Charming atmosphere and delicious food. Octopus, lamb and shrimp were outstanding . Kind of pricey though.

I love octopus and I can honestly say their octopus appetizer is the best octopus dish I have ever had (and I am almost 74). And I can honestly say I haven't had anything here, up to this point, that I didn't absolutely enjoy! read more

Walker Bro's was closed so on a whim, I changed the cuisine to Greek and was recommended Taverna Naxos; a hop, skip and a jump away. Walked in blind to any expectations and immediately was stunned by the ambiance, esthetics and cleanliness of the restaurant! I was the only patron and confused if they were even open. Michael, assured me that they were and gave me carte blanche on seating. The chef personally handed me a plate of bread and hummus and the flavor profile knocked my world off balance! When the Tzatziki & Kedfeh (Greek meatballs) arrived, my world stopped spinning in orbit. Each ingredient tasted as if it was hand selected earlier in the day! The bathrooms were immaculate. The menu & specials looked as if they had just been taken out for their maiden voyage! This has got to be a date night hot spot, if it's not, do it! I'm curious if they bring the ruckus under pressure of a full house but by look of it, they mean serious Greek business! Thank you, Michael, Head Chef & Taverna Naxos staff for altering my mood with the experience! read more

Incredible restaurant! We came late on a Saturday afternoon, and had the whole place to ourselves! It was a perfect date! We sat outdoors even though it was kind of hot. There are umbrellas at several tables so we weren't in the elements completely, but we were trying to keep the summer going! We ordered olives and cheese, grilled octopus, and thankfully the chef had mussels even though it wasn't listed on the menu. It was a special they had for the weekend. Our waiter Mike was crazy attentive and conversational. We had an amazing time and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for incredible food and top notch service! read more

Taverna Naxos - Outdoor patio seating! - Greek Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

Came here for dinner for Father's Day weekend celebration. This is our first visit here however we are aware that this restaurant has been here for a few years already and we're very excited to try it. We did make a reservation as well just in case and glad that we did because even though we were seated first right after they opened the place definitely filled up. The menu has a lot of great traditional dishes that I'm used to seeing at other Greek restaurants that I have frequented in the Chicago area for the last 30 years. They also take some unique twists and perspectives of the traditional or classic dishes and recipes, which is also nice to see. The service was absolutely impeccable and Julio was fantastic. He was consistently fantastic with all his tables, which was great to see because it had a level of authenticity and integrity. The food overall was good however I will say that the restaurant probably still has some growing up to do so to speak. For example, the lamb shank was definitely falling off the bone, but also really drenched in a lot of the sauce so they're probably some moderation. The fish was actually very dry and it was drenched in a lot of lemon juice. It probably needed to be a little bit more balanced with olive oil or some other sauce. The skordalia was good however I'm used to it being a lot more garlicky to the point of killing off and scaring vampires. But the fried zucchinis were very fresh and very hot, which is delicious. The octopus was cooked perfectly, which is also quite an accomplishment. The saganaki was also very tasty and due to wilmette laws there will be no table side fire show. The dessert was out of this world!!!! I would definitely come back and give it a try again, especially if there were some tweaks and a little bit more attention to details in some of the dishes. Overall a fantastic experience. read more

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We had a very nice meal on Friday night. The mussels were great! Grouper and pastichio were both stars! read more

We had dinner here with another couple last Saturday night who had recently had a great experience eating here. Greek food can be hit or miss for me, but when it's a hit I'm a really big fan so was excited to try it. The restaurant itself was quite busy for a Sat evening and we were seated upstairs. The tables are pretty close together and I had to keep moving my chair so that the waitress could get to the table next to us. To start we ordered some drinks (tequila, soda, lime my drink of choice) and a few apps: - Dips with crudite - octopus appetizer The dips came sans crudite at first, but i couldn't resist so had a few pieces of pita. My favorite was probably the smoke feta dip, but can never go wrong with Tzatziki. As for the octopus I enjoyed my bite so much that I decided to order as my main entree...with a side of broccoli. My husband got the octopus entree for his, which was stuffed with greek cheese and other goodness. It turned out to be a delicious meal and one of the better greek restaurants I've tried on the North Shore. read more

Really strong addition to the North Shore/Evanston/Wilmette area. Our family has been there for dinner 4 times and brunch one time. Brunch was excellent - and it was empty... we're not sure why? While the cost is incrementally more than other restaurants in the area of the same category, we find that the food has been consistently strong. Dinner is excellent (although again, some may find it to be very expensive) but we are willing to pay for the freshness we can taste in the food. This is our go-to "special" meal place for the family. Note: Try the Octopus (best anywhere in the world and I've been places); the mixed drinks and lamb dishes are excellent as well. read more

We had dinner at Taverna Naxos tonight and the food was absolutely fabulous! The service, too. Their variation of Saganaki, a pan-seared Greek cheese with lemon is perfectly crispy on the outside with melted deliciousness on the inside, and quartered into four pieces, a perfect appetizer for two. Hubby loved his Moussaka, a Greek lasagna of tender, layered eggplant, tomato, and ground beef topped off with an aromatic Bechamel sauce. I had the Roast Chicken, a sizable chicken cutlet marinated in garlic, lemon, and herbs. Tucked beneath the chicken were Greek potatoes, also in garlic and lemon that were delicious. Overall, an outstanding meal and experience. read more

Taverna Naxos - Greek Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

Nice casual dining. Good simple menu Had the chicken kabobs and was very tasty and flavorful Had the chicken soup and it was hearty Service was a touch slow Overall would definitely come back and give it another shot! Need to figure out the service with the two floors and should have a bartender upstairs but like the place! read more

Food was decent. Cocktail was good. Overall, weird vibe and hostess interaction. Basically she told us because we 'just made' our reservation we could only have the table by the door. Meanwhile nobody was sat at three other tables away from the door and when we left they were still empty. Rarely do I feel like I couldn't wait to leave a restaurant. Carlos and Carlos up the street is a much better and friendly vibe. read more

10 stars out of 10 stars!!! Perhaps the *very best* Greek food in North America --- I mean that literally. I have visited hundreds of excellent Greek/Mediterranean-themed cuisine restaurants all across USA & Canada, and this place really takes the cake...I meant to say the "baklava"! No other Greek place that I have visited can even really compare. (I really do mean that). Come one, come all. Easy to dine here either by yourself or with a group. Everything is simply delightful: food, ambiance, staff, ownership, etc. In addition to celestial cuisine, the restaurant (though somewhat small) is exquisitely decorated/maintained and is pretty to the eye. read more

Food was good, but service was terrible. Had only one waiter serving many tables and he seemed overwhelmed, we waited over half an hour for the check. They wouldn't allow us to split the check either, which was annoying. read more

Tried Taverna Naxos for the first time and came away more impressed than I thought I'd be after looking at the menu. (What, no Taramosalata? And only two Greek roses?) Ordered the Fried Zucchini (delicious - especially with the dips) and the Pikilia (assortment of dips). My favorites were a combination of Tzatziki (refreshing) and Tyrokafteria (spicy) on top of a Zucchini chip. Daniel's Shrimp Entree was fantastic (and nothing I had ever seen before) as were the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. We skipped dessert as we were too full! It is a bit pricey so plan accordingly. And while I can understand the comments about how loud it can get, we were in a little corner (downstairs) so didn't really experience it. However, we'll aim for the patio next time once it warms up. read more

Great service, food, and wine. Lovely atmosphere. Greek chicken salad and Sauvignon blanc were wonderful. Large portion.

Um. Yeah. I guess it wasn't horrible. Well, actually the service was pretty terrible. Clumsy. Inattentive. And the food was not great. Some overcooked, some undercooked, all light on flavor. We had a friend who went the first week and said it seemed like it was their first week. It's been open a long time now. Still not getting it right. I was hoping for much better. read more

Disappointing. We did carry out. First, no one greeted me and I stood there for awhile until someone finished pushing stuff around the bar At the back. Again, no greeting or a smile, just business as usual attitude. No thank you when I was handed the food. The restaurant was about half full. The moussaka was tiny and very salty. The fried zucchini was so thick it was not crispy and the skodalia was so skimpy - one tiny carton for a whole box of zucchini - maybe two tablespoons full. The calamari was tasty but a little chewy. In our opinion there are better Greek restaurants with a friendlier atmosphere. read more

Nice start either way complimentary bread and hummus. Grape leaves were plentiful and flavorful. Decent Greek salad. Nice fish entrees. Baklava needed more of a rich buttery touch as it was a bit bland. Lovely creamy rice pudding. read more

Tried Taverna Naxos last night with friends and were seated upstairs which was cozy, friendly atmosphere and not as noisy as it is downstairs. The service is attentive and the portions are generous. We ordered the lamb shank, chicken kabobs, both of which were delicious and tender. Also tried the octopus which was flavorful. The steak kabobs were also great. Tried the saganaki - no show of lighting it on fire at table especially upstairs as it will set off the fire alarms but the taste was great. The food wasn't as hot as I would prefer however was freshly made. Not many options for vegetarian. read more

Taverna Naxos - Lamb Shank / Greek Country-Style Lamb Chop - Greek Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

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The only reason this place didn't get one star is because it's new. Where do I start? Food, average at best. Value, completely overpriced. Ambience, not horrible but too noisy. But service is where Naxos shows its true colors. Zero friendliness, obviously inexperienced staff, owner/manager angrily walking around without interacting with customers. We ordered Saganaki... it's a Greek place right? Opa & all that? Three cold miniature loafs of cheese were dropped on our table. No festive lighting it on fire, no bread (even after we asked for it.) I know its hard to build a winner up here with one seating per night and I really want places like this to succeed but I suggest whoever owns this place come in and dine in disguise. It's really not a good experience. Go to Psisteria on Touhy instead. It's so much better and authentic and much much cheaper. read more

So I'm going give this restaurant three stars I want to start off by saying I love Greek food I've been to every Greek restaurant in the area Greektown, Pstaria, Avli, Demetris ect. The location is really nice. The ambience was so cute. I love how they decorated. The service was very good. I probably will give this place a second chance and order something different.. I drove all the way from the Gold Coast to try it. The Food- it is expensive for what it is we ordered 4 Avgolemona soups It tasted good, but it was cold, the bread is good, and while I like hummus this hummus was to garlicky and pasty for my taste. I ordered the chicken breast. It was dry as paper it was like eating cardboard very chewy. I also ordered the village salad. It was $18 for a very large bowl of mostly romaine lettuce. The lettuce wasn't very good quality and there was a little bit of cucumber and tomato drowning in mounds of lettuce in Greektown a Greek or village salad is $9. The rice tastes like package rice that comes from an instant package. The Greek potatoes were delicious and so are the Greek green beans. They are what I expect from my Greek restaurant. I'm hoping that this is just some hiccup since they just opened as I would like to give this place a second chance. read more

The food was excellent!!! The noise level was unbelievable. When asking Ted, a manager in the seating area, if the music could be turned down his response was "alot of people like it" all that could be heard was the thump of the bass. I will only order out from there in the future. Great food.... very poor ambiance. Felt a little rushed...clearing the table before our fork were laid down. read more

Very solid Greek restaurant. I eat Greek in Greektown. All the time. The North Shore has lacked a real Greek alternative (I'm not a fan of Avli) outside of Psistaria so I was really excited when I saw this place was coming to town. They start you out with very tasty hummos complimentary. Other than the saganaki which was not flamed (local reg?) and not moist, this place did not disappoint. Had the skordalia and it was excellent. The chicken kabobs were tasty, moist and flavorful. We will be back. One pet peeve. They nickel and dimed on a couple of items. Served large helping of skordalia but not enough pita. I requested additional. Also asked for refill of Diet Coke. Surprised when the bill came to find charges of $2 for extra pita and charges for two diet cokes. Cmon guys. Not ok. It cost them their fifth star. read more

Taverna Naxos - Greek Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

Emilio was an AMAZING server Daniel's Shrimp with Secret Sauce MUST BE EXPERIENCED - sooo good! We tried this restaurant randomly without a recommendation and it will now be added to the top 5 on our go-to's...Highly Recommend! read more

It's our first time and it's new. I'm giving three stars but will visit again. The service was good, couldn't be nicer, but clearly learning. Nice touch to serve hummus with bread to the table. The spreads were good. The rice pudding was great. The entrees were ok. The chicken breast was so dry, I couldn't eat it. The Greek ribs were just okay. New restaurants often miss at the beginning. Guessing they are working out the kinks. While the manager sent over a glass of wine, the entree should have been taken off the bill, or dessert complimentary. The prices for entrees are so over priced I don't think we would go back. We love fine dining but this is not a fine dining experience. Greek food rarely is. Avli is better and priced closer to what a family style Greek restaurant should be. It's not special enough for a one time, too expensive for a a neighborhood weekly stop. read more

food tasty but I told them I had celiac disease. gave me gf options which were not gf. got a very bad rash after eating there. I am very careful. rash lasted a month. cross contamination or carelessness? would not recommend. you wonder how careful they are with food in general. I called them 2 weeks ago and no one called me back. read more

I really liked the food and the service was good. The octopus is an absolute must. It is my favorite octopus, so tender and delicious. The ambiance is also quite lovely. read more

great addition to the restaurant scene in Wilmette. Excellent Greek fare -dinner on the patio is lovely read more

We had a fantastic brunch today - delicious food and great service. They mentioned that they are opening a patio in back soon.

I've eaten at Taverna Naxos twice - once during restaurant week with a Prix Fixe menu and again last week on regular menu. Everything I ordered was expertly prepared, seasoned, and presented. The nightly seafood special was halibut in a (non spicy) curry drizzle over rice and was probably in the top five of my favorite seafood dishes ever. Complimentary hummus and warm yummy rolls, fresh Greek salad with feta, saganaki, meat balls for appetizers - all delicious. On both occasions, our servers were experienced and cordial. The GM Suzanne is just lovely and one of the reasons we returned is the warm and inviting atmosphere there. I hope this restaurant sticks around because it's going to be one of our go-to's. Food and service appear to be solid/consistent. It wasn't too hard to obtain a reservation, although on a weekend, it was busy (but not hectic). Five stars! Love this place! read more

This place caught my eye as I passed it on Green Bay Road because I went to Naxos in 2019 and had to try it. Just had a fabulous meal here. The variety appetizer with four dips was generous and served with fresh grilled pita. Spanakopita and saganaki were delicious. Filet mignon and chicken souvlakis were tasty and well-seasoned. And our server Julio was attentive and friendly. Will definitely be back! read more

Most of the food is consistently good -- but I just wish they would learn how to make a Greek Village Salad -- it should be served sans lettuce, and there is absolutely no reason why they cannot find fresh, delicious veggies for the salad in August. The tomatoes and cucumbers were unripe and off. Aside from the disappointing salad, the octopus and stuffed kalamarakia were fantastic; yet, overpriced. The service was mediocre at best. The staff really doesn't know what they're doing and they really need to learn some manners when working a table. I really don't like it when people reach over me while I'm eating my meal to pour water. Comments about how my son's calamari dish looked like something out of a sci-fi film were inappropriate. The outdoor area is not very lovely -- I'm sure they put some money into it but it's just not that inviting. I have been here three times now, and just don't think it's worth the expense. For what they charge, everything should be close to perfect and it wasn't. I think I will opt for carry out from them moving forward. read more

Loved this place . Reminded me of our trip to Greece . Soup was some of the best I have ever had . Bread was fresh . Drinks were great . Loved their skordalia. Vibe was busy but not loud . Liked that the music was nit too loud . Would recommend read more

This is an update to an earlier review from September 2023. Our second visit here was on Saturday, December 16th, 2023. We arrived at 7 PM for a 7 PM reservation; the restaurant was full but we were seated within minutes. (The restaurant now has a second floor for additional seating). This time we had the small Greek salad (again) and saganaki flambeed with whiskey. Both were excellent. I should add that the salad greens were fresh, crunchy and properly cut. The traditional vinaigrette was delicious as before. For our entrees I had the filet mignon Souvlaki and spouse had stuffed Kalamaria. The filet was perfectly cooked and very tender. It could have had a bit more seasoning but delicious nevertheless. Spouse's stuffed Kalamaria (stuffed with cheese and served with an olive relish) was also a big hit. The service was fine for this visit. The restaurant was crowded and noisy but the noise did not bother us. The bill was $108, plus tip including non-alcoholic beverages. One issue that bothered me was the restaurant's policy of charging refills of iced tea or soda. In addition someone turned on a radio which began broadcasting midway through dinner. It sounded like a talk radio station and seemed to keep repeating the advertisements. As we were leaving I asked about the din and was told yes, they use a service to broadcast music but it was malfunctioning. Maybe switch vendors or skip the music altogether? read more

Taverna Naxos - Kalamaria - Greek Near Me - Wilmette, Illinois

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Best Greek food on the north shore! Our family includes members with Greek heritage who are hard to please, and they loved it, especially the mousaka (amazing bechamel sauce) and the atmosphere is classy yet understated. Excellent service, and every dish was a hit! read more

Great food, great service, decent prices if you stay away from the specials(which by the wat were excellent)

Having opened just 5 days ago, this restaurant deserves kudos. The place was pretty packed and service was still good. We ordered saganaki as an appetizer; sadly, no flame, no opah. It was good, a little dry, but no circus. I had the octopus appetizer for my dinner. Again good enough to order again but perhaps just a tad overcooked and $27. Grouper plaki was good but nothing to write home about. Next time order the other grouper preparation. Another guest devoured the baked chicken and we both ordered Greek potatoes. They were yum. I'm looking forward to trying more of their menu. Regarding service, our waiter allowed us to enjoy our wine then brought the saganaki then took our dinner order. We were not rushed at all. Good pacing. The place is noisy but isn't that the case with most restaurants these days. All in all, I'd put this into my local restaurant rotation. Welcome to Wilmette. read more

So happy to have a good Greek Restaurant in Wilmette! We ate here last night and really enjoyed our meal. Even with being a brand new restaurant (that's still hiring)- they did a really great job with service and executing food. As mentioned in other reviews- service doesn't rush you with courses and is happy to give helpful suggestions. We got the beet salad and it was super delicious. We also got the Greek dips platter and spanakopita & thought both were good. My husband got the salmon dish and said it was cooked perfectly, while I had the chicken kabob which was big serving and also seasoned really nicely. We will absolutely be going back soon and telling friends to check it out. read more

Service was excellent- friendly yet not intrusive. Food was delicious too. Highly recommend the lamb hash for lunch. Love the side patio!

My husband and I had a wonderful dinner at your restaurant. The restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere. There is a small bar area to wait and have a drink. We were glad to have a reservation since it was busy. We were seated quickly and at a comfortable table. Service was very good. The food was a treat for the taste buds. Thank you for a special night. read more