Spitiko in South Melbourne

South Melbourne is one of those suburbs worth exploring a little further. It’s not showy or sexy making hidden gems such as new gourmet Greek grill Spitiko, hard to notice; the focus being on family and food and not the façade.

This tasty little gem belongs to Philip Vakos of past Masterchef fame and John Ghionis (Trapezi). An authentic abode that you’ll love for all the right reasons.

  The first – treat it like your home away from home. It tastes just like mum’s cooking or in this case, Yiaya.

Dishes from here take you on a Grecian tour of Cyprus, Crete, Peloponnese and Chalkidiki. Keep it simple with souvlaki or move through the signature sensations such as Ouzo pannacota topped with watermelon and cucumber or how about some feta in your watermelon martini?

  Warm up with whole beasts roasted slowly over the charcoal mallee root grill. Suckling pigs and lambs are cooked to perfection, rolling and marinating to mouthwatering levels.

As you admire the collection of family photos around the dining room you can feast on dishes such as Pastitsio, kokkinisto, lemon roasted potatoes, tangy Greek village salad and traditional loukoumades. Sweet tooths are catered for too with frozen desserts such as Mastich yogurt, halva and fig ice cream.

Spitiko carries through the tradition then stirs in a dollop of today resulting in Modern Greek cuisine. The only tradition missing is the smashing of plates.

If dining in doesn’t suit get them to slice, season and serve that souvlaki to go. The choice is yours but either way, come hungry.