NEW YORK – Guilty Eats, a food and guilty eating site from FanSided, listed its top ten Greek restaurants across the United States. Surprisingly, not one of the restaurants on the list is located in the New York tri-state area.

At number one on the list is Omega Ouzeri, 1529 14th Avenue in Seattle, WA, with traditional meze small plates and tasty seafood, including the whole grilled lavraki.

Kyma, 3085 Piedmont Road NE in Atlanta, GA, was next on the list. Kyma owner and Executive Chef Pano Karatassos is the author of Modern Greek Cooking. The restaurant’s lamb pasta with “fresh and slow-braised leg of lamb, summer fava beans, sheep’s milk cheese, and pappardelle pasta,” was highlighted in Guilty Eats.

At number three, Zaytinya by José Andrés, 701 9th Street NW in Washington, DC, is the Spanish celebrity chef’s take on Eastern Mediterranean small plates and features regional wines.

Kokkari Estiatorio, 200 Jackson Street in San Francisco, CA, is next on the list with its modern Greek favorites, including spanakotiropita with spinach, feta, leeks, and dill. Kokkari was also ranked number ten on Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2021 list of the Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the United States. It was the only California restaurant in the top ten and was ranked by Tripadvisor as #3 out of 3,669 restaurants in San Francisco.

As noted on the restaurant’s website: “At Kokkari Estiatorio, we are driven by the concept of philoxenia, the art of making a stranger a friend. This philosophy drives our efforts to create a cuisine fit for the gods with the hospitality of a proper Greek home — a restaurant that you would never want to leave.”

At number five, Esperia Grill, 344 Washington Street in Brighton, MA, is a casual Greek spot. Guilty Eats highlighted the avgolemono soup and noted that Esperia Grill was “voted the best Greek restaurant in the greater Boston area by Boston Magazine on three separate occasions, among other awards.”

Chrissoulas, 602 N Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, IL was next at number 6 and is owned by Chefs Nick and Theo Dimitriou, who named the restaurant after their Yiayia. The grilled octopus at Chrissoulas is the dish spotlighted by Guilty Eats.

At number seven, Psistaria Greek Taverna, 4711 W Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood, IL, the Bournas family-owned restaurant, features traditional Greek food and a chicken riganati not to be missed.

The Great Greek, 13362 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, CA, has been a staple for 37 years featuring authentic Greek cuisine, live music and dancing evenings, special events and catering. Favorites include souvlaki, lamb, and seafood as well as the Spectacular Greek Deluxe Family-Style Feast.

At number nine, Acropolis Cuisine, 3841 Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, LA, is known throughout the city of New Orleans as one of the few authentic Mediterranean restaurants in the area. The golden fried calamari is just one of the delicious appetizers to try.

The Greek Pastry Shop, 520 S 5th Street W in Missoula, MT, rounds out the top ten as “the Gyromasters since 1977,” according to their website, so the gyro is a must try. Guilty Eats also recommends the falafel sandwich. A second location is now open in the Southgate Mall, 2901 Brooks Street, also in Missoula.