Nik Pouloupatis has clocked time at some of the biggest names in Melbourne dining, including Cutler and Co, Attica, and an eight-year stint at Grossi Florentino. But for his next turn, the front-of-house veteran has returned to the home-style food of his Hellenic heritage.

His new neighbourhood taverna, Astoria Bar Ke Grill, takes over the 129-year-old South Yarra terrace occupied since 2016 by bar-restaurant Shadowboxer, which Pouloupatis purchased in October before bringing it into its Aegean era just before Christmas.

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“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” he says. “I’m very proud of my heritage, but I also wanted to present it in a more refined way – not so much the beach tavern style, which is kind of the majority of what’s around.”

He points to recent openings such as Tzaki and Kafeneion as leading the way for a new style of Greek dining in Melbourne that goes beyond dips and fried calamari. There’s also rooftop bar Olympia and the temporary Taverna shaking things up.

“Many moons ago I cooked at a Greek restaurant on Chapel Street and you’d always hear: ‘It’s not as good as my mum’s,’” says Pouloupatis, who attributes the recent Greek wave to a yearning for yia yia’s cooking. “I feel like that generation is sadly leaving us and a lot of us are feeling a bit nostalgic about the food.”

At Astoria, you’ll still find the requisite dips, calamari, saganaki and spanakopita (which is painstakingly folded into crisp, flaky triangles). But you’ll also find cheffier versions of Pouloupatis’s mum’s recipes.

The zucchini fritters known as kolokithokeftedes include potato and panko crumbs, so it’s “crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside”. Youvetsi, a slow-cooked dish of tomato and kritharaki (orzo), might come with fall-apart lamb shoulder one week and meltingly tender osso buco the next.

The drinks list draws from Greece, with xinomavro (a nebbiolo-like red wine) and agiorgitiko (a red from the Peloponnese region, where Pouloupatis’s parents are from) plus ouzo mojitos and sours made with mastiha, a piney liqueur made from resin – perfect for sipping on the two-tiered terrace in summer.

Shadowboxer regulars will still recognise the whitewashed fitout, and the couch has been subbed out for church pews Pouloupatis picked up in Bendigo.

Open Wed-Thu 4pm-late, Fri-Sun noon-late

302 Toorak Road, South Yarra, astoriabarkegrill.com.au

Three more Greek spots to check out this summer:

Eleni’s Kitchen & Bar, Yarraville

After the venue was partially destroyed by fire in June, this longstanding Yarraville restaurant has reopened with an updated front bar and new dishes like lobster blini and six-hour-braised baby goat. Around since the 1960s and now run by the fourth generation of the Amanatidis family, this taverna still peddles time-honoured favourites like moussaka (made with a 100-year-old family recipe) and regional plates like bougiourdi (a three-cheese fondue from Thessaloniki) and stuffed squid from Lefkada. eleniskitchen.com.au

Tzaki, Yarraville

Right around the corner from Eleni’s, this buzzy new spot has been a hit since it opened in spring. Modelled after modern Athenian bars, the pint-sized, all-day venue changes its dishes weekly (and sometimes daily) but menu stayers include the not-to-be-missed chickpeas a la Diporto (inspired by the Athens institution of the same name), which are gently cooked overnight and finished generously with olive oil and lemon, and a salty-sweet burnt feta cheesecake. tzaki.com.au

Olympia, Oakleigh

When this breezy rooftop bar opened in a former carpark in autumn, it was a breath of fresh air for Melbourne’s Hellenic heartland. But it’s time you got yourself back there: the olive grove, whitewashed walls and azure shutters feel just right in summer, as do the seasonal spritzes and crowd-favourite cocktail Karpouzaki (with gin, ouzo and watermelon juice), best enjoyed while snacking on saganaki croquettes and prawn and lobster rolls. olympia.wine