Giorgos Zannakis: Why everyone is talking about Iliopetra

Nestled successful the Agios Dimitrios neighborhood, close astatine the foothills of Ano Poli successful Thessaloniki, this tiny but mighty edifice has been making waves among locals and visitors alike. With conscionable a fistful of tables, a no-frills attack to dining, and a paper that defies labels, Iliopetra has rapidly go 1 of the city’s astir talked-about nutrient spots.

At the bosom of it each is cook and proprietor Giorgos Zannakis, a antheral who believes successful cooking with passion, embracing the unexpected, and letting the ingredients archer their ain story. Our speech starts with a travel down representation lane:

“I started retired arsenic a waiter astatine a edifice called Ermis, a classical two-story neoclassical spot serving home-cooked meals, pasta, and grilled dishes similar rosemary lamb chops with mashed potatoes. That’s wherever I fell successful emotion with cooking and decided to power to the kitchen. After culinary school, I worked successful assorted Thessaloniki restaurants, but each summer, I’d flight to the land of Leipsoi. It was during 1 of those trips that I got a telephone from Giannis Loukakis, inviting maine to articulation the squad astatine Mourga. I spent 2 years there, and if I hadn’t opened Iliopetra, I’d astir apt inactive beryllium there.”

What’s the Buzz About?

Iliopetra was calved successful the mediate of the pandemic, and contempt the odds, it has built a dedicated following. But what precisely is it? A modern taverna? A bistro? A caller question Greek eatery? Zannakis waves disconnected the request for labels:

“First and foremost, Iliopetra is simply a restaurant. I debar each the categories radical effort to enactment america into. I don’t cognize if radical speech astir america oregon not—that’s ne'er been my concern. My lone extremity is to navigator delicious nutrient each time and marque radical funny capable to sojourn us.”

Zannakis describes his paper arsenic “a small each implicit the place,” reflecting his ain cravings erstwhile helium eats out. Home-style dishes, pies, and earthy preparations each stock abstraction connected a perpetually evolving list, without lengthy descriptions oregon overcomplicated plating. The unifying theme? Surprise.

“I privation each crockery to person an constituent of the unexpected. That’s what keeps radical coming back. And, of course, it helps that we’re a tight-knit team, similar a large family. My woman Vassia, our person Vasso, and the full room crew—we’ve each known each different for years.”

As we chat, 1 of the restaurant’s newest creations arrives astatine the table: a accepted cod pastry with caramelized onions and leeks, wrapped successful hand-rolled phyllo and served with a Florina capsicum paste. Simple, rustic, yet packed with layers of flavor.

A Culinary Philosophy Rooted successful Authenticity

For Zannakis, opening Iliopetra was astir making his people connected the Greek nutrient country successful his ain way:

“I ever wanted to bash my ain thing, distant from strict definitions. Take our dolma-sushi and goat dumplings, for example—both dishes bespeak my emotion for reinventing forgotten ingredients. I emotion moving with goat, giving it a caller perspective. But I besides adore pies, and I privation to support making much of them. Our taramasalata with crab nutrient and our murphy crockery with pancetta and mackerel person besides been large hits.”

No Trends, Just Good Food

Unlike galore chefs chasing the adjacent large culinary trend, Zannakis is uninterested successful fitting into a circumstantial mold.

“I don’t travel immoderate peculiar edifice ‘formula.’ My cooking is planetary yet rooted successful respect for the ingredients. I enactment with lone 3 main suppliers—a fisherman, a butcher, and a greengrocer—all of whom person been my friends for years. If an constituent isn’t up to par, I simply won’t service that dish.”

At this point, 1 of Iliopetra’s signature plates lands connected the table: vinegared rice, wasabi, vegetables, cod, and grape leaves—a Greek-Japanese fusion known arsenic sushi-dolma.

Who Comes to Iliopetra?

“We get each kinds of guests—twenty-something person groups, older couples, and everyone successful between. Most radical travel successful with precocious expectations, having heard thing astir us. Some permission thrilled, others a spot fto down—usually not by the food, but by the determination oregon the abstraction itself. It’s comic due to the fact that successful different countries, immoderate of the champion restaurants are successful distant villages oregon concern areas. Here, radical sometimes expect thing much polished. Personally, I don’t mind. I’d alternatively spot less dishes connected the array and cognize they’re genuinely appreciated than person an excess of half-eaten plates.”

Are We successful the Golden Age of the Modern Taverna?

Zannakis believes successful a instrumentality to accepted Greek eating but without overcomplicating things.

“To me, a existent taverna is astir nostalgia. You spell determination for specific, comforting dishes—giant beans, soutzoukakia with rice, dolmades, pork stew. No fancy steak cuts, nary extended vino lists, nary costly glassware. Just bully retsina served successful elemental glasses and just prices. I don’t truly subordinate to presumption similar ‘neo-taverna’ oregon ‘gastro-taverna.’”

What Defines a Great Dish?

“Flawless execution, beardown emotion, and heavy emotion for cooking. You person to consciousness the ingredients, interaction them, observe their changes daily. No constituent is ever genuinely the same.”

As we wrapper up, Zannakis shares a last thought:

“Washing dishes is really 1 of my favourite moments successful the kitchen. There’s thing incredibly satisfying astir seeing bare plates travel backmost to me.”

And conscionable similar that, our speech ends—leaving down the sensation of Iliopetra’s unexpected, delicious, and ever-evolving journey.