Taverna Tony

Recommends

pburstyn

Joined 2 years ago

Really Good Greek Food. I have been here a few times and really like this place a lot.

The atmosphere is great, the food is amazing! Do not miss the spanicopita. It's warm and crispy and makes your mouth sing.

We have had the Greek feast a couple of times, but honestly it is too much food, really, no really!

Overall, if you come to L.A. and you like Greek food, make sure you visit this place, but expect to pay a pretty penny, this place ain't cheap.

Peter Burstyn is a former chef from NY and is now an insurance agent with Farmers Insurance. Visit farmersagent dot com/pburstyn

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TastefulTammy

Joined 2 years ago

Authentic Greek food with an attitude. I love the food here (try any lamb special they offer) and the bar scene is jovial and tweet-worthy but I find that there are inconsistencies every time I go. First and foremost, Tony's is open until midnight seven days a week. BS! It's a lie. Everytime I try it, they are closed by 11pm at most. Who does Tony think he is? Matsuhisa Nobu? I'm tired of Malibu institutions being snooty divas because they can. It's a community, neighbor! Treat me like an a-hole and I won't come back no matter how great your food is. I called at 11pm and the answer I got on the phone from Tony himself was that he was open until midnight. I showed up 15 minutes later (11:15pm) and they were closed. When I told him I called and journeyed to his restaurant directly after he told me he would be open, he yelled at me and and made me feel like an intruder, even though I was there 45 minutes before their published closing time, not to mention 15 minutes after he told me that they would be open, dismissing my cynicism with "We're always open 'til midnight." Despite the yummy morsels, I won't be back. Taverna Tony reminds me of the soup nazi.

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Dimitriosmichael

Joined 2 years ago

I don't see why people complain about this heavenly place. Firstly, the food was incredible. After the salad alone, we were full. Nothing was pretentiously Greek. Everything was modest, yet, very very very Greek. The staff were lovely. I had no complaints with the food at all, but the waiters persistently approached me to ask whether the food was acceptable. Our table was full of olive oil and bread before we even ordered.

The music had that Greek groove that only sitting at the base of the Parthenon can reveal. The musicians didn't care about playing for money, or for acknowledgment. All they seemed to care about was the art or Greek music.

The owner was there sitting with people and talking to them.

After reading some bad reviews, I and friends were skeptical, but, we really have to ask if these bad reviewers are mixing TavernaTony's with another place.

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Dena G.

Joined 11 months ago

Good food, good service, good atmosphere. The food was good and portions hearty. There were 2 of us and we started with the calamari and greek salad and were feeling pretty full with the appitizers. The patio is pretty and there are plenty of heaters to enjoy outdoor dining even on these chilly November nights. I'd go back as it was a fun evening and food was good.

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susieobrien

Joined 4 years ago

This has to be the absolute BEST restaurant in LA. I live in Santa Monica and I've been going to Taverna Tony for over 10 years. This restaurant is the absolute best restaurant. I go there all the time not just to eat, but to celebrate special occasions (my anniversaries, birthdays, friends birthdays, etc.). It is incredibly fun and festive, but depending on where you sit, is also really romantic (especially on the patio or by the fireplace). The food is second to none, so if you want to plan an event, you won't regret it. It's constantly written about in the papers and magazines for it's fab food and given very high ratings.

There are a ton of celebrities there all the time. The same weekend I was scheduling my wedding, Antony Hopkins was ALSO having Taverna Tony cater his wedding (I guess I have good taste for food, lol). The owner is Tony and he is just awesome - whether I come with friends, or schedule parties of 20 or more, he takes care of every detail, Greek style. The service is usually very quick, and I think that's because most of the waiters are Greek and are naturally just "speedy" and energetic. I find the last two reviews pretty strange as I've never had a bad experience there, nor have my friends and we eat there all the time.

My favorite dish is the baby lamb and the grilled swordfish - the desserts are to die for, and I have no idea how they can always have the sweetest and crunchiest watermelon all year around. This is by far the best restaurant in Malibu.

Doesn't Recommend

DOCTORX

Joined 4 years ago

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. MY WIFE AND I WERE EXCITED TO BE PATRONIZING TAVERNA TONY'S FOR THE FIRST TIME. MUCH TO OUR DISMAY WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.UPON ENTERING THE RESTARAUNT WE WERE NOT GREETED. AND IN FACT BY THE TONE OF HIS VOICE THE OWNER SEEMED ANNOYED BY THE FACT WE HAD WALKED IN. HE QUESTIONED MY WIFE IF SHE WAS SURE WE HAD A RESERVATION. WHEN SHE ASSURED HIM WE DID HE BEGRUDGINGLY DECIDED TO HELP US.THIS PRETTY MUCH DICTATED OUR NIGHT. MY WIFE AND I DID NOT FEEL WELCOMED WHATSOEVER AND NONE OF THE STAFF HAD A SMILE ON THIER FACE. AS FAR AS THE FOOD GOES IT WAS UNEDIBLE ( OVER SALTED SLOP) IT WAS BAD. SHRIMP, RICE, KABOBs, (@$29.50) AND ALL. IF ANYONE GOES TO TONY'S PLAY IT SAFE AND ORDER THE LAMB. DO NOT EXPECT TO BE TREATED IN ANY SPECIAL WAY. P.S. THE MUSIC WAS JUST LOUD AND REDUNDANT.

Doesn't Recommend

TDay

Joined 4 years ago

Food heavy, overpriced, bad management. You do get huge portions, but a bit too oily for my taste. I'm used to authentic Greek food and it usually doesn't taste so heavy and lardy. The band was good but the owner kept going and yelling at them in Greek, in front of a full restaurant, and you could tell he was visibly upsetting them. As a whole, the manager seemed to be harassing the staff, which was causing some tension. The prices are pretty high, but it is Malibu afterall. Coffee and dessert on the patio might be a better idea.

Doesn't Recommend

sublime11

Joined 4 years ago

worst restaurant experience I've had!. we went there for an early dinner on a weekday. you'd think it's a weeknight. they don't have a lot of guests, so the service will be outstanding. right? wrooong.

it was 5 pm, there were about 4 other occupied tables. so pretty empty. We sat down with our menus for a good 15 minutes when a server finally asked us about drinks. He brought our drinks and he started taking our order but then he said he'd be back in a minute. 5 long minutes later a pathetic excuse of a waitress came to take our order. we ordered, when asked about a wine list, she said they have "a really good greek white wine" (really? in malibu?) she pretended to write everything down though. they serve a yogurt dip so we decided to order pita bread for it. our pita came with a plate of hummus. We called her to tell her that we never ordered the $7 hummus. she gave us the look. didn't apologize, she took the hummus and went straight to the owner who was at the bar. they argued a bit then the owner came to our table asking us why we don't want our hummus. we said we never ordered it. he turned to the waitress and said oh they never ordered it? lol it was a joke. I couldn't believe it was happening. but you wish that was the worst of it! so then they left our table and went to the back and we heard some yelling. our server got changed AGAIN. The new guy brought us our entrees. I had ordered the greek salad which sounded delicious in the description. it arrived looking bland. don't order it. it's not worth the $13. but that's besides the point. on the white plate there was a black hair about an inch long. right there, staring at me. It wasn't mixed with the salad. it was on the plate. You'd think servers LOOK at the food before serving it? at that point, I just didn't know what to do. everything that could have possibly gone wrong had gone wrong. I just wanted to somehow disappear. the owner was sitting there, looking at us, following our every single move. he made us feel soo hostile. and we're 3 girls in our 20's. I don't know what it was, but we somehow couldn't just walk out. now that I think about it we totally should have. anyway. they brought me a new salad, which I couldn't dare touch. obviously. and then a "complimentary dessert"? really? instead of comping my salad? or our pita? or both?

we were miserable. I paid my part which was $28 (yuh) tip included and everything.

I don't think anyone willing to spend money to eat out should have the experience we did at Taverna Tony's. what a shame.

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LittleItaly113

Joined 5 years ago

One of the best restaurants in Malibu!. Come here if you enjoy Greek food... or not! The great thing about this place is that they have all the traditional Greek dishes you'd expect but if you don't like Greek food, there are other dishes on the menu that you can have instead. (The Greek angel pasta and California Greek salad are yummy options.) THE best thing about this place is the bread & dip they bring you at the beginning- AMAZING. I could live off it. I've tried almost everything on the menu because I did the "Greek feast" one night with my parents. It was sooo much food so if you're going for that, be hungry! Everything I've ever ate there has been great.

Doesn't Recommend

luckyone77

Joined 5 years ago

DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE. This evening was birthday celebration for my mother, but turned into a very stressful evening, filled with suspense, as to what else could they possibly do wrong....

The experience started as we were seated for dinner without menus. We sat in our seats for 10 min. ignored until I spoke up and asked for menus for our table. I was told that there were none available and as soon as some became available we would get them. Once we received menus it took another 20 min just for someone to take our order. We ordered appetizers, salad and entrees. We specifically asked to have our salad prior to our entree, however everything arrived at the same time. Although the portions are large (one entree is enough for 2 people), the food was mediocre at best. The chicken kabob was very dry, and almost tasted like it was microwaved. The lamb was untrimmed and very fatty.

Once we finished dinner and the table was cleared we waited about 15 min. and never saw our server. At this point I had to excuse myself from the table to find the owner (TONY) to ask for a check. I was told that they were bringing a dessert out for my mother's birthday. How nice I thought, something small to put a candle in and sing Happy Birthday. They brought out a plate with a few different items. Since we were all watching our weight we didn't touch the desserts. Then the check came..... UNBELIEVABLE...they had the nerve to charge us $22.00 for the desserts.

I excused myself from the table to talk to the owner to let him know I mentioned it was mothers birthday so we could get a little something sweet, not a plate of desserts for $22. He just turned around and walked away, unwilling to remove or reduce the dessert charge.

BOTTOM LINE:

Overpriced.

Food very mediocre

Service was terrible

I will never go back or recommend this restaurant.