Cheshunt, Greek Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: This Greek-Cypriot taverna in Bounds Green has earned a wide following across north London over 50 years for its generous ‘Special Mezze’: various cold starters followed by charcoal-grilled meats and fish specialities. Family-run by Adreas and Anthony Antoniou, it has recently been given a modern revamp.

Offering a combination of Turkish, Kurdish and Greek dishes, this “cheap ’n’ cheerful” grill on the Islington main drag has been “a mainstay in the neighbourhood for years, and with good reason”.

“Still going strong” after 45 years, this big, “family-friendly, community-spirited” taverna on Primrose Hill boasts a “reliable Greek-Cypriot menu that suits all tastes”. “Visit for the ambience rather than the food and you won’t be disappointed” – it’s the sort of place where “many of the waiters have served for decades; and once-young guests can often be seen tucking in with now grown-up children as well as grandchildren in tow”.

“Fun, vibey atmosphere and slick service” are key to the success of this upscale Greek outfit in Fitzrovia (with sister venues in Mykonos and Riyadh), which gets “loud” at busy times – perhaps “too loud”. Owned by Peter Waney, brother of Arjun (Zuma, Roka), it’s “not cheap, but the food is better than you’d think” – “fresh, light and modern”, with “imaginative twists on every dish”.

“Modern Greek cuisine with a twist” earns consistently strong ratings for this 10-year-old in Marylebone, which is “definitely a cut above the traditional taverna”. Sibling to the more casual INO in Soho, it’s from the accomplished team behind well-known Funky Gourmet in Athens.

“Taking Greek tapas to another level” – this “intimate” Soho ‘gastrobar’ is named for ‘wine’ in ancient Greek, and part of the ‘Funky Gourmet’ group who own Opso (see also) as well as a Michelin two-star operation in Athens. Even some fans who find the cooking exceptional can caution that “the small and trendy location boosts costs, while multiple dishes also help tot up the bill”.

A lively local, just off the Harrow Road in Maida Vale, which “never disappoints”. It’s nothing fancy: “the mezze are a treat and really good ingredients are cooked very well indeed” (mostly from the charcoal grill). “There’s always a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and service is excellent”.

Hang with a “smart, interesting-looking set of diners” at Costas Spiladi’s luxurious Greek venture in St James’s – part of his international chain, whose 10 other branches include three in NYC, as well as outlets in Miami, Athens and Dubai. It aims to evoke the brilliant blue waters of the Med and showcases an “excellent” array of fish and seafood on glittering counters of ice, where you choose your catch and specify how it’s to be prepared. On the downside, service can be “variable” and it is – predictably – “very expensive”.

This family-run taverna in the heart of Portobello is “always a winner” for its classic Greek dishes served in a warm atmosphere – sometimes with live Greek music on the side.

The “Mediterranean/posh Greek” food is “consistently good” at this high-performing spot that is a “fantastic addition to Barnet High Street” – it’s “really buzzy on a Saturday night”, and “new specials are frequently added to the menu”. Former apprentice Gerry Sands was promoted to co-ownership by founder Louis Loizu at the age of just 21.

“Interesting Cretan regional dishes, enthusiastic waiting staff and a good vibe” are the salient features of this Fitzrovia two-year-old, named after the island’s 1905 revolution and claiming to be the first Cretan restaurant outside Greece. There’s also a “fairly priced” list of Cretan wines, many of them natural.

This yearling in Marylebone from the team behind nearby Opso provides an “amazing Greek fish experience” with a “great fin-to-gill ethos” – “choose one of the lovely fresh fish and it comes as a carpaccio, chargrilled head and gills (yes please!) and a fillet, again chargrilled”. In his February 2024 review, The Telegraph’s restaurant critic William Sitwell was smitten, hailing it as “a game-changer, offering some of the finest Greek food I have ever tasted”.

On the top floor of the Borough Market site that was Rabot 1745 (RIP), David Carter’s late-spring 2024 newcomer (see also Agora) opened just in time to inspire one early report rating it very highly. The press meanwhile have gone into full-on meltdown over what The Times’s Giles Coren hails as the “hands down, pants off run around screaming, slam-dunk best-of-the-year-so-far joint in central London”. The carefully researched dishes from Colombian chef Jorge Paredes are, according to The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa “gently heretical… rather than authentic” – or as Giles puts it “Greek in spirit but Turkish, Yemeni, Italian, Lebanese, not fusion, not parodic, not taking the piss” – leading to results he hails as “genius”. Top Menu Tip – the spanakopita, which leaves Coren riffing on W.H. Auden (“Cut off the telephone. Stop the dog from barking with a juicy bone”) and which The Guardian’s Grace Dent terms “frankly obscene”.

“Is it where the vulgar go to look at each other?” – Richard Caring wasn’t looking to please the good taste committee with his “far OTT” Mayfair scene, where staff clad in togas, winged statues and muralled nymphs overlooking the large dining room make it all a bit like a luxurious Mayfair production of ‘Carry on Cleo’. The menu is a romp through a hotchpotch of Med-inspired crudo, seafood dishes, pasta – even schnitzel! – and if you aren’t spending enough already, the menu encourages you to ‘elevate your dish with… a decadent addition’: meaning extra caviar or black truffle is available to sprinkle on all items. One fan recommends it for its romantic potential (“the ladies enjoy dining here”) but almost half of our feedback registers “disappointment”, so it would very much depend on the tastes of your dining companion…

Across Piccadilly from The Ritz, this glorious-looking (and extremely pricey) newcomer – all high ceilings, marble and pale blue banquettes – rather jarringly markets itself as a ‘refined Greek taverna’; and is the London outpost of a Russian-owned, Dubai-based brand which also has outlets in Doha and Monte Carlo. The ‘refined taverna’ styling, though, does more faithfully capture the relatively homespun menu, overseen by British-Nigerian chef Izu Ani: this includes classics like taramasalata, spanakopita and moussaka alongside a more glam ice-counter of fish and seafood, where you select your choice and specify how you want it prepared. “Nice… but not cheap”, only go if your wallet doesn’t mind an exhausting work-out.

2024 Review: This “chic-casual” venture from the Pachamama group in Notting Hill focuses on “modern Greek fusion food”, and has picked up plenty of fans in its inaugural year thanks to its “sophisticated cooking” and “buzzy” vibe. One repeated gripe: “bringing dishes when the kitchen fancies can lead to an odd sequence to meals!”