My job has me on the road for the next couple months, and in an attempt not to spend all my money on food that will make me extremely fat, I’ve been eating a lot of salads lately. I usually order a Greek salad but I’m finding that they very wildly by location. (For instance, I’m eating one right now that has beets in it, which seems odd to me.) When you order a Greek salad in a restaurant, what do you expect to get?
I expect it to contain feta cheese.
Tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, feta cheese, cucumbers, olives, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. NO lettuce.
Seconded.
I would expect: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, peperoncini, feta cheese, and a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper.
I would not be surprised by, and would appreciate, the further addition of: green bell peppers, beets, capers, dolmas, slices of fresh lemon, and fresh parsley.
Thirded. If you want it like the Greeks prepare it, that is.
Lettuce, tomato, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and a vinaigrette that’s heavy on lemon and oregano are necessary.
Extras include cucumbers, banana peppers, and green or red bell peppers.
An entree Greek salad has gyro meat on it.
Romaine, peperoncini, kalamata olives, cucumbers, and feta cheese.
That sounds really good . . . but I’ve never been served that when I’ve ordered a Greek salad.
A lot of places seem to just add olives and feta to their basic side salad.
Sometimes it’s spinach instead of lettuce, sometimes a mix of both.
The serving that I’m usually most pleased with is spinach instead of lettuce and real kalamata olives instead of basic “salad bar” black olives.
I would be pretty annoyed to get banana peppers instead of peperoncini or Mission olives instead of Kalamatas.
Wow, a Greek salad would be awesome with some beets on it! 
A 6inch plate of Fresh off the vine, sun ripened, bright red beefsteak, tomatoes in wedges, sliced cucumbers, 3 or 4 slices of a firm sheep’s milk feta, a mess of Black Olives, some sliced onion and maybe some green bell or mild green chile pepper, all drizzled with some muddy and spicy Virgin Greek Olive Oil, fairy dusted with Dried Greek Oregano off the bush. Red wine vinegar on the side. A loaf of soft white crusty bread.
Kinda fourthed, but not really. In terms of expectations, when I’m ordering a Greek Salad in America, I expect it to have greens of some sort. Most (actually, all the ones I’ve been to) restaurants in Greektown here in Chicago refer to the above as “Village Salad” or Horiatiki, and the lettuce versions as “Greek Salad,” probably because that’s what most Americans expect when ordering a “Greek Salad.” But it’s clearly stated on the menu.
A traditional garden salad with feta and black olives, with italian dressing. (this is how I like it, minus the olives) with pita on the side.
That’s what I would expect (except I always ask the waitress to hold the tomato).
This is the standard - except that I might add garlic and/or shredded parmesan or asiago.
I agree with this, and I want to know what sort of crazy locations put lettuce in a Greek salad. Here in L.A., I’ve never seen such a thing. However, I was once served a Greek salad with celery in it. Celery! Ugh!
I don’t know anything about LA Greek restaurants, but just googling LA Greek restaurants, I see the following:
George’s Greek Cafe: Serves Greek Salad with greens; lettuce-less version is called Horiatiki/Greek Village salad, as in Chicago.
Papa Cristo’s: Greek Salad with “crispy lettuce.” No mention of horiatiki
Le Petite Greek: No sign of any “Greek salad,” but entrees are served with horiatiki
Daphne’s Greek Cafe: Greek salad has lettuce (although this looks almost like a fast food-type joint.)
Joseph’s Cafe: Nothing called a Greek salad, but house salad is lettuce version of Greek salad.
Delphi Greek Cuisine: Greek salad contains romaine; lettuce-less version is called “village salad.”
El Greco Cafe: Greek salad contains lettuce. Horiatiki salad described as “Greek salad, no lettuce.”
The Great Greek: “Greek village salad” contains greens (!?) Greenless version is called “Greek taverna salad.”
Casual Greek Cafe: Finally! Here’s one where the “Greek salad” does not have greens.
Knight Restaurant: “Greek salad” contains greens. No greenless version.
I’m not cherry-picking here, either. I’m going through all the menus I could find from Google and Yelp for Greek restaurants in LA, and it seems that the distinction that’s made here is also made there.
Oh, yea. Parochiallly, most of the greek salads contain lettuce and a lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and sugar dressing. Pepperoncini, feta crumbles, and a couple of Kalamata olives to garnish. That’s an “American-Greek” Salad, Not a “Greek” Salad.
Oh, I make no claims that the greens version is the type of salad they serve in Greece. But it is what is called a “Greek salad” in most of America, so far as I’ve ever seen. Just like “French dressing” is a syrupy sweet tomato/ketchup-based concoction here, but a more straightforward vinaigrette in the UK (and in France, but they don’t call it “French dressing” there for obvious reasons, just like the Greeks don’t call it “Greek Salad” in Greece.)
Just call it horiatiki if you want it without lettuce and there should be no confusion