Elenis Philoxenia

Portland can finally lay claim to a few decent restaurants, and I strongly recommend Eleni's in the Pearl! A world away from the typical Portland experience with dramatic interior, effervescent wait staff and absolutely marvelous food! The atmosphere is more typical of romantic, upscale European establishments - not noisy greek tavernas. From the haunting and wonderful perfume of our exotic waitress to the stage-like setting of the chefs preparing your meal - everything is enchanting. The same two fabulous chefs always prepare your meal, so you can depend on a consistantly wonderful culinary experience. Don't skip the salads, appetizers or the wine - all are as excellent as the entree. I love this place! Pros: atmosphere, affordable wine, the Chefs! Cons: not open for lunch more

First off you are in the Pearl and you're going to pay corkage. Second the food is not from Greece it is from the island of Crete. it is similar to Greek food, but it is not the same. The food is most defiantly not heated in the microwave. Ya I work there so i may be a bit bias, but our cooks are very good cooks. It can get loud and that's when we know people are enjoying themselves. In Crete friends get together share four or five appetizers, drink wine, and stay there for a few hours. Try some conversation while you wait for your food! Eleni's is an inexpensive restaurant in the pearl. more

I read all the good reviews this place had and I thought it was going to be good... but no. Service was not good, the place is very loud, the food was salty, it is not real greek food, the food was heated in an microwave, they had in the menu things that they do not cook. What we ate we could have found it elsewhere. This poor food is to expensive. Pros: no Cons: noisy, not good food, service more

Who goes into a restaurant in the Pearl with a bottle of wine and expects not to pay corkage! Moreover, anyone who has worked in the restaurant business knows that the owners are not taxing tips for any reason... much less b/c some unsavvy patrons got confused. Let's not take our eye off the ball here... this is a nice place, with reasonable prices (for the Pearl) good food that adds a little flare to the Pearl districts standard Italian or 'Trendy American' dinner options. Pros: food, originality more

Granted we didn't have reservations on a Friday night, we were fine being seated at the bar. Despite the rich and flavorful food we were sadly disappointed with the service when our bartender/server said we had been charged a $15 ""corkage fee"" for a bottle of wine we bought in their restaurant! There was no mention of this on the wine menu or upon ordering. After our confusion and her confusion (she didn't understand why this applied either?!) they decided to remove it. Sadly, our generous tip was likely taken away from her by the management who I have a feeling insisted that this fee be paid. We will probably not go there again. Pros: Great food Cons: corkage fee?? more

I didn't know much about Crete food before I came, didn't really know what to expect. But man, it was soooo good. The shrimp appetizer , the lamb, the beet salad... Very nice presentation, casual atmosphere, knowledgable servers. Best way to do it is to only order appetizers, that way you can taste a bunch of things at once. Enjoy! more

It was a First Thursday in the Pearl District and a couple gals started getting hungry without any reservations. What a pleasant surprise to find a sidewalk cafe table available at this Isle of Crete. After starting with a perfect martini, we turned ourselves over to the server and said ""we don't want any two things alike and we want whatever you suggest"". (My personal favorite way to dine.) A pleasant treat without any disappointments. Service was knowledgable, capable and willing to lead us through a wonderful dinner. As a side kudos, it is always a pleasure to see the owner working the floor of her own restaurant, as deemed necessary. Pros: service, food, ambiance Cons: parking more

We tried Eleni's on 01/28/05 and I can't recommend more highly. Although my wife is not a fan of greek food (she thought), she has now reconsidered her opinion. The decor is excellent, the noise level just about right (I could hear my wife easily, but not the nearby tables), the waiter was helpful and friendly and the food excellent. The ""typical"" Greek fare (Gyro's) was thankfully missing, but in it's place was super fresh, unusually flavored dishes. My favorite was the cabbage salad, (similar to a fresh spicy coleslaw with pine nuts, but much better) and the prawn appetizer while my wife best loved the cucumber and tomato salad and roasted eggplant appetizer. We will be back. more

We decided to try Eleni's because we just love greek food and it looked cool and interesting. We were so pleasantly surprised. The food was amazing and the wine was great. Everyone served us with a smile and with great recommendations. The only complaint I have is to eliminate the table just to the right of the front door and make room for more people to stand. I had to wait for a few minutes, even though I had a reservation, but they made it up to me with a free bottle of wine. A most excellent night on the town! Pros: Great Value, Excellent Food, Fabulous Service more

I made a reservation a week in advance and our table still was not ready when we arrived. The service was insanley slow. I was served my disgusting and too oily appetizer AFTER my meal was over which took 45 minutes for our meal to arrive. They brought out bread at least 30 minutes after we ordered. Our 15.00 a plate meal consisted only of 1 piece of meat with 2 tablespoons of tomatoe sauce and 1 asparagus spear. It was a portion size for a 5 year old child! The waitress was rude and unattentive. We left and went to dinner at a diner and had a much better meal for a third of the price. I was incredibly dissappointed and will NEVER eat there again! The food did not taste one bit greek and my boyfriend is from Greece. One of the worst/overrated restaurant in Portland! Pros: Nice Music, Good looking waiters Cons: , Too Dark, Bad Service more

What else can I say except Eleni's will transport you back to the Mediterranean and all the wonderful flavors and exotic spices of the region. I especially love their stuffed eggplant dish -- a meal in itself made with Painted Hills Natural Beef, but you can't resist the varied mezes and salads. I've yet to have room for dessert. That's my next goal! Pros: lots of food options, incredible flavors, wine selection Cons: , inconsistent cocktail more

Possibly the best Greek meal I've ever had. Original, home made & delicious - not your typical greasy spanakopita & heavy moussaka. We'll definitely be back. more