Richard J.
Google
A cool restaurant with a great vibe and good food, but sadly our experience undermined.
We loved the style, vibe and decor of Pharaoh. The extension of the resturant bar including vinyl decks, to the kitchen counter creates an atmosphere of informal interaction between the chefs, bar staff, DJ, waiting staff, and guests. It is great.
The food was good, but did not meet expectations, especially within the strong Athens food scene.
However highlights included the horta, chestnut and onion stew and grilled manouri.
We ate at the counter, on a corner as we were four. However our conversation needed to battle with the sound system. Which made it harder work as a dinner experience.
The biggest let down was the service. During the meal it was ok. Possibly due to language, as i only speak English, the explanation of food was limited. In contrast, the sommelier was particularly good, walking us through the wine list (as my knowledge of Greek wine is limited) plus she offered samples, to bring the wine list to life. However on paying the good experience unravelled. The waitress was unable to split the 196 euro bill between the four of us. The manager was called and requested we only split by two. I simply did not understand why we cannot split it by four, as we do everywhere else in the world. And worst of all, we were made to feel that we were being difficult. We eventually backed down and split the bill into two.
Such a shame. A sad end to an otherwise lovely evening.
