Alexa Play "You Stole the Show", by Sienna Spiro. Okay Canada! This foodie took her talents across the border to visit a very special friend (we are dating them ALL) and when a friend insists a place is a must, you listen. That's how I ended up at Mamakas Taverna in Toronto, and let me tell you... this was absolutely worth the passport stamp. Mamakas feels like stepping into a chic Aegean escape right in the middle of the city. The space is small, yet bright, stylish, and warm, with that effortless Greek charm that makes you want to settle in and stay awhile. The energy is lively but intimate, the kind of place where the food, the vibe, and the company all hit at the same time. From the moment the plates hit the table the spreads, the fresh seafood, you understand why locals treat this spot like a staple. It's elevated without being pretentious, comforting without being basic, and every bite tastes like someone's yiayia whispered secrets into the recipe. If Toronto is going to show out like this, I'll happily keep bringing my foodie passport back. This year is INTENTIONAL! I will be in a new country more often to try new places but honestly Toronto may have to be a quarterly trip. The food places were that good here! Plus he's not that bad either! Shout out to our cute waitress! Let's get into it! Okay so you see all my pictures! I was told I was trying it all! I love a man who understands your love for food! Starters- You must get the dips! Tzatziki - loved this. You could taste the lemon. Taramosalata - this was my favorite! More please! Ask for more Pita bread! We did! Melizanosalata - They changed the recipe so this was just okay according to my date. Mains- Kotopoulo - Tea Brined Chicken and Mushrooms. Sooooooo yummy! Drools writing this. Lavraki- 1.5lb Whole Grilled Aegean Sea Bass - I LOVED this! Sides- Lahanika - Veggies soooooo yummy and fresh! Tiganites Patates - potatoes so delicious! I need more!! Yes! Yes! And MORE YES! Book your reservation for here! If you don't live here, book that flight! read more

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It's been a few years since I was in Greece, so I was dying to try Mamakas. It can be very hard to find Greek food that rivals that of what you get when actually in Greece, but some of this was very good. The tzatziki was very nice, and kind of a staple. I loved the bread they provided for dipping. It was well seasoned and fresh. I thought the lamb chops were very good. Again the seasoning on each of the dishes were excellent. I definitely want to come back and try more. While it may not necessarily be on par with what I ate in Greece, it came close and invoked memories. read more

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Great spot for a friend's or family dinner. Everything was shareable and delicious. We got one of the dip (caviar potato one) that came with 2 freshly baked pitas. The sea bass tartare was so fresh and so good. Feels like it was missing like crackers or something to scoop it with but we mixed the tartare with the dip and pita. We also got the spanakopita and that was a good mixture of savoury and sweetness. The squid was great to share easily than the octopus. We didn't want lamb so we opted for the beef cheek with orzo pasta. All the staffs there were friendly and always making sure we are enjoying our meal. No complains, everything was enjoyable! read more

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Phenomenal restaurant. From the tip top, attentive service to the food to the decor. We got the chefs tasting menu and everything was amazing, too much for two people, we took the fries and veges home. The mastiha was citrusy and refreshing. The non alcoholic beer was really good too for non alcoholic beer. First came the bread, salad and olive (on the house). I could eat the dip and bread forever and not get tired of it. Really delicious salad and I couldn't stop eating the olives. The meatballs were really good too. For me, the apps were the stars of the show, but my bf really liked the lamb and octopus. Everything was amazing except I could skip the seasonal veg we had. Looking forward to coming back. read more

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We had a weekday reservation, and got patio seating. Service is pretty attentive and friendly. We got the Tirokafteri, spanakopita (spinach and cheese flakey pie with honey), lahanika skaras (roasted/charred vegetables in high quality olive oil), lamb shank (served with greens and butter beans). Pita are not included, so when you ask for it they will charge. The pita was super fresh though so we ordered extra! Overall every dish was tasty, my favourite was the spanakopita with the drizzle of honey. read more

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The food was mid and so was the service. It was quite busy on a Tuesday evening but beware it's fairly loud read more

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Only tried the tasting menu so far but would come back again. Had a group of 4 and we were comfortably full after the meal. Service was quick and each course came at a good time for us to to feel rushed and actually enjoy the meal and food in front of us. Taste and presentation were great for the price too. Saw families and dates here so it's really for anyone and everyone. Family style meals is also a great way to bring everyone together. Not super spacious so would recommend making a reservation as there was a line for walk in dining. read more

Mamakas Taverna - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food was amazing, service was also great. Too bad we had a misunderstanding about the order. The 3 of us went during brunch and tried their $55 fixed prix menu that includes an appetizer, main and a dessert . We asked a bunch of questions about the fixed prix and proceeded to order all 3 courses each, only to find out the order was placed a la carte and one or the items was not even part of the special. We we ended up being charged for 2 of the lunch special and 3 a la carte items. So just make sure you explicitly tell your server when ordering! We loved all our food btw, especially the appetizers- beef meatballs , squash salad and spanakopita were delicious! read more

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Mamakas Taverna located at the corner of Ossington and Argyle specializes in contemporary and modern Greek food. The bustling place are the same owners (Mamakas Food Group) of Koukla across the street as well as Souvla in Yorkville and Agora across from Trinity Bellwoods. I've tried their sister restaurant Koukla and I've heard great things about Mamakas Taverna so I decided to dine here for a treat myself kind of lunch (they only open for lunch on Sat and Sun). The restaurant space is light and airy where it transports you to Greece. They had a patio as well along the side of the restaurant during the warmer months. The kitchen is an open concept at the front of the restaurant where you can smell your food being made. The menu is vast where you can share multiple dishes. The appetizers include dips and salads and the mains are mainly proteins. The wine list is great, a lot of Greek wines you won't be able to find anywhere else in the city. I came by on a Sunday for lunch where I sat at the bar. I opted to get the pre-fixed menu ($55 for 3 courses, $65 for 3 courses and a glass of wine) as it was a great option with lots of selection. I did get the wine as well and the white wine they were serving was light, easy drinking, and slightly dry (as the bartender stated, similar to a sauvignon blanc. These are the items I ordered: - Horiatiki (heirloom tomato, cucumber, red onion, P.D.O. feta, olive tapenad, oregano) - Kalamari (leek, dill, parsley, green onion, and lemon) - Dessert was Greek yogurt, pecan, meligyris honey, with golden raisins Wow! The horiatiki may sound simple but it was absolutely delicious. All the fresh ingredients worked in harmony with one another creating a delicious light balance that never felt heavy. There was a tartness to the refreshing salad which contrasted the feta. What a delicious Greek salad - would order this again in a heartbeat. The kalamari was grilled well where you could taste the char from the grill. Some parts of the squid were seasoned a bit too heavily (salt) for me. However, eating it with the leek, dill, parsley, and green onion mixture on the side helped. The hint of lemon also gave the dish more acidity as well which brought down the saltiness. Dessert wise, this was simple and good but I could not finish it as I was too full. Portion wise, the pre-fixed menu portions are smaller but it was still very filling! Service wise, staff were friendly and attentive. They made sure I was attended to and the pacing of the meal was relaxed where I never felt rushed. Overall, a delicious solo date by myself but I would definitely return with others to share other dishes on their menu! read more

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I've heard about this place from numerous people. I've walked by several times and seen how busy they are. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore so I made a reservation (highly recommended) Came here for weekend brunch. They have a tasting menu (with or without wine) for $55-65 depending on wine. First, off, it's a cute, light and breezy space, not too big, but just big enough to provide a great atmosphere without being pretentious. So, the important part....the food. From the tasting menu you do have a few options for app/main/dessert. My friend and I choose, spanakopita, Keftedes (beef meatballs) lamb chops , tea brined roast chicken with mushrooms, dessert- yogurt/honey/ pistachios/ Ummmm....I'm still thinking about this meal. Hands down in the top meal I've eaten in the last few years. The chicken was juicy and the mushrooms provided that nice balance of earthy flavour to the dish. The beef meatballs were..just..so...good. But that dessert....sighhhhhhh. Take me back there .... read more

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1.75/5 While it's cute and in a prime location, the food is super disappointing. It was also kind of overpriced for what it was. We got melizanosalata house dip ($13), oktapodi/octopus ($38), and paidakia/lamb chops ($68). Everything was only okay. The pita that went with the house dip was nicely grilled but lacked flavour. The octopus was one-dimensional and the lamb chops were kind of game-y. Verdict: You're better off going to Danforth, they have way better Greek food there. read more

Mamakas Taverna - Melizanosalata house dip - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Good Sunday night vibe. Right amount of buzz that it's not too loud in there so I can have a catch up with a friend. Friendly staff. One of those... she checked on us when we didn't need anything but unfortunately not there when we did. No biggie. Overall it's good service compared to what we have in this city during a slow economy. Food is solid after all these years! Had their version of the Croquette starter and the pablano & mixed peppers, cheese, walnut with toast as starters. Main - lamb neck . We could have used another side to cut the richness but I was making room for dessert & coffee. read more

A great greek spot on ossington! immediately when you walk in the restaurant is beautiful, open kitchen to watch the chefs cook, bar seating, easy to communicate with bartenders, no space is left unused! it's not overly upscale so it can be a great spot for easy dinner with friends or it can be a great spot for a date! they had a chef's menu or you could select your own dishes! We tried the octopus and calamari which was amazing and the moussaka was definitely filling! Also a great selection of wines and cocktails! It's a little more pricy, but if you're in the mood for Greek, i'd definitely give it try! read more

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This place lives up to the hype! This tavern is often so packed that it's hard to get a table, but we went late on a weeknight and were so glad that we did! Lamb chops, eggplant dip, side dishes of runner beans and roasted potatoes, and a baklava cheesecake were PERFECT. It was all sharing plates and this was enough to feed 3 people. (Especially the generous baklava cheesecake-- definitely share this!) Will definitely come back again! read more

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It was a perfect birthday dinner! My husband and I sat outside (side patio), the weather cooperated and we enjoyed delicious food and well-paced service. Homemade pita, taramasalata, spanakopita, watermelon salad were our starters - all delicious. Then we shared the sea bass and broccolini; we licked the plates clean. Still one of our favourite Greek restaurants in the city! read more

Mamakas Taverna - Birthday dinner vibes! - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Dare I say best Greek food in Toronto? Meat was tender, squid was chewy and spinach pastry was delicious. Server was helpful and kind read more

Mamakas Taverna - Squid lamb chops - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Cute little place with a modern take on Greek food. Food was delicious. The shrimp and the dessert was the highlight of the meal, but the chicken is not to be missed out on. Dessert we got was baklava cheesecake. Delicious and rich, also a pretty big portion, so make sure to leave some space for dessert. The service was great. Our server was able to suggest a Perfect wine for our taste and what would go well with the food we've selected. read more

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Food was amazing, ambiance and service were great! Would recommend, as it's always been the experience there!

Super cute interior, great service and delicious modern greek cuisine! The restaurant is small and usually booked out, so make sure to make a reservation well in advance. Servers/ manager were great throughout the night and even helped us with suggestions of what to get for a party of 6! Now onto the food/ drinks: Moscow Mule 10/10 - Refreshing, gingery cocktail that complimented the entire meal quite nicely House dips 10/10 - The highlight was the eggplant one which was amazing and slightly sweet. The dips in general were a great start to the meal and ideal for sharing! Lamb tartare 10/10 - Another great dish for sharing. The yogurt base was nice and creamy that complimented the tartare quite nicely. Horiatiki 10/10 - One of the favourite dishes of the night. It's a tomato feta cheese salad. Who would've thought that eating colorful heirloom tomatoes with feta would be such a hit! The salad was bright in colour and flavour, and so refreshing! Top notch quality tomatoes over there! Stifado 10/10 - Comes with one HUGE short rib that is fall off the bone on a bed of parsnip puree and topped with a gravy like sauce. Deep flavours of beef here which was enjoyed by everyone at the table. MUST GET! Lavraki 9/10 - A whole grilled sea bass. Comparing this to the short rib, this was definitely on the lighter side with just a squeeze of lemon on it. Still great flavours though and was a nice light option. Tiganites Patates 8/10 - Crispy potatoes with an herb and feta aioli. You can't go wrong with potatoes and they're always a nice side to have with your meal. Great for sharing! Overall, LOVE LOVE LOVED this restaurant and can't wait to come back for more. Also know that they have a sister restaurant Koukla right beside Mamakas and can't wait to try that one as well! read more

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Mamakas is a well known Greek restaurant in Toronto. It is always jam packed all the time and make sure reservation is made ahead of time. We ordered Spanakopita for appetizer, then Rack of lamb and whole fish for main courses and finish up with baklava cheesecake. Be careful of how much you ordered because most courses come with yogurt. The lamb chop is a bit overcooked as I like medium. The fish is 1.5lbs and mentioned that it is wild caught. Baklava cheesecake is very good, but some people might feel a bit too heavy. Overall it is a great restaurant and highly recommended to anyone who likes to try out Greek food. read more

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Mamakas is everything we expected it to be! From the cozy ambiance with low lights that transports you straight to a warm night in Greece to the delicious food and drinks. All our food was wonderful. The ambiance was amazing. Everything was reasonably priced. Our server wasn't the most friendly but she did her job well. The pita and dips are to die for! Need to go back in the summer read more

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Absolutely blown away by Mamakas' tasting menu and vibe. Rarely am impressed with places so Mamakas really blew my expectations out of the water from the service, to the vibe, to the taste and even the price. For $75 tasting menu you will be more than full with leftovers to take home and every dish was just spectacular. Highly recommend! read more

Mamakas Taverna - Tasting menu - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Reservations highly recommended as it was fairly busy when we arrived. Once inside, there are lights hanging from the ceilings, the ceiling fans all around to keep the air flowing. The interior is all mostly white. They have managed to fit a lot of seats but the space didn't feel congested. We tried a bunch of food and everything was absolutely delicious! Starting with the Spanakopita, the honey is nice touch as it provided the perfect amount of sweetness to this savoury dish. Keftedes, the meatballs were juicy, the star of the dish was the tahini yogurt. Lamb Shashuka, the lamb was cooked well, it paired well with the sauce. Frittata: this came piping hot, they do advise that it's up to your discretion whether you want runny eggs or not. Leave it for 3-5 mins if you want the eggs to be cooked. I did roughly 3 min and the eggs had cooked throughly and left the frittata a bit dry. Kotopoulo, the chicken was tender, the sauce it was in was zesty and very flavourful. Tiganites Patates, this was collectively our favourite. The hand cut potatoes were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside paired with the feta aioli. For dessert, we had PortokLopita, the coffee cream was absolutely divine, it was so rich in flavours. The cake itself was ok. Overall, we were all very pleased with the lunch menu. The service was quick, our food arrived in a timely manner read more

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Best birthday dinner !!! First time dining as Mamakas and it won't be my last! I ordered the tasting menu and it was a perfect option for me. More than enough food for dinner! The server was amazing! She was very lovely and helpful. Definately will come back! read more

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I've wanted to try Mamakas for a looong time now- everyone on Yelp and Tiktok raves about it. I'm no Greek food expert, but I'd say this could top the list for best in the city. My friends and I got a 9:15 bar reso, and I'd highly recommend sitting at the bar. For a tightly packed restaurant, sitting here doesn't make it feel cramped. You can get good pics too! Drinks: I had a rosé and my friend had an aperol spritz. No notes. Food: We shared everything, tapas style. Mezze/Apps: Grilled pita and dips - the tzatziki was my friend's favourite and melizanosalata (eggplant dip) was mine. I want to go back just for that. Keftedes (beef meatballs) - so tender and seasoned nicely. Mains/Add ons: Oktapodi - Stunning, delicious, not too chewy. My pescatarian friend's first time trying octopus and she approved. Tiganites Patates - Fried potato wedges with feta aioli - The aioli was delicious, would probably order something else if I could go back. read more

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All the food was consistently good. The service was great and the food came out quickly. The open kitchen was a great touch to the overall vibe of the restaurant. read more

The best greek restaurant (or taverna) in the city. Seafood and grilled lamb chops. Unbeatable. The service is good, not great, but the food makes up for any shortcomings there. The price is expensive. read more

Apparently this is nelly furtado's favorite restaurant in toronto so of course you need to try it right? It is pricy and everyone here knows it. The service is a bit average, they are attentive but I find that it was not the luxury dining experience I had hoped for. Without a reservation they may offer you a spot at the bar or the kitchen. The thing that is unfortunate is that it is really tight and they tried to maximize number of people at a small counter. So for the premium you are paying for food it can feel uncomfortable to have someone's elbow in your way or feel like you will knock over someone's wine at any point. The servers were not that helpful if I had to be honest. If you asked for a recommendation, there are nice of nice staff, but they dont seem too knowledgable about the menu. You can tell they are struggling as they may not know the items well. The food was tasty but honestly not worth the price. $20 is the cheapest item you will find for an appetizer such as spanakopita or 3 meatballs. Was expecting giant meat balls but it was average sized so that would be $7-$8 per meatball (and they tasted like unseasoned beef). This place is popular for the sake of being hard to get into. Probably wont come back unless I have a sugar daddy to take me read more

Mamakas Taverna - $20 for spanakopita - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Had a delicious meal here. Came to celebrate my mother's birthday. We ordered a lot of different menu items to try. Surprisingly my favourite was the moussaka. Their in house pita bread was also very delicious and fluffy. The service was also good. Interior was nice but lights were a bit too dim. read more

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This place was so good. The food was amazing, so well cooked and reminded me of back home. Not usually a lamb person but the lamb here was like butter. The chicken was so moist and flavourful. My favourite was definitely the calamari. Not breaded like other restaurants just real authentic Greek calamari. The atmosphere feels like you walked into a restaurant in Mykonos. Me and my family had a great time here. Right in the heart of ossington which is a great area for good vibes. The service was great too very fast but i wish they taught their servers how to pronounce tzatziki read more

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Went here on a whim when another restaurant was too busy on a Sunday night. We were seated right away in communal high chairs. The food was very mid for what you are paying. The chicken would have been really dry without the sauce. My favorite thing was probably the potatoes which were crispy and well seasoned. The restaurant itself had a very nice vibe to it and the service was nice! read more

Mamakas Taverna - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here for dinner on a Monday night and it was packed!! I found the music a bit loud but the ambiance is very date night-esque. The food is quite good but be warned - the portions are on the smaller side and meant for sharing of multiple plates. We started off with the pita bread (added $2 so that we could have one more piece to provide enough for 3 people) served with melitzanosalata (strikingly similar to baba ghanoush). The pita was so pillowy soft!! It was seasoned with salt, olive oil, and some herbs and was so fragrant. As we were an indecisive group, we chose to select three mains and share together. We got the vegetarian option - kolokithakia - a dish of zucchini with hummus and shiitake mushrooms, the kotopoulo, brined chicken with roasted cabbage and cremini mushrooms, and oktapodi, grilled octopus. I loved the grilled octopus - it had a lovely char! The portion was a bit small but the octopus was delightfully tender. My second favourite was the chicken - the mushrooms were in this super fragrant, umami, creamy sauce, and the chicken was flavoured to the bone. The vegetarian option was good, and I felt the crunch and nuts added on top alleviated the dish. The meal was wonderful and really satiating, and I'd definitely come back or try the other brands! read more

Mamakas Taverna - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I have to admit that I was on the fence about eating here. I understood that a bunch of restaurant lists said it was excellent, but for some reason I've had this idea in my head for some years that Greek food wasn't all that interesting. I suspect that some mediocre meal back in the day may have been responsible, or possibly the ubiquitous sandwich shops that reduce Greek food to the gyro. So...thank you, Mamakas Taverna, for showing me that Greek food can be absolutely delicious. And now, the meal. I arrived a few minutes early for my bar seat, where I was ably attended to by a pair of friendly bartenders who also were well-versed on the menu. After a bit of a discussion, I began with Xifias, which was swordfish (think crudo) with pistachio milk, trout roe, cilantro, chili and seagrass. This dish was absolutely remarkable, and as good as everything else was, I think this one won the night. They asked if I wanted my next dish, the lamb chops, right away, or whether I wanted a little pause. A little pause seemed like a good idea, though apparently the kitchen got backed up in the interim and the pause got a bit long in the tooth. But the kitchen sent out a spanakopita (phyllo with spinach, feta and a little honey), airy and delicious, as a way to tide me over until the lamb chops arrived. And arrive they did, four tender, meaty and perfectly cooked chops sitting atop tzatziki with a bit of bulgur (that was tabouli-like). While I've noticed a few reviews that said the food was salty--and certainly the lamb chops are assertively seasoned in a way that I would describe as salt-forward, much like at Philadelphia's iconic Israeli restaurant Zahav--I think the problem is that people are too used to underseasoned food. For dessert, I opted for the baklava, which was definitely one of the best iterations of this dish that I've had. There were hints of cinnamon and cardamom, and together with the vanilla ice cream topping, it was just sweet enough without being cloying. Admittedly, Mamakas Taverna--at least if you order the lamb--isn't a cheap meal. On the other hand, it's a great meal, and it's definitely caused me to rethink my views about Greek food. read more

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its a shame it is so hard to get a reservation here because it is worth being a regular place to eat. Everything was outstanding as it always is...spanokipita is beyond! The vibe is always good and dinner at Mamakas is always a great thing. Tuesday half price wine bonus! read more

Loved this place!! It is tucked in a corned and so cute!! Our waitress was a lovely and patient lady, who was very on point with her wine recommendations! Now the food: G O R G E O U S. everything was so fresh, delightful, flavourful, yet light!!! Seriously a hidden gem in Toronto. I would come back here every day if I could. B R A V O read more

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Had a great time eating here, almost everything we had was delicious, great atmosphere and cosy interior, lives the views of the open kitchen. The lamb chops were a highlight, cooked perfectly, tender, and served with a great tzatziki. (4.5/5) Octopus was better than most, good portion for the price, really well balanced flavours with the sauce and the capers. (4.5/5) The spinakopita was ridiculously large, the honey was a nice accompaniment. (4/5) The only complaint i had was for the crudo - Flavors of the shrimp and basil ouils were interesting, but 22 dollars for 5 small pieces of fish is silly, and two bites had scales, pieces of fin, really soured an otherwise excellent dinner. (1/5). Service was great, friendly and made good reccomendations aside from the crudo, and the food arrived very quick. read more

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If I were to disregard our pre-reservation experience, our visit definitely deserves a 5 star. We booked a patio well in advance before Ontario opened up indoor dining. As our reservation nears and indoor dining was allowed, I wanted to move indoors as the day calls for heavy rain. The calls always went to voicemail so I left one. It never got returned so we took a chance and approach front desk about moving indoors. They said they were fully booked and when I brought up the voicemail, they were still returning calls by the time I was there. Because reservations opened 3 weeks in advance, shouldn't the prior reservations get first priority? Patio was well protected and everything else afterwards made us forget about the indoor dining request. Between two people, we shared the spanokopita, tzatziki house dip, horiatiki, and paidakia. I would say order the spanokopita if it's a bigger group so you can get the most out of the menu - we were full from the latter 3 dishes. Grilled lamb chops is definitely a must order. Our server did a great job and didn't went overboard with the checkups. We didn't have to call her over as well. Really kind and accommodating. read more

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SUPER CUTE FUN FIND. Food here is delicious and I can't recommend this place enough. The lamb and chicken here are incredible. The appetizers are so good and all the salads are incredible. The honey yogurt with pistachios and nuts are so good. I will be back again!!!! I love this place so much read more

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The restaurant was fully booked for a week, but when we called they had some tables available at the front for 5 pm. Between the two of us, we ordered the saganaki with pita on the side, short ribs, and potatoes. Even though we shared one main, we became really full from the potatoes. The saganaki was great and the pita was hot, fresh and soft. The braised short ribs were soft and tender; the pureed parsnips which they sat on top of was subtle. Overall, we had a great outdoor dining experience pre-lockdown. read more

Great food and always busy. The enitre menu is good. Lamb chops are great. Egg plant dip is top notch. The baklava cheese cake dessert is amazing. They should keep their flaming cheese year round read more