Tsiakkos & Charcoal

This is one of the best Greek restaurants I’ve ever been to. It looks like hole in the wall, but when you walk in as a regular you’re greeted with friendly smiles, handshakes, and hugs.
I suggest getting the meze set. I would also suggest not eating for the entire day. It’s plate after plate after plate. The food is so flavorful, fresh, and hot, there’s not much you couldn’t love about this place.
For how much food you get it’s relatively inexperience and it’ll leave you 100% satisfied with a full belly.
This is such a wonderful local gem.

Possibly the best Greek restaurant in London. Homely atmosphere, naturally friendly service and most importantly insanely good food. Not much reason to go down Harrow road, but this place is definitely worth it. I’ve been going here for years, and it’s as good today as it was when I first went.

Very charming and great place — a bit hard to find but once you go through the door– you would find a little local gem. The court yard on the back is lovely and if you are kind if hungry, just go for a full meze set… It is a great meal.
The owner is called zeni — such a nice chap.
Def maida vale gem …

Tsiakkos & Charcoal definitely has an informal and ramshackle feel to it. It is rather small, shabby and probably could do with a bit of make-​over however that is all part of the charm. Living in the diverse city of London, I would expect to find more of these kinds of unusual places that break the mould, but unfortunately they are sometimes few and far between. T&S feels like a real secret find and is a refreshing change from bland Londinium chaindom.
Xen the very friendly owner is who makes the place. I love the fact that he is incredibly honest about what’s good to order on the menu. He only gave his taramasalata a 4 out of 10 tonight, but after giving us a free sample I would rate it higher. When he thinks it scores a ten Xen says that he tapes a cross on the window to alert the outside world. Someone please give the man a Twitter account. I know for a fact that he has a computer, he was using it in the front of the restaurant whilst we ate, completely adding to the ‘we are eating in someone’s living room’ ambiance.
Yummy dips — humous and tarama plus a good beatroot salad and an excellent chicken shish with rice and greek salad. My flat-​mate had the lamb — which tasted amazingly tender, The chicken portions were generous, and more than I could eat. Xen was more than happy to wrap it up for me and now I have lunch for tomorrow.
For hospitality alone, I give Xen a perfect ten.

Best Lamb you will ever have in your life. Place is a hole in the wall but ignore the décor and go for the food. Bring cash as the savvy owner does not take any cards. Feel free to bring your own wine to this most unpretentious place. Also bring cash as the savvy owner does not take any cards.

Please refer to my earlier review for why this place is so great, but I was HORRIFIED to go there last night and he had run out of the incredible sausages, normally so freely available! I was heartbroken.

A great little restaurant hidden away in Maida Vale. The place is tiny, and you feel like you are almost sitting in a room in someone’s house, being fussed over by the enthusiastic hostess.
Although the menu offers many delights, the only option to make a proper night of it is the meze where you try a wide selection of dishes, topped off by the house special, kleftiko.