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Salt Lake City boasts quite a variety of fine ethnic dining options. Whether you're in the mood for Thai, Chinese, Italian, Indian or even Brazilian cuisine, it's likely you'll have more than one restaurant to choose from.
Greek food is another popular choice. I recently visited a long-time pillar of the Greek restaurant community - the Greek Market & Deli, located in South Salt Lake at 3205 S. State St. The business has been going strong for more than 18 year now.
Anthony Limantzakis tells me his father, Mike Limantzakis, started the business after immigrating to the United States from Greece. It was originally just a market that imported Greek goods, including olives, oil and cheese. Later, Mike expanded it to include a restaurant with authentic Greek cuisine. He also added a banquet hall called the Parthenon Room with seating for up to 300 people.
The Greek Market & Deli has steadily grown over the years, and many customers are regulars who come in several times a week. It's still very much family owned and operated, so members of the Limantzakis family are in the store every day. This has allowed them to become personally acquainted with many of their customers.
Anthony tells me the family has kept the deli menu simple and the cuisine as authentic as possible. Some of their most popular dishes include the Mezedakia and the Greek Salad. Customers especially like the pastries, such as Baklava, which are made fresh daily. Outside catering, including take-out lunches, is another important aspect of the business.
Mike didn't anticipate the success and growth his small Greek market would experience when he first opened it. However, it has become well-established as a fine Greek dining experience. Anthony says the Greek Market & Deli continues to be distinguished by its family atmosphere and personalized service.
