Paros – “Party-Grieche” in Munich

When I first heard about the concept of the “Party Greek”, I was doubtful. A restaurant that turns out all the lights at 11pm and starts throwing napkins around? Really? I was hesitant right up until the music started playing. And then I suddenly found myself throwing napkins whilst dancing on the table…

Paros is one of three Greek places in Munich (the others are called Cavos and Molos) offering authentic Greek food, ouzo and on Fridays and Saturdays, a huge party. I had my two best friends visiting me in Munich a couple of weeks ago, and together we decided to discover what exactly this party entailed. One of the girls was oblivious to its reputation, which made it all the more entertaining when at 11pm, they blew out all the candles, brought out huge boxes filled with paper napkins, and threw them on us whilst playing loud 90s music!

The great thing about Paros, though, was that it didn’t entirely rely on the party atmosphere. The food we ordered was excellent, as was the service. As there were four of us, we ordered a variety of plates to share, including the tzaziki, halloumi (an obsession of mine – find some recipe suggestions here) various skewers of meat and an aubergine dish. We paid around 16 Euros each, which was reasonable considering the quality of the food as well as the whole experience. The meat was nicely tender and everything was very flavourful, albeit a little salty (perhaps this was a way to make us order more drinks?). The tzaziki was particularly tasty, but also the most garlicky thing I have had in a very long time – I love garlic, but I had to brush my teeth about 5 times in the following 12 hours before feeling slightly clean… If you are sensitive towards garlic, then I would recommend steering clear!

When the music started, we each got a complimentary shot of ouzo and free rein to dance and celebrate as much as we wanted. It was one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had in a restaurant (another one was Mosob, in London – read about that here), and I can’t wait to go back!

Be sure to make a reservation – these places are very popular and fill up quickly. I also recommend going later, else you will be eating and waiting around for a long time before the magic happens!