HERA review- your new family friendly restaurant in London
Situated just outside Stratford’s Westfield, my husband and I recently dared to dine with our 16-month-old daughter at the chic cocktail bar and restaurant HERA, lured by the launch of its new kids’ menu and it’s promise of being a family friendly restaurant in London.
There’s a particular buzz you hope for when dining out with a toddler: noisy enough that every dropped spoon or sudden tantrum doesn’t disrupt the table next to you, but not so loud that it leads to overstimulation. HERA strikes the balance perfectly. Jazzy background music and the gentle hum of relaxed conversation fill the expansive room. Cocktail glasses clink beneath oversized droplights suspended from soaring industrial ceilings, giving the space both drama and warmth. Groups, couples and families catch up over generous plates of Greek delicacy. It's the kind of setting where a family dinner can feel comforting yet elevated.
To begin, a basket of charred, salty homemade bread, bowls of cool tzatziki and Melitzanosalata - a smoky aubergine dip - and a plate of golden, crispy fried courgette fill our table. Starters kept the tone refined: grilled octopus, tender and perfectly smoky, and beetroot, nutty and sweet, laid on a base of tangy yogurt and a scattering of hazelnuts that made each bite pop.
For mains, we split between land and sea. The seafood orzo transported me straight back to my recent trip to Greece – as authentic as anything I tasted there, if not better. Meanwhile, the grilled baby chicken was juicy, herby, and simplicity at its most satisfying. On the side, charcoal broccolini and herby fries rounded out the mains and kept everyone at the table smiling.
Children are just as well looked after as the adults. The restaurant’s brand-new kids’ menu offers a selection of scaled-down (though generous in portion) picks from the à la carte menu for £10.90 each. There was a rare silence from our toddler as she polished off an entire seabass fillet, whilst my husband and I lingered over a bottle of crisp Kokotos ‘Agrimi’ Roditis-Savatiano.
Desserts deserve their own special mention. The Ekmek Kataifi, with its layers of custard cream and pistachio, was the dream trio of textures – smooth, crunchy and silky. The Galaktoboureko, a perfectly structured phyllo filled with silky vanilla custard cream, lingered in my memory long after the last spoonful.
By the time we left, what stayed with me wasn’t just the food - though there was plenty to savour - but the sense that we’d found something rare: a restaurant where children are genuinely welcome, and adults don’t have to compromise.
