I sometimes feel like popular perceptions of Greek food are limited to staples like gyros and tzatziki, which are by no means indicative of the wide range of delicious items you’ll find on Greek menus. This is why I always love visiting Greek restaurants like HERA, which aim to showcase a whole new range of fine Greek dining.
Of course, this isn’t HERA’s primary aim, but it does do it particularly well.
I first visited HERA restaurant for their official launch in November 2024, and had a phenomenal time. So I was only too ecstatic to be invited back to experience the launch of their new summer terrace – albeit with the option for full enclosure just in case London’s gloomier side comes to visit.
The terrace was bustling but we managed to get some calm shots at the end.
HERA is based in Stratford Cross, a short walk beyond the Westfield Stratford City, and a convenient (though perhaps lengthy) tube ride away from multiple locations throughout London. The restaurant itself is slightly tucked away, a secretive pocket of goodness waiting to surprise first-time diners and continue to impress those who visit frequently.
The interior is gorgeous, with dark walls, burnt orange sofas, gentle browns, and lots and lots of leafy greens. The summer terrace, glass-enclosed, adds to the charm with its lemon-and-bougainvillea-covered ceiling and “hello, I’m on holiday” feels. Even if you’re just coming for a drink, entering the space will instantly melt away your day-to-day stresses and give you the opportunity to relax.
But it helps, of course, that the food is fantastic.
The HERA Restaurant Menu
HERA describes its menu as showcasing culinary artistry from diverse Greek regions, fusing time-honoured ingredients with innovative culinary methods. I’ve never been to Greece and have no connection to Greece, so I can’t speak to the authenticity of that statement. But I do know good food when I taste it, and HERA does not disappoint.
We tried the HERA signature set menu.
The menu features a range of sharing plates, from table nibbles to smaller starters, as well as a good selection of mains that range across meat, sea, and beyond. Prices are decent, in the ££ over the £ range, but the quality of the meals prepared reflects the attention to excellence.
Add in a unique cocktail menu, an extensive wine list, as well as a dessert menu, kids menu, and a signature set menu, and you know you’re in for a good time.
HERA Restaurant Review – The I Love Foodies Experience
We visited HERA to try their signature set menu, which, at the time of writing, is priced at £60 per person and includes a range of “for the table” sharers and a choice of one starter, main, and dessert per person.
We settled down with a cocktail to browse the set menu, and immediately faced our first (and final) problem of the night – how do you choose one dish when everything looks so good?
Bread baskets and dips make for a good start to every meal.
Luckily, the “for the table” sharers required no further thought, and we got to enjoy the following:
- Bread Basket: Sourdough, pita, and crostini
- Melitzano Salata: Finely chopped smoked aubergine with thyme, honey, and balsamic
- Taramas: Creamy smoked cod roe topped with a drizzle of dill oil
These came out together with our starters.
Robyn, my plus one and trusty world-class photographer for the night, opted for the Feta Saganaki (feta cheese wrapped in angel hair and drizzled with lemon honey), while I went for the Seabass Carpaccio (thin slices of raw seabass with Yuzu lemon dressing, dill oil, and radish).
If this were the end of our dining experience, I would have already left a truly satisfied foodie – everything was phenomenal.
Both the smoked aubergine and taramas were rich and creamy (speak = absolutely moreish), and I was almost tempted to go full caveman on the seabass carpaccio dish, plate-licking and all. Robyn’s feta saganaki, a dish I tried on my last visit to HERA, was equally delicious.
The feta saganaki (left) is definitely worth trying.
The seabass carpaccio was divine – lick-out-the-bowl excellent!
For mains, Robyn went for the Charcoal Chicken Skewer, marinated in honey mustard, and I went for the Grilled Octopus, served with Fava bean and pico de gallo. I am well aware that octopus is a controversial dish so please don’t hate me, but this was phenomenal. I actually had the same dish the last time I visited HERA, and it’s stood the test of time.
Consistency is actually a very good judge of restaurant quality.
Every place can turn out a good meal now and then, just as every place can have occasional off days, but consistent excellence is hard to come by, especially in a city like London where the foot (speak = tourism) traffic alone allows many restaurants to get away with exorbitant prices and sub-par dishes.
The grilled octopus (left) and charcoal chicken skewer (right) were both top-notch.
There are a few other great options on the signature set menu, like delicious lamb chops, but the standard menu also has a few items that have caught my eye – yellowfin tuna, truffle burrata, black seafood tagliolini, and lamb shoulder, to name but a few.
And if the dishes I have tried are anything to go by, anything at HERA is bound to be fantastic.
Sides for the night included roasted potatoes and charcoal broccoli, both winners.
Greek desserts are always a bit of a hit or miss for me – sometimes I think they’re fantastic, and other times they’re just too sweet for me.
The HERA set menu offers two dessert options, so naturally we tried both – Halva (with semolina, chocolate, and pecan) and Ekmek Kataifi (pistachio and custard cream). Definitely worth noting that these are different to the desserts I saw on the standard signature set menu, which offers Ekmek Kataifi and Galaktoboureko, a flaky phyllo filled with vanilla custard cream.
The Ekmek Kataifi was the best of the two, while the halva, unfortunately, was a bit bland. I’ve had – and enjoyed – halva in the past, so it could have just been the composition of the particular one on the night.
The ekmek kataifi (right) was fab, but we thought the halva (left) was a little bland.
Not being as impressed with desserts as I was with the rest of the menu is not unusual for me, so I won’t ever let that take away from the rest of the experience.
HERA restaurant is fantastic, no matter what.
Visit HERA Restaurant
Shout it from the rooftops, HERA is well worth a visit. Yes, they may be slightly out of the way (even within Stratford Cross), but walking those extra few steps will be a thousand times worth it.
From food to service to ambience, HERA is a phenomenal restaurant that’s done wonders at delivering consistently excellent food.
We cannot recommend them enough!
Grab all the details below.
HERA Restaurant Contact Details
Address: 4 Arber Way, Stratford, E20 1JS, London
Opening Times: Monday – Sunday (11:00 – 23:00)
Website: www.herarestaurant.co.uk
Call: +44 20 4618 4611
Email: stratford@herarestaurant.co.uk
Written by Benike Palfi
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Article Date: August 2025
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