Mezze is not a starter course. It is a way of structuring a whole meal, and ordering it as though it were a prelude to a main is the commonest mistake we see.
How many dishes
Roughly one and a half to two dishes per person, ordered for the table, not per head.
- Two people: three to four dishes
- Four people: six to seven
- Six people: eight to ten, plus one grill to share
That will feel like too many when you order and correct when it arrives.
The shape of a good table
You want four things present, and most bad mezze orders are missing one:
- Something creamy. Tzatziki, hummus, taramasalata, fava.
- Something sharp. Beetroot salad, horiatiki, pickled things, lemon on everything.
- Something charred. Halloumi, grilled aubergine, octopus, a small skewer.
- Something starchy. Bread, always. Chips, defensibly.
Order four dips and nothing else and the table gets heavy by the third one. Order four grilled things and you have a barbecue.
Order it all at once
Mezze arrives as it is ready, not in courses. This is intentional. The table builds, dishes overlap, and everyone eats at slightly different speeds.
Resist the urge to sequence it. You are not being served incorrectly.
Bread is not optional
There will be oil at the bottom of the salad bowl and sauce under the grilled things. Bread is the tool for that, and leaving it is genuinely considered a waste.
Pace
A mezze meal is meant to run two hours. If you have a train, say so and we will speed it up. Otherwise, let it take the time it takes.
Nonos Bar & Restaurant
112 Judd St, London WC1H 9NT
0207 278 9700 · contact@nonos.co.uk
Sunday to Wednesday 08:30 to 22:00 · Thursday to Saturday 08:30 to 23:00