Neighbourhood: Corydon
Address: 761 Corydon Ave
Phone: (204) 453-1241
Entrees: $12-$28
Kristina’s on Corydon boasts the city’s most contemporary Greek restaurant interior. Yet, the kitchen sticks to ol’ fashioned, good-for-the-soul Greek food.
The dining room’s city-slick style beckons the chic Corydon crowd. Sleek black seating, a dazzling mirrored bar and colourful paintings capture the beauty of modern Greece, while several white columns reflect its past. Diners familiar with the restaurant will notice subtle, yet modern upgrades, including a new exterior sign and logo, and earth-tone painted walls replacing the “Grecian” blue hue.
Owner Yvonne Nakoulas opened Kristina’s in 1996, naming it after her daughter, who is now Chef/owner. Secret family recipes passed down from Yvonne’s grandparents are the backbone of the menu.
One such coveted recipe is yiayia’s (Greek for ‘grandma’) spicy Greek sausage. Thick, plump slices of custom-blended pork sausage strain at their seams, erupting with a hit of peppery spice with each bite. A simple, unfettered tomato sauce and mounds of crumbled feta counterbalance the heat with a soothing tang.
Greek favourites from moussaka to seafood also pepper the menu. Tuck into the menu highlights with the Greek platter, which has plenty of food for two. Generous helpings of spanakopita, moussaka and chicken souvlaki skewer are accompanied by soup or salad, lemon potatoes or rice, garlic bread, and roasted vegetables and round out this monstrous meal. Pleasing notes of nutmeg and cinnamon in the ground beef stand out in each belly-warming slab of moussaka. Savour a pop of oregano—one of the main tastes in Kristina’s top secret spice blend marinade—in each piece of moist and tender skewered chicken souvlaki. Kristina’s legendary spanakopita—shredded spinach and tangy feta snuggled between layers of airy phyllo pastry—is masterfully made.
The kitchen’s creativity sparkles in chicken neptune, a seafaring twist on the eatery’s signature Greek chicken dish. Both feature the same lightly seasoned breading and white wine basil cream sauce, but the fillings are different. Shrimp, crab, peppers and mozzarella ooze from the chicken neptune’s centre. This decadent, rich and indulgent dish is worth ditching the diet for one night.
The house-made baklava is a gift from the Greek gods. Thin sheets of phyllo as delicate as butterfly wings balance on a massive layer of sticky sweet honey and chopped walnuts. Dessert syrup with candied lemon offers an unexpected slice of zest. Yiayia would be proud.
Kristina’s is open Mon-Thu 11 am-9 pm; Fri-Sat 9 am-10 pm; Sun 9 am-9 pm.