Went there for the first time today...will not go back.
I ordered food to go.
What I ordered: Â Gypsy Skillet, Side of Bacon, Unbuttered Toast.
What I go : Gyros skillet with Feta Cheese all over it, 2 slices of awful bacon wrapped in a piece of tin foil, and toast with butter ALL OVER IT.
Paid $13.60 for this.
I will never go back. The food was awful and all wrong.
Beware.
Golden Olympic is a Greek-American diner, pretty much like Greek-American diners all over. Â You know, a wide variety of breakfasts served all day, club sandwiches, BLT's, a soup or two, a half dozen different burgers, a full ice cream selection and the odd Greek specialty here and there. Â I--and probably you--have eaten in places like this all over the country. Â But this is downtown Evanston's very own.
It tends to attract a lot of elderly folks, possibly from the retirement hotel across the road, as well as just regular Evanstonians looking for a reasonably good cheap meal. Â Yesterday, my booth was between one full of several aged ladies who were fervently discussing national politics with a knowledge and sophistication I could only hope to have. Â Behind me, was a booth full of folks wishing an apparently retiring coworker a happy life ahead, they all being from a local retail shop that I recognized. Â
The restaurant is actually pretty big, spreading across two storefronts, and I've never seen it even halfway full, so there's never a wait for a booth. Â The waitresses are longtime seasoned pros here--I've always felt well served with a smile. Â
I like the fact they have little boxes of dry cereal sitting on a shelf in the middle of the main room. Â It reminds me of a hotel dining room and makes me feel that I'm off on vacation somewhere.
Yesterday, for dinner, I started with a nice lentil soup, followed by a "village" horiatiki salad full of olives, onions, feta, anchovies, tomatoes, lettuce and so on. Â Both were good. Â I then had the Greek chicken, a half chicken cut up into pieces, broiled in olive oil and herbs, with Greek style potatoes and green beans in a spicy tomato sauce. Â Warmed pita on a dish came as accompaniment. Though I was offered a dessert menu, I figured a cup of coffee would suffice.
This was a pretty good meal--not as good as you might find in Chicago's Greektown, but this place saved me a couple hours travel, so was just fine. Â All told, $22 plus tip. Â Not dirt cheap like some diners (the Evanston Grill comes to mind) but reasonably priced.
This rating largely reflects the service. One of the people I was dining with has an allergy to cinnamon -- when we ordered the greek yogurt with everything on it, it came out heavily dusted with cinnamon. There was no indication, either on the menu or when we placed the order that there would be cinnamon. Upon notifying the waitress of the allergy, she promptly replied, "You didn't tell me." and proceeded to place the bowl on our table. Not until I argued and insisted that we get another bowl for free minus the cinnamon did she oblige. In customer service, the customer is always right. Unfortunately, the elderly waitresses here do not understand that. No tip was given.
That being said, the greek yogurt is supposedly homemade and was the best part of the meal. The omelettes were average at best -- they do a fine chop of all the ingredients so you can't even tell which ingredient is which. The sausage inside is not of high quality - same cafeteria grade sausage used at Clarke's. The hash browns were not good -- dry and not all pieces were evenly cooked. Portion size was large -- I suppose that could be a positive if you are a fan of average food.
The coffee was also quite poor. It tasted like water, so much so that I didn't need to drink any from my water cup.
After eating at m.henry the day before, it was a struggle to ingest much here. Food only, I suppose Golden Olympic still ranks above Clarke's but neither will be a place I envision myself willingly returning.
God I love this place so much. I come here way more often than I should. When I inevitably die of a coronary because of too many Reubens and malts, I will go with at least the knowledge that I lived and ate with gusto. Â
Now that I'm no longer in Evanston living around the corner, I have begun to yearn for this place much like a skier eagerly hoping for the first snow showers.
I decided to try the vegetarian dolmades with Village salad for dinner. The salad was meh. The dolmades (grapeleaf-wrapped white rice pieces) though were more tasteful, a little sour, but I still prefer the moussaka and spanakoptika at Cross Rhodes in Evanston.
NU students, you get a 10% discount by showing your Wildcard here!
-1 star for the inattentive waitress who almost knocked over my water
-1 star b/c waitress didn't show up with a bill despite my two repeated attempts.
I'll give this place another shot by coming for breakfast next time, since they seem to have more positive reviews.
In the somewhat sterile and chain-restaurant-dominant dining atmosphere of Evanston, this place is a cozy and relaxing gem. The gyros sustain me through times of academic woe. The waitresses are great and friendly, the cashier guy is always sweet, the food is fast and hot and delicious, and you can sit and chat without feeling rushed. For a diner, there are wonderfully healthy options, like greek salads and yogurt. I admit to being a sucker for the vintagey Greek landscape wall paintings. And you can get all kinds of booze to go with that omelette if you like! A favorite.
Review Source:This a groovy little joint so long as you don't come with expectations of fine dining. That's not what Golden Olympic is about, friends! It's more like a old fashioned diner with Greek accents. I love the waitresses here, as they are convivial, bubbly, and full of humor! Â And the food isn't bad either. Service is quick, and the juice is freshly squeezed!
For breakfast one can't go wrong with an omelet, especially the Olympic which features spinach, and feta.
Yeah, I'll be back!
What a nice place.
The service is exactly what you'd expect - nice older ladies bustling about your table making sure you have what you need, the guy at the cashier making small talk while he takes care of your check, it's all good.
The food is generally good. Â Breakfast food is always a winner - few things are done to perfection but almost everything is satisfactory. Â Eggs benedict are solid, with a heavier-than-ideal hollandaise sauce. Â Skillets are filling and well prepared. Â Corned beef hash is hearty and satisfying, meaty and not too salty. Â Fries are of the slightly crisp on the outside/very potatoey on the inside variant, and onion rings are tasty but greasy.
There are a few winners and losers. Â The Monte Carlo will kick your butt, it is so good. Â The Rheuben is sloppy and crispy and rich with meat flavor cut with sauerkraut. Â On the other hand, most of the actual Greek food is rather disappointing. Â Same goes for the pasta. Â And things like the salads and soups are fine, but no need to go out of your way to get them.
Prices are reasonable. Â Location is neat. Â They're actually open pretty late for a not-late-night joint. Â For some reason they have a bar.
When visiting a close friend in Evanston I always enjoy dining at Golden Olympic Restaurant. Â The food is good (lots of items on the menu, and breakfast is always available) and served piping hot, and the service (and beverage refills) is friendly and attentive. Â
A gentleman reviewed the bathroom; the ladies' room is neat and clean, and it is handicapped-accessible.
If anyone reading this review on Easter Sunday, 2011, Â they are open.
I admit it. This place gets a couple of stars right off the bat for the fact that they offer breakfast all the time - LOVE diners!
We were looking for somewhere to eat before an NU basketball game and this place fit the bill. The minute we walked in, we were greeted by very friendly staff.
I opted for breakfast (of course) and ordered the Mexican Omelet. I'm glad I had an idea of what I wanted since the menu is HUGE - SO much to choose from!
In only a few minutes, a heaping plate of eggs, chorizo, jalapeno pepper, onion and tomato arrived. So good! The waitress even brought me a bowl of salsa - anticipating I'd want some spice to go with my omelet, sweet. My only small gripe was that the toast had a TON of butter on it - but nothing I couldn't scrape off.
To finish off my dinner I ordered some Jello and it was OK - a little watery but the whipped cream made up for it.
If you're in Evanston and are down for a no-frills place with tons of menu items to choose from, cheap prices, decent portions, and a very family-oriented feel, hit up this diner. I was secretly sad that it was dinnertime and the place was pretty empty... show this place some love!
I'll admit, I came here after a bit of drinking, looking for some greasy food to offset my broken Asian enzymes.
I ordered a gyro sandwich with mashed potatoes for dinner. The mashed was the first to go, but it wasn't so pleasant. The gravy was pretty salty, which is sad considering my state of mind.
The gyros were... interesting. The meat was cut rather thick, but it tasted fine. The tzazichi sauce was strangely thick, but tasted fine as well. I'm just used to thinner sauce.
The server was really nice, and I could tell by sitting there that the staff appreciates their regular customers. Maybe I'll become one too, someday, but the food isn't quite good enough for me to come back regularly.
Ah, this is what a diner experience should be. We stopped in before a Northwestern home basketball game, and we were surprised that there were only a couple tables filled. I guess maybe they're not usually busy for dinner? Anyway, the waitress was super nice, and the menu was pretty extensive. I had a skillet (breakfast all day, whoo!) and it was quite good.
I guess there's not really much else to say. Cheap prices, nice service and good food. The bathroom floor was ridiculously sticky (as in, the stickiest surface I have ever stepped on), but we'll let that one slide. If you're looking for a diner in Evanston, look no further than Golden Olympic.
We were of a mind for Greek, my lunch companion and I; the choice in Evanston is between Cross-Rhodes and Golden Olympic, and given the convenience of credit-accepted vs. cash-only, the Golden Olympic is where we chowed (and of course, we paid in cash anyway!)
I noticed on Yelp, leading up to our visit, that some reviewers had issues with this, that or the other with Golden Olympic, and I have no idea why. It is the best kind of 'greasy spoon', a simple, clean, bright booth-and-table room echoing an earlier time (I can easily imagine Richie, Potsie and Ralph Malph hanging out here.) We opted for a booth near the window on a sunny afternoon; our friendly waitress Tilly popped over as soon as we were seated. The menu is loaded with breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert choices, too many to scan easily (which is a good thing), with an obvious bent towards Greek fare. I'd scanned the offerings the day before on a flyby, and knew that I wanted the gyros sandwich with onion rings; my companion had a huge tomato-lettuce-onion salad, which must've been very spicy, given how her sinuses opened up. Our food came quickly, as did the saganaki we'd ordered before the meal (served with warm pita slices, and delicious!) My sandwich was huge, with more gyros meat than I could eat (minor nitpick; I could've used more cucumber sauce, but what I got proved adequate.)
We noticed a really friendly atmosphere around the place, with many diners bantering with the waitstaff as if they were family, and there were several families there (regulars are a good thing, if you ask me.) Attentive without being cloying is a phrase I enjoy using for a good waitstaff, and it applies here. All told (price of our meals included, a great bargain), our experience at Golden Olympic was a supremely positive one, well worth another visit one of these days, and a lunch stop I highly recommend.
I should admit, this is not the type of place I usually give 5-stars for many reasons. I highlight the most obvious:
1. The crowd looks kind of old. I guess the retirement home across the street keeps them in business.
2. Coffee is not their strength. You should rather have coffee in the Peets coffee nearby.
3. The decor could be described as decadent greek vintage 1970s.
But, whoa oh!, the olympic omelette with hash brown was just perfect. Not salty, not greasy. Flavors melted perfectly. In all honesty, this is probably the best omelette I've had in the entire U.S.
Service was very, very attentive. The greek owners really take care of you.
My advice: Don't feel bad about getting into this place, you will really enjoy breakfast.
Golden Olympic is solid. Most of the reviews are about breakfast, in which they do excel. As a connoisseur of biscuits and gravy, I have to say this place might have the best I've ever eaten. You must elect for the deluxe plate, which is eggs, hash browns (delicious), and sausage patties inside the biscuits. This makes the biscuits and gravy basically a sausage biscuit sandwich with sausage gravy. Yowza.
I've had dinner here too. I had the Gyros Plate, which was above average, and the village salad (greek salad) which was also very good.
From the few times I've been here, it definitely has the diner and neighborhood restaurant feel. Most of the wait-staff seem to know the regulars and spend a lot of time conversing with them.
This is what breakfast should be like. Golden Olympic is the standard that I hold all other breakfast spots not only in Evanston, but citywise, to. The line of idiots waiting outside Le Peep should remain there, waiting in line week after week. They do not deserve to be at Golden Olympic. I will forgive those at Dixie Kitchen if they're getting the jambalaya omelet and those at Lucky Platter because once in a while, everybody needs an apricot cheese flaky.
I will return to Golden Olympic over and over again. I've come here plenty in the past. Stayed up all night with someone who was writing a paper? In dire need of sleep but need to fill your tummy first? Head over to Golden Olympic. Craving breakfast food at 4pm when many places have stopped serving brunch for 2 hours? Head over to Golden Olympic.
I'm serious folks. The gyros, spinach and feta cheese omelet I had today was phenomenal - and I had it at 3pm after some initial sadness because I thought I had slept through brunch. Side of cottage cheese and English muffin? Perfect. (Though I must say that their hash brown are most excellent). Come hungry and share the biscuits and gravy with your table. Trust me on this. Golden Olympic makes the best biscuits and gravy in the area AND as an added bonus, allows you to have it with sausage patties in between the biscuits.
I not only love this place for their breakfast. Lunch and dinner is lovely Greek fare and diner staples. The Village salad that you can order as a side to their dinners has a tangy dressing and anchovies on it. Mega bonus points! They have daily specials. They have jello and will put whipped cream on it for you. They have V8! They have coconut cream pie (among many other pies and desserts).
The decor is low-key diner. The staff is family and customers are remembered and greeted warmly by name. You'll either get a hunky beefcake waiter or sweet waitresses that dote on you like mom, calling you "sweetheart" and getting you whatever you want. Waters, iced teas and coffees are refilled happily. I always arrive here happy, leave happy and I even get the warm fuzzies when I think about this place. Simply fabulous.
I like crappy looking diner style restaurants. I will admit that. But I'm also the type of person who usually doesn't care about what the place looks like if the food is good. Golden Olympic is one of those places.
I recently moved to Evanston from LA and desperately needed to find an unpretentious, non chichi type of breakfast establishment. My mom came to visit and we stumbled upon this place while walking around, so we tried it and were both happily surprised. Â The prices are cheap, and the food is satisfying. This isn't gourmet, I could probably cook something equivalent at home. But when I wake up on a Sunday morning and want someone else to cook my eggs, this is a great place to go.
Personally I LOVE their waffle - crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Â I've had the omelet, which is decent, and both the poached and scrambled eggs. They also have a huge selection of Greek food, which I haven't yet had the opportunity to try.
I would recommend this place to people who don't expect to be fawned over and who like a traditional type of diner. I wouldn't recommend this place to people expecting the Ritz.
Le Peep and Lucky Platter are extremely overrated. This unpretentious Greek diner offers affordable breakfast with -massive- portions. There is little to no wait. Then again, I came here on a Saturday morning, not Sunday. The service isn't great, but I'm not really complaining (ahem, refill water more often please!). There isn't anything terrible exciting or unique about Golden Olympic, unlike the two restaurants I mentioned ("Le Peep" is just fun to pronounce, and Lucky Platter has the stupid bizarre decor). I recommend this restaurant for breakfast anytime in Evanston.
Review Source:I grew up in the suburbs of New York City, where there is a diner in every town. When I moved to Chicago, something that was immediately missing from my life was a typical diner. The Golden Olympic was that place for me, restoring my need to have greasy fries and a milkshake at my disposal.
Seriously, this place is amazing. I've been a bunch of times, and have never been let down. When you sit down to order, think about ordering a phosphate to drink, (particularly the strawberry flavored). My favorite thing to order is the Monte Cristo. I mean, what's better than a delicious turkey sandwich? A delicious turkey sandwich with FRENCH TOAST FOR BREAD. It's SOOO good. I also recommend the grilled cheese.
If you're looking for a diner-figure in your life, this is the place to go.
This is way better than the A&T diner in Rogers Park. Â It's cleaner smelling and the menu is classic Greek diner fare. Â
We tried this for breakfast one morning and were very happy with our meal. Â I got the eggs florentine, which came with their potatoes. Â Great Sunday breakfast! Â Hubby got the ham n cheese omelette and we chowed down.
On the way back from somewhere in Evanston, I figured if I could find a parking space on a Saturday outside the restaurant, we'd go for lunch. Â Well, there was one and we went. Â Chicken salad sandwich for me - just the way I like it. Â Reuben for the Hub - he enjoyed it, but said there could have been a bit more meat on it and it was sloppy (uh...dressing on a sandwich does that, dude!). Â
We'll be back. Â Reasonable prices and lots to choose from. Â Minus one star for service - where was that server when we needed him???
Golden Olympic is a classic Greek diner. Since I used to live in Chicago, I am glad that Evanston has a Greek diner and not just fancy-pantsy mediocre high-priced breakfast places. Honestly I don't eat a ton off their menu but I like to go get a good grilled cheese with tomato and fries every once in a while. Also, the best part about a Greek diner is that you can get spanikopita any time with Greek potatoes! Mmm...My daughter really likes their chocolate chip pancakes. My friends who get their omelettes swear by their holy goodness. The service is always fast and good. That's it. A good, solid, diner!
Review Source:I went between 3 and 4 stars on this place. Â I have the banana crepes and they were less than spectacular. Â They were just really dry and lacked much taste. Â
The other item I had is the hashbrown platter or whatever. Â This was phenomenal! Â As odd as it is to say, it reminded me of stir fry pizza. Â It is potatoes, green peppers, mushrooms and oregano (and onions for those of you who like them). Â Throw some ketchup and tabasco on there and you are set. Â Seriously, try it.
Get your notepad ready, Le Peep. Â Golden Olympic's breakfast is excellent AND they serve it all day long. Â Gigantic menu of breakfast lunch and dinner items ranging from Greek staples to American diner food. Â
I ordered the Spinach, Feta, and Gyro meat omellete with a side of cottage cheese. Â The cottage cheese order was misguided, the direct result of the mediocre breakfast potatoes that I had the other day at Le Peep. Â I sampled the "hash browns" still off of my wife's plate and really wished that I would have ordered them. Â They are more like scalloped potatoes than hash browns, but they were really good. Â My omellete was perfect. Â I'm going to try ordering an actual Gyro from them some time because the meat in my omelette was really tasty. Â Wifey ordered a lox and onion omellete which looked like a pretty nice combo. Â
Here comes the best part. Â My wife ordered a third entree for us to split since we had never had breakfast here and she couldn't decide. Â This is why I married this woman. Â Sausage biscuits sandwiches covered in sausage gravy. Â They were delectable. Â Great biscuits, tasty gravy, and best of all, more sausage stuffed in the middle! Â Brilliant.
Service was friendly and swift. Â This restaurant seems a little out of place here in downtown Evanston, but in a good way. Â The other diners in immediate proximity are Clark's and Le Peep, both of which could learn a lot from the unassuming nature of Golden Olympic. Â Clarks should stop trying to be kitchy and make some decent food. Â Le Peep should stop pretending that little Easter chicks are laying everyone's breakfast fresh daily and that whimsically skilled Frenchmen are slaving over a pot of hollandaise. Â Ok, maybe that is just the impression that their name and menu design give off, but still - stop with the gimmicks.
Definitely will be back for more mid-day breakfast and perhaps a spanakopita.
Unfortunately, no star is not an option on yelp... This was just a very bad place. The service was beyond bad (I had 2 of servers seating at the next table counting their pile of cash while yelling at the Tv (game was on), the menu was very varied and long but nothing really enticed me and overall for the quality it is extremely overpriced.
I got the caesar chicken wrap and my husband the special breakfast. Eggs were very runny and undercooked, (he ordered sunny side up), the pancakes were very very bad, with a weird texture, way worse than if I had made up a straight from the box batch at home, and yes my food was very greasy. Simply nothing was good, and we left not understanding how this place could still be open in Evanston, were you can get very decent food pretty much at every corner
I know it's a diner, but the celebration of grease here frightens me a litte. I barely made it through half of my omelette because it was swimming in tons of unnecessary oil. The wheat toast it came with?, soaked with melty butter. Yes, a butter lover might have appreciated it, but I prefer my bread dry when my eggs already contain 800% of the fat I need that day.
The service was absolutely lovely, though, and if I was just a little less into healthy food I might have enjoyed it a lot.
Step into Golden Olympic and you're stepping into a tasty, purple world filled with comfy booths and super friendly staff.
A friend and I came here 30 minutes before closing (not knowing that they were closing in half an hour!) and were not rushed at all. Â
I was quite pleased with my ginormous and delicious veggie omelet, and my hashbrowns were perfect. Â One thing though, I asked for them to be cooked lightly, and I have a feeling they'd be way crispy if not for the special request.. just a heads up. Â I easily had enough food leftover for lunch the next day. Â
My friend ordered a chicken ceasar salad and was also pleased by both the size (lots of chicken!) and quality of her food.
Our waitress was a total doll. Â She really seemed to enjoy her work, and even reminded us that our job for the evening was to sit back and relax.
I would definitely come back for satisfying food in a laid-back environment.
Ahh, the Golden Olympic.
It's the closest thing Evanston has to a Jersey-style diner. Cheap furnishings, sassy waitresses, and an expansive menu of breakfast (served 24 hours, of course), sandwiches, Greek cuisine, and classic diner fare like meatloaf and brisket.
Wash it down with a pot of coffee and a slice of pie, and you're on your way.
None of it is fancy, nor is it likely healthy, but it's a satisfying quick meal.
If you're from the Northeast, the Olympic will be a nice taste of home.
First of all, 5 stars to our server. We might've had the same lady mentioned in Dee W's review? She was super friendly, quick and confident. The friendliness is contagious, and you'd find yourself talking to other customers as well.
After two years, we finally had a chance to try this diner. Glad we went and discovered what a lovely eatery this is. It's a perfect place for any meal of the day -- it's open from 6am to 9pm, Mon-Sat; 7am to 8pm on Sun -- when your group wants both American and Mediterranean food. The owner is Lebanese, I believe, and they have a good mix of both cuisines.
Food here is very satisfying. You will walk out stuffed. The beef sirloin is huge and tasty, and comes with several side dishes. The omlettes are impressive in both size and taste, and like many places, you can ask them to make it with egg substitute or egg whites. The salads (we had the cesar and turkey/ham) are freshly chopped and paired with great dressings. I almost wanted to take back the remaining honey mustard.
I was in search for a New Jersey-esque diner-style restaurants in the Chicagoland and I found it here. Â Nice and friendly waitstaff, decent food (who said the food has to be excellent), good price, and it is open early in the morning (6am). Â In the morning, there are about 10 regulars in the GO: everyone knows everyone. There is a need for this type of place in every town.
Review Source:This is your definitive greasy spoon....mixed with a Greek a restaurant! I've actually never tried any of the Greek food here, I'm always here for some breakfast food (no matter what time of day), but my friends enjoy it. But seriously, everything you imagine a diner should be, Golden Olympic is: an extensive menu of delicious grease-soaked treats (mmmm...I loooove their hash browns and omelets, not to mention their turkey burgers), sassy (and yeah, okay, occasionally cranky) waitresses and even better, lots of space, so even on a crowded Sunday breakfast, there's no wait and you can get a table big enough to spread out your newspaper. You won't find anything healthy here, but you will definitely find yourself full and satisfied.
Review Source:I really love this place - it's a great alternative for breakfast/brunch. Â I love the different Greek food in combination with typical diner food. Â Today, for brunch, we had their flaming saganaki for an appetizer and then, went for our breakfast food - I got their chef best test omelet - sausage, onions, and cheese and the fiance got his typical gypsy omelet - green bell peppers, ham, cheese, over hash browns.
Other great recommendations include their gyros - yummy and their gyros/feta/spinach omelets.
But the best thing about this is the fact that there is never a wait, quick service - super friendly service. Â Our server, Cathy, was absolutely fabulous and provided excellent service with a smile. Â She was just the ideal of a waitress. Â She's probably what made this go from four stars to five. Â Actually, every time we come back - we always get such friendly service - Cathy just sticks out as an amazing server. Â Our last server came by our table and we weren't ready to order and she said "Take your time - I don't want you to pick out something rushed and it turns out to be something that you don't like" - who says that? Â Someone who really wants you to enjoy your meal. Â It's definitely a great option - skip the lines at Le Peep and come here instead for breakfast - great prices, great food, and fantastic service with a smile!
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