The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill

While Orange County has no shortage of good to great restaurants serving Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare – cuisines that substantially overlap in countries from Greece and Lebanon to Syria and Turkey – there are cities where Greek restaurants have become scarce, declined to the point of irrelevance, or experienced sad closures of long-time operators. Thankfully, newcomers are arriving to fill those gaps. In March 2025, two new Greek places opened just down the street from one another in Irvine: The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill at Westpark Plaza, and Nick the Greek at Culver Plaza. Both are franchises of growing chains that previously opened locations inside and outside Orange County, with modern, unfancy dining rooms and order-at-counter service.

Following the 2024 opening of its first OC restaurant in Ladera Ranch, the Irvine outpost of Great Greek offers most of the menu options one would expect from a non-chain Greek restaurant, plus chain-like service and cleanliness. All of the classic appetizers – grape leaves, spanakopita, hummus, tzatziki, lemon-chicken soup, baba ghanoush (“melitzanosalata”) – are served here, as are greek salads, souvlaki plates, falafel pitas, gyros, and wraps. Burgers and kids’ items (pizza, chicken fingers) are offered for those seeking more Americanized fare, with the similar option to choose from rice, lemon potatoes, or french fries with meals.

Proteins include chicken, gyro meat, shrimp, steak, lamb, and Atlantic salmon, each offered as $7 to $10 add-ons to salads ($9-11) or rice bowls ($12). Souvlaki plates, which include two skewers of meat, a side salad, tzatziki, pitas, and rice/potatoes/fries, range from $17 to $21, with baklava and rice pudding desserts going for $6 each. For those seeking variety, Great Greek also offers appetizer (mezze) samplers, dessert samplers, and baklava/ice cream combinations  at slightly higher price points.