Theos Souvlaki

I love Greek cuisine. I have fond memories of taking a rather substantial hour and half journey from the tiny college town where I attended university on US-75 to Dallas, where a large group of friends would venture to a Greek restaurant, now defunct, to enjoy the mysterious world of Greek cuisine, and, of course, a beautiful buxom woman, belly dancing, which was perhaps as much of an enticement as the food at that point in life.

My first cookbook, a gift from a friend, was famed Louisiana Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. But the first cookbook I ever purchased was one offering insights into the mysterious world of Greek cuisine, the natural progression from the love I had gained for this cuisine from those memorable culinary experiences during my formative college years. My endoctrination into both Cajun/Creole and Greek cuisine by learning to prepare these dishes fostered a lifelong passion for both cuisines.

So it's no surprise that one of the first genres I explore when I dive into the restaurants in a new part of world is that of restaurants offering iconic Greek dishes.

Buenos Aires has never had a plethora of Greek restaurants. And the few they had did not survive the pandemic. Bu

The post-pandemic world in Buenos Aires has seen the opening of three small, but admirable, eating establishments offering Greek cuisine. I hesitate to use the word restaurant as one is little more than a kiosk, and the other barely accomodates a dozen diners. But I'm glad to say all offer a fairly good rendition of iconic Greek plates.

Theos restarant in Palermo Freud is an admirable attempt. Despite it's small size, the food is respectably authentic. The menu is limited but has a sufficient number of Greek classics to make it worth a visit. How limited is the menu? Let's just say the menu is a chalkboard ... a very small chalkboard.

There's a souvlaki wrap, a Greek salad (with real feta cheese, something difficult to find in Buenos Aires), a great rendition of moussaka (an delicious eggplant casarole topped with a fluffy bechamel topping), fried halloumi cheese (Greek saganaki), falafal (more Arab, than Greek, but whose counting?) and, of course, some baklava for dessert.

It's actually quite authentic and well-prepared. The owner is, I presume, Greek. The place is pleasant. The staff very friendly. And the food is inexpensive, considering it's pretty exotic for Buenos Aires.

Worth a visit. And worth a return. So you might see me there.

P.S. As coincidence would have it, immediately across the street from Theos Souvlaki, is NOLA (an common acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana), the only locale in Buenos Aires where you can find the cajun/creole cuisine I referred to in the opening remarks of this review. Also, well worth a visit.