The best Greek restaurants in Sydney

Chef Timothy Cassimatis is the owner of Marrickville's casual Greek eatery, Olympic Meats, which is named after his grandmother, Olympia, as well as being a nod to the Mount Olympus-like journey it’s taken to get here. The dishes are inspired by those eaten in the Peloponnese in southern Greece, where the Cassimatis family comes from. Everything’s made in-house, including the pillowy, hand-rolled sourdough pita, which takes two days to make and arrives with charred character, thanks to its finish in the wood-fire oven. Also hand-rolled is the spanakopita created using Cassimatis’ yiayia’s recipe, which she brought with her when she came to Australia in 1961.

Time Out tip: You can’t book – it’s walk-ins only, so the earlier you get down, the better. And it's BYO!

Olympus is the sort of restaurant where you are invited to idle. The pleasures of dining at the contemporary village-style taverna in Sydney’s Redfern are many – from its location in the buzzy new Wunderlich Lane precinct to the menu devoted to everything from classic Greek mezedes to a trove of dishes anchored to time-worn traditions. Does your last trip to Greece feel like ancient history? Slip on your sandals and head here instead.

Time Out tip: With a group? Opt for the great-value set menu.

What this restaurant does well is wholesome simplicity. Greek food that's traditional and very homely. You won't find anything tricked up, foamed or soiled here - just honest earthy dishes made with care. And it's cheap, too.

Norma’s Deli is a Greek-style bakery, café, diner and grocer in Manly. Named after owner James Siberis’ grandmother, this sprawling space on Manly corso is absolutely gorgeous. Come for take-home goods all made in-house, including spanakopita, Greek-stuffed capsicums, moussaka, pastitso (a traditional Greek beef and pork ragu pasta bake) – as well as fresh loaves of sourdough and croissants. 

Time Out tip: order one of the loaded focaccia sambos and enjoy it by the sea.

The Apollo has been serving some of Sydney's tastiest Greek food for more than a decade now, with nearly as many hits as Dua Lipa. Take for example, the saganaki: a dish of golden and piping-hot cheese, drizzled with honey and fragrant oregano. Or, Apollo's crowning glory: an oven-baked lamb shoulder, with perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone-meat. Order with a side of garlicky roast potatoes and a fresh village salad and you’ve got yourself one heck of a brilliant Greek feast.

Time Out tip: The Apollo offers 'The Full Greek' set menu. In a group? Order that.

Petersham has long been known as little Portugal, being home to Frangos, Silvas, and Sweet Belem. Now, thanks to some new additions, it’s started turning into a little urban slice of the Mediterranean. As well as covering off Portugal, the small dining strip strongly reps Italy with new restaurant Noi and aperitivo bar the Majestic – and now, Greece, thanks to the arrival of Perama 2.0. Why the 2.0? Well, this is a second rendition of the original Perama, which was there in the same spot in Petersham many years back. Come for this gorgeous sizzling cheese, Mykonos vibes, 12-hour slow-cooked lamb, and pork belly baklava (yes, really).

Greek mezze bar Ela Ela is now open in the CBD’s recently revamped Bristol Hotel. Chef Peter Conistis is behind the menu, with most of the share-style plates sitting around the $20 mark. Do as the Greeks do and order lots. I loved the creamy, salty taramasalata piled high on warm wood-grilled pita, the grilled lamb chops with a crunchy, dill-flecked cucumber salad, and baked feta with sweet tomatoes and garlic.

Time Out tip: The rooftop bar is a cool spot for a sunset Spritz, but you’ll next find me at Midtown, a sexy, retro cocktail lounge on the middle floor.

The chefs at Alpha have some sort of mystical way with pastry. Their spanakopita sees tissue-paper-light pastry supporting a deliciously salty mix of fetta and spinach. And lightness is definitely a theme at Alpha. Check out the loukoumades – sweet and moreish honeyed-doughnut puffs. This restaurant on the old Hellenic Club site is absolutely packed, night and day. 

First up, it’s all about the bread: fluffy rounds of fresh pita, scorched lightly on the grill. They're filled with slices of juicy pork or chicken – just like in Greece – carved straight off the vertical spit. There’s a smattering of salad: ripe tomato wedges, red onion, parsley and a slick of tzatziki, but mostly it’s one helluva meatfest. They add a couple of chips inside as well, traditional-style. It ain’t pretty eating but that’s half the fun. The pillowy-soft pita soaks up all the juices from the meat. And back to those chips. Joined with the bread, they offer outrageously good carb-on-carb action.

Time Out tip: Gyradiko has opened a second shop in Marrickville. 

Forget those fancy new yeeros joints. The Yeeros Shop has been keeping it old skool since 1968. That means hand-cut chips cooked to order (adjusted to soft or extra crunchy if you ask nicely) wrapped up in butchers paper for takeaway. Yassss. The menu includes old-fashioned hamburgers, steak sandwiches or good ol’ yeeros meat on chips aka the Halal snack pack. The lamb yeeros is what everyone’s ordering though, crispy fatty lamb bits jammed into grilled Greek pita bread with salad. Get the small chips and laugh with delirium at what passes as extra large in most other takeaways.

Meet Medusa, the Greek restaurant with a lot to give. It's in the heart of the CBD, offering fresh simple food in a casual yet polished room. Owner Peter Koutsopoulos works the room, serving jokes and backslaps along with souvlaki and haloumi. The room's mostly filled with blokes in suits eating lamb and drinking red wine, but it's not just a place for corporate canivores. Start with fava Santorinis – a smooth puree of chickpeas dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. It's not hummus, but it's not far off.