Ataverna (/təˈvɜːrnə/;Greek:ταβέρναpronounced[taˈverna]) is a smallGreek restaurant that servesGreek cuisine. The taverna is an integral part ofGreek culture and has become familiar to people from other countries who visitGreece, as well as through the establishment of tavernes (ταβέρνες, plural) in countries such as theUnited States andAustralia byexpatriate Greeks.

Ταβέρνα is a word taken from theLatin:taberna (in pluraltabernae), meaning 'shop' (see Romantaberna). The Latin word derived fromtabula, meaning 'table'.

The earliest evidence of a Greek restaurant was discovered at theAgora of Athens during excavations conducted by theAmerican School of Classical Studies in the early 1970s.^[1] Large quantities of cooking and eating utensils were found at the taverna such as plates, mixing bowls, lidded casseroles, spits for broiling meat, mortars for chopping and grinding, as well as a cooking bell and a variety of jugs.^[1] Large amounts of fish bones and shellfish remains were also found, revealing the restaurant's offerings ofoysters,mussels,murex, and large fish.^[1] A nearby wine shop, possibly in association with the restaurant, served localAttic wine, as well as a wide variety of wines imported fromChios,Mende,Corinth,Samos andLesbos.^[1]

Establishments serving wine were also present in theByzantine Empire, as evidenced by a 10th-century CE ordinance setting acurfew to prevent alcohol-induced "violence and rioting".^[2]

A typical menu for a modern taverna often includes:

• Bread, usually loaf bread, sometimesflat bread
• Meat such as lamb, pork and beef
• Salads such asGreek salad
• Appetizers or entrées liketzatziki (yogurt, garlic and cucumber dip),melitzanosalata (eggplant dip),tirokafteri (whipped feta cheese, with hot peppers and olive oil dip),spanakopita anddolmades or dolmadakia (rice mixture with fresh herbs such as mint and parsley and sometimes pine nuts-and in some regions minced meat is added-tightly wrapped with tender grape leaves and served with a thick and creamy, lemony sauce)
• Soups such asavgolemono (egg-lemon soup) and fasolada (beansoup)
• Pasta such as spaghetti napolitano,pastitsio (baked layers of thick pasta and minced meat mixture topped with a thick béchamel sauce)
• Fish and seafood dishes such as baked fresh fish, friedsalt cod served withskordalia (garlic sauce),fried squid andbaby octopus
• Baked dishes (magirefta) including a wide variety of seasonal vegetable dishes such asmoussaka (eggplant or zucchini, minced meat, and béchamel sauce)
• Grilled dishes such assouvlaki
• Wine includingretsina,mavrodafni and other Greek red/white wine varieties
• Beer
• Spirits such asouzo,tsipouro andMetaxabrandy
• Fruit
• Desserts such asbaklava,galaktoboureko, etc.

Tavernes usually open at noon, with dinner hours starting at 20:00 and reaching a peak around 22:00.^[3] As tourism has grown in Greece, many tavernes have attempted to cater to foreign visitors with English menus and touts or "shills" being employed in many tavernes to attract passing tourists. Similarly, tavernes in tourist areas pay commissions to tour guides who send business their way.^[4]

The lead character in the play and filmShirley Valentine written byWilly Russell leaves her husband and family inLiverpool for a vacation where she has an affair with a waiter at the taverna and ends up working in the taverna.^[5]

• 
  A taverna in the Anemomilos district ofCorfu town.
• 
  Choriatiki, a Greek salad typically served at a taverna.

• List of Greek restaurants

• Stone, Tom (2002).The Summer of My Greek Taverna: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 0-7432-4771-X.

Look uptaverna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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