I was really disappointed when Pita Station closed last year, on December 31st. It was the only casual Greek place in Manhasset, so I’d gone a lot during my 5th-period-odd lunch periods. Thankfully, just a few weeks later, Greek Brothers opened in the exact same location. Curious to see whether it could live up to my memories of Pita Station, I recently stopped by to try it for myself.

Walking in, a few hours after school had ended, not much seemed visibly different — it looked like Greek Brothers had only done some light repainting, keeping the tables and seating the same. Just like its predecessor, the restaurant feels more like a takeout spot with seating than a traditional sit-down restaurant.

I ordered the $23.95 Pork Souvlaki Platter, which comes with a Greek salad, pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and a choice of french fries, Greek fries, lemon potatoes, or rice pilaf. The Greek salad arrived first, made with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, peppers, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and olive oil. The portion size was appropriate, the ingredients tasted fresh, and while it was not especially unique, it was still a solid Greek salad.

Everything else was brought after a few minutes. The platter came with two pork souvlaki sticks, which were very good, but also noticeably different — I thought Greek Brothers’ souvlaki was a bit leaner and cleaner compared to Pita Station, though still well-cooked and marinated. I’ve ordered pork souvlaki sticks (which I’d always recommend over chicken souvlaki, unless you’re trying to be healthier) from Greek Brothers a few times since, and they’ve always been consistent.

I ordered the lemon potatoes, which are a staple of Greek cuisine, and a much better choice than fries. They were well-seasoned, and, as always, a great complement to souvlaki. Each souvlaki came with one pita bread and tzatziki — I don’t usually use tzatziki, but it was definitely one of the better tzatzikis I’ve had.

The staff all seemed friendly, and I got the opportunity to talk with Stavros, one of the two owners of Greek Brothers (they are, indeed, brothers from Greece). The pair moved from Greece around 12 years ago, when Giannis came to study and Stavros became a chef. Stavros has worked in Michelin-Star restaurants, and Giannis is an entrepreneur and NYU grad.

The restaurant business runs in the family. “My uncle was a chef, my grandfather was a chef,” recalled Stavros. The pair teamed up to open their first Greek Brothers location in Franklin Square a few years ago, which currently has a 4.7-star rating on Google Reviews. “We saw the quality that is out there, and we thought that we could do a good job,” said Stavros. The brothers decided to open their second restaurant in Manhasset, seeing it as a prime spot thanks to Plandome Road’s busyness and Manhasset’s robust Greek community.

I’ve had a lot of souvlaki from Greece before, and, in terms of authenticity, I think Greek Brothers stacks up pretty nicely. It is certainly more expensive than Pita Station was (around $15 would get you three sticks from Pita Station, compared to two at Greek Brothers). For the amount of food you get, I’d consider it priced similarly to Kiko Ramen, the Japanese place up the street — good value, but less calories per dollar than Pita Station.

Still, I’d say Greek Brothers lives up to Pita Station’s legacy. Pita Station had a 4.3-star rating on Google Reviews before it closed, while Greek Brothers Manhasset has 4.9 stars — I would count myself among those ranks as a positive reviewer, and strongly recommend giving it a go.