MILFORD — Walk up from Silver Sands on a summer evening and you’ll find a little patch of the Greek islands on East Broadway: blue awnings, string lights, palm trees in planters and signposts pointing to Greek cities. The Greek Spot Cafe & Grill at 726 East Broadway has been the neighborhood’s walk-up hangout since 2013. The couple behind it built it on a promise they made on their honeymoon.
The beach crowd thinks of it as a summer place. The owner wants you to know it isn’t. Here’s how a Bridgeport diner man and his wife brought Mykonos to Milford’s shoreline, and what to order when you go.
A diner family from Bridgeport
Owner Leo Koutikas grew up in the business. His parents were born in Greece, and he was raised in Bridgeport’s Greek community, the Daily Nutmeg reported in 2022. By then he had been in the diner business for 25 years.
Before Milford, Leo spent about 15 years running his family’s diner. He went on to own the New Colony Diner II on Main Street in Bridgeport, the Connecticut Post reported when The Greek Spot opened in 2013.
Leo and his wife, Stephanie Koutikas, moved to Milford in 2011 and fell for beach living. They live on East Broadway themselves. “There was nothing on this road for people to go to,” Leo told the Post.
The honeymoon idea, and the storm
The plan started on their honeymoon in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini. “In Greece, it’s all outdoor cafes and in the evenings, the locals come to the meeting spot, which is what we’re trying to create here,” Leo said in 2013.
The chance came after Superstorm Sandy. The building had been a deli, Alfonzo’s, which closed after the storm damaged it. The Koutikases bought the property from the former owners and spent three months renovating it.
Stephanie put the goal simply: “This neighborhood needed a good spot where locals can walk up from the beach and have a great meal then head back.” Then, in the same interview: “We wanted to bring the Greek Islands to the Milford beach.”
East Broadway had been through two rough years of storms, and the neighbors noticed. “Instead of us thanking them for coming, they’re thanking us for opening up,” Stephanie said that first summer. Meg Wasson, who had lived on East Broadway for 22 years, told the Post, “This is the best thing to happen to this community.”
People tend to associate my place with the beach… but we’re open all year round.
Leo Koutikas, to the Daily Nutmeg (2022)
The meat-and-potato guy is welcome too
Leo cooks Greek, but he isn’t fussy about it. “We want to take care of the meat and potato guy,” he told the Daily Nutmeg, so the menu runs from gyros and spinach pie to burgers, wraps and crab cakes. The stuffed cabbage has its own fans: “Usually the grandmas and grandpas order that,” he said.
He also sweats the small things. The pastitsio, for example, uses tomato paste imported from Greece. “The little things add up,” Leo said. “You put them together, and it’s right.”
The palm trees came later, partly for shade. “It brings a nice vibe; everyone looks forward to seeing them,” Leo told NBC Connecticut in 2024.
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What locals say
The Greek Spot holds a 4.6-star rating across more than 850 Google reviews. The topics reviewers bring up most are the beach view and the outdoor seating, followed by the Greek salad with gyro meat, the feta fries and the rice pudding.
GJ and his wife split a salmon gyro and a “Bishop” gyro. He noted the quick service and the plenty of seats inside and out, and added: “The baklava was very tasty.”
Taylor handed her review over to her 9-year-old son: “The beach burger was the best burger I have ever had… I highly recommend the Beach Burger.”
Christian summed it up in a line: “Fresh and flavorful, great Greek food. Beach life atmosphere.” Another reviewer said one order of fries could feed two people. One more said the patio felt like Mykonos, though they found takeout a little pricey.
What to order
The Gyro
It’s the No. 1 seller on the restaurant’s delivery menu, and the sea salted fries on the side are No. 2. Chicken souvlaki pita comes in third.
The Bishop
This is the gyro GJ ordered: gyro meat, avocado, tomato, chipotle and tzatziki on grilled whole-wheat pita.
Garlic Feta Fries
Reviewers name the feta fries and the cilantro garlic fries over and over.
Stacy Loaded Fries
These have been on the menu since opening summer. It’s the garlic feta fries again, piled with gyro meat and tzatziki. Bring someone to share.
Spinach Pie
The menu calls it “our best seller”: spinach and feta cheese baked in phyllo.
Santorini over Greek salad
The menu calls this “our famous cold baby octopus salad,” served over a Greek salad. Eat it at a table near the beach and it’s about as close to Santorini as Milford gets.
Shrimp over zucchini noodles
This is a lighter plate: sautéed zucchini noodles topped with grilled shrimp and feta, in olive oil and garlic, with whole-wheat pita on the side. It fits the gluten-free and lighter options the Koutikases built into the menu from day one.
Charles Island Wrap
Named for the island you can see from the beach, this wrap pairs a crab cake with seafood salad.
Beach Burger
Taylor’s son’s favorite has bacon, egg, American cheese and avocado on a soft roll.
Lamb chops
The order is four Greek-style chops, for when you’re staying awhile.
Save room: rice pudding, loukoumades, baklava, pistachio pudding
The homemade rice pudding is listed, with some confidence, as “The Best Rice Pudding.” Leo’s Balls are loukoumades, fried dough puffs with honey, cinnamon and graham cracker crumbs. There’s also baklava, plus a pistachio pudding on a graham cracker bottom. For a pick-me-up, try the Greek frappe. The menu’s own warning: “Very strong!”
Before you go
- It’s open year-round, not just in beach season. Hours change with the seasons, so call ahead or check the restaurant’s Facebook page.
- Sit outside if you can. The patio, the palms and the string lights are the whole point on a warm night. There’s indoor seating too.
- Delivery is available through DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.
- Make a day of it: Silver Sands State Park and the Charles Island sandbar are just down the road.
THE GREEK SPOT AT A GLANCE
Address: 726 East Broadway, Milford
Phone: 203-693-3970
Owners: Leo and Stephanie Koutikas
Opened: Summer 2013, in the former Alfonzo’s Deli after Superstorm Sandy
Known for: Gyros, feta fries, spinach pie, octopus salad, rice pudding
Google rating: 4.6 stars, 850+ reviews
Open: Year-round; call for current hours
Online: facebook.com/greekspotcafe
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