Elia is a charming Greek themed restaurant located at 310 Main Street in Pleasanton. Seating includes a spacious inside, reminiscent of a spot you would find on Mykonos. An outdoor section wraps around the space facing Main Street as well as the breezeway between the restaurant and Heritage Bank. Convenient off-street parking is in the back.

 

During our visit we opted for the inside space which is bright and warm. There is an active bar located towards the rear and buffers the open kitchen. Our server greeted us promptly and was clearly well-versed on not just the printed menu but also the preparation and taste profiles.

 

The menu offers a large selection of Mezethes (appetizers) with something for every taste. We chose the grilled octopus (octopodaki) which was tender, well-seasoned and very tasty. The large tentacle came on a bed of large white beans. In spite of our guests frowning I also ordered the fried smelt – aka fries with eyes. Perfectly fried and salted they were seasoned with jalapeno and shallots. They were devoured by all. We also rounded out the selection with lamb and beef meatballs (Keftedes). They were tasty but nothing special in light of the other choices. The Roka salad blends arugula, roasted beets, pistachios and goat cheese in a tangy blood orange dressing. This was the perfect foil for the other fried, rich and spicy selections.

 

One of the special offerings was a 16oz. grilled rib eye for $64. This seemed quite steep and not our first choice considering the Greek theme. Several in our group chose the Filet Mignon Souvlaki (a skewered selection of beef and peppers on a bed of uninspired polenta.) But the filet was again seasoned well and cooked just right. I opted for the traditional Kokkinisto ($39) – slow-braised lamb shank served with a side of orzo salad. The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender and still held its shape – not an easy task. The orzo salad was again uninspired, but the lamb made up for the shortcomings.

 

The desserts are not to be skipped. We sampled the Galaktoboueko – a phyllo dough cannoli filled with custard and a berry coulis; Sokolatina - warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream did not fail to impress and not to be slighted we added the Baklava, although a classic Elia seems to have perfected it.

 

Founders Fatih Ulas and Mehmet Duyhu have raised the bar in Pleasanton. If you have not tried Elia I do suggest you add it to your must-try list. If you want a fast casual menu with similar tastes and quality I also recommend Fatih’s other venture, Sultans Kebabs in Pleasanton, Livermore and Danville. The lamb shank at Sultans is very good at almost half the price of Elia – a super value for the quality.

 

Score: 1 (awful) to 5 (awesome)

Ambiance   3+

Cocktails    3+

Service       4

Food          4+

Value         4