Slick + I spent Saturday night celebrating our good friend Dana’s 30th birthday at Taverna Plaka on Cheshire Bridge. 

Taverna Plaka

I hadn’t been to T. Plaka in maybe five years + I’d completely forgotten how much fun it is!  After the three hours we spent there, I’m convinced that it should be on everyone’s list for a bachelor/ bachelorette party, places to go when you have friends in town, or special (fun NOT romantic) occasion!

Dana had about 20 people out to celebrate with her + even before we could order drinks and get a bit crazy, one of the belly dancers brought her up on top of the table to get her Greek grove going!

happy birthday, dana!

The energy was great!  Then, all of the ladies were called up to participate in what to me seemed like a big Greek hora around the restaurant while everyone clapped + danced to traditional music.  Paper napkins were thrown everywhere with shouts of “OPA!”

OPA!

And, Ouzo shots…don’t forget those bad boys! 

"shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots - 'erbody!"

 By this time, we’d all worked up an appetite…  T. Plaka’s menu is pretty extensive, so my end of the table decided to do the $25 per person Mezedes: special chef menu for parties of two or more with all plates served family style.  It was the easiest choice + seemed like a good way to taste a bunch of dishes.

The first thing they brought out for the table was do-it-yourself hummus.  Slick worked on ours + it was super delish!  Fingers in the bowl + all…

Then, they brought out a cold spreads platter (eggplant, red pepper and cucumber spreads) and a Greek village salad.  All were sufficiently yummy, but we didn’t focus on them long because the flaming cheese (saganaki) was next! 

The server lit the cheese at the table + set it down while it was still flaming a bit.  It was pretty exciting to watch when you were a few drinks in…  M. Reynolds, Slick + I really enjoyed the cheese, but Cute Cari and Jordana described it as a “cheese version of tofu” – way too bland for them.  That was fine, though, because it meant more for us!

Before we knew it, the rest of the meal was out on the table + we were overloaded with delicious plates of spanakopita, chicken and beef kabobs, gyro meat, rice pilaf, and moussaka. 

They were all really good, but we had to finish them fast because Dana was back on the table in the blink of an eye dancing + holding an adorable Sugar Sugar birthday cake!  Sugar Sugar cakes are the very best in town + Dana’s was even better (if that is even possible) as it was accompanied by some of T. Plaka’s seriously scrumptious baklava.

Shortly thereafter, T. Plaka turned into a full-on club bumping Usher + Kesha tunes.  I think we were all caught a bit off-guard when the traditional Greek music transitioned to Top 100, but we embraced it for approximately 15 minutes before we called it an Ouzo-laced evening. 

T. Plaka is way more fun than I’d remembered it + I can’t wait to throw a party there or take friends who are in town.  With so many restaurants in Atlanta that seem like carbon copies of each other, T. Plaka is the perfect place to spice up your routine! 

Opa + happy birthday, Dana!

xx, L

Taverna Plaka
2196 Cheshire Bridge Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.636.2284
www.tavernaplakaatlanta.com

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