The hardest part of moving Steki Taverna from Newtown to Enmore was preserving the character that made the Greek late-night dining and dancing spot an institution.

“We tried to create an atmosphere that reminded people of the old place,” owner Paul Ioakimidis tells Broadsheet. “We put familiar pictures on the wall, the waitresses are the same, the band is the same, and we built the tables around the dance floor. I think we achieved it. It feels like we’re back at Steki.”

The original venue had a 39-year run on Newtown’s O’Connell Street before it closed in 2022, caught up in the Covid fallout. It hosted birthday parties, christenings, wedding feasts, and big and small groups that almost always finished off the night dancing to the Steki band with its classic bouzouki lead. “If you went, you didn’t need to be Greek – everyone mixed. When the music started, Greeks, non-Greeks all got together on the dance floor. It never failed.”

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Ioakimidis, who was a guest first before he bought the business in 2000, saw diners grow up at Steki. “We had customers that came as kids, and now they’re adults and bring their own children.”

The menu at the new space – the ex-Kafenes digs – is full of familiar classics cooked by the original chef, Stratos Loupos, as well as Filipas Triandafilidis, who joined from Kafenes. There’s souvlaki, chicken oregano, fried haloumi, meat and seafood platters, and a mixed entree, which includes zucchini fritters, dolmades, lima beans and meatballs, and could be renamed “a bit of everything”. The quarter lamb, barbequed for six hours, is also back, and there are new dishes too, such as moussaka and garides tiganites (fried prawns).

Drinks poured from the charming corner bar celebrate Greece’s long history of winemaking and distilling. There’s the distinctly licorice-y ouzo; mastika, a resin-based spirit; retsina, a dry white wine; plus Greek beers and some Australian and international drops.

From the exposed stone and whitewashed plaster walls, the nostalgic photos and the band set up near the dance floor, it’s clear Steki is proudly Greek and ready to party. For those returning after the yearlong hiatus, it will feel comfortingly familiar, but newcomers are equally welcome. “I want people to feel like they’re walking into our home,” says Ioakimidis. “I want them to feel comfortable. You might go in not knowing anyone, but everyone gets together and dances.”

When Steki closed in August, Ioakimidis knew it wouldn’t be forever. “It’s really exciting to be coming back. I missed it – I missed welcoming people in, I missed the friends I kept in touch with and those I couldn’t. They’ve all rung me up, wishing me well. It’s a wonderful feeling to come back.”

Steki Taverna
149 Enmore Road, Enmore
0401 216 757

Hours:
Wed & Thu 5pm–10pm
Fri to Sun 5pm–1am

@steki.taverna