Review Kafenes - Sydney

Had a great meal here. The staff seemed extremely busy but still provided fast service. We ordered 3 dishes and all were amazing and had their own unique flavours. The place was full which wasn't a surprise considering the quality of food. Would definitely come here again.

My husband and I had dinner there and we're definitely going back! We had 4 vegitrian plates and they were all so so delicious!!!! The lady who served was very lovely and helpful. Also very nice vibe, felt like we were in Greece 🇬🇷 Highly recommended 🤩

I came here on 02/04, and had a Salmon Special not on the menu. It had Salmon, potatoes, some kind of pickled cabbage, salad and chilli prawns. It was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had, I cannot recommend this place enough. Will be returning ASAP to try something else. Great service, too. The bbq octopus entree in was steep at $30 but at $39 per kg of octopus, it's a fair price. All in all, $105 for me and my lady, and it was the best dining experience in recent years. Please try it and if something seems overly expensive, please take into consideration what the restaurant has to pay for the ingredients before reviewing them badly just based on price.

My wife & myself dined here tonight but unfortunately as we had been here before this was a disappointment.. Meals we ordered were not adequately heated...the entree 4 small pieces of spinach parcels was to expensive $18.50...2 soft drinks $8.50 each Paying the waitress the bill was awkward as she did not show me the courtesy of thanking me or giving me any eye contact...the feeling you are not welcome however my money was. No interest coming back ☹️

When you walk in, it has a nice traditional feel to the place. The waitresses are very friendly and kind and service is fantastic. The food... my goodness, its perfecto!! Most would never order this dish, but get the Quail - its absolutely superb. I get it all the time. I travel 1 hour from my home to come to this place and I've never been disappointed. Order also the Loukoumathes, they're great too. In fact everything's nice in there. Definitely must go, and as a fussy typical Greek, I'm quite particular with home food and these guys do it very well.

Fantastic food as always, good size servings and staff very friendly and helpful. Our regular go to!!

A great taste of Greece. Particularly enjoyed the Charcoal grilled meats, a beautiful flavour. Staff were amazing considering every one was in a hurry to go and see a show at the Enmore Theatre.

What drew us in to this restaurant was the beautiful friendly smiles of the ladies who invited us in. The food did not disappoint - made with love. Thank you :)

One of my favourite restaurants. Lovely traditional and healthy (non-greasy) Greek food. I highly recommend this restaurant if you like good quality and can appreciate authentic Greek cuisine. I especially like the succulent lamb, the mousaka in the pot and the exquisite Greek sweets and bread from Master Chef Phillip! Also the waitress Sonia is a great asset. Well done to all the staff.

Kafenes is an absolutely amazing restaurant. We have been here three times now and each time are impressed with the impeccable service and divine food. The staff members make you feel very welcome. This third time we had the house special of pork knuckle and it is to die for! It is the best that we've ever tasted. An absolute must for food lovers!

The best Greek food I've ever tasted. Real traditional home style cooking in a cozy family run restaurant. Very friendly and relaxed staff. Highly recommended.

Simply wonderful Greek food. Very very vegetarian friendly- stuffed cabbage rolls with lemon 🍋 sauce were light and delicious. The warmest family service and genuine attention to our tables requests. Can’t wait to return. 👏🏼😃🇬🇷

Such a fabulous Greek restaurant with amazing food! Great service and an authentic atmosphere! Love it and highly recommend going eating this amazing Greek food!!

Love this place - best Greek food & very reasonably priced. Thank you!

Our favourite restaurant in Enmore/Newtown area! We have been coming here for years and we are never disappointed. The food is absolutely delicious and the service even better!

Ate here last night and it was fantastic!! Family run traditional Greek restaurant with warm friendly service & delicious food!! They even brought out free desert - as if we weren't full enough!! Great loud atmosphere & you know it's good when it's full of Greek families tucking in with smiles!! Definitely be back

Not one to ever write reviews but this place was amazing. Great food, great staff can't wait to go back.

Love it beside shit parking worth the trip from the northern beaches

Yummy food great Greek music! Feels like being in Greece!!! We’ll be back

Great food, and service. The best place to go to after the theatre to talk about the show.

As always and continues, amazing food, friendly staff and great atmosphere , thank you once again :))

The best food I'd eaten in quite a while especially and fantastic service and loved the atmosphere. Recommended!

Great food very busy you must book or you will miss a great meal.

The slow cooked lamb worked best, expensive but a large serve, however it was not as tender or flavoursome as competitors. All the other things were much blander than they looked (except maybe the garlic pita, which was a great idea). Especially the finger-type spanakopita, which were tough and had hardly any filling inside the pastry, and the small serve of kefalograviera. There are several fancy Greek places in this area that are better.

Kafenes is an fantastic Greek restaurant is the middle of Enmore. There were six of us and we ordered lots of food. Every dish was amazing and the portion sizes were very generous. The manager really went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect and it was. My BBQ Octopus was cooked perfectly and to me this is one of the signs of a great greek restaurant. We will definatly be back on our next visit to Sydney.

Great place for dinner, I have been here a few times now and every time, you have a great time with friends and really enjoy the food. We normally get the share plate combos and boy do they taste great but also fill the belly. Depending on size of group it can get tight for space but we had 10 ppl, never the less we had a great time. Tavern has nice ambiance too. The food is great, all dishes and desert as you can see from the pic

This place is awesome, delicious food and very friendly and warm staff. We went there pre-show at the Enmore Theatre and they were so accommodating. The food was very tasty and portion size is just right. Highly recommend

Good honest homely Greek food. The same Greek family has owned this place for 14 years. We went nuts and ordered 7 dishes, it all just sounded so good. The slow cooked lamb is the standout - it just fell from the bone, so tender and delicious. The baby octopus was a close second, again so tender and had a lovely BBQ flavour. The cabbage salad was surprisingly good as was the gigantes beans.<br/>The service was super friendly, we felt looked after, and our meals came out very quickly - these guys are super efficient.

Went to this restaurant as I always walk past it and looks busy for the most part. Went in to get a table for two and was seated but then left waiting for 15 minutes before anyone came by and offered water or to take our order. We then asked if they served alcohol and the waitress rudely replied "it's BYO go to the bottle shop and get wine if you want" I then asked what about beer and again she responded rudely "we aren't allowed to serve alcohol go get your own and bring it." We ordered a Greek salad and souvlaki dish. The Greek salad was not very good it barely had any cucumber and tomatoes it was just filled with ice berg lettuce which usually would not be in a Greek salad. The souvlaki came and was quite a small dish for $20, the lamb and chicken were done well, but the dish was disappointing as the meat was just on top of a dry piece of pita and then that on top of chips. Felt like I was at a fast food restaurant. I have no idea why this place is so busy. It was overpriced and food quality and presentation were not good.

It's not just about the food. So what we have here is a Greek restaurant that offers most of what one expects from a Greek restaurant - dips, pita bread, salad, lamb dishes and fish cooked simply with a squeeze of lemon to finish. We had the dips and the slow cooked lamb dish "Exohiko" which was tender and delicious. So the food is good. But like I said, it's not just about the food. The people who run this place are warm and engaging, and we immediately felt like we'd been invited into the family fold. Eat here, bring your own wine and beer and leave a bottle for the cook at the end of the night. He deserves it.

Roaming around Enmore, we wanted to go to Hartsyard, but they were completely booked out with no plan b to our name. This meant, roaming the foodie street of Enmore and seeing what takes our fancy. <br/>My companion suggested we try this Greek restaurant and the rest is history...<br/>This restaurant has a family feel, with wooden seating and tables that are well spaced, so if you want to have a conversation, you can. Wall murals cover the restaurant of some exotic islands in Greece. Made you want to pack and go on a holiday!<br/>Anyhow...<br/>Food: We ordered the mix plate and garlic prawns on a bed of rice. The food was ok, nothing out standing. No real flavour stood out, or the fact that it was authenic Greek cuisine. The mix plate felt like something you could get from a backyard bbq, which felt kind of disappointing. The garlic prawns were nice, the creamy sauce with the rice was a good compliment, and prawns tasted fresh. <br/>It was one of those places that you pick at the spare of the moment, sometimes they surprise you, other times well... it's a luck of the draw. You can't always have them all in your favour.<br/><br/>

Came there with my bf on a busy Friday night, the waiters welcomed us very warmly and they were lovely during their whole service. We've ordered the garlic dip and pita bread which were perfect for an appetizer, then a moussaka which was good but maybe too much meat over roasted eggplant and the lamb souvlaki which was disappointing comparing to what we had (the meat was really dry).

The food at Kafenes is always amazing it is out favourite geek restaurant in Sydney, the only thing better than the food is the friendly service

Had the best experience ever.The food came so quickly however very fresh and tasting and the service was the best that i had in Sydney.Thanks so much for such a lovely night.

This has a really nice family ambience, and the food is nice but not exceptional. The moussaka was well liked by my family but I wasn't too fond of it, as I didn't like the amount of potato they added (too much). The roast lamb was very soft and delicious - this was my favourite meal. The dips for entree are always a good choice, the zucchini dumplings were rather flavourless though and deep fried.

Great food, Amazing service, can feel the greek vibe relfected on the service.... the muzaka is probably the best i had.... good stuff LOVE IT

Proper old school cooking. Kafenes food is a mix of classic Greek fare with lovely specials like muscle risotto.i have been going to this restaurant every Tuesday for date night with my partner for around ten years and I still find their food always comforting delicious and often unexpectedly exciting. A genuinely independent restraunt with a unabashed Greek family atmosphere!

This time I need to disagree with most reviews. Although it has nice Souvlaki and great Bougatsa (with an additional fee), the absence of one dish from the banquet, the poor service and bad time management contributed to the bad impression that we all shared. Unfortunately, I need to give a bad rapport and would not recommend this restaurant.<br/>Did you know?

The food seemed to suffer from an over-reliance on salt and dried oregano. Strange that the least-salty thing I ate was the haloumi! The haloumi was unusually good, though. Softer, creamier than most I've had, and much less salty.

As pleasantly surprised as I was about the presentation of what amounts to be a Turkish-style coffee, I didn't actually come for the coffee. What I was actually after was some Greek food, and Kafenes is not a bad place for it.

Glad we listened to my husband. Last night we arrived in Enmore Road ready to eat before a Missy Higgins concert. My husband insisted that we cross the road and try Kafenes. I am so glad we did. We enjoyed a delicious meal, eating dishes recommended by the waitress and the man from the bottle shop who told us "The lamb is beautiful; it falls off the bone". Highlights were the Zucchini Fritters, the Bouyourti, the Octopus, Pork Skewers and, of course, the lamb. We finished the meal with a piping hot custard dessert. To top it off, the staff were so accommodating and friendly. Both couples agreed that we should bring our children next time.

Delicious homely Greek food with friendly service and great value for money. My friends and I visited this place on a very, very busy Saturday evening and without a booking the staff seated us - absolutely no fuss. We had a baby girl on the table and the staff were fantastic in helping us settle her by bringing out paper and crayons for her so us adults could enjoy our meal. Even before the food had come out, Kafenes staff had already gone above and beyond.<br/><br/>So now onto the food. Yum! It's the kind of Greek food your "mother used to make." I've spent a fair bit of time in Greece and plenty of Greek friends. I can honestly say this is authentic. We ordered starters. Taramasalata with flat bread. The saltiness of Taramasalata was just right and the bread was warm and crispy. Out came the zucchini fritters, hot and appetising. Then the BBQ octopus, tender. Fantastic way to start.<br/><br/>And then the mains - roasted lamb with potatoes. The lamb was so tender it was falling off the bone. Brilliant. And the moussaka. The cheesy cream sauce on top of the minced lamb was just the right the consistency. The meat, perfectly seasoned with just the right hint of cinnamon. <br/><br/>For the friendly and accommodating service, the homely, warming food, and the fantastic value I highly recommend Kafenes as a restaurant you can visit with the family. As I said, the food is just like the food your "mother used to make." Check it out.

Ordinary food with horrific service to boot. We arrived at Kafenes and were met warmly by our waitress. From then on, things went downhill, quickly and rudely. The few questions I had about the menu were answered vaguely and without much interest, there was no introduction of specials or recommendations. We ordered a spanakopita as a starter and what we received was basically just pastry. Dry at that: a huge disappointment. We ordered two lamb dishes both of which came without presentation or lustre. They were both overcooked and the veges completely sloppy - they should take at least $10 off the price of the meals, and could do with serving up at least 300g less of each meal. <br/><br/>From here on things got even worse - the waitress rudely commented about my seating position (no, I was not intoxicated and was not bothering anyone, there were 2 other couples in the restaurant) and then the proprietor acted all passive aggressive and ignored me when I attempted to gain attention to make a formal complaint. The waitress seemed to know a lot about nothing. I would be embarrassed to have her working for me. <br/><br/>The dessert (galaktoboureko) was what we were forced to order after we discovered they were 'out' of rovani, a situation which would have been received better by us if we had been informed this when we were handed the dessert menu (a simple hospitality policy/respect). The galaktoboureko came out straight from the fridge, with absolutely no syrup on it. The custard was lumpy and you could practically hold bits of uncooked and cooled semolina in your hands. I couldn't eat it. <br/><br/>Sorry Kafenes, but you will never see me again - your overpriced and disgusting food with utterly infantile and disrespectful service. You are a discredit to Greek culture and food and I hope that next time I drive up Enmore Road I see the restaurant has closed down.

Food was sensational. Good, fast and friendly service. Slow roasted lamb was melt in your mouth, delicious.

The service and food was poor. The food served was expensive and lacking originality. From a Greek point<br/> of view.

The Exohiko was extremely salty and overall the food was overpriced, it's overrated!

Best restaurant for great food, great atmosphere and great service no matter when I've been. When critical friends say let's go back you know it's good and consistently so.

Good Greek. This place is simply put... good, we shared entree's and mains and were able to get away with a light dinner for $20 a head including corkage (they are BYO). The food was impressive and the service was as you would expect. Although we waited a while, and had to get their attention - the waiters, once we had it, they were excellent. This is a great place for an easy night out.

Bad food, worst customer service in newtown!. Any Greek place that tells you that the teaspoonful tatziki on a souvlaki plate is "just a decoration" deserves a 0 rating. I almost choked when I laughed so hard listening to her explanation.

Worst service ever!!. I visited this restaurant on Wednesday night with some work crew and had a few beers and the lamb souvlaki plate with the haloumi starter. The lamb was majorly overcooked and tasted horrible so when I told the owner (? she said it was 'her place') she merely replied 'well we have a pretty good reputation so there is nothing i can do'.<br/><br/>Shocked to say the least. Never going here again.

Kafenes. The food was great, the service was friendly although a little slow. I ordered the Lemon Chicken which tasted amazing! The flavour wasn't overpowering and the chicken was cooked to perfection. Will definatley go there again :)

Victoria. A group of seven of us had dinner to celebrate a birthday yesterday. We had enough food for twice that many! The quality of the food, the cheerful service and the sheer quantity of the food on the plates overwhelmed us. My daughter took home the leftovers in five containers! This family business deserves every success - the staff are friendly, courteous and the food is magnificent. Next time, we will order meals to share as the portions are very generous. The entrees are meal-sized, and the main meals can easily feed two people. A highly recommended experience.

We liked just but s bit average. Wouldnt remember in our dreams. The prawn dish had not many prawns, seafood platter bot disappointing.

How do you say "fabulous" in Greek?. Can't recommend the food highly enough. Since previous reviewers have already mentioned a number of dishes, I'll add two more that are equally good. The stamnato - described on the menu as "lamb with potatoes, tomato, chilli & combination of cheeses, cooked in a clay pot" gives you melt-in-your-mouth flavourful lamb that has everyone at the table diving in. And the moussaka is delicious as a more refined version of what in many Greek restaurants is pretty unsophisticated fare. Put this place on your "Gotta try it" list.

A Find!. Discovered this one evening when I'd spent a day up a ladder painting a ceiling and came down not in the mood to cook. Stumbled across this great restaurant at Enmore end of Newtown. Been back thrice and I stick to the appetisers.<br/>Do NOT miss the Zucchini dumplings; succulent deep fried morsels of bliss. Also noteworthy is the Soutzoukakia and Keftedakia. Add a Greek Salad and a side of Haloumi and you have a meal fit for a Greek God.

Great food! Good service! Will definitely return.

Great, fresh food, service was excellent on a busy Saturday night, nice atmosphere. The best Greek restaurant in the area and I've tried them all.

Service was slow very slow, waited an hour to be served! It appeared the staff were more interested in serving the larger groups than a group of three! The lamb kleftiko was great however the meat platter was dry!

Cabbage salad and zucchini dumplings were so delicious, only suggestion is to advise any dietary requ's prior to order as menu is quite sparse in spots. Really great local produce too!

Food is always great. Lamb in paper is fantastic. Great portions great atmosphere

Kafenes. The food was excellent. Every single dish we ordered was yummy. Although we thought- being a homestyle greek restaurant - the moussaka could have been a bit better. there were scrumptous dips and starters and the mains were large in size but the meats tasty and not dry. great for a large group (we were 10) or a casual dinner of two. service was friendly and the food came out quick!! highly reccommend the tsatziki with pita bread, taramasalata, cabbage salad, chicken souvlaki, marinated octopus, zucchini dumplings and the haloumi cheese. Value for money, (~$35 per head). We will definitely come back.