Mezes Kitchen and Wine Bar

Came here on a Sunday evening after performance at PFA. A cute, unpretentious place. Food was very good; we had an assortment of small plates (including dolmas, eggplant, hummus, sausage, chicken kebab). All were very good. The prices are fair; the service is adequate (not overly friendly or helpful, but fine). Limited beer selection (no cider, sangria). Overall a nice find and I would come back again.

I usually don’t write Unilocal reviews (I usually just forget or am to lazy about it) and this is perhaps my second time writing a review but I felt I really must for Mezes. It is such an authentic lovely restaurant. It pains me that other restaurants in the neighborhood get long lines in front of them when in terms of service, food and character this one really is much much better. Perhaps it is because Mezes doesn’t have the cool hip vibe of many of the newer restaurants. But it is truly great and has been around for many years.
The service is always great and the staff are genuinely kind and unpretentious.
Oh and the food is exquisite. I can’t tell you which dishes are my favorites because I have loved every dish I have eaten here.

Good food. We got the meatballs, gyro, and lamb burger. The gyro was particularly tasty. Slightly on the expensive side for the ambiance, but not bad. (We paid about $ 75 for two people, both ordering wine.)

Truly enjoyed this restaurant. Has a good atmosphere for a couple friends to come sit down to enjoy wine or beer, no hard liquor but they had great authentic Greek dishes. Would definitely come back again.

Mezes has to be my favorite restaurant now in SF. This review is very long overdue, like six months! I went with my friend before we had a concert. When she’d told me it was Greek food, I wasn’t sure I was in the mood (only because I’m middle eastern & I literally have that type of food all the time). She told me we just HAD to go and that I was going to love it – she was beyond right! I just found out what the name of this place was from my friend who lives in the Bay and I had to write this review. My experience here was one to remember and I can’t wait to come back.
It was a Sunday night so I don’t remember the restaurant being too busy. Inside it’s small and quaint, but not uncomfortable. The server let us sit wherever we wanted and he immediately got us water. Previous reviews I’ve seen of a server named Ian which sounds really familiar but I can’t remember our servers name for sure (I want to say I remember him with longer hair? But I could totally be wrong). He was excellent! Super accommodating but not overbearingly annoying. My friend and I were feeling like a glass of wine and asked what he’d recommend since they had Greek wine here. I told him I like more buttery white wines and he did not disappoint. We ended up getting a bottle because he recommended it’d be cheaper that way, so we just went for it.
My friend had mentioned a shrimp scampi (I could be getting that wrong but it was some sort of pasta w/​shrimp) she had had that she wanted to get. I guess usually it’s a «special dish» and it’s not even included on the regular menu. Our server didn’t even bat an eye if we asked if the chefs could make it for us. It was truly the BEST pasta I have ever had. My friend even said that that night the pasta was even better than she’d remembered. We were still so hungry and impressed we decided to get a dessert. It was like a chocolate cake with the best vanilla ice cream ever!
Our server ended up taking off our dessert on the bill because he said my friend & him were so nice to him. I guess he’d had a hard day and he said we were the coolest table he’d had in a while. Little did he know, he was one of the coolest servers I’d ever had. As far as price, I don’t remember my dinner being that expensive. But honestly, it was so worth it I probably wouldn’t have cared.
I am very impressed with this restaurant and I told my friend when I come back to the bay, we have to come here. I know she came here with her boyfriend for Valentine’s Day and says nothing but great things about Meze’s. Maybe next time I will actually have their Greek food since they are a Greek restaurant but that pasta is hard to pass up. Can’t wait to come back!

Great neighborhood spot, authentic menu items with specials on occasion. Their chicken kabobs are a favorite and wine list offers native Greek selections along with garagiste offerings from CA.

No stars actually, but… Terrible experience. Bad service. Mediocre food. Long wait for the food after ordering. They wouldn’t even bring the olives and feta until we asked, 40 minutes after ordering. Way, way overpriced for what you get. Wouldn’t bring bread until we asked then only brought 2 slices for four people! When we asked for more the server said no they were running out. On Saturday night 7pm! in a Greek restaurant! Unheard of. They brought a single pita sliced in six pieces then charged us $ 2 for it. The chicken was tasteless. The gyro was pre-​sliced and precooked not freshly cooked on the spiral. They got one of the orders wrong but we didn’t send it back for fear of how long it would take to get it right. We asked for an order «to go» at the end of the meal, never got it! We will not go back.

Our server was Ian, he was awesome especially after we arrived about 620pm and notified him that we needed to catch a 730pm show at the Palace of Fine Arts (7min walk) — we were out by 7:03 with plenty of time to spare! NOW back to the FOOD! We had the lemon soup, stuffed calamari and spanakopita with a glass of red wine… SOOOOO good and a perfect and light combination if seafood and spinach/​feta :)
We are definitely returning!
Thanks Ian!

This restaurant was very cute very cozy. We had the pita and taziki to start which was delicious. We loved the salmon and the mussels. The pan seared prawns weren’t my flavor but still decent.

Let’s hear it for big plates. Big, full plates. Big, full, well-​priced plates and no, I’m not sharing my giant Melitzana Imam ($ 14) with you.
The small plate trend appears here to stay but do you know how nice it is, every once in a while, to just have a good, old fashioned big plate of food laid before you and to have it be all yours? Very good.
Mezes has plenty of small plates on their menu and had my party of 4 not been rushing through our meal to get to a nearby show at the Palace of Fine Arts we’d likely have lingered over many small plates, racking up a larger tab and leaving less satisfied. But we didn’t have much time and that forced us not to study the menu too deeply and that is how I landed on that Melitzana Imam (baked eggplant, stuffed with onions, tomatoes, herbs, spices and feta cheese; gluten free). It’s one luscious plateful.
I had a delicious starter too (a red pepper/​feta mix, $ 4).
We opted for a bottle of Greek red wine which our server graciously offered to let us sample prior to finalizing our selection. She returned with two glasses of different Greek reds, each holding pours generous enough that four people could taste and decide. I’m liking this place quite a lot about now.
I dined here years ago and recall sitting outside on an attractive patio in back. On this evening we dined upstairs and that was about the only misstep. The main floor seating was much more appealing to me and there — I hope — I’d not have been seated beside a couple with two small children who one of my party later described as «very annoying». Please, people, what part of «wine bar» do you not understand?
With a large and varied menu and nice big entrée plates it’s easy to see how Mezes has endured as long as it has. If you’re looking to fill up on a nice plate of food (the lamb shank [$ 21} and the Gyro [$ 13] also received thumbs-​ups from those I dined with) I found Mezes to be a really satisfying choice. It’s upscale but not fancy and seems more restaurant than wine bar but still? Do me a favor and leave the kids at home.

Excellent Greek food. Not too pretensious, not too pedestrian. The tomato sauce on the prawns with a subtle undertone of cinnamon was uniquely good. If you’re looking for a low key dinner with approachable food that is a notch or two better than run-​of-​the-​mill Greek, you won’t be disappointed with this place.

We had a fantastic meal. Celebrating a milestone birthday as a group of 9, we were able to order a large variety of small plates and entrees to pass. Everything was amazing and the service was brilliant. Must tries were the Mousaka, Meaballs, Dolmas, Gyro and the Greek salad!

Had a great time here for happy hour (5 to 630p weekdays at the bar only). Discounts on wine and the happy hour food menu was quite good (meatballs, sausage). Owner was very polite and fun to talk to, and he let us taste some wines. They have a large selection of Greek wines and also California wines. Will definitely be back here for dinner some time!

Small intimate, cozy place with great service.
The stuffed grape leaves and the meatballs were delicious. I would definitely go back.

Great little restaurant. Portions are small see you can try a bunch of things. The price is very reasonable is well. Will definitely come back again.

Nice little place with friendly staff. Bartender was very cool. Food was good but this place is expensive and portion sizes are small. Even happy hour did not lessen the damage to my wallet.

We came because of the check in deal which offered $ 4 for select wine. Upon showing the deal to the bartender, he told us that we were wrong and that it was $ 4 off despite what the offer stated. We asked to speak to someone in charge and that never happened. I am disappointed that they could not take the $ 2 hit per glass to honor their deal then correct on Unilocal.From someone in the service industry, this is just a poor decision. I have never written a Unilocal review before this but others need to know the ethics and lack of consumer service this establishment has.

Devine, yum… Can’t wait to come back and try more wonderful plates
Service wonderful, helpful and nice

I’d been wanting to try Mezes for a long time, pass by it often and it looks (and is) super cute.
The zucchini cakes were delicious, the traditional egg-​lemon soup was really bland. I enjoyed our visit but I don’t think I’d rush back. I prefer the funky Myconos on Polk for Greek food.

Go on a Tuesday. Do the bites+vino. Pick 8 or 10 small bites off of their special Tuesday menu, everything from kalamata olives+freshest tasting feta ever to Spanakopita. Delish!

This is an update to my previous review.
After the messup with the service, the manager from the store personally apologized for the mixup in order and disappointing service and offered to make things right. I can really appreciate the gesture and the new gyro wrap with NO onions! :)
Thanks! I’ll be back and I’m hoping to try the zucchini cakes next time. I’m glad I have found my neighborhood greek place that will satisfy.
Dear fellow Unilocalers, time for you to come check out the softest gyro meat on soft pita bread! yummy!
–Hungry Hungry Pongy

I call this place Kokkari for beginners. It is in no way near the same level but the food is similar and still quite good. All the apps are delicious, I prefer them to the entrees. Very good food for the price.