Though Nisos Mediterranean intentionally avoids being called a Greek restaurant, the menu bulges with dishes from that country, from tiropita and taramasalata to moussaka and rizogalo. Chicago has seen a surge of ambitious new Greek restaurants, but none has food that looks like Nisos’.⁠ ⁠ Take the tzatziki, which is as thick and creamy as hummus, thanks to the use of Chef Avgeria Stapaki’s imported yogurt of choice. “The yogurt I want is very thick and rich,” Stapaki said. “That’s why it has this structure and body.” Instead of raw garlic, she uses fermented black garlic along with fermented cucumber juice. The result is luxuriously smooth, making for a fantastic start to the meal.⁠ ⁠ Like nearly everything at Nisos, the moussaka is gorgeous, expensive and perplexing. Stapaki takes the homey layered dish and transforms it into a visually stunning showstopper. When the server brings it out, a fog of dry ice wafts from the edges. The dish is also $28, and while the fog apparently has a cinnamon tea aroma, the server removes the plate from your table immediately after serving you an individual portion, suggesting it was there mostly for show, rather than sensory enhancement.⁠ ⁠ This sort of scene plays out again and again at Nisos, a restaurant with genuine ambition and fascinating creative twists, but one where the substance doesn’t quite live up to the premium you pay for the presentation.⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in our bio to read the full review by the Tribune’s Nick Kindelsperger @nkindelsperger. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Though Nisos Mediterranean intentionally avoids being called a Greek restaurant, the menu bulges with dishes from that country, from tiropita and taramasalata to moussaka and rizogalo. Chicago has seen a surge of ambitious new Greek restaurants, but none has food that looks like Nisos’.⁠
⁠
Take the tzatziki, which is as thick and creamy as hummus, thanks to the use of Chef Avgeria Stapaki’s imported yogurt of choice. “The yogurt I want is very thick and rich,” Stapaki said. “That’s why it has this structure and body.” Instead of raw garlic, she uses fermented black garlic along with fermented cucumber juice. The result is luxuriously smooth, making for a fantastic start to the meal.⁠
⁠
Like nearly everything at Nisos, the moussaka is gorgeous, expensive and perplexing. Stapaki takes the homey layered dish and transforms it into a visually stunning showstopper. When the server brings it out, a fog of dry ice wafts from the edges. The dish is also $28, and while the fog apparently has a cinnamon tea aroma, the server removes the plate from your table immediately after serving you an individual portion, suggesting it was there mostly for show, rather than sensory enhancement.⁠
⁠
This sort of scene plays out again and again at Nisos, a restaurant with genuine ambition and fascinating creative twists, but one where the substance doesn’t quite live up to the premium you pay for the presentation.⁠
⁠
Tap the link in our bio to read the full review by the Tribune’s Nick Kindelsperger @nkindelsperger. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)