Lemonia

Lynnette K

Lemonia is a north London institution for sunshine service, food and atmoshpere.  It is busy every day, and the moment you enter you are greeted with smiles, olives, fresh radishes and a huge welcome.  Food offers you memories of your favourite Greek or Cypriot holidays, delicious pittas, Chicken broth and rice soup with egg and lemon, grilled seabass, Artichokes with broad beans, and the smell of shahliks cooked over coals lures you in whether you intended to visit that day or not! Lemonia was established in 1979 and remains in the same family, the essence of the restaurant is palpable.

Anon

Extremely disappointing experience. The food is very poor, not well presented, and NOT traditional greek. Overpriced for the small portions.

Zoe L

Excellent food, service and always a great evening.

Daso A

We had mixed feelings about going to Lemonia as we had read some mixed reviews. Being from Cyprus ourselves we had high expectations. Lemonia has a very classic greek restaurant feel about it and is in a lovely location.The service was impeccable and the food taisted good . My only complaint is that they do not have high chairs for children,which seemed strange to us.. Otherwise I thoroughly recommend .

Lynn W

We'd walked past Lemonia before and it always looks inviting, very busy so it's obviously popular, so thought we'd try it. I booked for 8.45 pm on a Saturday and we had to queue to get in but they cleared the crowd pretty quickly, some people being turned away. It's pretty noisy with several parties, birthdays and family events all through the dining rooms. Decor is traditional, the tables and chairs look as if they've been in place for the 30 years it's been open, and we were seated next to an old fireplace. Service functions well, with mature staff who know what they're doing and have seen it all. It was a good evening and we enjoyed it, but had to think why it's so very popular. It's an institution, people have been coming here for years, it's family friendly, and the meze – which most people seemed to be having – is great for sharing and at just under £20 per head has to be one of the the best deals in Primrose Hill. We didn't go for meze as it's often too much food. Specials of the day included several grilled fish which sounded good but we opted for the main menu. We had hummus, grilled halloumi and spanakopitta to start with warm pitta bread, all very good and appeared rapidly. The main course of slow cooked lamb with tomatoes and herbs was generous and very good, the grilled quail less so, not the juicy succulent little birds I'd hoped for but a bit dry, probably overcooked or kept hot a bit too long. Side orders of rice, mixed salad and grilled courgettes were fine. For dessert we shared a baklava and a yogurt with honey and nuts, lovely floral honey and crispy pastry offset by the creamy yogurt worked for us. It's a casual place, relaxed but efficient. Food is good and there are no surprises. Next time we fancy sharing meze with friends we may well come here.

Varuni G

I have been here twice now – service is very slow due to it always being really busy, plus you tend to get the feeling you are often forgotten about. That said, the waiters are always very friendly in the end. Foodwise, its a pretty standard Greek menu – pricey in parts (£5 for humous starter?). We opted for the set meal which has a huge selection of cold/hot starters plus a mixed grill. We really couldnt finish it all and were full after the starters! The downside – i think this place caters towards a much older crowd of people. Its in an extremely good location though, hence it always seems to be full. Good for taking the in laws out rather than a younger buzzy place to go. Foodwise, good but not amazing so ill be trying other options in the area next time.

Sue R

I dined here last Saturday with my boyfriend. The service is pretty good but thought the food was pretty average. I have tasted better homous plus my lamb main was quite chewy. The Baclava desert was very good though. Would I dine here again, probably not. Cost was £72 for a shared starter, two mains, one desert + two glasses of wine each. Not bad on cost.

Julie M

Visited Lemonia for the first time yesterday evening and can't wait to return. All the staff do what they do very well. The waiters are like everyone's favourite uncle – charming, funny and they obviously care about their restaurant. The place was busy, but pleasantly so and the tables are not too close together. The leafy decor and sunny conservatory make Lemonia feel a world away from London. The food is not elaborate, but the flavours are spot on and everything is very fresh. I've never had better haloumi and the artichoke and broad bean dish was delicious. I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant for anything from a meal with friends or family, or a fun place for a special occasion. Booking is essential though – we saw several people without reservations get turned away even quite early in the evening.

Rajiv N

I had a 9pm booking on Saturday night with friends at Lemonia. Initially there were a lot of people at the bar area, however within 5 minutes the area cleared and we were seated. I thought the atmosphere was very relaxed and decoration in the restaurant made you feel like you could easily have been in one of the Greek Islands. Food wise, I had the Meze option, which for £18.50 I thought was very good value as it included cold starters, hot starters and then hot mains which I thought was of a high standard and plenty on offer as well. The only minor issue perhaps was how long it took to order drinks then food and how knowledgable the waitor was about the food when asked questions, but this was quite minor and certainly nothing to complain about especially as the waiting staff were very polite and my friends and I did not feel rushed at all to finish quickly as we left just after midnight. I have not been to many other Greek restaurants but would highly recommend Lemonia.

Mairi B

I have just been for lunch here and had a really good value lunch menu meal including great fish. It was busy but the atmosphere was relaxed – there was a lovely background hub-bub, but not enough noise to be disturbing.