Kyklos adds Greek flair and flavor to mall food court

No, I don’t normally review restaurants in mall food courts — pretty much never. It’s not that I’m a mallist, or food-courtist, or whatever anyone wants to call it, but mall food-court restaurants tend to be chain operations, and what you find in one food court, you’ll find in another. Kyklos Greek Cafe is an exception.

If you haven’t heard of it, Kyklos has been hiding in plain sight in the food court at the Galleria at Sunset in Henderson since 2002. Far from a chain it’s truly a family-run operation, currently run by one of the three brothers who launched it. And if you like Greek food it’s definitely worth a stop, regardless of whether you’re shopping.

Purely guessing here, but we’d wager that Kyklos’ most popular item would be its gyros, since that’s really kind of a food-court thing, suitable for a quick meal while on the run. And their gyros ($7.50) are great, with plenty of moist, flavorful meat in a beef-and-lamb blend, plus tomatoes and a kicky tzatziki with lots of dill, tucked into a piece of pillowy pita.

But Kyklos has gone upscale, offering things such as saganaki ($9.50), the sauteed and flamed kasseri cheese. Yes, it’s served in a shallow foil pan, and you’ll want to get to it quickly while it’s still hot, but it’s very good and they even yell Opa! when they flame it, just like at the regular Greek restaurants.

Chicken souvlaki ($8.75) was another bright spot, the large white-meat cubes marinated for moisture and cooked kebab-style with red onions and bell pepper.

Baklava ($2.75) was very good, not overly sweet as these things go and with a thick layer of nut filling tucked between shatteringly crisp sheets of buttered phyllo.

The star of the show, though, probably was the dolmathes ($5.75 for three). Though they’re well appreciated in my household I’m not personally a fan of stuffed grape leaves, but that would change if they were all like this. They were served warm with a well-seasoned and slightly earthy lamb filling, then topped with a luxurious bechamel for a starter that felt like an indulgence.

Typical for a mall food court this is a counter-service spot, and they call out your number when the food is ready. Dining is in the food court, but the Galleria’s currently undergoing an extensive renovation, which has lightened the space and brought in more neutral colors.

There are changes afoot regarding the mall’s other dining options, with some new-to-the-market spots due to open soon. In the meantime, the unique Kyklos gets the job done.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. E-mail Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.