A new Greek restaurant is opening in the former pub space on the southeast corner of NE 60th Avenue and Glisan Street. Tréla Greek Kitchen & Taverna is the creation of four friends who share Greek heritage and culinary aptitude. The name translates from Greek as “craze,” meaning both manic-energy and crazy good. After a pandemic-related delay to its opening, the group seeks community support through a Go-Fund-Me campaign to battle rising buildout costs.
Brothers Napoleon and Anthony Tzakis have worked in their family’s restaurants for decades, learning the food service trade and honing their skills. “We started in the Beaverton area on Canyon Road with a Touch of Athens in 1990. Our parents had that until the early 2000s. During that time, we opened in the country club at Rock Creek, Hillsboro, and we also had a location downtown on First and Main. For the last ten years, we had a diner in Beaverton off Canyon Road called Antoni’s,” said Napoleon Tzakis. When looking for their next restaurant project, the Tzakis brothers sought the skills of friend and chef Emmett Fraser, who will join Anthony in running Tréla’s kitchen. Another friend, Jordan Johnson, will also join the team.
Napoleon and Anthony Tzakis chose the location for its personal history to their family, signing the lease a couple of months before the pandemic. The generations of bars that operated at 6000 NE Glisan Street were a backdrop to the brothers’ childhood as they visited their grandparents who lived a block away. Their grandparents’ home was one of many Greek American households in the area, situated near the Greek Orthodox church at 32nd and Glisan. The bar itself has a familial connection to the Tzakis brothers. Their great-grandfather was a frequent patron of the corner bar when he stayed in the area.
The building’s history as the neighborhood’s communal hall had the right energy for what the four partners envisioned. They intend to design a restaurant and offer foods that were once prevalent in this neighborhood before the younger generations moved away. Their efforts go beyond creating a family-style traditional Greek restaurant. They hope to celebrate and share their culture with Portland, just like the Oregon Greek community has for over 100 years.
The menu will incorporate seasonal dishes that leverage local fresh ingredients. However, they will provide many of the staple dishes people expect from a Greek restaurant. They plan to offer spanakopita, lamb chops, calamari, octopus, and Greek salad. Additionally, the chefs will pull inspiration from Greek street food to create unique dishes not commonly represented on other menus.
Funds from the Go-Fund-Me campaign will support final renovations to the space. The building’s owner helped remove some of the previous tenant’s buildout and fixed up the storefront’s shell after years of sitting vacant. Finishing the interior is up to the Tréla team, and all those costs have exceeded the pre-pandemic budget. Tréla will initially open for dinner service, with a planned expansion to include lunchtime hours after the staff are comfortable with operations. Keep an eye on the company’s Instagram account for their Fall 2023 opening date.
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