Easily one of my favorite restaurants in Hyde Park. Everything I have ever ordered from Salonica has been delicious, like- finger licking, eat every bit off of your plate delicious. I highly recommend the Greek chicken which is so tender it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. Also, the gyros and soups are top notch. You cannot go wrong here, especially considering the very reasonable prices. Most entrees are under $10, but they could easily charge more and I would still eat there on a weekly basis.
Review Source:was in the other night and really liked it. Pretty simple but well done food. I had a chicken parm which was the size of a small individual pizza and was well cooked with lots of tomatoe sauce. Also ordered a reuben, not as much meat as I would have liked but it was pretty good none theless. The prices are pretty reasonable and it only took about 10 minutes to get the order.
Was also warm inside which is a plus in winter-usually you can feel the draft from people coming in and out and the people that waited on me were pleasant and helpful.
Good stuff.
For what it is - a casual neighborhood Greek diner - this place is solid and somewhere I keep returning to. Â The food is not bad, the decor is a little outdated, but the prices match my student budget, and the service is fast and friendly.
I wish they had more options for vegetarians - but the spanakopita and the eggplant parmesan are consistent winners! Â The fresh OJ is hit or miss.
During the summer they open up the patio, and you can bring your dog!
It was new years eve and we were looking to have brunch with a friend in hyde park area. The place we originally wanted to go to was closed, so we came here to this place down the way. Their breakfast and one of those straight to the point breakfast menus. I got the steak and eggs and it cames with everything, hashbrowns, toast and the whole shabang! I really liked it and it was a reasonable price. The service was prompt and it was a very quiet and homely place.
Review Source:Ordered dinner from here once. It was really bland (I had a gyro plate of some sort). Then I found that this was one of the only places in Hyde Park open on Thanksgiving (granted it was at 7 in the morning). Good eggs, good potatoes, great service (making sure my coffee cup stayed full). Also, they have wi-fi (pretty fast for public wi-fi too). And although I'm very confident the over-easy eggs gave me some food sickness, I shouldn't have ordered over-easy at 7 in the morning on Thanksgiving.
Review Source:I have been coming here for breakfast for many years. Â First as a student at the UofC, then with my husband, now with the kids for weekend brunches. Â I bring everyone here - friends, relatives, visitors from out of town. Â Everyone raves about the french toast and pretty much every item from the breakfast menu. I personally love the broccoli and pepper cheese omelette, especially with a little bacon.
The staff is great, warm and friendly, they all know us and always have lollipops ready for the kids. It's a real family place, we love coming here and my kids think miss it when we skip a few weekends. :-) Â Salonica breakfasts make all of us happy, the yummy food and the homey service are tough to beat, we always have a good day afterwards.
Cozy. This place was my home away from mom's kitchen for my 3 years at U of C. Â They've still got it. The staff is still the same. The food is still reliably tasty and satisfying. Â Try the homemade soups; they're tops. Â Pastichio and Moussaka are also very good. Belgian waffles until 2pm on weekends.
Review Source:Salonica is a classic diner, vinyl booths and all. At least in my mind they're vinyl. I will have to double check when I go again. And go again I shall for the really yummy chicken caesar salad. Honestly I cannot attest for any other item on their menu except the salad. And I'm giving them three stars because it's not consistently delicious. Just 75% of the time. Maybe one of the chefs isn't excited about making caesar salad? I don't know. But order it anyway because there's no other place in Hyde Park that makes it this well. (At least 75% of the time they do.)
Review Source:Looking for a casual low priced meal...this is the place. The decor is dated, there will be no linen table cloth, but a tasty meal delivered promptly by a friendly waitress followed by a check surprisingly inexpensive. I had the chicken dinner, it was a winner. Will Bobby Flay rave about it...no, but this place is A-OK with me.
Review Source:Exquisite french toast, highly recommend the sausage (especially in the evening.) Salonica exposes the social tensions underlying historical Mediterranean conflicts and the effects of the American culture industry by providing both theoretically authentic Greek food alongside stereotypical American diner food. Like all things, the "normal" American diner food (eg. tuna melt) is executed to routine perfection, whereas the so-called "ethnic" is prone to issues in quality. The power of the french toast, however, resists the saturating standardization of the disgusting "Hyde Park" society, and is also delightfully cheap.
Review Source:I used to be a big fan but a recent visit left me less than satisfied.  The best thing about it seems to be the Greek olive oil they sell for $13!  I ordered pancakes and they were falling apart before I could  eat them...splitting down the middle...not sure what that says...they were also not really good.  My dining companion ordered the Gyros Platter, asked for onion, extra pita...needless to say it came without either and the onion included was about 3 lonely slivers.  Their coffee is simply awful, like bilge water.  It used to be dependable so I am not sure what the problem is, I may never go back...Hyde Park has better options.  If you want Gyros I would try Hyde Park Gyros, their offering is slamming!
So sad to see it decline!
I really wanted to give them a three and a half. I love salonice but my favorite meal from them is the chicken and they randomly changes the entire recipe and this is the third time this year that that has happened. The first time they didnt have any seasoning on it, the next time there was no seasoning and the totally changed the bbq sauce.... I was let down : (
oh I also recently had their pecan pie it was really good
When I first walked in I thought: wow, so this is where 1978 came to die. The booths are that weird brown vinyl with buttons and have weird heavy wood canopies. I was a little concerned. It is a diner, a greek diner so we ordered standards that we knew would be tasty if this was indeed a classic greek diner. Not disappointed. Gyros, greek chicken, greek potatoes. Yummmmmmmmmmy.
Chicken was perfectly roasted, perfectly. It really could not have been better. And the greek potatoes were covered in enough spices and butter to satisfy my impending heart attack. In a restaurant with better ambiance this entree would have been $30. It was like $8 total. Soups of the day were good but I can tell they were microwaved warmed, as to be expected. My friend had the gyros and they were excellent too. The meat was literally perfect which is hard to do with gyros. It is either mushy or dry. Perfect, I tell you.
We were looking to thrift in the area and we asked our waitress if she knew where the best stores might be....she actually called her friend because she did not know! Super sweet girl.
This place kinda rules. Seriously, I don't live in Hyde Park but I might make a trip back down here.
Hungover? Celebrating? Bored? Just hungry? Â Salonica's your spot. Â This breakfast-all-day place is pretty bomb, not gunna lie. Â They also have burgers, pita sandwiches, and their gyro is probably the best I've ever had for under $10. Â
Anyway, Salonica is the reason I just joined Yelp. Â I wanted to e-mail them and tell them how effing great their clam chowder is, but seeing as they don't really have a website, I couldn't find anything beyond a phone number and I think that might be weird. Â Hi, your soup is good...bye. Â Ok, so, here I am.
I should add lastly that this isn't like a destination restaurant or diner. Â It's worth venturing to if you're ever in the hood though.
When I had gone to the U of C, I can remember Salonica Restaurant as my favorite diner where I would meet friends or family for lunch or dinner down in Hyde Park.
They have excellent food, staff very friendly, and place clean. Parking can be a pain because so many people crowd around the area.
Its not too far from the Metra and Lake Shore Dr. The CTA bus stop wasn't far from the area.
I can remember alot of ethnic croatians frequented the place during late nights coming from their work. South side croatians.. LOL
The museum of science and industry wasn't far away from the area as well.
We visited Salonica one morning before hitting up the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry; it's very conveniently located on the other side of the tracks.
I was all set to give this four stars. Â The atmosphere was nice, the service was average, the food was good, it's a quaint little restaurant, the sort of thing I like. Â But then as they were clearing our table, it looked like they took some of the condiments they had served back to the kitchen. Â I can no longer remember if it was a plate with a lump of butter, or a bowl of syrup, but the kids had gotten pancakes. Â Both had come out with what I considered to be "excessive" extras. Â I think I allowed them to use part of one bowl of syrup between the two of them and had set the butter and another syrup off to the side.
If you don't want to waste the syrup, I appreciate that, but why not put it in a syrup bottle? Â Why would you leave a bowl of it at a table, where a toddler might get his fingers into it, and then take it back to the kitchen to be served to someone else?
I went to U of C for undergrad. Â I ate breakfast at Salonica about once a week for 3 years.
During that time, I developed a solid addiction to their egg lemon soup. Â It is so fan-freaking-tastic that I had serious fear of egg lemon withdrawal upon my move to Lakeview. Â I haven't had the egg lemon in 3 years, and it seriously tears at the fibers of my soul. Â I tried making it at home once, and *sigh* it just wasn't right.
Another thing I love and miss about this place is that some relative of the owner's has an olive orchard in Greece and makes the best olive oil on the planet. Â Better yet, they sell bottles of it (1/2 a liter, lets say) for $10 tax free. Â Occasionally when you try to buy some, they inform you that the next shipment of olive oil is on a boat coming from Greece, so you try back a couple weeks later and they say its *still* on said boat coming from Greece, and you start thinking about the poor soul who's rowing across the Atlantic in a tiny row boat. Â But they you value the oil even more when it finally arrives.
I start grad school at U of C in a mere 10 months, my first day on campus will be the day that I enjoy another steaming bowl of egg lemon. Â Although I feel they only make it on weekends. Â Crap...
It's a solid neighborhood diner in Hyde Park. The GF and I had been walking around the University of Chicago campus and utilized the ever-helpful Yelp mobile to find this place. It seems like there's at least one of these near every college campus (around Hyde Park, it seems like there's ten). We picked Salonica since we were jonesing for a little Greek influence. The patronage seemed clearly local, and the hostess did give us a bit of a cocked eye when we entered. However, service was friendly, if a little slow.
I was sold with the following words: Gyro. Omelette. With a love of all things gyro and all things wrapped in egg, I was sold. One minor quibble: the dish could have used a side of tzatziki sauce. Other than that, the combination was delectable. The girlfriend ordered Athenian chicken, which takes 20 minutes to prepare. We were both hungry, and luckily, the chef got it out in 15. The plate is not for the faint of heart, as it's a half-chicken with a generous side helping of rice and vegetables.
All in all, It's a solid value place for the quantity and quality of food. As a reminder, cash only.
When I lived a block away on Blackstone Avenue, there was no place I liked better for breakfast. Â I didn't actually eat there every day (that would be an arterial disaster), but it was definitely tasty. Â
Salonica is a great place to get a very classic sort of breakfast - eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, etc. Â It's not at all pretentious, and you'll either be delighted or horrified to discover that they used processed yellow cheese in their cheese omelettes. Â
If I were to compare it to a chain restaurant, it would be most like Denny's, but with a lot more character. Â Being in Hyde Park, it's also subject to that very interesting mix of students, brilliant academics, and neighborhood residents who are completely unaffiliated with the university.
Occasionally when I'm in Chicago, I'll drag my traveling companions down to the south side and force them to eat at Salonica with me. Â No one has ever complained after the breakfast was served. Â I don't get there nearly as often as I used to, but I would definitely recommend that you check it out if you're in the area.
Today, my wife and  I went out for breakfast this morning to our neighborhood diner, Salonica. This is a restaurant we frequent fairly often it occurred to me that I have never reviewed it for Yelp.
Simply put, it is a solid neighborhood diner that serves standard dishes, with high quality food. It is not fancy and it is not a destination restaurant, but if you live in Hyde Park or happen to find yourself in the neighborhood and are hungry it is a wonderful place to go to.
When we go to Salonica we normally order breakfast, which is available all day long. Today, I ordered the corn beef hash which comes with a healthy portion of hash browns, two eggs, and toast. Eggs are made to order, though they were unable to do poached today. And if you have frequented my other reviews you know that I could not go without ordering some bacon, which was just crisp enough without being dried out. For a drink I ordered orange juice, which was freshly squeezed.
My wife ordered french toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and coffee. The french toast was light, puffy, and golden brown. The eggs, like the french toast were light and puffy and fully cooked. Nothing runny, like some diners serve. The hash browns were brown and crispy and her coffee cup never constantly filled.
The service and staff are efficient, polite, and prompt. From the time you sit to when they take your order to when you are served is only minutes. They are never intrusive and yet they make sure that you are happy with what your meal and experience.
The only reason, I gave Salonica 4 stars instead of 5 is because there it isn't a destination restaurant and I would hate to mislead people and have them travel across town and miss the many other great diner experiences Chicago has. Also, there is a practical reason for the 4 stars and the only drawback to the restaurant, it is cash only.
Other than that those two reasons it is great restaurant which contributes positively to the character and feel of Hyde Park. Salonica is a great diner experience and I am completely happy that it is my neighborhood go-to diner.
I just had a nice Sunday breakfast here. It was pretty crowded, but they seemed to be turning tables over really efficiently, probably because the service was mad fast. I mean, I don't think we waited more then 10 min. for our food, and it was hot and freshly whipped up. Â They apparently have a system in the kitchen that is working quite well. My breakfast was delicious. Nothing fancy and not to big. It was everything breakfast should be. It was 4 pieces of french toast, 2 eggs, and bacon for $7.50.
I can't wait to try it again. FYI it is cash only, which can be a pain in the arse if your uninformed or unprepared.
Salonica is a typical in two aspects... One, it's the type of place you would expect near a college campus, and two, it's the typical decent-breakfast-but-fail-at-transitioning-to-Âlunch/dinner type of restaurant.
The pros... the breakfast is usually pretty good, but then again, it's not that difficult to mess up breakfast. The best part is that Salonica is really cheap, including all of the non-breakfast items. Pretty much everything is under $10, so it's a great place to hit up if you're a college student on a budget.
The cons... The place is pretty small, but more importantly, it feels small. It's hard not to feel like everyone is sitting on top of each other, which is pretty annoying. Also annoying is the fact that it's cash only. I mean, this isn't the 80s anymore... most people, especially college students, rely on plastic to pay for everything. Salonica also has a very "traditional" feel to it, and by that, I mean it's clearly an old establishment. I don't think this a bad thing as long as other elements of the decor try and accentuate the history behind the place. Here, I think the plastic cups and cheap plates kind of drag the place down, and make it feel more dumpy than anything.
But the real disappointment is the food. Don't get me wrong, the breakfast is good. But the rest of the menu is Greek, which I think is exciting for Hyde Park, but the food just disappoints. Take the lamb chops for instance... 3 chops plus sides for under $10 dollars? Sounded great, until I tried the lamb. Well, actually the disappointment came when I found out the lamb couldn't be cooked to order... does that imply it's pre-cooked and just reheated? Then I saw the lamb... I would guess these animals died from malnourishment, not because they were slaughtered for their prime meat. Finally, I tried the lamb, which only reinforced the preceeding. So yeah, stick to breakfast.
Come because you need to kill a hangover
Stay because the food is delicious (Including MOST of the greek food. . . I love their spinach pie special, and their greek salad is so yummy)
Leave because they STILL only take cash.
Come again because they remember you. I lived down the block for a year and ordered the same thing every time (one thing on Friday, one on Sunday). They still remember my order even though I now only go once every few months and I moved away from the block two years ago. Now THAT's service.
Nice little diner on 57th Street, sort of in the middle of nowhere inside Hyde Park. Â We went at lunchtime, but had breakfast, and it was perfect. Service is terrific.
My lunch companion went to school at University of Chicago some 25 years ago when she could only afford coffee here at Salonica's. Â Times have changed. Very cool.
This place is so quick. Â I went here for breakfast two weeks ago, and I had an appointment 35 minutes after we arrived. Â I could not believe that we waited for a table, ordered breakfast, received our food, ate it, and still had time left over. Â That has to be the fastest I've gotten food in a restaurant!
I like the breakfast, the lunch, and the deserts here. Â I'm not crazy about their saganaki or pasticio (sp?), and I haven't had any of the other Greek food.
If you need breakfast food that is greasy, fast and plentiful this is the place to go! The food is GREAT -- if you are looking for a breakfast diner.
The Greek food is terrible, as the chef is Mexican, but the omelets are heaven for a hangover. I also highly recommend the pancakes -- always fluffy and delicious with plenty of butter and syrup. I don't really recommend any other meal here, not because it is terrible, but because it is only average at best. This place shines at breakfast time.
Salonica's is dirt cheap -- which is good because they only take cash. Luckily there is an ATM right across the street in Harper Foods.
One of the few Hyde Park establishments that isn't mocked endlessly by the undergrad contingent (cough mellow yellow, cough orly's...you get the picture.)
Brunch here is awesome - I've never been here for anything else, but I don't intend to try anything else for fear it might make me fall out of love with it.
The skillets and omelettes here are great. Try the rice pudding if you're so inclined - it's worth it. and the prices are ridiculously reasonable, so there is no reason why you should try to pay in anything but cash.
I am giving this Hyde Park local Greek dive a fiver because you just CANNOT find a better atmosphere. Â Greasy, good, local with a little edge to the servers. Â There was NO way i pissing of my server, probably the matriarch of the crew. Â I had the Mousaka, which was great . . . not that I have anything to compare it to, but just sitting there, i felt all Chicago-esque . . . not that i know that that feels like.
Prices were good, food was good, crowd was local. Â A five it is!
The cup of chili was so spicy it made my hair sweat. The Reuben sandwhich was a bit greasy but tasted good. Truthfully, though, it was a slurp and burp special.
The place is fast, friendly, reasonably priced, with passable service. However, I'd go somewhere else next time I'm hungry in Hyde Park, but not because it was bad; just for variety. I'd neither rush back nor complain about this place.
They had a lot of standard Greek fare on the menu but I wasn't in the mood. I might have had a different take on this place had I gone native.
As a Detroiter, I YEARN for a good Coney restaurant. Â While I have yet to find a place that can replace Spargo's in my heart, this place comes close. Â The food is tasty, the omlettes are fantastic, and their coffee is pretty good.
Avgolemono. Â Enough said.
Bring cash. Â They have an ATM across the street at Harper Market, but who wants to pay a service charge?
All in all, it's a comfortable, warm, friendly place to go. Â It's sunny, there are a lot of really nice colors, and I like to sit in the little archways.
Salonica has been around for ages, apparently (you can tell partly from the ancient sign outside). It's a popular diner with Hyde Parkers, who go there in droves for breakfast.
Prices are CHEAP. The food is fairly typical diner fare, but very tasty and plentiful. The egg lemon soup is excellent.
Be sure to bring cash, as they seem to have stopped accepting credit cards.
I have been going to Salonica for many years. Â One of my favorite things about them has always been their hash-browns -- they were lovely: warm and buttery (mm good). Â Today I went, though, and I found the experience to be somewhat lacking. Â This included, gasp, the hash-browns....
It is true that it is a greasy spoon and one can normally only expect so much from one of those, but my hash-browns were lukewarm and not so flavorful. Â It was really disappointing. Â I also had the Athenian omelet and it was so-so. Â To be fair, I should report that my eating companion had a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whip cream and she really enjoyed her food. Â SO, maybe it was just what I ordered or the time of day (not early or late enough to be busier when maybe things would have been a little fresher), but I felt like Salonica was not at its peak of fabulousness. Â
What is good about it then? Â Their prices. Â And the whole diner food thing -- it is so satisfying sometimes, even when it's not spectacular. Â Also, the reason we ended up there was because we were in Hyde Park and (I couldn't believe this but...) the Medici wasn't open for breakfast (more on that some other time), so this is the only place that I know of now that you can get breakfast in Hyde Park (of the egg and hash-brown variety). Â So sad....
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