I originally found Voula's Greek Sweets, tucked away in a little plaza on Monroe Avenue, while making a delivery in the area for my job. I was tempted to go in, but sadly refrained, as I needed to finish my day's deliveries. Not even a week later, my good friend Lindsey suggested we go have brunch there! I didn't even know they did meals, I assumed it was just desserts based on the name.
Boy howdy was I wrong. First of all, this place is ridiculously cute inside. Its a cozy space filled with knick-knacks in every available corner, mismatched dining furniture, and a bakery display case that will make your mouth water (and your eyes continuously wander to it while you're eating) the minute you step in, beckoning to you with light that highlights the frostings and glazes perfectly. Wowza. But more on those in a bit. Our server, and also the manager, Nada (pronounced Netta) took great care of us the whole time; talking with us for a little bit before it got busy and making sure to check on us afterwards. I started of my meal with a nitro brew cold coffee from local shop, Glen Edith, over ice and added cream and sugar to my content (also, it came with a spoon to stir it...that had an ice cream on top of it! I really felt like I was in someone's home the whole time I was here because of little random touches like this) while Lindsey enjoyed a cup of tea
Time for the food! I got the Gythio Plate which consisted of 3 scrambled eggs, topped with lentils and crumbled feta, and served with lemon potatoes and crostini toast on the side. I was not sure how I felt about the lentils' existence in the dish (a texture thing for me) but decided to try it anyway, as everything else sounded amazing. The potatoes were crisp and packed FULL of fresh flavor, the scrambled eggs were perfectly hidden under a mountain of lentils and feta making for a good ratio of each in every bite, texture-wise I barely noticed the lentils, but enjoyed the flavor they added, and the crostini toast was done perfectly. The only downfall was that I wish I had more crostini, though I doubt I could have eaten anymore as I was close bursting near the end.
But, there's always room for dessert! Right? Well, sort of. I bought a few desserts to take home and eat with Ang, as there was no way in the world I could have taken another bite of anything after that meal. I took home some almond butter cookies called Kourambiedes, a chocolatina chocolate cake that was dipped in chocolate and made with spices and rosewater, and just had to try their baklava. I think the chocolatina was my favorite of the three, which is really saying something as I don't typically like chocolate cakes. but it was very unique tasting. The baklava at Voula's is made with rosewater instead of honey, and I have to say I missed the honey. It gives it a bit of a richer taste they just balances so well with the nuts and phyllo dough. I still enjoyed it, I just personally prefer mine with honey. Ang had never had it before and he gobbled his half of our huge piece up quickly! It was definitely a winner for him. The almond cookies were good too, but with all that powdered sugar on top, make sure you have a glass of milk or tea at the ready!
Some things to note about this Voula's, they are dietary restriction friendly!! Lindsey can't have dairy and was ready to nix the feta on her meal, until Netta suggested she try their homemade vegan feta made with cauliflower of all things. I've never seen her face light up so quick before! Its such a nice surprise to think you'll be missing out on the full flavors of the dish, only to find out that the restaurant has thought about these things and made it accessible! It was tasty too and so popular that another local restaurant, Swan Dive, buys it in bulk and uses it on one of their specialty pizzas. Something extraordinarily important to note is that while they do accept cards, all tips MUST be in cash. We did not realize this and apologized profusely. Previously being a server made my guilt even higher. She assured us it was fine, told us not to go to the ATM, and to just make it up by treating the server extra well on our next visit. But please, since I've told you ahead of time, bring cash to tip these wonderful servers!!
Please visit them in person at 439 Monroe Avenue in Rochester NY
call in a pick up order by dialing 585-242-0935
or check them out online at:
or on their Instagram: @voulasgreeksweets
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