Jimmy the Greek's - Maine Mall, South Portland, Maine

Review – Jimmy the Greek’s

Review by Don Taylor

I had the opportunity to go to Jimmy the Greek’s for a birthday celebration. It was a very dear friend of ours mother’s 83 birthday and a medium sized group of us met to celebrate with a Lunch at Jimmy the Greek’s.

Logo of Jimmy the Greek's (From Facebook)

The entire party would number 15 individuals and we arrived as probably eighth and ninth in the group. We mentioned which group we were a part of and were directed to a large room with seating for about 24 or so. There were water pitchers on the table and glasses for everyone. There were also small plates and silverware wrapped in napkins on the table. We helped ourselves to water and began chatting with the other guests. My wife knew all of them but hadn’t seen several of them in many years. Our waitress person did wander through and refill the water pitchers and asked if anyone wanted anything from the bar.

I was very pleased to learn that we could order anything from the menu. I succumbed to the advertising hype, “From its origins in California food trucks, Street Tacos are the Rage!” and ordered the “Street Tacos.” They sounded very good, three grilled flour tortillas with kimchi, lettuce, pineapple salsa and a chipotle lime drizzle. Served with tortilla chips. There were five choices, Pulled Pork, Blackened Chicken (spicy hot), Blue Moon Haddock, Shrimp (add $2.00), and fried Avocado. I picked the haddock.

Smothered Steak Tips (Teriyaki)
Jimmy the Greek's - South Portland, ME

My wife ordered the “Smothered Steak Tips” which promised to be “a generous portion of steak tips smothered with peppers, onions & mushrooms and finished with honey bourbon or teriyaki glaze.” My wife went for the teriyaki and for sides she ordered a Caesar salad and garlic mashed potatoes. I thought that sounded good and ordered a Caesar salad side also. My wife also ordered a glass of the house red wine.

Her wine arrived in a reasonable amount of time. So did the salads, which were very nice size and taste for a “side salad.”

It didn’t seem that the server had any assistance bringing food to the large table, so food arrived one couple at a time. It didn’t take too long for everyone to have their food, but luckily some of the other people said to eat and not wait until everyone was served.

"Street Tacos" - Blue Moon Haddock
Jimmy the Greek's - South Portland, ME

My tacos looked awesome. Almost too much fish. The “kimchi” wasn’t like any that I have had before but it was still quite good. Shredded very thin, almost the consistency of sauerkraut. The chipotle lime drizzle was extremely good. It was hard to get the monster into my mouth (they were much larger than they look in the photograph), but I was able to do so. It was very good. Tasty. The pineapple salsa and lettuce were on the bottom, which was a good thing. The chips were kind of plain and not a reason for coming.

My wife’s steak tips were very good; they arrived medium rare as ordered. The teriyaki sauce was good, but the peppers and onions were a bit overcooked. The garlic mashed were a good complement to the teriyaki, as anticipated, and were acceptable.

I didn’t notice any desserts on the menu; maybe they have a separate one. Of course, we weren’t interested in any dessert because we had birthday cake brought in celebration of “Mom’s” birthday. The server did make sure we had plenty of plates and silverware to support the cake.

Chalkboard at Jimmy the Greek's, South Portland.

I was tired of sitting, so I wandered around a bit. The most obvious thing to notice is they have many beers on tap. I asked the bartender who indicated they have 53 items on tap. I also noticed many bottled beers as well. It looks good. According to their website, they have some “150 beers from around the world.” They have a chalkboard that shows their various specials throughout the week. One thing I haven’t seen anywhere before is Thursday night is their Martinis and Manicures. I’ve seen martini nights before, but I just might have to swing by some Thursday for a free manicure. It might be fun.

• Ambiance: 3 (Seating was typical for a pub.)
• Food: 4 (Every item was fine; nothing stood out as exquisite.) 
• Service:3 (Server was adequate, but it was a party of 15.)
• Price: 4 (Lunch was about $15 each, not including drinks)
• Value: 4 (Better than average for pub food.) 

The food was good, service okay, and the value better than average. I will definitely add Jimmy the Greek’s to my places to eat near the Maine Mall.  By the way, happy birthday to "Mom B." We had a great time.

Location

We visited the Main Mall location, which is at 150 Philbrook Ave, South Portland, ME 04106
There is another location in Old Orchard Beach that is about the same distance from our house.