Chickpeas are rarely a restaurant’s headline dish, but Tzaki is a born rebel. Eyebrows lift when this Greek bar’s saganaki is served. The thick slice of molten cheese nearly ripples across the plate in deep-yellow curds when cut; its top is nearly black with char. It’s far from squeaky and snow-white but, spoiler alert, it’s delicious.

Flatbread, scorched seconds earlier in the devilishly hot wood oven, is the fluffy soulmate of tarama that’s as bracing as a salty ocean breeze. And those chickpeas? Their success is a combination of creamy texture, lingering savoury depth and pure surprise factor.

Most ingredients – cabbage, eggplant, pork chops – and even dessert are touched by fire, but the results are never one-note. Wines from Crete, craft beers from northern Greece, and Athenian vermouth add to the many thrills at this brave and bold canteen.

Good to know: It’s small, with roughly half the seats (a mix of high and low stools) split across inside and outside.

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