2 Mazi Restaurant — Restaurant in Athens

Expensive, small portions, boring food and irregular service.

I decided to go to this placed based on their appearance on the Michelin’s guide and yes, again the guide was misleading.

I went for lunch with my wife and my baby daughter in summer time, I did the booking in the morning trying to eat a 13:00 but the restaurant had only tables for 15:00. When I arrived the restaurant was empty, the waiter told us to take our meal in the terrace where there was only 4 customers in two tables. Nothing wrong so far. My wife and I decided to take the 6 dishes tasting menu for 55 euros. Our experience started to disappoint us when in our third dish, the tartare was the same as the one served in the Chef’s compliment entrance,really guys? Am I missing something here? But our deception was bigger when the boring tartare was served on a barley base. The next dish was a fish that was served over a green peas paste and then followed by a steak which in my opinion was the best of the 5 dishes served from the tasting menu. The dessert was ok, nothing spectacular. I had a glance to the wine list, in my experience and knowledge the price are overrated for the wines they serve.

I think the price you pay for the meals is highly elevated for the type and amount of food you receive, the quality seems ok but again using cheap ingredients which are not seasonal is something that everyone can do. I hate that cliche that chef’s food is not worthy because of the small dishes, well, this is one of such sites, 55 euros for almost nothing of protein and cheap ingredients like barley, peas and some greens is dishonest. When I was about leaving two arriving customers asked not to be seated in the terrace, I reckon why the waiters insist in seating you out if you have room inside? The service was attentive but not efficient enough for a place that charges you for 55 euros a meal. The restrooms are not equipped with service tables for changing babies.

The food of this place is boring, lacks of seasonal ingredients and personality, you have the feeling that you are eating pretentious food without style, not contemporary Greek food, fusion or something like that. The presentation of dishes is good but that is all. I think that in this place they relay on the fact that appearing on Michelin’s guide is synonymous of quality, which they proudly emphasize on their menu, but it is not. That’s why other references such as the one you do on Google are needed. The site has potential but I think the first thing they must do is to be honest with customers and reduce the price of their menu, it is expensive for what they serve, if not, why the place is almost empty on the peak season of summer at lunch time? I think that’s something to...

Lovely environment and atmosphere at the tables outside. We arrived early and they took us in without question 15 min before our scheduled reservation. Waiters were very patient, helpful and well trained. Their actions reflected fine dining standards, but weren't too uptight either. One waiter though seemed to be rushing things slightly, which stood out from the demeanor of the other waiters. No biggie though. Overall the staff was very attentitive and polite.

They suggested an excellent red wine with the six course menu. The menu itself was nothing short of superb, and it was clearly well thought out. A progression of tastes was apparent going from one course to the next, and each individual course was rich with flavour. The courses included some bold choices as well. The waiting time between the courses was just perfect, giving time to indulge into conversation for a while before having the next course. The portions were small, but nevertheless we were satisfied when we left.

Summary: a delightful dining experience which I would recommend. Note that service is not included...

We enjoyed an early (18:46) dinner. The menu offers a variety of dishes (seafood, guinea fowl, beef and pork). We went with the recommendations of our server, Spiro, and were not disappointed. He also provided excellent guidance with the wine list (mainly Greek wines). The best parts of the meal were the house made breads accompanied with a whipped eggplant, and the poached pear with yogurt dessert. The green salad with goat cheese had a generous amount of dressing (we would have preferred a light drizzle). The tuna was cooked rare to medium with smoked eggplant and wild greens (broccolini) in a savory fish sauce. The sea bass ‘a la polita’ had textures and subtle flavors in a fennel broth with artichoke hearts. (The hearts could have been cooked a little longer for tenderness.) Overall a very worthwhile experience. Very professional service by Spiro and Peter. Service was not included in the tab, and it is best to...