Takis' Taverna - Vancouver

Lovely! Fast and friendly service, great food, very fresh. read more Lovely! Fast and friendly service, great food, very fresh.

AMAZING FOOD AND ATMOSPHERE!!! Delicious mezethes and saganaki : read more AMAZING FOOD AND ATMOSPHERE!!! Delicious mezethes and saganaki :

While most other restaurants were packed on a Saturday night, we easily got reservations on OpenTable. When we arrived at the restaurant the place had only thre... read more While most other restaurants were packed on a Saturday night, we easily got reservations on OpenTable. When we arrived at the restaurant the place had only three tables occupied. One was a group of 10 celebrating a birthday. There were two wait staff and one was slowly decorating a Christmas tree at the door. When we walked in she looked at us and did not come to great us. She waited for the other waitress to seat us. Bizarre. Things went further downhill from there. This one nice waitress was running around serving all tables and taking care of delivery driver orders while the other waitress just continued to slowly decorate the tree in the middle of dinner service. I commend the one waitress for doing her best. We ordered the calamari deep fried, the shrimp souvlaki dinner and the lamb shoulder. Pita bread was one of the highlights. Pillowy soft and warm. Calamari was the highlight. Flavourful and crisp with a great tsitziki. Entrees were well portioned, but not great. Potatoes were undercooked, rice was lukewarm and the lamb although was tender was also lukewarm and lacked depth of flavour. Prices were reasonable so I will give them that. If you are hungry and in need of a decent portion this is good. But we were expecting better.

We had THE BEST spanakopita and satsiki we've ever had at this quaint, relaxing, and authentic gem of a restaurant! Service: Dine in Meal type: Lunch Price per... read more We had THE BEST spanakopita and satsiki we've ever had at this quaint, relaxing, and authentic gem of a restaurant! Service: Dine in Meal type: Lunch Price per person: $10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

Nothing screams “authentic Greek cuisine” like a kitchen staff that apparently thinks “roasted lamb” is just a sheep that lost a fight with a microwave. I order... read more Nothing screams “authentic Greek cuisine” like a kitchen staff that apparently thinks “roasted lamb” is just a sheep that lost a fight with a microwave. I ordered the “Greek roasted lamb” fully expecting tender, fall off the bone perfection kissed by lemon, oregano, and the tears of Zeus himself. What I got was some animal flesh tortured in misery... Was it lamb? I am not sure... What arrived was a sad, gray hockey puck that tasted like it had been finished under a heat lamp for three business days, and yet some stubborn contrarian piece of meat inside refused to cook. I also ordered the “hot water with lemon”. What arrived was a steaming mug of Vancouver’s finest municipal plumbing broth straight from the hot tap, complete with that unmistakable bouquet of aroma, and whatever treatment used in the community’s pipes.... Had to send this elixir of immortality back! When I sent it back (politely, because I’m Canadian), the server seemed personally affected and wanted to do their best to fix the situation. I felt deep empathy, and was ready to run to the kitchen myself to help her boil my water. Stepho’s next door gives you proper boiled water and a lemon. Just saying. Congratulations, new owners: you’ve managed to turn a once beloved institution into the culinary equivalent of a Spirit Halloween popping up in a cathedral. Do yourself a favor and save the cab fare walk ten steps next door to Stepho’s, where they still remember that Greek food is supposed to taste like Greece, not like a cry for help. Zero stars, would not get culturally betrayed again. Forget it, and just go next door to Stepho's. Food: 1 Service: 1 Atmosphere: 1 Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $50–60 Recommended dishes: Lamb Shank