New Greek food truck brings its family recipes to Bend’s The Box Factory

Published 10:30 am Wednesday, December 20, 2023

By Story and photos by

JANAY WRIGHT • The Bulletin

: Zorba the Greek is open Tuesday through Saturday and is parked outside Immersion Brewing in The Box Factory in Bend.

Zorba the Greek has been a long time coming.

Owners and brothers Matthew and Nathan Zorbas grew up eating many of the recipes served at the food truck, which is now parked outside Immersion Brewing.

Matthew said he drew up a business plan while attending culinary classes at Central Oregon Community College. Then he experimented with some of the recipes his father developed while owning a catering company, introducing his own flavors. Some recipes Matthew kept exactly the same.

Zorba’s feta dip ($9) is one of those cherished family recipes.

“It’s been a family hit forever,” Matthew said, adding that his family often made the dip at Christmastime and gave it away as a gift.

More Coverage

Couple launches pizza food truck in the parking lot of the Powder House

Greek flavors meet creative inspiration

The feta dip sits in the bowl like a scoop of ice cream flanked by triangles of warm pita and slices of salami. Each bite begins with the nuttiness of the roasted almonds followed by the creaminess of the cream and feta cheeses before finishing with the wine-like flavor of the kalamata olives.

It’s an addictive combination.

Zorba the Greek sets itself apart from Bend’s other Greek eateries with creatively inspired flavors that err away from the traditional. Take the tzatziki sauce, for example. There’s an option to order traditional tzatziki sauce, but the Zorbas brothers offer a total of three versions of the Greek dip.

“I think dill overpowers everything in your sauce, so I decided to do oregano. That’s what our dad did when we were growing up,” Matthew said.

Another menu item that strays from the Greek food tradition is the village Greek salad ($7). Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and feta cheese are tossed in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano and parsley. In this case, the heavy hand of spices had me missing the bold, sharp flavors of a simple Greek salad.

Charbroiled Greek potatoes ($7) are the Greek eatery’s take on healthy french fries. When I ordered the appetizer last week, the spuds were beautifully charred with a slightly crispy exterior and a meaty, al dente center.

The charbroiled steak had a hint of pink in the center of the Kenny Pow ($15), a steak gyro that my partner ordered. It was accompanied by Roma tomatoes, pickled red onions and smoky chipotle tzatziki sauce for a spicy take on the traditional.

100% leg of lamb

Customers who get a glimpse of the inside of the truck may notice lamb rotating on an upright rotisserie.

“That’s 100% leg of lamb. We trim it down and then break it down and stack it up on top of each other,” Matthew said.

The lamb was raised on their parents’ farm. Last week, it was featured on the specials menu in smashburger form, in addition to the Yaya’s traditional gyro ($16).

“No one in town does lamb like this,” Nathan said.

Dining at Zorba the Greek came to an exceptional conclusion with the baklava ice cream ($6). Crushed nuts and spices from the baklava filling were mixed into the vanilla ice cream for a harmonious combination. The subtle characteristics were more satisfying with every bite.

More Coverage

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opens on Bend’s east side