Cross-Rhodes Restaurant

The food here is one of a kind.
A true gem.
We love the vegetarian salad with gyros meat and the veggie sandwich — a pita wrapped around generous portions of cucumber red onion and tomatoes on top of feta.
Ive also had the half chicken.
Lower stars for atmosphere only because the place is old (but clean) and the drinks in house are pricey and small $2.50 for 12 ounce can.
Oh and be warned, cash only.
But they do have an ATM in the atrium.
Still this place is a must for the food.
We no longer live in Evanston but when work takes me there I carryout.
The salad traveled well with a bit of preparation and separation for reheating.

Owner response

My wife wanted some vegetarian mousaka for mothers day so I called in and placed a pick up order.
I was told 15-20 minutes for the food to be ready, and it took me over 25 minutes to get there.
Upon arriving I was told my order wasnt ready, and one of the guys at the counter was bothering me trying to get me to buy one of their over priced $6 macro brews while I waited.
I paid for my order and waited at the counter.
Ultimately my order wouldn't be ready until 45 minutes after I placed it. While standing at the counter I had the displeasure to watch my wife's mousaka be prepared.
It was from a frozen tray of food not even prepared there, but rather at Athenian Foods in Melrose Park.
And it was re-heated on the same grill they were using to cook burgers, meaning this previously vegetarian dish was no longer vegetarian.
I think it is safe to assume any even minorly complex dish which is more involved than heating something on a griddle, is purchased from a food service company like Sysco and is just re-heated to order. When I got home I began unpack the char-burger I ordered.
Neither the burger nor bun was charred, nor do I think they have an actual grill to do so.
And it was the saddest burger i've ever seen, worse than even McDonalds fare, just a thin patty of beef in a crushed bun.
The bottom bun was also sopping wet due to the white wine they coat their "greek" fries in. Most curious of all is that I was forced to pay $44 and some change for this Sysco-tier slop.
I have no clue how they arrived at this total, as according to their menu prices the Mousaka was $15, the burger was $14, a half order of fries was $4.50 and the minestrone soup was $4, or $37.50 in total.
With tax I should have only been charged $41.34 assuming 10.25% sales tax.
This business is cash only, and I can only assume it is because they have been kicked off their payment processor due to excessive chargebacks for habitually over billing customers. So in summary if you want poorly re-heated frozen food or the saddest burgers imaginable, that take twice as long as quoted to be ready, from a restaurant who lies about whether or not dishes conform to your dietary restrictions, go to Cross-Rhodes, if not i'm sure Yelp can help you find a far better Greek diner that wont steal your money.

Owner response

A staple in the neighborhood!!! ALWAYS GOOD.
It's possible Crossrhodes is the most consistent restaurant in America.
great vibes, just the perfect diner ❤️