Philhellene — Restaurant in Melbourne

Melbourne has a large Greek community, and has done since the wave of Greek immigration after the Second World War. Not unexpectedly, this has resulted in a large number of Greek restaurants cropping up in various locales--Lonsdale Street, Oakleigh, Swan Street, and so on. Philhellene is located right in the heart of Skip Town--Mt Alexander Road Moonee Ponds, but from that now-very-trendy location, John and Susie Rerakis dispense the best Greek food in Melbourne. Of course, this part of Melbourne is not without its own dining history. I wonder how many readers are old enough to remember the Chung On, Coconuts, or--even more obscurely--the legendary Chinese Hamburger Shop?

John and Susie are Greek restaurant icons in this city, having owned Piraeus Blues and Birdy Num Nums previously, but Philhellene is their flagship, and you get the impression that this is partly a labour of love (as well as being a very successful business).

Philhellene occupies a large, rustic, friendly, and welcoming space, and you are always warmly welcomed on arrival, often by John or Susie. The staff here are young, knowledgeable, and efficient, and there's plenty of them, so you're never waiting too long for service.

Philhellene's food is Greek provincial, and there is a strong Cretan influence in both food and wine. The wine list offers a range of wonderful Greek (often Cretan) reds and whites that are excellent value and complement the food perfectly. There's also a range of Greek beers.

A range of banquets are on offer here, and they're great; all of the dishes are carefully prepared, nicely presented, and wonderfully tasty. The lamb will melt in your mouth, and bread is fresh and warm, the saganaki perfectly fried (without the addition of sweet stuff, thank God), and the calamari as tender as you could imagine. A lot of classics turn up on the banquets, but they're often just that little bit better than what you would find at other places--the eggplant dip is a little smokier, the octopus just that little bit more tender than anywhere else.

But if you go beyond the banquets, you'll really get a chance to enjoy some of John and Susie's specialities. Look to the specials board and you might see vegan mousaka, broad beans with artichokes (one of the restaurant's signature dishes), and stuffed zucchini flowers. Philhellene prides itself on being seasonal, and there will always be dishes reflecting both what's fresh in the market and a current Greek holiday or festival; for example, over Greek Easter they feature a range of vegan dishes that would tempt even the most committed carnivore. Just make sure you include the char-grilled octopus, and the goat with potatoes and peas on any visit.

Desserts here are a mix of the traditional (Greek doughnuts) and the regional and aren't too overpoweringly sweet.

Phihellene offers good value for money. It's not cheap eats, but there's never any excuse to walk out of the place not feeling full.

I'd like to imagine that the food at Philhellene is what you might expect from a skilled and generous Cretan home chef. It really has that feel.

As I said, this is the best Greek restaurant in Melbourne. If you're looking for good value, generous, tasty, hearty regional Greek food, well-served in a warm setting,...

Philhellene has many shining reviews but unfortunately I can't share the great feedback. My husband and I came to dine here last night. We enjoyed our starters , the haloumi and the pickled octopus but unfortunately the seafood platter that we shared for our main was a big let down! We thought we would try something different as we never had white bait as part of a seafood platter before. We were expecting 2 small serves of the bait on the platter but couldnt believe our eyes when the plate was literally filled with it overcompensating for the other fish that was on the plate. There was only one small piece of salmon , 4 king prawns , so 2 each and luckily to say a fair amount of thick but tender calamari - we have had better calamari at other restaurants. The salmon was hard to eat as the skin on top was so salty while the flesh was so bland. Over Seasoned on one side and not seasoned at all on the other. Definitely not an enjoyable piece of salmon. A below average platter that definitely wasnt worth 80 dollars! The loukamades unfortunately were very dense not light and fluffy and crisp the way they should be. We thought at least that it would come with a small scoop of icecream or extra syrup because it really needed some more flavour. We came here many years ago to try it out and have come back because we obviously enjoyed the cuisine. However, a big disappointment coming back ! We weren't expecting this! Pretty disappointed for the money you pay for this seemingly top end restaurant in Moonee Ponds.

We didn't complain on the night because the haloumi and octopus were a real winner. Calamari was ok. The service was quick and the staff were very pleasant. But we were focused on leaving the restaurant as quickly as we could and we will never be...

A Greek colleague of mine recommended Philhellene and I was not disappointed. Suggested it to a friend living locally for a catch up and we ate ourselves silly (I’m still crazy full, hours later). If you order whilst hungry then be warned that the entrees are more like a main size so be prepared to share or be overwhelmed with great food. The portion sizes are amazing yet the quality of food is also fantastic. My friend ordered the calamari as well as the grilled prawns, and we shared the obligatory saganaki cheese and Cretan filo pastries with mint. As a vegetarian I was spoilt for choice and went with a mixed dish of stuffed peppers and tomato (which was perfectly cooked so that it was filled with soft and tasty rice) as well as tangy potatoes and salad. By this time we were already crazy full but you just can’t ignore Greek desserts … so we shared light and fluffy loukamades (donuts in light syrup, cinammon and nuts), and I just had to get takeaway galaktoboureko. Yet whilst I am obsessed with this dessert, I will have to wait until I recover tomorrow to try it. Yet it looks amazing and of course a generous portion. We also tried Greek beer, lemonade and mountain tea … yet there is plenty on the drinks menu for everyone. The service was also very friendly and genuine making our catch up lunch very pleasant. The place was packed yet the food was fresh and fast … and even with a couple of bigger tables being served at the same time. Will definitely be coming back to try some of the other items on the menu. An excellent find!...