Greenpoint’s newest Greek restaurant Nerina (35 Commercial St.) is opening on Wednesday, January 29 with a sharable mezze-style menu. Nerina is located in a new, fully affordable residential building that is part of the Greenpoint Landing complex.
Nerina’s co-owners Spiro Menegatos and Christos Gourmos have owned another Greek restaurant called Nerai in Manhattan for 12 years. At their new restaurant, Menegatos and Gourmos hope to offer warm Greek hospitality with the Greek tradition of philoxenia, which translates to “friend to a stranger.”
Executive Chef Moshe Grundman has worked with Menegatos and Gourmos at Nerai since 2017. Chef Grundman’s Mediterranean upbringing deeply influences his approach to Greek cuisine. His mezze-style menu at Nerina will embrace fresh and seasonal ingredients to make shareable traditional Greek dishes with a unique Mediterranean flair.
Nerina’s menu starts with house-made pita paired with various spreads like hummus and spicy feta, plus small plates like marinated olives and grilled halloumi. The next section of the menu includes oysters, tuna tartare, and striped bass crudo, followed by a Greek salad and a grape and arugula salad.
The largest part of the menu includes a selection of shareable plates like zucchini chips, Brussels sprouts with sausage, grilled octopus, scallops, and duck leg agnolotti. Lastly, the menu’s four large plates include lobster orzotto, lemon chicken, rack of baby lamb, and whole grilled fish.
Nerina’s wine program is led by Greek native Dimitrios Karagiannis who put together a menu that focuses solely on Greek wines. The curated selection highlights organic and biodynamic wines and includes both traditional and lesser-known Greek varietals.
Nerina’s interiors were designed by a single team at CKMS Workshop, who was responsible for everything from design and architecture to fabrication and contracting.
“We are a local architecture and build called CKMS practice and excited to debut our first project in the neighborhood,” Masha Osorio of CKMS told Greenpointers.
CKMS’s design of Nerina’s 3,500 square foot interior was inspired by the understated elegance of 1970s Athenian apartment lobbies. The airy, high-ceilinged space is anchored by a deep green marble bar with the indoor dining room to its left and a glass-enclosed outdoor dining area to its right. The heated 1,500 square foot patio will be open to guests this spring.
Nerina’s walls are bright stucco with aged cherry paneling and feature artwork from both local and international artists with subtle references to classic Athenian style. One surprising design feature is an olive tree in the middle of the dining room, symbolic of Greek heritage and tranquility.
Starting January 29, Nerina’s hours will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.