Sant Cugat’s international dining scene has a vibrant new addition with the opening of a Greek restaurant conveniently located near Sant Cugat Centre railway station. After weeks of anticipation sparked by the Kalimera sign outside, the restaurant officially opened its doors on 1st Feb. Led by a friendly and passionate Greek team, this is the fourth restaurant in the Dionisos family, the others are located in Barcelona’s El Born and El Eixample, and another in Madrid.

The moment you step inside, the simple décor transports you to a Greek taverna: bright, clean, and inviting, with blue and white walls. The two large gyros at the entrance might trick you into thinking that this is just another kebab joint, but don’t be fooled, the menu is far more ambitious, varied, and thoughtfully put together.

Disguised as regular customers to avoid special treatment, I visited with two Greek friends, perfect culinary companions to help judge authenticity. We were not disappointed! The experience felt charming and personal: our placemats encouraged us to write our names using the Greek alphabet and learn some simple phrases.

The menu itself is impressively varied, with something for everyone. From Greek classics, such as Pita bread filled with Gyros meat and Moussaka, and many dishes suitable for vegetarians.

We chose a mix of dishes so we could taste a bit of each. A firm favourite was Melitzanosalata, a smoked aubergine dip served with pita, which was delicious and satisfyingly chunky. Our Greek friends were particularly impressed with the Spanakopita, a feta and spinach dish they make at home every week. They described the Dionisos version as “excellent”. The Halloumi was perfectly cooked, not overly salty, and packed with flavour, and the tongue twisting Kolokithokeftedes (fried courgette and feta balls) were light and tasty. Almost every dish arrived with a beautifully prepared side salad, or some yoghurt tzatziki or delicious roasted cherry tomatoes.

The Vegetarian Moussaka didn’t win us over, but the desserts made up for it. We tried a mixed selection, and for us, the Greek yoghurt was the undeniable star, closely followed by the homemade honey and pistachio Baklava, and the Kataifi, topped with shredded filo strands and drizzled with honey.

They were clearly having a busy night, with every table filled, so service was a little slow. But the staff’s genuine kindness and attentiveness more than compensated and almost all members, including the chef, came by to greet us and genuinely wanted to know our thoughts. They were clearly proud of their food.

All in all we loved our evening at Dionisos, it was authentic, friendly with delicious fresh and tasty food and at 25-30€ a head it was good value for money. We’ll definitely be returning. “Kali Orexi!”

DIONISOS SANT CUGAT: c. Valldoreix, 73