Meraki Greek Bistro (252 Grand St.), a small chain with four locations in Florida, has opened its first location in New York. Meraki aimed to open its Williamsburg location in the fall of 2023, but was delayed until this past Friday, March 1.
“We did a very soft opening to work out any kinks. We are planning to do a grand opening once the garden in our backyard is completed,” explained managing partner Michael Georgoulakos. “The neighborhood’s response has been great for those who knew that we opened,” he added.
In addition to the Brooklyn outpost, Meraki Hospitality Group runs four establishments in South Florida, including restaurants in Coconut Grove and downtown Miami, a gyro brand, and a bar, all established in 2016 by owners Giannis Kotsos and Alex Karavias.
“They have had much success over the years in Miami and their dream was for one day to open a Meraki in New York,” Georgoulakos previously told Greenpointers. “We felt that the Meraki Brand would fit perfectly in Williamsburg, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this multicultural community.”
Chef Gianni Kotsos runs Meraki’s kitchen in Williamsburg. “Chef Gianni Kotsos wants people to come to Meraki on any random day and be able to find exactly what they would find in the streets or islands of Greece,” Georgoulakos told Greenpointers.
Meraki’s menu focuses on the flavors of Greece and the Mediterranean region. Appetizers include dips like hummus and tzatziki, dolmades or stuffed grape leaves, tyropita or feta cheese pies, kolokithokeftedes or zucchini fritters, plus homemade meatballs and calamari.
The menu includes several salads like horiatiki, a traditional Greek salad filled with tomato, onions, cucumbers, olives, capers, green peppers, feta, and croutons. There’s a halloumi salad with arugula, spinach, cranberries, walnuts, bacon, grilled halloumi cheese, and honey balsamic vinaigrette, plus several other appetizing options.
The menu’s entree section includes traditional Greek dishes like moussaka with layers of grilled zucchini, eggplant, and potato, topped with homemade meat sauce, béchamel crème and shredded parmesan. Other options include a pork gyro platter, lamb kabobs, bacon-wrapped chicken skewers, salmon, seared scallops, and a dish called Creta Seafood with shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari, and octopus served over linguini in a light tomato sauce.
Meraki also offers family-style platters called poikilies which are meant for two to four people to share. An example is the Athina Poikilia which has chicken, pork, and bacon chicken skewers, lamb chops, chicken keftes, and loukaniko, which is a Greek sausage. Georgoulakos told Greenpointers that the poikilies were very popular over opening weekend.
“Our most popular dishes for the weekend was our fresh whole branzino with green beans and lemon potatoes, and our Kalamaki Souvlaki Platter for two to four guests,” Georgoulakos said. The Kalamaki Souvlaki Platter includes skewers of pork, chicken, vegetables, shrimp, and bacon-wrapped chicken served with fries, pita bread, tzatziki and other sauces, sliced tomatoes, and sliced onions.
Meraki is currently only open for dinner, but Georgoulakos told Greenpointers that the restaurant plans to open for weekday lunch “in the near future.” Meraki’s current opening hours are Monday through Friday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. – 11 p.m.