Mad Greek Deli's Last Weeks in Bethany and the Corner It Came Back To

The first time the Mad Greek Deli closed in Rock Creek, in 2015, three people stayed to lock up. Owner Pantelis "Pondo" Kosmas, his friend Jacob Marks and longtime employee Cam Kimball split the last three 16-ounce cans of Coors Light left in the building. By then the equipment had been auctioned off, down to the plates. Marks told that story to the Hillsboro News-Times this fall. Kimball still works at the restaurant.

On Saturday, Nov. 28, Mad Greek Deli will close again on the same intersection. The deli at 18515 NW West Union Road is ending its westside run, and that day will be its last. The corner of NW 185th Avenue and West Union Road has carried the Mad Greek name since 1977, with one gap. The people who brought the name back after that gap did it on purpose.

One corner, two Mad Greeks

The deli that's closing now isn't in the original building. The first Mad Greek Deli opened in 1977 directly across the street. According to the Beaverton Valley Times, it ran until 2015, and the building was torn down in November 2018.

The current building has its own history. For about 16 years it was Rock Creek Corner. That restaurant opened in 2007, OregonLive reported, and it closed in February 2023, according to the Beaverton Valley Times.

Here's the corner's history in one list:

For the eight years between 2015 and 2023, the Mad Greek name was gone from the westside. The return in 2023 filled that gap.

How the name came back across the street

The return was personal. Kosmas, an Aloha High School graduate whose friends called him generous and "larger than life," died in February 2016. Marks told the Hillsboro News-Times that afterward he thought, "I don't want my best friend's legacy to die like this."

The way back took several steps, as Marks described them to the Hillsboro News-Times:

1. He worked with Kosmas' widow to keep the Portland Mad Greek at 1740 E. Burnside St. running.
2. He bought the Mad Greek's first food cart so he could serve the food anywhere.
3. A few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, he became sole owner of the eastside restaurant.
4. In spring 2023 he moved the deli back to Washington County, into the former Rock Creek Corner space.

Marks graduated from Westview High School in 1999. He said the westside was always the goal. "The goal was always to be back. That was always Pondo's dream," he told the paper.

He also said they didn't take shortcuts. "We did it the right way, (creating a) fully functioning bar and restaurant," he said. The building now has a full bar, and that matters for what the next tenant plans to do with it.

Why it's closing, in the owner's words

Marks announced the closing on the restaurant's Facebook page on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The Beaverton Valley Times quoted his post: "Our building has been sold, and the increased economic pressure with no relief in sight has made it impossible to continue. We've been pushing hard for a long time, but it's time to call it with grace."

He also wrote that he wanted to close "the right way." That meant paying staff and suppliers through the end: "We will take care of our employees and our vendors — with smiles, not locked doors and unpaid bills." He said the team had committed to stay until the last day.

People have come out since the news broke. Marks told the Hillsboro News-Times that since he announced the closing, "we're busier than we've ever been." If you plan to go before the end, expect bigger crowds than the restaurant used to see.

What's on the counter before Nov. 28

This post goes up a little over three weeks before the last day, so you have three full weekends left plus the closing Saturday. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, two days before the final day.

The menu brought back the dishes people on the westside remembered, as the Hillsboro News-Times described them:

• The Mad Greek Sandwich. Ham, turkey, pepperoni and salami with Swiss, cheddar and provolone, plus shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, oil and vinegar and house dressing on what the paper called a "behemoth roll."
• The Mad Chicken sandwich
• Gyros
• Souvlaki, which the Beaverton Valley Times named among the restaurant's best-known dishes

The Mad Greek Deli website lists these hours for the westside location:

Hours often change in a restaurant's last weeks, and even more often around a holiday. Check the restaurant's website or Facebook page before you go, especially the week of Thanksgiving.

As for the last day, Marks promised the Hillsboro News-Times that the Nov. 28 closing-day party will be "crazy." The restaurant will open early and stay open late. Exact party hours haven't been announced, so watch the restaurant's own channels for details.

What comes next for 18515 NW West Union Road

The building has been sold. Marks told the Hillsboro News-Times that a restaurant group is buying it. He couldn't say which group yet, but he described the planned business as "like a tap house." No buyer, business name or opening date has been announced yet.

If the plan holds, the corner will go from Rock Creek Corner to Mad Greek to a tap house in a few years. The bar Marks built means the building would come to its next tenant already set up to serve drinks.

The Mad Greek name isn't leaving the area. The Portland location at 1740 E. Burnside St. is staying open, the Beaverton Valley Times reported. The restaurant's website still lists that location, along with catering and a food truck. After Nov. 28, the Mad Greek's only sit-down restaurant will be the one on E. Burnside.

Westside businesses like this one are why we host the Spotlight Show, where we profile the people and organizations behind them. If you have a Mad Greek memory from either building on that corner, or you know another local business with a story worth telling, we'd like to hear it. Reach out to VEN Property Group and let's connect.