Agapi’s owner/chef Umesh Dhanushka is Sri Lankan, not Greek, but trained for six months in the city of Thessaloniki and was hooked. His signature dish, is a slowly spit roasted lamb shoulder with accompaniments to share. Then there are the sheftalies – coarsely ground pork mince is mixed with dried mint and spices led by cinnamon, shaped into stout little torpedoes and wrapped in a web of caul fat that melts away on the grill. Bouncy, aromatic and charred on their rough edges, they need nothing more than a squeeze of fresh lemon. Other than the meat and seafood platters, the remaining menu is much more modestly priced, growing in serving size from smaller meze to meyala (or mains). To finish, the dessert known as “bougatsa” is reinterpreted as a filo cigar filled with soft custard and plonked in a tumbler holding a blob of whipped cream. It’s like eating the vanilla slice of your dreams without the mess. 179 King William Road, Hyde Park; agapigreek.com.au.

The ocean off Port Willunga looks sullen and grey, but from the Star of Greece, one can’t help but stare. The seascape looms large, filling the expanse of dining room windows, lapping beneath your feet, it seems, on the deck. It’s like being aboard a cruise liner without the swaying. Significant changes to the Star by owners Doug and Nikki Govan have taken the restaurant’s connection to its surrounds to another level and the message hasn’t been lost on the head chef tag-team of Michael Collins and Jason Coppin either. Visiting the Star without eating squid is like going to Naples and avoiding the pizza. Salt and pepper calamari is a permanent fixture among the entrees, while a main course version adds a tickle of Sichuan pepper to the coating and drops a bigger serve of fried bits and pieces beside a salad of julienned greenish mango, cucumber, kimchi, mixed herbs and a gentle chilli dressing. Coorong mullet laps up the attention of celeriac puree, shredded apple remoulade and a fried slice of black chorizo. A chowder-like bowl of soup/ sauce with potato and Goolwa pipis is accompanied by a grilled swordfish steak that has been brined and is far too salty. 1 Lower Esplanade, Port Willunga; starofgreece.com.au.

The Riverland is a productive region with its own distinct flavour, one that isn’t always evident when eating out. If only more places had dishes like the Murray cod with capers at Eleni’s, a cellar-door restaurant that seeks out local suppliers. Eleni’s tells the story of Peter and Eleni Markeas, migrants from southern Greece who established a small holding of fruit trees and grapes outside Renmark, eventually producing their own wine under the Mallee Estate label. Fifteen years ago, they opened a cellar door and then, in 2017, a restaurant, serving the homely Greek food they grew up with. Tables are set in a tasting room where the fluted iron panels and rustic timber suggest bush pub as much as Greek taverna. That changes with the first bite of a warm pita wedge spread with garlicky eggplant dip. Most of the menu is made up of traditional favourites such as spanakopita and chargrilled octopus, while other meats and seafoods arrive on the arm of more fashionable partners. A special of lamb cutlets comes with a splatter of beetroot puree and rocket and fennel salad. The Murray cod, a perfectly roasted fillet, is enhanced by a saute of chopped tomato and celery, as well as a butter sauce containing plenty of local capers. 20055 Renmark Avenue, Renmark South; malleeestate.com.au.

If Yiasou George was a Mediterranean island, it would be the one you head to for a party. The vibe starts with the fun-loving staff decked out in colourful shirts and extends to the funky playlist, and light and bright murals adorning the walls. Then there’s the open shelf through the middle of the venue, lined with empty wine bottles and Euro food products such as olives, anchovies and tomato sauce. It sets the scene for what’s to come: a fun dining experience, leaning strongly on Greek cuisine but with nice contemporary touches. The saganaki with local honey is the star of the meze menu; deliciously salty, not at all rubbery and complemented by some sweet roasted figs. A large wood oven sits in the corner of the open kitchen and is the secret behind many of the dishes, including the lamb shoulder, which rests on a bed of greens with natural yoghurt on the side. The meat, if a tad dry, pulls away easily with a fork. By dessert you’ll be struggling but the Basque cheesecake – wonderfully charred on top and not too rich – is worth loosening a belt notch or two. 26 East Terrace, Adelaide; yiasougeorge.com.au.

Georges has evolved gradually, carefully over the past 20 years. The cooking has expanded from a focus on Italy to a wider view of the Mediterranean, as interpreted by the succession of different chefs. That role now belongs to Cameron Coutts (Jolley’s Boathouse, Chianti) who seems to share owner George Katsimatis’s ethos that approachable food should still be made with quality ingredients and no shortcuts. The dollop of whipped ricotta that comes with figs and hazelnuts, for example, is made the old-fashioned way, resulting in a bonus by-product of milky whey that just happens to sing the sweetest of harmonies when streaked with tarragon oil and pooled beneath blushing slices of raw kingfish. Brined pork cutlet benefits from the smoke and scorching of a charcoal grill (a key addition to the kitchen), as well as the sweet/ sour tang of preserved muntries. 20 Waymouth St, Adelaide; georgesonwaymouth.com.au.