Throw on your warmest toga and take a short donkey ride to Spitalfields market where the latest branch of The Real Greek flings open its taverna doors and takes informal dining to a hip new level.

The Venue
The revamped Spitalfields Market is awash with culinary delights with all the big names competing for the hordes of hungry bellies in from The City. The Real Greek is the latest to open on Horner Square and despite being a generic plot in a vast market it manages to keep an essence of style despite the food court appeal of the area.

A stylish granite bar runs pretty much the length of the place with a busy open kitchen in the centre and plenty of comfy bar seats means there’s little fear of being forced to stand to eat your kebab. A handful of small leather-seated booths line the opposite wall which could be used for a more formal sit-down affair if you so wish. The decor is simple and understated but with great lighting, transforming the bar from a business-like meeting place by day to a party place at night.

The Atmosphere
The narrow dimensions are actually beneficial to the atmosphere as the booths’ close proximity to the busy seated bar and open kitchen gives the place an automatically busy vibe. The clientele is mainly made up of City folk in for an after work drink and a handful of trendy residents from the local area. The staff are friendly and efficient with sackfuls of Greek charm. Thankfully, the music is a little more uplifting than the usual Bouzouki medleys of the ‘80s that you come to expect from authentic Greek hostelries. Here the theme is more happy house which matches the cheery atmosphere of the place.

The Food
The open kitchen buzzes with activity with a handful of white-bibbed chefs knocking out fabulous grilled meats, fresh salads and piping hot breads. Pick ‘n Mix is the best way to describe the menu which offers the typical hot and cold mezedes all of which is more suited for a tapas-style dining rather than a sit-down meal. There’s a whole range of delicious and heartily authentic dips including htipiti (£3.50), a rough red puree of roasted red peppers, feta and roasted onions; when slicked on warm flatbread it’s heavenly. The koliosalata (£4) is more of a fishy number made with mackerel and yoghurt which again, is great with the warm oily breads that Greece is so famous for.

The all-essential dolmades (£3.50) come stuffed with rice, herbs and nuts and are perfect little nuggets of Greek-ness. For more serious snackers, a must-try is the skewers of lamb, chicken or pork (from £4.75). Warm cubes of marinated lamb are tender and juicy with a smoky taste which will drag you straight back to that beach barbeque on Mykonos, as will the beautiful French-trimmed lamb cutlets with mountain thyme (£6.25), chargrilled and lip-smackingly tasty. Another great beer-soaker is the tiropitakia (£3.50), warm filo parcels filled with spinach, leeks and feta are both soft and crunchy and very moreish.

As the evening wears on, sometimes only something wrapped in flatbread and coated in chilli sauce will do. Thankfully, The Real Greek has fabulous authentic kebabs to hand for just this kind of occasion. A whole range of grilled souvlaki (from £5.75) including lamb and bifteki come served in warm flatbread with its own tzatziki and tomato giahni, served in a wrap of greaseproof paper for that all-essential Friday night feel. For those caught with a sweet tooth there is a short dessert menu which includes a hearty chocolate mousse cake (£5.95) and small squares of sticky sweet baklava (£3.75).

The Drink
You can’t come to a Greek bar and not try the local firewater. One of the nicest ways to have ouzo is muddled with fresh mint to make an ouzo mojito (£5.25). An equally traditional tipple in Greece is their home brewed beers including Mythos and Keo (both £3.30 a bottle). The wine list is a nice surprise, with a decent house wine at £15.50 a bottle. In fact the entire wine menu is surprisingly well-priced with a good variety from the homeland including Retsina, a country wine flavoured with pine resin or as legend suggests ‘tears of a wood nymph’ (£17 a bottle).

The Last Word
The Real Greek is a welcome addition to the dozens of dining options here at Spitalfields. Its genial informality and friendly atmosphere offers the perfect eating and drinking solution for after work get-togethers. So go, drink ouzo and eat souvlaki till the donkeys come home.

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