Continental Restaurant & Pastry Shop

I love this place! One of the only place I would go to when I’m on the ave. I bring friends or sometimes go alone and feel completely fine. Dmitri the owner is the sweetest and shows a true love for the restaurant. It is very family oriented and it makes me feel like I’m actually in Greece. Their gyro and lamb patty is the best. The pastries are also wonderful. I starting going so much that sometimes I feel like a regular :) give this place a try!
I love this place! One of the only place I would go to when I’m on the ave. I bring friends or sometimes go alone and feel completely fine. Dmitri the owner is the sweetest and shows a true love for the restaurant. It is very family oriented and it makes me feel like I’m actually in Greece. Their gyro and lamb patty is the best. The pastries are also wonderful. I starting going so much that sometimes I feel like a regular :) give this place a try!

You have exactly one day left to experience the University District tradition that is the Continental. The Lagos family has been at it longer than I’ve been alive, but all great things must come to an end. As their son said in a recent Seattle Times piece, «It was time. I’d rather my folks walk out on their own two feet than on a stretcher.»
It was always more about the people and ambience here than the food. Don’t get me wrong — it was good food, but if it was just about the food there were better places to get Greek. But it wasn’t just that. It was a great meeting place for the neighborhood and in fact the whole city. Anyone who went to the University of Washington or worked in the neighborhood probably had a story or two about the place. The Continental was just an honest, good, family-​run Greek eatery. It, and the Lagoses, will be missed.

Of all the Greek places on the Ave, I think this one is the best there.
Like other people have mentioned, this little mom-​and-​pop restaurant is family owned and has a great atmosphere. I feel like it’s the kind of place that is most appropriate to grab a light lunch and catch up with friends, or to take family members (and even younger siblings) when they’re in the area. It’s clean, very calm and I think even when it’s busy it doesn’t seem to get too loud. The service here is great and our server was so sweet to us.
I went in for lunch yesterday with a friend and we both ordered appetizers (she, the combination plate with a side order of Greek fries, I ordered the melitzano). The combination plate features three different kinds of dips with pita bread. The dips were well made, although I feel like the hummus could have used a bit more garlic. Personal preference though.
The melitzano (it’s not listed on the menu online, but trust me it’s there) is this eggplant dip with olive oil, white vinegar and garlic. THIS, I swear to you, IS THE MOST AMAZING DIP ON THE PLANET. It beats anything you’ve ever had, especially if you love garlic like I do. I literally could not stop eating it. I swear, I could eat this eggplant dip every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content with getting fat. Worth every bite. This is especially good with the Greek fries they serve, which are better than any fries on the Ave. I’ve tried the ones at Shultzy’s, the ones at ABP, and even the ones everyone loves from McDonald’s and these greek fries are just perfect in every way, shape, form. They’re small but not too small. They’re crispy on the outside, and perfectly soft on the inside. They’re seasoned juuuust right. It’s magic, I’m telling you.
The best part is that the prices are really low given how much food they give you and how good it is. I can’t wait to come back here… hands-​down, my new favorite place on the Ave.

This place has a great atmosphere — calm and clean and kinda vintage, with live plants lining the window-​boxes. Lovely place to just sit, have a leisurely breakfast, and watch the people walk by on the Ave. The service has always been superb here.
I usually go for breakfast, typically after a particularly brutal bender, when I am too hung over to make my own breakfast but just barely functional enough to walk a few blocks down to the Continental. There, a kindly woman will pour me hot coffee and serve me up a delicious spinach, mushroom and feta omelette with tasty waffle-​cut fries. Then she will go away, and not pester me every five minutes and make my throbbing head ache any more than it already is. Oftentimes, there are a bunch of old men sitting around a table together shooting the shit. You can tell it’s tradition.
This is just a great little family-​owned spot, and you can tell they really take pride in their restaurant and in their food. Authentic food, authentic people.

Adorable ! The place from the inside and outside are completely vintage. I was amused by the fact that the plants that line the display window are real ! Anyway, onto the food. I’m not a huge greek fan. First time I had lamb crockpot stew… something along those lines. Did not go well. My butt and the toilet were best friends for a few days. Anyway again. after a few years I discovered this little place when I was driving down the ave. and thought I take my wife there since she loved greek food and it was our 2 year anniversary coming up. To quote my wife, «You know it’s legit when the server has an accent. and it’s not spanish.» Okay that last part was added by me. Don’t be offended.
The food was exceptional. I had the special for the day and it was half a chicken baked until it was so tender it was falling over my pasta. The skin was crispy and very lightly herbed. It was delicious. Really not much greek about half a baked chicken over pasta and feta cheese, but it’s the best you’ll get from me.
Greek fries were basically chips. Not salty, crisp, and light. (refer to pictures)
My wife got the Marinated Beef Souvlakia. To die for. Everything wasn’t heavy on the palette and complimented each other very well. They give an abundance of food. Made me a fan :)

When I lived in Tukwila I would come here probably once a year if I was visiting the U District. It’s a great little place to get your fill of your Greek favorites. I love that it’s independent, unique, and down home. Like mom and pop but with Greek food that is freakin’ good. Bf got the lamb shank w/​soup and I got the gryos platter. Both are fantastic. The lamb shank comes with large potato wedges that are roasted PERFECTLY in olive oil so they’re like the yummiest roasted potatoes ever… sigh.
I would gladly eat there once a week if I could… maybe if I ever move back to Seattle!

Food was yummy, not spectacular but mostly was turned off by the service, The lady was very nice and patient with our table but made a very big deal about having to split the tip. So-​so food, but I’d recommend another place for real «greek fries»

I dig this place.
Love the pitas and hummus. Probably one of the best hummus I’ve ever had. Love the lamb and chicken meat. For some reason when I eat olives, I feel dignified.

This is among the first restaurants that I was introduced to in Seattle, and I highly doubt it’s ever going to be bounced from it’s position as one of my favorites. I usually order the gyros platter or the beef soukiaki platter, and they are both exquisite. The meals are pretty much the exact right size, and I can get a wine that compliments my meal nicely if I’m in the mood for it.
This is a great restaurant, with great location, and it’s the kind of place that I feel like I could bring just about anyone, even the picky eaters among my friends.

i’ve been to continental twice now.
The first time I was in a hurry so I didn’t get to fully experience being there. I thought it was alright so I brought my husband back to try it again… I learned my lesson.
during my second visit I realized how lame this place is. It’s really a greek restaurant for old people. I’ve gotten the chicken souvlaki plate each time and it’s just ok, nothing special.
the service is pretty slow too.
I’ll go to aladdin grocery down the street next time. OR Vios café, it’s closer

The Baklava at Continental Restaurant & Pastry Shop is the item on the Seattle Foodie 100 list. For the Baklava alone, I’d give it 3.5 stars. Everything else about this place is a 3 star all around.
The first warning sign was the fact that it was in the middle of the U-​district. Hey, I think most of us have been broke college kids at one time or another, right? Standards are pretty low in that situation.
We ordered some gyro platters, and they were just okay. Service was a bit slow, albeit friendly and polite. The baklava dessert was quite spicy.
I’d probably only go back if we were in the area and wanting Greek food. Otherwise, it’s a giant «Eh» in my books.

I have been coming here for breakfast for the last 6 years. To me, it is «*the* greek breakfast place» in Seattle.
They have the best drip, re-​fillable coffee — not your fancy french press or anything, but just smooth, fragrant, good ol’ drip. I tend to like to get the lamb patty & eggs — it comes with a gigantic lamb patty, 3 eggs, 4 half-​slices of buttered toast (I get wheat or rye), and loads of lightly salted + herbed greek fries. I don’t know if they make their own toast, but their bread is amazing and always consistently toasted; it is always crisp and never soggy. The fries are to me a better version of breakfast potatoes than hash browns as they’re less greasy and salted but retains the addictive nicety of fried crust. And for how much you pay (~$ 9), the portion is gigantic. For how the atmosphere of this place seems to indicate that their customers like to read morning newspapers then take a stroll around the park for exercise, their food portion seems to insinuate I should go do high intensity training for 2 hours to make up for the good amount of hi-​quality calories I’ve just consumed. And in fact, this is usually my breakfast of choice before a hard workout.
For those who might enjoy a lighter breakfast, they have oatmeal bowls and a 3-​slice french toast plate. So nothing can possibly go wrong if you come here :)
Oh and lastly, they have some cool Greek imports. I got cheap rose/​orange flower water, and some interesting Greek mountain tea (which are bunched of dried flower stems that you cook in boiled water for 10−15min, they taste good!)

I’ve had dinner here as well as take-​out pastries.
For dinner, I had a gyro, and it wasn’t special. The pita and tzatziki were good, but the meat seemed overdone and it was impossible to roll up and eat like– well, a gyro. The salad were okay. The fries, however, were fantastic.
On the other hand, their desserts are amazing. I remember the baklava being to die for and others being great as well.
My advice is to stick to Aladdin’s for gyros, but come to Continental for your dessert needs.

I like Continental, but their food size is a little too big for me and the food was a bit on the heavy side for me. But I have not really explore Greek cuisine.
I had their fata chesse egg omelet and their chicken skewers which is really good. However, they always come with bunch of potatos, nah. The dessert — baklava and other various desserts really open my eye, YUM! BUT, the size once again is too big (hence the bigger price tag) and then I can’t eat as much as I want… cause it’s too sweet.
I finally got my sweet tooth satisfied from getting Trader Joe’s Baklava Ensemble Sells for $ 4.99 for just under a pound :) Not too sweet, just a bit on the sticky side.

I don’t know how it happened, but my friend has been really (and I mean REALLY) into gyros lately. So when we had lunch together, we made a bee line to Continental (more like she made the beeline and I followed)! :]
We both ordered the gyros which were tasty but not overwhelmingly delicious. They came with cute little circle cut fries and a side salad. The lady that I think owns the place was really nice, but stared at the receipt as my friend was writing the tip and totals… Why do they do that?! It’s awkward and a little rude!

Stopped by for dinner with a couple friends. We started off with the Continental combo appetizer, dippings and pita were delish, we ended up ordering extra pitas (very pricey @ $ 1 a piece).
I ordered the lamb burger which was alright, just a little overdone. Service was attentive and friendly. The restaurant had a very «family» feel. The appetizer was definitely the best part, but I’m not sure if I’d come back again for dinner.
Maybe I’m not that big on Greek food, but I didn’t leave completely satisfied. I’ve heard Continental is a popular breakfast choice, maybe I’ll give that a try.

Very friendly staff!
I have been here several times for breakfast and the food is yummy.

I came back here for lunch with some coworkers. I ordered the steak sandwich platter, while they ordered the greek salad and a chicken sandwich (?).
The meat was just okay — a little overcooked for my liking. But the potato «chips» were really good. Service was great and super friendly.
I don’t know if I’d come back for food, but I still love their bakery. I guess that evens out to four stars.

I went here a week ago when my trip to the My Sweet Lord Café got cancelled due to fear, although eating with the Hare Krishnas would have been a safer bet than eating here.
I ordered the saganaki aka flaming cheese aka the dish they embarrass you with by making you yell «OPA!!!» while they set it on fire a little too close to your face. Saganaki is supposed to be extremely hot with lemons on the side and yummy cheese grease at the bottom and served with pita. That’s not even close to what I received.
I received a plate with round fries, two olives and a giant square piece of cheese. I’m not sure how they cooked it, but it was a rubbery, salty square and while I chewed, my friend could hear it squeaking in my mouth. It tasted like luke warm string cheese.
My friend ordered the light chicken gyro platter, and received rice with meat sauce on top, a skewer of chicken and pita. I tried the chicken and it was ok at first — until I bit down on a vein or something. I think overall he enjoyed his meal more than I enjoyed mine, but that really isn’t saying much.

I haven’t had a big breakfast in a long time, and the other day I decided that it sounded like a great idea.
The food? Good but not great. The lamb sausage patty was okay but not super flavorful or anything. The Greek chips were basically fries in chip-​shape instead of fry shape. Strange… but alright. The egg was okay. The toast was good, but the 4 pieces were overkill. The prices were very reasonable, however, and that was a good thing. I think we spent about $ 21+ tip for two plates of food and two plain coffee’s.
The service, however, was fabulous. They were friendly, cheerful, and never let our coffee cups get empty. I don’t think the coffee was ever less than ¹⁄₃ full the whole time. Love it!
Not a GREAT spot for breakfast, but… pretty good.