First Look: Get Laid-Back Greek Food From an Ex-Gimlet Chef at The Pontian Club in Collingwood

A year ago, The Pontian Club was one of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets. Founded by friends and hospo rookies Bertie Pavlidis and Al Brunetti in May 2024, the homespun pop-up served Sunday lunches of flame-grilled meats and other Greek dishes in a Brunswick East building formerly owned by the Pontian Community of Melbourne.

The lunches quickly found diners, and the duo was joined by chef Oscar Tan (formerly of Hot-Listed Gimlet ), who’d been introduced by a mutual friend. “[I] thought the space was so awesome and was keen to do some of my own cooking,” Tan tells Broadsheet. “I asked if I could cook for them one weekend and never left.”

On Sunday June 8, they opened the doors to a new permanent home on Smith Street, Collingwood. As the venue transitions from pop-up to permanent, the team is determined to retain its laid-back roots and social club feel. “It’s no-fuss,” says Tan. “There’s no expectation of the guest or the venue, just a landing spot where you can eat, chat and feel at home.”

The menu is concise, considered and protein-forward, echoing the clean simplicity of regional Greek cooking. Much of the produce comes from Pavlidis’s family farm in Connewarre, and meat is sourced from Lygon Street’s Donati’s Fine Meats.

As at the pop-up, the daily menu is handwritten on a chalkboard with simple descriptions. “If you want to know something about the food, you have to ask about it,” says Tan. As in Greece, the first thing to hit the table is crusty white bread. It’s followed by “lamb chop”, served with red peppers, tzatziki and a lemon cheek on the side; “chicken steak” with greens that have been plancha-grilled; or classics, such as a generous slice of vegetarian moussaka, or a Greek salad drizzled in olive oil and topped with a slab of feta. There’s also a changing dessert; this weekend it’s an olive oil cake.

Inside, the space reflects the club’s patchwork ethos. The fit-out is a thoughtful mix of repurposed furniture and artefacts: a fridge salvaged from the much-loved Old Raffles Place , cafe tables donated by local football legend Peter Daicos, family photographs, local artwork and subtle nods to the building’s former lives as a flower shop, cafe and family home.

The Pontian Club arrives as Melbourne is experiencing a revival of modern Greek dining , but the team aims to carve out a niche of its own. “We really just want people to feel something,” says Tan. “We’re pretty young, and we have no idea how businesses work, so we’re running this how we want [a restaurant] to be.”

Though currently only open for lunch, once its liquor licence is approved, the restaurant will open for dinner and late-night feeds, which will be accompanied by a drinks menu of ouzo, sub-$10 Greek beers and a wine list.

The Pontian Club
8 Smith Street, Collingwood
No phone

Hours:
Fri to Sun 12.30pm–5pm

@the.pontian.club