Long famed for its range of Greek restaurants – from ‘cheesborger’ to high-end offerings, Chicago is offering even more in the rebounding recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago Tribune pointed to Louie Alexakis and his team opening Avli Taverna in Lincoln Park in 2018 which led to further expansions as a key point before the pandemic slowed and ended restaurants everywhere.

But Chicago is coming back and so are Greek eateries, said Tribune, Alexis telling the paper that they are showing off more regional fare from the country and diversified menus.

“What we’re seeing with the arrival of all of these restaurants is that Greek dining isn’t a narrow definition but is actually quite wide,” Alexakis said. “Greek food really does have a greater breadth – this, I believe, is just the beginning,” he added.

“It can be regional, and it can be creative,” he said. “Twenty years ago, Italian food was Italian food — but today, you have to ask, ‘Is it Northern Italian? Is it Tuscan?’ And we’ve seen that renaissance now in Greek dining,” he said, indicating the experience is going past gyros.