My Greek Taverna — Restaurant in Coquitlam

This place has gone through a spectacular fall from grace from earlier days when it was a Tri-Cities legend. Much like Anton's on Hastings in North Burnaby, they have staked their reputation on "portions," and continue to run on fumes from that (those portions are NO longer there btw), continuing to conduct an almost nightly "cattle call," for those who are blindly willing to eat from their troughs despite the shocking decline in both food quality and service. Perhaps the most egregious disservice they are providing centers around their take out business. On 3 consecutive attempts now (YES ... THREE times in a ROW), when I have called to place an order, I've been told (in a very matter of fact and glib manner), "we're very busy right now and cannot accept take out orders.... can you call back again in about 45 minutes?" Uhmmm..... what?? Even worse, scrolling through the comments here, you can see that this was an issue going back 3 years ago as well. Who is running this place? If that hasn't been enough time to FIGURE IT OUT, then something is alarmingly amiss with both their business model and with those in charge of overseeing it. Simply NO EXCUSE. And it gets worse from there. "Sorry, we are out of potatoes." and my favourite on that subject: "You can order extra lemon potato on the week days, but not on the weekend." Again .... WHAT? They have become as unconscious on the quality of what they are putting out, as their customer base has on consuming it. I don't know what's happened to something as staple as their rice, but it is so grossly greasy and oily now... there are simply no words to accurately capture the injustice of thinking it's okay to be serving it. Open your eyes and just STOP people. This place is a micro shred of their former glory, and continue to sustain on what once WAS. Those days are long gone I am sad to say. Here's a tip: save your time and money and try "Aria Afghani Grill" a block down the street. Warm and friendly service, and beautifully grilled and presented beef, lamb and chicken ... minus the hype, bs, and sorry excuses I have finally had enough of from My Greek Taverna. Such a shame, as it is truly disheartening to have patronized a local business for so long, only to have it become as this one has in its...

I think I waited long for the owner to respond before I put any review, but nothing happened. (( I would like to talk to the owner of this place, please. before I put any actual reviews)).

I've been coming to this restaurant for 18 years because I love the food, especially the roast lamb and my mom's favorite, the chicken souvlaki. However, my recent experience was deeply disappointing.

When I arrived, the restaurant had just opened, and I requested a window seat as I always do. Despite plenty of availability, I was told the window seats were closed. But shortly after, both a large family and another couple were seated by the window. I complained, and only then was I moved.

The server this time was unfamiliar to me, and her service left much to be desired. Before the menu was even brought, I mentioned what I wanted as we were very hungry, but she insisted I look at the menu first. Later, after our food arrived, we were told fresh Greek bread was coming out of the oven in 20 minutes. We were happy to wait, but instead, the server brought us store-bought pita fried in oil. We said nothing, but minutes later, the fresh bread was indeed brought out.

At one point, I asked the receptionist for the fresh Greek bread, and she claimed they didn't have any, even though other tables around us had received it. The server then rudely asked if I wanted her to throw away the bread she had brought. I never asked for it in the first place—I was happy to wait for the fresh bread as promised. Her attitude throughout was dismissive, and she even walked away while I was explaining my concerns.

To top it off, the restaurant was very cold, so I requested hot water, as I saw other tables receiving it with lemon on the rim of glass. Instead of bringing a full cup, she returned with just one half cup of hot water. Throughout the service, she and the chef and receptionist were laughing and staring at our table, which made me uncomfortable and concerned about the handling of our food.

After this experience, I’m extremely disappointed. I used to love coming here, but I won’t be returning as long as these two female servers and the receptionist are still employed. I'd rather go somewhere else and be treated...

0/5 – For the host/server (prior to sitting at the table)

I went inside to put my name down on the waiting list and was told 45mins for a table by a server. No problem. Came back 45mins later to quickly check the waiting list, all names above mine was crossed out. Great. Went back outside to wait. 20 mins later, came back to check the list again, more thoroughly this time. Saw the host on the phone, calling/answering whatever. Should be me, right? Nah.

There were about 10 names below mine that were crossed off with groups of people ranging from 2 to however many people. I then watched her direct two groups of 2/3 people to tables. There were empty tables. My name was not called at all.

I then had to ask why my name was not called yet and pointed on the waiting list how far up I was. The host’s excuses? She did not see it. I followed up with, my name is clearly on the list still and not crossed off while a bunch of names below it was. Nobody even tried calling. Next excuse? Another server wrote it down and she did not know about it…. Maybe try calling then? Waited way longer than necessary. Also, beside my name there was a note with, “45 mins wait”. No other name on the paper had such a note. I don’t know what that is supposed to mean…

Food review:

Calamari – 3/5

A larger than usual portion which was great. Flavour was lacking.

Beef Souvlaki (friend ordered this)– 4.5/5

Beef was delicious. Nicely grilled yet still juicy.

Greek Style Ribs (for me) – 2.5/5

Dry. So dry. The ribs were drier than I had expected. Even the rice that came with the ribs was dry which was confirmed by my friend. The rice they got with their souvlaki was fine. I assumed it should be the same but apparently not?

Waitrress – Barely any interaction, no rating.

Average experience – would not come back unless...