While many will find the French-fry stuffed gyros and authentic, pork, beef and lamb pita wraps and kebab plates at Apola Greek Grill in Irvine an Instagramable treasure, the chain has introduced another photo-worthy (and delicious) food phenomenon — baklava cheesecake.

Baklava is a Greek dessert made with layers of phyllo dough, which is a type of thin dough with an uneven, rigid crust. The layers of paper-thin dough are topped with nuts and can be sweetened with honey, syrup or rose water. The dessert is usually cooked in large rectangular baking sheets, and will usually be sliced into individual portions.    

Apola’s baklava cheesecake is a representation of the culinary marriage of Greek and American and can only be found in Orange County. With locations in Irvine and Yorba Linda, Apola Greek Grill Founder Yianni Kosmides explained that the creation of the baklava cheesecake was based on recipes his mother made, and to pay respect to the flavors of the two cultures he grew up experiencing with his family.    

This Greek-style cheesecake is a thick slice of New York-style cheesecake, topped with chopped baklava, and drizzled with honey. 

“We know our fans expect to get the same traditional flavors that we did in our family kitchen growing up, and this is no different,” Kosmides said. “We love cheesecake, and we love baklava, so we thought everyone would love blending them together to make this one-of-a-kind delicious treat. Our mom is famous for her cheesecakes, especially baklava cheesecake, and it’s the perfect complement to one of our Authentic Greek Gyros!”

To celebrate the arrival of this new menu item Apola Greek Grill is offering a $2 discount on slices of its baklava cheesecake for the month of August.  

Apola Greek Grill is located at 16569 Von Karman Ave, Irvine, CA 92606

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