In the Willow Glen part of San Jose you will find anything from specialty boutiques and coffee shops  to good eats that will sure to please. One such place is Opa!. This tiny Greek restaurant holds about 30 but the food and the charming staff will be sure to leave you with a feeling of happiness all around.

We started the meal with the Dip Sampler. This came with 3 different dips (Tzatziki, taramosalata and melitzanosalata) accompanied with warm pita bread. There was a special fiery feta dip that was recommended in which we were able to sample along with our chosen 3. Each dip had it’s unique flavor.  I liked the firey feta and the Tzatziki yogurt the best. Each was light enough to not fill up our stomachs before the meal but the creamy texture and the lovely flavors kept our mouths moving until we devoured it all.

For my entree I chose the Beef Souvlaki Pita. There is an option for just the Beef Souvlaki which comes on skewers. You get a choice of Opa! Fries or Rice Pilaf to accompany the dish. I had Opa! Fries. The marinated beef chucks were very tender and juicy. It was like eating a wonderful seasoned steak in warm pita bread. There was a layer of cucumber yogurt (Tzatziki) on the bottom which contrasted the flavor of the meat with cool cucumber and a hint of tartness from the yogurt in the sauce. The Opa! Fries were also a delight as they were well seasoned and not overly fried. There was feta cheese crumbled over the fries which gave it a nice touch. It was a wonderful palette of flavors.

I ended my meal with a Greek Coffee which is served like an espresso. There was a hint of sugar added to the coffee which gave it a nice finish. At the bottom of the cup was a thick slurry of coffee grounds.  I was told that people turn their cups upside down and let the remaining contents drip out.  Your fortune can be read from the patterns produced by the coffee grounds.   Unfortunately, our waitress wasn’t a fortune teller but she did give us a good cultural lesson.

Expect to pay between $4.00 - $7.00 for appetizers and $9.00 - $14.00 for entrees. They take reservations if you have more than 7 people in your party. The place is a bit small and usually has a crowd outside waiting to get in. There is plenty of  street parking in the area. If this sound like a place you might want to check out, here is the info:

Opa! Authentic Greek Cuisine
1384 Lincoln Ave.
San Jose, CA. 95125
(408) 998-8704
http://www.opawillowglen.com

Brian Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants