Gamopilafo and Lichnarakia: The Cretan Revolution has reached London

One of fewer-than-a-handful of contemporary, creative but classy Greek spots in London, and an ode to Cretan cuisine - 1905 being the year of the Cretan revolution. How can a restaurant be traditional, authentic, creative and modern all at once? London might lack the community spirit of the Mediterranean, but this spot in Fitzrovia feels like somewhat of an oasis. Below you’ll see why and how.

The giveaways are takes on gamopilafo - Cretan ‘wedding rice’ - Cretan pastas (makarounes and skioufikta), lichnarakia pies for dessert, and of course the famous Cretan dakos in salad form. For the meraklides, a snails dish – or bourbouristoi, as they’re commonly known in Crete. With the kakavia (fish soup) and koliva (a wheat and berry mixture served at memorials), there’s no question whatsoever as to whether this is one of London’s Greek restaurants, or just another venture by restauranteurs trying to capitalise on the gap in the authentic Greek food niche. (To be clear: this is a case of the former.)

Part of the reason is a menu featuring dishes that are hard enough to find in Athens, let alone London. Shortcuts aren’t taken either: the lichnarakia themselves – also known as kalitsounia – are made in-house. Sweet, mini cheese pies that are shaped like flowers to signal the start of spring, often made around Easter. Another reason: the dishes, very simply, taste nice and are well-seasoned. Don’t underestimate this point, and hear me out. Greek cuisine is adored because it’s a masterpiece in making the daringly simple, affordable and accessible into something unbelievably delicious; dishes of a handful of ingredients that make you think, “wow… what?”

That said, it’s not often that you see Greek restaurants live up to that ethos in London at a fair enough price point. After all, we’re talking about a city where basics like good quality ingredients are increasingly premiumised. Which leads us onto the next rare and simple win for 1905 – the ingredients actually taste nice and are clearly good quality. I’m not sure how else to put it – sometimes the explanations really are that simple, with the simple becoming increasingly rare at a reasonable price point.

It’s hard to think of many other Greek spots that manage to simultaneously tick so many boxes: authentic but contemporary, traditional but modern, informed but creative. great quality and flavour without the extortionate pricing, refined but filling and fulfilling, a killer wine list alongside the traditional spirits (raki/tsikoudia and rakomelo), with no funny looks for ordering ouzo the way all Greeks drink it (as happened to us at one notable opening in Borough). Let’s be honest, London is expensive. Ergo, to survive, all restaurants have to adapt accordingly and, in turn, be relatively expensive. The point here is that this place doesn’t push it’s luck further than that; you don’t leave feeling cheated.

So why mention pricing at all? It’s no secret that there are some other refined, high-end Greek spots in London that exploit their position in the market for charging way over the odds, with glaring margins on some dishes: Opso and Gaia spring to mind. If you’re one of the majority to whom money does mean something, then it’s those spots that tend to leave you feeling disappointed. It’s not so easy to see who’s running them either, and you feel as though you’re just another customer.

In contrast, you tend to find the same faces and the same warm, almost expecting welcome when you arrive at 1905. Nikos and Kostas are the kind of people who you can actually find at their restaurant, hence it’s no surprise that the rest of the team – Greeks and non-Greeks – amplify that welcome and all seem to work and behave like a family business. [GEORGE?] , himself a Cretan, once ran a souvlatzidiko off Green Lanes, and is now the exact kind of waiter that manages to squeeze a smile and laughter out of almost every interaction (even before he serves your raki and rakomelo). Likewise, Klontia is the warm and welcoming personality of 1905 on the socials. As marketers say, ‘people buy from people’, and it’s incredibly refreshing to see a Greek spot in the heart of central London that feels like the closest you can get to community in central London, to which you want to return because of how the people there made you feel. To explain: every time I have been to 1905, there always seems to be a bulging table of Greeks by the back wall who fill the room with hearty laughter and an endearing buzz. Each time, they seem to feel at home, and the feeling is infectious. It’s little impressions like this that determine the trajectory of your dining experience.

That, to a large degree, is something that irrefutably contributes to the essence of Greek cuisine and the atmosphere within which you encounter it. We don’t need to overstate the unanimously positive feeling that people throughout the world feel towards Greek hospitality.

That philosophy and feeling is reflected on the menu and in the interior. A passion for wine isn’t hidden – and it’s declared in the menu. A wine-first philosophy doesn’t mean the food is an afterthought; rather, it means that you encounter one of the best affordable wine lists in central London, with a selection of Greek wines you won’t find so well curated anywhere else. 1905 could easily be one of those restaurants that leverage the lack of competition in that niche and hike their margins. They choose not to. Gaia gemista vs 1905

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There aren’t gimmicks, but beautiful sparks of creativity. For the sake of complete transparency: I initially rolled by eyes at the idea of a salad served out of a plant pot. The idea invoked memories of the kind of theatric that’s usually used to pimp up an average dish, which is rarely ever executed as well as it’s presented. Here, the ‘Cretan pot’ is actually enjoyable and balanced salad that is somehow all brought together by the ground paximadia (rusks) that form the ‘soil’.

As the sunsets the restaurant begins to glow as candles wrap themselves around well-loved wine bottles – fitting. The candles glimmer and plants sway back and forth in the corner as a gentle breeze sneaks in through the front door, casting a glimmer through the restaurant that catch you in the corner of the eye. The buzz mellows into a charming murmur as the conversation matures with the help of some wine (and raki). It’s naturally intimate and romantic. I think I might stay over.

A perfect spot for a date or casual catch-up with friends and family.