Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine

(312) 714-1001

820 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60607 41.878 -87.6477

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Neighborhoods: Greektown, West Side

Hours:

Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm

Fri 4pm-1am

Sat 4pm-2am

Sun 12pm-11pm

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Date Spot, Group Dining, Special Occasion Dining

Cuisine:

Greek, Mediterranean

What People Are Saying About Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – With a bar shaped like an ancient boat and decor awash in yellow, green, white and red, this restaurant pays tribute to the island nation of Cyprus. The menu features a variety of traditional dishes like hummus, talatouri (homemade yogurt with cucumber and mint), grilled meat or seafood souvlaki. Dishes are available a la carte, but are best enjoyed as a meze, or tapas-style mixture of plates.

ambiance
87.5% positive
  1. “fantastic atmosphere, free parking in the lot, and great kick for your money.”
  2. “Were promptly seated and decor was very nice.”
  3. “Nice ambience, mediocre food, overcharged my debit card”
  4. “Food was no doubt delicious, but more attracting was the ambience & homely atmosphere.”
  5. “The decor was beautiful however the food was bland and the customer service was awful.”
  6. “Unbelievable food and outstanding atmosphere”
  7. “This is quality fresh food and the decor reminds me of being on vacations somewhere.”
  8. “The people could not have been friendlier honestly, and the free valet parking was certainly nice.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “He never came back to ask us if we wanted fresh wine or anything.”
  2. “Beautiful bar ship!”
food quality
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “By far the best meal we've had our entire trip!”
  2. “Our waiter was very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious.”
  3. “This food is such a unique twist on Greek food.”
  4. “But now I am really greek food lover :) So I would suggest everybody to try this place.”
  5. “Bad food and poor service”
  6. “The decor was beautiful however the food was bland and the customer service was awful.”
  7. “Excellent food, attentive service, and fair prices.”
  8. “would definitley try this place out if you're looking for some good Mediterranean food and great service.”
  9. “If you want some good Mediterranean food, go to Cedars of Lebanon in Hyde Park - great food!”
  10. “Awesome food.”
  11. “He never came back to ask us if we wanted fresh wine or anything.”
  12. “However, Cypriot restaurants are hard to find, and authentic Cypriot food that stands out is really rare.”
  13. “This is quality fresh food and the decor reminds me of being on vacations somewhere.”
  14. “have been there twice and both times the food was outstanding!”
  15. “Unbelievable food and outstanding atmosphere”
  16. “Nice ambience, mediocre food, overcharged my debit card”
  17. “Food was no doubt delicious, but more attracting was the ambience & homely atmosphere.”
  18. “The food was FANTASTIC, and the service even better.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “(820 W. Jackson, 312-714-1001), just named Chicagos best Mediterranean restaurant by Cityseach, is offering a terrific lunch buffet for only $9.95 per person, 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.”
service
77.2700023651123% positive
  1. “The people could not have been friendlier honestly, and the free valet parking was certainly nice.”
  2. “Second the staff is not very attentive.”
  3. “The food was FANTASTIC, and the service even better.”
  4. “There not many people inside which makes a great atm.”
  5. “Stay away from this restaurant if you want your money's worth, not to mention quality and excellent service.”
  6. “Excellent food, attentive service, and fair prices.”
  7. “Our waiter was very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious.”
  8. “This place is great for large groups of people who are interested in splitting multiple appetizers.”
  9. “The decor was beautiful however the food was bland and the customer service was awful.”
  10. “would definitley try this place out if you're looking for some good Mediterranean food and great service.”
  11. “Bad food and poor service”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Excellent food, attentive service, and fair prices.”
  2. “And affordable prices.”
  3. “Stay away from this restaurant if you want your money's worth, not to mention quality and excellent service.”
  4. “fantastic atmosphere, free parking in the lot, and great kick for your money.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “Someone checked in with us every 10 minutes or so to make sure our water was filled, everything was good, and to see if we needed anything else.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/29/10

Bad food and poor service

by SB606 at Citysearch

Bad experience overall, probably will not return.

  • Pros: Nice interior
  • Cons: Bad food, poor service, charged more than I thought
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/30/09

Not for me!

by Manolis at Citysearch

Last Saturday I went to Venus with a couple of friends for the first time and it will be probably my last.... First off the food was bland tasting and very expensive. Second the staff is not very attentive. I asked my waiter for bread 2 times and still didn't get it. Obviously he had a great conversation going with some girl at another table that didn't even look like a customer. I think she was part of the staff. That's not a way to treat your customers. Next time I'm going to Greek Islands instead!

  • Pros: Located in greektown
  • Cons: Too Expensive
1 Star Rating: Poor

06/01/09

Never again..............

by Hristo2007 at Citysearch

I went to Venus a couple of weeks ago with my wife and let me tell you it was awful! The decor was beautiful however the food was bland and the customer service was awful. Our drinks were given to us promptly but the food wasn't. Our waiter hardly paid attention to us . He never came back to ask us if we wanted fresh wine or anything. Why should I go back?

  • Pros: great decor
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/23/08

ok

by sarabbb at Citysearch

We went here last thursday evening with a party of 3. Were promptly seated and decor was very nice. Beautiful bar ship! However, it stops here. Food was below average at best. Not going back.

  • Pros: nice bar
  • Cons: below-average food
3 Star Rating: Average

03/14/08

Nice ambience, mediocre food, overcharged my debit card

by Andrew2008 at Citysearch

I went for last Valentine's Day with my girlfriend. We got some spreads as appetizer and then salmon for her and mousaka for me. The spreads and the mousaka were rather bland. The fish was better. Everything was freshly prepared. The service was correct, except for the wine recommendations. Instead of explaining you the choices the waiter would try to force you to have one wine, it was kind of funny.

The surprise came one month later: They overcharged my debit card. I had my copy of the receipt, I had left a 15% tip. They charged a 20%. The difference was ridiculously low (less than 5 bucks), but I just cannot believe it.

For tastier food I would go to Greek Islands Restaurant on Halsted. Venus has a nicer ambience but the food is not worth it. May be visit their bar only if you are around Greektown. And pay cash (just in case).

  • Pros: Ambience, nice bar, friendly service (except wine recommendations)
  • Cons: Bland food, overcharged my debit card, don't know about wine pairings

The Details on Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine

Place Categories:

  • doubt delicious cypriot food
  • excellent experience
  • great service
  • great place
  • great venus greekcypriot cuisine
  • good mediterranean food
  • awful customer service
  • affordable fair prices
  • helpful waiter
  • outstanding atmosphere
  • great conversation
  • great atm
  • fantastic free parking
  • terrific lunch buffet
  • excellent venue
  • not very attentive staff
  • beautiful bar
  • best meal
  • unique twist
  • fresh wine
  • nice ambience
  • mediocre food
  • suggest everybody
  • very nice decor
  • certainly nice free valet parking

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