Transport yourself to the shores of Greece with traditionally prepared Greek food right in the heart of Makati. Located in 146-B Jupiter, Makati, Akrotiri Greek restobar prides itself in preparing high quality and authentic Greek food in the Philippines.
According to Akrotiri marketing manager Marie Uy, Akrotiri was first conceived as a modern Euroasian fusion restaurant.
“It didn’t click at first, so we had to convert to something else,” she said.
The place was then reimagined to be an authentic Greek restaurant in the shareholders’ home peninsula in Greece, hence its name-’Ακρωτήρι’ or ‘peninsula’ in Greek. It opened to the public in 2018 in Alabang and then last year in Makati. On both occasions, Akrotiri was met with the rousing approval of vegetarians who were looking for a place that will cater to their dietary preferences.
“Medditeranean cuisine is heavy on herbs and grilled,” Uy noted. “We get plenty of repeat customers who are vegetarians because there is finally another vegetarian-friendly option here.”
Other than the approval of the vegetarian community, they also won the approval of the local Greek community for their immaculate attention to detail in honoring the latter’s cuisine.
“We are really pushing for authentic and traditional Greek food,” she stated. “So we invested in Greek consultants and chefs to teach the staff how to prepare the food.”
In order to prepare traditional Greek food, they also need to source genuine Greek ingredients. Mediterranean cuisine uses ingredients like feta cheese, which they directly import from Greece. While produce like vegetables and meats are sourced from local farmers. Meanwhile, dishes such as their yogurt-based tzatziki dip and their pita bread, are made exclusively in the restaurant.
“All of the food that you see here is all prepared by us. When we can’t source it, and we’d rather create our own and serve it to the guests than to have a pre-prepared meal,” she said.
Other than bringing the flavors of Greece into the Philippines, they also want to “push the music scene in Makati” by having various local acts perform in their spaces. Known acts performing in Akrotiri are the pop rock band Calle Victoria and indie artist Skarlet. This turns the area from a resto bar to a place where talents of all kinds can find a place to bloom.
With all these in place, Akrotiri is certainly a center where two different cultures can bond over their shared love of both food and music.