Mad Greek Deli

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Mad Greek Deli
Mad Greek Deli logo.jpeg
PDX, January 2025 - 21.jpg
The restaurant's exterior in 2025
Mad Greek Deli
Restaurant information
Established1977 (1977)
Previous owner(s)
  • George Athanasakis
  • Pantelis "Pondo" Kosmas
Food type Greek
Street address1740 East Burnside Street
City Portland
CountyMultnomah
State Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code97214
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°31′22″N122°38′52″W / 45.5228°N 122.6477°W / 45.5228; -122.6477
Website madgreekdeli.com

Mad Greek Deli is a Greek restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. George Athanasakis opened the original restaurant in Washington County in 1977, and the current location on East Burnside Street in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood opened as an outpost in 2012. The original location closed in 2015.

Contents

Description

The Greek restaurant Mad Greek Deli operates on East Burnside Street, in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood. [1] The restaurant has long hosted members of the Timbers Army and the interior has many Portland Timbers scarves displayed. [2] [3] Mad Greek Deli has hosted musicians. [4]

The menu includes dolmas, sandwiches, spanakopita, [5] moussaka, [6] falafel, gyros, souvlaki, [7] fried chicken, and "Greek fries", or French fries served with pieces of chicken and an "Omega" [8] sauce made of feta, mayonnaise, and Mediterranean spices. [9] [10] The Pondo Tots have feta, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. [11]

History

In 1977, George Athanasakis opened the original Mad Greek Deli on Northwest West Union Road in Washington County. The restaurant operated in a building previously known as the Bethany General Merchandise Store, and later the Valley West Grocery and Deli. [12]

Athanasakis's son, Pantelis "Pondo" Kosmas, began working at the restaurant at the age of 19. Kosmas eventually took over ownership of the business. Mad Greek Deli opened an outpost in Buckman in 2012, in the space that previously housed Foti's Greek Deli. [13] [14]

In 2015, the original restaurant closed. Kosmas died in 2016, [1] and the building that had housed the original restaurant was demolished in 2018. [15]

According to Eater Portland , Mad Greek Deli hosted an eating contest in 2014, during which a woman from Nebraska ate a 12-pound sandwich, one pound of fries, and a large soda in 54 minutes. [6] [16]

Reception

Andy Kryza included Mad Greek Deli in Thrillist 's 2013 list of Portland's five best "chicken and jojos fixes". [10] In her Food Lovers' Guide to Portland, Oregon (2014), Laurie Wolf recommended the moussaka and spanakopita. [17] In 2015, Wendy Owen of The Oregonian wrote, "In its heyday, the Mad Greek Deli in Rock Creek was the place to eat. The only restaurant in the area, on West Union and Northwest 185th Avenue, it drew everyone from farmers to Intel workers." [7]

In Eater Portland's 2022 overview of "where to find serious Greek food" in the metropolitan area, Maya MacEvoy called Mad Greek Deli a "neighborhood stalwart" that "blends the traditional ... with more free-wheeling dishes". [6] Krista Garcia and Janey Wong included the Pondo Tots in the website's 2024 overview of "where to find tasty totchos and other loaded tots" in the city. [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Russell, Michael (February 17, 2016). "Mad Greek Deli owner Pantelis 'Pondo' Kosmas dies at 49". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Where to Watch the 2019 Women's World Cup". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ Russell, Michael (April 16, 2016). "Portland's 19 best soccer bars". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ Ritt, Gayle (October 12, 2012). "Gayle Ritt & Mike Soto Perform in Portland at MAD GREEK DELI this Saturday 10/13 7-10 pm". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Cheap Eats: Mad Greek Deli". The Oregonian. June 28, 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 MacEvoy, Maya (July 29, 2022). "Where to Find Serious Greek Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Owen, Wendy (January 7, 2015). "Mad Greek Deli in Rock Creek to close: Demolition and new development to come". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ "We Tried All the Hot-Plate Chicken and Jojos We Could Find in Portland. Here are the Best". Willamette Week. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Prum, Bianca (October 5, 2017). "Mad Greek Deli". Thrillist. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Kryza, Andy (August 8, 2013). "Portland's 5 best chicken & jojos fixes". Thrillist. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Garcia, Krista (February 16, 2022). "Where to Find Tasty Totchos and Other Loaded Tots in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ Nelson, Donald R. (2018). Around Bethany. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4671-2868-1.
  13. ↑ Sorenson, Saundra (January 1, 2014). "Mad Greek Deli prepares to close". BeavertonValleyTimes.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  14. ↑ Hallett, Alison. "Foti's Greek Deli to Close". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  15. ↑ Pitz, Ray (November 15, 2018). "Iconic Mad Greek Deli in Rock Creek comes down Friday afternoon". BeavertonValleyTimes.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  16. ↑ "One Man's Quest to Chomp Through 39 Pounds' Worth of Portland Food Challenges". Willamette Week. April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  17. ↑ Wolf, Laurie (January 14, 2014). Food Lovers' Guide to® Portland, Oregon: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-4930-0670-0. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
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