Hello guys and gals and pals,
today we didn’t feel like cooking and went for Greek lunch instead. As I was digging into my suvlaki with metaxa sauce, I wondered if all Greek restaurants are the same in Europe in general?
My experience, so far, in Germany is this:
* named something from Greek mythology (Zeus, Athen, Apollo…)
* Greek language music playing, mostly slow ballad like stuff, folksy vibes
* proper Greek staff, the kids are helping
* huge portions
* Ouzo for free with the drinks you ordered, maybe a second round before paying
* dishes have a number
* you instantly *know* that this is a Greek restaurant
Do your Greek restaurants work the same?
11 comments
I’ve been to a few Greek restaurants in Moscow, and they were all different. One was fancy, had more of a mainland selection of dishes, but still had dance nights when the staff would teach traditional Greek dances to everyone.
Another was just a fancy restaurant and was happy to serve you non-Greek food.
The third and fourth ones were fast food places, serving gyros, disassembled gyros and similar dishes, staffed by Central Asian workers.
I know some Greek-Russians, but they are too assimilated to run a Greek restaurant.
Yes, but no free ouzo 🙁
There was one where me and a buddy went regularly. I fancied a greek coffee, and he a frapé. We knew these drinks from holidays, but they didn’t have it on the menu. We asked anyway and they actually made them and had them on the menu the next time we were there.
Greek native here, I didnt come here to add to the thread cause as I understand it, this is a question about greek restaurants outside of Greece. I was just curious as to what greek restaurants in other countries are like. In OP’s description only bullets 2, 3 and 4 bear any resemblance to the greek restaurants in Greece. The rest I guess are analogous to other ethnic food restaurants in countries other than the country of origin. For example numbered dishes sound very familiar to me but for Chinese restaurants… The other stuff like dances and ouzo treats seem more like “cultural immersion fluff” to me. Not a bad thing of course, just more of a show if you catch my drift
> you instantly know that this is a Greek restaurant
That’s because it has at least a few fake classical Greek columns. If they’re stuck to a wall they wall behind it is painted to look like a view onto the Agean sea.
I don’t think this is unique to Greek restaurants. This is common for all restaurants from a certain country. Go to an Italian restaurant and it most likely named to something Italian, Italian music is played, interior is full of references to Italy and so on. Same goes for Chinese, or whatever other country.
We don’t have greek restaurants here, or if we do, they are very rare. I’ve never seen one, personally. There are some restaurants that serve one or two greek dishes, but they’re not greek restaurants.
Mostly yes.
My hometown has the “Poseidon”. Oppulent interior with lots of marble and some random pillars. Menu ranges from assortments of grilled fish, to Moussaka, to Souflaki. Vegetarian options are atuff like stuffed Paprika or Aubergine-Moussaka. Old, fat greek owner who personally welcomes people and brings ouzo (one of the last places thatbdoes this, the once obligatory free alcohol after meals has mostly died out).
Theres also a lot of tavern-steel greek bistros with less kitsch and smaller, simpler menus. They tend to be named after one of the agaean islands. White and blue interior, cheap metal or plastic chairs.
There’s a Greek restaurant in the Hague that doesn’t follow this pattern (Elea, and its so so good!). They serve modern food with Greek ingredients: for example a dish will contain smoked Greek yoghurt.
All the others follow the described style. They also tend to be in the same price bracket.
I went to Athens many years ago and it was one of the best trips, as far as food is concerned, I am a vegetarian but I didn’t struggle at all, all things that I had there were very tasty. Unfortunately I don’t remember the names of dishes, but I never saw any of those dishes being served at Greek restaurants in the Netherlands, I know this because most Greek restaurants I have been to here have Greek salad and fries for vegetarians. But they usually have names either after Greek cities or Greek mythological characters.
>proper Greek staff, the kids are helping
Nope, child labour is highly illegal
>Ouzo for free with the drinks you ordered, maybe a second round before paying
Definitely not a thing.
Everything else applies though.
Greek here but from what I’ve seen in other European countries, especially Brussels and Paris:
•usually quite kitsch decor
•many servers are often from former Yugoslavian countries who’ve been taught a few stereotypical Greek phrases
•I have also seen restaurants named after islands or other places (eg. Santorini, Acropolis, Olympia etc)