Primrose Hill Mediterranean Grill Lemonia: £29.75 Set Dinner

Lemonia, at 89 Regent's Park Road in Primrose Hill, is the Mediterranean grill north London families have booked for birthdays since 1979, and its cheapest serious dinner is a three-course set at £29.75 offered Monday to Thursday from 5.30pm. The charcoal grill turns out lamb souvlaki, sheftalia and halloumi, the dining room fills a former pub, and Sunday service ends with lunch, so plan Sunday visits for the afternoon.

The restaurant's own history is short and specific: Lemonia was established in 1979, has stayed in the same family ever since, and started out in smaller premises across the street before moving into its current building in 1992. Harden's credits Tony Evangelou with founding the business on Regent's Park Road, and notes that the present site was once a pub. That explains the scale. Few Greek tavernas in London have room for this many tables under one roof.

Inside, the old pub bones show in the high ceilings and the long run of the room, but the mood is closer to a summer holiday than a boozer. Time Out describes a plant-filled interior with an airy feel and waiters in traditional dress. Expect big family tables and couples who have clearly been coming for decades.

The grill is the reason to come. The menu lists Lamb Souvlaki, small cubes of lamb grilled on a skewer, at £26.00, and Pork Souvlaki at £24.00. Sheftalia, the Cypriot sausage of rolled minced meat with onions, herbs and spices, costs £25.50. Pagidakia, the lamb cutlets, are £30.00, and they are a good choice for a sharing table.

Halloumi is charcoal grilled here rather than pan-fried, at £8.50, and it is worth ordering as a starter for the table because it arrives with proper char lines and a squeaky centre. Kleftiko, a joint of lamb baked with lemon, spices and herbs, costs £27.50. It comes from the oven rather than the grill, so it suits anyone who wants slow-cooked lamb that falls off the bone rather than a smoky skewer.

Lemonia's full meze is the classic order for groups: a selection of hot and cold starters, chargrilled meats and Greek salad at £39.75 per person, with a minimum of two people. It is generous, and the parade of small plates is part of the fun. For two people who are not starving, though, it can be too much food, and ordering two grill plates plus halloumi and a salad usually leaves more room for dessert.

The better-value route is the three-course set dinner at £29.75, which the restaurant runs Monday to Thursday for parties of up to eight guests. The price makes it the easiest way to eat here without the bill climbing. At lunch, Monday to Friday, there is also a daily special lunch menu that changes each day and skips bank holidays.

Lemonia says set menus are available for larger groups. Friday and Saturday dinners are the busiest nights, when birthday tables and neighbourhood regulars take over the room and service slows down accordingly.

Note the service charge before the bill arrives: the menu states that a discretionary 12.5% is added. Lemonia also keeps its own rhythm on Sundays, when the kitchen serves lunch only and takes last orders at 4pm, so a lazy Sunday lunch works but a Sunday dinner does not. If you arrive on Sunday evening, the parade of Regent's Park Road cafes is the nearest fallback.

Weekday lunch is the quietest time to see the room with sunlight coming through the big windows, and it suits a slow two-course meal with grilled halloumi and a souvlaki. Monday to Thursday dinners, when the £29.75 set is available, bring the most local crowd. Weekend evenings are loud and celebratory, which is great with a group and less good for a quiet catch-up.

One honest call: skip the meze if there are only two of you and you plan to order dessert. The sheer number of plates means the grill items arrive when you are already full, and the lamb cutlets deserve an empty stomach. Order them as a main, add the halloumi and a Greek salad to share, and you get the best of the charcoal without the food coma.

Lemonia sits on Regent's Park Road, the village high street of Primrose Hill, a short walk from Chalk Farm station on the Northern line. Before dinner, walk to the top end of the road and climb Primrose Hill itself. The summit gives one of the protected views of the London skyline, and on a clear evening you can watch the city lights come on before heading back down for a table.

Along the same road, Primrose Hill Books is a small independent bookshop worth a browse, and the run of pastel-fronted shops and cafes makes the stroll pleasant even in winter. If you want a longer walk after lunch, cross the hill and continue into Regent's Park, or follow the Regent's Canal towpath east toward Camden Lock for a change of pace from the quiet village streets.

Address: Lemonia, 89 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 8UY. Nearest station: Chalk Farm on the Northern line. Hours (last orders): Monday to Thursday 12pm to 3.30pm and 5.30pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 3.30pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm, with no Sunday dinner service.

Prices from the current menu: Grilled Halloumi £8.50, Pork Souvlaki £24.00, Sheftalia £25.50, Lamb Souvlaki £26.00, Kleftiko £27.50, Pagidakia lamb cutlets £30.00 and the full meze £39.75 per person for at least two. The Monday to Thursday set dinner costs £29.75. A 12.5% discretionary service charge is added. Karpo APP can pair a Lemonia dinner with a sunset climb up Primrose Hill.