Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine: User Reviews

We were visiting Chicago for a weekend and stumbled across this awsome place. We were treated fabulously, especially considering we knew very little about Greek cuisine. They recommended the saganaki Halloumi - it was outstanding! I had the lamb - wow so good. My wife had the pastitio tsoukas - she couldnt stop saying have incredible it was. And then came the baklava - the best ever!! Highly recommend this place.

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Venus was a pleasant surprise. all 6 of us raved about our food. you can tell the care and quality of ingredients by the fresh greens they use in the salads. I had a signature lamb dish that was spectacular!!! (And I'm not particularly a lamb eater). Great service, reasonable prices. Will be back soon!

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Service is second to none, delicious cuisine, warm and embracing staff. Will return regularly!

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Went there with a group of 10. Not one person enjoyed their meal. Would not go back there. It was just ok.

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The basic problem with the food was lack of seasoning, which is pretty rare in an ethnic/Greek-Cypriot restaurant. We had 3 entrees, one of which stood out (stuffed chicken dish), one was passable (pasta Carbonara) and one was completely bland (Pastitso). The horiatiko salad had a bland version of traditional vinegar-oil dressing and the tomatoes, the mainstain of the salad, were not good at all. Neither was the feta cheese. The 2 types of saganaki made a nice contrast (preferred the original but that's just me). Our server was adequate but neither host nor waiter made us feel they were glad we were there--and there were only 2 other tables filled at this cutely decorated spot at 9pm on a Tuesday evening. Not sure I'm going to try it again, although the menu is extensive and varied. I'd recommend Athenas or Greek Islands.

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We were excited to try Venus but were disappointed by the lamb. It was the special of the house but lacked taste and flavor. The potatoes were equally tasteless. The meatballs and dolmathes were good. Wine was overpriced by the glass.

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This was a wonderful find and a fantastic evening of good service, food and value! My boyfriend and I had 7:30 reservations on a Friday and were surprised to not find the restaurant more crowded - about 1/2 the tables were occupied. The bar is quaint and away from the main diners. We were seated at a table (wish they had booths!) and were promptly greeted by our server. I had read about the "tapas" style meze menu and has already decided this is what I wanted. To our servers great credit, he mentioned there was a large party that would be ordering about the same time and that most likely with th kitchen being slammed with their order, our several dishes may be spread far apart. He made his recommendation and we went with it! It was FANTASTIC! We had 3 wonderful appetizers and 2 entrees which we were able to share. He recommended a nice wine (not the most expensive) that was consistant with my wish to stay with all of the Cypriot foods. The bus boys were extremely attentive and never let our water glasses fall below 2/3 full. The dirty plates were quickly picked up and used silverware was replaced with clean for each course.

We finished the evening with a nice coffee - but before that were treated to a fruity appartif "on the house".

The only thing that would have made the experience a perfect 10+ would have been some kind of background music. The noise level was not unbearable,even with the large party - but I believe the music would have helped to drown out some of the conversations.

We will definitely be back and truly hope this will become a Chicago Greek-Town Fave!

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This one is a winner! Having experienced nearly all other Greektown establishments, Venus rises to the top based on #1 service, #2 food quality and finally value. Manager Costas Stylianou "gets it". His personal commitment to service, further emulated by his staff made our dining a true pleasure. Particular attention to details, along with the warmth demonstrated by our waiter, Bill, makes this a "must return with friends" establishment. Count on us to return! Oh yeh.! Order the Pastitsio Tsoukas. ;)
Cary K - Westmont

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Some of the best Mediterranean cuisine I've found in all of Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. The service was superb; friendly and knowledgeable. Bottles of Tassos olive oil are on every table! We visited on a Sunday evening with a party of seven. The variety and quality of the dishes were amazing. The wine list was more than adequate and waiter recommendations/descriptions were well informed. Complimentary valet parking is a nice perk, too.

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A great discovery. Greektown is so established people go to the same place(s). Venus is a rare find because it offers traditional Greek cuisine with the specialities of Cyprus for something different. There's only one Greek-Cypriot waiter there (and he's a hottie) but the manager is Cypriot, too, and knows his stuff with true island hospitality. Amazing food (halloumi from Cyprus is awesome), and we loved the bang for our buck.

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