taverna

American  

[tuh-vur-nuh, -vair-, tah-ver-nah] / təˈvɜr nə, -ˈvɛər-, tɑˈvɛr nɑ /

noun

1. a small, unpretentious caf é or restaurant in Greece.

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taverna British  

/ təˈvɜːnə /

noun

1. (in Greece) a guesthouse that has its own bar

2. a Greek restaurant

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Etymology

Origin of taverna

1945–50; < Modern Greek tabérna (pronunciation taverna ), Medieval Greek, Late Greek < L. See tavern

Explanation

A small, casual Greek restaurant is called a taverna. You can order things including stuffed grape leaves and Greek salad with feta at a taverna. If you've never tried Greek food, you'll find many unfamiliar (but delicious) items on a taverna's menu, including moussaka, tzatziki, and souvlaki. In Greece, a traditional taverna is the ideal place to try fresh, local foods like fried squid and fish, not to mention homemade baklava for dessert. The word taverna comes from the Latin taberna, "shop, inn, or tavern."

Example Sentences

“We don’t want the Cycladic food to disappear because the younger generations sell the family taverna and it becomes a sushi bar,” she said.

From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2024

He plays the song and listens to it from a different room, imagining it is "playing faintly in the distance from a Greek taverna".

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2023

The big payoff seemed to arrive on March 4, 2020: a job making $95,000 a year as director of service at the TriBeCa taverna Locanda Verde.

From New York Times • May 20, 2021

Otherwise, accents of crushed olive, crumbled feta and balsamic reduction suggest you’re in a Greek taverna.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2021

There were no shops in Bithynios, no post office or bank, only a church and one taverna.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides