Yiannis Taverna

Hmmm... how to celebrate the end of May? By attending a stagette party of course! Hehehe. On the last Saturday of May, my brother's fiancé held her last soiree before the big day. It was an eventful night of belly dancing, dinner and a lounge. I could only make it to the dinner, but that's not a problem. Dinner = food adventure = new blog post!

The dinner was set for 8pm at Yiannis Taverna (yiannistaverna.ca), a restaurant that serves Greek food located on Whyte Ave. I've walked down Whyte Ave numerous times (I'm sure many of us have), but I've actually never noticed Yiannis until now. I parked one or two blocks north of the restaurant in a Public Pay Parking area. One thing I hate about these types of parking lots is that I'm always so confused about the specific times you are able to park in that area and how much you really have to pay. Ugh. If only it was Sunday, when Whyte Ave parking is free.

I walked into a dimly lit restaurant that seemed very busy. The restaurant was also open to the outside, but I wasn't sure why they would do that since it was slightly raining. My sister and I were taken to our table located on an upper level of the restaurant closer to the backside. There were about 20 seats reserved for the stagette, and we were the first ones there. And yes, I do realize that this is the first food post I've written where CJ is not with me! It is a stagette after all, no boys allowed (mwuahahaha).

Our reserved table.

Even though my sister and I were the first ones there, we didn't order our food until all the guests and bride-to-be had arrived. While we waited, everyone talked with each other, took pictures, and sipped on their drinks. I didn't really get a chance to look at my surroundings and completely take in the atmosphere of the restaurant.

The menu.

The menu at Yiannis features a variety of Greek food. I've never really tried Greek food before (beside from fast food), so I wasn't too sure what to get. I decided to go with something small since I wasn't really that hungry and chose a Chicken Souvlakia Appetizer. This item doesn't appear on the online menu. My sister went with Solomos - Fresh Atlantic Salmon that is oven baked with oregano, garlic, and lemon. We decided to share our food.

Solomos.

My sister's food actually came out first, even though the dish I ordered was just an appetizer. Everything on the plate looked delicious! The Solomos ($27) was served with rice, cut vegetables and a dip that is often paired with Greek food (I believe it is called tzatziki dip... I'm not too sure though! Sorry!). I could tell that the salmon was fresh out of the oven when I first cut into it. It tasted very nice and refreshing with the dip, followed by some rice. 

At this point, all the other ladies at our table had received their entrée dishes. I was left wondering what had happened to my appetizer. Good thing our server was quick to realize about my forgotten food! While waiting, a belly dancing performance began around 9pm. I've never watched anyone belly dance in person, so I thought it was a neat experience. You are even free to dance with the belly dancer if you want (like what the bride-to-be did haha). 

Chicken Souvlakia Appetizer.

My Chicken Souvlakia Appetizer ($8) finally arrived! This appetizer is served with the tzatziki dip and some lemon on the side. The chicken had a nice tang to it, and I thought the dip was a perfect pairing. My sister said it tasted "fresh off the grill", and I have to agree with her. I think I liked the Chicken Souvlakia better than the Atlantic salmon dish. This dish doesn't leave you feeling "heavy", so I was able to eat all the pieces of chicken off the skewers. 

I loved the food I had at Yiannis. It's a bit on the pricier side, so I would only come back here if I really wanted to treat myself to some great tasting Greek food. I thought our server was super friendly - she was so organized with keeping track of everyone's food and drink orders. The stagette was a lot of fun - getting to talk to new people, taking pictures with everyone, and of course, experiencing food I've never tried before. I would recommend Yiannis for fancier dinner dates with your loved ones, and also if you want to splurge a bit on traditional Greek food. Try coming by on Fridays or Saturdays in the evening - you'll be able to witness an awesome belly dancing performance as well!