Chigwell, 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”.

“Almost like being in Greece!” – this huge and “endearing” Primrose Hill taverna has never been a foodie hotspot, and though it might be fair to say that the food is “like your Greek Mum makes”, that’s only if your Ma’s cooking is “unexciting but reliable”. Tony Evangelou founded the business on Regent’s Park Road in 1979 and shifted to its current large site (a former pub) in 1992. “People love the atmosphere”, “it’s always packed” and it helps that “the waiting staff have been working here for years and years”. Even those who say “I feel the food is bumping along the bottom” reckon “the business will probably outlive me!” – “not cheap but people still keep going back”. Top Menu Tips – “the Grilled Halibut is always good and the Chicken Shashlik is great with rice or a delicious salad! Crème Carmel as a dessert is a winner. The Wine list – purchased from Enotria, Bibendum and Hallgarten – is well constructed”.

“A thoroughly modern twist on Greek cuisine” wins a solid following for this “atypical” and vibey Fitzrovia venue, whose “intimate setting and candlelit interior” help create a “great ambience”. An early exponent of smart, upscale Aegean dining in London when it opened nine years ago, it has branches in Mykonos and Riyadh. Founder Peter Waney worked with his brother Arjun, the man behind Zuma and Roka.

You choose “the freshest fish” from iced display counters, to have cooked as you wish and served alongside “amazing seafood” at this “busy and exciting” Greek venue in St James’s, from a luxury international chain founded by Costas Spiladi in Montreal nearly 50 years ago that now stretches from Las Vegas via Athens to Singapore. Prices can be off-putting – critics say they’re “for gangstas and business expenses only” – but there are “some good deals at lunch” (or early evening); and advocates say you’re paying for “an absolute classic experience with the best quality”.

“Excellent modern Greek food” is served in “an aesthetically pleasing space” at this well-established venue (est. 2014), from the team behind highly rated Funky Gourmet in Athens (its more casual Soho sibling INO closed in summer 2024). As may be expected of the address and smart styling, it’s “spendy in the Marylebone manner” (with a high entry level for wines per bottle). Top Menu Tip – “lamb shank to die for”.

2024 Review: The “great and original menu” at Albanian-born John Gionleka’s Peckham pub conversion is inspired by the cuisine of the former Ottoman Empire, stretching across the Balkans to Greece and Anatolia, with an emphasis on cooking over a charcoal grill. Ingredients change daily with seasonal availability. See also its sister restaurant, Dulwich Lyceum.

A “cheap ’n’ cheerful” recommendation in Maida Vale, just off the Harrow Road: this Greek- Cypriot venue features a big grill as you enter. You can eat à la carte, but there’s a more ‘blow out’ option of £37.50 per person (min 2, must include the whole table) to sample all their starters plus a selection of mains from the grill and oven.

This “good honest Greek” is “a boon for tourists going to the Portobello Road”, with a menu of familiar Hellenic classic dishes (and occasional live Greek music). Top Tips – “the chicken and lamb souvla are superb”.

“We lived in Greece for 10 years and this comes recommended if you want authentic Greek food and the cramped ambience of a taverna (although without the authentic fluorescent lighting!)” – this Hillgate Village haunt has “beautifully cooked and presented Greek cuisine” that’s super-sophisticated by holiday-taverna standards. “The small space and number of diners means it can be noisy”, although it has “an excellent back terrace for sunny days”. Top Menu Tip – “leave room for the loukoumades (honey doughnuts) for dessert”.

2024 Review: The “delicious and interesting modern Greek food” is enjoyed by all who visit this “fun” if “slightly cramped and noisy” Notting Hill four-year-old – the “less formal sister to Mazi” nearby. (Founders Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carre were inspired by the cuisine of northern Greece, and named it after a film character who has passed into contemporary Greek folklore.)

“Fabulous food in this hidden Stratford gem” say early fans (too few for a rating) of this 200-cover newcomer (named after Zeus’s missus) near the V&A’s impending East London outpost. Its variety of Mediterranean-inspired dishes includes: a journey through Greek cuisine with options ranging from mezze to meat and seafood dishes (and there’s a Cocktail Lounge offering signature cocktails like Helen of Spice, Karpouzi Island and Dates in Crete). Top Tip – in summer, there’s a 100 cover outside terrace for whiling away the hours over mezze and drinks.

“I was surprised by the quality of food!”, say early fans of this “Greek-Australian popup in a Homerton pub that has never really been known for delivering anything beyond the serviceable”. There’s a focus on fire cooking, with dishes like White Tarama, Smoked Aubergine, Charred Lamb Chops, and Octopus Bolognese. The result is “large, flavoursome portions at reasonable prices”. Top Menu Tip – “Get the toastie!”; happy hour for burgers is 5pm - 8pm.

“Wow, wow and WOW!” – “this place slaps!” – David Carter’s “exciting and daring” Borough Market yearling occupies the first floor above Agora (see also) and “what a place!!!” with “gorgeous, intriguing, Greek-inspired small plates” (“a sequence of exquisite fish and meat dishes carefully licked by fire… and the unforgettable flatbreads… oh, the breads are good”). Service is “relaxed and informed” and there’s also an “amazing” wine list “packed with interesting Greek options” and “lush cocktails” helping to fuel the incredible “buzz” (including “at the counter, with delicious food cooked over the charcoal BBQ in front of you”; and in summer on the “outside terrace, perched above the maelstrom of the market and below the thundering trains”). With every newspaper critic in town going into overdrive and Michelin immediately delivering it a star, it’s not exactly undiscovered – in fact it’s the most commented-on recent arrival in our annual diners’ poll: “So hyped that I went in tentatively, super-busy but fabulous… I get what all the fuss is about!”. Top Menu Tips – “the main issue is deciding what NOT to choose!”; “seafood is exemplary with the Crudos especially standing out”; “Laffa and açma bread; Salt Cod XO and Labneh dip; Ajvar dip; Tuna ceviche; Fig salad; Spanakopita gratin; John Dory… all delicious”; “especially loved the chocolate cremoso with pistachios”; but “the bread and dips alone make this 5/5”.

“Sat on the bar stools on the pavement and enjoying a handful of utterly delicious skewers and supping some lovely drinks” helps make the ground floor of David Carter’s popular yearling in Borough Market a “very nice place to hang out”: its “Greek-Turkish fusion cuisine is always good” and fans say “it’s just as good as his more famous Oma upstairs but at a much better price point”. The experience does suffer from its popularity though: “the place is rammed so there’s quite a queue to get in” (it’s primarily walk-ins although there are a few reservations); “service is a bit slow”; it can be “just too rushed and loud to enjoy the food”; and limits on table time strike some as “ridiculous… which is a shame as it’s so good”.

“A great little find” with a “nice choice of wines” (many natural) – this Fitzrovia three-year-old claims to be the first Cretan restaurant outside Greece (and it takes its name from the year of the island’s revolution, which led to unification with Greece). Top Tip – “the lunch set menu is a steal!”.

“Fantastic Greek and Turkish dishes, including unusual items, create a memorable meal” (buoyed up by wine from Turkey, Greece Georgia and Armenia) at this “very popular and buzzy (if also crowded and noisy)” two-year-old ocakbasi near the top of the Portobello Road from chef Kemal Demirasal. In April 2024, he opened a sequel in Soho’s Kingly Street (with an ‘Under the Counter’ basement bar), where a variety of cuisines from around the Eastern Mediterranean are the inspiration.

This “fantastic ‘fin-to-gill’ fish restaurant” in Marylebone, from the Greek team behind nearby Opso, provides a “really interesting” experience. The main event is, say fans, “utterly astonishing: your party chooses a whole fish from the alluring ice display, and the entire fish is then used to prepare your meal – even the bones, used to make a delicious soup, and the head and collar, fiercely grilled to smoky crispness and served with a fabulous Greek salad”. It’s “v. pricey”, and “if the restaurant itself is a little austere, the resulting focus on the food is worth it!”

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.