At this year’s Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards in Hobart, Angie Giannakodakis was honoured as Restaurant Personality of the Year, recognised for more than three decades of championing Greek cuisine, wine, and the art of hospitality in Australia.
The accolade, presented by Lexus, praised her as a “true restaurateur”, a figure who not only redefined Greek dining through projects like The Press Club and Hellenic Republic, but also continues to bring depth and philosophy to the profession at Taverna in Brunswick.
Giannakodakis is grateful, but her response is characteristically grounded.
“The ‘Personality’ award… I understand what they mean… the charisma, how you hold yourself in the dining room, the way you connect with people. That’s important.”
Later, she reflects on the recognition with her signature humility.
“Honestly, I think someone younger could have received it,” she tells Neos Kosmos.
For Giannakodakis, the real motivation is not prestige but legacy.
“My father passed away in January, and my mother will one day, not too far from now, leave too,” she says.
“I didn’t want their recipes to be lost. That was the main reason I wanted to keep going, not just because I’m Greek. I love home-made fasolakia, I love my mother’s moussaka. I wanted something genuine, authentic, traditional, cooked with love but also high professional standards.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love the clichés too but did not want saganaki or horiatiki all year round. I wanted things in their season, in their time.”
At Taverna, that philosophy lives in the menu.
Staples like her bread, the signature fava and lamb shoulder remain, but most dishes shift with the cycle of the seasons.
“When the beans come in, the peas or the artichokes, the eggplants, we follow the cycle. That’s important.”
When I ask if the decision to keep a smaller, specific menu of seasonal and signature dishes that are more traditional and less common has been resonating with the Lygon street crowd she enthusiastically agrees.
Six months after opening, the Brunswick neighbourhood has embraced the restaurant as its own. Families come early with children, while groups of friends and young couples arrive later in the evening. The atmosphere, Giannakodakis says, “feels alive” and deeply familiar.
“It really does remind me of Greece,” she says.
“It’s a taverna, but elevated. Not fine dining in the stiff way, but attentive, heart-to-heart service. That’s what I tell the staff: we don’t just serve and walk away. We pay attention. Will full presence. We notice what you might need. That’s the difference.”
This ethos, Giannakodakis says, comes straight from her upbringing.
“I tell my staff what my mum used to say: no one is ever hurt by one more kind, honest smile. If it’s real, both sides benefit.”
It’s here, in the realm of authenticity, where her own ‘personality,’ as well as that of her team, shines through. The staff, diverse in age, background and style, are united by this shared approach.
“At home, our mothers and fathers would never let you sit without food. If you didn’t eat, they’d immediately make you something else. That’s the spirit we bring into the restaurant. Hospitality not as performance, but as genuine care,” she stresses.
And while the awards are much appreciated, she insists they’re not what matters most.
“For me, it’s not just about running a business. It’s a way of life. I want people to come with me on that journey, to feel that realness in every part of the experience.”
