Bouzyos the Greek Taverna

Bouzyos was picked because our group of four wanted somewhere to drink before figuring out what to do with the rest of our night. At 9pm this left us little options on the Drive as most other places were jam packed.
Some good: they turned on the heater over our table without us having to ask, they have a kitty that lives on the patio, on tuesdays they have $ 3.99 martinis, the spanakopita I had was tasty.
The rest of it is pretty meh. Not bad, just not great. Slooooooooooooooow service for a restaurant with only 4 tables. Drink mix-​ups. I had to find the server inside if I wanted to get something relatively quickly.
I might go back for the $ 3.99 martinis. But that’s really about it.

Food was awesome. Seriously awesome food.
Unfortunately, we had a rude waiter to start who snapped at me for trying to order before everyone was ready. We had a large group but I was starving and we’d been sitting there for over 20 minutes just waiting for some semblance of organization. I was pretty offended when I tried to order and he said «Just wait until everyone is ready!» and then walked away from me. Wow. If the food wasn’t so good and if we didn’t get a new waiter half way through this place would have a solid one star.
Also, he kept forgetting to refill my soda. Kind of annoying when you’re eating salty & delicious Greek food.
The atmosphere was good when the belly dancer came on but otherwise they did not put any music on so you kind of felt like you were eating in silence and it was hard not to eavesdrop.
The kalamari was deadly as is the grilled chicken. I was highly impressed with the food, too bad the service couldn’t match. I’d try this place again, might have just been a bad night.

I came on a Friday night with my partner on an Entertainment coupon date. It’s the only way we try new things, because, if it sucks, at least we didn’t have to pay that much for it. Anyway Bouzyos was a pleasure! We sat on their patio, met the owner, John, and some of his friends, and he even gave us a slice of pizza (not on the menu) to try! Service was attentive and friendly, chicken was moist, the steak was ok but was more than made up for by the yummy white yogurt saucy thing the entrees come with. I’d recommend giving it a try if you’re feeling Greek.

Great new menu and a choice to order sides of rice potatoes or salads. Greek meals have always been too big, and I like to eat everything on my plate, so it’s nice to not have both rice and potatoes and pita on every entrée. The filo shrimp were excellent. A good size shrimp coated in shredded filo. The appys are good so we just had 3 and we were full.\,
last time. The chef came out and toured the room making sure evreything was good. He brought over some samplers of desserts. There was a singer on guitar. Great spot on Commercial drive. I’ve been back with a few friends and more have gone back since, all happy with the head’s up.

I know Bouzyos very recently changed their menu, but if you ask, you can get them to make their Kalamari Fourno which is absolutely to DIE for. Stuffed with shrimp and other yummy goodness, they bake their stuffed calamari in the oven with tomato sauce. It’s different than the deep-​fried calamari that you typically get in Greek restaurants, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Worth noting, Bouzyos also does catering. My office ordered Greek food for everyone (we’re talkin’ 100ish people), and even though they were cooking on such a large scale, the food was still delicious. They also have a private area in the back of the restaurant that I’m willing to bet can be booked for functions.
Overall, this is a solid addition to the other restaurants on the Drive.

I think it’s safe to say i’ve found the place on the Drive i’ll visit whenever i want Greek food. Not only was the food delicious, but there is a kitty who lives in the alley behind their store who they feed! And she is very, very fluffy. Stray kitties do depress me a little, but she looked quite healthy so they must be feeding her really well.
On a related note, i probably ruined the dining experience for the people at the table next to mine since i was constantly craning my neck and waving at the kitty who was sitting outside waiting for her dinner. I’m sort of relieved that i don’t see another review saying ‘our dinner– nay, our whole lives!- were ruined by a crazy cat lady at the table next to ours.‘
I shared a seafood appy platter for two (it easily could have fed three) and LOVED the grilled squid. It was really good in that way that makes you nervous for how fattening it must be, so i’ve put it on my mental list of things i will go to town on if i ever let myself go. Same with their hummus. It was delicious and tasted sort of cheesy and buttery. Is that normal? I don’t think so, but i wasn’t complaining.
In conclusion: Come for the cat, stay for the food.

RUN! RUN AWAY! If you are looking for some great Greek food, large portions and nice atmosphere isn’t the place for you. Heck, this place isn’t for me and I won’t be going back.
Up front I will say I have spent some time in Greece and I love to go to the various Greek restaurants around Vancouver. I know that the food that was prepared for me in Athens, in the Plaka or on the islands of Santorini and Crete are miles above some of the local interpretations here but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good meal.
Popped in on a Thursday night, they were not very busy and I soon found out why. After being seated and ignored for more than 15 mins (all the while trying to flag someone down) our waitress appeared with some water and to take out orders. The descriptions from the menu make everything sound mouthwatering and we eagerly awaited the Roast Lamb and Moussaka.
I will admit that we did not have to wait too long for the orders (another 15 – 20 mins) but it was AWFUL. I’m not even sure the Roast Lamb that came to the table was lamb or some kind of spam. It was dry, hard and with little flavour.
The Moussaka was very, very greasy and the sauce used with the beef in it tasted like it was Ragu sauce… stuff from a can and very bland.
The sides that came with both dishes included rice (not fully cooked) baked potato (small and again, no flavour) and Greek Salad (covered in oil, too much feta to try to give it flavour and a huge dumping of old tasting Oregano).
Lady at the table beside us let the waitress know (in a very nice way I should add) that her calamari came to the table cold… they took it away and brought it back heated up — not a fresh batch — heated up and now hard and chewy — I felt bad for her.
What a waste of time, (originally I’m sure) good food and money.
There are many other places on the Drive to go eat and I suggest you try them… but this isn’t one of them. And if you want GREAT GREEK FOOD, PLEASE, for the love of your taste buds and tummy, go somewhere else.

While it has all the staples of a classic Greek restaurant, like arched marble walkways in between rooms, and wonderful murals of Greek beaches on the walls, Bouzyos rejects the stereotypical blue and white colors of the national flag and successfully defines itself as a unique and upscale fine dining establishment.
The mood is romantic and professional, with well-​dressed clientele celebrating birthdays and smoking on the outdoor veranda. I recommend the lamb shank, served with rosemary potatoes, roasted vegetables, and rice pilaf. You’ll also want to dabble in the appetizers, like oysters or clams, or even just the humous platter, made with real sesame paste and not just peanut butter.
All said and done, Bouzyos will set you back quite a bit financially, but everyone deserved to be spoiled once in a while. You could always save a bit of cash by pre-​drinking some fine wine before going.

Olympic fever guided us to Greek food opening weekend. The evening started well with a friendly hostess, ready table, and restaurant fairly full at the early hour of 6PM. A nice bottle of Boutaras white wine made us feel pretty good about our restaurant choice, and then the food arrived and it was all downhill.
Seafood sampler appy (sized for 2 was enough for 3 of us) had a decent grilled calamari, but the other components were overcooked and old. Followed by the Bouzyos dinner for 2 (tough lamb shanks, strange tasting moussaka, under-​done potatoes on a huge mound of rice) was too much food (as warned by our lovely waitress) and our friend had stuffed calamari that was a repeat of one of the appetizers.
Live music blared starting 30 minutes into the meal– nothing like Elvis and Neil Diamond tunes to kill any Greek mood that the food hadn’t already bludgeoned. Capping the evening was a tab of $ 50 each and stomach cramps for at least two of us. Never again.