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    Bar Vlaha

    4.4 (172 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Bar Vlaha Takeout or Delivery

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    BAR VLAHA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Bar Vlaha

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    Strapatsada
    Ria A.

    Food - 4/5 Service - 5/5 Ambiance - 5/5 I visited Bar Vlaha for a weekend brunch with family and would absolutely come back again! We shared a few dishes tapas style - saganaki, followed by the Strapasada scrambled eggs dish and the Paidakia lamb tray. Everything was very good, the lamb and eggs were especially noteworthy. Just a heads-up: the food is very rich. I really appreciate our server letting us honestly know that three dishes would be more than enough for three people because they may look small to medium sized but they're hefty. All of us were so full we had to go on a walk after! The only other note from a service perspective is that they're so busy that I had to get up and physically track someone down to ask for an extra piece of bread and more water. I fully understand though - I'm happy Bar Vlaha is doing well and is so busy! They deserve it!

    Vibe
    Melinda C.

    Expensive for small portions so come expecting to spend a pretty penny if you want to feel full. Beef cheeks were very tender and flavorful, but a bit too greasy for me. The oyster mushrooms were most recommended on Beli but unfortunately I wasn't blown away by them - batter was thin but there was so much oil that the fried feeling was overly heavy, instead of light and crispy. My sister enjoyed them though. Ambiance was nice, service pretty standard. Probably would not revisit.

    Brooke C.

    I had a very solid dinner here! I enjoyed the ambiance and it felt like a very nice spot without being overpriced. I liked the fried mushrooms the most. The lamb ribs were also good. Although this was good, I find their sister restaurant Krasi to be the more appealing option of the two.

    Magda C.

    Brunch was good, quality is there and prices are decent, I loved the vibe during the day

    Mojito and some other drink.
    Jose B.

    This place does everything right the food is fresh and delicious prompt and courteous service cool vibe. Good drinks very clean.

    Sourdough bread and eggplant dip
    April N.

    What a great way to dine and not just eat. Bar Vlaha provided a casual yet upscale experience from the vibe to the service to the food. We had a great seat facing the kitchen ain't got to watch them put together dishes. Part of the reason why I did not give this place five stars is because the people cooking the food did not look very enthused. The food was delicious, especially the beef cheeks dish. That was out of this world! If I went back, I would not order the sourdough bread and the dip again, though. It was just OK.

    Anniversary sparkling wine and a card!
    Brian W.

    Came here on a Friday evening to celebrate an anniversary and everything was amazing! First, we tried to make a reservation 3 weeks in advance and could only get a 9:00pm table, but after emailing back and forth with the Director of Guest Relations through the website form, we were able to switch to a 6:45pm patio reservation. Of course, with Boston weather being as it is, the day before our reservation showed rain so we thought we'd have to revert to our 9:00pm dinner, but amazingly they were able to find a table inside at 6:45 for us! The reservation process was so accommodating and cordial that it alone deserves 5 stars for spectacular service! Now for the actual meal - everything was top notch and really well seasoned. Specifics: 3 Spreads ($24) - TZATZIKI - yogurt, cucumber, dill - This was really nice and refreshing. It was also surprisingly light for what it was, and really tasty with the perfect amount of acid! - GALOTYRI - creamy sheep's milk cheese, aged feta - This was very creamy and rich. The chives on top added a nice bite as well. - TARAMOSALATA - carp roe, lemon, olive oil - My favorite of the three spreads - it was salty and tasted like seafood very slightly. It was rich, creamy, and just delicious with the provided sourdough bread which itself was soft and delicious! MANITARIA - crispy fried oyster mushrooms, maidanosalata ($18) - This was the star dish of the night, and all of the other Yelp reviews back this up. This was the one dish we absolutely had to try and it was soooo good - perfectly crisp without being oily at all with really flavorful mushrooms beneath the breading. The parsley salad on top was nice and refreshing, and the capers added a nice zing - it was a touch on the salty side, but really wonderful with the sourdough bread. I wish it were larger! SAGANAKI - fried Vlahotyri cheese, Metaxa, seasonal spoon sweet, pistachios ($16) - Soooo rich and warm, this dish came sizzling in the cast iron pan. It was the perfect amount of sweet and the pistachios added a nice crunch to the creamy and rich cheese! TASTE OF GREECE - Idoniko Tsipouro, Barbayanni 'Aphrodite' Ouzo, Kleos Mastiha ($18) - We didn't originally order this but wanted to try some Greek drinks, so we had this between our meal and dessert. The first drink had a very strong alcohol flavor and wasn't our favorite, but the Ouzo was deliciously licorice flavored, and the last of the three smelled like tree sap and tasted slightly sweet with very little burn. 1 oz per drink is small, but it was nice to try a few options! GIANNIOTIKO - rolled baklava and kataifi, almonds, olive oil ice cream ($10) - The baklava was yummy, but the star of this was the olive oil ice cream and the crunch underneath it - it tasted like a crunchy salted caramel with olive oil, and the flavors really balanced each other out well. The ice cream actually tasted of olive oil but was still sweet with actual oil drizzled on top and salt crystals - super interesting, new, and delicious! To end the evening, the staff even gave us a card, a postcard, and sparkling wine to celebrate our anniversary! Absolutely a 5/5 experience - everyone was so friendly and the food hit it out of the park!

    Michelle T.

    This sister restaurant to Krasi certainly has a high bar to up hold to. And I would say expectations were exceeded. Food was spectacular..even more preferable to Krasi, which can be a preference.

    Breakfast platter
    Jessica Z.

    Absolutely LOVED our brunch here! We ordered a few things to try and everything blew us away. The breakfast platter let us try a bunch of things on the menu such as greek coffee, greek yogurt, and the OJ, but what I really loved was the greek yogurt and the candied walnuts with honey - this was one of the best greek yogurts I've ever had with the light sweetness and smooth texture. We also ordered the saganaki cheese and it paired so nicely with the pistachio and cooked orange sweet. I definitely recommend getting the lamb souvla - it was so tender and seasoned so perfectly that I couldn't taste any gaminess that typically comes with lamb. It was a beautiful restaurant and had a great ambiance. Definitely want to visit again!

    Family at Bar Vlaha
    Tony M.

    I came to Bar Vlaha to celebrate my birthday, but also to check out some Greek-style food. What initially was a last-minute and arbitrary decision became the best decision I have made. The ambiance was nice, gave such a village, rusty feel. The staff greeted me, they were upbeat, courteous and personable. It felt like a team effort, where the manager, servers and bussers all worked synergistically to provide a great experience for myself and my family. The food and drinks were superb. I tried the wild boar shoulder, red wine, warm spices, hilopites, manouri, and it was tender and absolutely delicious. I sampled some of my family member's spinach, with rice, dill, lemon and eggplant with potato, feta, garlic, onion, tomato sauce and was WOW'd. I washed it down with a Miso Miso (a rye with chicory) and a Vlaha Blast (rum, with salep, mastiha, lime sorbet) and they were made like a great mixologist would. Just when I thought everything was all set, my family had mentioned to them it was my birthday and they gave me a wonderful dessert with a mix of amazing treats. Throughout our meals, the service from the team was attentive and accommodating. I want to thank one of the servers (I believe he goes by AJ for short) and the manager (I wish I remembered his name) for providing such excellent service. Tasty food, attentiveness, positive, upbeat, and accommodating. I recommend anyone going here.

    Greek coffee
    Sarah A.

    Truly a five star experience! I can now understand why it is so hard to get a reservation here. Despite logging on to Open Table about three weeks before we intended to dine here, the only available reservations were at 5pm and after 9. We made things work to do the 5pm reservation, which is just when the place opens. The interior is very warm and inviting with beautiful photography depicting women in traditional Greek clothing and nice pottery. There is a bar as well as several dining tables. We were seated at a four top as a party of three, but noted that there were larger tables seating six or more that may provide a more communal dining experience. To start, we tried their cocktails. My love had their variation of a Negroni, which included a Greek bitter that was a little more bitter than a traditional Negroni, but refreshing. I had their Golden Solstice with tequila and mezcal garnished with a cherry tomato. The drink had a nice smoky flavor, as expected, but the unusual garnish really made it stand out. For apps, we had the tzatziki, which was excellent and served with their made in house bread. We also had the saganaki, which was so good! I was disappointed that it was not flambéed table side but after tasting it, I really didn't care anymore- so yum. We also tried the crispy oyster mushrooms, which were fabulous! For an entrée, I had the Aradopita, which is a gluten-free dish of cornmeal , feta and greens that was highly recommended by our server. This was delicious. My love had the Melitzana which was kind of an eggplant, feta stew and my friend had the lamb slouva, which was a substantial portion and served on a large cutting board. I honestly probably could have stopped eating after the apps, but still finished my meal because it was just so delicious. We all really enjoyed the food. Service was excellent. I didn't even realize I dropped my napkin and a fresh one was already on the table. Fresh silverware with each course. It is definitely pricey for Greek food, but the whole experience and ambience makes it worth it. We finished with Greek coffees and dessert wine. The coffee is beautifully presented on a golden tray and includes a Turkish delight. I am looking forward to returning here. Get reservations well in advance if you don't want to dine either very early or very late.

    Alex C.

    We decided to venture to Brookline after seeing Bar Vlaha top the list of best restaurants in Boston by Boston Magazine. The restaurant was filled on a Sunday morning but we had already reserved a table, definitely recommended for the weekends. The space was inviting and I enjoyed being able to see into the kitchen as well. On our reservation we put down that we were celebrating a special occasion and our waiter brought over some ouzo on the house, which was drink in between sips of greek coffee. We definitely appreciated the gesture and it provides a picture on how kind the staff is. The variety of food that we ordered met our expectations and we were impressed with the quality of the ingredients used. We kept on commenting how we want to come back to try their dinner menu, and whenever that happens you know the food is right up your alley

    Fresh rainbow trout
    Angela D.

    A beautiful brunch at Vlaha on a winters day. Truly a space that invokes cozy, connection, family and fun. We came in for Horta (greens), potato's and a drink and left once again warmed by the sweet service, genuine touches of care and abundant flavors. Pump the Breki is a fan favorite of ours with a delicious walnut foam, balanced cafe flavor body, and aromatic yet cool flavor. The Horta is healthy and light while being substantial and filling and the potato's are just divine. Can't express enough how much I appreciate Vlaha and their ability to feel rustic, contemporary and like family. Thank you!

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    2 months ago

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    Wonderful brunch! Fun Greek twists on brunch classics, and the sausage was sooooooo good!!!

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    Ask the Community - Bar Vlaha

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    $$$

    The best authentic Greek food in the city!…read more Kava is well known for having incredible food, and it hits every time. It can be hard to get a reservation as you can only book up to 24 hours in advance, but we managed to walk in on a Saturday for lunch as a party of two! Located in a beautiful part of South End with some, but not a ton of street parking, the restaurant has a small space decorated with a "sea" theme with ropes and a big painting of a sailor. The food is the main draw, and the highlight is really authentically Greek dishes. We tried the Pantzaria (baked beets), kolokithakia (zucchini chips), kalamarakia tis skaras (grilled calamari), keftedes (Greek meatballs), and horiatiki (tomato/cucumber/feta salad). The highlights were definitively the zucchini chips which were so crunchy with a yummy dipping sauce or the calamari which were seasoned in this yummy caper oil sauce, or the keftedes which were perfectly cooked. The beets were pretty basic unseasoned beets, but I love beets and really enjoyed this as a low-acid side to the other food. Lastly, we tried the Greek coffee which came in little espresso cups and was soooo good, would highly recommend. We also have a severe anaphylactic nut/peanut allergy and they were easily able to accommodate and so knowledgeable! Overall we had an amazing time and will certainly be back.

    Got to head over to Kava for a second round today and try some things I did not get around to last…read moretime, so here are my thoughts: The food REMAINS IMPECCABLE. I was obsessed with the octopus last time and it was once again grilled to perfection with excellent acidity. The zucchini chips were delightful (even as someone who hates zucchini's). The feta psiti was a comfort per usual. What blew me away and I was so excited to try was the lamb chops. They were cooked to perfection, the look was closer to a medium-well (we asked for medium) but the meat was still perfectly juicy and spiced. The mousaka was also lovely, I have only had this dish homemade and it certainly held its own... definitely had a homemade feel with a generous meat portion. The Roka salad was also lovely. As far as drinks go, I enjoyed my aperol spritz and my spicy margarita a lot, I especially like the tsipouro having tried it as a shot the first time, but I think if I were to go again, I might go for wine for a more consistent liquor content. Now let's talk about service. I want to preface that certain things would 1000% be overlooked had we reserved for a busier time, but we went in 15 minutes after opening and by the looks of it, there were more than enough servers for the tables filled in the patio. The first time that I tried Kava, part of the excellent experience was our server. They were such a sweet person who really took the time to bond with us, brought us a round on the house, and just checked on us and made sure we were always doing good. Today really lacked that element. As soon as we sat down, the server informed us that they were out of three small plates, which happens, but not 15 minutes after opening as this was the case. Nonetheless, we were able to order a lot of yummy things, so fine. We then asked if it would be possible to angle the umbrella some way or move to a different table so I would be covered from the scorching sun this afternoon, and our server said "just wait ten minutes, the sun will move behind the building..." I understand that I asked for a patio and obviously you cannot control the sun nor the weather, but I just feel like the situation could be handled a little better -- at least a better response. Then, my dad ordered a beer which was completely warm. We asked for another which was luke warm, so then he just asked for a cocktail instead. The server was kind enough to bring a cold beer on the house later, but again, right at open, you kind of expect things to be in order. Overall, our server was just kind of... there, not super attentive nor pleasant. Another thing, I tried to get around the Resy "day before" policy because the reservations for Sunday opened during my graduation ceremony on Saturday and I wanted to make sure I get my table especially as my parents were catching a flight, so I emailed management in advance per the host's instructions upon calling. We went back and forth rather unnecessarily (with very delayed replies on their part), then I got completely ghosted... Not sure why. I was eventually able to get a table by calling the host after my ceremony on Saturday and they were incredibly accommodating, but they also noted that this was a graduation celebration, yet there was no acknowledgment... I had a graduation dinner last year at a different establishment in Boston and our server went beyond to ensure a great experience and even brought out a hand-written card with our check. These details could really really help the Kava experience in my opinion. Finally, the servers bringing out the dishes were completely confused. Almost every single dish was brought to the wrong table before reaching us and we could see them running around the patio with our order... rather unprofessional. Ultimately, it is the service that leads me to dock a star from my previous rating. Had the food not been as consistently fantastic, I definitely would be docking more.

    Photos
    KAVA neo-taverna - Interior

    Interior

    KAVA neo-taverna - Octopus

    Octopus

    KAVA neo-taverna - Bar

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    Bar

    Bar Vlaha - greek - Updated May 2026

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