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Servers check and take lunch orders at the new Pomegranate Cafe in Aurora.
Robyn Sheldon / Special to The Sun

TRIO BRING KNOW-HOW TO POMEGRANATE CAFE

It's a long way from the Greek island of Cyprus to the east side of Aurora. Three longtime friends have traveled the road, much of the way together, and their friendship remains intact. It can be found in a cozy storefront eatery that dishes up freshly made specialties from before dawn to well past dusk, every day of the week.

"You can call us the Three Stooges," said Costas Stylianou, who co-owns Pomegranate Cafe with his business partners, Mike Lambrou and Costas Klangides.

It comes as no great surprise that the owners - each of whom owns at least one other restaurant in addition to the new one - consider classic Greek specialties one of their strengths. The Sunday special, Greek-style baked lamb, is a source of special pride, and the Greek chicken - baked with olive oil, lemon and oregano - is another standout, they said.

"And we have excellent calamari and saganaki," Stylianou said.

The baklava and galaktopouriko, both homemade, are signature desserts.

Klangides said the atmosphere shifts as the day goes on. In the morning it's a pancake house and later it shifts into a classic family-style restaurant.

Popular items at breakfast include the baked omelets, which come in 17 variations, and the skillets, hearty mixtures with potatoes on the bottom and two eggs on top.

One of the collection of salads is the house specialty, Pomegranate's Chicken Salad, composed of grilled chicken strips, spinach, apple, walnuts and bleu cheese, tossed in a pomegranate vinaigrette.