This blog was started in part to review the places I have eaten at. I won’t pretend I’m a professional food reviewer or anything of the sort. I just like good food and talking about it.
As this is my first post about the topic, I would like to set some ground rules:
- The focus will be on my experience, the food, and the service.
- There may be pictures, they may not be good pictures, and I may also forget to take them.
- No ratings, make your own decisions.
- The reviews will be short and to the point.
- I may include prices, but probably not, and only if it matters to my opinion.
- This is for fun, I’m not trying to be the next Anthony Bourdain, so the language may be very informal.
- English is not my first language, so I may commit grammatical murder.
- I make jokes when I write, they may not be very good.
All right, let’s begin.
About the place
Salonika is a small place located in the Parkway Green Strip in Bogotá. It’s a bit small, with outdoor and indoor tables, and a Santorini inspired color pallete. Very pleasing to the eyes.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I saw a couple of people with pets, and the staff went above and beyond to find a table outside by asking other patrons if they were willing to sit inside. Due to this I got to sit next to a very cute and well-behaved labrador named Tommy.
The tables are a bit small and the chairs are a bit uncomfortable for a tall and skinny person like me, which I’m ok with, the faster patrons get out the faster more people can get in.
It is a bit cramped, but in my experience this is because the restaurant is good enough to warrant having more tables to serve more people.
All in all, it’s good enough for a quick sit, eat and go of about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
What about the food?
I ordered a Lukaniko “sandwich”. It was more like a Gyro, but it was filled with Chorizo, sliced tomatoes, Hellenic Fries (french fries with some herbs), Dzadziki (a dip made with yogurt), and Mustard:
The taste was pretty good, the flavors were not too strong for my pallet but still tasty. The chorizo I think is made “in house” and the taste reminded me of Chorizos santarrosanos from Santa Rosa de Cabal. The flavor of the chorizos commanded the attention, with notable but not overpowering notes of garlic from the dzadziki, and a complete absence from the mustard, it may have been killed in the lobby with the candelabra.
The restaurant did not have any greek beverages, so I ended up ordering sparkling water with some lemon juice. My choice when no signature drinks are available.
My companion ordered a meat plate called Souvlakia, that included 3 brochettes: one with chicken and bacon, another with beef, and the last one with the same chorizo that my “sandwich” had. Accompanied by Hellenic fries, 4 slices of pita bread, salad, and dzadziki:
I tried a bit of it, and it was ok. The seasoning of the meats was not too strong, the pita bread was unassuming, and the dzadziki was a nice complement. The fries were a bit too much in my opinion, as each brochette weighed around 125 grams, more pita would have been preferable.
To finish we ordered a dessert called Kormos. It’s made with a mix of (what I assume to be) graham crackers soaked in sweet milk, vanilla ice cream and chocolate. The texture was very similar to that of good frozen ice cream with some nice soft ice cream marbling. It was hard, but I was able to take pieces of it with a spoon.
I quite liked this dessert. A nice ending to a pretty good meal.
What do I think?
It was good, not mind-blowing, but good. The portion size was ok for me, but it may be too much food for some. I think the prices are in line with the experience and the taste.
The staff was excellent, and just for that I would recommend it.
If you want a place for a quick-ish bite, this is a good option. It gets full fast, so try to get there early.
That’s all, see you next time.