Ouzeria is a Greek restaurant in Polanco. Let me restate that. Ouzeria is a Greek taverna. Confused? If you’re Greek, you can skip to the next paragraph. For everyone else, I’ll start with a comparison to Italian dining, which people are a little more familiar with. A taverna is to Greece, as a trattoria is to Italy and an estiatorio in Greece, is more similar to a ristorante in Italy. For you Frenchies, let me put it this way. A taverna is more like a bistro, an estiatorio, like a restaurant. So, I suppose what I’m trying to say is that a taverna is a Greek bar that serves food. It’s less formal than an estiatorio and slightly more likely to be serving dozens of shots of ouzo to intoxicated patrons throwing plates at the floor.

Ouzeria is the more casual taverna format owned by Mythos, who owns and operates the restaurant Mythos Estiatorio, a couple of blocks away. Ouzeria has the slightly more informal ambiance, emphasizes appetizers, beer and ouzo.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It is. It’s fun and the food is tasty too. With minor exceptions, it’s very authentic. The dolmas with the avgolemono sauce (a classic Greek sauce or sauce/soup made with eggs and lemon), the bourekia (Greek empanadas made with phyllo), saganaki (cheese flambéed in the Greek liqueur, Ouzo), the Greek salad, feta cheese and kalamata olives all go down perfectly with a cold beer. All those little plates are best chased with a jigger of ouzo and by screaming “opa” at the top of your lungs.

They serve some slightly more substantial plates too. Try the Souvlaki (grilled chicken skewers), the classic Kebab (which is actually grilled skewered koftas), or the Bifteki Gemistó (cheese filled meatballs).

The entire menu is reasonably priced. The service is friendly and fairly attentive.

The pleasant ambiance, especially out on the sidewalk under the awning, the friendly service, plenty of beer and ouzo, and lots of fun food that’s something other than a taco, make Ouzeria one of our favorite informal dining haunts in Mexico City.