Plaka Greek Cafe is the only Greek restaurant in Georgetown, and it’s the type of place only residents would know about.
The buffet serves food specifically inspired by Plaka— the oldest neighborhood in Athens, Greece. The narrow stone streets are pedestrian only and adorned with small shops, tavernas and picturesque churches.
The experience of walking through the Plaka Greek Cafe parking lot — with cars zooming past on Williams Drive and the nearby I-35 service road — may be different than wandering the picturesque streets of Greece, but some say the culinary experience is unmatched.
“I’ve talked to several people from Greece,” Owner Mo Kosari said. “They come over here and say they like our food much better.”
Plaka Greek Cafe offers a variety of gyro wraps, rice and salad options. The “create your own dish” comes with a choice of meat, three sides and a soup or feta salad. When Mr. Kosari goes through the buffet, he requests a mixture of the lentil soup, hot bean soup and lemon chicken soup.
The most popular menu item is the No. 1 — a Plaka Chicken Salad with roasted chicken breast on top of a Greek salad and house-made dressing. Kevin Brady, a regular customer, has been ordering the No. 1 salad two or three times a week for the last 15 years.
“[I] can’t say enough good things about this place,” Mr. Brady said. “It’s fresh, clean and friendly. The food is fresh and the people are just wonderful.”
Mr. Kosari is a restaurateur who has owned and sold many restaurants in his career, including Alborz Persian Cuisine, the first Persian restaurant to open in Austin. Mr. Kosari said that he is Persian, not Greek, but he bought Plaka Greek Cafe “from a Greek guy.”
The cafe was opened in 2008 by George and Zlata Betondo, Mr. Kosari’s longtime friends. When Zlata was diagnosed with cancer, George asked Mr. Kosari to buy the restaurant. Now, 10 years later, they still see each other each week.
“I bought it from him and I keep everything the same way,” Mr. Kosari said, although he did bring over employees from one of his previous restaurants. “I didn’t change anything. All food is the same Greek recipes.”
Mr. Kosari visited Greece a few years ago and collected art to display on the restaurant tables. Scenic paintings of Greek cities, with whitewashed dome-shaped houses, are pressed beneath the glass table tops in the dining room. Mr. Kosari fondly recalled the trip, saying that he “saw everything.”
Plaka Greek Cafe is located at 115 North Interstate 35, Georgetown, and from open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The cafe is closed on Sundays. Learn more at https://plakagreekcafe.com.