![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Flaming-Cheese-Exterior-Photo-by-Lisa-Petty.jpeg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYou must get the flaming cheese. Otherwise it’s BYOB. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYou must get the flaming cheese. Otherwise it’s BYOB. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Photo by Lisa Petty <\/p>\n
Dallas is currently mad about Mediterranean.<\/a> We\u2019ve welcomed several buzzy new restaurants in this category in recent months, each with its own highly-publicized pedigree<\/a>. And, while we do fall hard for shiny new things here in the Big D, there\u2019s nothing like the true love of a local gem \u2014 especially when it comes to luscious hummus.\u00a0<\/p>\n Take these two spots, for example. To paraphrase John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything, they aren\u2019t \u201celevated,\u201d they don\u2019t \u201chail from\u201d the coast, their interiors weren\u2019t \u201cintentionally designed.\u201d And they don\u2019t serve anything super-fancy, either. But we\u2019d serenade them with a boombox in the rain any day. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n The Flaming Cheese<\/p>\n 9025 Forest Lane, No. 101 When you go, order the namesake flaming cheese, a.k.a. saganaki ($9). Yep, it is actually set on fire right at the table, and you have to yell \u201cOpa!\u201d or else it doesn\u2019t taste as good. When the flames die down, scoop up the stretchy, melty, ouzo-soaked cheese with pita \u2014 or just a spoon. After that, try the hummus ($9), classic gyro sandwich ($12) and chicken kebabs ($11). Most items are under $15; the recipes are traditional, and servings are generous.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oh, and, except for the ouzo lighter fluid, alcohol is BYOB, which may be the most awesome detail of all. At happy hour the other day, we saw a table of friends laughing over grocery store wine from a paper bag and two of every appetizer on the menu. This is what we hope it\u2019s like in heaven.<\/p>\n Ephesus Mediterranean Grill 10455 N. Central Expressway, No. 118 Every meal at Ephesus starts with a warm-from-the-oven yeast bun, slick with butter. Order the Cold Sampler ($21) for dipping, with babaganoush, spicy ezme, creamy yogurt haydari and hummus. We then recommend the moussaka ($15) for date night. It\u2019s a warm, rich, layered dish of ground beef and lamb, creamy bechamel and tomato sauce. Ladies, this is like the Greek version of Marry Me Chicken. Trust.<\/p>\n Also can\u2019t-miss are the doner gyro ($15) and the char-grilled salmon ($16). The Greek salad ($11) is a non-traditional interpretation, tossed with vibrant greens and veggies, feta, olives and a bright vinaigrette. The limited but interesting wine list includes unique choices from the Mediterranean region, as well as traditional varietals. Order an exotic bottle to seem sophisticated, and if things are going well, linger over Turkish Coffee ($3.50).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You must get the flaming cheese. Otherwise it’s BYOB. Photo by Lisa Petty Dallas is currently mad about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247594,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,5205,4568],"class_list":["post-247593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-hidden-gems","tag-recommended"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
This rakish Greek dive may be in its silver fox era, but it still gets our heart racing. No, it\u2019s not in the best part of town, and the side patio overlooks a parking lot. But the walls are decorated with charming, hand-painted murals and an ancient pothos plant wraps around the ceiling in place of crown molding. The staff, though usually harried, is oh, so sweet.<\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ephesus-Exterior-Photo-by-Lisa-Petty.jpeg\")
Ephesus is an eclectic and charming Greek spot, great for a solo date or otherwise. <\/p>\n
Moving on. In our \u201csingle in the city\u201d phase, this second spot was our go-to for dates. It\u2019s nice, down-to-earth, sometimes sexy and always delicious. (This was also, by the way, our blurb on Bumble.) A youngster at 10 years old, it\u2019s a literal hidden gem. Find it across the parking lot from Golden Chick and two doors down from the foot spa.\u00a0<\/p>\n