Xenia Bar & Dining: A Tale Of Greek Hospitality

When it comes to Greek food, there’s a certain type of image that gets conjured up in your mind’s eye. One of painfully fresh ingredients, prepared in such a simple way that it beggars belief it could taste so good.

The setting is always sun-drenched—always al fresco—the indoors and the outdoors bleeding into each other with a casual ease. And the atmosphere is vibrant and full of life, which seems like it would be juxtaposed with the relaxed attitudes surrounding it, yet somehow they work together in tandem.

And underneath all of this is the underlying theme of family. A lineage born into providing such an affair that it’s a part of them.

If you thought that Xenia would be any different, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.

Xenia was started almost 7 years ago by owner/chef Dino Georgakopoulos, along with his partner Kate, and was the culmination of everything they’d been striving for. Dating back as far as 2002, where Dino first tried his hand at hospitality with his own catering business, onto their 1st joint venture in owning and operating the Meraki Bistro in the Ocean Shores Country Club, there was always a desire to start something that was truly their own—something brick & mortar and freed of the ties of another business.

And so, in 2016 Xenia was born.We caught up with Xenia Finance Manager, Daniela Hille, to talk about Xenia’s journey from a single location, to a multi-site mainstay.

“Dino’s family, all his background, is from a Greek family, so all of the recipes are family recipes. They’ve tried to keep it very authentic.”

This much is apparent. The menus at each Xenia location speak for themselves as to their authenticity. But this is no amateaur affair; this homage to Dino’s heritage is elevated by his own expertise and understanding of food, the results of which are quintessentially Greek and executed to perfection.

“We offer a dish that is called Flaming Saganaki. It’s a cheese, it’s not halloumi, but it’s kind of. We do that flaming. So we pour Ouzo, a Greek spirit, onto the cheese and we serve this flaming (in) front of the customer.”

And this is just one example. Pour over the menu and you’ll be welcomed into a world of expertly curated Greek fare. All of the usual suspects are here, but prepared to a level rarely seen before. 

From the house-made Taramosalata, to the aforementioned spectacle that is the Flaming Saganaki, onto traditional mains such as Lamb Kleftiko, Moussaka, shatteringly crisp Spanakopita, and traditional Souvlaki pita, vibrant salads to finally, classic Baklava and Loukoumades for dessert, paired with the surroundings it truly delivers an experience soaked in authenticity.

“The whole idea of the restaurant is really to give to the customer the experience of being in Greece without going to Greece.“All of the training, all of the staff, all our core values…everything is designed for sharing…(and for) giving the customer a little bit of this experience of having a moment with the family, sharing heaps of good food—family recipes—and having a nice experience.”

Four years ago, Xenia expanded South, just over the New South Wales border in beautiful Casuarina, offering a whole new cast of locals the opportunity to sample some of the Georgakopoulos family’s best.

Their 3rd venue opened in August at Gold Coast’s Main Beach, so now there are even more lucky customers to be exposed to the Xenia charm.

And if the previous two venues are anything to go by, you can rest assured that these are some very fortunate locals indeed.