but isn't far from it. I had the Macedonia Sampler so I could get a sampling of their offerings. My wife had the Moussaka. Both of us enjoyed the meal and thought it was better than average. My only complaint was that the server wasn't really on the ball. Perhaps she was just having a bad night. The second time we went was for lunch and both had Gyros sandwiches. They were excellent, well stuffed and the TzaTziki sauce was among the best I've had. Overall, 4 stars and I'd recommend lunch over dinner.
(4)James F.
Dinner with the family - we got a variety of entrees and sandwiches and most of us ended up with happy tummies and some leftovers! For an appetizer, we split some falafel and hummus. Tasty stuff, served pleasingly. I got the Riganato, which is a roasted half chicken. the chicken meat fell off the bone in most places, and it was good. the Briami (think a vegetable ratatouille) was ok, and the roast potatoes and garlic aioli were tasty. I had a bite of the Tabouleh that came with my wife's Kefta Plate - it's definitely one of those heavy on the parsley Taboulehs.. yum! Others in our party got the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich, and the Chicken Aioli sandwich, and they seemed to go over well. And my brother had a nice big gyro plate which looked good. Overall, service was good, although not super quick from order to getting food. Nice dining environment.
(4)Rachel C.
This place is delicious! My friends and I usually sit at the bar, although the restaurant can accommodate small to large parties. Great appetizers and entrees, and a nice, open atmosphere. Since finding this place, I have visited 2-4 times a week. Super good find!
(4)Julie B.
This is the best Greek food I have had in San Diego. Their Greek chicken salad is my favorite. The dressing is so good. The hummus and pita are always my starter. I have used this restaurant multiple times for lunch catering and they have so many options and deliver and set up the food for you. The owner is always so friendly and even sends me a fifty dollar gift card for every $1,500 ( I think) that I use them for catering. Sooooo yummy.
(5)Robin L.
Why is Greek food so damn expensive? Sure, it's totally delicious, but I don't see what it is about it that makes a gyro plate $10+ dollars. It's some rice, some pita bread (so...I guess we're already up to abut $1...) and some lamb. Are we paying for the relative age of the food? Or that lambs are WAY more adorable than cows, or pigs? Are we paying for a cuteness factor? "Awww....your kabob is so precious!!" Apollonia is very, very delicious. But I think it's more the type of food than the venue. It's a nice restaurant, and they do have some slightly less expensive options, but it's definitely not a recession-buster. If you do end up here, I'd highly recommend the gyro plate, and a friend of mine swears by the appetizer with grape leaves (I don't remember the name of it for the life of me). Good food, not so good prices. A-OK, indeed.
(3)Caren L.
I just received an email from the owner, Tony R., apologizing for the bad customer service our group received when we were at the restaurant. For that alone, I am changing my previous rating from two stars to three stars. I do realize that you cannot control your employees all the time, but the fact that customer feedback is important to them is a plus. That, and a whole lot of customer service training for the staff! I will give this restaurant one more try and will visit again someday. Hopefully, my rating will only go up, not down.
(3)Mike M.
Tucked away in a hard to find corner of a strip mall (it's north of Bristol Farms), Apollonia is a pleasant surprise. The interior is modern and clean and appears to have just been redone recently. We were seated immediately on a busy Friday night although there was lots of room at the bar and on the heated deck (it was raining). The menu is enormous. Too much to choose from. And after tasting the food, I will be back to try many more of the dishes. Starting with the flaming Saganaki - a tangy melted cheese treat with fresh soft pita. Delicious. I also had a craving for Dolmas and found the serving of six in the appetizer section to also be too big to finish. The Dolmas are served warm and with only a hint of olive oil making them more like the Ukrainian cabbage rolls I grew up with - but fantastic none the less and even better reheated the next day. M opted for the Kefta plate - a ground beef kabob served with hummus and rice and delicious rosemary potatoes and a s mall side of tabbouleh salad. I opted for the Macedonian sampler that included skewers of tender beef and chicken souvlaki, spanakopita and tyrokapita (phyllo filled with feta and mint - mmmmmmmmm). Way too much food. No make that way too much good food. Enjoyed a full meal and still took home two plates to savour the next day. I will definitely be back
(4)Sarah S.
We eat here all of the time and it is really good. The entrees can be a little expensive and as well as adding a salad but their sandwiches are well priced! Delicious appetizers and the best value for restaurant week when it rolls around!
(4)Charlie L.
I usually adore yelp and more or less agree with the ratings... but I have to question the sanity of a mere 3 star average for this fantastically yummy, fantastically decorated bistro. First of all, food dominates my eating experience (such a rebel, this Charlie-Ann). So the slightly-odd-waiter-with-a-poor-command-of-the-ÂEnglish-language-and-bad-hair-who-generally-does-Âa-fine-job-but-can-be-a-tad-slow-on-the-uptake doesn't bother me all that much, and certainly not enough for me to subtract stars. What matters to me is that Apollonia serves the best chicken souvlaki on this side of the Atlantic. For anything better, you'd have to hop the pond. The Whole Pita (in Santa Ana) still has the best pita bread, but that in itself is hardly worth the drive. Apollonia is definitely the place to eat Greek in SD. In fact, if you must eat a souvlaki anywhere in SoCal - this is the only place to be! I'd also highly recommend the Salmon Dolmas... it's got a green garlicky dipping sauce that is a little slice of heaven. To top it off, the bistro is gorgeously renovated with warm inviting colors, well appointed decor, and classic artistic touches. The patio area is clean, comfortable, and airy. I can't imagine anything short of catastrophic service blunder to mar its 4 to 5 stardom. Boo to the poopie people who gave it subpar ratings!!
(5)Josh M.
I was never an Aesop's Tables partisan, with I think three or four meals in several years (oh, those Entertainment coupons!) so it didn't bother me much when the space became Apollonia. Now, I'm kind of nostalgic for the old place. I was absolutely fiending for Greek food, so I stopped in for lunch. The pita with saganaki was decent, and it'd been ages since I'd had it, so that part really hit the spot. Ended up taking a lot of it home, which is just beneath Alfredo sauce on the top-ten list of dishes that are never good after time in the fridge. Deciding even part of the Saganaki plate was unhealthy enough for one week, I tried a "heart healthy" selection of aioli (with pesto) chicken wrap. One again, bold sauces are used to cover for mediocre cooking; the chicken was both tough and dry, just above the threshold where I'd have sent it back. The prices are ok, but there's much better greek to be had around town. Leave Apollonia to the UTC-area business lunch crowd.
(2)abc d.
I went there and will never go back there again. I ordered a salad and a side of gyros. What I got was cold gyros on my salad and the fat from it was starting to harden. Gross. The gyros was hard and I had to place it on a side plate. Only took a couple of bites and that was it for me. The serve was poor as well. We gave instruction on how to charge for the meal and she divided meal incorrectly. Then she said she could not go back and re-ring the bill correctly. Never again will I go there. IF you want Bad Food, Bad Service, and BAD Experience, this is your restuarant.
(1)Ashley P.
Expensive but tasty. I wouldn't return unless I was in the area and on a date and wanted med food. Nothing terribly wrong with the place. Just nothing to write home about.
(3)Mia E.
Maybe this should be a 3.5. I think the food is good but maybe not worth the price. I should add that I'm not of Greek or Mediterranean decent so what do I know about authentic Greek food. However, I like the food. The moussaka is good. Nice blend of meat and eggplant; not too cheesy. Oh, and it has a hint of nutmeg...yum! I usually get the gyro plate. It's a little greasy but not drowning. Mix it with the rice and it's all good. I appreciate the sauteed veggies that's served with it. If you don't want the rice, you can request couscous instead. Hummus is extra as an appetizer and to me, is a bit pricey. What I mean by pricey is that lunch with 2 entrees and 2 ice teas, and an occasional appetizer will run us $40-45 including tax & tip.
(3)Caryl A.
In general, reliably good food and reasonably priced. Also, they make a good Negroni (Italian drink: equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth) that can take the edge off a rough day. As I recall, there are also good Happy Hour prices on wines/beers.
(4)Rachel S.
Despite the mediocre reviews on here, this is probably my favorite Greek place in San Diego. We come here often (mostly for carryout, which is always ready quickly and made correctly). The times that we've dined in, the service has been totally fine. My only real complaint (and it's a small one), is that the gyro sandwich doesn't come with feta. If you're feeling indecisive, try the appetizer sampler (mezedakia). It's a lot of food, but it's a great combination of some of the best small bites on their menu.
(4)Michelle R.
Food is okay. Nothing great. Meat was over cooked and tough.. Food took forever to arrive and our waitress was not the brightest... I think our experience was a bit tainted because we were seated behind a family with a SCREAMING 2 year old. The child would not shut up and for over 30 minutes we had to listen to this horrendous sound while the parents tried to amuse the child with lame songs and dance. The hostess and wait staff occasionally looked over at us in pity, but apparently not enough- otherwise they would have offered to re-seat us (the restaurant was not crowded, so they could have done so easily)
(2)Rory L.
I was surprised about how affordable the food was, considering that it's in La Jolla. The restaurant is really swanky, and even had a beautiful Christmas tree set up by the bar. The ambiance was really nice and class (not to mention the women's bathroom was impeccably clean). The wait staff was also incredibly friendly. We sat on the patio, which was heated by lamps and had the right amount of lighting where I didn't have to squint by candlelight to see my menu. I had a falafel sandwich with a side of rosemary potatoes. The falafel was fair, not the best I've had and not the worst and the potatotes were pretty good. My friend had the spinach lasagna-esque dish (forgot what it was called) but said it was really tasty and my other friend had the Greek salad with the gyros and also enjoyed it.
(3)Caitanya M.
Okay, so i vacillated between giving it one or two stars, but i decided to be lenient. I'll get to the point: I went to this restaurant with my family and some relatives from out of town. I'll give you the good aspects first (the things that earned the second star): ambiance, and everyone liked the food (except for me, i'll get to that part). Now for the things that made me want to give this place a solitary star: Firstly, the service was slow--just like a lot of other people have said who have reviewed this restaurant. Secondly, the television was playing this horrible program so I asked an older woman, who is perhaps one of the higher managers or perhaps one of the owners? if the channel could be changed. She told me she had been wanting to turn off the tv and shut it off. It was pretty obvious that i didn't want the tv turned off and i told her, "i'm going to be bored" and her response to me, "well, that is too bad." Now, i am a fairly easy-going person but let's get this straight: take about a real lack of customer service. About five seconds later, she realised what she had said but it was too late in my mind. It would have been one thing if she said it jokingly but it was definitely not said in a light-hearted tone. Thirdly, and tied for worst, was that i ordered the grilled vegetable sandwich because i am a vegetarian. I get the sandwich and what do i see? A huge piece of chicken in the middle (the sandwich comes cut in half). Oh, another thing that raIsed the number of stars to two is that they gave me an extra side of the (cold) rosemary potatoes. My advice: get the food for take out ... if you have the time to wait
(2)Kayla C.
Service was fast.. Design is nice... had the eggplant dip with pita bread...i found the dip VERRRRY DELICIOUS and the pita bread wasn't dry or anything... i also tried the beef kebobs which were very delicious as well...the rice wasn't dry, however not a big fan of the tomato sauce with whatever they put in there that came with the dish. the beef itself wasn't salty (which is a plus, i hate too salty marinated meat) and i think i would definitely come back and try out some other dishes!
(3)Darren S.
Maybe I need to branch out and order something else next time. On every visit to Apollonia I have ordered the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich and the falafel with hummus and tzatziki sauce. My last Souvlaki had kebab meat that was a bit too charred and dry. Fortunately, the sandwich was saved by their great tzatziki sauce. Looking around every other dish appeared to be more appetizing.
(3)Arlene P.
I've only eaten here a couple of times, but in essence it's just not that memorable and nothing really compelling to make me want to try it again... Sorry that I don't have more to say. I pass it several times in the week, but nothing in me makes me want to revisit.
(2)Jenny W.
I'll be the first to say that 1) I don't know a lot about Greek food 2) I don't eat a lot of Greek food because it has lamb, but having been to Apollonia, it has actually made me like it a lot more. I went back yesterday night (2nd time there) and the food was just as good as I remembered the first time. I got the chicken couscous which seems pretty standard and safe. The chicken was quite moist and I loved the veggies with it. I also enjoyed the couscous with raisin a lot. The waiter was initially very attentive, but the service kind of slowed down near the end. No one at my table got a water refill and often had to wave down the waitress to get her attention. Everyone was super happy with the food and we even got the dessert platter. It was of course super sweet (honey to the max) but good in small bits. I'm definitely coming back to try some more dishes. =D
(4)Brad H.
This will be short and to the point. I met my woman here last night. My mom. We were happily sat in the patio area and started with some pita and humus. Honestly it was the best part of our meals. I had the Spinach Pastitsio, it was filling but lacking a lot of flavor. Mom had some other vegetarian item and it had a salmon bone in it! We both looked at it and it was clearly a very thin bone attached to a bit of meat. Here is the worst part, the waiter took it back to the kitchen for the cook to take a look at it. The cook claimed it was a part of the red pepper in her meal!! How ridiculous is that!? It was clearly meat attached to a bone and they wanted to try and lie to the customer about it to save face. We were both surprised and did not think we could do anything about it. Of course I told her instantly after that, "mom, don't worry, I'm gonna Yelp those bitches." Bam, 1 star, you have just been Yelped.
(1)Karen F.
i am newly obsessed with this place. everything i get is delicious. the prices are totally legit (10ish per person if you're doing salads or sandwiches), and the outdoor patio is just lovely. here are some tips though- -you have to ask for splenda -get the horiatiki salad over the greek salad -the lentil soup is better than the avogolemono -order the baba ganoush -park in the underground parking area. you're welcome.
(4)mindy d.
We have had take-out from here and enjoyed it, and decided to eat in here Saturday night. It was almost empty inside, probably because it was 8:45. We had the hummus appetizer, imam bayaldi (eggplant dish), and chicken cous cous. We also had a glass of the retsina (Greek wine, different taste, interesting but wouldn't have it again) and the split of the sparkling wine. Total was $43. The food was really good and served at a good pace. The server was attentive and service was good. Appolonia continues to do well by me.
(4)Dee D.
Excellent food! Very tasty, not the cheapest but worth it! I can't vouch for the atmosphere, as we did takeout and my assistant picked it up. Very good food!
(5)MsMargo M.
I love Greek food, so I wish this restaurant was better - but it's not. I had lunch here with friends recently and it reminded me why I stopped going. First, a trip down Memory Lane... This used to be Aesop's Tables. The décor was nothing special and the patio had plastic chairs. They did have really good food and attentive service. The owner's wife constantly hovered over everything, which was amusing in and of itself. The kitchen was open and the smell of the cooking filled the place wonderfully. You even could get a small selection of packaged Greek foods, and things like hummus by the pound at their tiny store in the back. My Hubby used to want to make special stops just to buy their hummus and fresh pita, and I loved their rich taramosalata. Then they changed ownership. The place got decorated nicely - new booths and woodwork, fresh paint, new patio awning, nice patio chairs - real La Jolla kind of thing. The food quality went way down. At this last lunch I had the grilled vegetables sandwich. It was mostly tortilla wrapper (NOT pocket pita). The veggies it did have were amazingly bland. Only the tiny tub of skordalia that it was served with had much flavor. It was $6.29 for what I got. My dining partners had the souvlaki, which was dry and had more onions than meat. The saganaki was good - who doesn't love the flaming cheese? - but not as exciting as it used to be and with sort of a bitter note. Are they scrimping on cheap brandy to flame it? I didn't even bother ordering the taramosalata because now it tastes canned. Service was slow, slow, slow. Our drinks order was taken quite quickly and for the most part we got good refills, since these was a busboy whose entire job seemed to be refills. The food itself took a really long time to come out, and when it did our waitress had no idea who got what and didn't really seem to care. The check took a similarly long time to come. For people coming to lunch from work you really can't do a 45 minute wait for food. I wish this was as good as it was, but now it's all about flashy looks and bland food, and it's packed every night. Go figure.
(2)Laurel S.
I love this place...they have a great patio and plenty of seating inside too. When I sit inside, I prefer to be in the back because of the gigantic tv in the bar area. I always think I'm going to try something new...but my absolute favorites are the moussaka and the horiatiki salad with warm lentil pilaf. YUM. Living in UTC, surrounded by chain restaurants, this has become our favorite date night place.
(4)Richard B.
Five Reasons Why Apryl and I Like Apollonia 1) It's very close to our place. 2) Prices are reasonable. 3) Good for take out. 4) Great tasting, fresh food. 5) Decent service.
(4)susan r.
I went to Apollonia with a group of 9 and don't plan on returning. The food I did like, the service and price I did not. There really was no service and the price over all was too high. The feta cheese on the appetizer plate was so yummy and a big hit with our table. The hummus got mixed reviews .. I was not a fan .. it was whipped too much and I didn't think it had much flavor. I recommend Dapne's (a fast food greek resturant) much better value and service .. really!
(2)Lauren L.
In the sea full of mediocre corporate delis, sports bars, and chain restaurants serving bland "mall food," Apollonia is the one decent, if not delightful, restaurant I can truly boast of in UTC. Don't be mistaken, you will not find the typical greasy "street meat" gyros or dry falafel at this joint, which, post-consumption, tends to make me feel like a brown bear who has been shot in the ass with a tranq. I have tried at least five dishes on the menu and can say that all are light, fresh, and delish. The avgolemono soup, tzatziki, spanakopita, greek salad, Aegean swordfish sandwich, and Cretan salmon were all amazing. So if you work in UTC and are looking for a decent, moderately priced restaurant that you can get in and out of in your lunch hour, this is the place to be. And remember, sit on the patio!
(5)Annie W.
In the past four years, I've passed this place countless times without ever stopping in. Finally, one day out of the blue, a friend and I decided to try the place out. So we walked across the street from her apartment, pass the Bristol Farms and pass the Baskin Robbins, entered the restaurant and were promptly seated in the patio area. It was a nice, sunny day, perfect for a Greek lunch in a covered patio. We ordered wraps and a soup. The tomato based soup we had was very flavorful and chunky (in a good way). My roasted veggie wrap was also very tasty and was stuffed full with a variety of deliciously roasted veggies. My friend enjoyed what ever wrap she ordered and we both had food left over for a second meal. Prices were agreeable and I would definitely come back again.
(3)Kelly F.
There are definitely some good items on the menu - but nothing amazing. I enjoy their roast chicken and potatoes the best. The chicken is always moist and the potatoes have this nice lemony flavor to them. My friend had them do a catering order for her son's birthday party, and they did a great job. She was able to pay over the phone before the party and the food was ready prepared and in big boxes right on time.
(3)Dustin L.
Easily some of the best food in the area. I ate there yesterday for the umpteenth time and it was just as good as the first time. The hummus is amazing and the prices are great. So, why four stars and not five? Well, the only thing as consistent as the quality food at Apollonia is the horrible, slow service. Honestly, I don't know what it is about this place. You think that of all the times I've been there I would have had at least one server who was decent. Nope. I've learned my lesson: don't go here when you're in a crunch for time. If you have some time to kill during lunch and want a great meal without having to travel to far, this is the place.
(4)Nadia R.
Disappointment after disappointment. My boyfriend and I like to go here because its walking distance from our apartment and the food is okay. We like greek food, but at the price and the customer service level (or lack there of) its just not worth it. Last time we ordered take-out, it took them TWICE AS LONG as they had quoted us to get us our food. We ended up getting to the restaurant and standing around for half an hour before they figured out where our food was. When I asked the manager, very politely, if he knew the reason why our food took so long to get out, he said, "we had a dinner rush and it got busy, so that's what happens".... SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS? Rude. You're supposed to be a manager and care about your clients. Just really threw me off and after all of the mistakes they have SO OFTEN made with our food for take-out, a bad attitude is the last straw on the camels back. Never going back there again. I'll take International Market Persian food over mediocre, FAKE Greek food any day.
(2)Pauline E.
"I know you can be overwhelmed and I know you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?" "I think you can in Europe." Or at Apollonia. This is a place I've been occasionally going to since before it was Apollonia (the name of it before escapes me at the moment). It's a Greek restaurant up the street with quite good avgolemeno soup, which is the plus side, but the downside is that Daphne's Greek Cafe isn't much farther and it's cheaper and pretty good, too. Apollonia, in my opinion, is just an okay restaurant. I'm not blown away by it, but at the same time, it's not a horrible restaurant. It's just your standard place to go to if you want a slightly nicer sit-down place with Greek food. The prices are about what you'd expect for this kind of place and so's the quality. The service is decent (although one time, my chicken was practically still bleeding, so I had to send it back--it took a while to come back and I swear they just popped the chicken back in the oven to cook, then brought it out to me). There's nothing in particular that stands out to me, except the avgolemeno, which could be because I love avgolemeno soup. Other than that, just another restaurant in the crowd. So add Apollonia to the list of places you can be whelmed at.
(3)Christine D.
I had a wonderful dinner here with my parents last week. The food was wonderful, very fresh and the service was so nice! Thank you for taking such great care of us, Blessings, Christine
(5)Tati R.
I went to Apollonia after running some errands with my parents. I had a Greek salad and my parents each had a sandwich. The food was good. The soup my mother ordered was amazing but my salad was decent. The dressing on the salad was not very good but the beer I ordered made it better. The waitress was pleasant but there was only one for the whole restaurant which made everything go much slower.
(3)Sara S.
There are some good Greek places in San Diego and this place is pretty decent. The service sucks though so I won't be returning, which is a shame. I don't care how good the food may be, if you get pissed off by being there it's not worth it. My coworkers took me here for a birthday lunch and it was the first time we had been here. There were 8 of us in our party and we arrived at 11:00 am since we know how crazy places in UTC can get for lunch. The lady at the front, whom I'm assuming to be the manager, asked us if we had a reservation. We didn't have a reservation - we had 8 people not 20 and it was lunch not dinner! She made a big deal about us not having a reservation and then proceeded to look around like she didn't know where to seat us. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE RESTAURANT! That just pissed me off right there. My coworkers and I just looked at each other like WTF. Our waitress was nothing to write home about; she handed out the typical lackluster customer service you get accustomed to. We had to wait forever for our food, in fact someone had to just take their food to go because they were so slow. Maybe it was punishment for not having an f'ing reservation in an empty restaurant. If they would have been more efficient we would have been out by the time the lunch crowd got heavy and they could have had their precious tables back. They won't have to worry about me or my coworkers taking up real estate in the restaurant again. It must be nice to not need repeat business.
(1)Sophia G.
Kali orexi? Methinks not. One of the main reasons I'm proud to be Greek is that our food is out of this world.... if you know how to prepare it. First of all, there's not a single Greek working in this restaurant. The waiters are generally nowhere to be found and are very unhelpful with everything on the menu. I ordered the moussaka, as this is how I rank my Greek restaurants, but it couldn't even compare to anything I could get at home, church, or even make myself. The vegetarian dolma were dry and just nasty. You have to pay for the pita and the retsina is priced like fine champagne. Apparently they didn't get the memo that retsina is the poor man's wine of Greece. I don't mean to be harsh, but this establishment is a bit embarrassing to real Greeks. You'd do better to drive a bit farther to Zorba's.
(2)Alessandro M.
Good food, nice service, nice restaurant, good price.
(4)Shelly Jontilano B.
We loved their dolmathakia, which is always hot and tasty, pita bread is yummy, and pretty much anything you get on the menu is good. The atmosphere is clean, spacious, and decorated with many Greek statues and art. We have been to this restaurant about five times. The first time we had the best service, but subsequently each visit the service was on the decline. One visit, they got my order wrong and the server asked me if I was sure they got it wrong. Another time, our water glasses were not filled unless asked. But the last time we visited, I was 8 months pregnant and starving. Our server took our order and she was no where to be seen for the next half hour. We had to ask for bread and water, our food arrived after an hour, and did not receive any sort of apology for the lack of service. Expect great food and marginal service.
(2)Vanessa y.
When I first saw the menu, everything looked so delicious that I wasn't sure how to order. The menu has everything a Greek lover could possibly ask for. Unfortunately, the food was a let down. The hummus was a little dry & needed more oil. The pita bread was warm and fresh. My companions thought their food was just okay. One guest asked that the beef kabobs come medium rare and the waitress said that was standard. They came well done. My Greek salad had dressing dumped on it like a kid was painting, I thought it should have been tossed. Then it just had a brick of feta on it. I had to chop and toss the salad before it was edible. The service was horrible from the hostess stand all the way to the waitress and the long wait for the food once it was ordered. Thought it had potential, but mostly a let down.
(3)Karen B.
I am a fan of this place. The food is sooooo good that I can overlook that the service here is awful every single time I've been, and I've been here a lot. I have never been served a bad meal here. My favorite is a Greek Salad and a chicken kabob. Yesterday I got a Greek salad with a side of gyros and a side of tsaziki. My friend and I split an appetizer of some meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves. The meal came with a generous portion of pita bread. Everything was fantastic. The location is also a good one. We sat in the outdoor seating area and watched people walk by. The service was very slow and the server was not as attentive as she could have been but the food makes up for the bad service. My advice is don't go when you're in a hurry.
(4)Sarah M.
Let me tell you: I really love Greek food. Let me also tell you: I really love this Greek food. I don't feel like I am in a strip mall and I have always have excellent service. Great pita, great gyro meat, and I really love the chicken couscous. Such a delicious, tender, flavorful dish! They also have great hummus and tzatziki sauce. I enjoy sitting down here, but also taking out. They have reasonably fast and friendly service. Plus, I can walk there :) Always a bonus!
(4)Jesse S.
This place ROCKS!! Affordable and great portions. the lemon chicken is amazing, the tobuli salad is great and the cous cous is MMmmm good! I also love the dolmas and humus! some of the best humus I have ever had. We loved this place so much that we had them cater a party of my fiancé's parents. They delivered!! I was worried that the quality would suffer due to the amount of people they had to serve, but the food and the service was outstanding. give this place a try when in UTC!!
(4)PETE S.
GREAT dining experience. We had a couple of questions about the Greek wine. The server answered them by bringing us a sample. We both had Greek wine. We started with saganaki. It was prepared perfectly and came with more pita than we could eat. Next we had lemon-chicken soup - delicious. It came with more pita. The Macedonian sampler was an outstanding combination. Reasonably priced, way above average in quality and outstanding service.
(5)Hollan M.
Previously, I was addicted to Aesop's Tables for the "Ouzo Flaming Cheese" appetizer for many years. First, at the old location. Then, they moved and I found them! They changed the name and feel over to Appollonia's. It has taken about three years for a full conversion and remodel (including a whole new menu). It's really beautiful now (the bar, the private dining room -with affordable fixe priced menus, the bathroom -- all I saw was the woman's though -- hee hee). Now, after lunch yesterday with my mum, I can recommend them to you! We had a really nice lunch in their outdoor area. Of course, ordered their flamin' cheese first. Ordered a few glasses of greek wine. Lastly, shared the gyros dish. Perfect proportions, affordable and d-licious! So glad there is another great dining choice in UTC-La Jolla area.
(5)Nikki J.
I love the place. The Greek salad is wonderful, and so was the gyro. Love the patio seating for summer afternoon lunches with my best pal Judy :-) Good food, service, and reasonable price for lunch.
(4)Jennie R.
Although not the best food, it is definitely worth it for a quick fix. Sometimes the food seems like it was sitting out or it's a little stale or something, but other than that, the food is GOOD. The salmon dolmas are a must-have. SOMETIMES the food can be a little salty, but other than that, there are great flavors.
(3)Ruby D.
I wasn't really impressed with this place, mostly because the service was annoyingly slow. The drinks came out fast, which set me up to expect fast service, but the food took a long time to arrive (good thing I wasn't starving!) The check also took a long time to arrive, so when it finally did, my fiance quickly slipped in his card and shoved it towards the end of the table, thinking that would hurry up the process. After another looong wait, we just decided to pay with cash instead and finally leave the place. *I dont know if that other review was talking about me-- but we asked the waiter for the check as soon as we saw him--which was a long wait, he gave it to us, and never came back or even walked by to get the card. I don't expect waiters to read minds, but I do expect them to be available
(2)Helaana C.
Yes the service is slow. I admit it. BUT this place has the BEST Greek salad dressing in all of San Diego. HANDSDOWN! I work down the street so we usually call in our order ahead of time since we know that they enjoy the leisurely lunch here and unfortunately I only get an hour. The only lunch item I ever order from here is the Greek Chicken Salad because of the dressing of course but the chicken on the salad is delicious as well. I'm also a fan of the hummus starter and the tzatziki with the warm fresh pita bread. YUM. Reasonably priced and for sure my favorite Greek place in San Diego.
(4)Cris H.
Good Greek food, friendly service, good prices, full bar. Their Lamb Moussaka is delicious!
(4)Hayley H.
It's sad because food here is pretty decent, but customer service was some of the worst I have ever received. Our waiter seemed very detached from his work, unengaging, and often forgot to take our order and check. I had received a coupon for a free app, and wasn't told until we received our check that my large salad with an added chicken breast at like $14 didn't count as an entree....$14 was more than about half the so called "entrees" cost and certainly more than the sandwiches they called entrees as well. I guess I couldn't depend on the manager to consider that. What made our experience even worse was the waiter took away my 1/2 eaten salad without asking if I was finished or even if I wanted it to go. It would have been nice to have left over salad, but I guess not! THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF (!!!!!) we had probably 3/4 left of out tzatziki and pita app which we had to pay for and we asked to get it to go. So what does the water boy (because our waiter had left us) bring us? One of those tiny condiment cups you get a Quiznos to put your pepperoncini's in. I looked at him and started laughing. You have got to be kidding me! Apollonia needs to reconsider the ineptitude of their waitstaff because God knows neither I or my roommate, or anyone who asks if I would recommend it, will ever return.
(1)Chupacabra S.
I have mixed feelings on some of these reviews but overall I like and this is one of my favorite nearby places to eat out. I have been coming for years and the place has been through changes, some good some bad. The service tends to be hit or miss. The skinny cute brunette is really good. So is this other blonde girl, very bubbly and attentive. Though there's one older guy who I got twice who was a total retard and I even considered not coming back or at least finding out if he was working the nights he was so I could stay out of his area. Luckily I haven't seen the doofus in months. The quint creepy moustache and skirt wearing transvestite dolls that used to adorn the walls are gone, and now the place does resemble Cesar's Palace in Vegas a bit. Anyone for ouzo bottle service? lol The feta cheese blocks are as good as ever. I get several extra in my salad when I go. They used to give them to me for free, but now charge. Oh well. Shit happens. The new salad dressing is not as good as the old Aesops Table dressing which I totally craved! They dumped my addict ass like a two fiddy ho and I never found a substitute. If anyone knows what dressing they used or ingredients to create it you would fulfill my lifelong dream of having it again. I would give it 3.75 stars but I can't so I'll round up to 4. They do take-out which is handy since I work at a high rise near by. But their people had to ask if I wanted utensils once. No... I'll just suck this down with my fingers............ :p This place is definitely no good for kids. Especially ones that make a lot of noise. I hear there are sharks under the tables. You should leave them at home.
(4)Angee P.
Great happy hour prices! Food was fairly good, and priced fairly. I was with a large group tonight and we had two waitstaff for about 50 people, and they did an excellent job of staying on top of drinks and meals, despite everyone being spread out around the place. Parking is a little tricky if you get here around happy hour, and it looks like the parking garage is your best bet. All around decent value. I would visit again!
(4)Matthew M.
3.5 (why aren't there half stars on this site?) The service is good, and the food is good as well. I mean, I can't really think of any way it stands out among the other greek restaurants I've been to, good or bad. The big downside is that the menu is a little pricey relative to what you get.
(3)Anna S.
I work near by this place and I always get their Gyro and hummus appetizer and i am always impressed. They never mess up my order and it always taste amazing and the prices are great too.
(5)J L.
Would have gave them a zero if I could have. Food isnt all that and the service sucks royally. Will never go back. If you think you deserve a decent service from a restaurant, DONT GO HERE. ESPECAILLY NOT with a family or kids!!!!!
(1)John N.
We took advantage of Appollonia's participation in San Diego Restaurant Week twice this past week - it was so good the first time that we had to go back a second time for the experience. Restaurant week pricing was outstanding but they topped it by offering 4 courses for $20. BTW, it's still on until Friday night. We ordered the taramasalata as an additional and it ranks as our favorite. Greek is one of our favorite ethnic foods and this tops the list in San Diego as far as we are concerned. Natasha, our server, added to our experience with outstanding service and a very engaging personality. Checked the menu out and prices for the size of the serving are great -- many entrees in the $12-$15 price range. Some very unusal appetizers and mezes or small plates that could suffice for a dinner.
(5)Ryan P.
Definitely recommended! Tasty Greek food with a very reasonable price tag. Their Kefta Plate is an absolute favorite of mine (in fact if you ask the waiters most of them will tell you that this is their favorite dish too). It is a pretty large portion of food for only $13. The hummus that comes with it is pretty tasty and the meat patties are so yummy they melt in your mouth. The sandwiches are a bit smaller in portion but also good. I've tried the Gyro Plate and Gyro and Kefta Sandwichs as well and they were all good. For appetizers, I've had the Feta Bruschetta. It was pretty good loaded with a TON of feta cheese. The Fassoulia was also good, with a good balance of lemon juice; definitely a much smaller portion than the Bruschetta though. Overall the atmosphere is good and the staff are friendly too. Outdoor patio is never too cold and there is plenty of space in the restaurant for parties.
(5)Denise F.
The low rating is for lousy customer service. The food is good and the atmosphere is peaceful. Other than that it is super slow and the waitstaff make it clear they would rather be doing something else. So if you MUST go here, do not be in a hurry, do not go during peak lunch or dinner hours and under no circumstances ask for anything extra (like bread with your soup). Every question you ask, the answer will be "No."
(2)Theresale L.
the firt time i come to eat apollonia i like i come 1weeky i eit 2 time they the food is great but my daughter come home we at her come to apollonia is the food great .but on the way home she have food poisoning we have to go hospital, we call the manager but they say his not here go back and forth and he dont call back.but it don/t be on in my list. let post for the area is bad apollonia
(1)trina e.
First of all the 5-stars are for the awesome food! The hostess service is about a 3 and the service gets a 4.5! On the weekends, my fiance and I usually frequent this restaurant for lunch. However, we decided to take his parents there for dinner on a Saturday night around 6:30pm. The entry area was packed with people waiting but there were more than just a few empty tables; when I asked the hostess how long was the wait she said about 45 minutes. We could deal with that since the food is amazing and the service has always been good. But when I asked why there were so many empty tables she snapped at me and said that they were out of SILVERWARE! Ummm, ok. I would never tell my prospective patrons that I was out of silverware. Nonetheless, we decided to have cocktails and wait the 45 minutes. I asked the hostess (mistake) if it was ok to wait in the bar area since we were having cocktails and she said that they were going to be seating the bar tables, so...no. As my fiance and his father brought over our drinks, we perched them on a wall adjacent to the bar. Well, I felt really silly looking over the wall into a half-full bar while sipping my cosmopolitan so I made a beeline to an empty high-top and signaled my 60-something future in-laws and my fiance over to join me. Ultimately, no one came over to ask us to move but the hostess came by and gave us the stink eye and I smiled. We were seated about 15 minutes after that. So, to the staff at Apollonia: Your food is awesome but the customer service skills need some polishing. Oh yes, hope you bought some additional silverware and extra plates for the ones that I may throw next time I have too much ouzo and decide to finish with a loud OPAH!
(5)Tom H.
Love this place! Great drinks and food...always good service.
(4)James H.
This place has some great greek food. I sometimes get the lemon soup and gyro and I'm satisfied. However they have some other great dishes like grecian feast or gyro plate. Overall this place is amazing.
(4)Monica S.
Pretty good for the price! Various greek sandwiches in the $6-$7 price range. Good lunch spot if you work in the UTC area but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here!
(3)Robert B.
This place use to have charm, elegance and great food when it was known as Aesop's Table. It is now known of course as Appollonia Greek Bistro. I think the original owner sold the place but I'm not certain. I do know that the "bistro" has had a major redecoration. (I liked the old design much better). Too bad they didn't spend the money on maintaining the quality and service that Aesop's was known for. I went here recently with my kids and the food quality was poor. The pita bread was stale, and I had a small bug crawl out of my lettuce.
(1)Mohit D.
After reading the reviews , I didn't know what to expect from this place. After having lunch there today, I'm a fan. Menu is extensive - a lot more than the typical Greek place. Service was very good, from initial greeting through our final check. The ambience is nice and somewhat upscale. And the food was very good - wouldn't quite say excellent but very good. I would go back again.
(4)Kships J.
So the service sucked. I swear we waited for SOOOOOOOO long and we were starving by the end. They didn't even tell us how long the wait would be so we just sat there for practically an hour. And when they finally served us, it was like nothing was wrong! No apologies for taking so long or anything. But the food was alright, the spinach casserole was pretty good, but you can't eat the whole thing by yourself because it's just spinach and a lot of cheese with a little bit of pasta. The sandwich was a disaster - super dry, and pretty tasteless. If you're seriously hungry, I would recommend going somewhere else instead. Otherwise, order something besides the pita sandwiches.
(1)Amber G.
I walked in at 5:45 and requested a table for one. The hostess gave me a funny look and asked, "Just you?" "Yes," I clarified, "Just me." She told me she'd have to check and see if they'd be able to seat me and that it would take a couple of minutes. I took the opportunity to use the restroom. It was clean. I returned to the hostess station and was told that Friday nights are typically really busy for the restaurant so if I wanted to eat alone I'd have to eat at the bar area. It's a perfectly nice area (though she said it as though it were engulfed in flames) so I took a seat. Unfortunately as soon as they sat me they forgot about me - maybe if they had let me sit in the actual restaurant with the real people they would have remembered that I was there. But I guess the sight of me eating alone would have made the other diners lose their appetites. My waiter finally arrived and took my order and he was friendly enough. The falafel plate was ok but definitely not the best I've had. And for the price ($12) it should have come with french fries for sure. My pineapple juice ($4) was delicious. After I finished I placed my napkin on top of my plate and pushed it to the side to signal that I was done. When that didn't work quickly enough I switched to making pleading looks with my eyes at every waiter and busperson who walked by. Then I started loudly slurping the remains of my pineapple juice but even that wasn't enough to get my waiter's attention! After 20 minutes of attempting to use subtle tactics, I gave up and asked the hostess to get my waiter. He returned and finally granted my request to bring me my check. To the restaurant's credit, they were really busy, even at 6:00. I was seated very close to the hostess station and I heard numerous parties receive the sad news that without a reservation they would have to sit outside or in the bar area. I didn't hear anyone get it delivered in quite the same manner I did though. The food isn't bad but I wouldn't seek it out. The service, however, is something to avoid. If you must have Greek food and you can't travel far, come here but get take out.
(2)Ray O.
I have to give 5 stars because of the Appetizers and the lamb! Love them both.
(5)Doug R.
Vanessa is the best. Waitress !! The food was all great. I will be back soon!
(5)Robert P.
I've been here a few times for lunch, and the food is quite good. I like the kefta wrap (some sort of ground meat patty) and the gyros, and the hummus is decent. The calamari aren't bad either. Overall, the food is nothing amazing, but it's consistently good. The service, on the other hand, is really inconsistent. Sometimes I've been well attended to, and other times it takes forever for the waitress to appear to take your order, forever for the food to come out, and then you basically don't see another employee until you have to go fetch someone so you can pay and get out of there. The patio is pretty nice considering it's in a strip mall, but the inside dining room is terrible. It oddly reminds me of some cross between an outdated museum cafeteria, and a greek-themed las vegas casino. I don't care for it at all.
(3)Lee F.
Fortunately, it seems they've ironed out some of the wrinkles that Gloria and her friend had to suffer through. This place has been massively remodeled since its days as Aesop's Tables. I *love* the layout here. The space is open, airy, and winding. It really lends a casual, clean, friendly, old-world feel to this solidly upper-middle-class location. The patio is fairly large and boasts upscale chairs and booths with cozy pillows. The color scheme is purty, the menu design is solid, the interior design is spot on. The bathroom is very clean and modern. I came here for lunch with a coworker (whose review is, I'm sure, pending). If you stick to the sandwich or salad sections of the menu, the prices are reasonable. If you want an entree, be prepared to spend $15-$20 before you walk out. I got the only "clever"ly named menu item, the Aesop Pit-za (pizza on a pita, get it?!). It was pretty tasty, and generous with the feta. Perhaps that's why it was so salty. My compatriot got a falafel sandwich preceded by soup and seemed quite pleased by everything, especially the soup (tomato basil, I believe). They're building what looks to become a bar. I can see this becoming a night spot for greasy Europeans in light tan suits over unbuttoned white blouses in the near future. But I mean this as a compliment. It lends a certain credibility that I can soak up over lunch while avoiding the hair gel and gold jewelry.
(4)M. M.
Met up with a few friends on a Friday night. Ambiance was very nice....unfortunately that was about ALL that was very nice. Service was 'ho-hum' -- I've seen worse for sure, and I've seen better. As for the food....I'm not Greek food critic. But I've had better Greek food than this before. It's better than the imitation stuff you get at Daphne's but I've paid the same for a lot better Greek food than this. Food wasn't terrible, but I expected better. The glass of wine I ordered tasted a little old. Too bad it was a bit of a dud....because it's a great ambiance to take a group of 8 or 10. I'll be trying something else the next time I want Greek food.
(2)Sarah M.
I went here for a work lunch the other day, and overall, wasn't SUPER impressed. I was expecting a lot with the elegant layout of the restaurant, but was terribly disappointed by the service. It took forever to get our food, and once we did, one of the dishes we ordered had a hair on it, which we sent back. Overall, our meal took 1 hour and 20 minutes, which was annoying for me because I was forced to take an extra long lunch break, hence, I had to stay at work longer. About the food, I ordered a spinach dish which had cheese, spinach, garlic, and pasta. It was pretty good. The first few bites, I was enjoying it a lot, but once I got toward the middle, it got kind of old. I also ordered some dessert, it was custard with an orange zest covered in a fried wrapper. It was also pretty good, but a little disappointing because I was expecting custard, but got something not smooth and creamy, but of a cottage cheese/bread consistency. I don't really know if I'd come back. I'm not a huge fan of Greek, and with the not-so-great service and the food not being AMAZING, I don't really have enough reason to return. The place is aesthetically pleasing though, I give them credit for that. :)
(3)Niraj P.
The food is mediocre. I actually like greek food and went with a friend who is greek... he also thought it sucked. I guess you can't expect much from UTC. Everything in the area is overpriced and not very good. This is no exception. The place is pretty fancy and the service is decent. The food is overpriced, not very good and many of the items are pretty small portions. The worst part is that they charged for extra pita bread that they bring out for the table. WTF? Not very classy for a restaurant to do that. I don't know any good greek restaurants in SD, but I recommend you keep searching elsewhere.
(2)Kate M.
I liked it better when it was Aesop's tables, but way back in the day. Aesop's last few years weren't too good, as they tried to become classier and classier. The decor at apollonia is nice indeed, but it feels so FAKE. Kind of the feeling you get when walking through Caesar's palace in Vegas. So incredibly fake and done up. A greek restaurant is supposed to make you feel sunshine and rocks and studly men with blue eyes. This place tries for that old world feel, but ends up feeling rather stuffy. I'll admit the sandwiches and salads are good, but just about everything else is over priced. Their feta cheese is some of the best I've had a restaurant (not as good as Trader Joe's sheep milk's feta, but what is?) The service here sucks. Not only is it ridiculously slow: 5 minutes before the wiater introduces himself, 10 minutes before he brings your drinks, ANOTHER 10 minutes to take your order, and good luck with how long your food will take to bring. Each time I've come I get this overly polite but incredibly dense guy who's all smiles but can't keep an order straight and forgets that he has customers out on the patio. Bottom line is, I keep coming back but only because the next best thing is all the way in PB.
(3)Allison T.
Normally I am a fan of Greek food. Normally I am also a fan of customer service... Back in the day, when Apollonia was Aesop's Table, I would order food from them for meetings at work. Everyone loved the food so I thought to myself: "self, I bet the actual restaurant is pretty cool beans." I don't know whether it was the name change or what the service was like when it was Aesop's, but after checking it out twice during the lunch hour with co-workers, I was really dissappointed. The food was pretty good, but the service was dismal. Our server took FOREVER to refill water glasses or take our order. It was like we had no business tying up his day with our presence. I would be happy to chalk it up to just that particular server, but the second time we went there for lunch we received the same treatment. Now on the flip side, I was taken there for dinner and the experience was a complete 180. The server was attentive, recommended wines, let us try samples of wines to assess our taste, and was prompt with our food. I think based on the fact that the service is such a crap-shoot, I will do one of two things: either only go there for dinner, or just try a different Greek place all together.
(2)vanessa f.
I've been on a hummus kick lately. Some hummus and pita bread from the grocery store and viola! instant dinner! Apollonia offers a few more options besides hummus, as well as a very satisfying dessert menu. Also a nice place to read a book while lingering over a glass of wine.
(4)Carina F.
My friends recommended this place - said they loved it...So we went with them and I like how they remodeled the place. There is a nice big patio to sit at outdoors with nice seating and decorative pillows. Inside there is a large circular hostess stand with the waiting area built in around it. Sort of an interesting concept. It looks like there is a bar under construction that might be nice when complete. The walls are painted more in Tuscan colors than Grecian, but it's tasteful, and the walls are adorned with replica Greek statues, sitting in wall cutouts. The design is definitely well-done. First time I went, our server was kind of odd. He was sort of mumbly and may have been foreign, just because of his sentence structures which didn't make much sense and kept us very confused. Food: Warm pita bread, it was OK, can't tell if it was store bought or homemade. We started with the Meditteranean salad - it's large and had gorgonzola, candied walnuts, and sundried tomatoes. No problems with the salad. I've since gotten it again if that says something. Ordered the mahi mahi (it was recommended by my friend). It was good, but heavy, sort of in a Spanish tapas way - topped with a buttery lemony sauce. Don't get me wrong, it was a large piece of fish and it was well-prepared. It came with rice (but looked like Rice-a-Roni) and a side called Biundi (???) that tasted like a reduced minestrone soup - basically bell peppers, zucchini, and onions with whole tomatoes. **Note: this was almost a $20 dish. Should have been closer to $15** The guys with us ordered the same thing, the Macedonian Sampler. That was HUMONGOID and has basically one of everything you'd want to try at a Greek restaurant. They gobbled that up so I *think* they liked it! Second trip back, I went with different people. This time we sat on the patio and it was quite pleasant. No flies and the seating was comfy. BUT this time we got a WEIRDO waiter. He was a slouchy-backed, pony-tail sportin', slow weirdo that dissed the kitchen and blamed the hostess for seating too many people in his section. That part didn't make sense either since there were 3 other tables but they were all wrapping up. I think he was just slow. And this may be his first serving job. Our salad and entrees took forrrrrrrrrrrrrrever. If we hadn't had been enjoying our convo, we'd have been a lot more irritated. Anyway, this time I got the hummus as an appetizer which came with warm pita bread. Nothing wrong with that. I ordered the Chicken Aioli sandwich this time and it was very flavorful and would get it again. Nicely priced right under 7 bucks. Kind of informal though for a restaurant since it was wrapped in a paper-backed foil that you would have gotten at Extreme Pita or something. I'd order this for lunch again.
(3)Liko H.
I've been here for lunch and also for their new champagne brunch, which I am a huge fan of. They just started it this August so I hope it continues. You get a lot of food for the price ($20) and unlimited champagne so you can't go wrong. Otherwise I think the food is reasonably priced (mainly due to the setting) for a nice sit-down restaurant. Everything I've tried so far was very yummy. The vegetarian moussaka was my favorite, but also anything with lamb is good. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming, even outside on the patio. It's very relaxed and comfortable. Come early on a Sunday and sit outside for brunch and chill :)
(4)