By Tamara Palmer
Souvla is a bright Greek-American cafe in Hayes Valley known for its rotisserie meats served in pitas and salads, but starting this weekend they’re adding a lovely brunch. Like the regular menu, brunch is streamlined and for now features four items ($9–13). Two are hearty and savory and two are lighter and sweet.
The savory side includes what chef/partner Charles Bililies calls the breakfast burrito equivalent, a pita wrapped around lamb, scrambled eggs, radish, tomato, onion, garlic yogurt, feta cheese ,and avgolemono, an egg and lemon-based sauce. There’s also more of a fork-and-knife option, a pita layered with loukaniko pork sausage grilled halloumi cheese, hard boiled egg, red pepper, and zingy harissa yogurt.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, don’t overlook the Greek toast, wedges of cinnamon sugar crispy pita, sour cherry syrup, and frozen Greek yogurt. It probably works best as a dessert split between two people, though a caffeinated accompaniment mimics the coffee and donut standard pretty well. And those looking for a lighter start to the day can select the Strauss organic Greek yogurt with persimmon, mint, toasted hazelnuts, and Cretan wildflower honey, a bowl that infused us with the faith that we could live a healthy lifestyle where we ate something like this every day.
And then there’s the Greek Brunch Punch, a blend of Greek white, sparkling and Retsina wines, and a touch of Vissino, a Greek sour cherry syrup. Bililies tells us that this will come in a pitcher that serves 4–6 people, but you can request it by the glass. Our scientific research has shown that it’s super sippable and a pitcher is definitely the way to go.
Brunch service will be Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the regular menu available between 2–10 p.m. Unlike most brunch options around town, these (and particularly the breakfast sandwich) are also good to-go options if you want to find a sunny spot in nearby Patricia’s Green.
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Photos by Tamara Palmer
