Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
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The Mornington Peninsula is to Melbourne what Glyfada and the Athenian Riviera is to Athens. About an hour out of suburban Melbourne, the peninsula is a common holiday destination for Melbournians. As Melbourne has grown and expanded over time, the Mornington Peninsula was incorporated into Metropolitan Melbourne in 1966.
The Mornington Peninsula is home to pristine beaches and houses more than 200 vineyards, 60 wineries and at least 50 cellar doors. This accompanied with unique and quality dining, as well as a hilly landscape with scenery that resembles the Mediterranean is why Greeks and other Southern European migrants love the Mornington Peninsula.
Although the 2011 Census data only shows 2,158 permanent residents in the Mornington Peninsula of Greek heritage, you will find it hard to come by a Greek (or Italian) Melbournian that does not own or has a family member with a holiday house on the peninsula.
Here is our Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula List
Alatonero – Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
If there is only one place on this list that you try, make it Alatonero. There is a reason why there is such hype around this fine establishment. Alatonero, meaning “salt water” in Greek, was established by multi award winning Zac and Jacqui Poulier, who drew inspiration from their love of Greece – it’s people, food, and culture after living in Santorini. The restaurant is located in McCrae, right across from the beach and lighthouse.
The menu offers diners traditional Greek dishes reimagined. For us, the kataifi prawns are hands down our favourite dish on the menu, but there is so much more. Make sure to also try the saganaki with fig jam, spanakopita cigars (these used to be goat cigars which were also delicious), and zucchini and fetta fritters. Alternatively, you can simply select the Greek Feast for a good variety of the menu. One last word of advice, do not leave Alatonero without sampling one of their unique cocktails!
Click here to visit Alatonero’s website and view their menu.
The Pier Café – Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
Whether you’re after breakfast/brunch, lunch, dinner, or simply a coffee – The Pier is a must try. This traditional Greek restaurant is one of the few places on the Mornington Peninsula that you will find popular Greek coffees such as frappe, freddo espresso/cappuccino, and traditional Greek coffee. Located in Rosebud, at the heart of the peninsula, it is easy to get to, no matter where you’re staying.
For an authentic experience, we highly recommend the banquet set menu option which is not only great value and a generous amount of food, but also offers high quality dishes. Alternatively, the kataifi prawns, gyro sliders, fried whitebait, saganaki, kolokithakia tiganita (fried zucchini), marinated octopus, pier meat platter, and seafood platter are all amazing options.
Lorida – Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
Lorida is another creation of Philhellene Jacqui Poulier, becoming the sister restaurant of Alatonero. Located in the heart of Mornington on the busy Main Street, the Greek restaurant was designed with the glamour of 1950’s Athens in mind. Lorida, meaning “laneway” in Greek, is the ideal place for a cocktail, drink, lunch, or dinner.
Similar to Alatonero, there is a Greek Feasting Menu that takes the guess work away and provides you with a good selection. The menu is similar to Alatonero with some key differences. Our top picks are the Santorini tomato keftedes, kataifi prawns, fried calamari, saganaki with fig jam, and seafood linguini.
Phat Yaya’s – Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
Phat Yaya’s is another Greek restaurant located in Mornington. This souvlaki bar is a great option for a takeway souvlaki or for a dine in lunch. This Greek restaurant is no ordinary souvlaki bar, taking a modern street food approach.
On the menu, you will find brisket, chicken, pork, lamb, and vegan souvlaki options. Stick around for dessert and try one their delicious waffles.
Click here to visit Phat Yaya’s website and view their menu.
Food on the Hill – Greek Restaurant Mornington Peninsula
Food On The Hill is a café nestled in among the many wineries sprawled across Red Hill. A Greek husband and an Italian wife that make the perfect partnership to bring you authentic Mediterranean food. One look at the menu and you will find this is a Greek restaurant at heart. A perfect location for breakfast before you kick off a winery tour or a lunch break.
This wholesome, homemade menu includes traditional breakfast options, souvlaki, spanakopita, meat platters, and a Greek lamb burger. Off course, it wouldn’t be a traditional Greek restaurant without offering banquet options such as their Peinao “I’m hungry” or Kali Orexi “Enjoy your meal” options.
Click here to visit Food on the Hill’s website and view their menu.
We couldn’t complete this list without including the following two unique Greek wineries and their restaurants.
Trofeo Estate
Trofeo Estate is the largest producer of terracotta amphora wine in the southern hemisphere! Jim and Kathy Manolios acquired the Estate in 2012, where it was named ‘Trofeo’ after Jim’s successful motorsports company. Jim’s heritage from the Greek island of Samos sparked his interest in wine making. With a background in Biochemistry, Jim explored a number alternative winemaking methods and eventually on the ancient Greek wine making method of using terracotta amphora (instead of oak barrels). The winery is located in Dromana.
You can visit Trofeo for a wine tasting at their Cellar Door, or dine in for lunch or afternoon drinks and nibbles. On the menu there are two substantial grazing boards to select from and four wine flight options to taste a good selection of their wines. You can off course also order wines by the glass or bottle. Our favourite wines were the Amphora Rose and the Amphora Single Block Chardonay.
Click here to visit Trofeo Estate’s website and view their menu and wines.
Abelli Estate
Abelli, meaning “vineyard” in Greek, only uses the grapes grown on their estate to produce their unique wines. The winery produces a select variety of wines including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Moscato.
You can visit Abelli Estate for a wine tasting at their Cellar Door, or dine in for lunch or afternoon drinks and nibbles. On the menu, you will find traditional Greek mezze options such as dips, olives, dolmades, saganaki, spanakopita, souvlaki (skewers), and gemista (stuffed vegetables).
Click here to visit Abelli Estate’s website and view their menu and wines.
These are our pick of Greek restaurants (and wineries) on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. Are you interested in exploring Greek restaurants in Lorne and the Great Ocean Road? Check out list here.
Do you have a connection to the Greek Diaspora in Australia? Trace your ancestry to find out. There are a number of DNA tests available but the most common and most trusted of them all is Ancestry.com