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272 Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues Ads by Daily Info:
  
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Incredibly disappointing. Only 6 people in the restaurant on a Saturday, I should have followed my instincts and turned away. However, ordered Kleftico. Just about the worst I have ever had. Even sliced lamb should taste of something and not just a watery tasteless texture. The staff didn't even apologise for it and still charged me. I have eaten Kleftico in Cyprus and on many Greek Islands but the one in Summertown's Greek Taverna is the worst. I won't be going back and I won't be recommending this establishment to any one I know. My husband had spicy sausages which were not good and the tzatziki was bland and the pitta bread was poor...
Anon, 11/04/09 This is such an authentic restaurant! I really felt as if I were back in Greece. The halloumi was incredible- perfectly grilled and seasoned. The baked butter beans were just mediocre, and the dolmas are better across the street, but the pita is yummy and the Poseidon seafood skewers are great. I will admit that maybe the homous and melitzanasalata were kinda sketchy. In general, though, I love the atmosphere and I think that the service is fine. Rhodes Native, 28/07/08 The food is good, plentiful, well-priced and served quickly. Between £7 and £10 on average for a main course. The service is very friendly and the staff are welcoming. The place is a little dark and can feel a bit cold if there aren't many people in there, but they have just moved the bar from the front to the back of the restaurant which is a great improvement. Well worth a try for a satisfying and enjoyable meal. Mercudenton, 21/08/07 I love Greek food, so was pleased to find a Greek restaurant in Oxford. This restaurant is pleasant, although not amazing. I had the gemista and my boyfriend had mousaka. The portions were quite small and not presented very prettily, although they tasted nice (again not amazing though; a little bland). The atmosphere is laid back and quite cheerful. I'm not sure what the staff are usually like because we went on a Sunday night, when they were training a new waiter, so we didn't get the best impression - they were friendly though! CCB, 18/01/06 My friend and I went to have lunch at the Greek Taverna today - and it was thoroughly disappointing. We should have taken a hint from the fact that there was no one but the waiters in the restaurant when we got there. Anyways, here's our story. ***MENU*** relatively large choice, but prices above average. Quite a lot of seafood, and some (but not a lot) to choose from for vegetarians. ***SERVICE*** "Poor" is the only way to describe it. The waiter just grunted at us when we ordered, was slow... and I am not trying to slag off the people there, it was generally a very poor performance. ***FOOD*** We had a "meze platter" for two, which is like the Spanish "Tapas" - a selection of different hot and cold dishes on little plates. It started with Humous, Tsatsiki, and Taramasalata, which tasted and looked like they'd just been bought at the Coop supermarket next door. Next came a small plate of fried squid - which similarly tasted like the "oven bake" version you can get in supermarkets. The idea that they were just serving canned and premade food rather than actually bother cooking themselves was confirmed after that. Before every course from now, we could hear the distinctive "beep" of a microwave!!! Yes, they seemingly just microwaved our food rather than cook it. For 8 pounds per person (and we're talking about pretty small portions here), this is shocking. Anyways, back to our choices. We next had some beans and pasta that, according to my girlfriend, "tasted like they had been cooked (well, microwaved) for the toothless inhabitants of a retirement home". I agree. Some beef was served at the end, which wasn't too bad - but not much of a culinary delight, either. ***SUMMARY*** You can have the same food for about a fifth of the money by going down to the nearest supermarket and getting canned greek antipasti. It's one of these times when you just come out of the restaurants and think, "ok, never again, next time I'll just have fish+chips at the local pub". And don't get me wrong - I normally adore Greek food!!! Thoroughly disappointing - just don't bother, either go to the supermarket and save money, or go to your average Lebanese Restaurant where you get better food of similar style for the same money. freddie, 26/11/05 I'm an avid fan of Lebanese cuisine, but I'd never tried Greek, so when the committee of the Society of Young Publishers decided to have the Christmas Dinner there I was intrigued. Being the party animals that we are, we chose the coldest, grimmest Monday evening we could, and it was diet Coke all round as six of the eight of us were driving. I'm pleased to say that I wasn't, and the house white, from Cyprus, was delicious! The restaurant was fairly busy for so early in the week, but the service was attentive and friendly, and the waiter did not get annoyed when we seemed to take forever to decide what to order from the menu, on which everything sounds fantastic. Several agonising minutes later, and a bit of rubbernecking to see what everyone else was eating prompted us to give up trying to choose and to request the mixed mezze, thus allowing the staff to make the choice for us (although we did request no mushrooms, as, bizarrely, we all loathe them.) Both vegetarians and meat-eaters are catered for extremely well, and a mixed selection of starters arrived promptly - delicious hummus, aubergine dip and taramasalata, pickled beetroot (its fluorescent pink colour had no effect on the taste!), stuffed vine leaves, meatballs and olives, all accompanied by pitta bread and crisp green salad. Our appetites whetted, we were delighted to be brought calamari, deep-fried baby octopus, grilled langoustines (which tasted divine but, as ever, were a great deal of effort to eat) and deep-fried whitebait. Soft drinks and water jugs were topped up without having to ask, despite the presence of another large group and several families demanding the time of the waiters. The main courses arrived shortly after the fish had been cleared away. For the vegetarians, creamy moussaka and okra in tomato sauce, and for the meat-eaters, marinated grilled chicken, beef in red wine and lamb baked in its own juices, accompanied by Greek pasta (which tastes faintly of Heinz tinned spaghetti, in a good way) and more bread. After all of that delectable food, only some of the group felt able to tackle a pudding - the banana pancakes were declared to be 'amazing' and similar praise was given to the semolina custard flavoured with honey and rose water. The bill came to just over £150 for eight of us, although as most people were drinking soft drinks, that only includes one bottle of house wine. It is excellent value for money, considering how much we had to eat and the great service. I have only one complaint, and that is the fact that we were forced to breathe in second-hand cigarette smoke from neighbouring tables while we were eating - even if that is authentic Greek, it's not very pleasant! Becky Simms , 14/12/04
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