Takis Taverna
1106 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
Earlier this year, I wrote about Stepho’s Greek Taverna and, to those who are not familiar with this place, is one of the best known Greek restaurants in Vancouver, to the point people queue outside for plate of Greek food. Given such popularity, one might ask how good would another nearby Greek restaurant be. Takis Taverna is such place, which is a couple of doors down from Stepho’s and, similar to Stepho’s, it has been there for ages.
I got there for a reason: I wanted some Greek food and, guess what?, did not want to queue at Stepho’s! I was not sure if I did the right thing as, oddly, there was only one other table for lunch, which is seldom a good thing…
Why all Greek restaurants seem to have been decorated by the same guy/gal?
They have some lunch specials, particularly, roasted lamb, which is what I ordered. And then wait, and wait, and wait. While I will give them some slack because they opened about 30 minutes prior to me walking in, c’mon! Roasted lamb is not something you can cook in 30 minutes so I shouldn’t wait that long, right? At least that gave me some chance to snap some pictures, like…
Just salt and pepper… Oh, the ornament is artificial…
Eventually, the “bread” arrived. In this case, it was OK; not outstanding in any way. Slightly greasy, though. Regardless, it did the job it was supposed to do. And then, the food:
Wait, let’s try again…
Or another angle…
So how was it? The rice was horrible, something that should not surprise anybody. For some odd reason, no matter how it is made, in Greek restaurants, it ends up mushy and more often than not, bland. The salad had the basics but it was not much to comment about. As for the other veggies, surprisingly, it was simple but full of flavour, specially the carrots. And the star of the dish, the roast lamb… It was not as seasoned as it could have been but, still, managed to provide a subtle lamb game-y taste. And, yes, it was tender. That brings an odd question: How come I got two pieces? Hmmmmm….
Overall, I think if you are going for Greek, despite some shortcomings, Takis Taverna looks like a good option. Specially if you do not want to queue for who knows how long and don’t mind paying an extra buck or two.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
do you have a favorite restaurant you’d recommend for your area?
Thanks for the review. Been curious about this place. I’ve stepped into by accident before while looking for Stephos. lol.
Well, at least your salad didn’t have moldy cucumbers like mine at the last Greek restaurant I visited (Taverna Gorgona). Also, my lamb at that place came out in 5 mins, which is a bad thing. They must’ve either used high heat to make it hot or it is sitting in a warming tray. Neither is a good option. I think the 30 mins you waited was a good thing because it looks like your lamb is tender and was probably brought up to temp in a delicate manner.
BTW, thanks for the post, now I know how this place is. I keep walking past it and ignoring it.
I want greek food but I never get a chance to go out for it since I’m usually solo. Eating Greek alone feels wrong to me.
The cheese (feta?) on top of the salad looks like it was sent through a garlic press.
Pearl, that is a difficult one! I won’t say I have a favourite one but there are others that I would go if I don’t want to think and need a quick bite. But then again, it depends on where I am at that point and time.
Sherman, 5 minutes might not necessarily be bad. In some cases, for this and similar cuts (prime rib, anyone?), it must be cooked in advance and have it almost ready for serving when the rush kicks in. However, at least, as you mentioned, the veggies were not moldy…
Jessica, takeout? ^_^ In a way, I have already passed the stage of being ashamed of dining alone.
Raidar, hahahahaha! I didn’t notice that until now!
I don’t know. I went to this place after trying a few Greek restaurants in Vancouver, not Stepho’s as of yet. I found this little place on a google search of Greek restaurants in Vancouver and the reviews were sensational. 5 stars from all 49 people. I have never seen this before, so decided to try it out. The menu was great, with lots to choose from. The chicken was amazing, the rice was ok, but the potatoes were to die for. I havent tasted potatoes like that since coming back from Greece. My friend (who spent a month in Greece with me) had the Moussaka and said it was to die for. Since getting back from Greece the whole group wanted to go to a place that made homemade Greek food and we think we have found it. It would be great to see what Stephos is like, as well.
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