Z Cafe is one of those restaurants that took its owner a long time to gather the resources to open. A restaurant that had been in his mind since he was a child, and nearly every endeavor he devoted himself to before its opening, was meant in some way to benefit his restaurant one day. Lucky for us there are people out there with dreams worthy of fulfillment, and family recipes worth passing down.

Nicholas Zotos grew up watching and later working for his parents at their establishment, (you don’t get much more established than almost 50 years in business). Lil Gus’, a Greek eatery that closed in 1991, was where the younger Zotos spent a lot of time getting to know the Greek clientele and the food they were so devoted to.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

In September of 1999, Zotos had finally garnered the resources from various jobs in local restaurants necessary to open his version of the Greek eatery: Z Cafe.

“Everything, I did myself. From painting the walls, painting the trim, hanging the pictures,” he says proudly. “Yeah, it took a lot longer than normal, but I can say that I built this restaurant from the ground up.”

Located on the jutting piece of land at the corner of Knox-Henderson and McMillan, Z Cafe is distinguishable for many reasons. Its atypical location, its authentic menu, and its tendency to be described as “two restaurants in one.”

Breakfast is inspired – decidedly scrumptious and, well, not Greek. Migas, omelettes, pancakes and the usual slew of hearty breakfast foods draw a local crowd in the mornings, but lunchtime becomes a slightly different story. Customers can stick to the easy culinary stuff, or they can choose to sample Greek fare such as souvlaki, Gyros, dolmas, or the Zotos original Greek pizza served with Gyro meat, feta cheese, and olives. Then Zotos and his staff close for 3 hours, at 2 p.m., only to reopen Z Cafe at 5 p.m. under a bath of flickering candlelight and exotic music.

“People who come here during the day order at the counter, and I call your number to come and pick it up. At nighttime, we change the ambience and have a full-service Greek menu, with a full-service bar. It’s a little more fancy and romantic at nighttime.”

Of course, that’s when the Greeks come out – the recipes, that is.

“When my grandmother, she’s 93, when she was growing up, they didn’t really have recipes, they just did it by memory and then years later my mom put it to paper. So, they’re my mom’s recipes, but they’re from my grandmother,” Zotos says.

“My mom makes my desserts, she does my baklava and Greek pastries.”

Zotos likens the Greek food to Italian insofar as the work and preparation that go into making these dishes, can be justified upon tasting the final product.

“They’re family recipes, and they taste so good, and you can’t get that everywhere in Dallas. Every place on Greenville Avenue, you end up getting a chicken sandwich or a burger, so people can come here and get something they know they can’t get everywhere.”

But, in all fairness, the Greeks do come out for Z Cafe.

“On any given Saturday or Sunday, if you used to go to Little Gus’, you can come in here and recognize half the room.”

Eating Greek food where the local Greek population does seems like the right way to do it, no?

Z CAFE

1224 N. HENDERSON

214-821-0990

HOMEMADE STUFFED DOLMAS

Filling: 2 pounds lean ground beef, ½ cups long grain rice, 2 large onions grated, 2 egg whites, 2 tbs. fresh mint leaves, 2 tbs. dried mint leaves, 2 cups minced parsley, salt and pepper to taste

AVGOLLEMONO SAUCE (EGG-LEMON SAUCE): 2-3 cups chicken broth, 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 tbs. corn starch or flour

FOR THE DOLMAS: Mix all filling ingredients together. Roll into separate tablespoon-sized scoops, and lay flat on a grape leaf. Roll up grape leaf like a cigar, tucking the sides in. Pour chicken broth and lemon juice in a sauce pan, and simmer the dolmas for 2 ½ hours over low heat.

FOR THE SAUCE: Combing eggs and yolks, then add lemon and corn starch. Whip. In small saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil, and then add the egg mixture. Stir over low heat until sauce thickens.

Dolmas are done when you take a bite out of one, and the rice inside is no longer crunchy. Pour sauce over them and serve.