What: Avgolemono soup
Where: Mykonos, 71800 Highway 111, Suite A122, Rancho Mirage
How much: $7.99 separately; included with $17.99 lunch special (as shown)
Contact: 442-282-5105; mykonosgreekfood.com
Why: The tartness.
Some people dislike food that’s similar in temperature to the weather: They don’t like hot soup in the summer, and they avoid ice cream when it’s chilly.
I am not one of those people—and I am glad, because if I had been a no-soup-in-the-summer person, I wouldn’t have discovered the avgolemono (lemon chicken) soup during my recent lunch visit to Mykonos, a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant that opened in April at The River in Rancho Mirage.
I met colleagues V.J., Bonnie and Terry for a catch-up, and I ordered one of Mykonos’ lunch specials: a sandwich (falafel, gyro, chicken gyro or meatballs in a pita, or a gyro burger), a soup or a salad, and a soft drink, all for $17.99. (In 2026, that’s a great deal!) I selected the gyro and the aforementioned avgolemono soup. (Lentil is the other soup option.)
The sandwich, with pre-formed gyro, was good—next time, I’ll ask for extra tzatziki sauce—as was the accompanying small Greek salad. The soup, however, was excellent. It was quite tart thanks to the lemon, with the chicken broth adding salt and umami. Orzo contributed a nice texture. Happy thoughts of the soup kept popping into my head for several days afterward—a sign that a dish is endorsement-worthy indeed.
Beyond the sandwiches, Mykonos offers the items you’d expect at a Greek/Mediterranean joint, along with some unique dishes, such as the shrimp and cheese claypot “hot meze”—shrimp baked with tomatoes, green peppers, butter, garlic, parsley and cheese ($18.99). I’m also intrigued by the Mykonos grilled branzino ($26.99).
While The River is struggling, there are some great restaurants there, and I was happy to see that Mykonos had a nice weekday lunch crowd—in the summer, even!
