Tsiakkos & Charcoal

In the proverbial game of Good Feelings Bingo, plastic foliage, twinkling fairy lights, and the aroma of chargrilled meats always feature. Tsiakkos & Charcoal has all three, as well as a satisfyingly familiar taverna menu that offsets one of Notting Hill’s most irresistible hangover-inducing atmospheres. Everything feels like it’s a trillion miles an hour in this wonderful neighbourhood Greek spot—save the slow-cooked pork shoulder—and you can’t help but treat a Tuesday like a Friday, overindulgence and all.

The grill smokes even more than Marlboro Golds do out front, and the covered courtyard has an anarchic buzz that feeds off friends and families living in the present. Tomorrow is, well, tomorrow’s problem and nothing is safe from cheers-ing here. Good health, poor choices, a moussaka you could feasibly plaster the walls with. A meal teeters on the edge of explosion but, just like an unruly family Christmas, everything falls into place through love, sweat, and beers.

photo credit: Koray Firat

photo credit: Koray Firat

photo credit: Koray Firat

photo credit: Koray Firat

When it comes to the food, Tsiakkos & Charcoal is a reassuringly straightforward restaurant. As soon as you’ve toasted over the seminal discography of S Club 7, you should only land on one thing from the menu: the House Specialty Meze. This is code for The Lot. The entire menu for £35. Thick houmous rich with tahini, a spoonable bulb of garlic masquerading as tzatziki, Greek salad, whole grilled sea bass, and more. More, more, more. As far as feasts go, this is one of the best-value in London, but it’s the feelgood mood that makes Tsiakkos & Charcoal priceless.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Koray Firat

Dips And Salad

Houmous, taromosalata, tzatziki, Greek, beetroot, and potato salad will all land on your table. Everything is best scooped and smeared with warm pitta straight from the grill, but it’s the taromosalata and tzatziki that stand out. The former is pleasingly off-white (with no pink food colouring in sight) while the latter is wonderfully officious in the amount of garlic it’s made with.

photo credit: Koray Firat

Pork And Chicken Souvlaki

These tender cubes aren’t always perfectly cooked but, when they are, are as good as they come. The pork leans juicier than the chicken, because fat. But with a squeeze of lemon it’s impossible not to enjoy smokily cooked skewers.

photo credit: Koray Firat

Slow Burnt Pork Shoulder

The sugar-y finish and succulent meat on this pork shoulder is the star of the show. Were it not for the pile of gravy-soaked rice flecked with tomato and pepper, this dish wouldn’t taste out of place on a Texas BBQ menu. Given there’s potentially plenty of food to get through, we’d save room for this.

photo credit: Koray Firat

Moussaka

Like all great comfort foods, this moussaka could have you snoozing if polished off alone. It’s nothing special—the béchamel is a little overly thickened—but it’s still satisfying.

photo credit: Koray Firat

Kleftiko

The rub on this hunk of lamb bursts with oregano and black pepper and, like the pork, sits on a welcoming pile of juice-soaked rice. It can be a little over and not quite as tender as we’d like a piece of meat on the bone to be, but it’s decent.

photo credit: Koray Firat

Whole Sea Bream/Sea Bass

A whole fish is a surefire bet from a charcoal grill when done right, and it’s no different here. Soft flesh, a squeeze of lemon, and a confident de-boner is all that is needed.