Masa Buka Greek Tavern - Rohovor s Nikos

And there it is, the most important link in the team - the big boss. He's the one who built Masa Buka. He's the founder of the team.

As we mention everywhere, he is really alone in the kitchen and he prepares everything the moment the order arrives, even the vegetables are not pre-cut. He only cooks with quality and fresh ingredients, and only uses what he would cook with at home. He takes great pride in this. He can really get his hands on any dish you make. He's a big workhorse, but even he needs to rest and regain his strength from time to time.

Most of the time he's in the kitchen so you don't see much of him, but sometimes he's in the tavern, especially at the end of the night when he's cooking to check on all of us.

You like getting up in the morning, boss?

Absolutely not, I hate getting up in the morning. Every day my Agapi has to drag me out of bed and coax me.

What about breakfast?

I have breakfast sometimes, but I can't manage it at home during the working week, only coffee - in the morning Greek instant with milk and sugar, then espresso in the taverna. Sometimes I buy something good at the bakery and eat it on the fly. But on Saturday before opening, we indulge and do breakfast together with our team. I bake Bougatsu, Croisants or something else good.

Do you think the girls on the team have a nickname for you, and what is it?

I don't know? I hope I'm nervous... ;o)

Why the name Masa Buka Tavern?

Once, about 13 years ago, we were walking home through the park and my wife and I got into a discussion about "what if we ever had a restaurant, what would it be called". Well, they agreed that MASS BUKA. About another 2 years later it came up and this conversation came to mind, even though we had other names, it was just obvious. It had to be Masa Buka.

What is your favourite dish at Masa Buka?

All of them, but I like to invent and make new special offers. I can play with that and it's always different.

What do you eat at Masa Buka?

More like small portions. I make different combinations, my Agapi calls it a dog bowl, if I manage to eat at all.

How do you rest on your days off?

That's the question, do I ever rest? I like to sit on the balcony with a pipe, coffee and a good glass of rum.

What about Czech beer?

I like it very much, I like to eat at home at the barbecue or at Olda's in Union.

How do you like Liberec?

It's a place that grew on me from day one and I knew right away that I would stay here forever. And like a true Greek, I'm rooting for our teams - Slovan and the White Tigers.

Do you mind if girls are too busy taking pictures?

Horribly, I don't like to take pictures, I don't like it when people come to take pictures of my food while I'm in traffic, but I know I have to hang in there, they're outnumbered by 4 and I'm alone.

What about your team?

They are the best , we know how to work together, we know how to have fun, and all this under the leadership of a general, I mean my Agapi.

Why herbs ?

Fresh herbs and quality ingredients equals good food. And as you know, we Greeks love to eat and we love good food and wine. Food is like love. Love needs spices and food needs herbs, they are the basis of good food.

Meat or fish?

I grew up on fish and seafood back home in Greece, so I love it. And good meat on the fire, what can I say. It makes life even more beautiful. So both ;o)

Sea or mountains?

The mountains are great when I'm lying on the beach, drinking coffee and looking at them and most importantly I don't have to walk on them. But I love Liberec with its hills ;o)

Masa Buka Greek Tavern - Nikos and Alice

Greek hospitality within easy reach

Where to find us

MASA BUKA Nikos Greek Tavern

Sokolská 168 | Liberec 1

723 153 523

Reservations

info@masabuka.cz

Opening hours

MONDAY: closed

TUESDAY - THURSDAY: 12.00 h - 22.30 h
(kitchen until 20.30 h)

FRIDAY: 12.00 h - 23.30 h
(kitchen until 21.30 h)

SATURDAY: 11.30 h - 15.00 h / 16.30 h- 23.30 h
(kitchen until 21.30 h)

SUNDAY: closed

We care about the authenticity and quality of our food, which is why our only chef, the owner himself and native Greek, Nikolaos Pappas, cooks for you every day. For this reason, our opening hours are somewhat limited.

Free WiFi

Non-smoking restaurant

We accept credit cards

A few tips and rules for booking

Booking information

Reservations are accepted only by phone at 723 153 523 (reservations cannot be made by e-mail or SMS).
Unfortunately, dogs and other pets are not allowed in our restaurant.
Because of the small spaces with the little ones only in the egg or stroller only in the folded state. Baby chairs are available but must be announced when booking (we have a limited number of baby chairs and our taverna can only fit some tables, so it is very important to know in advance). When booking and reporting the number of people, please include the little ones.
If you have a reservation for example from 19.00 it is very likely that there will be a "pre-reservation" sitting in front of you, i.e. until 18.55) so please arrive at the agreed hour, you will avoid waiting for your booked table.
We hold a reservation for 15 minutes, if you do not extend it by phone, we automatically cancel it.
Reservations for groups are confirmed by phone on the day, if it cannot be confirmed it will be automatically cancelled.
If you arrive in a smaller number than booked, we will seat you at a table for the appropriate number of people (not according to the reserved seats), if in a larger number, we will try to seat you as comfortably as possible, but it is better to increase the number by phone.
We do not make reservations for specific tables as we adjust them every day according to need.

All of these rules are important to achieve the highest percentage of customer satisfaction and our employees follow them scrupulously, thank you for your understanding and support.

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KALI MERA, hello!

We would like to reveal to you the secrets of Greek cuisine, more precisely, the Greek culinary art, which has a four thousand year old tradition ...

Greeks love to enjoy life, food and drink is one of the foundations of their existence, they like to meet friends and eat in restaurants very regularly. Greek cuisine is one of the best in the world ...

The Mediterranean climate allows for the cultivation of many agricultural crops, so Greeks are keen on fresh ingredients. The most characteristic and oldest ingredient is olive oil, which is present in almost every dish. Olives (the most famous are the black olives of Kalamata), tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, onions, potatoes and green beans are also widely used. It is seasoned with a variety of herbs, perhaps the most typical being oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice and mint.

Our goal is for you to taste a little bit of Greece at MASA BUKA Greek Taverna. In addition to authentic Greek home-made dishes, we will try to create a true Greek atmosphere with Greek music... And why the name MASA BUKA Tavern and what does it actually mean? When a Greek eats a good meal in Greece, he or she will popularly say: " ... that was some masa buka." Which means you are well and fully fed. This phrase comes from the words Masao - I chewed and Bukosa - I stuffed myself (filled up).

The chef and owner of MASA BUKA Taverna is NIKOS PAPPAS, he is a native Greek and his ambition is to show you what a true Greek home-cooked meal should look like and how healthy it is. The Greek home-cooked meals he cooks are based on fresh ingredients and a significant amount of vegetables, herbs, spices and olive oil. He therefore takes great care to select quality ingredients. He uses extra virgin olive oil for salads and cooking. For reasons of authenticity and quality, all meals are cooked and prepared for you every day by the owner Nikolaos himself as the only chef. For the same reason, our opening hours are somewhat limited.

And what does the word TAVERN mean ? In Greek, taverna means something like in Czech a pub, a tavern, in short nothing official. That is why in our taverna it is no different and we would like you to come and sit with us in peace and quiet and really enjoy your meal. Since we cook from fresh ingredients and not from prepared semi-finished products, sometimes the preparation time is longer, but the freshness and quality of the prepared dishes will certainly make up for it. Sometimes it may happen that some dishes are already sold out on a given day.

The Greek recipes on our menu come mostly from the islands and mainland of Greece. Some recipes will also introduce you to modern Greek cuisine.

Every week we will also prepare special meal offers for you. You can also choose from our special menu. From this menu you will be able to order other dishes than those on the daily menu the day before.

We are honored to wish you a good taste

Interview with Nikos