Stepho’s Greek Taverna

Stepho’s Greek Taverna on Davie Street has been a really popular restaurant in Vancouver for their affordable greek food.

I have always had the misconception that greek food in Vancouver is fairly expensive. When I eat Greek food in Burnaby, an entree would cost anywhere from $15 – $20. BUT, at Stepho’s, you can have large portions for under $10. This is the reason why Stepho’s is always packed with customers during lunch and dinner time.

When we arrived at 5pm, we thought it shouldn’t be very busy, but there there was already a line up and most of the tables were full. Since it was just M and I, we quickly found a table for 2. Despite the large size of the interior and several tables, it was all full.

The menu comprises of the usual greek dishes you would find any other restaurant, but for way cheaper.

I enjoy playing with candles….so if you are a waitress or a waiter and you see the candles are messed up….ya…it was me. Stepho’s does not use traditional candles, like many other restaurants, they have adopted to use the electronic candles to simulate the same feeling. It took me a while to figure out why the candle did not feel hot.

We ordered the Saganaki ($4.95) for an appetizer. Saganaki is essentially fried cheese. I know it sounds grotesquely fatty….very fatty, but something about melted cheese just makes your heart melt every single time. Maybe it’s just me…but I would kill for melted cheese on any type of bread.

For the Saganaki, it came with a pita bread cut in half. We divided up the cheese and put it on our half of the pita bread. Since it is fried, you get a bit of “ooey gooey” and crispiness to the cheese.

If you are watching your weight, this is probably not a good appetizer.

M ordered the Roast Lamb Platter ($9.95). It came with a Roast Lamb, Greek Salad, Vegetable stew, Roast Potato, Rice Pilaf, Pickled Jalapeno, and a lemon. M devoured the greek salad, it was loaded with Feta cheese. The roast lamb was very flavourful, tender and succulent. It was not dry at all. The meat fell off the bone easily. He also enjoyed the rice since it was flavourful.

I ordered the Small Chicken Slouvaki ($7.95). It came with tzatziki sauce, greek salad, roast potatoes, Rice Pilaf, Pickled Jalapeno, lemon wedge, and a skewer of chicken.

This was a small…I can’t imagine how large, the large size would be. I enjoyed the rice pilaf, greek salad, tzatziki sauce, and the roasted potatoes. One thing I didn’t like was how dry and burnt tasting the chicken skewer was.

We also got more pita bread with our entrees.

Overall, we both had a good experience. The portions were large and at an affordable price. Don’t expect to have the best tasting greek food at Stepho’s, but one thing is for sure…you will be full.  The service on the other hand was not great, we often felt rushed with our meal. We spent a total of 35 minutes at Stepho’s. It’s either we eat fast, or they were trying to get us out as fast as possible.

Words of Wisdom:

• Limited Parking in the rear
• Street Meter parking in the front
• Long line ups during peak hours
• Large portions for under $10

We rate Stepho’s :

They are located at:

1124 Davie St
Vancouver, BC