Greco

Greco at 1335 Wisconsin Avenue NW brings the Greek fast casual format to the mid-Wisconsin commercial block, in the section between the M Street intersection and the upper boutique corridor. Greek cuisine’s fast casual adaptation is one of the more successful translations of a traditional restaurant format into the quick-service model: the gyro, the souvlaki, and the grain bowl format all work well at fast casual service speed because the components are designed to be assembled quickly and served at a consistent quality.

The gyro, which is the Greek analog to the Turkish shawarma and the Lebanese shawarma, involves meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved as it cooks, served in a pita or flatbread with the Greek yogurt-based tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion, and the accompaniments that the Greek sandwich tradition established. The quality of the gyro depends on the quality of the meat blend, the seasoning, and the freshness of the bread; at the best Greek fast casual operations, the pita is made fresh rather than sourced from a commercial distributor.

The grain bowl format at Greco adapts the Greek table’s core components into the bowl format that the American fast casual market has standardized: a grain base of rice or farro, the protein choice from chicken, lamb, or falafel, the vegetable accompaniments of roasted and fresh preparations, and the sauces of tzatziki, hummus, and the harissa that provide the flavor contrast. The bowl format is appropriate for the Greek culinary tradition because the Greek table is already organized around sharing multiple dishes rather than individual entrees, and the bowl consolidates those dishes into a single serving.

The Wisconsin Avenue address at 1335 is in the commercial block that has the Compass Coffee and several other mid-Wisconsin establishments. Hours run from 11am most days and noon Sunday. The Greek fast casual format has advantages over the full-service Greek restaurant for the lunch and quick-dinner market that Georgetown’s commercial population generates. The components of Greek cuisine, particularly the grilled proteins, the rice, and the vegetable preparations, can be assembled quickly at the counter without the wait time of table service. The Wisconsin Avenue address at 1335 serves the mid-Wisconsin commercial block, where the foot traffic from the neighboring retail stores and the residential blocks to the north generates consistent lunch demand. The meal at Greco provides the fresh and flavorful quick lunch that the Wisconsin Avenue worker or shopper needs in a thirty-minute window, without the extended sit-down restaurant time that the commercial lunch break does not always allow. The Greek culinary tradition that Greco presents through the fast casual format has more regional depth than the gyro-and-hummus association suggests. The Greek table includes the seafood preparations of the Aegean islands, the cheese-forward dishes of the mainland, and the vegetable preparations of a cuisine that has always made vegetables a primary component rather than a side. The Wisconsin Avenue fast casual format at 1335 concentrates on the preparations that travel well in the bowl and wrap format, which is the appropriate approach for the lunch and quick dinner market.