Seven Venues Defining Melbourne’s Greek Restaurant Revival

Greek food has long been a Melbourne staple. But recently, a new wave of contemporary Greek restaurants – taking fresh cues from the Land of the Gods, are changing the game.

Angie Giannakodakis, owner of the newly opened Taverna and former owner of Epocha, grew up in Melbourne and lived in Athens for 10 years. She sees this shift as long overdue. “The Greek food Australia ended up with was shaped by our parents and grandparents adapting to what Australians would eat. We fell into the trap of what a Greek taverna ‘should’ be: cheap and basic,” she tells Broadsheet.

Giannakodakis adds, “Young chefs in Athens are taking inspiration from their yiayias’ kitchens and turning those traditions into innovative new restaurants. Now there’s a renewed pride in our culture and food, and we’re seeing that here in Melbourne.”

Restaurateur Con Christopoulos, owner of Greek restaurant Kafeneion, sees this movement as a return to authenticity. “For a long time, progressive Greek restaurants tried to modernise. Now, we’re celebrating tradition – that’s the shift happening both here and in Athens,” he says.

“Greek cuisine is so much more than lamb, dips, and seafood. It’s time to flip the narrative and showcase its full diversity in a way that’s accessible to everyone,” says Astoria Bar Ke Grill owner Nik Pouloupatis. Here are seven Melbourne restaurants doing just that.

Taverna, Brunswick East

Run by hospitality veterans Angie Giannakodakis and Guy Holder, who previously owned Epocha together, this homey, Hot-Listed Greek restaurant started as a pop-up in 2024, before opening in its permanent Lygon Street home last month. The restaurant is inspired by tavernas in Athens and came out of a desire from Giannakodakis to share and preserve her family’s recipes. Menu highlights include a creamy fava dip, South Australian octopus, juicy chicken and pork skewers, and prawns cooked in saffron butter and ouzo. While the liquor license is still in the works, the wine list is set to impress with over 300 bottles and a strong focus on Greek wines and female-led labels.

Tzaki, Yarraville

The first restaurant from chef Ale Xinis (formerly of The Press Club, Hellenic Republic and Michelin-starred The Funky Gourmet in Athens) has become a Yarraville hotspot – and was one of our Best New Restaurants of 2024.

A day-to-night tribute to Athens, it channels Greek cafe culture from 7am on weekdays (8am on weekends), pouring strong Greek coffee alongside vanilla cream bougatsa (custard-filled phyllo pastry).

Tzaki – Greek for fireplace – centres around its woodfired oven, turning out a changing menu of rustic yet refined dishes each week. By night, expect wood-roasted octopus, barbeque mackerel, chickpeas a la Diporto, and a standout burnt feta cheesecake.

Kafeneion, Melbourne

Kafeneion (a spin on “kafenio”, the Greek term for a traditional coffeehouse) is a home-style diner serving harder-to-find Greek classics from Con Christopoulos and Stavros Konis. The pair started it as a pop-up and before opening a permanent spot at the end of 2024 in a narrow space above The European and below Siglo. The goal was, in part, to show local diners that Greek cuisine is more than souvas and tzatziki.

The menu has fried sweetbreads, spicy cheese croquettes, crusted meatballs with oregano and baked tomato filled with herbed rice. Mains include favourites such as spiced chicken with risoni, braised pork with lemon, and a fish of the day, plus accompaniments of hand-cut chips, bright salads and crumbly feta blocks. For dessert, there’s sticky baklava or orange filo cake with misshapen scoops of house-made ice-cream. Supper is a nightly fixture, with Greek soups and other snacks available until late.

Astoria Bar Ke Grill, South Yarra

With its sleek design, blue awning, and al fresco seating, the venue feels like it’s straight out of Kalamata. But inside, Nik Pouloupatis – a hospitality veteran with experience at Attica and Vue de Monde – adds a modern twist to traditional Greek classics. The menu features spanakopita, kingfish crudo with pickled cucumber and smoked yogurt, and lamb shoulder youvetsi (slow-cooked orzo stew). Despite his fine-dining background, Pouloupatis keeps the essence of Astoria rooted in home-style Greek cooking, drawing inspiration from his mother’s recipes from the Peloponnese region. When it comes to wine, Pouloupatis is passionate about celebrating both Australian and Greek varieties.

Ermou Gyros, Richmond

The owners of Kolonaki in Malvern and Plaka Gyros shops in Hawthorn and South Yarra opened this corner spot in March last year. Since then, the shop has become known for its generously filled pitas and share-style platters. Then there’s the fish in a cone, a popular Greek street food option that’s exactly what it sounds like: seafood served in a paper cone. Here, it’s fried calamari with lime mayo and lemon wedge on the side.

Capers, Thornbury

This laid-back, unpretentious cafe and bar opened in 2019 and is inspired by the owners’– cousins Christian Evripidou and Anastasios Konnaris – yiayia’s house in Cyprus. It heroes Greek-style comfort food and drinks, and pays homage to the Greek community stalwarts along High Street.

The menu is simple: meze, mains, and two desserts. A standout is the vegan moussaka – made with layers of roasted vegetables, tomato, and dairy-free bechamel – and you can’t go wrong with the light and fluffy spanakorizo with pickles and house-made bread. The cocktail list is out there, and includes a Greek Salad Martini with vinegar shrub and an Athens Negroni with a fresh-flavoured Greek spirit called mastiha.

The Pontian Club, Melbourne

Al Brunetti and Bertie Pavlidis operate The Pontian Club pop-up with ex-Gimlet chef Oscar Tan. Right now, the club runs during the Hellenic Museum’s open-air Summer Cinema nights. Every Friday from 6.30pm until sold out, the team serves a tight menu that may include lemon roast chicken, beetroot with skordalia (garlic and potato dip) and grilled squid. Fans will be thrilled to know that later this year, The Pontian Club is set to open a permanent restaurant on Smith Street, Collingwood.