We had a wonderful meal at Maria’s Greek Taverna last night. On Crwys Road in the heart of Cathays, Maria’s offers sit-in and takeaway options – and on a rainy Tuesday night both were popular!
Marios guided us through the menu, and we decided on a proper mix of the meze dishes:
- 𝗙𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 – unique to Maria’s, feta wrapped in panko breadcrumbs with honey and oregano
- 𝗗𝗼𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 – Rice stuffed vine leaves with tzatziki and lemon
- 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗶 – Fried Greek cheese
- 𝗧𝘇𝗮𝘁𝘇𝗶𝗸𝗶 – always a fave, a yogurt, cucumber and (lots of) garlic dip
- 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗮𝗱𝗼 – the star of the show. Slow cooked beef with shallots in a rich red wine and tomato sauce. The same recipe for over 20 years. Big portion, but also available as a main
- 𝗞𝗲𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘀 – ‘nana’s famous meatballs’ in a tomato sauce
- 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀 – served in a white wine, chilli, garlic and butter sauce
- 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶 – big fan of this dish. Crispy squid served with lemon and a twist on a tartare sauce
- 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 covered in chilli flakes, garlic and oregano
- 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 – delightful
- 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗮 – chopped nuts layered with honey syrup and filo, aka heaven
I’m not sure where to start, there wasn’t one dish I wouldn’t order again. I was hoping the stifado would be good, and Marios made us even more excited to try it. And fair play, it lived up to my expectations – I was right back there in my favourite Paphos restaurant. Now we just need the weather!
Other highlights were the calamari, I think I can safely say it’s the best I’ve ever had, and the dolmades – I’ve had these before in Santorini and wasn’t a fan but these were lovely. It feels odd also mentioning bread and tzatziki but we loved these – despite being full we kept going back!
How we managed a dessert between us I’ll never know, but there has to be room made for baklava. Big portion, but it was lush and had to be done.
For drinks J had a Mythos and I had a red wine sangria, there are some fun sangria options if you’re feeling adventurous.
You need to go. Check their Instagram @mariasgreektaverna for their current offers.
Maria’s Greek Taverna
Location: 68 Crwys Road, Cardiff CF24 4NP
Website: https://www.mariasgreektaverna.com
Phone: 029 2115 1268
