A revived Melbourne dining icon from the ’90s.
A fixture of 1990s Melbourne has been resurrected, this time in the heart of Oakleigh. Owner Nick Zampelis first opened Caffe Greco on Chapel Street in 1994, inspired by the story behind Rome’s oldest coffee house (with which it shares a name), established 265 years ago by a Greek migrant and visited by writers, artists, revolutionaries and royalty.
Reviving the all-day restaurant in Melbourne’s Greek centre was a no-brainer – and Zampelis has gone all out for the 300-seater. The original’s red-leather booths are joined by marble, classical frescoes and imposing chandeliers at this third iteration (a branch operated at Crown until 2010).
The Greek-meets-Italian menu includes 14-hour lamb shoulder, bruschetta, and rib-eye cotoletta with semi-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta. Classic Italian pizzas are joined by a saganaki one with fig jam. Family-sized pastas, including frutti di mare, feed five people. Sicilian sweets, such as cannoli, are made by the Bruno family who ran Cafe Siciliadolce.
Emma Breheny – Emma is Good Food’s Melbourne eating out and restaurant editor.
