Minoas Greek Taverna (restaurant), Burnaby

Since May 1986, the Chronakis family has crafted authentic Greek cuisine at Minoas Greek Taverna. Dinner platters teem with Hellenic morsels such as grilled chicken souvlaki, creamy hummus, and the rice-stuffed grape leaves of dolmades. The wait staff also serves entrees à la carte, so diners can dig into plates of steaming moussaka and avoid jealous struggles with the pastitsio, which would only get tomato sauce all over the pristine white stucco walls. Lush ivy winds up the walls and traverses the ceiling, tablecloths in the cobalt blue of the Greek flag dot the interior, and traditional folk music drifts through the air, transporting diners to the Mediterranean without requiring a gas-guzzling teleportation device.