Greek Taverna opens in Portola Valley

The second location of Taverna, an elegant Greek restaurant, opened recently in Portola Valley.

Greek restaurateur Thanasis Pashalidis, who owns the restaurant with his friend, Hakan Bala, says they’re excited to finally be open in the Ladera Country Shopper center on Alpine Road, next to the recently added Portola Bistro.

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They opened their first Taverna location in Palo Alto in 2018 after running a catering company, as former clients — and friends — became their investors.

“Without our friends, Taverna would not exist,” Pashalidis says. “There is a profound need, a huge demand, for people to get together.”

The Taverna menu includes Greek and Greek-American dishes, with bites like dolmathakia ($11) and spanakopitakia ($12.50), small plates including avgolemono soup ($13) and grilled octopus ($23,) and entrees like lamb rib chops ($44-$67) and plaki, a baked gigante bean stew ($30). But if you’re craving a burger ($22.50), they’ve got one of those too, made with a half-pound of prime steak and served on homemade brioche. Save room for dessert — they’ve got bougatsa, made with phyllo, vanilla cream and pistachio ice cream ($15), and Valrhona chocolate mousse ($14.50), among other sweets.

Oktapodaki (Spanish octopus / Santorini fava / summer pepper relish / Aegean capers) is on the menu at both Taverna locations. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

Pashalidis has infused Greek flavors into his cocktail menu too, adding Hellenic touches to old classics — for instance, blending Metaxa 7 brandy into his Greek-American Old Fashioned ($20) and Plomari Ouzo liqueur into his Greek Hound ($15). The wine menu is focused on biodynamic Greek wines, Napa wines, and wines from France and Italy.

While the menu may be the same at both the Palo Alto and Portola Valley locations, the communities they’re embedded in are different, he says. Portola Valley is more the size of a Greek village than Palo Alto, he says.

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“We’re very, very excited to be part of the community,” he says.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. weekends at 3130 Alpine Road, Suite 300, Portola Valley; tavernaportolavalley.net.

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