The Arrival
A pub in Tempe. Not exactly the opening line of a food fantasy, is it? And yet. We park up (hurrah, lots of parking!), navigate the wooden decked walkways and see this is a spot worthy of a ‘trot’ out.
Outside, we find a generous deck. It is dog friendly, naturally, because Greeks love family and dogs are family with its own bar and a front-row seat to what is sizzling nearby. Fair warning: your dog will develop strong opinions about this place and will not stop staring at you until you bring them back. We saw this evidence on BOTH visits.
We walk into Stix Hellenic Taverna and are immediately greeted by two overhead white galloping horses, nothing says a Greek restaurant more than a classic statue plus blue and white colours.
The Vibe
Stix is a big venue, which at 6pm ish feels ambitious but within 30 mins there is hardly a spare seat and boy! is it loud, fun and full of love. We’re not here for an intimate dinner. Tables inside are tiled and built for groups, families and long, noisy catch-ups. On a saturday night there’s a DJ tucked into a booth, adding a steady hum of Greek music energy. This is shared food territory. Inside there are banquette seating with a back drop of gilt-framed portraits nodding to rebellious figures from Greek history. It spills into a more intimate outside deck with the advatage of a retractable roof.
The Chef & The Vision
We first met Elvis Abrahanowicz, a chef who doesn’t do things by halves, when he opened ‘Knead Bread’ in Glebe. Others know him more famously for Stix and Pita in Enmore which has taken on legendary status. Elivs is the real deal. A man whose heart and generosity is as big as his love for great produce cooked well. His take on Greek food isn’t about refinement or reinvention; it’s about going back to something more primal. I feel that this is his finest moment yet and in this beautiful venue he gets to indulge his passions and I love this venue as much for its embodiement of his passion as I do for the amazign food the kitchen kicks out
We see it in the fire. We see it in the restraint. This is cooking stripped back to its essence: flame, smoke, fat, salt. No hiding. One entire wall of the restaurant opens into the kitchen, and we find ourselves completely unable to look away.This place has theatre as Mr G and I watch the hypnotic burning coals, slow rotation of the rotisserie, meats and dripping fat. The chefs are the proverbial fish in the goldfish bowl for us to gawp at. Mr G and I haven’t even picked up a menu but know we want and its ‘that’ !!
The Food
We start with house made pita perfect for scooping up tamasalata. This is the benchmark. Silky, creamy, made with proper white cod roe rather than the garish pink stuff many of us eat. It’s the dish we keep going back to, dragging bread through it long after we say we’re done. The menu mooches through small, medium and large shares, stix, meat and wraps.
Next the Saganaki ($24), arriving in its pan, is still sizzling. Salty, golden, instantly comforting with honey and roasted walnuts.. The Greek salad, which, let’s be honest, can be a depressing pile of sad tomato and soggy cucmber in lesser hands is genuinely fantastic here. Big, chunky, unapologetically fresh with two triangular slabs of feta prettied by oregano.
The calamari lands with attitude: crispy, heavily seasoned, with lemon underneath. And then, completely without warning, the sweetcorn arrives ($14). Long charred quarters, basted in butter, glossed with honey. Fabulous. A welcome departure from the Mexican-style versions that arrive buried under an avalanche of cheese and toppings. This one lets the corn be the corn.
The Souvla Grill (and Why We’re Really Here)
Chicken, pork, pork belly, lamb. Simple, but the execution leaves no room for error. We order 200g of each of the Souvla meat ‘cooked over charcoal’ and add a chicken ‘stix’ because, well, it’s the name sake. You can order 500g if you want. Oh boy. Hands don order the souvla, each meat is juicy, flavoursome to the point where we are full but still can’t stop eating. A side of Oliklires greek potatoes is a highlight, a tumble of baby golden globes swimming in fruity olive oil and lemon. My fork dives in an each one is soft like butter, it’s been a long time since I had a potato which melted this way.
We pair this all with a fantastic Mati Fortuna Chardonnay from Penepoliesse $10 or great value at $48 for the bottle. It has a lovely structure, oaky, fruit forward. I also loved their own house beer which is a collaboration with a local brewery.
The Verdict
What are we ADDICTED TO? This is generous, fire-driven food built for sharing and from a founder and chef who lives for bringing people together with a sense of service and generosity. We come. We eat. We absolutely cannot stop thinking about those char grilled meats. Simple food isn’t easy, it just looks it. Dog friendly outside too!
What do we need to be more ADDICTED? This is Greek food at its best in all the ways. It’s groups, it’s family, its popular and its very loud! So if you are looking for a quiet romantic night this might not be your vibe
Stix Hellenic Taverna, Riverview Hotel Tempe, 900 Princes Hwy, Tempe NSW 2044
