Try Authentic Greek Food at Springfield’s Greek Belly

Nothing makes me feel more luxurious than when I enjoy a leisurely lunch away from the office. There’s just something about getting out of my usual weekday lunchtime routine (leftovers on a good day or PB&J when I’ve yet to visit the grocery) that hits the spot. Perhaps my bar is a little low, but finding joy in the little things has served me well.

Like many 417-landers, when I heard a new Greek restaurant was coming to downtown Springfield, I began counting down the days. It was a painful wait as Greek Belly’s opening day inched from this past October to this spring to July. Luckily, I had my first taste before the restaurant opened at Taste of SoMo this June. I’m not a meat-and-potatoes kind of woman usually, but I couldn’t resist trying the souvlaki stick (they offer a veggie option at the restaurant). Although I was intending to share, I promptly inhaled the juicy pork. My excitement to dig into the full menu only grew. So, less than a week after Greek Belly’s opening, I rounded up my department for a team lunch.

When we arrived, lunch rush was in full swing, but despite the bustle, I could feel myself start to revel in this mini-holiday of sorts. The restaurant is casual with tons of Greek flair, including bright white walls, blue accents and background music. I felt like we could have been on the set of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. After we placed our orders at the counter, we settled at a table near the front. Before too long, owner John Tsahiridis, who grew up in Greece, dropped off our meals.

Tsahiridis wanted to bring authentic Mediterranean food to Springfield, and, through Greek Belly, he has. The menu includes familiar classics such as gyros made the traditional way with pork or chicken, falafel, hummus and spanakopita as well as more unfamiliar dishes such as loukaniko, an orange-spiced pork sausage, and tirokafteri, a spicy feta dip. The grilled items—made from fresh, never frozen meats—are served as small plates, sandwiches or platters, and the menu also includes salads and desserts. What isn’t made in-house is sourced from authentic vendors.

Not every menu item was available when we went, but most of what we tried was delicious. Along with a few others, I ordered a gyro that was served with tzatziki, tomato, onion and fries all wrapped in a fluffy pita. As someone who is used to the Americanized version of the dish featuring lamb, it didn’t satisfy my hankering quite like I hoped. If you’re wanting the flavor profile of a Chicago-style gyro, try the Beefteki, a cheese stuffed beef patty served with a veggie-mayo dip. I especially liked the loukaniko, which had heavy notes of clove balanced out by the citrus, and the melitzanosalata, a roasted eggplant dip with just the right amount of parsley to brighten the flavor. We all shared the patata tiri, and I discovered these deep golden brown hand-cut fries topped with fresh feta were more to my liking as a side dish than in my wrap. Wanting to extend the afternoon outing a little more, I ordered the saragli at the end of our meal. The two small rolls of baklava were flaky, cinnamon-y, perfectly sweet and gone in no time.