Thavma

I went to dine here for lunch. I was not disappointed. The food was extremely tasty, and the pita was fresh and addicting. Since my dinning experience, I still order take out from here. It is a healthier alternative from the other places who deliver. Definitely a place to have a nice lunch with friends.

This is not my favorite restaurant. We arrived this evening at 7.44. The greeter, before even making eye contact with us, looked at her watch — twice. We did not feel very welcome and would have gone elsewhere if it had not been so late. (By Livingston standards) The food was okay but the service really left something to be desired. None of the staff smiled. None of them looked like they were enjoying their job. None of them looked like they wanted to be there. This was our second visit to the restaurant. We didn’t have a good experience the first time — around a year ago, but we decided to give it another go as by now they should have settled in.
Won’t be going back.

First clue that something was off with the service at Thavma was when we asked to change our table to accommodate an unexpected fifth guest. The hostess (I use the word loosely) silently and without a smile moved our place settings over to another table, clearly annoyed, though we were the only customers I’m the place at the time. We had to chase down a waiter to open wine and bring glasses. After the meal was served he never returned to check on us. Forget coffee and dessert… we didn’t see him again til we flagged him down to pay the bill. Meanwhile there were other staffers standing about checking their phones and looking bored.
Despite it all, the food was good. Fresh and well prepared. We loved the Thavma chips. The Greek salad with grilled calamari was perfect. Dinner for 5 was just over $ 100.

Consistently good food with excellent service. Tonight four of us dined for about $ 100 with entrees and shared apps of roasted beets, hummus and baba ganoush with pita bread. This BYOB has a good selection of fresh seafood, salads and meats. Our entrees included snapper with lobster mashed potatoes, moussaka, lamb with orzo and lamb chops with roasted Brussel sprouts. All were excellent. Each entrée came with a small Greek salad. I have been here many times and the food never disappoints. They have a small dessert menu with traditional Greek pastries as well.

Ok, so maybe it should be a 3.5.
I was lured to try it by the write up in Suburban Essex magazine. The fancy presentation and pictures made me think it would be higher end, but it was actually a casual ambience and family friendly. I would also say it’s Mediterranean inspired– different than other Greek restaurants or estiatorios, since they offer burgers and pasta dishes you would expect from an Italian restaurant.
The outdoor patio was a really nice space, pita was good (although would be great if they offered a dip or olive oil with spices), and food was tasty. Our table ordered the grilling cheese for a starter and salads came with our entrees– both great. The entrees were all seasoned well: braised lamb with orzo, moussaka, and lamb kebab. Large portions (took home all entrees and dessert) but moussaka and lamb kebab came out slightly warm. Moussaka was cold in the center, which means they pre made this and microwaved. Would have preferred it made fresh to order in the oven– should be simple to layer and bake off. The béchamel was a thick layer on top and wayyyyy too much nutmeg. Desserts ordered: rice pudding (ok), yogurt parfait (awesome thick Greek yogurt), and galaktoboureko (phyllo filled with lemony custard and honey). The phyllo dessert was pretty funny– came out looking like a burrito– didn’t expect that! It was flaky and tasty, just so large! Only got through ¹⁄₃ and took the rest home. Would be so much better as small rolls or cut up in small squares.
Service was attentive but food came out slowly (wasn’t in a rush so didn’t bother me, just noticeable). Overall, decent enough that I would come back and order other items– it is a byob so that’s a plus too.

Come to this place for the status and the décor!
It has a very lovely and inviting outdoor deck, with umbrellas on every table. Inside is an elegant Mediterranean-​contemporary style décor.
I, however, like going restaurants for the food!
Although the food plates pics I posted LOOK appetizing, their turkey burger was awfully dry, and their moussaka was mostly baked potato, with very little ground meat, not to mention the less than stellar taste.
I’ve had amazingly delicious moussakas from diners, like the Parkway Diner and State Street Grill.
If you like restaurants for their «atmosphere and status», by all means stop in…, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
(Oh, and like another reviewer mentioned, it was a «miss» for me!)

This restaurant was by far one of the best tasting Greek restaurant. The atmosphere is great and the food is delicious!!!

Still a FIVE. Consistently great food. Always fresh. Fun menu.
Fresh swordfish is delicious. Falafel app with hummus real nice.
Very fair prices and bring your own! Will come back again. U can sit outside
Shrimp entrée medium size grilled perfectly, and they give you about 10 shrimp! Sangria cool and refreshing. Good friendly service. They can handle special dietary requests. Go there

Thavma is, like other reviews said, very hit or miss. However, my family and I came here one Sunday night and the food and experience was great. We are obsessed with the hummus special, which is topped with avocado and balsamic with crunchy onions and it’s just to die for. I ordered for a main course the greek salad with falafel which was good– not above and beyond my expectations, but it was enjoyable. The chicken wings are out of this world– my dad won’t stop talking about them!
Sitting outside on the patio is nice, though don’t expect a crazy view other than the center of Livingston. However, on a nice night, this is definitely a good spot to go to.

Ordered takeout but wasn’t anything special. Falafel came with literally one piece of tomato and a slice of onion and slathered with hummus Others in the office felt the same.

This place is at best, a hit or miss. We’ve eaten here about 3 times since we moved to Livingston last August and all three times, we’ve had very different types of service and food. Seemed like it got progressively worse, which compelled me to write this review. Our last visit two Saturdays ago, will likely be our last. The restaurant was no doubt packed at 6 pm on a Saturday. Quite possibly because of that, our service was slow and our waiter never came back to check on how our food was or to refill our drinks (although our 2^nd visit was on an equally packed Friday evening).
More importantly, the food was collectively either overseasoned or underseasoned or just flat out not up to par. We were there with our two children and two friends. The warm pita breads and individual salads were great, I will give them that. But that’s about it. Saganaki and baba ganoush were ordered for appetizers. First, they brought the saganaki out without the tableside flames, which was disappointing because we had promised our kids that they were going to get a show (I’ve seen them do it many times before in prior visits). But fine, we thought, cheese is cheese, and it ought to be good whether they flame it tableside or in the kitchen. Right? So wrong. The saganaki was SO salty and rubbery tough, we literally left ¾s of it untouched. And this is fried cheese, people. (Interestingly, with most of it uneaten, the waiter didn’t even bother to ask if anything was wrong when he cleared our appetizer plates.) On the other end of the spectrum, the baba ganoush was too sweet. It tasted like it was doused in honey and it desperately needed salt. Not only that, the two staples that my husband and I usually order (Thavma burger and the moussaka) were also desperately in need of seasoning. Fries that came with the burger tasted soggy, like they have been sitting around waiting for service. My moussaka, sadly, tasted like a dressed up lasagna, as my friend had put it. For a dinner bill of over $ 70, so totally not worth it.

Horrible service! Restaurant was empty and waiters were just sitting around and inattentive! Octopus appetizer was overpriced and overlooked! Salmon was overlooked. Lamb kebab was tough. Hummus was watery and bland. Best part of the meal was the free warm pita bread. Completely disappointed!

Took a dessert (fried dough with honey sauce) and chicken dish to go as I was staying at a local hotel. It was amazing!

I approve of Thavma– and I am Greek! The Avegolemano soup is delicious and cures me when I am sick. I like their falafel, but beware when you order a falafel flatbread. They put way too much hummus on top, so I request it on the side. I like to order the greek salad and add octopus, which is cooked well and sliced into bite sized pieces for you. The atmosphere is so cute and they have a deck you can sit out on in warmer months The menu is a little Americanized, but I still enjoy it as one of my go-​to lunch spots.

As my family and I were walking in I read a few reviews and agree, Thavma is a good option that’s not Italian in an area filled with Italian restaurants.
I visit my family 1 time a year and this was a nice change. After a few days of carbs only diets we wanted salads. I got the beet salad with chicken. It was very large and filling. I had asked for salad on the side and they didn’t remember this.
My nieces were with us and had lots to pick from on the kids menu.

I love Greek food and Thavma never disappoints. I don’t know why our family doesn’t think of going there more often, but every time we go, we really enjoy ourselves. I’ve never had anything bad. I love the lemon roasted chicken, moussaka, and my favorite fried zucchini chips. Service is always friendly and food is consistent and restaurant is clean and convenient location.

I love Greek food so it is nice to have this restaurant in Livingston. The atmosphere is nice. The pita they gave was hot and the hummus and dips were delicious. We ordered the lobster mac and cheese and the octopus. So yummy. I ordered the chicken feta tomato dish with mashed potatoes which was also great. Wished I visited in the summer when you can be out on the balcony!

We went because we were in the area on a Wednesday night. We had our two kids (3 years and 2 months) with us and I got a little nervous when we walked in because it has a fancy vibe. (Side note, it’s a little hard to find bc I thought it was on the first floor but it’s on the second above it’s old location)
We sat on the balcony which felt a little safer with the kids and screaming potential. They have boosters and high chairs. Bussing staff is awesome, always keeping your water full and pita basket!
Food was ok, we had zucchini chips to start and my husband had the spinach salad with chicken and I had the Greek salad with grilled calamari. They were both good but nothing special and the chips were greasy. You have to ask for a verbal kids menu that’s typical, my daughter had the grilled cheese and loved it.
Overall to greasy for us, but without ordering the chips that would have been avoided! Might go back, but it’s pricey too. BYOB though!!!

This restaurant is in my home town. There are not many good, non-​Italian, restaurants in my town. This non-​Italian restaurant is probably the best in town.
We always go with other couples. Everyone eats here, although probably not as frequently as the owners would like. We had a reservation for 4 at a certain time. When we got there, we learned that you cannot make a reservation for outdoor seating. So, we waited for 20 minutes for an outdoor table. There were a ton of indoor tables available.
The food is really good. The service is questionable. Some nights the service can be good, not excellent, just good. Other nights, you need to be your own server because the staff cannot be found.
The price point is pretty good. If you are in the area and do not want Italian, then Thavma is the place to go.

This has been on my «bookmark to try» list for a long time. I am glad to find a sit down greek restaurant in the area.
We dined on the terrace as it was a beautiful evening. Service in the beginning was really good, but the attentiveness quickly went down hill as the place filled. However, the server was always pleasant. We waited a very long time (30+ minutes) between our app and main meal. Annoyingly other patrons seated after us were finished before our food ever arrived. It seemed they were severely understaffed.
The food was good and we will come again. The chicken kebab was not the most flavorful and the beef kabab was teetering on burnt. Both were dry. This could have something to do with it possibly sitting under the heat lamp for a long time! Falafel app was okay and greek sausage was different. The Pita was good adn the greek side salad was great.