THE HELLENIC EATERY
100 Crwys Rd, Cardiff. 029 2132 1600 / www.thehelleniceatery.co.uk
Food **** Atmosphere ****
Describing itself as “alternative Greek”, The Hellenic Eatery has been a much-loved presence on Cardiff’s Crwys Road since it opened in 2014. Known for friendly service, laidback atmosphere, and incredibly generous portions, it’s a family-run business that’s easy to overlook with its unassuming exterior. By sampling one of their portable pitta wraps, you can get an authentic taste of Greece for as little as £4.50. Or you could slip comfortably into a food coma after one of their meat platters.
On the night in question, my partner and I were after something to line our stomachs before seeing Count Arthur Strong at the Sherman Theatre, which is less than a 15-minute walk away. But after sampling not even a fraction of the menu of this humble (if not humbly named) eatery, we were quite sad to leave.
They specialise in souvlaki, a popular Greek fast food consisting of chunks of meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer (like a kind of sophisticated kebab, essentially – though I expect someone will correct me). Their hard-to-pronounce gyros are made from succulent pork meat roasted on a vertical spit. I had them cwtched up in a pitta bread wrap with chips, tomatoes, onions, and oozing with tzatziki. My vegetarian companion – who tried her best to ignore the fervour with which I savoured every shred of delicious pork – also wolfed down her “I Love Cyprus” wrap, which substituted the meat with salty slabs of halloumi.
To accompany these, we also sampled lemony hummus mopped up with more pitta, scrumptious Greek olives, and a straightforward hunk of briny feta cheese, unadorned except for a pool of Greek olive oil and a sprinkling of oregano. Along with a £14 bottle of respectable house white, we nearly smashed our plates in celebration when we saw the very reasonable bill.
By the time we’re on our way out, the place is bustling with regulars, all of whom can probably pronounce ‘gyros’ correctly. The folks behind this place have also recently opened up a sister restaurant with a similarly grand title – The Athenian Tree – on Cowbridge Road East, which going off a few raving TripAdvisor reviews seems also to be doing quite well. SAM PRYCE