The Hungry Donkey

Greek Restaurant in Spitalfields
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8 / 10 from 1 review
Address
56 Wentworth Street
Spitalfields
London
E1 7AL
Map
Telephone
020 7392 9649
Cuisine
Greek
Region
Spitalfields
Nearest Station
Aldgate East
0.11 miles
Opening Summary
Mon - Weds: 08:00 - 22:00
Thurs - Fri: 08:00 - 22:30
Sat: 10:00 - 22:30
Sun: 11:00 - 18:00

Serving Greek cuisine.

The Hungry Donkey Picture Gallery

The Hungry Donkey Picture
The Hungry Donkey Picture

All In London Review

Clean, fresh, modern, relaxed and extremely good value for money

Review Image
On the deserted streets of Petticoat Lane market just a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station and within easy reach of the City we found this bold, modern, glass walled new Greek restaurant. Inside it is light and airy and all clean chrome against a white backdrop with splashes of bright yellow to remind us of Greek sunshine.

The cheeky donkey logo peeks discretely out from just about everything – including the paper placemats which also feature charming blue and white tile patterns. The kitchen is open and you can see the chefs working. There are kids chairs stacked in a corner and a few chairs suspended artfully from the walls. The music is pleasant and not overpowering.

The staff are quietly spoken but friendly and extremely proud of what they have to offer – which is uncomplicated authentic Greek food with the freshest of ingredients. It is a simple menu – as much geared up for the lunch trade as it is for an informal evening meal. They also do breakfast where you can get some imported Greek yoghurt.

We had a glass of Gaia Assyrtiko wine from Santorini (£6.75) which was creamy, floral and surprising. But you can get a glass of Savatiano wine for just £4. All the wines are Greek – and a little more expensive than anticipated considering the extremely good value of the food. But bottles start at £22.50 so it’s still very affordable. Retsina is £17.

To start we ordered some pan-fried saganaki cheese (£6) – cut into squares, it is like halloumi but less salty and squeaky. We also shared some tzatiki (£4) which was a generous portion and a basket of grilled bread (£1) and pita bread (£1). Everything was sprinkled with oregano. The flatware was white and plain white yet in pleasing soft designer shapes.

The Greek salad (£5) was startlingly fresh and contained cucumber, onions, olives and the creamiest yet subtle feta we’ve tasted and some green peppers (we had a little chat about whether green peppers are used in Greece – it seems that they are). To be honest, we had eaten so much of the simple but delicious starters that we could have stopped there.

My companion opted for the lamb “Plate me up” main course (£14). This was a wondrous dish to behold – a pile of grilled lamb slices (cut from a skewer) which was low on grease and high in flavour, a mound of bright red cherry tomatoes, a puddle of tzatkiki and some rough cut, skins-on baked potato chips. It was a veritable feast.

But I lucked out. The round dish of moussaka was amongst the best I have ever tasted – across many Greek islands. The top was creamy, the potatoes were firm and the aubergine perfectly cooked. The flavours and textures provided a beautifully-balanced blend. The side salad of chopped leaves had a light seasoned dressing.

Other customers – several twos and threes of young women and a group of 10 or so on one of the large tables who appeared to be from a local office – seemed to favour the souvlaki pita wraps (from £5.75 for chicken to £6.50 for Greek sausage). There are some high tables and a couple of places where you could happily eat alone.

Now we really were full. But managed to taste the Galaktoboureko (£5) which is a firm and sweet semolina concoction in a light and wafer-thin flaky filo pastry. Apparently, a recipe from the chef’s grandmother – Sas efcharisto giagia!

It’s clean, fresh, modern, relaxed and extremely good value for money. You won’t be a donkey to eat here, but you’ll need to be hungry.

Reviewed by KimT
Published on Jul 16, 2015


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