An Athens taverna has opened up a sister site in London
There’s been an explosion of Greek spots in London recently, and the latest is Athens-born restaurant Taverna Ermou from Greek hospo group Ergon. You may recognise the name; they have a couple of Greek delis in London and are known for sourcing excellent ingredients for their products. The new space on St James’s Street is decked out like a neighbourhood Greek taverna, modelled after the OG Ermou 98 in Athens, with beautiful branding, tableware and interiors. The menu features Greek classics, some with a little spin on them.
Eat This
If you love Greek food then you’re going to have a hard time ordering because it’s all killer dishes. From the fresh pita with oregano and tzatziki dip, to the freshly-cut potato chips, also given a dusting of oregano, these are holiday classics. Then there are some fun spins, like the spanakopita dip – essentially a deconstructed spanakopita, a warm feta and spinach dip served with crispy phyllo – and the dolmadakia, stuffed and grilled on a skewer with a creamy dip and acidic lemon dressing.
There’s a pasta section on the menu and the huge plate of pastitsio, AKA baked pasta with minced beef, béchamel and cheese crust, didn’t disappoint. Presented a little differently from your usual pastitsio – more round less rectangle – if there was a Forbes Rich List for restaurant dishes this would be at the top. Greek food can be quite heavy on the yoghurts, cheeses and creamy sauces, so be sure to add a Greek salad for health; sure, it has feta on it, but it’s also a salad by name.
We could have skipped dessert, but when there’s galaktoboureko, a warm phyllo pie filled with sweet milk cream and drenched in syrup, fresh out of the oven for two, you’d be crazy to miss it. There’s also a Greek yoghurt cream covered in fresh honey and nuts, and a lemon brûlée that comes in an actual lemon.
Drink This
It’s all Greek to us. No, really, the wine list is entirely Greek, with litre jugs of Greek estate wines priced at £26. Just close your eyes and you could be on a beach in Greece. There’s also their own label wines, which come by the glass; the orange is worth trying. There’s also ouzo if you wanna go deep, just don’t blame us if you start dancing the Zorba afterwards.
Why Go
It’s a great new spot for Central London and, whilst there have been a few new Greek openings lately, there still aren’t enough in our opinion. They also do a decent two-course lunch menu for £25 and what looks like a banging breakfast. When the sun does finally shine, you’ll find us on the terrace with a jug of table wine and a plate of chips and tzatziki to boot.
Key Information
Address | 38-40 James Street, London W1U 1EU
For more information | ergonfoods.com