Sit down, eat something, you're too skinny. Here, have some poppyseed cake.

I don't have a Greek grandmother, sadly, but I can only imagine that going to Norma's Deli is a bit like visiting your yiayia. You don't so much drop by, as surrender.

James Sideris, the entrepreneurial founder of Manly's Rollers Bakehouse, has named the place for his grandmother, and it's quite the homage.

Working with the thoughtful Greek-Australian architect George Livissianis, he has created a large, sprawling, semi-subterranean diner, deli, food hall and cafe that evokes all the good times you've ever had in the southern Mediterranean.

That means bright and breezy terrazzo stone, cosy banquette-lined booths tucked in at every opportunity, gorgeous little bevelled tables, and endless shelves, counters and fridges loaded with fresh peaches, halloumi, chilli-stuffed olives and pastries.

It's immediately excessive, a sensory overload. Walk in any time from 8am to 4pm and you're hit with the sight of huge slabs of focaccia topped with squishy tomatoes or burnished potato. I'll have a piece of that, thanks.

Then you see the gigantic trays of pastitsio and moussaka, stuffed red pepper gemista, baked eggplant, and golden rounds of spinach pie, and you want it all.

You want the dips, of course: tzatziki or hummus, or a blond, loose taramasalata ($18) dusted with bottarga (dried mullet roe) that comes with three grilled rounds of puffy pita bread for tearing and swiping and dipping.

Plus, a cold bottle of Fix ($10), the oldest beer in Greece. Or Greek frappe (iced coffee, $7). Or a bottle of 2021 Alessandro Viola Note di Bianco from Sicily ($45) that's just what the rotisserie chicken ordered.

Chef Luke Papalia (formerly Pilu on Freshwater) works behind glass in the busy kitchen, plating octopus and dusting slabs of feta with oregano for the village salad. Further along, head baker Darek Rojkowski and his team turn out sourdough, focaccia, baguettes, and sweet, sticky baklava, sugary kourabiedes and kataifi pastries.

There are no frills, but plenty of fries. Rotisserie chicken comes on Olympian mountains of crisp, golden chips, with a jug of (not very hot) chicken gravy on the side. The spit-roasted half Bannockburn chook ($20) is good tucker, crisp-skinned and pull-apart tender.

Pork souvlaki is a big order; the long metal skewer of marinated pork tenderloin ($18) resting on a large thin round of pita bread, bestrewn with green mint salsa and bright pickles. Wrapped in the bread – with a few chips tucked inside for good luck – it's great stuff, but it needs yoghurt.

And did I mention the fried saganaki cheese, grilled octopus, and braised lamb shoulder? Can I just stand in the middle and eat my way out? The cake special of the day is orange and poppyseed, drenched in syrup ($10), so that's not helping. Coffee is Single O via espresso, and on tap as cold brew and filter.

Norma's is not yet open for dinner – that's slated to happen in winter – so just wander over to the takeaway side, and buy a few wedges of densely packed spanakopita to serve at home with a tomato sugo from the deli.

Maybe skip the meatballs; mine were too smooth and solid. But how good are the takeaway boxes? Sturdy and stackable, they're an electric Aegean blue.

Then come back for breakfast, for the soon-to-be siggy dish of taramasalata toast with soft-boiled eggs ($18), or the bougatsa ($12), oozing with creme patissiere and topped with walnut crumble and orange syrup.

Norma's Deli, you may have gathered, is neither fancy nor cutting edge, but it is just plain brilliant. It reminds you how much we owe the people who brought their families and their food cultures across the seas here to live in a strange new country.

It's a great big fat Greek thank you to Australia, and a great big fat Australian thank you to the Greeks. Now, eat something, will you? You're wasting away.

The low-down

Norma's Deli

Drinks Classic cocktails, Greek and Italian beer, Italian and Australian-led wine list

Vibe Continental deli, 50s espresso bar, taverna, bakery, food hall and more stuff than I can fit here, all in one.

Go-to dish Spanakopita with spinach, feta and lemon, $27