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The attitude at Spartan is clearly Greek, although the menu favors meat-loving American tastes over the day’s catch. Fish—a staple in Greek kitchens—is entirely absent, save for octopus, which arrives at the table in a charred tangle of tentacles and chewy, briny tendrils. The star here is the grill: Chicken, beef, lamb, and pork, are all prepared for the kebab and delivered either in a pita or with fries and excellent, simple, made-to-order salads, like a chunky tomato salad topped with slivered red onion, crushed feta, and a generous dose of olive oil. Meze plates feature the Greek sausage lokaniko, more octopus, small skewers of chicken, and gyro. Familiar sides like spinach pie—fragrant, onion-dense greens wrapped in buttery phyllo and baked until the paper crust blisters golden brown—and the classic, garlicky, top-everything tzatziki yogurt sauce round out the bill. Set on a no-man's-land stretch of Bay Ridge, wedged between Fort Hamilton Parkway and the BQE, the restaurant provides intrepid alfresco diners with a plant-decked outdoor area—seasoned with auto exhaust. The informal dining room (plastic tables, paper place mats) is low on ambience, but without the din of traffic, also low on noise. — Helen Zelon

Spinach pie, $4.25; Greek-style fries, $3.15; gyro, $5.55; baby chicken souvlaki, $2.25 per stick