Time to venture up north to the place I used to go to almost every day for 4 years: college. I studied in Ateneo from 2007 to 2011 and though we had different food choices along Katipunan back then, the volume of restaurants and dining places has significantly increased! With the opening of UP Town Center, even more restaurants, new ones at that, have sprouted in Katipunan. Living in the south of Manila, it’s quite difficult for me to venture to Quezon City just to eat. Though I do have an eat-list for Katipunan, it’s very challenging to cross items off. Thank goodness I had a get-together with my college barkada a few months back and was able to try one of the new restaurants: Kos Greek Ouzeri. I love Greek Food and am always on a lookout for new places to eat. With several Greek restaurants popping up around the metro, could Kos be my new go-to Greek restaurant?

We went here on a weekday night, at around 730pm, and thankfully there weren’t that many people. It was a good place for a get-together since the area was spacious and not cramped, lighting was good and bright, and temperature inside was cool. The serving sizes are good for sharing also, which makes it a good restaurant to eat at. Service was good that day, probably because they were only serving two tables. Nevertheless, they kept refilling our glasses of water: much needed for our catching up.

Looking at the menu, there were a lot of things we wanted to order. Unfortunately, most of our first choices weren’t available that day. It was quite disappointing having chosen around 3 dishes but being told that they’re not available but perhaps there was an inventory problem? Nevertheless, we still decided to eat here.

You read that right: Free Unlimited Bread. We weren’t supposed to order a dip but when the waitress recommended that we order one since they provide unlimited bread for free, we decided to order one dip. The bread was warm, crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, just the way I like it. This place is definitely good for get-togethers. You can stay long and have unlimited bread!

The feta cheese dip was tasty and creamy, but not spicy as expected. Serving size was enough for appetizer for a group of 5 with the unlimited bread. Price was reasonable for the taste and the ambiance. It wasn’t OMG I HAVE TO ORDER THIS AGAIN level but it was a good enough start to our meal. Simple and good but nothing new.

The salad was loaded with mixed greens and had quite a generous amount of toppings: cheese, nuts, figs, fruits. This could feed 2 hungry people, as main dishes, but it was also enough to satisfy the healthy requirement of the meal for the 5 of us. The salad is guilt-free as it is drizzled with vinaigrette and topped with ingredients that are very good for you. The price was very reasonable for a salad ordered in the restaurant, especially with all of the ingredients in it. All in all, this was a good salad that I’ll order again next time. I might even come back for the salad alone, if I’m in the nearby areas.

The pork souvlaki serving was quite generous, though I’m still not sure about the 350 peso price point. The meat was tender though a bit bland. I needed to add the sauces to make it more flavorful. The vegetables on the skewer were cooked well though and were a good complement to the pork. Not a bad dish. Though I think I still prefer swordfish souvlaki.

We initially wanted to order the moussaka but it was out of stock. We ended up ordering the Pastitsio which seems to be very similar except instead of eggplant, pasta is used. This dish was actually quite good. The pasta itself had a bit of sauce already but you definitely needed to put some more meat and bechamel sauce on it to truly appreciate it. The dish was creamy and meaty and it was more filling than we expected. Try this! I’m still curious about the moussaka though so I’ll probably try that next time.

The gyro was just okay, not bad but nothing spectacular either. In all fairness, the serving size was pretty good, especially for what you pay for and the gyro was filled with enough chicken. Just like the souvlaki, it was a bit underseasoned so you’d have to add salt and pepper and the sauce. It’s a filling meal that you can order when dining in by yourself.

All in all, I would eat here again. There are so many other dips I want to try and a lot of other dishes to explore. It’s a great addition to the Katipunan restaurant scene, though probably more for families as the prices aren’t too student-friendly. I would definitely recommend this for family get-togethers so you can try a lot of the items on the menu. It’s a nice place to talk and catch up and is quite spacious for big groups. Their food isn’t the best in Manila but it’s one of the better Greek restaurants, which is still quite a challenge to find, especially in the Katipunan area. I’ll definitely be coming back here but will also still be looking for other Greek restaurants. Try it!

Kos Greek Ouzeri
2nd Floor UP Town Center, Katipunan, Quezon City