New Parthenon Restaurant

I had the roast lamb leg. Oh, man was it tasty. It also came with rice and peas, and I could totally get use to this kind of comfort food. Fiancé had the gyro, which he said was delicious, and by the sight of an empty plate I believed him! Roommate had the pastitsio which was more than enough to fill him up for the night.
I also had their dolmades. The appetizer is made up of two ho-​ho roll sized dolmades sliced up in to slivers with a beet slice, some feta, and some other random bits. Perfect way to share!
All in all worth the price. Parking is kinda meh on the street, but thanks to Greektown there’s a TON of choices.

I almost busted my ass on the slippery greasy floor while being escorted to our table. That should have been a sign to stay away. We got seated and it took 10 minutes to be acknowledged. They brought over complimentary bread that was cold and stale. I ordered the Gyro SANDWICH that came open faced on a plate full of cold rice with soggy green beans with some kind of spaghetti O’s sauce all over it. I told the manager that my order was wrong and that I wanted the Gyro wrapped sandwich not open face style. He told me that they don’t make the sandwich because they were too busy?! WHAT? I told him they should have told me that when I placed my order. He did have it remade and brought it back in the pita with nothing but the gyro meat and a pice of onion with sauce.
When we left I forgot that I almost busted my ass on they way in and almost bit it again on the way out!
Do your self a favor… Stay away…

I have liked this place for a long time. I never wait, get great service and have generally ordered the lamb and rice. However, the other day I had some of my husband’s stir fry it was out of this world! Also, excellent flaming cheese and fresh, crusty bread.

Service was horrible tonight. Every part of the meal wrong. Wait time was horrible. They messed us up on our table and gave it to someone else. Then didn’t know who was serving us. Took 15 min to get drinks and apps in. Then they forgot the apps. The excuse was that they were busy and served over 3000 meals for the day. It is 11:01 PM. You would think by now this place was used to the auto show that has been coming here for, let’s see, over 30 years. I mean no excuse for poor service. You should learn to slow the traffic of patrons coming in if your kitchen can’t handle it. Last time coming here. Because after I brought the legitimate complaint all I got from the owner was a smile and a OK thank you we will get it taken care of. Lol. Not doing this place again.

We came here before a red wings game. The wait was not bad at all, unfortunately the experience went all down hill from there. The service was terribly slow, knowing it was the day of a game we expected to wait but we were forgotten about we weren’t able to order until we asked several bus boys to get our server. We finally were able to order. Forget about refills we had to track down our server. We had to ask for our bill and when my card was swiped it didn’t work because the expiration date was too far in the future??? 2021. They did nothing for us, even though it was not my issue that my card did not work on their computers, even though this card was used without issues the night before at another restaurant. Needless to say our experience was less than ideal:(

We unfortunately got stuck going here because Pegasus had a long wait. Walking in it was really busy and almost all the tables were full so we thought it was going to be good. We ordered the Opa and Hummus for apps and they were great but that’s where it stopped. All of ours meals we’re subpar at best. The spinach pie tasted sour and had to send it back. The gyro meat was cold. The chicken stir fry (said house speciality) tasted like a lean cuisine microwave meal. Not to mention the dirty floors and bathrooms I can’t even imagine how the kitchen looks.

Run for your lives!
Filthy, disgusting establishment. Bathrooms were straight up repulsive, but not surprising based off the state of the floors throughout the dining area. Really wish we wouldn’t have gone here. It’s one of my biggest regrets of 2016 thus far.
The pita bread, hummus & saganaki were all solid. Can’t complain about that. But… Wow, our spinach pie was clearly weeks old and had turned sour. They had obviously baked this multiple times prior, the philo dough was burnt to a crisp… But the spinach filling… I’ll just say — I’ve been to Greece and honestly, this was an insult to their culture. All the food our group ordered looked bad, but nothing was as bad as that dreadful spinach pie. It will be a source of jokes and nightmares for the foreseeable future.
Please save your wallet/​purse the money and your stomach the queasiness. This place milks the «Greektown» atmosphere and benefits from being huge. We were an unfortunate spillover from the long line at Pegasus. I wish we would have waited.

My girlfriend and I were in town for a football game so afterwards we decided to go downtown and try out some of the Greek food. Pegasus had a 40 minute wait so we walked across the street to this place.
Within 5 minutes of sitting down and just looking around you could tell the place is dated. There are gross black areas around all the ceiling vents, floors were dirty and the whole «OPA!» thing seemed tourist trap feeling and made it all seem cheesy.
Our waitress took about 10 minutes to come over and we ordered our drinks and some flaming cheese. The cheese was okay and the complimentary bread was stale.
We decided to split the lamb and oven potatoes with a side Greek salad for my girlfriend. She brought the dinner portion for salad and two plates for us to share. We told her it was just for a side so we only got charged the side. Then our drinks were both empty for at least ten minutes without sight of our waitress until she brought our food.
Of course she brought two entire entrees instead of one for us to share. But again she took one off of our check.
Monetarily we ended up okay since she adjusted our bill accordingly, but the service and meal were an overall disappointment. The building also needs updating and cleaning as well.

We were here before a Red Wings game so the restaurant was crowded. Service was shaky. i think the waiter was overwhelmed. Food was adequate. My date had a combination platter and liked all three dishes. I had leg of lamb which was tasty. Drinks were adequate. The flaming appetizer (Savanaki?) is dangerous. They light it away from the table of whomever orders it. They don’t look behind. Two different waiters nearly set my date’s hair aflame by lighting it too close to her head (and we didn’t even order it).

Have been to this restaurant several times in the past and it was always good. But, this last time it wasn’t as good, my meal came out 10 minutes behind everyone else’s in my party and would have taken longer if I wouldn’t have tracked down a manager. His excuse was they were busy. Everyone one else’s meal was barely warm. I will probably go to Pegasus next time…

Went with a group of 8 for work outing this past week. We were seated almost immediately and quickly received bread and drinks. Food order was taken and service was relatively quick for some. They brought out food for some but others didn’t receive theirs until everyone else was nearly finished.
For my order, I selected a dish that I’ve had many times before. When the food arrived I immediately recognized it was wrong and mentioned to the waiter. Instead of taking it back he simply told me it’s the same as what I did order (platter vs. sandwich) and walked To top things off the chicken was very tough and rice was undercooked.

As a very picky vegetarian I like finding places where I can order veg and not apologize! This is a good place to do so. Many veg options are on the menu including yogurt sauce, eggplant dip, olive tray, and more. The opa cheese is lovely and hubby usually orders the feta omelette. I like the clientele which is a refreshing mix of longtime detroiters and people of all ages and walks of life. The service isn’t impeccable but it’s fair and reliable. It’s more of a chain, less boutique feel but it’s still very detroit. The opa alone is a reason to check it out and they pour stiff drinks for relatively low prices.

This was NOT just another Greektown lunch… this was the real thing.
Accompanied by Detroit-​born Pete A (a proud American of Greek ancestry), we blew into The New Parthenon over the lunch hour to sample some of the finest Greek offerings on Monroe Street. There were no menus today… just one choice… meat or fish. We promptly chose meat and never looked back.
Pete A has been coming here to Greektown’s New Parthenon for more than 4 decades. He knows the waiters, the bartenders, the bus boys and of course the co-​owner Jimmy P… and that is what put this experience over-​the-​top. I learned during our lunch that this establishment was originally know as The Old Parthenon until a fire destroyed the place «years ago» and it was rebuilt as The New Parthenon.
We started with a basket full of bread to dab into a plate of Greek Tarama — a pink-​colored rich, salty and fluffy spread made from fish roe, potatoes, olive oil and lemon juice. Very cool… my first time for this well-​regarded Greek specialty.
Then came the Saganaki, the flaming cheese to add a little excitement to the lunch hour. Absolute great tasting.
For the main course, we had a monster plate of Broiled Lamb Chops adorned with Greek rice, green beans, roasted potatoes and green peas. Wow… this must be what it is like to celebrate with family in Athens! The lamb was cut the «Family Way» which means the chops were double-​bone cut. The meat was fabulous!
The New Parthenon is not the glitziest haunt on Monroe, but it has the «good stuff» in the back if they know you or if you know someone they know. Today, I was «In like Flynn» as I walked through the door with my Greek friend Pete A. — 5 stars.

Came in here for lunch wanting some amazing greek food and was let down. I had the lamb and vegetables the lamb was good however not trimmed, the vegetables that came with it were gross, canned peas. There was no other vegetable just the peas that were gross. The meal was 12 $ and all I” could eat was part of the lamb.

First time coming here and I would not mind going back. The food was good, the service wasn’t bad and it was a very nice place to eat. I’m sure on a Friday or Saturday night you may have to wait, but Sunday afternoon and you more than likely won’t have any wait!

So I don’t know if the other reviews were old and the place got new management or what but the food was better than all the reviews. I’m a waitress and when we Ordered Shish kebabs, we were told ahead of time that they would take a little longer to cook (like they should do!) the meat on the kebabs was tender, tasty, and full of flavor. When my mom dropped her for a waiter was right there with a new one for her. The gyros were great too! Tons of people in the place which was why we chose to stop!
The waiter was nice and explained what different foods were! Kept our water glasses full:)
The only suggestion I have would be that the ends of the silverware felt like that hadn’t been polished ever.
But it Definitely deserves more credit than the other reviews are giving it!

Four star food, three star service.
We came in during Jazz Fest which was also post-​Tigers game and holiday weekend, so needless to say it was probably busier than usual, but it still doesn’t excuse what we witnessed.
We’ll start with upside — food. We were sat quickly and provided bread, which was «eh» and came with butter. The adults at the table had a bite but weren’t dying for more but the kids at the table didn’t seem to mind. Of course we had to have the flaming cheese with it which had the right consistency and saltiness, but lacked overall flavor. It tasted good on the bread but I fought for the «end» pieces which had a bit more char on them. We also got some olives as an appetizer and the plating could have used a major upgrade — it was more of just a few olives that were spooned out onto a big plate. But they were salty as expected with some nice spices mixed in.
The adults all got traditional gyro plates which were excellent — soft bread that had a nice crisp to it with a large helping of lamb, although I could have used a bit more onions and tomatoes than were provided. A good helping of tzatziki sauce made my tastebuds sing and I was stuffed by the end of it. The kids had chicken fingers and french fries and they were happy, so not much to say there!
So why the bump down for service? I agree, it was a busy, holiday, Jazz Fest, post-​Tigers game night, but the atmosphere left a lot to be desired. We witnessed managers arguing back and forth with staff members on multiple occasions right in front of us (we sat near a computer/​service station), staff members complaining very loudly, and employees who made it very clear they were not happy they were still there with managers who also made it clear that they weren’t happy. The waiter at our table was friendly but didn’t seem to remember things we requested and we had to ask multiple times or ask other waiters.
Who knows, maybe I’ll go back when it’s not such an eventful day, but this experience was not enough to make me loyal to this particular restaurant.

Despite lifeless Saganaki Opah (no lemon flavor) and waitstaff who ignored us for 15 – 20 minutes on a slow night, the Stuffed Grape Leaves (4 good sized ones) took the meal over the hump.
Piquant, slightly sweet and without rind bitterness I’ve experienced in other’s, the lemon sauce perfectly set off the balanced, moderate, savory seasoning of tender meat in the leaves.
My date said it’s gone downhill since days past – but «still the best grape leaves in town.» We’ll try competing places next.

Greek food my ass. Where’s the grilled octopus? Where’s the guy named George bussing my damn table? This «best guess» Greek experience may work on the yokels trying to keep down the 13 cosmos they just slugged down at the casino, but get real dawg, this shit ain’t fire and sure as shit ain’t cheap enough in a town known for extreme lows. But hey, it was fast and I only feel a little sick so fuck it, roll those dice and give it a try if you find yourself legless and unable to walk across the street.

Put a life-​sized statue of Athena to proclaim victory over all other Greektown restaurants and I am so there. New Parthenon sings to the girl in me who went for a classics degree and knows whole stretches of the Odyssey, Iliad, and Herodotus by heart. TL;DR: I’m a Greco-​Roman geek.
New Parthenon isn’t as swanky as Santorini down the street. Yes, the interior feels a bit aged around the booths. It delivers up big on food and heart, though. The servers are full of enthusiasm and float around, delivering up bread and shouting «Opa!» thirty times a day with no irony. It’s fast delivery and deft juggling of spinning plates of gyros, salads, the odd omelet, and lamb on rice. What was your preference? The four pages of menu probably has every choice you might want.
Sometimes it’s just a bit overwhelming. When indulging yourself, explore. When in a rush, go for a classic and know you’re going to be unsurprised in a good way. The classic and the village salads are exactly what you expect. No shocks in there. Additions of meat are on a scaling cost, so it’s easy to customize one of these giant bowls into an even bigger meal. Maybe the Lions could individually eat a salad, but I have enough to share.
On a sunny day, it’s great to sit facing the window and watch all the people go by. On a rainy one, sip some tea or coffee and a bowl of soup to feel the stress slough off. I haven’t ever seen upstairs opened up for dining but I typically come for lunch. I really do like the open, brighter tables if you can score one. There’s all kinds of memorabilia on the walls, like a Detroit time capsule with a focus on sports.
Food: no big surprises. It’s good and hearty. Substitutions aren’t a problem. The stir fry is the one dish I didn’t like there because of the overly sweet sauce and a real lack of tartness in the veggies. But the salads are a favourite standby and the usual choice of fare. Piles and piles of bread flow by, and they’re not that chewy sesame sort I find a challenge to gnaw on (and a reminder I shouldn’t be eating bread).

Key facts:
— bad service!
— gyros platter: gyros was only half-​warm and tasted strange
Every greek would be ashamed!
Will never go there again