The Greek Islands Taverna — Restaurant in Sydney

The measure of any restaurant, from the humblest of suburban cafés to the most expensive and exclusive dojos of haute cuisine, will always be how you feel when you're departing the venue.

The Greek Islands Taverna is testament to every defining principle of good hospitality.

A quiet mid-week lunch or a raucous, Ouzo-fuelled Saturday dinner—the way in which this restaurant transports you to another part of the world is inescapable, and infectious. It has every hallmark of an old, family-run eatery. Most of the time, this can feel daggy and outdated, but not here.

Here, the walls are adorned with precious memories and totems of Hellenic history. The white tablecloths are a reminder not of how restaurants used to be, but how they still can pay attention to detail and feel inviting—that effort has been made to ensure you feel welcome—that they're happy to have you visit.

Most restaurants nowadays have to innovate and update their menus to reflect seasonality and trends. Here, the people cooking your food have been cooking the same menu for decades (this was, after all, the benchmark for Greek food in Australia when it existed in Earlwood, a generation or two ago).

This shows. Every single dish that hits your table (and believe me when I say I have tried it all, many times), reflects experience. Every bite is perfect—from a humble hot chip to a beautifully seasoned salad. The spanokopita and tiropita aren't generously portioned, overcooked, overwhelmingly buttery odes to frozen filo pastry. They are delectable bite-sized portions of crunchy, house-made pastry lightly fried with beautifully, delicately seasoned spinach and cheese that make you stop for a moment and close your eyes while you let your palate appreciate the moment.

This is a recurrent theme through the entire menu. Everything is fresh, made with love, and uncomplicated. To a carnivore, the lamb cutlets might appear cooked a little more than they should, the first time they arrive table side.

But three bites in and you're chewing the bone—this is the epitome of how a meat this delicate should be served with the protein set, not pink. They are tender, served very hot right off the grill, and the portion is generous.

The service is attentive without being overbearing, inviting and accomodating (kids are welcomed with a plate of chilled cucumber on arrival—before mum and dad have even had a chance to order a beer. All class).

The beer? The coldest Mythos you'll ever find. Wine? Cheap—in a good way. Generous jugs to fit any palate. If you're not already indoctrinated, order a carafe of Retsina and savour the overwhelming taste of pine needles. It's a perfect accompaniment to the fare that is so lovingly served.

My aforementioned yardstick—how you feel when you leave a restaurant—is a good measure of its relevance and capabilities. To be able to do it as consistently as this place is a tall order.

But they do. Every. Single. Time. You can't help but put on a goofy grin and feel the intoxicating warmth that only the most dedicated hospitality experience can induce.

The inhabitants of Ikaria, one of the many Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea, enjoy an exceptionally high life expectancy. One in three Ikarians live past 90.

When you visit The Greek Islands Taverna, you understand why. Many nutritionists will posit that a diet high in fresh vegetables, olive oil, fish, and lean red meat is why.

My own theory is different—it simply makes sense to keep on living for as long as you can, if it means a weekly visit to The Greek...

The service in this restaurant is terrible. We hadn’t even received the dips we ordered to go with our halloumi and octopus and they were shoving our main meals on the table, when we said we haven’t finished our entrees they looked at us like we were from another planet and continued to shove the food onto a very small table. The place is overcrowded and I felt like the people at the next table were yelling in my ear. To be fair most of the food was nice, however my expensive lamb souvlaki was inedible, tough, chewy, under seasoned and unappealing. The salad was a very poor excuse for a salad, nothing but lettuce and the chips were cold. I was imagining something like the beautiful lamb souvlaki I have bought at Souvlaki boys in Marrickville - nothing like it, I felt like I was chewing on the offcuts. Then after they shoved out food at us all at once they didn’t come anywhere near us and we sat with dirty plates all over the table for quite some time. We had to get up and ask someone to get us some water and the dessert menu which was underwhelming and over sweet and arrived at different times. Not a fan and won’t be going back, it was very expensive for...

Disappointing at best. Food was preheated, dry, not traditional and underwhelming. Dessert was microwaved and pastry chewy. The food lacked care in preparation and presentation.

The service way to efficient if you could call it that.. we were the only ones in the restaurant and felt that we were being rushed. Again there was no care to give us an experience, but rather to bring all the food out at once and get us on our way. We had barely started the mezze plate and the hot octopus came out. It may have been tender but by the time we got to it it was cold, dry and rubbery. Overall the meal was underwhelming and expensive for what we ate.

Also as the COVID restrictions had been announced today, no one asked us to sign in and one out of possibly seven staff we saw was wearing a mask. Risky practices for the times we live in.

I’m surprised at the positive reviews as we must have eaten at a different restaurant!! We won’t be coming back and won’t be...