Mamakas Taverna

Outstanding. Definitely lives up to the hype. Service was attentive but not overbearing. The food was superb and unique (not what you get at every Greek resto). This place really sends Toronto into another realm in terms of culinary class.
Best dish of the night was the whole grilled sea bass.

We have a winner on our hand here folks. I have seen this place crop up without much fan fare then I started to see the crowds gather and was more intrigued how the food was here.
This was an unplanned visit as was in the area. We had time to kill so came in and looked at the menu and decided to visit this spot after looking at the menu (should have checked what’s available as well more on than later)
I enjoy Greek cuisine and was thinking of trying to try out the classics to get a better idea on where they stand. My DC wanted to have chicken and found out later that was it wasn’t being sold that day. Anyway here what we ordered
Haloomi: Hit it out of park just gorgeous presentation and with a nice balance of citrus and carrot purée. Fried just right and was quite fresh too I think as its not like the store bought version I am used too.
Spanakopita: Done very well again. Very rich as expected and I recommend it sharing among 3 – 4 people if having mains.
Octopus: I use this as a yardstick for Greek food along with the lavraki to asses the kitchen skills on seafood. Hmm this was OK not great. While charred nicely it was a bit more chewy than I would expect at a place that does other dishes so well.
Moussaka (vegetarian): Oh boy this is the highlight of the dishes I tried on this visit. Just gorgeous as the it is just so hard to elevate a vegetable dish let alone make it stand out this way over a cuisine which is mainly known for their meats. This is the best Moussaka I have ever had. Gorgeous perfectly cooked vegetables cut paper thin and layer upon layer of flavor. Bechamel topping the dish was also done just right. I will be back just to try this out.
Potatos side was forgetful.
Wine list as expected is mainly Greek wines and are reasonably priced with good options by the glass.
The place gets crowded real fast as seemed like many of them were regulars so I would recommend making a reservations even on weekdays. I think this by far one of the best Greek food spots in Toronto! I will be back to try out the other classics
4.5 stars!

I love this place. The food is always amazing — reminds me of corfu where I had some of the best food of my life.
The only bad part is the servers — they’re hit or miss. Two (Eli and the front desk Francesca) have been the most amazing kind and fun servers — two others have been moody and jugemental. But you can never go wrong with the food! it’s always amazing.

I was looking for Greek food but didn’t want all the kitsch of Danforth Ave. I stumbled upon a review of this place and was hooked as soon as I saw the menu.
The restaurant décor is clean, warm, and modern with subtle hints of the Mediterranean.
The food was outstanding. The fresh baked bread covered in fresh and dried herbs, drizzled with olive oil were amazing fresh out of the oven. Fried smelts were salty, crunchy, addictive. Couldn’t stop eating them. We also had the lamb, octopus, braised rabbit, and squash fondue. All delicious but the lamb was my favorite. Baklava dessert was kind of a miss. The phyllo had gotten soggy but the milk and honey ice cream was spot on.
I would definitely come back here again if I am back in Toronto.

We loved this place. Stopped in on a busy weekday night and quickly got a seat at the kitchen. We would highly recommend sitting there when you dine here.
We quickly fell in love with the atmosphere and friendliness of the staff. We ordered the rose which was crisp, refreshing and light. It paired perfectly with the smoked trout appetizer. The food was absolutely fantastic, both complex and authentic.

Excellent! Had the great fortune to sit at the chef’s table and watch the culinary genius of Chef Chris Kalisperas. Our table of 5 tasted more than half of the menu: starting with the flavourful dips like you’ve never had before, fresh in-​house warm pita bread, succulent octopus, exquisite quail, Greek cheese served at the perfect temperature, lamb chops that were so meaty and seasoned just right, unique goat tartare, to lamb sausage with skordalia (like mashed potatoes but puréed with garlic and oil). Even the village salad which was simple marinated tomatoes with fresh feta was fantastic. Chef Kalisperas knows the trick of using top quality ingredients in interesting combinations and allowing the flavours to tantalize your tastebuds. Gather a few friends and enjoy an evening dining experience extraordinaire at Mamakas Taverna!

Easily the best meal I’ve had in Toronto.
Went with a group of 3 to celebrate my birthday and was totally blown away by the freshness and quality of the food. I am Greek so am very familiar with the cuisine and highly recommend dining at this restaurant.
The décor is lovely, the service attentive and helpful, the menu varied and enticing.
We started with the tzatziki, melitzanosalata, halloumi, and fried smelts. Each dish was perfectly seasoned and the freshness and quality of the smelts was outstanding.
For the main course, we shared the fish of the day (beautifully fresh grilled sea bream), the squash fondue, and the beef cheek stifado.
Put simply, this restaurant showcases the best of Greek cuisine: fresh, high quality ingredients seasoned simply to highlight their natural taste. It’s a pricy meal but well worth it.
I can’t understand the inconsistent reviews on Unilocal– I can’t recommend this place more highly.

A fairly upscale Greek place, with some decent cocktails, absurd little fried fish, tasty-​but-​uneven octopus, very tender lamb chops, and excellent appetizer dips.
The server suggested doing things family-​style — order a plate of chops for the table, not as a meal for yourself. This worked well — one person ran a little short of bread with the dips, but everything split up into four chunks well.
Drink-​wise, I tried the «Mov» — gin, egg white, blueberry shrub, lemon, and a few other things. Nicely frilly and frothy, which is what I was looking for.
The «Atherina» fried smelts were delicious — sort of an rich, oily, fishy version of popcorn shrimp.
The «Oktapódi» octopus was a little uneven — my quarter was delicious, but some of the other legs came out a little dry.
Dessert-​wise, the «Galaktoboureko» was more airy and less chocolatey than expected, but tasty. The milk-​and-​honey icecream had a great flavor, and fine (though slightly icey) texture.
Excellent service.
Having a reservation helped significantly on a Thursday evening.

Stopped by Mamakas on a friday night without a reservation, it was quite packed. We were second in line, but were seated very quickly at the kitchen.
Service was fast, friendly and knowledgeable. I found the menu hard to navigate as I was unfamiliar with a lot of the terminology but the server was great at explaining.
Sitting by the kitchen, we were also able to interact with the kitchen staff who were also friendly.
Food was delicious, on the higher end in terms of price but definitely worth it.

This is definitely one of the best Greek restaurants in Toronto hands down and far, far away from the Danforth so hold your OPAs. Delicious, modern takes on classic Greek dishes set in the hip and trendy Ossington area. I’d highly suggest the Sunday lunch. They offer smaller portions of their regular dinner menu and it’s not as busy. Great service. I’d say this is mid-​range + in terms of price. I don’t know who is complaining about portions because we left stuffed and very happy.
—Spanakopita: Outstanding spinach filled phyllo topped with honey and set on a bed of delicious greek yogurt. Tangy, sweet and rich. Three more please.
—Halloumi: Would have preferred the cheese to be a bit warmer but with the squash, apple and pecan compote/​purée underneath, it was a great marriage
—Tiganites Patates: Pretty spectacular. Umami
—Calamari: Served with fried chickpeas and chickpea purée. This was just okay for me.
Great cappuccinos and cocktails. $ 2 sparkling water. Can’t go wrong.

Exceptionally satisfied after our meal at Mamakas Taverna. Nice addition to Ossington. The restaurant was full so we took a seat at the stools overlooking the kitchen — which I personally love because you get to watch the talented chefs do their thing. Everything that left that kitchen was presented perfectly and looked delicious. We ended up having the tzatziki, fried artichokes, grilled octopus with a fava purée, sauteed green beans and the roasted free-​range chicken, glazed with honey and lemon thyme. We witnessed the chef carefully glaze the chicken several times and when we were presented with the dish, we were very pleased with the flavour and nice crisp of the skin. Must try the whole fish on my next visit. My only disappointment of the night was my cocktail — but hey, I was there for the food!
If you have the patience to wait in line, check out Bang Bang Ice Cream across the street.

The place itself is very clean, modern but still very recognizably Greek feel to it.
The staff were great and our waitress was exceptional. You don’t say that too often in Toronto especially on a busy Saturday night dinner service.
The food has been getting rave reviews and while everything we tried was good to very good I would not classify anything as over the top. There is one exception. The dandelion greens were better than even my mamas.
As a group of 4 we decided we would each order a appetizer and main each along with the village salad and two sides to share between us.
Appetizers:
Bread & olive oil — meh! This should be offered complimentary.
Taramasalata — silky, creamy good.
Smelts — grilled nicely.
Croquettes — not traditional at all but a really nice Greek twist served with red pepper sauce. Could have/​should have ordered a 2^nd order.
Mains:
Grilled fish — tasty and cooked well but nothing over the top.
Octopus — grilled well but served with a bean purée that was gritty almost chalky.
Pork — very nicely cooked. The mustard seeds added a nice pop of flavour.
Lamb — yum. One of the few thing I wanted more of.
Side:
Greens — as previously mention they were exceptional. I didn’t want to share.
Village salad — meh! It’s tomatoes with feta. Maybe I’m spoiled having fresh tomatoes from my mothers garden all summer.
Potatoes — they’re French fries with feta. Meh!
Desserts:
Baklava — don’t bother. I found it very dry and overly stuffed with nuts. The vanilla honey ice cream was great.
Pear cake — yum! Could have had a second.
Price — is moderate. Dinner for 4 with drinks came out to $ 200. That’s pretty average for a nice night out.
Overall this is a very nice place to go for non traditional Greek food. I don’t even like calling it Greek food. It’s good Mediterranean food. It’s not the stereotypical «fast food» you find on the Danforth loaded with rice and potatoes.

My initial assumption about this place is that it’s fancier souvalaki-​like dishes drenched in tzatziki sauce. Boy am I wrong. This place really sets themselves apart from the flavours and nice sophisticated ambiance without the uptight feel. This is Family-​style so you can share the dishes and try a bit of each. The waitress is knowledgeable but I felt like we were a little rushed to get out as they cleared the plates when there was still a little bit of food left.
The must try:
Paidakia (lambchops) and halloumi (appetizer with corn peaches pistachio and cheese). The house dips are are also good. I like the eggplant based and also the spicy dip one.
Not as good:
Chicken was a little on the dry side.
Fish was just steamed fish not that special
Octopus has an interesting sauce, good to try but it wasn’t cooked that perfectly.

Brilliant, sophisticated, classy, and ambient is the best way I can describe this Greek gem at Ossington and Queen.
We ordered Melitzanosalata, from their 4 delicious dips at $ 7.00 each. It was the most delicious melody of authentic Olive oil and strawberry and honey flavoured thick Greek yogurt which came with a side of the thickest garnished lightly oiled pita bread. We also ordered an appetizer called Halloumi (goat/​sheep cheese) infused with corn, Peaches, and Pistachios. It was extremely unique and delicious.
For our entrée we ordered half chicken and grilled calamari. Chicken was nicely crispy and grilled and came infused with thick Greek yogurt and mango chutney. Grilled calamari was also infused in a gourmet sauce.
As I was enjoying my decadent meal I was having hard time believing I was eating Greek food. This place is as authentic, delicious, and gourmet as it gets. And the prices are not that steep which makes it even more attractive. I didn’t order dessert this time but will definitely be back for their pear cake and baklava which was being served behind me with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.

I’ve had Mamakas on my list of «go to» restaurants for a while and it met all of my expectations! I went there with a girlfriend for dinner last night and the food was so delicious. As a half greek myself, and having been exposed to a lot of real Greek food in my life, this restaurant held its own quite well!
First off, our waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. After we ordered he offered us a new menu item on the house to get our opinion (yes please!)
We ordered the keftedes (beef and mint meatballs) and Greek salad to start and the item on the house was the saganaki with apricot & honey. The keftedes were nice and light with the mint sauce and the Greek salad was very traditional without lettuce and lots of feta but the saganaki was by far our favorite. The saganaki is on the menu without the apricot but the sweet and salty pairing was absolutely amazing! Hopefully they add it to the menu soon so everyone else can try because it was to die for.
As a main course I had the fish of the day which was sea bream and my friend ordered the moussaka which is a Greek version of lasagna/Sheppard’s pie. The fish was a whole fish, head and all, dressed with lots of lemon, oregano and olive oil (yum)! The moussaka had the same flavors as my Greek relatives make so I was very impressed. As recommended from our waiter, we also ordered a side of red peppers which were also sweet and delicious!
Overall, I would 100% go back! Food was amazing and authentic, service was friendly, atmosphere was lively — couldn’t have asked for more!

The April instalment of ladies’ dinner brought us to Mamakas, a new and lively place on the Ossington strip.
Luckily we made reservations for a Wednesday night as the place was pretty packed when we arrived around 6:30pm.
Our group ordered taramasalata dip, warm olives, salmon tartar and saganaki appetizers to start. Followed by the Marouli salad and larger chicken and octopus dishes plus a side of the fresh frites. Drinks were a round of red/​white wine, cocktails and I decided to go with a Volkan Blonde beer.
Appetizers were delivered first… the taramasalata dip was lovely. Salmon tartar was average with the saganaki being a bit limp and unexciting without being set aflame in front of us. The bigger dishes were great — chicken was perfectly cooked and octopus was meaty and big enough to share four ways with a bit of leftovers to spare. Marouli salad was light, refreshing and rounded out the meal.
Too stuffed for dessert, we hit the road with bellies full. Bill was roughly $ 50/​person including tax and tip for our party of four.
Definitely a nice change from traditional Greek places on the Danforth and food was given the ethnic stamp of approval by our Greek friend.

First time I went to Mamakas, my boyfriend and I were absolutely blown away by the food. It was the best Greek in Toronto thus far. We had 4 apps and the chicken and Market fish– a Porgy. Both divine and so, so we’ll done… As cheesy as it may sound I really felt this was cooked with love and pride by the chef. As well as two desserts we found absolutely fabulous.
The service on the other hand was pretty bad. Our server didn’t initially approach us until about 15 minutes in. When she did it was quite rushed (it was busy, to be fair). Her menu knowledge was barely there and knowledge of the restaurants liquor was zero. We were super interested in a tequila and she went on telling us it was a tequila we knew. After our meal, we again, could not locate our missing server so we had to order our tequilas with the owner who told us that what we were ordering was absolutely wrong, and he was confused why we thought so… Kinda funny.
The food was worth it though. So we made a reservation for a week from that day for 6 to bring our family to this wonderful resto.
We came back a week later to find the service was a bit better and friendlier (more existent) but the food was an absolute disappointment. Which was very upsetting at we dragged our family out, singing Mamaka’s praises.
Our lamb chops came out before most of our apps and the rest trickled in the next 15 minutes. We ordered two orders of chicken that came 30 minutes later than everyone else’s dishes. We were warned of the delay of food coming out (and were pretty easy). Once our chicken came it looked gorgeous but undercooked :(bad enough for either of us not to really touch it and when our server came over and saw the full dishes in front of us she offered to just pack it up.
I don’t think we’ll be returning because inconsistency is the worst.

Was in Toronto for business, and a colleague recommended I take a small group here. 6 of us sat at the chef table in the front window. Server was friendly and knowledgeable about the food and wine. Personally, I was all about the tender sweetbreads for my starter and the grilled octopus for my main. My dining guests were a bit less adventurous, opting for the chicken and the calamari. We also loaded up on tzatziki, the eggplant spread, salad and spanakopita, oh and several bottles of a solid, blended Greek wine. Overall, a nice evening in a great place in an up and coming trendy neighborhood.

Word on the street was that Ossington had a popping new Greek joint with good food. Read the Unilocal reviews and was pretty conflicted by the ratings; the ratings were either 5 stars or 1. What I noticed was that all the 5 stars reviews were for the food, and the 1 star reviews were for the price of the food. My review will be about the overall experience.
All dishes are meant to be shared, similar to tapas but larger in size.
What we ate:
Imam Baildi — Eggplant, Tomato confit, caramelized onion, fresh thyme $ 12 (⁶⁄₁₀) — This olive oil braised eggplant was served with a slice of bread. The eggplant was well cooked and booming with onion and thyme flavor. The only disappointment was that the bread served with the dish was vividly burnt. The burnt side of the bread was flipped over and it made me wonder whether the chef knew it was burnt and served it anyway.
Horta — Baby organic dandelion salad $ 12 (⁶⁄₁₀) — The description is a bit deceiving. It’s not the yellow dandelion you imagine on your lawn. Also it’s not so much of a cold salad, rather a sautéed green vegetable dish with garlic. In all honestly, this was identical to a Chinese wok fried choy dish. Tasty, just wasn’t what we expected after reading the description.
Psari — Whole grilled fish-​catch of the day $ 55 (⁵⁄₁₀) — The catch of the day was a yellow sword fish. Grilled, doused in olive oil, and de-​boned. A little disappointed at this dish, especially if the fish is valued at $ 55 I expect to be writing home about it. It was a basic white fish. It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t taste like it was fresh and it wasn’t entirely deboned.
Padiakia — Ontario lamb chops $ 24 (⁵⁄₁₀) –Medium rare grilled lamb chops. The meat needed more seasoning, tenderizing and a bit more game (freshness of the meat is questionable). Tasted like any meat.
Rating Summary:
Food: ⁵⁄₁₀ — average for the items noted above. The food wasn’t terrible, but also nothing spectacular for what you expect to experience with the amount of money you’re spending on each dish.
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀ — Packed house on a Tuesday night, good Greek music, homely and modern interior design. Only caveat, the exposed kitchen will leave you smelling like your dinner for the next week.
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀ — Water service needed improvement and food service was generally slow. It was just over an hour from the time of ordering to when all four dishes came out .
Overall, food was decent (neither terrible nor spectacular). However, I would agree with the other reviewers and note the price you’re paying for the food isn’t worth it. I’d come back for the scene and drinks, but not the food.
P.S — there is a charge for water, yes, includes still tap water.

Opa!
I’ve been scheming a nice new restaurant to try for a special occasion, and Mamakas was at the top of my list. I’ve never come across high-​end Greek food in Toronto, so I was pretty excited. I love Greek food, I love fancy things, win win.
The restaurant itself is sparkling white with bright murals and large windows for Ossington people watching, one of my favourite sports. While sitting in this bustling yet pristine setting, we enjoyed their tequila negroni, the tzaziki and pita, the spanikopita, the lamb and the octopus. It was all delicious, especially the tzaziki and lamb. The octopus is huge and means business, so if you’re like Neil Patrick Harris* and are into octopus and scrabble, this is probably your dish. The owner sent over a small bottle of ouzo, which really added a kick to our night, and was very appreciated.
PEPPER’S PISSED: Huh. Haven’t been pissed in a while, but I need to sound off. What is with this new airplane-​sized bathroom trend, Tarana? I’d rather wait for a couple of minutes than be squished into a 2×2 room that houses a sink, toilet, mirror and garbage.
*I just saw Gone Girl.