It’s a popular football pub that’s consistently packed with patrons. But it’s now also home to a restaurant featuring the best Greek food I’ve ever eaten in the capital.
Upon entering the Adam & Eve in Homerton, E9, you’re greeted by a quintessentially pubby atmosphere. The surprise is round the back: Essi has set up a long-term residency there. Behind the venture is Kostas Vais, who combines his Greek heritage with experience in Australia’s buzzing hospitality scene.
His is a menu centred on fire cooking, featuring a range of dishes that merge his Greek traditions with Australian influences. His kitchen uses British seasonal produce alongside some imported Australian herbs and spices like lemon myrtle and finger lime.
Previously, Essi operated at TT Liquor in Shoreditch, but Kostas has held pop-ups in New York and Brighton too. Its new home is a fun choice, having hosted everyone from Teddy Boys to indie bands and DJs down the decades.
The main bar offers Essi’s chicken and pork souvlaki in pita bread, alongside a house burger with yogurt tartare. The main restaurant area is tucked away at the back, a pleasingly moody set up with dark wood furnishings and retro lamps creating an intimate dining space out of ear-shot from the football fans. Kostas’ passion for food – he gushed with pride when speaking to On London – shines through.
Where to start? The loaded potatoes are an absolute standout. The kale salad is far more interesting than you’d imagine, adorned with whipped feta and pine nuts, generously drizzled with oregano and lemon-infused oil. It’s proper comfort food.
For a veggie like me, aubergine can make or break a restaurant. Here, it was cooked beautifully, smoked but staying juicy. The pomegranate seeds set it off nicely.
My meat-eating companion was impressed by the generous lamb chops – succulent and the right amount of rare. I nabbed a bit of the lemony mash, and could have ordered that on its own. Essi’s goat pitas, another signature dish, are succulent and moreish.
This is a decent-value menu. The dishes are plentiful – particularly the “five spice loaded potates” (Greek, of course).
For dessert, there’s a remarkable baked custard and filo pastry creation called Galaktoboureko. It’s a Balkan beauty, but also a family recipe that Kostas has cleverly elevated. It bubbles away as it’s served, and substantial enough to share between two people. It’s as if rice pudding and halva had produced a delicious offspring.
The restaurant, like the pub, is open seven days a week, and the Sunday service offers a charcoal spit roast with options like pork shoulder, Suffolk lamb, chicken thighs or mushrooms, served with traditional sides.
Essi is, to my mind, a happy surprise. Opposite the chicken shops and behind the TV screens of Homerton is a Greek treat of gastronomical proportions. It’s hearty food that’s dripping with flavour and plenty of tasty oil. This pop-up deserves to become permanent. Hell, franchise it. I’d run towards this every week if it was in my local boozer.
Other dishes we didn’t try: the snack selection includes the popular Saganaki Toastie with rainforest lime, Osso Bucco Bites with avocado feta dip, and Spanakopita made with xigalo (soft goat or sheep) cheese and spinach). Main courses include lamb ribs, fish of the day with skordalia, and an “innovative” octopus bolognese prepared with Australian bush tomato and graviera cheese.
OnLondon.co.uk provides unique coverage of the capital’s politics, development and culture. Support the website and its writers for just £5 a month or £50 a year and get things for your money that other people won’t. Details HERE. Follow Josiah Mortimer on Bluesky.