I Think I’m In Love With Torrington’s Yiayia’s Greek Kitchen

Have you seen the episode of The Sopranos where Tony and his family are out driving in a nasty storm and they end up at Artie Bucco's restaurant, where they enjoy a beautiful meal in the warmth, surrounded by family and friends? That's the best way to express how I felt after leaving Yiayia's Greek Kitchen in Torrington the other night.

Get our free mobile app

What a gorgeous restaurant. From the bottled water, to the table salt, decor, and most importantly, the food. Yiayia's is authentic. You truly feel like you're stepping onto an island in the Aegean Sea. Brilliant white, cool blues, and the Greek music that was playing in the background really took me away from the rain that Torrington was going through at the moment.

Our server took the time to ask if Mrs. Large and I had ever been in before, (First time) and then let us take in the menu for a moment, while she got our bottle of still water (Fantastic). I knew what I wanted before I got there - Lamb Gyro Platter. I took our server's suggestion to add aged feta on top of the fries, and oh man, I'm glad I did. My wife ordered the Chicken Souvlaki, and we enjoyed the ambiance and the map of Greece on the tabletop while we were waiting.

My Gyro was fantastic. I'm used to the heaping pile of Tzatziki that the volunteers scoop on top of the gyros sold at the Holy Trinity Greek Festival in Waterbury, but Yiayia's added the perfect amount of Tzatziki. It allowed me to enjoy the full taste of the meat, tomatoes, and sharp onions.

Mrs. Large gave a similar rave review for her chicken Souvlaki. We had such a wonderful meal, it was very reasonably priced, we were both stuffed. It was still raining hard when we walked out underneath the evil eye that was painted over the entrance, but I had that feeling of satisfaction that a perfect meal brings, I didn't care. Yiayia's Greek Kitchen is located at 1057 East Main Street in Torrington, it's tucked away in the shopping plaza where Smoke and Toke, Forever Kitchen Cabinets, and Hair Dr's are. Connecticut Magazine has just chosen Yiayia's as an Expert Pick for it's 2022 Best Restaurants list, wise choice, I agree.