Delicious

A guide to dining & drinking in our neighborhood

IT’S GREEK TO ME

FOR JOANNA TATAKIS, GROWING UP GREEK resembled the hit film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. She saw the movie with her family when it released in theaters. “I leaned over and said, ‘Are you sure they didn’t have a camera inside our house?’” Tatakis owns the small BYOB Greek Café & Bakery in the Bishop Arts District where she treats all her customers like family. She and her father cook up all kinds of staples from scratch, including gyros, Greek village salad (sans the lettuce), pasticcio (Greek lasagna) and dolmas. She also has teamed with the folks at CocoAndré to offer chocolate-dipped baklava. Tatakis plans to add more vegan and vegetarian items to the menu. All recipes come straight from the source — Joanna’s father, who emigrated to the United States from Lavrio, about 28 miles outside Athens. “He came here without a dollar in his pocket,” Tatakis says. “My dad is an actual self-made man. He taught me everything I know.” She doesn’t claim to be a professional chef. “I just know how to do what I do well enough that people like it. I never thought I wanted to be in the restaurant business. I realized I love it. It’s really where science and creativity meet.” Tatakis also loves the people, her regulars. Like the couples who come in on first dates. “A year and a half later, they come in and tell me they’re engaged.”

—EMILY TOMAN

GREEK CAFÉ & BAKERY

DAVIS & BISHOP

214.943.1887

GREEKCAFEBAKERY.COM

Pictured: Baklava, hummus, owner Joanna Tatakis

1 NOVA

It’s no surprise former Kavala executive chef Kelly Hightower’s latest spot has some delicious Mediterranean dishes like the roasted garlic hummus and Greek pizza topped with spinach, feta, olives, peppers and extra virgin olive oil. DAVIS & WINDOMERE

214.484.7123

NOVADALLAS.COM

2 OAK CLIFF PIZZA

This neighborhood pizzeria offers Greek salad and an eggplant pizza if you’ve got Greek on the brain.

DAVIS & EDGEFIELD

214.941.8080

OAKCLIFFPIZZA.COM

3 SAMAR

OK, so this place isn’t in Oak Cliff, but it’s worth the trip across the river for upscale, eastern Mediterranean dishes from chef Stephan Pyles.

ROSS & OLIVE

214.922.9922

SAMARRESTAURANT.COM

PIZZA LOUNGE $$ OD FB Voted Dallas best

by modest mussorgsky