The aptly named Zesty’s is a feast for the eyes, the soul and the palate. For 20 years, chef Tom Konidaris has brought his flair for Mediterranean cuisine to Manayunk, and we can see why customers have continued to patronize Zesty’s for so long. It doesn’t hurt that Konidaris is supremely friendly and welcoming, exchanging pleasantries with the restaurant’s loyal regulars. There’s also the restaurant’s dimly lit, yet modern and classy, décor, which gives the space a romantic feel.
The small details make all the difference in dishes like the Greek salad ($12), which had an excellent house-made dressing and stuffed grape leaves accenting the dish. The small-plated menu had numerous highlights, like the octapodi ($16), fire-grilled octopus that was made especially vibrant by an assortment of peppers, capers and vinegar. The saganaki ($14) on the surface looks simple, with a slab of Kefalograviera cheese flambé in ouzo and lemon juice, but the flavor is almost addictively rich and bright.
Zesty’s takes on traditional Greek dishes are flawless. The spanakopita ($15) really made the spinach sing, as it more than held its own against the equally tasty feta cheese in the pleasantly crisp pie. You can either sample it on its own or as part of Lipa Apo Olla ($25), which will also allow you to try Zesty’s moussaka ($18) and pastitsio ($18), both baked pasta dishes, the former made with eggplant, zucchini and ground beef and the latter with meat sauce and pasta. Both had a sumptuously smooth layer of savory custard atop them, in addition to comforting flavor and texture.
Entrées at Zesty’s were stellar as well. The gnocchi al gorgonzola ($20) was pleasant with fluffy potato dumplings in a delicate cream sauce. The Chilean sea bass (MP) was gorgeously elegant and perfectly cooked, seasoned with olive oil, wine and capers. The shrimp glyfada ($26) was equally brilliant, with jumbo shrimp arranged around a lovely portion of rice, flavored with feta cheese, shallots and tomatoes.
If you have any room left, you have to have dessert. As with all other things at Zesty’s, traditional ethnic, dishes reign supreme, as evidenced by the lovely bakalava ($6), which was pleasantly flaky on the outside and moist and sweet on the inside.
Manayunk, while pleasant and river-adjacent, will never be anyone’s ideal substitute for the Greek Isles — but that isn’t anything a trip to Zesty’s can’t temporarily fix.