Bahari | The Hellenic Palate — Restaurant in Melbourne

Bahari is an absolute standout for Greek dining in Richmond. It’s the kind of restaurant that feels warm and inviting the moment you walk in – rustic, cosy, and buzzing with that lively energy you expect from a true Greek taverna, but with a polished Melbourne twist.

The food is exceptional. Everything we tried was fresh, full of flavour, and clearly made with care. The mezze plates are the perfect way to start – the dips were creamy and vibrant, the grilled halloumi was perfectly charred, and the calamari was tender with just the right seasoning. For mains, the slow-cooked lamb shoulder was the star of the night – fall-apart tender, rich in flavour, and perfect to share. The spanakopita was another highlight, buttery and flaky with a beautiful filling that tasted homemade.

What makes Bahari special is the way the dishes are designed for sharing. It creates such a social, generous dining experience, exactly in the spirit of Greek food. Portions are generous, and it’s easy to order a spread that lets you taste a little bit of everything.

The drinks list is thoughtful too – a good mix of Greek wines, local favourites, and cocktails that pair well with the food. The staff were happy to make suggestions, and their recommendations were spot on.

Service was excellent from start to finish – warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly. It feels like they really care about making sure you have a great night.

Bahari is one of those restaurants that makes you feel like you’ve been welcomed into someone’s home. Delicious food, generous spirit, and a wonderful atmosphere – easily one of the best dining experiences...

They say hunger is the best sauce, but Bahari needs to rely on more.

This restaurant seems unclear about who they are and who they cater for. The menu and service are neither creative nor sophisticated enough to offer diners a fresh experience of greek food, but then the place also lacks the qualities of warmth and abundance that typify traditional greek cuisine.

Bahari is… okay and not too expensive, if that serves you as a recommendation.

But I want more from a dinner out, whether it’s from a food truck or the slickest restaurant in town.

It’s details that make a restaurant great, the care and forethought about how diners experience the food, drink and hospitality.

Bahari misses those cues. I ask for something non-alcoholic and they offer me soft drink, they refuse me a banquet because ‘two people isn’t enough.’ When our second choices come out, penny pinching considerations designed to lower food costs are evident in the strangest, stingiest ways: four large prawns come out with a single quarter slice of lemon. Later, one smear of ‘aioli’ is meant to somehow add dimension to four over-fried chicken pieces, flavored by salt alone.

Of course I can ask for more lemon, more aioli, another diet coke, but that’s not the point. A great restaurant results from the mystifying alchemy by which a restaurateur works out how their diners can leave feeling nourished and cared for while the house turns a profit. Bahari reminds me how special it is when another restaurant gets that...

I chose Bahari for dinner with friends after another friend recommended the venue. It’s a relatively intimate venue famed by owner ex Masterchef contestant Philip Vakos with very friendly service.

The efficiency of the kitchen is astounding, I’ve literally never seen food appear so fast. We ordered a whole lot of sharing dishes and found it to be pretty good value. We had the obligatory pita and tzatziki, beetroot salad, saganaki, haloumi chips, calamari and feta and zucchini fritters. It was all about the main event for me, lamb shoulder and we ordered two serves of this for the four meat eaters among us.

I found this to be a bit too salty but the flavour and succulent texture was enjoyable. I was most impressed by the rosemary and lemon roast potatoes although they were quite oily. The chicken skewers were also yummy, very moist and tender.

Dessert it definitely worth saving room for. We had two of the specials which are certainly worthy of being elevated to a permanent position on the menu. A stunningly presented ice cream cake and also a chocolate and walnut creation topped with salted caramel and halva ice cream.

I don’t generally enjoy the grainy texture and traditional flavour of halva but it works really well here as an ice cream. We also tried a Greek classic the galaktobloureko which had a subtle vanilla and lemon flavour. All six of us were very happy with our overall experience (and the complimentary shots of ouzo) which is...