When it comes to the Melbourne/Sydney divide, Melbourne has always won out when it comes to Greek food. But last year, Sydney welcomed a slew of new Greek venues – and there’s more to come. 

Greek food is definitely on the up. According to TasteAtlas, an online travel guide for traditional local food, Greece has taken Italy’s crown as the world’s top cuisine in the guide’s 2024/25 awards. These awards were based on audience ratings on foods in its database, with cuisines ranked by users’ average ratings of the best-rated dishes and food products of each country.

Late last year, Sydney welcomed the opulent Olympus Dining, by the team behind another Greek stalwart, The Apollo. Peter Conistis, the grandfather of Greek cooking in Sydney, opened three new venues in 2024 – Ammos, his take on seaside taverna, Ela Ela, an Athenian mezze bar, and Rooftop Kouzina, a spit-roast souvlaki bar. And he’s not done – there’ll be another in Sydney mid-year and something interstate (watch this space). 

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Conistis has been championing Greek cuisine for 30 years, and is excited by the breadth of the offerings available. Diners know taramasalata, spanakopita and octopus are tasty; now it’s time to discover keftedes, soutzoukakia and manestra.

“We are introducing things that people haven’t tried before,” Conistis says. “At Kouzina, I have kokoretsi on the menu, a lamb offal sausage that’s spit-roasted. The only other place I’ve ever had it is at The Corinthian [in Marrickville]. It’s a dish I love, and I can finally put it on a menu.

“I’m seeing more of those old-style Greek flavours. With me, all the bells and whistles have gone and I’m taking it back to the food I’ve grown up with – dishes that have been forgotten over the years.” 

These include bougiourdi at Ela Ela – a “bubbly mess” of baked feta with garlic and tomatoes – and bobota at Ammos, a Greek version of cornbread. 

“A lot of Greek mums come in and tell me they haven’t had bobota in years; their yiayia used to make it,” Conistis says. “We finish it with charred onions and kefalotyri cheese – quintessential Greek flavours.

“I’m showcasing the food I grew up with and it seems to be working. I would love more people to come try what we’re doing with Greek food these days.” 

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Credit: Nikki To

In Melbourne, there’s also been a new wave of Greek dining, with Astoria Bar Kè Grill, Kafeneion, Tzaki and Olympia. 

Alex Xinis opened Tzaki, an Athenian-inspired mezze bar, three months ago. He’d worked in Greece for three years, and felt that Melbourne was ready to experience a modern take on Greek food rather than traditional taverna fare. 

“I’ve steered away from things such as the trio of dips, moussaka and fried calamari,” he says. “We serve small, interesting plates of food. There’s minimal seafood and meat, lots of pulses and vegetables, and everything is cooked in a woodfired oven. Greek food is all about seasonality, healthy produce, lots of vegetables, and it’s super tasty.” 

Xinis says customers still come in asking for octopus with chips and salad, but he quickly converts them.

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Credit: Jana Longhorst

At Tzaki, the plates are small, the flavours punchy, the menu changes weekly and the price is approachable. Xinis loves that diners often google ingredients before they order, and that he’s introducing them to a new world of flavours.

“There are a couple of dishes we keep on menu – one is a slow-ferment flatbread flash-roasted in the wood oven so it comes out bubbly, and is covered in tirokafteri butter,” he says. “In a taverna, you would have tirokafteri – red peppers, chilli and feta – as a dip.”

The wine list champions Hellenic varietals. It changes every two months and out of 20 drops, only four are local. 

“Greek wine is unique,” Xinis says. “I’d say the problem has been that, generally, people have retsina and don’t like it because it’s really strong. But a lot of the wines are really interesting and well made, with vines and techniques that are really old. 

“Assyrtiko is a vine grown on volcanic soil, in baskets on the ground. On the menu we say chardonnay, with assyrtiko underneath it, because it’s the closest to chardonnay. Agiorgitiko is like a supercharged pinot. 

“People want to try new things, but need a frame of reference. If you tell them this wine is like this, they’ll try it.” 

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