Avli Restaurant

The worst Greek food I have EVER had! My mousaka was definitely NOT fresh, and the sayanaki was mostly burnt flakes, cold greasy! You could tell it was something that was not fresh at all.
I was told by Ava that this problem will be handled appropriately. She did NOTHING. She just lied about everything. And the manager is pushy, arrogant and rude.
The worst avgolemono! Even the can brand tastes better than this ****! Greeks live for this soup!! Was this straight out of a generic can?? No wonder why my friends said, "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GO THERE?! THE PLACE IS KNOWN FOR TERRIBLE FOOD!"
I guess good friends know best!! Avoid this place at ALL COST!!

My first visit and now last. One piece of bread per person. Had to ask for more. Lemon soup was ok. Saganaki portion was small and very, very salty!
Asked for recommendations. Ordered the chicken skewers, Mistake! Dried out, no Greek taste, just tons of paprika! I ate 2 pieces and called it quits. Restaurant manager came over and offered nothing!
Took 30 minutes to get the check!
If you want a great Greek meal in the suburbs, go to Psisteria in Skokie!

Friendly staff and a nice looking restaurant, so why is it empty? Perhaps because the food just isn’t that good. Had salmon which came wrapped in paper that was rather bland, sitting on top of a bunch of mushy, unidentifiable vegetables. We started with hummus and eggplant and a couple of other appetizers, none of which were special. The pita was damp, as if it had been sitting in a steamer. We shared three desserts, which were again far more attractive than tasty.

Located inside the Laundry building so it was a little confusing to find. The area is super cute and would love to revisit the patio when the weather is nicer.

Surprising full restaurant for lunch on a Sunday but was still able get seated right away. Service was good but food wasn't that great, especially for vegetarians. We tried a couple small plates: the flatbread, saganaki and spanakopita. They also started us off with some bread and butter. Everyone raved about the saganaki but we found it a little too salty to be enjoyable. Ended with the small bites dessert, which was perfect. Overall, the food is only ok - wish they would have more vegetarian options.

We had a moment of struggle to find the entrance since the directions brought us to a large brick building (former commercial laundry building). This building contains several businesses within, and if you enter the glass door on the east side (basically across Starbucks), just weave through the halls and you'll find Avli in the back on the west side of the building. You can also enter more directly from the West side if you want.

The service/speed of receiving our order was amazing. We also got there before everyone else, so I imagine we were the first table prepared.

Complimentary bread and butter, a chunky-ish but good hummus, pungent garlic tsaziki sauce, even amazing iced tea. I honestly can't complain about anything. Everything was really good! I left stuffed and happy.

This place feels like in an artistic beautiful environment. From cutlery to dining, from heating floor to mouth watering food, this restaurant would never leave me to amaze every time I visit.

The boy, Juan helped us to select best options from their vast Greek menu. Amazing place to spend beautiful time with beautiful people.

We recently hosted my daughter's baptism on the patio at Avli in Winnetka. We worked with Alex- he was great! We had 32 people - four tables of eight people. We were able to pick food for the apps/first course and then we had guests pick their main course. We brought in our own dessert- which is pretty standard for Greek baptisms (family enjoys baking traditional items). I was VERY impressed with how kind the staff was when I dropped off items the day prior. They also went out of their way to set-up the patio with the decor I brought. I drew them a picture of how I wanted the space to be & it was beautiful. The food was delicious & staff was very kind. I highly recommend hosting an event at the restaurant.

Visiting Avli April 2023, we found much disappointment. The food has really gone down hill over the past two years. I ordered their gyros plate for the first time thinking Greek restaurant it should be great! It was dry and tasteless. There was only one tomato slice and a few slivers of red onion. My wife ordered her usual skewered chicken, and it was over cooked and hardened on the skewers and the rice was overcooked and bland. The best dish ordered was the pasta with shrimp 🍤.
They serve cold bread and butter packs like a diner. We had to ask for olive oil, which is their own brand. We then had to ask for Parmesan cheese and pepper.
After dinning here many times, it has become a disappointment to say the least.
Prior review below.
The second time visiting Avli turned out much better than the first back in 2019. Sitting out in the courtyard allowed us to be more comfortable with Covid and all. The service was much improved from the prior time, as our waiter was personable and attentive but not over bearing. Even the busboys seemed to be better trained.
We started with a drink and dolmaldes while waiting for our guests. These dolmaldes were the best I’ve ever had. The plates was dressed with a slightly sweet amber sauce that contrasted the lemon tartness of the grape leaves, while the rice meat mixture was delicious. The menu has its basic Greek menu items and then the not so basic to chose from. I actually had the lamb chops with their Greek rice. The chops were ordered medium rare and very thin medium well came out. I didn’t send them back because they were well seasoned and tasty. Even the broccoli was well seasoned and grilled with just right amount for the grill browning and flavor. My mother-in-law is vegan, and there are plenty of items on the menu for her to order. The only desserts ordered were ice cream and the cheese cake. The cheese cake was ok but not great.
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