GREEK RESTAURANTS IN NOTTING HILL
A good Greek restaurant changes your mood for the better. Notting Hill plays home to some amazing Greek eateries and these are our favourites by a mile…
Tavernaki Portobello
* OUR PICK OF THE BUNCH *
We start our Notting Hill Greek restaurant pursuit at Tavernaki Portobello, an authentic taverna that transports you from the hustle of Portobello Road to the bustle of a Greek island.
Tavernaki Portobello was recommended to us by a Greek friend who had always said he couldn’t find a London restaurant that ‘tasted exactly like home’ – that was until this little beauty came along. With such high praise, we dived right in and were glad that we did.
We love this place for two reasons: firstly, the atmosphere – we’re talking live music on weekends and decor that evokes a ‘my out of office is on’ sort of attitude; the kind where you’re happy to order everything, take your time and relax.
Secondly, the food… Our most recent visit involved feta wrapped in filo pastry (a true crowd-pleaser), grilled octopus with caramelised onions, kleftiko, greek salad and pitta. Everything tasted magnificent, cooked with such precision and teeming with flavour.
Without doubt our favourite Greek restaurant in Notting Hill. Tavernaki Portobello is a pocket of London that’s sunny year-round. You’ve gotta give it a go.
The London Butler tip: It’ll come as no surprise that this place can get very busy, so if you’re visiting off the cuff, be prepared to wait.
222 Portobello Rd, W11 1LJ; Tavernaki Portobello
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Aphrodite Taverna
AUTHENTIC APHRODITE
Behind Aphrodite Taverna’s unassuming shopfront lies a cosy, cavernous concoction of artwork, antiques and colourful fabrics. It’s a restaurant that immediately disarms, bringing about a want to have a good time. And that’s a given here.
Set up by Pantelis and his late wife in 1988, the taverna continues to be a family-run passion project with the sole aim of serving authentic Greek Cypriot dishes to West London.
We’ve been a few times, ordering many helpings of Hellenic food such as souvla, lamb kleftiko, dolmades, greek pasta and grilled calamari. They have all been class.
Authentic and passionate, add this to your never-ending restaurant list.
The London Butler tip: Pitta bread, olives, hot peppers and a small salad are offered as complementary starter plates. It’s a classy touch.
15 Hereford Rd, W2 4AB; Aphrodite Taverna
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Zēphyr
A CLASSY GREEK AFFAIR
From the team behind Pachamama & Chicama, Zēphyr is the new(ish) kid on the block. It’s everything you’d expect from a new(ish) restaurant: slick, en-vogue Soho-house vibes, and an appeal that will be hitting many of your Insta & TikTok feeds.
Come daytime, pulled-back bifold doors allow light to flood the restaurant, giving an alfresco-sort-of-experience with a safety blanket in roof form (we are in rainy Blighty, after all). Come the evening, dimmed lighting cranks up the romance vibe, allowing spotlit artwork and candlelit tables to take stage. It’s not your typical Greek restaurant, but it’s so Notting Hill does Greek restaurant.
As for the food, highlights include the yellow tail, octopus (with a moreish fave bean pureé) and Soutzoukakia. The standout for us, though, was the discovery of strawberry and ouzo sorbet – just like a first love, we won’t be forgetting it.
A great place for a date, Zēphyr is a classy Greek affair.
The London Butler tip: They’ve got a slick cocktail bar downstairs for post-dinner shenanigans.
100 Portobello Rd, W11 2QB; Zēphyr
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Mazi
LIKE BEING ON HOLIDAY
Mazi takes the holiday theme up a notch by offering diners a vine-covered terrace akin to a screensaver; a place where the carefree version of you can’t help but come out to play.
Mazi was born out of a vision to take traditional Greek cuisine and reinterpret it for the modern day. The result? A menu replete with jars of smoked aubergine, tahini and thyme honey; hot plates that include the likes of courgette cakes, crispy fresh calamari, feta tempura and more; signature dishes like grilled octopus, wild cold, black truffle chicken and a couple of ever-changing desserts that last included caramelised pineapple with a white chocolate crumble.
Dining at Mazi can feel like your first dinner on holiday: you feel relaxed, staff are noticeably attentive and there will be the inevitable quaffing of crisp white wine, but don’t take the food lightly: it’s packed with flavour and has constant oversight (the good kind), something many other restaurants sadly neglect.
The London Butler tip: The menu is designed to be shared by the whole table, so grab a few mates and have a good’un.
12-14 Hillgate St, W8 7SR; Mazi
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As always, let us know what your experience has been and if there are any other Notting Hill Greek restaurants you feel need to be added to this list.
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After more Notting Hill guides? Check out our guides to the best pubs in Notting Hill, our favourite Notting Hill coffee shops, top brunch spots in the area, and for those after a dose of retail therapy, our curated list of Notting Hill shops.