Taste of the Aegean From Classic to Modern

If you think long, cheerful conversations with your family and friends over many plates of delicious food at dinner is the best way to spend an evening, you’ve been captured by the Aegean spirit. Share the “agape” and enjoy the warm hospitality of these restaurants.

One of Miami’s most exciting spots for indulging in Greek fare is Avra, located in The Estates at Acqualina at 17945 Collins Ave. in Sunny Isles Beach (786.807.7555). A collaboration between restaurateurs Nick Tsoulos, Nick Pashalis and Marc Packer, the acclaimed Greek restaurant opened on Manhattan’s East 48th Street in 2000. Today, Avra has two more Manhattan locales, one in Beverly Hills and now, Miami.

Inspired by Greece’s charming seaside tavernas, the restaurant’s bougainvillea pergola and white tones transport you to the islands of the Aegean. On the menu are the favorites – classic spreads, Greek salad, saganaki and grilled octopus – but fresh seafood is the star here. Choosing from the ice display’s catch of the day is the fun part of the show. Favorites are branzino and red snapper, as well as the rare gems flown in from Greece every day that perhaps you’ve never heard of, such as fagri and lithrini. Your choice of fish is then charcoal-grilled, deboned and finished with Avra’s lemon juice and olive oil ladolmono sauce.

Executive chef Jose David Diaz has created unique dishes for Avra Miami, such as a Faroe Islands salmon ceviche with chickpeas featuring the catch of the day in a leche de tigre sauce (a citrus-based marinade), mussels in a tomato garlic broth with crumbled feta, grouper en papillote and Dover sole meuniere with Ossetra caviar. But the Maine lobster linguine in a light tomato sauce steals the show.

Santorini by Georgios at 101D Ocean Dr. in South Beach (305.672.6624), adjacent to the Hilton Bentley Beach Hotel, is a local favorite. Affable owner Georgios Vogiatzis, who was born on the small Greek island of Thassos, runs the restaurant with his family – his brother Saki Vogiatzis is beverage director and his son-in-law Yanis Mazouz is director of operations. Located just steps from the beach, the restaurant has a relaxed vibe with seating indoors and also outside around the pool.

The Greek Island décor features whites and Aegean blues. The restaurant has a special welcoming warmth – the staff greets you like a Greek yia yia, or grandmother, who hasn’t seen you in ages. Priding himself on the freshness of his food, Vogiatzis calls his suppliers in Greece daily, ensuring fresh shipments of feta cheese, veggies and fish just pulled from the waters of the Greek sea.

The extensive menu features favorite classics: meze dips, pitas, cheeses, homemade dolmades, Greek salad, grilled octopus, flaming cheese saganaki, keftedes and grilled chicken kebabs. Specialties include colossal king prawns, fresh lobster caught daily, charcoal-grilled lamb chops and prime streaks. Save room for the Nutella baklava for dessert.

The restaurant, which won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2022, has a fantastic happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. that serves up appetizers for $7. The impressive 25-page wine list offers 50 wines by the glass – many for $5 – with several varieties of Greek wines you may not have had the chance to try yet.

Mr. Mandolin, at 7301 Biscayne Blvd. inside the MiMo District’s Vagabond Hotel 754.732.9543), is a prime spot for a casual dinner with family or friends. It was created by the team behind the popular Mandolin Aegean Bistro in the Buena Vista/Design District. Featuring fresh, tasty Greek and Turkish specialties, Mr. Mandolin’s menu offers items not available at Mandolin, such as swordfish kebabs. The friendly Mr. Mandolin himself, Mamet Erkaya, brother of Mandolin Bistro’s Ahmet Erkaya, is the general manager, overseeing the restaurant and its busy takeout arm.

Ingredients are organic where possible, and meats are ethically raised with no added hormones or antibodies. All items are made fresh daily in house: gyros, kebabs, pies, dips, salads and sides such as rice pilaf, along with irresistible french fries. Groups often order the “Feast” option: dips, grilled pita, Greek salad, shaved meats, roasted veggies, shishito peppers, french fries and orzo pilaf, plus homemade sweets. Order a pitcher of the orange sangria with rose water to wash it all down.

The popular Monday through Friday happy hour offers dips, sticks and drinks for $5.

Hot spot Doya, a modern Aegean meze bar and restaurant located in Wynwood at 347 NW 24th St. (305.501.2848), is the proud recipient of a Michelin Bib Gourmand award.

The power team behind the restaurant is Jerry Böck, former general manager at Cecconi’s, and Erhan Kostepan, founder of the aforementioned Mandolin Aegean Bistro. Created to replicate the ambience and tasty food of the Aegean, Doya’s concept is that food tastes better when shared with people you love, and it celebrates the meze culture from Greece to Turkey.

Meze – meaning “a taste or a bite” – consists of small plates of savory snacks that are always passed around, arriving at the table in groups of four or five. Cold meze menu items include muhammara with roasted red pepper and pomegranate, Cretan feta with pistachios and walnuts, and branzino ceviche. Hot meze are Turkish flatbread pides, kofte roasted cauliflower, lamb chops and fisherman’s seafood stew for two.

Meze is often accompanied by ouzo or arak in the Aegean area, but it’s bar manager Anthony Medina’s modern Aegean cocktails that are the rage here. Medina, a globally recognized mixologist and bartender, has created some of the most iconic bar and beverage programs in London and New York. His signature cocktail is the Bursa, made with Herradura Blanco tequila, Vida mezcal, ginger, turmeric, lime juice, agave syrup, Tajin, chiles and firewater.

Openings

Meraki Greek Gyro & Bakery at 919 Alton Rd., South Beach (786.536.2564) is brought to you by the owners of Meraki Greek Bistro in downtown Miami and Coconut Grove; it features a more casual menu than the other two locations. On offer are all the Greek favorites: gyros, pitas and kabobs, along with salads and spanakopita. There’s also a small market with imported Greek olive oil, honey, vinegar, herbs and cheeses, and beer and wine, including a few natural Greek wines. A light breakfast menu is available with coffee and fresh juices with traditional pastries like baklava, for dining in or takeout.

Nude Eats Café & Market, formerly Nude Pita in the Alton Road Food Hall, has reopened in two new locations: 1536 Alton Rd. in South Beach (786.992.9153) and 3801 Biscayne Blvd. (786.537.5759). Chef-owner Alexia Apostolides is devoted to a gluten-free, healthy vegetarian Greek diet. Keto dieters love her “clean Keto” options – whole-nutrient, unprocessed foods; thus “Nude Eats.”

Irene Moore is a Miami-based writer and certified sommelier whose vivid descriptions take readers through culinary cultures around the world. Her feature articles have appeared in print publications, travel guidebooks and websites in the U.S. and Europe.