Greek restaurants near Hyde Park are the smart plan this weekend, because on Sunday 11 October the Royal Parks Half Marathon takes over Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James’s Park. Thousands of runners, closed roads and crowds along the paths from early morning. If you are running, cheering someone on, or just planning an autumn walk by the Serpentine, you will want somewhere Greek to sit down afterwards, and three Greek List members are within minutes of the park gates.
There is a Greek detail hiding in plain sight here. The word marathon comes from the town of Marathon, and the whole idea of the distance race goes back to the messenger who ran from the battlefield to Athens in 490 BC. So when thousands line up in Hyde Park on Sunday, they are taking part in something Greek by name and by origin. Souvlaki afterwards is simply the correct ending.
This guide covers the race, the three sides of the park where you can eat Greek, and the Greek events in London over the next ten days. The weekend picks come from Londonist’s things to do this weekend, and the restaurants are confirmed Greek List members.
Hyde Park is big, about 142 hectares, and with Kensington Gardens it stretches from Mayfair in the east to Kensington Palace in the west. So the best of the Greek restaurants near Hyde Park depends on which gate you use. Mayfair side: a Greek coffee shop five minutes from Hyde Park Corner. Bayswater side, by Lancaster Gate: a long established Greek and Cypriot restaurant. Paddington side: a lively Greek restaurant on Praed Street. Here is how to combine each one with the park and with Sunday’s race.
The Royal Parks Half Marathon is one of the prettiest city races in Europe. It starts and finishes inside Hyde Park, the first runners set off from about 8.45am, and the 13.1 mile route loops out past Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament before coming back through Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. Registration for 2026 has closed, so this is a spectator event now, and spectating is free. The atmosphere around the Serpentine until about 1pm is lovely, with bands, charity cheer points and a festival area near the finish.
If you are supporting a friend, the easiest spots are Hyde Park Corner, where the route leaves and re enters the park, the Mall in the middle section, and the paths inside Hyde Park near the finish. Expect road closures around the parks and Westminster until the early afternoon, so take the Tube, and note that all the Greek restaurants near Hyde Park in this guide are within ten minutes of a viewing spot.
Getting there: Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line), Marble Arch (Central line), Lancaster Gate (Central line) and Knightsbridge (Piccadilly line) all open onto the park. Leave extra time on Sunday morning, the stations get busy with runners.
Hyde Park Corner is where the race leaves the park and where most spectators gather, under Wellington Arch. From here it is a five minute walk into Shepherd Market, the little village of lanes behind Piccadilly and Curzon Street, and that is where Mayfair’s Greek coffee lives. It is the best place near the park for a freddo before the start or a Greek breakfast after you have cheered someone over the line.
Greek stop nearby: Chill House Coffee on 10 Shepherd Street, Mayfair (W1J 7HY), opens at 8am on Sundays and 7am on weekdays, five minutes from Hyde Park Corner station. Greek coffee and freddo cappuccino, the right fuel for a 9am start line.
Getting there: Hyde Park Corner or Green Park station, then walk up Curzon Street into Shepherd Market.
The north edge of Kensington Gardens, by Lancaster Gate, is the calmest corner of the park on race day and one of the prettiest, with the Italian Gardens fountains, the Long Water and the walk down to the Peter Pan statue. Of all the Greek restaurants near Hyde Park, this is the one closest to a gate, because Leinster Terrace is literally across the road.
Greek stop nearby: Halepi on 18 Leinster Terrace, Bayswater (W2 3ET), two minutes from Lancaster Gate station and the Italian Gardens. Greek and Cypriot cooking, open from noon until after midnight every day, ideal for a long Sunday lunch of kleftiko, grills and meze after the race.
Getting there: Lancaster Gate (Central line) or Queensway (Central line), then a short walk along Bayswater Road.
Paddington is the busiest gateway into the park for anyone coming from west London, Heathrow or the Elizabeth line, and Praed Street runs from the station towards Edgware Road and the Marble Arch corner of Hyde Park. It is a ten minute walk, and on the way you pass the Greek restaurant that many Greeks in west London already know for its late hours and big portions.
Greek stop nearby: It’s All Greek To Me on 101 Praed Street, Paddington (W2 1NT), open from 11am until 12.30am every day. Souvlaki, gyros and mixed grills, a good shout for a big group after the race, and open late if you only get there in the evening.
Getting there: Paddington (Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City lines, Elizabeth line and national rail), then walk down Praed Street.
A few extra tips for making a full day of it. The walk along the Serpentine from Hyde Park Corner to Kensington Palace takes about 45 minutes and is the nicest way to cross the park once the runners have gone through. The Diana Memorial Fountain and the Serpentine galleries are free, and Speakers’ Corner by Marble Arch is at its best on Sunday afternoons, just as the race crowds thin out. To end the day Greek, the Greek Brunch Party at The Life Goddess in Bloomsbury runs on Sunday evening, 20 minutes by Tube from Marble Arch.
And if you are searching for Greek restaurants near Hyde Park on another weekend, the same three places work all year round. Chill House Coffee is the morning stop, Halepi is the long lunch, and It’s All Greek To Me is the late night one. Between them they cover every side of the park.
Hyde Park is only the start. Greek List Events is the most complete list of Greek events in the UK, and the next ten days are busy:
Organising something Greek? Listing an event on Greek List is free.
The businesses featured in this guide are Greek List members. More than 100,000 Greeks and Cypriots in the UK read Greek List every month, on the site, in the newsletter and in the Ellines sto Londino Facebook group, and Greek List listings rank first on Google for searches like Greek restaurants near Hyde Park. A listing puts your business in front of the community that is already looking for you.
Running on Sunday, or cheering from the Serpentine? Tell us where you ended up for souvlaki in the Facebook group Ellines sto Londino.
