Mediterranean Hole-in-the-Wall: Blissful Cafe

There were once a few really good Mediterranean restaurants in town that we could swear by, but several of the ones we've loved have seen management changeovers coinciding directly with notable downward slides in quality. Now comes another contender, Blissful Cafe, a bona fide hole-in-the-wall in the heart of Hyde Park.

Blissful Cafe replaces several concepts that quickly came and went in the little corner strip mall space next to Keystone Bar & Grill on Erie Avenue. We're rooting for this little start-up, because they've got some genuinely yummy options that easily beat most of the bigger Mediterranean eateries at their own game.

For such a tiny place, Blissful Cafe offers quite an extensive menu, from classic gyro sandwiches, hummus plates, stuffed cabbage, lentil soup, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves and spanakopita (spinach pie), to more Americanized, but Mediterranean-inspired items like pizzas, meatball subs and pasta dishes.

We stopped by a couple times to get a general sense of the place, tiny nook that it is. There are five or six tables for the few people who choose to dine in, while a steady stream of Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash drivers regularly file in to claim take-out orders. There is an informal level of table service by the lone woman behind the register, where tips are welcomed.

Stuffed cabbage

Chicken saute

On our first visit, we tried the stuffed cabbage ($10.95) and chicken saute bowl ($8.95) entrees. The "bowl" is actually a plate of sauteed chicken with tomatoes, garlic, onions, tender strips of red and green peppers and mushrooms, served with a side of seasoned rice pilaf and warm pita bread.

One thing we noted when dining in is that the takeout orders seem to get prioritized, so there can be a longer than usual wait for diners. But on both our visits, this minor inconvenience was mitigated with apologies and complimentary side items, including some very impressive, fresh, lemony stuffed grape leaves and delightful dollops of baba ghanoush, hummus and stacks of pita wedges. The baba ghanoush in particular was quite pleasingly smoky, but not in that artificial way we've experienced elsewhere (I could swear some places sabotage their own baba ghanoush by using liberal dashes of "liquid smoke").

Baba ghanoush, hummus and pita

Gyro

The chicken saute exhibited pleasingly familiar flavors — like a deconstructed stuffed pepper. I would imagine the beef version would taste even more so like one. The stuffed cabbage plate featured seasoned rice, beef and spices tightly wrapped in cabbage leaves, baked and topped with a fresh tomato sauce. It tasted surprisingly light and delicate, yet satisfying.

The gyros ($7.95) are large and generously filled with lamb and beef sliced from the traditional vertical spit, along with tomatoes, lettuce, red onion and a side of fresh, notably bright and light-tasting tzatziki sauce.

Blissful Cafe is now among an ever diminishing list of good Mediterranean restaurants we can count on.