Welcome to Grilla – a place where there’s no plate smashing, just smashing plates of food.
Are you familiar with Epicureanism? Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, founded around 307 BCE. If you’re an Epicurean, you’re a person devoted to sensual enjoyment, especially that derived from fine food and drink. Which, quite nicely, brings us on to Grilla – a Greek grill house taking the city by storm… one souvlaki at a time.
Grilla has two places to enjoy their delights – Hardman Street and Allerton Road. Hardman Street has been going for a few years and is a great little space you could easily walk past without realising. Their younger brother on Allerton, is far from that. An absolute eye-catcher of a building with a stunning facade, nautical interior and cosy conservatory that has a roof that opens in the sunshine and stays on in the rain and cold. We imagine the big red button to open the roof (it’s probably more intricate than that) isn’t used much… we’re in the UK after all, not The Med but either are rightful settings for the quality of food cooked in front of you.
And when we say cooked in front of you, we mean it. There’s no chefs illegally streaming the match from their phone using a microwave away from plain sight – all meat cooked on the spit or grilled and prepared fresh in front of you. Hills of chips, pools of tzatziki and mountains of meat – Grilla’s landscapes are pretty breathtaking. The menu is full of whole chickens, pork gyros, mixed grills, Cypriot sausage, halloumi, croquettas, hummus and of course, the souvlaki. Grilled meat, tomato and red onion, tzatziki and chips encased in an imported pitta bread. You should be so lucky, to eat this souvlaki (to the tune of Kylie Minogue’s “I Should Be So Lucky”. Good luck getting that tune out your head).
We’re not short of quality Greek restaurants in Liverpool. After religious visits to a favourite, trying something new can be somewhat of a trust fall. It’s like going to a new barber… you can’t help feel like you’re cheating somewhat and you just hope not to bump into them after it and notice the difference in you. Whether it’s a mid-week pick me up, a Sunday feast or a “diet starts next week”, Grilla is just the kind of place where there doesn’t need to be an occasion for you to visit. Quality ingredients, charming service and halloumi fries are the reason Grilla is full of people, smiles and laughter every night of the week. And long may it continue.
Independent Liverpool members – we’re absolutely delighted to announce you can get 20% off Sunday-Thursday at both their Hardman Street and Allerton Road venues (excluding Bank Holidays and set menu Christmas parties).