Most Greek kitchens on the Danforth treat fish as a plate of calamari and a grilled fillet. Pantheon keeps an entire section for the small fish of Greece — Gavro, Marida, Barbounia, Bakaliarakia — pan-fried whole and eaten the way they are in a seaside taverna. It is the clearest tell of what this Greektown restaurant is after: not a souvlaki house that happens to serve seafood, but a full Greek table where imported small fish and the daily Fresh Market Catch share the menu with charcoal-grilled octopus, lamb, and the cold and hot appetizers a Greek meal is built to open on.
The appetizers set the tone. Saganaki arrives sizzling and flambeed, pan-seared Kefalotyri that announces the meal before the mains land; around it sit Dolmadakia stuffed with rice and minced beef in avgolemono, Spanakotiropita in flaky phyllo, Gigantes baked beans simmered in tomato, grilled quails called Ortykia, and Garides Saganaki, shrimp in a tomato, mushroom, and feta sauce. From there the grill takes over. Classic Chicken Souvlaki Piato comes over Greek salad, Fresh Paidakia brings four lamb chops, and the kitchen will plate a Grill Mix of chicken skewer, lamb chops, and sausage or a twelve-ounce Certified Angus New York steak for the table that drifts past the Greek canon. The seafood runs just as deep — Bakaliaro Skordalia of pan-fried cod with cold garlic potato dip, a ten-ounce Atlantic salmon, the house Pantheon Shrimp, and the small fish flown in from Greece.
Pantheon has been part of the Danforth Greek dining map since 1997, with Nick Parussis tied to the owner role and the restaurant presenting itself as family-run. The strength is continuity: a long-running Greek dining room with a clear place on the strip.
The menu separates fresh fish from standard seafood plates, including Fresh Market Catch plus Gavro, Marida, Barbounia, and Bakaliarakia. That gives diners a more specific seafood route than the usual grilled-fish default.
Pantheon can support many group styles because the menu runs from Saganaki and Dolmadakia to Roast Lamb, Classic Chicken Souvlaki Piato, Horiatiki (Village Salad), and seafood. The depth makes it practical for mixed parties without losing its Greek centre.
Saganaki gives Pantheon a clear opening move: pan-seared Kefalotyri arrives sizzling and flambeed, then the meal can move into lamb, souvlaki, or fish. It works because the dish is vivid, shareable, and easy to recommend without needing a long explanation.
Pantheon's Greek identity is not decorative; it runs through lamb, saganaki, souvlaki dinners, small fish, salads, and family-run history on the Danforth. The meal feels anchored in Greektown rather than built from a generic Mediterranean checklist.
Pantheon has the steady shape of a Danforth regular: open since 1997, tied to a family story, and still broad enough for weeknight dinners, planned group meals, and patio visits. Its role is continuity as much as novelty.
Pantheon is easier for groups than a narrow tasting-room format: the menu has shareable starters, souvlaki dinners, salads, lamb, seafood, and an online reservation path. It gives mixed parties enough familiar anchors while still keeping a clear Greek centre.
The front patio gives Pantheon an outdoor option on a busy dining strip, useful for a Greek meal that can stretch from appetizers into seafood or lamb. It is a supporting strength, strongest when paired with the restaurant's Danforth location and reservation path.
Share the nuances of your visit to Pantheon Restaurant in Toronto — the standout dishes, the room, the service.
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