Zorbas
- April 30, 2007
- Rated 3 of 5 by
fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Tucked away on a side street near Piazza Amedeo, Zorba's is a well kept little secret that many visitor's may be thankful to see. Don't get me wrong, I love Italian food, but I eat lots of it at home and ate even more in Naples, so I was pleased for an alternative. Believe me, alternatives to Italian food aren't sign-posted in Naples!
The interior is an attempt to recreate a traditional Greek taverna and the result isn't too bad; a bit whimsical, perhaps, but passable. The place is a bit of a maze with dark passageways linking little dining rooms and the end result is a cosily attractive little joint.
You can opt for a full Greek feast, starting with a traditional meze (selection of starters to be shared by all at your table) and go onto a main course, or you could simply go for the meze which, when shared by two people, is more than enough. It contained a large and tasty Greek salad, fresh pita bread, a range of dips such as a garlicky chickpea hummous, taramousalata of cod's roe, and tsatsiki (yogurt and mint), fresh seafood, courgette fritters, stuffed grape leaves, huge butter beans in a tomato sauce; it just kept on coming!
We gave the mains a miss, but the selection seems varied with traditional Greek classics like kleftiko and stifado as well as a good variety of fish and seafood dishes.
Drinks are a little steep but we bought a good Greek white wine which was delicious and came in at around €14.
Service was where Zorba's was a letdown. It was slow and disinterested. At first, the waiter didn't even want to allow us to forgo the main course even though the meze was more than plenty and the cost worth their while.
They took ages to bring the bill and were generally not helpful or friendly.
That said, it could have been a one-off and I would be reluctant to give a poor verdict on what was pretty much a good restaurant with some great food. My recommendation is that you give them a chance.
From journal A week in Naples and around