Jim’s Greek Tavern

I’ll be honest, I am a bit of a Greekophile and it’s difficult to disappoint me when it comes to this delicious Mediterranean cuisine. I spent a few months in Greece in 2015 and am pretty much *always* reminiscing about their nightly feasts. Jim’s has definitely been the most authentic Greek food I have found in Melbourne so far.
After reading reviews on Unilocal,I went in with my head in an «all you can eat set menu for $ 45» space. It was a good space to be in. When staff suggested dishes, we simply said «Yep. Keep ‘em coming». There is no menu to peruse.
We feasted on dips, freshly baked bread that we witnessed coming out of the oven, saganaki, chargrilled squid, prawns, calamari… you name it, I ate it. And the drinks? It’s BYO and they really don’t mind how much you bring in (we saw people walking in with eskies… actual eskies.)
HOWEVER, when it came to bill time there was no $ 45 set menu to be found… It looked as though we had been charged for each dish individually (which was a bit sneaky considering the lack of menu.) We suspect we were meant to directly request the set menu, but I can’t be sure… I might have been diddled.
Despite this, it was incredible food in a very fun and frantic atmosphere. Highly recommended!

The authentic Greek food experience outside of Greece.
The first time we went because we were looking for some moussaka (the greek version of lasagna) however we quickly learned that Jim’s does not have a menu, And not having a menu is a good thing.
With no menu to choose from we simply ordered the lamb as suggested by our server. We got served Saganaki, bread and dips with some octopus, and dolmates before we received our lamb. Everything tasted great. No complains. and the lamb cutlets were awesome.
Looking around we realised that this was more of a typical Greek restaurant where you go as a group, have the food served in the middle of the table for everyone to eat. As someone who lived in Greece, I will say that the food is pretty authentic except for the salad. authentic Greek salad does not have leafy greens (or very little), it’s only cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, Feta cheese and Kalamata olives.
We have returned many times and it has become one of our favorite restaurants to bring family and friends. When going with a group, you get a bigger variety of food… fish, prawns, calamari and desert. All for a set price of $ 45. It is also BYO alchohol but soft drinks are available for purchase on site.
Although we got deserts included, we always grabbed a Baklava our way out for later and it too was delicious.
Definitely a must for anyone in Melbourne.

I have read a few of the reviews on here with people pissing a moaning about the price.
It’s set fucking menu lets the waiter do his shit and get the food and you will have a great night and great food.

I feel I was conned at Jim’s Greek Tavern.
The highly charismatic waiter informed me that there was no menu, so I asked for some prawns, my mother ordered fish and a Greek salad and a mineral water.
The food that came out was nice enough, but pretty plain and simple and very small servings: I only got 6 prawns and they were burnt and chewy on the ends.
But here’s what angered me: 6 prawns, a small piece of fish, a small side salad with 3 pieces of feta and 1 mineral water came to $ 78. Talk about bill shock.
This restaurant is an extreme rip-​off for what you get.

It helps if you know what you are getting into. There is no menu. Just get the $ 45 set menu and be prepared to eat. The waiters are all running around and seem to respond well to customers who look after themselves. They are just food couriers basically so dont burdon them down with questions or conversation because you will likely just get yelled at.
The food is rustic and very flavorful, but damn good. I especially liked demolishing the last two plates of the meal (Lamb and calamari). Its an experience!

I’ve been to Jim’s Greek Tavern twice. The first time was terrible. The second time was even worse.
I don’t know what the other reviewers are thinking — it’s almost like we are reviewing two different restaurants. I have never had an enjoyable time at Jim’s Greek Tavern: it’s noisy, it’s hot, the food isn’t incredible, it’s overpriced for the quality, and the service is absolutely atrocious.
I recently went back to this establishment in order to give it a second go; who knows, maybe I just had an unusual bad experience the first time. I came here recently for a birthday dinner. It was a 40 degree day, and the four of us made a booking to be situated out the back in the leafy indoor garden section, and promised that this area would be air conditioned and cool.
What a sick joke that was.
~ The place was unbelievably hot; we were literally sweating in our clothes — and the Greek waiters were even worse, sweat everywhere! There are two split-​system air conditioners for the entire large garden section at the back. These definitely do not adequately cool a room of that size or with that many people, and were essentially as good as useless.
~ Our seats were in the most inconvenient of locations: situated right at the door that separates the front restaurant section with the upper «garden» section out the back.
~ The food was of a low quality. In fact, a plate of steaks we ordered were so under-​cooked that they were uneatable. I can get my fangs around a rare/​medium-​rare steak, but this was at a dangerous level. We showed them to the maître d’, who acted shocked, sent them back to the kitchen for a little more cooking, and issued us with an apology (and then another apology when we were paying the bill).
~ Some casual ageist comments from the waiter occurred at the end of the dinner when I was ordering coffee. I’m probably going to sound like a conservative prude here, but he looked at me and exclaimed, «Are you even old enough to drink coffee?» Last time I checked there was no legal or moral age requirement for drinking coffee, and I don’t particularly appreciate comments insulting something from my appearance, especially when I am trying to host a celebratory dinner. This was also after putting up with him «jokingly» asking me for ID before getting glasses for the bottle of red wine I brought with me. (NB: One of the upsides of Jim’s Tavern is their BYO anything policy)
Eating at Jim’s Greek Tavern was an overall disappointing experience, and due to the unrelenting heat, food that had to be sent back, and inappropriate banter from the waiter, I was extremely satisfied when I was able to leave for my air conditioned car that would allow me to get a second, more fulfilling dinner. I won’t be back to Jim’s Tavern.

Stop at the Birmingham and get a bottle, Jim’s has a limited wine carafe choice, so byob is the order of the day.
The décor reminds me of the many Greek eateries in Chicago, my hometown.
We had dips, grilled octopus, calamari, saganaki, and prawns as entrees. All were very good but the octopus was a standout.
This was followed by a tasty Greek salad with very nice feta. We closed our meal with a main of lamb which was nicely cooked.
Ready to leave? Nope, for dessert we had small bites of baklava along with a Greek pudding whose name I cannot reproduce. Both were very good.
One very strong Greek coffee and we were out the door, totally dated and looking forward to a return visit.

If you want an authentic greek meal then this is the place for you. Upon entering the waiter, and older Greek man, walked us to the back section of the restaurant and said «Table for four, you choose» and pointed at a bunch of tables. There is no menu at Jim’s which is really part of the fun of the experience. Our waiter would periodically show up ask if we like this or that which was always answered with a yes, and then he would go off and appear a few minute later laden with food, Which he would throw on our table with a crash and without a word zoom he was off again. By the end of the night we were all full and satisfied. The food was so good that we really didnt care how much it came to, which turned out to be $ 50 a head.
This is the real deal, I have eaten at restaurants with better greek food before but never have I had such and authentic Greek experience. If your in Melbourne and you feel like a food adventure head on down to Jim’s

This place is the real deal! Every time I drive past Jim’s I get the urge to dance the Zorba and smash some plates. I am also flooded with memories from Greece where the food here is just as authentic and transports you in a heart beat.
Yes, you must go! To Jim’s that is, not Greece… unless you can afford it. Best to go in a big group and share the love around and I urge you to make sure you book in advance. We are talking weeks in advance. This place is not just popular with the locals, think hoards of people, family functions, weddings, christenings, cousins, families, uncles, cousins of cousins. that type of thing.
As mentioned earlier, this place is the real thing so don’t expect personal table service an extensive wine list or even the bill. just front up with your booking, be ready to eat, have some fun and enjoy good authentic Greek food & music.

I’ve heard it said that many restaurants charge exorbitant prices on their wine menu to make the bulk of their profit, while only hoping to break even on their food. Well there is another business model: the no-​menu (but awesome food), BYO anything (but preferably hard liquor) Jim’s Green Tavern business model.
Two words of advice: it’s necessary to book weeks in advance of dining at this thriving establishment, and it is not advisable to go to Jim’s Greek Tavern expecting a quiet meal or polite service. In fact expect to be forcefully encouraged to join in on a loud raucous chant of ‘happy birthday to you’ or some such shanty. Also do not expect to be given a menu. Jim’s does not have menus or any set prices that I have ever seen.
At this point I assume that you are thinking that none of these things really create the makings of a successful business. Or dining experience. But at Jim’s Greek Tavern the lax attitude towards service and dining etiquette are as important to its success as flour and water are to a great bread recipe. But without yeast and salt it would just be flour and water. It is the synergy of all four ingredients that make the perfect recipe (and I assure you I would go to Jim’s for the freshly baked bread alone!).
The yeast and salt of this restaurant are great food and the most easygoing BYO attitude I have ever come across. There is no corkage charge and I have seen many a bottle of Bourbon or Ouzo being downed with a main of delicious roast lamb or fried calamari. In fact this kind of behaviour seems to be the done thing at Jim’s Greek Tavern.
Jim’s business model thrives upon ensuring people are so inebriated that they have a fantastic time and spend all of their hard earned cash on delicious food of which they have no idea of the
price (hence no menu), and to be honest are not bothered because a) the food is delicious and b) they are too drunk to care. Definitely a place to dine with a group or party.