is such an institution in Melbourne that would be complete without it. The restaurant has been open for almost 50 years and when you enter for the first time, you might reasonably wonder: “How will I ever be able to try everything?”
Well, relax. It will all come down to one question: “Do you like seafood or meat?” and answering this will feel more like an exercise in style than an expression of free will since the crew will decide how to treat your soul and belly for the evening.
“You will not have one plate in front of you, we recommend sharing. Do you like fish, for example? I would suggest you try some grilled calamari, scallops, prawns, charcoal fish, some salad and if you are still hungry, you can go for some lamb!” explains owner Leo Panagopoulos.
He believes Jim’s Greek Tavern was one of the first joints in Melbourne to introduce the set menu, including dips, saganaki, lima beans, calamari, charcoal garlic prawns, various fish, Greek salad, lamb skewers, (Greek meatballs), desserts and Greek coffee. The wine selection is pretty straightforward: you can choose the house white or red, or BYO.
Jim’s Greek Tavern is located in inner-city Collingwood, which was a bustling multicultural hub when Panagopoulos migrated here as a teenager in the '70s. He had arrived from in the south of Greece, a town best known for its juicy purple olives and crystal-clear waters.
In 1982, a twentysomething Panagopoulos started working as a waiter at Jim's Greek Tavern – which previously had been known as Jim’s Pizza Place. He eventually took over the restaurant and completely transformed it.
“I was 14 years old when I moved to Australia, I had very strong memories [of Greece] and I tried to recreate them [at Jim's Greek Tavern]. I designed the space on a napkin and made it as it is today.”
Serves of the restaurant's ubiquitous Greek salad. Source: Francesca Valdinoci
In 1982, a twentysomething Panagopoulos started working as a waiter at Jim's Greek Tavern – which previously had been known as Jim’s Pizza Place. He eventually took over the restaurant and completely transformed it.
“I was 14 years old when I moved to Australia, I had very strong memories [of Greece] and I tried to recreate them [at Jim's Greek Tavern]. I designed the space on a napkin and made it as it is today.”
His nostalgia permeates every corner of the place: the open kitchen along the side entry is set under a sloping roof that looks like a beach kiosk and overlooks a busy room with small, white-clothed tables barely leaving space for waiters to run around. The back area is dominated by statues of ancient gods, and wooden barrels among luscious greenery.
He wanted to transport people to Greece, and the only missing element is a salty fresh breeze. Even the original pizza oven found its slice of Mediterranean heaven. “Today we still bake our bread and cakes every day – every so often, we put in the pizza oven a goat or pork belly, too,” he says.
The restaurant evokes the coastal feel of the owner's birthplace. Source: Francesca Valdinoci
As Panagopoulos recalls, the Greek community in the area was very big back then and there were a few Greek restaurants – but no “tavernas”, he explains.
“A taverna is a place in Greece where people mainly go to drink, and since Greek people do not have alcohol without food, so you also have something to nibble," he says.
“Tavernas serve grilled food, fish fresh from fisherman’s boats, they never have menus and serve rustic food.”
It's an atmosphere he recreates at the restaurant, which is famously menu-free, uses ingredients directly from Greece (like olive oil, feta, oregano and vinegar) and chargrills and pan-fries its dishes to highlight the freshness of its food. Using just lemon and olive oil showcases the quality of the fish and access to sauces is strictly prohibited in Panagopoulos's kitchen.
“When we started, we used to sell 70 or 80 saganaki – fried cheese – a week to Greek people only. In zero time, customers started trying them and we jumped to hundreds of cheeses a week. Same for octopus, the Aussies used to tell me, ‘You're trying to sell me octopus as a delicacy, I use it as fishing lure’ or with salad they'd say they did not want to eat ‘grass’,” the restaurateur says and laughs.
Head chef Lazaros Tsakiridis brings out a dish at Jim's Greek Tavern. Source: Francesca Valdinoci
For the first 15 years, Panagopoulos never left the kitchen; today his daughter Pamela runs the show. “I am very proud of her, and she can still rely on me if she needs.”
The Aussies used to tell me, ‘You're trying to sell me octopus as a delicacy, I use it as fishing lure’ or with salad they'd say they did not want to eat ‘grass’.
Sitting at the very same table where the Panagopoulos family used to have dinner every night, Pamela recalls her childhood growing up at Jim’s Greek Tavern: “I never realised what an institution our taverna was until I was grown up and sometimes it still blows my mind.”
“My dad gave me the best life lessons in this restaurant – like why change something if it works?”
It's a philosophy she swears by and today she's planning for the next 50 years of Jim’s Greek Tavern.
32 Johnston St, Collingwood
Daily 6 pm - midnight
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