Mamakas Taverna

This is really a fantastic restaurant all around. The food was very fresh, great selection of cocktails and drinks, and the service was outstanding. I would like to particularly say our server Miranda was lovely, she had such a kind way about her it made our dinner more special and cozy. For an anniversary dinner, it was nice to have someone so attentive! The standout dishes were the tzatziki and eggplant dip. Would definitely come again.

Definitely a new spot that hit the spot! My friend recommended it, so we came on a Saturday evening. It was packed, but the service was amazing and the food was really good. We ordered a bunch of items to share, and honestly I think that’s the best way to enjoy this place. If you just order a single dish it might not feel like enough, but when you share, it’s perfect. Prices can be a little on the higher side, so sharing different items makes it worth it. We tried the chicken souvlaki (just FYI—it’s not a full dinner, it’s just the meat, so you’ll need to order sides separately), chicken with mushrooms, potatoes, pita bread, and meatballs. My top three standouts were: 1. The pita bread (so good!) 2. The chicken souvlaki (highly recommend) 3. The potatoes (super flavorful) Everything else was good too, and I’ll definitely be back.

The staff was excellent, our waitress Natalie was attentive, pleasant but not overbearing- the perfect level of attention! The food was fantastic. 1 appetizer and 2 mains in the family style restaurant felt like a lot of food! Highly recommended!

Food was absolutely delicious, every dish was 5/5, but would say its slightly overpriced for the portions you receive. Food was served decently quickly. Seating felt slightly tight as well but overall nice ambience. Definitely worth a try if you’re looking for good greek food!

Had a great lunch at Mamakas Taverna. We started with the elies, tzatziki, and melitzanosalata—all fresh and flavorful. The homemade pita was warm, soft, and seriously addictive. Definitely a must-order with the dips. The tonos toast was light and tasty, and both the kotopoulo (chicken) and paidakia (lamb chops) were cooked really well—tender and full of flavor. The tiganites potatoes were golden and crispy but probably skip next time. Service was excellent—friendly, attentive, and well-paced. The ambiance was stylish but still relaxed, and the cocktails were well crafted.

Tried the $75 tasting menu here with a group of 5. Overall this was a really delicious meal and all of us left very full. Was a big fan of the Spanakopita, the lamb chops, the potatoes (very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, well seasoned), the meatballs, the Greek salad, the spinach, and the chicken and mushroom dish. I love mushrooms, and the assortment with the sauce was delicious. Wasn't as big a fan of the octopus. I think it might have been overcooked as the texture turned quite grainy. Eating it with the fava spread kind of gave it this starch on starch texture that wasn't that great. The bass was okay as well. Service here was very good, our server came by frequently to help clear plates and to pour water for us which was very nice. We were never pressured to leave either, even though we were there for over 2 hours. It was appreciated as we were celebrating a friend's birthday. Would definitely recommend trying the tasting menu, as it was great variety with good portions sizes. They also offer an add-on fee with wine pairings if you're into that sort of thing.

Nice spot on Ossington with a solid vibe. We only waited a few minutes to be seated. We sat outside—more spacious and relaxed than the inside, which looked tight and a bit too packed. There was light music playing and the noise level was comfortable, though the smell of passing cars did take away from it a bit. We chose the Chef’s Tasting Menu, which gave a decent overview of their most popular dishes. Ingredients were fresh and good quality, but honestly, nothing stood out. The lamb chops were the best dish—tender and full of flavour. The salad was crisp but basic, just veggies with feta on top. The octopus was a letdown - a bit too chewy and gummy. The pita bread was warm and tasty, but too small for the dip it came with. The baked potatoes were dry and felt like filler to pad out the meal. Portions were enough for two, and the pacing between courses was fine—enough time to enjoy each dish. Service was good, polite and efficient. We had one cocktail (Afroditty) and a beer. The cocktail was refreshing but small, especially for nearly $20. Bill came to $200 for two, which felt a bit steep given the overall experience. You’re paying more for the location and vibe than anything else. Bottom line: it’s a nice place with good service and quality ingredients, but felt overhyped. Worth trying once, but I wouldn’t rush back.

Great atmosphere, felt like greek actually. But the food was very underwhelming, we were all pretty excited because it was a very busy restaurant and very hard to get a reservation, but all dishes were pretty mediocre, and expensive comparing to the quality. They could not do separate bills, which is weird for Canada!

We had a weekday reservation, and got patio seating. Service is pretty attentive and friendly. We got the Tirokafteri, spanakopita (spinach and cheese flakey pie with honey), lahanika skaras (roasted/charred vegetables in high quality olive oil), lamb shank (served with greens and butter beans). Pita are not included, so when you ask for it they will charge. The pita was super fresh though so we ordered extra! Overall every dish was tasty, my favourite was the spanakopita with the drizzle of honey.

Good Sunday night vibe. Right amount of buzz that it's not too loud in there so I can have a catch up with a friend. Friendly staff. One of those... she checked on us when we didn't need anything but unfortunately not there when we did. No biggie. Overall it's good service compared to what we have in this city during a slow economy. Food is solid after all these years! Had their version of the Croquette starter and the pablano & mixed peppers, cheese, walnut with toast as starters. Main - lamb neck . We could have used another side to cut the richness but I was making room for dessert & coffee.

All the food was consistently good. The service was great and the food came out quickly. The open kitchen was a great touch to the overall vibe of the restaurant.

Food was amazing, service was also great. Too bad we had a misunderstanding about the order. The 3 of us went during brunch and tried their $55 fixed prix menu that includes an appetizer, main and a dessert . We asked a bunch of questions about the fixed prix and proceeded to order all 3 courses each, only to find out the order was placed a la carte and one or the items was not even part of the special. We we ended up being charged for 2 of the lunch special and 3 a la carte items. So just make sure you explicitly tell your server when ordering! We loved all our food btw, especially the appetizers- beef meatballs , squash salad and spanakopita were delicious!

Mamakas Taverna located at the corner of Ossington and Argyle specializes in contemporary and modern Greek food. The bustling place are the same owners (Mamakas Food Group) of Koukla across the street as well as Souvla in Yorkville and Agora across from Trinity Bellwoods. I've tried their sister restaurant Koukla and I've heard great things about Mamakas Taverna so I decided to dine here for a treat myself kind of lunch (they only open for lunch on Sat and Sun). The restaurant space is light and airy where it transports you to Greece. They had a patio as well along the side of the restaurant during the warmer months. The kitchen is an open concept at the front of the restaurant where you can smell your food being made. The menu is vast where you can share multiple dishes. The appetizers include dips and salads and the mains are mainly proteins. The wine list is great, a lot of Greek wines you won't be able to find anywhere else in the city. I came by on a Sunday for lunch where I sat at the bar. I opted to get the pre-fixed menu ($55 for 3 courses, $65 for 3 courses and a glass of wine) as it was a great option with lots of selection. I did get the wine as well and the white wine they were serving was light, easy drinking, and slightly dry (as the bartender stated, similar to a sauvignon blanc. These are the items I ordered: - Horiatiki (heirloom tomato, cucumber, red onion, P.D.O. feta, olive tapenad, oregano) - Kalamari (leek, dill, parsley, green onion, and lemon) - Dessert was Greek yogurt, pecan, meligyris honey, with golden raisins Wow! The horiatiki may sound simple but it was absolutely delicious. All the fresh ingredients worked in harmony with one another creating a delicious light balance that never felt heavy. There was a tartness to the refreshing salad which contrasted the feta. What a delicious Greek salad - would order this again in a heartbeat. The kalamari was grilled well where you could taste the char from the grill. Some parts of the squid were seasoned a bit too heavily (salt) for me. However, eating it with the leek, dill, parsley, and green onion mixture on the side helped. The hint of lemon also gave the dish more acidity as well which brought down the saltiness. Dessert wise, this was simple and good but I could not finish it as I was too full. Portion wise, the pre-fixed menu portions are smaller but it was still very filling! Service wise, staff were friendly and attentive. They made sure I was attended to and the pacing of the meal was relaxed where I never felt rushed. Overall, a delicious solo date by myself but I would definitely return with others to share other dishes on their menu!

I've heard about this place from numerous people. I've walked by several times and seen how busy they are. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore so I made a reservation (highly recommended) Came here for weekend brunch. They have a tasting menu (with or without wine) for $55-65 depending on wine. First, off, it's a cute, light and breezy space, not too big, but just big enough to provide a great atmosphere without being pretentious. So, the important part....the food. From the tasting menu you do have a few options for app/main/dessert. My friend and I choose, spanakopita, Keftedes (beef meatballs) lamb chops , tea brined roast chicken with mushrooms, dessert- yogurt/honey/ pistachios/ Ummmm....I'm still thinking about this meal. Hands down in the top meal I've eaten in the last few years. The chicken was juicy and the mushrooms provided that nice balance of earthy flavour to the dish. The beef meatballs were..just..so...good. But that dessert....sighhhhhhh. Take me back there ....

1.75/5 While it's cute and in a prime location, the food is super disappointing. It was also kind of overpriced for what it was. We got melizanosalata house dip ($13), oktapodi/octopus ($38), and paidakia/lamb chops ($68). Everything was only okay. The pita that went with the house dip was nicely grilled but lacked flavour. The octopus was one-dimensional and the lamb chops were kind of game-y. Verdict: You're better off going to Danforth, they have way better Greek food there.

Mamakas is everything we expected it to be! From the cozy ambiance with low lights that transports you straight to a warm night in Greece to the delicious food and drinks. All our food was wonderful. The ambiance was amazing. Everything was reasonably priced. Our server wasn't the most friendly but she did her job well. The pita and dips are to die for! Need to go back in the summer

A great greek spot on ossington! immediately when you walk in the restaurant is beautiful, open kitchen to watch the chefs cook, bar seating, easy to communicate with bartenders, no space is left unused! it's not overly upscale so it can be a great spot for easy dinner with friends or it can be a great spot for a date! they had a chef's menu or you could select your own dishes! We tried the octopus and calamari which was amazing and the moussaka was definitely filling! Also a great selection of wines and cocktails! It's a little more pricy, but if you're in the mood for Greek, i'd definitely give it try!

Dare I say best Greek food in Toronto? Meat was tender, squid was chewy and spinach pastry was delicious. Server was helpful and kind

I've wanted to try Mamakas for a looong time now- everyone on Yelp and Tiktok raves about it. I'm no Greek food expert, but I'd say this could top the list for best in the city. My friends and I got a 9:15 bar reso, and I'd highly recommend sitting at the bar. For a tightly packed restaurant, sitting here doesn't make it feel cramped. You can get good pics too! Drinks: I had a rosé and my friend had an aperol spritz. No notes. Food: We shared everything, tapas style. Mezze/Apps: Grilled pita and dips - the tzatziki was my friend's favourite and melizanosalata (eggplant dip) was mine. I want to go back just for that. Keftedes (beef meatballs) - so tender and seasoned nicely. Mains/Add ons: Oktapodi - Stunning, delicious, not too chewy. My pescatarian friend's first time trying octopus and she approved. Tiganites Patates - Fried potato wedges with feta aioli - The aioli was delicious, would probably order something else if I could go back.

It was a perfect birthday dinner! My husband and I sat outside (side patio), the weather cooperated and we enjoyed delicious food and well-paced service. Homemade pita, taramasalata, spanakopita, watermelon salad were our starters - all delicious. Then we shared the sea bass and broccolini; we licked the plates clean. Still one of our favourite Greek restaurants in the city!

Cute little place with a modern take on Greek food. Food was delicious. The shrimp and the dessert was the highlight of the meal, but the chicken is not to be missed out on. Dessert we got was baklava cheesecake. Delicious and rich, also a pretty big portion, so make sure to leave some space for dessert. The service was great. Our server was able to suggest a Perfect wine for our taste and what would go well with the food we've selected.

The best greek restaurant (or taverna) in the city. Seafood and grilled lamb chops. Unbeatable. The service is good, not great, but the food makes up for any shortcomings there. The price is expensive.

Went here on a whim when another restaurant was too busy on a Sunday night. We were seated right away in communal high chairs. The food was very mid for what you are paying. The chicken would have been really dry without the sauce. My favorite thing was probably the potatoes which were crispy and well seasoned. The restaurant itself had a very nice vibe to it and the service was nice!

Had a delicious meal here. Came to celebrate my mother's birthday. We ordered a lot of different menu items to try. Surprisingly my favourite was the moussaka. Their in house pita bread was also very delicious and fluffy. The service was also good. Interior was nice but lights were a bit too dim.

Absolutely blown away by Mamakas' tasting menu and vibe. Rarely am impressed with places so Mamakas really blew my expectations out of the water from the service, to the vibe, to the taste and even the price. For $75 tasting menu you will be more than full with leftovers to take home and every dish was just spectacular. Highly recommend!

Mamakas is a well known Greek restaurant in Toronto. It is always jam packed all the time and make sure reservation is made ahead of time. We ordered Spanakopita for appetizer, then Rack of lamb and whole fish for main courses and finish up with baklava cheesecake. Be careful of how much you ordered because most courses come with yogurt. The lamb chop is a bit overcooked as I like medium. The fish is 1.5lbs and mentioned that it is wild caught. Baklava cheesecake is very good, but some people might feel a bit too heavy. Overall it is a great restaurant and highly recommended to anyone who likes to try out Greek food.

This place lives up to the hype! This tavern is often so packed that it's hard to get a table, but we went late on a weeknight and were so glad that we did! Lamb chops, eggplant dip, side dishes of runner beans and roasted potatoes, and a baklava cheesecake were PERFECT. It was all sharing plates and this was enough to feed 3 people. (Especially the generous baklava cheesecake-- definitely share this!) Will definitely come back again!

Best birthday dinner !!! First time dining as Mamakas and it won't be my last! I ordered the tasting menu and it was a perfect option for me. More than enough food for dinner! The server was amazing! She was very lovely and helpful. Definately will come back!

Super cute interior, great service and delicious modern greek cuisine! The restaurant is small and usually booked out, so make sure to make a reservation well in advance. Servers/ manager were great throughout the night and even helped us with suggestions of what to get for a party of 6! Now onto the food/ drinks: Moscow Mule 10/10 - Refreshing, gingery cocktail that complimented the entire meal quite nicely House dips 10/10 - The highlight was the eggplant one which was amazing and slightly sweet. The dips in general were a great start to the meal and ideal for sharing! Lamb tartare 10/10 - Another great dish for sharing. The yogurt base was nice and creamy that complimented the tartare quite nicely. Horiatiki 10/10 - One of the favourite dishes of the night. It's a tomato feta cheese salad. Who would've thought that eating colorful heirloom tomatoes with feta would be such a hit! The salad was bright in colour and flavour, and so refreshing! Top notch quality tomatoes over there! Stifado 10/10 - Comes with one HUGE short rib that is fall off the bone on a bed of parsnip puree and topped with a gravy like sauce. Deep flavours of beef here which was enjoyed by everyone at the table. MUST GET! Lavraki 9/10 - A whole grilled sea bass. Comparing this to the short rib, this was definitely on the lighter side with just a squeeze of lemon on it. Still great flavours though and was a nice light option. Tiganites Patates 8/10 - Crispy potatoes with an herb and feta aioli. You can't go wrong with potatoes and they're always a nice side to have with your meal. Great for sharing! Overall, LOVE LOVE LOVED this restaurant and can't wait to come back for more. Also know that they have a sister restaurant Koukla right beside Mamakas and can't wait to try that one as well!

Had a great time eating here, almost everything we had was delicious, great atmosphere and cosy interior, lives the views of the open kitchen. The lamb chops were a highlight, cooked perfectly, tender, and served with a great tzatziki. (4.5/5) Octopus was better than most, good portion for the price, really well balanced flavours with the sauce and the capers. (4.5/5) The spinakopita was ridiculously large, the honey was a nice accompaniment. (4/5) The only complaint i had was for the crudo - Flavors of the shrimp and basil ouils were interesting, but 22 dollars for 5 small pieces of fish is silly, and two bites had scales, pieces of fin, really soured an otherwise excellent dinner. (1/5). Service was great, friendly and made good reccomendations aside from the crudo, and the food arrived very quick.

SUPER CUTE FUN FIND. Food here is delicious and I can't recommend this place enough. The lamb and chicken here are incredible. The appetizers are so good and all the salads are incredible. The honey yogurt with pistachios and nuts are so good. I will be back again!!!! I love this place so much

its a shame it is so hard to get a reservation here because it is worth being a regular place to eat. Everything was outstanding as it always is...spanokipita is beyond! The vibe is always good and dinner at Mamakas is always a great thing. Tuesday half price wine bonus!

Reservations highly recommended as it was fairly busy when we arrived. Once inside, there are lights hanging from the ceilings, the ceiling fans all around to keep the air flowing. The interior is all mostly white. They have managed to fit a lot of seats but the space didn't feel congested. We tried a bunch of food and everything was absolutely delicious! Starting with the Spanakopita, the honey is nice touch as it provided the perfect amount of sweetness to this savoury dish. Keftedes, the meatballs were juicy, the star of the dish was the tahini yogurt. Lamb Shashuka, the lamb was cooked well, it paired well with the sauce. Frittata: this came piping hot, they do advise that it's up to your discretion whether you want runny eggs or not. Leave it for 3-5 mins if you want the eggs to be cooked. I did roughly 3 min and the eggs had cooked throughly and left the frittata a bit dry. Kotopoulo, the chicken was tender, the sauce it was in was zesty and very flavourful. Tiganites Patates, this was collectively our favourite. The hand cut potatoes were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside paired with the feta aioli. For dessert, we had PortokLopita, the coffee cream was absolutely divine, it was so rich in flavours. The cake itself was ok. Overall, we were all very pleased with the lunch menu. The service was quick, our food arrived in a timely manner

Apparently this is nelly furtado's favorite restaurant in toronto so of course you need to try it right? It is pricy and everyone here knows it. The service is a bit average, they are attentive but I find that it was not the luxury dining experience I had hoped for. Without a reservation they may offer you a spot at the bar or the kitchen. The thing that is unfortunate is that it is really tight and they tried to maximize number of people at a small counter. So for the premium you are paying for food it can feel uncomfortable to have someone's elbow in your way or feel like you will knock over someone's wine at any point. The servers were not that helpful if I had to be honest. If you asked for a recommendation, there are nice of nice staff, but they dont seem too knowledgable about the menu. You can tell they are struggling as they may not know the items well. The food was tasty but honestly not worth the price. $20 is the cheapest item you will find for an appetizer such as spanakopita or 3 meatballs. Was expecting giant meat balls but it was average sized so that would be $7-$8 per meatball (and they tasted like unseasoned beef). This place is popular for the sake of being hard to get into. Probably wont come back unless I have a sugar daddy to take me

First dining experience of 2023! A very popular spot along the Ossington strip giving major date night vibes. Decorated with string lights, wine on display, and an open-concept kitchen towards the front of the restaurant. What we ordered: - Spanakopita - Païdákia (Grilled Lamb Chops) - Tiganités Patátes (Potatoes + Feta Aioli) My Favs: - Big fan of spanakopita and this one had a lovely touch of sweetness from a drizzle of honey on top and the bed of yogurt kept the phyllo from feeling too dry - The lamb was well seasoned and tender with a slight charred taste that I really liked Final Thoughts: I've wanted to try Mamakas for a while and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I made a reservation in advance, but the restaurant wasn't packed upon arrival (probably due to it being Jan 1st) though it started to fill up as my party was leaving just after 8pm. It is definitely a pricey meal so I will be saving this spot for special dinners and celebrations, but I look forward to my next visit!

This place was so good. The food was amazing, so well cooked and reminded me of back home. Not usually a lamb person but the lamb here was like butter. The chicken was so moist and flavourful. My favourite was definitely the calamari. Not breaded like other restaurants just real authentic Greek calamari. The atmosphere feels like you walked into a restaurant in Mykonos. Me and my family had a great time here. Right in the heart of ossington which is a great area for good vibes. The service was great too very fast but i wish they taught their servers how to pronounce tzatziki

I have been dining here for many years, and it has always been a favourite. The food is really good (expensive but tasty). The service last night was terrible. From the moment we sat down, we felt rushed. We were asked to place our mains before we even had ordered appetizers. After our dinner we had half a glass of wine each and we were asked (assume by the manager) to leave our table. The people next to us noticed how rudely we were being treated and told us to take the wine glasses out of the restaurant. When the bill came the lowest possible tip is 18% after taxes and doesn't let you see the amount. What a joke. I happily calculated a more appropriate tip in front of our server. After many years of patronage and sending friends and clients there- this was our last visit.

One of the best Greek restaurants in the west end Toronto. The service is excellent and the place is always buzzing with excitement. Unique menu with some items I have never seen elsewhere. Like the lamb neck. Yup. A first for me but very tasty. The food has never disappointed and the wine selection is very good. Highly recommended for any date night or social outing.

So, I was on the hunt for a good Greek restaurant in town, and I asked a few people for their recommendations. They all suggested this particular spot, so I decided to give it a try. I ended up ordering lamb chops, salad, and an Aphrodite - which is their take on a margarita. The food was absolutely delicious and I had a decent experience with the service, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing. It's hard to put my finger on it, but maybe it was because I was dining alone on a quiet Sunday evening. However, I felt out of place; as an experienced solo diner, it goes a long way when the staff is truly welcoming. But overall, I highly recommend it.

Came here for dinner on a Monday night and it was packed!! I found the music a bit loud but the ambiance is very date night-esque. The food is quite good but be warned - the portions are on the smaller side and meant for sharing of multiple plates. We started off with the pita bread (added $2 so that we could have one more piece to provide enough for 3 people) served with melitzanosalata (strikingly similar to baba ghanoush). The pita was so pillowy soft!! It was seasoned with salt, olive oil, and some herbs and was so fragrant. As we were an indecisive group, we chose to select three mains and share together. We got the vegetarian option - kolokithakia - a dish of zucchini with hummus and shiitake mushrooms, the kotopoulo, brined chicken with roasted cabbage and cremini mushrooms, and oktapodi, grilled octopus. I loved the grilled octopus - it had a lovely char! The portion was a bit small but the octopus was delightfully tender. My second favourite was the chicken - the mushrooms were in this super fragrant, umami, creamy sauce, and the chicken was flavoured to the bone. The vegetarian option was good, and I felt the crunch and nuts added on top alleviated the dish. The meal was wonderful and really satiating, and I'd definitely come back or try the other brands!

Party of 5 for dinner: We ordered an assortment of many dishes to share. Every item was outstanding! Most items were vegetarian friendly. There was a long delay between ordering and service of each course (starters, mains, desserts), but we were patient with the slow service which kept us waiting longer than expected. It was a bit disappointing that our server asked us to eat dessert quickly and leave because a group was waiting for a table. It was not our fault that we were at the table a long time waiting for food. The meal was perfect, other than being accused of taking up too much of their time while paying them $400.

My favourite Greek spot in the city. I love Ossington, but mamakas takes the win for the best restaurant. Celebrated an Anniversary with my boyfriend here and the food was incredible. We shared a bunch of dishes, which I'd recommend if you like to try different dishes! The hummus dips are a must. Thanks for such a wonderful experience, would love to come back here!

Loved this place!! It is tucked in a corned and so cute!! Our waitress was a lovely and patient lady, who was very on point with her wine recommendations! Now the food: G O R G E O U S. everything was so fresh, delightful, flavourful, yet light!!! Seriously a hidden gem in Toronto. I would come back here every day if I could. B R A V O

I have to admit that I was on the fence about eating here. I understood that a bunch of restaurant lists said it was excellent, but for some reason I've had this idea in my head for some years that Greek food wasn't all that interesting. I suspect that some mediocre meal back in the day may have been responsible, or possibly the ubiquitous sandwich shops that reduce Greek food to the gyro. So...thank you, Mamakas Taverna, for showing me that Greek food can be absolutely delicious. And now, the meal. I arrived a few minutes early for my bar seat, where I was ably attended to by a pair of friendly bartenders who also were well-versed on the menu. After a bit of a discussion, I began with Xifias, which was swordfish (think crudo) with pistachio milk, trout roe, cilantro, chili and seagrass. This dish was absolutely remarkable, and as good as everything else was, I think this one won the night. They asked if I wanted my next dish, the lamb chops, right away, or whether I wanted a little pause. A little pause seemed like a good idea, though apparently the kitchen got backed up in the interim and the pause got a bit long in the tooth. But the kitchen sent out a spanakopita (phyllo with spinach, feta and a little honey), airy and delicious, as a way to tide me over until the lamb chops arrived. And arrive they did, four tender, meaty and perfectly cooked chops sitting atop tzatziki with a bit of bulgur (that was tabouli-like). While I've noticed a few reviews that said the food was salty--and certainly the lamb chops are assertively seasoned in a way that I would describe as salt-forward, much like at Philadelphia's iconic Israeli restaurant Zahav--I think the problem is that people are too used to underseasoned food. For dessert, I opted for the baklava, which was definitely one of the best iterations of this dish that I've had. There were hints of cinnamon and cardamom, and together with the vanilla ice cream topping, it was just sweet enough without being cloying. Admittedly, Mamakas Taverna--at least if you order the lamb--isn't a cheap meal. On the other hand, it's a great meal, and it's definitely caused me to rethink my views about Greek food.

An aesthetically fancy spot to dine, my friends and I were lucky to walk in and find spots available at the counter. The highlight of this meal was the baklava, absolutely stunning and sweet that makes it a must-get to end your night with a treat! Their grilled octopus was also fantastic, while the lamb neck and chicken was made in nice style to try out. Only con is that it's a bit pricy relative to the portion you get but it is on the higher, fancy end of dining and the atmosphere was bright and buzzing at night. P.S the Tsipouro is a pretty strong drink!

Highly anticipated but unfortunately a let down. I sampled several dishes, all of which ranged from okay to good, but nothing blowing me away. At such a high price point, I'd expect more. There are plenty of better options on the Ossington strip.

If you're craving Greek food, this is the place to go. We ordered the spanakopita to start off our meal and it was chefs kiss ‍‍ We also got the lavraki, which is a whole grilled sea bass and laimos arniou aka lamb neck that has been braised and sous vide for a total of 24 hours As well, definitely get the potatoes tiganites patates 8.5/10

If I were to disregard our pre-reservation experience, our visit definitely deserves a 5 star. We booked a patio well in advance before Ontario opened up indoor dining. As our reservation nears and indoor dining was allowed, I wanted to move indoors as the day calls for heavy rain. The calls always went to voicemail so I left one. It never got returned so we took a chance and approach front desk about moving indoors. They said they were fully booked and when I brought up the voicemail, they were still returning calls by the time I was there. Because reservations opened 3 weeks in advance, shouldn't the prior reservations get first priority? Patio was well protected and everything else afterwards made us forget about the indoor dining request. Between two people, we shared the spanokopita, tzatziki house dip, horiatiki, and paidakia. I would say order the spanokopita if it's a bigger group so you can get the most out of the menu - we were full from the latter 3 dishes. Grilled lamb chops is definitely a must order. Our server did a great job and didn't went overboard with the checkups. We didn't have to call her over as well. Really kind and accommodating.

This is a cute Greek spot that serves a delicious brunch as well as regular lunch for those who don't love brunch food.

A small menu, but enough, interesting and well executed dishes to rate five stars. The entire wine list is Greek wines, including red, white, and rosé and sparklers. The ambience is charming, in an upscale neighborhood of Toronto, and the service couldn't be better.

Came here for dinner with a friend on a Friday without a reservation and felt so fortunate that they were able to squeeze us in! We ordered the spanakopita, saganaki (with pitas), the grilled fish and the baklava cheesecake to share. Of all the dishes, the grilled fish felt a bit uninspired to me, but I can appreciate the fresh ingredients and simplicity. While we were initially worried that this wouldn't be enough food for 2, everything ended up being really rich and we packed half of it to go. The food was delicious, ambience of the restaurant was great, and service was friendly and prompt. The food was definitely on the pricey side, but that is somewhat expected of any restaurant on the the Ossington strip. I had a great time and would recommend it to others!

The restaurant was fully booked for a week, but when we called they had some tables available at the front for 5 pm. Between the two of us, we ordered the saganaki with pita on the side, short ribs, and potatoes. Even though we shared one main, we became really full from the potatoes. The saganaki was great and the pita was hot, fresh and soft. The braised short ribs were soft and tender; the pureed parsnips which they sat on top of was subtle. Overall, we had a great outdoor dining experience pre-lockdown.

The restaurant is very cute and the staff are friendly, but the food was NOT worth the price at all. We got one of the dips, the octopus, and the lamb chops. The dip was the best part of the meal outside of dessert. The octopus was not very tender and the lamb chops were super tasty but half of it was all fat. The dessert was amazing though. We got the baklava cheesecake. It can be shared between 3 people and it wasn't too sweet. There's more to try on the menu, but I don't think I'd be going back.

One of my fave restaurants in Toronto! It truly never fails and the food is always creative and fresh. The restaurant is very busy and often hard to get a reservation at. The staff are nice.

Experience was FINE! But the moussaka was the worst moussaka I've ever had in my life. I'm not a complainer and I don't write reviews but for $40 something, a deep fried, breaded, horribly layered moussaka is a no go. Far from special. I don't know if the goal was to make it fancy? Tsatziki was fine. Kind of mad about that moussaka. Hope the Greeks can back me up on this one. 10 thumbs down on the moussaka, would've rather had fast food.

Mamakas is a cute little date spot on ossington. Once you enter, you're greeted with a view of the open kitchen. The atmosphere is casual, a little bit loud, and welcoming. The vibe of the place is really relaxed but definitely a bit too loud. Throughout the entire night, it felt that the place was a bit short staffed. They seemed to be in a rush running back and forth and didnt spare a second glance at any of the tables. Overall, I felt like I wasn't really taken care of. But, my server was still friendly and given the hectic environment, he did the best he could. In terms of food, here's what the two of us ordered: House Dip (Melizanosalata) ($12): This was an eggplant based dip. It was really light and the honey was a nice touch. The pitas that came were soft and pleasant with the dip. 4/5 Horiatiki ($20): This salad tasted very fresh even though tomatos aren't currently in season. It was a good salad but a tad steep for the price point. The portion was quite small as well. 3.5/5 Oktapodi ($28): Definitely one of the better grilled octopus that i've had. I didn't find the flavours particularly amazing, but the tenderness of the octopus was good. 3.5/5 Karotakia ($14): The roasted baby carrots tasted sweet and paried well with the orange yogurt. However, the portion size was also pretty tiny. But i would probably order this dish again. 4/5 Baklava ($14): They were pretty generous with the pistachios with this dish. The ice cream was very good, but the baklava was waaaay too sweet. We weren't able to finish it. 2.5/5 Aphrodite($15): This drink had a fruity flavour, but was very light overall. Probably wouldn't order this again. Overall, the food was OK, nothing flew me off my feet. I heard raving reviews from friends so I left feeling a bit disappointed. The service definitely left me wanting more. It sucked to feel like you weren't attended to, especially at this price point. It might have been an off night, or maybe I screwed up on the ordering end? I want to give this place the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not so sure I'd dine here again.

Great food and always busy. The enitre menu is good. Lamb chops are great. Egg plant dip is top notch. The baklava cheese cake dessert is amazing. They should keep their flaming cheese year round