Nancy’s Greek Cafe

The inspiration

Nancy’s Greek Cafe grew out of Pastries by Nancy, the bakery that had already been in the Rite Aid shopping center for two decades when owner Shawn Shakhmalian decided to add a Greek restaurant to the space¹ . He is Armenian and had lived with Greeks, and he felt the community needed something unique and authentic that it did not have¹ . Nancy’s Greek Cafe shares its address with the bakery to this day² .

Who's behind it

Shawn Shakhmalian, who is also written as Sean, is the owner of Nancy’s Greek Cafe^3,4 . He has been serving Greek food in the same Altadena location for 32 years³ .

What to order

• Moussaka: the other house specialty, layers of eggplant, ground beef, tomato, onion and spices under béchamel and mozzarella .^2,3
• Roasted leg of lamb: also a house specialty, marinated, slow roasted, and served with a fresh herb tomato sauce .²
• Souvlaki and gyros: grilled or baked, made from lean lamb, beef, pork, poultry, fish and shrimp, with most dishes cooked to order .⁵
• Dolmades and spanakopita: the stuffed grape leaves and the spinach, onion and feta phyllo pie are among the traditional items that keep appearing .^4,6

What people are saying

Diners and writers keep returning to the homestyle cooking and the welcome that comes with it, with reviewers singling out the lamb dishes, the moussaka and the house-made feta^2,7 . Since the Eaton Fire, the story of a small Altadena restaurant that survived and reopened has been a recurring thread in coverage and neighborhood support^3,4,7 .

Why you should try it

If you are staying nearby, this is a long-running, family-run Greek kitchen where the lamb is slow roasted and much of the food is made to order^5,2,4 . It also puts your meal behind a restaurant that came through the Eaton Fire and reopened with its Altadena regulars^3,7 .