Acclaimed Greek restaurant to go in new direction

A Gold Coast institution that’s served the likes of Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman has been sold so its former owner can focus on his Brisbane ventures.

RENOWNED Queensland restaurateur Simon Gloftis has sold his beloved Gold Coast eatery and rooftop bar Hellenika at Nobby Beach.

The acclaimed Greek taverna along the Gold Coast Hwy opened a decade ago, attracting a sea of celebrity guests, including Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman plus local sporting teams such as the Gold Coast Titans and Suns.

Hellenika owner Simon Gloftis has one of the most expensive and celebrated fish in the country tattooed on his arm

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Simon Gloftis has sold Hellenika. Picture: Nigel Hallett

It was also part of the Coast’s ­dining revolution, opening the gate for a series of high-profile restaurants to follow, such as Mr Gloftis’s second venture The Fish House, as well as Rick Shores, Jimmy Wah’s and Restaurant Labart.

“It’s been the world’s best 10-year ride at Hellenika and I’m more proud of that than anything I’ve done, but it’s time,” he said.

“It is with a heavy heart I close the doors on my Gold Coast restaurant journey – for the time being at least. It will be a strange feeling not running a local venue. I owe a lot to the Gold Coast and don’t think I’d have had the same opportunities anywhere else.”

Mr Gloftis, who owns Hellenika at The Calile in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and the neighbouring SK Steak and Oyster along James St, which is due to open next month, said that he wanted to give his undivided attention to his Brisbane ventures, which were “going along amazingly”.

“I don’t want to take anything for granted and I want to make sure that my presence is there, that I’m there shaking hands, saying hello to the customers and building a legacy in Brisbane that I built on the Gold Coast,” he said.

Buying the highly successful business was the team behind another Gold Coast institution, Justin Lane at Burleigh Heads.

Business partners Kelvin Chenery and Ayman Muhor, along with general manager Brodie Millwood and Jenna Hamill, plan to turn the Hellenika site into a modern Mediterranean, broadening the menu to cover Greek, Turkish, Spanish and Moroccan ­cuisine such as charred meats and lots of seafood. They also want to build up the existing rooftop bar.

“We’re just going to really activate the rooftop like what we’re doing at Justin Lane, with great music and great cocktails,”Mr Muhor said. “I feel with my experience and the team ... we can definitely fill the shoes.”

The venue will also operate under the new name Loki Restaurant Bar Rooftop, and will undergo a few minor visual tweaks before reopening this Saturday at 5pm.