Greek Souvlaki Restaurant Opens in Soho, London

Greek souvlaki will quickly become the next big thing in London, after a new restaurant named after the delicious Greek fast food opened in the Soho area. The restaurant offers a gourmet take on the world-famous traditional Greek dish. The Athenian grill house will provide Soho with a unique new concept from lunch to dinner, take away to delivery and for late night bites.

London-based Greek designer Afroditi Krassa, who was in charge of the restaurant’s interior decoration, was inspired by the urban look of neighborhoods across Greece, therefore the walls are covered with satirical graffiti, giving a special note of Greek spirit to the restaurant’s blue walls.

“We drew inspiration from Athens’ long past and referred to archetypical Greek symbols and icons: the blue color, marble, street graffiti, old coffee shops, the unusual language, the sound of the Greek church,” Krassa said to Architectural Digest magazine.

“The perception of Greek food in the UK is often outdated. Greek street food in particular, which revolves around ‘suvlaki’, a grilled meat skewer eaten plain or inside a wrap, has a very limited presence outside Greece, yet can be a great substitute and competitor to burgers, burritos and hotdogs. Our vision is to bring suvlaki to Soho’s discerning food lovers and, more generally, to educate the London audience with regard to the product. We aim to show how suvlaki can be fresh, tasty and healthy, fast and casual, sexy and trendy,” comments Yannis Theodorakakos who co-owns the restaurant with his Greek business partner Michael Kantartzis.

Apart from offering great quality food, the restaurant also offers a “live show” as customers will be able to witness the chefs in action, from their seats. The grill is open and positioned in the front of the shop, offering a spectacle for guests. Acclaimed Greek chef Elias Mamalakis, has been brought onboard permanently as a consultant chef, while he also designed several signature dishes for Suvlaki.