Helios Is Bringing a New Kind of Greek Dining to Malvern

Greek dining in Melbourne is about to get a little brighter.

Opening soon on Glenferrie Road, Helios is the latest project from chef Ioannis Kasidokostas and Maria Tsilfoglou, the team behind South Melbourne’s Aegli. Taking over a former sports bar in Malvern, the ambitious three-storey venue is designed to show a broader, more contemporary picture of Greek food, wine and hospitality.

Named after the ancient Greek god of the sun, Helios takes its inspiration from light — not only aesthetically, but as a way of bringing greater attention to the regional dishes, ingredients and traditions of Greece.

At the centre of the 250-person venue is a wood-fired kitchen, with much of the menu shaped around cooking over flame. Early dishes give a good indication of where things are heading: house-made cheeses, Josper-baked halloumi with raisin salsa and preserved capsicum purée, prawn dolmades with spiced prawn salsa, and slow-cooked lamb finished with grape molasses.

It’s Greek cooking that looks beyond the familiar.

“People will have a wider view of what Greek food can be,” says Kasidokostas, who describes Helios as an opportunity to explore cultural dishes from different regions of Greece rather than simply recreate the classics Melbourne already knows.

That same thinking extends to the wine list. Australian producers will sit alongside a substantial collection of Greek wines and indigenous varietals, continuing Kasidokostas’ push to introduce Melbourne diners to the depth of contemporary Greek viticulture. Helios will also hold a full general licence, allowing guests to take home bottles they discover over dinner.

Across three levels, the restaurant moves between its main dining room, private spaces and larger function areas, giving Helios enough flexibility for everything from a wine-heavy dinner to a corporate lunch or full-scale celebration. White linen and warm lighting keep things refined without losing the generosity and energy associated with Greek hospitality.

And as the evening progresses, expect the atmosphere to shift with it. A resident Athenian DJ will soundtrack the venue with Greek classics, pushing Helios closer to the kind of all-encompassing hospitality experience you might find in Athens than a conventional Melbourne restaurant.

For Kasidokostas and Tsilfoglou, that distinction matters.

“It’s not just about opening another business, it’s about sharing our culture,” says Kasidokostas.

Melbourne certainly isn’t short on Greek restaurants. Helios looks set to make its mark by showing us just how much more there is to Greek dining than we often get to see.

Helios
256 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
Opening late August / early September