Simply Greek tavern

We had a Groupon for Simply Greek and didn’t really know what to expect. Overall, we were really pleased! The Groupon was for the Greek Mezze dinner, which requires a minimum of 2 diners. For £18 per person (we had it 50% off from Groupon!), you get a big platter of appetizers and a big platter of entrees, though the entrees are small, mezze-​size. So you get to try lots of different things.
Hard to remember what we had, but i think the appetizers were tzatziki, hummus, a broad bean dip, fried halloumi, vine leaves, spicy sausage, meatballs, and Greek salad. We got some garlic bread first, then pitta to eat with the rest of the dishes. Phew! Lots of food already! The hummus was really excellent — it was thick and garlicky and addictive. Different than I’ve had at other places, and delicious. The halloumi was great too. Vine leaves were the usual, I don’t remember being particularly wowed by the meatballs and sausage, though they were fine, not my favorite part of the platter. The Greek salad had nice crunch fresh vegetables, olives, and tangy feta, so I really enjoyed that. We were getting full already!
Then came the main plates — hard to remember it all! Greek pasta (yum!!), lamb (tender, amazing), chicken kebabs (gorgeous charred flavor, absolutely delicious), and some other things that clearly weren’t as memorable as the other 3! I do remember chips that came on the side were hot, crispy, and basically perfect. The mains were better than the appetizers, in my opinion (except for the hummus). The meat was so well cooked, the flavors were just right, and we were very satisfied!
The thing is, it’s pretty pricey at £18 per person (without a Groupon). Though you will get very full, no doubt you’d get full too if you ordered a la carte and got one entrée each and an appetizer to share for maybe £10 less. Since dessert and drinks aren’t included in the mezze deal, I don’t really think it’s financially worth it. I’d certainly come back, but I’d order a la carte. Service was very friendly, our server was lovely and warm. You can’t really see the dining room for the street, since it’s below street level, but it’s actually very nice with lots of Greek-​looking décor, blue and white everywhere, sort of a beachy feel. Don’t judge it by the plain exterior, give it a try! I’m sure we’ll be back.

Being situated in a basement on the Bigg Market I really didn’t know what to expect going into Simply Greek but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food served here. As you might expect from a Greek restaurant they have good selection of appetisers on offer that can be combined for a mezze style meal along with a reasonable number of main courses (I didn’t sample any of these as we were just looking for a quick bite to eat before a show). On the appetiser menu at least there were plenty of vegetarian options. The food was good but by no means great although I have to admit that I don’t eat Greek very often so I don’t have much to compare it to.
We went early on a Saturday night so it was bit quiet but I can see this being really busy as the night goes on and they’ve got a nice mix of intimate tables to the sides of the room along if you want a bit of privacy with a more public massive table in the middle of the room. We weren’t there long enough but I’ve heard that at the end of the night there’s an opportunity for a bit of a dance at the bottom of the room near the drum kit.
I’ll definitely be going back as I don’t think I was really in a position to see this place at its best when the night gets into full swing.

lovely friendly staff, not too long of a wait for food, food cooked to perfection, laid back friendly atmosphere, dancing and music, plate smashing.
we went for my partners birthday and they had everyone in the restaraunt singing happy birthday to her and got our whole table up to do some traditional dancing and even gave her a free ice cream sundae with a candle in which was a nice surprise! staff are very helpful explaining the dishes but leave you to eat your meal in peace.

Simply awesome. Great for a romantic meal. The basement has loads of atmosphere. The food is typically greek. The slow roasted lamb is delicious.
Good choice of drinks to suit the meal. Friendly staff. Not the cheapest but id definitely go again!

This is a nice little place which I normally would not go to as it is not an area I drink in when going to Newcastle but I have wandered past here a few times and decided to give it a try. The place inside is light and airy but they have managed to fit the tables quite closely together. The staff are all really friendly and quick to serve. The food itself was delightful, I must admit though that I love greek food. I started off with olives and dolmades which reminded me of being back in greek and then went onto a really tasty spinach pie. Garlic bread was shared and my friend got a great plate of spagetti and meatballs which reminded me more of italy. Still there are several main greek meals on the menu — a few for vegetarians. Its not the cheapest place in town with it being 8 – 9 for a main meal and there are closed places where you can better offers but if you want an authentic taste of greek this is the place to go