Opa! Still Going Strong

Nov. 30, 2014

When Opa! debuted in June 2007, Paul and Brigette Barbas were confident that their unique mix of Greek and Polish heritage would translate into a successful restaurant.

Seven years later, their hunch was proven right, with a few modifications along the way.

"We started with just Polish and Greek, but our customers wanted more than that," says Paul. "We expanded the selections."

That includes offering beer, wine and mixed drinks. And they’re still making adjustments.

"The minute I put the chalkboard up with the new wine selections, the sales increased," says Barbas.

THE SCENE

Opa! opens in the morning for breakfast, then rolls out an entirely new menu for lunch, but the big changeover takes place for dinner.

"At four o’clock the fluorescents go off, which gives it a much softer feel," says Barbas. "You can spend $10 or $25."

Add the bar, which includes wine served through a cruvinet system that keeps it fresher for longer, and you’ve got a complete dining experience.

THE MENU

The selections can be grouped into four general categories: Greek, Polish, Coney Dogs and breakfast, when you can find everything from pumpkin pancakes to omelets.

Barbas believes you can judge a restaurant by its appetizers. He offers a number of them: pita wedges with roasted garlic, Kasseri cheese and marinara; falafel; spanakopita; a hummus sampler; stuffed grape leaves; and Greek Kisses, flash-fried wontons stuffed with feta, ricotta and cream cheese.

Pita sandwiches include gyro meat, chicken tenders, mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes with sweet red peppers, grilled eggplant, and over a dozen additional choices.

Coneys include Detroit-style (topped with chili, mustard and diced white onions), Flint-style (minced meat, mustard and onions), kielbasa, loose Coney and more. Burgers and a quartet of other sandwiches round out the hand-helds.

Entrées focus on ethnic specialties. Greek dinners are chicken phyllo, Souvlaki platter (marinated pork with bell peppers and onions), pasticcio (pasta with seasoned ground meat and a béchamel sauce) and Moussaka.

Polish specialties include golabki (Polish sirloin-stuffed cabbage), pierogi and cabbage, and a platter containing both of these, as well as Polish sausage.

THE BEST

The theme of the restaurant assures the top sellers. Barbas says the most popular dishes are the gyros, Coneys and Greek salads. "Those things keep the lights on for us," he says.

The Greek salad includes greens with cucumber, onion, beets, olives, garbanzos and peperoncinis, all topped with feta cheese and the house Opa! dressing.

Among the pitas, the gyros may be the most popular, but the vegetarian options are also enticing: the Mediterranean includes falafel and hummus; the European has grilled mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers; and the Pesto Perfect Pita features basil pesto, roasted peppers, tomatoes and melted Kasseri cheese.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Barbas says the extensive restaurant kitchen gives him the freedom to do things at Opa! and for his auxiliary business, Uptown Catering, that go beyond even the menu options at the eatery.

"We can create just about anything," he says. "We can sauté, braise, bake."

He also sees Opa!’s out-of-the-way location in the court leading to Younker’s in the Cherryland Center as advantageous.

"The reason people like coming to Opa! is that it’s a hidden little gem that not everybody knows about."

And if they don’t know of it, he’s confident that they’ve heard good things. "If you ask people on the street about Opa!, they’ll either say, "˜I haven’t been there, but I’ve heard it’s good’, or "˜It’s great, you’ve gotta go there.’"

THE SKINNY

Appetizers start at $7, as do salads. Sandwiches and gyros start at $7, while Coney Dogs start at $3.09. Polish dinners start at $15 and Greek dinners start at $16. Breakfasts start at $3.39.

Opa! is open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 9pm, and from 8am to 3pm on Sundays. It’s located at 1752 S. Garfield Road in the Cherryland Center. For more information, call 231-947-6721 or visit www.OpaGrill.com or the Opa! Facebook page.