04/17/08

It would've been nice if they were open.

by wickedana

We tried to go to Estia last night based on reviews and they were closed! The sign said that they are open Wednesday-Sunday but the lights were out and the door was gated. There wasn't even a sign on the door stating that there was an emergency or "sorry for the inconvenience." When we inquired next door at Viva to see if they were going to open they said "No, not tonight." Must be nice to not need the business and close whenever you want, but it's bad business because I don't know if I want to go back and try again. Word to the wise: call ahead to make sure that they'll be open!

• Cons: Closed when the sign said they'd be open.

02/15/08

Great Greek food + access to Viva menu

by rkishore

The chef is from the Greek island of Zakynthos. Good Greek white and red wine, a very good Greek salad, grilled salmon with vegetables, gigande (huge beans with tomato sauce), baklava (two big pieces served with chocolate strawberries), etc., which you would expect to find at most Greek restaurants. (Their Greek-wine list is exhaustive, though.)

Estia's specialties - that are difficult to find elsewhere in the Bay Area - include Santorinian fava (not the giant fava beans, but a mashed pea/lentil dish), (flamed) cheese saganaki that's like fondue, (Tyrokafteri) a delicious cheese and red-pepper dip served with doughy pita. They do their Melanzanosalata with smoked eggplant and green herbs, and it's served cold as it is anywhere else. You can also order from the menu of the adjacent Cafe Viva, an Italian restaurant. When they get waiting help from Viva, the service is fast. Otherwise, it takes a little time to take the order, but the food arrives fast thereafter.

• Pros: Greek food a rarity in North Beach; this is a restaurant, not an Americanized Greek deli
• Cons: A little slow in taking the order, but food is well worth the time

01/29/07

As good as Greek food gets!!

by pharnaces

Since 1981, my wife and I have gone to Greece nine times, and visited over 15 Islands - motivated in no small part by our love for Greek food. Until recently, the finest we had experienced was prepared by a wonderful restaurant located near Kokkari, on the island of Samos. That was until about June, 2006, when we discovered Estia! I have NEVER tasted Lamb and Orzo so savory and perfectly prepared!! In truth, everything we have tried has been put together with great care and obvious expertise, and the portions are extremely generous!! We loved the music as well, which is similar to what you'd hear in better places in Greece, and is not the often-obnoxious commercial "tourist" music. Bottom line: If you like Greek food, it does not get better than this; If you're not sure, there is no finer or more authentic restaurant to find out, in our experience!!

11/17/06

yummy, delicious and authentic greek food!

by vana31198

love it! love it! love it!

have been there twice, and loved it both times. m telling all of my friends about it, and planning future dinners there. the staff is kind and welcoming, the food is great, the sspace is cute and cozy, i really like it. + it's totally resonably priced. you get great food, in large quantities, for a good price, in a nice place, with good staff. what more could you ask for?!!

you have to go and try it!!!!!

08/21/06

Great Portions!!!

by ames1

I was surprised to see a little Greek restaurant in North Beach when I was visiting San Fran. I wanted some good Greek food to go and they were more than happy to do so! I ordered a few appetizers and when I got home I was surprised to see from ordering just a couple of appetizers how generous the portions were! The prices were reasonable and portions huge!

• Pros: Huge portions!
• Cons: From the outside the place looks shady. :(

12/27/05

Great!

by rjkow

We came across this restaurant as we were in North Beach ready to eat Italian as usual and when we saw this Estia Greek restaurant ..we really lucked out. It was early in the evening so we got a table right away. We started out with the flaming fried cheese and it was delicious. The lamb shank must be their signature dish--it was also delicious and a very generous portion. The greek salad was extra but well worth it with huge chunks of fetta cheese and enough to feed three people. With the bread, olive oil and the cucumber spread we were too stuffed for desert. The service was great thanks to Spiros the manager and I believe the owner. The cost was very reasonable and we will definitely return here.

• Pros: food wiine, ambiance, sevice

05/06/05

Excellent Greek Food at Good Price

by valeriadefazio

We stumbled upon this place and were pleasantly surprised. We have gone to all the name Greek restaurants in both the Penisula and SF area, paid the big bucks. THIS PLACE WAS REASONABLE AND TASTED GREAT. Not super fancy, but good food like Mom makes. We had appetizers, main dishes and desserts and all three were good. They tasted fresh, home cooked and pretty authentic. I am greek, so I know what Greek food should taste like. It's not exactly grandma's food but it's homemade tasting and fresh. The value is great. For $100 bucks we each had appetizers, main, dessert, greek coffee PLUS a BOTTLE of wine. The GREEK WINE MENU is AMAZING. The value for the $28 dollar bottle of wine was close to the $30-40 dollar bottle of Napa wine you would pay for in another SF restaurant. WE WILL DEFINITELY RETURN AND TELL ALL OUR FRIENDS!!!!

02/26/04

Estia is Excellent!!!

by gmomsfo

This restaurant is great. The food was full of flavor, Lamb shank with orzo was excellent, and so was their fresh fish, which was nicely displayed by the window. The appetizers were very tasty at only $3.00 per appetizer, the array was awesome. The desserts were also very good, we had ordered the lavender flavored ice cream, and the made to order rice pudding. Excellent flavors, Excellent place!!

01/20/04

Venture off North Beach's well-worn Italian path at this high-end Greek spot.

by Contributor

The Scene
Deep-sea blue and pale-cream stucco walls with paintings of waterfront living evoke a charming Greek getaway. Slick North Beach locals and tourists settle in for a meal and enjoy the staff's larger-than-life hospitality. Their vivacity is infectious enough to forgive missteps like forcing diners to taste, then pour their own wine.

The Food
The menu swerves from Greek standbys to less familiar standouts. Vibrant rusks, baked bread slabs doused in diced tomatoes and two kinds of oregano, are a Cretan take on bruschetta. Ubiquitous kasseri cheese gets flambéed tableside with an enormous whoosh and "Opa!" from the server, but wimpy grilled calamari salad doesn't even muster a whimper. Tepid pastitsio, casserole of macaroni with tomato and ground beef, screams Hamburger Helper; lemony dolmas burst with a bland mess of rice and dill; and lamb chops are accompanied by tough greens and mealy tomato-potato gratin. Flaky cheese borek saves diners from an encounter with way-too-soapy lavender ice cream.