Papa Cristo's facts for kids
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| Industry | Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Sam Chrys |
| Headquarters | , |
| Owner | Chrys Chrys |
Papa Cristo's is a fun Greek restaurant and market in Los Angeles, California. It's known for its yummy Greek food and for bringing special ingredients straight from Greece! You can find it in the Byzantine-Latino Quarter, right across from Saint Sophia's Greek Orthodox Church.
A Taste of History
Papa Cristo's started way back in October 1948. It began as a company called C & K Importing. This company brought special foods and products from Greece to the United States. A Greek immigrant named Sam Chrys was the founder.
In 1968, Sam's son, Chrys, took over the family business. He decided to open a Greek restaurant alongside the importing company. To make sure the food was super authentic, Chrys traveled all over Greece. He wanted to learn all about traditional Greek dishes and their special ingredients.
In the 1990s, the restaurant, which is like a Greek taverna, officially opened its doors. It uses many ingredients that are brought directly from Greece by the family's importing business. In 1990, Papa Cristo's also started a catering service. They now serve delicious Greek food for events all over the greater Los Angeles area and Orange County.
The family tradition continues! In 2010, Chrys Chrys' youngest daughter, Annie, joined the team. She became the third generation of the family to help run the business.
Delicious Greek Food!
The restaurant at Papa Cristo's offers a special event every Thursday night. It's called "My Big Fat Greek Family-Style Dinner." This fun evening includes lots of entertainment. You can enjoy live music with a Greek instrument called a bouzouki. There are also exciting belly dancing performances! This event is super popular, so tickets often sell out fast.
Papa Cristo's serves many different kinds of Greek food and desserts. Here are just a few tasty examples:
- Chicken and lamb Gyros
- Souvlaki (grilled meat on a skewer)
- Loukaniko (Greek sausage)
- Falafel (fried chickpea patties)
- Tsipoura (a type of fish)
- Kefta (meatballs)
- Oktapodakia (Grilled Octopus)
- Loukoumades (sweet honey puffs)
- Taramosalata (a creamy dip made from fish roe)
- Gigandes plaki (baked giant beans)
The Greek Market
Right next to the restaurant, you'll find a market filled with amazing products. The market has over 3,000 different items imported directly from Greece!
You can find popular Greek items like frappé coffee and high-quality olive oil. They also have various types of ouzo, which is a traditional Greek drink. You can buy delicious Greek pastries like spanakopita (spinach pie) and tiropita (cheese pie). Plus, there are different Greek cheeses like feta and kasseri.
The market also offers many selections of imported Greek wine. These include Retsina and sweet Muscat wine from the island of Samos. Interestingly, the market also carries many Ethiopian foods and products.
See also
- List of Greek restaurants
