Calypso Cafe

I am not someone who is good with words but let me tell you 'bout this place, Calypsos. ""So there's a new greek restaurant on 27th Ave, want to go try it for dinner tonight?"", That's what a friend of mine asked me Friday night. Me loving Greek food I said, ""sure, why not!"" Being the new guy on the block I expected the place to be lacking business, well I couldn't have been more wrong. If I am correct there were only two tables open to sit at when we arrived and people were still coming in after we say down. Busy, just what a new restaurant wants to be! We were promptly greeted by the owner of the restaurant and he was quik to seet us and get us our beverages. I was hoping for a glass of wine but, they do not serve alcohol yet, wasn't too disappointed, just wanted some good food. The server, (gosh I can't remember her name, I think it starts with an ""A""), was very attentive and did a spectacular job with the table side, ""Flamming Cheese"" Saganaki! We ordered Hummus, Falafel and Chicken Slovoki, (Kabobs) with Green Beans and Artichokes. The food, taste and presentation, was fabulous. The Falafel was the best I've had since I was visited my friends restaurant in Chicago, and my friend truely enjoyed the lemon in the artichokes. I loved the presentation of the plates as they came, the lemon zest made my day on the artichokes! I was very pleased with the artwork, by local artists, that's nice to see. The atmosphere was relaxed and romantic so much so that I could bring a date here. I have to say, I will be going back to try something new. If everything is as tasty as the dishes we had, I have a feeling I may have a new favorite Greek restaurant, Calypsos!! Good luck to them. Pros: Food, Lighting, service Cons: Parking more

My son and I were going to go to Midoris right next door for sushi ...a place we covet- but thought on a whim we would try Calypso- the kid loves lamb. Pros: Calamari Cons: see above more

Our family decided to check out this new Greek restaurant in our neighborhood. I am so glad we did. Although our family eats out for convenience, we'd just about given up on the concept that the food we got would actually taste good. These days, everything is prepackage and pre-prepared. We are also a bit of misers. We're not quite willing to spend $20 on dinner. But we also don't wish to spend even moderate prices on substandard food. Calypso is the restaurant for us! The ingredients were obviously top notch. The feta was as creamy as butter. The olives made me purr when I ate them. The herbs and seasonings were fresh, pungent and sharp (in a good way) in flavor. Every bite had flavor. This was a meal that made me want to eat slowly and savor every bite. Three of our meals were off the lunch menu and were close to $7 each. I almost hated to tell the owner that I thought that was underpriced for the freshness of the ingredients but it was the best deal in restaurant fare as I have had in a long time. (The meals included a side dish.) I've paid almost as much as that for a wrapped premade tuna sandwich at a coffee shop and that didn't come with a side dish. The dinner menus are more expensive but not much more expensive then we recently paid at a famous national restaurant chain recently. The food there was so mediocre, poorly cooked and tasteless that none of us bothered with a doggy bag. I would gladly pay a few dollars more for food like this. South Minneapolis needs a restaurant like this and I hope they can prosper in this location with these very affordable prices. Pros: Fresh, flavorful ingredients. Pleasant ambience. Reasonable prices. Cons: Some dishes needed tweaking in terms of seasoning and degree of doneness. more

UPDATE: Closed, to reopen under new management Pros: Innovative flavors that succeed at being delicious, not just novel! Great ambience: cozy and comfortable. Cons: A bit on the expensive side for we locals; worth a long trip for those who can afford it! Tight street parking only - take light rail! more