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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Entertainment
Lynette Pinchess

I tried West Bridgford restaurant popular with Nottingham Forest stars and it was amazing value

Nottingham Forest captain Joe Worrall is a fan, so is manager Steve Cooper. Other big names on the local sporting scene like boxing champion Leigh Wood and Notts cricketer Alex Hales have been spotted eyeing up the menu at Eva's Grill in West Bridgford.

We popped along to the Greek and Mediterranean restaurant and takeaway to see what makes it such a magnet for sports stars and Nottingham YouTube celebrity LadBaby, as well as residents and match-goers from all over the country. An easy way to find it, at the top of Radcliffe Road, is to look out for all the greenery and red rose bushes outside.

Right opposite Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and just around the corner from the Forest ground, it couldn't be better placed. Four years ago Eva's Grill opened, just months before the pandemic, which could have killed the business. Instead, the owners husband and wife, Julian and Klaudja Koraqe, persevered, staying open throughout and relying on takeaway and delivery to keep the business afloat.

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While other businesses around them were closed it was a way of getting their name out there and from that business exploded once life returned to normal after the pandemic. Always a favourite with Forest fans and players, it took off even more when the Reds were promoted to the Premiership. If there's any kind of dress code, it's a red shirt.

The success story of Eva's Grill has become recently became picked up by a Greek newspaper. Julian said: "It has been an unbelievable journey and a great experience. When Forest play there is a queue down the street and tables are changing every 10 minutes," said Julian, who always posts selfies with his famous guests on Instagram. Klaudja, however, doesn't always recognise the players.

After each game, win or draw, the owners let off fireworks behind the grill house. Crowds of away fans from London, Manchester and the bigger cities with more money to spend really put Eva's on the map.

There's no famous faces on the day I visit, but there are staff from a nearby barbers and spectators from the Women's Ashes at Trent Bridge. When it's a men's game the restaurant is rammed but the women's match is a first for Eva's, and on day one, they're not sure what to expect.

Dedicated Forest fan Julian goes to watch all the home games but he has to leave ten minutes before the final whistle to get back to the shop which Klaudja has been manning in his absence, ready for the rush as crowds leave the ground.

Eva's has to be the area's poshest kebab shop, with green foliage on the walls, feel-good neon signs, and a large screen TV that looks like a fish tank. Fellow customers sit outside in the sun but I take advantage of the air conditioning inside and Greek music playing in the background.

Behind the counter the vertical rotating grills have pork and chicken for the best-selling gyros - they're really popular with the sportsmen. For those wanting a blow-out sit down meal, there are starters including calamari, hummus, and stuffed vine leaves, aka dolmades. The mains revolve around souvlaki ( skewers of meat), gyros, shish wraps and sharing platters of grilled meat or vegetables and cheese.

Want to be healthy? There's a colourful Greek salad on the menu. Burger lovers can go Greek by adding tzatziki sauce or keep it traditional with a cheeseburger, chicken or veggie burger.

My verdict on the chicken gyros pita wrap

This is the one that goes down best with footballers and fans alike and once you've sampled it, it's easy to see why. Tasty, very filling and costing £8, it's great value for money.

And as takeaways go it's not that unhealthy. There are a few chips but you'll soon burn those off running around a football pitch or working out at the gym.

The wrap is absolutely packed full of chicken - crispy bits and succulent meat. Together with lettuce and tomato, it's wrapped in a pita, but not the sort you get at the supermarket but a round soft and fluffy bread. Accompanying tzatziki, mustard mayo and black pepper give it extra oomph.

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