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Pantheon Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Greek Restaurants Mediterranean Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
407 Danforth AveToronto, ON M4K 1P1
Neighbourhoods: Greektown, Riverdale
(416) 778-1929
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
54 reviews for Pantheon Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"The grilled calamari is also pretty damn good." In 14 reviews -
"Sometimes you get free dessert - ravani, AKA honey cake." In 12 reviews -
"...with appetizers, the small souvlaki dinner is more then..." In 4 reviews
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54 reviews in English
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Review from Pascal P.
Toronto, ON
12/16/2011
I was on the hunt for the best Greek food in Toronto. Thanks to Yelp I found Pantheon. I went around 330pm so it was dead, I am pretty sure we were the only ones in the restaurant. I really got the family restaurant vibe from the place. Our server was a little rough around the edges but his service was amazing. Highlights- calamari- amazing, spanakopita- amazing...also had the lamb souvlaki, shrimp in cheese and garlic sauce and the baklava. all very good
Repeat- definitely -
Review from Derrick A.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2012
I've tried a few times WITH fail to effectively introduce Greek food to my fiancee.... first in Japan (not surprised) and once in Europe. Therefore, it was critical to find the "right" place for our first trip to Greek Town in Toronto. My fellow yelpers did not disappoint. Based on reviews we decided to give Pantheon a try and let's start with the most important part - my fiancee liked/possibly loved the food. So today I will try a list of pro's, con's.... Let me add however, that I have had better Greek Food in Vancouver!
Pro's:
- Fiancee liked their food (Is there such a thing as a bigger pro than this? I think not!)
- Greek salad Feta and sauce was outstanding
- Meat was of very good quality (steak + chicken) and cooked properly
- Complimentary honey cake at the end (seems the norm though but great)
- Excellent selection of dishes
- Tzatziki dip was GLORIOUS as Mr. Ferral would say.....
- Close to subway (easy to find)
- Roughly 42 dollars for 2 meat dishes and a drink each (perfect!)
- The most horrible sounding, yet best performance birthday singing
- Vegetables were very fresh, lemon potatoes were good
Con's:
- No pita bread with the souvlaki meal? WTF is that! This was a first and very disappointing. Nothing better than dipping your pita bread in the Tzatziki
- Lettuce in the greek salad - OK I am not going to bicker about authenticity, simply put I like my greek salad with cucumbers and not lettuce (with that said, my fiancee did like it a lot) - not used to carrots, celery and some of the other things as well, but hey it was good
- More FETA in the greek salad please!!!!
- Not enough Tzatziki sauce is given - OK maybe I like to drown everything in Tzatziki, but the little portion they give you is not big enough
So obviously, not too much to complain about overall. I will say that this is definitely an above average greek place, but most of the family run greek restaurants I've been to around Vancouver are of the same standard (a few higher even).
I will definitely return to this restaurant in the future, but will look to try one of the few other higher rated restaurants next time to compare - recs are most welcome!!! -
Review from Jason K.
3/9/2012 1 photo
- this place is legit (based on me being extremely non-greek)....
- had the grilled calamari dinner and the lamb souvlaki. and dang. that was phenomenal.
- the calamari is most def the one thing you must have here. (so says me, and our waiter bobby)
- they have something called beeftekia on the menu (ground beef marinated in spices and greek beer)... that is also on the kids menu! beer and kids. win.
- will definitely come back.
- p.s. you get 500 extra aeroplan points for eating here while paying with an aeroplan visa -
Review from Brian C.
1/31/2012
I'm happy I found this restaurant in Toronto. Right in the heart of Greek town, this place served some solid food.
The server was friendly, and the food we had was tasty. We had the saganaki (pan seared cheese flambeed table side) which was salty, bubbly and delicious. We also had the lamb souvlaki dinner, which was a huge serving. The lamb was good, and the potatoes and sides had a very home-cooked feel to it, which I liked.
This is Greek comfort food, and it certainly hit the spot. -
Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
3/20/2012
The line up on here on a Saturday evening is like being in clubland but for older people so make a reservation!
The food was pretty good and at a decent price. Good options for vegetarians but it's the service that makes this place great! Bring a friend here for their birthday and embarrass the hell out of them by getting the staff to sing "happy birthday" to them. The man who sang to my friend couldn't carry a tune if his life depended on it but the enthusiasm and flailing arms made it one of the best renditions of "happy birthday" I've ever witnessed. -
Review from Anabel L.
Toronto, ON
1/12/2012
mediocreon
I don't 'go to The Danfort often enough. I really should. There's so much love in Greek food - you have savoury souvlaki, flaky and gooey spanakopita, and cheese flamed with cognac (a personal favourite). Greek food was my favourite cuisine between 1996 and 1998. Of course my mother seems to think it still is. I don't fault her, it's us daughters, we change our minds so often.
Twenty of us gathered for a birthday dinner on Tuesday and were seated in their "semi-private" room with fireplace. Yes, the fireplace is indeed one of their selling points.
Pantheon is exactly what a family owned restaurant feels like; it even has grumpy grandpa, who, unfortunately, served our table. Crotchety. Not exactly the appetizer I wanted for my meal.
Moving on, the general consensus was that the main dishes were baseline good, barely.
The garides saganaki appetizer I had was delicious. But how can you screw up garlic butter sautéed shrimp melted in cheese? Really, you can't.
The salad that came with the souvlaki dinners wasn't spectacular but it was very fresh.
I ordered the small Pork Souvlaki dinner (small seemed to fill most of us up, girls and guys alike), but I got chicken. There were 20 of us and it was hectic so I decided to be agreeable and just ate it.
Nothing on my plate tasted any better than the Jimmy the Greek I used to eat at the Eaton Centre. It wasn't as greasy, but I'm not convinced that Pantheon deserves the accoldes I've seen and heard - "best Greek in Toronto". Those are fighting words and necessarily need to be backed up by knock-me-off-my-feet food.
Oh look, I'm still standing. (Hehe)
Pantheon did have one saving grace, its tzatziki. One of the best I've had and it made my night. The taste just pops and your entire mouth fills with creamy cucumbery garlicky goodness. I've always thought the best tzatziki should zing. -
Review from Bill M.
Toronto, ON
4/4/2012
My fave Greek restaurant on the Danforth ! I grew up in the neighbourhood (Heretismata Ellines ! ) and know my Greek food - Pantheon never disappoints: recommend: grilled calamari; appetizer combo ; souvlaki. Haven't tried the seafood yet. Service is professional and unhurried for the most part. Singing busboy is, at best, annoying. Desserts can be a bit boring, so instead I suggest you head on down the street to Athens Pastries for some bougatsa (custard pie) and coffee, instead of staying for dessert at Pantheon. Can't beat the basics, though - I go there once a month.
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Review from Fanny W.
1/2/2012
Most of the Greek food in Toronto are salty and greasy. The meals we had were not salty; they are very tasty and carrying the authentic taste! The grilled squids were so good, which reminded me the grilled squids I had in Israel.
The service here - excellent - very friendly !!!!
I would recommend anyone who wants to have a more authentic Greek food in Toronto. -
Review from Darren L.
Scarborough, ON
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not the biggest greek fan in the world but I did like their Shawarmas. Was a very friendly family atmosphere and they were very patient with us when we had to wait for the rest of our group to arrive.
For what you pay for, you get a really good deal. Just can't give it a 5 but it is darn close.
Potatoes are amazing. -
Review from Lauren M.
My 400th review goes to the Pantheon Restaurant!
For some reason, despite my big love for Greek cuisine and the Danforth in general, I have never eaten at Pantheon until recently.
Apparently I have been missing out because I was truly impressed with the food and service here.
Pantheon is decorated in a more traditional "taverna" style Greek restaurant as opposed to a fine dining look that many of the other good Danforth spots go for (Ouzeri, Pan on the Danforth, Mezes).
The walls are adorned with lots of cheesy hand-painted landscapes covered over with Greek mythology posters and other fun kitschy bits. The tables are set close together and the place gets packed with hungry customers.
2 of my bestest Yelper friends and I decided to share a mixed platter for $32, piled with 2 dolmades (stuffed grape vine leaves), 2 spanokopita (spinach pie), 2 huge pieces of grilled kalamari, a giant piece of grilled octopus and a big fat Greek sausage. Every item on the platter was delicious and perfectly cooked.
We also shared a plate of tzatziki and pita for $6.95.
Our waiter was an absolute gem! I thanked him using my newly acquired Greek word (Efharisto!) and was stoked that he understood and responded in Greek. THEN he brought us a big slice of FREE CAKE! (Honey cake - Melopita)
Overall - a brilliant meal, very reasonable prices (we paid $17 each included tax and tip) and great service. Free cake rules.
Opa!Listed in: Lauren M's BIG FAT GREEK LIST
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Review from Tony F.
7/25/2011
We were here to celebrate Lauren M's 400th Review!!
So with that.. I'll defer to her review. But the place was excellent! The complimentary cake pushed it over the top and bought an extra star.
http://app.toronto.ca/...Listed in: Omnomeriffic Yum! (TM), Date night
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Review from Julia B.
8/17/2011
This place was okay. I think that our expectations were a bit too high going in, or maybe I've been spoiled by Greek food elsewhere.
The food itself didn't stand out too much - it's been 2 months and I can't remember what we ate. I think one of the dishes was chicken? Regardless, the service was a bit off. We had ordered hummus as an appetizer and they completely forgot about it. We didn't have a chance to mention it before our food came out because our waiter didn't come back before then.
We did get a piece of the honey cake as a complimentary "sorry we messed up your order", but judging by recent reviews, they do this fairly often.
Maybe it'd be worth another visit, but I think I'd rather try one of the other Greek places on Danforth next time in in the Toronto area. -
Review from Lilliane G.
Toronto, ON
7/23/2011
As I prepare for an upcoming trip to Greece I find myself obsessing over Greek food, and last night I found myself on the Danforth with fellow Yelpers hoping to check out a new Greek food spot. As luck would have it, someone in our group suggested Pantheon.
What a delight! The restaurant has a real taverna feel complete with posters of Greek philosophers, gods, godesses and even a cheat-notes type poster describing Pythagorean's theory. Overall, great points for decor.
The service was amazing. Our server was super-friendly and attentive.
The food, oh the food. Absolutely delicious sharing platter replete with grilled calamari and octopus (both seasoned and grilled to perfection), stuffed grape leaves, giant Greek sausage, spanokopita and fresh slices of cucumber and tomato. We also ordered a plate of tzazkiki (well worth every single calorie).
Our server also brought us a free slice of honey cake, which although it didn't look like much, was out of this world delcious.
The price was very reasonable and no one left hungry.
Love, love, loved this place! -
Review from Sabrina P.
Toronto, ON
9/5/2011
Pantheon has the best grilled calamari I have ever tasted!
My boyfriend and I usually order the grilled calamari dinner and split it between the two of us. Its more than enough for us to share. It is delicious and it is always consistent - we've never had a bad experience.
The people are super nice. It's a family-run business. The place is always packed with people either inside or out on the patio. I think its the best greek restaurant on the Danforth!
Keep up the great work :) -
Review from Susan C.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2011
Came here last night for my birthday celebration and was happy I did!
The food was extremely filling and delish. We ordered the saganaki (sp?) and hummus to begin with and it was very worthwhile watching the flames the cheese had. I ordered and shared the Chicken Souvaki with a friend and we stuffed ourselves to finish the whole plate! The potatoes was my favourite part of the whole plate (SALTY POTATOES!) The chicken was prepared just the way I like it - it wasn't dry at all! I tried some of the grilled calamari my friend order and it was a good experience for my first time trying it!
The service was very friendly. Waters/Waitress were always checking on us to make sure if our cups of water was filled and if we needed anything else.
It was nice that they gave us a piece of the honey cake!! (:
Will def. be coming back soon! -
Review from Dimitrios D.
7/26/2011
Friendly Greek waiter.
Good food! I liked the flaming saganaki- not all Greek places do that anymore. The salad didn't have red onion which seemed odd and instead had yellow peppers and capers, but tasted very nice regardless.
My only complaint? The octopus was tough and pretty tasteless. -
Review from Giuliana B.
SCARBOROUGH, ON
2/2/2011
All the glowing reviews for this place have me doubting my much less than stellar experience. We were craving good Greek food, so we decided to come here mostly due to all the rave reviews on Yelp :)
When we got here, the restaurant was full and the hostess immediately asked us if we had reservations. We said no, and she seemed less than impressed by this. She walked away to show another group to their table and came back about 5 minutes later, pointed us to a table and walked off. She couldn't even be bothered to walk us to the table,smile or hand us a menu for that matter. Pantheon really should consider having a friendlier person working as a hostess.
A waiter came by soon after, introduced himself and handed us a menu. We decided to get the fish of the day (my mom and I) to share, and my boyfriend decided on the pork souvlaki dinner. Our waiter recommended the Red Snapper and he got us the biggest one they had for us to share. We also got the fried calamari to share as an app. The calamari was delicious. Golden, crispy, big rings that were obviously the fresh, not frozen variety. And most importantly, they weren't greasy at all. I loved these!
We got complimentary "Greek" salads with our dinner, which were pretty standard and boring, but ok I guess. And then our main courses arrived. The grilled Red Snapper was delicious and definitely enough for two to share. The sides (rice pilaf,potatoes and veggies) was a tiny little portion that would have hardly been enough for me alone, let alone both of us. The rice was standard, and the potatoes were awesome! But the veggies were clearly the stuff you get from the frozen section at your local grocery store. My boyfriend said his pork wasn't very good and kind of dry.
Aside from the bitter hostess, service was great. Our waiter was super friendly and attentive and our water was topped off regularly. We also got a piece of honey cake on the house which was nice. The cake was sweet and moist and I really enjoyed it.
There's a ton of great options in the Danforth to choose from, so I am in no hurry at all to return here. -
Review from Nick S.
7/8/2011 1 photo
A pretty fantastic restaurant with solid Greek offerings that go far beyond gyros and tzatziki sauce.
The service here stands out more than anything else. The older Greek gentlemen running the place really want you to like it. My significant other and myself ordered just two entrees, which they considered to be "not enough" food, so beforehand they brought out a sampler of their many kinds of fresh dips with vegetables and bread for dipping.
Honestly? Kind of amazing. I didn't think I'd like any of them, but they were all sort of delicious in their own way. One had vegetables and a bit of a kick on the aftertaste, and another felt like the cousin of a flavored cream cheese.
Although the prices are a bit steeper than I'm used to for Greek fare, the chicken pita is tasty and clocks in under $9. The grilled calamari is also pretty damn good. -
Review from Tom T.
Toronto, ON
1/15/2011 3 Check-ins Here
There is no better Greek restaurant on the Danforth! I've been going here for years and have never had a bad experience!
The ingredients are top quality: the dips have an authentic taste, the meats melt in your mouth and the seafood as great as any I've had seaside at Greek island tavernas!
You won't be disappointed!! -
Review from Jaime Y.
Toronto, ON
1/2/2011
Pantheon is always our number 1 choice for Greek food on the Danforth. My husband took me to Pantheon on our first dinner date so it holds a special place in my heart..heehee...
The restaurant is staffed with a number of friendly waiters who genuinely enjoy serving the food and will occasionally sing really loud (and off tune) for you when it's your birthday. All of my Greek friends go to Pantheon so I think that might mean that it has a good reputation in the Greek community (it serves a lot of traditional favourites). The decor is a little dated and tacky with Greek inspired paintings on the wall, but the place is huge. There are usually lots of big dinner parties on the weekends and it can get quite noisy depending on where you are sitting. Also, if anyone around you (or you) orders the saganaki flaming cheese, be prepared to hear a loud "OPA" and have your hair heat up from the open flame. If you're visiting for the first time, have your camera ready to catch the cheese flame--it's quite the sight!
One tip I have is to skip the free bread in the beginning to make room for all of the other goodies that you'll be ordering. Because trust me..you will wish that you saved room once the real food comes to the table.
A few favourites of ours include: saganaki cheese appetizer (flaming cheese...so delicious), grilled calamari (always a generous amount, grilled to perfection), hummus (best hummus on the block!) with whole wheat pita.
Sometimes when we come with a big group we order the small dip platter. It comes with about 5 different types of Greek dips--delicious! The best part of the dips platter is the spicy salmon dip and the hummus.
My husband always orders the traditional souvlaki dinner--either pork or lamb--and goes through a dilemma every time we go because it's so hard for him to decide which one to choose. He usually alternates them because he loves them both. After filling yourself with appetizers, the small souvlaki dinner is more then enough to fill you up. The souvlaki dinners come with a Greek salad that is always fresh and has lots of feta on it. The house Greek dressing is extremely tasty and doesn't overpower the salad. Also, the souvlaki dinners are usually served with rice, potatoes (marinated in something that makes them melt in your mouth...) and carrots.
If the waiters like you or if they're in a good mood (which is usually always), they will bring out special honey cake dessert--on the house! This cake is so amazing! Fluffy and just the right amount of honey to make it just sweet enough. The cake usually comes drizzled with chocolate on the plate, but you don't need to use the chocolate on the cake--it's good enough on its own!Listed in: Greektown
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Review from Shiona R.
5/29/2011
I have eaten here a couple of times and each experience has been great. The service is excellent and waiting staff are very attentive...we were encouraged to take our time. The lamb souvlaki is delicious as is the grilled calamari. Portions are big...be prepared! Both times we have had complimentary desserts and last time some ice wine at the end of our meal.
I really need to try some other places on the Danforth but I'm struggling to see past Pantheon! -
Review from Keith C.
12/3/2010
One of the better Greek restaurants in Greektown. I've been to almost every single one so I can say that I do have some knowledge about the restaurants in this area.
The grilled kalamari is a must. As is the charcoaled octopus for an appetizer. For the main course, I wouldn't recommend getting anything that isn't Greek. I mean. Why come to a Greek restaurant and get american food like steaks? Seriously. Go to a steakhouse then. The fish of the day was fantastic and I highly recommend getting it. I am usually never a big fan of fish but I felt like giving it a shot and I was completely blown out of the water. The lamb souvlaki is also really good but I prefer the fish more. I'll prob be getting the fish of the day the next time I come back unless they run out.Listed in: Going Greek?
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Review from Samia M.
Toronto, ON
5/23/2011
Meh. I ordered a chicken souvlaki. It came with a greek salad as a starter and the entree. The greek salad had a bit too much oil. So much that it ended up dripping on my mom's blouse. Also, it was made with boring iceberg lettuce. Meh. The chicken was cooked really well. The potatoes that came with it were kind of boring, the rice pilaf was a little oily. My husband ordered the pork souvlaki and was SUPER pleased with it. My parents also tried the marinated grilled chicken breast and it was super tender and seasoned really well. My mom got lucky and was served steamed vegetables with her meal, which I wish I got. The tatziki was creamy and flavorful. The portions were big. Prices were fair.
The service was awesome. The waiter was always around, asking if we needed anything. Had a great sense of humor and even gave us a dessert to share for free! We got lucky and were seated outside, during nice weather, with good company. Could you find better Greek food on the Danforth? Maybe. Is the ambiance, service and meat preparation decent enough to go again? Sure.
As a side note, I wish yelp let me give it a 3 1/2 stars versus a 4, but I got bullied into this rating. Enjoy! -
Review from P B.
Mississauga, ON
12/27/2010
Best dining experience I've had in Toronto. The food is amazing, the service is fantastic. This is easily my favorite restaurant in Toronto.
I've never had a bad meal or experience. The waiters are frequently re-filling your water or wine before its half empty. The provide complimentary bread, and occasionally offer free appetizers and/or dessert to share.
If you're there for your birthday you'll get serenaded by one of the three tenors ;-) Honestly if you're looking for great Greek experience - I highly recommend them. -
Review from Archimedes T.
Toronto, ON
I went here with a friend as I was inkling for some thing Greek and something beefy and we just happened to be in Greek street, Danforth. I was thinking Beef Souvlaki, but it was not on their lunch menu and it was pricey on their dinner menu.
I instead opted for their lunch special NY Steak on a salad. Medium Rare.
While waiting for my food, got some free bread and butter, tastes good, but I didn't find anything out of the ordinary that I should be aware of.
After a few minutes, I didn't really notice since I had some good conversation, my food had arrived. My verdict: excellent food (except for the onions and olives because I don't like those, but if I did like them, they were fresh and strong). Their herbs are pretty well wrought into their meat and it gives a pleasant after-aroma.
Service was way beyond par. Water gets refilled automatically without asking. That's a pretty major feat considering how quickly I usually drink.
They ended giving us some complementary honey cake. Man that cake was amazing. It looked like a sponge cake and tested almost like very honeyish sweet (as opposed to sickeningly sweet that you get with most cheap cakes at non-Chinese supermarkets and Dairy Queen) leche flan. Also when you cut into it with a fork you sometimes get honey drizzling out some of the pores (I wonder how they did that).
Anyway this is now my favorite Greek restaurant which unfortunately I would rarely go to since it is in Downtown Toronto and I usually avoid places like this. -
Review from Katie W.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2011
Horrible service. Went with my husband after my last day of my first semester teaching college and no one talked to us at our table for almost 20 minutes except the guy who brought us bread.
We were just about to leave when a server came up and said, "ok?" Uh, ok? Some sort of apology would have put us in a better mood.
Food was okay, salad was great, the rest was average. Service never improved. Food was overpriced. Wouldn't go there again. -
Review from Caroline B.
Pickering, ON
8/8/2010
Went here today for the Taste of the Danforth & the Mousakka was amazing! I have heard nothing but excellent things from here and it was great to experience this on my first journey for the Danforth Festival.
My friend had the Pork Souvlaki and that was given to her in a most GENEROUS portion lol.
Definitely will be returning here again, the service was fast and friendly and the food was tasty & excellent. Some of the best Greek food i've ever had -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
2/24/2011
Before rock-climbing nearby, we stopped by the Pantheon to have a quick fuel up. Couldn't decide between a bunch of the appetizers on the menu so the logical choice was to go with the appetizer platter! With that you get grilled calamari, grilled octopus, spanakotyropita, grilled sausage, and dolmades.
We were the only table in the restaurant at the time and the complimentary basket of uninspiring bread with whipped butter packets and water tided us over while waiting for our food. We pondered over what seemed like a long time to get an appetizer platter. Happy to say that the wait was definitely worth it, as the food came out freshly grilled, spankotyropita had an excellent crunch to the phyllo pastry surrounding a smooth spinach and cheese filling. The flavour of the sausage surprised me, but in a good way. Just wasn't expecting that kind of flavour from it, but it was yummy. The grilled squid and octopus were really well done, with no chewiness indicating overcooking. I usually won't even touch octopus when it comes to sushi after having some bad experiences, but I chowed down almost an entire tentacle serving here!
I would come back here again just for this appetizer platter. -
Review from eric g.
Toronto, ON
10/1/2010
Pantheon is the real deal. Real down-home Greek food at decent prices. It's the place my (much) better half and I go to when we want the classics: grilled octopus, taramosalata, spanakopita, fried zucchini and eggplant, a proper Greek salad, etc.
Tip #1: When you go to a proper Greek restaurant, don't order the souvlaki dinner with rice, potatoes and salad. Just don't do it. It's like going to Chinatown and ordering chicken chow mein.
My recommendation: the first time you go, order some dips (taramosalata, hummus, melizanosalata ), a hot appetizer platter for two, and if you want your vitamins, a Horiatiki (country) salad - tomatoes, olives, onions and feta - the kind of Greek salad you get in Greece. Hot appetizers include octopus (the best I've had in Toronto), calamari, loukaniko sausage, spanakopita, etc. On our latest visit, we also ordered the chicken livers, which come on a sizzling plate with onions and mushrooms - delicious! (Yes, there were more than two of us.)
Sometimes you get free dessert - ravani, AKA honey cake. Yum! Almost as good as my better half's.
And if you're really lucky, one of the waiters will sing for you. Trust me. This you gotta hear. -
Review from Sin-Yaw W.
9/11/2010
For Greek authenticity, it does not get better than this one. The decor, staff, and foods are all real Greek. My host spoke and order in Greek and we were all feel very charmed.
As a restaurant, the food is tasty but honestly not that exotically foreign. The Greek Cabernet was good, but not outstanding. The grilled sea bass that I order was well made and delicious too. The best dish was actually the appetizer octopus.
The issue probably is that Greek foods are not really that unique (unlike Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, or Italian). They are dishes common to many restaurants, like lamb chops and grilled fish.
I definitely won't go out of my way for this restaurant. But if I am in Greek town Toronto, this will be my choice one. -
Review from Andrew V.
1/18/2009 1 photo
Hands down the best Greek food in TO and I've been to a ton of Greek restaurants.
Every dish is amazing. Saganaki is my fave. Opa! Seafood is a specialty here and it's always cooked to perfection. If you like seafood, try the grilled calamari - it's very tender and never rubbery. The traditional dishes, like mousaka and souvlaki, are always great too.
Decor is simple and pleasing - white walls with Greek Gods painted on them. They have table cloths and cloth napkins.
Get a reservation on the weekend though, this place fills up fast! And ask for John Troupis, the owner, to be your server. He treats me like a king every time! -
Review from Julianna B.
Toronto, ON
4/21/2009
I used to live in Greektown, and this was my favourite place.
Grilled calamari (which I don't even like) is tender and lemony, and the dolmades are a buttery, delicious reproach to every restaurant that serves them out of a jar. The sausage appetiser could feed your entire family, and the big salads are to die for.
I rarely make it as far as the mains because the appetisers are so good, but I've learned to save space for the dripping honey cake (if the evening's getting on, they might bring a serving gratis). Wash it down with a Mythos and look at the pleasingly lurid murals of the Greek gods. See the waiters set dishes alight. At Pantheon, they do it right. -
Review from Tamar K.
Toronto, ON
5/31/2011
I used to always try new Greek restaurants on the Danforth, but after finding Pantheon, I knew I found the best one, so I never go anywhere else anymore! The food and service here is amazing! They have the best chicken souvlaki, amazing calamari (both grilled or fried), their daily fish of the day is always fresh and delicious, I love their eggplant dip, and of course their honey cake is incredible!!! And they have excellent service, the waiters are always friendly, attentive and helpful!
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Review from Anthony C.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2012
We just took friends from the UK here for lunch. We have a couple of children between us, and the first thing to say was how welcoming, open and friendly the staff were.
After a fantastic sweet Greek coffee, we started off by sharing the large plate of dips which came with some marinated octopus and was wonderful. Not too heavy handed with the garlic and beautifully flavoured throughout.
After reading several reviews here, I had to go for the grilled calamari main course which lived up to it's reputation in every way. It sent me immediately back to a beach restaurant I went to in Greece which served the freshest of fish on a grill. The flavours and textures here were in every way it's equal. My wife had a steak salad which she said was great, and my friends had roast lamb and interestingly the fried calamari which was also very tasty.
The last thing to say is how generous the portion sizes were. It is refreshing to order calamari and seriously struggle to finish, but that's what happened. It's not often i can say that. At 16.95 this dish represents SERIOUSLY good value for money and would join others on this site in thoroughly recommending both the calamari and the restaurant on the whole to anyone. -
Review from C S.
Toronto, ON
1/21/2012
Probably my favourite place to get Greek food. They have an amazing Shrimp Saganaki....worth going to this place just for that. Gracious staff who have worked there for decades and truly care about your dining experience. Sometimes they bring you a complimentary dessert which really is the icing on the cake!
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Review from patty k.
Oshawa, ON
5/4/2010
I have been going to Pantheon since I was a kid. I love the fact that this is authentic Greek cuisine. I have been to Greece over ten times to visit family and this is one of the few places here in Canada where it really feels like you are in the old country enjoying the Greek flavour. The decor is nothing special. It's no frills, unpretentious and I wouldn't change that at all about it. There is always a line up out the door (even in the dead of winter...trust me....I've been there) and that says a lot about a restaurant. Take it from a Greek...this food is something to say OPA about. Yum!
P.S. They even had a wine on their menu that comes from the small town where my father is from. Bonus marks!!! -
Review from Mark M.
Toronto, ON
8/23/2009
My favorite place for Greek on the Danforth. Fast service, really great quality food and portions, and nice atmosphere.
The signing waiter is a really treat. Also with larger or special meals, they'll often throw in some extra treats for free :)
Often packed while most others are empty, so make sure you can get a seat! -
Review from Dani L.
Toronto, ON
2/16/2011
So your first boyfriend from 1995 who looked like the dude from Alice in Chains is now working at Pantheon. Now, instead of a douchy guy in ripped jeans, he's lost the attitude and transformed into a superfriendly waiter who brings you tender grilled calamari, giant salads, AND gratis bread, tzatziki and honey cake. Oh, and he's Greek now.
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Review from Dom L.
Toronto, ON
8/9/2010
Absolutely my favourite Greek place in the city, and I have been to a lot. The waitstaff has always been incredibly accomodating, and I have absolutely no criticisms about them or the food.
Serving sizes are usually pretty big, so bring your appetites. -
Review from Zachary G.
Toronto, ON
4/27/2010
I have been dying for some good calamari and I was hoping that all of the glowing reviews for this place were true. I was thrilled to find out this place knows how to grill a squid.
I sat outside with my girlfriend so we did not get a great look at the interior. The patio was a nice spot to sit on a spring night and we had a great view of the passers-by. We decided to split the grilled calamari and a shrimp dish whose name I forget.
The calamari was the best I've ever had in Toronto and it brought me back to the time I ate fresh calamari in Taiwan. If you are looking for a great version of this dish, this is your restaurant.
The shrimp dish was essentially shrimp with melted cheese and mushrooms. It was very tasty but I would have been fine with about half the quantity of cheese. It seemed like they put on as much as they did so that they could fill the plate without having to use that many shrimps.
I would definitely return for the calamari and I would be excited to try out some of the other dishes as well.
