Restaurant Review: Taverna Greka

Last night two of my girl friends and I went out for dinner. One of my pals had been to Taverna Greka before, but the rest of us hadn't. 

Firstly, I get a little skeptical whenever I hear we're going to be eating near Columbia Skytrain Station. There really isn't too much stuff around that station, only a few restaurants. 

Regardless, we met up at the station and walked about 2 blocks East. The outside looked nondescript, and kind of drab seeing how they'd taken in all the chairs/tables from the outside eating area (it was pouring rain). 

Inside, however, was very modern and inviting. 

It was actually a little too modern for other Greek restaurants I've been to. But then the nice lady guided us to the back, where it was much cozier. 

This restaurant boasts a waterfront view, and boy does it have a view. You can totally see the river and it was quite nice at nighttime, with everything illuminated. There was hardly anyone near the front of the restaurant, but 75% of the tables near the back were taken.

The service was good - the server we had kept coming back to check on us and asking how the food was - we got refills of our water before even 1/3 had been consumed, and we noticed other tables got similar service. 

Most of their entrees are between $14 - $18
The wait wasn't bad. The restaurant was hosting a birthday party as well so there were a few larger tables. 

The food was excellent. I've been to Greece about 3 years ago now, and I love everything about Greece. The portions are not as large as I've seen in other restaurants (I've noticed some Greek places will just pile on the rice and potatoes) but it's definitely filling and no one was left remotely close to hungry. 

Since my trip to Greece, I've always been looking for food to compare with what I tried there. One of my friends got the Spanakopita entree, and my other buddy got the vegetarian Moussaka. I got the Lamb Souvlaki. Those three are about my favourite things to order (and Kalamari but I decided against it this time). Every entree comes with Tzatziki, potatoes, Greek salad, rice, and pita. 

Note: I didn't take any pictures because the birthday party had so much flash going on that I thought I was going blind so I didn't use flash.

My friend's Spanakopita looked crisp on the outside and was steaming hot inside. She had no difficulty cutting through it, and the spinach definitely wasn't stringy. I've had bad experiences with impossible-to-cut phyllo pastry and stringy spinach. 

My other friend's Moussaka looked so good, so neat, and very rich. I usually think vegetarian versions of things aren't quite as good as the original meat version, but she assured me it was amazing. Granted, she had never tried Moussaka before. 

My lamb Souvlaki was great. Unlike many restaurants I've been to, they gave me a full skewer-length of lamb. It was very well cooked. I like it slightly pink in the middle, and it definitely had that gamey taste that I love so much about lamb. It wasn't tough at all. Many places mess up their lamb... but this place did it justice! 

The food was served on modern square plates, and the salad was neatly held in a bowl. Very nice for those people who don't like their onions and feta all over their rice... though I rather like a huge forkfull of a plethora of food. 

I have an EXTREMELY sensitive stomach. I get stomachaches all the time, so I am always a little wary of trying new restaurants. The funny thing is, I love food so much that I can't help myself... a little sensitivity is worth it! Good news though, no food poisoning, no sensitivity, no allergic reactions to anything! Everything was tasty, hot, filling, and presented very nicely.

Overall I liked it very much and will be returning,  bringing other friends and family. 

Their website: www.taverna.ca

I'd give it an 8.4/10