“When we opened Mazi in 2012 in Notting Hill, we were pioneers of the modern Greek restaurant,” restaurateur Christina Mouratoglou tells me. She and her husband and business partner, Adrien Carré, opened Suzi Tros in 2019 and their third, Maza, in early 2026. An upscale take on the 1980s-era taverna in Mayfair, Maza is a smart and spacious dining room of white tablecloths and dark chocolate accents.
“Greek food was underrated and misunderstood compared to other Mediterranean cuisines here,” she shares. “When I moved here from Greece to study, I saw hummus branded as a traditional Greek dip in supermarkets. Then guests at Mazi would request it too.”
Athens native chef Asimakis Chaniotis, who opened modern Greek restaurant Myrtos in Kensington in 2025, shares a similar sentiment. “When I came to London in 2011, Greek cuisine felt almost non-existent for a city this size,” he shares, recalling the likes of Retsina in Belsize Park and Greek-Cypriot Halepi by Hyde Park and as longstanding institutions.
Lack of familiarity with Greek gastronomy extended to drinks, too. “Customers assumed the Greek wines at Mazi were all sweet and not dry,” Christina says. Today, Greek wines are in vogue, praised for their crisp profiles. “It’s exploded,” Christina observes, noting a “massive shift” in education around Greek cuisine. “We’ve come a long way. 14 years ago, I felt like I had something to prove with Greek food. I don’t feel that today,” she shares.
“Things have definitely changed a lot,” Asimakis adds. “Food is like fashion. People want to find the next comfort cuisine to explore. It’s been Italian for a while. Now it’s time for Greek food to shine.”
“The biggest change has been within the past few years – with more focus on refinement and guest experience, not only simple and tasty Grandmotherly cooking,” says Yiannis Mexis, chef-patron of Pyro. All tan wood and straw light fittings, the beachy, bohemian space centred on Greek open-fire cooking opened in London Bridge this time last year.
New stylistic approaches
Indeed, Pyro was born from a desire to demonstrate that Greek food can be prepared with the finesse and attention to detail befitting a fine-dining establishment, but in a more relaxed setting.
“I felt that many Greek menus looked the same – pitas, barbecue, Greek salad, and then maybe a staple like moussaka,” Yiannis explains. “But we wanted to avoid things like fries and fritters; we’re not doing home cooking.”
Among an energetic mixed weekend crowd, I see and taste the inventive lens in dishes like barbecued scallop flavoured with sea truffle and XO sauce, dressed in crispy leeks and avgolemono (lemon and chicken soup) sauce.
At Maza, while dishes reflect familiar concepts (“it’s Greek food, period!” Christina asserts), there is also an emphasis on elegant execution, seen in perfect golden brown courgette-filled spheres or the maza (the Ancient Greek staple barley bread the restaurant is named after) that arrives in neat warm, malty ovals. A midweek lunch a few weeks post-opening reveals the spot is already a business lunch favourite.
Here too, the menu prioritises presenting more of Greek foodways. “We don’t have fried calamari even though it would sell very well, for example,” Christina says. Maza also celebrates the importance of leavened bread in Greek dining, a topic traditionally less explored here. “In Athens, pita really is for wraps; at a proper seafood restaurant, you’ll get bread.”
Following forerunners like Opso, which arrived in Marylebone in 2014, newer restaurants like Dubai-transplant Gaia, unveiled in Mayfair in 2023, Borough Market’s Oma (2024) and Manchester’s Fenix, also launched in Mayfair this March, are other examples of more upmarket approaches – drawing on global influences and creative ingredient pairings.
Stylistic expression translates not only through menus but also through curated furnishings. Arriving at Myrtos, I’m transported to a stretch of Ionian coastline. The vanilla hues of the crisp, quietly chic interiors, designed around a centrepiece olive tree, emulate the breezy calm and natural island beauty of the real Myrtos. Artwork by Greek artists Yorgos Papadopoulos and Christos Raptis depicts scenes of the archipelago’s landscapes.
Here I tuck into artful reimaginings of classics spanning islands like Kefalonia and Crete, the Peloponnese and northern Greece, attracting an intergenerational crowd of spruce West Enders, couples, and after-work groups. Plates like an indulgent yet light lobster orzo, boldly tangy taramasalata with cod’s roe and dill oil, and attentively seasoned lamb moussaka strike a careful balance. “With my first opening, I did want some dishes that those who don’t yet know the cuisine in depth would recognise,” Asimakis explains.
Odes to tradition
But not all newer openings are opting for formalised styles. Opened in March, Taverna Ermou is the London outpost of the casual-dining institution that launched in Athens last year and is an ode to the classic taverna.
“We’re focused on traditional, nostalgic Greek food, executed for an à la carte environment,” Ergon’s CEO and founder Thomas Douzis tells me.
This philosophy informs earnest, unfussy plates arriving in quick succession on metal trays with patterned borders – herby meatballs, thick-cut fries, sweet-salty saganaki, and ultra-comforting galaktoboureko, warm custard under thin phyllo sheets. With its buzzy outdoor terrace, wooden beams, and vintage ornaments, the interiors echo traditional aesthetics too.
The latest arrival from hospitality group Pachamama last year, Lagana was conceived as “a more casual, cool, affordable Greek-inspired restaurant,” Brand Director Yaroslava Malkova shares. The industrial-chic space, with sleek metallics contrasting with primary colours and leopard-print upholstery, serves dishes like a succulent, smoke-kissed chicken thigh with a zippy lemon sauce, a rich prawn saganaki flatbread, and a summery orange-soaked cake based on one of chef Alexandros Loulourgas’ family recipes. “Childhood memories were an important inspiration,” Yaroslava adds, pointing to the playful schoolbook-themed menu and paper tablecloths that the throng of Friday lunchtime diners around me doodle on with crayons.
For Nick Molyviatis, ex-Kiln Head Chef and Singburi co-owner (also involved with opening Oma and Agora), it’s important for Zylia to start off “very casual and approachable, with twists.” Nick reconnected with traditional Athenian restaurants after returning to his neighbourhood of Pangrati in 2019. He tells me, “There’s a lot of ‘innovative’ and ‘modern Greek’ coming up in London now. I want to celebrate the simple first.” Launching with Cypriot restaurateur Barry Karacostas, Zylia is “’a love letter to the food of Cypriot and Greek immigrants who came to London in the 1970s and ’80s.” Expect classics like kleftiko (slow-roasted lamb with aromatics) and vazania, saucy grilled aubergine with anari (Cypriot whey cheese).
A diversifying landscape
“There’s a growing diversity in style, feel and food across Greek London restaurants – as there should be,” Asimakis says.
Christina observes how different personalities and budgets lead to a range of styles, from investments to passion projects. “Big corporate groups are tapping into Greek food, as well as young creatives.”
There are residencies and pop-ups too, such as Rho by chef Marios Miliorellis, currently at The Pilgrm hotel in Paddington.
This diversity further broadens the understanding of Greek cuisine. “People are surprised by some of the dishes at Pyro,” Yiannis tells me, pointing to Ottoman influences – warming spices like cinnamon, baharat and cloves. “We use more spices than some might expect. Greece isn’t just a never-ending summer.”
Zylia aims to demonstrate the similarities and distinctions between Greek and Cypriot cuisines. “For example, Greeks use more oregano whilst Cypriots use more red mint,” Nick says. “We plan to have Cypriot braised pork with red wine, whereas we don’t really do that in Greece.”
An intensifying cross-border dialogue
It’s no secret that the renewed focus on Greece as a travel destination has sparked greater interest in its cuisine.
“Greece has become very fashionable – it has the hype Spain did 20 years ago,” Christina says. “There’s a lot happening in Athens right now, especially, providing cultural inspiration.”
Thomas also credits the current “international hype” around Greece. Social media has created what he calls a “user-generated publicity boom,” which he considers “a main driver for exponential growth of Greek cuisine globally.”
A well-travelled audience also means a more demanding one. As Nick identifies, “more people here now want something that feels rooted in the real thing.”
An enduring appeal
The chefs and restaurateurs I speak to also identify growing public health consciousness prioritising food transparency, as key to growing consumer interest in Greek restaurants.
“What you see is what you get – and taste,” says Thomas. “This complements the push towards conscious eating, moving away from disguised ingredients.” Yiannis highlights the natural balance of Greek cuisine, featuring plenty of vegetables and fish. “Meals aren’t often too heavy, or very high in fat or doughs.”
This nutritional advantage is also bolstered by versatility. “There’s everything from grills to slow braises, to meat to seafood,” Christina explains. “You can go for richer or lighter, so you can eat it daily without getting fed up.”
Looking forwards
“The encyclopedia of Greek cuisine is almost limitless,” Asimakis shares. He therefore predicts that, whilst not all of them will survive, we will continue to see more Greek-based openings over the next eight or so years.
Chefs like Yiannis anticipate further growth globally. “There’s a lot of potential worldwide, as more people are being educated about the cuisine’s possibilities. There’s still plenty of room to explore without alienating Greek food too far away from what it actually is.” Sinking into a creamy spanakopita pastel de nata with briny galomizithra (Cretan hard cheese) at Pyro, I’m excited for what’s to come.