The sights, smells and spanakopita associated with the annual will not be present along East Fort Lowell Road this year.
The property owned by St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, home to the Greek Festival for more than 45 years, was auctioned off in August.
A new church and event center are being built at , but church leaders are holding off on hosting the festival again until construction is complete.
The last few years have been hard on Greek cuisine with the closure of and on East Speedway, and on East University Boulevard.
But there are still a few spots in town where one can feast on tasty Greek-style dolmades, gyros, lamb and chicken dishes.
Here are some spots where you can still eat like a Greek.
Santorini Greek Cafe at 2545 E Speedway Blvd.
Santorini Greek Caf茅
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Authenticity is key at Santorini Greek Caf茅, named for the Greek island known for its cliff-side homes and stunning views in every direction.聽
The view from the caf茅 is a little less stunning 鈥 an Eegee鈥檚 and the Old Peking Chinese Restaurant across a very busy East Speedway 鈥 but our guess is that you鈥檒l probably be too busy feasting on owner Fatos 鈥淔oti鈥 Alushaj鈥檚 culinary creations to even notice.
Alushaj learned the ins-and-outs of traditional Greek cooking in Athens and Crete before moving to 蜜柚直播 six years ago. He also worked at several 蜜柚直播 restaurants, including the now-closed Athens on Fourth, before opening Santorini in March 2021.
One of his signature dishes is an authentic Greek gyro, which is made with chicken or pork.
鈥淲hen you are in Greece, that is what you are going to find,鈥 Alushaj said. 鈥淕yros made with chicken or pork. I also make my own tzatziki.鈥
Santorini has a beef and lamb meat gyro, too, as well as all of the staples: lamb chops, eggplant-based moussaka, soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce). All food is ordered at the register and brought to your table.
Santorini鈥檚 is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Opa鈥檚 Best Greek American Cuisine
It can be a challenge finding a time in the day when Opa鈥檚 Best is not busy.
This spacious Greek restaurant, located in what was once Zivaz Mexican Bistro on East Broadway, is a hive of activity during its lunch and dinner hours.
Guests are served free pita, hummus and tzatziki (Opa鈥檚 version of chips and salsa) when they sit down. Portion sizes are generous, with meat and vegetarian options, including chicken souvlaki, gyro platters, lamb chops and hummus wraps, available.
The lunch menu is expansive and the dinner menu is even bigger. Regular orders of flaming saganaki, Greek kasseri cheese with brandy and lemon, set ablaze at your table, keep faces warm when the temperature drops outside.
Opa鈥檚 Best, which has been in business since 2018, also has a selection of Greek beers and wines to enjoy, in addition to some Greek-inspired cocktails. For some truly Greek flavor, try Opa鈥檚 Best Fix cocktail, with ouzo, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, triple sec and Angostura bitters.
Opa鈥檚 Best is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Opa鈥檚 Grill
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If you like the food Opa鈥檚 Best provides, but find yourself closer to downtown, you can visit their second location, Opa鈥檚 Grill, which opened a year ago in the old Athens on Fourth space on North Fourth Avenue.
Owner Qais Papoutsis told the Star in 2020 that Opa鈥檚 Grill filled a void that Athens left when it closed.
鈥淓very town you go to, downtown has a good Greek restaurant for many years,鈥 he said.
The second location shares Opa鈥檚 Best menu with perhaps a little more ambience; a place where the nearby University of 蜜柚直播 kids can take their parents when mom and dad come for a visit.
Opa鈥檚 Grill is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Shrimp kastella, prawns tomatoes, onions and feta cheese, finished with white wine and garlic served over rice, at It鈥檚 Greek To Me Restaurant, 15920 N Oracle.
It鈥檚 Greek To Me
Geographically, It鈥檚 Greek To Me is the Thessaloniki (Greece鈥檚 second largest city) of 蜜柚直播-area Greek restaurants, located on the far north end of Pima County in Catalina.
That鈥檚 good for the folks in Oro Valley, Saddlebrooke and northern unincorporated Pima County, who don鈥檛 have to travel far to get their Greek cuisine fix.
The restaurant has had several owners over the last 20 years, but is currently helmed by the husband-and-wife team David and Kaitlyn d鈥橝uteuil, former employees who met while working there.
The d鈥橝uteuils were dismayed when they heard the restaurant had been shuttered.
鈥淲e had a lot of memories there,鈥 said David d鈥橝uteuil. 鈥淲e both loved the restaurant and couldn鈥檛 believe it was closed. We thought there was no way this place shouldn鈥檛 be here. The community always loved it.鈥
The couple signed the lease and reopened using some of the Greek recipes that they had learned during their time as employees.
Five years later, and the d鈥橝uteuils are seeing steady business, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
鈥淲e always recommend reservations,鈥 David d鈥橝uteuil said. 鈥淧eople really responded well and have been supporting us ever since.鈥
It鈥檚 Greek To Me describes itself on its website as a scratch kitchen, with seafood (salmon, diver scallops, fisherman鈥檚 stew) and gluten-free options, as well as Greek pastries.
Have a plate of pastitsio 鈥 braised ground beef baked with pasta then topped with b茅chamel and braised lamb shank sauce 鈥 then share a dessert, perhaps a baklava or sokolatopita 鈥 chocolate cake soaked in a butter brandy sauce, and served with berries and cream 鈥 with your loved one.
David d鈥橝uteuil said the grilled octopus has been a fan favorite at the restaurant.
The seafood medley, with fresh fish, prawns, clams and mussels simmered in a butter-wine broth, with sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives and spinach over pasta, is another, Kaitlyn d鈥橝uteuil said.
鈥淚t was a special we started doing on the weekends,鈥 she added. 鈥淚t became so popular, we made it a regular menu item.鈥
It鈥檚 Greek to Me is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Pappoules鈥檚 Avgolemono soup, a traditional greek soup with chicken, rice and lemon.
Pappoule's
Pappoule's has roots as far back as 1982, thanks to John and Angeline Cotsones, according to the eatery's website. The first location was in 蜜柚直播 Mall's food court, but it's now located at Foothills Mall. 聽
The聽avgolemono, an egg lemon soup with rice and chicken, is #ThisIs蜜柚直播 food writer Ellice Lueders' favorite soup in all of 蜜柚直播.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the most popular dish in Greece and it鈥檚 popular here,鈥 . 鈥淚t鈥檚 warm, rich and it makes you feel good when you eat it. You really taste that Greek love.鈥
Pappoule's is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; temporarily closed Sundays.