The Real Greek - Strand 397 Strand, London WC2R 0LP

"Oh dear. On my endless hunt for moussaka we took a chance on this place. We should have known that the fact it was completely empty was a sign. There were 2 members of staff who appeared to be on their break and looked offended by our presence. We were shown to a table but weren't offered drinks, we were handed menus and left to it for 10 minutes. It was only after I had managed to catch one of the staff members eyes (there were now 3 of them all on their phones and giggling with each other) that we were able to place an order. I ordered moussaka (obviously) only to be told it wasn't ready and wouldn't be for another hour. We discussed leaving and going elsewhere but I decided against it. A bad decision as it turns out. The houmous, feta cheese and bread came out on a tiered cake stand. Interesting. It was fairly tasty but hard to get wrong, let's be honest. Our next course came out straight away almost as if it had been sat waiting for us. Once again it came on a cake stand. This one was wonky and wobbled. The chips were overcooked and luke warm. The meatballs were tiny , overcooked and bullet like in a cold tomato sauce. I think they were £8 for the meatballs.. so the extortionate price of £2 each. The wrap had tasteless chicken with more of the horrible chips shoved in for good measure. It was all so lack lustre. Considering we were the only people in the restaurant I would have thought the food could at least be hot. At no point did anyone check on us or ask how the food was, we weren't offered water even though there were water glasses on the table and our beers weren't offered to be replaced when we finished them. We had to catch someone's eye again to ask for the bill even though we had sat there for a while. I can't remember when I last had such appalling service. When the waiter finally came I told him to take the service charge off as we hadn't had good service and he didn't question it or apologise. When we left the waitress sat playing with her phone didn't even look up. Given the location , where there are so many other places to eat , I'm not surprised this place was empty. Absolutely shocking"

"Booked a table for 18 of us as family visiting from Israel. They couldn't be more accommodating on the booking and mixing up the party menus. Service was great. Food very good and plentiful and drinks flowed. We had a wondeful time. Thank you all."

"Starters and mains came out on a creative stacked display, kind of like afternoon tea! The halloumi and veggie skewers were delicious. The aubergine great too. The calamari didn’t taste fresh and was very stringy. The fries were a bit too salty. The dips were 10/10. There are many tables inside so you sit very close to other people."

"It was very busy in this restaurant due to Jubilee but we got good service nonetheless. The food was just okay. The calamari appetizer was a major disappointment. For £7 we got 7 rings of calamari (see photo). That's £1 per ring. Ridiculous! It was also a bit rubbery, just adding to the disappointment. The chicken souvlaki wraps were just "okay" again, perhaps a bit dry."

"This place was really a good spot since it was so crowded in Covent Garden and other strand restaurants. Service was a bit slow but the waiters were very professional and friendly. Food was nice. We ordered pita bread rolls with fries which were nice. They also have a vegan option. Watch out for the olive oil though as it can taste very bitter, perhaps it’s the pure taste of extra virgin or they haven’t changed them out since covid. Tables were far apart and the Mediterranean interior and music was nice though. Overall very warm and welcoming experience but the fries should have been more salted. Worth trying other things there!"