Marianna's by the Market (formerly Porta By The Market)

Holy moly!! My best friend and I went here before a show at the Showbox last night, and the food was incredible. We shared the seared broccoli (nice and garlicky), she had a gyro and I had the chicken and mashed potatoes (so moist and tender it fell right off the bone--I did not even use my knife). We split a scoop of the baklava ice cream, and I have to say it was some of the best I have ever, ever had. All of the dishes were scrummy, and I had the painfully full belly to prove it ! I will definitely go back with my husband---he is a lamb fan, and if the rest of their food is as good as what we had, he will be impressed. All of this, plus two cocktails and a coke came to about 50 bucks before tip---not too bad for the quality. Highly recommended. more

I must have gone past this place dozens of times in the last year or two, but I had no idea it was there until I went for a friend's birthday last week. Now that I know it exists, I'm definitely going back. Great food (my favorites were the sautéed sausages with veggies/giant beans and the amazingly tender braised lamb), friendly, personalized service, and really reasonable prices. Highly recommended! more

seattle is lucky to have many hidden restaurtants, mariannas is the udiscovered gem. me head there a couple of times a month, it is a cute space with amazing food. i guess it is greek food with kind of an urban twist, which is a pleasant surprise from the typical greek joints you find around town. not too garlicky, very creative dishes like their mac and cheese, baklava ice cream, a must! the prawn salad to die for, and the stuffed peppers with feta cheese fondue are you kidding me! why is this place not packed! i say move over black bottle mariannas is the real deal. more

I was in dire need for some seared Broccoli after Bandoleone shut down. Am I happy that the Chef from Bandoleone reappeared at Marianna's by the Market! The food is spectacular. Try the spinach pie, heavenly. The dips are great and the gyro sandwiches are the best in town. My friends had the chicken which came in a super yummy sauce and the prawns which came with a nice mixed salad. Finally we had some baclava ice cream which was the perfect ending for this. You need to go and try this food. The best Mediterranean food in town. And at very reasonable prices. Check out their website for menu, events, location, etc. http://www.mariannasbythemarket.com more

Update: Porta by the Market is now Marianna's by the Market. No worries though, Demitri's still there. new website: http://www.mariannasbythemarket.com/press_release.htm more

Just wanted to update everyone that it's moved to: Porta by the Market 113 Virginia St. Seattle, WA Phone: 206-374-1301 more

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first when to Porta on Eastlake, but I was pleasantly surprised. It ended up in the weekly rotation of lunch places, even though the meals cost a little more than I like to spend for lunch. Both the Naxos (pork) and Thessaloniki (lamb) pita sandwiches are delicious. Initially I got the salad, but their seasoned fries are too good to pass up. The sad thing is that they will only be on Eastlake until the end of August, and then will be moving downtown. I'll be sad to see them go. more

Porta has some great lunch food. It is one of the few places I really look forward to going at lunch. The service is always very friendly and its normally no problem to get a table. Unfortunately they are moving locations soon so I will have to stuff myself with lamb sandwiches while I can. more