Bankside, Greek Restaurant Guide

“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”.

“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”.