Yianni's Taverna Serves Authentic Greek Food and Fun

Walk into and you’ll think you’ve entered a charming seaside restaurant on a faraway Grecian Isle.

That’s the idea. “We are trying to give people an experience outside the Lehigh Valley,” says John Zannakis, co-owner. “A Greek experience.”

The spot has a Greek history. The restaurant at 3760 Old Philadelphia Pike (off Route 378) in Lower Saucon Townhip began 35 years ago as Gus’s Crossroads, operated by Zannakis’s parents, Gus and Eleni. The latest transformation is the work of Zannakis and his sister, Maria Manakos, fulfilling a dream to recreate the spirit of a Greek tavern’s food, family, friends and fun.

For the past two years, Yianni’s has greatly expanded the Greek menu options of the Lehigh Valley. Skordalia (creamy garlic spread), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), taramosalata (fish roe dip) and tzatziki (garlic, cucumber and yogurt sauce) are only a small fraction of the appetizer section, but to lovers of Greek cuisine, they are everything.

The extensive dinner menu offers all kinds of meats and pasta dishes, served in the Mediterranean fashion. Spit-roasted leg of lamb, gyro platters, and moussaka, the layered dish of eggplant, potatoes and ground beef topped with béchamel sauce, are truly Greek. So is the white retsina wine, named for the resiny taste acquired from pine resin traditionally used to seal its containers.

Just inside the restaurant’s main door is an iced display of fresh fish. The menu’s “Thalasina – From the Sea” section takes up a whole page, and fresh fish is acquired daily from a supplier in Philadelphia.

One recent Friday night, I ordered one of the specials, wild-caught striped bass plaki ($22). A grilled steak (plaki means grilled) of this tender, flavorful yet mild fish arrived at the table baked in a small clay pot, smothered with tomatoes, onions, tender potato slices and savory with parsley and garlic. It was totally delicious and would only have been even more satisfying had I spent the day on a Greek beach.

Cabbage salad (politiki) ($5) was simple, just cabbage and shredded carrot, but the olive oil, lemon and garlic dressing saved it from boredom. With taramosalata for an appetizer ($4), dinner for one was $31. Portions were large.

The staff was friendly, the bar (a.k.a. the Euro Lounge) looked tempting, and the outside dining area romantic. The restaurant is also open for lunch, and there’s a private, catered event space downstairs, too.

I’m sorry to say I was at Yianni’s one day too early for the Skyy vodka Lehigh Valley Style “dress to impress” party scheduled for the next night. And I’m sure there was dancing. As I was leaving, assistant manager John Kikrili and a waitress danced arm in arm, Zorba style, through the blue and white dining room. “We do this every hour or so,” she said.

Yianni's Taverna

3760 Old Philadelphia Pike

Bethlehem, Pa

Phone: 610-867-8821