London’s best Greek restaurants

Head towards Maida Vale to discover one of west London's most beloved Greek restaurants. This friendly taverna has flawless versions of all the classics; taramosalata, tzaziki, halloumi, and Greek salad, followed by souvlaki or whole fresh fish from the in-house chargrill, and majestic moussaka. We love the magical meze menu; £35 a head for everything that’s good that day, from hummus and feta salad to fish and flesh from the grill and tender kleftiko from the oven. 

From David Carter, the chef behind the excellent Smokestak and show-stopping Manteca, comes Oma, where Greek food is the jumping-off point for a menu that begins on the Ionian islands before skipping off to the Levant by way of the Balkans. There’s also a whole menu of crudo (with a raw fish ice counter welcoming you into the minimal, slate grey space) and another dedicated to skewers cooked over a large grill in the middle of this first floor spot. Everything is very, very good - but the xo salt cod and labneh dip is mesmeric, while dishes such as meaty mussels on a bed of breaded saganaki and charred lamb belly, with a mound of fluffy hummus, and hearty shallot and mint salata also impress. 

There’s no doubting the charms of this family-run, Greek-Cypriot restaurant. Its three-floor layout takes in a cosy ground floor that’s all floral-patterned booths and black and white photos of Cypriot village life. The first floor conjures up an authentic Mediterranean feel with its uneven whitewashed walls and tiled floors. Mini koubes (deep-fried wheat parcels stuffed with minced lamb) are crisp and aromatic, and spanakópitta, grilled fish skewers and lamb souvláki are also on the menu.

Nestled on cobbled Newburgh Street, just off Carnaby Street, Ino is a fashionable but unpretentious place, with warm lighting, wood panelling and exposed brick. While there are a few tables hidden at the back, the action mostly happens at the bar, where diners can sit and watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen, where they use hot charcoal to prepare most of their ingredients.

This family-run Primrose Hill joint is everything you want from a neighbourhood Greek taverna. The vine-clad dining room is abuzz with garrulous chatter, boozy toasts and local gossip, with the odd famous face adding some extra glitz to proceedings, while the kitchen serves up traditional Hellenic sunshine in the shape of vast mezédes, charcoal grills, stews and other classics. There are also some great-value weekday lunch specials, plus a terrific selection of Greek-Cypriot wines.

A modern Greek eatery that doubles as a café, weekend brunch spot, wine bar and bakery, Opso serves contemporary mezédes and Hellenic classics in a stripped-back setting of bare wood, dangling lights and matrix-like metal gantries. Its small plates are pimped-up concoctions such as a Greek salad ceviche or metsovone croquettes (smoked fried cheese with rhubarb jam), while mains could be as traditional as moussaka. There’s a feta bar too, as well as an array of starry home-baked cakes and pastries.

A charming and homely little Greek taverna off Camden’s main drag, Andy’s is a local classic with more than 50 years of service under its belt. The menu offers a whistle-stop tour of the Aegean at wallet-friendly prices, with a whole heap of mezédes preceding meaty stalwarts, ranging from pork afelia and sheftalia to grills, kebabs and steaks. 

Originally a pan-Balkan pop-up, this spruced-up joint is now a gastronomic gem on Consort Road. ‘Eastern Mediterranean charcoal-grilled goodness’ is the promise, and Hellenic dishes figure prominently – from pork and beef keftedes (meatballs) with roasted tomatoes and Cyprus potatoes to grilled lamb leg with coco beans plaki, Charleston peppers and ktipiti (whipped feta dip). The smoky aromas of the chargrill bring an instant feel-good holiday vibe to tables on the summertime terrace, as do the quirky but rewarding Greek wines.

Statuettes, posters, plates, decorative gourds and colourful fabrics fill very corner of this happy-go-lucky Greek-Cypriot taverna, while clunking bouzouki music adds to the singalong holiday vibe. Set up by a Cypriot chef and his wife in 1988, Aphrodite also pleases the Notting Hill crowd with its generous helpings of Hellenic food. The oven-baked lamb kleftiko and spit-roast chicken are star turns, but the menu is loaded with feel-good classics, from houmous and dolmades to pork sheftalia on rice, moussaka, grilled sea bass and all sorts of kebabs (try the version with beef fillet). There’s Greek pasta (pastitsio) too, along with a decent choice for vegetarians. On warm evenings, you can sit outside on the pavement terrace, quaff some retsina and soak up the local hospitality.

A world away from your standard image of a rough-hewn whitewashed Greek taverna (with rustic knick-knacks and plate-smashing included), this long-serving Hampstead restaurant looks a cut above the rest with its elegant, light and airy interior, creamy walls, heavily clothed tables and smartly dressed clientele. Share one of the multi-plate meze feasts with your mates or dates; otherwise, take a trip through the carte, moving from grilled sardines and avgolemono soup to Greek lamb casserole, moussaka or grilled octopus, with baklava and kadeifi pastries for afters.

The first proper restaurant from The Athenian street-food chain is a big beast within the creative hub of White City Place, serving its signature souvlaki wraps with salad, homemade sauces, dips and oregano fries alongside a whole host of new ideas. More space means a bigger menu, so also expect bespoke Gyros burgers (made from shavings of marinated meat), courgette fritters, Santorini tomato and herb croquettes with Athenian sauce and dessert ‘treats’ such as flourless brownies. Vegan and gluten-free options sit beside their meaty cousins, and the restaurant also serves breakfast (try the wild boar sausage muffins). To drink, dip into the extended selection of Greek craft beers and regional wines. 

Like its self-proclaimed ‘Deli Divine’ in Bloomsbury, the Soho branch of The Life Goddess (dubbed ‘Experimental Divine’) isn’t your average Greek taverna. The cooking is smart, modern and decidedly non-touristy, so banish all thoughts of lurid pink taramasalata and plate-smashing. Instead, look to the menu for the likes of slow-cooked octopus with a fava bean spread and homemade jam or marinated pork in red wine, honey and orange with bulgur wheat. Bonus points for the weekend brunch and admirable all-Greek wine list.

The Hellenic heroes at this stylish gaff are in the business of reinterpreting the Greek classics to an impressive effect. Flavours may be reassuringly authentic, but the presentation is progressive – note the meze served in Kilner jars, the hot plates of feta tempura with lemon marmalade and caper meringue or the loukoumades (bite-sized doughnuts) with lavender honey, crushed walnuts and chocolate sorbet. Even the good old Greek salad is pimped up with dinky barley rusks. We’re not in Kavos anymore, Toto.

Sister to the Soho original, this dinky dining room brings a fun-loving Hellenic vibe to Brick Lane with its smiley stuff, buzzy conversation and shots of ouzo. The meat for their souvlaki wraps is threaded on site every day, then cooked over top-quality charcoal on a robata-style grill. The short menu also features plenty of surprises – from octopus with fava beans and rock samphire to pulled pork kritharaki with orzo and oregano, plus local wines and craft beers from Greek micro-breweries.

The Waney family is renowned for Asian hotspots such as Roka and Zuma, but they’ve gone all Greek on us with this smart, spacious and sophisticated Fitzrovia restaurant. Meraki takes the sun-drenched flavours of the Aegean and serves them up to business folk, tourists and shoppers wanting to escape Oxford Street’s bedlam. The menu is stuffed with luxurious flavour combos, but nothing beats the wooden trays loaded with mezédes – we can’t get enough of the insanely good kopanisti (barrel-aged feta dip with Florina peppers).

Next door to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, this branch of the Real Greek chain conjures up holiday memories for the hordes of tourists who swarm the South Bank. The food is indigenous Greek, rather than Greek-Cypriot, with fluffy flatbread offered instead of pitta, and sharing feasts named after the home country’s provinces. The menu is dominated by hot and cold mézedes (great with a bottle of Mythos beer), but you can also expect souvlaki wraps, salads and a few extras.