Terrific food, good service, and quaint atmosphere. A triple win. Highlights included the Cleopatra cocktail (could taste the licorice of the ouzo but it was offset by the basil, delightful!), lamp chop lollipops, feta garides, and seafood pasta. Our server was attentive without rushing us, taking note of our allergy accomodations. We would absolutely go back for a treat and bring friends. read more

It's a 3.5 stars for me. Not a four as I don't care to go back. The staff were nice, and the place has nice Mediterranean style. I wasn't impressed with the food. - The cauliflowers appetizer was the best dish. Greta flavors, perfectly cooked. Really enjoyed it. - Appetizer platter was fun to try different items. I tired 3-4 of it. All fine but nothing memorable. - Lamb chops was rather a discounted. 4 pieces and mine was a tiny little piece, literally one bite and over cooked, it was completely dry. - Sea bass I had a little bite, again nothing memorable but fine. The veggies were great. read more

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Nice location and decor and great place to celebrate the 4th of July but unfortunately no fireworks for the food. Kept it simple and had 2 entrees and a side: Solomos- a nice piece of roasted salmon over rice and with micro greens and julienne beets but very lacking in seasoning so it ate a little bland. Sparazo- was excited to have a seafood stew and the presentation was beautiful with an octopus tentacle on top of other pieces of shrimp, scallops but once again it fell short of any type of flavor. So it ate very one note and no sense of salt, spice, so it was a just a creamy flavor. I never look for the salt & pepper shaker as most fine establishments do not have them on the table but I wish I had some packs on me. Brussels sprouts- This was not bad, nicely prepared and at least it had some flavor as well as a generous portion. Service was great and very efficient but wished that the food was on par. read more

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We came here last time we visited Los Gatos and I can't imagine how I missed writing a 5 star review. I can't find the pic on mt phone but still dream about the delicious sea bass that I still long for.i also love the tender octopus that is tender and so juicy! A big YUM for everything about this lovely little restaurant plus the service is exceptional! read more

Opelia - Menu - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

Modern interior design Mediterranean restaurant. Friendly staff. Kalamar and Meze combo, Wagnu burger and lavraki are strongly recommended. read more

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Husband took me here for a birthday dinner. The restaurant was pretty empty since it was a Monday but the vibes were spectacular. They have live music on Mondays which is such a nice touch! The live music happened to be bossa nova which was so romantic and intimate. The food was delicious! We had the calamari appetizer, the lamb shank and the fish. Wine was delish and dessert was yummy! read more

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Date night dinner was lovely. We had the octopus appetizer and for dinner the sea bass and the salmon. The salmon was the winner of the night. The plating decisions of the sea bass led to a lackluster experience as all the acid components were piled onto one whole artichoke bottom; even the addition of the served lemon wedge wasn't enough given the amount of roast veg. The team was attentive and responsive. Ambiance provided a great date night backdrop. read more

Such a good experience at this little restaurant. Pretty small - with a few tables outside and some seating and a bar inside. We made a reservation, and were seated right away. They have a great wine list and I tried their Mardini gin cocktail. We started with the Meze combo - a variety of small plates served with pita bread on the side. They were delicious and allowed us to taste a bunch of small dishes. The seabass was my favorite dish (Lavraki) - well seasoned, perfectly cooked, and cake with asparagus, carrots, and some potatoes. The lamb chops were good and came with a pilaf and some veggies as well. Overall, really impressed with the food and the plating stood out. Will be back for sure! read more

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Came here for my birthday dinner with my girlfriends and Opelia did not disappoint! It was a surprisingly small restaurant but felt incredibly cozy, authentic, and all around had a great vibe. We ordered a whole bunch of food and every single dish was impeccable. Here's a quick rundown of every item we got: Pastourma - deliciously flavoured carpaccio and the serving slices were actually thick 5/5 Tokat yaprak sarma - your typical dolma but actually done well. I've had many dolmas in my lifetime and very few get the right ratio of salty to sour. This one was perfection 5/5 Karnabahar - if all my veggies tasted like this, I'd be eating veggies all the time. Who would think that you can make cauliflower anything more than an average experience? The sauce was amazing too 5/5 Kalamar - doused in tomato sauce with plenty left over. PLUS artichokes??? What more could you ask for 5/5 Rezene - perfectly balanced salad and a delicious way to get some greens into your day 4/5 Hunkar begendi - extremely well cooked. Not too tough, perfectly juicy, and well seasoned 5/5 Manti merguez - as a lover of dumplings of all cultures, Manti is not really at the top of my list because the meat to dough ratio is low on the meat. And this one was the same as most of my experiences (and honestly, given that they're supposed to be teeny tiny, how could you possibly increase that ratio while keeping them so small?), HOWEVER, I absolutely LOVED that this dish came with extra little meatballs in it! I've never been served Manti this way before and this definitely made me reconsider my stance on it. Love love loved it 5/5 Lavraki - ordered this cuz my friend always insists on a seafood dish. And seafood isn't usually my first choice but I think this one was in our top 3 of our night 5/5 Incik - finally, the braised lamb shank. You cannot go wrong with this. Perfectly fall-off-the-bone juicy with all the right flavors. Decent sized portion and totally worth it 5/5 As for drinks, they were very well priced, averaging at around $15 per drink, which is not something you see often in the Bay Area. They also had a nice variety to choose from. On average I'd say their drinks were 4/5. But they are very accommodating so do tell them how you like your drink and they will modify it to your liking. Finally- the service was wonderful. All the waitstaff somehow knew the perfect time to come by to our table. We never had to call them down once, and they were not overbearing either. Incredibly friendly and it was obvious that our satisfaction was their top priority. They also treated me to a free cheesecake + candle when they found out I was celebrating my birthday. Overall, I was incredibly impressed and I had a wonderful time celebrating my birthday here. Highly recommend this for any occasion. Thank you Opelia team! read more

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Ambiance is very nice and cozy. Mediterranean vibe absolutely. From the Turkish tiles in their wall decor to "the eye" and olive plants inside . Food wise, the olives stand out it's very simple appetizer but it's authentic and flavorful. However the Wagyu burger for me needs to have some little serving of small veggie on the side for the price. Or at-least put some arugula in the burger, to help it balance the meat flavor. Overall experience we enjoyed having lunch here. Lime cheesecake is a must try too. John- the wait staff was very attentive. Looking forward to comeback here. read more

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Went on a Saturday afternoon. Nice ambiance. Food is fresh flavorful and authentic. Started with the mezze platter. Then went to the chicken kebab. Overall great. Service was quick and attentive. We wi be again soon. read more

Opelia - Mezze - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

Great ambiance and fantastic service. I had a lovely strawberry basil mocktail and my friend and I split the cold meze platter. It is served with warm pita. They even brought us some more pita when we ran out, without us asking. The platter is a really a nice variety of flavors and textures. I couldn't tell you what every single one was made of but there was one made with grape leaves, so very much like a dolma, which was great. We enjoyed the beets/based meze, as well as the olives, and anything yogurt based or served with olive oil. There was one topped with pepita, which was my favorite. The plates together speak for themselves but go even better together. Everything felt really flavorful and healthy. I'd love to come back some time to try other dishes and perhaps a cocktail next time. We kept it pretty light this time. Looks like they have great wine list as well. read more

Opelia - Inside - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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Wow! We absolutely love this place and have been back multiple times. The food is excellent, the customer service is wonderful, and the drinks are fantastic. The ambiance feels like the perfect setting for a wonderful date night out. I highly recommend trying their KLEOPATRA drink and the MEZE COMBO -- it gives you a bunch of smaller tastes to share. We'll definitely be returning! read more

Arrived and seated quickly. Nice decor, comfortable seating. At this point it seems folks weren't too interested in serving us as several people caught our eye, and then went the other direction. So we waited a bit, not so long it was too annoying. Server who did finally come over and serve us was great though. Young guy, missed his name. Drinks: Great to see Raki on the menu. Had to get it. Their wine menu was also quite good for a small place. Nice selections across prices. Appetizers: Pastourma was lacking flavor, and the flavors from the accompaniment didn't save it. Didn't thrill. Calamari was good, well fried and seasoned. Mains: Moussaka was odd. The eggplant was pretty under cooked. Never had a crunchy moussaka before. The seasoning was pretty good though. The sea bass and lamb chops on the other hand were well cooked and seasoned well. Didn't have dessert since we had birthday cake at home. I have a tendency to be hard on Mediterranean places, growing up the grandson of a Greek chef, so gave them the benefit of the doubt with 4 stars, but really felt more 3.5 max. Not planning a return since there are better options not too far away. read more

Met up with two other couples on a rainy Monday night since that was the night that worked for them. The place ended up being fairly busy for such a night, which is a good sign. We shared the Meze combo, the fish roe appetizer, as well as the Merguez sausage appetizer. I can't comment on the fish roe as two of our group were so excited for it I left it to them. The merguez was quite good, including the arugula topped toast that came with it. The Meze reminded me of a lot of places I have eaten in Israel where they bring out a bunch of small plates of various spreads and pickled items. They were all decent, but on the bland side for me. Service was attentive but not overbearing. It was on the dark side, which made it not the easiest to see when cutting the meat off the lamb shank I ordered. Speaking of the lamb shank, the meat was tender, though sparse compared to the one Katie has pictured. The grain and sauce served under it was luscious, though a bit under seasoned. Most of our group was doing a dry January so we did not order cocktails. I got a Lagunitas IPA, which was one of two beers offered. It oddly came in a snifter type glass. It was a good evening overall, though I think it's a bit overpriced for what they are delivering. read more

Opelia - Lamb shank keskek. I tried to lighten the pic up with editing sofwate, but it's still too dark and hidden in a high sided bowl. - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

Short and simple: we ordered A LOT and I really enjoyed the food. Service was excellent and I appreciate our waiter who served us and actually took time to acknowledge the birthday celebrants and going above and beyond by comping our desserts and offering a round of celebratory shots. That's how you create an experience. I wish I remembered his name. We will definitely be back! read more

Food was reasonably good. But prices were TWICE what they should have been. When you pay $60+/person for dinner (no drinks) and come away very hungry...it's too expensive. At half the price, this place would've been 4 stars. read more

Updating my review because I finally came for dinner! We didn't have a reservation, but we were still able to get a table, it was pretty empty when we arrive around 6pm, but by the time 7pm rolled around the place was very crowded, so again, make a reservation if you know you want to come here and be guaranteed a table inside. Just about everything on the menu sounded good, so narrowing it down to just a few items wasn't easy, luckily our server had some good recs. For two of us we decided to share two apps and one entree, which ended up being plenty of food. We got the Octapodaki (octopus) and Meze combo to start, then the Incik (braised lamb shank) to follow. We loved everything in the Meze combo, it had a great variety of dips and small bites. The octopus was cooked perfectly and came with some tasty beans, especially when drizzled with lemon. And the lamb, oh baby, the lamb was amazing. The sauce that it was served with was absolutely fantastic, the meat was tender and not at all gamey, it was a great dish. Again service was wonderful, possibly even better this time since it wasn't as busy and we got more attention. The bartender was even walking around to tables and asking how their drinks were. I didn't love mine as I was expecting it to have a little bit more of a pomegranate taste to it, he immediately offered to take it back and brighten it up with some juice, which was very thoughtful and made it more to my liking. Fun spot to come for a nicer meal or date night, it's romantic and fun, and the vibes are great. read more

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Opelia is all about good vibes and good food ! Mezes can fill you up and didn't really need the dessert(skip) . The lamb lollipops and octopus was top notch . read more

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The setting inside Opelia is super nice and the menu had decent vegetarian options at least for the appetizers. The portion size of the appetizers was really good though so I didn't even need to order entrees. The fries had a unique seasoning and tasted really good. I also got the brussel sprouts and shishito peppers. Don't think I'd get the peppers again but the brussel sprouts were really good. The pita with hummus was also flavorful and the dish came with a lot of pita bread. The parking may be difficult especially on weekends as it's in downtown. The service was really good and our server was great and encouraged us to stay way past closing time if we wished which was nice! read more

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Lunch for 2. - Ambiance (4*) Beautiful and cozy inside. Not sure if I loved the Gladiator theme music. It didn't really fit the Turkish vibe. - Service (3*) Friendly and professional, though slightly slow and absent minded. There was one waiter for the entire lunch service, which had maybe 4 tables. Perhaps that contributed. - Badimchan, $14 (3*) Good texture but missing that roasted flavor kick. - Tokat Yaprak Sarma, $14 (4*) Very much enjoyed these. Little pops of sweetness were pleasant. - Lamb Shank Sandwich, $29 (3*) Good not great sandwich. The lamb itself was tender but not flavorful. Everything needed salt. Perhaps not enough aioli. - Marash Dondurmasi, $12 (5*) The proper consistency for Turkish ice cream. Plenty of mastic sap. Loved it. Only regret- not getting baklava or something similar to pair with the ice cream. Could go with one less block of ice cream and something else crunchy to go with it. - Value (3*) I think the sandwich was a bit pricey considering the lamb shank portion. - Final Word Nice, cute spot in Los Gatos. Generally can't compare to Meyhouse Sunnyvale (one of my favs in the Bay) because the flavors here fall a little flat, but the ice cream here at Opelia is leaps and bounds better than the stuff at Meyhouse. read more

Blown away by our meal here! As a former Sidecar loyalist, I was hoping the meal would stand up to my high expectations and Opelia easily surpassed them. The server was a bit slow to pour our waters and get our drinks ordered, but otherwise the meal was fantastic. All of the apps were cooked to perfection and the meze plate was so fun to try each dip with the pita bread slices. We also loved the Opelia salad. Yummy fig and beets throughout with butter lettuce. The sea bass, chicken, and lamb chop mains were all exceptionally cooked with new flavors. The cheesy couscous under the chicken was a standout for all of us. My friend made a good point that chicken can sometimes be an underwhelming dish, but it was better than any restaurant where I've ordered. The bread pudding was not my favorite bread pudding because it seemed a tad on the dry side than I would have liked, but that also may be because I was dreaming about the key pie cheesecake that I wish our group had picked. ;) Glad to have an overall, amazing Mediterranean/ Turkish restaurant in LG! *Tip: Monday night was a great night to dine in as parking was so easy since a lot of restaurants are closed Mondays now. Also, not crowded, but we did have a res since it's a smaller interior. * read more

Opelia - Fries and Brussels yum! - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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Nice staff nice food nice atmosphere Went there last night for the first time and loved it read more

Such a lovely restaurant, walking is to a warm and inviting space. We came without a reservation and they were able to seat us (2) without any issues. Warm and welcoming services was prompt and not rushed. We started with Beet Borani, Octapodaki, Lamb Lolipops they were all delicious. The Opelia salad was fantastic with the dried fruits. We split the Biftek, they kitchen sliced the meat and this dish was delish and perfect for two and couldn't end the night without desert Diyarbakir light and not overly sweet it was a great end to dinner. We will be back with friends in tow. read more

Opelia - Biftek - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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Such a great find. Food, drinks, service all superb. Order the lamb!! Staff are all lovely. We often have a large group of 6 or 8 when coming here and they almost always manage to squeeze us in somehow even tho they're always busy. Such a fun, charming place to share dinner with friends. Love it here. read more

Vibe: 4/5 Service: 5*/5 Drinks: 2/5 Food: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Although I still mourn the loss of Sidecar (sigh), I'm happy to report that Opelia is an excellent addition to LG's culinary scene. The gentleman working at the front door was not very welcoming. It was quite off-putting, actually. Luckily, our waitress with an Eastern European accent was phenomenal and made up for it. The food we ordered was extremely delicious and well-prepared. But the drinks were horrible. Not sure if we came on a bad night but I tried one of their signature drinks and a basic cosmo and both were bad. My husband's Old Fashioned didn't taste like one at all. We'll be back for sure, as long as they can improve their bar program. Maybe ask the previous owner, Josh, for some guidance on how to make killer drinks. read more

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Me and my friend tried out Opelia on Sunday dinner. We ordered 2 appetizers and an entree The octopus was delicious and the beef stew was good as well However the entree was a little disappointing. The salmon didn't taste fresh. Overall it's a good add on restaurant in the area, but I wish they will improve the ingredients better Service is top notch The ambiance is good and pretty relaxing Lots of table available, walk in welcome and they also have outdoor tables read more

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Met my friend here for dinner to catch up. What a wonderful spot! We had amazing service and they didn't even kick us out when we stayed a little after close. I didn't even notice they had closed until in checked the time! They were so kind! The food was incredible and the ambience would be great for a date night! We had the lamb appetizer and the octopus. Both tasted phenomenal! We also enjoyed dinner: I had Moussaka and my friend had the Lavraki. Great flavors! The Moussaka was almost like an eggplant lasagna. Everything was very tasty and I would definitely go back! read more

Opelia - Lamb and octopus - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

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Tried it for the first time Good food, nice ambience, and service was fantastic. Good addition to the Los Gatos food scene read more

We finished a hike in Los Gatos and decided to find a place to eat. Popped open my Yelp app and Opelia popped up. There wasn't a wait so we gave it a try. It was relatively early and there were a handful of diners, some inside and some outside. It was a beautiful day so we opted for outside. Our host and server was very attentive. He helped us make choices and they seemed to do us well. We started out with the badimchan which came with a side of pita. It looked delicious but it lacked some flavor. We've had this at Meyhouse and it's the bomb there. The fries were really good. My IPA was refreshing, but not as cold as it could have been (I had 2 and the second one was definitely cold). The mediterranean omelette was very tasty and the roasted eggplant was also really good. Last but not least was the diyarbakir burma for dessert. Plenty of nuts, filled generously, and great crunch. The nuts on the side and honey "sauce" complemented the texture. Not shown, but I also had a Turkish coffee. Anyway, this was a solid meal that fell slightly short of getting 5 stars. It's worth going back to again. read more

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Very good food, good service and kind staff I'll recommend for the Israeli audience go there. Big dishes Middle Eastern vibes Good music. Thanks! read more

My party of three was excited to try a relatively new restaurant in downtown Los Gatos. Opelia is located in the old part of Los Gatos, across the bridge on Main Street. It serves Turkish Mediterranean cuisine, and I must say, we had a fantastic time! SERVICE/RESERVATION I made a reservation for three people through OpenTable. When we arrived, the restaurant was bustling with a large party celebrating a birthday. The hostess informed us that there would be a wait of about 10 to 15 minutes and offered us bar seating. We didn't mind, so we ordered drinks while waiting. The bartender, Jack, was fantastic! Although their cocktail menu is limited, Jack was happy to make any drinks we requested. I requested a mojito inspired mocktail. I enjoyed my drink very much. Our main server, Nathan, was also excellent. Since it was our first time at Opelia, he guided us through the menu and offered great recommendations. Nathan checked in on us throughout our visit and even helped me find better photo lighting. Overall, we received attentive and exceptional service from the entire team. FOOD We ordered several appetizers and a salad to share, and nothing disappointed us. - Meze Combo: Badimcan, borani, sarma, olives, gigantes, tatziki, ezme; served with endless, fresh pita - Octapodaki: Grilled octopus, butter beans, arugula, lemon - Kalamar: Sautéed calamari, artichoke, olives, capers oregano, tomato white wine - Lamb Lollipops: Arugula, Campari, oregano, yogurt, fresh lemon - Opelia Salad: Butter lettuce, fig, apple, Goat cheese, pumpkin seed, beets, pomegranate molasses The Meze combo sample platter was fantastic. I highly recommend it if you want to try various cold Meze items on the menu. My favorites were the Beet Borani and Ezme, but everything was absolutely delicious. The hot protein Meze we ordered was also well-prepared and tasty. The octopus and lamb lollipop were the favorites of the night. All were perfect for sharing among our group. I highly recommend checking out Opelia for a date night or a casual friend gathering. Be sure to make a reservation, as indoor seating is quite limited. It's a small and cozy restaurant that focuses on providing a great experience and delicious food. read more

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The Los Gatos restaurant scene was kind of lacking for a while-- but with Opelia and a few other great restaurants opening recently, I feel like it's back!!! Opelia is beautifully decorated, and feels so cozy. The food is outstanding-- one of the best meals I've had in a very long time. We ordered the cucumber/tomato salad to start, along with fries (kind of random but I was craving fries like no other lol). The combo was actually perfect, and they season their fries with paprika (I think?) which was a nice surprise. We also shared the octopus and the lamb chops. I'm not even the biggest fan of lamb tbh, but this lamb was SO GOOD! The octopus was also cooked perfectly and I loved every bite. Service was wonderful-- we were even given a small glass of a delicious wine on the house. Everything came out really fast, and our server was always checking in on us to make sure we had everything we needed. All around, a fantastic experience. I really can't wait to come back:) read more

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Really wanted to love this place! the vibe is great and the food is genuinely good. Everything we ordered was flavorful and well done. That said, it's very overpriced for what you get. Portions are small and the bill doesn't quite match the experience. Ambiance is cute (the decor is gorgeous) and service was solid, so it's a nice spot for a date or special occasion (I was there with a group) but not somewhere I'd go regularly. read more

Located in downtown Los Gatos, with some out door seating on patio. Parking on the street a little tricky on Friday evening but plenty of lots nearby. Nicely appointed, beautiful bar area as well. The starter was the meze combo, very good and with warmed pita bread and the grilled octopus (tender with a nice char). The lamb shank was very tender with a delicious tomato sauce with a cheesy farro. The merguez manti was in a very tasty tomato sauce. The lamb chops will nicely grilled and super tender. 5 stars. read more

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First time trying it out from a friend recommendation and so glad we tried it. The restaurant is very cool looking and has a good vibe with a beautiful big bar in the back. Service overall was also very good from the friendly hostess who sat us and our waiter who was very attentive, friendly, but also laid back similar to european restaurants who won't rush you along and gives you time to enjoy your dinner. As fro the food, the flavors and options were fantastic. We started with the meze sampler and loved every single dish. Highlights were the walnut spread, beets and eggplant. What a great way to try so many tasty bites and served with some grilled pita. We also ordered the lamb souvlaki, which was just ok. The flavor was more average and lamb could have been a little less cooked and overall the dish could have been hotter in temp. Another highlight were the meat dumplings with merguez sausage. Fantastic dish, loved the little dumplings. For dessert we tried the bread pudding on the waiters recommendation and the crispy phyllo with walnuts. Desserts were maybe a B and B+ respectively. The bread pudding is probably misnamed as it's not at all similar to a traditional bread pudding and more like a syrup soap caked with some marscapone in the middle. Not bad, but just ok. The cripsy phyllo with walnuts though was quite good and so sweet that you can really share one with two people. Overall it was a really delightful meal and experience. read more

Opelia - Meze sampler with lamb souvlaki hot meze - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Gatos, California

Came here for dinner with a friend. Saw that it was a new restaurant (I believe it replaced the former Sidecar Tavern) and served Turkish/Greek specialties. We got the octopus appetizer, the chicken thigh as well as the meat dumpling entrees and finished with the goat milk ice cream. Liked the taste of all of the dishes -- each one was meant to test the restaurant and/or try something new. Octopus was cooked very well and paired with some light arugula salad which was very pleasant -- first test passed! Chicken thigh was cooked well also -- second test passed! Meat dumplings were like little tortelloni and folded expertly -- third test passed! And lastly the goat milk ice cream was extremely good. Good enough that it was perhaps the highlight of the entire meal. Very creamy and rich, with a texture almost like chewing on caramel. It was paired with some strawberry sauce which was a good choice. I personally would have drizzled some premium 25-year aged dark balsamic over it instead because the goat milk did have a bit of a gamey flavor to it that would have benefitted from some acidity from something like balsamic vinegar. Would recommend others in the area to come and try this place out. It's not my absolute favorite Turkish place but it does well enough to be worth a try at the very least. Love how Los Gatos got a new specialty food restaurant to make downtown just a bit more interesting! read more

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Great service. Food was excellent. Good spot for a night out. We had appetizers and a couple drinks and everything was top notch.

(Tony Leung voiceover) The vibe is hip happening restaurant on Main! Victoria warmly greeted us! She recommended the Opelia Salad! And yes, it was perfect! The Roasted Beet aka Borani cannot be beat! Delectable! Julian served us! He recommended the Sea Bass aka Lavraki! Sooo good! Succulent! And the Lamb Chops aka Kuzu Pirzola! Say no more! Hearty! Satisfying! Eknek Kadayifi! Goat milk vanilla ice cream! Hypoallergenc! And super creamy and smooth. Dates! Wowza! Thanks, Julian & Victoria! Would order everything again! Woohoo! read more

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I recently spotted Opelia when my husband, friends, and I had dinner at Épernay Bistro next door. I realized that Opelia was formerly Sidecar Tavern, which we hadn't been to in such a long time. I was interested in checking out the new establishment, so I made a reservation for dinner on a Thursday evening when making arrangements with my friend for a catch up. My husband and I were running a few minutes behind our 7pm reservation, but my friend was able to retrieve our table while waiting for our arrival. Opelia was a cozy and intimate restaurant. It was very dimly lit. I did find our table sandwiched too close to the tables next to us, which made it awkward squeezing into our seats. Overall service was excellent. Our waitress' name was K/Carina, and she was sweet and highly attentive. She was intent in finding out how we liked everything we ate. Major bonus points for the food coming out in a timely manner, especially since it was considerably busy. We started off with a few appetizers including the octopus, fries, and souvlaki. Grilled octopus is one of my favorite Mediterranean small plates, and I found that Opelia's prepares it the best. The texture of the octopus was perfectly tender yet had a nice crispness on the outside. I also liked the arugula salad and beans. The guys thought the souvlaki was going to come out like sliced gyro meat, but I had a feeling it was going to be more like cubed meat. I was right, but I liked that it was like a tomato stewed beef. Don't sleep on the crunchy toast that came with it. Couldn't get enough of the fries! I had the braised lamp shank for my entree, which was excellent. I tried the moussaka that my husband ordered, and I have to admit that I was hoping it was more like the traditional, comfort food version that I'm used to (potatoes, bechamel, eggplant, and ground beef). I get it... there are different types of moussaka, but Opelia's tasted like an eggplant parmesan to me. Loved the dessert that we ordered for the table. It was an Anatolian bread pudding filled mascarpone sabayon. We had it with the recommended side of vanilla goat cheese ice cream. Everything about this dish surprised me. The bread pudding was like a honey soaked bread, and the marscarpone filling was divine. The goat cheese ice cream was sweet and smooth - not tart like how goat cheese can typically be. I would come back just for this dessert. read more

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