Yianni's Authentic Greek Cuisine

224 Primrose Road
Burlingame, CA 94010
Phone: (650) 347-2088

This review is of their now-closed location in Burlingame - they've since opened a restaurant in San Francisco and I'm sure it's quite tasty but we've yet to visit...

First, a disclaimer: I'm from Chicago. In Chicago, there are more great Greek restaurants than I can count. In the Bay Area, I can only name two good Greek restaurants, and Yianni's is the best. (The other is Yiasso in Cupertino, which is basically Greek take-out.)

We have dined here so frequently, the waitress can practically order for us. We usually start with the saganaki ($6.95), which is a flambe cheese dish and is SO delicious. I can't reproduce this one at home. ;) Dinners here are preferred because the soup is included, and they make a darned good avgolemono soup. It's a thick egg-lemon chicken and rice soup. If that doesn't sound good, I apologize, but it is indeed delicious.

We've had a variety of the entrees, and tend to go with our proven favorites. If you're really hungry, the lamb shishkebab ($13.95) comes with several large chunks of marinated lamb (I'm not too keen on the brandy sauce, and ask for tzatziki instead, which is a yogurt/cucumber sauce). If you're not as hungry, the lamb souvlaki ($9.95) has smaller portions of the equally tasty meat (also available with beef or chicken). Both dishes come with a wonderful lemon rice side dish and vegetables. Not in the mood for meat? The garides santorini ($12.95) is wonderful. Several jumbo prawns are sauteed in the avgolemono sauce with mushrooms and scallions and served over a bed of linguini. Somehow, there never seems to be any sauce left at the end...

The only disappointing dish we've had is the gyro piato ($8.95). Gyros, a beef and lamb combination, is often roasted on a rotating spit. It's then sliced thinly and served on a warm pita with tzatsiki sauce. Unfortunately, Yianni's doesn't serve freshly roasted meat, instead offering a pre-sliced version that reminds of the frozen packages available in the midwest. I pass on this dish here, and I hope they come to their senses soon and return to the "real thing"!

I've only tried two of their desserts. Their baklava is the typical sweet and flaky delight. They also offer the unique baklava cheesecake, which adds several layers of the baklava to the top of an already tasty plain cheesecake.

Food:	6 - their lamb dishes never disappoint, their pasta dishes are solid, but the gyros, a Greek staple, falls flat.
Ambience:	5 - nice small restaurant with a homey feel
Service:	6 - friendly wait staff make sure the meal flows without problems
Overall:	6 - it's the best Greek you'll find in the Bay Area, and it's easy to find a delicious meal here.

review written 11/02/2002 by stjarna - latest restaurant visit 1/2/2003 for dinner
restaurant's web site

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