This little Greek and Armenian restaurant contains selections from both cuisines, though probably mostly Armenian: while there's no spanakopita, moussaka, pastitsio, or other signature Greek dishes, there are numerous kebabs.
The City of Glendale probably has more Armenians than any city outside of Armenia -- somewhere in the vicinity of 65,000 or more. During my numerous visits, I've seen that approximately half of the dinner business is take-out, mostly by locals.
Dishes are available to suit most tastes, including a number of vegetarian selections, including stuffed eggplant, stuffed grape leaves (ask for the vegetarian option), falafel, tabouli, lentil soup, hummus, moutabal (eggplant dip), and the various salads. For carnivores like me, the chicken, lamb, and beef are superb. I have not yet tried the salmon or quail.
Service by owners Onik and Virginia (and their staff) is friendly, and the piped in music consists almost exclusively of Greek male vocalists. There is a single unisex rest room located off a backyard patio. Elena's does not have a beer, wine, or liquor license. Free delivery is available within three miles of the restaurant.
Overall Rating
8 out of 8 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
No
Yes
I recently learned a long-lost cousin was living only an hour away. One problem: last I knew him, he was vegetarian. Luckily, he came to his senses and started eating animals again. Meaning we could have dinner. I suggested Elena’s, a phenomenal little Greek-Armenian place. He said he didn’t like Greek. But Elena’s isn’t ordinary Greek. So whether he wanted it or not, we were off.
Elena’s is in a residential section of Glendale, second only to Dearborn, Michigan, in the number of Armenian-Americans. The exterior is lined with Christmas lights, even in July, and draped with a clear plastic tarp. Despite the spare decor, and just a dozen tables inside, they manage to prepare Los Angeles’ premier Middle Eastern food.
Regardless of your entree, you’re given a choice of soup or salad. Go for the soup, which is always lentil, and always delicious: lemony and refreshing, full of hearty lentils. Drop in some fresh feta to maximize the experience.
Top appetizers include stuffed grape leaves, hot and delicious, 12 to an order, stuffed with either ground lamb or rice. Amazingly, the veggie version wins. The dill-laced cigars are buttery and sweet as candy, served with yogurt sauce. Falafel with hummus is another gem. Unlike the typical chickpea rocks you’ll find, these falafel are fist-sized, golden crusted, moist and pillowy within.
I probably sound like a vegetarian convert, so I’ll get to the good stuff: luscious plates of cow, pig, bird and sheep. All meats are infused with a delicious, and mysterious, red marinade, then cooked over wood-laced coals for a smoky flavor. The gyros, a blend of spit-roasted lamb and beef, are wonderful, especially great on a pita sandwich, with tzatziki sauce and diced cucumber. Quail come two to an order and taste much better, and cost much less, than any I’ve eaten at fancy restaurants. The pork chops were tender, lean, and infused with the same gift of spice as the quail. Lamb and chicken kebabs, lamb chops, and the casing-free ground beef sausages, lulu kebab, also benefit from Elena’s signature spice infusion. The lamb kebab was so tender and flavorful that my friend Krystal dubbed it “wonder meat.”
For dessert, there’s good, cinnamon-topped rice pudding and a soft rhombus of baklava. But all I can normally handle is Armenian coffee, which is phenomenal, naturally rich and sweet. But this coffee is hardly “good to the last drop.” By the time you hit the pit of the espresso cup, you’ll find a delta’s worth of sooty coffee grounds.
Granted, dragging my cousin along to a restaurant he had no interest in probably wasn’t the best way to keep him from regaining long-lost status. But since that restaurant was Elena’s, I knew I had nothing to worry about. And judging by his reaction, looks like we won’t have to wait another four years to eat together again.
Please note: Closed Sundays
Overall Rating
0 out of 0 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
No
Yes
