Daphne's California Greek (Mira Mesa)

Daphne’s has been around a long time and it’s one of the only large chains that serves Greek food in San Diego. I don’t make it out to Daphne’s very often but do find it helps mix things up when I’m craving for something fast and a little different. They’ve gone through a few ownership hands(as recently as last year) but seem to be embracing their new “California Greek” name by offering menu items like the Cali-Greek Bowl and the Cali Pita.

We were invited to explore the menu and try these new items as well as their classic pita which is only $5 for a limited time.

I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a starter at Daphne’s. The soup, pitas or plates usually grab my attention. They encouraged us to try their Sampler Trio (Fire Feta, hummus & avocado dip with cucumbers, multigrain pita chips & warm pita). If I had maybe 4 people or more I would consider getting it again. But for two people it would a bit much of an undertaking to consume in its entirety. My favorite combo was probably the multigrain pita chips and avocado dip.

The Lemon Chicken Soup has always been a go to item for me. And even though we came here to get some new items I couldn’t help myself. To some lemon chicken soup might not seem all that appealing. But give it a shot and you just might like it!

The Cali Pita (Warm gyros with Fire Feta, red onion, tzatziki, & stuffed with fries) had the makings of a great pita sandwich. I think the Fire Feta threw me off a little. It wasn’t bad, but I just prefer the classic tzatziki sauce. Never will I turn down fries in my sandwich. Looking at the picture now I bet dipping the pita in the soup would have tasted good. Am I crazy?
The other pita we got was the Classic Pita (Chicken, topped with fresh lettuce & cucumber-tomato salad). It comes with a side of tzatziki sauce (score!). I typically get gryos meat, but since we were already getting two items with gyros we went with chicken. Yummy yummy for our tummies. There’s a crisp freshness you get with this one that I really enjoyed. The Cali Pita somewhat weighed on me while this one seemed very light and easy going.

Another item I’ve never gotten is the Cali- Greek Bowl (Rice, black beans, cucumber-tomato salad, avocado dip & jalapeno bacon topped with creamy chile sauce). This kind of reminded me of Chipotle except with less options. I enjoyed this one as well, but the jalapeno bacon on top wasn’t very noticeable aside from the little crunch it provided. Still, rice and me have a special bond and I appreciate it with just about anything.

Overall, I’m glad they are adding new things to the menu so people who have always visited can get something different. If you are more classic and dig the pita, $5 is all it’ll cost you to have one in your hands. Happy eating everyone!