This is a lovely Greek eatery with amazing options on the menu catering for all tastes from seafood to meat dishes to vegetarian options. The service is always attentive and they manage to handle big groups well. The only drawback of this restaurant is the parking of the parking lot on the corner is closed.

We’ve been wanting to go to Parea for the longest time after many foodie friends raved about the fresh grilled fish, which they have become synonymous for. After a year of planning our Greek friends finally got us to commit to a date to have dinner with them at Parea. The best part of going with Greek friends is that you let them choose the dishes and surprise you as opposed to ordering what you know. And I’m glad we did! Meze and dips are always great starter options to break bread and savour the array of flavours. Our host chose an assortment of meze and dips for starters. After scanning the myriad of options in the glass counter, I also chose one of my favourites - Gigantes - giant butter beans marinated in olive oil, parsley and onion, which was outstanding. The dolmades comes with a generous portion of tzatziki, and were sublime. The next dip was a beautiful surprise and just too yummy for words. Melitzanosalata – finely chopped brinjals in a garlic dressing. A definite must try. We had fresh pita bread to mop this all up and was scrumptious. The Taramosalata – fish roe, olive oil and lemon dish was excellent, and is a firm favourite if fish roe is your thing. So as if this was not a lot of starters, we still had a divine Greek salad with amazing Feta and olives. And the final starter dish was the delightful, Brinjal Special – grilled brinjals with Pomodoro tomato, topped with crumbled feta. Another must try dish. Half way through our starter, our host had indicated to our efficient waitron, Thandi to get the fish on the grill. The whole grilled Red fish was certainly the pièce de résistance, with its firm white flesh, delicate flavour and enhanced with a generous squeeze of lemon. Now I could see what the fuss was about grilled fresh fish and Parea. Golden crispy chips went very well with the fish, as did a dish I’ve tried for the first time, and definitely not my last - the Horta – boiled wild spinach blended with olive oil and lemon juice. Chips, Horta and fish – an ideal mix for a main course – light and tasty. We rounded off the lovely meal with yummy homemade Baklava and semi-sweet Greek coffee. What a wonderful Greek meal with beautiful friends in a taverna setting with an island feel in the heart of Illovo. With such an extensive menu, we will be back to savour the other offering and would love to dine on a day where we can experience the belly dancers, live music and plate breaking! OPA!!