The best Greek food in Sydney

The Apollo has been serving some of Sydney's tastiest Greek food for more than a decade now, with nearly as many hits as Dua. Take for example, the saganaki: a dish of golden and piping hot cheese, drizzled with honey and fragrant oregano. Or, Apollo's crowning glory: an oven-baked lamb shoulder, with perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone-meat. Order with a side of garlicky roast potatoes and a fresh village salad and you’ve got yourself one heck of a brilliant Greek feast. 

Housed in the heritage-listed Campbell's Stores building in the Rocks, and boasting million-dollar views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, is Ploos, a stellar Greek restaurant by celebrated chef Peter Conistis. Here, Conistis focuses on South Aegean cuisine with Mediterranean touches. That may look like spiced lamb and almond rice wrapped in vine leaves, topped with a lemony saffron avgolemono sauce; and pumpkin keftedes (fritters) with fresh mint, coriander and coconut yogurt. Be sure to order the Wagyu rump camp, which comes out charred yet tender and served with a wedge of lemon and tahini. Service is on-point – and did we mention the views? Make the most of them and come for a long boozy Greek lunch.

Located across the road from Bondi’s golden stretch of sand is Topikós – a Greek inspired restaurant and bar with crowd-friendly plates and banging cocktails. Come for Topiko’s gyros with warm pita, tomato, tzatziki and hand-cut fries; grilled lamb ribs with hummus; and a fisherman’s basket with fresh oysters, prawns, fried calamari, beer-battered garfish and whitebait. Oh, and their signature Topikòs Spicy Watermelon Marg, with Don Julio blanco, mezcal, watermelon, wild strawberry, habanero and fresh lime – it's pretty as hell and sure packs a punch.

Alevri is a rocking Greek bakery and café serving soul-warm pastries and carbs. The cabinet is the real star of the show and warrants a return visit in itself – most who dine in still walk away with bags of treats to enjoy later. It’s bold, brash and loud, but it’s clear that Alevri marches to its own toubeleki beat. Oh, and they serve baklava shakes. Yes, really. 

Peter Conistis has some sort of mystical way with pastry. His spanakopita sees tissue-paper-light pastry supporting a deliciously salty mix of fetta and spinach. And lightness is definitely a theme at Alpha. Check out the loukoumades – sweet and moreish honeyed-doughnut puffs. This restaurant on the old Hellenic Club site is absolutely packed, night and day. 

First up, it’s all about the bread: fluffy rounds of fresh pita, scorched lightly on the grill. They're filled with slices of juicy pork or chicken – just like in Greece – carved straight off the vertical spit. There’s a smattering of salad: ripe tomato wedges, red onion, parsley and a slick of tzatziki, but mostly it’s one helluva meatfest. They add a couple of chips inside as well, traditional-style. It ain’t pretty eating but that’s half the fun. The pillowy-soft pita soaks up all the juices from the meat. And back to those chips. Joined with the bread, they offer outrageously good carb-on-carb action. 

Forget those fancy new yeeros joints. The Yeeros Shop has been keeping it old skool since 1976. That means hand cut chips cooked to order (adjusted to soft or extra crunchy if you ask nicely) wrapped up in butchers paper for takeaway. Yassss. The menu includes old-fashioned hamburgers, steak sandwiches or good ol’ yeeros meat on chips aka the Halal snack pack. The lamb yeeros is what everyone’s ordering though, crispy fatty lamb bits jammed into grilled Greek pita bread with salad. Get the small chips and laugh with delirium at what passes as extra large in most other takeaways.

Meet Medusa, the Greek restaurant with a lot to give. It's in the heart of the CBD, offering fresh simple food in a casual yet polished room. Owner Peter Koutsopoulos works the room, serving jokes and backslaps along with souvlaki and haloumi. The room's mostly filled with blokes in suits eating lamb and drinking red wine, but it's not just a place for corporate canivores. Start with fava Santorinis – a smooth puree of chickpeas dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. It's not hummus, but it's not far off. 

What this restaurant does well is wholesome simplicity. Greek food that's traditional and very homely. You won't find anything tricked up, foamed or soiled here - just honest earthy dishes made with care. And it's cheap, too.