T-R PHOTO BY SARA JORDAN-HEINTZ Opa!!! Grill, 4 W. Boone St., is now open, serving Mediterranean and American cuisine. Owners left to right: Ruth Coutsougeras, son Ioannis and daughter-in-law Jessica. Not pictured is her husband George.

The wait is over. After spending around seven months getting the eatery ready, Opa!!! Grill, 4 W. Boone St., is now open.

Owned and operated by George and Ruth Coutsougeras and their son Ioannis Coutsougeras, the eatery offers Mediterranean and American cuisine, spotlighting dishes from George’s native Greece.

Ioannis said while driving though town a few years ago he thought Marshalltown would be a good location to set up a restaurant and raise his family. The building was purchased in June 2018, with remodeling beginning soon after. While his parents moved to Marshalltown in August 2018, he and his wife Jessica have only lived here about two weeks. They all previously resided in Minneapolis.

It took months to transform the space into a Greek-inspired setting that seats 74.

“We added a room in the back to add the walk-in cooler and freezer, we repainted the space in the Greek flag colors — blue and white — and put in new tiles, upgraded the wall features and the booths, added some pictures on the wall from home (Greece) and from the States. We’re trying to represent both cultures,” Ioannis said. “We all lived in Greece for a while and moved back to the States in 2012.”

Ruth said this is the eighth restaurant the family has owned, but its first Greek-styled eatery.

“This is the first real Mediterranean-themed restaurant we’ve had. The others were more mom and pop family restaurants that had Mediterranean dishes,” she said.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the dinner menu available after 3 p.m. On Sundays, breakfast is served beginning at 7 a.m., switching to a limited lunch menu at 11 a.m., closing at 2 p.m.

Many of the dishes on the menu are family recipes. The food served includes pork and lamb chops, spanakopita, pastitsio (Greek lasagna), gyros, kebobs, mousaka (eggplant casserole), soups and salads, burgers, tenderloins and pastas. Ruth said a dinner speciality is the flaming cheese saganaki, which is a Kefalotiri cheese pan-fried then flamed with brandy at your table, served with pita points. The kids’ menu features a grilled cheese pita, chicken strips, spaghetti and hamburger options. Desserts available for purchase include tiramisu, baklava, strawberry cheesecake, blackberry cobbler and karidopita (walnut cake). Beer and wine is offered.

“Our son has been in the kitchen, but hasn’t done the behind-the-scenes things yet, so this (business) is really for him and his wife and family,” Ruth said. “The tornado hit, so it was hard to get people (to do the work), so it took us a little longer to open than we thought it would. People have been really friendly and helpful.”

Looking to the future, the family is thinking about enclosing the patio for use as a party room that would seat about 30 people.

For more information, the restaurant may be reached at 641-758-3322. Takeout is available. Parties of six or more are encouraged to make reservations.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

641-753-6611 or

sjordan@timesrepublican.com