Tavern Hellen — Restaurant in Municipality of Sparta

we have traveled widely and one of the warnings for greece (applicable to many places) is that if restaurants dont expect you see you more than once, the service and food can be poor. and we received that warning specifically for places in Mystras village which sees a lot of daytrippers type travel. Our sourcee suggested seeking out more remote restos that are more heavily patronized by locals. Nevertheless we accepted the recommendation of our hotel to visit Taverna Hellen for one of our meals since my husband needed a vegetarian meal for Lent. It was admittedly off season so most non meat options on the menu were not available. We ordered spaghetti with grated cheese, butter and egg for him (having eaten a decent version elsewhere). What he received was a plate of pasta with a fried egg, dry tasteless grated cheese and no butter to lubricate the mess. it was unpalatable. I ordered an eggplant halved and cooked with a good meat filling. It was described as being topped with bechamel and cheese, but was presented without it. Still, the pre-prepared dish was ok. Greek salad was ample and acceptable. It was disappointing that these folks did not make any sort of an effort for us. Id recommend avoiding eating a meal here if you are a foreign traveler - go on up the road if you have a car (Ktima Skreka is a great option and there...

I hate to give a bad review but since we picked this taverna based on its 4.5 rating a reality check is called for. First the good: the tomato cucumber salad had great veggies. The moussaka was pretty good too, as was the pork souvlaki. The chicken souvlaki was inedible - tasted fishy or otherwise off. The souvlaki came with soggy fries rather than the pita we’d ordered. The waitress spoke no English and the owner didn’t try too hard to help. And she knocked over a glass of water on my foot/shoe. There are better options...

Love everything here! The owner Eleni is so accommodating and kind. The Rosé wine is 10/10. We loved the dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) along with the mousaka (eggplant dish). The Greek salad is AMAZING! Tomatoes are so fresh. We kept dipping the bread in the salad oil because it was so delicious. A great taste of authentic...