The Mad Greek

Pretty good. I’ve had many gyros and gyro dinners. I dunno I don’t this this was a $ 10 gyro platter. Although the rice and the green beans were really good.

I’ve been to Mad Greek over the span of 5 years – they’re very consistent in service and quality of food. Both of those, by the way, are very good!
If you’re a little worried about trying Greek food, don’t be. (At least, not at this place.) They have both Greek and Italian cuisine, so you can ease yourself into it; the best place to start is the Tour of Greece: slices of pita bread (which are to die for) and a selection of Greek dipping sauces. I personally haven’t tried their gyros as of yet – lamb is outside of my comfort zone. That being said, they have a ton of stuff to choose from. The people I go with never have complaints about their food.
I’ve found comfort in their Italian menu. I have the toasted cheese ravioli, which I almost always finish off. The garlic bread they give you on the side is a little lacking, though; I feel like it’s never as warm or flavorful as it could be.
Décor’s nice – it has that Mediterranean feel to it. The staff is nice and helpful; if you have any questions about a dish, they’ll help you out. If you’re in the downtown neighborhood and want a nice sit-​down meal, give Mad Greek a shot!

Me and 2 of my friends were dying of hunger and decided to take on the town to find some grub. We drove the entirety of the city of Lawrence and then found ourselves walking up and down Massachusetts street. We got to the point where we didn’t care what we were gonna eat but we just needed something and needed soon. The closest restaurant to us at that point was The Mad Greek. My friend said screw it and just walked towards the entrance and we followed. We walked in and saw an empty restaurant confused I walked back outside to make sure they were open. They were in fact and we were seated immediately. Our server was very professional, she greeted us very warmly and asked what we would like to eat and drink. She was very informative of the menu and even helped us edit our orders to our pleasing. Our food was prepared very fast which was great considering our hunger. My salad was decently good and would have been better but I forgot to ask for no onions. My friends food looked great and they both enjoyed their meals tremendously. My friend complimented the ravioli saying it was some of the best he’s had. The scenery of the restaurant was great but was somewhat gloomy and we could over hear the table next to us in a argument and one of the individuals was crying. This was the only bad part of our meal but it’s clearly not the restaurants fault. Over all it was a great adventure that I thought I should share.

This was so disappointing. I’ve been here multiple times and absolutely loved it but this time was awful. First off, yes I’m young (18). Sometimes waiters and people in stores treat me weird because of my age because they either think I’m stealing or won’t tip well which isn’t the case. Well I went in with my friend and her little sister (12) and her sisters friends. Our waiter was Cris (yeah I’m calling you out). They sat us in a tiny booth causing us to all have to squeeze in. When he came to ask for our drinks all I said was «water» and he goes «Ok so 5 waters» assuming we were all getting waters (the other girls wanted sprites so we had to re order when he came back) then he quickly rushed us when we were trying to order. (It wasn’t even that busy but apparently he wanted us out of there) Finally he brought our food pretty quickly but we had no meatballs in any of our «spaghetti and meatballs» we ordered. We then said «do you mind bringing a bowl of meatballs» and he goes «why didn’t you order that when I was taking your orders» and I just firmly replied «we did.» That got his attention and the service for the rest of the time was sub par. I love this place but Cris, honey, you need an attitude check and a Xanax.

Some plain Jane Greek food nothing special at all, no one is trying hard on these plain Greek staples. Bread was fresh. Salad was edible. The fettuccine meal tasted like canned sauce :(…

I reserve one star ratings for fast food quality and abhorrent service. That said, I found it difficult to not go below two stars because I think the quality of food at The Mad Greek has deteriorated nearly to fast food level. I used to love this place. It was where I took guests and dates for a unique dinner in Lawrence. Though the service is average (meaning I have no opinion one way or the other because nothing stood out), I remember when they took much more pride in their food. Sadly, it’s clear that they have stopped taking pride in what they serve a long time ago.
I took a friend there after taking a break from eating there for over a year to give them a chance to improve. I found it has only worsened.
My food was served slopped onto my plate with half of my meat and half of my green beans buried in rice school lunch style. The food was lukewarm, at best. My sliced tomato was so unripened that it was still mostly white, tough, and tasted like paper. I didn’t bother finishing it. How does a restaurant in a town like Lawrence with such a great farmer’s market right down the street allow that to happen?
The gyros dinner, one of their signature plates, came with a few small cut pieces of pita (not nearly enough for the gyro meat). The meat itself tasted old; it looked more boiled than roasted and had about the same flavor. Their infamous tomato green beans came with almost no sauce as they used to and I found myself wondering if they’re still made the same way. That may have been the liquid that ran over my plate saturating my gyro meat, pita bread, and an already questionable rice pilaf.
The bright side was the toasted ravioli appetizer, which I thought was good but served without plates for two people – so no way to keep from sharing the dipping marinara which probably matters to some people.
This place desperately needs a defibrillation to either get their menu and kitchen working again or start anew. They are surviving on name alone and something tells me that, soon, even their name and history won’t carry them anymore. For me, the restaurant I once loved is already gone. I won’t be returning.

I highly recommend the daytime. My husband and I went in the evening and I ordered the dolmas. It had been baked (not supposed to be) and was crackly and tough. When I ordered dolmas during the day, however, it was superb.

Good for lamb, reasonable prices. Can do gluten free.

This place is amazing! I come here every time I visit Lawrence and it never disappoints! Great food-​hot feta is my fav, fried ravioli, spinach pie, gyros to die for. Check it out! Plan a trip!

No good. I have been in Lawrence for business a lot lately and this is hands down the worst meal I have had in lawrence yet. Ordered a Greek salad with souvlaki. The souvlaki was raw. I like my pork medium but this was rare. They tried to make it right by taking a couple bucks off the check and replacing the souvlak with grilled chicken which was nice. Salad itself was not worth anywhere near $ 11. The only reason I can give I two stars is how nice and attentive the waitress was.

Stopped by tonight, Sunday, around 8:30 for dinner. Stood in front of the host podium for an awkward four or five minutes while the guy behind the beverage station eyeballed us weirdly. No host in sight, only two people in the whole place eating. Never acknowledged, won’t be back. Sorry for trying to inconvenience you so close to quitting time. Keep forgetting I live in Kansas now, where mediocre performance by employees is accepted.

Went for an early dinner on a Saturday night.
My partner and I split the saganaki and both ordered the gyros dinner. I had a gin martini and my partner had a beer.
The service was good. We were seated right away and promptly got our waters. The waiter seemed knowledgeable enough and was able to tell me that a Greek margarita has uzo and blue curacao in it (no thanks).
The saganaki came out quickly and was pretty good. However, it was served with a ton of pita bread which is not something I’ve ever seen before.
The gyros dinners also came out quickly and were just okay. The gyros meat tasted like the standard food service quality gyros. The tzatziki sauce was flavorful and fresh and the pita bread had a nice warm chewy but airy flavor. However, the rice pilaf was terrible and tasted like a store bought boxed mix with some dried cranberries tossed in. Equally baffling was the inclusion of canned green beans and one boiled potato slathered in watery tomato sauce. The sauce sort of ran all over the plate and made the pita bread very soggy. I had hoped for some feta cheese and kalamata olives but those were nowhere to be found.
Overall this place was just okay. It looks like they have a pretty great happy hour which I’d be willing to come back and try but go somewhere else for dinner.

Great. I could eat the vegetarian dinner for any meal every day. The complaints about the restaurant being cramped because it’s in an old building only demonstrate that many Unilocalers just look for things to complain about. Go to Applebee’s if you need wide-​load seating.

Best Greek in the area for me… Sunday buffet is just the best. I haven’t had a bad meal in the dozen times I’ve been.

Just visited the Mad Greek for the first in in ages. I remember having had some excellent meals here in the past so I was surprised with a so-​so dinner tonight. Gyros, pita and tzatziki were all decent. Spanakopita and dolmas were mediocre, at best. The green beans and rice pilaf were some kind of awful. Nothing really tasted fresh. Something about the service left me feeling that we were a distraction to the wait staff. I wouldn’t rule out trying them again but, with plenty of other options on Mass, I doubt it.

I have been a somewhat infrequent customer at this restaurant since the late 80s when it first opened. By now, it’s pretty much a Lawrence institution. The food is pretty decent and reasonably priced, but I have never dined here and been amazed. Most recently, I was here with some family for the Sunday brunch buffet and it was pretty much ok just like I expected it to be, but nothing blew me away. Service was a tad slow for the buffet as well with very slow refills on water and ice tea. I guess I had forgotten what an awkward and cramped space this restaurant has, but just getting in and out with wait staff and other patrons clogging up the aisles was amusing. The booths are tiny as well, so if you have four people crammed into a booth, you might be elbowing the person sitting next to you.

I really love the Mad Greek. I’m a huge fan of the flavors in Greek food and the restaurant seems to have a nice authentic feel to it, regardless of whether or not it is actually in fact authentic. However, the family that owns it appears to be from Greece, so I have no reason to doubt them.
First, the atmosphere is really cool. The high ceilings and darkish wall mural, along with the many planters and other Greco-​Roman statues and architecture give the feeling of eating outside in a garden at dusk. It sometimes seems a little dark, especially at the back of the restaurant, but I’ve never felt it to be unpleasant.
The food is also very good, and the prices match the portions well. I typically get the falafel, which is always fantastic. They give you plenty of tzatziki for the gyros, and they seem to have a rotating assortment of sides that come with the entrees. It’s often some variation/​combination of green beans, a small salad, jasmine rice, new potatoes, etc.
They also have an excellent assortment of desserts that, if you’re interested, they’ll bring out on a huge, delicious-​looking tray. My favorite is the tiramisu. :)

I’ve only been here a few times.
But I REALLY love the octopus salad. And their bread is always on point.
I’m not a fan of the gyro-​meat stuff, but I haven’t come across a dish I’ve ordered or my friends have ordered that I didn’t like.
I’ll definitely be returning.
Great salad dressing, too!

The food is superb. The dilemma is what to order. The gyros are a must. Tender and seasoned perfectly.
As is the manicotti. And lasagna.
If you eat there on Sunday, get here between 11 and 1 for the Buffett. It’s $ 11 and completely worth it.

I love the food and atmosphere. Come for lunch or dinner you won’t be disappointed.
Went back today expecting another
Great expecting!!!
The food may still be good. Only one other customer and after seating us I gave up waiting on a waitress and we left!!!
Isn’t service important anymore.