Signature Dishes
Chicken Giouvetsi. Slow-cooked in a clay pot until the orzo has absorbed everything.
Chicken with orzo pasta, slow-baked in rich tomato and stock until nothing is wasted. Served in the clay pot it cooked in. This is Greek Sunday cooking done properly on any day of the week.
Orzo absorbs everything
Giouvetsi is not pasta in a sauce. The orzo is slow-cooked directly in the stock and tomato, so it absorbs the liquid as it cooks and becomes something entirely different. Dense, flavourful, no wateriness. Every grain carries the dish.
Clay pot, not a serving plate
It arrives in the same clay casserole dish it cooked in. This is not a presentation choice. Clay holds heat evenly during the long cook and keeps the dish at the right temperature when it reaches the table. The pot is part of the dish.
A Greek Sunday dish, available all week
In Greece, giouvetsi is the kind of meal you make on a Sunday when the oven is free all morning. The restaurant version has to match that standard without the casual pace. It does.
What to order around it.
Giouvetsi is a satisfying main on its own. A good way to eat it: start the table with tzatziki, some warm pita, and a Horiatiki salad. When the clay pot arrives, break the top crust of the orzo and take your time.
Questions about chicken giouvetsi
What is giouvetsi?
Giouvetsi is a Greek oven-baked casserole made with meat (usually chicken or lamb) and orzo pasta, slow-cooked in a spiced tomato and stock sauce. The orzo absorbs the liquid during cooking, making it nothing like ordinary pasta dishes.
Is it served in the clay pot?
Yes. The dish arrives in the clay pot it was baked in. Be careful, it retains heat for a while after it arrives.
Is giouvetsi available at lunch?
Yes. Available Tuesday through Saturday at both lunch and dinner. Sunday is lunch only.
Does it contain dairy or gluten?
Giouvetsi contains orzo (wheat pasta). If you have a gluten intolerance or coeliac requirements, call the restaurant before booking so the kitchen can advise.
Where is Jars Meze?
6 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR. Two minutes on foot from the Roman Baths in central Bath.
Do I need to book?
Booking is recommended, especially for evenings and weekends. The restaurant is small and centrally located. The best times fill quickly.
Book your table.
Jars Meze is at 6 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR. Book a table online or call us directly. Tuesday to Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday lunch only.
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