Taverna Mazi

This restaurant is closed. All of a sudden they had a restaurant fixture sale one weekend and now the windows are all covered up except for a For Lease sign. Can’t find any mention of it closing anywhere so I thought I would post it here.

Solid food, lots of feta options, whipped feta was fantastic. Great server, and a great atmosphere. Great neighborhood joint for any occasion.

What a gem! Had a business dinner here the other day, and although I was a bit dubious at first, i was quickly won over. The broccoli were good, brussel sprouts were awesome, and the octopus was OMG out of this world. The chicken skewers came highly recommended, but it was only 4 star worthy.
Over all a great dining experience… it’s almost reminiscent of some of the great food destinations in the Bay Area. Definitely a super high five to Taverna Mazi. Oh, about 50% of the menu is lamb, but if you’re not a fan of lamb, worry not, there are plenty of other options.
I will be back.

Just dined at Taverna Mazi and it was VERY DISAPPOINTING to say the least. My family and I like supporting the local neighborhood restaurants but I guess it should have dawned on me this dining experience would not go well from the first 30 minutes of arriving. Here is a recap:
1) 15 minutes from taking our order, had to ask the server where our 2 beers were — she just nodded, she completely forgot
2) Waited 30+ minutes for food — a watermelon/​feta salad, pita bread with 3 different dips, and 4 other small plates. Last I checked, its not hard to cut pita bread into small bite size slices, the dip just needs to be taken out of the fridge and placed on a plate, and watermelon salad should be already be prepped. I don’t think its hard to throw 3 chunks of feta cheese and a sliver of mint into the salad. My 3 year olds can do that in 5 minutes. (BTW, I was hoping this would be served as the appetizers but it came with all the other food).
3) Before the food arrived, asked TWICE for the pita bread so my kids could eat something while they waited for the rest of the food to arrive. On the third attempt, all the food came to our table.
4) No apologies from the server & owner for the delay — really? Last I checked, its good etiquette to let your CUSTOMERS KNOW IF & WHEN THEIR FOOD IS COMING SINCE THEY ARE PAYING FOR IT!
5) Before we even finished our food, the server asked us if we wanted dessert — really??? Needless to say we passed, I wasn’t in the mood to wait another half an hour for a slice of baklava
6) We get the bill and the automatic 18% gratuity is added– REALLY??? Geesh, we got the worst service we’ve had in a long time and mediocre Greek food –how does a place like this stay open? Just because a party like mine walks in with 5 adults and 2 toddlers, you give us the crappiest service since know you’re getting your tip???
TO THE OWNER: you’re lucky we signed our bill and walked out without making a scene in your full restaurant. Guess we will not come back and tell our friends about this experience, write this review, and go elsewhere where there is much better Greek food and owners who appreciate our business. That should hopefully make up for the $ 95.30 I’m out tonight.

A great deal on Groupon got me in here. The staff is very friendly. But due to the lack of staff, service was slow. Food was good, but a little price for my taste. The place doesn’t have A/​C, so they have a few fans blowing. Unless I get another Groupon deal, I probably wouldn’t return.

weekend greek dinners are always a good idea, rain or shine. After a sun soaked saturday, my bf and I came to this spot for date night.
Cocktails were perfectly shaken by our bartender. I had the grapefruit with champagne/​st. germain and each of our drinks had real fruit muddled on top.
Next we had salad which came with huge pieces of feta and tomato. kinda caprese style.
i really liked the half chicken i ordered. it was really plump and the lamb was even juicier.
best part was dessert. BAKED FIGS!

My husband and I love Greek food; we moved into the neighborhood and have been wanting to visit this place for a while. What a disappointment! We ordered the dip with peta bread and brussel sprouts — both were actually not so bad… the peta bread was warm with light seasoning and olive oil… the dip was full of flavor (it was the kind with onion and eggplant… called Iioma I think).
The main dish was the real disaster. We had order a full rack of lamb chops, with half medium rare for the husband and the other half well done for me. When the dish came out… it was more like… ¼ rare, ¼ well done and ½ charcoal. As I pick up the lamb chop, the bone would literally break and fall apart… turn into black dust… We were very disappointed.

My friend and I were starving, and decided to pop into this place for dinner. We got some sort of whipped-​fish dip with capers in it (it sounds weird and I can’t seem to find the exact name on their menu online, but trust me it’s not weird at all) and pita bread that they heated up and was lightly olive-​oiled up, and WOW that was so fantastic that I want to give this place 6 stars. That was a dip I will never forget in my entire life.
The reason Taverna Mazi gets 4 stars is because the entrees themselves were only decent, and the dessert was good but very, very small considering it was $ 8. I would definitely come again.

Wow, we just had a FANTASTIC meal at Mazi.
We have been coming here off and on since they opened. It has just gotten better and better. The menu has become more developed, food is top notch, the service is great.
Their ‘pick 3 dips’ with pita is a great appetizer. The pita comes out hot, fresh and yummy. The feta fries… O.M.G are they good. A huge, savory pile of fries with soft feta cheese.
My moussaka was simply amazing.
Absolutely worth the trip. Try it!

This is our absolute favorite local Greek restaurant. We are amazed on how each dish is freshly and passionately composed, including the level of sophistication and authenticity. The following dishes are fabulous and wonderful every time, and are the main reason that always keep us coming back!
Lamb Shank!
Prassopita!
Bougasta!
If you’re looking to chill with your friends and family, this is a great place to be any day. Plus, the staff is super friendly, energetic and accommodating namely our server Vivien! She’s always going an extra mile to ensure we have the ultimate excellent customer experience every time! We’re excited and looking forward to signing up for her upcoming cooking classes!

I love Greek food and was happy to see this place close to my home. My wife and I went on a Friday night and the place was relatively busy. I ordered the lamb shanks and when it arrived it was cold and the meat was almost impossible to get off the bone. Not a good start. I told the waiter that this shank was not done and could I please get one that was done. He took the dish back into the kitchen and returned with the same shank a few minutes later with what I assumed was a quick round in the microwave. It was still almost impossible to eat so I didn’t even try.
My wife had the rissotto and she enjoyed it. That’s why it gets two stars instead of one.
I would not have been as unhappy if the waiter would have told me that the shanks needed more time and perhaps I should try something else. That would have been fine. But to take the undercooked shank and put it in the microwave? Not a good move by any kind of professional kitchen.
Then when the waiter saw that I didn’t eat the shank, he said nothing. Didn’t ask if anything was wrong or if I wanted to bring the uneaten shank home (the answer would have been no).
We won’t be going back.

Great ambience and colorful cuisine! Large prawns and brussel sprouts are a must. Love the lighting and great venue for small parties or dates!

I thought the food was fantastic, but the cocktails were really spectacular!
The only thing needed to upgrade this to a 5-​star would be better interior design!

What a fabulous experience! Taverna Mazi is a cozy place with a warm and friendly atmosphere.
I came in for some dinner and drinks on Sunday. Vivian was waiting on us and she was friendly, knowledgeable and made me feel at home. I find that things always taste better when they have a story behind them and she painted a great picture and taught me a few things before I dug in. The food was delish and absolutely hit the spot. That Tzatziki sauce is possibly the best I’ve had. Authentic, creamy and refreshing. I’m making myself hungry again as I write this.
We were having such a good time after we ate, we stuck around for more drinks at the bar. Christina, the bartender is a character! She was funny and made some great drinks. When I don’t look at the menu and say, «What do you make well? Can you make me something good and different?», it’s always awesome when a bartender can oblige and says, «I have something you’ll really like.» She was right out. That girl has some mixology skills.
I live over in Kirkland and don’t make it out that way too often, but I will definitely make it a point to head back over to Taverna Mazi again and again. My first time there and I felt like I was in my own community hang out. The staff made us feel at home and the locals we talked to were friendly and welcoming.
If you haven’t made it over to Taverna Mazi, make it a point to go. Great place for a date, a fun group outing, or just to stop by for a drink and hang out.

I don’t often attend restaurants that makes checking the «romantic» box on Unilocal reviews a likelihood. This place was an exception. Very cozy spot. Didn’t actually have Greek food for the most part, but the halibut that was on special was excellent. Their dessert menu is pretty nice as well. Don’t remember the name but the custard on a panko nest was unique, well plated and tasted great.
Only real drawbacks were that it was a tad pricey for a cheapskate like me and that the TV’s over the bar were on and tuned to baseball and football during the peak dinner time on a Saturday night. The place is too small and there are too many reflective surfaces to be able to ignore the TV even if you are seated away from the bar.

We were pumped when Mazi started doing coffee service. This neck of the woods is sorely in need of good coffee. Mazi is in the fortunate position of being located on a high profile bus stop corner of a commuter arterial.
What’s not working:
The vibe is a combination of hot-​feeling mood lighting and euro-​gaudy mirrored surfaces. Where the NW quality coffee experience is generally neutral, fresh, naturally-​lit and sober, Mazi feels boozy, stuffy, hot and cavelike.
Two giant flatscreen TVs assault the customer with NEWS AND SPORTS… a serious NW coffee no-​no. Seriously… turn off the TVs. It screams ‘airport’ meets ‘stripmall sports bar’.
I don’t feel like it would be too hard to make a go of a slam-​dunk location smack in the middle of a coffee desert. More of a vibe changeover from PM to AM will bring more people in. You just have to read the feel of the neighborhood a little bit better. Look at Boulevard Grocery on Ravenna, look at Herkimer, look at Top Pot just up the street… the ‘good coffee’ thing is a lot more than just putting an espresso machine in a bar.

My wife and I were crushed when Divine, our favorite Greek restaurant, closed; we’ve been searching for a good alternative ever since. Taverna Mazi is it (and it turns out that Divine’s owner, Vivian Peterson, is now working there and teaching cooking classes).
Great atmosphere, delicious food. I lived in Greece for a year so have pretty high standards for Greek food. The chicken kebabs were spectacularly good (so tender, moist and flavorful that the very memory is making me hungry for them), as were the filo appetizers and various dips. And GREAT roast chicken!
One thing that really impressed us about Mazi was how they dealt with a problem. Our first night there we were seated quite late (beyond our reservation) due to another table taking forever to leave (yak yak yak… really guys — come on!) This wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, but despite that the owner personally apologized and insisted on giving us all free desserts for the (minor) inconvenience. It’s this kind of simple thoughtfulness that makes people come back to a place, and I don’t know why some other places don’t do it (it costs them virtually nothing, and turns a potentially negative situation into one where the customer feels taken care of and valued).
Anyway, Taverna Mazi is our new Greek joint; we’ve loved everything we’ve had there, and look forward to exploring the rest of the menu.

Happy Hour review only:
$ 2 draft beers
Tried the $ 3 salad, $ 3 pita w/​eggplant & red pepper hummus (SOOOOO good), $ 6 yeero w/​fries (food was good, but price is not superbm typical price of a yeero anyway), and then $ 6 chicken skewers with feta fries (garlic + feta on fries… YUM!!!)
Will definitely return for happy hour. Peeked at the dinner menu, entrees can range from $ 10ish all the way up to $ 30… probably wouldn’t eat here for dinner. Servers were all friendly and quick with service.

This institution is an atrocious tragedy against my mouth and wallet.
It has awoken me from my Unilocal reviewing slumbers to speak out against this ridiculousness.
CONS: Ok. When I ordered the Loukaniko: «Grilled Greek style village pork sausageS» (yes, with an «s» at the end) for 7 dollars, I was expecting, hey, maybe at least 2 sausages. You know, to make it plural. And to make whatever I was getting worth 7 dollars. I get my dish, and I stare at this lone sausage on my plate. This single sausage is NOT worth 7 dollars! Ok, I dramatize — there was a small slice of lemon they also gave me with the sausage.
My friend ordered the «Yeero» (Gyro??) for 12 dollars. Out came the lamest gyro I’ve tasted since gyro night at my old fraternity. Oh, there was a small cup of soup that came with it — let’s just say Campbell’s soup doesn’t put as much salt in their soups.
PROS: Well, the lighting was nice. If you like hearing bad Euro techno in the background (at a low volume, I’ll admit) while watching basketball at a Greek joint, this is a pro. For me, a con. Whatever.
If you’re around the U District, please do me a favor. OK?
Go to one of the many gyros places like Aladdin’s Gyrocery on the Ave (University Way). You can get a mouth-​watering gyro plus a soda and some good fries for around (perhaps under) 7 dollars.
Or, if you desire sausageS, go to a deli. Buy some brats or breakfast sausages for a couple dollars. Go home and cook them, it will take you less time than it took to get my dishes at Mazi.
Avoid this farce of a restaurant.

I came here because a friend suggested to try this restaurant as she drove by here recently.
It looks pretty classy once we walked in. I liked the environment a lot. They have a bar that has really nice comfy seats. It was fairly busy when we visited there at around 6:30pm.
We were seated and offered drink and food menus. The food menu did not seem extremely pricey but was not cheap either.
I ordered the yeeros with soup. It was interesting because it has a few fries inside the wrap. The soup was way toooooooo salty. It was just salty salty salty. I did not like it. I have definitely had better yeeros and soup and surprisingly, at a much cheaper price!
The whole place is pretty much overpriced. Not coming back again.