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‘So very Melbourne’: Why humble Greek restaurant Kafeneion is an instant classic

The fitout’s a bit timeworn and the home-style dishes aren’t meant for Instagram. But this pop-up restaurant, from veteran restaurateur Con Christopoulos, is our critic’s new favourite.

Besha Rodell

Con Christopoulos (centre) can often be found on the floor at his first Greek restaurant, Kafeneion.
1 / 10Con Christopoulos (centre) can often be found on the floor at his first Greek restaurant, Kafeneion.Jason South
Cured bonito.
2 / 10Cured bonito. Jason South
Peas cooked down with artichokes, lemon and dill.
3 / 10Peas cooked down with artichokes, lemon and dill.Jason South
Whole fish of the day, grilled and served with lemon.
4 / 10Whole fish of the day, grilled and served with lemon.Jason South
Everyone at Kafeneion is wearing black and drinking wine.
5 / 10Everyone at Kafeneion is wearing black and drinking wine.Jason South
The go-to dish: sweetbreads served crisp on the outside, creamy in the middle, with lemon for squeezing.
6 / 10The go-to dish: sweetbreads served crisp on the outside, creamy in the middle, with lemon for squeezing.Jason South
Kafeneion serves a good baklava.
7 / 10Kafeneion serves a good baklava.Jason South
Kafeneion has taken over the small space that was once Martinis with Mancini and Self Preservation.
8 / 10Kafeneion has taken over the small space that was once Martinis with Mancini and Self Preservation.Jason South
Con Christopoulos, right, and Stavros Konis with the sign that now dominates the dining room.
9 / 10Con Christopoulos, right, and Stavros Konis with the sign that now dominates the dining room.Eddie Jim
Stavros Konis (left) and Con Christopoulos in the small dining room.
10 / 10Stavros Konis (left) and Con Christopoulos in the small dining room.Eddie Jim

14/20

Greek$$

A few weeks ago, when asked to write about what makes Melbourne’s dining scene so wonderful, my main argument hinged on one key element: a sense of place. I wish, for the sake of that article, that I’d had the chance to eat at Kafeneion before I began writing, if for no other reason than it is a perfect example of that ineffable quality to which I was referring. This restaurant is so very of its place, so very Melbourne, it makes me swoon.

What makes it so true to this city? The cliches are as spot-on as the more nuanced reasons. On these brisk winter nights, everyone is wearing black, everyone is drinking wine, everyone has that charming louche modishness that has defined our sense of style for decades.

The service is almost brusque, but in a loving way, if that makes sense: no-nonsense, professional without being uptight – we all know why we’re here, let’s get your order in and get you fed. It’s a style I’ve long associated with Melbourne, a variation on European service with less sneer, like you’re a member of the family who can withstand a little acerbic wit with your dirty martini.

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Business partners Stavros Konis and Con Christopoulos.
Business partners Stavros Konis and Con Christopoulos.Eddie Jim

It feels as though the restaurant has been in this space for decades, although only recently it was Martinis with Mancini, a bar operated by restaurateur Con Christopoulos – who, along with business partner Stavros Konis – is also responsible for Kafeneion. Some of this worn-in quality seems to be deliberate; the menus appear to have been pre-aged, their sparse mid-century graphics purposefully smudged, like a pair of pre-ripped jeans.

These are not dishes meant for Instagram. They are made to fill you up and make you feel loved.

The food? It’s simple. Straightforward. And Greek. Or, should I say, Greek-Australian? Because, while I’m sure almost everything on this menu can be found in Greece, it gets its sense of purpose from the cooking of generations of Greek families that have made Melbourne their home over the past 100 years.

This is especially true of the slow-cooked dishes that make up the bulk of the mains, offered in whole or half portions, food that could have come off a Greek grandma’s stove (and that, unless you have a Greek grandma, you’d be unlikely to find anywhere else).

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Peas ($17/$27) are cooked down with artichokes, lemon and dill. Braised pork ($22/$36) is fall-apart tender, stewed with potatoes and lemon and celery leaves.

Home-style olive oil-braised peas with artichokes, lemon and dill.
Home-style olive oil-braised peas with artichokes, lemon and dill.Jason South

I’m going to guess some people won’t get it. This is a restaurant meal? Some dun-coloured stew on a plate? If that sounds disappointing to you, there are other places to take your business. These are not dishes meant for Instagram. They are made to fill you up and make you feel loved.

More Instagram-worthy? The cured bonito ($22), fanned across the plate in satisfying slabs, firm and sweet and wholly reliant on the excellent quality of the fish.

I wish sweetbreads were used more widely in Australia, but whether you’re an old pro or a newbie, the version here ($18) is a delight; fried perfectly – crisp on the outside, creamy in the middle – and served with lemon for squeezing.

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Go-to dish: Sweetbreads.
Go-to dish: Sweetbreads.Jason South

When we asked about the whole fish of the day (market price), we braced for another snapper. (Not that there’s anything wrong with snapper!) But I was thrilled to hear instead that we’d be getting a whole mackerel ($38), and what a mackerel it was – so fresh, the oily flesh sang with sweetness, an absolute paragon of the form.

In a time in which it’s far too easy to spend a fortune on dinner without trying very hard, I was struck by the relative value of Kafeneion. One night we had cocktails and starters and three (small) mains, desserts (baklava for $14; sesame and honey ice-cream for $12, both so good), a bottle of wine and after-dinner drinks, and the bill was just over $230. The meal took hours; it felt celebratory. Just two nights earlier, I’d spent $300 on a 45-minute onslaught of small plates and a few drinks that weren’t very special.

Much of the food at Kafeneion is downright home-style, and I assume the reliance on stews and the rejection of any kind of plating pretension allows prices to stay reasonable. But that, in turn, allows the customer to splurge on other things: that second dessert; that nicer bottle of wine.

Plans are evolving; the current iteration is being billed as a winter pop-up, and Christopoulos claims to be looking for a larger venue – 150 seats to the current 60 – to make the project permanent. I’m not sure what that expansion will do to the soul of the place – it obviously depends on location and venue and fitout. I’ll probably miss the intimacy of this version, the forced hubbub that comes from a small room packed with happy diners.

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In its current state, I wouldn’t deign to claim this to be one of the best restaurants in Melbourne – but I would happily say it’s one of my favourites.

And I have faith that whatever Christopoulos does, Kafeneion will likely still be delicious, and loads of fun, and pointedly, gloriously true to the spirit of this city.

The low-down

Vibe: Pared-back vintage Melbourne minimalism

Go-to dish: Sweetbreads, $18

Drinks: Classic cocktails with some Greek twists; affordable wine list with a focus on Greek wines

Cost: About $120 for two, plus drinks

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Default avatarBesha Rodell is the anonymous chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Weekend.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/so-very-melbourne-why-humble-greek-restaurant-kafeneion-is-an-instant-classic-20230615-p5dgqr.html