FALMOUTH — I’ve heard of spanakopita referred to as spinach pie in the past, but was never sure that made sense.

Until, that is, I had the spanakopita dinner at Falmouth House of Pizza for lunch. The spanakopita was indeed in the form of a pie, with a layer of filo dough on top, and one on the bottom, instead of having several layers. In between the pastry was a 4- or 5-inch-thick layer of spinach, cheeses (feta and cottage), scallions and eggs. It was warm, extremely light and creamy, and full of flavor. It was even cut into a pie wedge, like a hunk of apple or pumpkin pie would be.

FALMOUTH HOUSE OF PIZZA

WHERE: 251 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth. 781-5251

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

WAIT: 10 minutes for a phone order

PARKING: Yes

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

Additional Photos

James Pyle of Falmouth slides a pizza from the oven at the Falmouth House of Pizza. Photos by John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Long a go-to destination in Falmouth for Greek-inspired fare and, especially, pizza, the restaurant is in the Shaw's plaza on Route 1.

The meal was $8.99 and came with a Greek salad and two giant hunks of garlic bread. The garlic bread could have been lunch itself, as the bread was as thick as biscuits, and was extremely toasty, buttery and full of garlicky goodness.

Before you start wondering if this is the authentic Greek way of making spanakopita, know that the restaurant’s founders, Steve and Antonia Sotiropoulos, came from Greece in 1977. They opened their second restaurant, Antonia’s Pizzeria, in Freeport in 2007.

You know Falmouth House of Pizza has a Greek influence as soon as you walk into the cozy, wood-paneled restaurant and see the pictures of Greece on the wall and on the menu. Besides the spanakopita and the Greek salad, other Greek dishes include a chicken souvlaki dinner and gyros, chicken or a special “gyro blend” of meats rolled into a pita bread. Most of the dinners are priced around $8 and up.

But much of the extensive menu is about pizza, calzones, pasta and sandwiches. And many of the pizzas have a Greek flair.

The specialty pizzas are especially creative. The Acropolis has marinated and grilled chicken breast, broccoli, fresh garlic and breaded eggplant. The Peleponnesian vegetable has broccoli, spinach, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and Kalamata olives. The Greek has spinach, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese.

The place is located near the Shaw’s supermarket on Route 1 in Falmouth, so there is plenty of easy parking and it’s right off I-295. So it’s good for takeout.

Besides pizza as a takeout option, there are lots of hot sandwiches, including steak and cheese, hot pastrami, a “loaded” steak bomb with onions, peppers, mushrooms and bacon, and chicken souvlaki and gyros.

There are even “Greek-style” breakfast subs. One is a baked Virginia ham and egg omelet with provolone cheese on a toasted sub roll, while the other is a grilled pepper and egg omelet with provolone cheese, on a toasted sub roll.

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

The staff of GO samples meals for about $10.

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