New Greek restaurant, Taverna, opens in Portola Valley

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

The Greek restaurateur Thanasis Pashalidis, who owns the restaurant with his friend, Hakan Bala, says he is delighted to be finally open to the Ladera Country Shopper Center on Alpine Road, next to the recently added Portola Bistro.

They opened their first location in Taverna in Palo Alto in 2018 after managing a catering company, as customer -loving – and friends – have become their investors.

“Without our friends, Taverna would not exist,” explains Pashalidis. “There is a deep need, a huge demand, so that people meet.”

The Taverne menu includes Greek and Greek-American dishes, with bites like Dolmathakia ($ 11) and Spanakopitakia ($ 12.50), small plates, including an Avgolemono ($ 13) and grilled octopus ($ 13,) and entrances like the chicken ribs ($ 44) Bean beans ($ 30). But if you want a hamburger ($ 22.50), they also have one, made with half a pound of steak prime and served on a homemade brioche. Save room for dessert – they have bougatsa, made with phyllo, vanilla cream and pistachio cream ($ 15) and Valrhona chocolate mousse ($ 14.50), among other candies.

Pashalidis also infused Greek flavors in its cocktail menu, adding Hellenic touches to the old classics – for example, mixing the Brandy Metaxa 7 in its Greek -American ($ 20) and Plomari liqueur liqueur in its Greek dog ($ 15). The wine menu focuses on biodynamic Greek wines, Napa wines and France and Italy wines.

Although the menu can be the same in Palo Alto and Portola Valley locations, the communities in which they are integrated are different, he says. Portola Valley is more the size of a Greek village than Palo Alto, he says.