There's something wonderfully warm and homey about the way this new Brunswick restaurant weaves four generations of family history into every dish on the menu.
Patris has landed in Brunswick, serving Eastern Mediterranean plates named after the ship that brought its founders’ family to Australia.
The restaurant takes its name from the SS Patris, the vessel that carried owner Stella’s mother from Greece to Station Pier in 1963, when she was just four years old.
Owners Stella and Johnny have poured that history into every part of the new venue, right down to the olive oil, which comes from their aunt’s grove near the Evrótas River in the Peloponnese.
Patris – Brunswick
- 140 Barkly St, Brunswick VIC 3056
- Thursday to Saturday, 6pm
- Sunday, 11am to 3pm
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The menu leans heavily on sharing, with meze like grilled haloúmi and commandaría poached figs sitting alongside labneh, taramá and lamb keftédes done Cypriot style.
Bigger plates include a slow-cooked lamb shoulder with pomegranate glaze and zhug, a charcoal grilled whole baby snapper, and a half roast chook with carrot purée and pickled grapes.
For bigger groups, Patris also runs two set menus: the Mázoxi at $85 per head and the Xenía, a $120 chef’s selection banquet, both requiring a minimum of two people and offering vegan and plant-based alternatives.
On Sundays, the kitchen switches over to a brunch service between 11am and 3pm, dishing up filled pítas like the kolokithópita, made with zucchini, egg and haloúmi, and the arniópita, made with minced lamb and potato.
Behind the bar, the drinks list is just as considered.
Cocktails include a ruby-red mastic made with mastíha liqueur, vodka, hibiscus, lime and apple, while the wine list features preservative-free drops from Northern Greece and the Yarra Valley. The team behind Patris says the restaurant, which grew out of years of events and catering work, also runs a zero waste kitchen.
At Patris, every plate feels like it’s come straight from someone’s family kitchen.
For more information, head here.
