Gold Coast dining: First look at new Main Beach Greek restaurant serving up the flavours of Santorini

Opa! The Gold Coast’s new Greek restaurant is serving up a Mediterranean experience without the hefty plane ticket. Check out what’s on the menu.

There’s no need to jet off to Santorini to experience the flavours of Greece — Main Beach is now home to a slice of the Mediterranean island in its new restaurant Elia Greek Taverna and Bar.

Opened last week at the Marina Mirage, Elia owner Marina Panayiaris says there was a need for a welcoming Greek restaurant in the community.

“I wanted (to offer) traditional, affordable, fresh Greek food, like yiayia used to make,” Marina says.

“We want somewhere where you can go every week for dinner, not somewhere you can only afford to go for a special occasion.”

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Elia Greek Taverna will offer lots of share-style plates in its menu.

Marina owns the business with her husband who spent 35 years running restaurants in Adelaide.

“Now the kids have moved out and on, it was good time to look at somewhere else,” Marina says.

“We’ve always loved Queensland, we spent all the ’90s in Queensland.”

The menu will focus on share plates and charcoal baked meat, with everything made from scratch and plenty of gluten-free options.

“It is like a taverns — a restaurant in any Greek island, an authentic Greek experience,” Marina says.

“Every recipe is a family recipe, tried and tested. Our food is all made in house, and that’s very important. We try and keep everything fresh and clean as we can.

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Owner Marina describes the food as fresh and clean, with lots of charcoal grilled meats.

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“Greek food is eaten best as share platters, because that’s how it goes, you sit and nibble and chat and enjoy the company. But we will have main meals as well.

“One of our platters is called yiayia platter, which has hot nibbles for four people.

“The mains we’ve got lamb souvla, which is lamb on the charcoal spit, served with Mediterranean vegies, we’ve got two jumbo quail served with the Cyprian grain salad, we’ve got chicken souvlakis, pork skewers, and the Greek equivalent of lasagne.

“We have a lot of food that’s vegan, stuffed capsicums, dips, vegan moussaka that’s made with a cauliflower white sauce. We hand make our own dolmades.

Piyush Setiya and Marina Panayiaris at the new Greek restaurant in Marina Mirage Main Beach called Elia.

“As well as organic Greek wines, and organic Greek beers.”

A cobalt blue and white colour scheme with a large mural of Santorini transports diners to the holiday hotspot, with views over the sparkling marina emulating a taverns in the European playground.

“The furniture and most of the crockery is all from Greece,” Marina says.

“There’s bouganvillias and olive trees when you sit here. We can seat 250 people so we can cater for a lot functions.”

Marina plans on hosting lively Greek parties on the weekends with live music and special dishes.

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The drinks list will feature lots of organic Greek wine.

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“We’re hoping to have big Greek nights with live music so that people can have a good night out, with a Greek singer and a set menu,” she says.

“The new Gold Coast ferry is coming to our back door, starting in October or November. That will be nice, people can drink and relax and then get on the ferry home again.”

Elia Greek Taverna and Bar will open on July 5 at Marina Mirage, shop 16/74 SeaWorld Drive, Main Beach.