You’d never guess it, but buried behind Super Stop & Shop in the Springfield Plaza is one of the best restaurants in the Valley. It’s almost a miracle to find an independent, family-run restaurant serving real food amidst such a vast sea of pavement, but Mykonos is celebrating its 25th anniversary here this summer and it’s still a sure bet for authentic homemade Greek specialties.
Mykonos is a modest place. Its tables are set with linens topped with easy-to-clean glass and placemats packed with trivia about the homeland. Murals depicting island villages nestled against blue water and cascading mountains brighten the walls and ceramic wine jugs outfitted with straw handles rest atop the partitions separating the small dining rooms. The space is otherwise unadorned, but owner Tina Nikolou supplies the rest of the warmth by personally seating each guest and often pulling up a chair to chat after the meal.
“They have the best Greek food right here! And we’ve been all around the world,” a regular diner professed after polishing off a dinner of stuffed peppers and a gyro sandwich that he splits with his wife on a weekly basis. “I should know—I’m Greek.”
Even though I’m not Greek, it was immediately clear when the salads arrived that Mykonos uses excellent ingredients. Horiatiki, the traditional Greek salad that omits lettuce and just tosses tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and feta in a sharp dressing loaded with dried oregano, was one of the best I’ve had. I was shocked at each bite by the emphatic flavor of the olive oil, which elevated it to something memorable. Rarely even in far fancier restaurants have I been able to taste oil of such distinctly high quality.
Feta piccante is another outstanding starter that captures Mykonos’ approach to dishes that are not so much sophisticated as simply well done. Chunky pieces of tomatoes, green peppers, garlic and a little hot pepper are sautéed until quite soft and then covered with tangy feta and browned under the broiler. It’s sweet and sour and just a little spicy—truly addictive when sopped up with wedges of warm pita. Spanakopita and feta pies are also excellent served in bite-sized phyllo triangles with an exceptionally creamy tzatziki made from the thicker, strained Greek yogurt.
Entrées are almost too generous for a single meal, since they come with salad and ample sides like green beans stewed with tomato and garlic or rice pilaf. In most cases the excess easily adapts to lunch the next day, as was the case with an unusually subtle moussaka layered with nutmeg-laced beef, melting slices of eggplant, light tomato sauce and a pillowy béchamel lid. Less suitable for leftovers is a specialty of the house called chicken à la Angela in which a crisp phyllo pouch envelops chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta, bathed in a mild lemon sauce that softens the phyllo within minutes.
Mykonos has another unlikely location in the food court at the Eastfield Mall on Boston Road, but this Liberty Street restaurant is the original. A favorite with locals, Mykonos also draws customers from all around the Valley. A big part of its success is the staff’s obvious sense of pride and the personal attention they lavish on their guests. But the pure pleasure of Mykonos’ from-scratch Greek cooking is reason enough to head to Hungry Hill.●
—carolinepam@gmail.com
Mykonos European Restaurant and Bar
1237 Liberty St., Springfield, 733-5205
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Entrèes: $10-$17.
