Masa Buka
Masa Buka is a casual Greek restaurant from the team behind Bullseye Burgers N' Fries. It serves up souvlaki, gyros and tzatziki, as well as fast food staples like onion rings and poutine.
The restaurant occupies a small, cozy space at the corner of Pape and Westwood Avenue. Red, white and black are the dining room's dominant colours.
A covered patio can be found along the side of the building. Here, you can eat a leisurely meal, even when the weather is less than ideal.Overall, the restaurant's aesthetic is reminiscent of an old-fashioned diner. It should therefore come as no surprise that most of Masa Buka's furnishings were previously used by Bullseye.Co-owner Jim Tsironikos explains that the shift from a fast food joint to a Greek restaurant felt natural to him and his staff.
Their previous venture had several Greek dishes on the menu, so it wasn't much of a stretch to convert it into a full-blown Greek restaurant.
Masa Buka's menu is displayed on a series of screens, scattered throughout the dining room. Detailed pictures of each item are shown above their names and prices, making it easy to decide what to order.The chicken souvlaki dinner ($20) is an enormous meal, consisting of two skewers on a bed of creamy rice.
Lemon potatoes, tzatziki and pita bread are served on the side, with a small Greek salad providing a refreshing contrast to the meaty skewers and starchy sides.
The pork gyro pita ($8.85) is a deceptively filling dish. Though shaved pork and pita bread are its main ingredients, the gyro is also stuffed with onions, tomatoes, tzatziki and french fries.
With so many tasty components, you almost don't need to order a side dish!
Pastitsio ($10) is a baked pasta dish, similar to lasagna. Though it has a mild, unassuming flavour at first bite, its uniqueness becomes clear the more you eat.
Ground beef, creamy white sauce and chunky macaroni noodles are layered on top of one another, creating a rich, cheesy masterpiece.
Greek salad ($9 / small, $13.50 / large) comes with all the fixings you'd expect: fresh lettuce, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, black olives and a heaping helping of feta cheese.Homemade Greek fries ($9) are fried to crispy perfection, then topped with olive oil, feta and Greek seasoning. Masa Buka also offers a selection of imported soft drinks, including Epsa, a popular fruit-flavoured soda.Since opening in July 2023, Masa Buka has received numerous positive reviews. Many Pape Village residents have praised the quality of their ingredients. Others are impressed with their prices, which rarely go above twenty dollars per item.
Regardless of the reasons for their effusive feedback, it's clear that customers have taken a shine to the new shop. Jim tells us that business has never been better.
Masa Buka is located at 940 Pape Avenue.
Fareen Karim