Our Reviews

Been there numerous times, every time has been awesome. Great food selections, branzino, hiliopites, sausage, saganaki, etc. and Apollo's Flame is a new drink favorite. Great loukamades and olive oil chocolate cake. Dina M was wonderful as well as all the staff. Looking forward to the next visit.

The best Greek restaurant in the area.My girlfriend and I kept eating so many courses.chef Bannos is amazing.We could eat here every night to try all the great food.Roseann Grippo my girlfriend is an amazing chef and is in love with this restaurant.

The best Greek restaurant In The Niles area .....I am in love and as a foodie I can tell you as a Chef this place is amazing.I have been there 4 nights I a row!

Had an amazing meal at Kouklas! Was referred by a friend, and so glad we tried it. Meal comes one plate at a time (think full size tapas) and every dish was delicious. Ordered the Eggplant, Dolmades, Octopus, Branzino, and Soulvaki - it was all wonderfully prepared. Dessert was great too. Service was very attentive. Can’t wait to come back and try other dishes! Great restaurant!

In one word..excellent!Service food ..everything.

Kouklas is the place to be!! Fresh ingredients, amazing quality food and great service! We ended up loving the shareable plates, think tapas style, and the waitress was amazing and gave us great suggestions!! You will not leave hungry or disappointed! We had a group of seven so we definitely ordered a lot of different plates and this is the first restaurant that we loved everything we tried! Definitely coming back!

It was our first time visiting and it won’t be our last! WOW! We were so impressed with everything! The food, the atmosphere and the service! We were lucky enough to have Dina wait in us because she explained the concept of the restaurant to us. She was also very patient with all of our questions. Kouklas serves shareable plates. I am happy to report that we loved everything we ordered. From the Avgolemeno soup, the chilled octopus salad, the lamb chops, the chicken souvlaki and the loukomades … it was all outstanding and very flavorful! We can’t wait to dine there again! Thank you!

This place is great! The food is really wonderful and the service is fantastic.

The food there is phenomenal!!! Everything was delicious, bone marrow, beet salad, skewers, branzino and our favorite dish is dessert, you have to try the greek yogurt. Do not pass on this, its a must! The staff there are friendly and knowledgeable.The restaurant is lively and somewhat difficult to hear the conversation at my table.

Came here for father's day and holy this place was the best the food was amazing Greek people sure love there Greek yogurt

Great place for date night.

This place is unreal. Give me that pork belly, daily. Put it on an IV. Every dish we had was incredible. I'll be trying the entire menu next time. Crown this Chef, now.

Let me first start off saying that this place is truly an amazing beautiful place for a girls night out , family time or a date night .If you’re looking for a place that has the true Greek experience, look no further .They treat you like family here .My friend and I were there for almost three hours enjoying ourselves .The food was so delicious, it was literally melting in my mouth .We will be back ! 🙂

Very good Service the food is original

Excellent service. Food is amazing. Returning customer!

Had dinner here with my cousin today and everything was outstanding! Delicious octopus, amazing fish, fresh salad, and excellent service. Thank you for making us feel so welcome and taken care of. We had a wonderful time! 😊

Great food. Great atmosphere

Great new modern Greek restaurant on Milwaukee Ave, down the road from Papagalinos. Kouklas means “doll” in Greek and the place is really popular and lively. The staff takes time to explain the menu which is best ordered family style. The cocktails were good and every dish was unique and a hit. The spreads were very generous portions and a great selection of starters. The grilled seafood (octopus & shrimp) were perfect with respect to taste, texture, temperature, preparation. Even the Greek yogurt ice cream dessert was a great finish. Would highly recommend this place for more upscale modern Greek dining with excellent service as well. The patio just opened last week and has a nice fire table outdoors too.

Nice place with good food and service. Great outdoor patio. All the dishes were excellent.

A total GEM!!!! The food oh, my!!! I took my daughter & Mother for Mother's Day & I was licking my fingers. If I was not in Public I would have licked my plate. Both my mother & Daughter was very happy with my choice to the point that my daughter had to order food for her hubby to take home so he can experience what we just ate. I have been back with a girlfriend for her 50th birthday as well and it was her 1st time being there. She was soooooooooooooo elated, the food was so amazing. I love this place. Will see you soon Kouklas.!!!!

If you’re looking for one of Chicagoland’s standout new Greek dining experiences, make a reservation at Kouklas Greek Eatery. From beautifully crafted shareable plates and live fire cooking to warm Greek hospitality, every detail is designed to bring people together. The atmosphere is lively, the flavors are vibrant and authentic, and the experience feels both elevated and welcoming a must visit destination for Greek food lovers in Niles.

Food and drinks were exceptional. So many different options it was so hard to choose. Can’t wait to go back. Service was impeccable by every single staff member.

Food was amazing service excellent atmosphere cool.

It's a little noisy but the food's terrific.

Had a fabulous experience at Kouklas. I grew up on my yia yia, pa pou’s and dad’s recipes so I’m always open to trying new Greek restaurants. We love a handful of them in the ‘burbs, and we’ll certainly add this to our regular rotation. Enough staples and unique takes to keep us coming back. And the service was absolutely exceptional - from the valet, to our server. It was our anniversary and they went above and beyond making us feel special. Absolutely recommend.

Delicious!!!

First time here and i can't wait to come back! Food was fresh and delicious! Great atmosphere and drinks were AMAZING!!!!!!Our server Scott was attentive and very friendly. Thank you!!!

Love this place

Had the best Mother’s Day celebration tonight! The octopus, baked feta, and branzino were amazing. We tried all of the desserts, and loved them all. Service was awesome. Cesar made sure our meal was perfect. Benito and Antonio made sure the vibes were great all night.

We came to Kouklas for Mother’s Day and had an amazing dinner. The food was absolutely delicious, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it truly felt like we were in Greece. Every detail made the experience feel authentic and special. Our server, John, was outstanding — attentive, friendly, and made our evening even better. Even with how busy it was, the service was excellent from start to finish. We will definitely be back and highly recommend this restaurant!!!

We had an amazing time at Kouklas! Highly recommend the whipped feta & bone marrow!

Thanks for this

Absolutely loved our first visit! Made a reservation and we were seated immediately. Our service was perfect - no empty glasses, no dirty plates. We ordered several apps and shared meals and desserts. Our favorite was the tirokafteri w/ bread, olives, octopus salad, oysters, chicken souvlaki, and macaroni. The rice pudding creme brulee and Greek honey doughnuts were amazing. It's not cheap but it is absolutely worth it.

First time being here and First time being at a Greek restaurant. Started my evening at the bar as I was early to my reservation time. Bar staff was super friendly and recommended a few drinks. Their old fashion was on point 10/10 would drink again. We had a multiple of dishes saganaki, fried calamari, Their seasoned potatoes, chicken shish kabobs, Beet salad which surprisingly 😅 very delicious. They serve the food like family style put the dishes in the middle of the table so everyone can get a taste of what is being ordered. Great concept and believe me a little taste of this and that will get you full. Everything we ordered was based on our server and hostes recommendations so don't be afraid to ask(Greek food is in my top 5 now). SHOUT OUT TO THE HOSTES NALLELY SHE MADE US FEEL VERY WELCOMED. They are very friendly and more than happy to help you out and give recommendations on dishes. It was a pretty busy Friday night so dont forget to make a reservation to reserve a table so you dont have to wait long. Valet parking is complimentary fyi.

What can I say? We worked our way through the entire menu. Saganaki. Beets. Grilled oysters. Octopus salad. Domades. Lamb chops. Bone marrow. Beef Tenderloin kabobs. Orange cake. Yogurt. Cinnamon balls. Martinis... all excellent. Panos was an amazing server (courteous, professional, attentive). WE WILL BE BACK. Portion sizes were great for sharing (there were 5 of us). I recommend you go with a group so you can try more. Lol Grilled bread was outstanding. We highly recommend Kouklas!

Kouklas has everything you’re looking for in a Greek eatery. Bustling ambiance, extensive wine list, and charming staff. The food was divine. I would recommend everything we tried: Bobota (cornbread), fried calamari, gulf shrimp, grilled octopus, and chicken skewers.Our server was generous and gifted us the Greek yogurt ice cream for dessert, which was topped with black salt and olive oil…this alone is worth coming back for.

Great to have a spot like this with great food so close to us now. This place is a much needed spot for the Far Northwest Side.

Excellent service, delicious food!

Phenomenal meal! Panos was our server and he made us feel as if we were family members visiting his home. Food was seasoned perfectly with selections to make everyone happy. A great value for a tremendous meal and experience. Make your reservation now!

The food and the drinks were excellent. The waiter was nice and I would like to go back and try other things on the menu.

Cocktails and food were delicious from the dips, to the lamb comps, and tavern salad. Dina was a great server and made our celebration even more special. Definitely impressed.

We had a reservation for 7:30pm and drove up about 7:10pm. They have a parking lot, but it is valet only. There is a neighborhood street, so if you can find parking there, I guess you can park yourself. However, I have no idea if it is permit parking, so just go with the valet. It's complimentary (you should still tip, though).Here's my issue with the valet: they haven't worked the kinks out yet. There were four or five guys working. To get the most tips (I assume they haven't decided to split tips yet), they have to get the most cars. So they take your ticket, grab your keys from the valet box, and then sprint to your car and then drive as if they're in a Formula One race to bring your car. The problem is that there is no rhyme or reason to how they bring the cars. Instead of everyone leaves one way and pulls in the opposite way, they just bring up your car and another valet may block you in with another car - which we had happen to us when we were leaving. That was annoying.We entered and gave our name and were told that a couple tables were about to vacate and we could wait at the bar. We ordered a couple drinks and looked at the menu sitting there.After about 10 minutes, we were escorted to our table. We asked if we should bring the menu and the hostess said to leave it as she would bring us menus.She did not. We sat there looking at each other for about 10 more minutes as waiters and bussers kept zipping back and forth behind us. Finally I spoke up to one of the servers who made eye contact and I asked for a couple menus. He seemed confused that we hadn't had them yet and brought us two menus.Clearly we hadn't ordered yet as that server was our waiter. We looked over the menu and finally placed our orders.We both started out with breads and spreads. I got the Skordalia and my wife ordered the Tirokafteri. I'm not a feta guy, but she said it was delicious. Mine was equally delicious, although a bit heavy on the garlic.We both ordered the avgolemeno soup. It was a thick soup, probably the best I've had yet.For our main dishes, she ordered a Greek salad with a chicken skewer on the side to get some protein. They would not add it to the salad, so it was on the side.I was torn between the chicken skewers and the half brick chicken with the Greek potatoes. The waiter suggested the brick chicken as it is one of the most ordered dishes. I went with his suggestions and he was right. It was delicious. It is served on a large plate with a half inch edge (wall) around the plate. And it has to be as all the au jus and lemon would spill everywhere unless it was served in a bowl. The chicken was off the bone and sliced, grilled, and then rested atop the au jus with three round Greek potatoes.By the time we were done, we were full and brought half our meals home. It was delicious the next day as well. They sent me home with a cup for the au jus.It's a nice place that has two dining rooms separated by a long bar in the middle.I had three issues with the place:1) It was really loud. It was hard to hear conversation at our own table.2) The hostess is not trained all that well. She just led us to our table and never came back with menus and I guess didn't mention to the servers or bussers that we needed menus. It was weird.3) The valet is poorly run. Just create a plan for cars entering and leaving the parking lot and you'll be good to go.Other than these three things, the server was great, the food was spectacular, and everyone was so friendly. The atmosphere (ambience) was electric. We're definitely coming back with more people.

Eve was fantastic with great suggestions! Beets salad amazing, calamari so good. Saganki out of this world. Greek sausage and potatoes, so good. Trout cooked perfectly. It is lively, service top notch, go back to restaurant!

Absolutely loved it! Beautifully designed space, great atmosphere, and really good food. You can tell a lot of thought went into every detail—highly recommend!

We loved it

Fantastic! Awesome breads & circus. The Bannos family pulls out all the stops on their elevated, modernized Greek menu at Koukla’s. Mouthwatering and crave-able dishes made to share were served in succession piping hot. The kitchen and waitstaff really hustle—always a Jimmy Sr. trademark of service from the Heaven on 7 days. (I was a Heaven on 7 acolyte for 45 wonderful years!)I could tell the amount of care and curation the chefs made for cocktail and wine selections. I had Orange wine by the glass, a rare find at many restaurants IMHO. It was perfect with the Greek dishes. One delightful carryover from Heaven on 7 is Jimmy’s famous cornbread, now served with a twist: topped with whipped feta and honey. I wish I grabbed a picture of that dish, but it was gobbled up by my party before I could get my camera out. Congrats to Chicago’s very own Bannos family on their wonderful new restaurant.Note for singles & duos: there is seating at the very long bar, another Bannos trademark of convivial hospitality.

This place was phenomenal. The lamb chops were my favorite because of how tender, juicy, and flavorful they were. The meat on the bones also had a really nice char!Second favorite were the chicken skewers. All the meat we had was so tender and flavorful.The appetizers were amazing too. We ordered bread with their whipped feta (i think it was whipped feta) along with greek fries and tzatziki, and everything tasted so fresh and homemade. The tzatziki was a great balance of softness and thickness.Loved the donut bites for dessert as well.

Beyond fantastic. Freshly made. Beautiful presentation. Food is top quality nothing is missed. Being a fellow Greek I felt like I was eating back with tastes of my mom's cooking. Congratulations to the Bannos family 💙🇬🇷💙🥰 You deserve all the best. Beautiful ambience. Top-notch service wine was excellent. Cannot wait to come back. God bless all of you. 🇬🇷💙🥰

Last night was my 2nd visit to Kouklas to celebrate my husband's birthday. The food is outstanding and the service matches ! I dream about the greek yogurt with olive oil and sea salt. I will definitely be coming back soon. Thank you !

Delicious 🤌

The food was delicious, the service was phenomenal, and the atmosphere was fun and vibrant.

Visited last night for the first time having been a Banos family restaurant fan for 40 years. Seeing Jimmy Sr. And his lovely wife still actively running the restaurant warmed by heart. And Jimmy Jr. makes some really good food. We ate a littleLighter but everything tasted great. Beautiful space - we will be back.

We just recently had a dinner reservation for a group of people. The food was excellent. Unfortunately, the portion sizes are very small. The waitress suggested that we order to share our plates among our group but we just ate what we ordered. Also, she said that they bring out the food as soon as it is done so other members of your party will have to wait for their order. That’s why they suggest that the meals are shared. I feel it was more like a tapas restaurant. In addition, you have to pay for valet parking. It is free but a complimentary tip is suggested. I did feel the restaurant was expensive but I did know this going in.

Incredible food and drinks, look forward to coming back!

Kouklas was a happening spot for a Tuesday night!Our server Bobby was great! Had some good recommendations & the had the food come out at a good pace.All the food was amazing! My favorite was the whipped feta with toasted bread.I would definitely recommend checking out.Can't wait to come back again soon!

Nice Greek addition to Niles, the food was fantastic. The staff was exceptional. Definitely coming back for more.

Dined here a couple of weeks ago and can’t stop thinking about the food! Our party of 6 shared a few appetizers including perfect calamari, the best pita bread and tzatziki, and some amazing whipped feta. Some of our main dishes included tender octopus, shrimp with a delicious sauce, tenderloin skewers you could cut with a fork, and a mouth watering lamb shank…all seasoned to perfection! Thankfully we said yes to the fried dough dessert, woah!! Service was fantastic too. Hats off to the owners, chefs, servers, bartenders and all those behind the scenes for bringing me to Greece!

Totally impressed with the mixture of flavors as well as this Greek fusion ideas built into each dish highly highly recommend!

Came here for dinner with one of my good friends. Food was amazing and Dina was a wonderful server. She made sure we were taken care of if we needed anything and very friendly.

The young people would call this place “dope” because every plate is traditional yet somehow new at the same time.