Costas Restaurant Reviews

Good spices in the moussaka, well prepared, and the large portion was so big I had to save half for another meal. Service was s-l-o-w. I think only one server was working that night -- but it was also not very full on the particular night I was there.

I'm not big on Greek food, but I stopped in because the menu looked interesting: it had all the usual Greek dishes but mixed in a few other items. I was greeted at the door, taken to my choice of table, and offered water, something to drink, and time to look over the menu. I was in the mood for something light so I chose their Malibu chicken with vegetable beef soup to start. The soup was tasty without being too salty and included a couple saltines alongside. The Malibu chicken came with rice and veggies. They were all very well balanced with great flavor. There was just enough cheese, bacon, and honey mustard on it. Overall, a great restaurant. I'll be coming back to sample the rest of their menu on this trip.

We had two different appatizers and shared a the Greek pasta...IT was really good! Not bad as we left stuffed and it only cost around $45. Don't go in a hurry. Sit and enjoy.

We usually go to the Greek place 2 doors down but our friends met at Costas. The lamb souvalki was tough and tasteless. The moussaka was leathery and bland and seemed like it was old and thrown in the microwave to reheat. The food took a long time to come.

I used to come here 30 years ago when I lived in the neighborhood, so I thought I would try it out again. I was here with my 19 year old daughter to attend the commencement exercises at the UW for a friend of my daughter and former student of mine. There were about 10 people ahead of us waiting to be seated (a party of four and a party of six). While they were seating the party of six, a man walked up and began talking with the girl at the register. This man and the women he was with were seated within two minutes. This kind of pissed me off, but some people are too important to wait in line. We were seated after waiting about 20 minutes. Our waitress came and took our order. Another girl brought us water, and the waitress brought me my coffee. The coffee was very good. We waited about another 20-30 minutes for our food to arrive, but water and coffee refills were abundant during the wait. I ordered "The Works" omelet which was made with almost every kind of meat they offered on the menu. The omelet was very good and filling. The rye toast and hash browns were good as well. My daughter enjoyed her "Seattle" omelet as well. It seemed that the many different "Eggs Benedict" offerings here were very popular as I was watching food roll out of the kitchen.Getting the check and paying for the meal was very quick and painless. About $30 for the two of us to eat breakfast. While my latest experience here was a bit slow, I was not in a hurry, and the food was worth waiting for.

Ate here with my adult family recently. We were all pleased with our choices and the menu. It was lunch time, we were in a hurry to make an appointment across the city and the waitress assured us that we would have no problem being served quickly. She was very helpful with just the right amount of attentiveness and the food did come quickly. My often hard-to-please brother had one of the hamburger choices and was very happy with it. The meat was fresh and flavorful. My honey chose the BLAT, my sister and I had the lentil soup and salad. Good flavor and fresh salad fixings. The french fries were not greasy and came in big portions with the sandwich and hamburger. Enough to share all around! Our waitress was helpful, friendly and got us out of there on time without any fuss on her part. We all enjoyed the green, green feeling of the live plants everywhere and the lovely old wood.

This place is pleasant because they don't play loud music (yeah!) and the high ceilings absorb much of the noise of clients and the kitchen. The wood and plants add a nice natural environment. One gets so tired of the corporate look of restaurants! The food is tasty. We like the hummus plate and the lentil soup. I can't evaluate the meat dishes. The waiters and waitress are exceptionally polite---not egotistical and breezy as so many waiters are today. We will return to this restaurant!

With the closing of the Continental, Costa's is the last of the old-school restaurants on University Way. Patterned rug, large windows, plants, no hurrying and a large menu (salads, Greek, some Italian, burgers) add up to relaxed comfort for a variety of tastes. I've never strayed from the Greek food which is reliably good, with all of the standards available: avgolemeno, moussaka, dolmathes, etc. Others enjoy the big breakfasts and the hearty sandwiches. No nouvelle cuisine, no hipster vibe, nothing flashy--just a place to come back to again and again for good food in a easy-going atmosphere.

We stopped in for breakfast, which was delicious. The server said we could order anything on the menu any time of day so we opted for flaming saganaki at 10AM. It was the best I've had in the states, the real deal! I followed it with a breakfast dish but kind of wanted to order a greek dinner for breakfast. This is authentic greek food and is run by a greek family. I always love finding an authentic ethnic gem when we go out to eat!

Great lunch spot. Time was limited and they accommodated our group wonderfully. This was straight up, the best gyro I've ever had. So good we ate there again the next day!

The hash-brown based meal for Sunday lunch was a great filler. It was just what I wanted — a homey brunch meal at lunch time. Delicious. The baklava was tasty and a reasonable size. (This restaurant was where my handicapped brother-in-law would choose to do Sunday lunch. He always ordered the same thing and they would cut it into bite size pieces and would save the corner-window table for him. Thank you dear folks at Costas.)

Summary: This restaurant near the University District is a nice little Greek diner that serves a lovely breakfast. The food is quite tasty, the service is efficient and the atmosphere is relaxing. The prices are not bad making this place a reasonable deal. Details: I was staying near the University and was looking for a breakfast spot. This place popped up on TripAdvisor and the reviews appeared favorable. TA patrons were right again. The storefront was in keeping with the neighborhood and the interior decor was well conceived with plenty of strategically placed plants to soften the ambiance. The layout was interesting as there was a main level and then a slightly elevated level where a 10-person or so civic group was having a breakfast meeting at the time I visited. I was greeted and seated right away. My server, who I surmised to be one of the proprietors, did a terrific job taking care of me. The menu had some tempting, hearty breakfast options. I opted for the Greek Omelet (Gyros and Feta), which included gyro meat, tomatoes, green onions and feta cheese. It was accompanied by hash browns and toast. It was excellent and really hit the spot. Their coffee was pretty good as well. The prices were not bad for the quality of the experience. With food, drink, tax and tip, my final bill was $20. I was not unhappy with this deal. In general, I was positively impressed by this Greek diner. The food was quite tasty, the service was commendable and the atmosphere was relaxingly quiet. The prices, while not cheap, were not unfair for the experience making this a decent deal. I would recommend trying this place for breakfast if you are in the neighborhood.

Stayed in a hotel in the area and wandered over for breakfast got there early so got a table but could tell was getting busy. Wonderful choice on the menu and were spoilt for choice. Also was delighted to find they had unlimited mimosas, was not sure what they were until I asked, champagne and orange juice. Went down a treat. I found the service very good but could tell they do get busy, as we left there was a queue forming outside.

Costas has been around a long time. My most recent visit was for brunch on a Sunday. I had a good omelet with wheat toast. The service was also good.

My son and I went to Costas after the Husky Dawg Dash... Although the service was slow at first, and the food took a loooonnnggg time, I’m still going with a 5 because the food was so good. What a pleasant surprise! I loved it!

I visited this establishment in August during summer vacation with the boyfriend. We were visiting his sister who recently had her first child. My boyfriend read good reviews of Costa's online which is why we decided to check it out. There is appropriate seating for a party of 2 throughout the dining room, along with bigger areas for larger parties. We arrived one random morning to check out their breakfast menu and were not disappointed. At first, I was a bit nervous over our waitress not writing down our orders and relying upon memory to get everything right. She was an older woman so I assumed that she was the owner/manager and knew what she was doing. Our orders came out perfect with not one issue, impressive! I ordered the Zeus omelette (mushrooms, pepperoncini, zucchini, tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese). I asked for the chef to "be light" with the cheese as feta has a strong taste and sometimes, if not cooked appropriate inside the omelette, it won't melt and turn into a giant gloppy ball. The omelette had the feta cheese on top and appeared to have a shredded look to it. Black olives were light and blended perfectly into the omelette so it didn't stand out (I hate black olives btw, unless its well mixed in). Wheat toast was actually 100% whole wheat and it was served dry (as I had requested). One thing I enjoyed about this menu was that Costa's offered the option of substituting home fries (hash browns) for a cup of fresh fruit at no additional cost. At most restaurants, customers are charged a fair amount for fruit. Coffee was good although I'm not certain where it came from (Seattle is a Starbucks/Independent coffee and craft beer city). It didn't have that cheap diner coffee taste, but it wasn't award winning either. Service during our breakfast was typical: we were given coffee/water and later placed our orders, checked on once by staff and then immediately given our check. Someone did walk past several times with a pot of coffee to top off everyone's mug which is a plus. Hopefully this place won't start following the "one free coffee refill policy".

We had a fantastic dinner at Costas for our daughter, a UW student. We all loved the food: salads, gyros, tzikzi and wine. We were surprised and delighted that the kind server brought a slice of cake for our daughter at the end of the meal when we mentioned that today was her birthday.

Well the dinner started out with having to flag our waitress down to get water. Then we got a cup of soup that was ice cold. They then took it back and you could hear the microwave going. Then we sat there, got our food, then had to ask for the soup again. It came out in a cup that had soup running all over it. Outside of that. The calamari was terrible and chewy. The chicken parm wasn't cooked all the way. Only thing that was decent was the fries and the crab alfredo. Also, there was only four of us and we all got our dinners at different times. The last two dishes were a good 10 minutes after the first. I'll never go back.

We went here based upon a recommendation from our hotel staff. The place was not very busy, which was a plus. The food was OK without being outstanding. The service was prompt and friendly. I would go back.

This is a review to say that there are still good people out in the world. We want to thank Costas for accommodating us with takeout breakfasts. They have a healthy menu and the food quality is great. We've eaten there twice and can tell you that they have the best breakfasts in University District (U of Wash). Thank you and definitely pop in!

I used to go to Costas back in my college days and hadn't been back in years until I happened to be back in Seattle last week. Incredible food-especially the lemon/rice soup and the Spanakopita platter, wonderful staff and terrific atmosphere (especially in the December cold). I have to be back in Seattle in a couple of weeks and I am already looking forward to going back.

We remembered this place from several years ago, when it was a fairly decent Greek restaurant -- never topnotch, but good enough. We were in the area so tried it for lunch today. We were a little concerned when we saw that the place was almost empty -- at lunch time, on a busy street near the University -- but decided to try it anyway. DO NOT EAT HERE. This was one of the worst meals we've ever had. My husband's moussaka was burned black on the bottom and completely inedible. He tried to find a few bites near the top, but it was all so dried out and disgusting that he couldn't eat any of it. He ate some of the rice, which was gummy, and the salad, made with wilted lettuce, and gave up. My spanakopita was at least edible, but it was very bad. The bottom crust was also burned, so that I couldn't cut through it, and the filling was dried out and flavorless. We paid $36 for these two dishes plus one coke, so this isn't a cheap place. It was almost impossible to flag our waitress down to get the check (even though there was almost no-one else there), but finally we got her attention, paid, and left. We will never go back. My husband got a Dairy Queen burger on the way home. He said "DQ burgers aren't good, but at least they're edible." That sums it up.

Souvlaki was very good, and the portion had been enough for two people. House wine average, so you may want to look their list more carefully. Good value.

Five of us came here for dinner and while the waiter was nice, he just had a hard time getting things straight and trying to deliver our orders. He wasn't really able to answer questions we had about the menu and I had to go and find him twice. Three of us had the combination dinner and the moussaka, dolmades and spanakopita were all hot and tasty. Several other things, though, were luke warm, however. We asked for three checks and when the waiter brought the receipts, he put the change and credit cards all into one folder rather than three. I think it was because he couldn't remember what belonged to who. I would go there again because overall, the food is good.

They had a very various menu. You could get a lot of different food. The food was good, but the staff were slow and it took a long time to get the food. They started to clean when we were still eating because they were closing...

Ordered at 7:09 got a message the restaurant got the order at 7:24 and that it would be delivered at 7:50. At 7:50 nothing had happened. Called them and they said they just got the order. Grub hub says that was not true. Costas offered to cancel. Wasted a whole hour, deleted grub hub app and will never eat at costas

I don't like not having a good button. There is something between average and very good. My kids and I had a great breakfast near UW. Waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon all hit the spot. Food was fresh and quick.

It was a slow Monday early evening at Costas, but for some reason it took quite awhile to get our entrees. Even though I am not an expert on Chicken Parm, I loved mine. There was also a healthy serving of yummy spaghetti. The decor is (somewhat) charming with a lot of plants around the dining area. The locale in the U-district is interesting to say the least with a great corner location for people-watching. The main reason for my four star rating was the waitress and service. I like that she encouraged me to try two of the Greek wines, and offered us a free serving of tiramisu for having to wait awhile for our entrees. She was also great at conversation about the food and travel.

My and my sister ordered a lamb burger (that day's special) with fries and smoked salmon omelette with a side of fruits. The food was splendid and definitely not horribly overseasoned. The lamb was cooked very much to my liking, solid enough to be cut cleanly yet still tender and not dry. The omelette was seasoned with the smoked salmon in mind and our request of no cheese was duly noted. The ambience was homey and cosy, though slightly dark. The wifi password wasn't, and probably still isn't, readily displayed so I suggest you ask at the front when you enter.

With a very large menu, anyone in your home will find something they want from breakfast food to really good greek food. The greek fries, salads and gyros are the best items to get as well as some of their grilled veggies. Order from your home and have really good food delivered!

I was carless in Seattle for a biz trip and needed to find a dinner spot close to hotel. I ended up here -- it was just okay. The place smelled a bit off as though they'd kept a vat of grease around for too long. I had a Greek salad with souvlaki.... the meat was seasoned nicely but too tough. And after I'd paid, I discovered that there was a much less expensive version of what I'd ordered. But because I didn't ask specifically for the "special" I paid almost twice what I should have. A minor thing but just another reason not to return, if I'm ever in that neighborhood again.

We love visited and tasting the culinary wares of Costas Restaurant in the U District of the Seattle. The Gyros, salads, Greek coffee and baklava are are favorites! The wait staff are normally attentive, although the manager is a bit on the "crusty" side:) Well, that lends cultural ambiance to the meal, right? This is a convenient spot to meet folks for a breakfast Greek Coffee or get a salad at lunch. Their Gyros are the best we can find in the the Puget Sound area. Try it out!

Adorable restaurant. Good service. Good food. Enjoyed breakfast and went back for dinner! Great Greek salad!

Solid neighborhood Greek restaurant. The classics: dolmas, spanakopita, lamb, squid, etc. Nothing surprising or spectacular.

Large menu, mediocre yet fresh food. Really overpriced for the food quality and slow service. Handwritten receipt... are you kidding me?

After a long day of travel and exploring it was a relief to sit down at Costas! Their menu is large and has something for everyone. We enjoyed the pita tzatziki and pita appetizer and for main dishes we ordered burgers, grape leaves, souvlaki, gyros and more! The food was delicious and quick. The beer cold! Definitely would return.

This is the third time we've chosen Costas when visiting in Seattle. They accommodate a large party and don't rush us out after we eat so we can spend time catching up. I had the lamb souvlaki which was cooked medium rare as requested. My husband got the gyro sandwich, also very nice.

Had wonderful dinner meal here. Food and service was great. Met my adult sons there and we had a baby with us and were well taken care of.

Took my daughter in law and grandson while my son was on a dad’s night out with fellow conference goers. We decided breakfast would make a good dinner choice. We were glad to see breakfast offered all day. Believe our server may have been one of the owners. He was very attentive, very kind to our special needs grandson and eager to please and ensure we were well taken care of. We got the French toast and the blueberry strawberry pancakes. Delicious. Seemed to be a slight language barrier, but we worked thru it well. Was nice to find a comfortable sit down restaurant with food we could recognize on the menu. A little dark and warm inside, but for the good food and service, was bearable. We will definitely be back.

Greek food and Greek wine - great combo. Real broccoli (not frozen) grilled - excellent. Very comfortable setting - tables well spaced. Simple service - hand written bill, old fashioned cash register - old fashioned taste. Not busy, even on Saturday night

We had to visit the campus for business, after that walked along University Way looking for a place to have lunch. Viewing Costas menu posted outside it looked good, we were not disappointed. We chose a very nice table by the window. The menu has many traditional Greek dishes and some I had never tried before. I opted for the Dolomaches which is lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves. A somewhat small serving but it was very delicious with just the right spice. our server was very attentive to our needs. The restaurant is filled with huge plants growing up to the high ceiling, giving the feeling of being in a tropical location. I see they also have a very extensive breakfast menu and very reasonably priced...may I will go back sometime for breakfast.

Large and varied menu. Great service. The prices were reasonable for Seattle. I had the pasta and husband had a gyro. Both were excellent.

We had dinner & breakfast here before our cruise. Food was good and wait staff was polite. Service is a tad bit slow, but not enough to get upset over.

I go to the University Street Fair each year. Each year I go early, get parking and then head down to Costas for breakfast because I know I can order whatever is on the menu. Even though they have a pretty extensive and wonderful breakfast/brunch menu since I am not a lover of most breakfast foods I generally order the Greek Spaghetti or a bowl of Avgolemono soup . They offer Eggs Benedict 6 different ways.

Eggplant parm is one of my favorites but here they served it thick with cheese and very slimy. I took one bite and nearly lost my dinner salad. The hamburger was excellent fries were crisp and white wine good but served warm and I add some ice. For two the bill was over $50 and we felt cheated as I was still hungry when we left. The salad was served as a bowl of lettuce with dressing and croutons on the side. We paid an additional $5 for this. Service was terrible and slow. Waitress brought my food and later my husbands food. She also set mine in front of another couple thinking it was theirs and then picked it back up and brought it to me. Yuck.

We were a group of eleven and went in for a late breakfast. They setup a row of tables in the back and we were seated quickly. The waitress was fast and efficient. They had menu items that suited every ones taste in the group. The portions were large and most of the group ended up with to go boxes. Everyone thought the food was good.

Really enjoyed our meal here. on the fly choice before the movies. not busy at all, just two other parties. interior felt homey, if maybe a bit aged. brick walls, stylish fixtures, and lots of plants. seated promptly and personably. wide-ranging menu of Greek specialties, pastas, and sandwiches/burgers. two interesting menu notes. they serve breakfast all day, a nice touch and they serve all you can drink mimosas all day every day. our server couldn't have been nicer, giving us attention around the large, distracting party across the way. she made a couple of recommendations and let us peruse the choices. my wife wasn't too hungry tonight so she chose to do a cup of the Avgolemono soup and a single skewer of the Souvlaki chicken. the soup was delicious, rich and seemingly simmered for hours to bring out the lemony flavor. the chicken was fresh grilled and has a wonderfully seasoned flavor. oregano, rosemary, and a bit of paprika create the distinctive taste. served with a side of house made Tzatziki. she loved both and when she expressed her enjoyment of the soup was offered the chef's recipe. i chose a pasta-the pesto pasta with grilled chicken. this came with an option of soup, moist and delicious chicken in a commendable quantity on top of wide noodle pasta with a totally fresh tasting pesto cream sauce. the portion was quite large and i wasn't sure i'd finish it. until i took the first bite. it all came together so deliciously i didn't leave any for later. served with choice of salad or soup and small pieces of garlic bread. i chose the salad which was the only miss of the night with rusty lettuce and a few small pieces of cucumber. didn't really detract from the experience. we will definitely be looking to visit here again when we are in the area for any events in the future. recommended.

Good Greek food and atmosphere.

From Greek breakfast to Greek dinner this place has a wide variety of options on its menu to please even the most picky of eaters! Available in the restaurant, to go or with some food delivery services they are open for long hours each day!

The food was great. I had gyros and fries. The place looked dirty except for the restrooms. We were glad we could eat out on Thanksgiving.

Just popped in at an off hour at 2pm on Tuesday. A few other couples were eating. Nice music playing and decor very homey with plants. Hostess/waitress super nice and accomodating. Had cup of lentil which was very tasty alot of lentil not too much soup. The food I ordered was chicken souvlaki appetizer. The prices seemed high but food was yummy! Would recommend!

Good greek food!

Well located on University Way. Good selection of usual Greek dishes as well as pastas and breakfast. Reasonably priced. I ordered the roast lamb. It was fine. Only snag -- the roasted potatoes were too salty.

Food, service, and atmosphere are all equal as they blend into a very nice dining experience. My brunch of Crab Cakes Benedict came with the eggs poached exactly as ordered, and the extras I requested were fulfilled by our waitress with a smile and an "of curse." The Mimosa was a natural fit with it all, in a classic turn of the last century building with its brick walls and tin ceiling. Note that the menu isn't so much Greek as it is Greek-themed.

We've been eating here for years, and even though the windows don't open onto the street for people-watching and casual smokes anymore, it will always be a mandatory stop for a gaggle of other reasons. Some delicious constants include -- Saganaki, all the Chicken sandwiches, Fries(Chips, really), Lentil soup, any Salad, Spanokopeta(?), Gyros or Lamb w/ tzatziki plate, Tuna sandwich & soup special, etc,etc. Not to mention the iced tea and greek coffees. I've never ordered breakfast here, and a friend was unimpressed by the omelet she had a while back, but this is the worst I can say about Costas. The Greek staff (owners?) are great, very friendly, and lend the enthusiastic saganaki "Opa!" that is hard for the college students they employ to emulate. After sampling greek restaurants from seattle to washington d.c., I can heartily recommend this -- we only wish we lived closer.

Ate here 3 nights in a row. Staff was friendly, place was clean, and the food was excellent. Try the Greek Spaghetti with the lentil soup. Try it!

Came in just before closing and was so happy with the service and food. We ordered several appetizers and one dish to split. And every one of them was delicious. I want to go back now and get some more of the same stuff....had vegetarian grape leaves, OPA cheese flamed to perfection, lemon chicken, and baba ganoush....so smoky and rich. The bread was great and the rice, potatoes and beans in a tomatoe sauce were wonderful too. Love the greek wine recommended...it was crisp, clean and chilled nicely.