Greek Islands Coney Restaurant, Birmingham

 

Greek Islands Coney Restaurant

Not all burgers are created equal.  That's not shocking.  I'm cognizant of it, and I know I can't weigh all burgers on the same scale.  A burger at McDonalds can't be compared against a burger at a family restaurant.  A 1/3 pounder can't be compared against a full pounder.  And a Coney Island can't be compared against a bar and grill.  So when I sat down at Greek Island's Coney Restaurant for lunch last weekend, the first thing I wrote in my notes was "What can I say, it's a Coney."

 

It's a Coney.

I wrote it because it's true.  The interior was decorated by a bunch of different types of plastic (my lunch companion, Marnie, was able to identify formica, vinyl, and I think we saw some linoleum.)  The seatbacks were very low (unlike the other places I've been so far), which allowed us to hear not only the conversation at our table, but every conversation going on 3 tables in any direction.  

There was a noticeable 'Greece' theme, as I would expect from a coney.  It wasn't overwhelming; there weren't lots of posted pictures of ancient gods and modern villages (which I've seen in other coney establishments), for example.  There were, however, places where the wall and ceiling decorations were clearly meant to evoke Greek columns and designs.  While I was there, I saw a few people order and receive Saganaki.  Each time, the wait staff made a show of lighting it in the dining room, but they never yelled 'Opa!' as they do some other places. 

The burger tasted pretty good, but the taste was pretty shallow.  The most prominent flavor was 'hot,' which means it's most salient quality is 'holds heat well.'  There was a lot of bun, too, and it regularly crumbled into bites of burger, further crowding out the full burger taste.  There wasn't even much of a burger taste to begin with, it tasted more like 'generic meat.'  I don't really have a problem with generic meat taste, though.  What can I say, it's a coney.

The fries, I have to say, were cold, and noticeably greasy.  For cold fries, though, they were actually pretty good.  And they were plentiful, I wasn't able to finish all the fries on my plate. 

I'll be back to Greek Islands again, for sure.  I think it's the less frequented of the Coneys in Birmingham, but it's well positioned between the theater parking lot and the theater.  It's cheap.  It's filling.  It's a fine place to sit for a while.  What can I say?

 

Greek Islands' Exterior.  I don't know why, but I really like this shot.