The Real Greek

We worked up an appetite after an evening of wandering about the Shepard’s Bush Westfields. After walking through the food court and not seeing anything that we fancied, We made our way down to the Five Guys where we up a little flyer next to the directory with a listing of all the dining establishments. We decided to stroll on through the south terrace to make a selection.
As we scouted the terrace we came upon The Real Greek, where there was a gentleman manning the bbq grill out doors making sausages and gave out tasty samples. While going over the menu we spotted a few winners to try, the Dukkah Chicken, Grilled Octopus and Lamb Meatballs.
The staff was very friendly and we were seated quickly. For a Friday night around 8−9Pm, the place was surprisingly only at 35−45% capacity. The host noticed we had the flyer from the mall and mentioned that the «coupon» inside only applied to the a la carte menu; as he left we flipped through the flyer and found a 25% off coupon. I would recommend checking out the dining flyer in the mall in case there happens to be a decent coupon matching your dining disposition .
We ordered a number of meze plates that arrived on a tower; of which the clear winner was the deliciously tender grilled octopus, the Dukkah chicken wings, lamb meatballs and couscous were also terrific. I thought the grilled Halloumi was a bit on the salty side for my tastes; and felt that £4.75 for an order of Tzatziki was quite expensive for a bit of a dip/​sauce. Lastly, I didn’t enjoy the chicken gyros, finding them to be dry and overcooked; I’d give it a miss.
All in all without drinks I’d rate the meal a 3.5, as I thought the majority of items were quite tasty and I’d return for the grilled octopus and chicken wings.
In order of preference:
Grilled octopus £7.50
Dukkah chicken wings £5.00
Tonias Couscous Salad £4.00
Lamb meatballs £6.50
Greek flatbread £2.75
Grilled Halloumi £5.00
Baklava £4.25
Tzatziki £4.75
Chicken Gyro £6.25

Today I tried the newish? £10 menu, which was perfect as I have been once before and the bill can rack up. Love the food. Had flatbread, Houmous, lamb kefte and new potatoes with a glass of Makedonikos rose wine. This wine is a must try!
We sat in the outside conservatory area which was heated. The atmosphere was cosy and I was able to have a conversation with my friend.

My only regret is that I didn’t try this place sooner. The restaurant was large, and the atmosphere was cosy, dim lights etc.
The staff was very friendly and the wait for the food was short which I found excellent.
We ordered the «Tonia’s Filoxenia», which was a Sharing platter that basically consisted of most the things in the menu. Everything was delicious, I especially liked the grilled aubergine with garlic tomato sauce.
Would definitely visit again.

Really enjoyed our post-​cinema dinner here. I hadn’t had greek in SUCH a long time I had nearly forgotten what it tastes like (which is DELICIOUS).
The restaurant is quite big, with a long counter and most tables scattered between indoor and outdoor, with enough space for everyone to move. It was really busy so a bit too loud for my taste, but that didn’t impact the positive experience. It has a barbecue corner on the outside right at the entrance where they prepare all (I presume?) the grill items from the menu.
You pick a number of small plates that get then delivered in one of those multi-​level trays (…is there a name for them? I HAVE NO IDEA!) for everyone to share. We were two quite hungry people so we ordered 6 and were left wanting for more (so we ordered two more). Our favourite were the lamb cutlets and the watermelon & feta salad, but honestly we liked everything (calamari, aubergines, grilled halloumi, flatbread etc.).
I’ve had a glass oft their strawberry wine (I forget the name) which had such a stunning colour, and I couldn’t skip their lemonade either — not disappointed.
So for a total of 8 dishes to share, 2 servings of flatbread, 1 appetizer and 3 drinks we paid about £60, which I reckon was fair. The service was also impeccable and fast so kudos!
Great place to go to for a quick and fun dinner with your family, not a place if you’re looking to have an intimate dinner or any conversation at all due to the noise (maybe when it’s emptier?) but if you’re happy just sitting and enjoy very good food, as we were, you’ll love it.

We were a little hungry at Westfield but wanted to make most of good weather abd not stay inside, but also wanted to have something not too expensive nor too unhealthy so decided to try the Real Greek.
We were on the open terrace which was actuallt super warm. Not the nicesr environment but not too bad either. Prices were decent but food really wasnt that great.
We decided to share one of the two peoples menu and added a couple more dishes. Menu was really average with the meat sishes being very dry. Granted greek food tends to be somewhat dry but this was a little too much.
Grilled octopus was definitely nicest dish but octopus was cooked slightly too long so slightly too chewy…
Overall, was alright lunch but definitlt wont be heading there again — that specific restaurant in Westfiled but any of the other branches actually.

Came here for dinner with a friend, knew it was a chain restaurant but still found the atmosphere to be really nice. Dim lights, candles, a bit romantic actually! We got a nice bottle of Makedonikos white wine, which was pretty inexpensive and kept cold by our table. We shared the Peloponnese Platter, which consists of 8 dishes. You get to chose between 2 options for each dish, so it’s like «hummus or tzatziki» and «chicken skewer or halloumi skewer,» etc. We chose hummus, flatbread, giant beans in tomato sauce, dolmades, halloumi skewer, lamb kefte, Greek salad, and new potatoes. Because we’re fatties, we also got a bowl of olives and the prawns with feta. Phew!
You basically have to get the flatbread, since the meal doesn’t come with pita. It’s warm and crisp, and goes well with everything. The hummus was a little gritty for my taste, but not too bad. The white beans were one of my favorite parts of the meal — so nice and firm, really great flavor from the tomato sauce… the kind of dish that sounds really dull but ends up being fantastic. Dolmades were good, a pretty standard version of the vine leaves stuffed with rice and tomatoes — they are meatless here. I loved the halloumi skewer, both cheese and veggies had a nice little char on them, like they’d just come off of a grill. Lamb kefte was average, it was just a big patty that I had to cut in half so we could share it. Didn’t seem to have a lot going on. Greek salad was okay too, guess tomatoes are out of season so what can you do — and it was more tomatoes than anything else but there were a few cucumbers and peppers hiding in there. Nice feta on top. The prawns didn’t do much for me, very tough and I didn’t like the flavor of the sauce too much. The new potatoes were simple, but well-​cooked and served nice and hot.
I think the food here is hit or miss, but the hits were really nice and the misses weren’t awful. £30 for two to share that big platter is a great deal. We were very full! I don’t the way they serve the food here, on tiered plates like you’re getting afternoon tea. Well, honestly, i like the way it looks, but sometimes the tiered plates block your view across the table of your dining partner, and they can be hard to eat from — our Greek salad was so high up on the tier I couldn’t see it! I’m sure they do it because people share so many dishes, and the tables are small, they don’t want to crowd the tables with food.
If you come here, definitely share everything just to try more dishes. And don’t miss the white beans and the halloumi skewers, they were the best of the bunch in my opinion.

My family and I had lunch here today, after many years of passing by this place and thinking we needed to try it. Let’s just say that I still wish I hadn’t tried it.
Service: This place is a madhouse. The Real Greek is totally understaffed and everything is a struggle. Trying to order, time to get the food, trying to get the check… so frustrating.
Food: If the food was good I could deal with the service. But the food is quite terrible. The shrimp was rubbery and not cleaned (saw the telltale black stuff, so gross), the Greek salad is tasteless and a giant disappointment, the lamb was dry, the fries too greasy… the only good thing was the flatbread but I’m sure that is purchased and not made in-​house.
Overall: I would NOT recommend this place at all. The Southern Terrace at Westfield has amazing places and this is NOT one of them. Avoid it like the plague.

My husband and I were on holidays in London visiting family and found ourselves wandering around the Westfield Shopping Centre to do some shopping. (On a side note, that place is amazing!)
We decided to have dinner there since they have so many restaurants there. After browsing, we picked «The Real Greek» and went in.
The staff were friendly and the service was quick, I was very impressed considering it was a Friday night and the place was busy enough.
The food was good. The flatbread we ordered for an appetizer was warm and the olive oil it came with was really delicious. We ordered a meal to share, the «souvlaki for 2» dish.
It came with two wraps of each variety of the souvlaki: lamb, chicken and halloumi. Each of them was good, but we both thought the chicken was the best. I was less impressed by the halloumi than my husband was. Everything about the wraps overall was well put together, from the bread, to the meat, to the tzatziki sauce. Nothing exceptional but nothing terrible either.
I would recommend this place. It was pretty good Greek food, and at a decent price. It’s worth giving a try.

A lunch deal persuaded me to try this restaurant in Westfield, but quickly realised this place is more about appearance than it is about their food. When we showed up, they declined the voucher because they claimed that this location doesn’t do the deal (which is weird because I found it in the Westfield website), so they gave us another deal to try. Since we were already there we decided to give it a try. In the beginning the new deal looked good… for £12 you get two appetisers and main. We ordered the fried octopus, the halloumi, and the chicken main. But when the food came to our table, everything was served in such small portions, it was almost a joke! Please improve those portions, because it really did dampen on the great ambience and service.

The second Real Greek I’ve visited in London, and yet once again, I left feeling disappointed. Wait staff was slower than the standard London service. Hot meze came out cold, and the overall cost is not what you are getting.

First time I ate at The Real Greek was three years ago in Spitalfields east London, needless to say I did not give the place a second chance since as I felt the food was way below average and over priced. I found myself starving at wesfields on a lunch break and I decided to give the Real Greek one more shot as the patio as crowded and it was a beautiful day. I am so happy I have them a second chance as this time has made me a fan. The company must be undernew management or new chefs as I was very surprised, I will be going back again and again. I had the set lunch for £10, and it was so filling. I had the Tzatziki and Htipiti cold meze with Greek flat bread to start. Both the Tzatziki and Htipti dip was amazing, one of the best ive had. For the mains I ordered the Nikos Meatballs and chargrilled chicken wings. Wow, I couldnt get enough of the Chargrilled chicken wings, so much flavour and so juicy. The nikos meatballs where very tasty too but I would choose the Chicken wings over the meatballs for sure. I will be going back to the Real Greek in Westfield. Very happy I gave this place another chance.

The restaurant is large and well decorated. From the surface, The Real Greek looks like a great place to eat. It’s not.
Hummus = Terrible. No flavor and not blitzed enough.
Pita bread = Good flavor but very greasy.
Chips = Chunky chips that are well cooked but lacking salt and no ketchup.
Chicken wrap = Good flavor, the chicken was a bit dry and the wrap was again greasy.
Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. There are loads of restaurants to choose from at Westfield.
Also, people smoke on the patio even though it is part of the restaurant. And if you don’t have people in the restaurant on the patio smoking, you get to smell all the smoke from the bystanders sitting on the waterfall ledge or pedestrians walking by.

There’s a reason why people shouldnt have expectations– probably why I dont. So the one time I think– O greek! must be amazing. *Game show buzzer* Boy was I wrong.
The meat dishes were probably a amalgamation of the same meat with different labels. Ordering a souvlaki (the core essence) of greek food… turned out to be burititos wrapped in paper. Did they microwave it?!
Im so disappointed… no opa!

The Real Greek in Westfield is one of a small chain of restaurants in London that offer reasonable food, decent service, in very nicely presented surroundings. It’s an ‘upmarket’ chain, if you will — the décor is classy.
Food at the Real Greek is distinctly mediocre and most would agree it’s above the average price point for what it is. The menu is exactly what you would expect from a classic Greek restaurant (your standard meze, souvlaki, etc.) plus the obligatory addition of things like cocktails and kid’s meals.
I suppose you are paying for the location a little; if you were to take a 7 minute walk to Vine Leaves Taverna — an infinitely more charming (if kitsch) family-​run Greek restaurant that has been around for many more years — you’d find slightly better food at far better prices.
I find the restaurant to be too impersonal and hence I won’t go there. The branch off Marylebone High Street is far lovelier and the prices seem to fit the location a little more there. It’s a more intimate restaurant.
Really the only reason you would visit this restaurant is if you specifically fancied Greek food whilst at Westfield Shopping Centre, and you didn’t want to walk anywhere else to get it.

Average Greek. Worth a one off visit to appreciate how real good Greek food is!
Nice enough food but not great and defiantly not worth the price.

Disgusting. After arriving in London for a short holiday, I was craving Greek cuisine. This place had spotty service, and nearly inedible food. I had ordered the souvlaki platter (I believe that is what they referred to it as), and I could not even chew the lamb kabob due to its extrememly «rubbery» texture. Save your money and go elsewhere.

I had been so far disappointed with every dining experience while I was in London and this was unfortunately no exception. After being seated we waited for a menu. Then we waited for bread. Then we waited for our waiter to come back. Then we waited 45 minutes to get our food. There were about 20 people in the whole restaurant and at least 5 waiters. I don’t get it. I know Europeans aren’t in a rush but that is ridiculous. I’m just glad I had a netbook with me.
And the food of course had no flavor.
Fail.

I love Greek food and had always wanted to go to one of this chain, but I was highly disappointed.
I do know what meze style dining means, and that dishes are small and you generally share a number of them. However, the menu was confusing and had other dishes separate to the list of hot and cold mezes whose prices and calorie counts seemed to suggest they were larger dishes. They were not, they were meze sized.
The souvlaki was nice but not huge and not worth £6−7. All in all the food was average and horribly overpriced.
I admire restaurants that publish their nutritional information, however the Real Greek’s dishes are so shamefully unhealthy it might have been better for them to keep their calorie counts hidden!

The Real Greek should really be renamed The Real Rip-​Off. I’m a staunch believer in the theory that Tapas style food was invented purely for the purpose of ripping off customers. Small portions, all of varying temperatures, and all for the princely sum of £5+ each.
Slow service, pretty much zero atmosphere. And all in all a big fat shame.
Me no likey. Me think you will not like. Therefore, don’t bother. Adieu.

«Get out of the way.» Well, yes thank you, but where do I put that darned baby chair when it is a 4 top? Certainly at the end where there is space when you didn’t take any seats away? Then you snatched the chair away and literally threw it at the bar. Not very calm are you, Mr. Manager?
And…the meal continued to descend into a complete farce. We waited for over 25 minutes for what should be a quick meal, only for me to discovered (when I was walking the drool monster) that there is a MOUNTAIN of food sat up on hot plate ready to go. All the staff from the waitresses to the «manager person» were rushing around like headless chickens looking extremely bothered and bewildered. Oh well, I’ll be quiet and continue to wait for my tap water then.
The hummus was extremely dry (I wonder why?), the Tabolleh was lacking in veg and herbs (whatever was there was wilted), the taramasalata was way to creamy (though the mother and sister liked it), the chicken was charred to «perfection» if perfect equated charcoal and the chips were cold. Thank god the crispy spinach puffs, grilled halloumi sticks and bread were edible or else we’d have starved.
We looked forlornly at Wahaca, wishing I didn’t have a tummy ache and we weren’t being adventurous and didn’t subject ourselves to the tragedy known as… The Real Greek.