These old-school Greek restaurants are still feeding generations of Charlotteans

Many of Charlotte’s diners, Italian restaurants and sandwich shops have something in common: Greek food.

A few years ago, CharlotteFive’s Philip Freeman wrote about why so many of Charlotte’s restaurants feature Greek cuisine, explaining that immigrants snapped up much-needed jobs feeding folks moving to the area as the city grew.

Many decades later, that growth is still happening, and the city’s Greek food has blended in over time throughout area restaurants, blessing us with a bounty of tasty eats.

Some of those old favorites have been lost — but a few remain. Here are some of the city’s oldest restaurants serving Greek food that have stood the test of time:

Location: 1901 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Opening date: 1945

What to eat: Gyro platter or Greek salad

Location: 3039 South Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Opening date: 1947

What to eat: Zeus burger, a double-patty burger on pita with Greek salsa, feta and regular or spicy tzatziki; or a gyro bowl with house-made hummus

Location: 901 East 4th St, Charlotte, NC, United States, 28204

Opening date: 2005

What to eat: Lamb gyro and baklava

Location: 5011 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28217

Opening date: 1991 as Hugos; became The Mad Greek in 2008

What to eat: Grecian Kebab, moussaka or spanakopita