TOSIS
6120 NE Sandy Blvd., 284-4942
Tosis is a big triangular diner on Sandy, where mostly old people go. The service is super-fast, you can smoke there, and if you’re a video poker junkie, you can even drink a Budweiser and play a hand (yeah right, junkie) in the back room. But Tosis would never be anything without the food.
The restaurant is Greek-influenced and includes a lot of spinach and feta in their dishes. They serve breakfast all day, so you can get a jam-packed, garlicky-spinach omelet at three pm. A two-egg breakfast is about five bucks. Really, the only breakfast drawback is that they don’t serve poachers after 11.
Lunch and dinner are both hearty and superb. Most of the time, I order their chicken gyro, which comes with the standard fixings (grilled onions, tomato, cucumber yogurt sauce). Pay an extra buck and you get a huge side of feta cubes, and for another buck or so, soup, salad (try it with the tangy Greek dressing), or fries. So you’re totally full and satisfied for about $6.50. Take your new boyfriend here and offer to pay–you’ll seem generous, when really, you’re not.
For about eight bucks, you can get half a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and soup or salad–all of which taste homemade and are absolutely too huge to finish. They have plenty of other big-dinner options too, like fried shrimp and fish, meatloaf, etc. And for the American in you, they have, of course, grilled cheese, burgers (including the garden variety), chef and cobb salads, and the typical, boring, hamburger patty and cottage cheese plate for those pretending to be dieting.
In addition to loving Tosis for their grub, I also love them because they’re family owned. I have one of three servers everytime I go there, and they’re always consistent and timely. You know why? Because old people demand it. It’s great to take advantage of that when you’re completely starving after a night of drinking. I assure you too, that if we younger people frequent Tosis, the waitstaff will be overjoyed–actual tips, not nickles! And you’ll be overjoyed because eating there is delicious and hassle-free. It’s a win-win situation.
This article is 8 years old, but Tosis Restaurant is still owned by the same fantastic Greek family with the same good food at good prices. Now they have poker machines in the back corner, so you can get lucky while they cook your food. It is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. I live in Las Vegas now, but when I visit Portland it is on my list of places to go.
I am a huge fan of Tosis Restaurant in Portland. I love this family friendly home cooked theme syled restaurant. The same server(s) have been there for 20+ years and I’m in my 40’s now so that tells you how long I’ve been going there. The lemon soup is the best and I’d have to put my 2cents in for the Gyros and greek salad. “It’s all Greek to me” haha. Poker machines are a huge hit. The owners are there every day and it’s so refreshing to go there every other month and they still know you. The food is just delish!