Meze Table Brings Greek Small Plates to Monday Night Foodball

The popular pop-up is returning to the Reader's weekly chef event with a full menu of Greek comfort foods and cocktails.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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Meze Table, a Greek small plates pop-up, is bringing its full menu of traditional dishes like gigantes plaki (slow-simmered broad beans in tomato sauce), yuvarlakia (meatballs in cinnamon-scented broth), and lachanopita (vegan filo pies with spinach and peppers) to the next Monday Night Foodball event hosted by the Chicago Reader. The Beths, the duo behind Meze Table, are also in the midst of opening a permanent brick-and-mortar location in Bridgeport while maintaining a busy schedule of catering, farmers market appearances, and a Sunday residency at Kimski.

Why it matters

Meze Table's return to Monday Night Foodball highlights the growing popularity of Greek cuisine and the resilience of mission-driven, community-focused food businesses in Chicago. As larger chains and corporate interests continue to reshape the city's food landscape, Meze Table's commitment to traditional recipes, local sourcing, and worker-centric values represents an alternative vision for the future of the city's food scene.

The details

In addition to the signature gigantes plaki and yuvarlakia, Meze Table's Monday Night Foodball menu will feature a trio of mini beef and pork gyros, Spartan chicken pitakia (shredded chicken on pita with olive tapenade and zucchini slaw), and the 'Adeline' salad with cucumbers, peppers, pickled onions, and fried pita chips. For dessert, there will be a modified Basque cheesecake with feta and cherry preserves. Cocktails and $5 beers and non-alcoholic drinks will be available during happy hour from 5-7 PM.

  • Meze Table is returning to Monday Night Foodball on February 9, 2026.
  • The event will take place from 5 PM to 7 PM, with happy hour pricing on drinks.

The players

Meze Table

A Greek small plates pop-up founded by Elizabeth Gartelos-Morris and Beth Salentiny, known as 'the Beths'. Meze Table is in the process of opening a permanent brick-and-mortar location in Bridgeport while also maintaining a busy schedule of catering, farmers market appearances, and a Sunday residency at Kimski.

Elizabeth Gartelos-Morris

One of the co-founders of Meze Table, known for her expertise in traditional Greek comfort foods.

Beth Salentiny

The other co-founder of Meze Table, who works alongside Gartelos-Morris to bring Greek small plates and street food to Chicago.

Monday Night Foodball

A weekly chef pop-up event hosted by the Chicago Reader at Thattu restaurant in Avondale.

Thattu

The Avondale restaurant that hosts the weekly Monday Night Foodball events.

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What they’re saying

“It is the quintessential Greek comfort food. Everybody's grandma makes these. [They're] super fat, broad beans—a butter bean—slow simmered in tomato sauce. The sauce gets kind of crusty, and the beans get all puffy and soft, and the texture is really velvety and crazy.”

— Elizabeth Gartelos-Morris, Co-founder, Meze Table (Chicago Reader)

“They're really best when you're hungover, standing in front of your fridge in your underwear, eating with your bare hands.”

— Beth Salentiny, Co-founder, Meze Table (Chicago Reader)

What’s next

Meze Table will continue its Sunday residency at Kimski and work towards the opening of its permanent brick-and-mortar location in Bridgeport in the coming months.

The takeaway

Meze Table's return to Monday Night Foodball demonstrates the growing demand for authentic, community-driven Greek cuisine in Chicago. As the city's food landscape evolves, businesses like Meze Table that prioritize tradition, quality ingredients, and worker-centric values are poised to thrive and become cornerstones of the local food scene.