I first noticed the new restaurant Opa! Opa! on J Street a few weeks ago and wondered what kind of food it served. I ventured out on a Saturday afternoon to find out thinking, hmm, Greek food, something I have never tried before. Since it was late in the afternoon, the restaurant wasn’t too busy.

I picked up a menu and was happy to see detailed descriptions of every dish. Knowing what was in every dish made it much easier for me to choose. Michael, the cook behind the counter was helpful and very knowledgeable on the menu’s items, and also helped me decide what to order.

I tried Opa! Opa!’s Avgolemeno soup (pronounced Ahv-go-lemen-o), calamari, Gyros (pronounced Year-O), garlic chicken pita and French fries.

After tasting the soup, I could really see where the “lemen-o” comes from. It’s kind of a creamy chicken rice soup with a lemon zest. The tartness caught me off guard, but I added some black pepper, which really brought out the flavor of the soup that is $3.25 for a cup and $4.50 for a bowl.

Next was the calamari for $6.95. First, I have to say they make it fresh! Yes, I saw Michael take out the fresh calamari, batter it, then fry it. It’s definitely not the frozen pre-made stuff you get from other places. The batter is very light and crispy and goes well with their cocktail sauce. The flavor is not overpowering or salty, which can be common with calamari. Michael suggested Opa! Opa!’s Aegean Sea Spinach Salad for calamari lovers at $7.50. I didn’t try it, but it’s definitely on my list to try on my next visit.

The Gyro was completely new for me for $5.95. It is a mixture of about 80% beef and 20% lamb. It’s constantly cooked in a huge cone, and the edges are shaved off for the sandwich. I’m not really a fan of lamb meat, but since it is made of primarily beef, I was game to try it. I was surprised with how soft the meat was. It kind of had the texture of meat loaf. The meat is wrapped in a pita with red onions, tomato and Opa! Opa!’s Tzatziki sauce (Saud-Z-key). The Tzatziki sauce was delicious. It is a yogurt based sauce blended with cucumbers, dill, mint and a hint of garlic. The sauce also brought out the flavor of the Gyro.

The garlic chicken pita was my favorite of all the dishes for $5.75. Pieces of chicken breast are wrapped in a pita with tomato, onion, lettuce and Opa! Opa!’s garlic sauce. It was very tasty and they were not stingy on the meat either. And the fries, well, they’re fries.

Opa! Opa! also has a selection of other pita sandwiches, salads and even vegetarian dishes. All of the recipes are from the owner’s family. The owners, Phil Courey and his wife Mariann Isola are both Sacramento State graduates.

“We were so tired of the same old pizza-taco thing that we just decided to provide some fresh and healthy food at a healthy price,” Courey said.

Courey and his wife have also owned the coffee stop in front of Opa! Opa! for 13 years. The restaurant has been opened for a month and just opened a dessert stop next door a week ago. The dessert stop, “Sweeties” serves cookies, coffee and a variety of pastries. Courey orders the pastries from a variety of local bakeries. He said he does this so he can provide the best of everything in one place.

After the restaurant stops serving food, Courey plans to keep the dining area open till 11 p.m. on Thursdays and till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. He wants this to be a place people can stop by for a cup of coffee or dessert after dinner or just to sit and hang out or study.

I tried the tiramisu from the dessert shop, and it was delectable. Not too thick or sweet, it was the perfect ending to my meal.

All in all, I would say Opa! Opa! has the complete package for a successful dining experience. I would definitely return. It’s a nice change from the usual foods.

If you’re looking to try something new, give Opa! Opa! a try located on 57th and J Street.

Linda Le can be reached at [email protected].