Girdy & Birdy love a bit of Greek food, and had been excited to try Fava for a little while now! It was definitely worth the wait.
Birdy: This was another one of Girdy’s picks, so I didn’t really know what to expect – apart from Greek food, and I like that a lot!
Girdy: Urg! I picked Fava and got off to a wretched start. I admit; I did an ItIsOn voucher because the pitch worked on me, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The scoundrels would not respond to my booking request; my first suggested date came and went without acknowledgement, despite my chasing. However, with perseverance, we finally got something booked.
So, dear readers, I expected to see some struggling local eatery when I turned up. I was very wrong!
The vibe
Birdy: Although it was very busy, Fava has a light, airy vibe – and fairly relaxed, with it. I particularly enjoyed all the hanging plants and lights that would occasionally start spinning in the wind.
Girdy: I was impressed when I got to Fava. It was super busy but well-spaced and suitably staffed. How come I’d never been here before? I’m rarely in this corner of Edinburgh, that’s why.
I was greeted quickly and got a table I was happy Birdy wouldn’t be able to do her usual trick of sneaking up behind me. Not that I had a choice; there wasn’t an empty table in the house.
Birdy’s review
I decided to go all veggie this time round, as I was tempted by some of the lovely sounding vegetarian dishes – and I felt healthy with it, too! For my starter, I had the papoutsaki, which was oven-baked aubergine stuffed with feta, tomatoes, spring onion, pomegranate seeds and garlic, with dressed with herbs. It was delicious!
As for my main, I had the veggie moussaka which paired amazingly with the mixed salad. Everything tasted so fresh and the salad was just how I like a Greek salad, so of course I ate everything on my plates. Yum!
For dessert, I did choose the chocolate cake and ice cream, which was very generously portioned, and if I’m honest, a little too rich for me. This meant me actually sharing with Girdy – I think next time I’d be better just having some of the ice cream (which I really enjoyed) on its own, like Girdy did.
Girdy’s review:
I started with falafel because it’s tasty and relatively healthy. Spoiler, all attempts at eating healthy quickly became nothing but broken promises.
It seems whenever I order falafel, which isn’t that common, I get something different, but I liked what Fava served up despite the somewhat unsettling lumpy brown sausage look.
Look, I was hungry. I ordered the give-me-everything-mixed-grill, and when it arrived, I could tell that Birdy thought I’d over-ordered.
Dirty secret time, this review has taken me about a month to write my half of. We went to Fava in July, and I suspect in that month, Birdy now knows ‘over-ordering’ is an academic concept when it comes to me. I suspect the speed at which I demolished the grill helped tear down that illusion that I’m nothing but a food machine.
I couldn’t help it. As I said, I was hungry! Fava’s mixed grill is generous and delicious, and appropriately filling. The calorie app of shame suggested I’d eaten my entire day’s energy on that course alone.
So, for dessert, I was restrained and ordered some ice cream. Better than that, it was Greek yoghurt ice cream, and I was curious and mindful of the health benefits of Greek yoghurt. It was tasty and gone quickly.
But, alas, Birdy struggled with her loaf of chocolate temptation, and I had to gallantly help. No regrets.
The service
Birdy: Due to how busy Fava was, the service wasn’t always the quickest, but it suited us just fine as we weren’t in any rush. It did feel fairly relaxed, and nobody came to ask us how we were enjoying our food, but if there’d been any big problems – there weren’t – we would have flagged someone down and spoken up about it.
Girdy: I’ve no memories of Fava being particularly slow, but I have just conceded to writing my notes up some 30 days after writing them down. I agree with Birdy that we didn’t get the “Is everything alright with your meal?” courtesy check-in, but they always happen when I have a mouthful of spaghetti or some other inappropriate time so I can live without them. I was impressed that the staff was keeping up.
I was impressed with the service overall because I felt we were in safe hands despite how busy it was.
Fava as a place to eat in the West End
Fava is located in a busy part of Edinburgh, near the EICC, the West End, and Haymarket Station. This makes it a convenient option for visitors staying at hotels in the area, such as YOTEL, hub by Premier Inn, or The Larig Hotel. If you’re on Princes Street and looking for a place to eat, you can also walk up Lothian Road and turn off when you can’t stand the crowds.
If you’re staying in an Airbnb nearby, you can order food from Fava through delivery services like Deliveroo, JustEat, or Uber Eats. However, we recommend visiting the restaurant in person to experience the buzzing atmosphere and the food.
In addition to the usual city centre attractions, there are several things to do near Fava. You can visit the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street, take a walk along the Union Canal, or seek distractions in Fountain Park. Or, for something more indie, the Cameo Picturehouse is 10 minutes’ walk.
Overall
Birdy: I had a good time at Fava! The food was very yummy, and I felt like I was making healthy but delicious choices (apart from the cake) – plenty of options for vegetarians on the menu. Highly recommend!
Girdy: I have reservations about the reservations process but aside from that I agree with Birdy and recommend. I’ll be back and might even target Fava the next time I escape from the EICC with my work hat on and need good food without drama.
A review of Fava, Morrison Street
Summary
Fava is an authentic Greek restaurant located in the West End of Edinburgh with a wide array of menu choices and something to suit pretty much everyone! Great food, relaxed vibe.
Good news! We have a Redbubble store. It's home of our 'not an influencer' t-shirt.
Leave a Reply