What happened to Avli?? It used to be so good. The last two times have been disappointing. Most recently we had reservations for a Friday night. Not sure if someone called in sick, but the wait staff was a surly woman who seemed put out before we even placed our order. Besides her curt delivery , her appearance was not commensurate with Avli's prices.There were four of us and two of the meals weren't good. The papoutsakia was bland and tasteless (two words I would never use to describe Greek food). Also, Avli may not be responsible for the building it's located in but the Laundry Room Mall floor was dirty with scraps and bits on the rugs. A poor first impression and nothing a carpet sweeper couldn't mitigate. For a Friday night it was relatively empty so maybe others have had similar experiences there lately. Instead of opa! it was more like oh no! read more

This was our second time at the restaurant and I'm not sure which was worse, the food or the service. We sat for 20 minutes before our server even acknowledged us. We ordered two martinis and they must have sat at the bar because by the time they got to us they weren't cold and our appetizer came 10 minutes earlier. The server never once checked on us or asked if we wanted another cocktail. I have never felt so ignored at a restaurant. The Greek lemon soup had no flavor, the Greek salad was loaded with tomatoes and cucumbers but limited olives, feta or red onion but nothing will compare to our entrees. I had the seafood Medley and everything was over cooked to the point that the octopus was beyond rubber and so hard you couldn't chew it. My husband had the shrimp skewers which also was over cooked, We did complain about our food and the manager removed our entrees from the bill which was very nice but honestly, we would have preferred a good meal with quality service and pay for it, We won't be going back. read more

Moms night out in da burbs- whoo hoo! I decided to pass up my regular GNO spot (holler Trifecta Grill*) & choose a location where we could actually hear each other. The winner...Avli Estiatorio. Unfortunately, the private party room was booked, but we ended up having most of the bar area to ourselves. If I hadn't driven with someone who knew where Avli is located exactly there's a good chance I would have never found it and missed out on good food/wine. For other first timers it's inside the building where Cafe Buongiorno is located. I started my night with a much needed glass of lovely sauvignon blanc. And then we ordered a bunch of apps for the table to share. We let the mom who had eaten there before do the ordering. She did a fabulous job and we soon had a table full of delish apps. Favorites included the flaming cheese, fried zucchini chips & shrimp tourkolimano. I do think their pita bread could use a bit of work, but besides that they've got a good thing going back in the kitchen. They weren't very busy on a Wed night, but we were still proud that we were the last remaining table. We got the "hint" that it was time to get back to the (hopefully) sleeping kiddies when they turned the lights on at 10pm. I hear they have a fabulous (and busy) patio so that's reason enough for me to get back to Avli if/when it warms up around here. * http://www.yelp.com/biz/trifecta-grill-winnetka?hrid=kX16lzDVu2ZiJkldWFqXdA read more

I love this restaurant. Great atmosphere, the staff is friendly and welcoming.The food is great. Spanakopita is light and perfectly cooked, chicken kabobs are tender and flavorful. The tzatziki sauce was really wonderful too. The Gyros had good flavor but was better with the tzatziki sauce as it was a bit dry. The eggplant dip was good but a little sweet. It is a great place for dinner with friends and family friendly. read more

Avli Estiatorio - Great outdoor area - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

This is a fun, trendy place. I highly recommend the gyro omelette for brunch. I highly recommended!

I will never remember the name of this place - to me, it will always be "that new Greek place in the Laundry". That said, it is worth seeking out, whether you can remember the name or not. My mom and I had a wonderful lunch of small plates there (see pics) on the patio on a summer afternoon. Everything was well prepared, flavorful, of very high quality, and served quickly. I loved the roasted red peppers stuffed with spicy feta cheese, the greek sausage flavored with orange, and the Taramosalata the best. The grilled octopus was also excellent. Neither one of us cared for the pork tenderloin, but all of the other dishes were so good, it was hard for this one to measure up. We felt that we ate a large amount of interesting, exciting food for a fair price, in a nice atmosphere - a big win in a small town. Next time I am in town, I will definitely go back and try some of the other dishes. read more

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I ordered from here recently and was underwhelmed and disappointed. I really don't have anything positive to say about the food quality, the portion sizes, or the price. I got the dolmades, spinach pie, greek potatoes and lemon soup. I should have checked the menu on the dolmades. Thought it would have lamb in it, but it was basically just rice and herbs, the rice was a little undercooked. To put on top was just a tiny dab of sour cream wedged in on the side. Spinach pie were four, little two-bite pieces and nothing that would distinguish itself from any basic Greek diner in anywhere USA, or even a frozen spinach pie dinner from Jewel. The greek potatoes were your standard marinated and peeled potatoes with no browning, no crispness, no herbs on them. Seemed like something from a cafeteria that wouldn't even bother calling itself Greek style. The soup was thin and almost flavorless. On top of this, the portions were pretty small and the prices pretty high. Maybe I happened to order the four most lackluster items on the whole menu? I don't know for sure, but I'm probably not going to risk trying again. I will be going back to other options that are more generous with the portions, the seasonings, the prices. Yanni's, Psistaria, etc. read more

The food was sub par and I got a stomach ache after! I was really looking forward to the beef kabob lame!

The very satisfying list: Appetizer: Spetzofai Meal: Arni Kokkinisto and Seafood Orzo We biked up from Evaston. It's on our way to the Chicago botanic garden. It's in a little shopping mall. We had an appetizer Spetzofai, somebody's a big fun of sau'sages....tasty, flavorful but not too heavy (okay, for us heavy eaters). My main dish was Arni Kokkinisto. They do not have it in the Lunch menu small portion but made it from dinner menu (a bit costy and too much for lunch). But I was too eager to try *braised* anything and never will I miss eggplant purée, which always reminds me of Turkish cuisine too. My meal buddy had a Seafood Orzo. We were blown away by the scallop, the tenderness, the juiciness, the thickness...a big portion of our hearts lost in it.....The rice shape pasta was easy with teeth but lightly chewy. Will go back to try grilled octopus, mentioned a lot by fellow yelpers. read more

Avli Estiatorio - Appetizer - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

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Great food and atmosphere. Love the patio. Went here to celebrate my friend's birthday and loved the lamb chops, flaming cheese and meatballs read more

Nice space, decent service but, the food is just a no. Can you say salt? Can you say flavorless unless, you like salt? Liked the overcooked green beans and, the pita bread but, that's not worth the prices. All 4 of us were in agreement. Sad. Really hoped to like it. read more

The food is really good, but the prices are crazy. There are better places!

Visited during quarantine with a few friends and it was very enjoyable! The atmosphere is so relaxed, it felt like it was a warm, family owned restaurant. Our waiter was so sweet and helped us order as it was our first time! My friend and I are vegetarian so he was so kind to help us find something with some more substance than just a salad. I don't have pictures of the rest of the food, but my salad was amazing! The grilled manouri cheese was amazing and the poached pears rounded out the arugula so well. My friend ended up ordering a plate of the greek salad with a side of tzaziki (which was amazing on its own) and pita to make herself a veggie 'gryo'. My other friends got the yemista and the chicken riganati and they had nothing to complain about! For appetizers we got the greek potatoes and the Avli flatbread and both were delicious. Definitely need to try out their locations in the city! read more

Avli Estiatorio - Diane's Salad - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Really nice environment - we had a private room for 10 people. Good Greek food, friendly service. I had the seafood orzo which was fresh and done just right. The bread pudding was really tasty, and the sauce was even better. read more

Avli Estiatorio - Seafood orzo - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Best Greek food I've ever had period!! (And I've eaten at all the Greek-town restaurants in Chicago) The first time I ate here I came with a girlfriend and we dined on Avli's charming patio - it felt like we were in Santorini with cute hanging lights and a warm spring breeze! We started with a beet salad and a bean app; both were spectacular with super-fresh, flavorful ingredients. We then split the sturgeon, broiled whole and infused with olive oil and lemons, delish, another winner! I'm not willy nilly with handing out 5 stars on Yelp but Avli earned it - flavorful, fresh ingredients, affordable and scenic... this place is a home run! Whether for a date night or a dinner with girlfriends, I wouldn't hesitate to dine here again and again. (In fact I was back the weekend before last for another fantastic meal!) read more

Avli Estiatorio - The most delicate, flavorful fish ever!! - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Went here for a multi course special dinner. Service was excellent and the owner invited wine owners from Greece. Food was spectacular. Enjoyed the food and plan on returning soon. Too many good choices to pick just one. read more

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I'm gonna have to take a star away from this place because I probably had the worst gyros I've ever tasted here and I've usually had good gyros here. We started with the flaming saganaki and let me tell you that definitely does not disappoint here. They do the whole circuses here with the 3 alarm fire and everything that you worry it's gonna burn somebody one day. Anyway, I just felt like a salad tonight and the waiter kinda pushed a protein to top it off with and I now suspect why. We chose the gyros and when the side of gyros came out, I got a waft of gamey-ness that you normally do not get from gyros. It was like it tasted like a warmed over day old microwaved batch they wanted to get rid of it just made my stomach turn. I don't know why we didn't send it back but we just pushed it to the side and ate our salads. The gyros in no way was freshly sliced off the spit like they normally do. There wasn't even that crispy carmelized crust that you'd expect from a good gyros. Restaurants shouldn't pull this "get rid of old crap as specials stunt" because it just backfires in losing patrons. And they just did. Bam! DNR(Do Not Return)! If I'm in the mood for gyros I'm just going to BYG in Highland Park. read more

Avli Estiatorio - This is how delicious my Pasticio (Greek lasagna) was! - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Very tasty Greek food. A little pricey for what u get and how the restaurant looks, but incredibly enjoyable and my favorite take out option in Winnetka. read more

Fresh fish no fish bones ! Sit outside in Summer time nice Greek fish nice evening here read more

Avli Estiatorio - Busy place but nice people & long waits sometimes - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

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Beware if you order on door dash. 19.90 charge for extra tzatziki. No one to contact. read more

Ordered via DoorDash and food arrived beautifully packaged, piping hot and great portions. I've eaten many times at the restaurant and the quality of take out was impressive! read more

Very good Greek food! Very mediocre service! Hey, c'mon, how long does it take to ask a customer if they want a refill? It's a win-win for both...the restaurant makes money serving another beer, customer is happy that his thirst is quenched. Aside from this misstep, I highly recommend giving this place a try. Mrs. and I ventured in on a stormy night, well after the dinner rush. There were a few tables occupied, and I was initially pleased with the personality and demeanor of our server. As the night wore on, so did my nerves. The lack of attention given to us was borderline apalling. We loved our appetizers...grilled octopus and prasopita (phyllo dough wrapped around a nice and melty greek cheese and herbs). The octopus was tender and had a pleasant smokey flavor. The prasopita was a nice change from the traditional saganaki, but far less dramatic because nothing was set on fire and nobody yelled "opaaa!". Mrs. ordered gyros...yeah, I know you can get gyros at practically any independent fast food outlet...but I've never sampled a better tasting gyros ANYWHERE...these were outstanding. I chose beef tenderloin souvlaki. These cubes of heaven were tender and nicely seasoned. Desserts were great too. I had the traditional baklava, but with a tasty twist...chocolate! It's called Choclava! And it's a delicious take on the classic Greek dessert. If you love chocolate, and love baklava...you'll flip over Choclava! Mrs. had vanilla ice cream, which she enjoyed, but not as much as I enjoyed my Choclava! Aside from not being offered additional beverages, I really enjoyed Avli and would go back again...hopefully when there's a more attentive waiter on duty. read more

Came here for kind of latish dinner, nice that they are open to 10:00 even on week days! The place was still busy when we left a little after nine. We weren't super hungry so we decided to share a bowl of soup and a Poseidon platter. The Avgolemono soup, an egg lemon soup with orzo, was great! It came out of the kitchen hot and ready for slurping up. We liked that it wasn't super thick or overly thickened with corn starch. The seafood platter was grilled octopus, shrimp and calamari with grilled onions and reduced balsamic. We had a little misfire at the start when the waiter brought the wrong platter (only grilled octopus) but the mistake was discovered and handled by the manager and perfectly. We really liked this plattter and would order it again. I loved how the balsamic made the dish sweet and spicy all at the same time. I hope to return again some time soon with a larger appetite and try some other selections. As an added bonus, although located in the back of a mall, the restaurant's atmosphere is charming. I liked the exposed brick wall and appreciated how it made me feel like I was somewhere cozy and quaint. Much better experience here than the Greek restaurants that I have frequented in Greektown, Chicago. read more

Avli Estiatorio - Avgolemono soup - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Ordinary at best. We dined at Avli at Millenium park a few weeks ago and the food was great. Very inventive and tasty. Avli in Winnetka was ordinary, over priced, and no better then any restaurant in Greek town. Outside seating was nice and service was good. Will never return. read more

I wish I could give a better rating, I don't like leaving a bad review, but it's not possible for this place. Our saganaki was chewy rather than a little gooey. The octopus was also quiet rubbery instead of tender. Our fried zucchinis were more like potato chips and the eggplant salad.....I'm not too sure how to explain it other than it must have liquid smoke in it - liquid smoke does not belong in eggplant salad. The spicy feta spread was pretty good. But sourdough bread with Greek food?????? I don't understand why this place is so busy - but then I don't need to try and figure it out. I did enjoy a glass of wine too, but New Zealand can take credit for that. Save your money and use it on gas - drive to Greek Town and get some good Greek food. If Greek town is too far, Psitaria in Lincolnwood is pretty good. One last thing, our waiter never even asked us how our food was. Apparently, he is well aware. read more

This review is for carry out/delivery. Stop using Uber Eats. Their service STINKS and ultimately is a reflection on you. You stopped using DoorDash whose service and therefore ultimate quality of the food we receive is so much better. If it costs more for DoorDash, getting your food in one hour versus two hours is worth the extra money to the customer. Charge for it. But your partnership with Uber Eats just lost you a customer for both delivery /carry out and dine in. Never again, too many options. read more

After years of reading Yelp comments, it's usually easy to separate out the rantings of chronic complainers from the folks who enjoy good food and good service (sometimes with an occasional blip every once in a while) . Being a self-proclaimed foodie , I always check out Yelp reviews for the lay of the land before planning to hit an unfamiliar town That's how I landed at Avil Estiatorio last night. The reviews for listed for Avli run the gamut from the stellar 5 stars to the less than flattering 1 star . That disparity made this potential customer somewhat suspect, but undeterred, I was willing to give it a try. Roughly translated Avli Estiatorio means "courtyard restaurant" in Greek. True to it's namesake, there actually is a glass enclosed covered courtyard. The host did mention that the courtyard can get noisy when full. We opted to be able to hear each other talk, and were sat in the main dining area . It's is your basic exposed brink wall / wood beam / high ceiling. Comfortable. There was a special "check-in" offer listed. It included the choice of one complimentary side dish with purchase of an "entree" Apparently this was a misprint. According to the owner of the restaurant (who came to our table to explain the problem to us), this offer was intended only for Avlli Rotisserie ( also located in the same mall). In any event, the gracious host did honor the offer. We began with Kolokithakia --fried zucchini chips served with a delicious garlic dip. The dip was a potato, garlic ,& olive oil puree with perfect consistency. Additionally, it was redolent of garlic without being cloying. On the down side, the zucchini chips were not " crisp". Laden with too much oil, they were sadly disappointing. However, the basket of delicious multi grain bread with crispy crust made a perfect vehicle for the dip . Two of us ordered the Poseidon platter of grilled octopus, squid & shrimp served with balsamic steeped onions. Both octo and squid were very tender as was the shrimp. Tasty, and a very ample portion. We also had the homemade gyros which was really flavorful. The complimentary side of broccoli rabe was nicely cooked. Good service throughout. Now that I have buddies in Winnetka, I'd stop into Avli again. read more

Terrible service. Cold food, absentee table server. Highly over rated. We will not return.

Allow an extra 15 minutes to find an entrance to the restaurant. Accessible entry is in the alley through the patio. Signage is almost nonexistent. The service was outstanding. The wines were excellent but the white was not chilled. The gyros and the pastichio were underwhelming. So bland. Perhaps the local clientele is unfamiliar with Greek seasoning. Salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary and garlic should be prominent. These are issues easily fixed. It's a beautiful restaurant with a dedicated staff. Then I would return. read more

It's hard to imagine a worse value for your money. We live in Winnetka and decided to try Avli again tonight after a previous bad take-out experience involving skimpy portions and seriously under-seasoned food. Big mistake. This time we ordered egg-lemon soup, a gyro plate, a tzatziki "spread" dish that is advertised as tzatziki and pita and costs a whopping seven bucks (because the last time we ordered gyros it came with a scant one ounce of sauce), a gyro platter, and Greek fish and chips. The $14 "gyro platter" came with two ounces of meat. That's right, two ounces. I have a kitchen scale and weighed it after I opened the container and saw half the meat that was on the last $6 gyro sandwich I ordered from a nearby place. This so-called platter also had one tiny slice of tomato. For the whole "platter." And maybe one slice of red onion cut into quarters. That's it the for the $14 platter: two ounces of meat, a tiny slice of tomato, and an equally small slice of onion. Total ripoff. The tzatziki "spread" cost seven bucks and is advertised on the menu as being served with pita. However, the restaurant gave us a single pita with our entire order. Presumably, the "gyro platter" should also have come with at least one pita, so that means we got zero pita for the $7 tzatziki spread. Granted, it was probably a half quart of tzatziki, but there was nothing to eat it with. The "homemade" gyro meat had zero salt. It's perfect if you're about to die from high blood pressure. But if you like actual gyro meat, it's so bland as to be almost inedible. The egg-lemon soup tasted like water with rice and a squirt of lemon. Zero flavor. Thin as a negligee. I threw it out. The Greek fish and chips were good, though also seriously under-seasoned. Perhaps the restaurant's clientele all suffer from high blood pressure? But the portion was decent compared to the so-called "gyro platter. But this dish was not nearly good enough to make up for the rest of the items which were a disaster. We will never order from or visit this establishment again. read more

Santorini my... what an outstanding meal. We ate dinner on the outdoor patio and were marveled by the authenticity. We adored the philo dough prawns. They had us begging for more. You might think that chicken skewers are boring but there's not enough meat served on sticks these days. Definitely order them. I reckon to say that from this day forth... All. Meat. On. Sticks. The sampler spread with the warm pita? It's not hard to warm up bread - why doesn't everyone do this? Ingenuous. Sometimes it's the simple things... read more

We elected to try Avli because we had been to the one on Lincoln park (a quaint and very good neighborhood restaurant) many times. This is a volume restaurant plain and simple. We went there on 10/19 for dinner and did not enjoy it. For starters, it is at least 80 degrees inside. It's so hot it's unbelievable. But as for the food... we started with a Greek salad (tasteless dressing), saganaki (very good), and spreads. The taramosolata spread was completely tasteless as well. Odd because it's usually a very flavorful dish. Starters arrived almost the second after we ordered them. We had the Poseidon (grilled calamari / octopus / shrimp) and shrimp skewers for the main dish. The shrimp were wildly overcooked and basically mushy. Calamari was good. And the gigandes as a side which were average. The waiter brought me the wrong drink as well (crown royal instead of glenfiddich). We skipped dessert and were in and out in 52 minutes. read more

I'm not sure what happened to this restaurant...it used to be pretty good. Started with the man at the door chewing his gum so hard and fast my jaw was feeling tired. We asked to sit in the bar area and waited quite a bit for a waiter to even acknowledge our existence. The waiter suggested a white wine that came warm and sour. He exchanged the wine for another one without a problem. We started with a Greek salad, some taramasalata, tzasiki and asked for gluten free pita. The salad was a joke. How do you screw up a Greek salad when are a Greek restaurant? It was warm and had absolutely no taste...we had to ask for oil and vinegar. They brought balsamic vinegar...need I say more? The feta was tasteless, too. The pita bread they brought was not gluten free and AFTER we ate it without realizing...they brought out the gluten free! Good thing it wasn't a life threatening allergy! We also ordered grilled octopus. It came on a bread plate and was rubbery and burnt. Why can't the suburbs have good restaurants? Whyyyyyyy? read more

Excuse my language, but this place is bullshit I tried ordering the spartan tacos at 3:30. The menus said they stop serving at 4. When server came and wasn't sure if they still could. The manager came and he's like "we stop serving this section at 3 and that all of our menus had misprints" yeah ok. It's tacos, not hard to make. So with my tacos I had an option of getting soup, salad, or fries. The server asked what I wanted and I said fries are fine. My plate came with the scrawny little tacos, literally looked like they were pissed making them. And no side.the server said it doesn't come with anything. I just didn't say anything else. I'm not complaining about the food. It's the service: LEARN WHAT THE MENU SAYS and don't argue with the clients that is says otherwise! read more

We had dinner tonight. 10/23/20. My wife and daughter got the octopus and it was fine. My mother and I each got the gyros which were horrid. This is supposed to be a Greek restaurant right? It seemed to both of us that they may have gotten the gyros off of a spit but probably did it a week ago and then put it in the frig and microwaved it for us at dinner. We got mostly the grinds of little pieces left over from a real spit. It was terrible. This place should be ashamed of itself for this. The service was OK at best. Pretty expensive for this. Won't come back. Mike. Chicago read more

Restaurant is has been dying for years but whatever changes they've made more recently is a joke. The place is just going down hill and has been for years. Service sucks and the food has gotten worse. Too many Greek restaurants in the area to go to and this one is not a contender. read more

Terrible. Food is reasonably good but the restaurant is so hungry for business that it allowed a large noisy party to take over its outside dining area. The party did not even sit down. They remained standing, drinking and eventually shouting to each other in order to be heard. Of course none were masked, raising the level of Covid risk even higher. Conversation at other tables was impossible. A number of diners actually moved, halfway through their dinners, to an inside table. Before you go, call and make sure they don't plan to turn the outdoor dining area into a loud, noisy party area. read more

This place is a hidden gem in Winnetka, tucked away in a brick and mortar complex with a gorgeous outdoor patio in the summer. As a vegetarian, the menu options are limited but what did have was filling. The saganaki was delicious! It was well seasons and perfectly toasted to a crisp and juicy treat. We also ordered the pita crisps and tzaki sauce. My family loved the potatoes and tomato fritters. The artichokes were also delicious. The staff and management team was very friendly. This would be a great space for a private event or large party with many spacious party rooms and spaces for intimate gatherings. read more

Avli Estiatorio - The delicious yogurt-mousse with fig can't be missed!!! By far the most unique and delicious dessert item! - Greek Near Me - Winnetka, Illinois

Avli in Winnetka has such a friendly and welcoming staff. You can tell each staff member greatly values every single customer that walks into the restaurant. Aside from the amazing staff, the food is incredible. Growing up in a Greek family, I've had my share of authentic Greek food. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between Avli's food and my Greek grandmothers food. Such an incredible restaurant! read more

Unfortunately, I had a terrible experience. The qualify of food was poor, the service was slow despite the restaurant being nearly empty, and I found a hair in one of my entrees. The overall 4.5/5 star ranking on this restaurant is not an accurate reflection of its current state. You are better off eating at McDonald's if you're hungry. read more